Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Escapism

I wasn't planning to do another post until New Year's Eve but I'm stressed to the max trying to get my little one to fall asleep (After no nap. AAAHHH! Disaster.) So while I wait, hope and pray that sleep finds him, I hunch over my computer browsing my favorite sites. I'll be honest; I find gratuitous escapism soothing. 

When winter hits I feel like I'm dressed in a paper bag, my clothing has no shape or style to it. However, I keep finding editorials of gorgeous winter wear that inspire me to try to dress with style, even when it's below freezing outside. 




Zizanna Stankiewicz by Agata Pospieszynska for Glamour Poland via Fashiongonerogue.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Lazy Days

It was a beautiful day in Vancouver. There's nothing like a nature walk along the ocean, mountains in the background, city scape in the foreground. The last few days have been lazy and peaceful, compared to the rush and excitement of Christmas festivities. Ben has the week off and we are having lovely family time. Levi was in his stroller wrapped up in a cocoon singing, "Head and shoulders, knees and TOES!" Happy as a bean. 

This is Monty. We borrow him for walks (the fun of having a dog with none of the responsibilities). 


Outfit Details:
French Connection Dress
Roxy Jacket
Modcloth Boots
Forever 21 Owl Ring

Monday, December 27, 2010

"Ugly" is Subjective

Last night I participated in a Boxing Day Ugly Sweater Skate. What did I learn from the night? "Ugly" is subjective. I wanted to buy a couple of sweaters off people's backs. I didn't even mind the one I was wearing. Ben said it looked like it was from UO. A few days after I wore Ben's Mexican hoody we were browsing through UO and sure enough, similar versions and prints of that sweater were all over the store. I used to think that sweater was so ugly but now I love it. Everything becomes beautiful in its time.

My lovely sister-in-law and me. I felt pretty sporty in my hockey skates.

I loved this cardi. I only took a photo of the back but the front is button-up. I would be so sad if I found out it was discarded after the skate.

In case you didn't get a good look, this sweater is covered with BIG flowers. 

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Simple But Profound

If we clean up the commercial landfill that Christmas has become it is interesting to see what's left lying beneath. Ben and I try to keep our Christmas simple in the area of gift-giving and extravagant in loving others. I wish I could say our motivation for doing this is completely pure but we are also severely constrained by our budget. Although I miss having piles of presents under the tree I've come to appreciate the Christmas traditions we can celebrate as a family that have no cost to them.

On Christmas morning Levi had a little stocking filled with musical instruments. We pulled them out and sang this song together, plain in lyrics but profound in meaning. I hope that this will be our tradition on Christmas morning for years to come.


Saturday, December 25, 2010

To Sum Up Christmas

Christmas cannot be summed up in one blog post. There was so much joy. Joy celebrating the birth of Jesus, joy being with family (And a bit of sadness missing some. My dear sissy had the flu!). I've decided to create several posts to fit all the celebrations in. I'm going to call this post the Details of Christmas, Sorry There's not More Family Shots, Who cares What You're Wearing, Go to Bed.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to post a special little video.


Levi is officially in love with his cousin.

 Uncle Chris is in love with his Canuck's Jersey. Aunt D is gorgeous!


Happened to be wearing my freakin' awesome, new boots from Modcloth. The laces are just for show and the boots actually zip up on the sides. That means I can whip them on and off faster than Levi can wreak havoc on the house.






These boots were a steal of a deal. Cheap, warm, cool to look at and super comfortable.
My 14-year-old brother-in-law made this copper and silver bracelet for me. He said it was easy to make but I don't know many people who can create chain links from scratch and turn it into beautiful jewelry. 

And here is where I will leave you to catch some Z's. Merry Christmas!

Outfit:
UO button up blouse
Aritzia dress and tights
Modcloth boots
Anna Nova Necklace

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Little Doodles

I envision this artwork by Little Doodles as the illustrations from a children's book created just for me.  Cute critters in designer clothing, awww! Kate, the artist behind Little Doodles, was asked by Vogue China to illustrate their special gift-guide issue. These are a few of her favorites.

 Balenciaga
.

 Bottega Veneta

Burberry

 Fendi

 Hermes

 Chanel

 And my favorite...YSL
Check out more of Little Doodles at their Etsy Shop
*Little Doodles Shop is currently closed until after Christmas.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

ENGAGE AT OWN RISK

This morning we went for a walk to check out the new playground at Kitsilano Beach. Are playgrounds built to strike a chord of fear in the heart's of parents?  I mentally mark the majority of playground equipment as, hazard, hazard, engage at own risk. 

I have many memories of playground injuries; like when my brother broke his arm after being pushed down a slide. Or when I fell off a fence backwards and was caught by my pants, hanging upside down (Man, I was stuck. My teacher had to come and lift me off the fence). More recently a little girl up the street fell off a platform, resulting in a concussion.  

Everything at a park seems to be built for falling, crashing and colliding while in motion and yet kids love going to the park. All around us at Kits Beach were pink-cheeked little ones laughing their beanied heads off. Thankfully, most new playgrounds in Vancouver are built on rubber-padded ground so that if a child falls on their head, there's a little more give. 

As much as I fear the park, I have loved every moment of watching Levi grow and learn, experimenting with balance, hand-eye coordination and of course, falling and getting up again. As we grow older we begin to treat the whole world as our playground, tumbling around, once in a while getting hurt and then, we get back on our feet for another round. 

Monday, December 20, 2010

Not the Baby Type

I was birthday present shopping for my sister and wandered into a store that my friend works in. My friend wasn't there but her co-workers were talking about her. I jumped into the conversation but forgot to tell them my name. A couple days later my friend texted me and asked if I had been in her store. When she was trying to figure out who had come by, she asked her boss if the person had a baby.

Her boss responded, "She didn't look like the baby type."

Belly laugh!

What does "the baby type" look like? I decided to take it as a compliment because yes, while I wear my mommy hat proudly, being a mom does not define every aspect of who I am. It would be easier (and probably more comfortable) to sport yoga pants and a pony tail every day but I still like to have fun and experiment with fashion. On that particular day I was dressed grungy, in a hodge podge of clothing pieces: Furry boots, denim dress, grey granny coat. I think I was even wearing make-up.

Most days I am in leggings and comfy tops, sporting my big, black Lululemon diaper bag and a baby on my hip. I love for people to recognize that I am a mommy. I endured natural child-birth, sacrificed my boobs for 15 months of breast feeding and spend a good portion of my day dancing a jig, to get laughter out my little one.  My life isn't glamorous but exactly what I always hoped it would be.

I may not always look like the "baby type," but I am a mommy.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Time to Celebrate

New Years Eve is my 28th birthday! Yippee! In order that Ben and I can celebrate properly our little man gets to spend the night at grandma and grandpa's house.  I recently read a very sad community blog where a group of moms were asked what they would be wearing New Year's Eve. The majority of them said, "P.J.'s". 

Heck no. 

The New Year is a time to dress-up and celebrate! Even if I were at home with my baby toddler (I'll love you forever, my baby you'll be) I would put on something jazzy, invite some friends over and welcome in a fresh beginning, in good company. 

Here are two of my favorite outfit options. The best thing about these choices is that they are interchangeable. For example, the faux fur jacket would also go awesome with the floral print dress, as would the boots.  

Smokey Blossoms Dress - Modcloth 
The Dramatist Heel - Modcloth
Cardigan - Anthropologie
Origami Pegasus necklace

On Drape Adventures Dress-Modcloth
Urban Terrain Boot-Modcloth
Bracelet-Urban Outfitters
Faux fur jacket-Urban Outfitters 

* If you're interested in the Modcloth items, click on the Modcloth link in the sidebar. I am now a Modcloth Affliate (Yay! Super stoked).

Friday, December 17, 2010

Wrap Your Head Around This

In October I posted about this gorgeous Diesel scarf I was gifted from Leone. Since then I've been trying to figure out how to wear it because there is a ton of material; too much to twist around the neck and too scandalous to be a wrap dress (Unless you're going for the bare back, bare butt look). 

Finally, today I had an epiphany. The scarf was meant to be worn as a head wrap. Ta duh! 
I love styling the scarf this way. It was made in Italy and I can imagine it being worn as a head wrap by Italian women. It's also perfect for winter weather. I wore this outfit all day and was comfortably warm. 

Outfit Details:
Jacket-GAP
Cardigan-ZARA
Top-H&M
Shorts-Hand-me-downs
Shoes-Thrifted

ADAM and Alida

Remember the Insider's Look at CĂ©line, brought to us by the beautiful Janice Alida? Janice just appeared in the ADAM pre-fall 2011 collection. Here are some of my favorite looks from the line.

I love the pairing of chunky knits with soft, floaty skirts. I'm a especially a fan of what I like to call the mullet look, short in front long in back. I've been seeing this style a lot in the form of skirts, jackets and dresses.

 This length of dress is so chic and feminine. Add a few pleats and a utilitarian vest, and BAM! Edgy but pretty in one look.

Granny sweater + floral dress. Everyone has the means to rock this look. Dig in the back of your closet and you'll have the pieces you need.
Model: Janice Alida; Photo: Courtesy of ADAM via Style.com

Way to go Janice! You're killing it!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Uncle Sparky



I've said it before and I'll say it again, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." I'm very thankful that our village is very large! Levi has nine aunties and uncles and that doesn't even count all the friends who have become adopted family. Or his Uncle Sparky....the dog.

One of the things I love most about my siblings are their incredible talents and creativity. Case in point: My sister-in-law Lizzy. Lizzy has trained Sparky to do unreal tricks that Levi has yet to master or may never. For example, can Levi do hand stands? No, unless falling off the couch head first counts.

Sparky can also blow bubbles in the water. So what's the big deal you ask? Have you ever tried to teach a toddler how to blow bubbles rather than inhale a mouthful of water? For months Ben was trying to teach Levi how to blow bubbles in the bath. Instead Levi would inhale soapy water. Levi thought it was hysterical (I don't know why. When I was growing up a mouthful of soap was a form of punishment for a potty mouth. Anyone else?).

This video of Sparky, done by Lizzy for the Most Incredible Small Dog Contest by Beneful Incredibles, is unreal. Lizzy is an amazing trainer and it didn't surprise me at all when a few months ago, Lizzy found out she and Sparky had won!

Levi is so lucky to be surrounded by creativity. I can't wait to see how it influences him as he grows up.  

Monday, December 13, 2010

Effect Me Not

Last year our neighbours gave us a box of their old Christmas ornaments. I love these vintage beads. 

What? A style shot? Yes. This is my tree decorating outfit. I'm trying to figure out how to take self-portraits on our new SLR camera. The real problem is I don't have a tripod so I have to prop the camera up for a decent shot. Then the shots turn out horrible so I effect the crap out of them : ) To go with the vintage Christmas decorations I faded, vignetted and retroed (I know it's not a word) these pics. Zzzzz. Moving on.

Now for the real beauties. This owl ring from F21 rocks my world. I'm also a fan of this thrifted metallic belt from Sally Ann. 

How gorgeous is this little angel girl? I have a handful of these on our tree. Each little girl is in a different pose.

My new cozy Christmas slippers. $9.00 at Safeway. Keeping my feet warm as I tread through the Christmas season