The Power of the Dress

For something so simple, dresses are such versatile things. The two dresses I'm wearing in this outfit are a perfect example of just how multipurpose a dress can be. Since I'm not comfortable wearing the black dress by itself at work, I layered it over my snake-print shirt dress. I got modesty with a fun print!

Snake-print dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Black dress - Sears sale, 2008

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village
Belt - Ardene's

Tights - No idea

Both dresses have been worn many different ways. The black one (originally purchased for my college graduation) was actually the sea backdrop in my Halloween costume. Here's another old outfit with it from nearly a year ago. The shirt-dress has been worn several different ways too. I've worn it as a dress and layered more than once as a top.

Also of note is that this is an outfit I am wearing as I write this. An actual outfit being worn on the day of its posting! That however is only because I took the photos last evening while trying it on. This is also why the shirt buttons are all done up, which I decided today looks better with the top one undone.

I've had these shoes over a year but they're actually horribly uncomfortable for doing much else but sitting. The upper part of the shoe is very stiff and digs right into the top of my foot directly behind my toes every time I take a step. At least they're cute?

It's snowing like mad outside again. And it's not even a pleasant snow, it's the icy kind that stings your face and eyes. Did I ever mention how much I hate winter? Because I really hate winter. I'm supposed to go to my grandparents' for supper after work this evening but if this keeps up - they're calling for freezing rain - we may have to cancel. Once again, I hope the weather is treating you better than me. Cheers!

Butter is Better

It's true, take any recipe calling for butter or margarine, and it'll always taste better with butter. I also love the soft yellow colour of butter, and I quickly snatched up this butter-yellow top while thrifting a few weekends ago. I'm so happy because it works perfectly with this particular prairie skirt, which has always been a bit more challenging for me to style.

Top - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Tights - Fancy Sox

Shoes - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

The last time this skirt was on the blog was back in September, when I paired it with some paisley print. I know I said I had a hard time styling the skirt, but seriously, that particular paisley, and an old red muscle shirt were literally all I could think of that worked with it. Thank the Thrift Gods for this new top! I really like the satiny crinkle-detail around the  neckline.

This top also seems to be following my movement towards less form-fitting garments. I used to wear skin tight clothing all the time when I was heavier. It was just crucially important that my clothing not be baggy and make it look like I was any fatter than I already was. I suppose my ability to wear loose, flowing items that aren't necessarily form-fitting or figure-flattering is a sign I'm becoming more comfortable with my body and that I have the confidence in myself not to worry about it so much. And people say clothes and style are shallow things, psh!

Can you believe it took me nearly a year and a half to figure out I can take close up shots of my outfits with my tripod? Yes, I am that slow a learner. Ah well! Isn't the print on this skirt amazing?! So many tiny little details and crazy floral things going on.And for once you can see the real colour of these shoes. Now if only I could find another pair in exactly the same shade so I can replace these before I wear them out completely...

I had a wonderful supper with my grandparents and aunt and uncle on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to going up to visit their household in February, plus getting to meet my cousin's little 19 month old son for the first time. Speaking of February, I'm amazed it's right around the corner! I get the feeling I'll turn around and blink and 2012 will be a distant memory. I'm far too aware of time right now; how much of it it takes to accomplish things, and how quickly it goes by when you're trying to hold onto it.

Did you all have a good weekend? I spent most of my Sunday lazing around and not being productive in the least, but I really needed it. I feel so drained lately, pulled in a thousand directions and not quite certain where to point myself. Sometimes it's nice not to point myself anywhere and to simply stay cozy in my rest-nest. Have a lovely Monday everyone, cheers!

Gratuitous Tarantulas

I think the title is enough of a warning there! My tarantulas are a lot like my children. I know that's a stretch, but I've raised some of them from the size of my pinky fingernail to the size of my palm and they're still growing. You get attached with the effort and care that involves.

One of my largest tarantulas has recently molted - discarding its exoskeleton to grow larger - and has developed more of his mature colours. He's just absolutely gorgeous and I have to share. Hopefully someone out there enjoys these next photos and I don't frighten anyone off! I'll keep them smaller in the post, but they're available in large format on my Flickr so click away if you're brave!

The first purple-pink one is Pumpkin, the large one that recently molted. There's a clear ruler on the outside of his tank on the left, and his upper left foot is near the 5" mark, the give you an idea of his size. The other little fellow - he's only about 2" in leg span - is Dmitry. I just love his copper colour.

Up top is Thor, my very first tarantula. The black thing is a pop bottle cap, and when I first got him, he was small enough to fit inside it completely and have room to spare. He's also going to grow very large, but is of a more slow-growing species and it'll be another 4-6 years before Thor is as large as Pumpkin. Next is Houdini (because he magically makes his food disappear) standing over a blue pop bottle cap. Tarantulas don't weave webs but they do produce silk, and as you can see, they can make a lot of it.

Hard as it may be to believe, I croon over these things like people croon over babies. I actually call them that half-jokingly; my tarantula babies. They just fill me with awe and wonder and curiosity. I could watch them for hours, they're such fascinating creatures. Anyway, if you got this far, yay! Thanks for tagging along with the crazy Spider Lady. Cheers!

Big Blue

Happy Friday everyone! Today's weather was really crappy, freezing rain for the first part, and then tons of snow later in the evening. It's no surprise all I want to do is cozy up in my new favourite sweater. I found it thrifting with my grandparents a few weekends ago. It's handmade, too!

Sweater - Thrifted from Value Village

Slippers - Ardene's

We stumbled upon a few other handmade pieces, but some weren't quite properly constructed. I think someone was learning and decided to donate all their not-quite-right attempts to the thrift store. This was labeled extra large, and it is rather big on me, but it's so cozy I had to take it home.

I'm going out for dinner with my grandparents and aunt and uncle tomorrow evening, to the Fish Market. It's going to be the first time I see my aunt in nearly a decade, so that's more than wonderful. I've already decided to wear my lovely vintage dress from Heather for the occasion.

I've had my future, in terms of work and life, on the mind a lot the last little while. I'm unhappy in my career but I'm struggling at getting out of this stage in my life and moving forward. I'm having a very hard time pinning down a goal to point myself towards. As you can imagine, that can be a little stressful. I'm really looking forward to just surrounding myself with warm, loving, encouraging people tomorrow and getting my mind off it. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. May the weather treat you better than it is me! Cheers!

The Green Monster

No, not envy! But all the green things in my wardrobe could probably mass together and form some sort of undead closet-beast. So just in case, I let them hang out together in multiples sometimes, to keep them quiet. I'm even wearing matching eyeshadow!

Blouse - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Tights - We Love Colours

Shoes - Spring

I hope you all had a really great weekend. Mine was very good, and I got nearly everything on my to-do list done and sorted out. The only hitch was when I tried to sort through my closet. I stood there for a good 10 minutes just pawing through the hangers, but it was just too overwhelming. I didn't know where to start!

Since I can't just give up (seriously, this cannot wait any longer), I've opted for another method of attack. I'll go drawer by drawer, and item-type by item-type. The job will take longer this way, but at least it'll get done! I started by creating a space in a drawer just for my tights alongside my underthings, and probably threw out two dozen holey pairs of socks.

I also went through all my prairie skirts, of which I have at least ten. I'm not quite certain how many exactly, I stopped counting. I almost have more than I can justify having, certainly more than I can wear. But I love them all so much! The whole point of this endeavor is to take a chunk out of my wardrobe though, even if it is a bit painful. I have to remind myself: these are just things, things I don't need.

I'm pretty sure my bangs need a trim now. I'm rather vague on when exactly they reach the point of needing it. They were in my eyes from the get-go so I can't really use that as a method of measurement. It'd be easier if they stopped trying to part all the time. My hair has always parted naturally and cleanly right down the middle, and I've worn it like that for years, but now my bangs are having a hard time getting with the program and leaving that part behind!

Yep, even my coffee mugs are green. I'm holding The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Ames. I actually discovered her long ago via her own style blog! She's been writing over at A Cat of Impossible Colour for several years. She has great taste in vintage dresses (pretties from the 50's in particular) and I highly suggest checking out her blog.

I'm heading straight to my grandparents' place after work for dinner this evening, which I am very much looking forward to. I hope you all have a lovely Monday and a great start to the week! Cheers!

Mustard and Fries

I can't be the only one who eats french fries with mustard, right? I used to do that a lot in high school especially, to keep other people from stealing my fries haha... My current favourite mustard thing is this blouse, which I thrifted last Sunday. It had shoulders pads, but I quickly snipped those out. I've been seeing bloggers wearing mustard-everything for ages now. I'd never been super drawn to it but when this shirt appeared for $5, I couldn't argue. I could however, forgo ironing out all the wrinkles, because gravity eventually does that for me.

Blouse - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Belt - Ardene's

Tights - Christmas gift

Heels - Lulu's

This outfit feels very early-80's to me. Like I should be running around some old school typewriter-filled office, chasing after my boss with a stack of papers and a coffee. I really love how the bright colour of my skirt looks with the mustard though. Trust me to choose, of all colours possible to pair with mustard, a bright violet.

The above photos prove how bad I am at taking photographs with true colours, and at editing said photos. I don't know what I did to that close up shot but that is definitely not the skirt's true colour. I'm glad I took the photos the night before though, because when I put these tights on again the next day, there were two significantly-sized holes in one leg. Which is weird since I'd never even worn them before trying them on the night before. Ah well!

One of my friends had a pile of jewelery she was trying to give away and I picked up these and another pair of earrings. I'll probably be trying to give away some stuff soon too, or maybe re-sell. I plan on going through my closet and dresser this weekend, including trying everything on to make certain it still fits. I know a lot of my dresses are probably way too big for me now, but I'm really not looking forward to the reality of parting with some of my vintage beauties.

I'm so very happy it's Friday. I plan on spending most of the weekend at home, doing nice relaxing home things. This has been a crazy busy month in general for me. I'm looking forward to baking some mushroom-dill muffins, and finally getting my closet in order. I hope you all have a great weekend too. Cheers!

Cold Weather, Warm Heart

It's quite cold right now - although it could certainly be colder - and when you live in a place with a long-lasting winter, you need to find ways to keep yourself cheerful and occupied. I started taking belly dance classes again (my first class was last night!) and I'm doing a lot of baking and cooking. These and other activities keep me pretty busy and upbeat, but sometimes a little something unexpected comes along as a special treat.

About a zillion years ago (back in August I think), I signed up to take part in the Bioregional Swap over at Terralectualism. The idea was to send a package out for October. Sadly, a series of events unfolded between when I signed up, and the end date, which rather hampered my abilities to send my package. I let my swap buddy Mary Beth know that I wouldn't be able to send her a package and that I didn't expect her to still send me one. Well, she sent me one anyway!



She's a homeschooling mama with a rambunctious lad to keep tabs on, so it took her a little while longer to send me the package. I received it just after New Years, a special mid-winter surprise! It was filled with such amazing things. The cedar smudge, jay feather and delicate shell all have a home on my precious-things table now. (I may or may not have spent a few minutes just sniffing the cedar.)

These two jars of homemade jam were great. One is blackberry-lavender and the other is thimbleberry. I'd never so much as heard of a thimbleberry before... but man was that jam tasty! I'm treating it like precious gold at the moment, parceling it out carefully at the times when I can enjoy it properly.




She also sent along some reusable cotton napkins, which she sells here along with oodles of other groovy reusable goodies and baby-friendly gear. And the dried mushrooms! How awesome that these were hand-picked by someone on the other side of the continent. I can imagine she and her son in a forest, hunting them down. So great! I haven't used them yet, since I want to find the perfect recipe, but I love mushrooms and so look forward to eating these.



I was also the happy recipient of some nasturtium seeds! I'm going to attempt to grow a few, and I've promised a few to my mother and another plant-loving friend. I don't trust myself to plant them all! I've never grown anything from a seed before, and since I have a hard enough time keeping full-grown plants alive, it's probably better this way.



I think the most fun part of the package-opening was taking all these lovely bits of sea glass and tiny marine fossils out of a little sac. I've never so much as as seen the ocean, it's amazing that these little things have been places and traveled distances I probably never will.

Of course now I have a renewed desire to send her something after getting all these wonderful things! If receiving gifts is good, giving them is even better so far as I'm concerned. Spread the love, right? (I've got goodies in mind for her soon too, wee!) I hope you're all having a great week. Cheers!

Flippant

I am resigned to there always being a flippy cowlick in my bangs. Try as I might, they resist my every attempt at flip-reversal and stubbornly sit there defiantly curling out and away. Ah well... at least it keeps my left eye clear of hair!

Lynx-fang earrings - Purchased from Aranea Designs on Etsy
Necklace - Won from Anika Burke
Top - Old Navy boxing week sale $6

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Shoes - Payless

I'm rather surprised it's taken me this long to post photos of this skirt. I thrifted it quite a while back and I wear it nearly once a week. It's actually one of my favourites now just because of its flow and how it moves. It has lots of flounce! If it's the weekend and I find myself stumped as to what to wear, I often reach for this skirt and a simple comfy top.



These cost me $30 and finally filled the black high-heel gap I had in my wardrobe. I've got a pair of low black wedges but I needed a good ridiculously high tottering pair too! And these fit the bill perfectly, and for a decent price. I just can't justify spending tons of money on shoes anymore. (I'd rather spend it on delectable cheeses, or craft supplies!)

I want to buy used/thrifted or handmade when it comes to what I wear. As much as I may want some of the gorgeous tops, skirts and dresses I see in so many online shops... And as often as I put them in my virtual shopping carts, I just can't do it. I cannot part with my money for those things when I know I can go to the thrift store and (if I'm lucky) find something comparable - or something completely unexpected - that will bring me as much pleasure for way less money.

Of course I'm wearing a new top in these photos, but I only paid $6 for it, which is comparable to a thrift store. I'm totally comfortable shelling out a considerable sum when the item is of high quality though. If I know I'm paying $200 for something that I will still own 5 years from now (my rational on buying expensive winter boots) I can deal with that. But my mall-shopping days are done, methinks.

It's snowing like mad again here, calling for a good 10cm/3" of snow just today. Which is too bad because they just finished clearing the roads and sidewalks near my apartment. I can't wait for Spring! I hope you all have a good Tuesday. Cheers!

"C" is for Crafts

I love me some crafty goodness. My most recent new project was making secret book boxes for some friends of mine. What better than a secret book-nook? I didn't take any photos during the process, but it was really simple. I say simple, and not easy. Cutting out all those pages was hard, time-intensive work!



My old room mate loves Sherlock Holmes, and when I handed him the book he looked at the spine and exclaimed happily. Then he opened it and exclaimed in happy surprise! They both really loved them, which made me happy. They're not exactly the prettiest looking things, rather rough around the edges, but I think I did good for my first ever attempts!



All the tutorials I read either left the inside raw (which I thought was ugly, and messy) or used the cut-out pages to papier-macher a layer over the raw edges. I opted for a felt-lined interior. It helped that I had felt leftover from my Halloween costume. The tutorials also said not to try using a softcover, because you would cut through the bottom. Folks, ain't no way that's happening unless you are crafting with your brain in your pocket.



I enjoyed making these, and I might make more in the future. They're a neat gift, and are so easily personalized.The only thing I'd do differently is leave more intact pages at the beginning, and use a glue stick to glue down the last top page instead of liquid glue.

My next project, I have decided, will be spoon rests! You know, those things you lay your spoon on while cooking so you don't get sauce all over the counter or stove. I want to try making some really funky ones out of resin with nifty inlayed items. Sparkly spoon-rest anyone?



Tomorrow my friends are coming over for a late potluck brunch. I'm excited! Good food, great people, what more can a girl ask for? Then Sunday I'm heading to Church (no, I have not discovered the Lord) with my grandparents, going to a community breakfast and then doing some thrifting. A busy, happy weekend for me. I hope you all have a really great weekend too! Cheers!

The Last

As the title says, these are the last photos of me before I had my bangs. I really like how this sweater is practically the same green as in the skirt. I have to be careful when thrifting though, otherwise my entire wardrobe would be some variation of that shade. It's like my natural instinct is to collect clothes that let me camouflage into the underbrush haha...

Sweater - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Tights - We Love Colours

Shoes - Spring

I look forward to the day I can take outfit photos outside again. I hate these indoor shots. The quality is bad, the lighting is bad... bad! I miss natural sunlight, and not worrying about the flash making my tights glow. The only real advantage is the lack of wind. Can't wait for winter to be over and it's barely begun, sigh.

These next two photos are from an outfit that never really happened. But how do I have photos, you ask? Well I picked it all out the night before and tried it on to see if it worked. I decided I liked it, took some shots... And then the next day I wound up staying home sick and the outfit was never actually worn. Which is a good thing because I don't really like it anymore. But here it is anyway!

This week feels interminably long again. I have a thousand things to do in the evenings and it seems like I've never got time to do everything that needs doing. I wind up in bed later than I like most nights just so I can actually have the time to unwind and breathe.

I really want to go through my closet and dresser. I want to empty all my kitchen cupboards and reorganize those. I have a huge pile of small-mending that needs doing. Things I need a big chunk of time to sit down and devote myself to before I feel comfortable getting into them. I'll need to have a home-weekend and get all this done sometime.

I realized yesterday that my apartment lease ends in April, and that means I can move again. And I don't have to stay in Ottawa. Winter always makes me want to run away, but every time I get the urge, it's always stronger. I really love living in the city, but I miss the country. I want a simple life. Simple isn't easy, but it seems a lot better than this. Anyway! I hope you all have a good Wednesday. Cheers!

Wearing Love

Behold! My bangs! In their full banging glory! My hair is really light and whispy though, so most of the time they're usually flying about as I walk around. But ah well! I dig 'em. I'm even sooort of starting to become fond of the flippy cowlick thing it's got going on sometimes.

Capelet - Gift

Long sleeve top - Old Navy

Dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Flats - Ardene's

Before I say anything else though, I must speak of this capelet! It was made by hand especially for me by my grandfather's wife, Jane. She gifted it to me not long before Christmas. I actually wore this outfit on the Friday I spent with them before New Years, and I've been wearing it a lot around the house. It's so light and soft and snuggly and I love it ever so much.

I can't believe how lucky I was to find this dress! It has the prettiest detail at the gathering point, a sturdy crocheted circle. I just wish I'd thought to take a close-up photo. Another time!

The hairdresser convinced me to add some layers into my hair, and I'm happy I trusted her! I cut a good 4 inches off the back. I really love my long hair, but it had been getting a little too long for me, at least without doing anything to it. I'll be more attentive in my hair-care as it lengthens time this.

I'm having friends over for a sort of potluck brunch on Saturday, which I'm really looking forward to. Our friend Phil is bringing his lady-friend with him and it'll be my first time meeting her, which should be fun. I love meeting new people, especially when I get to feed them tasty foods to help win them over heehee.

It's too bad two of my friends are vegan, and another can't eat gluten. It makes feeding the group a wee bit complicated. Hence the potluck factor, so I'm not completely responsible if anybody starves hah. (Like I'd let that happen, psh!)

Tomorrow I'm going over to my old room mate's place to have dinner with he and his fiance. I find it rather amusing, but I'm realizing that most people with whom I spend my time are at least in their 30's. Mark and Helen are both in their late 30's, and I'm very good friends with a lovely divorced lady in her 40's. And other than 2 of my friends on Saturday, the rest of our gang is all 30 and up.

I really like surrounding myself with smart, experienced people though, and I guess that's part of why my friendships gravitate towards the more mature. I get a little lost in the conversations sometimes, but I usually also walk away with some new knowledge. And what's the point of a relationship if nobody shares or gains anything, right?

It feels like it should be Thursday. Somehow. All the shortened weeks I had over the holidays have me feeling a little kerfuffled. I hope you all have a groovy Tuesday. Cheers!

The land of Ice and Snow

It gets cold here. And I mean cold. Like, get severe frostbite if your hands are bare for more than 5 minutes kind of cold. Like, your breath is condensing and freezing on your eyelashes kind of cold. Like, worrying about whether or not your eyeballs can get frostbite and wishing you could knit yourself eye-mittens kind of cold. Okay well. Maybe that last one is just me. But folks. Cold. Which is why I spend most of my winter looking like this.

Wool coat - Thrifted from Value Village

Dress (it's there!) - Thrifted from the Salvation Army
Hoodie - Fairweather

Orange scarf - From a swap
Hat - Gift from mom

Wool thigh-high leg warmers - AdoreIt in the Byward Market

Boots - Payless

And this isn't even how I dress when it gets really cold. I have an entire other coat and boots for when it gets really cold. Although I don't think I'd be able to stand indoors long enough wearing all of that to take photos without melting. Which is why I'm not wearing mittens in this photo. I'd have melted.

On the plus side, after a few days of intensely cold temperatures, just-below-freezing is starting to feel kinda warm! I wished so bad I could have been snowshoeing Saturday night. The sky was clear and the moon bright and full. It would have been perfect for snowshoeing across a snow-covered field. I hope you all have a great Monday. Cheers!