The weekend is over and I can now speak from personal experience that Ikea can in fact almost cause you to get a divorce. Man oh man it was a doozy. On the way back I was ready to jump out of the moving car and then hitchhike home. Now we have to build the furniture which should be fun :/ We did get a new light fixture for the main room which is really cool. It replaces the monstrosity that Tom always banged his head on.
We are heading to the zoo on Tuesday because we haven’t been to the ROM in such a long time that Merle barely remembers it (I don’t know why it’s been so long because museums are literally my favourite place to be). Last time we were there she was still so young that she ran right in to a plate-glass window and fell on her ass because she didn’t know it surrounded the exhibit. I’m kind of looking forward to seeing how freaked she gets by the bug section. Is that mean? First time around she was literally in love with the hissing cockroaches, now she freaks out the she sees a dust ball blow across the floor.
I ordered a pretty cool pair of flats from Zara two weeks ago but when they came one was noticeably lighter in colour like it was in a window display and bleached by the sun. I was disappointed but returned them then re-ordered them (not available in my store) so I am hoping that they work better this time. Of course they get stuck in the mail for the long weekend so they weren’t delivered on Friday. I was kind of hoping to break them in this weekend but I don’t think I want to risk wearing them for a full day at the museum.
So all in all aside from the Ikea battle our place is kind of coming together here. I’d still really like to freshen it up with some white paint though because whoever painted this place beforehand thought it was a good idea to paint the vent surround (that hangs lower on the ceiling) a much darker shade. It should be white so it kind of blends with the ceiling. We didn’t have time or money to repaint before we moved in and now it’s a pain in the ass to do it since there is no place to move the furniture out of the way.
Have you ever had the whole Ikea fight experience? It shouldn’t be missed 😉
When I go to bed at night I always reflect on the day and 99% of the time I shake my head at how unproductive it was. Then I go to bed with the promise to myself that tomorrow I will do better. When I actually pay attention throughout the day to exactly why it is so unproductive I think about the meme that says “trying to accomplish something with children around is like having 152 things going through your head while someone is continuously hitting you with a stick.” That applies to so many things with kids and people who have more than two and still have it all together, I tip my hat to you. Twelve years in and this shit is still hard. So currently I have allowed my older daughter to have her PS4 back (taken away due to ridiculously messing room) and my youngest is quietly watching Charlotte’s web on the iPad so I can sit in silence and actually string two thoughts together on here. Annnnd she just asked for milk and cookies, like 45 seconds after typed that :/
This post is part two, to the What to Pack for Paris and Prague request I got on Instagram. Last post I mentioned how I tried something new and picked the entire list from the store & Other Stories. I found that I kept picking pieces from there so I made the decision the put together the entire list strictly from them. I pretty much want their whole inventory so it was easy. I also talked about how my choices reflected my personal wardrobe the most out of every packing post I have made (I think).
The trip is for 10 days so I put together 18 outfit options from the pieces in the list. A quick breakdown of what the list includes in case you missed last post or you found yourself here from Pinterest (or another social media site) is as follows:
A light jacket for cooler evenings or rain. I picked a linen jacket that looks great belted on the website (there is also a leopard one that I have my eye on that almost made this cut).
Shoes, 3 pairs. This is were I always have difficulty but ultimately a walking shoe, a slide, and a sandal made the list. An alternative to the slip on walking shoe would be a sneaker or some kind.
Accessories. The pieces that tie everything together and what you will use to change-up your looks. These include a hat, scarf or scarves of varying colours and prints, sunnies, and possible some simple jewelry. Like a dainty necklace, bracelet, or rings.
Purses. Ultimately you only need two maximum. A larger tote/shoulder bag, and a crossbody. These two should get you through any kind of travel situation that may arise. Any more than two is just a waste of precious suitcase space.
So as you can see the pieces above can be worn is so many ways. I put together 18 outfits but the possibilities are much more with some creativity.
This weekend is Canada’s 150th birthday and there is so much going on. I’m not sure what we are doing yet, but I hope you all have a great weekend!
Holy Value Village scores batman! This Sunday was their summer clean out pre sale for their savers club members. Monday is the actual sale date for everyone. It’s 50% off clothes, shoes, and accessories and we hauled really well.
There were a few non sale items we got that were also great finds like the Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters licences plush which has been on our Wishlist for a long time. I honestly can’t believe we found that there, and the bonus is that when you pull his tongue he growls. I have a thing for old product advertising posters and I found a replica alcohol advertisement from 1922 (on a large, wooden wall plaque). But my biggest score of the day was a Botkier Trigger Satchel that is $300 new but I got for $4.50 (50% off $9.00). I just happened to walk by and thought, “hey, that looks like a moto bag that I would carry.” Then I recognized the name and did a quick google search and saw the price. I was like, “yep, sold.” I also found another purse which is a vintage, hand tooled leather purse similar my other one I use frequently but a darker leather and a slightly different shape, a pair of culottes (actually capris but are culottes on me) and a cute dress from H&M.
As per usual Roo found some fun t-shirts, and a pair of Little House on the Prairie style boots she wanted. They are Steve Madden and are in great condition. Merle got an Ikea wooden artist dummy to replace one that she had before that broke, a board game, and some Mexican marionettes that are creepy as shit. She has a thing for marionettes and animatronics which she definitely doesn’t get from me.
Tom found some work clothes and shoes. He usually has more success there than I do but today I seemed to score well which surprised me since they clear out fast during sales. So we spent the day traveling to various Value Villages, hit up the grocery store for the week, and then took the girls swimming. I am tired now so I am signing off. I have a packing list for 10 days in Paris and Prague coming up this week that I kind of love. It emulates my style perfectly. I hope you like it as much as me.
Have you found any good deals thrifting or store bought recently?
When it comes to work, capsule wardrobes are your friend. It helps you to have a nice, curated collection of work appropriate pieces that streamline everything and makes getting ready for work easy. When you are coming out of school and starting your first job one of the top things that come to mind are “what am I going to wear”, and the next is “how am I going to afford it?” Because let’s be honest, most of us who are starting our careers don’t have a lot of money to be spending on a brand new work wardrobe. This is why a while back I made a blog post titled A Simple Teacher Capsule Wardrobe Built from Your Closet in Steps. In that post I laid out5 steps that would help you to build a work wardrobe out of many pieces that you already own. These steps don’t just apply to teacher wardrobe which can lean on the more casual side of business casual work attire but will also work for any new job.
Building a work wardrobe doesn’t have to be expensive because what you are doing is integrating as many pieces as you can from what you already own and then filling in any holes as inexpensively as you can (until you can afford more expensive if you wish to).
My personal wardrobe is quite casual and even I could put together a basic work wardrobe using the above suggested pieces as a guide. Off the top of my head I have 12 out of 16 pieces of the above clothing. I also have all of the scarves, accessories, and shoes that would work as well. That means if I wanted to copy the above list to perfection I would only really need 4 pieces which isn’t bad in the grand scheme of things, especially if you look at sales or second-hand stores.
To show you the variety you can get from a wardrobe of this size I put together 30 outfits below that could be worn. There are so many other combinations that could be made as well so you could easily go over a whole month without repeating an outfit. This list also will easily transition through the seasons without much alterations. If you noticed I stuck to a basic neutral palette of black, white, and grey, and then sprinkled in some colour with pink, green, and a camel trench. I played up the neutral with adding some leopard accessories and a ballet flat (leopard is a neutral) to add some cohesiveness.
Every once and a while I like to redo previous wardrobes because styles and trends change constantly. There is also the issue of many of the pieces I list sell out and people ask me for updated versions.
I hope this helps you to realize that you can start a new job with a great look without breaking the bank. 30 Outfit options are below. Have a great weekend!
You know when you are eating something sweet and it’s so rich that you are almost gagging but it’s still so good you don’t want to stop eating? That just happened with some chocolate truffles. It actually happens all the time but I try to finish it otherwise someone else will eat it on me. Unattended or abandoned food is not safe here 😉
Also that cold that I had? The one I thought was going away decided that it wasn’t ready to vacate quite yet. Several symptoms just won’t let go, and I’m going on week four of a stuffy nose and slight cough. I would have been concerned but those are the two symptoms that have stuck around for Roo too, and she got sick at the same time as me. I guess this is just a hanger on’er.
I fell victim to the Zara sale. Remember that pink tweed jacket that I got a while back? While I love it, it was actually my second choice. My first choice had more of a blue fleck than pink, 3/4 length sleeves, a collar, and buttoned up the front in more of a blazer than jacket style, but it kept selling out in my size. I’d get an email when it came back in stock and then when I added it to my cart it would be out of stock again. Very frustrating in the grand scheme of First World Problems, so when the Zara summer sale started and I saw they restocked it and it was $60 cheaper I was excited. Then it sold out again with seconds (I swear it was seconds) so I gave up. On Mandat afternoon Merle and I went to pick up some groceries and we have to walk by the big Zara to get there. As I was walking by I made eye contact with my jacket. There were 4 in a messy little row. Side note: Have you ever seen how chaotic and messy Zara gets especially during sales? It must really suck for the workers to maintain that. When I worked retail I would have to hold my breathe and walk away when someone rifled through my neatly folded tees. I can’t imagine the amount of work it takes to get it cleaned up after closing. Long story short, I pretty much dived at the rack to check and they had it in my size so I carried it to the cash in a death grip (you know. In case someone tried to snatch it like they do in movies) I kid only slightly.
This brought me to the realization that I have a thing for jackets. I never really realized that until yesterday but I get really upset when the weather gets too hot for me to layer a fun/cool jacket over whatever I am wearing. Some people have a thing for shoes I apparently like jackets. Now on to the real meaning of this post.
I will be short and brief after a long-winded story. These 24 outfits (12 above and 12 below) are the outfit options that I put together for the What to Pack for the UK packing list from last post. The details from the trip are in the original post but I wanted to point out to those that may have not seen it that this list is plus size and meant for a 3 week trip to the UK for the end of June to middle of July, so technically early summer. The trip it is requested for is mostly casual with a few dressy nights. The colour palette was mostly blues with a few colours added, while staying away from browns/beiges. Whenever I make a packing list I tend to include mostly solid colour neutral pieces, while adding a piece or two in a bright colour or pattern. I also like to add some colour variation using scarves and sometimes a shoe. A fun colour or print shoe can add so much to an outfit, everyone should have at least one “fun” coloured shoe.
While the temperatures at this time of year can lean towards hot, it can also get cold and damp in a blink so clothes that are loose, and breathable will work for the heat while adding a sweater over top will transition you through cooler days easily. *The UK is currently having a heat wave, so pay attention to the weather.* Remember that your travel outfit comes from the pieces in the list as well, and is not in addition to. It’s always a good idea to wear your heavier, more layerable items on the plane (planes can be cold) so that you can pack less.
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