Something Bold

Confession Time: I didn't watch the Royal Wedding. ::gasp:: I feel kind of bad, not necessarily because I missed all the pomp and circumstance, but because Faustina and I made plans to stay up all night and watch it. Alas, I fell asleep at around 11 - which is really, really, really early for me!

Anyway, I've seen the pictures from the wedding that other bloggers posted, and I enjoyed looking at the hats and fascinators the most. Some were absolutely fabulous (go Victoria Beckham!) and some were downright ugly (sorry Princess Beatrice!)

If you're feeling inspired, what better place to find great hats and fascinators than Etsy? I love these...

[image source: BeSomethingNew]

[image source: Arturo Rios]

[image source: Arturo Rios]

[image source: BoringSidney]

[image source: YellowRoseDBS]

[image source: whichgoose]

[image source: whichgoose]

By the Sea

With this warm weather we've been having lately, I've been really wanting to go to the beach. I'm not quite ready for bikinis and bonfires yet, but I'm already having daydreams about big straw hats and sunglasses, sandcastles and starfish, and walking along a pier at sunset. It's a good thing summer is just around the corner...

By the Sea by Pemberley Rose featuring floral dresses

Erdem floral dress, 1,070 GBP
Wire ring, $255
Nine West straw hat, $36
Chloé pink shade, $355
Belt, 25 GBP
Willow Tabletop Decoration Coffee Table Centerpiece Modern Decor..., $95
Sketch Starfish Rubber Stamp - Paper Source, $6
MICHAEL Michael Kors Women's Palm Beach Espadrille, $98
Large Clam Shell, $60

Lovely Rooms

Happy Monday! Since I am still in the middle of organizing and decorating my new room, I thought it'd be fun to share these pictures of other lovely rooms I found. I hope you will all be just as inspired as I was. ♥

Here's proof that white on white doesn't have to look boring. I love the crystal chandelier - so feminine! - and that armchair looks it would be the perfect place to read a good book.

The pink walls remind of me of my room at my old house. But what I really love about this room are the lights haphazardly strung on the bed and window. Who says Christmas lights are just for Christmas?

Sky blue is so calming, which makes it the perfect color for a bedroom. Can you guess what my favorite part of this room is? Yup, that's right: the writing desk. I want one.

If my dreams were to come true and I could live in a house in the middle of the forest, I would definitely want this bed.

Birch logs + twinkle lights = gorgeous.

The colors of this room make it look a little too much like a nursery, but I love the sheer curtains and the off-white furniture. And someday, I'm going to want a dressing table and mirror too!

Does this picture look familiar? It was part of my first Lovely Things Post and I loved it so much that I just had to feature it again.

 

Here's another white on white room that's a little bit more modern than the first one. I love how the white makes the whole room look clean and streamlined while the ruffled bedding adds softness.

This would have been my dream room back when I was about 9 years old. (Heck, even at 22, I still love it!) I can imagine ballerina prints on the wall and maybe curtains made out of tulle.

 This room is the most similar to the one I have right now. Just take out the curtains and change the wall and floor colors to taupe, and you have my room. I wish I could have the chair in this photo too!

[all images from we♥it]

Just an Announcement

Hello, my readers! Just like the title of this post says, this is an announcement to let you all know that I haven't abandoned you all! If you read my last tweet, you should be aware that I just moved and I'm still in the process of getting all of my things organized. Stand by - I promise I'll get back to regular blogging soon!

Things I've Done:

• get computer installed (Yay!)
• buy new sheets
• install paper lantern for overhead lighting
• decorate plain white lampshade (I'll do a post on this soon.)
• shelve all my books

 Things Left to Do:

• organize my closet (By color or by clothing type? I'm still deciding.)
• hang up all picture frames and bulletin boards
• figure out where to store/display my huge jewelry collection
• find the shelves for my other bookcase
• get everything out of the boxes and into their proper places

::sigh:: I still have so much left to do. Wish me luck!

Nature

At last, it's time to show off the long-awaited pictures from last week's hiking trip! As I mentioned before, Lucas and I had planned on going to Disneyland again for our anniversary last Tuesday. It was a beautiful day and we quickly decided that we would rather spend that perfect day out in Mt. Baldy.

I'll let you in on a little secret: As much as I love hiking, I kind of suck at it. I fell. On my ass. More than once. I especially had problems crossing the streams because of my short legs and my inability to keep my balance on the slippery rocks.

It was definitely worth the slipping and falling for these views though. There were quite a few other hikers out there (who preferred to stay on the trail), but the whole wilderness still felt so calm and peaceful.

We didn't hike too far up the mountain, but it was still pretty cool where we were. Can you just imagine how gorgeous this wilderness would be in the winter...with snow covering the ground and trees?

This picture definitely doesn't do this rock any justice. This is the giant rock that we sat on to eat lunch - bacon, tomato, and egg sandwiches (yum!) We were actually pretty high up and we could see all the hikers on the trail from here.

Here's a picture of the trail that I took from our spot on that giant rock. Lucas and I are so cool for walking off the beaten path. :)

Here is just one of the many mini-waterfalls we saw along the trail. The snow on top of the mountain was melting and the streams were really flowing. All along the trail, there was water seemingly coming out of nowhere.

These are the ruins of the Ice House Lodge that burned down in the 1980s. Doesn't it look like a miniature castle or fort? If I were a little kid, I would LOVE to have this in my backyard.

It's amazing how this place was only about an hour drive from where we live, but it already felt like we had left Southern California. And you know what? This experience made me even more excited for our summer vacation in Big Sur/Monterey next month. Anyway, I hope you're not tired of the nature pictures yet. ♥

Lovely Things 4.13.11

Dear Readers, I do apologize. I realize that I am now over a week late in posting the pictures from our anniversary hike up in Mt. Baldy. (Lucas and I changed our plans to go to Disneyland again.) I promise, I'll remember to borrow his camera tomorrow and I'll have pictures up ASAP. To tide you over, here is the Lovely Things post that I promised as well. These nature pictures are all inspired by our hike last week. Enjoy!

[all images from we♥it]

Let's Play the Name Game

Stephanie of love&lace posted this questionnaire a few days ago and I thought it would be a fun post to do on here as well...so naturally I stole it. :) This has apparently been floating around the blogosphere for a while, so feel free to play along too.

1) How did your parents decide on your name?

My dad thought it would be cool to name me after Crystal Gayle, the country singer from the 70s and 80s. I was born in 1989, which probably explains why I have never met any other Gayles even remotely close to my age. In fact, the last Gayle I met was my friend's mom, a 50-something year old white lady. Haha. My mom told me recently that she had wanted to name me Isabella. "Isabella De La Cruz" would have definitely been a very pretty, very Spanish-sounding name for me. And I'm sure if I were Isabella or Bella, the baristas at Starbucks wouldn't have such a hard time spelling my name. (I've gotten everything from "Gale" to "Gail" to "Gaile" to "Gayel.")

2) Do your initials (first/middle/last) spell anything funny?

No, but if my mom had kept her maiden name and passed it on to me as my last name, my initials would have been GAG. For that reason, I'm thankful that I got my mom's maiden name AND my dad's last name.

3) Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you drop your middle name and take your maiden name as your middle name?

I technically have two middle names, including my mom's maiden name. I'm not sure if I want to make my maiden name my middle name someday or keep my mom's maiden name as my middle name and just have two last names (are you still with me?). Either way, I definitely want to drop my first middle name, Alexis. I hate it because 1) that's what my mom used to call me when she was mad, and 2) it sounds like a porn star name - no offense to anyone reading this whose name is Alexis. As for changing my last name when I get married someday, I have to admit that I have some reservations about it. It's not like my current last name is super rare or anything. (My dad's side of the family is so huge that I know they'll never have a problem with holding onto their family name.) It's just that the last name I have right now is the one that's on my high school diploma and the one that will be on my Bachelor's degree. But like I said, I wouldn't mind making my last name my new middle name or having two last names.

4) Are you or will you name your children systematically? (ie, same first letter, same orgin, etc)

That's what my parents did. All of our first names begin with the letter G and my brother's first middle name also begins with an A. That's not really something I plan to do though. I'd rather choose names based on whatever sounds good with my future husband's last name or whatever name has meaning for both of us.

5) Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?

Actually, no. I always thought that was something I'd want to sit down and decide with my future husband. :)

6) Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?

Like I mentioned, my second middle name is my mom's maiden name. For that reason, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to keep it for life.

7) Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?

My understanding is that Gayle means "lively" and that it comes from the Hebrew name Abigail, meaning "my father rejoices." Hmmm...Maybe my dad was happy that he got to name me?

8) Do you name pets with human names or pet names?

I think it's much more fun to give pets human names. I'm not the kind of girl who would ever name her dog Rover or Spot...though I did once have a fish named Bug-Eye.

9) Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?

Other than names of my ex-boyfriends or names of his ex-girlfriends, there aren't really any names that irk me so much that I have to avoid them like the plague. On a related note, I do like the name Jennifer but I know I will never name any future daughters that, just because that name is so popular.

 
10) What are some of your favorite names & why?

Since I don't plan on having kids for a long time, I'll tell you all of my favorite dog names instead. :)

Boys: Rafe, Hunter, Henry, Ben, Dieter

Girls:  Sasha, Emma, Mischa, Lacey

Inspired by Jane

I am slowly but surely catching up with the posts I've missed the last couple of days. Here is the new Polyvore set that I promised all of you. I recently started rereading Pride and Prejudice, so my inspiration for this set was, of course, the wonderful Jane Austen. I love the pale blue dress in this set. I'm sure Jane would have loved to wear it if she were alive today.

Any other Austenites out there? ♥

Inspired by Jane by Pemberley Rose featuring crochet shoes

Sheer dress, $90
Crochet shoes, $36
Vintage flower ring, $655
Hair accessory, 20 GBP
French furniture with elegance and sophistication
Frame 38 : Silver Leaf 2 inch wide by in Silver Frames, $70
Flameless 3"x3" Pillar Candle, $7.95

The Versatile Blogger Award

I got another award - yay! I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award by Paper Doll Vintage, who is self-described as "a gal who adores pretty things." Her blog is fabulous, so be sure to check it out!

So here are the rules:

♥ Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog in your post.

♥ Tell 7 things about yourself.

♥ Award 7 recently discovered bloggers.

♥ Contact the bloggers to let them know about the award. 

7 (More) Things About Me
1) I once took a "What breed of dog are you?" personality quiz on Facebook that told me that my personality most closely matches a German Shepherd - my favorite breed!
2) I don't like answering machines or leaving voice mail. I would rather text someone or call them back. Consequently, I only check my voice mail to get rid of the icon on my phone.
3) My favorite Peanuts character is Charlie Brown.
4) My boyfriend gives me stuffed animals instead of flowers. My new favorite is the stuffed banana he won for me yesterday at Knott's Berry Farm. :)
5) I love red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing.
6) I've known my BestFriend (No Spaces!) for 10 1/2 years!
7) My blog url "gaylewritesinpen" refers to the fact that I never write in pencil (and that "penandink" and "penandinkblog" were already taken).


7 Versatile Bloggers
1) Tereza Anton of Drastic Plastic
2) Dale of Savvy Spice
3) Hazel of Dress Me Up, Buttercup
4) the 12 lovely ladies of Delightful Dozen
5) Breanne of Flattery
6) Maria E. of First Impressions
7) Padmita of Padmita's Make Up Blog

I Won!!!

Yes, I know I haven't updated this blog in 4 days...and believe me, I have LOTS to share with everyone. I have pictures from Luke's and my anniversary, a very special Lovely Things post, a new Polyvore inspiration board, and an award post!

But first, I'd like to share some good news: I won a giveaway! That's right, I am now the proud owner of a $50 gift certificate from Style by Marina, courtesy of Breanne from Flattery. (Be sure to check out her blog. She has some of the most amazing outfit posts I've ever seen!)

Anyway, that's all for now. I'd love to stay and post some more, but I have a morning class. More updates soon!

Goodnight all!

Style Post 4.3.11

Today's Style Post features an old classic from my wardrobe. How old, you ask? Well, I actually haven't worn this dress since I was 17. I know, I know...that totally violates the "If you haven't worn it in a year, donate it" rule. But every time I've cleaned out my closet, I've never been able to part with this dress. Why? For one thing, this dress reminds me of the summer before my junior year in high school, which was AWESOME. And another thing...I think this dress is just too pretty to give away. :)

It's been so long since I've worn this dress that I'm surprised I could still fit into it. It's funny though, I actually like how it looks on my size 6 body of today more than on my size 0/2 body of five years ago. Yay for curves!

I also love how the length of this dress makes my legs look longer than they actually are. (At 5'2", I need all the height I can get!) I have a confession to make: I first wore this dress when I was 16...paired with the ugliest black rubber platform flip flops you have ever seen...on a first date - gasp! I'm so glad I wasn't style blogging then. Haha.

Don't you just love the huge flower in my hair? Yeah, it's really big and impractical if it's a little breezy, but I love it anyway. It totally screams, "Hello Spring!"

I'm wearing green eyeshadow again. I think it's such a lovely alternative to my usual smokey eye makeup done in browns or grays.

dress: Blu Heaven

hair flower: Icing by Claire's

shoes: some random store at the mall

Meet My Boyfriend

Considering that it will be our 1 year anniversary in 3 days, I thought now would be a good time to formally introduce my boyfriend to all my readers. So everyone, meet Lucas. :) You may recognize him from here, here, here, and here.

I love how perfectly coordinated we are in these two photos. We probably could have gone back to high school and been the best dressed couple at prom. Haha. Believe it or not, we didn't plan this. The picture of me is from about a month before we met and the picture of him is from a few weeks after we started dating. Doesn't he look dashing? Sadly, he almost never dresses like this. But if I ask nicely (read: beg a little), he'll put on a button down shirt for me. ;)

Some random facts about us:

♥ We met at a gas station. From December to April of last year, I always noticed this super cute gas station attendant staring at me. He never said a word, so I didn't think much of it. Then on April 5, 2010, I finally asked him out. And the rest is history.

♥ Neither of us can remember the exact date we became a couple. Oops. For simplicity's sake, we just refer to the day we met as our anniversary date.

♥ We both enjoy hiking, watching the original Star Wars trilogy, eating, and watching Angels baseball and Lakers basketball on TV. He is still in the process of trying to explain football to me...without much luck.

♥ We keep track of our "relationship milestones" with what we call The Gayle and Lucas Lists. These lists include places to go, restaurants to eat at, and things to do. We also have a pretty long list of nicknames for each other. :)

♥ One of our favorite places to go is Downtown Disney and Disneyland. In fact, our first date was at Downtown Disney. We're going to Disneyland again on our anniversary date this Tuesday.

So there you have it. This is the Lucas who thinks I'm lovely even when I'm not wearing any makeup - the Lucas who thinks it's sexy how I can eat (almost) as much as he can. This is also the same Lucas who has gone with me to every chemo session...and doesn't mind when I whine and complain. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.