pick-up

Boots & Belt- Vintage; Jacket- Smart Set; Blouse & Jeans- Thrifted; Cowboy Hat & Bandana- Dollarama; Ring- Forever 21; Necklace- Gifted; Nail Polish- Deliciously Dark by Rimmel

When I was 16 years old, I got a job working as a historical animator (basically a tour guide who dresses up in periodic clothing) at Fort Malden in rural Ontario. I was far from my home in suburban Nova Scotia and was boarded for two months by a local family and boredom led to rebellious teenage things like smoking cigarettes, sneaking out of the house and partying with cute, older boys.  In Amherstburg you either listened to country music... or country music.  Without much choice I begrudgingly would turn the car radio to one of the various local country stations. After hearing "Whiskey Lullaby" I was hooked and have been in love with this hillbilly genre of music ever since. 

So when I had the chance to rent a pick-up truck for a week while our car was in the shop for hail damage I hollered yeehaw, grabbed my vintage cowboy boots & prepared for 7 days of living out my cowgirl fantasy.

The pick-up didn't have the luxuries of my Audi that I've become accustomed to (particularly the built in GPS, reversing camera, blindspot indicators & heated seats, it's a hard life I tell ya!) but driving this monster truck (which I basically had to leap into & fall out of) was incredibly fun and had me daydreaming about living on a hobby farm & listening to country music day in and day out. 

I may live like a city slicker but I'm a country gal at heart! Yeehaw!

pumpkin & mustard

Jeans (worn like this)- Jacob; Top (worn like this)- Spoof; Jacket- Gifted; Shoes & Ring- Thrifted; Bracelet- Sears; Nail Polish- Lapiz of Luxury by Essie

Yesterday felt like April Fool's Day, with a series of pranks, with no one yelling 'gotcha' at the end.  The morning started out with me inserting both contact lenses into the same eye and walking around my house for 5 minutes wondering why my vision was so blurry.  After being at work for an hour, I received a call from a police officer stating that someone had driven their car through my fence because apparently they didn't see a mound of construction dirt at their alleged speed of 10km/hour.  We all know I hated that white chain-link fence but that wasn't how I pictured its demise! 

After work I was looking forward to getting a relaxing pilates/tai-chi/yoga workout in at the gym but by the time I got there I discovered that all the fitness classes were cancelled city-wide due to instructor training.  Having some extra time, I then drove to my bank to deposit my pay cheque but the local restaurant goers had taken all the parking spots and I was forced to turn away, no longer feeling richer than you think.  I then had two neighbours who I'd never met before, knock on my door (while I was clan in monkey print fleece pjs) to ask me if I knew my fence was damaged and I could have sworn that it was the same person returning twice, same name, same appearance, same house? Bizarre.  My sleep was virtually non-existent because my man was out of town so all the creaks & groans of our older home that are endearing in the daytime are suspicious and creepy at night.  I tried falling asleep to classical music on my tv but the channel kept switching to Keeping up with the Kardashians and waking me up to shrieks of hormonal women and Kim getting her butt x-rayed to prove she doesn't have implants!

Blouse- Consigned; Skirt (worn like this) & Black Ring- Thrifted; Blazer- Swapped; Gold Rings- Gifted; Hosiery- Forever 21; Shoes- Dress for Success Sale; Nail Polish- Framboise by Yves Rocher

Sometimes we need April Fool esque days to make us appreciate the great days even more.  Today is already starting off on a better foot with a delicious green smoothie, my new pussy bow leopard print blouse and being one day closer to the weekend!

Have you ever had one of those days?

teal & wine

Dress (worn like this)- Smart Set; Blazer- Target; Belt- Thrifted; Shoes- Vintage; Watch- Fossil (Gifted); Nail Polish- Deep Purple by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

After a week of wearing nothing but black, Megan & Keely's colourful fashion challenge arrived at the perfect time.  Today's colour blocking outfit combines the first two prompts of teal & wine (I refuse to call the hue ox blood because a. I don't like the visual of bleeding cattle & b. wine is delicious!) I was inspired by the colours in these fabulous & comfy vintage shoes and tied the look together with a thick statement belt. 

Have you ever worn teal & wine together? Would you?

fireplace

Skirt- Target; Blouse & Sweater- Thrifted; Brooch- Vintage; Shoes- Spring; Nail Polish- Lapiz of Luxury by Essie

The first time we toured what is now our new home, there were two things we both disliked immediately- the white wire fence and the mahogany hand-carved fireplace mantel.  We thought about selling the mantel or painting it white but in the 3 months we have lived here the mantel is growing on me.  It is unique and complements my eclectic sense of decor.  The fireplace is wood burning and is so cosy to sit in front of with a good book and a glass of wine, I can't wait to spend our winter weekends cuddled up with a roaring fire as our backdrop. 

If it's cold enough this weekend (which in Ottawa is almost guaranteed), my fireplace and I are going to have a hot date (pun intended!)

Do you have a fireplace in your home?

subtle leopard

T-Shirt (worn like this & this)- Thrifted; Skirt- Spoof (Boutique in Toronto); Jacket- Gifted from ML; Shoes- Vintage; Bracelets- Le Chateau; Rings- Gifted; Necklaces- E-Bay & Sears; Nail Polish- Lapiz of Luxury by Essie

It's no secret that I love leopard print but to get away with wearing it to work, I had to be a bit more sneaky.  I decided on this subtle patterned t-shirt with just enough meow for the daytime. 

I'm a woman of few words tonight, I started a boot camp tonight and spent almost two and a half hours at the gym and my muscles are burning.  I've become a bit of a gym rat these days, nothing better than a healthy obsession (speaking of which, I'm also addicted to green smoothies for breakfast made with kale, bananas, strawberries, hemp hearts & ground flax seed). 

Would you wear leopard print to work?

purple gams

Tights- Hue; Scarf & Larger Ring- Smart Set; Purple Bracelet- Persona (Giftted); Dress, Jacket, Belt, Shoes, Purse, Brown Bracelets, Brooch & Smaller Ring- Thrifted; Nail Polish- Stormy & Gold Coin by Revlon

After a week of wearing black, it was time to inject some colour into my ensembles.  This outfit and I inspired by the army green & purple hues in my scarf and I tied the look together with differing shades of brown. 

I find painting my nails relaxing and usually do so while watching tv.  I like to change the colours every 2 days or so and often find myself gravitating to clothing which complement my nails, rather than the other way around. 

The hosiery have an alien-eque glow in these photos but in person they are a bright lilac. 

Have you worn an unexpected colour combination recently ?

peacock

Cape (worn like this)- Gifted; Skirt, Top & Shoes- Thrifted; Bracelet- Borrowed; Purse- Vintage; Nail Polish- Posh by Revlon

It was only during my personal black clothing challenge this week that I truly realized how much black attire I own.  I could continue on for another month, never repeating the same inky outfit.  For a gal who loves brights, I certainly own a lot of black!

My clothing may be dark but I added bright green accessories and this fabulous vintage beaded peacock purse for visual interest.  I don't know how people wear all black, all the time, in my opinion it lacks both creativity and personality and makes you feel pretty blah and uninspired. 

After a week of wearing black, I'm looking forward to having fun with colour & I signed up for Megan & Keely's fall colour trend challenge.

What was your favourite black ensemble of mine this week?