Bigass Birthday Weekend: Brunch Reds and Pinks; Party Double-Shot: Pink Velour and Plaid Sequins

Happy weekend, gentle readers! I can't wait to show you my Saturday outfits - it was L's birthday (he is 53 now) and we celebrated with brunch and one of our famous parties. 

Let's start with my brunch outfit. 

Woo! It has been windy all weekend. 

Let's try that again. 

Now, give me coffee and feed me! 

• Dress - Guess by Marciano, consignment; first worn here in May 2022 for Caro's gala 50th birthday and a concert
• Shoes - Effortless Bebe, Fluevog; last seen here in May with a Darth duster

I was floaty and colourful - I had many comments on my outfit while we were standing in line at the Ruby.

I also had a few fans in the grocery store afterwards. 

We met up with Nick and had a lovely brunch, his treat, thank you, honey.

I went bare-legged, as I'd stocked up on long shorts at the downtown department store on Friday. 

My favourite pair had gone missing, so I needed options for summer. 

I ended up with a variety of "slimmers" of various lengths. 

I wore one of the shorter pairs with this dress, as well as a camisole under the top. I pinned the necking closed 

I felt fabulous as we spent a few hours out and about, preparing for L's birthday party in the evening. 

It's "top down" weather in Vlad the convertible - must do my Movie Star Wrap.

I enjoyed this outfit - it felt very me. 

Accoutrements:

Favourite things. 

• Leather purse - Zara, consignment
• Silk scarf - Alexander McQueen, consignment

The stuff: 

I mixed my reds and pinks - it was easier than trying to match everything. 

Silver bling: 

That's a big stretchy belt! 

• Belt - thrifted
• Snake bracelet - vintage mall
• Silver cuff - vintage, thrifted, Powell River
• Silver earrings - Iraeli, consignment
• Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flowre
• Silver/enamel ring - antique store, Sidney

I gave L his presents in the morning - I give him gifts all year, as I find things on my shopping trips, but I start saving them up in the month leading up to his birthday. 

"Is it my birthday too?"

I thrifted a Ben Sherman shirt, an orange Tommy Bahamas silk Hawaiian shirt, a Roberto Cavalli shirt with a dragon and a tiger on it (!), a vintage tie and a Fluevog gift card.

"I approve of these two shirts. They will be excellent for sleeping on."

I also found a vintage blazer that had been customized with guitar print to make it look Western. It was $5.00! 

"Where's my present?"

And lastly, I found L an amazing lithograph of the Flying Cloud, a merchant clipper ship, from 1979. 

"I demand a treat for ME!"

We let him sleep on the shirts and jacket until we tidied up for the party. After people arrived, he hid until about 11pm when he came out to hoover up all the crumbs. I caught him red-handed (pawed?) with his head in the chip bowl! 

Before having a lazy long afternoon nap, I test-drove my outfits for the evening with my morning hair and make-up. 

For the early outfit (8-10pm) I wore this new-to-me velour gown. 

• Dress - Holly Stalder, consignment; purchased here for $125.00
• Shoes - Chanii B; last worn here (3rd outfit) for L's birthday party last June 2022

It has a very deep V neckline, and I thought a camisole looked too dowdy so I put on my best push-up bra and glittered up my cleavage. 

Why not? I felt sexy and happy in this! 

The dress flowed really well - I swanned around for a couple of hours, chatting with all of our guests.  

Everyone was there by 10pm, when I slipped away to change into a late night look. 

This was a very comfortable dress and I'll happily add it to my gown collection. 

I wore a full under-boobs to mid-thigh slimmer under this to smooth things out. 

It was actually quite comfortable. 

Feeling myself, ha ha! 

The stuff: 

The ribbons on these shoes are always determined to untie. 

• Pearl bracelet - thrifted
• Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Earrings - vintage fair

I shook out my hair and changed into my sequined plaid dress for the wee hours of the party. 

In the twinkling lights, this dress shimmered. 

• Dress - Ralph Lauren, Polo, NWT, consignment, Vancouver; purchased here for $135.19
• Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog, Fluemarket; last seen here in April 2022 with coral and paisley

I felt fabulous in this dress too - our friends loved it too. 

"I can't wait to get at the party food."

I'm glad I took pictures in the daytime - the colours were barely visible in the dimmer party ambience. 

"Just like me - a ninja under the table, waiting for chips to drop."

My friend Justin commented that the dress was like me - pretty, sparkly and just a bit prickly. 

"It's like he knows you."

I kicked off the shoes at midnight so I could dance and bounce around. 

The stuff: 

I still haven't upgraded these yellow shoes - I have yet to find Peak Yellow Shoes. 

• Cuff - thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
• Earrings - vintage fair

The last of our guests left at 2am, and we cleaned up (after catching Vizzini with a face full of dill pickle chips), and fell asleep on the couch. 

"That was a great party."

It sure was, buddy - over 20 people showed up! I'm so grateful for the friendships we have! No one took pictures - we just laughed, drank, ate and boogied till the wee hours. 

"And now...we nap."

Yeah, we do! 

But lastly, here's the Birthday guy himself, in his stylin' party outfit. 

That's a vintage 1950s smoking robe, a short-sleeved thrifted floral shirt, pink cotton trousers (consignment), and his consignment Jimmy Choo wasp shoes. 

Later in the evening, L shucked the robe and opened up his shirt to reveal a Beaches tour shirt. 

Happy Birthday, my dearest love! Wasn't that a party?

Fancy Friday: Creamsicle Bookends and Blue

I knew today would be quiet in the office, but I was still busy. 

I like to up my colour game for June as it's Pride Month - I wear all the colours of the rainbow to show my support of LGBTQIA2S+ people. 

• Silk blouse - Sam & Zoe, thrifted; last worn here in August 2022 with...these same shoes! and a blue bird skirt
• Yellow cami - Eileen Fisher, thrifted; purchased here for $6.95
• Jeans - Articles of Society, thrifted NWT; purchased here for $24.95
• Shoes - Mellow Bossa Nova, Fluevog; last seen here...with this same blouse! in August 2022
• Leather jacket (below) - Elizabeth & James, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) on a shopping trip in April

Today's outfit is orange and blue. And a sneaky rainbow. 

My newly-thrifted yellow tank isn't really visible here - I won't be tracking it going forward. It was awesome quality, though - very soft and it laid flat and wasn't visible through the silk blouse. Winner! 

I almost always wear this top and these shoes together. I do like a formula.

I was flabbergasted to discover that the front pockets of these jeans are FAKE! Seriously? Designers? 

I already have a pair of white jeans (these ones here (scroll way down) which have real pockets!)...but they don't make my bum look this good. These are longer, but also frayed at the hem and distressed on the leg/back pockets.

I had planned on dyeing these at Caro's pending Tie-Dye Party, but now I'm not sure if these are the keepers. I guess I'll see which pair will survive until dye-time, because...me and white jeans? They're going to get dirty! 

Outerwear - it's down to single digits in the evening but it's up to 24 during the day. Perfect spring weather, but tricky to dress for. 

I was only a little sweaty by the time I walked home. I'm never sad to wear this lovely blue leather jacket again, though! 

The stuff: 

I walked to work and back in these shoes - the toes are getting quite scuffed. I've had to touch them up with an orange highlighter multiple times. 

Rainbow bling: 

I had the outfit all put together - the blouse, jeans and shoes - and was at the accessorizing stage when I realized that this wonderful Kenzo vintage scarf would tie it all together. 

• Silk scarf - Kenzo, vintage 80s, thrifted
• Belt - Lady Footlocker, vintage 80s, thrifted
• Silicon bangle - Materia Design, thrifted
• Orange plastic cuff and ring - Italian, vintage 60s, vintage mall
• Earrings - consignment
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

These colours all made me happy. 

And now, happy weekend, my friends! I'm officially on vacation for a week, but it's of the staycation variety, so I'll be here and there, posting every few days. Please do check back! 

Mom-Day Adventure: Blenkinsop Boyfriend in Stripes, and a Wee Shop

Mom expressed a desire to visit her boyfriend Roy, so off we went to Blenkinsop Lake for a stroll in the trees and sun. 

We were also hoping for ducks and ducklings. We last visited Blenkinsop Lake here in January in the pouring rain. It was much nicer today, as you can tell by the glaring sun! 

Outfit first! 

I've worn this dress with Mom before but it's been over a year (here). 

• Dress - Zara, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here in January with a boring white shirt
• Cardigan - Wolford, thrifted; last worn here in May 2022 with a swooshy mustard skirt
• Sandals - Doc Martens, consignment; first seen here in May to see mushrooms at the Art Gallery

One of my goals when I first got this dress was to wear it without a layer under it. 

So of course, I wore a cardigan over it. 

I usually tie this wrap cardigan in the back when I wear it. 

But I liked it better tied in the front this time. 

Here's the dress on its own. 

It has very big armholes which expose my bra - I won't be wearing it like this. 

Incognito. 

I used my black leather work backpack for the day, as I had to run some errands after lunch. I wished for a white cross-body purse...

The stuff: 

This was my second wearing of these, wearing them for over 6 hours, and walking home from town in them. They were fantastic, although my feet are tired. 

Bold bling: 

Favourites! 

• Lucite/silver cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
• Silver/malachite bangle - Mexican, thrifted, Sidney
• Earrings - Brenda Schoenfeld, 1992, vintage mall
• Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
• Silver/malachite ring - consignment

And now, pictures from our walk. Everything was green green green. 

Wild roses. 

Birds chittered and chirped and screeched. 

This crow watched us enter the park. 

The early part of the walk is in an industrial area, but close to Galey Farms, where the giant gnome lives. 

And who's that I see? 

It's Howard the Gnome! 

Looking very dapper and happy to greet visitors. 

I mark the start of the park as this steel sculpture. 

I just want to sit in it! 

Then we entered the canopy of trees. 

We had balmy temps around 18-20, with a light wind. 

Many of these tall trees are cottonwoods, which are shedding their fluff now. The path was covered in it. 

Mom was taken back to her dating days (pre-Dad) and was singing "Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds from the movie Tammy. Enjoy this YouTube video here of her singing it in the movie, which L and I watched recently (all links 'cause I love). 

Two lone purple flowers. 

This isn't a really floral-heavy park, though. 

Just trees, birds and the buzz of insects.

A lizard skittered across the trail near here. People, dogs and very fast-traveling cyclists on electric bikes whizzed past us. 

But we lingered when we heard birds near us, or stopped and looked for movement. 

I see you, butterfly! 

Hearing the robins calling, we stood until we found them. 

I see you too! 

This robin was a reluctant subject. 

Clusters of tent caterpillars were on most of the trees. 

We approached the lake, with PKOLS (Mt. Doug) in the distance. 

The boardwalk over the lake widens here, so that you can enjoy the view and scenery. 

The lake's covered in green algae, but we could see trails through it where ducks had been. 

Loads of lily pads too, but they weren't in bloom yet. 

Hey, Mom, there's your boyfriend! 

He's been waiting for you! 

This was such a beautiful day. 

Just enjoying ourselves, having a giggle or three. 

"Surprise!" 

"I'd know those hands anywhere, Helen, you scamp."

We could see a bald eagle in the far distance, and a few mallard ducks. 

But no ducklings. 

The distinctive call of the redwing blackbird sounded. 

He was sitting on a lily pad, taking in the sun. 

Time to turn around. 

I'm hungry, let's have lunch! 

One more little bird. 

Not a robin, but with red. 

And here we are back at the dish. 

It's glowing! 

As are we. Thank you so much for that wonderful day, Mom! 

I love you! 

We had lunch at the Monkey Tree Pub (quesadillas for Mom, chicken burger for me), and then I bussed to town to do my errands. Of course, I had to have a quick peek through all my favourite stores in the area - only a quick browse. 

I spotted this lovely white and black bag at Rich Rags - imagine that, I just wished for a white bag, and I found it! 

The black faux leather tassel is removable, and the edges are bonded with black on the seams and on the adjustable strap. The front pocket has a magnet closure, and there's a zipper pocket on the back. 

Gee, I wonder who it's by. Roots? 

Roots is a Canadian company; Roots 73 is their more casual line - the bags are sold in Bentley, a mall chain that sells bags and luggage. 

There's the Roots logo, a beaver, for Canada, get it? 

Roots bags (vs. Roots 73) are leather and very expensive ($200-300). I paid $20 for this. It has a few marks on it that look like they'll wipe off (and I can always draw on it if I get tired of it!). 

I also found this gorgeous soft pink velour dress at the Vend Collective (no website, Instagram here), which is a storefront business, but also sells online.

I modeled this for the owner, as I felt magnificent in it, and she told me it was purchased for a special occasion by her friend, who then sold it to someone who got married in it(!), and now, it's mine. 

It's by Holly Stalder (link here), a Portland, Oregon designer who specializes in unique one-of-a-kind gowns and "make you feel special" wear. There's an excellent interview/article here. 

I happily paid $125.00 for this. It likely would have been around $200 new. Now, wherever shall I wear this??