Hello Forever 21!

I knew that Forever 21 was doing a special Hello Kitty line that is supposed to debut today.  I received an email last night that they were doing an exclusive showing of the collection on their website, so I went onto their website and wanted to buy almost all of the items for sale.  I ended buying 6 pieces but I keep looking at the site and I am contemplating buying more.  The items I bought are the beige top and this cardigan.  (I noticed in the F21 website the blouse is no longer available, so I'm glad I was able to purchase it last night!!!)

I also bought these items:

Now, I was a tad bit disappointed when I realized that the black sweater does not have the cute sequin Peter Pan collar (I'm a sucker for Peter Pan collars...)  but then I realized that I have a dress similar to the one they paired with the sweater so I am sad no more! 

I didn't realize that they had a black Hello Kitty blazer and I am super excited to wear it!

Now I think I may buy these items too:

I was a little bummed out that this sweater is no longer available since it is just soooo cute:





Hello Blog!

When I started it this blog it was for a communications course I was taking in the summer.  We had to post twice a week.  Tuesday and Friday mornings.  While I enjoyed doing the blog and writing about Hello Kitty, I felt that since it was for a class, and there were specific requirements for each post, it was a little too much pressure.  I know... I know... how could someone feel pressured when writing about Hello Kitty?  

Now that the course is over (I did receive an A+ just in case anyone was wondering...) I will still continue with the blog but I don't know how often.  (I am working full time and taking three classes this quarter, so my time is a little limited...)  I still have boxes and crates worth of Hello Kitty things in the basement and in other various rooms of my house.  More Hello Kitty things around the house that I have to photograph.  More Hello Kitty shopping trips that I want to take and document.  

Hello Clothes and Shoes!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am starting to have a bit of an identity crisis in regards to the Hello Kitty items I own and if I am to old to wear some of them or not.  When I was younger I was into punk and having silly hairstyles (like a mohawk and multi-colored tresses) and wearing silly clothes.  So, some of the following items were right up my alley when they first started to appear in stores and online.  

DOE T-SHIRTS

Years ago the clothing line Mighty Fine had an off shot brand called Doe, which I still thinks is around making t-shirts.  Doe and Sanrio teamed up and Doe did a line of Hello Kitty shirts that sold online and at places like Hot Topic.  The Hello Kitty shirts were totally cute.  Hello Kitty was dressed up in punk and goth attire.  I was all about these t-shirts when they first came out.  I've since sold a bunch of them on Ebay when money was a little tight.  I have saved a few them.  I don't wear them much any more (since I am feeling to old for them) except for around the house.  Here are a few of the ones I have left.

Below is actually a black Hello Kitty sweater from the collection.  I love how it has Hello Kitty written on the sleeves a la the Sex Pistols logo.  I think I would still wear this one every now and again.

These two are from the Sanrio by Doe collection as well.  The red shirt is in honor of the band the White Stripes.  While I like some songs by the White Stripes, I wouldn't say I'm a fan but I do love the t-shirt though.  Let me just put this way, I wouldn't buy and / or wear a White Stripes t-shirt but I did wear this t-shirt.  This one is now in retirement though.  The shirt next to has the same print as the sweater.  Both were bought at Hot Topic.  

The black t-shirt on the right is the first t-shirt in this collection that I bought.  I was so excited when I first saw it at Hot Topic.  I wore it all the time.  Hello Kitty has on a little plaid kilt and boots.  The image of Hello Kitty is like an iron on, you know, like the iron shirts that were big in the late 70's and early 80's.  Next to that is another shirt from the collection that Hello Kitty and her boyfriend Dear Daniel.

I think that the purple and black goth Hello Kitty jersey is my favorite.  I'm not even into goth or never really was but I like the kind of horror movie look to the shirt and the text.  The shirt has black bats on the sleeves.  Finally, the pink shirt with black ringer collar has another goth looking Hello Kitty on it.  The dress on Hello Kitty has a velvety feel to it.  

HELLO KITTY DR. MARTENS

Recently, Dr. Martens produced a line of Hello Kitty boots and shoes.  I've been a fan and wearing of Dr. Martens since I was a teenager.  I still wear them to this day.  In fact I have a pair that are still in good shape from the early 1990's that I still wear.  My budget hasn't allowed to me to purchase any of the Hello Kitty Dr. Martens yet (they are a little pricey) but when I have some spare money I will definitely search for a pair and buy them.  Many are sold out but I'm sure I will be able to find them on Ebay.

HELLO KITTY VANS

I've also been a huge fan of Vans for many years.  I was so excited when I learned that Hello Kitty and Vans were teaming up to create a special line of Hello Kitty vans for woman and children.  Now, I knew I could afford a pair of these, unlike the Dr. Martens.  As soon as they were available online, I bought a pair.  I bought a pair of the classic checkerboard slip ons.  I love that they come in a specially designed Vans / Hello Kitty box, which included some stickers too!  There are so many different, cute variations to this line that I think I may have to purchase another pair!  

Hello Bags!

I've recently started to collect Hello Kitty bags.  Purses, tote bags and messenger bags are my favorite.  Since I am getting a little older I prefer my bags to be a little more fashionable, practical and not like I "borrowed" them from one of my preteen nieces.  


LOUNGEFLY


The brand Loungefly.com has a ton of super cute and functional Hello Kitty bags.  I currently have two of them but would love to buy more.  Click on the link to see some of their great bag selections.  The two Loungefly bags I own are bigger bags, which makes them great for taking things to work, like my lunch or books for school along with all the other day-to-day things I need to carry around with me.  The top bag is a purple and black tweed print with faux black leather detail and silver stud details.  OK, I know the Hello Kitty skull bow and crossbones on the bag are a little immature but I do like that kind of thing when it is done in moderation or when I wear something very girly or something kind of serious and have something like this to kind of punch up the outfit.  The second one is a quilted faux leather Hello Kitty face tote with a 3D padded bow.  I love how it is a big Hello Kitty face but is also quilted and looks like patented leather even though it's faux leather.  

Loungefly also has these shiny tote patent faux leather bags with embossed detail that I want to buy.  They come in different colors.  They are definitely on my wish list, along with the matching wallets!  

MESSENGER BAGS

If you've read my Hello Travel! post from a few weeks ago, you will remember this blue Hello Kitty messenger bag.  This is one of my favorites because it is big and roomy and great for using when I travel or for going to work.  

I also have a few smaller size messenger bags that I use.  The one on the left I bought at Hot Topic years ago.  While I still love it and think it's cute, I don't use it all that much because I think I may be getting a little to old to wear it out.  Unlike the bag above with the skull detail, I think this one is a just a little to young for me at this point.  That said, I have no plans to get rid of it though!  The bag on the right is a favorite of mine.  It's a black faux leather Hello Kitty messenger bag that a friend got for me in Portland.  I use this one a lot.  Especially for work when I am not totting around a schoolbook or lunch from home.  

SPECIAL BAGS

Finally, here are two, sort of special bags I own.  They are both hard shelled and are on "display" as opposed to bags I would use in everyday life.  The bag on the left is round and has a Rockabilly Hello Kitty on the front.  The sides and back are black with cherries on it.  Very cute.  The bag, or box, on the right was from a Hello Kitty holiday edition many years back.  It is winter white and has faux fur on the top of the case and on the handle.  The image of Hello Kitty is in a snowflake.  

I Dream of Hello Kitty

Last night I dreamt of Hello Kitty.  Since I've started this blog for school I've had Hello Kitty on my brain a lot more then I normally do (believe it or not) and when you couple that with the fact that I haven't gotten enough sleep this week because of school and work stress, I dreamt of beautiful Hello Kitty things that I've never seen before.  For this post, I am going to step away from showing pictures of my collection and write about my dream. 


I had a dream that I had the most beautiful pink, Hello Kitty curio cabinet in my house.  Filled with a ton of beautiful Hello Kitty figurines.  This curio cabinet was a made of a high quality wood and stained a beautiful pink.  It didn't look cheap or plastic.  It looked like it was hand made by an artisan from France or something like that.  It had a beautiful glass door with Hello Kitty frosted etchings all along the edges.  Inside was a very nice mirror in the back and very thick glass shelves.  The curio cabinet was lit from the inside so the whole room was glowing.   Hello Kitty figurines had these beautiful hand made dresses and kimonos on them.  They were very fancy.  Every time I looked at the Hello Kitty figurines then looked away and looked at them again, they would change.  It wasn't like they were alive or anything, it just seemed like figurine collection was changing or updating itself.  I have never seen a Hello Kitty curio cabinet or Hello Kitty figurines like this before.  


While I was admiring the cabinet and figurines a weather alert came on the TV that there was a big tidal wave heading for my house.  (It should be noted there have been a bunch of thunderstorms in Philadelphia lately.)  Just as I saw the big tidal wave about to crash on my house, I woke up.  Pretty strange, right?


So, when I got up this morning I decided to look online to see if there were any Hello Kitty curio cabinets like the one in my dream and sadly I couldn't find any.  I did find the one below on Ebay but it is nothing like the one in my dream.  I tried looking on websites like Target and things like that but didn't find anything.  You could imagine how sad I am that I can't find this thing!  Don't worry though, I will continue to look for it or if I ever win the lottery I will commission a great cabinetmaker to create it for me!

Hello Pretty!

I couldn’t think of a better way of getting ready for a day of work or play than using Hello Kitty items to do my hair and putting on Hello Kitty make up products! Companies like Sephora and MAC cosmetics have an entire line of Hello Kitty cosmetics and make up.  Sephora still sells the Hello Kitty cosmetics but I believe the MAC Hello Kitty line is long gone.  Of course, Target also a ton of Hello Kitty beauty items, ranging from hair brushes and lip gloss to flat irons and blow dryers.  Click on the links to see some of these great items!!!

Here are some pictures of items I use a lot.  My Hello Kitty curling iron, Hello Kitty flat iron and Hello Kitty blow-dryer.  Sure, they aren't as fancy or professional as some hair styling tools on the market but they work fine for me.  All of these items were purchased from Target.



Here is a mirror that I bought at Target.  I haven't put it up on a wall since we moved but I do kind of use it as a portable mirror.  If I need to get ready and blow dry my hair and my boyfriend is sleeping, I will just carry the mirror out into the living room and use it there. 

This is a Hello Kitty make up mirror that I bought at Target.  Shocking, I know!  This item has two mirrors that you can flip depending on how close up you want to look at your face while you are putting on makeup.  This mirror can plug into the wall and light up.   

I received this as a Christmas gift a few years ago.  It's another Target item.  I am not a huge manicure / pedicure fan but think this cute.  It has all the tools a girl would need to make her nails look great.  It also has a little air dryer so you can speed up the drying time of your nail polish.  Someday I will use this. 

I haven't made it to Sephora in awhile to stock up on the Hello Kitty makeup I've had and used up or lost on a recent trip.  (Boo!)  I know you can buy it online but I do enjoy going into Sephora and looking at all the make up.  There is a Sephora store close to my work so I will probably head over there once in the next few weeks and pick up a few of my favorite Hello Kitty make up items.  Including the Hello Kitty Apple Cheeks creamy blush and the Hello Kitty Apple Balm for my lips.  I do want to purchase the Hello Kitty vanity and Hello Kitty makeup brushes.  They even sell Hello Kitty bags and jewelry at Sephora.  I will be sure to keep you posted on any Sephora purchases I make in the future!