Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Funky Friday from Boots to Capelet; Saturday Brunch and Winesday in Space Cows and Orange Velour; Art Project Update: L's Blue Oyster Cult Jacket

Welcome back, my friends! It's been a fairly chill weekend over here in my corner of the blogosphere, which is totally fine by me (being a person who likes to chill). 

I've got Friday's funky outfit for you, plus my brunch and Winesday outfit from Saturday. I also got off my butt and got back to my latest Art Project, L's Blue Oyster Cult jacket, so I have some pics of that for you as well. And of course, no weekend wrap-up would be complete without some Vizzini pics (even though they are atrocious pics of me, just look away, ha ha).

So, let's get this started - pull up a chair, your favourite beverage, and settle in, Gentle Readers. 

I built Friday's outfit around these fabulous velvet booties, recently purchased on consignment and stashed away until the weather cooperated. 

My goal was to ensure the rest of the outfit didn't make them read as too Christmassy. Did I succeed? 

• Sweater - RW & Co., consignment; last worn here in February for brunch with Betty
• Skirt - Rena Rowan, vintage 80s, thrifted; last seen here in February with green and black leather
• Boots - Rieker, consignment; purchased here for $79.99
• Capelet (below) - no label, consignment; last worn here in January for a Mom-Day at Elk Lake

My stunning view from the stairs that morning. 

Sunrise on the Castle. So pretty! 

I spent most of my day glued to my desk - all tech issues were resolved thanks to my wonderful colleagues. 

But it took me a while to catch up on everything and update all my files. 

This outfit was Texture Therapy - the sweater is a snuggly acrylic in my favourite shade of red (slightly tomato-y).

And the skirt is plush with peaks and swirls in the texture, lovely to touch.

I petted it all day - very soothing, almost like having Vizzini on my lap, only with fewer claws. 

This skirt is Peak Leopard - pretty much perfect! 

Outerwear. Isn't this the coolest capelet ever? 

It's perfect for this time of year. Arms out for temperature control, but the core is warm. 

I felt like a green moth. I've got wings! 

The back is split and is separate from the rest of it (a sleeveless back and front). That trim is real fur. 

Incognito. I can carry a purse with this cape without snarling or rucking up the fabric. 

The strap fits between the wings. It's a very handy feature. 

Accoutrements: 

Wait just a second, those are PURPLE gloves! I swap these for my brown leather long gloves for the pics, phew. 

• Leather purse - Lodis, thrifted
• Silk scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Leather gloves - consignment

I store these purple ones near natural light so I can see the colour - the brown ones are stored in the hall bench. I separated them because of this issue - this purple and brown are actually very close in colour - but I still goofed up. 

The stuff: 

I walked to and from work in these, and they were fantastic, very comfy. They have an inner zip and are velvet with gold paint detail. It didn't rain today, thank goodness - the velvet is pristine still, although a little rain or morning dew wouldn't hurt them. 

Gold bling: 

My pretties! 

• Gold bangle - thrifted
• Gold/stone cuff - D'Orlan, vintage 70s, vintage mall, gift from L
• Klimt ring - consignment
• Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Earrings - vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Gold Brutalist necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, vintage mall, gift from L

As I was putting my clothes away after work, Vizzini was lurking around, pawing at me to pick him up. 

"Are my fans out there?"

They sure are, bud. And they love seeing pics of you, you big ol' drool-monster. 

"I would never!"

He loves the attention, and immediately lunged for the camera string. 

"Well, if you're going to dangle it so enticingly, Woman..."

Ah, yes, entirely my fault. 

L and I enjoyed an evening of board games and music on Friday night, as it would be our only weekend night together, due to Winesday/MANday on Saturday. We slept in on Saturday morning and then met up with Nick for brunch at John's Place. 

I had to wear my new velour hoodie right away! 

• Velour hoodie - Juicy Couture, thrifted; purchased here for $14.95
• Mesh top - Mexx, thrifted; first seen here in July with leopard legs
• Leather pants - Free People, Portland; last worn here in April 2022 with a coat I gave to a colleague
• Sneakers - Steve Madden, thrifted; last seen here in August with black and white and copper

Considering all of the gold hardware on the hoodie, it was a gimme to pair it with my Space Cow leather pants. 

I've had them for years, purchased in Portland in 2017 - I've worn them 7 times since I did a Flashback on them here in 2020, bringing me to a total of 16 outfits. 

Who'd have thought that gold leather pants would be a neutral?

I loved wearing the velour hoodie all day - it's a keeper. 

I layered one of my many mesh tops under it for arm coverage and warmth. 

The black and white pattern naturally led me to the metallic, black and white sneakers. 

Incognito. 

Okay, all you people desperately searching for a Bug Bag - mine is not for sale. Don't even think of asking me to sell it. 

I wore the hood up for the cab ride with Yvonne and Cat to Winesday. No sunnies by then, though - it's nearly dark by 6:30pm now. 

L and I grocery shopped after brunch. 

I like the "stay away" vibe of the latex spikes on my pack. 

It's actually very soft. I carried all my shopping bags in it, keeping everything else in the little zippered pouch. For Winesday, I carried my slippers, socks and my computer poncho in case I was chilled (I wasn't). 

Accoutrements: 

I love this pack and love wearing it, but it's useless for shopping, as it only has the one little zipper pocket on the top flap. 

• Latex backpack - "Bug Bag" by Craig Morrison, c. 1993, consignment

It has one Velcro-sealed pouch inside, but it catches on anything fabric (I loathe Velcro for that), so I never use it. And then everything falls to the bottom. 

The stuff: 

Comfy shoes, and stylin' too! These always have admirers when I'm out. 

Toothy bling: 

Rar, I see shark teeth! 

• Fang bangle/earrings - Alexis Bittar, consignment, gift from L
• Double snake ring - consignment
• Amber ring - c. 1996
• Necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair
• Shark cuff - Tom Binns, 2012, consignment

While L napped in the afternoon, I sat out on the deck and worked on his leather jacket. 

Art Project: L's Blue Oyster Cult Jacket

I last worked on L's BOC jacket way back here in February - funny how the first thing we drop when life gets busy is the art, the thing that makes us calm and soothes the soul. I know I need to make more of an effort to work on this and finish it - especially because I've put so much time in on pieces for other people, and this one is for my awesome partner, L. 

Last weekend, I decided to Just Do It and got my sh*t together, and worked on it for a few hours. I reviewed my Grand Plans, and fussed a bit with what I'd already done. 

I gave the first letter in "Thousand Psychic Wars" a red halo to make it easier to read. 

Then I picked a spot where I knew if I f**ked up, it wouldn't be seen that much - it takes the pressure off. 

It says "Transmaniacon MC" (MC meaning Motorcycle Club - it's a BOC song. Transmaniacon is pronounced "trans-muh-NYE-uh-con"). Blue Oyster Cult is a prog/rock band, what can I say? They have weird songs. 

"We're Pain, We're Steel" is a lyric from the song. 

I coloured in the tattoo lettering with blue, and did a blue shadow on the lyric letters. That took about two hours. 

Then I took a deep breath and started on one of the sleeves. Very scary! 

I picked the lyric "When we met it was a white-hot star between two hearts," from the song "Light Years of Love."

Nothing overly creative here - two giant hearts (and you can just see a couple of stars on the right in the above pic)...

And some scrolls with the words. Keep it simple, but do it well, Sheila. As with my other projects, I sketch out the main design with a close/same-colour pen - it shows until it dries then it disappears. Magic! 

That took around three hours, so I had to stop. Tired hands! 

A week later, this past Saturday, I spent three more hours finishing the sleeve.  

Working my way down to the cuff. 

I gave everything a heavy outline. I might add some shading behind this still. 

I outlined the stars. 

Then shaded them in blue and a "steel" shimmer. 

This design was positioned so that it shows well on the arm when the jacket is on. But wait, what's that little thing near the cuff? 

I spy...

...ever?

"I love you 4-ever."

A little secret message that only L can see when he's wearing it. 

I still have a lot to do on it, but this was a big step. 

And L is so excited. Onto the other sleeve! 

It felt really calming to spend that time with my earbuds in, while the leaves rustled overhead. 

The maple trees have turned and are starting to shed leaves. My collection of solar lights, which I love. All that to remind me to take time to do the thing that - when I'm done - makes me go, "Ahhhhh...I should do this more!"

I hope your weekend was full of good times and friends, too!