Smurf Legs

The thought didn't cross my mind that blue tights and white shoes might resemble Smurfs when I left my apartment that morning, but it definitely popped up later. I've added the idea of being Smurfette as a Halloween costume to the back of my brain now. I can also tell you that having electric blue legs gets you stared at. A lot. Which is pretty darned amusing!

 

Dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Tights - We Love Colours

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village

I've been having a wonderful week, even if the weather does feel a bit like Mother Nature is going through menopause... We keep having freakishly warm days, like hot flashes! On Monday I went for a walk along the Ottawa river and it was so warm and lovely out that I didn't even need a jacket, but the last few days have been windy and bitter in comparison. Today's another weird warm day!

 

The recent week has brought me close to new people in my life and I'm exploring some really deep, genuine connections. It feels like I'm 'leveling up' in terms of my social abilities, and finally attracting the kind of people I want in my life. Positive, open, caring, honest, selfless people. On two separate occasions this week I've been told that it's amazing how laid back and understanding I am, and how amazing my willingness to see others' view points and take the time to actually listen and hear someone out really is. I still have a long way to go before I'm satisfied with the way I interact with others, but I'm very pleased with the recent advances! I feel like I'm finally getting back everything I've been putting out, and it's just encouraging me to give out even more love and friendship and understanding.

I've got my belly dance class this evening and then my friend Laura and I - who a few months ago was a stranger in class to whom I bravely introduced myself - are going to go enjoy a pitcher afterward. I've also got my mind on some tasty tacos and poutine too, I think! It'll be great to catch up on our weeks; I have plenty of happy things to share with her. I hope you're all having a great week. Cheers!

Good Days

While I have to admit I've recently spent a lot of time feeling anxious and frightened in regards to my future, I still have had quite a few good days. Or at least periods of goodness within my days. My belly dance class is a weekly highlight for me, as are my Tuesday dinners with my grandparents. This past Saturday was a very good day from end to end though, from waking moment to hitting the pillow. With a warm, sunny day ahead of me, I took the opportunity to wear this gorgeous India cotton wrap skirt that the ever wonderful Anne gifted me.

 

Blouse - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Gift from Anne

Shoes - Hush Puppies 50% off from Sears

I was reading Medicinal Marzipan's weekly Body Loving Blogosphere post today, and there was a link to another great post titled An Ode To Real Women. I really enjoyed it and just wanted to share. Too often you hear people say that a 'real woman' only looks such-and-such a way or behaves in such-and-such a manner, while this ode brings home the point that we are all real women regardless of our differences. That's just something I think more women - and men - should hear!

When my boots kicked the bucket last week, I had to find myself new walking shoes. I absolutely loathe and despise sneakers and running shoes. Seriously, how stupid do they look with a pretty dress?! I am stubborn and refuse to wear them, but this makes finding good walking shoes rather difficult. I'd spent over an hour - which is a lot so far as I'm concerned - scouring the shoe shops at a nearby mall. Nada. In a last ditch attempt I checked out the Clearance section at Sears and snagged these for 50% off their original $124.99 sticker price. Yoink! They've got a thick sole to cushion my feet, no weird parts to dig into or compress my toes, and they are just what I needed until it gets warm enough to break out my sandals. I'm not sure how I'll deal with rain, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.



I love the print on this skirt! And it's actually long enough to wrap around me without worrying about somehow flashing somebody when a gust of wind comes along, or when I sit down. Actually, I was scrabbling around the locks on the Rideau Canal dressed like this - with a certain amusing long haired fellow - and the skirt did a great job keeping up with my nuttiness while allowing for modesty. Methinks this skirt shall be worn a lot.

I hadn't realized my camera was still zoomed in when I took this first photo, but it turned out to be the one I liked most out of all of them. I recently started a completely different makeup routine with new mineral products from a seller on Etsy. I didn't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money on fancy mineral makeup when I knew I could be getting the same, if not better, quality from someone making the product by hand. not to mention knowing my money is going directly to that person. After inspecting over half a dozen sellers, I settled on Earth Angel Minerals. I bought a sample pack of 20 and I love the products. I've already got plans to buy full sizes of eyeshadow colours and to try out plenty more in sample size - which are generous enough to last me at least two or three months! There's an Eye Brightener which I swear is magic in a jar. (These are my own uncompensated opinions, fyi!)

I've recently gotten the idea of henna-ing my hair stuck in my head. Specifically I'm thinking of using Lush' Caca Rouge and maybe going a deep red-ginger colour. I have never dyed my hair with anything, ever. Not a once. So this would be a very drastic change for me. And you can't really undo the deed once you've henna'd your hair, it's basically live with it or chop it off. I do know that my current hair colour would probably let the red really come out bright and strong, which is what I want. But I'm not certain it would suit me. What do you all think? Have any of you ever henna'd your hair before?

I hope you all had a good weekend. I danced myself silly on Friday night, and my Saturday was fantastic. It was filled with coffee drinking at the Raw Sugar Cafe, wanderings around Dow's Lake, chinese takeout from my favourite place, an intense Super Mario battle and the watching of Labyrinth. All this topped off with some awesome hugs. Twice, because he forgot something and had to come back. Then Sunday I did more solo wandering around the lake and baked some peanut butter banana chocolate chip muffins. I'm seeing the lad again this evening which promises to be wonderful. I hope you're all having a great Monday! Cheers!

While I Still Can

The weather is quickly warming up, and soon enough it's going to be too warm to go around in polyester dresses and wool tights. Okay, so I still wear the polyester dresses in warm weather (I sweat it out, there's no avoiding it) but this particular dress doesn't exactly scream summer, you know? So I'm getting my wears in now!

 

Dress - Gift from Heather

Wool Tights - Fancy Sox

Shoes - Payless

I cannot express my dislike for my bangs right now. They are crooked, and misbehaving and bleh. Evil bangs. I think I've fallen out of love and I want to grow them out again. We shall see.  I do know I prefer this dress with black tights and shoes. I wore it back during winter with grey tights and brown booties and I like this better. I still want to get some black flats though, these heels kill my feet.

 

I'm so happy it's Friday! Yay for the weekend! I'm going to dance my crazy butt off tonight, enjoy tomorrow's warm sunny day and do lots of relaxing and being happy. I hope you all have a great weekend too! Cheers!

Just Another Day

This week feels interminable. I'll be sitting here at 9am and it'll feel like it should already be late afternoon! My work hours drag on endlessly, and my home time goes by in a blink. My frog was singing this morning as I got ready for work, but I didn't have time to linger and listen. I feel bad for the little guy, all on his lonesome now. Once I'm certain it's warm enough outside, I think I'm going to release him in the wild and he can go back to being a wild froggy again and have little froggy buddies to sing with too.

  

Blouse - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village

Today is the first day I wear this new-to-me button down sleeveless top. It was one of the things I picked up while thrifting a few weeks ago.  I have a feeling it's going to get a lot of wear because its print incorporates a lot of colours that are popular in my wardrobe. I took these photos last evening, before ever actually wearing the outfit, which explains lack of rings or earrings. Since I have belly dance class tonight, and I need to go buy myself new walking shoes again (I keep having shoe disasters) I knew I wouldn't have time to document it today.

 

I'm excited for dance class, and to dance with the jingle-belt my wonderful grandparents got me for Easter. I just hope I can find some sturdy hiking boots or something, I'm tired of wearing cheap footwear that dies on me. The zip on my leather boots gave out this week and it's not worth replacing since I've nearly walked the heel into nonexistence. Again.

I'm also very excited to go dancing on Friday and to finally see my friend Becky, the one returning from Africa. And I think I'm going on a coffee-date with a long-haired fellow on Saturday but I haven't planned things out that far ahead yet haha. I hope you're all having a good week. Cheers!

Zing

If I had to describe my recent fashion escapades, I'd say they all have a little zing to them. I got plenty of compliments from the ladies in my social group when I showed up for our monthly tea meetup dressed like this. And yes, those two weird bits dangling out of my nostrils are my septum piercing, I've started wearing it down again occasionally.

Blouse - Gift from Heather

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village

I'm still not thrilled with what's going on with my bangs. My hair and I are just not getting along. I have at least managed to grow out the annoying part that has the cowlick, so that's mostly a non-issue now. Some more growing and a trim everywhere should help things out.

 

My Easter long-weekend was pretty quiet. I had a lovely dinner with family on Sunday but I didn't do much the rest of the time, apart from the ladies social. I'm going to my grandparents' after work for our weekly supper tonight, and I'm really looking forward to this week's belly dance class. I was too sick to dance last week, and my grandparents' got me an awesome jingle-belt for Easter so I'm excited to jingle as I dance now. I hope you all had a great weekend and are having a good week. Cheers!

Red Hot Shoes

I can go outside again! It's finally not bitter cold outside! It's supposed to be gorgeous all weekend, which is great, although it's too bad I'm still a little under the weather. This cold really kicked me when I was down and I spent a few days feeling really rough and not even leaving my apartment. Today's the first day I really feel 'normal' again, although not quite back up to full speed.

Tunic - Thrifted from Value Village 

Jeggings - Hue 

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village

I caved and bought myself some jeggings. The odds of my wearing them as actual pants is pretty slim and this is probably the closest to that I will get. I'm still just really not comfortable with everybody being able to see every single curve and cranny, you know? However I am totally comfortable rocking these killer shoes. Red suede for the win! I scored these when thrifting with my friends Kirsten and Omar last Friday. I was happy to trot them out for a late breakfast with my grandparents today.

 

Things are going to be changing big time for me, in the next several months. I was notified a few days ago that the library in which I work will be closed in April of 2013, part of the recent sweeping budget cuts the Canadian Government has passed. My position will no longer be necessary, and this puts me in a special place. Long story short, I can either have them try to find me another job when the library closes, or I can take a large lump sum of money as well more optional money for education.

 

 

I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself yet, except that the 2nd option seems to be the one I will take. I really hate my current job and if I can get out, with a nice chunk of money, that sure looks good to me. I hope you are all having a really fantastic Easter weekend for those who celebrate, and a good regular one for those who don't! Cheers!

Psychedelicized

Hey everybody! I am so sorry... I guess I just sort of wandered off for a few weeks. I don't have any valid excuses. There was some gorgeous weather, and I wore some really cute outfits. But I was lazy and didn't take any photos. And then I got sick. So maybe I do have an excuse, here at the tail end of things. Technically I am still sick, and I am in these photos too - I took 'em on Saturday - but the dress had me all excited and that overpowered everything else.

Dress - Gift from Anne

Belt - Aeropostal sale, $5

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village

I received the most amazing package from the wonderful Anne over at A Cup Full of Sunshine. It was full of goodies, including a hand knit neck warmer (it snowed a few days ago, maybe I'll be able to wear it after all) and oodles of lovely clothes. This dress took the cake though, that's for sure. Anne said in her note that she saw it and instantly thought of me, and I understand why! The minute I laid my eyes on this baby it was love.

Is that not the most obnoxiously bright and cheerful print you've ever seen? Just looking at it cheers me right up. It's almost like wearing the frozen scene from a kaleidoscope. And of course it's all the more special to me because it was a gift from Anne. I was blessed not so long ago by a package from Heather. These are both women who've never met me in person, and yet they sent me packages without prompting, absolutely filled with love and tenderness and warmth.

The tattoo on my back reads "J'ai la force pour tour surmonter" or "I have the strength to overcome anything". It was a tattoo I got pretty spur of the moment when I was 19. I don't regret it, but putting more thought into it would have been a good idea. Eventually I either want to add minimalist pine trees and autumnal coloured trees, or cover it with a nightscape of a pond and northern lights.

I thrifted these white shoes on Friday. They. Are. Amazing. It's like walking on marshmallows. They are so comfy. I wore them the entirety of Saturday... even though I never left my apartment! If I'm staying home, I usually don't wear any makeup, so this is my face without an ounce of makeup on it. I actually think I look quite good without makeup most of the time.

I'm also not wearing a bra here. Which for me is pretty damn rare. Even if it (supposedly) looks okay, I don't usually feel comfortable without one but for some reason in this dress it was totally okay. And I'd happily go out in public just like this, makeup-free face and all. I am going to try harder not to disappear for so long again. I hope you're all having a good week! Cheers!