Melificent

Forever 21 Road to Festival Event

This past Saturday, Annie Vazquez of TheFashionPoet.com paired up with Forever 21 for a fun event on Lincoln Road whose goal was to make sure its shoppers were festival ready. For those of you not in the know, spring and summer months don’t just mean the beach, bikinis and mai tai’s – they are also prime time for music festivals (get prepared for this year’s best here). What used to just be considered a sweaty, expensive and generally uncomfortable avenue to see your favorite bands has turned into a fashion mecca. And Forever 21 wants you accordingly equipped with festival-friendly crop tops, wide-brimmed fedoras, and flowing maxi dresses. And who was I to deny them?

Aside from the 21% off any single item, the store also had a complimentary hair bar where I made myself comfortable and only several minutes (?!?) later had a slammin’ braid crown that had me dreaming about dancing around the grassy knolls of Coachella. I also got to meet some other lovely local bloggers and, of course, SHOP. With Annie’s guidance listed all throughout the store, I was able to put together what I deemed a melificent festival outfit with some new and some old pieces. OK, so I only changed my pants. But c’mon. Give me some bravery points. Those are not a pair of pants I would have usually gravitated towards and look! I loved them.


With the always lovely Annie of The Fashion Poet

Overall, the event was a blast! Everywhere I went afterwards, I was greeted with some sort of compliment about my hair and I think the great pieces I took home with me are versatile, while still being fun and whimsical. AND! I actually was able to attend an event, guys. My full-time job usually prevents me from being an active member in the Miami blogger scene, so it’s nice when they land on a weekend and I can finally mingle! Until the next…

Look out for the outfit post tomorrow!

**special thanks to my buddy, Tammy, for snapping these pics of me!

One Day in Orlando

Some may call us crazy, but we fell in love with a vintage desk at 1618 Something Different last weekend while at MegaCon in Orlando. This is something that we are severely lacking in Miami, so I definitely wanted to experience it since I’d much rather have something special and unique in our home than what everyone picks up at Crate & Barrel, IKEA or West Elm. We hear that we have similar (?) antique shopping here in South Florida, but I have yet to see or believe it. If you know of such places, please leave me some suggestions in the comments!

Either way, we decided to make it a one-day adventure. We’d wake up early, drive up, pick up our desk and then spend the rest of the day exploring as much as possible before starting our trek back home. A really amazing bartender we met at The Imperial in Washburn Imports during our last visit gave us a list of must-do’s, so we pulled it out and started choosing. We ultimately selected East End Market, and I am SO glad we did.

East End Market reminded me of something you would find on the west coast – think the Ferry Building in San Francisco – only bite-sized. A bunch of quality, locally sourced products all in one adorable little space. Fresh herbs could be found out front with picnic benches sprawled for customers to enjoy the beautiful Florida sunshine. A number one highlight for me was my completely gluten-free & vegan lunch from Skyebird. I had this great taco salad (with mushrooms as a meat substitute) and delicious tropical kale juice in an adorable mason jar.

For people with food allergies like myself, knowing that you can eat safely (and deliciously) means so, so much. The fact that Miami is so far behind the game makes me very upset, and has literally left me feeling like I cannot go out to enjoy a meal with my husband or friends. Take note, Miami. You have a very long way to go. Again, if you have any suggestions for great places that I may have missed here in the Magic City, please let me know!

Even though I only featured one of the shops, check out all the rest of East End Market’s merchants here.
I can’t wait to visit again the next time I am in Otown!

Autism Speaks Donations

Although I don’t mention my day job often here on the blog, I work as a behavior analyst with children on the autism spectrum. I absolutely adore what I do, and am very passionate about the cause. In a few weeks on April 6th, Autism Speaks will be holding their annual Walk Now for Autism event, and I am fundraising on behalf of my company (and myself, of course). If you have anything to spare to help fund autism research, you can donate through my own personal link here.

Thanks for supporting these very special children, their families and their future!

What I Wore: Reset

Sometimes things happen, and they just don’t make any sense. You spend many days and nights reeling, trying to understand why or trying to label it with some sort of significance because there has to be a bigger picture to all this, right? That, in a nutshell, is what has been swimming around in my head for the past week. You would think an outfit post would be the last thing on my mind, but (with the help and gentle nudging of the hubs) I want to try not to push away things that make me happy or are part of my normal routine. My smile may be a little forced, and my glitter a little dull, but I strongly believe I will make it through this very tough time.

Blouse; Old Navy
Sweater; c/o Conversation Pieces {similar}
Shorts; Old Navy
Boots; Go Jane {similar}
Necklace; Etsy
Purse; c/o Conversation Pieces

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What I Wore: Art Basel

So this past week was Art Basel in Miami, which is a huge art event that has really put us on the map as a cultural center. Despite the headache of increased traffic and an overabundance of obnoxious tourists, it’s always a fun time of year. That may be hard to read on my face on these photos, but I was recovering from a little claustrophobia spell after walking around Context Miami for an hour or so. It doesn’t happen often, but when that crazy anxiety hits, it’s not pretty. I was more than happy to breathe in a little fresh air. Does this mean I’m getting old?

Top; c/o Persunmall
Pants; StitchFix {similar}
Wedges; ShoeDazzle {similar}
Shades; Forever 21 {similar}

ps; digging my new hair?

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