Monday, December 7, 2020

Brocade Boots and a Gold Skirt Flashback; Mice Decorations

Happy Monday, gentle readers! I hope you are all doing well, and getting ready for the holiday season, whatever that looks like for you. Today, I have a work outfit featuring the most amazing brocade boots, followed by a Flashback of a shiny skirt (with pockets), and then another display of Christmas decorations full of adorable mice. 

Before we get to my outfit, a shout-out and big THANK YOU to Ivana of Modaodaradosti blog (links 'cause I love) for her awesome artistic interpretation of my striped dress plus Monster Vest from Friday. Check it out here

See if you can guess what colours I'm wearing (psst, we are now in the time of year when it's too dark for my stair picture in the morning, so I just switch it to black and white). 
It was really dark out. Did you guess a blue sweater? 

  • Cashmere sweater - Marina Luna, thrifted; first worn here in October for lunch with Jen
  • Skirt - Club Monaco, consignment; last seen here in December 2019 with burgundy and cream
  • Boots - L'Artist by Spring Step; last worn here in October for lunch and shopping with Cat
  • Leather trenchcoat (below) - vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here in October 

'Cause it's a blue sweater. 

And a gold skirt! I went through my closet last night and pulled out all of my shiny stuff so that every outfit I put together between now and New Year's is going to have some blingy glitz to it. I need bling!
I also really wanted to wear these lovely brocade boots with this skirt. As you might have guessed, I'm a fan of pockets...and miniskirts! 

We'll be having a wee Flashback on this gold skirt shortly. 
It's been in my wardrobe for longer than I thought - where do the years go?? 

This outfit felt casual to me because of the plain sweater.
It is cashmere, though, so I was nice and snuggly all day. 

Masked up - this is a teal snakeskin one from Mom. I only saw 3 or 4 live humans all day.
Sadly, our current restrictions - no social contact/gatherings at all (only our households), but we can shop and get our hair cut, and of course, wear masks in all public spaces - have been extended to January 8th, including Christmas and New Year's Eve. I'd expected this to happen, as our daily cases are not reducing, but it's still disappointing. I miss my friends and my mom so much. 

Outerwear - it rained off and on all day, but I missed most of it.
My head looks like a giant fuzzy gumdrop. 

  • Hat - Principles, thrifted
  • Silk devore scarf - thrifted
  • Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff: 
L asked me if I wore these to walk to work in. Silly man, you should know by now that I don't wear my good shoes and boots for walking in! I bag them up and carry them to work, while I let my Doc Martens take all the wear. 

Eclectic bling: 

I'm a bit all over the map with my bling. The necklace kind of matches the boots, and I just felt like wearing my pears bracelet. It doesn't always have to match perfectly. 

  • Necklace - thrifted
  • Bracelet - thrifted
  • Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
  • Earrings - Reiss, vintage 60s, vintage fair



Flashback: Club Monaco Gold Skirt

I see a lot of Club Monaco stuff second-hand when I shop, both at thrift stores and in consignment shops - it's usually good quality and always worth a second-look. I found this lovely golden gem at My Sister's Closet here in October 2014 for $30.00.
The fabric is a woven pattern of flowers, vines and leaves, with a light greenish tint to it. The front has three box pleats; the back has two. And of course, it has pockets! 

I wore it a week later, still in October 2014, in a very 70s-inspired look. I no longer have the green shirt, but that scarf belonged to my Dad in the 50s/60s and I still have the boots. 
I was out buying Hallowe'en candy for the office that day at Bulk Barn, when another customer started hollering, "You look like Carole Burnett!" It took me a few hollers until I realized he was talking to me! 

The skirt hasn't always been that easy to style, although I've tried a lot of different colours, including this (bad on me) candy pink in March 2015.
I'm very attracted to fancy jackets - this one got very fuzzed out on one side from Vizzini licking it. 

Another fancy jacket - this is from December 2015 - that I ended up giving to Caro. 
I still have the 1920s necklace. 

I quite like this look with the boxy leopard top, from February 2016.
It's a different silhouette and helps keep the aggressively A-line shape of the skirt under control. We saw those shoes in Flashback here

I really loved this outfit from March 2016.
We saw that jacket in Flashback here, and the boots here

I was deep in one of my Velvet Phases here in November 2016. 
That is a gorgeous shade of teal, so how was I to resist? I still have the shoes, which we saw in Flashback here

My baby blue blouse makes another appearance in February 2017, along with this cream blazer, which we will see again shortly. 
The Star Wars "I Know" shoes were seen in Flashback here

This is a fairly boring outfit...if you can call two shiny items plain, ha ha, but the coat was the star (it was one of my Desigual ones). 
I sort of miss that sparkly sweatshirt, but I don't miss the chunky shoes. This was in November 2017.

I really like this November 2018 look with a jacket worn over the skirt - we saw this jacket in Flashback here
I also like the pictures with Vizzini in the background. 

Another attempt at a boxier shape with the skirt, in October 2019.
We saw that blazer in Flashback here and the shoes in Flashback here

And here's the last time I wore this skirt, along with that cream blazer again, a year ago in December 2019. 
I just wore that silk blouse under a pink sweater, and I have yet to wear those fabulous shoes! Soon! 


Mathy stuff: I typically wear this skirt 1-2 times a year, so it's not a huge shock that today's outfit marks the twelfth time I've worn it. That's a very respectable $2.50 per wear, but I have years in this still. 

What's your favourite? What would you pair with this gold skirt? 


Christmas Decorations: Mice!

I am not really a cutesy person, but working among cute things tends to induce a little "Stockholm Syndrome" in a person. Also, I acquired most of these ornaments and decorations 25-30 years ago - I was in my 20s! Of course I was into cute things! 

Anyway, this is all to explain why I have all these mice decorations. I do adore animals (and wait till I get to the dozens of animal ornaments I have!), and when this line arrived and I was unpacking them, I fell hard. I think I bought most of these around 1996-97, near the end of my time at Christmas House. I recall that they were all in the $9.95 to $24.95 range. 
Instead of these all getting lost on the tree (only about 1/3 of them hang), I opted to put them together on top of another revolving CD shelf.

Most of them stand up, so I arranged them in little vignettes with the Christmas green ball candleholder and my vintage Indiana Glass Company tea-light candleholder in the middle.
This side is the music side...party going on! 

This side is a Santa mouse and sleeping mice. Shhh...keep that music down, the kids are sleeping!
I like making displays viewable from different angles. 

A more centered view of the sleeping mice. 
And more Santa mice coming into view on the right. 

Let's take a closer look at the individual pieces, shall we? 
These ornaments very much remind me of the lines, "Not a creature was stirring/ Not even a mouse," from the Clement C. Moore poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (aka "Twas the Night Before Christmas"), which I pretty much know by heart. 

The detail is amazing, right down to the woodgrain on the back of this cuckoo clock. 
All of these decorations are moulded resin, all handpainted. 

The sleeping mice. 
This one's in a spotted nightgown and cap, and is curled around a candleholder. 

This wee one is in stripes (with a bell on her cap). 
She's snoozing in a tiny teacup. 

And this one's crawled into Santa's hat to dream. 
No doubt with "visions of sugarplums". 

This mouse is sitting on top of a pocket watch - the watch chain is how you hand him. 
The watch is nearly the size of a real pocket watch. 

Rear view. 
I know I personalized a few of these for folks - I wrote dates, "Victoria, BC" and other stuff on ornaments for customers all the time. 

This Santa mouse figure makes me happy. He has a fun face - I like his pipe too. 
He's sitting on an ornament, like those old-fashioned ones we all broke as kids. 

This Santa mouse is in a sleigh. 
He's carrying a mouse soldier! 

These have good detail all the way around. 
He's about 3" tall. 

I like this fellow too, with his bell. 
Oh, I see I'm in the reflection on the green ceramic ball candleholder. 

I love this two-piece set.
The piano has a garland along the top and a candelabra. 

The fellow playing it has a lovely bow tie. 
He's sitting on a piano stool, and his hands are poised to tickle the ivories. 

I have a couple of angel mice ornaments, both playing instruments. 
You can see the repair job on the trumpet of this one, which broke years ago. Zap-A-Gap to the rescue! 

This little angel is playing a fiddle. 
I can almost hear the music...except I loathe Christmas carols due to a decade-plus of forced listening. 

My final two angel mice are candle-rings - they are meant to sit low on a taper, but they are slightly too narrow to fit on my candles, so I put one at the top...
And the other sitting in the top of the amber glass candleholder, like she's waiting to pass her wreath up. 

And there we have it, the Christmas mice. 
An extra LED tea-light for some more glow, and we have a little party going on! 

Be merry, my friends! 

24 comments:

  1. First off, those brocade boots are just gorgeous! But oh, those mice! They are absolutely adorable -- thanks so much for sharing all your Christmas ornaments :)

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    1. Thanks, Cynthia! I love the boots - they were a gift card purchase from last Christmas and I'm so happy with them. I love the wee mice! Glad you are enjoying everything!

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  2. I would have guessed wrong as I was thinking it would be a burnt orange until I scrolled a bit farther! I love a sweater and skirt combination. When I went to the office. it was a regular staple. I love the necklace you have selected with the blue sweater.

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    1. It's hard to tell colours in black and white, Sam! I love sweaters and skirts too - so much more comfy than jeans, in my opinion. Thank you!

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  3. I loved Ivana's Sheila artwork!
    Those brocade boots are wonderful and your sweet wrapper skirt is really festive and fun, perfect with the blue cashmere and your fab leather trench coat.
    Your restrictions sound very similar to ours - except that our government has decided that up to three households can meet up indoors for five days over Xmas which most right minded people & medical professionals are appalled by - does Covid know it's Xmas and give everyone a break?
    I wouldn't have put you down for a cutsie mouse lover but I get what you mean about Stockholm Syndrome! xxx

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    1. Isn't it fun, Vix? and I see you've been featured again!

      Thank you - I kind of wished I'd made a bit more of an effort, but it was comfy and fine for a Monday.

      No such lessening of our orders, but we'll party even heartier when we're finally allowed to be together. It's not worth it to gather now.

      I know...and I was much younger! I loved this kind of sh*t back then. :)

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  4. Isn't Ivana's artwork fantastic. I was chuffed to bits and have asked for and been granted her permission to use mine in a next post.
    I did not guess blue jumper, but I guessed gold skirt :-) What a lovely colour blue that is, and it's always a delight to see those stunning brocade boots!
    As always, it was a joy to scroll through your flashback. That jacket in the second outfit is delicious. Naughty Vizzini, though!
    Love your collection of Christmas mice! So cute it can only be a case of Stockholm Syndrome ;-)
    Well, it seems we are sharing restrictions, as ours will certainly extend until January at the very least. We can only invite one person over for Christmas. It's not really an issue for us but I guess it is for a lot of people, and I'm sure there will be a lot of breaching of the rules. Having read Vix's comment, I am truly horrified at their government's decision.
    Do keep on being merry, Sheila xxx

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    1. Isn't it awesome!? She did such a good job, and I was honoured to be in the same post with you, my dear friend!

      I love the soft blue of the cashmere sweater and was really happy at how well it went with the boots. I miss that shiny jacket, but it was just wrecked. One of my Indian coworkers snapped it up!

      Ha ha, I knew people would get it - I'm so not a cutesy person now, but I do appreciate it.

      I am hoping that the vaccine will roll out here soon, within the next month or so. I am sure people here will break the rules too, sadly. Loosening things up doesn't help, though!

      Thanks, my dear!

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  5. Hurrah for the gold skirt and well done to you for your wonderful system of logging the contents of your wardrobe like this! Your organisational skills astound me, as does your desire to keep note of dates and clothes as you do.
    We're in sync at the moment with our desire to bling it up for December which is a great diversion from all that ails us. It's lovely to get back to you and see your crazy mice collection xx

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    1. I knew I'd put in all those "last worn here" links for a reason, Anna! It's been really fun to go through and revisit some of those older pieces. I'm grateful that I'd had the foresight.

      Yes, for sure! I need my sparkly and shiny and bright clothes and accessories so much this time of year, even when it's not a pandemic!

      Glad you enjoyed it, Anna!

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  6. I love those boots with the gold skirt and adding a little extra sparkle to your outfits is a great idea! I'm trying this month (although I'm not sure how many I'll do) to have a few red and green outfits for Christmas. Most of our Christmas events we have decided to skip this year, so not a lot of parties or viewing Christmas lights or our annual theme park night. There haven't been any cases here for over 80 days so it should be safe but we don't want to take chances - we have been looking forward to Christmas so much this year.

    I'm really sad to see you won't be allowed to have any family or friends visit for Christmas :(

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    1. Thank you, Mica! Doing a colour theme is a great idea - red and green is perfect!

      We're skipping 100% of everything this year, and it'll be a quiet Christmas home with just me and L (we're having a visit from Nick this year, within the rules). It's so good to hear how well Australia is doing! Keep it up!

      It's okay, those visits will happen...just not this year. :)

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  7. I just,, told,, Anna that I'm looking for lurex gold trousers! And here you are in a gorgeous skirt! I had similar ones years and years ago and I loved it. This one is so perfect, the lenght too!

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    1. You can't go wrong with lurex, Nancy! I love wearing brights and shinys this time of year! Thank you!

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  8. Morning Sheila, Wow your bling shines through even in the lovely balck and white shot! Blue & cashmere be still my beating heart I am a sucker for comfort and warmth. Got the bright red jumper on today. My challenge to myself is wear something Christmasy red or green and not be lazy and WEAR the jewellery. (Boy glad you can't see me lol lol) I love that style skirt on you. What a work of art those boots are! Loving the Christmas update have a good day Shazxx

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    1. Hello, Shaz! Thank you! That sweater is as warm and soft as a cloud, you can be sure of that. Yay for red jumpers! Good for you! I love a good challenge, and YES, wear the jewelry - you might be surprised at how good it feels. Thanks so much, my dear!

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  9. woww, I love this golden skirt, its pleats and shape, And Pockets!. And love how you styled it with some fab accessories and brocade boots!, love your 'fancy' jackets too (I've a weakness for them too) and love your shoes!
    Those mice are really cute and I adore the details and that they're perfectly finished all around. No wonder you fell in love with them!.
    besos

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    1. Thanks so much, Monica! It's such a cool item - and the pockets make it even better! You can't go wrong with a fancy jacket!

      Yes, they are really nice quality - I grew to love them over time.

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  10. Oooo, I would have fallen for those sweet little meeces too! I think mice are so cute, except when they are in my house when they shouldn't be.

    I love a shiny short skirt with pockets too. This one has served you well over the years. I hope to find a silver one some day.

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    1. Yes, give me cute mice over real ones any time, Shelley!

      Thank you! I love it - I rarely see silver ones, but now I'll be watching for them.

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  11. That upbeat shade of blue is nothing shy of dazzling when partnered with metallic gold. What a fresh, fantastic colour pairing + ensemble.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. It's a lovely colour - I was lucky to find this cashmere sweater! Thanks so much, Autumn!

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