Spalding House

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Floppy hat, House of Aria, top (sale rack), Eden in Love.

Formerly known as The Contemporary Museum, The Honolulu Museum of Art’s Spalding House, is hidden under shady trees in Makiki. Kevin and I drove up to see the new exhibits and unfortunately, the main exhibit section was under construction. We opted to grab a snack at the café downstairs. I had a cup of the tasty vegan tomato soup and he had the flourless chocolate cake.

Once we cleaned our cup and plate, we walked through the garden and took a peek at the soon-to-be completed outdoor surfer exhibit. The artist replaced the tennis court with his version of the ocean and all things surfers encounter in the water.

Admission is free on Saturdays. I highly suggest calling to see if the exhibits are completed before you go…unless you’re only up for a bite to eat.

Thirty

THIRTYREASONS3Today is the day I make my 30th circle around the sun.

Welcome to IslandBohemian.com v.2! I’m going to be posting A LOT MORE on what I wear, create, and obsess over. I’m taking more time to write, design, photograph, and share whatever makes me smile.

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  I love anything lacy, boho, big jewels or stones, and colorful.

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Lace, lace, and more lace!

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Black midi skirt, Costco, lace tank + camisole, Ross, lace kimono and necklace, Forever21, purple ring, Nordstrom Rack, gold chain bracelet, my own.

Today’s going to be a great day!

Lavender skies and thick thighs

sillypurpleandblueHaha! I crack myself up thinking of witty titles for my posts. Um…yes, the sky was definitely lavender yesterday. I had a date with my best friend after work. The plan was to catch Yoza at Dave & Buster’s but the rooftop was closed off for a private party. Somehow we ended up in the mouth of Waikiki, right near Hawaii Prince Hotel near the harbor. We stopped to take a photo because the sunset was gorgeous and I didn’t feel like fighting the unbearable traffic.

sillyhipsterWe ended up at the always satisfying and expensive Chart House of Honolulu, where I felt extremely underdressed next to Japanese tourists in the latest Gucci. It was a hot afternoon so a tee, nerdy glasses and a skirt felt appropriate. Ahh, looking back I realize, it doesn’t matter, this is Hawaii. But I do need more yoga sessions at CPY to work on those thighs (utkatasana!). Haha. We also had the First Friday festivities in mind, but that obviously didn’t happen. There’s always next month. Lastly, props to my girl Abbey for the outfit photos. She’s on Instagram. Follow, follow, follow this beautiful person.

 

Nattolee Jewelry >>> Honolulu, HI

0108e62c3bf111e2b7ea22000a1faf3c_7I finally got these babies in the mail! My high school classmate, Natalie Woo, is a well known jewelry designer here in Honolulu. Her pieces are so unique and trendy, a bunch of local boutiques sell her work and you’ll most likely see one of her pieces on other local fashion blogs. She posts her latest items on Instagram on a weekly basis, so when I saw these, I had to have them! She might have more black arrowhead and Buddha necklaces available at Fighting Eel Downtown.

 

Thanksgiving, Wicked + Christmas Trees

I’m definitely feeling the holiday spirit this year! Thanksgiving was really nice. I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with my family and friends. These past few months have been crazy and I’ve missed hanging out with my family at the dinner table. The photo above is what I wore. Yep, big button down shirt and my fat pants. Haha! Although I didn’t really eat much at dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing are really not my thing. So I was all about the dessert. (Also, I shaved the side of my head again. Hehe!)

The next day, my boss gave my co-worker Lauren & I tickets to the Wicked show at Blaisdell. So I had to download the book to get the full story on the witches of Oz. There’s nothing like a fun book & a green tea latte.

Here’s a photo from today! We got a cute little Christmas tree at work. 🙂

Fashion Blogger: GABIFRESH

(All images: GABIFRESH)

I’m so inspired by fashion blogger GabiFresh! My good friend Jenna Hall introduced me to her blog because she’s curvy, classy and so darn cute! This is a great blog to draw some inspiration for our plus-size island girls. GabiFresh showcases her outfits of the day, her travels and the latest designs for plus-size fashions.

I love how she promotes women who are naturally big and beautiful. Another thing I like about her is that she leads such a glamourous life but she’s also real and practical. Take her Default post, for example. Everything she’s wearing is affordable and most of them are from Forever21!

 

#INSTALIFE My saturday morning grind

Island Brew Coffeehouse has the best lattes in Hawaii Kai. I usually get the malabar latte with almond milk and this yummy everything bagel with cream cheese. Also, here are the latest cheap finds I’ve found in town this week >>> a Steve Madden cross-body bag ($20) from TJ Maxx and this Buddha necklace ($6) from Macys. I’ve seen the Buddha necklaces around the Downtown boutiques and in the yoga shops but they all cost over $50. This $6 necklace will do just fine. I really like the purple tassle at the end too.

To the stars and back

 

Someone once told me that the typical aquarian is an overly ambitious dreamer, a frustrated perfectionist who can sometimes lose sense of time and practicality. Aquarians represent the constant, creative flow of ideas, which come from an unrestrained mind. For some aquarians, there are very little intellectual limitations.

While I may not fit into the genius category of aquarians, I do experience some kind of crazy perfectionism here and there. I often come up with ideas and sometimes after days, weeks or even months, I realize that they cannot ALL be achieved in the way that I envision them. Right now, I have a couple creative projects in progress such as designs for my soon-to-be t-shirt line and my (amateur) black and white photographer portfolio. I am only halfway done. I thought I could crank these out by the end of summer, but it’s almost August! Yikes!

As for the latest on my fashion cravings >>>

My little astrological, week-long obsession began with a print titled A space between us  by Slovakian artist Lucy Murmu (aka Lucy Hudec) on Etsy. I’m drawn to the pink, blue and purple hues, not to mention the geometric shapes and metallic illusion that the artist has created. From there, I found myself greedily hypnotized by this blue scarab ring from Urban Outfitters, which is Egyptian-esque and at least for me, the stone closely represents the stars I remember seeing in Lucy’s print. I then found myself gawking at was this lush ASOS Curve vest with diamond embellishments and these mountain hoop earrings from Lila Rice (also on U.O.). You can find all  of these on my Pinterest account.

Of course I can’t help but feature more of Lucy’s creations on my blog. Here’s a couple of my favorites from her Etsy store >>>