The Tribal Print Has Spoken | My Style

I prefer the term "style" over "fashion" because, well, I'm not big into fashion. However, I am big into personal style. I think it's important for all of us to find a style that's so "us" and to rock it confidently :) Throughout the years, I started realizing how difficult it was becoming for me to keep my style. Strict work dress codes were a huge part of that reason. When I'd shop, I'd shop mostly for work and, little by little, my closet was becoming less me.

It was time to change that.

In my last position, I was able to dress pretty casual and now that I'm in Southern California, I am fully embracing the laid-back lifestyle as I've always wanted to do :)

With Spring and Summer clothes coming into the stores, and with the lovely 80 degree temps we had this past weekend here in San Diego [!!!!], I was inspired to get back in touch with my style. San Diego is the absolute dream place to shop for me. I can't wait for Spring to officially be here so I can rock what I bought and show you all. For now, here is the first style element that I LOVE:

Aztec/Tribal Prints

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I am swooning. But what really makes me swoon... these tribal print skirts. I need them all.

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That final outfit will always be one of my favorites. I just love the Tribal/Aztec look. I love the colors, the shapes, the depth that it adds to an outfit. And, out of the three print items of clothing that I picked up this weekend, two of them were tribal print. The other was... you guessed it - animal print!

So, as the weather continues to get warmer, you'll see me rocking the tribal skirts... and shorts... and tops :) What ever your style may be, find it and rock it too!

A Festive Old Town

If I'm not behind in blogging about my life, then what am I? Let's rewind to about a month ago when we were all sipping on eggnog and apple cider and singing "Silent Night." Although I had only been in San Diego for about two and a half weeks, I had the chance to fly back home for about 6 days to spend the holiday with my family.

I wouldn't be arriving in DC until after dinner time on the 21st of December so I knew that my Christmas shopping needed to be completed in San Diego and able to be transported via United Airlines. I needed to be smart and creative. I bought a few things for my brother and niece and then just knew I had to go to Old Town San Diego to shop for my dad. So, what's a girl to wear while day shopping outside in San Diego?

Old Town is a place my family went to while here visiting my brother years ago during Christmas. I knew that venturing back there would bring back great memories of our time together. It's nice knowing I'm already familiar with so many places in my new city :)

I just want it to be known that I took this picture of the Christmas tree moments after a homeless man, his dog, and a rooster on top of the dog's head walked by. So, that happened...

Old Town San Diego is considered the "birth place" of California and is the site of the first Spanish settlement. Because of that, Old Town still has many of the original buildings and characteristics from the 1800's and is full of Spanish and Mexican influence! Since my dad studied abroad in Mexico, he has always had a connection with that culture and I knew I'd find his presents in Old Town :) I also came across a lot of other fun finds!

Good thing I had already finished shopping for my niece, Aubrey, because those dresses might just have made it home with me. Aren't they adorable?

Old Town is also home to the most haunted house in the United States, according to the Travel Channel. The Whaley House! We toured the Whaley House on our trip to San Diego in the past and let me just tell you this much... it's all very true. Walking through the narrow hallways and up and down the wooden staircase, my legs were so heavy; I felt as if I was walking through water. I kid you not, friends!

After quickly scurrying by the Whaley House, which was closed at the time, I was on the hunt for a delicious churro. Years ago, Old Town was also the first place I had ever had a churro and I never forgot it! I searched and searched. I finally found the place we had gone to before but was disappointed when I saw the churros were sold out. What?!

I continued walking and slowly starting admitting to myself that it just wasn't in the stars when, BAM! There was a "CHURROS!" sign right in front of me! I walked inside to a cozy little coffee/dessert place we have here called The Living Room. The girl complimented me on my pants... and then my necklace... and then said we must have the same style because she has the same Michael Kors watch as me. We're BFFs.

They made my churro and my new friend even brought it out to me. What awesome service!

They don't mess around with churros in San Diego! Yum.

And after finishing that scrumptious churro, I was headed back to my house. [Okay, so I might have made a stop by Home Goods first...]

I love Old Town so much. I am a total dork for old historical places and walking around, people watching, and enjoying the beautiful and sunny San Diego weather. And in case you're wondering, I ended up finding several Mexican-influenced/Day of the Dead things for my dad and a pretty sterling silver bracelet for my sister-in-law. Talk about a productive day!

Shop My Closet

I'm moving. I can't take everything with me. Therefore, I'm giving you all the opportunity to shop my closet :)

Below are a few of the items I'm saying "goodbye" to. They are either gently worn or never worn [you know how that goes!] If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me. Shipping is $4.00 for all U.S. customers and all sales are final. 

To start shopping, visit Sunset Closet here :)

There are several other items in the actual shop. Oh, and I'm also selling my king-size pillowtop mattress in case any of my DC friends are in need of one :)

The process of moving has been exhausting as I'm sure many of you can relate with. My dad has tons of boxes and bins full of stuff I've held onto since childhood so a great deal of my time has been spent going through everything. At times, it has caused me to get a little emotional and reminiscent and other times, I can't stop laughing. I mean, check this out:

A. Yes, I really did hang on to all of these boyband books/magazines.
B. This is only a small portion of my boyband stash.
C. I have seen all of these beautiful faces in person and even met one of the groups ;)

Also, I found this sweet love letter from my boyfriend back in high school. Back when things were all about romance and butterflies... and The Ring. I am pretty sure this is the only love letter that references the scariest movie ever.

And then I found baggies full of notes [mostly from him] and literally read through every single one. I wish I could show you how many notes from middle school were written starting with, "Wuz ^? N/M/H" and were written in gel pen. Luckily, they got better as time progressed. 

My next project is to do re-organization research. It's difficult to take what you have, go through what you no longer want, and then re-organize everything for a place you don't live in yet! I am looking for new organization products and techniques for nail polish, make-up, shoes, jewelry making supplies, etc that will work for transport as well as the new place! Blog posts to come :)

Also, if you missed it - be sure to enter the Blue Bird Bride giveaway and score some fun jewelry!

Life is Better in Gold Pants

Friends, I did it. I wore the gold pants. Which gold pants, you ask? The pants I mentioned last week while talking about what I'd be trying on at H&M. I spotted them once I already had five items in my arm upon entering four minutes prior. I admit, I felt slightly ridiculous snatching them up. I mean, they are gold pants.

Not mustard. Not a brownish-bronze. GOLD. With the gold flecks and all.

I mainly decided to try them on for fun. I figured I wouldn't like them anyway, but it'd be funny and for sure make for a good picture. Well, I was slightly surprised after putting them on that a) they fit wonderfully and b) I loved them. Loved.

Just call me Ke$ha because that's who I felt like.

So, then I had to think long and hard about purchasing these gold pants. If I was, in fact, a rockstar, they obviously would find some real estate in my closet. But I am not a rock star, yet. 

The gold pants made their way back on the racks of H&M, but I'm not sure that's where they'll stay. You see, I haven't really been able to stop thinking about them. 

Now, let's talk about something that doesn't really work for me: The long-tailed blouses. You know, the blouses with the back section of fabric extending longer than they do in the front? Do these have an official name? Well, those blouses do not work for petite Chelsea. I look like I'm a 5-year-old dressing in my dad's clothes. Not a good look. Do we agree?

I loved the mint with the gold pants, though. Did I mention that I loved the gold pants?

I ended up leaving H&M with one item. A pastel neon orange and off-white striped shirt - I needed something on the more casual side. I also found some goodies at a couple other stores. I'll share those soon :)

And those are some pictures from the weekend spent in the pretty Virginia countryside :) It was my first time wearing my Cheerfully Charmed necklace and it already broke in several spots :( Not cool. Good thing I got it on sale and didn't pay the original $60 price tag!

P.S. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the announcement of my and Hollie's mail swap and to sign up! :)

My Shopping Style Slump

You know that feeling when you have too much on your mind and too much on your heart to even put it all into words? That's been me lately. I have so, so much I could write about and probably need to... but I don't know where to start. So, I sit here staring at the blank screen and the blip of the cursor. Hopefully, little by little I can start to sift through it all and find some clarity. However, for now, I need a little mental break.

I suppose we could compare that to how my shopping style has been lately. Yes, I said shopping "style." After all, we each have our own unique way of doing things, right? That includes shopping. I had my weekly or bi-weekly rotation of stores I'd check out for new inventory. It looked a little something like this:

Kohl's. TJ Maxx. Kohl's. TJ Maxx. TJ Maxx in another location. Kohl's.

I got comfortable.

I knew what I liked and knew where the good deals were.

It wasn't worth it to me to drive to the mall. Park. Walk. Walk some more. Try on clothes. Wait in Forever 21 lines and walk some more. So, I went where it was easy and predictable and usually pretty promising.

Maybe that's how my thought process and mental sorting has gone as of late.

"Eh, you'll spend 11 hours of your day doing day job things, then work on your handmade business, on top of other necessary things like eating, bathing, and perhaps sleeping. There is no time to think, Chelsea!"

Rinse, repeat.

So, one day I will get around to sorting through my thoughts and what direction to take next in life. For now, I'll take the first step - reconnecting with one store that I once loved so dearly.

H&M. Here are some of the goodies that I just might happen to pick up one day once I expand my shopping style again!

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I am loving chambray tops and chiffon blouses this year! They look so great tucked in with a cute belt or untucked [as long as they aren't too blousy! For me, at least!]

You should know about my obsession with wedges by now but, believe it or not, I don't have any close-toed nude wedges... yet! Might have to scoop these up!

While I'm not sure I could get much use out of those gold pants, are they amazing or what?

Sigh.

I will definitely, for sure be going to H&M this weekend. I will try my best to find each of these items, try them on, and see what I think! Heck, maybe I'll even try on those gold pants :)

H&M is one of "my stores" - fits my style, price range, etc.

What are some of your stores??

Labor Day/Shopping Weekend

Happy day after a holiday weekend, friends! I'm sure you can agree with me that these three-day-weekend things need to happen on a regular basis. I got so much done! And actually had a little time to sit down, grab a white mocha and chill for a quick second. Here's a glimpse into what my weekend looked like:

1. I went and visited Mom at dusk. It was always her favorite time of day and I think about her now whenever I see the sun start to sink lower in the sky. I've really been missing her a lot lately and going to visit that little spot always makes me feel a little closer to her :)

2. Did you see the Blue Moon this weekend? This picture didn't do it justice but it was a fun [and super unique] sight to see!

3. Firemen were everywhere around here, collecting money for MDA! I can't even tell you how excited I get to donate money during Labor Day weekend by putting money in the boot. There's just something special about pulling up to an intersection, seeing the firefighters walking around with their boots, and seeing all the people roll down their windows. Warms my heart :)

4. Do I even need to say it? The Hills Marathon! #retroMTV. It took a lot of strength to peel myself away from the TV. The final episode [although Lauren was no longer a part of it] still pulls at my heart when they play the theme song at the end... One. Last. Time.

For someone who doesn't love to shop, I couldn't stop this weekend.

1. First of all, all the Lauren Conradness motivated me to curl my hair. The humidity here kills my curls but it was fun to have a little oomph in my hair instead of the usual straight Summer hair [isn't humidity supposed to do the opposite?]

2. I have had my eye on this Lauren Conrad dress for a while now. It was on sale AND they had my size which means... it was meant to be. You can buy it online from Kohl's here. It's a little more of a watermelon color than the picture on the top right shows. They also have it online in turquoise which I think I have to buy.

3. Did you know that the whole 90's grunge phase is coming back? Maybe it isn't. But I'm bringing it back and this shirt is proof. It screamed 90's to me [and saying that I am obsessed with the 90's would be an understatement.] The pattern on the pocket is also on the back of the shirt as well. More grunge to come!

4. Here is some of my Labor Day Weekend haul. Whew! I did some much-needed damage. I didn't update my Fall wardrobe much in the past few years so this was long-overdue. By the way, that light blue shirt is also LC Lauren Conrad and it's one of my favorite shirts I've found in ages! I got a new pair of super dark wash skinnies by her that fit so well! I highly recommend :)

I also stopped by Ulta to buy my favorite foundation ever [review to come!] and also picked up one of the OPI Germany Collection colors I mentioned here last week!

And for the fun part - I cleaned out and re-organized my closet. It's not finished yet but I made some stellar progress, that's for sure! I hate not being able to see all my outfit options right in front of me so this will be great! I also did a TON of work on some After Sunset pieces!! Check back here tomorrow to see some of the new Fall line! Or be checking the store for some additions throughout the day!! :)

Dupont & Occoquan Weekend

This past weekend was a great one! I really can't tell you how much I appreciate weekends. Work has been wearing on me and while I also worked most of the weekend [but on After Sunset jewelry!] I also had the chance to have a little fun :)

Saturday started off with a Metro trip into DC for the day. I used to take the Metro into work everyday for my first job out of college [and one of the best jobs I've had yet!] There's something about traveling alone in busy cities that I just love so much. The people watching, the chance to just chill out and listen to music...it's just nice for a change!

So, I put on my teal skinnies, grabbed my Metro SmarTrip card, and jumped on the train to meet up with Raquel! I just adore her and we always have a blast when we meet up! Delicious food and shopping are always involved. You can tell we are bloggers :)

We ended up on the same train and met up in Dupont Circle. Dupont is a fun little neighborhood in DC full of cute shops and eateries. The Metro station there also has the longest escalator. Note to tourists: If you are going to stand instead of walk, move to the right!

Yep, straight up into the sky!

We started off at Cosi for some yummy lunch outside. I got the turkey & brie sandwich... yum!

We chatted, caught up, and talked about Vampire Diaries. The usual :)

Then, we had to grab fro yo because that's just what Raquel and I do when we get together, ha. The place we went to was really not worth mentioning. They had more of a sorbet than fro yo and it kind of started to melt right away. It was tasty though, so it hit the spot.

We took our fro yo and headed across the street to one of Raquel's favorite little boutiques, Lou Lou.

DC ladies - if you love jewelry [like I do!] you must head on over to this adorable shop. It is filled to the brim with the cutest designs and organized by color. Perfect, right?

I scored these bad boys:

Do the pair on the right match my blog perfectly, or what? :) So sunsetty!

Raquel and I had a blast. Be sure to go say "hi" if you haven't already!

Here we are outside of Lou Lou:

Later, I took my dad out to dinner for his birthday [which was on Wednesday!]

There's an old, little town down the road from my house called Occoquan that's right on the Potomac River and they have a delicious restaurant on the water, Madigan's.

Fun moment for me: As our waitress walked up to greet us, before she even told us her name, she said, "I love your necklace!" It happened to be one of the new designs I've been working on for After Sunset and it pretty much just made my night. She was the sweetest and who knows... maybe she'll be rocking an After Sunset piece soon ;)

Our meal there was amazing. I had to go with the coconut crusted Mahi with a pina colada sauce and my dad got the Rib-eye.

'Twas amazing. So was the crab dip that we got as an appetizer. Go big or go home, right?

I'm grateful for all the dad/daughter dates we've been able to have since I've been back on the East Coast and since my Mom passed away. We sure miss her.

It was a productive weekend but there's always more to do so it will be a busy week!

I am getting really, really excited to share my new After Sunset designs with you all!

[If you follow me on Instagram, you already got a sneak peak! @chelseasunset]

What did you do this weekend? :)

Fashion Blogger Inspiration

We're talking fashion today. Fashion inspiration, that is. I obviously don't put myself in the "fashion blogger" category. As I mentioned yesterday, it has been quite a while since I've had an outfit post. I'd like to change that so I'll get working on it.

When asked to describe my style in a couple words, I never know what to say. Like, ever. I know I've had a style but I think little by little, I'm starting to learn what exactly it really is. I'm a rather active Pinterest pinner and I have started to realize another trend in the fashion pins I've posted [you can find my fashion board here.] Many of the outfits I adore originate from the same few fashion bloggers!

So, today I'll be sharing those bloggers and some of their outfits similar to my style with you! While I love fashion inspiration, it's important to keep in mind that I certainly don't have the same body makeup as these ladies so I can take these styles and make them my own for what works best for me :)

That's the best part, right?

Atlantic Pacific

This outfit is pretty much me to a T. I love my neutral, earthy tones and olive green military-style jackets are my favorite. I belt a lot of my outfits to add layers and texture, and the chunky, gold jewelry and over-sized bag? Yes, yes, yes.

Hate on it all you want, but I still dig the popped-collar in this look. And the turned-up cuffs. I also love layers in case you can't tell. I think the whole maxi with a jacket look might be one of my favorites for the upcoming Fall before it gets too cold. I also adore that rich purple with the pop of neon.

Honestly, I never would have paired that sweater with that skirt but somehow, I absolutely love it. Basically, anything with cheetah or leopard print automatically wins my heart so that helps. Looks like this really push me to experiment more with clothes! [Do we notice the popped collar again? Mmmhmm...]

When I'm not wearing browns and golds, I'm wearing shades of aqua and turquoise. Aside from that, this look is pretty much me throughout the Fall [and even the early Spring.] Skinny jeans, although I probably wouldn't wear that light of a wash, a fun jacket, and colored scarf. However, I'd most definitely be in boots :)

Seams for a Desire

I recently stumbled upon this blogger on Pinterest and love how fun her style is!
Are we surprised that I also love this look she's wearing above? That color and those edgy studs and zippers? Bam. Sign me up :)

I love colored denim and I love chambray. I know these two things have been around for a while now but I still think they're a fun look, especially when paired together like she did here. Can't say those black heels are my style. Maybe some nude heels or wedges :)

Again, I'm loving the layers that are going on here. [White skinnies, not so much.] I just think it's a super unique look with the vest and the belt. And who knew the colors of the vest and striped shirt would look so good together?

I think I have my NYE outfit already picked out and this is it! Aqua glitter boyfriend cardigan - perfect! I'd have to accent it with gold heels and a gold belt, though :)

See, Jessie is just friggin' adorable. Be sure to go check out her cute style and gain some new inspiration like I do!

While I start to pick up fresh, new items for my Fall wardrobe, I'll keep some of these looks in mind and I won't be afraid to try something new that I've been wanting to try - something that I like, something that's really "me." I think we too often tell ourselves, "Oh, I could never pull that off." And, yes, I look at some things Blair and Jessie wear and I just know I'd look funny walking down the street in it. However, if I see something I like that's different from what's always in my closet, I'm going to go for it!

These are just two of the several fashion bloggers whose styles inspire me.

Now, tell me who your fashion blogger inspirations are! :)