While I was editing the pictures from this session, I was reminded of the "difficult time" (you probably read these words several times here on my blog) in my life and how now I'm just looking back and realizing that I have grown much stronger and flying like a butterfly. In fact, my mom was starting to tease me already because I like having flower backgrounds.

Now on to my outfit…My color choices in clothes these days seem to reflect my colorful world. I have been picking out bright colors which I'm starting to think that come autumn and winter when the trend colors change, I'm going to have to completely wipe out my closet, aha! It's a good excuse to shop but hopefully the bright colors and pastels are here to stay till the next spring and summer seasons.

The top and bottoms are nothing name brands from Marshall's. I got them both for about $25.00. Being a fashionista does not mean you have to spend a lot on clothes. You can be chic and trendy without spending too much. I know that I have the perfect Marc Jacobs hot pink wedge to match the ensemble and I accessorized with L.A. Kahn handmade Sweetheart bracelet, twister bracelet and  JewelMint natural bracelets. More on friendship bracelets on a future separate post.

I'm so ready for summer, especially now that I have this Seafolly Boyleg Swimwear. Similar here. I can be a little conservative when it comes to swimsuit, so the boyleg cut is okay for me (hehehe!) and I definitely gotta have some cover-up. This vertical stripes pin-up sarong did a great job! Horizontal small stripes on big vertical stripes…what do you think?

Oh did you notice my hot neon pink Elaine Turner Savannah Jelly Flops?

What I love about Seafolly is that they have a wide variety of swimwear that fits every personality and every body type. Do you like florals? Polka dots? Solid colors or stripes? Whether it's bikini two-piece, boyleg, or one-piece, they sure have it! Take a look at these fun-looking 2012 swim suits collection.

And just because you're in your swimwear doesn't mean that you can't "glam-up" anymore. Elaine Turner's  yummy Savannah Jelly Flops match perfectly with any of
Seafolly's swimsuits. They have it in pink, orange, green, blue, and black. Check it out now.

I had planned on shooting pictures of my mom and feature her on this blog for Mother's Day but things turned a bit sour on Friday when we had to rush my grandma to the emergency. Needless to say, my weekend was pretty much spent in the hospital – intensive care unit to be more specific. Grandma is stable so far, thank God. She's a strong woman I must say. Always fighting for her life.

But just as it is anything in life…the show must go on. I love this quote by William Purkey:

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”

Now on to my outfit…this pretty little embroidered skirt was from Lily White Clothing, the sister company of As U Wish (that red high-low dress I wore here). I loved how it made me looked like a little ballerina paired with my Forever21 haltered top (very old in fact, it's about 3 years old but worn it only about 3 or 4 times) gracefully embellished with my Bogart necklace from Peppermint Chic and my hair put in a bun so high it's like I have a tower on my head, lol. The whole thing matched perfectly with my new favorite Olivia pumps from ShoeMint. Oh and I finally got to wear this amazing friendship bracelets from Viola Jane Designs!

Since I've been wearing lots of brights lately I've been looking like a candy, thought it'd be nice to have some basic colors like black and nude. What do you think?

This outfit is probably my fave look so far in my 8 months of blogging. Simply because it's simple, chic, and colorful. I think my brand new Erica Tribal Wedge (Thanks to ShoeMint!) really added life to the whole ensemble.

And although colored skinny jeans are hot these days, it's always nice to have a basic white pair of jeans that are easy to match with anything you already have in your closet – whether it's a plain black shirt, a sheer floral top, or a bright colored stripes tank like I did.

I got this neon stripes tank from TJ Maxx. Yes, a good place to go when you don't want to spend too much on tanks and shirts. $9.99 – not too bad, right? White pair of jeans from A'gaci. Purse from Charming Charlie.

More bright color love from ShoeMint…
Left to right: Bright yellow veronique stilettos and Hattie colorblock suede flats.

Since I've never heard of CAbi before, I immediately Googled "CAbi" and learned about Carol Anderson the founder and the concept of CAbi. Basically, it's a fun shopping experience with friends and colleagues in the comfort of a home environment, presented by an independent CAbi Fashion Consultant.

I can't believe that the company has been around for a decade! But that's what makes the collection so unique and special. They are not mass produced and not readily available in stores where everybody and their mothers can get a hold of so not everyone has the same exact piece like yours. Not that there's something wrong about buying a mass produced item (because I'm probably the one who buys that most often, lol) but sometimes it'd be nice to wear something that 5 million other ladies don't have. Don't you agree?

Marie Coleman, the Marketing Manager for CAbi, was so kind to let me experience the CAbi home shopping by inviting me to one of the local shows in Houston presented by Michelle and gifted me with $200 dollars gift card to get in my hands two of Carol Anderson's amazing pieces from her Spring 2012 collection.

I truly had a great time at the party. The ladies who were there were so much fun and Michelle did a great job presenting the collection. Not to mention that the hosts Eileen and Alexis served the most delicious pasta and cupcakes!

The best thing I have learned though is Carol Anderson gives back to the community for every garment you purchase through the Heart of CAbi foundation. They have so far given 1.4 million garments in 45 countries and have loaned 600 microloans. How many fashion designers do you know ever give back? I salute you Carol!
 

Michelle has been doing this full time for almost half the time Carol Anderson by Invitation exists. She said she loves how she's able to spend more time with her family while earning through CAbi. If you would like to host a show, click here to find a consultant in your area.

Listening carefully as Michelle presents each individual item from the collection.

The ladies started browsing the collection to try on.

I had a blast trying on some pieces but here are the winners for me:
Left to right: Yellow Bree Cropped Jean ($98) and Flashback Tunic ($89)

The picture does not do the Flashback Tunic justice. I tried both of these on together and they just matched perfectly. Before coming to the show, I had another top piece on mind but I fell in love with the tunic matched with the Bree jean.

And here's what went into my wish list because I just can't have it all at the same time, can I? Left to right: Playtime Tee ($59) and Toss-On Jacket ($98) For more of Carol Anderson by Invitation collection, visit www.cabionline.com.

As U Wish Clothing is one of the brands I love when it comes to cute dresses. They are actually a juniors brand but honestly, I wear more juniors' than I do women's. Guess that makes me feel younger. Ha!

You can find As U Wish at your local retailers such as Macy's, Nordstrom's, Burlington's, JC Penney or at the online stores of the said retailers.

My friends are holding a contest for those of you Pinterest users. Click here for the rules. Today is the last day in fact so make sure you join the giveaway before it's over.

Make sure to also like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.

So…on to my outfit. The dress is a combination of a solid color and print as you can see and it came with a tiny braided belt which gives the whole outfit kind of an "ethnic" look. To emphasize that theme, I wore my Liliana strappy sandals and decided to wear less accessories (yes, bare neckline!).

Would you have styled this dress differently? Would you have layered it with a spring cardigan, blazer, vest or a poncho? I think that there are different ways to wear this dress. I'm thinking it would even rock with a pair of gladiator sandals!

My close friends will testify that I hardly ever wear make-up even in our night outs. Going to the movies, you can expect me to wear jeans, shirt, and sandals with my hair pulled back.

During some "lazy" days when I feel like being casual but still girly, I would put on a dress like this mint skater dress from Urbanog.com. Definitely one of those put-on-and-go dresses. I normally would pair this with my Fibi and Clo sandals but I've been wearing that pair like crazy I'm afraid I'll wear it out soon so I decided to use my floral oxfords instead which I also got from Urban OG. Then threw a light Forever21 spring cardigan. The Lacoste handbag, which was a gift from my aunt, is a new daily handbag favorite!

What do you think?

It walks you through about 12 questions to determine what kind of style you have and based on that, every month, it gives you a "showroom" of  limited amount of designs. There are pros and cons to this type of situation, depending on how various you want your choices to be and how much money you want to spend.

If you're like me who tends to get overwhelm when hundreds of choices are presented, then this kind of service is good for you. The stylist knows your style and only shows you what best fits you. If for whatever reason, you don't find any that you like, no worries, no money spent then. You will have another chance for different styles the following month.

So, I was asked to try out the service and not only was I happy with the experience but was also happy with the two pairs of shoes I got.

Left to Right: Olivia Platform Pumps in Blush and Erica Tribal Wedge

The Olivia Platform pumps may look so high but don't let it fool you. Considering that I had an accident on my left foot awhile back, I was able to walk comfortably in these shoes without pain.  The Erica Tribal Wedges are the most trendy wedge from ShoeMint! It's very lightweight so it's not hard to walk in them either. They also have a good balance. I was not worried about tripping and falling.

I just checked my May Showroom and loved the pieces that are on there currently!
Top to bottom: Christina striped ballet flats, Bridget leopard sandals, and Kathryn pastel blue stilletos.

I suggest trying out the ShoeMint site and see what kind of styles will be showcased in your showroom. Registration is free and the account creation is FUN!

Matched with my haltered Forever21 embellished top and my new ShoeMint Olive Nude Platform Pumps and simply accessorized with a couple of bangles, what do you think of the whole ensemble?

Speaking of ShoeMint, have you heard of them before? In the next couple of days, I will be sharing with you my experience with this site. Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures as we had fun shooting this with a pro camera (much better than the one I used in my previous posts), thanks to Steve for letting me use the whole Nikon she-bang pro camera and lens! Woohoo! My mom is getting pro at taking pictures too, haha. The things she has to put up with for her fashion blogger daughter.

I apologize for the non-polished nails. I decided to give them some rest from nail polish chemicals this week. Colored nails will resume soon!

These ShoeMint Olivia Pumps are the most comfortable platform shoes I have got so far. After my trip and fall accident with my other pumps a couple of months back, I was kind of leery about buying platforms. But I was wearing these for a good 30 to 45 minutes or so, standing, walking, and posing while shooting these pictures but my feet never hurt so I was happy!  I don't wonder because the shoes from ShoeMints are engineered by legendary shoe maker Steve Madden and designed by celebrity Rachel Bilson and stylist Nicole Chavez.

Ashley recently released her Spring/Summer 2012 Collection and this Seven Dress is one of the pieces in that collection. Tube top and draped, another one of those dresses which you can definitely say "less is more" and you would want to keep it that way.

I only accented it with the Chantilly necklace from Peppermint Chic, some black and gold bangles, and my favorite red platform pumps.

If you're looking for a perfect date night dress, this is it! You can purchase this from two websites: US Trendy and Parker & Page
 

If you like this Chantilly necklace, you can have a chance to win it by joining the Ultimate Spring Giveaway. Click here.