Cabin Fever

Maybe it's spending more time inside this time of year, but I'm feeling so annoyed with our house. Annoyed might be too strong; I'm just not inspired. I look at design blogs and I'm so inspired by people who do all these DIY projects and decorate on a budget and having amazing looking homes as a result. I think that part of my problem is not really knowing what I want or what we can do with what we've got (um, not high ceilings for one thing...), and I'm drawn to cluttery-ish interiors, but it just looks messy when we amass too much stuff. I know that eclecticism needs to be done artfully and maybe I'm not that disciplined.





Then I watch an episode of Hoarders and start panicking and running around trying to find things to throw out and decide that all I want is a clean, stark, minimal Scandinavian home with no little collections of thrift store finds. Thankfully the internet allows me to spend an hour or so looking at other people's places. Escapism is good!

The News Of The Day

I guess I'm old enough to come right out and say it: they just don't make music today like they did in the good old days.

Also, I'm pretty sure that eating peanuts gives me chest pains. Anyone else?

Seasonal

Today after work I was walking home in the dark, just about 5:30. It was windy and cold, the rain was threatening to turn to snow. I was thinking about the summer, and what that walk is like in August. Isn't it hard to convince yourself of a truth you can't feel, that you are experiencing the opposite of? It is so amazing to think of hot air, bright sun, wearing as little as possible and still being sweaty. Hurrying down that last stretch of alleyway, not because of icy hands and rain in my face, but due to the sun causing me to squint and the anticipation of a glass of ice water. Does that honestly exist? Of course rationally I know it does, but it's so hard to hold that thought in my head in December and really imagine that it could be true.

These are just a couple of pretty pictures to remind me that it is true.

If you were wondering...

what I wore to work on Saturday, here you go. Just one more work Saturday of festive-wear before Christmas. I got this little velvet French Connection dress at the thrift store, and although I love it, it's kind of a once-a-year garment. I felt kind of like a 1920's ragamuffin or something with the socks.

Festivities!

Last night my friends had a fantastic Christmas party, complete with lots of snacks, dancing, and even a hot-tub. It was so much fun! I didn't get a great picture of my red suede shorts, so you'll have to use your imagination. There was some elfishness, I guess.

I don't know what's going on with my face here. I think the picture was taken a quarter of a second before I actually got my smile on.

SS 2011

I filed these pictures away months ago, then promptly forgot to post them. Oh well, we've still got quite some time before Spring 2011 actually rolls around. What I actually liked about this Proenza Schouler collection was that it seemed relevant for the winter.

I love the shape of this coat and I can imagine coming across a reasonable facsimile at the thrift store. The fabric is beautiful too, and I like the idea that it's almost a suit when it's paired with the skirt. The concept of a suit is so vague now; do fashion women really wear "suits"? The options out there seem so limited. The suits that are offered are mostly very fitted jackets with either boot-cut trousers or a pencil skirt, available in black or grey, at pretty much any price point. And that's well and good, and appropriate for lots of women, but there's not much style going on. Anyway...

Loving these blouses! I wish I could find the fabric of the one below, it's so perfect. The pants are also a nice shape, that kind of mannish tailoring. My issue with this look though is that I feel like I can't do shapeless pieces on the top and bottom. Nice on a model, but isn't everything? On me it just feels a little droopy. I need boobs or a waist or hips - some emphasis or it's just not flattering. That's my consideration every day: will I go tight or baggy, top or bottom?

to do lists

This was an uncommonly productive weekend for me. I did almost all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping, did a major cleaning of the bathroom, and a re-organization under the bathroom sink, including the purchase of storage drawers. By the way, can anyone explain the advantage of glass shower doors instead of a shower curtain? I guess I can see some pros, but the major con is cleaning! All those little metal nooks and crannies accumulate grime and scum and it sucks to try to get in there and scrub, which is why it happens about once a year in our house.

And I made a wreath. I'm still not sure that we'll have a Christmas tree, since we'll be on Quadra for Christmas, but I do like getting one, if just for the smell. A wreath is totally necessary though. Making the wreath has long been one of my favorite holiday tasks, starting when I lived at home and would help my mom. Then we always had all the greenery we needed - cedar, pine, fir, holly, different berries... Our property here has nothing evergreen, and I didn't want to buy anything, so just like last year I used bamboo as the foundation. I greened it up with some euphorbia and vines and went heavy on the hops buds. I snagged some red berries from a street tree down the block for a little shot of colour.

Ta-da!

The big reveal, as they say in reality television. I got a real haircut! A real hair-style, I'd venture to say. It wasn't planned, on my part. When I made an appointment a couple of weeks ago, my hairdresser asked if I'd consider something a little different, and I said yes and didn't think much about it. So when I showed up on Monday and she proposed short, I just went with it. I'm glad I didn't have a long time to think about it, because I surely would have found a reason to talk myself out of it. But I love it! I haven't had hair this short since maybe grade eight. The reactions have been good, people say they like it. My friends, having known me since before grade eight, say it's kind of a flashback to pre-teen-hood, but everyone else says it's stylish and sophisticated. I feel like it's a more confident haircut and it's certainly easy to deal with! There are shades of my mom I think, which is a pleasant surprise.

What do you think?

Hint, hint!

I've got something new to show off soon. I haven't had a chance to take good photos yet, and I want my friends to see it in person first, but I have to say that by my standards it's pretty dramatic. Stay tuned...

Rings

Lately rings have been my favorite accessory. I haven't bought any new ones, I've just been switching my old ones up more often and wearing them in different combinations. It's amazing how much the size of my fingers change throughout the day: a ring that fits my ring finger in the morning fits my middle finger by dinnertime. I guess my hands are puffy in the morning.

l-r: turquoise, belonged to my Grandmommy, turquoise from flea market, silver from market in Hawaii in high school

l-r: wedding band from pawn shop, cameo from flea market, jade was my Gram's

I think my ring-spiration is coming from watching Sons of Anarchy constantly. I'm on the second season - it's a great show about a biker gang, er, motorcycle club, in California. They all wear awesome huge gold rings. Some of them probably have symbols that mean bad things I wouldn't want to say, but they look so cool. I'm sure I could never find any in small enough sizes for my baby fingers, but I'll keep an eye out.

Saturday Shine

The top with the big paillettes came out for the first time this season! The big black and white coat has been out for a week or two - it's my snow coat. The snow's all gone for now, but that little shock of winter we had was a good reminder to dig out all the cold-weather gear and the snow shovel and salt.

The Christmas music station is on the air now and one of my co-workers plays it at least four hours a day. Strangely, it does not increase my jollyness. I do feel like I should start my Christmas shopping this weekend, but I just keep thinking of things to buy myself. It's a bad time to need to restock beauty supplies, because I'm so torn between playing it cheap and splurging on good quality. Mascara: cheap. But eye cream? Am I at the age that I should be buying the expensive stuff? Is the expensive stuff really much better? Also, I walked by, OK, and then walked into, Aldo the other day and there were some really cute heels on sale. I fondled, I pondered, I walked away, then walked back. I gave myself a serious talking-to, silently of course, about how I have lots of cute shoes and certainly should not be buying more, which is very true. Then I walked out and didn't let myself go back the next day, or the next. But I can't make any promises...

Blouse Saga Continues

Another day, another blouse. We've had this fabric at work for years and up until a week ago I thought I hated it, but then I took another look and all of a sudden it inspired me. The oranges, yellow, mustards and red, and the funny canoodling couple made me smile, and I did some pleating on the sleeves and gathering at the neckline to break up the print a little. I'm happy with it, but what you you think?

Cold Snap

current frame of mind: brrrrrrrrr..........!

Twirl

Here's an idea: for the next five weeks before Christmas, Saturdays are going to be my days to dress up for work. I have plenty of dressy clothes that don't get much play, and I feel like it's my way of being a little bit festive. Though the cold weather does make it a little harder, especially shoe-wise. I just have to be more diligent about packing a cute pair of shoes to change into.

This skirt was a thrift find in the summer. It's a couple of layers of hmm, not quite tulle, kind of mesh, and it's full and swishy. I tried a twirl picture, but without the flash it's so blurry.

I made this blouse yesterday, making good on my plan to do a blouse like I was envisioning with the zipper in the shoulder. Cramming it under my sweater on the way home resulted in an unsightly wrinkle on the boob, but you get the idea... I love this fabric. It's a crepe de chine with a sweet little vintage-y print that kind of looks like poppy flower seed pods. Do you like my halo?

Face Time

Yeah, it's all about me. Sorry. It's just so hard to get a nice picture of me - I should know - that I wanted to share the amazing work of David Lang, the photographer who shot me for the newspaper last month. I find it difficult to look objectively of pictures of myself, but I was told that these were some of the best ones.

long view

Yes, like a fallen leaf blown by the fickle breezes of fashion... Mini, maxi? Yes, no, maybe? All of the above? I couldn't resist this long grey knit skirt for a couple of dollars, although the fashion bosses only really recommend it for those with model proportions. It's so cozy! Usually I change into PJs as soon as I get home from work these days, but I may just fall asleep in this skirt. I just finished reading a book about the history of the Mormon religion, and I felt like the long skirt might be a little too modest and obedient, so I paired it with this lace shirt I made last month.

Zebra boots!

What a difference a day makes!

We've been getting these marvelous fall days, beautiful days thrown in amongst the rain and drear. This photo was taken last week when the pale blue of the sky and the yellow of the leaves brightened up the grey and inspired me to grab the camera before it was over.

My shopping trips at Value Village were totally successful yesterday. I got everything on my list, and only a couple of things that weren't. Technically, this sweater doesn't fit with what I thought I wanted - it's white, and a cardigan - but I fell in love with it, and I did get another sweater that fit my criteria. This just has that handmade look and feel and the shortish proportions are cool. I feel like it's kind of a good deed to rescue handmade items from the thrift store. Is that crazy?