She's a Mixer

I wish ladies, that I could come to you with some awesome tales of

adventure, but alas, the past several days I've been sitting in front of

 my computer listening to a court case between people who, let's just

say English is not their first language... it's been some tough listening!

There's just something about the cooler months that draw me to 

plaid.  Probably because it comes in the form of warmer material.

While it was an ideal autumn day I guess I wasn't feeling too seasonal,

for this gray ensemble is so not fall-ish.  There's still plenty of time for the

autumn looks, October has yet to come and then it'll all be about orange!

I've seen this mixing of plaid and stripes before, specifically speaking, 

in the blogging sphere,  and while thinking they pulled it off, I myself 

have been a little more reluctant to put it to the test.  Then I woke up

 yesterday, hating every outfit I was coming up with, and I decided to stop 

living in this close-minded box of mine. I'm glad I gave this a whirl too, 

'cause I really I liked how it turned out.  It makes me think back to just

four years ago and my closet filled with black.   And prints?  No way.

Hah.  I'm probably making myself sound like a drag, but black and 

solids?  They're just easy.  And a bit of a no-brainer. 

Outfit:

Guess Skirt

Jacob Shirt

Spring Flats

Thrifted Jacket 

Magnolia Silver Filigree Ring 

Romper in the Rain

Yesterday's rain put a dent in my plans for apple picking, so instead

Paul and I spent the day curled up on the couch like cats watching

Breaking Bad. If it weren't for Kobe's required outing I doubt I would

have bothered getting dressed let alone leave the house - it was just

one of those days. With the rain falling heavily and the wind blowing

fiercely, I witnessed the frail leaves being ripped violently from their

branches before their time. Some of these leaves haven't even had the

chance to change colours yet, and now they're on the ground! So not cool. 

Despite the endless styling possibilities with this dress, it rarely gets

worn. There I go playing favourites again! No one tell my cat I love 

the dog best. I wonder if I'll have a favourite child... it was the perfect

item, what with it's colourfulness and crazy zig-zags, for a rainy day. 

Outfit:

Charlotte Russe  Dress

Thrifted Cardigan 

Thrifted Belt

Autumn To-Do List

 I am the list master. Or list crazy. Either or. I have lists for everything:

grocery lists, a chore list, a list of books I want to read and a list for books

I've read, a list for places I want to visit, a personal and a couple's Bucket list,

and lists for finances. I could go on but I figured that gave you a good idea 

of my insanity. I've heard before that when people feel they have a lack 
of control in their lives they turn to lists. It's just the beginning of a dark, lonely
 path I guess. So I thought I would share a bit of my insanity with you! Can

 anyone tell Autumn completely bewitches me? Yes, the lame pun was inteded...
(I apologize if any of this is illegible, this is my actual hand writing) 

With my hatred of Winter so fierce, I find it odd I am fascinated

with Autumn. Falling leaves herald changes in the weather, and not

before too long my world will be covered in a sea of snow instead of a

blanket of red, yellow, and orange. While Spring delights us with bright

colours, Autumn's warm hues do not fail to please the eye. The world is

still full of hustle and bustle, for it is the time of preparation before the

hibernation. The increase in baking and hearty meals is more than just

pleasure for our taste-buds, those extra calories we intake come in

 handy in the form of extra pounds that keep our bodies warm. I can't

wait to curl up on the couch with my girl friends, stuffing our faces with

sugar, having a Halloween movie marathon. Even the simple act of 

walking has new enjoyment, for who doesn't love that crunch sound of

dried leaves beneath our feet? So, here's to you Autumn!

For the Sake of Old Times

See, I am old- look here, you happy girl, 

I will not play the fool, deceive myself;

'Tis all gone- put your cheek beside my cheek-

Ah, what a contrast does the moon behold!

        Robert Browning, In a Balcony

There are still several days until Autumn officially starts, but the

temperatures here say otherwise (it was a low 8 degrees the other

day!). The sniffling has begun, the sun is setting earlier as each day

passes, and my hands are icy cold causing the nickname Cold Hands to be

 reinstated. Cold Hands is not just lame nickname for someone with cold

 hands, props to anyone who can get my nerdy reference!

A month ago I would never have been caught in yellow or orange. With

yellow making my hair ashy rather than golden and orange not complimenting

my pale complexion, I thought the two colours were ill-suited for blondes.

They are perfect colours when you're going for the whole Autumn vibe

though, so I threw all of my old beliefs out the window! I've never really

been one to follow fashion rules or guidelines. I don't think so anyways. I

don't know if I'm a summer or a winter, I do know I'm a petite but I doubt

I always dress accordingly- and if I do, it's hardly intentional. And the whole

white after Labour Day? Does anyone listen to that? How about yourself? Do 

you just wear what your little heart desires or do you adhere to the rules? 

I'm excited to be wearing some vintage pieces. I don't have an over-

whelming amount of vintage things, but I have a handful. I rarely wear

them though. This purse hung on the back of my bedroom door, unused,

for the longest time. In its original condition it didn't have this cross-body

chain, it was more of a clutch. But what's the point of owning something if

you never use it? Now that I've added this chain I'll get more use out of it!

I kept the original chain for the purse, just in case I ever want to change it

back. Is it bad that I've altered a vintage piece? Do you think this takes

away some of its integrity? Verdict please ladies!

I apologize again for my dirty shoes, Kobe just doesn't understand my

 desire to stay clean. Rolling around in mud? Yeah, Kobe's favourite.

Outfit:

Vintage Purse

Vintage Necklace 

(Great-Grandmother's)

DIY Bracelet

Thrifted Scarf

Thrifted Beret

Thrifted Top

Aritzia Talula Dress

Poles Apart

I'd like to share with all of you: I've won the award for fickleness! I

should anyways... Was I not, just yesterday, claiming that flats will be

the go-to shoe for me? And now I'm in boots? Lesson to be learned: take

nothing I say to heart. It may change later that day. Why am I so fickle?

I hung out with my beloved friend Mariane over the weekend and instantly

upon seeing her I was uber jelly of her outfit! She had the whole equestrian

thing going on and looked very mature and polished. Now I'll have to go into

the back of my closet and dig out the jeans I never wear. I'm not the biggest

fan of leggings, when you have a cat and dog and all of their hair sticks to

you and people ask if you need to shave your legs, you just don't want to

wear them. I guess I'm trying to say, don't get used to seeing these leggings!

Outfit:

Thrifted Boots

Thrifted Poncho

American Apparel Leggings

Thrifted Circle Necklace

DIY Necklace (shorter one)

Thrifted Ring

Say Hello to my Yellow

                      Uhh, I apologize for being the most inconsistent blogger ever! I don't

want my blog to be filled with lugubrious posts and for people to think

I'm always in a melancholy mood, but I've just been in the biggest rut

lately. I think if Paul has to hear me exclaim, "I have NO clothes!" like

a five year old having a tantrum one more time, I think I soon will come

home to closet with literally no clothes in it. And the point will be proven,

I did have clothes in my closet. See, Sam. This is what an empty closet

really looks like.... I'm joshing ya. Paul isn't vindictive. And I welcome

you ladies to Rambling 101. Here you will learn all the essentials to help

you become a seasoned rambler just like me! Okay, I think that's enough.

Tight season is upon us already. This is good news for you: now you

won't be blinded by my ghost-like legs. I really want to wear all my

boots (no, not all at once) but I figure soon enough the ground will be

covered in cold white stuff and wearing flats would be pretty much 

equivalent to wearing nothing. So flats it is. I tried taking close-up photos

of my shoes but they're just too dirty. No one wants to see dirty shoes. 

That's what happens when you wear your delicate shoes to the dog park. 

Kobe has a way of dropping his ball, covered in drool, onto my shoes. It's

gross. It leaves wet spots. At least he brings the ball back. Pros and cons.

And this is how I've worn this skirt before. The fabric is fairly light

and airy, therefore I won't be able to get much use out of it during

the colder months, it's good for now though. 

Outfit:                    

Thrifted Skirt                    

Thrifted Sweater                   

Thrifted T-shirt                   

Spring Flats                   

H&M Bag                   

Fancy Sox Brown Tights                  

Riley and McCormick Western                  

                 Wear Reversible Bandanna (Kobe's)                  

Third Time is a Charm

Well,  the goals I set for outfit posts this weekend were a complete fail.

While Paul and I did have a wonderful weekend: both Friday and Saturday

night was spent socializing and relaxing with friends at some local bars

and Sunday's sunny afternoon was ideal for a picnic, things didn't quite

go my way. On Saturday, Paul and I headed over to the dog park with 

Kobe-the ushe. Upon arrival I realized I had a huge coffee stain down the

front of my white dress (after four cups of coffee I'm surprised I don't

always to spill on myself).  That was nothing though. The real drama 

had not begun.  On Sunday, with the weather so much in our favour, 

Paul and I decided a picnic was in order- there's not much time left for 

that! After walking a decent amount we finally arrived at our destination.

We allowed Kobe to swim first so he'd cool and calm down and allow us to

eat in peace. Kobe then gets out of the water, walks ahead of me, and kicks!

He's just kicking up dirt and it was all landing on me! I was covered, from

head to toe, in mud. To make matters worse, Auntie Dot decided it was

time to visit. Right there in the park. With no washrooms.  No bueno. Oh,

it was an awkward walk home. Ya just gotta roll with the punches. 

Yesterday, after the somewhat sad realization that the temperatures

are rapidly dropping and I most likely won't feel the heat again until 

2014, except for the brief Indian Summer we'll receive in the Fall, I got

on my hands and knees and pulled out the dusty boxes of boots from

underneath my bed. I always associate the end of summer with cowboy

boots. Probably because they don't do well in the rain, therefore the maj-

ority of the year it's unsuitable to wear them- and my feet just get stuffy

when I wear them on hot days. Since cowboy boots conjure up images of

rough cowboys (duh), desert terrain, crazy gunslingers, and a harsh way

of life many of us in the States and Canada have long forgotten, I like to

wear the complete opposite of all that imagery and wear a romantic girly

dress. I like the juxtaposition between soft and tough. Just like a white

lace dress and a leather biker jacket (why haven't I bought one yet?!).

Thrifted Pashmina 

Thrifted Dress

Aldo Boots

Thrifted Bag

Thrifted Bracelets

Souvenir (from Mexico) Necklace

Plaid and Rationale

Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
     Gerard Manley Hopkins, Spring and Fall 

I am over-joyed that it's September- it's one of my favourite times of 

year! There's definitely already some Autumn zing in the air. The days

are gradually becoming cooler and I believe the sleeve-less times are 

behind me. The leaves have already begun to change colour; starting at

the tips, it looks as if they have been dipped in yellow or orange paint. My

blog is less than a year old, so I haven't yet covered Autumn (which, in my

opinion, is the best time for fashion). I've already started drifting towards

fall-ish clothing, like this wool plaid skirt (needed to cut the wind's chill). 

I think I thrifted this skirt for a measly three dollars, a steal! The wool is

rather itchy (I call it my rough-spun wool skirt) but I always were shorts

underneath my outfits so that combats that! A lining once existed I'm sure. 

This picture here, of me bending over to pick these flowers, is of a 

before-the-melt-down Samantha. I always knew I was an avid animal

lover and I'm deeply compassionate about the environment, but this

is a new all-time low for me. People pick flowers all the time, there's 

nothing to it! But here I was, crying and babbling about how I took away

the flower's right to life in the park, while Paul attempted to console me,

telling me I was going to ruin my make-up (gotta love the concern). I 

think what bothered me was that I didn't even plan to take them home

and put them in a vase to gaze at their beauty. Next step: join Jainism, 

become a monk, and then walk around barefoot, sweeping the ground 

before each step I take. Nah....A happy medium exists, I'm sure. 

While I was wasting some more of my time on Pinterest, viewing image

after image, I finally stumbled upon a project that piqued my interest. 

These old gold watches had been stripped of their time-telling abilities, 

and instead replaced with sepia-toned, antique-looking photos. My heart

just melted. I only had this watch sitting in my jewelry box, but the next 

thrifting adventure I'm bee-lining it to the Grandpa-like watches. I at first

was going to use a picture of my dog or cat, but then decided upon a picture

of my mom and I that had been taken at my high school prom (I can't believe

that was seven years ago now, where is the time going?!). I don't get to see

my mom often, so it's a nice reminder of her. Oh, I'll be making more of these.

Outfit:

Wool Skirt- Thrifted

Wedges- Spring

Bag- Thrifted

Jewelry- Thrifted

Shirt: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

DIY: Tank

When my younger brother was going to give this marvelous t-shirt to Goodwill, I

immediately snatched it up and the brainstorming on how I could re-purpose it

began. This thing is such a trip down memory lane! I can just picture my grade-shcool

self now: after finishing up chores and spending the required time outside, my sister

and I would plop ourselves in front of the television and indulge in some quality Mario

and Luigi time. I bet my sister and I would have been much better players if we were 

allotted more time to play. These were the days when kids played outside. Now street 

hockey is against the law and kids who can barely use the toilet without assistance own

IPhones. The original Nintendo is the only game system I've truly enjoyed playing, since

then, everything has become waaaay too complicated for me. Every once in a while Paul 

will try to persuade me to play Wii, but I just can't get into video games like I did in the
days of my youth. And that's what my mind wanders to when I see this shirt. It didn't
quite fit and I've seen this DIY project floating around Pinterest for a while now, so I 
thought I'd give it a try. It's fair to say everyone who knows me passes things by me 
first before throwing it out, you never know what you can create! 

1. The t-shirt before the cutting. 
2. Cut the sleeves and a straight line (mine is a little uneven) across the top of the shirt, under the neckline. 
3. I folded down the new neckline and ironed it, this is such a help when sewing, I can't express this enoough- the fabric just stays in place!
4. Sew the ribbon in. And that's it! This DIY project uber simple and took less than fifteen minutes. Hope you enjoy!