Vintage Plaid Meet Bicycle Tee

Remember when I bragged about this thrifted blazer being the perfect fit? You should. It was only yesterday. Well I thought I better put it into an outfit right away. I am all about separates. I hardly ever wear a matching suit. I hardly wear suits at all. But you get the idea.

Sasha Rae and I went for a walk along the ocean. In November I might add. And I'm leaving this place why? Anyways. It did cool off quickly as the sun set. But check out that sunset. It looks like the sky is on fire.

peach cobbler cashmere scarf {gift} - birdie necklace {gift, Violette Veldor} - button earrings {handmade} -

vintage plaid blazer {thrifted} - bicycle tee {Ricki's) - green suede purse {Esprit} - dark denim skinnies {Jacob} -

 brown peter pan boots {Aldo}

I feel an addiction forming. The best kind of addiction. A shopping addiction. But I already have one of those. What am I blabbing about then? A thrifting addiction. A shopping specialization addiction. The worst kind of best addicition. Awesome.

j.

Plaid & Cozy

These photos were taken by my good friend Sue. Up in Shawnigan Lake. Right before we met our friend Leah for dinner. OK. Fine. They were taken right when we were supposed to be at the restaurant. Which then made us 10 minutes late. (Sorry Leah).

I have to tell you the most amazing thing that happened on my way up to Shawnigan yesterday. It was a beautiful day in Victoria. Blue sky and sunny. I began my drive in this gorgeous fall weather. Now this happens from time to time on the Island. I drove through a few different "weather systems" (I'm making up this term because I have no clue what the real name is) in a span of only 30 minutes. I went from sunny to cloudy and gray to sprinkling to RAINING and then through a sun shower. Complete with a rainbow. But we haven't even got to the most amazing part yet. I saw the end of the rainbow! Right in front of me on the highway. And then I drove through it! Through it. Through a rainbow.

Not going to lie. Did a double check in the rear-view mirror for any bouncing gold coins or small green-loving men. Came up empty (shocking).

Nevertheless, I still drove through a freaking rainbow.

red & black plaid button-up {Jacob} - black wool vest {courtesy of bestie, Sand} -

black denim skinnies {Old Navy} - tan riding-inspired boots {The Bay}

And yes. I know I've worn these boots in nearly every outfit post thus far. But I love them. So (politely) get over it.

j.

Fall(ing for) Silk Floral

Stop. I know I have not been a very good blogger this week. I was, however, a good grown-up this week. I started selling my furniture. And getting things in order for my departure. Which is in 3 weeks. My Ma called the other day. Told me she had been losing sleep over all the things I had left to do. Then she proceeded to list them all. Once she was done rambling off a list of tasks that most normal people would have started at least a month before moving, she said these priceless words and asked me this question:

"There's just so much to do! Aren't you overwhelmed?"

My response was 3 words: Now I am. Thanks Mom.

Ugh. Being a grown-up is no fun sometimes. I know she's just trying to help. Which she is. Always. And I am always thankful for it. She does an awful lot for me, I know. And I really do appreciate it. Even if I act like a brat sometimes. Because I do. (Yes. Still!)

I also have to admit that I haven't been feeling my most creative this week. I think that's another one of the reasons I've been slacking on this little ol' blog here. I can always tell when I've lost my creative mojo when my outfits lack any flare or pizazz.

So. In an effort to rejuvenate my soul and get the creative juices flowing again I did the following 3 things:

                          1. Made a cup of tea. (Because tea makes everything better.)

                          2. Re-read my mantras.

                          3. Posted the below photos from a "mantra-inspired" photoshoot (shot by fave photoman Raph).

silk floral dress {Zara} - red belt {Spank} - taupe "blanket" sweater {Target} - brown tights & knee socks {The Bay} - 

tan riding-inspired boots {The Bay} - green globe earrings {Venice, Italy} - green beads {gift}

Ahh. I feel better already. Don't you?

j.

Cottage Country Chic

So. This unemployment business is tough work. Today, I cancelled most of my utilities for when I leave the Island at the end of November. Shaw kept me on hold for 30 minutes. Blast. But I was able to cancel my hydro online while I waited. That's multi-tasking folks. Next. I put hot curlers in my hair. Why you ask? Because I had the time. Sadly the curls fell right out. In fact they hardly even passed for soft waves by the time I took these photos. Didn't phase me though. Hard to get upset when you curled your hair for absolutely no reason. None at all.

I ran a few errands around downtown Victoria. Got myself a chai tea latte in Fisherman's Wharf. And scouted photoshoot locations reminiscent of country cottages.

I got dressed this morning while the curlers were still in my hair. I really thought I was going to have big, voluminous curls. Farrah Fawcett style. And so I was drawn to this green plaid retro-inspired shift dress. Add a slouchy crocheted grandma sweater. Call it an outfit. Sadly the hair didn't quite live up to my expectations. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

 lemon drop earrings {Etsy} - peach cobbler cashmere scarf {gift} -

white crocheted sweater {H&M} -green plaid dress {Paradise Clothing} -

earthy pearls {Hawaii} - jade bracelet, wooden bangle & black, white & leather cuff {gift} -

brown knee socks & tan riding-inspired boots {The Bay}

I'm still undecided on the medley of wrist goodies. Too much? Or just enough? Meh. I rocked them either way. 

j.

Professor Plum Plaid

So. Remember how bad things happened yesterday? When I stayed in my house all day. Well. Even worse things happend today. When I left the house. I did the worst thing. But it was the best thing ever. Just like yesterday. But much worse. But so so much better. OK. Enough already. I bought a new camera. It's beautiful. It was much more than the $40 wedges from yesterday. It's a Canon PowerShot XS30 IS. It's 14.1 megapixals. My old camera was 4.0 megapixals. And it's beautiful. Enough Said. Did I mention I also bought a tripod? Because I did. And they are (to my amazement) not cheap. And I may have bought a memory card. But it's 8x bigger than my old one. I know, I know. Day one of unemployment has been extraordinarily expensive. And unemployment and extraordinarily expensive should not be used in the same sentence. Twice.

After a fleeting moment of buyer's remorse, I was over it. Might as well use my new (expensive) toy. So I took myself for a nice autumn stroll. I have some practice to do using the tripod and self-timer. Among other things. Please be patient.

I had to throw in that ridiculous jumping pic. Because I look goofy. I'm not the most coordinated person. This pic doesn't give that away does it?

Ha!

Who else noticed the dent in the toe of my boot? That's what you get for buying $70 boots from The Bay. Don't worry (because I know you are), I can pop that puppy right back out. That's quality for you folks. Quality.

                        purple plaid button-up {Mexx} - plum sweater {Gap} - blue stretch skinnies {Gap} - tan riding-inspired boots {The Bay}

I think my color scheme is similar to that of a medley of fall berries. I see my outfit and smell cinnamon, cloves and a hint of raspberry. Oh wait. That's my delicious smelling air freshener. Ooops.

On that note, good night friends!

j.

Autumn Love

In an effort to appreciate each day and the beauty of Vancouver Island, I have been taking advantage of the warm autumnal weather by going for walks along the ocean and baking the most delicious pumpkin loaf with my bestie, Sasha Rae (okay, so the latter has nothing to do with appreciating the beauty of Vancouver Island, but we definitely appreciated the seasonal element to our Saturday afternoon). Check out some photos of Fall fun below:



What a great way to spend a Saturday!

j.