A Colorful Halloween

Happy Halloween! While Halloween this year is going to look a lot different, I hope that all of you who love the holiday will find a fun way to still celebrate in some way! Because I normally stay home on Halloween, I'm not sure that things will be all that different for me this year. The only thing that will probably change is that I will not be having any trick-or-treaters. Frankly, however, the number of trick-or-treaters that come to my house has been dwindling over the years, so I suppose that will not be that a huge of a change. Regardless, I will still carve some pumpkins, watch a scary movie or It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (if I can find my DVD of it since they're not playing it on network TV this year!), and make a spooky inspired dinner like grilled cheese sandwiches in the shape of pumpkins! 

 

 

While I'm keeping some of the same traditions this year, I also tried some new things to celebrate the spooky season. My favorite Halloween themed adventure this year was probably my hike last weekend to Pumpkin Rock.  Located in the city of Norco, this gigantic rock is painted on a regular basis to look like a pumpkin (there's a lot of graffiti there too!) that looks a lot like Jack Skeleton. The trek to Pumpkin Rock is a steep and slippery hike but it's well worth the payoff in the end!

 

 

Last, but not least, no Halloween would be complete without dressing up my Springer Spaniel, William! Usually, I get him a costume (he's been a rainbow, a pirate, a jester and a squirrel, just to name a few) but this year I found this cute "Boo!" candy corn sweater at Target. Because one of my nicknames for William is Boo, I though he would enjoy wearing it, even if it was just for a few minutes while taking pictures! I'm not so sure that getting dressed up is a Halloween tradition that William enjoys but I sure get a kick out of it!

Not Your Basic Witch House

Because it is almost Halloween, I thought this would be the perfect occasion to share with you the spooky splendor of the Spadena House, which is also known as "The Witch's House" in Beverly Hills. If this house looks familiar, it's probably because it has appeared in many movies, most notably the 1990s hit Clueless. The Spadena House is an example of Storybook architecture and it looks like it is straight out of a fairy tale such as "Hansel and Gretel". The history behind this house is as fascinating as its appearance is unusual. Designed by a Hollywood Art Director by the name of Harry Oliver in 1921, the house was originally used for the offices and dressing rooms of a movie studio in Culver City. After serving this purpose for a few years, the house was moved to its present location in Beverly Hills.

 

More than a decade ago, the house was purchased by a realtor who restored the house and added some very witchy touches to both the interior and exterior. It's now become both a tourist destination and a popular place for people to take pictures before Halloween. We visited the Spadena house at the beginning of October and it was swarming with people. Perhaps if it wasn't the "spooky season" there would have been less of a mob. Regardless, people formed a small line to take pictures and everyone got their close-up with this Hollywood legend of a house.

 

While many people had costumes on for their photos, I opted for something that was vaguely witch-like without being too literal like this tiered ruffle skirt. It has somewhat of a whimsical, fairy tale quality about it that I think is fitting for this particular house. While I love Halloween, I am not a huge fan of dressing up in costumes these days but maybe I will come in costume next year if we go back and visit the house. In addition to the obvious costume idea of dressing up like a witch, another fun costume for this location might be a butterfly because there were a ton of fluttering butterflies around "The Witch's House" when we visited. I'm not sure if it was the plants in the garden but the butterflies seemed to be just as drawn to the house as humans are; there is definitely something both charming and magical about the Spadena House!

 

Skirt: J. Crew same style here

Top: H&M here

Shoes: Target

Sunglasses: Prada here

 

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Barrels of Fun

 

Last weekend, we finally had what I would categorize as "sweater weather" here in Los Angeles. I tried to take advantage of the cloudy weather and cooler temps, while they lasted, by wearing this new purple cashmere sweater. While I have many purple sweaters, purple is my favorite color so I am not opposed to collecting as many shades of purple as possible! I paired my new sweater with a giraffe print pencil skirt, which is currently on sale, and some colorful accessories like these green pumps.  While I love a good leopard print, I always like to add a little bit of color to really make the outfit pop!

 

This is the type of outfit that I would definitely wear to work but, because I am teaching online this semester, I am all about casual comfort in my wardrobe and I would not consider wearing a pencil skirt while sitting all day at the computer. While I didn't get to wear this outfit to work, I did get to wear it over the weekend. Strange as it might seem, I am definitely taking the opportunity to dress up more on weekends when I am able to go out. This colorful barrel installation can be found at the Lab Anti-Mall in Orange County and it's one of my favorite places to go for art, shopping, and, of course, great photo locations! In other words, it's a barrel of fun!

 

Skirt: here

Sweater: here

Shoes: here
Bag: similar yellow bag here

Earrings: here

The Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch

 

 

I am a little disappointed that It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will not be airing this year on network TV but because I have the DVD, I guess it's really no big deal. Like Linus in the classic Peanuts Halloween special, I am always on the lookout for the perfect or "most sincere pumpkin patch." This year, I found some gorgeous pumpkins at Descanso Gardens for their annual Halloween themed event. The botanical gardens at Descanso are currently filled with pumpkins as far as the eye can see and that made for a lovely day and some fun pictures! It was truly a feast for the eyes and a great way to get in the Halloween spirit. While I didn't dress up in costume, I did wear a fun striped skirt with just a hint of orange in it, which was the perfect match for my orange bag that is vaguely reminiscent of a big pumpkin!

 

 

Descanso Gardens is always a beautiful place to visit. A few years ago, we went in the spring to stroll the gardens and look at the lovely tulips and cherry blossoms. While the gardens looked different for fall, they were just as lovely, especially with all of the pumpkin themed displays. While visiting the gardens last week did make it seem more like fall, unfortunately, it was quite hot on the day that we visited the gardens. Since we had to purchase tickets in advance, I randomly picked a day, not knowing what the weather would be like. Despite the hot temperatures, it was still fun to go in celebration of Halloween. So, while Halloween might be a little bit different this year, I am so happy that we have so many fun, outdoor activities here in Los Angeles to partake in this year!

 

Skirt: ModCloth here

Top: Target similar here

Shoes: J. Crew similar here

Bag: Prada similar orange tote here

 

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Going to the Dogs

 

 

While I love all animals, dogs hold a special place in my heart. I am definitely a dog person and, as such, I will buy just about anything with cute dogs on it like this dogs of the world tee. I was a little disappointed that they did not include English Springer Spaniels on the tee, which, in my biased opinion, are the handsomest breed of dog but, despite this, the tee was too cute to pass up! Back in spring, I purchased a dog yoga tee and posed with my English Springer Spaniel, William for a few of my blog pictures. I was considering doing the same thing with this tee but the trauma of trying get William to sit still for more than a few seconds was still very fresh in my mind and I opted to just do this photo shoot solo! (Not only are Springer Spaniels very good looking dogs, their energy level is also beyond compare!)

 

 

While this tee would go with just about anything, I thought the graphic black and white print of the shirt would pair well with a black and white skirt, so I selected this ruffle gingham skirt that I am ashamed to say I haven't worn yet, even though I got it last spring. The elastic waist of the skirt makes it comfy and casual, which is why I also chose to go with sneakers as my choice of foot attire. (Plus, I was going to the grocery store in this outfit!) Last but not least, I needed to add a pop of color somewhere in this outfit, so I decided to go with a bright yellow bag and my red heart sunglasses. Even William, who is black and white, has a red collar because both dogs and humans alike love a good pop of color!

 

Tee: J. Crew here

Skirt: c/o SheIn here

Shoes: Old Navy

Bag: Louis Vuitton similar yellow bag here

Sunglasses: Yves Saint Laurent budget friendly version here

 

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A Colorful Weekend

I usually don't post on the weekends but I have had so many colorful adventures lately that I thought I would share! The colorful adventure that I am sharing with you today highlights my recent trip to the Flour Shop in Beverly Hills. Technically, the flour shop is a bakery that features cute cakes and confections but they also have a gift shop selling colorful, rainbow accessories. As you can see, this place is right up my alley! The icing on the cake, however, is this amazing rainbow wall! As soon as I spotted this on Instagram, I knew I had to visit because, naturally, anything with rainbows catches my eye!

 

 

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to be dressed to match the occasion and the location, I searched my closet for the perfect rainbow print outfit to match this epic rainbow. Ultimately, I decided on my beloved Trina Turk rainbow "Honolulu" dress. Yes, it was tough choosing from all of the colorful items I own but, instinctively, I felt that this dress was made for this particular location! You can judge for yourself and, if you're in the area, you can also go on your own rainbow adventure at the Flour Shop and even get a rainbow cake to take home!

Dress: Trina Turk here, also here in more sizes

Shoes: Target similar here

Bag: Louis Vuitton

Mask: Target here

 

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Safari Print, Take Three!

 

When I find a print I adore, I usually don't hesitate to buy it in multiple items! For example, I was head over heels in love with this safari print when it came out last spring/summer because it combines two things I love: color and animals. I started with just the dress in this print, which I thought would be enough. Later on, the blouse version was reduced in price considerably and so I also sprung for that item. You would think that two items in this safari print would be enough but when I found the safari print pants on sale, I had to purchase them as well! Luckily, I think there are no more items left in this print, so my shopping spree is over...for now. Realistically speaking, I will probably just find another print to go crazy for!

 

One of the other things that I love about these pants, in addition to the print, is that they are "pajama" style pants with an elastic waist. I know that this style of silky, comfortable pant is all the rage right now but my bet is that they will be here to stay! Let's face it, this style of pajama pant is perfect for the life we are all living, thanks to the pandemic. Since they are comfortable and forgiving for anyone, myself included, who has put on a little extra weight due to the quarantine, these are truly the most practical pants you could ask for. The only drawback is that, due to living almost exclusively on Zoom (at least for work), no one is going to get to see how fun they are! Good thing I have a blouse in the same print!

 

Pants: J. Crew here

Sweater: Anthropologie

Shoes: J. Crew here

Bag: Clare V.  here

 

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