Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Mod Broad; Green and Aqua; Pink and Copper Les Mis; Floral for the Field; T is for Tammy; and Neutral Shopping

Miss me? It was a crazy end-of-week/weekend, so forgive my absence! I've also been just overwhelmed with life lately, so also please forgive me for not coming around to visit more frequently. Sleep/mental health/seeing L vs. blog comments. I have to choose. 

So here we are, way, way back at Thursday. In addition to my WW meeting right after work, I had Book Club right after that, so I didn't get home until quite late, nearly midnight.

• Top - Sun Moon Stars, consignment; last seen here in June 2014 with gingham
• Skirt - Current, thrifted; last worn here in June 2014 with denim
• Shoes - Liz Claiborne, vintage store; last seen here in September 2014 with splatter

I had lots of compliments on this outfit - it's a good neckline and skirt shape for me.

I love how perfectly the vintage vibe of the shoes went with the skirt's 60s mod pattern.

The stuff:

It's a festival of matchy!

Red bling:

All the reds!

On Friday, my office did a "wear a green ribbon to support Mental Health Week" so I dressed to promote it.

I've had my own struggles over the years, and know many people who deal with mental health issues.

• Dress - Adrian, vintage 1960s, thrifted; last seen here in December 2014 with sparkly
• Shoes - Prepare Guide, Fluevog; last worn here (way down at the bottom) in April for Easter at Mom's

I was very happy for it to be Friday.

This was a fun outfit to wear -  since I had plans that evening, I did my hair up and clipped it for the day. Add a scarf for Drama!

Such an awesome dress.

The stuff:

Ah, sweet aqua shoes.

Green and aqua bling:

I helped make the green ribbons.

• Scarf - Vera, thrifted
• Earrings - Caracol
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

I got to see L for an hour while we had dinner and I got ready to go out to see the local production of "Les Miserables." I've seen a lot of local theatre, and some is good and some is...not.

I met up with Mom, my ex-mother-in-law, my brother's ex, his current girlfriend and my two oldest nieces. I always like to dress up for the theatre, so loved the fancy vibe of this gorgeous cherry pink dress.

• Dress - handmade, vintage 70s; purchased here for $38.00
• Shoes - Donald J. Pliner; purchased here for $34.00

The show was shockingly awesome! Here's a rave review of it here - "magnificent!"

A huge thank you to my dear Mom for planning this entertaining outing! So nice to see my extended fam, too.

We've been having wonderfully warm weather this weekend, but I still needed a little coverage for getting there and back (I was a standout on the bus, ha!). I've had this scarf for over 10 years, but I don't remember where I got it. It's a black silk burnout velvet with purple and pink flowers.

The dress was pretty good to wear - I had a full vintage slip on underneath it. I might put a snap on the front closure, as it gaped a bit and the left shoulder kept slipping off.

I liked the contrast of the olive green faux snakeskin suede purse with the deep cherry pinky-red.

The stuff:

I didn't have to walk too far, so I thought that this would be a good test for the shoes' first wearing. They were fine, although I did have get used to the placement of the shoe's heel under my own heel.

Copper bling:

Copper and pink - why not?

• Necklace, bracelet and earrings - Renoir, vintage 60s - vintage fair
• Cuff - Renoir, vintage 60s, Grandma J
• Pin - thrifted
• Shield and wraparound rings - vintage fair
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 1970 - vintage fair

The show was long, so I got home late again - straight to bed for this cowgirl! We had a game of Ultimate Frisbee on Saturday morning, so I needed a good sleep.

Simple, easy, loose dress. And pretty flowers!

• Dress - H&M, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in August 2014 with a rabbit fur coat
• Cardigan (below) - Danier Leather, thrifted; past worn here in April with pants
• Shoes - Franco Sarto, consignment; purchased here last weekend for $32.00

I always have to wear something that I can slip my workout shorts/pants on underneath.

I love a dress with pockets!

I am sunblocked up for the field, but I like a physical sunblock for after the game.

I rolled the cuffs of the leather cardi to make the sleeves stay scrunched up better.

The stuff:

First wearing of the shoes - they were a little snug and rubbed one heel very slightly. As they're leather, I expect that they will loosen up.

• Earrings - local

L and I haven't seem much of Vizzini lately, with all this socializing.

"Who are these strangers in my home?"

He's been back on patrol, though, keeping track of all the crows and the other birds nesting in all our trees.

"What's the rumpus?"

Silly bub. It's just a car.

"I'll have to report this suspicious activity."

After a shower, I had some drawing time on the deck. I had a dinner date with my former boss, Tammy, so I made her a personalized Zentangle tile.

I sketched out the "T", then just started adding elements with my pen.

I bought a set of watercolour pencils, so that I can play with colouring some of my projects.

For my first time using them, I thought I pretty good.

Tammy really liked it.

Aw! It feels good to make something for someone as a gift.

It took me about an hour to do the tile, then I got dressed up for dinner.

Big hair! Crazy dress! Killer shoes!

• Dress - I'M Isola Marras; last seen here in February with pink loafers
• Shoes - Queen of Prussia, Louise, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) with red and purple

It was such a lovely evening! Tammy and I have known each other for over 15 years - she's my former boss at Fairweather.

 I loved how well the shoes went with the dress.

I'm trying to use some of my purses. I tend to collect them and not use them. I bought this fuzzy olive green one (dig the lime metallic braided chain!) a couple of years ago. This is maybe the 3rd time I've used it. Tsk.

The stuff:

Happy shoes! This was my first time wearing them bare-legged, and they did rub at the top of my ankle a little bit. Otherwise, they were awesome.

Ecclectic bling:

I had those same pink crystal earrings on (I think I wore them most of the weekend).

• Green cuff - Catalyst Leather, thrifted
• Purple cuff - thrifted
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop
• Silver ring - Bauxo
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Tammy owns a gift and clothing store - of course, I looked around!

I had to have the funky mod ring ($9.95) and the rabbit fur blue rose pin ($4.95).

After many cocktails and a bottle of wine, I slept heavily last night - I kept having horrible stressy work dreams, which means I need some downtime, stat!

"Bye, love! I'm going shopping!"

• Top - Ann Taylor, thrifted; last seen here in January with neutral-o-rama
• Skirt - Boss Orange, Hugo Boss, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November 2014 with Kim Cattrall's jacket
• Shoes - Born, consignment; featured here at Shoe Shine #27, and last seen here in April with chartreuse

I walked to town, got groceries, then ran a couple of errands. I stopped in a couple of thrift stores, and was lucky to find a few things.

It's still warm out, so this was nice and light and flowy. I'm also really stiff from Ulty (I have bruises still healing from last week's game), so the stroll pace was helpful in loosening me up again.

I love the soft silk of this skirt - it has pockets!

My Ann Taylor jean jacket from 2007 gets worn constantly in the spring/summer.

The stuff:

Awesome flats for my tired feet.

I found this cheery chartreuse jacket for only $8.50 at the WIN Boutique.

It's by Jules & Leopold, which is sold in Melanie Lyne stores here. I expect that it sold for more than $8.50.

I really loved this white eyelet dress. It's the perfect shape.

Hard to see, but it's a tailored "fit and flare" - with pockets! It also has those little snap-fastenered loops to hold the straps onto your bra. I love when they put those on dresses!

It's by Lord & Taylor (sold at the Bay department store) - their stuff is very pricey. This was only $23.50, which is a great price.

A look at the unusual eyelet shape - it looks like a Zentangle!

The mod side of me loves this stripey dress.

It's by Jacob, and was $22.95.

And now...time to go make lasagna for dinner, and chill with L and the Vizz-meister.

"Don't bother me unless it's dinnertime."

He's so floppy in the sun.

"I've still got my eye on you."

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing weekend! Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Shoe Shine #27

Shoe Shine is on!

Get your kicks by showing your kicks!

This time around, I'm sharing a pair of shoes that make my feet happy - flats!

I love the shiny gold/silver mix of these Born ballet flats. Born shoes tend to have lots of padding (a good thing), and although they can be a little "granola" for my taste, I have 3 pairs of Born shoes that I've collected in my shopping expeditions, and have paid a fraction of what they cost new.

As I get older and my body gets creakier, I'm gravitating more and more towards flat(ter) shoes.

I could live in these for a long time. 

What are your go-to shoes? Are they flat? Metallic? 

Show us!

Want to play? It's super-easy. Anyone can join.

1. Link to a post featuring a fabulous pair of footwear!
2. Include a link to Ephemera somewhere in your post (it's only polite). Leave a comment here if you like (note that comments continue to be moderated).
3. Go to the bottom of this post and click on the InLinks "Add Your Link" button to open a new page.
4. In the "Next Step," you crop the picture you want to display, and voila!
5. Show your Shoe Shine spirit by grabbing and displaying the button in the sidebar.

An InLinkz Link-up

Blue and Chartreuse and $6.00 Shoes

I'm always in a rush, it seems. No time to stand and stare. 

Who's staring? Not me!

• Sweater - Talbots, consignment; purchased here for $25.00
• Skirt - Noa Noa; last seen here in July 2014 with my ex-kimono top
• Floofy underskirt - Noa Noa, last worn here in September 2014 under a Desigual dress
• Shoes - Franco Sarto, thrifted; purchased here for $6.00

I had a lot of compliments on this colour combo. There is something about chartreuse and blue - it always works well.

I love the painty texture of the skirt.

The stuff:

I waggled my feet at my coworkers and bragged about my $6.00 shoes all day. These were pretty comfy - not too high for working in. They would be nicer if they were leather, as they rubbed slightly at the toe by 2:30pm.

Blurry bling:

Tired...

• Necklace - Nygard, consignment
• Cuff - Midzo, vintage fair
• Ring - cheap store in the late 90s

And although I'm tired, it's off to the gym!

Visible Tuesday: Backless Trompe L'Oeil and a New Home

Meh. I'm feeling meh. Nothing. Bland. 

But I'm trying to be "Wow!"

• Blouse - CABi, consignment; last seen here in March with much grey suede
• Dress - Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in February 2014
• Boots - Prepare Guide, Fluevogs; featured here for Shoe Shine #23, and last worn here in February

And so, I am late to the party, but hooking up with Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style. Rock on, Patti! 

I'm tired. I want to curl up on the couch with Vizzini on my lap and a hot cup of tea. Maybe in 3 hours, when I am back from WW.

But enough of my whining.

Backless dress!

All of that stitching on it - the belt loops, pockets - it's all fake. Just stitching. This has no pockets, no belt loops. Only the buttons up the front work.

On a funny note, one of my coworkers thought I was fully tattooed. Nope, that's just my shirt.

The stuff:

I got boots.

• Earrings - Aldo Accessories

And I got balls. Ball earrings, that is.


What I don't have? This CABi kimono-style topper! I sent it to reader Evette, who is rockin' it way better than I did. I last wore it here and expressed reservations about it. When I saw Evette's email inquiring about it, that was it - it had to leave.

Yeah, crank your neck. I don't know why cell phone photos don't respond to rotating. 

 Doesn't she look fabulous? I love it with pink. Why didn't I think of that?

Love the shoes too! Thanks for giving my blouse a new home, Evette! You look beautiful!

Pointy, Pink and Fruital

Monday calls for pink. Because why not?

Bam! In your face, Monday, you nasty thing.

• Vest - Edit by Jeanne Bekker, consignment; purchased here on the weekend for $25.00
• Blouse - no labels, thrifted; last seen here in March with a purple jerkin
• Skirt - Evan Davies, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in January with all the jewels 
• Shoes - Esoteric Temptations Odette, Fluevog; last worn here in March with grey and green

I didn't mind the vest as a layering piece - I liked how the front hung down in points, echoing the pointy shoes. Maybe over a slimmer-cut top next time. Otherwise, good.

I'm a major fan of this candy pink colour. Woo!

The stuff:

I'm a huge fan of these super-pointy shoes. This was my first time wearing them barefoot/barelegged, so I was cautious with any rubbing. They started to rub my heel around 3pm, so back to the shiny metallic pink runners I went for the rest of the day. Blisters, bah! Who needs 'em?

Blue bling:

Circle, circle, rectangle.

• Belt - Nygard
• Earrings - Caracol
• Lapis lazuli ring and Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

I'm sweaty from the gym and famished! I'm outta here!

Oops, almost forgot: 

Got shoes? Share 'em! See you midnight Friday!

Chill Weekend: Shoes Out, Shoes In

I wish we had one more day in this weekend - I could use it! 

We started off on Saturday morning with an Ultimate outfit.

Dressed for Ultimate Frisbee, that is. You can see my sports bra hanging out at the top - I'm classy that way.

• Dress - Apple Bottoms, thrifted; purchased here for $19.99
• Cardigan (below) - Jacob, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in April for a Zentangle
• Shoes - Predictions, thrifted; purchased here in November 2014 for $3.00

It was a nice warm spring day, perfect for running around on the field. There was a slight breeze, so the dress billowed most satisfactorily behind me. Many people hollered at me that they liked my dress.

I had a collision with Casey during the game, which bounced me to the ground. I'm still waiting for all the bruises to some up.

My only outerwear was a cardigan.

I liked how the magenta and turquoise worked together.

The stuff:

First wearing of these cheapie shoes - they were great. Not a rub or a tightness anywhere. I'm sure they will be destroyed by the end of the summer.

Aqua bling:

This vintage belt is a bit too big, but it's so cool.

• Belt - vintage 80s, thrifted
• Necklace - vintage fair

So, as mentioned earlier this week, I decided to get rid of a bunch of my really, REALLY high heels, including shoes that just kill my feet.

I bundled them up to take them to the consignment store, but first, let's have a little farewell to them.

From left:

• The Blind Faith Hi Rebecca boot by Fluevog - these were last worn here (2nd outfit) in April 2013. Every time I've worn them (which is all of 5 times since I got them in 2011), I've complained about how much they hurt my feet and my legs. 
• The Listen Up Mansfield shoe by Fluevog - last worn here in January 2014, where I noted that they were too high for me to wear.
• The aqua and orange Poetic Licence shoes that I bought in Carnaby Street in London in 2010. I last wore here them a couple of weeks ago; these are the shoes that kicked off this little purge.

More Fluevogs.

• The Memories Madly shoe by Fluevog - wow, I haven't worn these since 2011 (here) and I only wore them twice before that. I got them in 2008 when L and I went to Vancouver to see Alice Cooper in concert (go on, have a look here, you know you want to see me in my concert outfit!). They kill my feet. 
• The Listen Up Audrey shoe by Fluevog - I last wore these here in the December 2012 30 For 30 Capsule Challenge, where once again I noted how much they hurt my feet and how high they were.

And the last two:

• My glorious purple suede Friis and Co. shoes - I last wore them here in August 2013, so they don't get worn as much as they should. As you can tell by all the inserts, they don't fit and they aren't comfortable. I wish they were both of those things, but they aren't. I pulled all the inserts out and gifted them to my friend Casey's wife, Helene. She has the same size feet as me and loves purple. I hope she liked these!  
• My pewter leather Aldo shoe-booties - I don't even know when I wore these last. I think it might have been New Year's Eve 2010, here.

I initially took them to the Velvet Crease, but they turned down every pair, as being too high for their clientele, so I took them to Rich Rags. They jumped all over them (much younger customer base) and were totally excited about them. I will be lucky to get $100 for all of them, but just this once, I didn't want to give these beauties away.

So, goodbye, shoes that hurt and don't fit. If I miss you, I can go back and admire them here on the blog, and read about how much they hurt.

I consoled myself with a spot of shopping. I found this cool drapey sequined vest by Edit by Jeanne Bekker at Rich Rags for $25.00

I like the punk sort of vibe of it. I'm excited to wear it.

I went back to the Velvet Crease after I'd divested myself of the (heavy) bag of shoes and boots, and had a good look through everything.

I really liked this linen and viscose Talbots sweater.

 Love the colour and the dolman sleeves. It was $24.00.

I found these sweet off-white Franco Sarto shoes - barely worn!

Since I thrashed my last pair of flat white summer shoes, I've been on the lookout for another pair. These are leather and were $32.00.

I'm totally not a fan of thong-style shoes, but these are wonderful on.

They are by Donald J. Pliner and were $34.00. Not bad, considering that this same style sells new for $218.00.

I like that they are "Made in the Mountains of Italy."

It's not enough that they are made in Italy, but to be made in the mountains...well, that makes them really special, right?

Today, L and I went to see "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" at the theatre. I had to do a semi-homage.

Captain America colours? Sure, why not.

• Dress - Savvie; last seen here in February with black and purple
• Boots - 1883 Lucchesse; last worn here (2nd outfit) in April with brown leather

I love the vivid blue of this dress.

Add cowboy boots and we are good to sit in a theatre for 2+ hours.

I liked the movie overall. I do wish Hollywood would make more superhero movies with women, though! Where is Wonder Woman?

Of course, my homage is really all about here - I'm in my Wonder Woman pose!

The stuff:

One of my favourite pairs of shoes ever. Strong words, I know.

Superhero bling:

My cuffs for deflecting bullets, of course.

• Obi - local, gift from L
• Studded cuff - homegrown vintage 80s
• Cuff - Guess, thrifted
• Earrings - local 

Vizzini has been loving the warm weather. He was snoozing out on the deck before we left.

"How dare you disturb my slumber?"

He's so warm and soft.

"You made this sun happen, didn't you?"

He was full of love, giving me lovey-eyes.

"Now feed me."

His white eyebrows have all fallen out, except for one.

When we got home, he'd moved to the tile deck floor.

"Where you gone? I hadn't noticed."

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! See you tomorrow for Patti's "Visible Monday"!

Funky Friday: The Return of Danger Pants!

Holy shamoly, it's finally Friday. And do I need it? 

Sit up straight, slouchy woman!

Oh, indeed I do.

I will point out that today is a minor victory for me in that Danger Pants did not attempt any murder This is a good thing.

• Top - BCBG Max Azria, thrifted; purchased here for $12.99
• Pants - Signature 8, consignment; last worn here in August 2009 on a murder-free day
• Shoes - Fiel; last seen here in April with funky hair and checkerboards

This is my 4th wear of these pants and they've only tried to murder me once. I was hyper-vigilant today about using handrails on the buses and in the stairwells at work.

This is the first wearing of this peachy drapey top. I liked the shape and the uneven hemline.

I was all about the drape.

The stuff:

Second wearing of these flatform sandals. "I like your platforms!" a random street person yelled at me this morning. So do I! They were even better with bare feet.

Simple bling:

Leather and wood.

• Cuff - thrifted
• Earrings - Le Chateau

I have a fun weekend lined up, including tonight on my own (hello, wine, you look like a delicious beverage), Ulty tomorrow and Arkham Horror with Cat and Ross tomorrow night. Doesn't get any better than that.

Have a very chill weekend, my friends! I know I will!