summer wish list 2012

Why is it that every Spring, I am convinced that I have no summer clothes? Where do all of these summer clothes go over the winter? I'm fairly certain it's my mind's way in rationalizing my need desire for new clothes. Or just an excuse to go shopping. Either way, here's what I'm lusting after for this summer.

Summer Wish List 2012

1. A navy maxi skirt

I've always been intrigued by the maxi skirt trend, but I never thought I could pull it off. I am a short-average height and always thought they would make me look stumpy. This is aside from the fact that I never knew how to style one without looking like a hobo. Enter Pinterest.

5 inch and up via pinterest

morgan and lua via Pinterest

cheyenne meets chanel via Pinterest

After searching for a while and being unable to find what I was looking for I bought this tea-length navy skirt from Old Navy last weekend. 

It hits me mid calf & has the perfect amount of swing. I plan on pairing it with a tight white lace tank or a colorful silk tank. I actually like that it's a bit shorter, showing a little leg! If I can find a colorful maxi for cheap before the summer rolls around, I may have to get that too, but for now I'll consider this item checked off the list!

2. A light-weight blouse

I also bought one of these last weekend. Specifically, this one from Smart Set.

It's actuallly a burnt orange colour, not red as it looks here. I love these blouses because they are beyond comfortable, keep me cool in warmer weather and can have a dressier look when paired with a good necklace and accessories. This one also has some ruched detailing in the back which makes it drape in a flattering way.

3. Bright coloured wedges

I want ones exactly like these, which Megan from Honey We're Home found at Target for $30. What a great find! I would also take them in yellow, peach or even green. So cute!

4. White lace dress

I finally found one I liked that was in my price range, actually way below it. I scooped up a lined white lace tank dress from Stitches last weekend for $13. I'll be sure to post a photo as soon as my camera is charged up again!

5. High-waisted bathing suit
I know you're probably thinking ugly, high leg cut, aerobics, 70's style but trust me! I'm actually pretty excited to try out this trend. My rule for keeping the look modern is make sure to show your belly button. Otherwise, you end up looking like you don't have one.

I can't find a picture of the exact shape of high-waisted hipster bottoms I'm looking for but these are close. They're pretty much the perfect shape for me.

via Asos

 For my body shape having the lower cut leg is the most flattering and I actually really like the ruching. I'm undecided on the red ones, but I think they could have potential paired with a white, string halter top. As for the blue patterned ones, I love them! I'd pair them with a white or navy wide halter top. I'm on the look out...

A few minutes later I found these ones from Forever21 for only $10, but they're sold out. These are exactly what I want!

6. A few chiffon/silk tanks

Basics, but dialed up a notch. I'm hoping for mint green, white and berry.

What's on your summer wish list? Will you be trying out any new trends? Leave me some comment love :)

sundays are for ... cleaning?

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing weekend. I usually tell you about how Sunday makes me want to bake, but today I went on a cleaning/de-cluttering mission.

the only photo i have of myself "cleaning", Summer 2011.

Although I still managed to be lazy for most of the day and watch multiple episodes of Say Yes to the Dress & the latest Amazing Race, I managed to cross these items off of my to-do list:

- put away half of the gigantic pile of clothes taking over my closet.

- re-organized my big drawer of toiletries. my parents & D's mom always give me a slew of bath goods for Christmas. i have unopened bottles of almost every bathroom 'necessity' including 3 sugar scrubs, 8 bars of soap, 4 toothbrushes and 3 things of floss. seriously!
- scrubbed the burners of the stove. this was so long overdue.up until today i had to strategically pick which burner to use based on how little it smelled like smoke when i turned it on. (gross, i know. but i'd rather be real about it)
- 2 loads of laundry. baking soda in with the towels to make them smell super-freshhh.

- washed utensils.

- cleared off my dresser, went through my jewelery & set aside anything i didn't wear for donation.

Sometimes completing a bunch of little tasks can feel so good. I know it isn't that much, but it was a serious step toward simplifying the apartment. One of my goals for this year is to focus on paring down my possessions and focusing on the non-material things that make me happy. When we next move, I do not want to lug around a bunch of junk. My gimpy little arms can't handle it. I want to take only the things I need & love.

There were, and still are, things around the apartment that need to be done. But they can wait. My dog needs cuddling.

PS: I'm thinking about doing a short series of posts called The Lazy Girl's Guide to Cleaning.It would have quick cleaning tips for when you only have a few minutes and some very simple green cleaning methods. Would you guys be interested in reading something like this? Let me know your thoughts and any suggestions on areas of the home or specific tasks you want me to cover.

Happy Friday List

This picture always makes me smile. I'm hamming it up for mom while trying to get out of the pouring rain. And I just look HAPPY :)

Well folks, we made it to the weekend. I luckily had a short week thanks to my day-off on Monday. Here's a few things currently making me smile:

- These delicious garlic fingers I just devoured on my lunch break.

- I get to leave work an hour early today. That means that I'll have less than 3 hours of work left once I return!

- Excitement for a lovely St. Patrick's Day potluck party tomorrow night at a friend's place. I have to bring green food, wear green and drink green drinks. Any food suggestions? I was thinking meatballs with homemade green ketchup or a nacho dip with avocado & green peppers.

- Thinking about how close spring is... We've been getting some days as high as 10-13C. This is making me want to spend more time outside, taking the dog for longer walks and more importantly, get started on spring clothes shopping! Keep your eyes on the blog for a Spring Wish List sometime in the next couple of weeks.

- Date night with the boy. We're taking in a Rainmen NBL Playoff game tonight. It's the last game of a best of three series, so it should be pretty action-packed. I wanna see some dunks! D & I are pretty dedicated Rainmen fans; it makes me feel good to support a local professional sports team. Particularly now that they've created Canada's first professional basketball league.

That's all I've got for now. My lunch break is coming to a close, so off I go. I hope all of you have a fun weekend! Do you have any plans? Are you celebrating St. Paddy's day?

Linking up with Stephanie.

japan, period.

What i tried to make:

via Rap-Up

A tank top with a large red circle on it, representing the Japanese flag.
Like the ones above designed by Solange Knowles' son Daniel.

What I actually made:

A tank that looks like the Kotex logo. 

 Craft FAIL. 

 

 It turns out that jersey fabric is a little tricky to cut, meaning that although I started with a bigger circle, it kept getting smaller and smaller as I tried to cut it evenly. The good thing that came out of this oopsie, is that I found a better way to cut jersey. I lay it on top of a piece of medium weight cardboard and cut through the fabric and cardboard at the same time. This helps to make a straight cut. Lesson learned.

 

Off the the clothing donation box it goes!

PS: This is my very first craft fail post. Although I don't see a real place on my blog for regular posts on botched crafts, this one was too funny not to share. If you'd like to see more craft fails, let me know!

snowed out

The reason for the silence around here over the weekend is that I went home to visit my parents in New Brunswick! I took 3 (!!) vacation days so that D and I could drive up with Abby-dog on Thursday. We had to rent a vehicle which made it costly, but it was worth it because it meant a lot to my Mom. Plus, I got to see my Dad & brother on their shared birthday!

On Friday my Mom, Dad, D and I took Abs for what we thought would be a leisurely walk. And it was while we were on the groomed trail, but as it turned out that the snow off the trail was super-soft from recent warm temperatures. All of a sudden our "leisurely walk turned into over two hours of an intense physical workout including snow up to our crotches. Cool.

These photos don't really show the intensity of it all. This was before we decided to cut through the woods and a big open field that was being blasted with icy wind off of the bay. I'm not complaining though (trust me I did plenty of that during the adventure), because D & I agree it was probably the best part of the weekend. It was more exercise than I usually get, it was fun and Abby got some quality off-leash time.

Northern NB is known for having some of the best snowmobile trails in Canada. My parents don't have a snowmobile, but they sure do take advantage of the trails on foot.

sweatpants over jeans. all bundled up.

so thrilled.

dad & the only pic you'll see of mom. she doesn't like her photo on the internets.

see? crotch-level.

grandad & grandog bonding.

D trying to make me into a snow-woman

  

Did you have any outdoor adventures lately? Tell me about them.

garlic fingers with fake fromage

**There is milk in naan. You could always sub a milk-free flatbread or pizza crust instead.

I suck at not eating lactose. Not drinking lactose is easy. There are so many milk-alternatives available for roughly the same price as milk. They even make lactose-free milk. Same taste, but none of the bad stuff. So not drinking milk is definitely doable. But cheese, now that's a different story.

I tried a cheese alternative once and just could not swallow it. It smelled bad, had a weird texture and was Italian flavor. Blehhh. So I just kept eating cheese and experiencing very unpleasant side-effects, none of which need to mentioned on this little blog here.

My highly-allergy plagued friend L told me about Daiya when we were discussing our various stomach issues over lunch one day at the Wooden Monkey. Don't we sound like a good time?

It's basically a tapioca-arrowroot product that melts like cheese and does not taste disgusting, it actually tastes good. It doesn't have a true cheesy flavour or texture per se, but I have found it to be a great substitute! It only comes shredded, but that hasn't stopped me from eating it by the handful at times... I use it on nachos, burritos, pizza, chili, lasagna and all of those other things that taste incomplete without cheese. I've bought both the mozzarella & cheddar style before and they both work well. I used to buy it from Pete's Frootique but they now carry it at Sobey's, where we do groceries every week, for $3 cheaper!

Lately, my big indulgence has been garlic fingers. I take a piece of naan bread, spread it with garlic butter, sprinkle real bacon bits on top, cover with Daiya & bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. The best non-cheesy garlic finger you'll ever taste. So all this to say, if you are lactose-intolerant or allergic to milk... you need to try Daiya. It will help you resist actual cheese. Most of the time...

Do any of you have allergies/intolerances? Do you find that having a good substitute helps you resist temptation? I think substitution is key, even for people who are dieting. Quitting cold turkey, just does not work for some people. Myself included!

  

FYI: I am lactose intolerant but will eat some packaged foods with milk in them, like bread or chocolate (sometimes). Anything milk-based though is out of the question. No milk, yogurt, ice-cream, alfredo sauce etc.  

Me & cheese are fighting it out. I can't quit.

noah's ark

I've suddenly decided that my handmade felt animals will collectively be called Noah's Ark, which makes sense to me because they're being made two at a time. I just can't make one felt animal at a time. I have this really weird idea that if I just make one, that they will be lonely and sad. So, there's that.

As a side note, I have always loved the name Noah and am tucking it away for future human animals.

I started seeing felt animals everywhere online & I had some felt leftover from another project so I decided to give my hand-sewing some practice. After I made my first set of owls I started dreaming of other animals to create.

So far I've made a pair of owls (aside from these ones), lions and elephants. To give them a bit more of a purpose, I hot-glued a piece of magnetic sheeting to the back of each one. Instant adorable fridge magnets! They are only decorative though. The magnetic sheeting I had was not very strong. 

 

The owls I've mailed to a friend and I'm still waiting for her to get them, so I'll just give you a little peek. Here's the 'boy owl'.

The elephants I decided to give to my roommate B, so that he could gift them to his girlfriend C for Valentine's day. The felties spawned a whole elephant themed gift that was pretty romantic for a guy who claims he is not. They looked a little plain on their own, so to make them look more like the couple themselves, the 'boy elephant' got a pair of glasses.

 I wish the tusks were higher up, but I had to make them match after one had low tusk syndrome...

And finally, the most recent pair of animals, the lions. I realize that they kind of look like suns. You should have seen them without the faces! But I think their resemblance to the sun makes them look more cheery. I haven't magnetized these ones yet, so I may end up using them for something else.

So there's my version of Noah's ark. Next up on my list? I think I'm going to make a pack (herd?) of cats. I know someone who might like some...

I hope you're all having a fun, relaxing weekend!