Rain? Sew!

More of the same cold, gloomy weather here - so cold I've had to cover my little garden plants for tonight's frost warning - so I've been sewing all day. I happened to have two identical All That Jazz vintage dresses, funnily both purchased on Etsy but from different sellers, the second of which I had acquired with the intention of shortening. I finally got around to that project today.



Of course I didn't think to take before photos of the actual altered dress, so I just took a photo of the one unaltered garment, hence the slight pattern difference between the two. High-low hems are all the rage these days and I'm more than pleased with how this came out. I might just attempt it on a few of my maxi skirts too. I look forward to warm weather again when I can break out this newly-shortened vintage gem and show off my gams in the sun! Cheers!

Saggy Knees

I hadn't noticed how bagged out the knees on these leggings were before, but it's no surprise. I've been wearing them for years and years. Time for new leggings I guess? I felt a lot better in this outfit than the photos make me feel about it. That's just the way it goes sometimes I suppose.

Leather Jacket - Danier Leather

Dress - Gift from Heather

Leggings - Who knows

Boots - Some mall store years ago

These photos just make me miss the sunshine. It's been gloomy and rainy the last little while, and it's supposed to keep up that way for a few more days. I'm trying to be thankful, telling myself it's good for my garden, but I still miss the sun!

There's a little crab-apple tree blooming like mad on the side of the yard, I'm really hoping it manages to come to proper fruition. Maybe I'll be able to make some sort of sour apple tart with its fruit? I do know I'll enjoy having fresh blueberries if all the plants lining the yard even make half as many berries as they have flowers. But I'm rambling now. Hope you're all having a good week. Cheers!

Rain Is An Excuse To Bake and Cook

It really is. In the last few days I've made three separate cream soups, pizza dough to freeze and then a fresh pizza, French macarons and several cakes. I would need more stomachs to keep up with my production. It's still raining today and I'm cooking up spicy chicken thighs for my father's birthday supper. These outfit photos are a few weeks old but they're nice and cheery compared to the weather so this is what you get!

Shirt -Thrifted from Value Village

Dress-as-skirt - Giant Tiger

Sandals - Thrifted from Value Village

Black forest cake usually has chocolate decor around the side and sometimes on top, but seeing as how I don't know how to properly temper chocolate and I think chocolate sprinkles are tacky as hell, I left it plain.  I soaked the cherries in rum myself so I'm interested to see how this thing tastes. Hope you're all having a good week. Cheers!

Will Back the Sunshine

It was a gorgeous day yesterday and I spent it with family, hosting a yard sale in the morning and afternoon, then spending the evening at an aunt and uncle's having a few drinks and laughs. It really feels good to be here near them again. Unfortunately today it's cool and rainy again, so I'm posting this late-April outfit to try and will back the sunshine!

Sweater - Thrifted from Value Village

Tunic - Purchased from Mr. Idahos Vintage on Etsy

Jeggings - Hue

Moccasins - Sears

I'd been hoping to go do a little fishing today, but I'm not dedicated enough to go out in the rain. I'll wait for the weather to improve first! At least it's nice enough that the seeds in my garden have begun to sprout. Unfortunately the frost seems to have killed my green pepper plants, even though I'd covered them. I have slim hope that the roots survived and they'll grow up again, but we'll see.

I took these photos a few weeks back when it finally started warming up again and everything started growing in full force. Our spring has been odd this year; late and halting. At least the rain now is good for my garden. I hope you are all having a great weekend. Cheers!

Catch Up

The weather can't seem to make up its mind these days. Sunny and warm, cool and gloomy. But always windy. It's difficult to make any sort of lasting outdoor plans. Before I forget I even took them though, I'll post these old outfit photos from back in late April. If I remember, it was snowing that day. Oh Canada...

Blouse - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Dress as skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village

I recently finally had my hair trimmed and got rid of a few inches of badly split and frayed ends. My hair is still more than long but I miss that length nonetheless. I imagine I'll just keep growing it out again, I just need to stay on top of keeping it properly trimmed.

I'm attempting a no-shampoo method of cleaning my hair now. A mix of baking soda, water and a few drops of essential oils. Already I'm making my own face wash, face scrub and deodorant, so hopefully this hair cleansing method works out too. I'm really liking the natural ingredients, it always feels so harsh and odd going back to chemical-filled products. Anyway, I hope you are all having a good week so far. Cheers!

Happy Mother's Day

I have a great love for all the mothers in my life, and I hope each and every mom of you has a wonderful day with your children! I baked up a special moka cake for the occasion, just a few days after baking a birthday cake for a friend. The weather's gotten quite cold - cold enough to cover all my garden plants - so it's no surprise I'm back to baking again.

Leather jacket - Danier

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Rubber boots - Thrifted from Value Village

This photo is back on April 25th, which is why things are still brown and grey compared to the lush green outside now, but the weather is essentially the same. I just couldn't bring myself to post this on a beautiful sunny day. Today suits this!

The first cake was a simple vanilla cake with confectioners frosting, for my friend (and incidentally also a momma) Karen's birthday. It was good, but sooo sweet. I won't be making it again. I imagine if someone likes very sweet things that would be the cake for them. The second is a moka cake, génoise layers soaked with coffee syrup, with coffee butter cream icing and toasted almonds. It was a recipe from my Cordon Bleu collection. My writing abilities are rusty, I'd really need to practice again. I'll be bringing the Mom cake to my parents' later today, and I can't wait to eat it. I hope you all had a great weekend. Cheers!

Rainbow Garden

After all the rain we were having recently, I have absolutely no complaints about all this gorgeous sun! I've already got a bit of a tan and a sunburn haha... Things went from winter to summer and sort of skipped spring, which is a bit confusing, but I'm getting used to the heat.

Dress - Purchased from Siam2u on Etsy

Sandals - Fluevog

Necklaces - Thrifted from Value Village

With the help of my parents, I've made a lot of progress with my little garden. I'm kind of early, but the weather is so warm that there's really no fear of frost. I've got potatoes, green pepper plants and some strawberry bunches planted already. I'll be putting in so catnip seeds later today, both as a treat for my cat and as an added insect repellent along with the marigolds I planted around the edge.

I never thought gardening would be for me, but I've found it more fulfilling and enjoyable already than I ever thought possible. I really like digging around in the dirt, putting down little living green things, planting seeds that I nurture and tend to as they sprout. It's exciting!

The only thing I could wish for right now is that the lake were warm enough to swim in already! But there's still ice, floating to and fro depending on the direction of the wind. Not to mention all the rivers and creeks are so high and rushing into the lake with their cold water, it'll be a good long while before it warms up enough for comfortably swimming. Something to look forward to though. I hope you all have a good Saturday. Cheers!