A Day with Auntie, Drinkless Gathering, and a Long Session

Weekends go so freakin' fast! How can it possibly be Sunday already?

The delayed Shopping Day with Auntie Sheila happened with my niece Zoe on Saturday. She is a lovely 14-year-old, bursting with excitement, ideas and personality. I love teenagers! 

I dressed for shopping:

Tights, easy-on/off boots, simple skirt and a thin sweater with cami. I could have tried things on out in the street and not had any trouble (I've done that!).

This is my blue sweater, which was last seen here in May with graphic black and white. I have a grey cami on under it.

The snakeskin printed leather skirt was last featured here in an all-leather outfit in September.

Add my black riding boots were last worn here in October to a hockey game.

Mostly, I had my full outerwear on in various stages (with/without scarf or gloves). It rained a bit yesterday - rather blustery, but cleared up for our ramble through thrift and boutique shops.

Zoe got the full treatment from me: all my thrifting secrets, what to look for, how to figure out vintage and European sizing. We found her some awesome items, including a vintage Ralph Lauren Polo sweater (for $4.00) and a vintage 70s suede jacket for only $27.99. She even humoured me and tried on a few vintage dresses (she's got that little size 0-2 frame...*sigh*).

Sweater (Smart Set, thrifted), skirt (INC, consignment), boots (Aldo, consignment), silver feather earrings (local).

I even found a couple of cool things for myself! Duh, of course I did...

Yes, this is a black suede shirt:

It was $24.99 - but it's machine wash/tumble dry! Woo! It's a more Western-cut than my other leather shirt, with snaps up the front and two patch pockets. The hem and cuffs are slashed open. Very cool, and I thought a good score. It's by True Character.

I have been looking for a warm winter coat. This isn't quite it, but it fit so well and was so cute, I had to have it.

It's Betsey Johnson New York and is actually made in the US. No idea how old it is, but it's not recent. It was $44.99, and I'm sure I was paying for the name. If it had been a no-name, it would have been less than $30. Oh well, I love it anyway, so it's all good. It's 100% wool.

I also found this fabulous sleeveless blouse:

I like that the design looks like scales.

A close-up of the neckline:

I love that there's a heavy brass chain under a layer of mesh. And only $14.99 for Rachel Roy? Yeah, I'm happy with that.

As well as our good thrifting finds, we went to some of my favourite boutiques along lower Johnson Street (known locally as Lo-Jo, of course), including my favourite jewelry and accessory store, Adore*.
*linking 'cause I love

Once I saw this purse, I knew I wouldn't be able to leave without it.

It's called the Leashed Clutch and is by Fiveleft *of Vancouver. It was $120.00 but every bag they make is done by hand in their studio. The leather is vegetable tanned and sourced from a family-run tannery in England. Every bag is one of a kind. I chose the clockwork gears in this lovely honey and dark brown mix, with black accents.
*linking 'cause I love

It will soften with age, and is meant to last a lifetime. I love the sturdy hardware and the absolutely perfect shape and size.

It's numbered and signed by Lincoln Heller, the maker.

After an exhausting 6+ hours of shopping, L drove Zoe home and I got ready for Winesday. I wanted to be uber-comfy, but still casual.

The winey-rusty sweater was last seen here in April with zebra. I accented it with a turquoise cami and earrings.

The skirt is my fabulous wool maxi that was last seen in the November 2012 all-neutral capsule (recap here). I last wore it in this outfit with olive and mustard, for Megan and Kiki's Fall Fashion Challenge.

Yes, I built my outfit so that I could wear my new coat with it!

That's actually me at 1am (2am if you don't count Daylight Savings), since I had to run out the door to make my bus.

The boots are my brown Miz Mooz, last seen here (way way down at the bottom) a couple of weeks ago.

The stuff:

I got quite a chuckle when Zoe and I went into a boutique that sells Brave Belts. They start at over $160.00 - I thrifted this one last November for $6.50. Score!

Sweater (Bandolino, thrifted), skirt (Animale, consignment), boots (Miz Mooz), jacket (Betsey Johnson), belt (Brave Belts, thrifted), cuff (SkinZnHydez), earrings (Oscar & Libby's).

Although I had a late night, due to time change I was able to sleep in - I also didn't drink at Winesday because today I had a tattoo appointment! This is this year's birthday present to myself - I went to a new artist (hi, Ghengis Shawn!) at WolfSheep*.
*linking 'cause I love

It's generally not a good idea to drink the night before you get a tattoo, as it causes you to bleed more, and for your skin to get puffy. I just don't like having to deal with that - a tattoo is painful enough!

I wore my comfiest clothes for lying on my face for 3 hours.

My Smoking Lily Hama Hama moose shirt (lovely soft bamboo), last worn here in March (it's a wear-around-the-house/sleep-in-it shirt now). The ultra soft and comfy black slouchy skirt, last seen in the January 2013 capsule (recap here), and lastly in this spacey outfit.

I walked to town, bought groceries (for delivery), then went to my 12:30pm appointment. We didn't finish until 4:00 so I am pretty tired and achy. I wore my loose cotton Smoking Lily Octo-Coat, this lovely big silk scarf, and my purple leather gloves.

Same Aldo boots as Saturday.

I'm linking up to Patti's "Visible Monday" at Not Dead Yet Style - get your arse over there!

Top (Smoking Lily), skirt (Isda & Co.), boots (consignment), scarf (gift from Megan Mae), coat (Smoking Lily), gloves (Danier Leather). 

I can't take a picture of the tattoo yet, as it's still under the bandage for now - tomorrow, I promise! - but it's a dandelion plant, so let your imagination run wild. It fills in the blank space on my back below my other tattoos.

I thought I would show my crazy bra adaptation! I took an extender piece from one of my La Senza bras to lower my regular bra strap. I will have to wear my bras like this for a few days, until the tattoo is to the point where it's starting to heal.

This is going to be a challenge: I have my photo-shoot tomorrow during the day for the Unlimited Woman awards! Yikes!