Just for Fun

In the past I've shared some bloopers with you all, but I decided that a more informal approach to blooper sharing was needed so I uploaded a bunch of them to the facebook page. This is something you really do not want to miss. Mostly un-retouched, and all silly bloopers for your entertainment. Check them out here under photos. Just don't laugh to hard at my expense. ;p

Florals and Stripes

 Look at me still trying to find the best place in the Apartment for pictures. Haha, trial and error. I would say the bedroom works out pretty well -- although I run the risk of looking a little too boudoir. I need to invest in a crap tun of lamps let me tell you, there's not a bright spot in the whole apartment where pictures can be taken without flash.

I wore this outfit on Sunday -- it was a lazy day completed by dinner with Nicks family and my casual and comfy outfit worked out very well. Plus there's the fact my hair was behaving. Behaving hair is a thing of beauty. Nicks Dad kept telling me that my shirt was on backwards because it has buttons down the back. He thinks he's a very funny guy. ;p

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is February! I've been given the task of planning valentines day this year for the first time and I'm still working out what we're going to do! Nick gave me a $120 budget and I'm thinking I would rather go to IKEA and spend it there. Haha, wouldn't that be a surprise. "We're going for a romantic dinner of Swedish meatballs!" "Yay... wait..."

Romwe sweater, H&M skirt, HUE leggings, Smart Set scarf, gifted necklace

Black, Red and Gold

 This black top from H&M is my newest purchase -- it was on clearance and it has a trendy hi-low hemline I thought might be fun to try. I tucked the front into my bright red midi skirt and let the back hang out all party like. It felt pretty dynamic for a girl who wears a lot of floral dresses. ;) I was really wishing I could wear it with my pennant necklace but I can't for the life of me find it! I'm thinking it might be in a forgotten purse somewhere...

I tried taking pictures in the hall outside our apartment -- it seems so well lit until you try and take a photo. I guess it wasn't designed with photo taking in mind because they all turned out really dark. Ah well, I'll keep trying different places until I find one that works. Experimentation! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, Nick and I didn't do much except attend a birthday party Saturday night. Other then that -- I did laundry, swept and mopped (well... wet jetted), did some Wii fit, played some Dragon Age, ate a lot of guacamole, and watched some X-files. Why does the weekend seem to go so quickly? Haha, what I wouldn't give to have another eight hours to watch X-files.

H&M top, HUE leggings, Dorothy Perkins Midi Skirt, ASOS necklace, Expressions boots

Around The Web (6)

I am sooo exited for this weekend. I absolutely do love my job, but we've had some early meetings and conferences this week and boy am I excited to hit that snooze button tomorrow. (Figuratively speaking.)

Plus, after the man worked all weekend last week, I am more then a little happy to have him all to myself. Think there's any chance he'll take me to Ikea? (Hint: he's been promising for about two months now...) Ok, probably not. Luckily I'm content to spend the day playing with our new blender.

My excitement might seem odd, but we bucked out on the fancy professional Ninja blender (you might have seen him on TV. Yes, our blender is famous). It was on sale at Canadian Tire and I kept asking Nick if we could buy it and he would say yes, but then when we had spare time to run to the store he would put it off so I figured he didn't really want it after all. Imagine my surprise when he came home Wednesday night with two big bags -- he had swung by the store and not only picked up the Ninja blender but also the Ninja mini food processor! Haha, he's usually not one for spending money (on anything other then computer games) so I was a bit shocked. It was... oddly... very romantic.

Anyway, we'll probably make a lot of smoothies this weekend and more then a little shaved ice so I'm looking forward to brain freezes while watching X-files (we're on season three now!) on the sofa with my guy.

Now this post is supposed to be filling you in on all the cool things happening around the web this week so, I digress.

1. This week I discovered a new blog!

The Capricious Club is a really lovely style blog by 'Bestie'. She has fantastic, evolving style and she's celebrating her blogs 4th anniversary (and a move to her own domain) right now!  

2. I also found an amazing recipe for red wine lollipops! When I went to Europe with my bestie a couple years ago I tried red wine for the first time and didn't have a taste for it yet. Since then I've become a big fan -- and this looks delicious!

Source: sprinklebakes.com via Kaitlyn on Pinterest

3. Speaking of delicious things, you guys may recall I've talked about trying different 'mug cake' recipes before. They're a tiny  one serving cake you make in the microwave in a mug and I've made about four different kinds in the past. Nick and I love being able to whip up a cake in under five minutes when we get a chocolate craving. This week I discovered the absolute best (so far) mug cake recipe! And the best part -- they suggest turning it out onto a plate, making it look all company ready and fancy! Haha, brilliant! I had never considered that before.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Ferocious Foxes

 Look! I'm outside! I hate hate hate being cold but it's been gloriously mild lately so I got home early enough to catch a little sunlight and had Nick take these pics for me on our balcony. Not exactly the most gorgeous of locals ... but I'm outside! That's something right?

Also... I may have continued to chop bangs into my hair... slowly but surely they are being formed into the bangs of my dreams. They're a little too piecey and sparse here but I have since fixed that.

Can we stop for a moment and discuss how amazing my fox scarf is? For a long time I had been eying up fox scarves on Etsy (ever since I saw one on the Anthropology website). Those buggers are expensive. Yes, they're handmade and adorable and very detailed... but too expensive for little old me. SO you can imagine my delight when I saw this slightly cheepy version at Urban Outfitters. I bought him as a Christmas present to myself and promptly lost him for a few weeks amidst the flurry of holiday activities. Luckily, I remembered him when I put on this little fox jumper. What better to go with foxes then more foxes, right?

Right?

I admit that I garnered a few stares during my daily commute and a small child definitely pointed at me. I think he wanted to play with my fox... haha. But I got a lot of compliments too, so I'm thoroughly happy with my choice of faux taxidermy accessories!

Costa Blanca leggings, Shoe Warehouse boots, Smart Set skirt and cuff, Urban Outfitters fox scarf and jumper

A Mustard Moment

I wore this outfit last week (hint: I did something to my hair over the weekend...) It was still freezing cold back then so here's a good example of my legwarmers with tights with skirt with sweater sorta beat the cold ensemble. When I was out and about believe you me those legwarmers were pulled up and doing their job. Luckily this skirt is made of really heavy material and does a pretty good job of keeping my legs warm.

Those of you who have been to our apartment will remember Sammy the Seasonal Seal. He was a goodwill find for just a couple dollars and for some reason a seal wearing a Santa hat was irresistible to us. This is not something I can explain. He sure does make a good pillow/cuddle buddy though.

ASOS skirt, H&M leggings, Express booties, gifted Pashmina and necklace, Urban Planet leg warmers and sweater,  Smart Set cuff

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Porcupine

Your daily dose of cuteness for the week:

You might ask -- what has your blog come to with all the baby animals?This has nothing to do with fashion! But then again you might be like me. That is, stunned into silence by all the cute.

A Turn in the Weather

 I was finally able to take some pics outside -- the weather decided to behave -- which is amazing since the zipper on my trusty parka broke and I was without a deep freeze appropriate jacket. My approach to dressing for minus 30-35 Celsius? No jeans. I just don't do it. Denim tends to freeze very quickly and provides very little warmth. In high school I wore jeans practically everyday and when I discovered how much warmer it is to layer leggings I never looked back. I usually wear at least two pairs of leggings and often also layer knitted legwarmers over top (you can barely make them out in these photos because of the light).

Of course I also subscribe to the opinion that leggings aren't real pants so I start my outfit with my long top or dress, and then layer a sweater or long sleeve top over that, and another cardigan or sweater over that! It's a process! In this case I have a short sleeve dress with a sweater vest over top, and a knitted cardigan over that. The great thing about layering is that I'm warm enough for the walk from the apartment to the train, and the train to the bus, and the bus to work -- but I can take off a layer if I'm overheating on the train, or bus, or in my office. Which believe me -- is a problem. Sometimes I'm worried I'm experiencing hot flashes...

ASOS Villa Moda lace dress, Smart Set black pullover, Urban Outfitters knitted cardigan and purse, Old Navy scarf, gifted ring, vintage earrings, HUE leggings and Shoe Warehouse boots

 These pics are from Friday-- I'm standing outside Boston Pizza where the man and I went for dinner. I insisted on grabbing a pic when we sat down and he was apparently feeling very silly.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! It went wayy to quickly for my liking. Mr. Nick worked late both Saturday and Sunday but we got to spend the day together before he had to take off! We watched Road to El'dorado (hadn't seen that one in a looong time) and The Illusionist on Netflix along with our usual dose of The X-Files. We ate waffles and homemade poptarts, and Nick made a waffle sandwich while I munched on edamame. Then he went to work and I pouted. Swept. Mopped. Pouted. Then did dishes. Then pouted. Then went to sleep knowing that the sooner I shut my eyes the sooner I would be waking up with him beside me. I like that part.

Around the Web (5)

I haven't done an Around the Web post in awhile and it's a darn shame, there are so many gorgeous, wonderful things in my blogroll! SO, I'm going to quickly share a few of my favorites with you.

The Wedding Chicks

1. A beautiful Anthropology wedding shared on Wedding Chicks -- those flowers are all fabric!

Design Sponge

2. An amazing office makeover shared on Design Sponge. I am longing for a bright, creative space like this!

D is for Dangerous

3. A gorgeous hair tutorial on D is for Dangerous. She fitted that sweet little headband around the plait and made it amazing. I wish my hair would do this!

Just Lov.ly Things

4. And lastly, a sweet little tutorial on how to make these adorable moccasins. She purchased a kit from Micheals of all places! I would love love to do the same -- maybe use a chevron fabric for the detail!


Annnd of course I don't own any of these images -- the belong to the bloggers specified. Click on the captions to go to the full posts.

In offline news: Planning a low key weekend staying in, I'm gonna beg and beg to go to Ikea though. Trying to decide if we can afford a trip to Mexico in May -- it would be nice, but expensive, and we don't have anything saved yet. Also, I'm hoping to get a little sewing in! Hopefully I can regale you with a new sewing triumph in the near future.

Dance Off

You may recall a series of posts I did last fall sharing some photos my friend Amy and I had taken together. We love doing photoshoots when she's in town and this visit we got a few spectacular ones in! She's a very creative lady.

Anyway, I shared here, here, and here, but today I found these photos that I hadn't yet posted:

We tend to get a little silly...

1, 2, 3

Today I'm pleased to introduce a new feature for the blog!

I've been compiling 'remix' outfits since I started outfit posts, squirreling  away pictures until I deemed I had enough remixes compiled to start posting them!

I was inspired for this series by the bloggers "The Clothes Horse", "Delightful Dozen" and "Scathingly Brilliant" who have similar features on their blogs where they share items in their closets that have been remixed into multiple outfits!

I wanted to do something similar here because I think it's really interesting to see the versatility of clothing, and I love seeing all the outfits side by side and judging which was the best styling and which days I was obviously in a sleepy haze as I got dressed. It's a learning, growing tool that I'm excited to employ on my blog! And hopefully I can inspire you guys just a tiny bit to style your clothes differently every time. :)

Here we go, remix one:

I found this skirt on a lucky shopping trip with my mum. We very occasionally hit up Goodwill and Value Village together and I believe it was she that plucked this whimsical skirt off the rack for me. It's super colorful, comfy, and very remix-able!

The first outfit I wore here, just shortly after starting the blog. I think it's my favorite version of the outfit, colorful and work appropriate. I have to tell you, I haven't worn black tights since I discovered the glory of their colorful cousins-- but they work really well to temper this outfit. The second outfit I wore here -- it's maybe a bit too floral with the shoe combination. Haha, live and learn right? And the last outfit I just wore last week. It's funny how a short, airy skirt can work through all seasons isn't it?

For the Canadian Cold

 I wore this outfit last week before the cold snap really hit us -- it was averaging minus 4-10 back then and now it's minus 30! Winter this year sure has a flair for the dramatics. Expect to see this sweater very often in the coming weeks. I purchased it on sale at Superstore and it's the warmest piece of clothing I own. Honest! I'm going to wear it every day until it's warm again.

Speaking of the apartment -- and the cold -- our thermostat leaves a lot to be desired. We're trying to figure out how to use it because it's suddenly 19 degrees all the time. (Which is feeling quite chilly). Nick and I huddle under blankets in the living room, and it's soo harrd to roll out of bed in the morning. Ah well, gives us more excuses for cuddling! Not that we needed any. ;)

Joe Fresh sweater, thrifted skirt, gifted necklace, HUE tights, She Warehouse boots, Smart Set bracelet

Tried to take photos in the kitchen because it's got the most light in the apartment, not because I'm a domestic goddess. Just to be clear.

Baby Sloths.

Occasionally I like to share cute things with you. Well here's the ultimate cute thing, a bunch of baby sloths being bathed.

A Lazy Weekend

Sunday marked the first snow of 2012. And the first dip below 20 degrees. Brr. Of course, this is Canada so I can't say I wasn't expecting it.

I keep what little coffee I have stored in a mason jar in the freezer. My mum told me storing your ground coffee in the freezer keeps it fresh. And mum's the word. Right?

For Christmas I got Nick and I a matching set of monogrammed mugs from Anthropology.

Mum made me this lovely deer pattern blanket for Christmas -- it's sooo cozy.

After breakfast I spent a few hours watching television and lounging around in my Pj's. I can only wear pajamas for so long however, before I feel a little too lazy and change into my ubiquitous lounge wear -- the yoga pant. 

After laying around for most of the day waiting for my man to come home from work and keep me company, I did some organizing and moved all my dresses out of the bedroom closet and into the laundry room where I have a garment rack. I've also got my tights, and decorative scarves in there. I'm planning a closet tour soon!

Now being a great deal more organized, it was time to clean the bedroom. Nick and I both retain some poor habits in regards to throwing our dirty clothes on the floor. After awhile it became such a mess I couldn't even look at it without feeling overwhelmed. All I could think was how many loads of laundry I was going to have to do to clean it. Well, in good spirits, (and bored) I finally tackled the mess and did four loads of laundry in one day. Now I promise I'll keep on top of those dirty clothes...

Speaking of laundry, here's our jumbled mismatched towel collection. One day I will purchase a full set of matching towels. Not very high on the priority list unfortunately.

Since I had done so much organizing, cleaning, and laundering, I decided I had earned a TV break.

Thankfully, the Top Chef Texas premier was on. (PS. I bought a new banner for Christmas for over the TV. I love it dearly.)

When TV began to tire me I broke out Dragon Age and tried to get passed the spot where I was stuck.. it's my first time playing through the dragon age series (been meaning to for ages!). Damn werewolves and shadow wolves have me stuck again.

After that Nick returned to me, and we went to his parents house for dinner. His dad is entering a lasagna bake off in a few weeks so he was trying out his lasagna recipe. I don't mind him experimenting on us though -- it was delicious. :)

How was your weekend? I bet it was more exciting (although I felt pretty productive...) then mine!

An Experiment in Pattern Mixing

 This outfit was so fun to wear! When I was getting dressed I started with the two piece dress and from there I thought, yes, this scarf will work, and these tights will do fine, and these earrings match my tights... haha, each layer just felt right! Of course I wore my staple brown boots with the outfit. I need to get my hands on another pair of boots, I feel like I'm backed into a footware corner by the weather.

My judgmental sister was all like "why is your belt over top of your scarf?" but I assured her it was a fashion choice and not some accidental belting incident. She was not convinced. (I love how it looks though... like a lot). I think it makes a choice of scarf more deliberate looking for one, it shows of my belt, and it also helps define my waist even when my scarf is huge and bulky. Speaking of scarves, this one was a Christmas present from Nicks parents! How pretty is it? I love the color, and the fact that it has metallic threads in it. I'm all about metallic accents right now.

H&M dress, HUE tights, gifted scarf, Smart Set earrings

In other news, Nick and I finally took down our Christmas tree yesterday, and I got to do a little non-Christmas decorating. I was kind of sad to see the twinkly lights go, and my stockings (my pride and joy this year). However, having space to display some of the things I've collected, and inherited from my Grandma, makes me very happy.

I feel like there's so much to do in the apartment still -- I definitely want to wall-mount the TV and do a simple DIY to take care of all the cords and cables before I show it off in a home tour. Hopefully we can do those things soon.

Have a wonderful weekend my darlings!

New Years Eve Outfit

 I wore this outfit on, you guessed it, New Years Eve! All I knew when I was getting dressed that day is that I wanted to wear something sparkly and I happened to only have one thing in my closet with sequins and thus my color pallet was chosen for me. The most amazing part? I went entirely bare legged under my leather skirt! In January! In Canada! Whoa, that's pretty crazy.

We had a pretty simple New Years Eve staying in with friends and fonduing various meats, vegetables, and perogies. I had never deep fried a perogy before and I gotta say -- they turned out delectably.

H&M leather skirt and necklace, Smart Set shrug, Winners sequin top,

Christmas is Red

 This is the outfit I wore on one of our many Christmas celebrations. Nick and I celebrated with his family, my family, my extended family, and then the other half of my extended family. He's both lucky and unlucky that all of his extended family still resides in the Maritimes where he's from.

I love wearing red during the Christmas holidays -- it just seems right. You know? Sometimes I even get cheeky and wear my green H&M belt with a red patterned dress or sweater. Why not? Fashion is about having fun, and sometimes having fun means being seasonal or quirky. I try not to be afraid of looking silly if it makes me feel good! Of course I don't think there's anything silly about this particular outfit. I do love my new furry collar. ;)

H&M leggings, Urban Outfitters Renewal dress, Dynamite faux fur capulet, Joe Fresh belt, Shoe Warehouse boots

Plain Gold Ring - or - Why I Love Kimbra

Source: gratefulgrapefruit.com via Gloria on Pinterest

I am so in love with Kimbra right now after first hearing her in the Gotye song "Somebody I Used to Know". She's stunning, has perfect hair, and her voice just radiates passion and talent. I'm infatuated, what can I say. Here are a few videos for you to enjoy:

Short Stuff

 So here it is! Before this salon experience I hadn't had my hair cut in a year, and I hadn't changed the length or style in about 5 years! I was really ready for a change and digging the short curly styles I was seeing (hello River Song, anyone else in love with Alex Kingston's hair?). Anyway, I had a friend suggest the salon Allora which happened to be really close to my work. I gave it a try (my stylist's name is Allison if any of you fellow Edmonton based curlies are thinking of going) and couldn't have had a better experience! The only thing I wasn't happy with was my bangs. I wanted more bang! I think my stylist was a little wary of this idea (curly bangs are apparently a rare thing...) so she gave me a sorta half bang. Since then I've trimmed them a few times, going a little shorter with each trim just in case I go too short in my excitement.

Anyway, other then my new hair I'm also loving the real wreath that Nick's grandparents made us and sent all the way from the Maritimes! Not to mention the new Romwe sweater I'm wearing in this picture, and the handmade scarf I purchased from DianasTreasures on Etsy.

Hand made scarf from Etsy, Romwe sweater, HUE jeggings from the Bay

I'm hoping everyone had a lovely weekend -- Nick and I did! We had a few fail moments, purchasing a pair of too short bar stools (but the sale price was amazing! GRR!) and an over the door hook that didn't fit over our door. However we also got a lot of organizing in the apartment done, acquired an amazing floor lamp made out of my fathers old photography equipment, and had a romantic walk to a noodle place nearby for dinner on Saturday. It was a good overall weekend!