outfits

Welcome Spring

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first day of spring outfit

Welcome Spring- you are long awaited!

Today, for the First Day of Spring, while the sun is shining in the sky, there is still a lot of snow out there, so no pictures of tulips and crocuses popping their heads up. We won’t have any growing things outside for at least a month either, here in Alberta, so I decided to both draw and wear my own flowers today instead. I also added in my favourite bee necklace for good measure!

poppy earrings for spring

urban alchemy bee necklace

I haven’t been outside to enjoy the sunshine today, though I was planning on going for a walk this afternoon, because I think I’m coming down with a cold. Perhaps going for a walk would be the best thing, though. Getting out and getting some fresh air and sunshine would probably be a good thing.

It’s been a strange last while, hasn’t it? The COVID-19 virus pandemic has managed to touch all of our lives. A few weeks ago, it felt like it was (quite literally) something happening on the other side of the world. Of course, things like this do affect us all, but my day to day life hadn’t changed very much. I’m an introvert, and I work from home, so “self isolating” is basically my everyday life.

However, now with this disease spreading to all corners of the world, it actually is starting to affect me. I may jokingly say that I self isolate all the time, but the reality is that I can go out whenever I choose to. It’s as simple as putting on my coat and shoes and walking out the door.

To suddenly be aware of the fact that you shouldn’t go out, well…it’s entirely different isn’t it? Realizing that you shouldn’t go out browsing the shops, that the library is closed, that the grocery stores are all out of rolled oats (and you really just wanted some porridge), that since you’ve got cold symptoms you need to stay indoors to protect everyone else (just in case it’s not a cold, but you’ve actually contracted the disease…), and that now is not the ideal time to be dropping off resumes and looking for work…well it can get a bit stressful can’t it?

be anxious for nothing artwork

Last night as I was reading my Bible, these verses came to mind, so I immediately flipped over to Philippians to read them again. I went to sleep with these words on my mind, and woke up this morning eager to put them to paper. And since it’s the first day of Spring, I thought that some flowers were apropos to add some sunshine and hope. Times of refreshing do come.

How are you celebrating the first day of Spring?

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7

Poppy pearl earrings by Andrea Shelley Designs

Bee necklace by Urban Alchemy Jewelry

welcome spring botanical artwork

first day of spring floral outfit

Channeling Cruella

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platinum bob with root smudge, the artyologist

There’s nothing quite like a fresh new hair cut and colour is there?

I was very long overdue for a hair appointment; it had been 11 weeks since my last cut/root touch up! (Hi, My name is Nicole, and I am great at procrastinating.) I haven’t had the pink hair for a while, but there hasn’t been any photographic evidence of that -oops! My roots were starting to show a decided grow-out line, so I got my hairdresser to do a “root smudge”, and then tone it again for a nice silvery colour; and I absolutely love it! If it wasn’t so much upkeep, I think I’d keep this colour for a long while!

Anyways, my hairdresser asked if I wanted it styled straight or curled, and I opted for curls because I never do them myself. After my appointment, I decided that some photos of the new style were in order.

platinum bob with root smudge

I was going for a sort of movie star look, but after I saw these photos, I realized that they have a rather Cruella De Vil feel to them…that’s OK, because she is definitely one of Disney’s most glamorous villains don’t you think?

Do you procrastinate when it comes to scheduling hair appointments? What colour of hair would you choose if time/upkeep/money wasn’t an issue? Who is your favourite Disney villain?

A Bookish Outfit for Fall

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walking down a country fall lane

I am excitedly looking forward to Christmas (seriously only 2 weeks away?!?) and have been wanting to share some photos of the decorating I did this year, and even some winter outfits, but before I can get into Christmas/Winter mode…I really need to post the last of my Fall photos! Again, I don’t know why I haven’t posted these photos yet, but here I am today with another very belated Fall fashion post.

These photos were taken in one of my favourite country lanes back in October when the leaves were golden, and my hair was still pink. This was one of the few beautiful Fall days we had, the lighting was perfect and so my sister and I jumped into the car, came over to this perfect leafy background and quickly grabbed these photos! I like how they turned out, so I really don’t know why I waited so long to share them…

country lane in falltime

I found this plaid skirt at the thrift store last year, and have been wearing it on repeat all through the cold months. I wasn’t able to get a photo of it last Winter, so I was so excited to be able to pull it out again! It is a half circle skirt, with pleats pressed into it; I wasn’t sure how I would like the shape, but I like it so much that I am planning to sew myself one like it. When I bought it, the waistband was stretched out of shape and it was too large for me. I took the waistband off, added some narrow darts to the skirt so it would fit, and then put the waistband back on. I think that this skirt had been put through the washing machine, as the pleats (and fabric) were a big mess, but I took it to the dry cleaners for a steam pressing and it came back looking much better! It’s amazing what a good pressing can do for your clothes, and sometimes it really is worth it to take certain garments for a professional press job. If you look closely at the fabric (a polyester and wool blend) you can see that it is in not the best condition, but who’s looking that closely?

schoolgirl styled outfit in a country lane

40's college girl styled outfit

I’ve been wearing this skirt a lot lately, either pairing it with my favourite green cardigan and a black shell, or a drapey rayon blouse for work. The colours are quite versatile and it’s so nice to have pieces you can grab that go with so many other things in your wardrobe!

Another piece I’ve been wearing on repeat, is this dull pink coloured beret. I love my berets and wear them almost every day in the fall and winter! When I got this one, I didn’t know if it would be a good colour for the existing pieces in my wardrobe, but it has been actually a really great addition.

My favourite fall fashion always has a kind of bookish feel to it, and this outfit makes me think of a 1940’s college girl, what do you think? What are some of your favourite things to wear come Fall?

vintage college girl styled outfit

Well, now that I’ve posted these images, I can move on to Christmas and Winter stuff! Stay tuned for some photos of the (minimal) holiday decorating that I did this year. Hope you are all doing well, Dear Readers, and having as much fun looking forward to Christmas as I am! Talk to you soon….

fall colours across a valley

walking down a country lane in falltime

vintage 1940's style outfit for falltime

grandmothers button necklace pendant

My vintage Grandmother’s Button pendant.

fall leaves

vintage fall outfit

fall leaves in a country lane

 

Russet Leaves and Rosy Hair

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Now that it’s almost winter, all the leaves are long gone, and these photos are woefully out of season, I suppose it’s about time to post them.

I’ve had these pictures sitting on my desktop for ages, and for some reason I just never posted them. I think it’s because I don’t really have anything to say about them in particular, and I just can’t seem to get a blog post composed.

It’s not that I don’t want to blog anymore; I do. But, I’ve been doing other things with my time lately…and so blogging gets put to the side. I don’t want to be redundant and keep saying, “I’m going to get back to it” and then not follow through, but I do really want to get back into it. Blogging is such a great creative outlet for me, and I’m sad that I’ve let it get pushed to the side.  So, maybe a near-end-of-year resolution is to make time for blogging again? And find some topics to talk about too, so I won’t have trouble composing useful and interesting posts! But, I haven’t thought of anything useful or interesting to say today… so for now here will have to be the world’s most boring post instead…

Hope you are all keeping well!

Changing of Seasons

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It’s taken me a little while to get used to the changing of the seasons this year. We have had such a cold and rainy summer this year, that these past few warm and sunny weeks have seemed rather like summer has finally come. But the calendar tells me that we are already here at the first official day of Fall, and the golden leaves and chill in the morning air reminds me that it must be the season after all.

Falltime is my favourite season so today on the first day of Fall, upon reflecting, here are some of my favourite things about this season. Even if I haven’t done all of these things, or they haven’t taken place yet, I am looking forward to them in their turn!

  • golden fields ready for harvest.
  • the cool crisp air in the mornings that makes my bike ride to work chilly.
  • the soft autumn sunshine in the afternoons that makes my ride home much warmer!

  • harvesting produce from the garden (my mom’s garden that is!)
  • cooking a meal completely with homegrown vegetables and herbs.

  • riding my bicycle through scattered leaves and hearing them crunch under the tires
  • baking
  • cozy cups of tea- especially chai lately!

  • supplementing my decor with branches and other collected finds from nature.
  • pressing differently shaped and coloured leaves

  • picking apples and eating them fresh from the tree, and then making juice and crisps with the rest
  • pumpkins
  • pulling out the wool skirts and cardigans and scarves

These a just a few favourite things of this season- what are your favourite things about Fall?

outfit details:

skirt- homesewn from vintage fabric

shirt- thrifted

hat- Lack of Color

necklace- Grandmother’s Buttons

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