Tropical Print Top and Shorts Set

I just adore the beautiful, bright print of this short and crop-top set.  I found these, brand new at Grace Thrift Store for just 99 cents each!  The necklace I am wearing is made of pink seashells, and I made it myself from shells purchased at Jo-Ann. I love how it looks like pink coral, and I am a big fan of coral.  The purse I'm wearing was a find from the Disabled Veteran's Thrift Store in Glendale, California.  It was just $2.99 and looked brand new, as well.  I don't wear shorts often, so this was a fun outfit for a change.

Top Raviya

 Bag  Disabled Veteran's Thrift Store

Shorts Raviya

Shoes Mossimo

L.A. Street Photos

Here's another batch of photos taken by me during a photography group outing in Los Angeles.

My husband and I spent the day walking about L.A. taking photos of things we thought were cool.  It was a lot of walking and pretty hot, but it was a neat experience, too.

Blue and White Striped Dress

I found this vintage dress at Grace Thrift Store for just 99 cents!  I like the nautical and retro look of the blue and white stripes.  The fabric is a little thin, so I actually wore a slip with this dress.  I don't remember the last time I wore a slip!  It's just not that common anymore, but it was kind of fun to wear one and feel a little retro for a change.

 It's a little hard to see, but my cute purse is by Rodeo Drive, and looks like a white flower.  I am a sucker for the 3D flower look. 

Purse Rodeo Drive

 Shoes Mossimo

Yellow Cocktail Dress

This beautiful yellow dress was brand new and just a few dollars at a thrift store.  A few of the stones were missing from the front of the bust, but I just removed a few from the sides, where they would not be missed, and replaced the missing ones with those. I'm very happy I know how to sew and fix details like the missing jewels, it really saves a lot of money and allows me to make things work for me.  For instance, I almost always need to hem and shorten the sleeves of my jackets and the length of the pants I buy.  I always create my own pieces, like belly dance costume, dresses, etc.  If you don't know how to sew, I really suggest you learn, it's a lot of fun and a valuable skill! 

Photographer Humberto F. Gerdts

Dress Disabled Veterans Thrift Store

Shoes Penny Loves Kenny

Black Cowboy Boots

I made this suede fringe belt several years ago.  The colorful, southwestern-print shirt is a mens shirt I found for 99 cents at the Grace Thrift store.  It's many sizes too large for me, but I think it works great in this belted tunic-style. I really loved the bright, bold colors so I decided to buy it and make it work for me.  I paired it with red leggings, and my favorite pair of black cowboy boots by Red Lodge.  I love the southwestern style, and I also love bright colors, so this was a fun outfit to wear.

Shirt Frontier Series

Boots Red Lodge

Leopard Print Blouse

This beautiful, leopard blouse was just $1.25 at New To You thrift store.  The fabric is so soft and light-weight, it's even comfortable to wear in the heat of summer.  I thought the blouse went perfectly with this lovely, copper skirt I found at American Way.  The belt was another American Way find, and both pieces were around $3.00 each.  I like how this skirt and entire look could be worn in fall, as well.

Necklace New To You thrift store

Top Divided by H&M (also from New To You)

Belt American Way thrift store

Skirt Donna  from American Way thrift store

Shoes Qupid

Camo Bikini

Since my unfortunate experience of having the police called on myself and my husband for taking outfit-of-the-day photos in my own yard, I have had a lot more traffic than usual to my little blog.  This is decidedly not the kind of attention I wanted.  I am glad, though, and very thankful for the support I have received from some of you out there that can at least imagine it's not fun to have the police show up at your door when you've done nothing wrong, and asking personal questions like your name and especially, age.  There seems to be some confusion on some sites about what I was wearing, not that it should matter, but I was not wearing a bikini that day; I was wearing an ankle-length, maxi dress.  The bikini photos I have been posting after June 30th are my little way of protesting in case it happened to be a neighbor that called 911.  Today, I am posting several more from a front yard bikini shoot.  For all the supporters, there have been those out there that want to say lots of hateful things about me, my husband, and our age difference, etc.  It's unfortunate, but I will not be kept silent when I feel I have been wronged.  I truly believe the police could have handled the situation better, and did not need to respond to the call in the first place.  I really wish I could hear the 911 call, but the court refused, saying to access the recording we would need to actually have a case going to court.  We are still waiting to see if we will be able to read transcripts of the call, but I have my doubts this will ever happen.  I think this shows there is something very wrong with the justice system, and law enforcement in general.  Some have said I should not be complaining about law enforcement at all, because they are just doing their jobs.  I never said I hated the police, or that they are always wrong.  In the cases I have blogged about, I truly believe I have been treated with prejudice, whether it was because of my race, or the age difference of my husband and me.  For those that say they have to respond to all calls, please Google the question.  Common sense tells you they do not have to respond to all calls, seeing as how I've heard stories of people calling to report their dishwashers are broken, etc.  And, in fact, in some of those cases, the police go after the callers for for misusing the emergency line.