Fashion. Music. Family. Life.
As many of you painfully or joyfully know, today is Tax Day. To make the day sting a little less for those of you who are paying, I found a site that offers some freebies and deals that are only good for today. My sister and I are seeing Madness tonight in concert, so we’re going to take advantage of a few of these freebies prior to the show.
Click on the link above to get your goodies. Happy Tax Day!
(Image courtesy of Tax Day Freebies)
The weather has been so very spectacular these few weeks, and Easter last weekend was no exception. It’s feeling more and more like summer came early to San Diego. We celebrated Easter with a fun day at the park with extended family. Dominic and Mei-Lin hauled in overflowing baskets of eggs in the hunt this year. I didn’t participate myself, but my husband and sister won the water balloon toss, which ended up in a full-fledged water fight. It was quite refreshing on a hot day. Hope you had a great weekend!
My sister & My Hubby: Water balloon toss winners!
Grandkids with Nana (Dominic didn’t want to wear the purple bunny ears, but Mei-Lin didn’t seem to mind wearing the pink ones!)
I posted about this deal previously from Must Have Shoes regarding their shoe club (post seen here). I’m sharing this deal again because I think it’s so very worth it if you are a shoe fanatic like I am. Must Have Shoes already offers great prices for shoes from one of my favorite shoe brands, Poetic Licence. But when you add the discount you receive from joining their club, the deal just gets sweeter (I have included examples of prices from recent purchases that I have made).
I bought these earlier this year for just a bit cheaper (I had an additional discount from an email).
Here is what you get when you join: For $20 a year – Members save 20% off of every Must Have Shoes purchase; receive exclusive discounts from the e-newsletter; are eligible for their “Oops Discount” (if they are unable to fill your order, they give you the value of your order towards free shoes); receive a 30% discount code towards your entire order on your birthday.
Just bought the pair above and below last week. Check out the prices!
The money I saved in the 20% discount and free shipping have already paid for the club membership in just my first two purchases. Additionally, I receive great emails about secret deals and exclusive discounts on featured shoes and brands. I’ve even discovered brands I had not been exposed to before like Axxiom, and continue to see deals on the brands that I love like Poetic Licence and Irregular Choice. I highly recommend checking out this awesome shoe site, and joining the club if you like what you see. Have a great weekend!
(Images courtesy of Must Have Shoes)
I try my best to be frugal with the things that I buy for our son. Dominic is growing so fast that he’s already past the little growth chart in our bedroom (he’s 39 inches at 3 years old)! With these growth spurts, it’s best to buy clothes and shoes that will be the most cost-effective because I feel like he’s growing out of his clothes literally every week. But every now and again, you see something that catches your eye and you just have to splurge just a little. This Ben Sherman British phone booth number was too cute to pass up, and I think it made for the prefect outfit for a picture with Mr. Easter Bunny (Dominic seems to be in the “forced smile” phase).
Dominic’s outfit – Ben Sherman t-shirt; H&M striped shirt; Guess jeans; Converse One Star shoes from Target; Old Navy hat
(Bonus Picture: My sister took Dominic and Mei-Lin out to the mall during a different day & they also saw the Easter Bunny. Aren’t they cute in their bunny ears?)
Before I had a blog, I had journals. Like Bridget Jones and her infamous diary, I wrote faithfully in my journals nearly every night, telling it secrets like it was my best friend. Unlike Bridget, I have been doing so since I was 8 years old. During a much-needed spring cleaning while my husband and son were visiting family in Las Vegas, I found all 15 of them. In an effort to purge and clean out the spare bedroom for our son, I decided to discard the ones that were more about my trials and tribulations of broken relationships right before my marriage. But I kept the ones that were from the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s, because those were the times of my adolescence, high school and early college years.
I loved reading through the times I spent with my friends, events at school, songs that I was listening to, concerts I attended and clothes that I wore. They were full of angst over arguments with my younger sister and parents, but a good amount of time was spent on unrequited love. I knew I had several rock star crushes, but the most heartfelt ones were mainly over Alan Wilder. I always knew how big of a crush I had on him (post here), but reading my diary entries proved a little painful because it just goes to show where a 16 year-old’s mind wanders off to in times when she feels like there is no hope. My written pleas to the universe of “If I could only just meet him, it would make my life complete!” were almost gut-wrenching. I even had my sister sit down and read them and she almost couldn’t get through the entries because it was a bit uncomfortable. I had to keep reminding her that although I was sitting right there in front of her and the entries were in my handwriting, it was my younger and more immature self penning those anxious words.
Inside cover page of a diary circa 1985 to 1986
I laugh now because I have since met Alan Wilder, danced in front of him for a contest in the middle of a record store, and was later recognized by Alan at his show later that night (post here). I think that 16 year-old would never have believed that it could be true and would have probably squealed in delight and horror knowing that there was a possibility of even being in the same room with him in a non-concert atmosphere.
The saddest but most revealing part of reading my old diaries was how much I longed for a boyfriend. I really wish I could sit that poor girl down and let her know that she should continue to enjoy her family, friends, music, clothes and to not worry about when that boy will finally save her from herself. But despite reading my inner-turmoil over not having a boyfriend, it has been so much fun to see the timeline of events, milestones and just the little things that I did that I could never have remembered on my own, yet opened a whole floodgate of memories once I read the entries. It puts this blogging thing that I do into perspective and helps me understand my personal need to document my thoughts and feelings, even in a forum that I’ve mostly dedicated to fashion & music. That is why I have interspersed my family and personal life throughout my current blog entries, because feel I am capturing life as it happens. This trip through memory lane definitely does spark my desire to continue blogging because I enjoy writing, and because of the documentation of a timeline that I could look back on and say “Oh yes, I remember that!”
It’s that time of year for me to embrace prints, and I’m having a love affair with birds. So for this year’s Easter dress, I chose this pretty number from Lulu*s. I follow them on Instagram, and I instantly fell in love when this dress was posted a couple of weeks ago. I love the navy color with the high/low skirt, and the back is so sweetly sexy. For church, I might have to throw a little cardigan over it, but I’ll shed it just in time for lunch with my family. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
(Images courtesy of Lulus.com)
I’ve been reading and referring back quite a bit lately to a book my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas called Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange. I love the section about staples that a Parisian woman has in her wardrobe, and one of them is a trench coat. I had one before, but I have been longing a more classic one that is actually functional (can be worn in the rain). The book mentions that Burberry is in the “Hall of Fame” of trench coats, to which I agree wholeheartedly. But if you’re watching your budget like I am, this London Fog one will fulfill all of your trench coat needs.
Outfit – London Fog trench coat; H&M shirt; Cotton On cardigan (unseen); Old Navy jeans; Gunmetal shoes; Forever 21 necklace; Bloomingdales bracelet; Wendy Brandes ring; Rebecca Minkoff purse; iSee glasses c/o GlassesUSA
I have a cute pendant necklace that I adore. It’s long and silver, has a heart as the charm and looks quite vintage. I bought at Miss Selfridge it in London the first time I went there. My husband promised me that he would take me to one of my favorite cities in the world, and he did, which was on our honeymoon back in 2007. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of how much I love my husband and the great time I had my first time in London.
I’m sure you have similar stories on clothes, shoes, purses and accessories in your own wardrobe. Or maybe you see an outfit in a store and think “That would be awesome to wear to tonight’s concert!” or “I’m going to wear that once I get to New York!” Now there’s a place where you can tell your stories, sharing where you bought something awesome or where you would wear a certain outfit. It launches today, and it’s called VogueWriter, by the same creators of StyleSays. Once you sign up and start sharing your stories, you can also unlock deep discounted sales from up-and-coming designers and brands. The best part is that prices continue to drop the more members write!
I’m still getting to know the site myself, and I will have a profile up soon. But the creators of VogueWriter have given readers of Any Second Now a priority code for the first 25 of you to sign up. Go to these links, here or here for priority access, and enter the code voguewriter.any2ndnow.25 after clicking the link “I have a VIP promo code”. Then you can start telling & sharing your fashionable stories! *
(*VogueWriter is still being updated as we speak, so continue to check back if the link doesn’t work properly. Thanks for your patience!)
Circa 1975, aren’t we cute?
Just a quick post to say happy birthday to my sister, Rholnna! She’s always been my musical partner in crime, and if you have been following my blog then you know that I took her to see OMD for her birthday last year (whom we had the pleasure of meeting as well, post can be seen here). This year, we are planning to see Madness, although it will be next month. Have a wonderful birthday my dear sister, and to everyone else, have a great weekend!
I recently attended a great food truck event called the “Third Friday Food Truck Extravaganza” in the back parking lot at Fifty Seven Degrees, a fantastic wine bar in Downtown San Diego. My best friend Janice found the event on the San Diego Food Truck site, so we decided to go. My mom had not experienced a food truck event yet, so she came along so see what all the fuss was about. I assured her that she would have a great time. One truck on the list of food trucks stood out: “Therapie Boutique (a new clothing truck!)”. Really, a mobile boutique? As any of my friends would know, I’m up for shopping anytime, anywhere!
Already, I was drawn to the brightly painted mural on the sides of the truck with the words “Style on the go!” on the front, which I thought was incredibly clever. I excitedly skipped to the entrance and was greeted by owner Kelly Carney. The interior of the truck was just as bright and beautiful as the exterior, done up in silver, orange and pretty bits and pieces like the cute little ottoman by the mirror, fur-lined seats in the fitting rooms and crystal lights above. Kelly took a bit of time to answer some of my questions on how she decided to go mobile!
In our brief chat, you mentioned that you were in retail for 23 years. Did you own your own boutique prior to investing in your mobile venture? Yes, I worked in, owned, and operated small businesses in San Diego. I also worked for Nordstrom for 15 years.
What finally drove you to the decision to create a clothing boutique truck? I was looking at what the food trucks were doing and said if they can do it then I can. All women need shopping therapy and I wanted to be able to bring my concept and clothes to busy women all over San Diego.
What kind of “truck” did you decide to renovate and how long did it take for the total renovation? I renovated a 27-foot RV. It is a Thor Fun Mover originally built to move motorcycles and ATVs. I gutted the entire thing—from floor to ceiling. It took about 6 weeks from start to finish.
Who designed your exterior and interior? The exterior is a one of a kind work of art by Gerardo Yepiz, known as Acamonchi, a local artist. I conceived of and designed the interior. I wanted it feel like a Gorky boutique with chandeliers and real dressing rooms.
What would you say is your “style” and how is that reflected in what you have to offer? My style is classic contemporary with a little bit of edge. I offer something for everyone no matter your age, style, or size Therapie Boutique has something for everyone.
When I visited your boutique, I spoke to a friend of yours, Kelly Evans, who had a couple of jewelry tables on display. Do you plan on asking other retailers or friends to also join you at future events as a featured designer? Yes, with every event I will host a local artist/designer for trunk shows. I want to be able to support local artists and give them a platform to show and sell their creations.
(Click here for Kelly Evans Designs on Etsy)
What do you like best about this new venture? That I am able to do anything—the sky is the limit! I can go to people homes, farmers markets, local events, and fundraisers. Therapie Boutique brings shopping therapy to every woman—we are Style on the Go!
(Kelly Carney can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter at @TherapieSD)