Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! This time of year definitely tops my list of favourites.

I'm not a lover of horror films, I'm no fan of guts and gore, and I tend to

shy away from anything remotely spooky, but yet I can't get enough of

Halloween.  I do, however, eat large quantities of candy and happily get

my arms gooey from carving pumpkins while watching themed movies

- Hocus Pocus anyone? Unfortunately there won't be any dressing up

for me this year, so instead I opted for the graveyard at the end of my

street and black and white photos. Having an appreciation for history,

it was interesting to walk and see the tombstones, some were from

the 1800's. I find in North America there is a tendency to destroy

the old and create new. Aged buildings with decorative style are

replaced with the plain and industrial. Walking through a graveyard

is like walking through history. I've been noticing that cemeteries in

rural areas are smaller, made of generations of families. This particular

one was surrounded by birch trees in the yard of a deserted church that

overlooks a river. It was a quiet and beautiful place - very bewitching.

Outfit:

All items thrifted 

The Call of the Cape

Belonging to the generation who was raised on Disney movies, it

surprises me that not every girl dons a dreamy cape on a daily basis.

This is one item I need more of in my closet. It's hard not to feel

polished or magical (those words can be used interchangeably, no?)

when wearing a cape. This particular one makes me think of Sherlock

Holmes - the original of course.  All I'm missing is the deerstalker

cap and a pipe. I wish I could say that it's not cold enough for a

wool cape, but that would be a fib. I've brought all my herbs inside

and now my kitchen smells of sweet lavender.  Our hot breath can

be seen in the chilly mornings and I find my hands seeking the

warmth from my hot cup of coffee.  No never-ending fall this

year - birthday wishes never come true....

Outfit:

Thrifted // Cape

Jacob // Sweater

Thrifted // Jeans

Le Chateau // Boots

A New Furry Friend

Everybody, meet the newest member to our household! Her name at

the moment is undecided, we are thinking Kiyoko or Kaliko (Kah-

lee-koh). Although we have Kobe, I got him when I lived alone at

the age of 20. We think of him as our dog of course, but it was a

nice experience to pick out a cat together. We got her from the local

SPCA, which I recommend to anyone looking for a furry friend. It

was really saddening to see cage after cage, rooms full of neglected

animals who, like all of us, just want love and care. As much as I

wanted to give a new life to an older cat, the thought on cats and

dogs is that if one is a baby then they're more likely to be the best of

friends. There were some really young, extremely adorable kittens,

but our hearts were set on this six month old beaut. A kitten definitely

adds some energy to our home, running about wildly as if being

chased! I've heard before that animals adopted from shelters are

almost extra affectionate because of their appreciation - I would

have to say I agree! She follows us everywhere and all she wants

to do is cuddle, even with the dog. If you have a pet, please do

tell! I would love to hear about your non-human friend! 

Outfit:

Thrifted // Hat

Thrifted // Top

Thrifted // Belt

Thrifted // Skirt

Joe Fresh // Tights

Thrifted // Boots

Confessions of a Wanna-be Wallflower

Hello, everybody. I'm Samantha and I'm an introvert. With the

connotations that go along with this word one would think it were

a bad thing. At first I fought it and then I went with it. I can still hear

in my head the tone in which my mother says my sister is such a social

butterfly. I enjoy social activities, but coincidentally my favourite

hobbies tend to involve doing something alone (sewing, gardening,

reading, yoga, DIY projects).  In high school, introverts aren't given

much of a choice, which probably explains some of the teenage

moodiness. There is less of this forced-socialization in university

- sororities and fraternities aside - and things begin to look up for

us introverts.  After university was difficult. I'm sure like many

others out there, it came as a bit of a surprise that it wasn't so easy to

land that dream job with that piece of paper you had earned confirming

your ability to learn that cost so much to get. I went back to waiting

tables and when serving groups of four or more, I stumbled on

everyday speech when I normally have no problem talking.

What if Baby wants to be in the corner?! 

All of this mumble jumble has to do with my new position

as a newspaper columnist. When I imagined myself writing, I

imagined myself, alone, typing away on the keyboard.  Well,

when I was little I imagined a pen and paper, but the times

have changed, haven't they? I didn't picture other people, I pictured

myself with just my thoughts, ideas, and whatever my imagination

could muster. Having a column that revolves around my new

community puts me out of my shell, there is the need for interaction.

It can be a bit scary sometimes to talk to strangers and having to be

the one to introduce themselves first.  I need to listen to the stories

of the locals and immerse myself in my new surroundings - that

doesn't happen if I hide at the back and keep to myself. Sometimes

you got to do what you don't want to do to get what you want.

This is one of those times.

Outfit:

Thrifted: Cardigan

Thrifted: Plaid Shirt

Thrifted: Shorts

JoeFresh: Tights

Thrifted: Moccasins

To Rake or Not to Rake

The trees in my yard have just a few tenacious leaves left on their

branches. A terrible windstorm swept through our area a few days

ago and the end result is naked trees. A yard blanketed with leaves

is such a beautiful sight, I plan to keep it like this for some time.

While I do like to keep my yard clean and tidy, I wasn't overly

concerned with mowing my lawn and I'm not overly concerned

with raking the leaves. Not everyone holds this easygoing attitude,

I got a lot of "when are you going to mow that jungle" comments

in the summer. It wasn't that I was lazy and didn't want to mow my

lawn, but receiving comments didn't make me want to mow the

lawn any more than before.  It may come across as a stubborn

stance, but my mind turns to thoughts of conformity. Mowing or

raking because of fear of being ostracized or called out by my

neighbours would be conforming. Now, if I mowed or raked due

to my own desire to have a manicured lawn, well then, that would

not be conforming. 

I remember reading about this study done on conformity in my

psychology textbook back in university.  The test subject would

be with a group of people who were in on the study. A question

was asked with a very obvious correct answer.  The group would

all answer incorrectly, much to the surprise of the test subject.

The larger the group, and therefore a larger amount of people

answering incorrectly, the more likely it was that the test subject

would also answer incorrectly. People have a tendency to conform

even when they know they are right. On a good note though, even

if just one person from the group answers with the correct response,

the test subject is more likely to not conform to the wrong answer

and instead answers correctly. Wasn't a very brave test group, I say.

And apparently it's better for your lawn if you don't take all the

leaves up. That seems to make a whole lot of sense too when you

consider the world seems to take care of herself quite fine without

humans touching this and that. And this is what happens when you

let your thoughts run wild. All this has much to do with nothing. 

Thrifted: Dress

Thrifted: Vest

Thrifted: Belt

Thrifted: Moccasins 

Pumpkin A-Plenty

The other day I had my very first trip to a pumpkin patch. Yes, I

thought it was absurd I haven't been before too! I mean, it's almost a rite

of passage for us fashion bloggers, no? Wink wink, nudge nudge. Paul

and I took a drive to a place called Hank's Farm during the middle of

the week and ended up having the entire field to ourselves. It made for

a perfect autumn day strolling up and down the rows of bright orange

pumpkins. The air was warm and cool, the clouds played with the sun,

and we saw this season's first flock of geese flying south. I've lived in

an apartment for the last 9 years, so I may have gone a little overboard

on decorating my new house for autumn. There are pumpkins placed

on every step, in every corner, and on shelves. Hank's was selling old

corn stalks, so we picked up a few of those - to go with the bale of hay

of course. I got fall chrysanthemums and picked pine cones off the

ground to put in glass vases with autumn-scented candles. I feel most

comfortable and grounded when surrounded by nature, so why not

bring nature indoors with me? How have you been celebrating fall?

Outfit

Thrifted: Wool Hat

Handmade (by a friend): Scarf

Thrifted: Dress

Some downtown Ottawa

Boutique:  Tights

Garage Sale: Bracelet

Thrifted: Ring

Cranberry Patch: Belt

Thrifted: Boots