Today I'm showing you a super simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project with my new Northern Reflections sweater.
Yes, I just said Northern Reflections. To be honest, I haven't gone in that store in ages, since I was a kid and my mom dragged me out shopping for herself. Northern Reflections always made me think of Grandma-like clothing with trees painted on the walls and wolves printed on the fronts of sweaters. Boy have things changed.
While Northern Reflections is still geared towards a slightly more mature crowd, they are definitely re-branding themselves to appeal to a younger market. That said, I was stoked when I circled around the store and found this perfectly faded pink sweatshirt (which also comes in white, blue and grey). After trying it on, I concluded an x-small would be a good place to start but the snug, restrictive neckline had to go.
Since crew neck and boatneck sweatshirts--plain and logo'ed--are an up-and-coming trend (especially for Fall), I thought this would be the perfect occasion to share this.
Keep reading to see how I changed up this sweatshirt and how I styled it two different ways; for day and for night.
Easy as pie. From there, pull on the neckline to stretch it out and you're all set.
Pull the neckline off your shoulder and pair it with some hi-top sneaks and an edgy cross-body bag for day...
...or, throw on some booties and a statement necklace and you're ready for a night on the town:
Tell me, which way would you wear it!?
HAVE FUN!
* This post is sponsored by Place d'Orleans, the mall I vlog for. As always, thanks for reading & for supporting my sponsors! Be sure to check out the Place d'Orleans Facebook page for more information & promotions happening within the mall.
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I have a mad love on for social media, however, Pinterest always took a backseat. I always felt I had enough going on with Instagram, my blog, Twitter, and more recently when I added Facebook into the mix; you get the picture.
However, that has recently changed and I've been turning to Pinterest when getting dressed in the mornings. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems Monday through Friday is somewhat of a struggle to get dressed. I stand in front of my closet for far too long trying to put something that's work-appropriate together; getting dressed on the weekends is much more fun. Although I work in a large business-casual office, and sometimes push the limits, I try to veer on the side of conservative-ish... kind of. This is hard to do when knee length skirts and dresses hit me mid-thigh #tallgirlproblems.
Additionally, I cannot pick out my outfits the night before; I need to go on how I'm feeling to get dressed, and that can vary drastically from evening to next morning. The weather is always a depending factor too, but it's mainly an emotional decision (so complicated, I know).
I have found when I'm stumped, I will call on Pinterest to help me get dressed and look in my -Fashion Inspiration- folder for this. Since I signed up for Pinterest a couple years ago, I had a good base but recently have been pinning and adding more photos to this folder to help myself on those mornings when I just have nothing to wear.
How do you get dressed in the mornings?
Find my personal style board HERE, and all my boards HERE.
Outfit deets:
* Garage denim jacket--new this summer--which I'm obsessed with; love the light, acid-like wash. I think this is the first time it's been photographed officially despite wearing it countless times on the weekends.
* Forever 21 romper, which belonged to my bestie but she wore it once and generously let me have it--after I pawed at it--and you might remember seeing this during my trip to Vegas with said best friend.
* Spring gladiator sandals (old); my favourite gladiators that so badly need to be re-soled.
* Accessories: MK watch, F21 leather wrap bracelet, Gucci shades, Suzy Shier ring & Aldo bangle.
I love the fact that it's a short week, we are just that much closer to the weekend!
Last night I worked, after work, on my Place d'Orleans post that will hopefully be going up this week. I'm tying in a DIY with a cool Fall trend and am really proud of the end result. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I won't say anymore, but look out for that.
I also purchased some Zara shoes recently and they just arrived. I took a little 36-second video of them as I'm really not sure if I want to keep them or not; I was so excited until I put them on my feet. Likely a tell tale sign they should go back but I'm still on the fence. Here's a closer look at the shoes. Care to weigh in?
Photos by Steve Palisek.
The first weekend in August is always a long weekend so I decided to try and vlog it...of course I left out tons of bits and had a relatively low-key, but packed weekend.
What did I do this past long weekend? Go-karting, breakfast out with friends, laundry (keepin' it real), shopping, late night ice cream run + more.
Things I mentioned: DIY Sweatshirt
Connect with me!
I also create monthly videos for Place d'Orleans; check me out on their YouTube channel HERE.
Friday night get up.
Outfit deets: Unknown sweater (my fave) from Winners, DIY'ed denim cut-offs (thrifted men's pants), Spring galdiator sandals (old) & an old Aldo belt.
On Friday night we celebrated my bff's birthday with a double date; dinner, go-karting & ice cream cake. It was so much fun.
We recreated our picture from the winter with Zebes 2.0 with this extra massive giraffe at the go-karting grounds (see Zebes HERE and Zebes 2.0 HERE).
Saturday morning breakfast out with friends. I've been switching up my scrambled eggs for poached soft.
Saturday post brunch.
Outfit deets: Smart Set tank (old), Jean Machine maxi (current), Garage denim jacket, Urban Expressions bag, Le Chateau necklace & Gucci sunnies.
New bikini from Ardène. I think I fooled some of you on the 'gram, the bottoms are tucked, it's not a thong bikini :P
Funny story about this bikini: I follow Ardène on Instagram and they posted a picture of this bikini--and another one, same style--over a month ago. I liked the photo but had never seen it in store. Then I'm there shopping last week on my lunch hour and came across this and loved it. It was only when I was going through my 'LIKE' folder on the 'gram that I realized I'd see this swimsuit before! Until that moment, I had totally forgotten about it.
Sunday morning home-made breakfast (I splurged and got the Cavendish hashbrowns).
Sunday afternoon chill outfit.
Outfit deets: DIY sweatshirt, Bench cut-offs, Spring gladiators (old) & Christian Siriano cross-body bag.
Sunday night home-made pizza.
On Monday morning (well, closer to noon), I met up with a bunch of friends for brunch. My bestie's hubby snapped my outfit shots which I will share later this week.
Outfit deets: Garage denim jacket, Forever 21 romper & Spring sandals (old).
On Sunday evening I ended up at the same rooftop spot as last week (and many times before this summer) with friends for an impromptu BBQ. It really is an awesome, central location, with a great view and setting. It's the perfect way to end a long--or regular--weekend.
Other exciting news: my sister had her baby on Sunday night! It was a boy and they have named him Bentley. I went to visit on Monday afternoon and he's precious. I will share a photo or two soon!
* Gap cardigan (old) which has a hold in the side seam and I've safety pinned it closed (ghet-to).
* Sirens tank/cami that has a ruffle on the front and the racer-back zipper; you've seen this with white skinnies.
* Forever 21 skirt (old) which is probably the prettiest and girliest skirt I own. It's stunning, well-made and romantic and although I don't wear it a ton, I'm so glad I purchased it for less than $30 a couple years ago in Montreal. You've seen with with a black lace top and during the Fall surrounded by beautiful scenery (and I'm wearing booties). See a similar skirts I own in outfit posts in peach, pink & grey (love this one).
* Zara shoes, probably my favourite shoes of the moment, I want to wear them everyday but don't let myself. You've seen them with a faux leather peplum top and with faded neon denim.
* Accessories: American Eagle belt (old), Gucci sunnies & gifted circle bracelet, American Eagle & F21 bangles.
Happy Monday!
Since I live in Canada, I have a long weekend and am off today, hence why there is no weekend recap yet; my weekend is still going! I will be back tomorrow with a full recap, hope you have a great day.
This is the maternity maxi dress I made for my sister for her baby shower. Clearly it has been cinched and clamped at the back in the photo above as I don't have a maternity mannequin, but you can see how it looked on her in the photo below.
We went to the fabric store several months ago to pick out some thick jersey. She choose this pretty blue colour--and ironically she's having a boy--and I took it home. I didn't start the dress until the Monday before the Saturday shower. Halfway through the evening, I texted her in a bit of a panic as I realized making a maxi with no pattern--just a maxi she already has as a guide--and none of her measurements wasn't really going to work. She came over half an hour later and proceeded to put it on and take it off several times as I made adjustments here and there. Good thing she did because the top part (I sewed the top and skirt seperate and then attached them) was looking a little Star Trek-ish until I ruched up the shoulers.
After she left, I sewed the skirt, attached it to the top and did the hem. The dress turned out beautifully despite being a little longer in the torso than expected (my sister ended up belting the dress to solve that problem, which really worked out) and I was so proud. I dropped the dress off the morning of the shower and saw her a couple laters in it when she arrived. It is my best piece to date as despite creating a maxi dress for myself a few months ago, this was different as it was (a) a maternity style, and (b) had 'straps'. I'm hoping she will still be able to wear it after the baby is born.
Me & my sis playing the, 'Guess how big the baby belly is with a ribbon-game'.
I took pictures of my sister at the shower, outside, by herself but sadly--and I'm pretty upset over this--the pictures were somehow erased off my SD card. I'm trying to recover them but think it may be a lost cause. If I'm able to recover them I will definitely add them to this post at a later date and let you know.
Last Labour Day, three friends and I spent a day at Calypso, a water park in Ottawa, filming a tv show called Xtreme Waterparks with the Travel Channel (you can read about the experience HERE).
It's been almost a year and the episode finally aired last Sunday night and it's so cool! In this episode called, 'Getting Wet in San Diego', we are the first--of four--featured water parks in the show. Our portion is about seven minutes long. It's so neat seeing yourself on tv--in a bikini and without make-up, no less--and this is a great memento to have forever.
Enjoy!
See all my posts about the journey of Xtreme Waterparks HERE.
Sometimes you need to go through all your photos to realize what a great month you actually had. I know sometimes I get bogged down with sad emotions or have bad days, but doing these recaps make me really grateful and appreciative of my life. We all have things to be grateful for and that brings us joy. July was an amazing month and even more so now that I look back at it.
In July I went boating with friends, visited a friend's new home where we popped champagne and made gluten-free protein crepes. I bought a new pair of gym shoes--exciting!--and DIY'ed a mesh overlay skirt. I made my sister a maternity maxi dress to wear to her shower and hung out at a rooftop pool.
I hosted a baby shower for my sister with mom--where she wore said dress--made the most of weekend nights by dressing up in clothes I can't wear to work (ie. those leather shorts) and conquered box jumps at the gym!
My boyfriend took me to see my second Cirque du Soleil show and gave me an iPad mini. I bought these single-sole heels I was covetting for months and got my hair done.
I think if I asked my boyfriend this question about me, he would likely say how nice I am or how giving I am. He's said those things before and also said I'm just, 'so nice'. Hmph (too nice, perhaps?).
Although I can say I'm a pretty nice person, I don't feel like I'm that nice; I mean, we all have our negative qualities, right? But, then again, we are almost always our toughest critic.
I think it's hard to think about what my best trait in my relationship is as it feels weird honing up to it and putting it out there so...publicly. And then there's the part where maybe he doesn't feel that way and reads this and goes, 'Uhhh, backspace, delete, rewind!'. Additionally, it really depends on the person you are with as sometimes someone will bring out a trait in you that is so good that you didn't have before or couldn't have before.
I think my best quality is that I give a lot of love. I try my best to make my partner feel loved and that goes in various ways; physical affection, doing something nice for them, sending sweet texts or giving them their space to do their own thing too.
I think I'll stop there because this feels weird writing it out! I can't help it, you guys, it's a little awkward putting this out there. Please don't leave me hanging, comment below & join in on the discussion.
* Thanks Katrina for a similar suggestion to this topic & please leave your Let's Chat topic suggestions below.
New shoes! I love sharing my purchases on here with you guys because (a) it's fun, and (b) it's a great way for me to keep track of when I bought something and to always link back to this where you can find the link to purchase it yourself.
I had my eye on these heels for months and saw I Am Khatu & Rosie wearing theirs--in nude--when I finally decided to pull the trigger...and I'm so glad I did.
When I first purchased these, as I mentioned in my haul video, I thought they were going to be uber uncomfortable as they don't have a lot of give; I was wrong. They are quite comfortable and I can walk for a long time in them. The only qualm is they might be a tad big. I ordered a 10 and maybe could have sized down to a 9.5. It's not tragic, my foot just flops a bit when I walk, but the ankle strap keeps it in my place anyways.
Speaking of the ankle strap, it should be noted it's slightly roomier than I'd expect. I'd say my ankles are average--and I definitely don't have cankles--but the strap is quite loose. I like the look, but for sturdiness, it's just a bit looser. Nothing to prevent one from ordering them though, I absolutely love these shoes!
I put together a new type of vlog for you guys today, let me know if you like this type of video. This vlog includes a bunch of stuff like a dinner party, outfits, a rooftop pool with friends + more.
Things I mentioned:
I started my weekend on Friday night with a workout, which is so unlike me for a Friday night. That said, other than playing beach volleyball on Thursday night, I totally slacked off and didn't get to the gym once all week. So this weekend I made sure to go Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday morning after the gym, my boyfriend and I went to breakfast at our fave winter spot (haven't been in months!). I wanted to go somewhere else but by the time we finished at the gym it was almost 1pm and everything else wouldn't be serving breakfast anymore.
Saturday.
Outfit deets: Billabong top, Boathouse shorts, Bamboo gladiators (old), Christian Siriano cross-body bag & Le Chateau necklace.
Saturday afternoon was spent at a rooftop pool (totally forgot to take a shot of the view) with a bunch of friends.
Outfit deets: Ardene bikini top.
Saturday night I went to a (different) rooftop BBQ party which ended up being quite calm and low key but still a lot of fun.
Outfit deets: Walmart sweatshirt (new!), Abercrombie denim mini (old), Vince Camuto sandals & Limite necklace.
Sunday shopping day.
Outfit deets: BCBGeneration top, Urban Planet skirt, Sam Edelman wedges & Ardene cross-body bag.
Sunday night dinner: butter chicken made at home (..from a jar).
Working on this blog post on Sunday night :)
Hey guys, just thought I was pop in and do a life update chat-type post where I just ramble a little.
It's amazing how sometimes I have so much blog content swirling around in my head and in the background and other times I let a day or two pass before I post. I hate not posting on Monday through Friday, but sometimes I just can't come up with anything relevant or worth sharing.
So I just found out that the condo I purchased a year ago--see this video for how excited I was, and still am--has been pushed back, unfortunately. I guess they have not sold enough units yet so instead of being ready in November 2014, it is now June 2015. Ugh. That is two more years that I really didn't anticipate staying living where I'm living now.
While I love my apartment and the location, it is lacking a few things, namely a dishwasher and in-unit laundry. I can deal with having shoes scattered in all areas and that fact that half of my dining room is actually part closet, but I'm getting really sick of doing dishes by hand and lugging laundry down to the basement. I know, I know, #firstworldproblems.
When I was condo hunting last Spring/Summer, I almost bought a condo without a dishwasher. What a mistake that would have been. I really hate doing dishes and since I've been doing them by hand for almost two years now, my patience is wearing thin. I know this may seem trivial to some, and you may wonder how many dishes can one person make? A lot. That's how many, a lot. I cook at home all the time, and in turn produce tons of dishes, add that to lunch travel dishes and shaker cups and Magic Bullet canisters and lids... it's a lot you guys. It's annoying.
So I'm in a transition period in my mind. Do I pull out of the condo and look for something else? I'm not even sure I can, I have to read my terms and conditions to be certain. If I can, do I look for a condo that's ready? When I purchased my car five months ago, I was kind of on a two-year plan to pay it off before I moved to be more financial secure (which means I'm literally paying out the ass for it every month, but, I love it and it was a sacrafice I was willing to make). That would change things if I moved and I would like to own something as I've been renting for almost two years and while it's fine, am I going to continue to do so when I could be building equity instead with the means I have? And on that note, perhaps I should just leave my deposit in the condo and sell it when it's finally ready and hopefully make some money... but on the flip side, am unable to purchase anything else as my money is tied up.
All thoughts just swirling in my head right now and while I'm not quite ready to make a decision, or a move--literally--I'm thinking about it, the future and various other factors and things.
That's pretty much it for now; as always, thanks for reading <3>
I have never given a second thought as to exposing my toes at work, despite knowing it used to be a faux pas.
I personally think that it is completely acceptable now in a business casual environment. What made me think twice about this was seeing a woman's gross looking, unpolished toes in the bathroom stall next to me the other day. Ick.
I think there is something to be said about feet that aren't taken care of and in my personal opinion, those feet and toes should not be exposed. Ain't nobody got time--or the stomach--for that (at work).
Agree or disagree? What are your thoughts?
All of the photos above are outfits and shoes I've worn to work. I noticed recently that I actually own more toe-exposing shoes than not... This was of course noticed on a day where my feet were not up to par and I need to keep them hidden until I had time to give myself a pedi!
Thanks for your comments & suggestions for Let's Chat, I'm going to keep the series and would love use your suggestions in the coming weeks. If you have a topic suggestion, please leave it below. Thanks for reading and your support, love you guys!
I screwed up! I thought I had 50 facts and ended up with 47...?! What tha whaaaaaaa. Ugh. Sorry about that guys but I didn't want to get re-dressed and film and import and edit, and blah, blah, blah!
Here are two more facts:
* I love milk & recently switched over to Almond Milk exclusively.
* I'm going to be an aunt any day now for the first time! :D
I also vlog for my local mall. Check out my videos on their channel HERE.
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