Make it all go away

I am so stressed out right now. For the past two days I've been worrying about becoming a young widow. I don't really have it in me to find and post wonderful things. I'm falling apart as well, as my leg is quickly looking similar to my grandma's leg, a not so slow progression over the last year after supposedly (ie. not actually) spraining my leg. I've already changed the length of skirts/dresses I wear because of my leg (and shorts are not an option). Now I'm thinking I should just wear long pants and socks. Sigh. Perhaps this would give me some comfort in the form of wrapping my neck in a comfy jersey hug...

Perhaps not. Maybe later anyway.

Dashing tweed

I don't know who this girl is, but I want her outfit. The tweed vest/dress, the oversized cowl, the wonderful hat, the arm warmers...This is from a Tweed Ride in San Francisco. We missed out on our local tweed ride since it was the same day as my husband's first mountain bike race. But hopefully we'll make it out next year. I truly think this is one of the greatest ideas/new fads ever. And I have a delightful hybrid bike named Sally that would be oh so pretty for a tweed ride.

I may be broke forever...

I don't know how I'll survive with me trying to not spend anymore after my last custom orders. Not with new ArtLab pieces being posted in her Etsy shop. Now this first one isn't new, but Patricia has posted some more pictures and relisted the 'Charlie Chaplin Couture Bib' that I've blogged about before as 'Industrial Couture'. Possibly because I'm apparently the only one smart enough to have ordered this gorgeous piece. I think the original pictures with the model are lovely, but the ones on the dress form really showcase the stunning beauty of this avant garde bib. You know you want this.

And I'm stunned by the new '1/2 Ration Noir Dress'. Half of a ration never seemed like enough before.

And finally, I must say that I automatically shy away from all things denim except for denim jeans. But Patricia's 'Raw Edge Denim Dress'...Sigh.

One last splurge...

Just when I decided that I need to taper off my spending as the 3-month countdown to a one-income bank account has begun, I have come across one of the most diverse and stunning designers, Gemma Degara. I have indeed fallen in love with her Bushido SS/09 collection. I would wear every single piece in this collection. And I mean every single one. I'd love to insert an eloquent fashion critique here of her work, but I am utterly speechless. I've literally been sitting here for the last 45 minutes going through every single picture over and over. Perhaps a Gemma Degara piece will be the last of my spending. Methinks it would be a good way to celebrate my back finally feeling better.

And I must say that the model, Elisabet Garcia, is possibly one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Just breath-taking photos. I think I shall grow out my hair. I've been admiring Queen Michelle's hair since I found her Kingdom a few days ago, and now this gorgeous set of locks tempts me ever so much to be brave and make my way through the annoying mid-length stage...

Thanks to Patricia of ArtLab for indirectly pointing me to this designer through her Etsy favorites list. I will be daydreaming of these pieces for quite some time...

Money savers

What a glorious sunny day full of good news!

1) I bought the cutest/sexiest swimsuit ever last fall with some birthday money from on-leave Etsy seller and fellow Canadian, polkadore. I didn't get a chance to wear it until the other weekend on our trip to the mountains, and discovered a technical difficulty which made me quite sad. However, Claudia is such a sweetheart, that she's offered to remake the suit for me free of charge. This makes me a very happy girl, especially since this is the very best swimsuit EVER. If only the world was brimming with such people like Claudia.

2) It's been 1 month since my 6-month coffee ban has been lifted, and sadly I still cannot successfully stomach my favorite Starbucks espresso-based drinks. However, today I discovered a drink that has made me quite ecstatic. 'New' to the

menu is the Iced Coffee with Milk. Now, I never liked the taste of plain ol' coffee, so I always went for the over-priced espresso options. But today I happily found out that my taste buds have matured and are quite delighted by coffee's flavour. With a Venti size coming in at $3.31, I can enjoy my Starbucks at $1.57 less than my normal fare (Venti Caramel Macchiato). I can (kinda sorta) afford that new Liza Rietz tunic after all...

3) And best of all, a delightful little snail letter addressed to my lovely husband (who is getting nicer and nicer to look at every day - thank God for mountain bikes!!!) informed us that he has been awarded a $1,200 scholarship for his upcoming Master's program that he is beginning in the fall. We have his tuition sitting in our savings account already, but this extra cash is quite welcome, as I will be the only income come September. Hurray for super smart husbands!!!

So now the question is, why shouldn't I get Under the Root's 'Underworld Umbrella UnitSuit'? I think the name alone is a good enough reason to splurge for delicious lounging/underthings...

Ode to Jade

As I washed and dried my hair in preparation for my 4:45am alarm tomorrow, I lamented the departure of Jade, the best hair stylist in my Aveda world. She is moving on to better things in the hair universe, and I may never get a great cut & colour again. She would work her magic to reclaim my hairline from the invading light blonde roots every 6ish weeks. And she recently gave me my best cut ever, introducing me to my first set of bangs since elementary school. Perhaps I should leave my hair to grow out (except for the bangs) to my pre-colouring stage, Queen Michelle style. Sigh. So long Jade. And so long beautiful hair.

Bustle blasphemy...

It's probably blasphemous to wonder what my new ArtLab bustle would look like with my Nataya wedding dress, no?

Oh, now I've gone and fallen in love with Nataya again...I think I need this skirt:

ArtLab mania

So the much-anticipated ArtLab bustle arrived today. My first reaction was speechlessness. Because it's amazing. My second reaction was, 'Oh no, I think I'm in over my head.' This piece of art is going to require all my creativeness to figure out just how to style it, as I've never owned or tried on anything like it. For some reason I think I need a great little vest to go with it. If only my dearest Bonzie had one in her shop. What I picture a Bonzie vest to be is gorgeous in my mind...I must admit I'm also curious how it would look layered over this Stella McCartney top that I'm hoping to win on ebay.

The possibilities are endless, I'm sure. And I am now 100% addicted to ArtLab. I also received the gorgeous ArtLab tee I lamented over a couple weeks ago. Worth every discounted penny, and more. Sigh.

Marriage hoody

Oh there's just something about today that brings back memories of our beach marriage. Perhaps it's the overcast skies, wind, and forecasted showers (it was very windy and rainy that day). Perhaps it's a smell in the muggy air that reminds me of the ocean smell (or perhaps that's the possibly dead skunk I've been smelling for the past 3 days?). Perhaps it's the date (our anniversary is March 26th). Perhaps it's my recent desire for some vegan friendly gladiator sandals (I wore some cheap and lovely black sequined sandals that laced up my calves). Or perhaps it's my constant lament for a truly multi-functional (ie. flattering and goes with any outfit at all) black hoody, brought up today by the fact that my semi-functional black hoody is still air-drying from laundry day.

See, I got married in a black hoody. Mind you, it was only our legal wedding that occurred on the beach. We had a proper church ceremony and (the best ever) reception/party a few months later, since my wedding dress (bought a year before in hopes of getting married within the next 5 pounds) was in a different province when we legally married. But back to this hoody. We were really poor back then and I 'splurged' on this $40 simple black hoody with a wide ribbon drawstring. It's apparently a very small (Canadian?) brand called Song. I've only seen the brand at this store called Off the Wall, but I've never seen anything even close to similar (and the local branch of the store is totally atrocious). I still have the beloved hoody, but I've literally loved it to pieces and really should frame it or something before it's completely threadbare. I just haven't been able to find a replacement. I custom ordered a hoody from joodito, but it turned out to need careful handling with the satin features (on the left), rendering it an extremely beautiful non-everyday hoody. I'm hoping a reworking of SCHiZO's 'D'Artagnan' in solid black will do the trick (on the right).

Anyway, this muggy weather is making me paw through my closet for the lightest possible thing to wear. In reality, all I want to wear right now is Lorimarsha's breathtaking collage of lace that is her 'Truly Madly Deeply' dress. Sigh. Now that's a beach wedding dress if I ever saw one...

Double eco-take (I'll take both, please)

I stumbled upon seedknits' Björk and eco friendly 'Diamond Heart Crochet Dress', which instantly reminded me of tiinateaspoon's (also Björk and eco friendly) 'Paper-doll dress', which I've been oogling since day 1. The two shots of these startling gorgeous dresses are nearly the same poses, don't you think?!! Must be the recycled-materials-couture-dress pose. Ahhh, I love perusing my fave Etsy sellers' faves - I find so many delightful sellers and pieces that I wouldn't have seen otherwise...

Which reminds me, I still have to finish making my 2nd version of Tiina's Mustikka dress. I bought the lovely PDF pattern last July and made my first try with much too heavy upholstery fabric (it's now a very very heavy but delightful bustle skirt). Now I still have at least half way to go on the second/final version, made this time of bedsheets. Oh the life of a procrastinator...

Laundry day

For my husband's pump-up-before-the-race iPod playlist yesterday, he included the oh so catchy 'Destroy Everything You Touch' by Ladytron. Now, ever since a sad young man came into the used book store I used to work at to sell his treasured Ladytron albums, I've been hooked on this multi-national and multi-talented quartet. I had the pleasure of seeing all 4 perform together live last year, and I have to say it's one of the best shows I've ever ever seen. And I must admit my wee crush on singer Helen Marnie. Her voice is perfection, a combo of clear and breathy tones. And her range is phenomenal and effortless. Just something about singing with her hand on her hip, silhouetted by the lights, and wearing a fabulous yet simple architectural outfit (and hair style). The show also gave me a chance to wear this outift by fellow Canadian onearmedscissor, one of my very best purchases from ebay (she's gladly on Etsy now). Yes, I have quite diverse tastes in clothing. And I think every girl that dyes her hair black at least thinks about dressing goth/industrial for at least one evening. I have a couple outfits on hand for such occasions...

And yes, I do also have a crush on all things ArtLab. I have yet to lay my hands on my own ArtLab piece, but I would indeed go broke if I could have all the ones I want. But today is laundry day, so I'm dreaming of all things new and clean to wear, even while cleaning the dirty ones (with a sore back at that - aren't I glamourous!). Next up I think will be 'Andromache's Destruction Noir' (again, LOVE the classical reference in the title). It will certainly encourage my scarf addiction, especially when I layer this beauty with some wide-legged pants once it inevitably becomes cold again. And perhaps after that will be her 'Star Trek Princess Dress'. Now I'm no Trekkie, but this dress fulfills all my comfortable yet irrestibly chic desires for a dress. And that bronze colour!!!

P.S. Thanks to Queen Michelle (and to Patricia for posting) for her fabulous layering of her ArtLab bustle with a ruffle-y/flow-y blush/nude coloured dress/tunic. I can't wait to get mine now. :)

I am a proud wife

My husband finished 15th out of 31 guys in his first ever mountain bike race! I am so very proud. The race was a lot of fun to watch and it's a gorgeous gorgeous day out. I got a wee bit of scalp burn since I am not a hat-wearing kind of girl, but I shall live. I wish I had Jenclaire's romantic Isadora Duncan dress to wear today, although the bike course was indeed too dusty to wear this beauty out:

I'm also really wanting these Melissa shoes today. I was searching for something close to those Chie Mihara bootie sandals I posted about before (but vegan), and stumbled upon these. Totally digging the modern jellies. Probably in black though. The only gold shoes I've ever owned were my wedding shoes, and I imagine things will stay that way.

And on an unrelated note, is it wrong to like red and purple together? I got these delightful Under the Root 'Jester Blumen' for lounging around the house in, and now I quite like the colour combo. There's just something lovely about a dark, romantic, gothic purple with a vibrant, passionate (and magical?) red...

Lovely day

I love the sound of the old-fashioned streetcar that runs just behind our building. It runs from May to October a few times a day. That sounds means it's finally summer. *Smile*

I love this video. It's a show on Swedish TV that was filmed in breath-taking Iceland, talking about the current economic meltdown there and the impact their incredible creative community is making. It features Sigur Ros, who creates the most beautiful music in the world. If only I could see them play live every single day...(And if only I could have Jonsi's jacket he wore when we saw them in Montreal...)

And I love this jacket. If you know me or read my blog even semi-regularly, it'll be quite obvious that I am indeed a Bonzie follower/fan/addict. I dreaming of a black and tattered version of the Napoleona Couture Coat for myself...Although the original red version quite likely has magical powers, just like my red Belle shoes. I opted to wear some comfier Stella McCartney/Adidas flats yesterday, so my back has not yet been cured and I am still looking for some kind of wonderful therapy...

Fashion therapy

Day 2 of staying home sick with back pain. My muscles along my spine are all swollen, so I didn't really feel like going to work and lifting bins of blood and plasma all day. Although perhaps the -50 degree Celsius freezer would've felt nice...

It's actually sunny and warm out today, so today I'm thinking of this outfit:

L. Weatherread's delightful "origami for your body", her 'Ruched raw cotton shirt/jacket' (with wood enclosure, rather than horn) + My second ever Bonzie purchase, my beloved 'Ethereal Elegant Dress' + The last pair of leather shoes I will ever buy - red patent flats, Belle by Sigerson Morrison. I dreamed about these red shoes (they're magic shoes!) and rescued them from the last pair sale shelf. Every girl should have a pair of red shoes.

Now in reality I don't wear short dresses, so this outfit would be completed by some skinny black jeans, methinks. And I'd really really like this bag too, celapiu's Hybrid Bag in Large:

I hope my back feels better tomorrow. The red shoes should cure it.

Today's special

ArtLab's Charlie Chaplin Couture Bib

+

these Chie Mihara sandals (if they existed in a vegan option)

+

Emily Ryan's Ruffle Bustle Wrap Pants

=

YES PLEASE!!!

At least I have something to do while I'm sitting in one position with my heating pad...

Muscles and ruffles

So it appears that I have injured myself at work again. Hopefully a massage with Kimberly at 2pm will sort that out (oh Kim, your double forearm action on my back is wonderful!). While I'm waiting, I was hoping to wear my fabulous Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Jabot coat out to get my free tall beverage at Starbucks. Alas, before I stepped out the door there was a sudden downpour. From what I remember, you are not supposed to soak your Italian velvet in city rain water. Sigh. I've only been able to wear my coat a handful of times. It is indeed the best present I've ever received, and probably will ever receive (until I finally get my puppy). Perhaps drinking coffee in my VW jacket wouldn't have been right, seeing as I gave up my daily grande (or triple venti) extra hot non-fat caramel macchiatos for six months so that I'd get my dream jacket. It'll have to wait yet another day to feel fresh air.

Speaking of my back hurting, while laying on my living room floor last night, I rediscovered a wonderful little book that I used in my honours' thesis, Latin Language and Latin Culture: from ancient to modern times by Joseph Farrell. I should've kept up with my studies after graduating. I think I'll have to start by reading this book through, since I had only used a couple chapters before. Oh the life of a (retired) Classics nerd.

And speaking of Classics, besides all things Latin, I'm dreaming of ruffles today. Perhaps it's because Elle UK had a lovely page featuring ruffles. Specifically I'm dreaming of an ArtLab piece, the 'Bustle of Lysistrata'. Perhaps it's the name that drew me to this piece, since I love Aristophanes' play. But I've always had a thing for the big bustle gowns of Gone With the Wind, and I adore Norwegian Wood's versatile elastic harness. So Patricia's bustle is the perfect hybrid accessory. Now if only I could come up with something to wear with it, since I am not a tights/leggings sort of girl...

Here's hoping that I haven't done something horrible to my back...

Just a spoon full of maple syrup...

After yesterday's debacle which required immediate chewable Tylenol/chai latte/dark chocolate truffle treatment, today is turning out to be pretty good to me. I did have an unpleasant start to my day trying to get my money back from the greedy insurance company that my husband has benefits through. I may just have to call it a loss. That was the best massage I've ever had anyway, so the joke is on them (?). But on to the day turning out well...First off, I just had the most delightful dinner. You can't get any better than whole grain french toast (made with organic eggs from free-range chickens) absolutely drenched in pure maple syrup. Maple syrup indeed makes anything delicious; I simply can't go back to the Aunt after visiting Montreal! And french toast has always been my specialty, especially since I'm willfully inept in the kitchen.

Secondly, we've averted the forecasted dump of May snow!!! The sun is shining on my laptop screen right now making it impossible to see anything outside the outline of my head!!! I'm dancing a jig as we speak.

And last - perhaps the only thing that tops my french toast right now is Liza Rietz's gorgeous gorgeous pieces. I just love the stunning architectural and modern nature of her pieces. I'm lucky to own her lovely scooped cowl knit gown and have been dreaming of her half circle tunic with stand up collar since the first time I laid eyes on it (this is indeed the piece I covet most on Etsy). Liza has just posted her spring/summer collection in her Etsy shop, and now it's the waffle tucked tunic that has caught my eye. Can you imagine it in the gorgeous white and black herringbone fabric she used in the half circle tunic? Yumm...Oh how I wish I could live in Portland...

Now off to enjoy my chai latte and my most delightful book (Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie - I highly recommend it!)...

Yet another reason to be an uber Etsy fan

I am oh so happy to see my friend and fave designer Bonzie on the front page of Etsy, being in the spotlight as the 'Featured Seller' since yesterday. I've been a regular in the Bonzie shop almost since it opened, and somehow feel very proud to see where this little Irish label has gone since Bonz teamed up with her lovely aunt Ger. I feel so lucky to own so many Bonzie pieces (many of them custom made to my mad requests). I really couldn't pick a favorite if I tried. The newest addition to the shop, 'The Courtesan's Summer Jacket' is definitely a heart breaker - especially since it has already sold, and not to me! A big hearty and well deserved congrats and all the more to you in the future!!!

Also in other fashion related news, I'm rather excited to soon be an owner of the Muse style of Joe's Jeans in the lovely Maya wash. I tried these on the other day at a local store and could not believe how they had improved my favorite pair of jeans by 200%. I can't get over the high waist cut, the perfect length (last season's were an inch too long), and the comfiest stretchy denim in the world (replacing the stiff and largely polyester blend used in last fall's Muse jeans). Sadly the price had also increased, so I had to scour the Internets to find an affordable pair. The lovely people at Ma Jolie will soon be sending my own pair to me at a savings of around $70. I love supporting local shops (on the rare occasion that I shop in a physical store), but sometimes my taste is just too darn expensive.

And speaking of expensive tastes, a delightful customer service rep at President's Choice Financial totally saved my butt today. I was so excited about purchasing my new cheap Muse jeans, that I forgot to change my payment option on Paypal to my credit card. Paypal is almost too easy to use!!! But with a quick call and then a quick trip to the bank at the rep's expert advice, I averted disaster and now still only have one two-year old NSF charge to my name. Phew! Now I can dream of how my new jeans will look fabulous with...my new ArtLab tee that I blogged about below. Patricia took pity on me and the Canadian dollar and now this work of art will also be mine at a fraction of its worth. Hurray!

So indeed, this overall disastrous day shall be cancelled out by these lovely things and by the wonderful weekend I had away in Jasper with my husband. I could do without the still forecasted snow, but there are still delicious chai lattes and dark truffles to make life quite enjoyable...