Mint Dreams

What I Wore:
Dress: Clothing swap
Belt: Beals
Shoes: Ardene

I absolutely love this dress. I picked it up at that clothing swap I went to in December, but this is the first time that I have worn it. It was a little thin for winter wear and the colour just screams spring to me. It is also a little bit longer than the length that I would normally wear, but when I tried it on it fit perfectly and I just knew I had to take it home with me. It seriously fits like it was made for me, how often does that happen with clothing you haven't made for yourself? I actually think this was a hand made item, or at least someone altered it at home. There's no tag and the stitching does not look like a factory machine. The pockets on the front are a nice touch. The only thing I think it is missing are pockets in the side seams. I think all dresses and skirts shoulf have pockets. just sayin'.

For the first wear out I decided to pair it with a coral belt and shoes, some subtle accessories but I feel like they complete the look. Who doesn't like mint and coral together? I know this was a hot trend last year, and I'm not usually one to jump on the trend bandwagon, but I still like how the two colours look together. Colin said I looked like a 50s housewife, and I would have to agree. A look I am totally into, if I could populate my closet with dresses entirely like this one I totally would.

September Thrift Haul Link-Up

As promised in yesterday's post I finally got around to photographing my thrifting haul from September. I didn't take a picture of the item I got for that costume party because it is a surprise, but hopefully I will get some good pictures day of. Here's what I can show you ( this haul also includes the awesomely weird bird shirt from yesterday's post):

 A great cropped polka dot sweater. I have found that I really like cropped sweaters vs normal cardigans because the normal ones tend to be super long and look weird with most of my dresses.

 I love the collar on the cardigan. I also discovered when I went to was all this stuff that it was a silk cashmere blend! The things you find in thrift stores.

Now this dress is a little way more low-cut then I wold normally go for, but I couldn't resist the print. Plus it has pockets! I thin I might turn it into a pinafore at some point in the future. 

I realized after I started typing this up that I forgot to photograph one of the items I got. To be honest I was too lazy to go back and set that all up again so I will just tell you that it's a coral 3/4 length t-shirt with a blue anchor on the front. I am sure I will wear it on here eventually. Oddly enough the blue in the anchor really matches those ASOS pants too. I will encourage you again to check out Brooke's blog and maybe participate in this challenge too! 

Birds Of A Feather

What I Wore:
Shirt: Thrifted
Pants: ASOS
Shoes: Ardene

I saw this shirt while I was thrift shopping with my sister last week and I knew I just had to have it. It was an added bonus that the blue in the birds matched my new pants from ASOS perfectly. It was meant to be! I have never had blue pants before and I must admit I was a little concerned about finding things to match them. I couldn't resist the high-waist and tape detail on them though so I decided to chance it. I am super glad that I did because they fit really well and the blue actually goes surprisingly well with a lot of things that were already in my wardrobe. Plus now I have pants that I can wear to work (and outside of work, pants aren't usually my friends)! What a novelty. I got these shoes with a gift card from my birthday. They make me feel a bit like Peter Pan. Not sure why, they just do. Having brown shoes is also something of a novelty for me as most of my shoes are black, but I am trying to step outside of that box. These shoes are a pretty good start, I have already worn them successfully a few times since I bought them.

I went thrifting last week for multiple reasons: a) to get a costume for an upcoming party b) to have some stuff to contribute to the You're In Brookyn fall thrifting link-up c) because it is awesome and fun! I never feel bad after a thrifting trip. I have been re-evaluating my shopping choices a lot lately and this link-up is just the thing to get me motivated. I spend too much money on new clothes, and I definitely need to reign that in. Why pay for clothes that were most likely made in a sweat shop when I can make my own things or buy second-hand? In high school I almost exclusively shopped in thrift stores and I think I want to take up that initiative again. Not only does it save you money but I feel better about my purchases in general. You usually walk away with something that is one of a kind and the actual shopping is like a treasure hunt! I have definitely been trying to shop a lot more consciously over the last few weeks and will continue to do so in the future. I got some pretty great stuff this time around and I am hoping to share the rest of my haul later this week! I encourage you to hope over to Brooke's blog too! She is super cute and has great style :)  

Steamer Dreams

What I Wore:
Cardi: Suzy Shier
Skirt: Thirfted (Out of the Past)
Shoes: c/o B.A.I.T via Cut Out + Keep
Necklace: DIY from Redgate Stitchery (see this post for a close up)

Even with the super bad lens flare I really love the first few of pictures. I really need to get a hood for my lens to prevent those kinds of things from happening. My photography kit is a little lacking, I am very slowly adding things to it (by slowly I mean I have had my camera for three years and just recently got a tripod, so sad). By the time I have all the pieces I will need to buy a new camera body haha! I use a Canon T1i that I actually was able to purchase because I won a gift card for Best Buy from an old job. I love that camera, it definitely gets the job done. I also really love the necklace I am wearing in these pictures. I bought the kit to make it at the Creative Festival in April. I had never done cross stitching so I wanted to start out on something simple. It was so fun making this (although a little confusing reading the pattern at first since I had no idea what I was doing) I definitely want to do some more cross stitching in the future.

Today is going to be awesome because not only is it a holiday but Talize is having a 50% off sale! I have to rush over there and buy all the things! I am really hoping to get a vegetable steamer if possible, those suckers are hard to find. They make cooking broccoli so easy and are also great for making steamed buns and these Chinese sausages that Colin loves. Fingers crossed that I find one there today. What a rambly post. Anyone else have plans for the Civic Holiday?

Blue & Red Stripes

What I Wore:
Dress: thrifted (Goodwill)
Belt: Thrifted (Frenchys)
Headscarf: Thrifted (Goodwill)
Shoes: Ardene

I am really pelased with how this outfit came together. I love it when I make an outfit out of things that I have entirely thrifted or made myself. I find it very satisfying for some reason. Maybe it has something to do with finding nice things on the cheap, or the thrill of wearing something relatively unique, who knows. What I do know is that I enjoy the feeling immensely.

Not too much going on since last week. We are starting to get settled in here at Colin'd dad's. I set up the sewing room slash my closet and it looks pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I am excited to spend some quality sewing time in there in the future. The neighbourhood is nice and quiet, and relatively close to my work which is great. Unfortunately I made the mistake of walking to work yesterday when it was 39 degrees out and by the time I got there I was all red and sweaty, awesome. I will definitely be checking the weather report before I decide whether to walk or not in the future. It will be really nice to walk there in the fall though when it is a bit cooler out. I am looking forward to more of a laid-back week coming up. Last week was kind of crazy so it will be nice to have some time to relax and settle into the new place. I hope everyone is having a happy Monday!  

Poodle Skirt Chic

Slightly bouffant ponytail

My best pin up face (bordering on duck face) 

What I Wore:
Dress (worn as a shirt): Made by me (no pattern)
Skirt: Thrifted
Shoes: Thrifted (Talize)
Earrings: Target

When I got this skirt I thought it would look great with my stripey sailor dress as a top. I wasn't sure if it would work because it would have been weird if the skirt part was sticking out at the bottom. Luckily it was the perfect length! It also felt neat having two layers of skirt, kind of like wearing a petticoat, it was so nice and full. I think I need to get a real petticoat to wear because it was a lot of fun, I imagine that is how a real 50s lady must have felt like. It is kind of sad how certain fashion staples of old have fallen by the wayside, younger generations can easily miss out on some great looks and styles. I definitely felt like I should have been sitting in a malt shop sipping a soda while wearing this get up (hence the pin up style photo shoot). A couple of people even commented to me that my skirt reminded them of a poodle skirt. If I had been wearing my saddle shoes it would have really set off the look, oh well next time.    

Today should be a good day. I have to work and then Colin and I are going over to our friends' house for D&D (yup I'm a nerd). We played a couple campaigns when we lived in Halifax, but this is our first Hamilton group. We started playing a few weeks ago and it has been super fun so far,definitely looking forward to that tonight. Hope you are all having a lovely Wednesday!

I'll Fly Away

What I Wore:
Shirt: Made by Me (Simplicity 1693)
Skirt: Thirfted
Socks: Ardene
Shoes: Ardene

I really love how this shirt turned out. I lusted after this fabric at work for a looooong time before I actually broke down and bought it. I started working on it almost immediately (it took precedence over other projects because it is just that cute) and finished it in record time. I found the heart button that I used at the back in my stash, but sadly I only had the one. I found the other buttons at work and thought they were a pretty good match. I tried putting the one heart one at the top of the three on the front of the shirt but it didn't quite work. Then I tested it on the back and I thought that was better so that's where it lives now. I am glad I found a home for it, I think it came from Colin's grandma's stash but I am not 100% sure. I have way too many buttons and my fabric stash is growing a lot now too. The life of a sewing addict.

Back to Monday's post, you can kind of see the red more in my hair in these shots, I think it really does depend on the lighting. I am liking the colour a bit more now, but I still think next time I would like it to be a bit brighter. Big day ahead of me today (a big week in general) so I better get crackalackin'. Happy Wednesday!

Gingham and Ruffled Lace

What I Wore:
Dress: Vintage thrifted (Out of the Past)
Cardi: Suzy Shier
Belt: Reitman's
Socks: Ardene
Shoes: c/o B.A.I.T via Cut Out + Keep

I absolutely adore this outfit, too bad the pictures didn't turn out that great. I am still trying to mess around with the settings on my camera to get good natural light indoor photos. They are still turning out a little too grainy, but they are getting better. Anyway, I felt super fantastique in this get up, 60s cute. The socks totally made it for me. I really didn't want to take it off at the end of the day, but pyjamas are a little bit more comfortable to sleep in. Funny story, the first time I wore this dress I wore it to work and the random pocket that only exists on one side of the dress got caught on a shelf that was propped up at the cash and the seam popped. Luckily I was wearing a sweater and it was close to the end of the shift, so I only had to make it home with a huge hole in the side of my dress. I promptly re-sewed and reinforced all the seams and it is now a much happier dress. I think someone bought it from a store, and then altered it, but used a really loose  stitch on the machine. They also pinked all of the seams and they were starting to fray. All I know is I am really glad that the dress wasn't ripped and I was able to repair it because I really love it.

The last week has been really great. Last Friday I went to the African Lion Safari with a friend from Halifax, then Colin and I had a nice visit/stay at his dad's, and yesterday I went to Centreville with another friend from out East. I took some great pictures at Centreville so I will put up a post with those later today. Some other stuff has been going on, but I don't want to jump the gun and talk about that just yet so I will leave you guessing, haha! Happy Friday everyone!

(Almost) EntirelyThrifted!

What I Wore:

Shirt: Thrifted (ValueVillage)

Skirt: thrifted (Value Village)

Shoes: Payless

Brooch: Thrifted (Value Village) 

So I am pretty in love with this outfit. I felt like a million bucks while wearing it, and it was perfect for the lovely spring weather we have been having all week. Another one of my favourites for the year for sure. I got all of the items (except for the shoes) at the same time during a shopping trip at V V Boutique (Value Village) last week. I love when I buy things together that work as an outfit, it is quite fortuitous.

Doors Open over the weekend was really fun! It was pretty exhausting, but totally worth it. I was at Hamilton's Green Cottage which was a beautiful. I think it is such a great event, opening up places to the public that people don't normally get to see. It is also cool that everything is free, that way people who might not have the money ordinarily can join in too. Every city really should participate in Doors Open. If you want to know more about the place I was stationed at and see some pictures I am going to be putting a post up later today.