blown away: boca's blowdry bar.

tonight i was blown away...almost literally.

showing off our new 'dos in the facebooth!

i'll get to the full post with details and much better photos later this week, but wanted to give you a quick preview of tonight's "bloggers, bubbles & blowouts" event at soblo in boca raton. 

in addition to the super sweet employees of the spa team who showed us around and pampered us, we were all there thanks to the lovely hostess, kristin of living in color print. i also met some pretty cool chicks in the blogging community and can't wait to share with you here...more to come soon!

the average girl's guide, april golightly, living in color print, haute frugalista, beauty delicacy and moi! 

out with the old, in with the old.

in an effort to downsize my closet (and ok, get some extra cash and space to pick up a few coveted vintage finds too), i'm attempting to sell some of the designer items i no longer wear. i feel like i've tried all kinds of avenues - ebay, antique row's consignment shops, craigslist, plato's closet and even a side station within an otherwise regular garage sale, but i'm just not getting the bites i want.

last week i went back to my starting point of ebay; dropping the original prices and relisting, thinking that might help. 

today i'm taking to the blog to get your opinion...what's worked for you? is there an ebay trick you want to fill me in on? an incredible consignment shop with the best deals for sellers that i should know about? or am i doing it all wrong, and should be hitting up the poshmark app instead, which seems to be the only facebook ad that has ever been  appropriately targeted to me?

here's a snapshot of just a few of the items i'm selling in case you have any tips to offer in the comments - or want to make a deal! 

 

louis vuitton porte monnaie coin purse

tiffany & co. elsa peretti carved heart link bracelet

limited edition coach patchwork wristlet

tiffany & co. elsa peretti open heart earrings

coach signature hobo bag

i've also got a ton of designer cocktail dresses and gowns from working palm beach galas that will probably never be worn again, since you know this girl always wants a new frock for the fête.

mini style: what's in a name?

with friends that have names like pantone, fendi, chevron, günter, bandeau, eleven, paleo and tamarind, you know quinoa is not only one of the cool kids, she's the leader of them and quite possibly the next "it" girl. she has impeccable taste in fashion, a love for chanel and organic food, a hate for perms and overly preppy attire, and a passion for helping the poor get better clothes. and she's a toddler. and oh ya, she's imaginary.

i stumbled upon this gem of a pinterest page, dubbed "my imaginary well-dressed toddler daughter," a couple months ago, but it was only yesterday that i spent time shifting through the pins. and by god, its creator tiffany beveridge is hilarious. with 62,237 followers, i can tell others agree.

the board highlights the hippest child looks we secretly (or not so secretly) want for our kids and even ourselves, and puts a fun commentary on how ridiculous this idea is.

here's a peek at her pins for a preview of what you'll find, but click the links to her page to get the full effect...which trust me, you'll want to do:

(if you see some looks you want to pin here, please remember to click through and pin from the original source instead...thanks!)

"on eighties awareness day at school, quinoa was especially protective of her friend fennel's wham-inspired pompadour. #miwdtd"

"hashtag swears his wholesale accessory business is legit, but quinoa can smell a knock off a mile away. #miwdtd"

"when we met quinoa's friend ridley for brunch, he was unhappy to learn that the bistro's chicken nuggets were not free range." 

"quinoa always keeps a spare 'urban outfit' in my purse in the event we're going to be around a lot of chain link fencing." 

"the only thing quinoa likes to rescue more than puppies are children that shop for clothes at wal-mart." 

 

"quinoa is particularly sensitive to smells like polyester, neoprene, and fear. #miwdtd"

don't have pinterest but just need to have more of these beautifully hipster kids and humorous hand-crafted quotes? visit "quinoa's" pages on facebook and twitter, plus view her "mom's" tweets too.

song for style: you can call me queen bee.

here's a different kind of royal news for you during all the prince william and duchess kate baby talk...
 
now that that (old) buzz 103.1 is gone and i don't have my indie rock high school friends around anymore, i haven't had anyone to introduce me to new music lately. luckily for me, my man has been working out of los angeles for a couple months, which seems to be light years ahead of the palm beaches in regards to hearing upcoming bands on a national scale. this is his latest find:

it's called "royals," by lorde, who seems so cool and collected that i kinda want to hang out with her. i'm a definite fan not just of the song, but also the video. what do you think?

p.s. this chick is 16!

a dolltastic dream day.

today i made five-year-old's dreams come true...in the dream house. a five-year-old who is now 28, anyway. and in barbie: the dreamhouse experience, to be exact.

think pink. lots of it. plus 20 pounds of glitter, fluffy friends, long blonde hair and many mini shoes.

the trip to the giant pinktacular mansion was a girls' day out with my friend julie and her amazingly "awesome" daughter (as her shirt appropriately stated), plus their equally cool friends to sawgrass mills mall. i may have been flying solo without a little one by my side, but this kid at heart did not mind.

because with a closet that could be the size of my house, how could i not be in love? here's my peek at some of my favorite spots in barbie's world...

mattel barbie is so smart. the gift shop is practically the first thing little kids see when they walk in...either putting moms and dads (plenty of them, too!) in a place to purchase toys right then and there, or getting kids excited and ramped up to pick out their favorite on the way out. this would have been my pick...a mini replica of barbie's "glitterizer" closet.

rock n' roll barbie and little miss neon barbie "playing" the shimmering and sparkling piano.

 i want a jewelry box this size...with the gemstones too.

so there are dolls everywhere, which may have given me new ideas on what to do with my 100+ barbies sitting in my parents' garage (alex...you should be very nervous). while i'm a big fan of the vintage versions, my favorite single barbie of the house was this mermaid. doesn't hurt that she has rad dark hair with pink streaks, either.

 the "endless" closet - a.k.a. glitterizer. a mirror trick that actually works. this is just the beginning... 

now this is a barbie i can get on the same level with. if you didn't know this was a closeup taken of miniature pieces, you might think this was the real thing. the louboutins have the classic red soles and even come with an adorable shoebox and dust bag. barbie had plenty of big girl shoes around the closet too, but it's way more fun to photograph their teensy twins.

 

again, had to get a snapshot of these "dolltastic" dresses and shoes.

following a trip through barbie's closet and "private jet" the day ends with a megastar moment complete with a makeover and fashion show. blue eye shadow seems to be the hot color, as shown here on maddy.

 isa patiently awaiting her turn.

here is the big moment!

one of my favorite parts of the day came when the actual tour was over. there is a fun hands-on area where visitors can color, do barbie's hair and put together a kids' take on "project runway."

and here's a peek at what i wore behind the scenes. we made a point to all wear "barbie pink," but of course i had to put my own edgy skull spin on the look. i picked up this top from a thrift shop and the neon shorts and cut-out ballet flats are from gap.

 
all in all, it was a fabulous, fashion-filled day. if i were in charge, i'd add after-hours experiences for bachelorette parties and other big girls' nights out too...complete with cosmos. 

now that i've gotten this childhood dream out of the way, what's next up? well the american girl place at the falls in miami, of course. (and yes, i still own a felicity doll.)

fashion fireworks and all americana.

flags. fireworks. freedom. family. festive fashions. fun. frolicking. and a tutu, of course.

the fourth of july brings out our patriotism...and apparently alliteration too. but it also brings out some pretty star-spangled summer styles in a range of red, white and blue, as i'm sure you've seen all over every pinterest feed this week.

here's a snapshot of a few of the head-turning americana looks from my own tequesta family party today and the silly sister and cousin of mine who were part of it. want to share your own? post them on our facebook so we can all see your all-american ensembles.

my gorgeous cousin, in her fringed, $5 flag scarf cape (god knows i love a good cape) and high-low flag dress from forever 21.

 p.s. love those sparkly studded sandals too, which are thanks to mossimo supply co. at target.

here's us hanging out on the golf course: me in my fruit-filled, button-up dress from urban outfitters circa 2010; patterned cut-off vest by material girl at macy's; ivory polka dot sunglasses by free people from my cali trip; my trusty key west kinos; russian red lipstick by mac; and creative comb-in hair colour in hot pink...which really didn't turn out hot pink on me. i think my vest ended up with more pink than my hair.

last but definitely not least (obviously...look at that thing!) my younger sister in her fluffy, frilly frock, in which - and i quote - "no one's going to be able to get near [her]," because "the radius is obnoxious." she made this tutu for the local two-mile tutu race last week, and getting a second run in it today made for a pretty darn cute idea if you ask me. and, i betcha she'll share how to make it with us in an upcoming post for anyone interested. it'd be a great birthday outfit, and not just for the u.s.a. here's a closeup:

her finishing touch was a braid and a bow. now, depending on how long you've been following, you can probably tell i am not a hair bow or ribbon kind of chick myself, but this girl can pull it off on a holiday. especially because i have a feeling she wore it just to put a smile on her patients' faces at work before the party :)

 

last but not least, i leave you these two gems. thank you, instavideo.

and i introduce you to: the "fourth of julyon." i can't lay claim to the creation of that phrase, but i sure as heck wish i could!

p.s. the looks on my mom's and cousin's faces are priceless. i sense fear.