Wednesday, January 6, 2021

A Plethora of Pink and Purple; Un-Decorating; Squirrel Swearing

Ah, back to work...for a day. Must wear something bright. They may look black here, but be assured, I am wearing purple: the jacket, the dark accent colour on the skirt, and my tights are all deep purple. 
People do love colour, and I had a plethora of it on today. I had to run out and do a quick errand downtown, and as I strode along the sidewalk (feeling like the only person in the city wearing heels), both a cyclist and a pedestrian shouted, "Great outfit!" at me within minutes. I should venture out more often!  

  • Jacket - Tahari, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in December 2020 
  • Shirt - Ann Taylor, consignment; last seen here in September 2020 with fringe and floral
  • Skirt - Escada, vintage 80s, thrifted; purchased here for $19.95 (but it was free on a buy 2, get 1 deal)
  • Shoes - Arnold Churgin, vintage, thrifted; last worn here in October 2020 and Flashbacked then
  • Coat - Sfizio, consignment; last seen here in December 2020

I built the outfit around this new-to-me skirt - it's a tricky one! 
This skirt is tricky to style because of the bold colours. Yes, I can do black or white with it, but after that it's pretty much limited to dark purple, red and hot pink and it doesn't feel right to me to wear something that clashes. It's not like I can toss on yellow or green with it. 
It was wonderful to wear - the sweater knit has lots of stretch and the waistband has two separately sealed sections of wide elastic, so that it stays smooth and flat. The hem is also a tighter knit than the pink/red parts, so it stayed snug on my legs.

Masked up - this is a pink one with purple specks on it (courtesy of Mom). 
I had "bought" 24 of Mom's masks by making a donation to her charity of choice (a cat rescue) for my company's Week of Giving in early December (which I ran), with her masks as prizes for the winning team, and I had a few leftover so I gave one to my coworker Keith for Christmas. He got it today when he came in and LOVED it. Her masks are loads better than the craptastic ones our company has.

Outerwear - it was gloomy and rainy in the morning, but we actually had sunshine today! 
When I ventured out mid-day, I did not wear my coat or my other gear. Huzzah! And it's supposed to be cloudy/sunny for the next few days - I'll take it! We've had massive storms and rain for the past couple of days - the lights even flickered yesterday while I was on a Zoom call with Mom. 

  • Beret - consignment
  • Gloves - Danier

The stuff: 
The shoes are not quite an exact match to the pink in the skirt, but they are far enough away that it's close enough. I really liked the purple tights with the pink shoes, and that all my purples were perfectly matched. MATCHY!

Pink and purple bling: 
I was quite pleased with how this silk scarf worked at my neck, deployed more like an ascot instead of a necklace or brooch. I rolled the scarf up, wrapped it around twice and then knotted it in front and tucked it into my shirt. It kept my neck warm AND was stylish in a different way.

  • Scarf - Elaine Gold, Lazy Susan's
  • Earrings - consignment, Vancouver
  • Brooch - c. 1999, Eaton's
  • Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
  • Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, Dad's, c. 1965

Gotta keep experimenting! 


Taking Down the Christmas Decorations

It took most of Tuesday to take it all my holiday stuff down. I pulled the boxes and bags out of the hall closet - this is the part where I'm very thankful that I took the time all those years ago to label them with what goes where.
"Really? You have to do this NOW? While I'm napping?"


Vizzini took off as soon as I started grabbing the bags from the hall closet. This is where I store everything. 
My coats live on the left side of the closet, plus there's storage below them and a shelf above that goes up to the ceiling. 

On the right side, where L keeps his outerwear and fancy blazers, I store the Christmas village pieces and a few bags with garland and lights up on that shelf...
And there's this whole side section on the right that goes deeper behind the wall, where the previous owner installed some simple shelving. It's perfect for my decoration storage. The trees get de-lighted and boxed and go behind the coats. 

Just getting started. I put some albums on and danced and sang as I packed up my goodies for another year (or more, who knows what next year will bring?). 
"You call that fast? I could destroy a pair of your shoes in less time."

I pulled out all the bags and then started repacking the ornaments as I'd written on the little boxes. Hmmm, celestial ball...go find it. It's fairly fast - it took me about 4-5 hours to put everything away. 

I did discover that I missed an ornament! I heard a "thunk" at the bottom of one of the boxes and there was another Jacqueline porcelain decoration. 
Along with a note from her. Aw! I'm sorry I missed this angel. Next time. 

While I was bopping along with the tunes, it was very stormy out - I glanced outside when I saw some movement in the maple tree out there. 
SQUIRREL! He was scrabbling up the trunk - this is above our condo's roof, so about 5 storeys up. That tree was waving back and forth from the high winds.

I zoomed in a bit to try to capture him - his tail was a blur in the wind. 
And then....

HE SAW ME!
Ack! 

He came barreling down the trunk to the same level as our window, so he was about 2 meters from our window. 
I could tell he was swearing at me in Squirrel. 

He raced down, a blur.
And then, near the ground, he dove into this bush at the base of the tree. 
And did not come out. Aha! I've found your squirrel hideout! 

Vizzini, did you see the squirrel? 
"No, my proper scratching post is missing from the living room and I am NOT HAPPY."


That will be remedied tomorrow when I de-light the trees and put the living room back to normal. I miss all the decorations already! 

36 comments:

  1. Shiela, you style bright pink like no other! I would have never thought to wear dark purple with it.

    And I ADORE your coat!!!

    I'm also dreading taking down the Xmas tree- just because I love having the decorations up so much. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Jess! I love pink and purple together - such a good combo!

      Isn't the coat cool? I found it off season a couple of years ago.

      I love them too - I'm trying to think of how I can leave some lights up somehow, as they make me feel so much better.

      Delete
  2. Fabulous skirt. Pink & purple, very 80's - love it! Lise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SO 80s, right, Lise? I fell in love with this skirt the minute I saw it.

      Delete
  3. Adore your dark purple pieces. I don't wear a lot of purple (though I love it as a colour), but when I do, 9 times out of 10, I reach for either plum, eggplant, or midnight shades.

    It is hugely impressive that you were able to pack up such a large amount of holiday decor in just a matter of hours. Way to go! So true about how devoid a space can fell with festive decor comes down. I try to keep a wee bit of some type of holiday or seasonal decor nearly all year through to help fend off that feeling, but still, when the bulk of say the Halloween or Christmas items come down, one feels their absence much the same. The silver lining, I find, to that though is that it can help spur us on to decorate for the next standout point in the calendar all the more speedily and abundantly, if possible.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That surprises me - purple (especially the darker shades) is so versatile!

      I'm a VERY organized person - and it helps having music on, and a kitty to bother, and squirrels to watch!

      Yes, I want to do something to help my "nest" feel less bare. It will probably involve lights.

      Delete
  4. Love the skirt. Adorable heels. I'm always amazed at how you manage to store your wardrobe without using a warehouse. Organization is obviously the key.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ally! The shoes are very "you", right? You know I'm organized - you're one of the few who's seen my closet in person!

      Delete
  5. Fab outfit Sheila. I get red squirrels in my garden - my town is one of the few places in the UK
    that still has red squirrels. They are a lot less fierce looking than the greys.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jane! Black squirrels are the native species here (they are smaller than the greys), but have been squeezed out due to the invasive grey species. The grey ones are nasty!

      Delete
  6. Your Escada skirt is fabulous - and you've just reminded me of mine! - but I'm hearing you on it being tricky to style. You did brilliantly by opting for purple rather than black, and adding the pink heels. You were certainly very visible and I'm not surprised you got random compliments from passers-by!
    What a lovely idea to make a donation to your Mum's chosen charity to "pay" for the masks she made.
    I actually took down the Christmas decorations today, although it only took about an hour and a half at the utmost from start to finish, including putting everything away in our basement. I'm rather envious of your hall closet, though.
    Oh, look at that squirrel. I never had one look through our windows but I once saw one crossing the street. And just a day or two later, Jos saw one on our village's high street. I can assure you that both occurrences are unusual here! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ann - ooh, you have one too! I must see it! Yes, the pattern is very outfit-specific (I bet this had a matching oversized cardigan with giant shoulderpads), and very tricky to style, but I do love it.

      I loved that she wanted the money for them to go to charity, and I decided that I would pay for it, instead of our committee, as my part of the Week of Giving (besides organizing it).

      Oh, that sounds nice and fast! I don't think I'd be able to have all this stuff if I didn't have the storage.

      We have squirrels all over here - they love the oaks.

      Delete
  7. I really like pink and purple together - this is a great outfit and the bright heels with it is just so you! :) I can see why you got compliments! :)

    I felt a little sad when we tidied our decorations away too, house always seems a bit empty afterwards even though we don't have that many decorations (as my love for Christmas and decorating is reigned in by hubby's apathy towards Christmas, ha!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too, Mica - it's a rockin' combo. Thank you! Aw!

      Yeah, it made me a bit sad too - I really loved all the lights. I've decided to keep a bunch of them up, though, just for my sanity. :)

      Delete
  8. I love your purple outfit. The pink detail on the skirt and the pink heels were a fabulous touch of colour as well. I love those heels, they make me think of Barbie shoes. No wonder you got compliments for this lovely look. Colour is always good.
    I saw your mother's masks, they are all fabulous. It is great you gifted one the co-worker and bought them for a donation.
    That squirrel is awesome. Such cute animals! It took us a few hours day to take down the decorations, my husband mostly had to do it by himself, I tried to help but I injured my shoulder so I wasn't of too much help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ivana! Yes, I actually call these my Barbie shoes - my coworker Sukanya named them. :)

      They are really awesome - even nicer in person.

      I love the squirrels, and there are a lot of them in our neighbourhood - I think I just found where they live!

      I read about your injury, I'm so sorry to hear that. Take care!

      Delete
  9. Gorgeous outfit! I love that vibrant skirt! The pink heels goes very well with the look!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love the skirt, it looks so cool. The squirrel is hilarious. Love the little storage masked by coats, you can hide things in there, it looks like a proper hideaway. I love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Anca! I enjoy the squirrels, they are such fun little things. Very fierce. Yes, it's a great closet - it's huge! I'm so glad we have it.

      Delete
  11. Good afternoon there Sheila, you look great in this outfit and of course pink and purple two colours I love to wear. I am not surprised you get compliments because you put things together so well and in a sea of grey and black must stand out. I love those rings too. I loved your squirrel! I like seeing where you store things as I am still trying to sort my ol house out lol Shazxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Shaz! Aw, thank you so much - I love pink and purple together, ever since Donny and Marie Osmond in the 70s.

      You are right - it's mostly black and beige and grey out there! Thank you! Good luck sorting your house - I'm doing that too.

      Delete
  12. Love the outfit, great color combo. I could see how difficult that skirt might be to pair with a wide variety of things but it seems worth it.
    Its always a little sad taking the Christmas decorations isn't it? You seem to have an excellent system though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ashley! Yes, it's going to be tough to style, but I think it's worth it.

      Yes, it makes me sad to put them away, but there's always next year, or not!

      Delete
  13. The pink and purple look fabulous together, the skirt fits like a dream and I love the coat. No wonder you got random compliments.
    How fab that the pussycats benefited from your Mum's wondrous mask making!
    You did an amazing job putting the Xmas stuff away! We get cheeky squirrels, too - they peep in at us and wait for us to move away from the window so they can try and ransack the squirrel proof bird feeder. Cheeky but so cute! Our lads are always a bit perplexed by them. xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Vix! I felt fab in this.

      Yes, I was raised to give back to my community, either through donating money, raising money, or by shopping locally (I shop at charity-run thrift stores!).

      Thank you! It took a while, but it's good to have them packed away securely again. I love watching the squirrels in our trees - there are tons of them. They are so smart! Vizzini really doesn't care about them, but he hates the crows.

      Delete
  14. Blogging does wonders for your self esteem, doesn't it? Just as dressing nicely and going out. I love it. The compliments were deserved. Great skirt, great styling. I am amazed that you kept the heels of your pink pumps in one piece. If I wear such stiletto heels outside, they get caught between the tiles in no time.
    Greetje
    PS love the squirrel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does - it's been a balm to my soul this year! I know it helps other people to, so it's basically a public service, right, Greetje? Ha!

      Re: the heels, the sidewalks here are mostly concrete aggregate. There are gratings every so often, but I avoid them. No tiles.

      Hee, that squirrel was so mad at me!

      Delete
  15. woww, so lovely outfit!. I love the skirt (the colours!, the knit!) and love the way you've styled with these purple matchy pieces!, so delightful color combo. Totally agree that your pink shoes look fab with purple tights!, inspiring!
    It's great to see where the christmas decorations are stored!. I'm a huge fan of built-in-closets!
    besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Monica! I was really happy with this outfit overall, but now...what to wear with it next time?

      I love all the storage we have - it's very well laid-out.

      Delete
  16. What a bright outfit, just as the doctor prescribed.
    I have yet to find a good place to store my Christmas decorations, its about 8 boxes !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lorena! Yes, storage is always something you have to consider with Christmas decorations!

      Delete
  17. Sylvester used to get worked up when there were squirrels on my front porch, but he sees them there so often now he doesn't even react. There are a couple that will hang on my window screen to get my attention if there are no peanuts out for them and he doesn't even seem to care. They can be quite noisy if they are annoyed! I love that pink/red/black skirt - if you ever get tired of it, you know where I am ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vizzini could not care less about squirrels, but he and the crows are mortal enemies.

      Isn't the skirt the coolest?? I will keep you in mind!

      Delete
  18. That is a great outfit!

    I hope Vizzini doesn't try to catch the squirrel...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Mim! No, Vizzini can't get at anything outside - we have a glassed-in deck and screens on all the windows.

      Delete

Comments are so incredibly special, and I love them and hug them and treasure them forever. Please feel free to tell me what you think!

I'm not currently able to respond to comments, but I will make every effort to answer questions. I do read every single one, and appreciate your comments.

Please note that comments containing affiliate links spam-y sites, spam comments and anything I deem inappropriate will be deleted.

Cheers,
Sheila