Category :Sweaters

A Little Bit Closer

Sweater – made by my Babcia
Dress – Ruche
Tights – F21
Shoes – Payless
I love cozy days where you just spend the day wrapped up in warmth and comfort.  On days like that I usually find myself missing my Babcia and reach for one of the sweaters she made for me on her last visit to Canada.  When I wear these I feel a little closer to familial comfort and the ocean between us feels just a touch smaller.  That’s what I’m thankful for today – family.  I can’t wait to see mine tomorrow morning!

What Now?

Necklace – c/o Scarlet Samples
Sweater – Esprit
Top – Costa Blanca
Dress – Ruche
Socks & Tights – F21
Boots – Locale
I love that I got to spend the whole day with Andrew for Valentine’s Day – thanks to some very obliging Gandparents of course!  We had a great time going out to lunch, dessert, playing board games, doing some shopping, etc, etc.  It was also nice to get a whole day out without a little baby with us, but at one point we just sat down in the middle of mall not knowing what to do with ourselves.  We have not had free time for so long that once we had it we had no idea how to fill it.  It was quite funny, we just looked at each other wondering, “What now?”  
On another note, this dress is far too loose on me to know what to do with, so I’m tackling the challenge of turning it into a proper fitting skirt. Oh boy!  I’m nervous, but hey I’ve gotta try right?
True Story:
After bath time, my little babe decides to climb onto her toilet seat…naked.  
Sit there for fifteen minutes…naked. 
Grunt a little and talk a lot….naked. 
Eventually I took her off, but she wanted to stay….naked.

Colors, Oh My!

Sweater – hand me down
Belt & Tights – F21
Dress – Ruche
Shoes – Payless
Bag – Aldo
Earrings – c/o  This Enchanted Pixie

I received these amazing earrings from This Enchanted Pixie along with a necklace and planned an outfit around both pieces *you’ll see that soon*, but they’re just so amazing that I couldn’t resist sneaking them into this outfit first.  I’m so glad I did!  Not only did I receive two compliments on them, but they feel so great on that I just felt like I had a little something extra, you know?  Personally, I think that these yellow ones are just too cute for words, so I suggest you grab them and rock them!

Bright colors are so hot for winter.  They’re no longer reserved just for Spring and Summer, and I’m so thankful because, as you can tell, I can’t resist a bold splash of color in the middle of a grey and cold February. I think what I like most about it is that it’s unexpected.  Not many expect to see such bright colors especially in downtown Toronto in a business district.  I know I turned a few heads because of that, but hopefully I brought at least a smile to one.

True Story:
Baby pulled out a bag of baby carrots from the fridge, and methodically bit into each and every one. 
Then handed each and every one to me.  
She expects them to be soft – like when cooked – and had a puzzled expression on her face as to why they were hard and crunchy.

The Pendulum Swings

 

Sweater – hand me down
Belt & Tights – F21
Dress – Etsy
Shoes – Payless
I sometimes feel like a paradox, or maybe an oxymoron, if I can become a concept or a grammatical term instead of a person that is.  I strive for simplicity and complexity at the same time; for minimalism and shabby chic clutter.  In life surroundings, to design, to well everything, I seem to swing from moments of restraint to indulgence, thoughtful self-possession to emotional impulse.  My sartorial sense swings from the extremes of ruffles, lace, florals, and colors, to that of monochromatic minimalism.  I have yet to find the perfect balance that could define me. 
True Story:
Baby says with purpose, “A yaba gaba do do me goo.”
Husband says, “Now that, whatever she said, was a full sentence.”

I Tell Ya!

Sweater – Smart Set
Top – F21
Jeans – Gap
Boots – Locale
Necklace – Ruche
Ever have those days where you hate everything you put on?  I did.  So after over an hour of trying clothes on I finally settled on jeans and this sweater.  Then I felt really crappy ’cause I had wasted over an hour to put on what was essentially jeans and a top.  Needless to say I was not a happy camper.  This winter, combined with my mood have conspired to keep me in jeans and a sweater for far too long and I’m sick of it I tell ya!  Sick of it! 
True Story:
Baby washed her own hair. 
With the dog’s water bowl.

Saturday Smiles: Little Miss Smarty Pants

 Sweater – Smart Set
Jeans – Gap
Boots – Locale
Hair bow – F21
Necklace – gift from my Babcia

This week was a challenge I tell you because I’ve been in a bit of a funk, but here’s what I’m thankful for:

1. Games night with friends – more on that tomorrow.
2. Comfy jeans *pictured above* for weeks like this where I hate most of the things in  my closet.
3. Red wine – so delicious and comforting after a long, long cold and wet day.
4. My smarty-pants little girl – she’s a hoot! *see below*
5. All of you – the best readers a girl could ever have!

True Story:
Andrew gets up with Baby and starts our morning routine.  
At one point, she asks for a cookie and Daddy tells her no.  
Several minutes later Mama comes downstairs, gets her coffee and joins the family.  
Daddy then says he’s going to take a shower and leaves the room.  
As soon as he leaves, Baby gets up and goes to the fridge and asks for a cookie.  
Mama, thinking nothing of it, says, “Ok” and gives her one.  
Then Daddy comes in the room because he forgot something and notices the cookie, “Where did you get that miss?”  Baby’s hands with the cookie immediately drop into her lap and her head drops down *what she does when she’s guilty, embarrased or been disciplined*  
Mommy asks, “What’s going on?”  
We realize it’s the first time she consciously played one of us against the other.  
Smarty pants.

Fringe And Photo Shows

Earrings – ?; Necklace – F21; Sweater & Top – HUH; Pants – Gap; Boots – Feet First.

I nabbed these two tops from local Toronto designer boutique HUH.  She makes all her own clothes and everything is one of a kind.  So if you’re in Toronto, get your butts over to Queen St. West and nab some stuff during their huge winter sale before it’s all gone! 

And while we’re on the subject of sartorial treasures, can I say that I never thought I would love skinny velvet jeans, but I do!  I love these pants.  They seem to go with everything and I really like that they add this rich texture to everything.  It just makes every outfit feel just a little bit more special.  They were a sale nab as well.  Bonus!

 It was -25 degrees celcius outside when  I did these shots. And I did it just for you!  You see I wore this outfit to a recent photo exhibit by Joshua MacDonald
opening in which I was one of the models, but since I headed out in the
evening, I couldn’t get good outfit shots.  So I put this on a few days
later for some shots, and then immediately jumped back inside and into
warmer clothes. 

Posters for the show on the way in.

This is one of the nine photos on exhibit – and do you recognize the model???

Joshua is really talented.  One of his photos won a prestigious award in Ontario and he only just recently graduated!  He’s going to take the photography world by storm, and I’m so pleased that I got a chance to shoot with him.  This is one person I would work with any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

p.s. I’d love it if you checked out my latest photo shoot here.  Thanks a bunch!
p.p.s.  I had to turn on word verification on the blog. I was getting a lot of spam!  Sorry!

True Story:
Yup, she did that.  
Twice.

Funny Face?

Top – Jacob; Sweater & Earrings – F21; Velvet Pants – Le Chateau; Socks – Calvin Klein; Shoes – Payless.

The movie Funny Face has been on my mind, so much so that I felt compelled to echo the spirit of Audrey Hepburn from the beatnik cafe scene.  She’s such an iconic figure in terms of beauty and fashion, but what I always think about is that she broke the mold of the time. She was a former ballerina with a very boyish figure in a time when every woman was aspiring to the curves of Monroe.  Hepburn’s beauty was not in chic, she was elfish and boyish, but her appeal was undeniable.

When I consider things like fashion trends, and standards of beauty I think of her and how her confidence and unique beauty shone through despite the critiques of her contemporaries and she became an icon for generations.  So I always think that though it may not be in ‘chic’, who knows who the next Hepburn will be. 

True Story:
Last night I worked a night shift hosting Movieola, so I needed coffee. 
I stood in front of the automated espresso machine at work and pushed the ‘on’ button.  
It asked me to push another button.  I did.  And another.  And another.  
Six buttons later, I’m begging the machine to please stop messing with me and just give me my espresso! It’s so high-maintenance and demanding.  
I just want my espresso.
Please.
Pretty please?

First Solo Mission

Sweater – swapped; Dress – Ruche; Tights – Hue; Boots – Locale.

So you know how yesterday I said that I tackled my first sewing project with my brand new sewing machine?  Well, this is the result of what I did. 

As I mentioned, I felt the dress was a tad too short for my comfort, so I wanted to let down the hem.  It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.  See that top horizontal pleat?  Well, it was completely attached to the dress, so first I had to remove the whole thing.  Then open it making it a double horizontal pleat, and iron it.  Then I had to attached it back onto the dress, with a finished stitch so it doesn’t fray.  And lastly, I had to fold the hem and finish the new hem of the dress.  

It just looks like there were meant to be two double pleats now.  And I felt so great wearing it: proud and finally comfortable with the length! It’s amazing what three inches can do.   I think I did pretty well for my first solo mission. What do you think?

On a totally separate note…

I really, really need to find a martial arts school to study at.  I’ve been out of the studio for far too long and there’s only so much that self-motivation can do.  But my problem is two-fold.  One, I can’t find a place that I really like.  I’ve looked at probably a dozen schools all over Toronto to find an art that I really want to study.  I’ve tried Muay Thai, BJJ, Karate, Tai Kwon Do, MMA, Krav Maga, and various blends of these, and I have yet to find something that I love as much as Kung Fu.  So that’s my first and major dilemma.  Two, it has to be affordable.  I’m not rolling in wads of dollars, so the place I go to has to be affordable.  But the issue of fees is really secondary to finding something that I truly love.

You know what you want to do, and that you love doing it, but you’re having trouble finding a place that reflects you.  Have you ever felt that way?

Quote of Today:
“It’s amazing what three inches can do.”  
*Oh Lordy Lord! Sometimes I don’t realize what I’m saying until it’s too late*

Liar, Liar

Sweater – Esprit; top – hand me down; Scarf – Old Navy; Jeans – Gap; Boots – Locale.

Someone said to me, “Blog like no one will read it.”  I thought about how that’s great advice.  I don’t really expect anyone to read my blog, it’s so sweet and amazing to me that anyone does, but I can’t totally blog like no one is reading.  Trust me, I’ve tried.   In response, I got criticism, complaints and even hate email *I’m not even kidding*.  No, it’s not that I have very outlandish or weird opinions about things, it’s just that I have strong opinions about things, and I have strong thoughts about things.

And I’m honest.
That get’s me in trouble. 

So, I can’t blog like no one is reading, but I can blog as honestly as possible. 

And that’s a challenge in itself, because we all lie.  Not consciously, or intentionally, but we all do, even to ourselves.  Actually, especially to ourselves.  We lie to make things better, to make them bearable, to sugar coat, and to rationalize things to ourselves.  I think with total and complete honesty we would all soon have a breakdown.  Sometimes you need a good lie.  Sometimes I even believe it.

Quote of Today:
“Honesty is for suckers.”
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