Guest Post- Brooke Meagan Jones

Hello Loves! I had to take a break this week from blogging, and figured it would be the perfect time to introduce you to my beautiful friend Brooke! She was kind enough to write a guest post for the Sparrow and I love that she wore the sweater that we both just happen to own. Smart girl this one. 

love xxx

Wearing: Sweater- Old Navy (now $30)

Hi everyone! My name is Brooke and I blog over at Brooke Meagan Jones. I'm very excited to be coming to you today from Louise's prairie hometown. I'm the one she left behind. Sigh.... 

 Anyway, I really enjoyed Louise's recent post about the satisfaction you can get out of shopping your closet, re-wearing items, and getting creative with your wardrobe. When I noticed that Louise and I have a cozy sweater in common, I knew it would be a great opportunity to show just how much I can relate to re-wearing items and just how versatile a simple sweater can be. Last week, Louise paired her sweater with a gorgeous blue skirt, and today, I'm sharing with you three totally different ways I've already worn the exact same piece. Sweater season is only just getting started, and this little beauty has already proven its worth. I'm one satisfied closet shopper! 

What pieces are you remixing this fall?

Good Life

Good Life- OneRepublic

Last weekend Cee of Coco and Vera hosted a lovely little birthday and swap party, how perfect is that? 

A group of my favourite Vancouver bloggers came and we caught up, ate cake (home made by Cee's wonderful husband!) and picked out some new goodies to style. 

Plus she handed out little tiaras that were just so much fun!

The September birthday babies, Jen, me and Cee!

Poses in the park!

L-R Alicia, Lynn, Cee, Alex, Jen, me, Veronika, Cara

Outfit: Red Sweater (similar) and Gold Necklace- Joe Fresh, Floral Skirt (similar) and Bracelets- Le Chateau, Oxford Heels- Mellow Yellow (France), Belt- Vintage

Camel heels galore!

Photo credits to the patient husbands Ian and David

And I just want to say a big thank you for bearing with my absence these past few weeks! I still haven't worked out this new routine and homework is just piling up, then when you're the hugest klutz in the world and spill water on your beloved laptop you end up losing your day-off to wringing your fingers at the Genius Bar.

But I promise that I will be replying and checking in with all your lovely blogs soon, it's breaking my heart that it's been so long already! 

love

xxx

The Writer

The Writer- Ellie Goulding

I'm quite in love with these clothes swaps that we've been having over here in Vancouver. It gives you a chance to try on a style that you'd always admired, but could never justify jumping off the deep end for. 

Take this gorgeous velvet blazer. I've always been a sucker for textures, J Crew and classic styles (I don't know why I hadn't leapt before...) so when Cee pulled out this beauty I bounded across the room and happily gave it a new temporary home! 

Luckily fall eventually did arrive so I pulled on a few layers, my skinny cafe trousers and wiggled around my apartment like an extra from Mad Men.

Oh, don't even pretend you've never done that! 

Green Velvet Blazer- Cee's (similar), Leopard Print Cardigan- Ricki's (similar), Black Skinny's- H&M (similar), Nude Heels- Aldo, Gold Necklace- Joe Fresh, Brown Belt- Vintage

Luckily some of the lovely Vancouver bloggers got together for a swap, cupcakes and a chat this past weekend (pretty photos to come!) 

So I have some new goodies to dress up and can't wait to try out a few new styles.

I hope you all had awesome weekends too!

love

xxx

Rumours

Rumours- Fleetwood Mac

Hola! 

I know, it's been forever! And I have no excuse. Lets chalk it up to travelling, soaking up summer, finishing my job and starting a new chapter of my life. Hmm... ok, those sound suspiciously like excuses. Forgive me? 

And these photos are hella overdue, but they're too much fun to not share! We're getting quite the awesome little blogging community out here in Van and the other night (okay, almost 2 weeks ago!) we met up at the cute Gastown restaurant Cobre for food, sangria and the requisite fashion talk!  

There was the usual suspects of Cara of A Fashion Love Affair, Cee of Coco and Vera, Mina of Faboulista and Alex (our lovely organizer!) from To Vogue or Bust and also a few beautiful new faces like Melissa of Miss Melissa, Jen from Prairie Girl in the City and Lynn of Hearted Girl (who I can't believe I didn't grab a snap of, seriously a huge sweetheart!) 

From L-R Cara, Melissa, Alexandra, Cee, Jen, Mina and moi!

I'm wearing: Blue Skirt- Banana Republic, Polka Dot Top- Urban Outfitters, Grey Suede Heels- Nine West, Straw Clutch- Vintage

Oh and I'm sure you'll all be happy to know, my outfit that night was "Lady of the Night" approved... 

So, there's that.

And, on an unrelated note, I may follow my gut rather than google maps from now on when it's trying to lead me down places called "Blood Alley"...

All in all though it was a wonderful night, I'm really quite a lucky girl to live in such a pretty city with so many other fashion obsessed ladies! 

love

xxx

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

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

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

The Golden Age

The Golden Age- The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Since moving out west, one of the things I’ve missed most has been the blogger/fashion meet-ups I used to have with my lovely friends Brooke and Monique. It was always so refreshing and inspiring to chat with fellow bloggers who get how much time and dedication goes into our “hobbies”. Plus, it didn't hurt that we usually had a good glass of wine and awesome food to keep us company!

So imagine my delight in finding an even larger group of fashion bloggers out here in Vancouver. Each one with their own voice, style and lovely little quirks! We met up for a picnic in Stanley park last Sunday, during one of Vancouver’s first sunny days, and spent many hours chatting, eating and basically all getting girl-crushes on each other! 

At the meet-up there was Cara of A Fashion Love Affair

Alexandra of To Vogue or Bust

Cee of Coco and Vera, also our coordinator- so major props to her for such a great job!

Alicia of Alicia Fashionista

Veronika of Girl & Closet

Mina of Faboulista

Wearing- Chambray Button Up- American Eagle, Gray Maxi Skirt- Aritzia, Wood Platforms- Pierre Hardy for Gap, Leather Wrap Bracelet- H&M, DIY Bracelet- Right here!

These girls are awesome- smart, funny, and stylish... you'd kinda want to hate them, if they weren't so nice! I can't wait for our blogger date, it sounds like it's going to be pretty awesome! 

Blogging can be a pretty independent world, and, being a social person, this can drive me a little crazy. But after our picnic I was brimming with inspiration and couldn’t wait to tweak the blog and post new photos… too bad my internet company decided to forget to send me a modem. Hmph. It’s been a week sans internet, keep your fingers crossed the darn thing shows up on Monday!

love

xxx

p.s GO CANUCKS GO!!!!