livelovesara - An over 40 Style and Travel Blog

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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What to Pack for Sydney Australia – Packing Light

June 6, 2017Sara Leave a Comment

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What I Wore This Week

June 5, 2017Sara Leave a Comment

Outfit 1- Leather Jacket • Zara (similar) | T-shirt • H&M | Jeans • H&M | Sandals • Esty | Purse • Zara (similar, similar) |
Outfit 2 – Leather Jacket • Zara (similar) | Dress • Zara (similar, similar) | Shoes • Vans |
Outfit 3 – Leather Jacket • Zara (similar) | Lace Peplum shirt • Zara (similar, similar) |
Outfit 4 – Jacket • Zara (similar, similar) | Poison T-shirt • Vintage* (similar, similar) | Jeans • H&M | Shoes • Steve Madden |
Photo 5 – New thrifted shoes: A pair of Classic Vans slip-ons, and a pair of Adidas that I can’t figure out what style of. I think they may be a vintage. They look like a cross between the Vintage country (new country OG), the Samba, and the bottom part of a vintage Adidas German wrestling shoe.

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I hate making regular, run of the mill posts after horrible shit has happened in the world. It seems so tasteless, so I want it to be known that I was/am just as shocked, saddened, angry, and devastated at what happened Saturday night in London as everyone else. I can’t accept that this is our new normal. It’s so messed up.

I caught a summer cold from my kid. They really are little germ machines and I can’t believe I am sick again. On Saturday we had another successful thrifting day. In Value Village we found an Ikea Ektorp ottoman with built-in storage for $12. The cover on it was beige and really dirty but it completely removable, so we went to Ikea and picked up a new cover in grey (the darker the better here) and now it looks like new. While the cover was 3x as much as the footstool cost us we ended up getting the ottoman for less that 1/3 of what a new one would have cost and we wanted one anyway. (For some reason the Ikea links aren’t working on mobile.)

Tom has the tendency to steal my stories or ideas and then relay them back to me like they are his or he heard them elsewhere :/ Weeks ago I told him that I wanted to get rid of our kitchen table and get a drop-leaf style from to save on space. I showed him the picture of the one I wanted. When we were at Ikea on Saturday he showed me the table that I had previously showed him and proceeded to tell me how perfect it would be for the condo. I was like, “seriously?” At least he agrees with me right? 😉

Roo ended up getting a new duvet cover for her bed. I’m not sure why she liked this one, maybe it’s the vampire guy or the little cat with steam punk goggles. Whatever the reason she thought it was great. There were some really cute new textiles right now for both kids and adults, with great prices. We couldn’t get Merle’s yellow shelf yet even though I tried, because there was no room in the suv due to Tom’s work crap being in the back of it. It’s a good excuse to go back because we kind of rushed through, and it would be nice to spend a few leisurely hours there in a less busy time of day. I hate being herded along with the crowds like sheep.

I’ve probably mentioned how Merle can’t talk quietly. When we were at Value Village they had a huge chalk-like drawing on the wall of a family holding hands and walking in the sun (family being mom, dad, daughter, son, and dog) and for some reason this pissed her off. She decided she would say really loudly (but her normal voice), “not every family has a son you know!…….Or a dog!…….And not every day is sunny!” Then she walked off in a huff. She gets the drama from Tom.

*On Instagram I told the story of this vintage Poison t-shirt (up in the 4th photo) which was given to me from a former employee. Back in 2004 I was pregnant with my first and going through a rough emotional time. He knew that I loved vintage band tees and brought me this one to cheer me up. It really meant a lot to me then and still does now.

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What to Pack for Copenhagen, Denmark

June 2, 2017Sara 1 Comment

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