I've Been Sailing Along

What I Wore:
Shirt: Made by Me (New Look)
Skirt: Thrifted
Shoes: Ardene

It is finally nice enough to take outfit pictures outside. I usually work afternoon to evening shifts and I am never home early enough to take pictures outside, so this day was a rare occasion. I could wake up early and take pictures before work, but I am not a morning person and that just seems like too much work haha. I have been really digging 50s and nautical styles for a while now, you can never have too many pieces like that in your closet.

If you hadn't noticed I have really been having the sewing bug lately. I am really trying to stick to making or thrifting most of my clothes, and I have a huge stash that needs to be sewn up. I have wanted to make this particular shirt for a few months but I never had the time to do it until recently. Well not so much that I didn't have the time, but I didn't have the drive. For me I really have to be in the mood to make something in order for it to get finished. If I am really interested in a project than I am excited about it and more likely to see it through to the end. I just finished a pair of pants that I am pretty excited about, and the next project I think will be a 50s style sun dress.

Sweet Treat Prints

New sweet treat prints that are perfect for summer! 

All The Polka Dots

What I Wore:

Dress:  Made by me (Butterick)

Hat/Shoes: Ardene

Sunnies: Universal Studios

So the pictures make this dress look like it has stripes, but they are actually polka dots. I am not sure why that happens, but certain prints just do that in pictures. Also these were taken with my new phone, I am not sure if that had anything to do with it, but it's a possibility. Otherwise the pictures are pretty good quality. I am going to go on a random aside and say that I love my new phone. I got the Galaxy S4 and it is fabulous. I can use all the apps that I couldn't use before like Beaucoo and Instagram (follow me peeps!), plus I uploaded these pictures from my phone onto blogger. How cool is that?! 

Anyway enough of the aside. I love this dress. I made it as a sample for work and it was the first Butterick pattern I have ever used. I went with the size based on my measurements and ended up having to size it down to what I normally make in patterns, but other than that I have no complaints. The fabric of the dress and the belt are from the same collection and they are both a lovely cotton jacquard. It is going to be very nice for the long hot summer to come. Our weather has been fluctuating a lot lately, some days super hot, and some days have been nice and cool like today. I will always prefer 15 degrees to 35. Cotton is definitely nice for disgustingly hot days like that. Oddly enough when I went to Pacific Mall a few weeks ago they had some dresses made out of the same polka dot fabric (red and blue too!) so I must be super hip.  

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.

Frolicking Frock

What I Wore:
Dress: Made by me
Cardi: Gift (ModCloth)
Tights: Dollar store
Shoes: Ardene
Hat: Ardene
Sunglasses: Universal

Cloud says hi! He was very curious about what I was doing and wanted to join in on the pictures. He is going to have to get used to this since I am really trying to get back into the swing of blogging.

I really enjoy this outfit. I like to wear clothes that make me feel good, but every once in a while you put something on and it just makes you feel like the bees knees. This particular one made me feel like I stepped off the set of a movie in the 50s. It also made me want to frolick in a field, not sure why. Maybe because the weather has been nice (if not a bit humid) for the last few days and I have really been feeling some spring outfit inspiration. Also I need to start wearing more hats, they really add a nice finishing touch to an outfit. How has the weather been where you live? It seems like things are about a month behind here and we have just started to get our April showers. Maybe we'll actually have some flowers around here before the end of the month. Then I can frolick in a field full of flowers!

Last Of The Sweater Weather

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

It is finally starting to warm up around these parts. Today I went outside in a skirt and didn't need tights or a jacket! It is so nice, this winter was long and extra brutal. Spring is like a new lease on life. This will probably be the last post featuring a sweater for a while *fingers crossed* I actually wore this near the end of April when it was still cook enough for a sweater to be necessary. Even though it is a little out of season I felt like sharing it anyway. I have gotten into the bad habit of taking outfit pictures and then not sharing them for a few weeks. the weather is changing so quickly now that that doesn't really work anymore. Anyway, back to the outfit.I like how the collar looks with the sweater, they look like they could be one item of clothing if it wasn't for the rest of the shirt sticking out at the bottom. I also like the socks with the shoes, it just adds a bit more of a focus point to the bottom half. I am really bad at describing why I like what I am wearing so I will just leave it at that for now.

Life Lately

It has been a while since I have done an update on here, mostly because things have been insane as usual. A few weeks ago I attended Costume Con 32 in Toronto which was a lot of fun. I will share some pictures from that on here in a separate post. I also got a new phone which means I can now use Instagram so if you are interested I encourage you to follow me on that :D

I have taken on some extra work doing some costuming for the museum so work has been pretty hectic. Also Colin and I got a kitten! His name is Cloud (from Final Fantasy vii) and he is super cute.

He has had a few health issues which has added to the craziness, but he is so lovable it totally makes up for the scares. That's the last month in a nutshell. Expect a post (or a few posts, I took a lot of pictures) with pictures from Costume Con in the near future.

Bow-tie Wearing Pixies & Other Such Nonsense

What I Wore:
Dress: ModCloth
Cardi: Thrifted
Belt: Thrifted
Tights: OldNavy
Socks: ?
Boots: ModCloth
Brooch: Clothing  swapped

Do you ever go back and look through old outfit pictures and think "wow that outfit was really awesome!" ? Well that's how I feel about this outfit. I felt great while wearing it, and I look at it and get the same feeling. The pixie face of the brooch is a little creepy, but it doesn't take away from the overall effect, haha. This colour combination is something I would have never worn a few years ago. This blog has really helped me grow my personal style. I don't just think about wearing certain clothing combinations anymore, now I actually feel comfortable doing it. To heck what other people think. I want to feel good and look good in my own skin and clothing. This is one of the last archive picture sets I have to share with you, then I might actually have to take some current outfit pictures haha! The weather is finally starting to warm up here so I can begin to (cautiously) break into my spring wardrobe. I love being able to layer in the winter, but I am definitely ready to experiment with fresh new spring looks. How has the weather been where you live?

Saying Farewell To A Drooly Cat

Colin and I have lost another member of our little family. Monday at around 12pm we said goodbye to our lovely kitty Sable. It was sudden and unexpected and we already miss her so much.

Our family Christmas portrait.

She was only a part of my life for a few short years, but she had been Colin's cat since she was a kitten. Him and his dad got her at a shelter when Colin was about 9 years old. I never met her as a young cat, but apparently she was quite the menace. If she was fed catnip she would run up and down the stairs in the house for hours. In the blink of an eye she would  run from the back door, through the kitchen, pick up a pillow and throw it in the air and run up two flights of stairs before the pillow dropped to the ground. Colin says that might have been his childhood imagination playing tricks on him, but that's how he remembers it. She also used to run along the back of the couch at full speed, not the top, the actual back of the couch. She loved to go outside and chase birds and hang out with other cats. I had never met a cat who drooled until I met Sable. It was a strange but endearing trait.

A lovely photo of Sable drooling while our friends were babysitting her.

Colin and I kind of inherited her when his dad moved out west last summer. We brought her with us when we moved, and I never regretted keeping her for one second. She was calm and gentle and loved to get her ears scritched. For a long time we though she was about 14, pretty old for a cat, but we found out from the vet that she was actually about 16 years old.

It's always so hard to say goodbye to someone you love, but she hadn't been in top shape for a little while and I think she is in a better place now. She had a good life, and I like to think that we made her last year extra special. I love you and miss you you drooly cat, I hope you are frolicking in a field where the hills are made of wet cat food and the grass is full of cat treats and there are plenty of (clean) toilets to drink from.

Acrobats & Faux Fur Collars

What I Wore:

Shirt: Present from my sister

Collar: Clothing swap

Cardi: Smart Set

Skirt: Made by me

Leggins: Suzy Shier

Boots: ModCloth 

Still digging in the archives of outfit pictures, this one was from mid-February. Sadly the weather here is just starting to creep above freezing so I am wearing clothing pretty similar to this still anyway. Actually the last few days have been quite lovely, I can't wait until it is truly spring, it's been a loooooong winter. Life has been pretty crazy lately, the usual business with work and whatnot so I haven't had much time to post again. Sometimes I really want to put up some outfit pictures without saying anything, but that feels wrong since this is suppose to be a blog not just an image dump. I might randomly put some things up on tumblr on days where I feel like that but I'm not sure yet. This is turning into a super boring post so far haha. 

I really like this furry collar and I feel like I need to wear it with more things. I just need more extra collars in general. I actually have a pattern from Simplicity that is all collars, but I made one of them and it fit my neck but it sit us really high so it doesn't really look right when you wear under shirt/dresses etc. I didn't make the flatter style ones like the one in these pictures though so I might have to give that a try. I could also just make my own pattern if I really wanted to, but sometimes I am super lazy. Draping collars was never my strong point at school, so actually that might be a good thing for me to work on anyway. How have you guys been?