New J Crew Loot

Thank you Canada Post for my new duty-free J Crew loot!

Here is what I got.

Merino Lea Cardigan in snow. This is the last one I am ordering; I swear.

Printed silk twilll boatneck top. I thought I was ordering this print.

But this is what I got.
This is much brighter than something I would normally wear. Maybe it will turn out to be a good thing and force me more out of my comfort zone. I might have to get it tailored a tad bit. It flares out a bit at the bottom and that irritates me slightly.

Taffeta A-line skirt in champagne.
I love this skirt. I love that it is silk, but yet sturdy . I feel like it is not going to get heavily wrinkled in the course of a day like the silk Dupioni skirt.

And last, a swing skirt in bright poppy. I ordered this skirt about a month ago in a medium pewter. I love it but it is a bit big on me. I sized down for this one and it is a much better fit. This will be great for summer days, when a skirt and tank are my daily uniform.

Overall, I am pleased with this order. J Crew currently has an Extra 30% off promotion so I am going to try to score some more Final Sale gems tomorrow. I've got a few more purchases in mind. I'm thinking about the Victoria ruffle cami and the Linen-cotton Wendy skirt. What do you think; should I or shouldn't I?

Playing with Polyvore

Yesterday, I had good intentions of playing Polyvore and making some outfits with some of my recent acquisitions. Unfortunately, Mother Nature dumped 32 cm of snow on us and we were without power for 9 hours! I had a hard time existing without my internet. Without the internet, I was forced to try on my outfits to see if they looked well together. It was while digging through my closet, that I made the happy discovery that I have lost weight. My skinny pants fit! I also tried on some dresses that I do not normally wear due to the revealing nature of the cut. But, using my new-found layering skills, I was able to match a few dresses up with other pieces that make a wearable outfit!

Here are some of the outfits I came up with.

Neutral Tuesday - by KDot on Polyvore.com
Reitman's gray pinstripe pants (my skinny pants)
Unlisted brown tank (from Costco - not as pictured but close)
J Crew Grosgrain Bow Cardigan
Long pink pearls that I doubled around my neck.
Gold and pearl bracelet that I picked up at flea market.

I wore this today and had originally planned to match it with my Pearl Cluster Bracelet from Forever 21. But when I went to put it on, the clasp broke. I have never worn the bracelet before. Good thing that I have some jewelry making tools and can fix it.

Next up is the outfit that I plan on wearing tomorrow as it is suppose to be warm and sunny (Wacky Maritime weather again. Warm, snow, warm; the weather is always changing.)

Untitled - by KDot on Polyvore.com
The dress is a burgundy sheath dress from Martin and Osa. This was the closest picture I could find. I'm pairing it with my new Merino Lea Cardigan in black, black tights, my black Joe Fresh ribbon necklace, and if my feet can handle, my tall "bitch" heels. They are the tallest heels I own. I may have to take a lower pair with me in case my feet give out mid-day.

Snow day!

We have some wacky Maritime weather today. We had a beautiful weekend with warm temperatures above +10 C. The whole neighborhood was out doing yardwork and barbecuing. Today, there is a snow storm with 10 cm of snow predicted. Usually that is not enough to close down the schools but when freezing rain is added into the equation, the schools are always closed. There is freezing rain in the mix today! Yay for a long weekend for me! So today I am hanging out around the house in my Juicy's doing some cleaning.

My father was up last week and I put him to work. I have a great computer dork husband but he is not so good with the handy work. Luckily, my father is handy-man extraordinaire. He re-did our computer room last week. He painted, added new baseboard, door and door trim and installed new lighting fixtures. He also brought up a new desk for me that he built! I have been looking for a simple big desk for years. I like very clean lines but wanted enough room so I could spread out my scrap booking and not have to use our dining room table. Dad just threw together such a thing for me using scrap wood. I am one spoiled girl. Unfortunately, my dad is a very messy home renovator so there is lots for me to clean up today.

I was also glad to be home for when the Canada Post lady came knocking at my door; my J Crew package had arrived. Unfortunately, unlike my packages that were delivered last week, Canada Post charged me duty. The order was small, only two Merino Lea Cardigans, but the duty was $29. Ouch! But because Canada Post doesn't catch every single order, it is still a better alternative than shipping with UPS. Here are the newest additions to my Lea cardi collection.
My black Lea that took ten orders before it actually shipped. J Crew gave me free shipping for the inconvenience. I think I will be wearing this one a lot.
The Lea in citron yellow. This one, I'm not sure what I'll wear with. But I think I will do some playing around with Polyvore this afternoon when my chores are finished. I'm excited to add both of these to my closet.

Hubby is home and he brought presents!

DH arrived home from San Franscico late last night. He goes away to work conferences about twice a year and always comes home bearing gifts. I think this is partly to stem my excessive whining that he is going away while I stay home. He always buys me something I would not normally buy myself. This time he really spoiled me.

I have always wanted a Burberry purse. On our last U.S. shopping trip, I told myself I WAS going to buy one. We go down to the States twice a year to go outlet shopping. When push came to shove, I couldn't bring myself to make the big purchase. I am by nature a very cheap person and I couldn't do it, even with the discounted outlet prices. I had a feeling that DH would buy me a bag while he was gone, but I was expecting a very small handbag. This is what I got.

Isn't she pretty? I LOVE it. I still fell guilty though because I know how much he spent on me. I know that he was talking about buying a Burberry present for himself but chose instead to spoil me. What a great husband I have.

Kitty also enjoyed this present but for different reasons. I think this is the nicest box she will ever sit in.

Back to the fashion

I had a few J Crew packages arrive this week but haven't really felt like trying on my new items until today. This week's packages were delivered through Canada Post instead of my usual UPS. I will be sticking to Canada Post from now on. The packages were actually sent through Express Post so they took about a week to arrive, the same as my UPS packages. The best part was that Canada Post didn't charge me any duty. Goodbye crazy UPS brokerage fees.

The first item was my favorite Merino Lea Cardigan in desert brown. Although I love the Lea Cardigan, I'm having a hard time deciding what to pair under this cardi. The brown is such a faded, muted brown, nothing seems to look right with it. Tonight I paired the cardi with dark jeans and a bright pink tank. It was ok, but not awesome. Any suggestions on colors to pair with desert brown?

My next item was the Pique Hoodie in poppy. This will be great popped over a tank for running around the house. It is also super comfy.

My Marcela Blouse in nantucket fog was next in the box. I was a bit disappointed in this one. Even though I sized down, this blouse is still a bit too loose.

I was also disappointed in the Grosgrain-bow city tee cardigan in champagne. I guess I didn't read the product descroption very well because I wasn't expecting the thin material. I'm also stuck on what to pair with this cardi. I need some color as the champagne tends to wash me out.

The disappointing trend continued with my Cotton Taffeta Nicky Skirt in bright fuschia. For some reason, I ordered this is my normal size, 8, instead of my usual J Crew size of 6. It's way too big for me and just packs on the pounds to my chunky thighs.

I also got a couple of Solid Washed Favorite Tanks (in citrus lime and bright rhubarb). These are great little tanks, great for layering now and for casual summer wear later.


I have a couple more orders coming on Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully I will have better luck with those items.

My fur diva

Thank you everyone for your kind words about Jasper. It does get easier everyday. I had a talk with a co-worker today and it really helped. He is also a cat lover and therefore, he could understand what I am going through. I don't think non-animal lovers realize how big a part animals can play in our lives.

I feel like I should give equal airtime to my little fur diva, Kitty, who is missing her brother this week. Kitty is 6 pounds of demanding diva. But she is my little angel. We adopted her from a shelter in 2003. Kitty and I immediately bonded and she has been my shadow ever since. I have heard that cats are independent creatures but mine are not. Kitty is always near me. When my alarm goes off in the morning, she jumps on me to say, "Let's gets going Mom". And for the rest of the day, she is always near me.

Here is my little girl.

Having a rough week

I've haven't been blogging much this week as I am having a rough week. I miss Jasper so much it makes my stomach hurt. This week is also a sad one at work as my school is dealing with the tragic death of a student. It is sad at home and at work.

I started going through our many pictures of Jasper. I am so glad we took so many pictures of our "big man." Here is some of Jasper's cuteness.

Jasper as a kitten. He used to have this pop-up tent that he loved to sit in.

Peeking out from between the sheets.
He didn't play with toy mousies; he devoured them!
My handsome man.
Jasper; with us from August 31, 2004 - March 22, 2009. I love you Jasper Doodle.