Jul 31st - Outfit #34 - B-Girl and Boots

And here we are on the last day of July! Although this yellow dress wasn't part of my first outfit of July, it was the focus of the first outfit I wore to work this month (here).

It's such a glorious yellow! I had originally intended to do the black jacket over this, but it was too warm out today. So yeah, layering another skirt underneath it was maybe not such a good idea...The infamous "floofy underskirt" (last worn here) is not part of the capsule - I've never worn it on its own, only underneath other skirts and dresses. I've had it for about 3 years. It has no label, and was $24? from My Sisters's Closet.

I last wore this dress here, the day the stained glass shoes disintegrated on my feet - also the day that my new flat red Fluevogs arrived by mail.

I'm wearing my black stomacher (last seen here) over the dress, with a skinny yellow belt over that. One of Megan's buttonflowers is anchoring the long end of the belt in place. How handy!

Someone said I looked like a bee today

The black sandals were last worn here. They've been a good workhorse in this month's wardrobe. Well done, stalwart black sandals!

That's my black and white scarf that I thrifted here for $6.00.

The stuff:

Both rings are from Club Monaco - marked down to $9.00 each, I believe. I've had them for just over a year. The earrings are actually stone, and I got them at Plum prior to it closing in early 2011.

Dress (Calvin Klein), stomacher (InWear), shoes (Jones New York, consignment), scarf (thrifted, Karin), earrings (Plum), rings (Club Monaco).

And how much of a coincidence is it that the last time I wore this yellow dress, a pair of Fluevogs arrived in the mail? Check it out - I ordered these fabulous boots online and they arrived today!

These are the Prepare Volunteers*, in grey wool. Yes, WOOL, thick felted wool. They are fully lined in leather, and yes, they're the same Fluevog family as my most awesomely awesome turquoise Guides (seen here, this past weekend, 2nd outfit). I don't have any grey boots, and when I saw that these were marked down to $199, I jumped at them. I love getting the height from the platform without it actually being higher than a 1.5" heel.

They also have them on sale in a lovely orangey-caramel colour (but the black is still full price). I adore the slouchy ankles on them and they are SO comfortable.

I can't wait to put these into a fall/winter capsule! Eee!

*I link because I love - I got a couple of free buttons included in the box with the boots, but I don't receive any discounts or freebies for linking to Fluevog. 

FYI, this month's recap post will be delayed until sometime this weekend. They take a long time to write.

Jul 30th - Outfit #33 - Orange & Turquoise, Plus a Loot Shoot and August Preview

Monday, Monday, la la...

Well, there's lots to cover today, so let's get a move on.

Outfit! One last wear for everything here. The black boyfriend jacket (last seen here, yesterday, 3rd outfit) has been so good to me this month. Into the drycleaning bag it goes!

This awesome silk top (last worn here, 2nd outfit) is so beautiful - I'm going to miss it.

My peachy suede skirt (last seen here) has proven that you can wear leather in the summer! The shoes (last seen here) are fabulous, but we bid them a fond adieu until next spring.

I'm also wearing a new pair of earrings, but we'll get to those in a bit.

Don't forget to check out Visible Monday at Patti's "Not Dead Yet Style"!

Jacket (Banana Republic, thrifted), top (Le Chateau, thrifted), skirt (Co & Eddy, thrifted), shoes (Poetic License).

I'm really excited to get into my August wardrobe. Seriously, I feel like a kid in a candy store at the end of every month! What will I wear? Ooh, the possibilities!

The lovely Lorinda of Everyday Endeavours gave me one of her beautiful postcards yesterday:

It reminds me of waves and butterflies and bubbles...and my August capsule wardrobe!

I recovered the camera last night from L and took pictures of all my loot that I found while Lorinda and I were out. We both had good luck at the jewelry counter at WIN (pictures of the Women in Need thrift store here, from February).

I found these gold-filled earrings for only $7.50. I pulled one off the card so you can see how they just slide on.

They still had the original price of $19.50 on them. I love the lightness and how they look (go look at the first picture of this post again to see).

Isn't the necklace amazing? It was also $7.50 - there are no marks on it or anything, but it has nice weight and lays nicely on. I like the multi-tones of gold/brass and the large scrolly shapes. Very me.

I found this fabulous periwinkle blue linen maxi skirt for $12.50. Its label has been removed, but it's fully lined and feels wonderful.

I am on a linen binge, I think. Well, for me. This is about 3-4 pieces I have bought recently.

I completely and utterly fell in love with this skirt:

It's 100% silk and yes, that is a FARM print on it! Horses, barns, a stream, flowers...so much to love. It's by Gap and I think it's over 10 years old, as the labels don't look like any of the modern Gap stuff I've bought. It was $14.50.

I also nabbed this fantastic double vest:

It fits very snug, like a corset almost. It could work with my steampunk stuff as well as in a capsule. It's by Le Chateau and was $10.50.

This was my major score of the day. I am so excited to wear this dress, I might not be able to save it for my December capsule!

Okay, I know, it doesn't look like much on the hanger, but it is thick satin, with a very fitted, boned top, and an almost-circle skirt. The sash is about 5" wide, so just picture how perfect of a cocktail dress this is on!

Just feeling it, you know it's quality. It's by Robin Jordan and was only $18.50. That's insane. It had to have sold for close to $200 originally, I'm sure.

I always check out the accessory section, and was rewarded with this autumnal-toned silk scarf:

I love the tessera-look of the edge. It's by "The Vero Studio" which makes me smile, because I have a good friend named Vero(nique). As you can see by the tag, it was $4.50.

From WIN, we headed over to The Velvet Crease. Lorinda really cleaned up there - she got a fantastic INC drapey top and the most gorgeous shift dress in brown and cream. Lorinda, you have to wear that to the next Art Gallery event!

I did pretty good myself, scoring this lovely red dress:

I love a dress with a sleeve! Why are they so rare? This is by Planet (the UK company), which is carried by The Bay in Canada, so I know the regular price would have been around $250. It was $40, and I know it's going to be an excellent basic. The draping in the middle is way more flattering than I thought it would be!

I am sticking to my resolve to try to get more good quality basic items! I found this simple reversible V and scoop necked sweater for $16.00.

It hangs funny, but fits like a dream. It's 50/50 silk and cashmere and is made in Scotland.

What do you think? What's your favourite of yesterday's items?

While you mull that over, here's a sneak peak at August's capsule wardrobe! The clothing:

I have an unprecedented 5 dresses in this wardrobe! There are some new acquisitions but some old favourites as well. The colour palette is green, yellow, pink, purple and red, with beige, white, olive and denim as the neutrals.

The shoes:

Just 6 pairs, but four of them are flats. This is the first month with no Fluevogs! Aw...

Jul 28th & 29th - Oufits #31 & 32 - And the Wildcard

Busy weekend! They just fly by!

Yesterday I went to WW and then to play Ultimate Frisbee. 

I didn't have time to photograph them, but earrings are a gift from Megan - thank you!

I've noticed that I've done more outfits this month than any other previously - I'm up to 33 and I still have two days to go! We've had a lot of days with multiple events on, so more outfits have been needed.

This turquoise dress (last worn here, 3rd outfit) has been great all month. It does have some grease marks on the front, so hopefully those will come out.

This is the Periodic Table of Awesome cardigan (last seen backwards here). I also have on a grey cami (not part of the capsule). It's hiding my sports bra!

I really wanted to wear these shoes (last worn here) one more time - I'm going to consign them. Let us all take a moment to say good-bye.

While I was waiting for the bus to go to WW, I saw a mother deer and four spotted fawns! It was amazing. They were crossing an intersection diagonally - all the cars stopped and people were taking pictures.

Cardigan (Smoking Lily), dress (no label, thrifted), cami (RW & Co.), shoes (Qupid), earrings (gift from Megan Mae).

Nearly the end of the month and no Wild Card outfit? No fear! Our friends Greg and Candace had a house party, so I got to wear one of my favourite dresses:

AKA The Lettuce Dress

I bought this dress back in July 2010. It's a cotton eyelet and was $27.00 at The Velvet Crease (hi, Sally!). I've worn it here (Aug 2011), here (also Aug 2011, scroll down past the gnome!), here (May 2011, with crazy shoes!), here (Sept 2011, for a job fair), and here (Aug 2010).

And look! An old friend returns (aw!) - the Prepare Guides, maybe my favourite pair of Fluevogs ever. I last wore them in May's capsule (summary here).

I added my turquoise Shi Studio leather cuff, my Death Star ring, my Wendy Brandes ring and my locally-made feather earrings.

I had bad muscle cramps in my quads from Ultimate, so I really needed the comfort of these shoes.

I mean, seriously, they are too fabulous.

I can't stop looking at them.

Dress (Taylor, consignment), shoes (Prepare Guides, Fluevog), cuff (Shi Studio), earrings (local), ring (Stone Flower), lapis ring (Wendy Brandes).

L is off on Pender Island playing disc golf with the boys today, and he took the camera. I actually took these pictures last night. I don't normally do that, but we only have one camera.

The lovely Lorinda of Everyday Endeavours and I went for brunch and shopping again today. We always have good luck when we shop together! I'll have some loot pictures, but not till tomorrow. She also gave me one of the postcards of her art - it's so cool! Another piece I need to frame!

We went to WIN (Women in Need) and to The Velvet Crease. Awesome purchases at both stores!

I'm wearing my MMD button lemon!

I think I got this dress (last seen here) when I thrifted with Lorinda before! I last wore the jacket here, and the sandals here (3rd outfit).

Jacket (Banana Republic, thrifted), dress (Smoking Lily, thrifted), shoes (Naturalizer, consignment), buttonflower (MMD).

Speaking of Ms. Megan, look at what she sent me in the mail! I picked it up at the post office just before we went out to the party last night.

It's by Wilson's Leather, so yeah, it's leather. I love the distressed pale grey colour and all the cool seaming it has.

The back:

Even reinforced elbows! Next time I wear it, I'll take a picture of the lining - some of it is striped!

Thanks, Megan, I really love it!

Jun 27th - Outfit #30 - Friday & A Loot Shoot

Happy Friday! Finally! I was in a great mood all day, and it was capped off with a little shop with Fiona.

I wasn't really dressed for shopping. This wrap-around sweater (last seen here, with the same shoes), is string-tastic - the black ties at the waist are about 2 feet long each, and they are a pain to undo and do up again over and over. However, I love the zigzag. So there's that.

I am having serious reservations about these pedal pushers (last worn here), although, yes, love the colour. I've washed them and they came out all wrinkly and they faded along the wrinkles. They also bag out in the butt. No one wants that!

The shoes (last worn here, last Friday) are great, but not for 3 1/2 hours of shopping. Fiona and I cruised through 4 shoe stores in and hour and a half (she bought a pair of red Tsubo mary-janes, yay!), and they were annoying to buckle and unbuckle. Plus, owie, not meant for that much walking.

But I liked the outfit!

I like how this pendant goes with other patterns.

It's nice to play with when I have it on; it's glass with steel on the back, and a layer of fabric sandwiched between.

Cardigan (Le Chateau, thrifted), cami (InWear), pants (Reitman's), shoes (Jones New York, consignment), pendant (Shi Studios).

As mentioned, I went shoe shopping with Fiona then spent another two hours on my own going through Dots. I haven't been there in a while, so I had to really go though everything. You guys, there is so much awesome stuff at Dots. If you ever come to Victoria, we'll go there.

Anyway, enough gushing, I did buy a couple of skirts.

Look, it's a big black blob!

Rectangle of doom!

Actually, it's amazing on. The hem is sewn under to the lining, so it has really interesting draping across the front and back when you wear it. The fabric is a medium-weight slightly rough jersey. It feels like wool, but it's not. It's by Isda & Co, and it's called the "Soft Structure Skirt." Regular price is $105; Dots price is $34.99. It'll look great with a chunky boot in winter!

Look, it's a blue blob!

You got a problem with blobs?

This is a sweater skirt with a thicker knit, like an actual sweater. In general, sweater skirts fill me with terror due to the dreaded "light bulb" effect on my butt and thighs. I had one in this same colour of indigo back in 1986-7 (only ankle-length) that I bought at Fairweather.

This one had everything: wide rib waistband, lining, good length (just below the knee), and a slightly flared hem (which gives it some swing). And it was $39.99, regular $100. The brand is Belamie - they make pretty funky stuff. This is probably one of the plainest items in their line. I really debated getting the matching sweater for this skirt. It had a wide drapey neck, and ruffly cuffs and hem. I didn't feel 100% in it, though, so I put it back. Maybe when I get a discount coupon.

I know these two skirts aren't my usual fun and groovy types of things, but I'm shopping new clothing at Dots and spending a bit more months, so I wanted to invest in a couple of good-quality neutral skirts for winter. See? I'm learning from my capsules and investing in good basics!

Speaking of good basics, check these out:

They're a steely-purple with grey suede flowers

I know! Again, they're a little different than my normal shoe purchases, but I've really noticed the past couple of months that I need more flat walking shoes in my wardrobe. I don't usually go for the ultra-flat ballet shoe, but the wee heel, the wrapped toe and the cluster of flowers just called to me.

These are Chie Mihara. Normally, I can't afford this brand - these were over $300 new! I got this pair for $90 because they were a return to the store. Yay for me! They are supremely comfortable and will be in August's capsule. I can't wait to wear them.

Jul 26th - Outfit #29 - Darth Sheila (and Cat Pictures)

When I woke up this morning, I was so sure it was Friday! Dang! But I ended up having a pretty good day. Part of it was this outfit.

This is my grey striped button-down shirt (last worn here) and my black cropped pants (last seen here), and my funky Fluevog Listen Up Ivana sandals (last worn here).

I'm shocked that I've only worn these shoes once previously this month! They deserve at least one more wear!

But I know you're looking at the tie!

I've done the menswear look before - I like it with a shirt and cropped or wide-legged pants and a sexy shoe usually. Check out previous examples here (with cropped jeans and a red tie) and here (with wide-legged trousers).

This is L's Darth Vader silk tie.

I'm also doing L's blue cufflinks. The silver ring sort of looks like the Death Star when it's focusing to blow up a planet (pow!), and Wendy Brandes' ring reminded me of the swampy planet of Dagoba.  Yeah, I was really flying my nerd flag today, ha ha!

I actually bought him the tie for Christmas in 1996, I think. It came in this tin and has a Limited Edition certificate.

The tie gets plenty of wear - L wears it often (usually with a cobalt blue or royal purple shirt).

Number 633!

Shirt (Club Monaco, consignment), pants (Focus 2000), shoes (Listen Up Ivana, Fluevog), cufflinks (vintage), tie (L's, gift from me), silver ring (Stone Rose), lapis ring (Wendy Brandes).

Last night I worked on my August capsule wardrobe. Vizzini was inclined to burrow under everything and hide, so I plopped him on a semi-empty shelf on the closet where he could watch me.

"I want to eat your shoes"

 He is up about 4 feet. He had a good look around.

"Can I bite anything from here?"

 He really took a shine to the patchwork heart that Steph of The Fashionable Eccentric sent me:

"This smells good."

 He was very persistent.

"I bite the things! I bite all the things!"

 I had to threaten him with cuddles until he left it alone.

"I cuddle on my terms, woman."

Jul 25th - Outfit #28 - Lots of Blue, Very Deep Blue

Today was a crazy day! Here are just a few of the things I did today: threw away 3 bins of moldy stinky food (gross), got some keys cut, retrieved a lost camera, picked up a giant banner, ran an errand for my boss, and mopped up a bleach spill.

And I did it all in style! And, I admit, some of it in runners, as the keys, camera and banner part were all one large foray out into the wilds of downtown.

I've worn the shoes and skirt combo here before, here, featuring the Periodic Table of Awesome cardigan! I need to wear that again soon...By the way, I checked with my friend Jean (whom I had given the skirt to many years ago, pre-blog) whether she still had this skirt, and she said she'd donated it! It may very well be my own skirt!

I've only worn the stripey cardigan once this month (here with the same shoes), which surprises me, since we only have less than a week left in this month's capsule! Where does the time go?

I like the front tied loosely. It covers the waistband of the skirt, which sits a little low on my waist. I'm wearing a thick stretchy camisole (not part of the capsule) in a  slightly lighter shade of navy/French blue than the skirt. If you get the quote in today's blog title, you get 10 points!

Edit: the title is from the song "Johnson's Aeroplane" by INXS, from their album "The Swing." Great song, check it out!

Fists!

Double snake action!

Cardigan (Express, thrifted), camisole (Plum), skirt (Tobias, thrifted), shoes (Qupid), lapis lazuli ring (Wendy Brandes), bracelet (Club Monaco), snake ring (vintage 80s, Royal BC Museum Gift Shop), charm (Raven's Rest Studios), earrings (gift from Megan).

Jul 24th - Outfit #27 - All Aflame

I got a lot of compliments on today's outfit, especially the orange sweater.

I really love all these rich colours together, particularly the dark red accents. Don't get me wrong: I wish the 80s shoes had lasted, but I'm glad to have these red kitten heels (last worn here) in the capsule.

I added my red statement necklace, and a wide red belt to keep up the theme.

The orange sweater was last worn here, and the skirt was last worn here.

I had to double-check: did I already wear these two items together this month? Yes, I did, but with gold accessories (here, 2nd outfit). Ha! I did wear this skirt only last week for my WW meeting as well - oh well, they'll survive!

Sweater (Jones New York, consignment), skirt (Dex, thrifted), shoes (Predictions, consignment), belt (consignment), necklace (Plum).

Jul 23rd - Outfit #26 - Dots and Recipes

Happy Monday! I went with a simple outfit today.

I like this dress with yellow, and I liked how the bits of turquoise popped off that and the burgundy in it. This outfit contains the same capsule items (the dress and the shoes) as this outfit (which is when I last wore the dress) but the different colours in the accessories, including a different cami, kept it from feeling like I'd already worn it.

The yellow top underneath is a layering piece that I don't wear on its own (this outfit has a picture of it solo) so doesn't count as part of the capsule.

Cat butt in shot!

My nice gold kitten heels (last seen here) were mandatory, as my quads are still sore from Ulty (it involves a lot of running; it's like soccer, but with a Frisbee instead of a ball).

Here's the stuff:

I love that pretty blue!

Dress (Smoking Lily, consignment), top (Reitman's, consignment), shoes (Aldo, consignment), necklace/ring (Le Chateau), earrings (Caracol).


The fabulous Tamera of Menopausal Supermodel (she's awesome, check her out!) requested my dessert recipe from Saturday night. Here you go!

First, I made chocolate cupcakes:

The purple writing is me converting it to WW points (not the current system) about 5.5 years ago

That is my handwriting, and I believe I wrote that when I was 12-13 years old. I spent a few hours one day copying my favourite recipes of Mom's, including some of her super-secret family recipes. Wackie Cake, however, is not a secret! It's been around forever. I know we ate this cake in the 70s because I remember making it all the time. We always got to eat the batter.

I've doubled this recipe and made a layer cake out of it many times. It's made with no milk or eggs, so it's vegan as long as you use a vegetable oil.

The deal with it is, mix all the dry ingredients and make a happy face in it (two eyes, big smiley mouth). Put the vanilla in one eye, the vinegar in the other, and the oil in the mouth. Then you pour the hot water over the whole thing and mix it up. It goes frothy (and tastes delicious!).

Bake for 30 minutes.

I changed up the recipe thusly: substituted 1/2 cup of white for whole wheat flour for extra fibre (the pure cocoa has a good portion of fibre too); instead of 5 tbsp of oil, I used 2 tbsp of oil and mashed up a ripe banana for the rest of the oil (saving a lot of fat). I also baked them in cupcake liners, and reduced the baking time to 20 minutes. Makes the most moist chocolate cake ever.

For the mousse, I found the recipe in this cookbook that I got for a wedding shower gift from my friend Kelly's ex-wife (they were boyfriend/girlfriend at the time). They knew I hated to cook, and they had had L and I over for dinner a couple of times. I did make one recipe out of this book way back then (that'd be around 1997), but then it sat in a drawer until I joined WW and started learning to enjoy cooking a bit more.

I'm still not much of a cook, but I like experimenting with new recipes once in a while. The Moosewood Restaurant is vegetarian, I believe - I have added meat to a bunch of their recipes and made some yummy meals.

The coffee ricotta mousse recipe:

Please note my cool copper bookmarks (gift from m-i-l many years ago)

I used a smallish tub (2 cups) of skim ricotta instead of full-fat. I'm not really sure what confectioner's sugar is, so I used icing sugar. The instant coffee I used was really old, ha ha. We never use it. I bought organic pure vanilla extract, and used a little more than a tablespoon of St. Remy brandy. Whirred it all up with my immersion blender (love that thing), and then popped it into a tub and refrigerated it.

For the strawberries/sauce, I bought a pint of local organic strawberries and hulled them. I used a full teaspoon of white sugar and 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier. I tubbed 1/2 of them with 1/2 of the GM and put them in the fridge; the other half got blended up with the rest of the GM with my trusty blender.

Just like they suggested in the sidebar! Reading comprehension rocks!

To serve the dessert, I peeled the paper of each cupcake and centered it on a plate. I put about 2 tbsp of the mousse on the side of the cupcake, plopped 3 of the whole strawberries in that, then drizzled the strawberry/GM sauce over it all. Dee-lish!