Lunch out

My life in Edmonton is slowly winding down, and I'm spending most of my time packing, stressing about packing, hanging out with people I love, and running errands. Things have been very low-key lately and I certainly appreciate it.



Today in between dropping off a bunch of clothes at the Bissell Thrift Shoppe and picking up an anti-virus software at Staples, my dad and I stopped for lunch. We went to the Popular Bakery and it was as delicious as always. It's definitely my favourite bakery in Edmonton. There's so much I'm going to miss!


The pineapple chocolate was so good!

I had coffee with my ex-girlfriend/current friend this afternoon, and I'll be spending the rest of the day packing and cleaning. I hope to get a lot done tonight as tomorrow's my birthday (!) and I'd like to devote the day solely to fun things.

Maxi

I've wanted to give maxi skirts a try for a while, but I wasn't really into the floral maxi dresses that were available for the summer. I much prefer maxi skirts in dark colours for autumn, layered under button-ups and over-sized sweaters, and finished with boots. The weather here is no where near fall-like though, so I wore this skirt in a bit cooler way to accommodate for the summer heat.





Old Navy skirt, Old Navy top, Spring sandals, F21 sunglasses, gifted necklace




I also got a new piercing as an early birthday present to myself (after the outfit photos were taken, as you can see). I absolutely love it!



I wanted something new before I left Alberta, so I decided to jump at my long-time longing for this piercing. Done by Sarai Jorgenson at Strange City.

Pottery, Part 1

Over the past two months, I've been taking a pottery course at the City Arts Centre. The class was wonderful, and I was thrilled that the instructor was a potter I already knew (my high school pottery teacher's friend). After not doing pottery for the past year, it was great to brush up on my skills before entering into my fine arts program! The class ended this week, and I wanted to share with you some of the pieces I've made. Most of the pieces are still being fired, so look out for the 'part 2' of this post next week!


Double pinch pot hand-built rattle


Slab and coil pot decorated with sgraffito

Florals

I'm not sure how to accessorize this dress, but today was too hot for a lot of accessories anyway. I'm getting tired of summer... I would love for the temperature to drop about ten degrees (and then stay there!).


Pure Energy dress purchased from Gazel, Payless flats, gifted owl necklace

I started today with a dentist appointment (ick!) but the day improved... thanks to a bit of shopping, getting a package in the mail, barbecued hamburgers, and pottery class. :)

Just a heads up that my clothing sale will be ending tomorrow at 11:59pm MST. If you're interested in purchasing anything, please email me before then!

Navy & black

This weekend was just as fun and busy as I imagined it would be! After a bustling four-day weekend I was very grateful to have today off to recuperate. I didn't get very many photos this weekend (as it always happens when I'm having a lot of fun), but I did get a few shots of my outfit on Thursday night. Thursday was a very autumn-y day, so I took that into consideration when getting dressed for the pub. My outfit was inspired by this one on the Clothed Much facebook page. I loved my outfit, but with her skinny jeans and lace-up flats, Elaine's definitely takes the cake!





Thrifted cardigan & bag, Old Navy striped top, Ricki's skirt, Payless boots, and Winners scarf

I was very sad to hear of Jack Layton's passing today. First and foremost, my condolences to his family. While we have lost a wonderful representative, his family has lost a loving father and husband. With the amount of hope and optimism Jack Layton was able to instill in Canadians who never had the honour of meeting him, I can only imagine the positive impact he has left on the the lives of those close to him. Canada has lost a great politician, and even those who do not support the NDP are mourning the death of an honourable Canadian.

Blog Sale + ramblings

I can't believe August is half over. Where did it go? What did I?
I'll be moving in three weeks!



This post might seem a bit all-over-the-place, but that's where my head is right now.

• First and foremost, as embarrassing as it feels to say, there's no way around it - the Full Fat Clothing Swap was a total flop. Not a single person came. It was disappointing to say the least, but there's no point in getting too upset. It's in part that i didn't do any real life/paper advertising. My procrastination and nerves got the best of me, and I just wasn't sure about how to go about real life advertising, so I let it fall to the side. However, I felt like there was some interest shown, but it happened to be a bad weekend for everyone. I can't feel to negatively about it, it's just something to learn for next time!
• To clear up some closet space before I move, I'm selling a tonne of clothes online. $0 articles of clothing and a pair of Aldo boots to be exact. Most items are sizes 16-20, with a few larger and smaller sizes, and priced between $5-$20. There are clothes from Old Navy, Forever 21+, GAP, and American Eagle (a lot unworn), as well as some gorgeous vintage pieces. You can check out the sale here or by clicking the "shop my closet" link at the top of the page.
• The shoes I ordered from Aldo don't fit one bit! Their size 11 really is more like a size 10, it's ridiculous. At least it's really easy to make returns; you can return items purchased online in any of their stores.
• I've spent the after noon attempting to apply for student loans, but their site is being so finicky. I'm getting a bit frustrated, but I'm sure this evening activities will cheer me up. Keegan's taking me out to dinner - so sweet of him!
  

Earn your Stripes

I'm finding my personal style to be quite fickle. A lot of the time I don't know what I want to wear, and when I do it's not possible given what's in my wardrobe. I feel my style is changing but I don't know where it's going. I want to be a bit more androgynous and edgier. Darker... more chic, less childish. Not really androgynous per se.... just less girly. Less overtly cute?

This is just a bit of rambling, really, but it's one of the Top Three Things on my Mind lately (the other two are mentioned near the end of the post). All that being said, I was happy with what I wore today.




thrifted Joe Fresh striped tunic (a medium!), thrifted vest & bag, Ricki's skirt, Spring sandals, F21 sunglasses


rock pendant from some tourist-y gift shop, gifted handmade copper bracelet



I don't talk a lot about health, online or in real life, because it just doesn't interest me. Most of the discussion around health is quite problematic, and when it comes to maintaining a comfortable quality of life I tend to focus on my mental health. However I've been having a few physical health problems lately, namely with back pain, neck pain, and awful tension headaches. It got so bad that I spent Monday night in the emergency room, worried that the neck stiffness/headache/nausea might be meningitis! I'm more than a bit embarrassed that a headache landed me in the ER, but I'm grateful that it wasn't something worse. Since then I had my first massage (I was a bit nervous but the massage therapist, who's a friend of a friend, was great) and began seeing a physical therapist, and I feel like I'm on the right track to deal with my pain.

In happier news though, I'm making a big change come fall. If we're friend on facebook you already know that I'm moving to Regina, Saskatchewan this September! After a lot of waiting and frustration, followed my a whole tonne of indecisiveness on my part, I've decided to move to Regina for university. The University of Regina is the only university on Canada where I can get a Bachelor of Arts and focus on ceramics, which is my passion. I'm pretty set on getting a BA (rather than a BFA or diploma) because I'd like to eventually get a Master of Library and Information Science degree. I've never even been to Regina, nor do I know a single person there, so this is a huge change. To be honest, though, I'm much more excited than I am nervous! It'll be such an adventure! I'm moving the first weekend of September, so until then I'm spending as much time with friends & family as possible, and trying to downsizes a lot.

As always, thanks for reading!

Summer days

A few photos from last Friday night. I spent it with Keegan, one of my best friends, and had a great time!









Bike rides, Value Village, campfires, rum & coke, barbecues, homemade banana pancakes, Transamerica, Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream... all signs of a wonderful summer day!

Grown-up Girl Guide

The title of this post was inspired by my mom who told me I looked like a Girl Guide in this outfit. With the navy skirt and striped top, I totally see what she means!



I bought these wedges at the beginning of the summer for $25 from Payless. I really like them - along with being super cute they're also very easy/comfortable to walk in. I really loved the wedges with this midi-length skirt, but it didn't feel like an outfit until I added this green belt that came with a (ridiculously awful) thrifted dress.



These pictures were also taken in Kananaskis, but I didn't get around to posting them until now. It was so great to take outfit photos there - beautiful location and no people looking at you oddly. I love woodsy greenery in my photos.



Thrifted skirt, belt, & necklace (worn as bracelet), Old Navy t-shirt, Payless wedges, vintage scarf via Divine

August Long Weekend

Hey all! This weekend was a long weekend in most Canadian provinces, and the past few day have been just lovely. I didn't work all weekend, and my parents were out of town, so Friday to Monday I was free to do as I please. What a wonderful feeling!








Thrifted skirt, Ricki's top, Northern Reflections belt, free chains and gifted pendant

My extra-long weekend involved:
- Riding my bike to Value Village and getting three lovely bottoms (including the $3 skirt I'm wearing above). The ride back wasn't as nice as a bit of a storm had blown in and I was riding into the wind and rain without so much as a sweater!
- Starbucks and Chapters with my dad. I got a gorgeous new journal and he was kind enough to buy me two novels, including Miriam Toews newest one. My parents hate to feel like they spoil me, so they called it an "August long weekend present." Too funny!
- Finishing the sgraffito on a hand-built pot. It looks really good and I can't wait for it to be fired!
- Learning how to use a sewing machine with the help one of my best friends. We made a cute little draw string bag. I really want to get a sewing machine of my own and expand into altering thrifted clothes.
- Sharing a cookies n' cream icecream cone with the aforementioned best friend.
- Receiving some absolutely gorgeous second-hand jewellery from my friend's mom. Thank you!
- New lipstick. After seeing bright fuchsia lips everywhere I decided to give it a try. I'm wearing Rimmel's "In Vogue" and the colour and formula are perfect! It was only $4 at Shoppers and I've already gotten a lot of compliments on it.
- A spontaneous outing to the bar. On Saturday night I was already in my pyjamas when two of my friends texted me asking to go out. I'm nothing if not fun, so I threw on some clothes and my new lipstick and headed out. We went to Suede on Jasper Ave, where none of us had been before. (As my friend put it, "I heard a lot of queers like to come here, and I thought 'hey, we could be those queers!'") Maybe it was the alcohol, but that line had me laughing out loud! That being said, with $9 highballs and cocktails this queer girl likely won't be back.
- Taking a friend out for coffee (after sleeping through our lunch date... not the first time it's happened either!). Thankfully she was still in the neighbourhood and after a green tea frap was able to look past my sleeping habit.
- An ENORMOUS amount of cleaning and organizing. Cleaning actually took up most of my weekend but I couldn't be happier about it. I'm terribly disorganized and lately my room has been disastrous. Now, it's clean and organized (along with the rest of the house) and I feel great. I did a major overhaul of my closet, and it's much more functional now. I'll be sure to share photos in the next few days.



Whew! Sorry for the novel there. How was everyone else's weekend?