Floaty Blue (and Swords for Megan)

I was asked to fill in for a receptionist at one of the Weight Watchers drop-in meetings today. I'm not trained on it, but I've been shown some stuff and I worked in retail for decades, so I'm fine in a pinch. I got the start time wrong, though, and actually had to RUN to the meeting. I impressed myself: I made it in 10 minutes! I did swap out these shoes for runners (I changed back once I got there).

But woo! What a crazy meeting! Nearly 70 people showed up - it was just non-stop.

Anyway, this is what I wore:
Part of my walking around yesterday was going to one of my favourite larger thrift stores. They had a "buy two, get one free" deal on (I do love a good deal!), so of course, I had to browse around. And of COURSE I found something. A few somethings. I had to get the deal!

This top is by Elie Tahari for Nordstrom - it was $16.95. I checked online and this brand's tops sell at Nordstrom's starting at $168! I've seen Tahari in some of the more expensive consignment shops and they are always way too rich for my blood. I like the cobalt and white pattern, and the pretty pin-tucks. And it's silk! So it was actually warm. The style/pattern was a little iffy for me - do you think it's too old/ageing? I like the tunic length, since I don't have many tunics in my closet.

Megan mentioned yesterday that I looked like Link from Legend of Zelda, and that I just needed a broadsword. Well, Megan, I don't have a broadsword, but I do have swords ("You idiot, we've all got swords!" - bonus points if you know what movie that's from).
This is a replica sword (longsword, I think, but L will correct me if I'm wrong) that L picked up in his Ren Faire days. It used to have a blue hunk of yarn on it as a lady's favour.

This is a replica of a Scottish claymore:

We bought it when we went to Scotland in oh...1996...from a guy in a shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (he was really cute, I recall). We put it in with our luggage and brought it home, no problem, all duct-taped and wrapped in cardboard (it's not sharpened).

Both of our swords hang on the wall in the library. We have other swords and knives as well.

My outerwear:

My blue jacket and grey/black accoutrements.

I'm keeping this outfit on, because I have book club tonight, so no "stuff" photo. Instead, here's the closet shot:

Silver feather earrings, silver filigree cuff and my Scottish ring (hey, I got that and the sword on the same trip! Picture of the ring and how we ended up going to Scotland story here).

Inigo was being very cute:

Look at his little crossed paws. Awwww....

Coat (Mario Serrano), hat (Jacob), scarf (The Bay), gloves (Parkhurst). Blouse (Elie Tahari for Nordstrom, thrifted), pants (Kensie), shoes (First by Feet First), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop, London), ring (trip to Scotland), earrings (no brand, local).

Wednesday WW Group - Beech Butt

Today was my first meeting with my Wednesday group, after meeting some of them last week. I was a little sedate (for me) last week. Today, I went "Full Sheila":

Crazy Aunt whackitude! Woo! I felt like some sort of Robin Hood-esque hippie in this, which was fun. It's all about the skirt.

The drama!

Check. Out. That. Skirt. Seriously, isn't that cool? It's Smoking Lily from a season or two ago. I found that in a consignment store for $38.50 (it was on an extra 20% off). Then I walked up the street and found nearly the same skirt in the store for $96. Sweet!

I am planning to include this skirt in the Fourth Annual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge that Jane over at The Small Fabric of My Life is hosting this year. Although there are tons of wardrobe challenges, "diets" and capsules out there (I did my own year of not buying any new clothes or shoes), this has always been my favourite one because it's so few items (10 clothing/shoes, 5 accessories). I've done them all (2008, 2009, 2010)! Are you going to try it?

Oh, and FYI, I'm not getting any kind of kick-backs from Smoking Lily - I just love the quality of their items and own a lot. I have the Chair Skirt, the Dotty Dress, a maroon/grey silk obi, a pink/olive silk obi, and a silk bug scarf by them. Every piece except for the bug scarf was bought on consignment - I even found a black velvet cotton skirt by them with a silk-screened white flower in a thrift shop for $10.50 that I bought for my friend Cat, who shares my love for the Lily.

If you clicked the link for a similar skirt, you'll see that this skirt is actually a cape! Ooh, I can't wait to try that out! Mine is a thick but drapey tweed, and is fully lined in a beautiful, thick pewter satin. I love the uneven hem, the major (may-jah!) zipper, and the silk-screened pattern on my butt:It's a beech tree trunk! While I may never again have a "beach bottom," at least I can have a beech butt, hee hee.

Because of the uneven waist and the fullness of the skirt, I wanted to wear a slim-fitting top with some colour. I started out with the mustard top and trying on jackets over it, but they didn't look quite right. So I layered this long green sweater (last seen here) and loved how it worked. The mustard cuffs peeked out. This was snuggly and warm all day!

It was a bright, crisp day today, weatherwise, so I just wore my suede jacket (last worn in September) over it all:

As you can see my right boot has a habit of slouching, while the left does not (compare in the top picture, which I took first). I wore my brown stripey socks to help it stay up and ensure that even if it didn't (it didn't), I would still have a consistent boot shape there and I wouldn't look uneven. Boots last seen here (4 months ago? that's atrocious!).

Here's a detail of the skirt's pattern:

The name and the flower are silkscreened on the lining at the bottom of the point. For you sewers out there, dig the lovely finish on the lining edges - it's all sewn down all the way around.

The stuff:

These boots are devilish on the bottoms of my feet, and I walked in them more than I thought would have to today, so my poor dogs are howlin'. I put insoles in them when I got home. Low heels tomorrow, I promise, feets.

A close-up:

I've had that necklace for about 7 years - I bought it at Plum. It used to have matching earrings, but they killed my ears so I got rid of them. I also removed the little crochet-covered balls that were in the necklace - they didn't look right.

Coat (B.U.M. Equipment, thrifted), sweater (Max Studio), mustard tee (Mexx), skirt (Smoking Lily, consignment), socks (can't remember, got them at The Bay over a year ago), boots (Le Chateau, consignment), belt, necklace and earrings (Plum).

Tuesday WW Group - Teal and Purple (and Some Pictures of Inigo)

Apparently my Fluevogs caused quite a stir last week! I had many comments on them today, so I have promised to wear a different pair of shoes every week to my Tuesday Weight Watchers Group. Good thing I have the blog to refer to!

I pulled together today's outfit from some of my new Plum purchases:
Yes, I know the tights are more blue than teal, but whatever, I think they go just fine. The cardigan is new - it was 50% off, so $24. It's a nice cotton and spandex blend, so washable (yay!). It's the same brand and similar cut to this green cardi (warning, picture-heavy post) I picked up second hand last year.

The cardigan is a nice basic in a good colour, but my love is for the skirt - it's got pockets!

Plus, it's purple, it's brocade, it's designed and made in Canada - and it was $25, regular $85. Sweet!

Also, check out the nice waist detail:

It criss-crosses in the front - isn't that awesome? You can also see the 3 black sparkly buttons on the side, just above the zip.

The stuff:

These are the shoes I bought for my birthday back in October - only worn them once (here).

Oops, forgot to put my new belt in the photo:

It's the same purple as the skirt, also from Plum, and was $4 (and it's leather).

Because I was wearing a black cami under the cardi, I was going to go with all black or all-silver jewelry, but when I started poking around in my jewelry box, I found this fabulous silver bracelet that L gave me (again, for my birthday, I think):

I quite liked the pops of red in it and the ring. You can also see the 3 black sparkly buttons on the skirt - they're roses! What a cool detail. I love stuff like that.

Cardigan (Kersh), cami (Esprit), skirt (Plum), tights (can't remember), shoes (Me Too), belt (Plum), bracelet (gift from L), ring (gift from Cindy), earrings (over 15 years old).

Inigo has been hanging out on this box lately (it's the one that was full of recycling, which has now been emptied and is sitting on its side):

I love his dear little white paws.

I changed out of my "good" clothes when I got home, and into my "house" clothes. I got this long-sleeved grey tee yesterday in a thrift store for $7.50. I put the cami I had on with the work outfit over top of it, and tossed on my black jeans. I was laughing at Inigo. See why?

Rar! Attack of the monster kitty!

Grey top (Jacob, thrifted), cami (Esprit), jeans (Dish).

I got another shipment of supplies from WW today. Inigo wasted no time in jumping in the box:

Hee!

In My Comfort Zone

I'm gradually rolling out all my Plum goodies that I picked up last week. First up: this top/dress that didn't grab me on the initial run through the store:
When I scout a store with the intent to buy and/or try on stuff, I grab all the things that immediately leap out to me. Then, for my second go-round, I pull out things that intrigue me, scare me (yes!), or are a little outside my comfort zone (especially if they're on sale). You never know until you try things on!

I loved how this dress fit, and I'm totally (dude!) having an 80s flashback with the batwing sleeves.

There are two zippers off the neckline that sit at the shoulders - you can't see them very well in these pictures (sorry). It made for a very forgiving and comfortable outfit.

This is a very thin viscose knit (nice and soft, with some stretch), although the material is a bit see-through. I kept pulling down the hem when I was walking. Good thing the tights are thick! I think I might wear this with my skinny black trousers. The dress was $23, regular $85.

I wore this to my regular Weight Watchers meeting (I hadn't been in six weeks, what with being sick, going to Florida, Christmas, New Year's, and visiting L's folks) - it was perfect and light for my weigh-in. Only gained 0.6 lbs over the holiday season (and considering the amount of booze and junk food I consumed, that's amazing), but that has strengthened my resolve to exercise more.

I bought one of the WW workout kits: Punch! it's called. It's a DVD and a set of weighted gloves, and it has Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced kick-boxing/boxing moves. I did the Beginner mode (30 min) yesterday and I was actually sweating!

I did my fab yellow leather jacket over all this business:

All dressed up for lunch with L after my meeting. He dressed nice for me too (in his skinny purple jeans), and one of our regular waitresses, Sarah, asked us what the special occasion was. Heh, just bein' with my sweetie.

The stuff:

These boots have earned their price tag a dozen times over (I got them new, on consignment for $79.99).

Jacket (Danier leather), dress (Kensie), boots (Aldo, consignment), necklace (The Bay), earrings Aldo Accessories).

To Dye For

It's time to dye my hair again! The danged roots are showing at my temples and in my (sort-of)part, and it's been around 5-6 weeks, so here we go. Inspired by Terri's post on being a redhead over at RAGS against the MACHINE, I thought I'd share my dyeing experiences with you.

I've been colouring my hair some shade of red for about 22 years (with a few ventures back into my natural brown when I was in my 20s). Except for one treat, I've always done it myself.

First off, I change into my hair-dyeing clothes:
The yellow tee is from when I was heavier - I have been using it for colouring my hair for about 4 years (I also painted in it when we renovated our living room/dining room/hallway back in 2009). The jeans are one of my wear-around-the-house pairs (I never wear them in public), and I've got my standard thick socks on. Stylin'!

This time around, I bought Feria's "Ruby Fusion" which says it's a dark rich auburn.

I also like L'Oreal, L'Image or any other brand that does a really vibrant red. 'Cause reds FADE, and I mean they REALLY fade fast. Washing, sun and just the impermanence of the red dye. However, I've learned to work with this: I call it the Dye Cycle.

You start with the super bright red, then after a week it fades out to a natural-looking red (a lot of people think I'm a natural redhead, or so they lie to me, heh), then it starts getting blonde highlights. It's like having a different colour every week.

I have unwashed hair to start with (nice bedhead, Sheila).

No make-up on either. I don't put anything on my skin to protect it from the dye because I have super-oily skin and the dye doesn't take over top of the oil. If you have dry skin, a smear of Vaseline around the edges of your hairline and on your ears (must get the ears!) would keep the blotches away.

This is a good reason why you shouldn't dye your hair the night of an event. A couple of days before is optimal.

I have tried putting a towel down on my bathroom counter, but it's messy.

My countertop is marble anyway - it doesn't colour. Neither does the sink. I do keep some paper towels handy in case of drops flying off.

I am very bad about droplets. Depending on the colour I use (and I change my colour up constantly), sometimes you can't see a drop when it gloops until the colour develops. Sometimes, you drop the bottle of colour, like I did here:

I wiped those up right away, but the dye is pernicious!

After I mix up the colour, I go around my temples and hairline at the front first, then do my part/crown at the back of my head:

I draw a line of colour with the tip of the colour bottle, then schmoosh it a bit with my finger (like the pros using their brushes to put on colour). I keep my glasses on for as long as I can - otherwise I can't see!

Then I make parts with the tip of the bottle, starting from the front to back - and then I draw the colour back to the front of my head, and then schmoosh it in with my fingers. Nice faux-hawk. I only do the roots and don't bother with the ends until later.

I have to take my glasses off to do the sides/temples, and I have to use the mirror on the back of the door (installed for this purpose, and so that I can do my make-up):

I then do the back of my head, including the area behind my ears, right up to the crown.

Now, everything's done except for the long bits at the top of my head. If I didn't do them, I'd have weird-looking blondish tips.

All done!

I gently rub all the dye in until I have a slick "helmet". At this point, I kill 25 minutes until the colour is developed.

This is always the freaky part:

Whatever shade of red you do, your developed colour will be either purple or a blackish burgundy. Zoiks!

A good rinse in the shower, a bit of Frizz-Ease, and voila:

A nice rich dark auburn, as promised.

All the roots are nicely taken care of:

And it's that simple!

The Wednesday Group, a Crazy Aunt, and Sad Shopping News

As well as my Tuesday At Work group for Weight Watchers, I'm taking on a Wednesday group until I have a full-time job again. Since both meetings are at lunch and only take an hour, I'm sure I can negotiate maintaing at least one of them while also working, and just make up any extra time I need to.

Anyway, I accompanied the Wednesday group's leader to the meeting and introduced myself as their new leader. "But Kim's like our big sister!" they protested.

"Just think of me as your crazy aunt, then, " I said. We'll see how it goes, ha!

This is what I wore: I knew I'd have to wear low heels, as I had to run a few errands. I thought I'd go with a safe pencil skirt like I did on Tuesday, but went with a bold plaid this time (last seen here).

I wore the jacket unbuttoned whenever I had my outerwear off:

I love my shiny ruched brown blouse - it's machine washable!.

The stuff:

Plaid-y goodness!

Accessories:

I do love a thick leather belt.

The earrings are from Plum - and on Tuesday night, I got the bad news: my local Plum store is closing!

I've gotten so many lovely items from them over the last fifteen years (I shopped there when I was 50 lbs heavier too), and I am going to be so sad to lose their presence in my city. I have always supported them as a Canadian-owned company that sold Canadian desiged and made clothing. A fond farewell to all the staff, too - they always knew my name and recognized L when he came in shopping for gifts. That's quality service. Goodbye, Plum!

However, theyare going out with a bang (like I did) and have a clear-out sale on - and of COURSE I stopped by yesterday and spent my Christmas money from my dear inlaws. I'll have to be making special trips to Vancouver now to feed my addiction!

Jacket (Jacob, consignment), blouse (Esprit), cami (InWear), skirt (Casual Corner & Co., thrifted, vintage 80s), shoes (Outline, consignment), belt (Gap), earrings (Plum).

The Unseen Outfit and My First WW At Work Meeting!

Woo, I've had a couple of crazy days! My first Weight Watchers At Work meeting started this week, and I have been scrambling, trying to get all the materials together, not mention I just got trained for this yesterday! Yes, yesterday!

Gee, you'd think they'd launched a new program, or something, haha.

I had to run up to the local centre yesterday afternoon to grab supplies and beg for presentation material, so I made an effort to get dressed.
It was trying to snow out, so I went with layers: a cami, with the leopard shirt (last seen here), and this navy cashmere sweater that I haven't worn since I got it last December (shocking!).

The skirt (another long one!) was just last seen a couple of months ago (here). A few people have asked me about walking in long skirts - I find that as long as they widen out just above the knee, they are totally comfortable. I really like the A-line or mermaid shape in my long skirts because of this. I have various thicknesses (from denim to leather to this faux thin suede) and they can be stiff or they can be drapey. This one's really flowy. When you try one on, stride around with big steps in it to see how it feels. I also sit down in them to see how they drape.

Aside from L at home (with very attractive socks on, sorry, love), it ended up that no one saw me - I kept my coat on everywhere - so this is what I wore on the bus and at the grocery store afterwards.

My awesome thrifted coat, my faux fur gloves and brown velvet hat - I look like a Hussar!

The stuff:

These Clarke's Indigo boots are my best walking heels I own, hands down. Love 'em!

A close-up:

I've been grooving on hip belts lately. I got these earrings on 1/2 price sale at Plum for about $7 a few weeks ago.

Sweater (Land's End, consignment), blouse (Planet, consignment), skirt (Marc D'Alcy), boots (Clark's Indigo, consignment), belt (Anne Klein pour Caleche, consignment), earrings (Plum).

Kitty interlude!

I hate when the recycle bin is full, but at least Inigo has a box to sit in:

He's upset because we finally flattened his boxes that he plays with in the dining room, in preparation for New Year's.

And...back to fashion. (ahem)

Today, I put a lot of thought into my outfit for my first At Work meeting. I really wanted to highlight my figure, but look professional and competent (ha, the opposite of how I felt!). And of course, I wanted to look funky!

Did I succeed?

I adore this cardigan so much (I last wore it here) - cranes! I love picking out the red and green in it.

I'm not usually a fan of skirts that hit this low on the leg, but the shape of this one is so perfect (it has a couple of deep box pleats right behind the knee). Last seen here.

The meeting went well and even though I feel like I screwed up right and left, I'm sure no one but (perfectionist) me noticed. But gads, so much paperwork involved! WW, you need to streamline some of your processes!

I was thrilled to see when I weighed myself (to test the scale) that I've dropped a pound and am once again below my goal weight - I've been really struggling with that lately. Getting back to tracking on the new program (although I didn't track at all while away this past weekend) is really helping me get myself under control again.

The stuff:

I would usually hesitate over these shoes with this because the laces are more of a pinky-burgundy than a bright red (and you know I like the matchy!), but I think they go just fine. I also wanted to wear a low-ish, more comfortable heel, and you can't go wrong with a good Fluevog (I last wore them here).

A close-up:

Another new piece of jewelry from Plum - the red stones are actually stone, and I love the weight of them.

Cardigan (Lucky Brand, consignment), cami (Smart Set), skirt (Precis Petites), shoes ("Sumatra Coffee" Fluevog), bracelet (Plum), earrings (Aldo Accessories).