Spring Coral

Spring is coming, I can feel it! Once the sun starts to shine, this is the outfit I envision myself wearing. Coral is such a gorgeous spring color, especially when its a knit, flowy tank dress, nails, and fashion necklace! Then a white flap purse and sandals along with a rose gold bracelet and gold studded pyramid earrings to pull the outfit together. In case there's a chill in the air, a classic denim jacket to cover up. Easy, simple spring outfit to wear to a lunch date, a walk on the beach, or on a shopping trip.

What do you think?

~Hong

Clothes!

As the winter continues to linger, I realized that I needed to replace some of my sweatpants. I was roaming around the mall when a sign in the Victoria's Secret PINK store caught my eye. They were having a sale on their fleece pants. So I poked my head in and ended up finding a few pairs in my size. When I got home, I realized how much I loved them and I returned to the store the next day to pick up a couple more. Not to mention that I got a $10 off survey code during my previous visit, which was an even greater motivation for me to head back out. They were also giving out a Secret Reward card for a purchase greater than $10 and with the use your Angel card. This Secret Reward card is worth a minimum of $10 and up to $500. It's a Secret Reward because you won't find out the value of your card till a set date like April 1st. You have to be assertive during these promotions though. I've noticed that the cashiers will abstain from giving you a card unless you ask which makes absolutely no sense to me, but don't get me started on that tangent!

So I ended up buying four pairs of their Signature Crops. They were all on sale, but the grey and purple were also on clearance! Although they are "crops," they actually fit full length on on 4'11" frame. They are made with a super soft and lightweight fleece, elastic drawstring waist, banded legs that fit comfortably and not too tight, and they have two back pockets.

Signature crops in grey, purple, hot pink, and mint green

I love the heart logo on the grey and purple pants!

Convenient 2 back pockets and banded leg opening to adjust the height of the crop

I also bought a PINK vintage crew sweater on clearance. Similar to the pants, the fabric is very soft and lightweight while still providing warmth.

Afterwards, we stopped by TJ Max. My intent was to see if they had a large basket for me to store my yarn. They didn't have any that I liked in stocked, but I was comforted with a few really cute inexpensive pieces that I look forward to wearing this spring/summer. This first shirt is a sleeveless tank that has more of a formal feel with it's soft, silky fabric, two front pockets and collar. I love the dark scattered bird pattern on a light cream material.

 The pattern up close

I also found a similar sleeveless tank with the opposite affect. A light sailboat pattern on a dark fabric.

Both tanks would look great dressed up or down. I could see myself wearing them with black slacks for work or Sunday's church or with some jean shorts and sandals. Then, to add some fun and color to my closet, I found this super cheap and cute American Eagle t-shirt. Especially since who doesn't want to be a heartbreaker?

Kind of off the subject, I bought these gorgeous Tahari towels for my bathroom. I thought they were unique and pretty without being to overwhelming or flashy.

These are just a few things I picked up while out and about this weekend. I hope this gives you guys some fun fashion ideas and maybe a chance to take advantage of some really good sales. What are some cool finds you guys have ran across lately?

~Hong

Shell Afghan-Crochet

If this blog post looks familiar to some, it's because it has been posted before. I was messing around with my blog on my cell phone and before I knew it, I had deleted several of my published posts (yeah me)! Since this was a popular post with a free pattern, I thought it was worth re-posting. The pattern is Dream Lacy Baby Throw by Lion Brand Yarns. This really is a pretty and simple pattern that would be great even for beginners. Once you learn the stitches, they repeat until an entire blanket is created. I made this blanket as a gift for a friend's one year old son so I made it larger than instructed and mine ended up being about 48 in x 48 in. The picture above actually shows the blanket folded in half. This pattern works up quite quickly and I was able to complete it in about 3 months of working on it off and on.

My materials included:

• Size H crochet hook
• 1 Lion Brand Pound of Love in Antique White
• 1 Bernat Baby Sport in Baby Denim Marl

Let's take a look at the blanket:

The pattern up close (note that I accidentally took the picture sideways )

For the border, I chose a neutral solid color to create a contrast between the body and the edging. I really loved how it turned out! Close up of the border:

 I hope you give this super easy pattern a try. If you do, let me know how it turns out!

~Hong

Winter Leggings

Leggings have become a staple in my closet and it's one piece that can be worn all year round. In general, my style is very simple and I tend to stick to neutral colors like black, grey, white, and brown. Lately, I have been trying to add color into the mix. When I saw these patterned leggings, I knew they had to find a home in my closet! They are soft and warm. There was no real description of the size, however, mine have about a 26 inch inseam with 32 inch waist. I'm only 4'11" and these hit right above the ankles. This could be worn as full-length for those who are more petite and as capris for those who are taller. You can find patterned legging pretty easy now a days so if these don't work for you, I'm sure you'll be able to find ones that do. Now let's take look at these leggings!

The first one is a more colorful pattern. There is a pretty combination of cobalt blue, navy, white, yellow, grey and pink.

A look of the pattern up-close

There are several ways that I would wear these leggings including boots, wedges, or flats. When paired with boots, it creates a very classic look.

To give the leggings a classy look, here they are with my awesome TOMS wedges.

For a more relaxed and casual look, here they are with TOMS flats.

The other pattern I bought has a mixture of black, grey, white, and maroon.

Patterned leggings are a refreshing change from the usual black that I normally reach for. It gives a different focus to an outfit, but are still comfortable and cozy. So are you guys brave enough to stray from the norm and grab some patterned legs?

Till next time,
~Hong

Fancy Lunch Date

I know it's still winter and way too cold for this outfit, but I'm planning for a gorgeous summer. This winter has been quite mild, but I am longing for some warmth and sun. When the sun does return, I could see myself in this sophisticated and cute outfit. I have always loved a nice blazer with shorts, but I decided to go little more formal with leather shorts, coral lace tank, and lace strapped heels. I am a big fan of monochromatic outfit with one colorful piece to bring the outfit to life. It also makes the outfit seem more put together. Then simple jewelry with stacked bracelets and hammer hoops and outfit is complete! This would great for a fancy lunch date or even a girls night out!

~Hong

Pretty in Pink

Do you just love this dress? Of course you do, it's absolutely gorgeous! So my birthday is fast approaching and I'm gearing myself up for some fun. Dinner by candlelight, a walk underneath the night stars and sky, hand in hand with my handsome husband.....this outfit is perfect for such an occasion. This pink, sleeveless dress brings elegance and grace with the draped fabric and and cut-out neckline in the back. I kept everything else pretty subdue with gold eyelet bracelets, pink diamonds dropped earrings, cream clutch, a hint of pink lips and nails. Then a strappy sky-high heels in a dark leather to offset the dress and  simple braided updo to show off that beautiful cut-out neckline! There is no other option, but to feel beautiful in this outfit!

Blue Outfit

The weekends have been cool, but gorgeous lately so I am hoping it will be for my birthday in a few days. One of my favorite places to go is the zoo. So if weather permits, to the zoo we will go. Since it's still the middle of winter, I figured blue jeans and a long sleeve tunic would suffice. The belted tunic, wedge TOMs, and simple jewelry gives the outfit a hint of sophistication. A caramel crossbody bag to carry all my stuff without weighing me down and a side-fishtail braid to round out the outfit. I don't like to match too much, but I like hints here or there like the blue stripe tunic, fashion ring, and nail polish. It helps with tying it all together. Then of course, tortoise-shelled sunglasses in hopes that the sun will peek out!

Crochet Spiral Hat!

Although I have been crocheting for almost 10 years, I have pretty much stuck to afghans and the occasional scarf. Other than that, I have not tried making anything else. Well, as the cold winter months lingered and I am roamed through Pinterest, I kept seeing these gorgeous crochet hats. Finally, I caved and decided to give it a shot. As I looked for a pattern, I found Charlotte Yue's Twizzler Crochet Hat. She is kind enough to post this pattern for free on Ravelry and I just love the unique spiral pattern! Her directions are easy to follow and she even gives tips to make the hat more/less slouchy and the rim tighter/looser. I chose to make it more slouchy by an additional three rows. Best of all, you can make a cute and warm hat in just a few hours!

For my hat, I used Sensations Sincerely in Charcoal Grey with a J crochet hook. This particular Sensations Sincerely yarn is 100% Acrylic, extremely soft, as well as very warm. One roll is large enough for almost three hats! The awesome thing about Joann is if the color is not in stock at the store, you can place a special order for the sale price plus use your coupon! They said it could take up to six weeks for it to arrive, but my order came in 1 week. However, since this yarn was on clearance for $1.99 along with my 20% off coupon, I would have gladly waited the six weeks!

It's basically made out of half-double crochets (hdc), back-post treble crochets (bptr), back-post double crochets (bpdc), back-post half double crochets (bphdc), and front-post double crochets (fpdc). The pattern even has directions on how to create all of these stitches!

The view from the side.

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Another view from the back, don't you just love the spirals?

Hope you give this pattern a try. I am planning to do a few more in different colors for my sisters!

~Hong