Weekend Wrap-Up: Bronze Brunch, and Kitties Galore!

So many posts lately - kittens, closet and oh, yeah, some regular ol' outfits! This is my Saturday looks (I wore my velour tracksuit to grocery shop on Sunday), plus...shocking! Cat pictures! And lots of them. 

After a peaceful night - no little paws in our faces, no jumping on the bed - we were up to meet Casey for brunch at John's Place.

I had this outfit already planned prior to my closet swap-over (here if you missed it), so I didn't have to think too much. 

• Velour hoodie - Juicy Couture, vintage 90s, thrifted; last worn here on a weekend trip to Powell River in August
• Sheer ruched top - no label, thrifted; last seen here under cerulean suede in September
• Silk skirt - Ralph Lauren, consignment; last worn here layered under my Halston Ultrasuede in May
• Shoes - Go Groovy Aubrey, Fluevog; last seen here in July for a trip to the dentist in leopard

I'd forgotten how exhausting a little kitten can be! I've never had two at once. Just to clarify, they are blood brothers. We've noticed they have a very strong connection and often mirror each other.

Hello to Donna, who stopped by our table at John's Place. Always great to meet a fellow Fluevog-lover! 

I adore this skirt - it's so swooshy and pretty.

Whateley tried to climb my leg, so now it has a couple of tiny claw marks on it. Ah well, things are meant to be worn and used. 

We didn't linger in town, but came right home. 

What kind of shenanigans would our "Whateley Crew" be up to while we were gone? 

The stuff: 

Happy to have my little black/bronze leather purse back. 

• Purse - Aimee Kestenberg, thrifted, Powell River
• Silk scarf - Alexander McQueen, vintage 00s, consignment, Vancouver

Bold bronze bling: 

First wearing of the bronze/bone/wood necklace. I loved the weight of it. 

• Bronze/stones cuff - Loren Hope, thrifted
• Gold-plated shark cuff - Tom Binns, 2012, consignment
• Leather heart pin - Smoking Lily
• Necklace - consignment; purchased here for $75.00
• Earrings - consignment
• Brass rings x 2 - vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s, vintage expo

I usually read in bed while I have my first coffee. Someone decided to join me on Saturday morning. 

"What are you doing?"

Such a cute face - Whateley is a very handsome cat. 

Barnabas is our little pocket panther. He took right to the big scratching post and was watching the birds in the Garry Oaks. 

"My spot."

Whateley went after Monster Vest.

"I EAT THIS!"

That's a big NOPE, little buddy. We'll just move that somewhere less tempting for you. 

Barnabas getting a good smell of the neighbourhood. 

They both slept on here, both on this shelf and in the top tray.

And then they wrestled. 

I did not get much reading in! 

This is mostly roughhousing, not actual violence. 

They are so lovely. I can't believe how (relatively) easy they are. Famous last words...

I want to make sure they are both used to being grabbed, cuddled and handled by humans. 

Whateley selfie! I pop their claws in preparation for eventual regular clipping. Right now, they have tiny daggers. Both L's and my hands are turning into maps of scratches! 

And a more blurry one with Barnabas. 

"I'm watching myself in the mirror."

We spent the day just being quiet, letting them get used to us and the house, and hung out playing board games in the evening so they could learn our routines. 

We were completely boggled at how quickly they adapted to being in our home. Here they are snoozing on L's couch in the afternoon.

You can see Barnabas' white blazes here, under his arms and legs. 

They completely crashed in the evening while we played board games. We were concerned about them going after the game pieces - Vizzini's legacy is mangled pieces with toothmarks in them.

We needn't have worried. They didn't go after our snacks, two lamps have been knocked askew, and gently dissuasion not to hop on the table actually worked. 

We feel like we hit the jackpot with these two sweethearts. 

Our hearts are full! 

Off to enjoy an afternoon of watching the leaves fall, snuggles and zoomies (including climbing the curtains). 

Fall/Winter 2025 Closet Swap-Over, Including Accessories, and Videos - Plus the Whatley/Barnabas Crew

Welcome back, my friends! Are you ready for the 2025 Fall/Winter Closet Swap-Over? It's here! I last did my closet swap-over back here in late March.

I had planned an "easy day" during which I was going to leisurely do the accessories, saving the big closet work for the weekend. 

WELL. 

With two wee kittens due to arrive on Friday night, that was not going to go well. I would not subject them to the vacuum cleaner or to all my shoes temptingly laid out for them to chew on. Visions of kittens climbing my clothes and chewing on my shoes! 

So I did it all on Thursday! I got up early, sucked back lots of coffee and got to it. Here's the "closet room" (aka the den) taken from the computer desk. 

Things displayed on the walls, L's shoe shelf, my "stuff" shelf, glasses and hats, and then over the right, there's the closet. 

Let's have a peek, shall we? I love looking in people's closets, don't you?

This is the Before. I'm pretty tidy with my closet, but it does get a little messy in there over 6 months. 

Click here for the "Before" video!*

*Sorry about the sideways thing - I'm still getting the hang of the video function on my phone! 

A snap of my tops and sweaters and all of my long skirts and hung trousers.

I did well with getting everything worn - no backwards hangers here! 

As always, I go through each section, pulling out things that won't be staying out that season, and folding them into piles, ready to be bagged up. These are the four dresses that I didn't wear this season. 

With the "bubble" dress, the PANK dress and the Emoji dress, I just ran out of time. I'm not feeling the Spanish Ladies dress, so I archived it. I pulled a few items for archiving, favourites that don't feel me that I have no desire to sell. Maybe one day I'll pull them out and wear them again. 

Everything in this section has been reviewed, the shelves have been cleaned and the clothes have been put back. 

The hangers are turned around, ready for another 6 months! You can see the stacks of folded things just from this section. 

Moving on, these are the last of the "didn't wear 'em" clothes.

The opportunity to wear my Kenzo denim suit just didn't happen, but I am optimistic, so keeping it out for fall/winter. My Jack Skellington frock coat is a hit-and-miss pick - I wear it when the mood strikes. I turfed the blue bubble skirt. Not me, too short. 

Here's the dress section completed. 

I still had a couple of outfits put together, so that's why that shoe is sitting there - that's Friday's work outfit. 

And now this side of the closet. 

I really love jackets, so lots of them stayed out. The shoe "Tower of Power" got a good wipe down with Murphy's Oil Soap. 

Piles of hangers, stacks of spring/summer clothes, and the pile in the foreground is the things that are new/not yet worn (not summery), plus a few regret-me-nots. 

That grey wooly leopard skirt keeps making the cut! 

All the shoes lined down the hall. 

I've reduced my collection to about 75 total, all seasons. 

From the dining room, looking down the hall. 

I let go of a few pairs, but even if I only wear some of the heels once a year, I still enjoy them. 

Time to get the fall/winter stuff out from storage! 

It lives under the clothes in the closet, on the floor. 

On both sides. One big bin on this side, plus more bags. 

My Monster Vest is back! When I bagged my spring summer things and stuffed them back on the floor area, I made sure there were no little kitty-sized holes for hiding in. 

I unpacked all the bags and bins and hung or put away each item.

You may recall I keep 3 of these flat bins under the bed, and they contain my off-season shoes. 

And voila! It's all done. 

I had to move some of my jackets "upstairs" to the rack above. 

As my short skirt collection has dwindled, 1/3 of the upper rack is now cropped jackets (longer ones hang too low).

All my shoes out on display. You can just see that in the lower right corner - where the fluffy stool sits - I've filled one cubby-hole with my ultra-thick winter skirts/sweaters, which only get worn on the coldest days. 

All the hangers have been turned around, ready to start fresh. 

I let go of a stack of things, off to Limbo. Some things just don't fit my body like they used to, and some pieces just didn't feel like me. 

So many shoes! 

Unlike previous years, I had a stack of leftover hangers. With a goal of retiring in 2-3 years, I'll be gradually aiming to reduce my wardrobe so that 75% of it is out year-round and these closet swaps won't be as onerous. 

The walking/weather shoe area, and all of my purses. 

The old trusty steamer is ever at the ready (I use it daily). I store camisoles, small tops and my slips/lingerie in the tall chest. 

The opposite wall, with more purses, scarves, and other accessories. 

I'm very much a visual person, so if I can't see it, I'll forget about it...and then it doesn't get worn. All of this stuff gets swapped out as well - summery purses for velvet, light coloured scarves for autumnal hues, coloured belts for darker tones.

Click here to view the "After" video!* 

*I got a little verbose on this one, sorry - it's a tad longer!

I even did my jewelry swap-over! This is the Before. 

Everything has a place, and gets put back in its home when I take it off. Oh, classy, Sheila - my deodorant is sitting there!

Everything gets removed, dusted and spread out on the bed. 

All the surfaces get a good cleaning. 

Stuff laid out on the bed (imagine this with kittens, yikes!).

I pulled out some pieces I am done with, separated out light-coloured accessories for 6-month storage. Yellows, whites, aquas, greens and oranges...most of those are "summer" colours. 

All of my containers and display pieces on the bedroom scratching post. I've collected amber glass for decades, but only one of these is from the Indiana Glass Company's 1970s line called "King's Crown." It's the one on the lower left, a darker amber with an iridescent finish.

I've also collected a few enamel, copper and ceramic wide dishes, along with the crystal ring dish and the velvet bracelet display. All secondhand, of course. 

And "After": 

Sorry, I know it's dark! So many lovely, spooky, creepy and exciting pieces to have back in my rotation. 

And now...off to enjoy the remainder of the weekend with L, Barnabas and Whateley! 

Cat pictures - there will be LOTS of cat pictures. 

We brought our kittens home on Friday night and basically let them explore around the house. 

They discovered the furry tunnel pretty quickly. Barnabas (b for black) is smaller overall, but has the heart of an adventurer, and likes to climb. 

Whateley (rhymes with "motley") went looking for water in the bathroom sink.

Barnabas follows wherever Whateley goes. 

L encouraging some tunnel play.

They're smart little monkeys, figured it out right away. 

I see my curtain lights are still in place - they proved to be far too tempting for Barnabas. 

Whateley heads in after his brother. 

Vizzini rarely made it to the top tier of the scratching post, but our little kitties were all over it.

Those string lights also had to come down. 

I believe this is right before Barnabas glommed onto the curtain. 

"Should we, Barnabas?" "We definitely should, Whateley!"

They are a handful, but also really chill and happy to have their tummies rubbed. 

Whateley spotting his brother just after said tum-rub. 

Chilling out on the gold chair. 

Whateley just flops wherever: in the middle of the carpet, in the hallway, on a table. 

Where one is, the other is near. 

They stick close together. 

They slept up here for a while.

A very short while...

Back to the chair! 

"We are the kings of this house."

Aww! Enjoy!