Oh Fortune

Oh Fortune- Dan Mangan

This is the shirt that you got a preview of in the swap photos, the one that I did not think I could pull off  as I usually feel overwhelmed in tops that can also be used to steal watermelons. But the beading is beautiful and the fabric is slightly dupioni silk-ish so I had to give it a whirl. Plus, it's a swap item. It's hardly like I'm out of pocket for going out of my comfort zone! So a big thank you to the lovely Mina for sharing this beauty with me!

And what would you know? Throw a skinny belt on it (look! I have a waist!) and some high-waisted wool shorts, along with my favourite glasses, and I felt pretty gamine and, dare I say, French! 

Beaded Blouse- Mina, Black Wool Shorts- H&M, Wedge Espadrilles- Gap, Black Belt- Vintage, Faux Bans- Superstore/DIY

Aaaaand I just had to add in this last shot as it looks like I'm about to board a boat or something... Ahoy Captain? 

You're welcome for the giggle! :) 

So now I'm off to scoot over a few provinces and visit the pretty prairies for a week, it's my first time back since moving to BC in January and I'm quite excited! A lot has changed since then and I'm thrilled to be able to catch up with some of my nearest and dearest for real!

Bon voyage!

xxx

Half of Something Else

Half of Something Else- The Airborne Toxic Event

What does one wear when it's sweltering hot and they don't have a/c? Since I have a couple neighbours who are a little too close for the answer to be a bathing suit, I threw on the little sundress that I borrowed from the ever-lovely Cara over at A Fashion Love Affair and was very content! 

Last weekend was a nice little blur of hikes, reading, wandering the city and cooking tasty foods... basically I'm soaking up my summer freedom as much as I can before drowning in homework, essays and GPA stress come September! 

Navajo Print Dress- Swapped with Cara, Belt and Watch- Thrifted, Wood Sandals- Pierre Hardy for Gap, Clutch- Old Navy, Assorted Bracelets

And to continue on this lovely little relaxation trip, I'm heading out after work tonight to meet up with some of my favourite Vancouver bloggers for dinner. I'm so excited for the evening of chats, food and fashion with these pretty ladies!  

love

xxx

I Hear the Bells

I Hear the Bells- Mike Doughty

Man, I feel like a woman!

(Yes, I do intend to start every post with an iconic line from 90's music. You're welcome.)

I've been crushing on a tutu skirt since I was 5*, so when Cee brought out this little beauty at the swap I pretty much leapt over the table to grab it. And since it's been in my hands I've found countless loveable outfits to wear it with. 

*Seriously. Imagine my 5 year old disappointment when I found out that ballet classes don't automatically mean tutus. 

Blue Button Up- Zara, Tutu Skirt- Courtesy of Cee!, Grey Suede Heels- Nine West, Pink Necklace- FXXI, Gold Bracelets- Le Chateau, Turquoise Ring- Aldo

After much deliberation I decided to take photos of the skirt with my favourite blouse, putting a very "me" spin on this swap item. I also twisted it around, something about a bow at the small of the back makes me smile and feel supremely girly! 

love

xxx

Lovefool

Lovefool- The Cardigans

Dear, I feel we're facing a problem. 

This skirt is just too much fun to play dress-up with and yet it is not mine! The lovely Mina of Faboulista lent it to me at the last blogger swap we had. It definitely adds more junk in the trunk which can pose a problem, but it's also crazy soft and slinky and with a fitted top looks quite breezy. 

I was originally going to pair it with something sleek, a black cami and a heavy necklace, but when it accidentally slipped next to this floral tank I just went with it. It definitely takes the skirt in a more fun and flirty way, which is the perfect mood for summer! 

Blue Drape Skirt- Mina's, Floral Tank- Banana Republic, Black Platform Shoes- Le Chateau, Black Studded Belt- Gap, Watch- Guess

And since I've been working like a dog (surprise Louise! Handing in your two weeks notice when you still have four weeks to go, not so smart.) I'm going to keep this short and sweet. 

Hope you're having a swell week lovelies!

love

xxx

Letters

Letters- Lemolo

I'm a planner, a list maker, a play by the rules kind of girl. Spontaneous trips to places I've never been just don't happen for me.

But I also thought I didn't like avocados for the first 20 years of my life, and lately I can't get enough (guac and sangria on a Thursday night? Best. Ever.) So, when a friend called up to see if I wanted to go on a road trip this weekend out to the Okanagan... well, why not? 

And wouldn't you know, it was a total blast. Maybe I need to step out of my comfort zones more often! 

Felt Panama Hat- Pendleton via 3 Vets, Taupe Cardigan- J. Crew, Black Cami- FXXI, Cut-off Shorts- American Eagle, Booties- Liz Claiborne via Winners

And I found my hat! 

For the beauties that follow me on Twitter you'll know that I've spent the better part of the last few months on a hunt for a felt panama hat, in the style of Rag & Bone... but at a fraction of the price! I was directed to the camping/outdoor enthusiast store 3 Vets a few weeks ago and finally got a chance to stop in. 

And there it was, this Pendleton piece of perfection. I cannot wait to style it up for Fall!

love

xxx

Terrible Love

Terrible Love- The National

Oh how much I love this little lace dress! 

And since coming to the conclusion that every Fall lace, leopard print and red will be in "in style" I don't think my love will fade any time soon. That reminds me, cost per wear justification calculations, I love you too.

Lace Dress- American Apparel, Grey Suede Heels- Nine West, Black Belt- Vintage, Blush Necklace- FXXI, Pink Clutch- Aldo, Assorted Bracelets

Aaaand this is a view that you just don't get in rural Manitoba...

My lace dress took me to a fancy dress, champagne bubbly birthday party for a friend that was so much better because we were high up in a pretty city watching the sunset and eating tiramisu cake.

Be jealous, very jealous.

love

xxx 

Swell Swaps!

(L-R Cara, Mina, Jen, Me, Cee)
How adorable are all of these ladies?
I felt so bad showing up at Cee's little Parisian flat for our second Blogger Swap being such a ball of tiredness. I'd just spent 5 1/2 hours in a hot car driving back from the Okanagan, hence the low key hair and flip flops. But I wasn't about to miss out on this fun and I'm so glad I didn't!

Cee, of Coco & Vera, and her adorable fella are the sweetest couple who graciously hosted the swap again. This time we had Cara of A Fashion Love Affair, Mina of Faboulista and Jen of Her Waise Choice. There was a ton of fashion talk, clothes swapping and blog talks- and again I left feeling so excited and inspired! There's nothing like meeting up with like-minded people who also happen to be crazy nice!
(photos courtesy of Cee's husband)

Showing vintage finds! 

Deciding if this blouse reads as "I just stole a watermelon" on me or cute and swingy (verdicts still out, but you'll see it in an upcoming post and can weigh in!) 

As I was just bumming around for the day I didn't grab actual outfit shots, but my dad did snap this photo while we were out for brunch at Silverstar in Vernon. I'm loving the versatility of this lace blouse, paired with cut off shorts it's super casual but with a cute skirt it goes quite high brow!

love

xxx

The Deep End

The Deep End- Hannah Georgas

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel content? 

Let me tell you, this day could've gone mighty sour... too little sleep from the late night before, messy hair and a five hour roadtrip should've made me cranky. Very cranky. 

But you know what, coffee is a saviour, braids and dry shampoo work wonders and BC is so jaw-droppingly gorgeous that it's hard to not get excited while driving through it. 

So my five hour trip to the Okanagan, to hang with my pops, was a success. The outfit photos I had my dad take on the other hand were not. Poor guy, he really needed a son! 

Instead I snapped these photos with a make-shift tripod under the curious eye of the other hotel residents.

 Awkward and awesome! 

Black Cami- H&M, Blue Skirt- Vintage, Brown Belt- Thrifted, Gold Flip-Flops and Cat Eye Sunglasses- Aldo, Various Arm Parties- H&M, Le Chateau and DIY

Plus, I discovered that long skirts are the. best. things to wear for a long car trip. 

Trust me. 

And this discovery probably impacted the content feeling, in a pretty major way!

love

xxx

Beg Steal or Borrow

Beg Steal or Borrow- Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs

I have big news. Big, scary, keeping-me-up-at-night news. (no! I'm not pregnant!) 

I quit my 9-5 office job and am going back to school. That's right, at the ripe young age of 24 I've finally come into my own and figured out what I want to do, and now I just need to do it. 

I am so scared. 

But also so excited!! 

And you will be seeing a whole new level of thrifting and remixing on this old blog now... 

There, now you're scared and excited too! ;)

Teal Flutter Blouse- H&M, Dark Skinnies- J.Crew, Grey Suede Pumps- Nine West (Outlet baby!), Various Bracelets, Nerd Glasses-  I'm gonna call this DIY/Superstore :)

To celebrate the re-education I donned my faux-bans and tied my hair up, I felt this looked "smart". But then, since it's art school, I whipped out the bright coral lipstick and sequin bracelets... I hear those art-kids are crazy like that. 

Big Love!!

xxx

Comeback Kid

Comeback Kid- Brett Dennen

It has just been gorgeous here! Beach bumming and cute little dresses have been necessities, especially when they're as cute as this little one that I borrowed from the lovely Veronika over at Girl & Closet at the last blogger swap. 

I love that she last wore it on her blog back in March, when Vancouver was quite a bit colder. She added a lace shirt underneath, tights, flats... and looked utterly adorable! I had fun playing off the flower colours in it and added bright happy heels, poppy lips and (my current staple) wrap and sequin bracelets! 

Dress- Borrowed from Veronika, Yellow Heels and Taupe Belt- Aldo, Various Bracelets- Club Monaco, Le Chateau, H&M, DIY

I actually wore this outfit last Sunday for an evening at English Bay, and despite almost getting a soccer ball kicked at my head (thankfully it hit my shoulder and I got to pretend to be cool/co-ordinated) (sarcasm*) the evening was pretty fun. And the dress was perfect for it, swapping is kinda awesome- I highly recommend trying it out with your friends! 

love

xxx

Instagraming A Week

Hey guys!

So there I was two weeks ago, scheduling posts and feeling mighty proud of myself (there may have been some back patting on my part..) Well I had posts lined up until last Monday and figured that I was awesome enough to be able to put together just one more post during the week. Hah. Oh how I lie to myself sometimes! 

That makes this is my make-up post! And with E. in town this past week there were tons of opportunities for Instagram photos!

Have you guys found the beauty that is Instagram? I think I may love it more than Nutella. Whoa.

And I definitely used it a lot last week! We hung out at the Aquarium (where we met the most photogenic dolphin ever!), indulged in lattes and scrumptious chocolates from Coco Nymph, plus so much Pinkberry and beach bumming! 

I hope you all had just as lovely of a summer week- and as you can see the sun has finally finally found it's way out West. Oh how I missed the smell of sunscreen! 

love

xxx