livelovesara - An over 40 Style and Travel Blog

What I Wore This Week

June 18, 2017Sara Leave a Comment

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Have I ever mentioned that I live by a really big mall? Like, a 5 minute walk from everything I could ever need. While on most days it is really convenient to be able to walk to get whatever I need within minutes, on other days it can be dangerous to my wallet. Zara is having a big sale right now and it took everything I had not to go down and check out what was there. I seriously put on my shoes and went to leave 4 times on Saturday but reigned it in each time. That is my version of self control 😉

I totally waited last minute to buy Tom’s Father’s Day gift this year. I’m usually much more prepared but I couldn’t decided what to get him. Merle and I were out shopping together and we were walking through the linen and bedding section of the store. She reminded me that he said that he wanted a new body pillow (his is super sad looking) so we decided a new body pillow and pillow case were a good start. Then last evening around 7:00 I told him that I had to run down to the store because I forgot to buy deodorant (I actually did) but in reality I also want to do a quick perusal and find him another gift to go with the pillow. The girls decided they were going to come with me and ride their bike and scooter, which ironically makes the trip take longer than it does when we walk.

After walking from one end of the mall to the other, we ended up in Urban Outfitters because they always have fun kitschy gift ideas. There was this neat cell phone magnifier in the form of an old fashioned television that I thought he would get a kick out of because he is always watching things on his phone, but I went with a record instead. They had the Beatles double album which is a fantastic album so I figured it would be good to add to his collection. As a final touch I had the girls go into the Urban Outfitters photo booth and take some fun photos for him to put in his card. Everything went well until the last photo when it managed to capture Roo in the middle of falling off her stool. I was going to make them do a retake, but then thought, “nah, that’s totally her so it’s perfect.” For breakfast I made him Eggs Benedict (my favourite too. Everything tastes better with Hollandaise). All in all I’d say he had a good day.

I have a plus size UK packing list coming up this week, as well as I am working on an updated Starter Work Wardrobe/Capsule.

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What to Wear for One Month in Europe Outfit Options

June 15, 2017Sara Leave a Comment

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I’m watching Beetlejuice while finishing this post because we found the DVD for $1.00 at Value Village on the weekend. I love this movie. The kids love this movie. So much that Merle was Beetlejuice for last Halloween. We are big Halloween people in this house and they are already planning what their costumes are going to be this year. They are leaning towards one being Dobby the house elf and one Wednesday Addams.

Tom came home from work last night saying that he hurt his ankle at work. He rolled it and now it’s swollen and bruised. I will admit that he is definitley not the “suffer in silence” type of person. Everyone and their dog were woken by his “pirate giving birth” noises while he hobbled to the kitchen this morning. Let’s hope it heals fast for both his sake and mine.

This is the outfit options portion my What to Pack for One Month in Europe packing light list from Wednesday. Thirty outfits for 30 days. If you pop over to the original post it gives the background information for the trip. The list had a challenge that there were religious restrictions on the clothing choices. Everything needs to cover the shoulders and be past the knees. Since there are so many different destinations in this one trip they are going to encounter a lot of different temperatures from extreme heat to cooler temps, sunshine, and rain. Everything I picked should cover all situations that may arise. I hope that these options lets you see how many outfits you can get from smaller, carefully curated travel wardrobes.

It’s been a long day and I just realized that my shirt is on backwards so I am signing off. Have a great weekend!

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What to Pack for a month in Europe in Summer

June 14, 2017Sara 1 Comment

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What I Wore This Week

June 12, 2017Sara 2 Comments

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I hoped because we had such a mild winter (in Canadian standards) that our summer would be colder. But apparently my hopes have been dashed because it’s not even summer yet and the heat rolled in. The stupid humidity makes it a million times worse though and today it felt like it was 38°C (100.4°F) and I was not impressed.

Does anyone else seem to spend an obscene amount of money on the weekend? I feel like we just hemorrhaged cash this weekend 🙁 It started with getting Merle a bike. She’s never had one because every time we tried to buy her one for the last few years, she said that she didn’t want one. I was concerned she was going to be like Phoebe Buffay on Friends and not learn to ride a bike un tip she was in her 30’s 😉 But she decided that this year was the year, so we got her a new bike, helmet, bell, and decorative stickers (for the helmet) and it was stupid expensive. That rolled over into dinner with friends, grocery shopping, and several other things and I can’t help but feel sick over how much we spend on weekends.

I did get a few Christmas presents this week though. The 20th Anniversary Harry Potter Editions (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff) were released in Canada and the UK (I’m not sure of the US relate date) and I bought them straight away. I figured if I waited then I may regret it and have to pay more. It feels super early to start to hiding Christmas presents in my closet again but an early start is always better than a late for me.

Is anyone else contemplating Christmas yet?

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Some of my Favourite Handbags from Etsy

June 9, 2017Sara 2 Comments

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I’m not going to lie, when bloggers I have followed for a long time start/started to carry deigner bags my first thoughts are, “oh, they’ve made it.” Which when I think about it, is sad that I am tying their success to their ability to buy designer handbags. It just seems to be the way it is though, and I won’t begrudge them that because I’m sure we would all like to own an expensive handbag but it gets excessive when there is a new bag that appears out of nowhere each week. I mean, the purpose of these bags, or at least what I thought they were, were investment pieces. You are “supposed” to invest in one or two and these are your forever bags. The classics that will become your wardrobe staples and never go out of style.

In this instance, yes I would like to have one or two expensive bags that I could consider my investment pieces. But no, I don’t want a closet full of handbags because in my mind when I buy something it is because I like/love it. That means that I want to wear or use it as much as possible. If I have a closet full of bags how often am I going to be using these pieces that I supposedly love. It kind of defeats the purpose for me. I feel the same way about shoes. I don’t need 100 pairs of shoes. I would never have need for anything remotely that much.

When I think of the investment bags that I wouldn’t mind having, a few that come to mind and that seem to keep their value and never go out of style. These are the Chanel Classic Flap, Chanel Boy Bag, Hermès Birkin, Hermès Kelly, and the Louis Vuitton Neverfull just to name a few of the big ones. I’ve never really wanted a LV purse but they have an excellent resell value which makes them a smart investment piece.

Now on to the point of this post. Designer bags are beautiful but have you seen some of the handmade leather bags that people have to offer? I keep finding all kinds of purses on Pinterest and when I go to their landing pages a huge percentage of them come from Etsy. This made me spend and evening going through pages of the handcrafted leather handbags and I pulled a small selection of some of the ones that I loved. The difference of prices between these beauties and a designer bag is crazy and I wanted to draw your attention to the other option. A realistic and smart option, if designer is totally out of your budget but you want something that is quality, original, and luxurious looking without breaking the bank (compared to the thousands for a designer) some of these may be for you.

I pulled some of my favourites, but honestly I only made it through around 50 pages and there is still so many more that I missed. This is one of the reason I love Esty. It gives you access to a product of someone’s passion and talent, while supporting a small business. That to me is a great thing.

What do you think of designer vs Etsy Handmade?

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Here a list of a few sales to bring you in to the weekend:

Macy’s – and extra 20% off with code CUTE
Bloomingdale’s – up to 25% off with code MAINEVENT
Ann Taylor – Extra 40% off with code SHOP40
Ralph Lauren – 25% off $100 with code KIDS17
Pacsun – $20 off $100 with code DADSGRADS
Coach – up to 50% of select items no code
LOFT – 40% off sale no code
Neiman Marcus – up to 40% of no code
Serena & Lily – 20% off elect with code DREAMWORTHY
Pottery Barn – up to 70% off no code
West Elm – up to 40% off no code
Williams Sonoma – up to 50% off no code

Have a great weekend!

What to Wear in Sydney Australia Outfit Options

June 7, 2017Sara 1 Comment

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Three things: first, Why is it that I can spend 5 minutes cleaning up the girls bedroom and it looks cleaner than when they spend 3 hours doing it? Second, I saw that they made a Twin Peaks remake so I thought I would check out the old one first (I have never seen it before) and boy is it weird. Have you ever seen it? Third, when I was young (6 maybe) I had whooping cough (pertussis) and the doctor said it must have triggered a high sensitivity in my coughing because from that point on every time I get a cold I coughed horribly (and that is and understament). It last weeks, and is so bad that I turn purple and am unable to get my breathe or control it. It sucks, and can be so embarrassing when it happens in public. People stare aghast like I have the Plague or something. Anyway, when I was young my mom would wrestle cough medicine into me which I hated. I would be gagging and dry heaving before she even got it poured out. Being and adult without someone to force me to take it I have to dance around the kitchen until I get the guts to drink it back. Adulting sucks.

I am quickly trying to type this while I am sneakily eating my daughters lemon loaf from Starbucks that she forgot she got today. I am trying to inhale it before she catches me. Which sounds mean but I haven’t eaten much in three says so I forgive myself 😉

This is the outfit option portion to the What to Pack for Sydney Australia post. The trip is for 3 weeks so I put together 30 outfits that should work for most situations. If you go over to the original post it gives the details of the trip. It takes place in December which is their summer so when you live in an opposite season you need to make sure that you plan early enough so that you can find the proper clothes in stores.

Australia is really hot in the summer so breathable fabrics are a good start. Things like cotton t-shirts, cotton dresses, linen pants, skirts, and loose, flowy dresses and fabrics will help to keep you cool. If you are not a fan of denim shorts than a dressier cotton pair will work well. It’s all about what works best with your style. Colourful and gauzy scarves make good shawls, head bands, swimsuit cover-ups, and of course as a scarf. There are many uses for such a simple piece and you can easily keep it in or tied to your purse to bring with you. This is only 30 outfit options but there is room to make many more with a little creativity. Thanks for the inspiration <3

Congratulations on your marriage and I hope you have a glorious honeymoon.

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