a week of summer shorts + shoes pairings. mid heels.

most of my denim shorts fall into this range of 2-4 inch inseams and are, for me, the hardest to dress up. normally, i'd grab a pair of sneakers or loafers, which would be fine for lunch or coffee after the beach. but if i wanted a dressier option for cocktails or dinner, i'd pair these shorts with mid-height heels (2-3"). i'd stay away from lighter denim and frayed edges which would be too casual for heels, in my opinion.

the shorts i had in mind for this pairing was actually mid-thigh length...but on this day, they were suddenly too big. maybe from my marathon-training running?? but you get the idea. mid-thigh = mid-heels.

so after cruising the beach in your bikini and denim shorts, throw on an easy button-up, ditch the beach tote for a cute bag, and you're ready for happy hour.

are you comfortable wearing heels with shorts?

(JustFab bag; Persun shoes; top via [oomph.];

ae shorts; baublebar necklace)

in case you missed it:
monday's knee length shorts + high heels

#ootd.

wondering what's under my sweater?

then keep reading (my tee).

oh, just my #ootd.

(tee via Sisters Marie; Persun leggings, JustFab shoes;

Charlotte Russe sweater; Libi & Lola necklace) 

mohair sweater.

anybody wanna cozy up?

this sweater is so soft and fuzzy, you will definitely stay warm in this animal print mohair sweater from Persun. we've had a great run of chilly weather here, but forecasts say it's (sadly) going to warm up soon. if  you are still experiencing cold weather or simply love sweaters like i do, check out Persun's huge selection of sweaters and jackets. i have two sweaters from them that i am extremely happy with. in addition, they just lowered all their prices for 2014!

have you heard of poi? it is a hawaiian diet staple made by pounding the root of the taro plant into a paste-like consistency. many locals feed it to their babies because it is an excellent source of calcium and iron, and, more importantly, hypoallergenic...making it great for babies with allergies. it's also believed to be a probiotic. some of us around here call it the perfect baby food. i was fed poi as a baby, and i fed it to my kids. i spent sunday with some friends at a workshop learning how to make our own poi pounder (pohaku) and board (papa). it's a lot of work, but my classmate had it down to a science. it took me nearly seven hours to complete my poi pounder and board, and my arms and back have been sore for days, but it will be so worth it once we have the first taste of our own poi.

have you tried poi?

(photo by friend)

cutting and sanding my board, or 'papa'.

stone ready to be rough-cut using the one on the left as a guide.

(photo by friend)

progression of the poi pounder, or 'pohaku'...

this is what it looks like after the above step.

now it's ready to be shaped and smoothed.

(photo by friend)

after final shaping and sanding.

before and after.

board just needs final sanding and butcher block oil,

then we're ready to make poi!

(animal print mohair sweater c/o Persun (buy); aeropostale denim; h&m bag)

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the basic maxi dress.

stick a fork in me, i'm done.

hope everyone had a wonderful christmas. we sure did. many of our extended family members are sick, so it was just immediate family this year. we kept lunch super simple, which was nice, played lots of fun games...our annual dice game, trivia, and bingo, and ate constantly. i was up till 3am last night wrapping presents, so i'm having a hard time staying awake. time to shower and hit the sack.

bummed that i have to work tomorrow and will probably [lazily] throw on something comfy and casual like this maxi dress from Persun. it's the perfect length for flats.

what did you get for christmas?

guava bread.

getting creative with our bingo pieces.

foxy brown and her christmas gift...wag 'n' woof.

(Persun dress c/o (buy); JustFab bag c/o; Vince Camuto shoes)

you might like these:

christmas shopping guide. PersunMall + GIVEAWAY.

next up on the christmas shopping guide is PersunMall, an online retailer of virtually everything! you will find the latest in fashion from clothing to shoes to jewelry. they even have a huge selection of special occasion prom and wedding dresses. if i'm looking for a particular item that is trending at the moment, i'm certain i can find it at Persun.

here's a few of my PersunMall items:

palace shivering top, d'orsay heels, feather top; blue loafers.

here's a few of my favorites on the site right now:

clockwise from top left: golden flats, open-toe pumps,

western leather boots, leopard wedge sneaker

everyone needs a pair of gold flats. love the woven details of this one. the peeps of red give these basic heels the right amount of oomph. these leather boots are a fall staple that pair nicely with jeans and an oversized sweater. and these wedge sneakers are a must-have for any leopard lover.

clockwise from top left: zip sweater, striped dress,

heart blouse, woolen cardigan

i'm loving anything oxblood, so this sweater was an obvious choice. this wide-striped dress is so chic...even more so with the strip of pink. again, heart blouse in oxblood...perfectly paired here with a similar colored skirt. a neutral cardigan that not only keeps you warm, but is just as stylish over

a dress or shorts.

happy shopping!

and, you're in luck! Persun is having a christmas giveaway.

simply complete the following steps to be eligible to win one of ten $50 vouchers to spend at Persun:

1. register at www.persunmall.com

2. like their facebook page

3. write a quick post about PersunMall AND

leave the link in a comment below.

(it can be a simple introduction or wishlist like this one.)

giveaway ends december 20th.

winners announced december 21st on the Persun facebook page.

shredded sweater + liquid leggings.

outfit photos were slim pickings...as you'll see below, foxy brown would not leave me alone. i was mad at the time since i was rushing to shoot in between the rain, but it's funny looking back at the pictures. foxy brown was totally taunting me...

that b!tch! haha.

on to this sweater which is all kinds of awesome. it's not shredded, but shredded sounded better than its official name, back hole knit. what i thought would be black and white turned out to be a softer, really pretty black and cream. and what i thought would be way too oversized turned out to be a perfect fit. i'm wearing it with liquid leggings which i've wanted for a while. they are a little big, so the look isn't smooth like leathahhh...but i still like them. both are from Persun.

(here's a better look at the boots i'm wearing.)

what's your biggest obstacle when taking pictures?

bl-OOPS!

(sweater (buy) & leggings (buy) c/o Persun; JustFab boots c/o)

neutral and neon.

what a rainy weekend we had.

the bad? terrible picture weather. in addition to being rainy, it was humid and hot. the good? i saw two musicals which i'll share with you this week.

i loved the feathers and bright neon colors in this top from Persun. it's one of those dressier-than-a-tee shirts that is easy to wear and works well with everything from shorts to denim to pencil skirts. paired it here with a neutral denim which, coincidentally, had neon cuffs.

how's the weather in your neck of the woods?

(top c/o Persun (buy); nine west shoes;

bag and denim c/o JustFab)

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love luxury brands and designer collections?

enter to win a $100 Nordstrom gift card

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hope everyone had a great weekend. 

things have been busy personally and on the blog. we are getting ready for a second installment of the east vs west [coast] style collaboration. it all starts on tuesday, and we're tackling four new trends for fall...can you guess what they are?

plus, this is the big birthday weekend for my family...mom, dad, brother-in-law, niece, and a good friend. amidst all the running around this weekend, i managed a few quick outfit snaps. i'm wearing a super comfy cropped tee from Front Row Shop, my pacsun skinnys, and these cool blue loafers from persun. (they run small; order one-two sizes up).

and if you're here because you wanna be famous...

scroll down to find out how.

(top c/o Front Row Shop (buy); pacsun denim (buy); JustFab bag c/o;

ray-ban sunglasses (buy); shoes c/o persun (buy).

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[sponsored content; all opinions come straight from the heart]

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