HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

CHEERS!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope you all are having a wonderful day! (and hopefully not nursing a bad hangover!) Today is The Boy's and  my 5 year anniversary. Yes, our anniversary is the first of January! We'll be spending the day doing winter activities with family and friends. 

I'll be back in a day or two! 

Lisa.xo

2011 Outfit Round Up

Well, here we are again! Last year I did my first outfit round up and loved looking back at the year in outfits. I knew I wanted to do another one this year.

Here we go!

I wore a lot of black, white and red again this year (maybe more than last year!). I also started wearing red lips during the day this year as well. Before I had reserved it for evening only.

Black and white is still an easy go-to for me when I don't know what to wear.

I was surprised at how many outfits I photographed where I was wearing pants this year. Due to Stage Managing my outfits can tend to be little more casual.  

Apparently I had picked two April outfits. I have no idea where the other one went! lol! Oh well...this one is so good it will make up for the missing one. (note more black, white and red!)

This is the only outfit I photographed for May. This is what kickstarted my June Challenge.

I had so many outfit choices for my June Outfit-a-Day Challenge I couldn't pick just one. So you get 3!

Love this outfit. Perfect pin up look. And I was having a good hair day! lol!

My obsession with nautical colours was very apparent this past year. I don't see this changing anytime soon. This turned into a great go-to outfit for me. 

I just love love love this dress. I bought it while in Ottawa this year and I just can't wait to wear it again next summer. Is that crazy?! lol!

One of my many hemming/sewing projects this year. And my new favourite purse starts to make blog appearances. You'll see it twice more before this round up is over! 

I love this skirt. I rarely wear it without tights, but I always wear it with a light top and a black belt. See December below for another variation on this theme. 

See? More pants! But you gotta jazz it up with a great hat and some fur! I tried to be more adventurous this year and venture out donning more of my vintage hat collection. It takes courage I tell you! 

Again, I couldn't pick just one for October. I love this cape. Throwing it on over a black long sleeve tee is instant polish and glamour. Now that is the way I like to get dressed in the morning!

Wore this to D.& K.'s Social. A good time was had by all. I stayed up late that night dancing and enjoying my fair share of G&T's and the next day laid on the couch and drank copious amounts of coffee! 

Here is variation two on the outfit from September. A little more lady-like this time.

More black, white and red. Might as well end the way you start right? 

If I may say a few vapid things about my personal style evolution (and I think I can. It's my blog!), it would be that this year was about becoming comfortable with the fact that I am not a vintage purist. I know I've said this from the beginning, but I don't know if I was always comfortable with it. Underneath it all I always felt like I was stuck in the middle somehow. Not an authentic head to toe vintage aficionado, but not a modern trend follower either. 

This year I've starting to realize that not being boxed into one group or the other actually gives me amazing fashion freedom!!

I can dress head to toe 50's for an event if I want, but my personal style is all about a vintage vibe. Modern clothes with a feminine, vintage feel mixed with killer vintage pieces. I like that. I'm undefinable. 

So here's to another year of getting more comfortable in my own skin and clothes!

I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve! See you next year! ;)

Lisa.xo

Christmas Loot 2011

As promised, here are the present highlights from this year.

I received this beautiful wine decanter and bottle of wine from The Boy's family. I have always wanted a nice wine decanter. I can also imagine serving juice in this or filling it with flowers on a table. The shape is so pretty.

If you like red wine I would highly recommend Cupcake Red Velvet. The back of the bottle reads:

   Our Red Velvet is made up of grapes from some of the finest vineyards in California. This wine shows a heady nose of chocolate, deep rich blackberries, red fruits, and a creamy mocha finish that is unmistakable in its intensity and length. It's reminiscent of a blackberry chocolate cupcake with a mocha coulis. Enjoy with sweet and spicy Hoison steak, a barbeque bacon cheeseburger or even dark chocolate fondue.


Couldn't say it better myself! So good! Even just to drink by itself. It's my new favourite red. And isn't the label just gorgeous? Great gift and it's under $20 a bottle.

Speaking of alcoholic beverages, The Boy's brother gave me this cute little gift for my Gin and Tonics. It's an ice cube tray!! I can't wait to make them.

I've been wanting some BPA free glass kitchen storage containers for a while. I got these from my family. And I'm really excited about the cook book. There are some yummy looking recipes in it. It may just save me from dinner anxiety when I get back to work in the new year!

I have been in need of some new leather gloves as well. My Mom bought me these. I LOVE them! I can't wait to wear them with some of the vintage bracelet sleeve jackets I have. 

I have, of course, saved the best for last. My sister Kim is the best. She reads my blog and bought me the Dita flipbooks I posted about last week! I was elated when I opened them! Best gift of the year! Thanks Kim!!

I, of course, got the usual socks, some chocolate and a $25 gift card for Chapters.

That's it for the Christmas posts for this year!

Did you get everything you asked for this Christmas? Or did your family surprise you with something you didn't ask for, but wanted anyway? Did you get any quirky gifts like my titanic and iceberg ice tray? Do tell!


Lisa.xo

Christmas 2011

We had a lovely Christmas holiday.

We always spend Christmas Eve with The Boy's family. We usually eat ham for dinner along with meat balls in gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veg and German spaetzle. Then we head downstairs to sit by the fireplace and open presents.

For me, Christmas Day was the best! We started the day off with a late breakfast with The Boy's family, then headed to my Mom's for the rest of the day.

Aside from our usual gift exchange, it was not a typical Christmas at my Mom's a few reasons.

1. My sister Kim had a baby in October! I am now the proud Auntie of this little guy:

Meet Casey! Having a little one around has really brought our family together. We were all really excited for his first Christmas! Imagine how much fun it will be next year! And the year after!

2. We did not eat your typical turkey dinner this year. Mom went all out and make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. The famous stew was served with mashed potatoes and buttered peas. It was amazing!! (I am a bad blogger and did not take photos of said amazing Boeuf Bourguignon. I was too mesmerized and excited to eat it!)

I did however take a few photos of our cheese course! Which was also a new treat for us!

Mom also picked some high quality wines to go with each course at dinner. It was so good!

After we let the cheese course settle we had coffee and traditional English Christmas pudding with rum sauce and ice cream for desert. It's just not Christmas without Christmas pudding.

If that wasn't enough, on Boxing Day The Boy's brother and his fiancee were in from out of town and we had breakfast, opened more presents then went for a family walk with the dogs. Our weather was above zero!! Unheard of in Manitoba!! It did end up snowing and getting colder in the evening though.

Family photo on our walk. Dave isn't very good at staying still.

So that was our Christmas in a nutshell. I was beat on Monday night. That's a lot to do in 3 days! And a lot of food consumed!

Tomorrow I'll show you my Christmas loot. Stay Tuned!

How was your Christmas? Did you enjoy your usual family traditions? Or did you start a few new ones this year?


Lisa.xo 

Outfits: Lunch and Errands

I wore this last Tuesday out for lunch with the ladies in the office I'm currently working in. I also had a few errands to run that afternoon.

This dress was a Value Village find about a year and a half ago. I don't normally gravitate towards polyester, or mid sixties dresses, but I just loved the stripes and pussy bow on this dress. The stripes were cut onto the pattern perfectly! It makes my waist look so small! I also love the secretarial look of this dress. Perfect for work and casual outings.

Red Cardigan: Thrifted (Smart Set)

Black Patent Belt: Laura

60's Striped Dress: Thrifted

Tights: can't remember

Black Mary Janes: Calvin Klein

Less than a week and it's 2012! Can you believe it? Where did the year go? Or am I the only one who feels this way?

Lisa.xo

Dita: Long Hair Inspiration

It's no secret I love Dita Von Teese. (I did post about her earlier this week!)

While scrolling through my folder of saved images of her I noticed how many I had saved of her with lovely, long, wavy tresses.

My hair is getting long and I'd like to think I'm awfully close to getting my hair to look like Dita's does in these photos.

 I want to look like this every day! 

 Love this photo of her with little eye makeup on. Still gorgeous!

Had to share this one of the pin curls.

I'm planning on heading to my hairdresser in the new year with these photos in hand so I can help my hair get a better curl in it.

Photos are all via either Just Jared or Enchanted by Dita

Lisa.xo

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you have a wonderful day full of fun, family, turkey and some presents under the tree with your name on them! ;)

I'd just like to take another quick moment and thank you all so much for reading my little blog. I cannot tell you how much just stopping by or leaving your comments brightens my days and helps motivate me to make this little corner of the net better and better. Thank you again!
Now go eat some turkey! :)

Lisa.xo

Finishing a Long Overdue Project

Feels good doesn't it? Finishing a project that's been languishing around for many years?

Yesterday I told you I was going to sew some buttons I bought at Goodwill onto a 40's day dress.

I've been dragging this dress around for almost 8 years. It was in the scrap pile when I worked at Ragpickers. It was a mess. It has split seams all over the place, the hem had fallen, some light fading, a few small stains and it was missing 7 buttons. The only thing it had going for it at the time was the incredibly cute and soft fabric.

Those three buttons sitting on my coffee table are what's left of the dresses original buttons. 

I begged my boss if I could have it. She said sure. I had big hopes and dreams of fixing it all up. I sorted out the stains and spit seams fairly quickly, then lost steam. A few years ago I pressed and pinned up the hem and never sewed it.

And so it hung in my closet, pinned hem and all, and I continued to drag it around. Part of the reason it took me so long is that I could never really find the right buttons for it at the right price. I need 10 fairly large buttons which wouldn't compete with the dress. Oh, and I refused to pay more than $5 for them. Sounds easy right? Well, I'm picky and the right ones never came along.

When I found those buttons in the 25 cent bin at Goodwill I was pretty excited. I know they're nothing to look at, but they fit the bill. There were exactly 10 of them and they were a great price!

I cannot wait to wear this dress next summer. I'm not sure if the fabric is cotton or a cotton rayon blend, but it is the most soft fabric I've ever felt and it's incredibly lightweight. Plus it has that adorable Pan print! I've always loved novelty print day dresses and now I finally have one!

Here's a close up of the buttons for you. I sewed them on with pink thread for a little interest.

Have you saved a seemingly hopeless piece of vintage before? Or have you got a project you've been dragging around for almost a decade like me? Do tell!

Lisa.xo

Thrifted Bits

The thrift stores have been a little barren lately. I've been going quite a bit in the last few weeks and left empty handed on more than one occasion. I only seem to be taking home tiny bits of things.

Here's what I've taken home recently:

 I bought all these buttons at Goodwill for $1.25

I really like the square buttons. I bought the white ones for a 40's day dress that has been in need of buttons for a few years. I'll be sewing these on ASAP! 

This Alice book was $2 at Value Village. I read the entire Alice series in university and they were all vintage books. I could resist owning this one and the colour is perfect! 

 I've developed a bit of an obsession with dress clips recently and couldn't believe my luck when I found these at Value Village for $7!

 The colour, the gems and the clasp on this necklace spoke to me. For a mere $4, how could I resist? (Shout out to Mom who actually shelled out the $4 for this necklace for me! thanks! love you!)

Those are my recent finds. Have you found anything amazing recently?

Lisa.xo