Tag Archives: Full Time Fabulous

Mode of Inspiration: FTF Blog Event for 8/17/2011

This month’s Full Time Fabulous August blog event is all about inspiration. Kristy Elena asked that we think about what inspires us and explain why. My recurring theme is and will always be Depeche Mode. I connected with their music at a very young age and have always identified with them because of their dark but hopeful lyrics. As I got older, I learned to appreciate the irony of their sexual and religious themes. Their inspiration is evident in the titles of many of my posts, and more importantly in the name of my blog. I can be mentally fighting for a title to an outfit post or an article. Then suddenly a lyric to one of their songs will pop into my head and I’m inspired.  To see evidence of how much they have influenced me, check out posts here and here, including outfit posts here and here.
But really, I derive much of my inspiration for everything I do in my life from the loves of my life: my husband Deon and son Dominic.
What inspires you? Check out what inspires other bloggers in the Full Time Fabulous Community.

Middle of the Week Randomness

Full Time Fabulous Beach Themed Blog Event  – I started to work on the event for Sunglass Hut’s Full Time Fabulous blog, which would have featured my lovely little boy in all his sun-sea-and-sand glory for a beach theme.  But alas, I just didn’t have the time to devote to the post the way I would have liked to.  However, you don’t need to miss out on all the beach fun!  The bloggers who participate on a regular basis are always incredibly creative, so I’m including the links to this latest event.  Click on them below to check out Kristy’s post and all of the fantastic reads on the FTF blog.  Surfs up!

(PS:  Happy belated birthday Kristy!)

Full Time Fabulous Blog Event for July 13, 2011 and all the participants via Mister Linky

My First Guest Post –  I’m excited to present my first guest post!  Joanna of “Mrs. Bossa Does the Do” is a lovely UK fashion blogger, who has a knack for vintage dressing.  I had not done a guest post before, so when she Tweeted requests for guest posts while she settled into her new digs, I jumped at the chance!  Click on the picture above to check out my post called “How I Rock Vintage”, which is all about my love for the rock t-shirt.

My Husband Places 2nd in his Promoted Flight!  Check out this write-up from The Golf Channel AM Tour website.  Because of his improved golf handicap, my husband was recently promoted to the next flight up and placed 2nd in an amateur tournament played at The Golf Club at Fallbrook this past Sunday.  Another proud moment in the Chen household!

Chris Nayve blew away the competition in the Sarazen Flight, posting his best and only round under 80 in three years on Tour.  Nayve fired a 78 on Sunday good for a six stroke victory and his first on Tour since the 2009 season.   Deon Chen, recently promoted from the Jones Flight, proved his improvement was no fluke.  Chen fired a score that typically is in the winning range for the flight, but his 84 had him settle for a very good 2nd place finish in the first start in the flight.  Andrew Bloom and Kenneth Shelton Jr tied for 3rd place at 85.

Lastly, I would like to take time to commemorate my father’s birthday.  He would have been 71 today.  I love and miss you daddy!

Fabulous Feature: LINK LOVE With a TWIST

This is a fabulous feature by B of Beautifully Invisible.  I was honored to be nominated by Madison of Fashion Tales, and so touched by her sweet words.  If there is anything I learned as a blogger, it is the importance of community.  Enjoy this list of some of the best reads in the blogosphere, which includes some of my “Daily Reads” favorites!

LINK LOVE with a TWIST, June 22, 2011

A few days ago someone asked me to describe the concept of Link Love with a Twist to them.  When I explained that the posts included every week are not picked by me, but rather submitted for inclusion by others, they were first surprised and then intrigued.

“So, it’s kind of like the People’s Choice Awards of fashion blogging!” they said.

I laughed, because obviously there are no real awards involved (sorry!).  Yet the concept is similar.  Each of the links below left a marked impression on a reader, who then decided they simply had to spread the wealth and share it with you.

I think that is a reward in itself!

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Ambuji – Fashion and Architecture:  “I want to nominate Ambu of Ambuji.com for this post.  The last 5 posts of hers have been great but I really liked the visuals of this one and how it all links together.  She has put together some very interesting and thought-provoking work on her blog.  I just had to share!” – Yvonne of Fashion RECON

Any Second Now – Pieces From A Working Mom’s Wardrobe:  “I initially loved this post and Cyrillynn’s outfit, but later when I’d heard that a commenter decided not to forever hold their peace, spurring a negative comment, it saddened me… You see, I love this post because of the after effects – the love and support from such an incredible community; the positive comments and truth that we (The FTFCommunity, along with others) shared.  This is what the blogging community is all about, supporting and being able to uplift each other, stating our opinions yes, but not in a hurtful manner.  Despite the unnecessary negative air pointed in Cyrillynn’s direction she gracefully shines on.  Check out the post for yourself, and see how good our girl is rocking her style!” – Madison of Fashion Tales

Beautifully Invisible – Guest Post: How to Not Be a Savage Blogger /”Follow Back” Alternatives for New Bloggers“It’s so nice to hear some viable tips on what new bloggers should be doing rather than just hearing what they should avoid.  And the graphics Jamillah chose pretty much speak for themselves.” – Marissa of The Well-Appointed Catwalk

Blah Blah Becky – Lipstick: A History:  “I have a new love for lipstick and an old love of history.  Since all the rage lately is bright, bright lips it was really great to see this thoughtful history of lipstick written by Becky.” – Jamillah of made-to-travel

Bonjour Simone – Fashion and Feminism: The Media’s “Ugly” Women: “This post on “Ugly” Women in the Media was awesome!  Does throwing on glasses and “ugly” clothes make beautiful women like Tina Fey, America Ferrera, and Anne Hathaway ugly?” – Ashley of ASHLEY4EMERGY

A Brit Greek – Just browsing for the perfect brow shape: “Want to know the secret to perfect eyebrows?  This post is the definitive guide to eyebrows that you have been searching for all your life.   Trust me: tips, tricks, and inspiration await!” – B of Beautifully Invisible

By Anika – Sexy is a state of mind“So many times I feel that women believe the only way to be sexy is to bare it all.  I too once thought this way (and if you want to let it all hang out, that’s great for you), but I’m so happy to be to a point in my life that I feel sexy regardless of I’m wearing (or not wearing).  Anika reminds us that clothes don’t necessarily make a woman sexy; it’s the woman that makes the clothes sexy!” – Rocquelle of Consider Me Lovely

Stephanie of The-Loudmouth seconds this submission and adds an additional choice: Beautifully Invisible – A Rant: Why Women Are (at times) Their Own Worst Enemy“Both of these posts are powerful, moving and thought-provoking… I’m both proud of who I am and know the changes I need to make after reading these!”

Full Time Fabulous – look hot on the beach – and protect yourself doing so: “I want to nominate Kristy Elena’s post on protecting yourself from the sun.  It is a very thorough post that I really enjoyed and I think everyone should read!” – Anna of designedbyann

miss vinyl ahoy – Refinery29 has grossly misguided views on plus size:  When you hear the term “plus-size”, what comes to mind?  Size 14? 16? 20? 22? What about a size 10?  This post was inspired by a tweet that refered to women who wear a Size 10 and above as plus-sized.  What are your thoughts?” – B of Beautifully Invisible

My Illustrative Life – SlutWalks: trying not to miss the point“I’ve been reading and thinking lots about slutwalks, and this is one of the best posts on the subject I’ve read.  I agree with pretty much everything Claire says here.” – Franca of Oranges and Apples

Rusty Sarcasm – Explanation Tumblr and Explanation Tumblr, Take 2“I LOVE tumblr and this thorough walk-through from Heather at Rusty Sarcasm will help you love tumblr too. When Tumblr recently made some changes Heather added a part 2!” – Jamillah of made-to-travel

Those Things They Said – Photo Editing“I loved Melanie’s tutorial for editing outfit pictures in Photoshop.  While I never like to see people alter their physical look in a graphics program it’s absolutely necessary for me as a graphic design enthusiast to run all of my photos through Photoshop before they make it to the blog.  Melanie’s example offers great cropping tips and the sort of coloring that warms a picture without making it unrecognizable.” – Casee Marie of The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower

UN-stitched – Fashion Heirlooms: “In this post Christine shared a heartwarming photo session with her young daughter and documented the list of sartorial messages she intends to instill in her daughter through her own representation.  I was touched by her dedication to her daughter’s genuine beauty; she proved that attention to fashion does not provoke vanity, but that it has the capability to teach valuable lessons and encourage self-esteem.” – Casee Marie of The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower

What Are Years? – My ethical dilemma with fashion blogging“Such a great post, bringing out some of the ethical dilemma’s around outfit blogging with some wonderful discussion in the comments too.  It really made me think (and write a novella of a comment)!” – Franca of Oranges and Apples

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their favorite post of the week!

If you would like to submit a post for inclusion in the next edition of Link Love with a TWIST, please do so here.

If you would like to publish this post on your own blog, the code can be found here.

Asian Inspired: FTF Blog Event for 6/8/2011

The Full Time Fabulous blog event for June is to create a visual post using one or more of the Spring/Summer 2011 trends as inspiration. Two of my favorite sites, ASOS and Topshop, both have Asian inspired outfits as part of their lookbooks, which is fitting as May was Asian-Pacific month. But what really inspired me was Keiko Lynn’s outfit from a couple of weeks ago called “Puppy Paradise“, where she wore a self-designed floral bed jacket. Each of those looks inspired my visual presentation and outfit, which is themed around the Kimono.

Outfit – Nolita kimono top; Forever 21 tank; Old Navy jeans; Envy wedges

(Bonus picture of Dominic walking into my shot, wearing sunnies!)

Spring into Summer: FTF Blog Event for 5/6/2011

This month’s blog event for Sunglass Hut’s Full Time Fabulous blog by Kristy Elena is centered around spring.  Since it’s getting to be more like summer out here in sunny Southern California, I thought I’d do a transition pictorial of the things I think about when the weather starts to get warmer.  I love pretty floral things, including dresses, hats and shoes (even the tea set is particularly pretty).  I pair them with neutrals, which includes linen colored skirts or shorts and straw purses.  It’s just so nice to wear pretty and light things when the weather permits, which is easy when you live in San Diego.

Wrap dress
$65 – modcloth.com

High waisted short
$76 – topshop.com

Elastic waist skirt
$55 – modcloth.com

Wedge heels
$105 – modcloth.com

Combat boot
$40 – modcloth.com

Mar Y Sol straw tote
$88 – nordstrom.com

Metal wallet
$22 – modcloth.com

Sheer scarve
$16 – modcloth.com

Victor Osborne fedora hat
$250 – barneys.com

Summer hat
$20 – modcloth.com

My Finest City: FTF Blog Event for 4/6/2011


Kristy Elena of Sunglass Hut’s Full Time Fabulous is hosting a blog event today centered around either heritage or your current home city. Because putting together a post about my Filipino heritage would take more time than I had available for this event, I decided to post a simple pictorial of my hometown and current residence of San Diego, California.

I used Polyvore to gather some of my favorite images of San Diego, including the Jeffrey Campbell shoes I posted about yesterday named after my hometown. Being a native, I had to include my favorite hometown teams:  the Padres baseball team and the Chargers football team. I also added a couple of things I like to do like getting around my beautiful town and the world-famous Comic Convention, affectionately known to all here as “The Con”.

If you haven’t had the chance to visit “America’s Finest City”, come on down! It’s a big city that feels like a small town. But if you’re itching for some bright lights and big city, it’s just a 2 hour drive to Hollywood and a quick flight to San Francisco. I was born and raised here, met my husband here, and we are raising our son here. Although I claim to love several cities out there (especially London), my heart will always be right here in San Diego.

(America’s Finest City by sighgee featuring pewter shoes)

Sharing is Fabulous, Thanks Kristy!

Talk about fabulous, I want to thank Kristy from Vogue Gone Rogue for the kind mention of “Any Second Now” on her latest blog entry for the “Full Time Fabulous” blogger contest.  The Sunglass Hut contest is in full swing, so please visit her blog, post comments and give her the support she so very much deserves!

Click on the link below for Kristy’s latest blog entry and to read more about the contest.  I’m so flattered that you shared a little of your blog-sphere with me.  Cheers Kristy!

Full Time Fabulous NYC Trip – part 2