Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Velvet; Punk Brunch and a 15-Minute Shop

Welcome back, my friends! Did you have a good weekend? This is our last quiet one for a while, so we savoured a few days without much going on. 

This is my Friday outfit, worn to the office as usual. 

I wanted to rewear these fabulous velvet trousers and why not summer? 

• Silk-blend top - Gray by Jason Wu, thrifted; last worn here in May with tulle and brick red
• Velvet trousers - Anthropologie, consignment, Powell River; last seen here (2nd outfit) in June for brunch
• Creeper shoes - Call It Spring, consignment; last worn here in June for a trip to the periodontist

If you think about it, it makes total sense - you don't wear many layers when it's hot, so no Velvet Rage! 

Ghost kitties! Coming in to visit.

They were so perfectly posed, I couldn't crop them out. 

The velvet pants were perfect for the mid-20s temps we had. 

Incognito.

My pants glowed in the sunlight. 

I took a picture in the office - I had filtered natural light and overheads. 

This is what I see when I look down at them - isn't it amazing? Butterfly! 

The stuff: 

Comfy shoes. 

• Leather purse - Fossil, consignment, Powell River
• Silk scarf - Fluevog

Orange and lavender bling: 

I'd forgotten about this necklace - I liked how it balanced the highly-patterned pants. 

• Leather belt - Madewell, consignment
• Plastic cuff/ring - Italian, vintage 60s, vintage mall
• Carved jadeite bangle - consignment
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Necklace - J. Crew, consignment
• Earrings - Kate Spade, consignment

I let go of the earrings - I hardly ever wear them. 

Morning kitties.

Whateley snoozing on the bedroom post. 

And Barnabas has snuggled into the bed.

Aw! He's got the right idea.

After an evening of hilarity (music, games, kitty play-time), L and I snoozed a little longer on Saturday morning, then headed down to John's Place for brunch. 

I wore my L7 shirt as homage to L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who died recently. 

• Upcycled jean jacket - Ricochetjackets, consignment; last worn here in April for a bunch of shows at Lucky Bar
• L7 shirt - merch, 2024, not tracked
• Cotton skirt - J. Crew, consignment; last seen here in April 2024? That doesn't seem right, but it's the last time I found it!
• Boots - Original Samedi, Fluevog; last worn here for the same band evening in April

I've worn versions of this outfit before - it's nothing groundbreaking, but I change up the jewelry or belt and it's suddenly fresh.

So while it took me a while to get around to wearing this cotton eyelet skirt this season, I still love how it goes with my purples. 

It's a keeper! 

As is this marvelous upcycled jean jacket. 

I was the fringiest in the grocery store! 

But before we did a big grocery shop (next weekend is the August long weekend, so we skip our restocking), L needed to go pick up a CD at Ditch Records, so I had a 15-minute browse in the big Pandora Ave WIN store. 

But first, the back of the jean jacket. 

So. Cool. 

The stuff: 

Yes, it's really July! And I'm wearing boots! It got very cloudy and we've had intervals of rain all weekend. I was happy to squeeze in a wearing of these. 

• Suede purse - Dooney & Burke, consignment
• Snake buckle leather belt - Notes du Nord, thrifted

Bold bling: 

The butcher liked my chain necklace. 

• Carved jadeite bangle - consignment
• Crystal cuff - Loren Hope, thrifted
• Cobra silver/gold/amethyst ring - vintage fair
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Chunky chain necklace - consignment, Vancouver
• Gold-tone/suede earrings - vintage 89s, consignment, Powell River
• Gold-plated silver necklace w/glass stones - Lalique, vintage fair, gift from L

L's outfit was blog-worthy! He's wearing his Nashville-bought cowboy hat, at $5 blazer I bought for him, the Margarita Villains roller derby t-shirt, and a consignment pair of skinny plaid pants. 

The sneakers are Converse, and the cats are of course, Barnabas and Whateley. 

Look at this face. 

What's that? Stay home with you? Aw, we'll be home soon, little bud. 

Barnabas was lurking under a bench. 

He immediately flops and begs for tummy rubs. 

I found one thing on my 15-minute shop: this beautiful orange maxi skirt. 

I steamed it inside and out (it's fully-lined!) before taking the pictures, as it was a wrinkled mess. 

It's bias-cut for maximum volume.

I can really SWOOSH in it! 

I admired the cotton - I am sure - textile, with metal-wrapped threads woven into a plaid.

This is likely a hand-loomed textile - that gold-wrapped thread is delicate! 

It does up with a drawstring waistband, with an open side. 

I am positive it's handmade, as the inside seams aren't finished. 

It was tagged at $9.95.

You couldn't even buy the fabric for that! 

But I had a surprise! 

I forgot I was a "Winsider" - I got 30% off, so it was only $6.96. It's hugely long on me, so I'll be rolling the waistband and wearing it soon! 

And now, leaving you with these final pictures of the boys.

Don't be worried, Barnabas is happily enjoying Whateley's ministrations and head-lickings. 

This is a brotherly hug.

Not really fighting. I know it looks like a scuffle is about to break out. 

Well, here we are, another weekend over! I hope you had a lovely few days, and I'm so glad you're here, thank you! 

Mom-Day Doing It All, in Chartruese, Brown and Silver

Welcome back to Mom-Day, my friends! I bused out to visit Mom, and we had a day where we did everything! 

We took care of some insurance claims, went for a walk, worked on the puzzle and had lunch on the deck. Thanks so much for having me over, Mom - I love you! 

This was the last blouse yet to be worn - that last backward hanger! - and it met my criteria for sun coverage and lightness to deal with the heat. 

The long taupe skirt was comfortable for the bus travel and walking. 

• Blouse - Rock & Republic, thrifted; last worn here in December 2025 with neon leopard
• T-shirt - Cynthia Rowley, thrifted; last seen here in May, layered under Adidas
• Twisty skirt - Zara, consignment; last worn here in May with neutral plaid
• Sandals - Via Spiga, consignment; last seen here in June for a Mom-Day in matching shirts! 

Our building's fire system is still being worked on - that's why the door is open there, by the way. 

This was perfect for a day full of weird weather - as I write this at 6:30pm, there is thunder booming and rain lashing down! 

Incognito. 

My scarf gave me sun coverage, but also kept me from getting wet as I got off the bus and walked home. 

The stuff: 

These silver shoes were good for the small amount of walking I did, but my heels were sore by the time I got home. 

• Leather purse - Coach, thrifted
• Silk scarf - Vera, vintage 60s, thrifted

Minimal bling: 

Light pieces for a hot day. 

• Green stone bracelet - vintage 30s, vintage mall
• Carved stone bangle - consignment
• Anneke & Lars silver ring - vintage mall
• Silver/smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neuman, Sweden, vintage mall
• Glow-in-the-dark bug pendant - Heart's Content
• Earrings - thrifted, Seattle

More box kitties. 

Such focus! 

It's hard to get non-blurry pictures. 

Barnabas is ninja-fast! 

And now some pictures from my day. 

An amazing sky full of clouds on my walk from the bus stop to Mom's house. 

Some of the blackberry canes were just showing green berries. 

Those will be ready in August. 

But some were ready. 

Yes, I ate them. 

The stick tree. 

A big gaggle of kids at day camp at PISE passed me here. So screechy! 

Mom's Rose of Sharon is blooming. 

So pretty! 

She was excited to show me her nearly-finished house picture in a mat and frame. 

I agree, more bushes and flowers in front. 

Pointing out details.

I had a very small part in this, as I bought Mom some white pens last week. I practically painted them myself, ha ha! 

We took advantage of the cooling wind to go for a short walk, just a loop in the trail areas. 

We hardly saw a single person. 

Our bench awaits us. 

Grasses, Garry Oaks, evergreens (where I saw the owls). 

Very shiny green Garry Oak leaves. 

Acorns! 

Do you see the two lizards? 

One at the bottom left and one at the top right. They were skittering around the paths all day. 

Mom enjoying the sound of the red-tail hawks. 

She just got hearing aids! "I can hear my hair!" she said. Way to go, Mom! 

The hawks were soaring around above us. 

The blue sky...

And then a few minutes later.

Dark and grey! 

Having a good laugh. 

Mom got her necklace in Spain many years ago with Dad. 

We worked on the heron puzzle while we waited for our eggs to boil.

And then we sat on the deck in the shade and ate egg salad bunwiches and veggies. Yum! 

Hey, Barnabas, I'm home. 

Don't get up or anything.

Whateley has his alien face on.

I love his fat paws. 

A few minutes later. 

He's reaching out to me! 

And Barnabas was fast asleep. 

Ah, the life of a cat. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, with temps that are neither too hot or too cold! I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure, so please stop in. Thanks for being here!