A Chilly Winter Day Outfit

I've become very unimaginative in my dressing these days.  It's too cold to think much about what to wear, thank goodness I have the same pieces in every colour.  The jeans, shirt and cardi are repeated in my closet about 10 times each, all in different hues and patterns.  It's like Garanimals for harried mommies.

Nothing beats some cognac neutrals - they go with everything.  No thinking, no stressing. 

Pearls carry me from yoga class to rubbing elbows with the muckymucks.

I wore this to a lunch meeting with someone who works with the homeless.  He told me he isn't used to such well dressed people sitting down to hear what he has to say.  Our fundraiser is tomorrow night.  Obviously he had something powerful to say.


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People will stare.

 

People will stare.  Make it worth their while. Terrific advice...don't you think?

It takes just as much effort to look like a slob as it does to look presentable.  If your hair isn't washed, put on a cute chapeau.  If you don't feel like fixing your face (not that it needs to be fixed but it's such a quaint expression) a swipe of powder and a tinted lip balm will take you from Wintery washed out to polished in under one minute.  A long coat hides a multitude of sins (even jammies tucked into tall boots for a midnight run to the drug store - trust me on this one). 

It has been another whirlwind few weeks - meetings for every committee under the sun, lobster dinner, business excellence, civic awards, young professionals, politics etc.  Oh and on top of that I have Royal Ribbons to run and business is pouring in...so I'm hopping all day long.  Not to mention my little part time job - I got a message last night to come to work on Saturday morning.  Good thing I have a wardrobe ready to take me anywhere!

I discovered one of the moms from the Little Prince's school just got her yoga certification so I took her very first class last night.  I am thrilled to have yoga in town again! 

I took the Danish exchange student to a community dinner that is put on by the poverty coalition.  It started at the seedy hotel and was frequented by welfare types and drug addicts but the guy in charge has done a tremendous job of building it up, getting people the help they need, and cleaning up the hotel.  Now the dinner is open for anyone to come so we stopped in, had a bite to eat, chatted with some people and helped clean up. The Cheeky Reaper and I are hosting a fundraiser for this group - we have 150 tickets to sell to a movie screening and champagne reception so it was nice to spend time with the people we are doing it for and some of the people on their board of directors. 

I am getting my hair cut this afternoon.  I've been letting it grow out a bit over the winter but I think I will cut it back to summer length again.  I just don't have the time or inclination to blow it out every single day.  Stay tuned to find out how it went with my stylist!

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Mad for Plaid - OOTD

If you are like me and keep Tumblr and Pinterest open 24 hours a day, you will have seen thousands of fabulous outfits that appeal to old school preps like me.  I find is fascinating to see what the younguns do these days with traditional looks, with slight modern twists.  I am forever collecting photos for my inspiration folder, scouring Polyvore for exact or similar items, and I spend more time that is normal organizing and staring at my wardrobe.  One of these days I will post a photo of my closet - it's quite shocking how many pieces I have.  I can assure you though, there will never be a moment I say 'I have nothing to wear'.  I can pull together an outfit for just about any occasion without little effort.  I reap the fruits of my sartorial labours after spending 25 years building my very own boutique.

 

I spotted this gem on Tumblr back in the fall (if this is you please email me so I can give you proper credit) and knew I had to be seen in something similar.  Thank goodness ON hit it out of the park this last season with shirts and coloured jeans, cords and khakis.

Plaid flannel shirt, red skinny cords, navy blazer, cognac boots, purse and watch.  Pearls, natch.  I wore this to a Rotary dinner and when I walked in one of the men asked me where I parked my horse.  I told him I have two words for him and they are not happy birthday.  Interesting though, this same man smokes a pipe - something we rarely ever see here.  Surely he knows about making a statement!

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Pistols and Pearls

This past summer I took up shooting - and have loved every minute of it!  In Canada one must complete a course, take an exam, get background checks, and jump through hoops of fire in order to apply for a possession and acquisition license before purchasing any sort of firearm or ammunition...and there's more than one license.  My course started this week so it was fun to go to the firing range for a little practice.  Here one can only use a firearm when with someone who is licensed so the Cheeky Reaper took the Danish exchange student and me shooting for the afternoon...
 

 

The Cheeky Reaper brought a few handguns with him including A Beretta,  a .45, and an old police revolver.  Each one feels, fires and kicks back in a different way.  We started with a refresher on handgun safety and how each one works before we loaded them, applied ear and eye protection, and got to work.

 

Here I am with the .45.  I really like this gun and found it the easiest to aim and hit the target with.   Nothing feels better than actually being able to find your intended target!  Nothing sounds worse than running out of bullets and hearing 'click' when pulling the trigger! 

Here I am using the police revolver.  I don't enjoy shooting with it at all.  I find it awkward to hold and load, dirty and even tho it's a 'romantic' gun, I prefer using other ones.  It does inspire memories of Cagney & Lacey, although their revolvers are newer and smaller...

A pretty good representation of an indoor firing range, smoke and all!

 

I don't remember much about Cagney or Lacey...but I do remember the great hair!

The results - the one on the left is a combination of mine and the Cheeky Reaper's (who happens to be something like #3 in his class in Canada).  I was hitting all around the target so he took the gun from me and showed me there's nothing wrong with it by hitting the bulls eye.  Not to be outdone, my shooting suddenly improved and I hit all around his bulls eye.  The one on the right is all mine, 7 bullets, all on the target but one.

 
Here's what I wore - red skinny jeans, white shirt, navy toggle sweater, cognac boots, belt and watch.  Pearls, natch.


Have a fabulous day!

OOTD - Cold weather clothes

A week before Christmas I spent the afternoon at the liquor store ringing the bell for the Salvation army.  This is the third year I have done it and I am always impressed at the array of characters who will stop to chat before heading in to get their 'message'.  December in Canada can be a bit hit or miss so I decided to wear warm clothes and take a lighter jacket.  It worked well and I managed to stay warm enough for a couple of hours before moving the kettle inside for the last part of my shift.

 

Embroidered cords, Christmas turtleneck, Birdseye sweater, and accessories.  The leather bracelet was a present from Adrienne of The Rich Life and I wear it allllll the time.  Pearls, natch.  I always feel like a big preppy whale when I wear this sweater, it's not figure flattering at all, but a handsome businessman in town saw me wearing it and told me I look just like his first girlfriend.  The sweater will be staying.

 

How it translated in the cold December sunshine!  By this point I had a pocket full of miniatures - someone stopped to help a liquor store employee clean up a dropped case of booze, each bottle had a miniature attached to it so the employee gave them to the helpful passerby...who stopped to share them with me!  

My mittens were custom knit locally.

 

The local chocolatier was having their machine serviced when I stopped by so he came an hour later to deliver me a spicy hot chocolate!  Yum!   Small town life is great!

Have a fabulous day!

November

  

Happy November!   It has been a crazy three months and the policing vote was on Tuesday night....all of my hard work paid off!  One of the coucillors flipped his vote, saying he sees the will of the people and now we will get to keep our local police force!  Wahoo!  I am happy and exhausted and in dire need of a break - I am looking forward to getting back to business and friends and all the things I had to do without for all this time. 

First up is a trip to the mall to find shoes to go with this dress...

 ...I'm not sure if I should go with navy shoes or stick with neutral ones...tho it wont do any harm to have a pair of navy pumps in my closet even if I don't wear them with this.  

See how quickly my mind reverted right back to worrying about the most simple things? 36 hours out of politics and right back to my 1% problems!

Have a fabulous day!

Outfit of the day - the navy blazer!

I hunted high and low for a navy blazer - it's actually quite impressive how hard it is to find such a thing in Canada!  All the stores kept telling it will probably come in the spring collections.  Is a blazer only a spring item?   One morning a few weeks ago I had some time on my hands so I ran a few errands and decided if there was a place to park, I would look in the thrift shop.  I know Adrienne shops at her local thrift shop all the time and finds some of the most incredible deals but it's not the sort of thing I tend to do.  I guess I feel I don't have time to pick through a mishmash of items.  Anyhoo, there was a parking spot right out front, the store was open (a bit of a crapshoot in this town) and was fairly free of crowds.  I looked around, didn't see what I wanted and decided to ask...sure enough, that morning...they put out a brand new Talbots navy blazer...in my size...petite even!  It fits perfectly right off the hanger and the $5.00 price tag was well within my clothing budget. Sold! 

Have a fabulous day!

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Outfit of the day - the preppy leopard.

This outfit was inspired by one I saw on Atlantic Pacific.  I loved this look so much...the Suburban Prince gave me a leopard trench for Christmas!  Sometimes all it takes is one piece to transform a look and make it say so much more!  I wore this yesterday for my birthday lunch in the city.  It was just cool enough to get away with a coat but by late afternoon is was practically pool weather and I had to carry it.  I am just happy I got to sneak it in before summer comes...we haven't had much of a spring!


Have a fabulous day!

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My Birthday Wish List!

 

I first smelled this when I was in Hermes with High Heeled Life.  The lady helping HHL smelled so beautiful I just had to comment on her perfume.  This is what she was wearing and she sent me home with a collection of perfume samples, all tied up in a signature Hermes bag.  Sometimes the experience is just as important as the product.  This perfume, to me smells like violets and just works on me.

In an attempt to break out of my pink, and gold shoe rut, I thought a nice pair of these in orange would be nice.  Tangerine is the colour of the year!

I have several KJP pieces (and have even bought them for the Suburban Prince) so I was very excited when he announced his new spring line!  This one is sold exclusively by my friend, The Preppy Princess and is perfect for summer in pink and green.  **Acquired**  Did you know The Preppy Princes also carries Royal Ribbons now? 

I have a thing for bees.  Regardless of the fact I am deathly allergic to bee and wasp stings there is someone in my life whom I adore and their name begins with B so anything I see with bees on them has a tendency to find it's way home with me.  This bangle comes in cream as well. (Wimberly)

This came in a couple of my Luxe Boxes and smells wonderful!  I had no idea how much I like irises!  Every time I wear it I wonder what smells so good...then I remember, c'est moi!

Now that I am back down to my pre-baby weight/shape/size I can wear belts again.  A neutral bee buckle will do the trick I suspect!  It could go with just about anything! (Wimberly)

I find more and more I need to take my laptop with me to meetings and other exciting places.  I don't have a case for it so this will come in handy!  It will also make quite an impact when  take it to Scotland!  Another adorable item from The Preppy Princess.  **Acquired**

I am undecided about this jacket.  I have the same one in navy blue and I wear it all the time.  I guess I just wish the green was a bit more...lime.  Brighter.  I will think on this more and decide if I actually need yet another jacket and if this shade of green would work in my life. (LLB)

I have had my eye on this for years.  I gave one away on my blog back in ohhhhhh 2010 maybe?  Can you believe I don't actually have one?!  As I have an avid note writer I think I would get so much use out of this.  I can see me now, poolside, cocktail, writing letters to all of my aunties, and friends...le sigh.  I think we can guess my favourite shopping destination by now as this too can be procured at The Preppy Princess.  I wonder if it can be monogrammed?  I am imagining pink thread on the green one or green thread on the navy blue one!  BTW - I like a diamond monogram, natch.

I've decided to finally take up needlepoint and thought this belt would be a good start!  And one can never go wrong with happy whales!  I think I will order it in navy with lime green whales.  I plan to keep it in my bag so anytime I need something to do (haha) I can pull it out and do a little stitching.  (Etsy)  **Acquired**

Once I finish the whale belt I want to make this one.  How adorable is this pattern!?  I might not even get it done until my next birthday but I can't resist this cute little beach house! (Etsy)


So there you have it!  With 27 days lead time and my wish list in hand I am sure no one will have any trouble finding the perfect presents for me.  Right?!


Have a fabulous day!

Outfit of the day

Hermes Scarf Friend was at meetings in the city on the same day she was to introduce a guest speaker at our Rotary meeting.  She was worried she might be stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it back to town in time so she gave me a type written introduction and instructions to take her place at the head table with her guest speaker.

Update:  HSF got there in time so I got away with cords and a sweater...I saved this outfit for our Christmas party tonight!

Normally I would wear something casual to Rotary...critters and a sweater, dressier jeans and a cute top.  But, sitting at the head table means everyone will be staring at me all night and I prefer to wear something nice to them to look at when I am front and center.

The dress is not denim...it's chambray, whatever that is.  It's not my usual sort of thing but I bought it on a whim and have been determined to work it into my outfits.  Not wanting anyone to confuse me with a farm girl I opted to wear a Dior scarf with it (yes, I realize that's not a Dior scarf we are looking at but the colours are very similar to the Dior I have) along with navy blue tights, black patent pumps and a navy blue purse.  Do I really need to say I also wore pearls?  A spritz of my usual perfume?  The one that all the men like by the way.  Forget all of your expensive designer hoity toity bottles of celebrity endorsed perfumes....I've had more compliments on my $20.00 Philosophy elixir than any other I have ever worn. 


Have a fabulous day!

Outfit of the day

I always mean to take photos of my outfits but usually I am busy trying to get out the door without forgetting anything and by the time I get home I cant be bothered but I managed to pull together a polyvore!  I took all of my brain cells to get this to work and once I saved it I had no idea how to get it onto my blog except as a screen shot so I have some learning to do!  I just wish I could upload my own photos to polyvore.

In the spring I was in T&Co so I could pick up the mug I wanted and, while I waited in line (in the middle of the day - what recession?), I did some people watching.  There were three girls from England being served - they were dripping in 'Return To' jewelry and denim vests.  You know the type.  I think they subscribe to the idea of keeping their money where they can see it!

I'm not one to wear more than one piece of a certain brand at one time.  I feel it makes one look like one is trying too hard.  In this case though my T&Co wrap is the only one that goes with this outfit and I only wore it on the plane when I was chilly.  Otherwise I would've chosen a different wrap - by the way, if you don't have a silk/cashmere wrap, I highly recommend putting one on your Christmas list.  They are perfection year round!


Have a fabulous day!

My Brownie Uniform

After reading about Madras&Pearls' post on her Brownie uniform which raised the question...is a Brownie uniform preppy?  I started thinking about my childhood pastime...earning badges.  Yes, I was a keener and set out to have more than anyone else in the history of Brownies and I was convinced Baroness Baden-Powell would come and give me a new badge she made just for me.  I had a rich fantasy life as a child!

The Brownie Law

1. A Brownie obeys and respects her elders.
2. A Brownie thinks of others before herself.
3. A Brownie tells the truth.
4. A Brownie is neat and tidy.
5. A Brownie is thrifty.
6. A Brownie plays and works cheerfully.

We should all live by these rules!

This is what my uniform looked like.  It is important to note I have a closet full of shirt dresses that look almost identical in every colour imaginable, for summer and winter.  I have to say I think my Brownie uniform was preppy!  My arms had two orange stripes as I was a Sixer and had two gold bars.  I cant remember if my six was named the Pixies or the Sprites but apparently I made a good leader as girls I don't even remember will send me messages on Facebook saying they remember I was their Sixer.

No, this isnt me but this is exactly what my uniform looked like!  It is from a blog about the death of Guiding in Canada.  We learned how to tie the perfect scarf knot in Brownies, left over right and under, right over left and under.  It's a reef/square knot, very handy in lots of circumstances.

I remember when I first joined I was so excited - we were not allowed to be Brownies until we passed a test, I googled and found we were called Tweenies but that name doesnt ring a bell for me, I will have to ask my mom if we were called something else.  We had to learn the basics and then we had a lovely little ceremony around the toadstool and we were called up in front of our families to be Brownies.  I remember the lights were dimmed and we had a little fake fire we sat around for the ceremony.  At the end of the ceremony we were taken by a Sixer to join our new group.  I get warm fuzzies just thinking about it!

Oh...and the cookies.  You know I was hell bent on selling more cookies than anyone else and I would march up and down my street in my Brownie uniform going door too door selling those cookies like nobody's business!  No,  I didnt care that I might've been infringing on another Brownie's 'turf'.  Maybe they should've been up and at 'em at 9am on Saturday morning to get the job done!

When my years as a Brownie were done I made my wings out of wire hangers, a pair of nylons and some glitter and had my 'flying up' ceremony and moved on to Guides.  I had no interest in going to Guides but I put in a couple of years before I couldn't stand to do it anymore.  If I could've stayed in Brownies I might still be there!  The uniform might be a bit short but just think of the hundreds of badges I would have by now!  The Broken Heart badge, The Driving badge, The Mixing Martinis (casually called the Vermouth badge) badge, The Marriage badge, The Mortgage badge, The Childbirth badge...and so many more!  I would need more arms!


Have a fabulous day!

Signs of Spring!

The doves are back!

So are loafers!

I managed to get a couple of weeks of loafer weather which was a nice break from the duck boots.  Aaaaaand then it snowed yesterday.  I wont bore you with all the naughty words I said and heard yesterday but rejoice, the snow is gone again!

Last week I broke out the cute flats and no-socks look for a couple of bitterly cold days as I hadnt seen my ankles for months and needed a break from the heavy shodddings of winter.  I've never walked through the wintery wind so fast in my life!

Have a fabulous day!

Birthday Recap - The Presents!

Happy Monday!!!  I hope you had a great weekend!

A huge thank you to everyone for the birthday messages!  I read and cherish each and every one of them!

I had a great birthday and took so many photos I need to do separate posts for each section of the big day!  Today is all about the presents!

The Suburban Prince gave me this fabulous tote! 

It's the spring 2011 limited edition! 

The Little Prince gave me these delicious chocolates!

My inlaws gave me $$ (the international language of love) to pay for the riding jacket I ordered a few weeks ago!

My neighbour left chocolates and...

Prosecco on my doorstep!

A big box arrived from Adrienne of Rich Life (on a budget) and I couldnt wait to open it!  How pretty is the wrapping!?

The trick to perfect wrapping...start by taping down the first end of the paper.

I was shivering with the antic-i-pa....tion!

A gorgeous ruffle scarf in pink!  It is so pretty - I wore it for two days!  It will go with just about everything in my wardrobe too!  Thank you so much Adrienne!  A proper TY is in the mail :O)

On my birthday we went to T&Co because the Little Prince wanted me to have this mug but unfortunately it is sold out in Canada :O(  So it's on promise for when it is finally back in stock.  Thanks the The Preppy Princess for giving me the great idea!

The winner of my birthday giveaway is TravelbugMom!  Congratulations!  Please email me by Wednesday night so I can get your prize out to you this week!

Tomorrow will be all about my birthday lunch!

Have a fabulous day!

Pink & Green Thursday!

My friend...who I shall dub Obi Wan became a father on Saturday, March 5th.  As much as his baby mama hasnt inspired any love from me, I will adore and spoil my friend's baby and teach her how to be the perfect princess.

I bought her a cute little outfit - pink onesies, pink pants and cute little socks!

I bought the onesies in two sizes so she doesnt have to be sad when she outgrows the first one!

Sing it sistah!

Lookit the little heart pockets! 

All together now....awwwwwwww!

Tiny little ruffles!  So sweet!

Have a fabulous day!