Fearlessly Fuchsia

Dress: Angie. Shoes: Tory Burch. Belt: Vince Camuto. Sunnies: Forever 21.

  Necklace: Nordstrom Rack. Watch: Michael Kors. Arm Party: Stella and Dot, Forever 21, Nordstrom.

Have you ever found something fabulous but it wasn't your size? I know the answer is probably yes. Most of the time I shop for things that I like and if I cant find my size, I try the wrong one anyway, disregarding the size to a certain extent. Of course when it comes to some things (high priced items, shoes, etc) shopping for the right size is crucial but there are lots of situations when you can bend the rules in terms of fit and make something work.
Thats just what I did with this dress. I found it at Nordstrom Rack and just loved the bright somewhat neon fuchsia color and couldnt find another one anywhere in the store (and believe me, I searched high and low). So even though it was 3x my usual size, I knew that I could make it work with a belt and decided to take it home to play around with. Threw some accessories into the mix and voila! I love how it looks and think that the belt completes the outfit entirely. I love being a resourceful fashionista! ;)

xoxox Ashiee B

Listening: "Another Kind of Green" John Mayer Trio
Feeling: a little "under the weather" if you will, from a night out with my friends blahhhh :/
Anticipating: A relaxing night in doing absolutely nothing but hanging out... A much needed break!

Time Traveler's Daughter

If you're somewhat close to me in any way, you probably know that my dad has been working diligently over the last two years on a vintage car. Either I have told you, posted about it via Facebook, Instagram etc. or you know me well enough to have met my dad and the car was probably one of the main topics of your conversation.  Two years ago while I was a junior in college, my dad found a 1936 Dodge on Craig's list that was in "immaculate shape" (so he said) and just couldn't pass up.  When he bought the car, I was thoroughly annoyed because I couldn't see its full potential and thought that it was the biggest waste of money! After hundreds of hours of patience and hard work, my dad (along with the help of my mom) has turned this old beater, called "The Adam's family car" by my sister, into a beautiful dream boat! :) I'm so proud of my dad for all of his hard work and now instead of giving him grief for the ol' thing, I'm asking him to take me for rides around the town in it! Someday this will be my wedding get-away car.... someday... ;). It really is a beautiful car. 

Here is my Dad with his car before the restoration process started

I titled this post, Time Traveler's Daughter not only because of the photos of me with my Dad's 1936 vintage car but also because of my vintage inspired outfit. The dress that I am wearing reminds me of something a 1950's housewife would wear.  Its somewhat "Stepford-esque".  Imagine me as a character from the movie "The Stepford Wives" haha... that's kinda silly ;) 

Xoxox Ashiee B

Dress: Boutique in Vancouver, Canada. Shirt: Splendid. Belt: Vintage. Necklaces: Forever 21. 

Shoes: Bata (Italy). Watch: Michael Kors. Sunnies: BP, Nordstrom. 

Feeling: Proud of myself for running in the Beat the Bridge 8k this past weekend without previously training. I need to kick my butt back into shape!

Anticipating: The biggest move of my life (Don't worry, if I haven't told you in person... I will eventually blog about it)

Listening: To my dad talk to our cat, Reggie... "Hey Dude!!" -Dad (spoken in a cartoon voice) haha why do all people interact with animals in an accent??

As always, thanks for following my blog and continuing to give me a reason to write and share my passion with you! I really appreciate it! XOXOX

Savory Sundays: My haven

Today is the first day that I have had off in a while, so I've just been basking in my house doing absolutely nothing but listening to music and relaxing.  Got my favorite candle lit, voluspa of course (currently the "Bella Sucre"scent), reading blogs and sipping some french press coffee. Sounds relaxing doesn't it?!  Later I plan on taking some photos for my blog and hitting the gym.  But for now I thought I'd share my little slice of heaven with you.  I worked for a while on creating the perfect shabby chic dwelling for myself and I absolutely love spending time in it. To me, its the most comfortable, "homey" atmosphere.  Hope you're all enjoying your weekend! :)

xoxox Ashiee B

My bed.  Its the most comfortable thing in the world! Complete with 500 thread count sheets, down feather duvet cover, and down feather bed.  Yeah... its really hard to get up in the morning. The mask on the wall is one of my favorite things. I picked it up in Venice while I was there with my friends. The lights in the right hand corner are hooked up to a dimmer and really set the mood. They're antiques and I got them at an estate sale for only $40!

I bought this pillow while I was living in Florence, Italy... This is literally what I told myself with all the purchases
I made there :) The others are made by my mom and I.

I used these flower curtain hooks as necklace hooks to keep my jewelry somewhat organized.  The Buddha mask is one of my souvenirs from my yoga retreat to Bali, Indonesia with my sister.

This is a snapshot of my closet and the mirror that I made. I found the frame at a garage sale for $1. I spray painted it silver and had Speedy Auto Glass cut a mirror to fit it. Its the best wardrobe mirror ever! Love it. The two little paintings above are something that I made to match the "Keep Calm and Carry On" painting I did above my bed. 

Close-up of my OCD color organized closet. It helps me keep track of all my things!

My favorite little kitty boy, Reggie. He's my buddy and keeps me company pretty much any time that I'm home.
He makes me happy :)

Snapshot of my dresser area where I keep pretty much everything that doesn't fit in my closet i.e. socks, undergarments,  workout clothes, jeans etc.

Close-up of my bed. I painted the "Keep Calm & Carry On" painting above my bed, added lace around the border and some rhinestones. It's somewhat hard to see in the photo but its black and white with Tiffany blue lettering and accents on the crown.

This tends to be where I read, blog and spend my time when I'm at home. With exception of the souvenirs from my traveling, I bought most of the things in my room from thrift shops, eBay, estate sales etc. and revamped them in a way that was exactly what I wanted. Its so much cheaper that way and is so rewarding when you see the finished product!




Feeling: A little hazy from a good time out dancing with friends last night :)
Anticipating: My paycheck this week
Listening: Gavin Degraw "Not Over You" via James Morrison Pandora station

WoW... Better known as Words of Wisdom

When my sister was moving down to San Francisco, she decided to leave this totally awesome frame behind which I later decided to turn into a chalk board (thank you Pinterest). I decided that I would fill the board with either inspirational quotes because I'm totally cheesy (and do get motivated by them) or goals that I may have. To hold myself to this self promise, I thought that I would blog a quote each week because there are so many good ones out there that I am always finding. Hope you enjoy! :)

As if we didn't already know that I love to bedazzle sh*t...

Instead of investing in an entirely new bathing suit for our family vaca to Maui, Hi, I decided to use my creative juices (lately attributed to Pinterest) and make my own! One night when I should have been asleep and was pinning like a mad women until the wee hours of 2am, I stumbled upon this photo.

I instantly thought it would be the perfect addition to my swim suit collection. That top was priced for $98 and I knew that I could make it for half, at least! So I started scouring the internet for a cute black top that I could bedazzle the sh*t out of.  I have been known for bedazzling many things- Seahawks jerseys, halloween costumes, crunk cups with friends in HS... you name it.  I think my bedazzling started at an early age with dance costumes.

I found the retro styled top on Victoria's Secret and the pyramid studs on eBay.  About a week later, my supplies arrived and I got to work.  Poking those studs through layers of fabric wasn't the easiest thing in the world and left me with no feeling in my fingers, but I was really happy with the outcome!

Voila! Here I am in Hawaii wearing the suit with some black VS cheeky bottoms that I already owned! Best part, one of a kind suit and cost me only $45!

Aloha! :)

Pesto, presto!!

Today was the first day of my Mediterranean diet cooking class.  So in theme of the day I decided to make a little homemade pizza.  I went to a few little markets in Florence to get my yummy ingredients.  Today in class, my professor took us to the main market in Piazza San Lorenzo that has fresh fruits, veggies, meat and pretty much everything you could ever want to eat.  And the best part is that most of it (fruits and veggies) were picked and delivered that morning, free of pesticides and all! Sad how our food back home contains everything but the basic natural nutrients. At the market we sampled olive oil and balsamic.  Different grades and ages which were all SO delicious.  I sampled a 3ml bottle of balsamic that was $300! It was worth every penny going down. Yum, yum! Below is a pic of my homemade lunch made of fresh pesto, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes all on top of bread specific to the Tuscan region. Buon Appetito! :)