Monday, July 30, 2012

July Purchases


July Purchases



Old Navy Printed Tank Dress - $20.95 x 2
Old Navy Boatneck Sweater - $19.56 x 2
Old Navy Sequined Jersey Tank - $8.40
Naturalizer Torino Ballet Flats - $27.00
Naturalizer Diara Flats (in black) - $36.00
Gap Factory Bracelets (not shown) - $7.00 and $9.99

Grand Total: $169.41

Not shown are all my thrifting treasures this month (hello Marc Jacobs silk blouse for $3!). I am too lazy to tally up a bunch of three dollar items AND take pictures of them.

I love (d) my new Old Navy dresses. They were perfect for summer days around the house. "Were" is the key word here.

When I bought them, I broke my fabric rule (try to get the least amount of synthetic fabric as possible). These dresses are 100% rayon. I put the pink dress in my washer on the hand wash setting, a setting I have used to wash silk, cashmere, and wool sweaters successfully. The dress came out miniature sized. So much for the greatness of tall sizes; it is now unwearable. The black dress is still on the go; it's just getting really dirty.

Darn rayon!

I had a great rayon skirt when I was a kid. It was long, black with beige flowers and black buttons up the front. My mom worked at Zellers and I once did a Zellers' fashion show at her store. I wore the skirt with a black body suit and a kicking long silver necklace. After the show, we had the option of buying the outfit at a discounted price. My mom bought it for me. I was so excited; I didn't get a lot of new clothes as a kid and rarely got new outfits.

The skirt was rayon and eventually shrunk. It was devastating. I really loved that skirt. It put me off rayon for almost twenty years. I was hoping my fancy washing machine could handle the fabric but I think rayon is too sneaky for me. I'm swearing off rayon again.

And to complete this trip down memory lane, I dug out this gem.


This is me wearing my favorite rayon skirt, pre-shrinkage. I would guess that I was about 13 years old here. Check out the eyebrows - woah!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Bachelorette

July 21, 2012

July 21, 2012

July 21, 2012'

July 21, 2012

Tank: Old Navy
Jeans: Talbots
Shoes: Sears
Bracelet: Banana Republic Factory

These shoes were bought last year but forgotten about. I should wear them more often; they make me feel quite bad ass.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

BBQ Tuesdays and a Clean Eating Update

July 17, 2012

July 17, 2012

July 17, 2012

Tank: Old Navy
Skirt: J Crew
Bracelets: Gap Factory and Joe Fresh
Shoes: Naturalizer

Note much posting going on around here because I'm not wearing many creative outfits. My days consist of painting, swimming and grocery runs. A tank and a skirt have become my summer uniform. Last night, friends invited us over for BBQ Tuesday  so I upped the ante on my summer uniform and added some sparkles.

Although I was not clean eating last night, I have been doing pretty good with staying healthy. Christine asked for an update on my fitness and clean eating. For the most part, I eat clean. But it is summer and I love BBQs and sausages, so I do enjoy those things when I want. On those days, I try to eat healthy beforehand and super healthy the next day. It's all about balance.

I went super crazy when RDog was on vacation. We went away for a few days and ate lots of restaurant food. I was just gobbling up the fish and chips, crap cakes, lobsters rolls, seafood chowder. I was on a big seafood kick. But after the vacation was done, the next week I went super hard core with the salads, hummus, Greek yogurt and chicken.

As for working out, I still do Jillian Michael's The 30 Day Shred. On days when I have more time, I do her longer video, Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. This is a hard core cardiio workout - I hate doing it but I feel so good afterwards! I've also added a few of Jackie Warner's DVDs into the mix. I really like her Power Curcuit Training. When I started working out about two years ago, I started with 1.5 pound weights. Now I use 8s and need to find some 10s soon. I love finding muscles that didn't exist before. A few years ago, I could flex my arms and not find any muscles. Now I have little guns!

I started seeing a naturpathic doctor which is really neat. I find my family doctor is sometimes really rushed and doesn't talk a lot about nutrition. It's nice to add naturpathic visits into the mix and get professional advice on diet and supplements.

As for my weight, I'm pretty close to my wedding day weight. If I lost five more pounds, I'd be stoked but I'm pretty happy with things right now. RDog laughs at me because he catches me checking out my flat belly . . . a lot. It's great motivation to keep eating healthy and exercising. I don't want to go back to this.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Summer Dress Rules

July 11, 2012

July 11, 2012

July 11, 2012

DSC_0002

July 11, 2012

Dress: Old Navy found here and here
Necklace: J Crew
Shoes: Banana Republic

This is another new easy summer dress to add to my collection. I love when Old Navy Canada carries dresses in tall sizes. They are the perfect length for me. Although this dress broke my "cotton only" rule, it's still a pretty good summer dress. It's rayon and was able to keep me looking cool and fresh on this hot and humid day.

I love the dress so much, I ordered it in two other colors. I know, I buy way too many things in multiples (hello 18 Jackie cardigans). The last dress I bought multiples of, shown here, was a bust. I loved the green and blue version but the white and black dress was much too sheer. That breaks my summer dress rules. If it's too sheer, it's too much work for summer!

In other news, I'd like to thank all the wonderful bloggers who awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award. Apples and Pencil Skirts, One Too Many Closets, and 1 More Shopping Blog - you rock!


I'm a bit of a rule breaker. Instead of passing it on, I thought I'd just share some of my favorite blogs that are indeed very lovely.

I read a lot of decorating blogs and these two are among my favorites:

Modern Jane - A fellow Maritimer (she is in PEI) who decorates in a lovely, attainable way. I hate when looking at blogs and think, "I could only do that if I won the lottery." I look at Jane's pictures and think "I could do that!"
Just Beachy - This blog is great at showing how to take a builder basic home and customize it. She does all the work herself, even carpentry. I am in awe.

Some of my favorite teacher fashion blogs:
Musings on the Mountain  - I want all her clothes
Oh She Dabbles - A new discovery of mine

And here another favorite blog. I just think she is so cool and pretty.
To Brighten My Day

Have a great weekend!




Monday, July 2, 2012

Lighthouses and Lobsters

July 2, 2012

July 2, 2012

July 2, 2012

July 2, 2012

Dress: Old Navy
Hat: H&M
Bracelets: Joe Fresh and J Crew Factory
Shoes: Naturalizer
Purse: Coach

I'm am in love with this new dress from Old Navy. It perfectly fits my requirements for an easy summer dress: not see-through nor too short, cotton, with thick straps that don't require a fancy bra. It was perfect for today's trip to the shore for some yummy lobster rolls.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

June Purchases


June Purchases




1. Talbots Brushstroke Rose Pencil Skirt - $26.39
2. Hunter flats from The Bay - $38.99
3.Old Navy Perfect Tank - $6.40
4. Swatch from The Bay - $37.29
5. Old Navy Polka Dot Boat Neck Tee - $6.40
6. Old Navy Perfect Tank - $6.40
7. Land's End Canvas Heritage Rib Tank Top - $6.74
8. Old Navy Sequined Jersey Tank - $16.95
9. Talbots Mock Turtleneck - $11.99
10. Land's End Canvas Emma Buckle Ballet Shoes - $16.49
11. Old Navy Color-Blocked Henley Tank Dress - $18.65
12. Old Navy Floral V-Neck Dress - $17.00
13. Old Navy Gingham Patterned Sundress - $17.50
14. Talbots Heritage Fit Slim Leg Ankle Jeans - $26.39
15. Land's End Canvas Slim Slouch Jeans - $11.22


Missing from list - 2 J Crew Jackie Cardigan  in dark slate and fiesta purple - $0.00 (used Paypal credits) and Sears dress worn here - $0.00 (used Sears Points) 




Grand Total - $252


I went a bit over my budget this month but the sales were good. I stocked up on some summer basics (tank tops and cotton dress) and got some much needed new jeans. The Hunter flats and Swatch were just plain fun purchases.