Happy Halloween!

 

Happy Halloween! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and this year I went all out trying to find fun, free, and Instagramable locations in Los Angeles to celebrate the "spooky season." There's a lot of content I share on Instagram that I don't share on my blog, so I thought I would feature some of my favorite Instagram posts celebrating Halloween here on my blog today! The first one, featured above, is the gigantic pumpkin at the Citadel Outlets in the city of Commerce. They have a gigantic pumpkin called "Big Jack" that is adorable!

 

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My second location is the Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest. This location features many historic buildings including the above school house from 1890. For Halloween, this park puts on a Fall-O-Ween celebration that is very family friendly and fun! I love how they decorated the school house with pumpkins for a lovely autumnal vibe! 

 

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When I was a child, Michael Jackson's Thriller was probably my favorite album. I would rock out in the car to the song "Thriller" and loved the music video as well. So, as you can imagine, it was "thrilling" as an adult to get to see the Thriller house where part of the iconic music video was filmed. This house can be found on Carroll Avenue near Echo Park in Los Angeles. While I didn't quite strike a Thriller-esque dance move here, I tried to look a little witchy and spooky in a black velvet dress. With an impressive street of Victorian houses that are all decorated for Halloween, this is one neighborhood that I wouldn't mind Trick-or-Treating in!

 

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Last but not least, the Roast the Dead coffee shop in Yucaipa is the perfect place for any fans of classic horror films from the 80s. I don't drink coffee but the mural, featuring the likes of Freddy Krueger and Jason, makes it well worth the trek from Los Angeles. It's a fun place to visit if you're on your way to Apple Country or Palm Springs. Unfortunately, there was a line to get in, so I couldn't see the horror themed decor on the inside but I will have to go again to check it out when it's not so close to Halloween!

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Going Batty for Pumpkin Patches

 

Last week, the weather finally felt like fall here in Southern California, so it was the perfect time to get out to do some quintessentially fall activities, such as visiting a pumpkin patch! While many pumpkin patches here charge quite a bit for entry fees, I was able to find a couple free ones. Unfortunately, there was no cute pumpkin house like you see all over Instagram at this particular patch (I guess those command higher entrance fees!) but it was just as wonderful with loads of pumpkins, a corn maze and sunflowers, which were all perfect for getting in the spirit of fall and Halloween! Speaking of getting in the Halloween spirit, how cute is this bat sweatshirt? I thought it was the perfect thing to wear on a crisp fall day and I love the spooky vibes! To add a little bit of color, I paired it with a fuchsia skirt and rainbow flats. Make it spooky but make it colorful! That's my Halloween motto!

 

As I said, at this particular pumpkin patch you could experience a corn maze for only $1. It was a bargain, in my opinion, especially because it was my first time doing a corn maze!  I guess this just goes to show that no matter how old you get, there are always new things to discover and try! Stay tuned to my Instagram account to see some of the other fall and Halloween places I visited last week. I have definitely been doing a lot of exploring this fall!

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Sweatshirt: Target here

Skirt: J. Crew almost identical skirt here

Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo similar rainbow flats here

Sunglasses: Celine

 

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Walking into Spiderwebs

 

A couple weeks ago, we went to visit the historic Leonis Adobe in Calabasas. I was expecting a rustic farm feel because the adobe on this estate dates back to 1844 and so I decided to dress the part with this ruffle denim blouse and a skirt with cactus and citrus fruit on it. What I was not expecting was the spooky Halloween decorations, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise, especially because I have been trying to get in the Halloween spirit this October! My favorite decoration at the Leonis Adobe was the spiderweb, complete with gigantic spiders that adorned the barn!

 

Unfortunately, we arrived a little late to the adobe, which closes very promptly at 4:00, so we didn't have a lot of time to explore. Luckily, the adobe house is not that big, nor are the grounds of the estate, so we had just enough time to see everything before they closed. While the Halloween decorations might have been spooky, I think the scariest thing was that one of the longhorn steers on the property gored and killed a sheep the week before! (The docents commented that it was lucky that it didn't happen in front of any of the school children taking a field trip to the adobe that week.) So, while I was scared of walking into spiderwebs, I guess I should just be thankful I didn't walk into the horn of a steer!

 

 

Shirt: Target here

Skirt: J. Crew similar skirt here

Shoes: Old Navy similar green sandals

Bag: Prada similar orange bag here and here

 

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Purple and Orange Pants

 

If these pants look somewhat familiar, it's because I also have them in red and pink! You might recall that I wore them a few weeks ago in a post entitled "Preppy With a Twist." Well, I'm back with the same pants but in the purple and orange color scheme! After receiving the first pair and loving them so much, I decided I would spring for a second pair! The fact that they are deeply discounted also made them more appealing! I mentioned in my previous post on the red and pink pants that they were not favorably reviewed by many customers at Anthropologie. I personally love the fit of the pants and the fun colors! I suppose that when it comes to the negative reviewers on these pants, their loss is my gain.

 

I really think that these pants could be worn any time of year, which is just another reason to love them! Today, I'm pairing them with an orange cashmere sweater. I thought the orange would really play up the fact that Halloween is just a couple weeks away. I think the pants would also look great in the summertime paired a plain white tee. As you can see, the versatility of these pants also makes them a great deal! Now that I think about it, maybe I should be writing more reviews on Anthropologie's website!

 

Pants: Anthropologie here

Sweater: J. Crew similar orange cashmere sweater

Shoes: ASOS similar silver loafers

Bag: Chanel similar purple bag

 

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Cute as a Pumpkin

Halloween will be coming up in a couple weeks and this year I'm getting in the spirit of the spooky season a little early with the help of this adorable pumpkin beret! I will have to say that this is the first beret I have ever owned, not to mention the first pumpkin hat I have ever owned! To be honest, I think I might now be hooked on berets, especially ones that look like cute things like pumpkins! I decided to pair my pumpkin hat with this green sweater to bring out the green in the stem of the pumpkin. A fun fact about me is that I am obsessed with pumpkin stems when picking out pumpkins! I have to have a pumpkin with a pumpkin stem that has character!

 

I thought that this green sweater would look great with a pair of check pants. It's sort of a preppy look that pairs well with the beret. I'd like to think that the grinning Jack-O-Lantern face is just a pleasant surprise when you view the hat from the back! I definitely think it will be a fun piece to style this October!

 

 

Beret: Etsy here

Sweater: Target here

Pants: Gap similar here and here

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Bag: Clare V. similar round black bag here

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Hotdogs at Pink's

 

I feel like this post could be about me dressing up as Rosie the Riveter for Halloween or it could be about me checking more things off my L.A. bucket list by going to Pink's Hotdogs. Because it wasn't really my intent to dress up like Rosie the Riveter, I guess I will focus on Pink's Hotdogs instead! With that being said, if you want an easy Halloween costume idea, just buy a denim jumpsuit, throw a scarf on your head and strike a pose flexing your arm and you will have a pretty easy and awesome costume for Halloween! Plus, as an added bonus, you can use the jumpsuit all year round! Because this jumpsuit from Old Navy is currently sold out, I linked to some others below that are fabulous for any occasion, Halloween included.

 

Denim Jumpsuit Options

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So, getting back to Pink's Hotdogs, I have wanted to go to this retro hotdog stand that's been around since 1939 for the longest time! A couple of things gave me pause about visiting so I kept putting it off. One thing that I had reservations about were the crowds. I read in the reviews that you can wait for hours to get one of their hotdogs. A second thing was that many people said that the food is overpriced and not as good as it used to be. After seeing a Huell Howser show on Pink's Hotdogs, I decided I had to go. Besides, the food looked really good, at least on TV, so I decided it was now or never and I might as well bite the bullet and check it out!

 

Well, we picked a cool, overcast day for our visit to Pink's and arrived before noon. We discovered that there were no lines, although I did stop and take some photos of the awesome pink exterior and a short line did develop during that time, much to my husband's chagrin! When we sat down with our food, which consisted of chili cheese dogs and onion rings. We were pleasantly surprised that they were delicious! Yes, they are a little overpriced at around $7 a piece, but I suppose you are paying for the history, the name and access to the amazing pink wall with the Pink's logo on it! (Actually, you can take pictures here for free.) Also, now I can check another thing off of my L.A. bucket list, which always feels good!

 

 

Jumpsuit: Old Navy almost identical jumpsuit here

Shoes: J. Crew similar suede pumps here

Bag: Salvatore Ferragamo similar rainbow bag here

Headband: Anthropologie here

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