Wardrobe Wednesdays - Lake Coral

Yesterday it was absolutely gorgeous in my neck of the woods. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and my flowers and veggies were starting to sprout! While I spent the majority of the day working on projects (I made a pretty cool tshirt design for a friend!), I took some time to enjoy the weather as the sun began to set.



I had my brother tag along and play photographer. I think he did a pretty awesome job! Sure beats using the tripod in the backyard. Tomorrow (today I suppose - I write my posts a day ahead of time) we want to head back and take some more head shots for him to take to auditions. I also plan to wake up at the crack of dawn to get my fitness on and bike a few miles *wish me luck!



My brother got the lead this summer in Footloose at the theatre he is working for. I am pretty darn excited about it. Surprisingly I have never seen the movie...yikes! I should probably change that before I see his version. Any Footloose fans out there?



Outfit Details: Dress - Dorothy Perkins | Bag - Kohls | Sandals - Forever 21 | Bracelet - thrifted | Ring - thrifted | Necklace - Forever 21.

Serious question: How old is too old for pig tails? I feel like so long as they aren't above your ears it is socially acceptable? Maybe not... I am in desperate need for new hair styling tips. I don't think my hair has been this long since 4th grade. I haven't cut it in nearly two years! Anywho, hope you all are having a wonderful day :]

*** If you haven't done so already, please enter my $50 gift card giveaway to Shabby apple! The giveaway ends June 1st. Good luck! ***

Toy Army Tuesday - Domo-Kun

Another installment of Toy Army Tuesday here. Today I thought I would tell you a little about Domo-Kun (aka Domo here in the states) and show off my mini collection in the process. I remember first seeing Domo-Kun online in high school. His odd shape and strange expression initially caught my eye.

For those of you unfamiliar with Domo-Kun he is the official mascot of Japan's NHK television station. Cute mascot huh? Domo-Kun was created in 1999 to promote NHK’s satellite broadcast service. Domo-Kun is a monster who hatched from an egg and lives in a rabbit hole with a wise old rabbit and REALLY likes T.V. You can view a compilation of all the stop motion Domo-Kun vignettes HERE.



My collection consists of a large and small Domo-Kun plush (the small one unfortunately has yet to be unpacked) and a set of slurpee straws from the 2009 7/11 promotion. The straws just may be my favorite Domo-Kun items I own. They had come out in the fall of 2009 but I was oblivious to the 7/11 promotion. In January I found a photo of one of the straws online and made it my mission to find one. I went to about 6 different 7/11's all over the area to track them down but every single one was sold out since the promotion had ended months before. At the 6th store, however, I found a huge pile of them on super sale and snatched them all up. I think the best part of collecting is hunting down the items you want.

I did see Domo-Kun products all over Japan while I was there but didn't purchase any. It is fairly easy to find him here in the states - Target for example has his plushes out and about for just about every holiday. The halloween and Valentines day ones were pretty darn cute. Do you own and Domo-Kun items?

Have a beautiful day everyone!
If you haven't done so already, please enter my $50 gift card giveaway to Shabby apple! It ends June 1st.

Giveaway: $50 Shabby Apple Gift card

Hello lovelies! I am beyond excited to start out this week by announcing today's giveaway courtesy of
Shabby Apple. Shabby Apple is an adorable online boutique full of beautiful vintage-inspired clothing. I am currently in love with their newest lines "Twin Palms" and "Stardust Inn", which include timeless dresses and swimsuits perfect for this summer season.



In addition to the gift card giveaway Shabby Apple is offering a 10% discount to all of my readers so that everyone ends up a winner - yay! Simply use coupon code: shyscout10off at checkout.

>> About the giveaway
Shabby Apple is offering a $50 gift card to one of ShyScout's lucky readers. Use the gift card to purchase any of the boutique's beautiful items! * Please note: This contest is open to U.S. residents only! The 10% off discount code, however, works for all ShyScout readers across the globe.

>> Mandatory Entry
'Like' Shabby Apple on Facebook. Also be sure to check out the Shabby Apple website and let me know which item is your favorite! Once you do both of these things please leave me a comment below with your email address so that I can contact you if you win :]

>> Bonus Entries (please leave a separate comment below for each additional entry)
1. Follow ShyScout on Google Friend Connect ( < on the left side bar).
2. Follow ShyScout on BlogLovin'.
3. 'Like' ShyScout on Facebook.

This giveaway will close Friday, June 1st at midnight. The lucky winner will then be chosen at random and contacted shortly there after. Best of luck to all of you!

Life Lately

Hi guys! I hope you all are having a beautiful weekend. Mine has been pretty relaxing. I have been having way too much fun with instagram lately so I thought I would share what I have been up to.



1 - 2. I have been getting my gardening on! Monday night I set up my garden plot with beets, peas, green beans, green and yellow squash, two types of basil, and some flowers. The roses surrounding my house are also in bloom at the moment - the orange roses are my personal faves.

3 - 4. Friday my dad and I drove on over to Arlington Heights to try out the vegetarian food at Chowpatti. All I have to say is YUM!!! I chose to get a veggie burger and fries. I really liked this veggie burger because it was all vegetable and no soy or tempeh.

5 - 6. My little lovies! I found the toad in my garden this morning hanging out in the shade. The cutie on the chair is my one and only sweetpea. Isn't she just the cutest little thing?

I also went to a fundraiser yesterday to help raise money for a family friends relay for life fund. Today I am working on unpacking, cleaning, and fixing up my bike so I can start my new workout routine - can't wait to get that started. The weather has been beautiful and life is good. I am also happy to announce that this week I will be hosting a fantabulous giveaway - I honestly wish I could win it myself, so please be on the lookout!

Have a wonderful day everyone :]

Thrifted Thursday - Doll collection

As you all know I have a weakness when it comes to collecting dolls. The stranger they are the better in my book. I definitely don't need them, but when they come with a thrift store price tag I can't say no. Is there anything you can't turn down when thrifting? Anywho, over the past month or so I have added three more
gems to my collection...



This cute doll was a carnival prize from the 50's. I instantly fell in love with his big eyes, bow tie, and goofy plaid hat. I found him while thrifting on this excursion but turned him down due to his price tag. I went back about a month later and his price was reduced - on top of that I had a coupon worth $20 at the store so he ended up being free :] That is what I call a deal.

The other weekend when I purchased my cute plaid coat I also found two dolls calling my name.



I had seen these dolls before in various outfits on thrifting excursions but they usually were slightly out of my price range (I don't like to spend more than $10 on an item typically while thrifting). I had to have these two when I saw their $3 price tags. I have a problem, haha, I know. Do any of you have dolls like these in your collection?

I really need to work on giving stuff away rather than taking more stuff in. This weekend I hope to sift through all of my things so that I can throw a garage sale the following weekend. Wish me luck! I hope you all are having a beautiful Thursday! Any exciting plans for the weekend?

Wardrobe Wednesday - Horsin' around

My dresses from Dorothy Perkins arrived already! I must say - I am in love with all of the dresses I bought. I can't wait to wear them out and about this summer. The only thing I wish was that they were all a smidge bit longer. I am a bit conservative when it comes to showing off my legs. It will be less of an issue once autumn arrives and I can wear thick tights...but until then slips will have to be used to add some length. How do you guys work with shorter dresses to make them feel more comfortable on you?



I love the peter pan collar, horse print, and buttons. I wish the camera would have picked up on the details better. Oh well, it happens when you use a tripod? All of my neighbors decided to hang out in their backyards yesterday so I had to keep ducking in and out the back to take photos.



Outfit Details: Dress and belt - Dorothy Perkins | Bag - China | Heels - Doll House | Bracelet - gift from Egypt (probably should have taken more shots of it - they are multi colored stone scarabs).

Eeep - I am in desperate need of a hair cut and color, and maybe a tan. ANYWHO...I set up my garden shortly after these photos were taken - not in this outfit of course! I am pretty excited for things to start sprouting. I am growing green and yellow squash, beets, green beans, peas, basil, various flowers, aaand I am still deciding what else to put in the patch. My mom is growing tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers. I am so excited for all the fresh veggies! Have you set up a garden? Ughhh. I also need to start the never ending process of unpacking now. Wahoo... Hopefully I can get together enough stuff to throw a garage sale shortly.

Have a beautiful day!