Hey all! Like I mentioned in my last post, I started a post Mother’s Day sale on my Etsy store Once Upon a Smorgasbord since I wasn’t able to do one in time for the actual holiday itself. Oops.
From now until May 20, use code OOPS10 to get 10% off your purchase
Here are some of the latest additions to the store:
Padme Amidala necklace
Queen Elinor from Brave necklace
A vintage illustration of a mother and child on a French chandelier crystal pendent
outfit details – skirt: Xhileration // belt + cardigan: Merona // t-shirt: Super7 // Peter Pan collar necklace: MStyle // Stormtrooper bow: Abby’s BowTique (buyhere) // Stormtrooper ring: it was on a cupcake! // shoes: Dirty Laundry // glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy here)
HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!!!
In the nerd world, May 4 is Star Wars Day as it plays a pun on the famous saying, “May the force be with you.” To celebrate Star Wars Day I wore this outfit to work — all clad in my Star Wars gear, complete with Stormtrooper hair bow and ring! It’s not exactly “business casual” (our dress code), but I got tons of compliments from some customers and co-workers! One of them said, “So all I need to do is wear a cardigan and I can wear my nerdy shirts to work too?” Somehow I managed to get away with wearing my Luna Lovegood shirt by Megan Lara a few days before, so yes. Cardigans + nerdy shirt + nice skirt (or whatever fancy bottoms) = work appropriate. Huzzah for loopholes!!!
May the Fourth be with all my fellow geeks and nerds on this joyous holiday. YUB YUB!!!
Also: Happy Free Comic Book Day and Happy Birthday to Audrey Hepburn
Cheers,
Nina
PS: Here’s a fun little ditty to celebrate the day.
Hey all! Kristin at My Life as a Teacup tagged me to answer 11 questions a loooooong time ago, so since I actually have time to sit and breathe I thought now would be the perfect time to FINALLY answer her questions
Kristin’s Questions:
1. If you were given a one-way plane ticket, where would you go?:
I want to say Paris just because… y’know it’s Paris AND they have a super fancy Disneyland there, but I think I’d want a one-way ticket to Portland, OR. I haven’t been there since I was in diapers, but soooooo many people have told me that I’d totally love it there and from what I’ve heard I think I would.
2. What’s the first thing you do once you wake up in the morning?: I check my emails and Instagram feed on my phone. x__x
3. If you could go back to live in any time period or era, which would you choose?:
I’m totally content with living in the 21st century with all our advanced technologies and plumbing systems and the fact that most of the population are tolerant towards interracial relationships (people would be looking at me funny in the 60s with my white beau, can you imagine?!). But if I could travel back via the TARDIS I’d love the visit the late 70s/early 80s and watch a Queen concert. Freddie Mercury FOREVER! I’d also love to see The Police <3
4. Who’s your literary character crush? I liked Edward Cullen for a minute, but then I realized he’s a super creepy possessive stalker douchebag that would be terrible at spooning on account of the fact that his body is supposed to be as hard as marble. Seriously WTF, Bella? I had a bit of a thing for Robert Langdon from Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code since I pictured him as an Indiana Jones type, but then Tom Hanks kind of ruined it for me. Sorry, Hanx. I love you! You are my favorite actor, but you just weren’t what I pictured for my dreamy professor! But as far as fictional characters in the realm of TV and movies go, I love me some Ned the Pie Maker from Pushing Daisies. He’s adorable, sweet, and he can bake pies for you. What. Is. Up.
5. What is one challenge that initially terrified you, but you persevered through to overcome?
I landed my very first retail gig about a month ago, and for the sake of anonymity and not getting in trouble with the company I won’t say what store I work at, but the thought of being a cashier has ALWAYS freaked me out. By now I’ve been at the register so many times and I’m pretty used to it. There are moments where I have brain farts with counting change and then I feel terrible about it, but it’s really not as horrible as I thought it would be. Plus some customers have told me I’m a good salesperson, so YAY!
6. Tell me a story about the most cherished of your senses (a particular memory tied to the scent of baking gingerbread, a sound that strikes fear into your heart, be creative!)
I don’t think I have an exact memory of a certain sense, but I do find the smell of chlorine quite pleasant. It can be an obnoxious scent at times, but it reminds me of all the times I spent swimming in the pool as a kid and it also reminds me of Disneyland! It’s just a scent that I connect with good times from days gone by.
7. What is one movie/show/book/video game that you’re looking forward to seeing/reading/playing in 2013? Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary special!!! I can’t wait to see how Rose Tyler and the 10th Doctor will be incorporated. David Tennant was a fantastic Doctor, so it’s definitely going to be a treat for all Whovians to see him don his striped suit and white Chucks once more
8. Favorite pancake flavor? (I’m partial to blueberry!) I’m more of a waffle person, they’re like pancakes but with more depth (literally!). Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream has been a tried and true favorite since I was a kid!
9. What is the last book you read?
I honestly can’t even remember — possibly An Abundance of Katherines or The Catcher in the Rye (which was eons ago a.k.a. sometime last year). I’ve started a few books, but have yet to pick them back up. My mind keeps wandering whenever I attempt to read. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to focus now, and I REALLY hate it! Perhaps I should look into audiobooks…?
10. Who would you choose to play you in a movie of your life?
I don’t know what actress looks like me. My friend Shanice said she’d cast Lindsay Price to play me in a movie. But maybe America Ferrera? The make-up people would have to do her eye makeup to make her look Asian though. And Tom Hiddleston would play my boyfriend because my boyfriend quasi resembles him.
11. If you had to choose a single word to serve as a focus or goal for 2013, which would it be?
“Forward,” because I need to keep moving in that direction.
My questions:
Who is your favorite Disney princess and why? We all have one, so don’t dare say you don’t!
What song must you play at full blast and sing along to in the car?
What’s your poison? (I stick to water for the most part, but I do love me some Root Beer)
What’s your favorite kind of dessert?
If Ben & Jerry made a namesake ice cream for you like 30 Rock‘s Liz Lemon, what ingredients would you want them to include in it?
If you knew you were dying tomorrow what would be your last meal? (I’m so hungry, can you tell by my questions?)
What is your most prized possession?
What are you currently obsessed with? (movie, tv show, book, music etc)
What movie can you recite word for word (or at least 85% of)?
Are there any fashion trends you fell victim to that you immensely regret? (I rocked a vinyl mini backpack and short sleeve velvet turtlenecks, but it was the 90s and I was 10 so I guess it’s okay…?)
Say we’re living in the realm of Harry Potter and you are a witch — what would your patronus be and why? If you’re not into Harry Potter (but seriously, why wouldn’t you be?!) what/who would your spirit animal be and why?
outfit details – dress: H&M // belt + cardigan: Merona // boots: Dirty Laundry // purse: Coach // r2-d2 pouch: Target // Stormtrooper ring: from a cupcake! // Darth Vader necklace: Once Upon a Smorgasbord (buy here)
OMG, an outfit post! I haven’t done one of these in awhile, so I suppose it’s time to fix that, right?
This is what I wore on Tuesday, so it’s not exactly an OOTD, but it’s coo, baby. It’s coo. I tend to wear dresses, cardigans, and boots A LOT because it’s pretty much my fail safe. I don’t know what I’m going to do when the weather gets warmer though. Ugh! I don’t even want to think about spring!
With this particular outfit, I was feeling very Lisa Loeb-y circa 1994… despite the fact that I’m not wearing my glasses. I misplaced them on Tuesday morning, buuut fun fact time!: they’re reading glasses, so I don’t particularly need to wear them all the time. I just like wearing them a lot because I love glasses and things look a lot nicer when I wear them. And of course, I had to add some geeky elements, so I threw in my Stormtrooper ring that I got on a cupcake, and I found this super rad R2-D2 pouch at Target last month! It came with a bunch of Lemon Head candies, but I just gave those suckers away. It has a little clip on it, so I attached it to my purse and stuck my chapstick, lipstick, and a compact mirror in it for easy access. I don’t know what else it could possibly be used for besides that. o__0
Also, I just added the Darth Vader necklace I’m wearing with this outfit to my Etsy store, Once Upon a Smorgasbord! I thought it might be a good idea to incorporate some of my pieces into my outfits just to show y’all how they can be worn and whatnot Darth Vader looks quite lovely amongst the floral print of my dress, does he not?! For a better view of it, you can check it out here.
Star Wars + Floral prints = EPICAL GEEKY GIRLYNESS!!!
Cheers,
Nina
PS: Shout out to my Dark Side Sister, Nami who loves and finds the Sith Lord to be a fashionable entity just as much as I do!
I don’t have any huge plans like I did last year, but Tim and I are going to stay in and eat pizza (I think…?) and watch movies this evening — we’re basically just doing what we usually do whenever we get to hangout over the weekend. Good times!
I just wanted to share some geeky and not so geeky Valentine greetings, including some I remember giving/receiving from the 90s, that I found on the interwebs!
Hope you all enjoy your day whether you happen to celebrate this Hallmark holiday or not
Harry Potter valentines by Kjersti Faret. Click here to see more!
The end of 2012 is nigh! Or at least for folks on my side of the world. To those who are already celebrating the new year, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Tim and I are having a Star Wars marathon to welcome 2013.
Anyhow, while thinking of things to list in my annual ‘Year-in-Review’ post I thought that maybe I shouldn’t focus on the past, but look ahead and think of what I hope to accomplish during the upcoming year. As Albus Dumbledore once said to a young Harry Potter, “It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Um… that’s pretty similar to not looking back on the past and living in the now and all that good stuff, right? No? Okay. I just really wanted to make a Harry Potter reference.
Here’s a list of some of the things I hope to accomplish in 2013 (in no particular order):
Get back into writing fiction and non-fiction.
Read at least 12 books. That’s one book a month — I should be able to manage that!
Find a legit job, preferably one that is not in Stockton.
Move out of Stockton. This is a MUST!
Experiment in new jewelry making mediums — I’m looking into paper clay and upcycling toys to be used as pendents
Get more serious with my Etsy store and blog — more jewelry, more posts! And networking like cray-cray.
Sell my jewelry at a nerdy convention or arts & crafts faire. I’m on the waiting list for a show in March, but I don’t want to give too many details about it because I’m afraid I might jinx it.
Start vlogging.
Get rid of things I don’t need in my room so I’ll actually have a place to vlog and have less anxiety over all my crap.
Go on holiday outside of California. Portland, I’ve got my eye on you!
Lose 30+ lbs. I lost a lot of weight early last year and gained it all back (and thensome) at the end. AH! I’d be lying if I said this isn’t for vanity reasons, but I want to be healthy too! And it’d be nice to be able to run just in case the Doctor happens to pop by. Gotta do lots of running with that man! <– sorry I’m not sorry for talking about Doctor Who.
2012 was full of great things, but I’m ready to see what’s in store for 2013!
It’s 12/21/2012! Well, in my neck of the woods anyway. Some apocalypse this is. *sigh*
Anywho, last week while skimming through the paper (yep, we still read the printed word in this house) I saw that my town was going to hold another comic book convention on the 16th. I wrote about the first Stockton Con held in August on Imaginary Battles if you care to read about it.
This time around it was billed as a “Holiday Mini-Con,” and mini it was! I think my friends and I made our way around all the booths in half an hour, and then we left afterwards hence my lack of pictures. Wah wah wah.
I found some pretty cool things though and didn’t leave empty handed!
Miss Carlyfornia had a smorgasbord of cute accessories and clothes featuring nerdy prints and childhood favorites, some were made out of vintage bedsheets. Most of her jewelry consists of upcycled toys ranging from little Star Wars characters to ReMent foods. Her Jabba the Hutt ring is horribly adorable, isn’t it?! I got to chat with her a bit and we lamented on how it’s hard to stay original when people start to make the same things we do — this is why she doesn’t make little top hats anymore and I just found my first copycat on Etsy. *le sigh*
She doesn’t have an Etsy store, but she does custom orders! You can add her on Facebook too.
I came across a booth that had some customized Sonic Screwdrivers from Doctor Who that looked old and worn down. While looking at the 11th Doctor’s screwdriver, the vendor kept telling me all about it as if I had no idea what I was holding. I was like, “Sir, please. Do you not see Doctors 9, 10, and 11 on my shirt?” Obviously, he didn’t. He was a nice fellow though. And I forgot to take pictures of all the Sonic Screwdrivers (d’oh!), but I did manage to take a picture of this beautiful replica of the Doctor’s fob watch that’s just like the one from the episodes “Human Nature” and “The Family of Blood.”
The vendor said he could do better on the price (it was marked at either $65 or $75), but even if I could get it down to $50 or $45 I still wouldn’t have been able to afford it.
While on the upper level, I saw someone down below checking out Freddy Scribbles‘ portfolio and spotted a cutsey Loki print. I thought, “I MUST OWN THAT.” And it was only $10. HUZZAH! It’s up on my wall right underneath my Jenny Parks Doctor Mew print (who was also at the con, but I didn’t get to take a picture of her booth).
Freddy Scribbles also creates super adorable plushies called Cubis [kyoo-bees]. I love the little wing details on Thor’s helmet!
Another vendor I stumbled upon was Abby’s BowTique. Her handmade hair bows are all kinds of nerdtastic with the likes of old school Nintendo characters, Star Wars, Disney, and comic book heroes gracing each one little bow.
I ended up getting a Stormtrooper bow because, y’know… the darkside is just so appealing. Stormtrooper Burt is pictured above with my pretty bow.
Christmas is coming and the end is not nigh! Hope you all have an amazing weekend ahead of you
Sweater: Skip ‘N Whistle // Glasses: Derek Cardigan // Rory’s Sweater: Martha Stewart for Petsmart
‘ello there!
Sooo… a few days ago I had a post that said I was nominated for the Liebster Award, and there are certain things that nominees are supposed to do when… er, nominated. One thing is to state 11 random facts about yourself. I totally forgot to do that in my little Liebster Award post, so I’m gonna list them here!
But before I get into that, check out my unicorn holiday pullover! Isn’t it all kinds of adorbz?! My mom got herself, my dad, and my sister matching sweaters too from Fab.com (they’re by this company based in New Orleans called Skip N’ Whistle) so we could wear them on Christmas. My sister and I will be wearing unicorns while my parents will rock snowmen. Our Christmas pictures are gonna be HELLA EPIC.
Okay, back to bidness. Random facts about moi in 3…2…1…
I don’t wear pink on my birthday. Nothing on me can be pink. NOTHING. Even the tags of my clothes or my chonies (TMI?) can be pink. It’s a superstitious thing that started when I was 17.
I’m obsessed with Disney. ALL THINGS DISNEY!
I was in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers official fan club when I was in 3rd grade. SABERTOOTH TIGER!
Hanson stole my concert virginity at the tender age of 11.
I don’t like odd numbers unless they’re divisible by 5. I only make exceptions for 1 and 21 because 21 is 12 the other way around (12 is my lucky number) and 1 equates to my birthday month.
I’m not crazy about my last name, so I tend to use my middle name (Penalosa) in its place.
I have an affinity for carousel horses. Or I guess I have an affinity for anything horse-related (thank you, My Little Pony!), but I love carousels. And the first piece of writing I ever had published was an essay in which I compared life to a carousel ride. In case you’re curious, it can be read here.
If I don’t like the way a store display looks I will change it until I am satisfied. O.C.D. much?
I originally wanted to study and major in graphic design because I wanted to start my own line of tees and accessories with characters I used to doodle — kind of like Paul Frank or Gama-Go.
My parents thought I would become a dentist because I loved yanking my loose teeth out when I was little. I think I was just anxious to get my monies from my mom the tooth fairy.
I hate horror movies not just because I’m chicken poop, but when something scary happens my automatic reaction is to cover my face, but I do it so fast that I end up bitch slapping myself.
Oh, Rory. He was not having any of this picture taking bull sh!t.
And in case you’re wondering: yes, that is a Yoda tree topper. And yes, that is a Nagel print hanging in the back. SO 80s! Don’tcha just love how random our decor is?
Why, what’s that on my shirt? It’s a pin of a Stormtrooper wearing Mickey Mouse ears, which I got at Disneyland BEFORE Disney bought Lucas Films. Disney x Star Wars ain’t nothin’ new.
On Tuesday, nerds around the world became up in arms over the George Lucas-selling-his-company-to-Disney-for-$4.05 billion debacle. My Tumblr and Facebook feeds were filled with posts along the lines of “WHY,GEORGE, WHY?” and “I can’t believe he did that” and there was a plethora of Disney/Star Wars mash-up art as well.
For those who are still sad/enraged by this merger, I urge you to CALM THE FUG DOWN.
Disney/Star Wars mash-up art (or just Disney/Stars Wars mash-ups in general) isn’t anything new — in fact, you can already see and buy that kind of stuff at Disneyland and Disney World considering the fact that there are both Star Wars and Indiana Jones attractions at either park. In Tomorrowland, you can buy popcorn inside an R2-D2 unit. Hell, there are even R2-D2 mouse ears and you can make your own light saber. Disney World holds Star Wars Weekend (which is totally unfair! What about Disneyland?!) and there’s also the Jedi Training Academy Show where little kids get to learn how to wield a light saber and face Darth Vader and Stormtroopers.
So when I first heard the news I thought, “Oh, that’s cool” because it just seemed like a natural thing given the facts I have previously mentioned.
I didn’t hear about Episode 7 being put into the works until a bit later (because I didn’t bother clicking any links to read the full story), but when I heard, I started thinking, “NO, DISNEY! DON’T MAKE PEOPLE HATE YOU.” My boyfriend calmed my nerves once he told me that George Lucas was only going to be a creative consultant, because if he’s not in full creative control, then they can always turn down anything he has to say. I told Shanice (my bestest friend who hasn’t seen episodes 1-3) about that and she said, “That’s a bad thing. That can hurt Star Wars!” To which I argued, “No, it’s a GOOD thing. George Lucas is the worst thing that has ever happened to Star Wars.” You know it’s true! Just watch The People vs. George Lucas. Watch the original trilogy and see Han NOT shoot first. Just look at Jar Jar Binks.
photo courtesy of EndorExpress.net
photo courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Despite the fact that they’ve had more than a few flops (The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy and the plethora of Air Bud movies), Disney are great story tellers. I have no doubt in my mind that they’re going to respect the Star Wars franchise and the people that will be working on Episode 7 are going to be folks who grew up with Han Solo and Chewy, so they definitely won’t bastardize the franchise. And weren’t many skeptical about Disney buying Marvel in 2010? Has anything gone wrong with that merger? No? Yeah, I thought not.
photo courtesy of James Hance
photo courtesy of Disney/Pixar
Lucas is also donating all the money he got from Disney to educational programs, which makes him better than a lot of people (looking at you, government). So you can’t hate him completely.
Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers pointed out something pretty interesting in his last video — Lucas has an effects studio called Industrial Light & Magic and in the 80s a computer graphics department was made and then sold to Steve Jobs for $5 million. That computer graphics department was Pixar and Disney bought them for $7 billion in 2006. Pretty sweet deal, right? I’d say the only bad thing to come out of that is Cars, but Cars Land at California Adventure looks pretty damn awesome. So I withhold judgement until I get to experience it in 14 days.
So people, PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING AND LET DISNEY DO ITS MAGIC. When Episode 7 comes out, THEN start complaining. Or start cheering. Whatever floats your Jabba barge.
Sometimes I like to make subtle nods to my geekdom in any outfit I wear, like with an accessory that reminds me of something from Doctor Who or a Disney character. Other times I’m very abrasive about it. Case in point, the Star Wars outfit I threw together when I went to San Francisco with my two best friends last Saturday. I’m usually all for the good guys and underdogs, but when it comes to Star Wars I can’t help but be drawn to the dark side of the force.
I don’t know what that says about me as a person. o_0
I found the Darth Vader pullover in H&M’s mens section a couple years ago. When I saw it, I felt like I couldn’t leave the store unless it came home with me… despite the fact that the money I spent on it should’ve gone to groceries. Speaking of groceries, the Stormtrooper ring I wore with this outfit was found on a cupcake from a grocery store! I seriously only bought the cupcake for the ring. Best $1.99 I ever spent! The collared shirt I’m wearing underneath my pullover was purchased at Marshall’s when I was a freshman in high school. I graduated in 2004, so that shirt is pretty fuggin old. I got my grey pleated skirt on sale at the Gap earlier this year during my local stores’ “Going Out of Business” sale. *cries* Stockton can’t have nice things, EVER! At least we have Dillards — it’s the only store location in California! My Kate Spade typewriter purse was given to me as a graduation present from my mom and dad last year. It is easily the coolest purse I own. And now a little Arpakasso (or Alpakasso) guy dangles from it. Jen bought it for me while we were in Japantown as a super early birthday present (my birthday isn’t until January). Since he’s wearing the German flag colors, I named him Han.
Our trip to SF was pretty awesome, despite the fact that my outfit shoot totally got interrupted by a mumbling crackhead. No, seriously. She was high and asked Shanice if she was a witch. She said some other things too, but they’re way too inappropriate for my blog! The picture above is the only decent shot that came from the shoot pre crackhead. I suppose it’s for the best — it would’ve looked odd if I smiled while clad in Empire gear, right? But before that nonsense we stopped by Berkeley first for food, because that place is just full of delicious om noms like Top Dog! Then we headed to Japantown where I found a Tokidoki cardigan that had buttons that looked like donuts. DONUT BUTTONS. I damn near died from the kawaiiness of it all. Afterwards we hit up Haight Street so I could sell some DVDs at Amoeba (but I decided to keep them because they only offered me $8 in cash), then we ran into the crazy lady, and ate dessert at Akiba Cafe. They have waitresses that dress up like lolita maids, but there weren’t any when I went. Booo. We ended the day at Stonestown Galleria, which is right across SFSU. When I was a student there I found myself wandering around Stonestown before, inbetween, and after classes. I often went home with an empty stomach and new shirt (or dress, or sweater, or whatever).
And that was my day, and that was my outfit. Hope you all have a great weekend! <3
—
outfit details:
Collared shirt: Express
Pullover: H&M
Skirt: Gap
Boots: Madden Girl
Purse: Kate Spade w/an Alpakasso keychain
Ring: I got it from a cupcake at the grocery store
