I am really excited about this post. Every Tuesday I will share a music video or song from back in the day...This one is from the 90's by Bone Thugs N Harmony.

I remember singing my heart out to this song with my homegirl, Mai-lee in the bloody hot summers in NYC. We would sit in her dorm room eating snacks, talking story (shooting the shit), sipping on ice cold Vinho Verde and painting our nails. This one is dedicated to you girl!
Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMYAEHE2GrM

Check it out!
A Naked Lady Soiree is highlighted in the week's East Bay Express!!!
Check out the full listing here!
There is still plenty time to RSVP for the event tomorrow so please tell all your lady friends!
See you and your things tomorrow ;0)

I was browsing the pets section on craigslist when I decided I was ready for the new addition. I've been going back and forth for awhile but my attention was never captured the way it was by Peanut. I have been a cat person most of my life but when I picture myself with a dog I pictured it to look exactly like Colonel Peanut...
yes that is his name :0) I added the prefix Colonel like the Planters Peanut mascot.
I read his story and thought if no one has adopted him already he is for me! I wanted him to be my partner in crime...my buddy :0)

So this is what has been going on in my life lately...what is new with you??? Come and visit us at the shop!!

I die for Korean Vogue.
I think I mostly love it because it shows different types of models...Korean ones and not the same old, same old. The photo spreads are just magnificent and I can browse through them all day. I wish that one day I can have a subscription...its almost $500 for a one year subscription. Ugh! It is worth every penny, of course.

This editorial is called "Women in a Folk Painting" and I wanted to share it because I am just blown away at how beautiful it is. I love everything about it, the model, the styling, the black and white colors with muted colors...the list goes on.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did and that you can find inspiration in the beauty of the photos. Let me know what you think!!!

Vogue Korea January 2013
Photographer: Gu Bon-chang
Stylist: Seo Young-hee
Hair: Kim Jung-han
Makeup: Park Hye-ryung
Hats: Noh Jae-hyang
Model: Lee Hye-jung

I watched a Bob Marley documentary this week and it was so inspiring. Not only was the music inspiring and his story about peace and love, but it was the way he OWNED the stage. It was inspiring to see that passion Bob Marley had for music  because I have that same feeling for vintage everything.

Vintage is my FIRST LOVE but my second love is definitely music. I feel music so strongly and wonder why I didn't choose that as a career. I am OBSESSED with reggae, dub, rocksteady and ska.  Music from the 50's-70's are my favorite decades and I think that musicians during that time were fearless with their fashion. I think musicians are pretty fearless in general because they have to own the stage and have a presence to move the crowd and have a following.

If you were watching live music and the band was lifeless and totally not connected, you would feel that and it wouldn't be entertaining. That's how I feel about fashion. I curate my shop with beautiful show stoppers so that I can help people feel and connect with vintage. Music is art and so is fashion. Think of yourself as a blank canvas everyday and don't be afraid to wear what you want.

I love the fashion that evolved out of these genres of music because it reminds me of the Bronx and what I saw men wearing. I like fashion from these decades because men wore their clothing more fitted and weren't afraid to show off their bodies. Not that men today have problems showing off their bodies, it's just that today everything is so baggy and I much more appreciate having men wear clothes that fit them :)

Show stopper blazers and jackets excite any white t-shirt and jeans. I think it is all about having statement pieces and accessories. Personalize your wardrobe with hats, glasses and other colorful items.

Have fun with your clothes!

What is your favorite decade for fashion? What inspires your sense of fashion?

How would you want to display your handkerchiefs?

There are so many crafty ways you can display your hankies but my favorite way would be a no sew project.

If you just tie a few of these babies together, you already have a one of a kind garland to hang in your house. I'm going to try this one ASAP.

ps. I'm decorating my new apartment (stay tuned for a tour)

I found a super cute table runner DIY on the Modern June blog. Vintage handkerchiefs are turned into a table runner where a collection of all white vintage glassware is displayed.

I heart how the color combination of hankies tie in with the vintage tray collection on the wall. The table runner adds color and brightens the all white glassware, which might be kinda boring standing on its own.

Oh the possibilites...

Happy New Year Friends!
We have changed the look of our website and I love it!

Halmoni has grown so much in the past year and I know things will only getter bigger and better! Thank you for all the love and support!

What do you think about our new look?

I've been working on our Big Cartel online shop to give a little sampler of what types of vintage and treasures we carry here at the shop. I will continue adding things so keep checking back to see what we have or if you are lucky enough to live in Oakland, come by and visit us!

What's your favorite item in the shop right now?

We love Oakland and the shop indie mentality. We had awesome sales this weekend and here are some of our vintage treasures that found good homes this weekend.

I am sure you are wondering what does self-compassion have to do with vintage or fashion? I think it has plenty to do with one another because fashion is linked to self esteem and how people look at you.

We all want to be an individual, we all want to be special and we all want to be loved.

We live in a world where there is so much insecurity, anxiety and depression because of self judgement so how do we be kind to ourselves??? Well that is called SELF COMPASSION.

I struggle with all of the above emotions and thought this would be a great topic to touch on especially because the holidays are upon us.  All types of emotions are  floating around in the world right now and I want to separate what is mine from others and stay clean emotionally and not have destructive patterns of isolation, fear and negativity.

What is self-compassion?

Self compassion means being sweet and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail and feel inadequate rather then being self critical and mean.

I am soft and understanding to others but I want to evoke that for myself.  My inner critic is cruel and I want to learn self-compassion because I believe it is the foundation to emotional healing and emotional freedom.

Self-compassion is a great idea but I know that I have a long journey of unlearning many years of self loathing. My journey will be long and of course hard at times but I will now practice self-compassion when the journey gets hard and bumpy. I will comfort myself and show kindness. I will put the oxygen mask on myself first so that I can assist and be healthy enough to help others.

I am making a promise to myself to be kind. I will be mindful about my emotions and allow myself to have these emotions but I won't let them drown me and take over.

I am going to try and do 3 things for myself to build a path for my road to recovery.

1. I will give myself "HAPPY/SELF CARE" days...REGULARLY!!!
2. I will leave my comfort zone more often so that I can build with people the foundation of my support network.
3. I will exercise more often (within my comfort zone, of course)because it DOES make me feel good and makes me feel healthier because I am releasing emotional and physical toxins.
4. Last but not least, I will practice what I preach :0)

Do you practice self-compassion? How do you stay kind to yourself?

Thanks for listening :0)