Holiday Wind Down

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I’m still recovering from the whirlwind of family visits, drinks with friends, and excessive eating that is the holidays. I’ve also contracted a killer hear cold so I’m laying low these days, taking a lot of naps, working on some revisions to my book, and trying to recover before New Year’s Eve. I’ve got tickets to see one of my favourite bands for a little NYE dance party so I’m really hoping I can master this cold by then! What are your NYE plans?

dress: Contemporaine via Simons, similar / cardigan: Pins + Needles via Urban Outfitters, similar

All the Frills: The Cocktail Ring

It’s no secret that I love me a giant cocktail ring. And I’m amassing quite a collection. But this is one of my favourites – I mean the stone is black so it should come as no surprise to anyone that it’s one of my favourites.

Weekend Reading:

• Photos from the coldest town in the world. Is it weird that I really want to visit this place?
  
  
• While this warms my heart and pleases me a great deal, there is still so much to be done on the crusading feminist front. Be active in 2015!
  
  
• This is a great wrap up of 2014 in culture. Lots of good reading here!
  
  
• There are some pretty mind blowing photos of bridges here.
  
  
• If I had to do it all over again, I would totally wear black at my wedding.

Witchy Christmas

Happy Holidays everyone! I’m celebrating in my typical fashion with a lot of black and a dash of fringe (not to mention slightly blurred photos...yeah, I need a new camera).

I’m also going to be spending a lot of time over the holidays doing some revisions to my book based on feedback I got from the press I submitted it to. There’s actually so many adjustments that I want to make and it’s shaping up to be a pretty big project…

leggings: ASOS / shoes: Aldo, similar / jacket: Value Village / shirt: Target

Last Days

Worn on my last day at the office before we shut down for the holiday break. My office shuts down from December 19 to January 5 so everyone gets a really nice break. Although as one of the Directors I’m on deck to come in a few times and handle some things, as well and monitoring email from home, even I am getting a really nice little bonus vacation. And I’m beyond thrilled about it because work has been exhausting lately!

jeans: J Brand, similar / blazer: F21, similar / shirt: Dynamite / shoes: Aldo, similar

All the Frills: Chandeliers

So I have a full on obsession with chandeliers (anyone remember that SNL skit with Scarlett Johansson in a chandelier commercial?). Ever since we moved into our house, I find myself scheming to install multiple chandeliers. I have a problem. Here are a few of my most favourite designs...all of which I think would fit perfectly in various rooms of our house.

Weekend Reads: 

• I loved reading every word of the Hater’s Guide to the Williams Sonoma Catalogue.
  
• This piece about what ancient Babylonian songs actually sounded like is great.
  
• Is courting controversy an intentional strategy on the part of Urban Outfitters?
  
• This is seriously the weirdest thing I’ve seen all week. And the cat involved looks very annoyed.
  
• In the market for a new BB cream?

Cozy Plaid

It’s that time of year here in Northern Canada when it gets dark at 4:30 pm and so, by the time I get home from work and can do outfit photos, I’ve lost the light. So prepare yourself for a lot of photos from inside my house!

It’s also that time of year where I want to live in cozy, warm pieces – like this flannel plaid top. Also, the zipper detailing doesn’t hurt. You know I’ve got a thing for zippers.

top: Twik via Simons / pants: RW and Co / necklace: Aldo, similar 

The Repurposed Halloween Costume

I actually bought this dress to wear as part of my most recent Halloween costume but I love the fringe on the bottom so much that it’s found its way into my regular wardrobe. I combined it here with a cardigan with some lace bits on it but I plan to go full Stevie Nicks, witchy woman in this thing soon…I just need to figure out what else to pair it with to make that happen!

dress: Thrifted, Value Village, similar / cardigan: gift from my mother, similar / shoes: Nine West via Marshalls, similar

All the Frills: Festivus Cards

So I make my own holiday cards every year. My mother in hugely into stamping (and is hugely talented at it as well) and every year we design about 20 different cards and then I make about 60 of them. It’s incredibly time consuming (I started working on them in September this year) but I love the way they turn out. Here are my four favourite designs from this year.

Weekend Reads:

• So Grumpy Cat’s owner is now filthy rich. How come one of my cats isn’t famous?
  
• The Go Fug Yourself gals have put out their Best of the Red Carpet 2014 list.
  
• I think everyone needs to start using these words, immediately. Although I am sad that flibbertigibbet isn’t on the list.
  
• Vintage engagement rings for the ogling!
  
• I want to visit this underwater ballroom.

Hobo-Style

I fully acknowledge that I look a bit like a hobo in these photos but this outfit was seriously so comfortable to wear to work on a cold day when I was tired and just generally not feeling great. I’m in love with this new tartan scarf I picked up.

skirt: H&M, similar / scarf: Joe Fresh, similar / boots: Target, similar / top: Zara, similar

Wintery

Who’s ready for winter? This gal!

leggings: ASOS / top: H&M, similar / coat: Vince Camuto, similar / booties: Target, similar

A Touch of Brightness

I’m always forgetting that this teal blazer lives in the back of my closet. Which is a shame because I definitely think it adds a nice touch of brightness to some of my work outfits – for those odd days when I don’t want to be my usual goth self all day in meetings.

dress: Banana Republic / blazer: F21 / shoes: Nine West via Marshalls / necklace: Monserat de Lucca via Shopbop / ring: Emitations / watch: Kenneth Cole

All the Frills: Festivus

I’m not actually super big on Christmas but I definitely have a weakness for the decorations. Everything is so sparkly and shiny. So, every year, I dutifully decorate the house and this year, because we’re in our house now, we had space for two trees and so we went for it. Now it’s like Christmas on every floor of the house. I’m not totally sure if that’s a good thing yet….

Weekend Reading:

• So I had no idea that James Watson, one of the discoverers of DNA, was such an ass. This is an interesting read.
  
  
• More genetic fun with the remains of Richard III. Seriously, finding his body in that car park is like the gift that keeps on giving.
  
  
• This quiz is really fun – and the pictures are unreal!
  
  
• I’ve thoroughly convinced myself that I need this sequin sweatshirt.
  
  
• Anyone else love cats as much as I do?
  
  
• The definitive ranking of all the turtlenecks in Love Actually. This needed to be done.