Fall, head first.

I'm kinda resisting the change of seasons. Which is crazy because I LOVE fall. The season of layering and multi-coloured tights and crunchy leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. Oh, and Halloween! Seriously? The best.

But I've been purposely wearing sandals and leaving my coat at home and wearing white after Labour Day (gasp). The weather is making it too easy. Do I just have a rebellion-lust this year? Am I  stumbling upon uncharacteristic pessimism? "All good things must come to an end"? 

I don't really believe that. But this summer was pretty magical and also highly indulgent (read: unsustainable). It's OK, the new budget and food restrictions have been good for a girl like me who gets caught up so easily. Healthy. But I guess it's making me associate fall with the end of a good ride. The optimist's perspective: it's still a ride, but we're rolling up the windows. Just a little.

Truthfully, renewal (September is the new January) is exactly what I need. And in the way that you'll crave Hot Rods (yes, even as a vegetarian) when your body really just needs protein, my subconscious is already jumping in piles of leaves and sprinkling nutmeg with fervor. It's trying to tell me something. How do I know? My Etsy faves are suspiciously seasonal. 

 { a surprisingly subdued colour palette for this gal: soft black, goldenrod, slate blue... and sometimes a dash of cinnamon }

Of course, because of my ongoing shopping ban, I can't actually purchase any of these Etsy covets. Minor detail.

When I'm allowed to spend again at the end of this month, the weather will be less forgiving. Sandals are out of the question. It will be a great time to finally embrace the fact that time charges forward. My summer of excess will be but a sweet memory and cluster of Instagram captures. I will buy some pretty cardis (3/4-sleeved to show off my new tattoo!) and tall boots and maybe even give up being a quasi-blonde. 

Oh, look. All this talk is getting me excited. Finally. 

My dream fall, in things, inspired by Etsy:

I referred to something as "half Mad Men, half Girls Gone Wild" yesterday and my friend Dawn said it totally described me "200%". Oh boy. Probably I should lean towards the Mad Men side a little more, yeah? These should do just the trick. Vintage barware $23

I'm a bells-and-whistles kinda girl (tassels! snaps! fringe!) but occasionally, I find awesomeness in simplicity. This bag is perfection. Leather tote by Rib & Hull  $290

I'm kind of obsessed with burlap. Like the way it makes you cough a little when you breathe it in. I just made pillows for our living room out of some old coffee sacks we picked up in Perth last summer. This Etsy shop makes darling things out of the scratchy stuff. Burlap pillows $45

Simple, graphic, lovely.  Chevron print, $36

 

I had a long-term love-thing with peppermint. It was monogamous. Peppermint everything. But a little lip balm I picked up in Montreal turned me onto cinnamon again (in my post-candy-hearts adult life), and maybe I have two loves now. Scandal. Cinnamon soap $6.50

 

 I have great underthings. Surely they deserve a little show & tell. Kidding? But please, tell me this isn't the greatest dress you've ever seen. Stunning. I'd do fantastic things in this dress, I'm sure. Vintage sheer dress $145

In my fantasy life, as a Parisian boutique owner (slash model, slash journaliste), my baking needs would be stored in vintage enamel canisters in the kitchen of my petit loft apartment. Trés chic, n'est pas? $145

This hat! $40

Not gonna lie: as soon as this shopping ban is lifted, these are the very first things I'm buying. High-waisted? Metallic? Animal print? You're speaking my language. Snake print leggings $45

OK, maybe there is actually something wrong with me. I just really, really want you to look at my underwear, obvi. Lace racerback $95

My childhood typewriter is still in the possession of my parents. I tried to reclaim it when they forced me to absorb the rest of my junk trying to exercise squatters' rights in their storage closet. But apparently dad uses it to type up the labels for their juke box. Dedication to authenticity? I just want to look at it because it's pretty? OK, I guess he wins. Typewriter $80

The $0 Wardrobe Re-invention Project: UPDATE!

[ highly suspicious outfit activity... ]

Technically, I should have successfully completed my shopping diet almost a month ago. If you need to know more, read here. Basically, I've grounded myself from shopping for anything frivolous and unnecessary (ermmm, clothes and beauty). Cold turkey, baby. I can only function in extremes.

But guys, I'm going to be totally honest here.

I cheated.

FOUR TIMES.

My "diet" which officially began on June 11 was slated to end mid-August. But bad behaviour  landed me back in the slammer. I added another month to my sentence.

I'm sure it would have been much, much worse, except that my birthday conveniently landed smack dab in the middle of my ban. Mom treated me to a little shopping spree at the new Marshall's (apparently a very big deal in Ottawa, though it's pretty much exactly like Winners). I scored the a denim shirt, ikat/geometric skirt, and green leather clutch. Gifts. Not cheating.

[ yay, mom! ]

Then, my lovely friends lavished me with beauty essentials (girl-crack) and bought me gift cards for Philistine (umm, YEAH, I link to my own articles) and MAC. 

 [ my new philistine "tunic" is a dress on normal-sized humans ]

But still, I fell off the wagon.

FOUR TIMES.

Here are my crimes, petty as they may be:

1. Bowling trip to Vaughan Mills on our July staycay ended in innocent "poking around" in some of the outlet shops. I resisted a French Connection Maxi and deeply-discounted tees with sassy slogans. But a cute pair of on-sale skinnies (photo above) at H&M broke me. I even ignored my "no cheap denim" rule. I was in a bad way. Damage: $20

2. Konad polishes. Cathie bought me the kit, and it kind of became a new obsession. My mom also bought into it (she thinks she's 17, mostly) and we were possibly both a little high on acetone. I beefed up my kit with a new colour and design plate. Damage: $25

3. Joe Fresh. Gets me EVERY TIME. Mom (bad influence!) and I went to grab groceries at the SuperStore while I was in Ottawa in July. In the 'burbs, the Joe Fresh shops are RIGHT INSIDE THE GROCERY STORE. As in, next to lettuce: moderately priced pants. Oy. I genuinely needed new sweats for camping, and I was lured by $6 tees. Damage: $30

4. Maybe I shouldn't even count this one, but in the interest of full-disclosure, I thrifted a like-new J.Crew gingham top for $7 at Value Village. 

 [ cute shirt, right? ]

For me, $82 in almost 2 months wasn't bad. But I'm disappointed that I couldn't make it through. Alas, early parole DENIED! 

Then: I didn't buy a THING in August and most of September. Yay, me!

Today is my new release date. 

Correction: was. 

I almost made it. I could almost smell the mall-smells in my imminent future. New leather and Cinnabon and heavily-perfumed sales ladies. Then, I spied an adorbs pair of cherry-red vintage bowling shoes (in my size!) on Etsy yesterday and just HAD to have them. I don't bowl a ton anymore (I was a league kid), but I'd like to, and maybe these kicks will kick it off. Damage: $40

I need a support group.

Besides my slip-ups, I'm pretty happy with my restraint, and otherwise, my wardrobe reinvention has been coming along nicely. I've tinkered with some jewellry repairs, tie-dyed some tees, reinvented an out-of-date skirt, and altered a pair of pants. I also took home a sweet haul at a clothing swap last month. My biggest projects are still sitting untouched on my sewing table and I'm putting myself on house arrest for most of the month to get things done.

 [ church rummage size-16 midi skirt gets a new life as an above-the-knee size 6 ]

As thrifty and crafty as I may be, though, that last little shopping infraction just cost me another 2 weeks. I'll need the busy-hands distraction.

Plus: I'm currently putting myself through a month-long detox AND Alex and I just drafted up a pretty aggressive budget plan for the next year. Yeah, all at once. Because, well, I enjoy torture, obviously.

As of October I can spend (and drink and eat junk!) again, but I think the break from my toxic ways has been so positive that I'm going to be smart about falling (purposely) off the wagon. Using my credit card for anything other than emergs? Never. Doing shots on a work night? Rarely. Midnight burritos? Well, sometimes.

You know how much I love getting into trouble. This is hell. But worth-it hell. 

(Right?)

(I need a bloody drink.)

tough as nails

Prelude: This is kiiiinda gonna be a product review. Which I don't normally do, because no one pays me to and mostly I'm narcissistic and I think my ridiculous banter is way more interesting (it is, right, mom?). First, though, I'm going to waste 4 paragraphs on a giant tangent/rant about packaging and copywriting. Stay with me. I'm worth it.

Seldom do I fall for the marketing jargon used to sell me products. I used to (and sometimes still do) write that garbage. 

Pretty packaging? I'm a sucker. Don't try to woo me with words, though. Chemicals disguised as whimsy? The Periodic Table of Make-Believe? Thesaurus trickery? Dude. I watched enough Columbo to see through your story.

The claims made by most beauty products are hilarious and ridiculous. Trademarked science-y sounding terms are my absolute favourite. Now with Bioteen™! Cellusmooth™! Lipoluxe™!

Are you patronizing me? 

I skip straight to the ingredients, usually. That's where the truth lies. You can't win me over with natural-sounding buzz words when you're crammed with carcinogens and things I can't pronounce. You might trick me for a bit with beautiful branding and gorgeous typefaces but when I shake myself out of package-porn drunkenness, I can sometimes discover the very best products. I've said it before: 100% Pure? Ugly branding, awesome product!

Like, edible-awesome.

I'm also not completely swayed by brand cachet. As in: your double-page $70 skin cream spread in Vogue doesn't mean I think you're more worthy than the $20 stuff I buy at the dusty smells-of-patchouli natural food store. Mostly because my frugal ways are deeply rooted, but also because I've used $8 shampoos that I've liked as much, if not more, than $30 shampoos. My favourite scrub is 4 bucks and my go-to mascara is 8. 

 [ beauty bests (on a dime): St. Ives scrub, Sally Hansen Salon Manicure, Live Clean hair care, Maybelline ONE by ONE ]

I believe in paying for quality when it comes to, say, denim. Or escorts. In beauty, though you're probably not getting much more for your money if you spend $40 over $10 on a lipstick. Same chemical soup. $30 in sexy packaging and ad space, probably. Hotshot copywriters would have you believe otherwise. 

"Reverses the aging process!" 

IT'S A TRAP!

OK, so I will sometimes (in an optimistic, I-need-a-miracle state) buy these products with the hopes that the effect will be even half as spectacular as promised. I brace myself for disappointment and/or convince myself that I'm just OK with placebos this time.

It's pretty here in la-la land. 

---

OK, let's talk Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips.

I probably never would have picked them up on my own. If the horrific packaging and very skeptical claims like "lasts up to 10 days" weren't enough, a single use is $10. Strikes 1, 2, and 3. Nail polish, another item not worth the extra spend for premium brands, can run you on average $8 a bottle in the drug store. A bottle will last through several manicures. It's pretty easy math: one-time strips for $10, not worth it.

However, a friend bought me a set for my birthday recently. I applied them while watching TV with the Mister the other night. The aligning part is tricky, but otherwise they were pretty simple to apply. I thought they'd be more like stickers, but the effect is like polish in the end – flawless, seamless, flat. I wondered about using a top coat. I mean you ALWAYS need a top coat, right? The packaging mentioned nothing of top coats, so I didn't risk it. I suspected that they'd last a day or two before chipping/peeling. That's usually how long I can go without mussing up a mani.

Guys.

Mine lasted ELEVEN DAYS. 

Not a single chip! No peeling, fading, dulling, rubbing off. Amazing! You could actually see nail growth. There was some very slight uniform wearing at the very tips, but it only became noticeable on the last day. I probably would have had a good 2 days left with them, but metallic animal print can get a little exhausting. Nail polish that outlasts my love of leopard print? Huh.

I like this idea too: use one strip as an accent!

 [ image c/o refinery29.com ]

So let's talk removal process. Sally Hansen claims that removal is "easy" with polish remover. Ominous cloud of skepticism. It couldn't be worse than their Gem Crush glitter polish, which basically annihilates cotton pads. It's gorgeous, but like it's like sandpaper. I read this helpful piece of glitter-coated wisdom a little too late.


The nail strips were, as promised, removable with regular polish remover. "Easy" might be a stretch, but the process didn't induce a sweat mustache and that's my effort benchmark. Sally Hansen does offer an extra strength version, just in case. Next time I might try the glitter polish technique. 

Overall, totally worth the $10 price tag! I think these would be especially great for vacations – no fuss! My only complaint is the variety of designs. I'm only a fan of a handful of them. Maybe that will save me from falling into financial ruin. Death by manicure.

My office mate discovered that Sephora carried a similar product (uh oh) and that the designs are way better. Unfortch, you pay for cachet (what did I tell you!?) and these puppies are going to run you $14. BUT, basic internet-sleuthin' revealed that some of the designs are currently on sale!

Yep, waaaaay better designs. Ikat, cherries, lace! Oh my. There's even a Betsey Johnson line! Some for 5 to 7 bucks, yo! This could get ugly...

I'm going to busy myself with my new (birthday-aquired) nail-stamping kit to save myself from forbidden spending. My shopping diet lives on!

I smell another product review. Yeesh, I really should be paid for this.

p.s. Another way-too-long blog post. I need to write more.

The $0 Wardrobe Re-invention Project!

I am on a shopping diet.

It's self-imposed, but will happen under the judging, disapproving eye of my minimalist husband. He doesn't actually have a say in my purchases. My money is my own, and I'm currently the winningest bread-winner in our duo. However, he definitely has a right to pipe up about this shoe purchase or that new shirt: my closet is just the worst. I ran out of hangers. Again. And have I mentioned that I share the lone (and tiny) storage space in our whole apartment with that poor, poor man? My skirts constantly taunt his slacks. My blouses bully his shirts. His wardrobe ends up huddling together at the very edge of the rack, hoping for a safety-in-numbers approach to survival.

It's not just a space issue, though. if I'm ever going to pay off debts and save up for grown-up purchases like houses and cars and Airstreams and hot tubs (and tattoooos!), I need to curb spending.

So here's my challenge: no new clothing/shoe/accessory/jewellery/beauty/non-essential spends for 2 months. Nothing frilly. Nothing frivolous. NOTHING.

 [ oy, can someone puh-lease get me another beer? ]

I actually started (officially) last Monday, so I'm already more than a week in!  

Exceptions: a proper haircut, non-vanity products (deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen), underwear if needed (needed), and a nude strapless bra (to replace the one that exploded while on my body in the middle of the No Frills produce section).

Oh yeah, and the necessities of life: tacos and beers and the like. Duh.

Yikes. I might wilt and fade and die without chameleon-like style-self-expression. How, oh how, do I reinvent myself each day with the same old pieces from last year? #firstworldproblems 

It's doable with a little resourcefulness, a mess of creativity, and a good pair of fabric scissors. Luckily, I have all three. But even the DIY-challenged can breathe new life into last season's rompers, pants that fit a much-skinnier former self, and dresses hoarded since high school. Without spending a dime. 

Wardrobe CPR:

1. Trade. Have you not yet discovered the wonder of clothing swaps? Sister, PLEASE. I have a friend with a bit of an attitude about used clothing, but these are your FRIENDS, girl. Surely you will not contract imaginary/worst-fears-come-true parasites if the hand-me-downs come from a friend who shares your personal hygiene OCD. I have gleaned many an amazing piece and have peacefully parted with gems I couldn't bear to drop in the big metal Goodwill bin. 

 [ swap scores: vintage teal petal-print skirt // denim jacket // chevron tank ]

2. Revive. Dye, tie-dye, paint, embellish, restring, stamp, re-purpose, darn, mend... I actually darned socks once, during my poor student days. I felt all wartime-y. Like I was doing my part for my country. Of course, said socks did not end up on the feet of soldiers. Also, they were red with monkeys on the ankles. A girl with an actual salary can probably stand to avoid darning, but I'm excited for some more interesting revitalization projects. I restrung beads from two vintage necklaces to make this one. I'm inspired to make more!

 

[ $80 at asos.com or... I could DIY my plain white chucks with some easy stamping ]

3. Layer, mix, (mis)match. Not a new concept, and really my all-the-time M.O. I just need to start getting a lot more creative in the next 8 weeks. Example: I have this midi-dress in white with crocheted bits. I have worn the shit out of it. The top is a bit ill-fitting now and the armpits reveal many a sweaty summer bike ride. But the skirt portion is pretty lovely. Throw a light gauzy tee over the whole mess, and voila! I considered converting it to a skirt, but the top portion is perfect as a layering cami. Win-win.

4. Nip & tuck. You don't have to be a master seamstress to make quick alterations to your too-big, too-small, outta-style pieces. There are plenty of great online tutorials, some not even requiring a machine! See P.S. I Made This and A Beautiful Mess for some fun examples. My new projects for the coming weeks (if I can ever find time to do anything hobby-ish) are to convert two dresses into skirts. 

First: my actual wedding dress. Back in tha day, I ripped apart an off-the-rack BCBG dress and re-made it to suit my farm-themed wedding. Now, I'm going to lop off the bodice, slash out most of the lining and turn it into a semi-sheer summer maxi skirt. I'd like to vintage-up the colour but the poly lace won't take to normal fabric dye. Suggestions?

[ before // after... ]

[ after-after? // via chictopia.com ]

Secondly, I have a Won Hundred dress in an awesome pixel pattern, but the bodice won't close over my boobs anymore. I'd like to tell you it's because I'm suddenly a lusty, chesty broad. No such luck. I think I just got too fat in the armpits and back. Joy! This dress, too, is destined for a similar fate: the guillotine!

5. Dress up/down. Also not brain surgery, but think beyond the LBD (that's "little black dress" for the dads/husbands). I'm a firm believer that every dress has two personalities – Peggy by day, Joan by night. I originally bought this Zara pink peter-pan-collared dress for a wedding. I accessorized it with pearls and black patent for a faux-Chanel-Barbie look: sweet, classy & feminine. But I discovered that it can be work/play appropriate, too, with flats and tights! 

Also, I can do pretty much anything in any season with my little green dress (LGD!):

6. From scratch, baby. There are some awesome beginner patterns online that require only the machine basics. I tackled this Victory pattern in a barn in 6 hours.

We'll see if I have any time for even one of these projects. I am WAY too ambitious, pretty booked up socially, and terrible at time-management. I'm not setting any unrealistic goals here. However, I'm pretty confident that I can stick to my shopping diet. It will be tough, especially when I visit my mother next month: "Oh, just buy it!" and/or "It's sooo you." and/or "I'll pitch in half."

What are your secrets? Tell me! Help!

New Orleans Style – Part 2

{ D&G // Gap }

Ooh, surprise! I lied and didn't post Part 2 of my New Orleans style quest before my trip (see Part 1 here). Meh, I was busy. What do you want from me? I'm getting too old to be apologetic about my own inadequacies.

I suppose, though, since I DID do a lot of the legwork, I might as well make this a style-postmortem rather than the informative little packing post I had planned.

So yeah, I didn't really know what to expect, other than hot steamy awesomeness (I was right). I was unsuccessful in my search to find an authentic (and good) New Orleans-based style blog. No help there. So I could only go by my perception of the city based on what I've absorbed through Googling and movies (FLAKES!). Also, my over-active imagination (it likes to make things dreamier than they are).

 { of course, I packed this skirt. but what else? }

What is NOLA style? Bohemian avec bling? Hillbilly-chic? Disco Stevie Nicks? Tragic southern belle?

(I was wrong on all accounts)

I was envisioning a soft 70s thing happening: floppy hats, long skirts. Mostly because of the heat. Fashion forced by necessity. I assumed that the music scene and the french influence MUST have some sort of impact on style. Jazz! Le Français! Bourbon! Heatwaves! Casual but classy. Breezy, effortless, classic (good GAWD, I am none of those things!).

Maxi skirts and sequin boleros! Raffia wedges and multi-strand pearls! Floral tunics and wide-brimmed hats! SO MANY HATS! SO MUCH ROMANCE!

(OK, I was postulating. And setting myself up for disappointment.) 

Whatever. I was NOT going to end up looking silly again. The nun habit and school headmistress gear is collecting dust. If we were gonna spend post-trade-show-floor time sipping fancy bourbon drinks and patting our brows with embroidered vintage handkerchiefs and absorbing some local culture (via oversexed dancing?), I wanted to look the part. Sigh, I romanticize everything.

(In reality, I was drinking king cans of Chelada and ghetto Red Bull-based "cocktails" while attempting to wrangle 5 raucous drunks. It's a living.) 

Based on my speculations, I made a healthy donation to my summer wardrobe in preparation for the trip: kelly green strapless ruffle dress, Costa Blanca cream lace shorts, swishy black racerback tank, platform wedges, H&M denim light-wash sundress, GAP birdie hair scarf, amazing was-$400-on-sale-for-$27 sequin Pink Tartan skirt!

  { costa blanca // H&M }

 { maxi dress, Winners // belt, Zara // bag, Jessica Simpson // sunglasses, vintage Ray Bans // ring H&M }

Despite the awesomeness of my new purchases, I kinda style-failed again, but at least in a direction I can handle. Nawlins is an incredibly beautiful, magical place. But it ain't fancy. I was overdressed. But hey, that's my comfort-zone, and I felt preeeeetty glam under the circumstances. Unlike Vegas, where I felt like a washed-up hag, I felt fresh and noticed. Hey, boys. Little ego boosting is good for the soul, yeah?

My packing advice (oh look, we're doing this anyway!), more appropriately-timed now that I'm a seasoned pro:

• Tiny, flow-y cotton dresses and shorts – casual, people, casual. (I wore sequins, but that's me. I'm arrogant and manage to get away with it.)
• Hair elastics - just put that shit in an up-do, yo. Heat tools and anti-frizz products? That humidity will just laugh at (then annihilate) you.
• Flats. Only flats. A comfy wedge if you have to (I had to) but girrrrl, don't even THINK about packing those pumps. The streets are either cobblestone or in terrible need of construction. And you want to be walking a lot, because it's gorg.
• A light cover-up. You don't actually need to wear a jacket outside. Ever. Even in the rain. But, those folks looooove their A/C and you'll be sorry mid-oyster feast that you didn't plan for frostbite. 

{ ikat cover-up, Everly // iPhone case, Melody Miller for GelaSkins }

{ headscarf, thrifted // necklace, J Crew // dress, H&M }

{ dress, Urban Outfitters // sandals, Zara }

Now that you know how to pack, I insist that you go.

(And, take me with you.) 

I'll never love again (yes, I will)

 

Look at how happy I am – ignore that it was a put-on smile, flashed between barking photo-taking directions at hubby and trying not to have a head-on collision with a garage door – but yes, HAPPY! Did I know then, though, that my love-affair with two wheels would be so fleeting? Serves me right for being trusting. Oh, no one would ever come through our back yard and into our garage to steal our bikes in TORONTO. Never. But yes, of course they would. And of course they did.

Alex and I had our babies stolen this weekend. And while my bike was bought for practical no-fuss, gettin'-around reasons, and not lust-at-first-sight like my current crush, I became quite attached to the old girl. She didn't fail me. Not once. Except that she went and got herself stolen. Girl, didn't I teach you to be wary of strangers?! Deaf ears, man. Sadly, a salesperson with atrocious handwriting is the reason that I will never see her again – a completely illegible serial number is no use for the police report. She's gone. 

While I mourn and eat ice cream in my favourite sweats (the appropriate reaction to any break-up, yeah?), a girl's gotta move on at some point.

The time is now.

I'm at the acceptance stage already, I think. A girl with a penchant for dramatics has a lot of history with (self-inflicted) grief. Man, I just roll through the 5 levels now, and I don't even think I stop on denial anymore. Express train.

Bright side? It's an opportunity to get a bike that's maybe more "me". I picked a Norco hybrid for budget/practicality, but I'm not really doing much in the way of serious cycling, so I can afford to play the style-over-function card. I'll bike to the moon (the moon!), but I'm not racing. I just need something pretty that can handle a 50-minute round-trip commute. Something light, so I don't almost die when carrying it. Something that puts the whoosh back into my life. I fall in love easily, so that part won't be hard. But as hubby says, my eyes are bigger than my wallet. So is my heart. And my wanderlust. And my bucket list. Sigh. 

I used to think being simultaneously broke and in love was impossibly romantic. Kinda over it.

The Mister has back-up wheels secured, so because he thinks I'm meow (and wants an end to the pouting) he's helping me with my own search. It resulted in a Craigslist-related fight after I vetoed 600 of his picks. It's not my fault though!!! On my way home, I was wooed by Mikey, an adorable sales-creature at Curbside Cycle and this:

This!

I very nearly swooned when I perched atop this minty baby. Sex. Just sex. But oh, $650. Hrmm. Not crazy-expensive in nice-bike world. But nuts when you're trying to be a good girl on a budget and you had a perfectly good bike just 4 short days ago. Dolla-dolla-billz, y'all. I could find ways to justify it then heap it onto credit with an audible gulp. I'm a master at justifying my terrible choices. A fucking Jedi.

But no. I am resisting her intoxicating lure. I'm back on Craigslist (with a much less eager helper-bee) hoping that I don't crack and just buy the first thing I can find. I'll hit desperation very quickly. I'll wither without wind in my hair. I will.

In the meantime, let's engage in a little self-torture, shall we? Bike porn, baby:

From top: 1) Bobbin Birdie 2) Abici Primavera 3) Bobbin Firefly 4) Public Bikes 5) Public Bikes

Check out more here, on my Pinterest board! 

Spring-y

I've decided it's Spring. I decided it the day before we got that huge (now gone) dump of snow. And before it started snowing again today. So, you can thank me for that. I didn't knock on wood because I'm a daredevil.

Our yard looks spring-y again. Not good-spring. Bad-spring. Like this: mud and evidence of dogs and brown, brown, brown. But I'm longing for bare legs and wellies and jewel-toned trenches. I don't want to buy anything unless it's mint or citron or cantaloupe in colour. I want to drink mojitos and white sangria.

I almost bought a bright purple silk maxi skirt last week because it would look so fetch with my Zara sandals from last summer. It kind of inspired a new wardrobe direction for me: Zoltar meets Pirate-babe meets Across the Universe. Kind of a less-blingy, more floral fortune teller. Put more simply: Stevie Nicks circa... always. You like? I should buy the skirt, yeah?

 across the universe // stevie nicks

Despite the tricky weather, though, I have to remember that it's February. We're not safe from snow squalls and ice-rain and deep freeze. Yet.

A girl can dream.

I'm heading into the woods in 3 weeks for a craft weekend and I'm definitely whipping up something fantastic in preparation for puddle-jumping.

Of course I needed to be inspired...

Here are my latest Etsy picks, lovingly handmade (or gleaned) by folks after my own summer-lovin'-heart:

Let's picnic, y'all! Aedriel Originals - chevron salad plates (2) $36

 Norwegian Wood - faux thigh-high leggings $70

 my kids will live in neverland. and i will live vicariously. The Butter Flying - rain mobile $50

 ISWASANDWILLBE - enamoured necklace $40

confetti rain! Aeropagita Prints - 'The Rain' print $20

i would live in this. over and under EVERYTHING. Norwegian Wood - sheer lace maxi $120

 let's just lie around all day and read and watch the rain, kay? Big Birds Boutique - large floor cushion $250

 oooh, surprises! Handsome and Lace - silk necktie $70 (LOCAL!)

 spring's just right for falling in love, yeah? Dariami - Mint heart studs $18

 let's get hitched. Sweet and Savvy Designs - tissue pom poms $30

like pyjamas, but hot. Leilanni - jersey maxi skirt $70 (LOCAL!)

step into my office, baby. Hopper and Space - vintage wingback sofa $1800

*prices are converted to CAD and are approximate