Mid-Week Catch-Up: Coats for Winter; Crafternoon; Brunch Plaid

Hey, my friends! I'm a few days into vacation, which feels weird when you really can't go anywhere. I have been laying low, and puttering around the house, and not really doing anything noteworthy.

But I do like to try to do something every day, though, just so I don't feel like I'm completely wasting my time.

Tuesday: I had the day to myself, so I pulled out my winter coats and put away some of the lighter jackets that are just too cold to wear right now. 

"What's in here I can chew on?"

Vizzini immediately had to investigate, as he's not allowed in the closet. 

I pulled out some of the thin coats, including my thin orange leather one, the leopard one, and a couple others.

"And this bag is for me?"

I already had one small bag of coats I'd removed in September, so I added a full garbage bag of coats to those. Don't worry, the bags are labelled, "NOT FOR DONATION."

And here's all my warm snuggly coats back in the closet, ready to keep me warm all winter. 

Favourites like the Unsafe Polar Bear, the Unsafe Ocelot and the Grape Ape will be appearing soon! I've done the Hanger Trick with my coats to ensure I wear them all (I turn all the hangers backwards, then put them back the "right" way after I've worn a coat). 

Wednesday: Remembrance Day, statutory holiday in Canada. L and I chilled out all day, doing our own things. 

Carolyn had a stack of books and things at Book Club last weekend that she was giving away, including an unopened "Complete Beading Set" by Reader's Digest from the early 2000s. It has two good instruction booklets, and came with enough beads to make three of the projects in the book. 

Of course, I'm an overachiever! I made all three, which took me about three hours to do. 

Remember these necklaces from 2000-2001? This was the thing I was least excited about, so I did it first to get used to using the pliers and working with little bitty beads. I used light green and blue block beads, plus a couple of little silvery beads. I'll probably donate this or give it away - it's not my style. 

The next project was the charm bracelet. 

I'm not really a fan of these, as they are rattle-y/noisy and tend to be heavy, but using beads made it a lot lighter. 

I went through my button and odds & ends tin, and found a bunch of beads that came with sweaters and tops that I no longer had, so I added them to my small collection. 

I worked in shades of red, pink, purple, blue and white. I quite like how it turned out. I may actually wear this. 

And finally, I made the drop earrings. 

Of all the things I made, these are the most likely to actually be worn by me. 

The larger beads are a smoky amber, with iridescent purpley shades, which go well with the other purple beads. 

I kept the plastic bead board, and divided all the sequins and seed-beads into mini-zip bags, and put everything into my sewing bag. 

I don't wear a lot of beaded items, but I did really appreciate the Zen of three hours of crafting and was quite proud of my projects. Thank you, Caro! 

Thursday: I had to go to town to pick up my re-heeled studded boots (purchase from last weekend), so L and I had breakfast at Pluto's before strolling to town. L took the rest of the week off too, so we could hang out together.

Although it was briefly sunny, the temps were around 6-8 degrees (brrr!!), so I dressed warmly. 

• Sweater - Beechers Brook, vintage 90s, thrifted; first seen here twice in one day in March
• Skirt - Liz Claiborne, vintage, thrifted; last worn here in February with my other cobalt blue sweater
• Shoes - Gadea, consignment; last seen here in October with lime green fringed suede
• Coat (below) - Topshop, consignment; last worn here in March

As we're firmly in Coat Weather, and I knew I'd mostly be wearing my coat in public, I planned my outfit around that. 

A plain cobalt blue 90s mock-neck, paired with my Perfect Plaid Pencil Skirt. 

I've been upgrading on plaid pencil skirts since I was in my 20s, and this is easily the nicest one I've ever owned. 

Pockets! and it's beautifully woven and thick. 

It's fully-lined and is a wool blend. 

I have my fleece-lined tights on for extra leg coverage, and my Star Wars "Imperial"-themed mask (from Lazy Suzan's). 

I only took my coat off when we were eating brunch. 

Outerwear - I remembered two things about this coat. 

One: it's really WARM to wear - all that lovely thick burgundy faux fur lines the entire inside of the jacket, including the sleeves. I did not need much under it to stay toasty. 

Two: anything I wear under it will ride up as I walk. I had to adjust my sweater sleeves once (they were up around my biceps), and fussed a bit with the skirt's hemline on the way home. Not too bad! 

I'm all geared up - this is how most people saw me. It had a couple of admirers.

The stuff: 

I like having a funky pair of navy blue shoes. Metallic? Yes, please! 

Gold bling: 

I can't just go bling-less! It's not me. 

• Bracelet - thrifted, Sidney
• Earrings - thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, vintage mall, gift from L

L and I split up to do a bit of shopping. I found this silk scarf for myself at Lazy Suzan's for $18.00.

I love the red and black pattern - this is a big square scarf. 

There's another colour in the plaid too - purple! I suspect this is vintage, due to the hand-rolled edges (most modern scarves have machine-sewn edges). It is not labeled, but it feels like silk. 

It's by Elaine Gold, who I've never heard of, although I found an article (here, link 'cause I love) about the Elaine Gold Launch Pad, a partnership with the CFDA and Accessories Council in the US to help emerging designers. 

Elaine Gold died in 2015 at the age of 89 (text below from that same link):

Visionary fashion and accessories icon Elaine Gold imprinted her industry as a creative entrepreneur, brand innovator, and young talent supporter. As a charter and board member of the Accessories Council, her passionate dedication as a creative visionary possessing deep knowledge within both design and business was honored by the Hall of Fame Award in 2007.

A native New Yorker, Gold’s career launched on Fifth Avenue, at Vera Scarves where she began as an assistant and transformed into a dynamic design professional during her 19 years with the brand. Gold later worked with CFDA president Emeritus Perry Ellis and Robinson & Golluber strengthening her expertise as a brand curator and specialist of scarves, and graphic prints.

Her journey continued at Totes, where she led the XIIX Karats division, collaborating with Kenzo, Ellen Tracy and other contemporary designers. In 1983, she bought XIIX Karats renaming it as Collection XIIX. Her creative entrepreneurship led to Collection XIIX’s success through brand partnerships with Anne Klein and Jones New York, as well as the Elaine Gold collection.

I have definitely seen a billion Vera brand scarves in the thrift stores; how cool that she also worked with Perry Ellis, Kenzo and Ellen Tracy, as well as Anne Klein and Jones New York. I'm happy to add another new designer name to my database (aka my brain). 

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And...that's been my week so far! I'm enjoying the quiet pace, and getting in some quality time with my two guys. How's your week been?