Packing for Los Angeles!

Woof! Just last week I was daydreaming about getting out of dodge — and tomorrow I'll be taking a short three-day trip to Lala Land! I have fun project lined up that you guys will hear more about later. Until then — I had a good time packing some basics for the west coast.

It was requested that I not wear all-black outfits — so I'm sticking with a basic palette of black, white, grey, and denim. Oh, except for those popping red Prabal Gurung sandals. Because I couldn't help myself.

For three days I packed versatile pieces that I can mix and match — that way I would feel confined to certain outfits and still fit it all in a carry-on. Feel free to use this as template for your weekend getaways!

Bottoms —
White High Rise Denim // Cheap Monday Second Skin
Black High Rise Denim // American Apparel Easy Jeans
Cutoff Shorts // Vintage Guess + DIY
Faux Leather Shorts // Lucca Couture
White Soft Shorts // Sugarlips

Tops —
Grey Oversized Sweater // Zara [similar]
Black Cropped Sweater // Forever21
Denim Button Up // Urban Outfitters
Grey High Neck Crop // Urban Outfitters
Black High Neck Crop // NastyGal
White Dress (not pictured) // Forever21
Faux Leather Jacket (not pictured) // Thrifted
White Baseball Jersey (not pictured) // Profound Aesthetic

Shoes —
White Platforms // UNIF Spacer Platforms
Black Sandal Heels // ShoeCult by NastyGal
Red Sandal Heels // Prabal Gurung x Target
Slip Ons // Bucketfeet
Boots (not pictured) // Jeffrey Campbell Everwells

And of course I'll have sunglasses, An Honest Tote, and jewelry to mix with these. And, shoot, can't forget the swimsuit!

I can't wait to share my LA trip with you. Enjoy your week, Minis!

Weekstagram // April 20

This week I stopped by one of my favorite Chicago museums — The International Museum of Surgical Science.  It's a great little spot tucked away on Lakeshore just south of Lincoln Park. I first discovered it about five years ago on one of my little trips to Chicago from Columbus, checking it out on a free day and really enjoying the architecture of the old building and the contents within it.

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram at @minipennyblog.

April Shop My Closet Sale

Florals, polka dots, and furs in this month's Shop My Closet sale. Hop on over for first dibs and fresh markdowns on March items. Always free shipping in the US!

Shop now!

You've Got Nail 36

These nails were inspired by a set of binoculars I saw yesterday at the International Museum of Surgical Science. I've been meaning to do something similar to these for a while and was pushed over the edge, so to say, this morning.


Here's what I used:

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in 20 Blue-ming Fast
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 38 Bubblegum Pink
Zoya in Purity [similar]
Milani Nail Laquer in 06 Violet Dash
Julep Nail Polish in Elisa [similar or subscribe to Julep Maven]
Color Club in London Calling [similar]
Color Club in Disco Nap [similar]
ELF Nail Laquer in Mint Cream
Kure Bazaar Nail Laquer in Sakura
Seche Vite Top Coat
Forever21 Embellishments
Incoco Just Darling Nail Wraps

Back and Forth

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I rolled out of bed to grab coffee with Jess the other day — this is sort of a "lazy day" outfit. Sweater, jeans, sneakers and a beanie.

I'm getting the urge to take a road trip.


Brushed Beanie, URBN Sample Sale
Coat, Zara
V-Neck Sweater, Fred Perry
Polka Dot blouse, Urban Outfitters [similar]
Grey Easy Jeans, American Apparel [similar]
Like Butter 2 Slipons, c/o Bucketfeet [similar]
Ghost Tote, An Honest Tote
Necklace, Etsy
Sunglasses, c/o The Little Deer

Photos by Jessica Laskaris | Facebook | Instagram

Introducing SOSH Chicago

The best thing about Chicago is that there is so much to discover. I'm always hearing about new bars and classes and restaurants — but sometimes get stuck in a rut of going to the same place over and over again. Have you ever been sitting around trying to figure out what to do with your friends? Something different? Which bar to go to? What's happening this weekend? My friends and I do this all the time. Of course we have our neighborhood bar that we love and our weekly farmer's market, but when we want to mix it up, what the best way to get suggestions?


Introducing Sosh! This app is a great tool for trying new spots in your neighborhood and around the city. The folks over at Sosh were awesome enough to give me beta access — and over the past two weeks I've already discovered a new cool boutique, a killer cocktail spot just down the street from my apartment, and have added a handful of must-see events to my calendar.

Sosh has amazing suggestions and my favorite part is the great imagery — in a sea of apps that suggest restaurants and drinks, Sosh acts on a visual basis and it really grabs my attention!


How do you access Sosh? You can make an account through their website or through the iPhone app. The site currently covers five cities, which is great for finding new neighborhood favorites and for traveling. The service is totally free, too! Once you have an account, you can begin looking through suggestions broken down my neighborhood or category. Want a good burger or a date spot? There are categories for that. You can then continue to break the selections down by neighborhood. Tap on an event or place to get more details — you can get tips from other Sosh users, find out if it's cash-only, and also have directions, hours, and more at your finger tips.


Want to keep this event in mind? Bookmark it. You can create categories of your bookmarks. For me I separate them by upcoming, food, and other things I want to do. Once I've done something, I can mark it as such and leave tips for other users! And bonus: Sosh reminds me when a bookmarked event is coming up. So here's to never forgetting about Vintage Garage again!

I'm loving Sosh and I'm excited to use it to find out more amazing places in this great city. If you're in Chicago or one of the other cities available, be sure to sign up for Sosh and download the app! They said it best — life's too short to be bored!

This post is sponsored by Sosh.

Ghost Totes Now Available!

I'm so pumped about the new Ghost Totes that are part of the An Honest Tote by Mini Penny line! They have just been added to the Etsy Shop and are available in either black or white stitching.



All bags are made to order. If you're interested in custom colored stitching, just let me know. These are $40 and I'm offering free shipping within the US. Shop for your Ghost Tote here!

Weekstagram // April 13

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica's kitten Theo. I love rescue stories — and Theo is especially awesome. Jessica adopted this little dude from Tree House Humane Society in Chicago. When he arrived at the shelter, he was missing part of his back right leg. They're not really sure whether he was born that way or if he had some sort of accident. Either way, Tree House performed surgery on this little dude so he wouldn't bump on it every times he walks. And now he scuttles along just fine and has fully adjusted to being a tripod kitten. Theo might have the most energy of any kitten I've ever met — during playtime earlier this week, he wore me out first!

If you're looking into getting a pet, consider adopting from a local shelter or rescue center. There are so many great pets who need loving homes!

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram at @minipennyblog.

Wrap It Up

No exaggeration, one of my favorite things about gift-giving is the tradition of wrapping. When I was a kid, my parents used to let me wrap all of my brothers' Xmas gifts (hey, it kept me busy for a few hours, it was one less thing they had to worry about, and I was great at keeping secrets). Since then, if you receive a gift from me, you can expect it to be wrapped up in a fun package.

Over my adult years, I've acquired quite a bit of fun wrapping paper from all over the place — vintage prints are some of my favorites. Post-holiday sales can be a good place to find some neutral prints like gold chevron and baroque ornamentations, but you run the risk of only coming up with snowmen and Xmas-themed Mickey Mouse.

I've found that paper and stationary stores, Etsy, specialty shops, and vintage sellers are some of the best places to find unique prints. Bonus idea: Use printed paper as a backdrop for photos!

Check out a few of my favorites! (Header image from Sycamore Street Press)


Blue Floral / Peach Cube Double Sided Gift Wrap, BeSpoke Letterpress


Jade Wrap, Smock Paper


Wild Cats, Normans Printery on Etsy


Camellia Wrapping Paper, Clap Clap Design on Etsy


Gray Molecules, MOZAIQ on Etsy

Silver Screen Style // Royal Tenenbaums

My first ever Silver Screen Style post was a Wes Anderson movie — Moonrise Kingdom. Keeping in theme with yesterday's WomenCrush Wednesday, I am featuring movies this month which include the lovely Anjelica Huston. Wes Anderson films are always styled so well and have great color palettes, so Royal Tenenbaums seems like a good place to start.


Long Faux Fur Brown Coat, Warehouse // Polo Dress, Lacoste // Urban Decay All Nighter Eyeliner, Sephora


Black Rhett Leather Jacket, BBDakota // Emma Western Shirt, Joe's Jeans // Spirit Ranch Boots, Free People


Firebird Track Pants and Track Jacket, Adidas Originals // A Stopwatch