February in pictures

Quite a few of my posts were already picture-heavy, so this is just a bit of a catch-up for the rest of the month.

Etsy Star Wars calendar // boobs in the snow // salted caramel cupcake from dlish cupcakes (looks better than it tasted) // chubby puppy at the Gap // I want to be part of a canine social club // with my hair up, a rare occurrence // yes please // butter london Big Smoke and Victoriana // hells to the yes

I love being a girl.

Maybe it's because I have no experience otherwise, but I love being a girl. And not just for the clothes (but they are a bonus.)

Banana Republic top // Matsu necklace // Anthro Sumukhwa Skirt (Maeve) // Wolford Satin Opaque tights // Nine West heels

Sometimes, you just have to celebrate being a girl and glam it up.

I hear a lot of my girlfriends say that they don't want to have any daughters, because girls are too difficult, boys are so easy, exactly for the reasons outlined in this article. That makes me a little sad. But if I were to have children (huuuuuge if), I think I’d want a girl, because I want a doll to play dress-up with wouldn’t know what to do with a boy. It’s tough. I have no answers. As Ned Flanders might say, that’s a dilly of a pickle.

I ain’t lost, just wandering round my hometown.

Will is away this weekend, so I’ve been left to my own devices. Nothing particularly scandalous, but I do get to be as messy as I like for a few days before I clean it all up. I just finished shredding some old paperwork, so it’s desperately in need of a good vacuum under the desk.

So I don’t go stir-crazy at home and start talking to myself (which I already do occasionally), I’ve spent time with friends and I’ve spent a lot of time out walking around the neighbourhood by myself.

I’ve been stalking dogs on the street:

…Spending time at Club Monaco:

…Ogling Soïa & Kyo coats at Fresh Collective in Roncy:
 
(I didn’t buy either but I was sorely tempted. The red might be too Little Red Riding Hood though, and my friend haaaates that shade of blue because she used to work at Pharma Plus.)

…Realizing I could be wearing my tuque at a more flattering angle (left – before, right – after), which is probably why I’ve always thought I look stupid in hats:

…And drinking red velvet cake tea (kinda meh, but that’s how I feel about most of David’s Tea) and eating real red velvet cake:

Every now and then, it’s nice to have some time on your own, and I’m sad my weekend alone is almost over. I will be happy when Will is back though.

Favourites from NY Fashion Week

Thanks to fabsugar.com, my Pinterest is busy these days with all the images from Fashion Weeks (it's a departure from my usual pinning of many many dogs and other cute animals).

From Jenny Packham:

Vera Wang:

Jason Wu:

Monique Lhuillier

Tracy Reese:

Alice + Olivia:

Lela Rose:

Just a few of my faves, more over on my Pinterest.

Jackie’s Strength

Club Monaco dress // J.Crew Jackie Cardigan in vivid jade // Wolford tights // Nine West heels

This may be an unpopular opinion, especially for fans of J.Crew, but I am not a huge fan of the Jackie cardigan. I find it a little boxy and shapeless and I haaaaate the old-lady buttons. Also overpriced. But it does come in a tempting rainbow of colours that I find very hard to resist. Which is why I have this bright turquoise one. Personally, I’ve always preferred Jenna’s Cardigan, but it doesn’t exist anymore and never came in fun bright colours.

Two minutes

To combat my chronic procrastinating, I've employed the two-minute rule: If it'll take two minutes or less, do it now.

I can't remember where I heard this, but it's really helping. I'll typically throw my coat over a chair instead of hanging it up straight away, I'll change and leave my clothes all over my bed, I'll leave things all over the place and say "I'll do it later/tomorrow," but the two-minute rule is forcing me away from procrastination. It can only be a good thing.

…except maybe when it comes to getting dressed? I threw this outfit on in two minutes.

Banana Republic twist top // matsu necklace // club monaco chiffon skirt // Wolford tights // Nine West heels

Simple, but not too bad. Maybe I got lucky though and next time will be a disaster.

Hat head

I’m convinced that I don’t have the right head for hats. In my opinion, I look stupid in most hats, which is sad because tuques (that’s Canadian for beanie) are a necessity when it’s cold out. I’m long past caring about messing up my hair; when it’s cold, all I care about is being warm.

Currently I wear a patchwork tuque I bought from lolë last winter, but I’m getting tired of it. I was recently at Club Monaco so I tried on some of their knit hats:

the Janis Hat

another issue I have is that a lot of hats don’t fit my apparently larger-than-average-sized head. The Ariana Merino Wool Hat looks ok, but it was seriously tight. Like, headache-inducing tight.

it’s kinda cute, but I look kinda dumb at the same time, don’t I?

While I was in Club Monaco, I snapped a few pics of the store. I like the renos they’ve done recently to most stores, and I’m really liking the blue and orange colour palette.

Snowpocalypse / Snowmageddon / Blizzard Nemo

This morning I continued my ongoing rant about how it’s not fair that I never get a snow day from work because I live so close (5 km). I chose to live in a shoebox condo (ok, it’s not that bad and it totally suits my needs/lifestyle but it’s not exactly palatial) in a central area so I could be close to work and downtown and have an urban lifestyle, other people chose to live in the suburbs so they could have a bigger house and the lifestyle that goes along with that, but should I be penalized for my choice? Also, my commute this morning wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. I may not have been driving, but it was awwwwwful.

Covered in snow, hair dripping, wool coat soaked, snow in my boots. There were no sidewalks. I almost got hit by a car. But I got to be smug about making it in to work.

I did find out not long after I got in that my director had sent out a note to all the managers saying that she was snowed in, and no one should come in unless they had to. I didn’t get that note because my manager was on vacation today. So I went home at lunchtime.

It’s still snowing, and this is currently my view from my condo, on the 17th floor. Normally you can see the CN Tower in the distance, but not today.

.

Hope everyone is staying warm, dry, and safe!

February long weekend in Boston, in pictures

My sister flew me and Will down to Boston for a long weekend, to hang out for the first three days, and to babysit her husband while she had major back surgery on Tuesday (she’s doing well, but it’ll be a long recovery ahead). That was a bit stressful, but before that we did our favourite things, involving food and shopping.

Lots of eating, and some Simpsons references:

my sister bought me a dumpling cookbook // beef and broccoli chow fun at Myers + Chang // cherry ginger soda (with a curly straw) // Porkslap beer (pork slap! I don’t take crap!) // Georgetown Cupcakes (red velvet, mint cookies and cream, strawberry champagne chocolate, key lime) // oh hallelujah, our problems are solved, we have banana bread beer // charcuterie heaven at Formaggio kitchen // cardamom ginger gelato (the little pieces of candied ginger were my favourite) // sea salt caramel almond gelato (not salty enough!)

Some shopping, culture, and girly stuff:

Chloe ballet flats at the Tannery (I wanted all of the colours, and I really, really really wanted that teal pair, but I can’t/won’t pay $425 for a pair of ballet flats) // a lamb in a sweater at Club Monaco // solar corgi in the gift shop at the MFA (we went to see the Mario Testino exhibit)  // my teal manicure (Zoya Akyra)

And a little (just a little) shopping:

Christian Lacroix Papier notebook from the MFA gift shop // Alexander McQueen paper dolls from the gift shop // Into the Vietnamese Kitchen cookbook // Twisted Sundial Top from Anthropologie // eric michael tao booties ($80 off at the Tannery) // Society6 iphone5 case