Nov 29th - Outfit #27 - Gamine Imp

Today was full of running around - I was very happy that I wore pants and flat shoes! I felt like one of Santa's elves as I bustled about. In case you didn't know this about me, I worked in a year-round Christmas store for 11 years in my late teens through my 20s. I actually have "#1 Elf" on my resume, I kid you not. I wrote about this experience for a speech that I did when I belonged to Toastmasters, here. 

Anyway, onto business!

Fashion business, that is. I wanted to squeeze in one more wear of my "oops, I did it again" sweater vest, since I've only worn it once this month, here with a boatload of ruffles. I think that's probably due to guilt for duplicating it from another capsule.

I'm layering the vest over my faux wrap top, last seen here layered under a cardi. This has been a super-versatile top this month!

The pants are my skinny tux pants, rolled to make a cropped leg. I wore them tucked into thigh-high boots last week, here. I have dark brown leopard knee highs, and of course, those are my flat cream loafers, which I just wore on Monday. Man, I love these shoes. I had to wear them again, and I'm going to miss not wearing them until February!

I knew it would be a busy day, so I just wore bigass gold hoop earrings.

Vest (Le Chateau, swap from Ruth), top (Talbot's, consignment), pants (handmade, thrifted), shoes (Two Lips, thrifted).

Vizzini has been spinning the luggage wheel again:

"I spin the wheel!"

Silly boy.

Oh, and I'm not done yet! The fabulous Lynne at Practical Paralegalism left me a question yesterday, and I thought I'd answer it here, because darn it, it's a good question.

She wrote:  Did you ever get tired of neutrals this month, and have you had a capsule so far that's been the hardest to get through? I've appreciated your capsules; they've been super-helpful for editing and shrinking my closet to a more useful collection of separates.

Well, thanks, Lynne! Surprisingly to me, I have not gotten tired of neutrals this month, because I really whined about doing a neutral month all during June and couldn't wait to get to my July colourful capsule. That's not to say that I'm not excited to have a lot of colour in December's capsule, but there are a lot of neutrals in there too.

I'm really appreciating that clothing doesn't have to be colourful to be special, outstanding or noticeable (because we're fashion bloggers, duh, we like to be noticed!). I'm going to be covering this more in-depth in this month's summary (which I should have finished for Sunday/Monday, fingers crossed), as well as in my recap of my whole year (in February). It's been the biggest change for me in my entire fashion evolution - the dearth of neutrals that I had in my closet to start and how I've learned to love them now.

The hardest capsule to get through (so far - let's not discount December or January) has been September's. I was frustrated by specific items and didn't love the collection as a whole. It didn't feel as cohesive as other months have been; I can barely remember what was in it.

I'm really happy to hear that my capsules have helped you, Lynne. That's so cool. I don't know that I've edited or shrunk my own closet during this challenge; I still have multiple bins and bags of spring/summer clothes under my bed, and I never seem to have enough hangers! However, I do think that my clothing selection is more careful and considered, and my eye is now on quality and the ability of an item to works as a classic for me.

Nov 28th - Outfit #26 - Three Neutrals

First up: a public service announcement. Due to a large increase of Anonymous spam comments over the last few days, I have changed my settings from "Anyone" to "Registered Users." Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

I started putting up the Christmas decorations in the reception area at work today. I have to admit it, I am a sucker for mini-lights. Sparkly!

It's so dark in the mornings!

Last wearings of everything - ah, I've enjoyed this month's pieces. This is my spotted asymmetrical jacket, worn with the collar undone to the first button (it does up with two little snaps, worn done up here with a pop of purple).

The skirt is my beloved olive suede washable maxi (last seen here, 2nd outfit, all artsy). I forgot how low it sits on the hips. Good thing I wore a full slip under this!

The shoes are the last appearance of my Campers. Cat, I'm bringing them to Book Club tomorrow night!

The stuff:

My cheapie necklace that I got for $5.00 at the Vintage Fair here a few weeks ago.

Jacket (Precis Petites, consignment), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted), shoes (Camper), belt (Gap), necklace (vintage, 60s).

Vizzini was hanging out on the top of his leopard scratching post this morning. He loves this thing - he plays on it all the time.

"I want you to stay home and play with me"

He was rolling around on top of the house as I walked up to him, but all those pictures were blurry.

Of course, his attention was captured by the camera cord.

"Can I eat that?"

 I gave him some pats and a kiss on the head.

Purr-meister

Lovey eyes!

Nov 27th - Outfit #25 - Spotted Animal

Why does my brain seem to think things will be quiet at this time of year, when the reality is that things are so busy? Maybe it's the weather...I just want to stay home, sipping hot cocoa, eating popcorn and watching rom-coms (guilty pleasure).

But anyway, one must soldier on and do one's best. Fake it till you feel it!

I really enjoyed today's outfit - it was comfy to wear (even the shoes) and visually fun.

My lovely cream brocade jacket makes its last appearance this month (last seen here while vintaging adventurously), as does this pseudo-animal blouse (last worn here, with baring of shoulders). I'm looking forward to wearing this blouse in the summer when I don't have to always layer it.

My black leather skirt behaved itself and only snagged on my tights a few times - it seems to be patterned tights that it catches on (those dots in my tights are holes!), since when I last wore it here, I had no issues with the teal tights.

My two-tone shoes (last seen here with wine tights) pull in the brown tones of the blouse. I added my mink rose and my Grandma J's vintage copper cuff and earrings to bring in a little more of the warm neutral.

Hope your week is going well!

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), blouse (Spense, consignment), skirt (Danier Leather, consignment), shoes (Unlisted), cuff/earrings (vintage 50s, Renoir, Grandma J), mink rose (consignment).

Nov 26th - Outfit #24 - Gold Digger

Ugh, Monday after a long weekend...those are the worst. I spent most of my day trying to get caught up, and still wasn't able to get it all done. 

My knees are still quite sore, as are my toes, so I went with a comfy outfit today.

This is my last week with my November neutral capsule - wow, this month has gone fast! - and I have all my outfits for the week semi-planned. Which means that I've put all the pieces together into outfits along with the shoes I intend to wear, and put everything else away or into the wash.

Which means we are so much closer to the December capsule! It's full of colour - yes, I am excited! Someone asked me recently how I'm feeling about this year-long challenge ending soon, but I still have 2 full months to go, as I started it in Feb 2012. We'll see what's going to happen come end of January!

Anyhoo, let's get to it. This is my olive cardi, last worn here with those same tights (I just washed all my tights...ahh). I'm wearing a yellow cami under it (not part of the capsule), and a snug dark brown belt.

My Kim Cattrall suit skirt on the bottom (last seen here with wine legs and ruffles), and yes, those are flat loafers (last worn here on my adventurous vintage weekend). I had to do the loafers for my poor toes. I would have preferred this outfit with a bit of a heel, but comfort is paramount!

The stuff:

A Big Brown Belt. The bracelet is a faux Gucci eelskin one from the 80s - homegrown vintage! The shovel pin connected this thick gold chain and made a shorter necklace. The pin was given to me out of Mom's collection (no, I didn't "liberate" ALL of her jewelry), and the chain was my Grandma J's (it's really thick, heavy gold).

Cardigan (Press), top (Reitman's, consignment), skirt (Pink Tartan, consignment), shoes (Two Lips, thrifted), belt (Olsen, consignment), bracelet ("Gucci", vintage 80s), chain (Grandma J's, probably 80s), shovel pin (Mom's, probably 60s).

Nov 23-25th - Outfits #22 & 23 and a Wild Card - Wacky Weekend

Well, I am ensconced at my desk, waiting for my WW training webinar to begin, and looking back over my weekend. A fine weekend was had, full of revelry and fun! 

Starting off with...the first November Wild Card outfit! 

This is my plaid flannel dress - yes, you read that right, it's made of cotton flannel. It's like wearing jammies! This dress is by Naughty, and I got it at Dots for $30.00 in October 2011 (first worn here, scroll down).

I've previously worn it for a pre-wedding tea in November 2011 (second outfit), so this is only the 3rd wearing of it. I always feel like an extra from the "Come On, Eileen" video from the 80s in this!

This outfit was worn to a gallery opening of an interactive exhibit called Chromatic Revelry*, by Evan Siebens. Fascinating stuff!
*I like 'cause I love - I support the arts!

I got these wonderful Fluevog boots back in March on our annual trip to Vancouver (here, scroll down). I've worn them only once previously, in April for the local Steam Con, a steampunk convention (scroll down to the red skirt outfit).

I like going a little more artsy for these openings, so I added some punk elements: the red leather obi, the red leather gloves, my leather cuffs and some mis-matched earrings. And my hat! Love my hat (it hid my "nap hair", heh heh).

I'm linking up this outfit for Patti's "Visible Monday" at Not Dead Yet Style - go check out the other amazing bloggers!

Dress (Naughty), belt (locally-made, gift from L), boots (Velazquez Baroques, Fluevog), gloves (Danier Leather), black cuff (Guess, thrifted), studded cuff (homegrown vintage, 80s), earrings (consignment), hat (Delux).

On Saturday morning, I got up early and went to my WW meeting. It was a lovely sunny day, as you can see from the nice bright stair shot!

Showing off my new-ish Noa Noa purple tights. I can't wear this colour anywhere near my face, but I love it on my legs!

One more week of the November capsule, so working to get more wearings out of all my items. This is my black cashmere sweater (last seen here with my olive suede maxi skirt), and my houndstooth skirt (last worn here with green and gold).

I did simple accessories; just my silver snake bracelet and some purple/silver earrings and let the legs do the talking. These shoes, despite not being entirely comfortable, have been adequate this month. I last wore them here the day after we lost power.

My outdoors gear:

A white leather jacket always works! This one is getting some discolouration and marks on it, but I don't mind. It's part of the nature of leather - it will get marks on it.

The bag is my new-to-me Pop Corn Italia purse that I picked up at the Vintage Fair for $15.00. I'm still crowing over the fact that these sell for more than $300 new! I love the weight of it, and liked how it didn't fold over on itself with the short handles being deployed.

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), sweater (Expression, consignment), skirt (Bianca Nygard, consignment), shoes (Tsubos), bracelet (Club Monaco), earrings (homegrown vintage, early 90s), bag (Pop Corn Italia, vintage).

Last night, I had Winesday with my gals, then we went to a late-night after party where my friend Vero performed her burlesque. Would you believe I was dressed VERY conservatively for it??

We did some hot-tubbing at Winesday before that, and I wiped out (wet feet + running + wine = bad idea) and smashed my toes, my knees and fell on my (thankfully well-padded) butt. I wasn't able to dance at the after-party, unfortunately, so L and I went home early-ish (2am, hee hee). I am pretty sore today!

Although my outfit was very covered-up, I am wearing leather head to toe! This is my wonderful leather dress (last seen here, worn more covered up), and my Bata black shoes (last worn here with the above houndstooth skirt). I've added fishnet stockings, a black leather obi, a black leather/rock crystal choker and my usual leather cuffs, plus some silver rings/earrings.

Dress (Danier Leather, consignment), obi (consignment), shoes (Bata, vintage 80s, thrifted).

Oh, and I know you've been dying to see what I bought on "green Friday"! The church rummage/vintage sale wasn't that good. No clothing and only one table of accessories. Cat and I ended up going to a couple of nearby consignment stores as well, and found a few things.

I found this amazing Italian coat/jacket:

It's by Vassalli, and was on sale for $72.00. That would normally be a little rich for my blood, but the quality is amazing, and I just fell in love with it.

I've blown out the colours in these pictures so you can see the design better. Most of the coat is a pinstriped black velvet, but half of it is a sheer windowpane check over a cream lining:

This is repeated on the back:

This is a below-calf length and is a slim fitted cuff. The back seam hangs down lower in a point at the bottom. Love that! I may wear this more as a jacket than as a wardrobe piece - wear it as outerwear. I've always had a fondness for really long jackets - so dramatic!

There was a matching skirt, but it was straight to the floor with weird buckles and it just didn't work for me. I wouldn't wear them together, and I have plenty of black skirts. I put it back. I am the very model of restraint.

In another store, I found this awesome brown cotton skirt:

You know I love the asymmetrical hems and stitching on clothing! This has big pockets sewn on the front, and the hem hangs down in points all around. It's really wonderful on. It was $40, I think.

It's by "La Fleur de mon Secret" and although it says Paris, it's made in Italy.

I'm going to try to get this skirt into my January wardrobe.

I found this awesome leather belt in one of the stores for $25.00:

No brand stamp, but the leather is pristine, so I don't think it's ever been worn. So 80s!

I did buy a few pieces of jewelry at the church rummage/vintage sale:

Digging through the somewhat grotty selection wasn't really fun, but I did find this pretty crystal Nolan Miller bracelet for $5.00 (that's going to someone with a very small wrist...who could that be?). Ha, the Nolan Miller is from QVC - I bet whoever bought it didn't realize how small it was.

The earrings are both vintage and I lucked out in finding two pairs (for $5.00 total!) that were both stamped. The pair on the left are a cognac-coloured crystal set in silver and they are stamped "Lisner" (same as my gold leaf necklace, pic here). The pair on the left are green/caramel, pale yellow and clear crystals and are stamped Coro. I gave them both a good scrubbing with some soap and a toothbrush, and they are all nice and sparkly now.

Hope your weekend was full of fun!

Nov 23rd - Outfit #21 - Green Friday

Greetings on this rainy west coast day! I thoroughly enjoyed my football-watching, beer-drinking and general carousing yesterday (thanks for asking) and hope everyone is in good spirits today.

It being Black Friday (yes, this has trickled up to Canada *sigh*), I'm going shopping, but to a church rummage/vintage sale. Not so much of the rabid consumerism as Black Friday, but since I'm giving back to my community (assuming I buy something), let's make this a green Friday.

And I'm wearing some green! These OTK olive boots (last seen here with a touch of mustard) are great for warmth and in the rain. I like being able to show them off properly, pulled up to their thigh-high goodness with these skinny tux pants (last worn here under a dress).

I also have a bit of green in my sparkly olive cami (not part of the capsule) underneath this wonderful jacket, which I last wore here on my Nerdy Mission.

This jacket is warm enough to function as outerwear, so I'm just adding this vintage silk scarf for a bit of neck coverage. The mink rose helps balance the scarf, don't you think?

For rain coverage and keeping the fingers toasty, I've added a brown velvet cloche (with another pin on that), and my cashmere-lined leather long gloves.

Cat and I are off to the wilds of Oak Bay! I feel like a proper English lady...with a twist. Oak Bay has a reputation for being very snooty - "behind the Tweed Curtain" they say.

Tonight, we are off to an art opening (I may bust out a Wild Card outfit!), and tomorrow night is Winesday, plus another performance by my dear burlesque-ing friend. Woo!

Jacket (Pink Tartan, consignment), cami (Mexx, thrifted), pants (no label, thrifted), boots (Pegabo), hat (Shelley West), scarf (The Vera Studio, thrifted), mink pin (consignment), silver/amber pin (gift from Mom), gloves (Club Monaco, consignment), earrings (gift from Elaine).

Nov 21st - Outfit #20 - Rampant, and a Finder of Lost Things

Finally, I'm done! I am exhausted after putting in a very long day to make up for my two days off.

Let's get right to it.

Yup, that's an outfit. My Allison Wonderland navy jacket (last worn here with a long column of brown), with my cream sweater underneath (last seen here, doing double-time on the weekend), and my washable (and due to be washed) suede skirt, which I last wore here the last time I wore these boots, which happened to be the weekend I showed off my brooches.

And that brings me to Une Femme, who has decreed, "Show Us The Brooches!" - hello, lovely people visiting! 

I wore some of my new stuff with this outfit today:

The lion rampant, the gas-mask-wearing geared necklace, and some key earrings.

Jacket (Allison Wonderland, consignment), sweater (Hawick, Scotland, consignment), skirt (Skott's Suede, thrifted), boots (Ilenia P), belt (Pringle of Scotland, vintage), necklace (made by Tamera), earrings (don't remember).

In the last few months, I've lost one of my diamond studs. I noticed it gone after I got back from boot camp. I resigned myself to it being gone for good, after searching the house and not finding it. I found the backing, but not the diamond part. *sigh*

A couple of weeks ago, there it was, mysteriously appearing at the foot of the bed, resting gently on the carpet. A miracle.

"May I go out?"

And then last week, I lost my stirling silver ear cuff which I've had for many years. Aw, sad. Goodness knows where it got to, probably fallen into a cushion or under the bed. Again, I resigned myself to it being gone.

But then, yesterday morning, there it was, perfectly placed in the doorway of the bedroom, where we would find it!

"Are you talking about me?"

I do believe that Vizzini found both items, smelled that they were mine and put them where they would be found. Two cases solved by Officer Vizzini, Finder of Missing Jewelry!

Have a lovely Thanksgiving, my US friends.

Nov 20th - Outfit #19 - Green, Gold and Gears

Oh man, what a crazy day! Like my US friends, I always take US Thanksgiving off (L and I and some friends hang at home and watch football), so I'm taking this Thursday and Friday off. Of course, that means I have to get 5 days' worth of work done in 3. Oy.

And onward. Enough complaining!

A colour combination I wouldn't have done before: olive green, black and a black/white houndstooth.

This is my olive cardigan (last worn here, with a touch of mustard) worn over a tonally-complementary green cami (not part of the capsule). I put those with my houndstooth pencil skirt (last seen here with purple legs).

In order for the cooler toned black and white to work with the warm tones in the cardi/cami, I needed some gold to warm it up, and a little more black to ground it.

The tights are a textured bronze-colour, and the necklace (sorry, no close-up - I still have all my stuff on to go do my WW meeting shortly) and other accessories are all brown-bronze. The black leather obi and the shoes (last worn here with my Artist outfit, past the vintage shopping finds) ground everything nicely.

Cardigan (Press), cami (Smart Set), skirt (Bianca Nygard, consignment), shoes (Bata, vintage, consignment), necklace/earrings (Plum).

Look what arrived in the mail today!

A wonderful surprise from Tamera at The Menopausal Supermodel! She steampunked up the card with gears - the lower right gear is 3D!  I love that the owl has a little watch and top hat on!

The necklace is SO amazing! And she made it herself!

OMG, little gears, and a gas mask!

She wrote in the card, "The picture is a copy of one I found in a box of ephemera* (!) I got at a yard sale over the summer. There were tons of pictures of a copper mine in Cuba from 1920 and this one - I thought it was hysterical and very "steampunk"!"

Thank you, Tamera! I love it so much! I'll be wearing it soon.

*For those of you who've ever wondered about my blog title, "ephemera" or the adjective "ephemeral" means thing that are fleeting or don't last. Heh, my little dig at fashion and its changeability. Read more about the definition here. It's pronounced "eh-FEM-er-uh."

Nov 19th - Outfit #18 - Powerless and Patterned

Rainy days and Mondays...it's been raining like crazy the last couple of days, and it's so dark in the mornings! I barely had any light.

A lot of pattern today - and I'm mixing black and brown!

My white and black cardigan worn (mostly) open and my black Tsubos (both worn together last here, with a touch of teal), and my Indiana Jones skirt (last worn here with a bunch of browns).

Underneath the cardi is my chain-print faux wrap top last worn way back here on day 1, with my tan suede skirt.

Rounded it out with my striped tights and a few small bits of silver jewelry. The pattern was enough today. It was a Monday.

Sweater (Attitude, thrifted), top (Talbot's, consignment), skirt (no label, thrifted), shoes (Tsubos).

Just after I put yesterday's post up, the rain and wind combined and...power outtage! We don't get them here very often, but every so often the wet west coast weather conspires to remind us that Nature is in charge, not us.

Unfortunately, our neighbour got trapped in the elevator - call the Fire Department!

There's a fire hall close to us so they were there really fast! This truck was the only light for blocks!

The emergency lighting came on in the hallway.

Spooky! The firemen pried the doors open and got our neighbour out. And that is why I take the stairs!

I dug out the candles and stuck them in my old candelabras.

I read by candlelight and L napped. Vizzini was mostly freaked out, then calmed down. He steered clear of the candles. The power was out for a couple of hours - it was mostly just inconvenient.

Nov 17th & 18th - Outfits #16 & 17 - An Adventure in Vintage, and an Exhibit

Well, what a weekend! Many adventures were had. But let's do the outfits, and then I'll reveal the big surprise!

On Saturday, I joined up with Cat and Elaine and we went to the Vintage Fair near the Village. It was chilly and raining, so of course I dressed inappropriately.

Comfy shoes! My tan loafers, worn here last weekend for some shopping.

Although some people wear head-to-toe vintage to the Vintage Fair, I prefer to dress practically. My acid wash skirt (last seen here - 2nd outfit - with my olive OTK boots), a nice thick pair of tights, my silk and cashmere sweater (last worn here with some brown tones and various textures), and then capped with my wonderful brocade jacket (last seen here with my pale grey dress).

I did wear one piece of vintage: Mom's choker from the 60s. I kept the rest of it simple; just a leather cuff and gold hoop earrings.

I did bundle up for walking to the hall, and for strolling to the pub, and walking home after.

I love long leather gloves with 3/4 length sleeves! So elegant.

I think this is the first time I've worn this scarf:

It was cozy and warm. It's made in Germany.

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), sweater (Hawick, Scotland, consignment), skirt (Cache, thrifted), shoes (Two Lips, thrifted), hat (Roberta's Hats), gloves (Club Monaco, consignment), scarf (thrifted), choker (vintage, 60s, Mom's), cuff (SkinNHydez).

We all did really well at the Vintage Fair. I took a cash budget (these are usually cash only affairs), and found some wonderful treasures.

First, this amazing fox fur stole:

I don't have an issue with vintage furs. The animal is long-dead, and I'm happy to give this some love and a new home. Besides, it will look amazing with my Christmas party dress!

This is by Fosters Furriers of Victoria (Mom remembers them being in business here).

Victoria has had many furriers - not so many now - I remember Scuby Furs as well.

The inside lining is silk and this stole has been monogrammed:

I'd say it's a Knock Out.

The inside has hand-sewn silk straps that you slip your arms through to keep the stole on, so that you're not grabbing at it all night. This was $25.00. I can't wait to wear it!

Although these were the most expensive things I bought, for $40 I still felt like I got a good deal:
Stunning black patent leather studded pumps! They're handmade in Italy.

I love that the heel is under 3". They will make an excellent replacement for my black Tsubos.

I think these are from the early 90s - I had a pair of black pumps with the same heel-toe design (without the studs) that I bought back then.

It's not about the name...

...but it's still kind of cool, isn't it? Versace! Wee!

The Fair was divided up into a hall and a church basement space. I had to dash back to the hall part before we left to get this wonderful poncho that I hid on a rack. I spotted this soon after we arrived, and hadn't quite gotten into the shopping vibe yet, so I just tucked it in beside a very ugly coat and hoped no one would see it while I thought about it. It worked!

It's all burnout silk velvet, and fully beaded. All of the tassels are beaded. It's quite heavy.

Here's a better look at the colours and pattern.

Isn't it pretty? It was $25.00

I spotted this wonderful 70s enameled metal brooch and clip-on earring set:

It's stamped "Sarah Coventry" and was $8.00 for the set. It's so summery!

I snatched up this gorgeous cuff for $7.00:

Those are just hollow plastic "stones" and it's cheap metal, but I have such a hard time finding bracelets that fit my small wrists.

I love how it looks on.

Love it!

The next 4 items I "bundled" and negotiated for $20 for all 4. I don't negotiate if I think the price is fair - these vendors need to make a living, after all - but if I think the prices are a little high, or something is overpriced or slightly damaged, I'll look for other items, add up the prices and name a lower price for all of them.

Both chokers are probably made in India. The big beads are ceramic and the metal washers are all brass. The turquoise necklace is strung on a leather thong.

This necklace isn't stamped and has a bit of wear and tear, but I love the little two tone green heart-shaped leaves. It's probably from the 60s.

I was tired last night when I took the pictures; sorry for the blurriness

 This belt is light metal (probably an aluminum alloy), and fits perfectly at the waist. I love how the section are curved.

All four of those items would have been a total of $26.00 - I bundled them for $20.

I was hoping to do some Christmas gift shopping (not just stuff for me!), and originally bought this belt for L:

I know! Isn't it cool? I made him close his eyes and face away from me, and checked this on his waist - too small.

Darn, I guess that means it's mine. Golly, what a bummer.

Since 2000 when they were bought out, Pringle of Scotland no longer manufactures in Scotland (in Hawick, same as my sweater!), so this belt is pre-2000. The buckle is their logo, and the belt itself is hairy cowhide.

Pringle belts sell for close to $300 new - this one was marked at $45.00, but I bundled this belt with a couple of other Christmas gifts (one for L, one for a niece) and this bag below for $80 total.

Isn't the colour cool? It's sort of a grey-purple shade. The bag is leather (priced at $15 - I basically got it for free with my bundling), and is by Popcorn of Milano (made in Italy). The hardware is fantastic. You can remove the handles and just use the shoulder strap (also removeable), and I love the gold studs on the front and sides (the back is plain). The little pocket on the inside is the same lilac purple leather - it's sewn on like a patch.

Oh my gosh, I just looked this brand up online - they sell for $268-$397 new! Holy smokes. I got a bargain!

Today, I got dressed up:

Wearing my new silk velvet poncho and turquoise bead choker!

And I'm linking this picture up to Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style. Go check out the other amazingly visible bloggers!

Okay, this is my actual capsule outfit - the poncho was counted as outerwear today.

Same cashmere/silk sweater as worn on Saturday (only with the rounded neck at the front this time), and my olive maxi skirt, last worn here with black and turquoise.

I wore pops of red and turquoise to play off the colours in the poncho, and wore these black platforms (last seen here with a pop of purple) to balance out the black in it.

Okay, okay, I'm getting to the surprise! Patience...

Vizzini loves this poncho - he wants to eat all the tassels

 The stuff:

I liked how all the red and turquoise looked together.

Here's a good shot of the poncho in natural light. It's shiny so it has a tendency to photograph dark.

So pretty.

Poncho (vintage), sweater (Hawick, Scotland, consignment), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted), shoes (Bata, vintage, consignment), choker (vintage), bracelet (Plum), earrings (locally made), rings (red/silver - Mexican, snake - vintage 80s, blue stones - Scotland, wood/picture - consignment).

So...Mom and I went painting en plein air back in September here (scroll down for pictures). A few weeks ago I got an email from an organizer of an art show, wanting to know how much my picture was going to be.

Huh? I emailed Mom. "Um, is there something you want to tell me?" She had entered a photo of my painting into a juried art show! And my painting got chosen to be in it!

Today was the reception for the artists, so Mom and I headed out to look at our art - she had 5 paintings accepted!

If you happen to live in my neighbourhood - go check it out! 

Mom and I in front of my and two of her paintings:

Mine's the bottom left one.

Neither of us won anything, but getting into a juried show is pretty cool. They don't accept everything that gets submitted - there were probably only about 30 pieces in the show. It was fun to mingle and see all the other art. 

I'd never been to the Coast Collective*, so Mom drove us out there:

The entrance to Esquimalt Lagoon

 *I link 'cause I love - and I love supporting local artists!

It was very windy and choppy - lots of waves on the ocean today!

Looking across the lagoon, where we were headed:

It's known for its large numbers of swans.

The Coast Collective is located in an old Victorian house:

They do classes and exhibit tons of wonderful art all throughout the house. All of it is for sale.

Look at that amazing panel-work on the walls.

I love all the vivid yellows in those paintings.

Looking back outside:

You can just see the cars driving along the spit, near the little tree.

Mom at the staircase.

She grew up in a house like this - same staircase, same wood floors.

Me at the fireplace.

A lovely end to a great weekend! Thanks, Mom!