Lace top remix

N and I stumbled across this pretty ivy-covered doorway which was perfect for our photos, even if this set didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Oh well. It's actually part of an otherwise seedy-looking hotel, you know, the kind that looks like it rents rooms by the hour (*wink wink*). That's the magic of blogging - sometimes there's a totally different world going on just beyond the frame of the camera.

I've always loved this gauzy lace top with details like fabric-covered buttons and a Victorian-style collar, but it's hard to wear. For lack of the proper terms, it's got a horizontal seam separating it into upper and bottom halves, so it looks odd tucked in. And wearing layers in the winter covers a lot of the embroidery. So I decided to knot it and wear it over a simple black dress instead. The necklace was a gift from my cousins and is much cherished!

xx

 

Dress - Jacob

Top - Max Studio via Winners
Shoes - Guess
Necklace - Gifted
Bracelets - Gifted and Le Chateau 

Barbie pink skirt

I've gone a little snap-happy this month in anticipation of having to pack away all my summer clothes. That means...lots of outfit posts in the next little while!

I'm happy that joining the blog world has open my eyes to the wonders (if not the smells) of thrift shopping. With my birthday approaching I decided my wardrobe needed an overhaul to better reflect my age. Between that and hearing informally that I'm up for a promotion (yay!), I've been on a couple of sprees. The mecca of Value Villages in Ottawa is the Bank Street location. $160 got me a giant bag of blazers, skirts, belts, tops, dresses...even a navy virgin wool coat which B declared to have a 'housecoat-esque quality' (I'll let you be the judge come winter). It feels selfish to buy only stuff for myself so I was thrilled to find a classic dress in my Mom's size from her favourite store that ended up fitting her perfectly :) Now I'm on a self-imposed shopping ban but I'm lining up thrift store dates with friends who want to get into it as well.

Two of my thrifted finds were this Barbie pink skirt, and grey blazer with faint pinstripes and white piping on the pockets. I like how the grey grounds the flashiness of the skirt. My camera battery died before I got any detail shots but you can see the camisole I wore underneath better in this post.

 

I'm not liking how the rolled cuffs look in these pictures. Oh well - hindsight is always 20/20. 

This picture is just...awkward.

Skirt - Thrifted (Love 21 by Forever 21)

Camisole - Hand-me-down

Blazer - Thrifted (Elie Tahari)

Booties - Thailand markets

Leopard prints and sorbet colours

The last time I wore this leopard-print skirt I paired it with a top in a similar tones and gold accessories. This time, I went for contrast  - a lime silk top with a tie neck and a coral cardigan with 3/4 sleeves and ruffle details on the front. I threw on a classic beige trenchcoat for the rain that was threatening all day.

I tend to be wary of thrifting shoes unless they look very new and are comfortable. These suede wedges with fringe detail from Aerosoles fit the bill and will be great for fall.

 

Trench - RW & Co.

Skirt - Thrifted (Joseph Ribkoff) (also seen here)

Top - Old Navy

Cardigan - Thrifted (Coupé)

Shoes - Thrifted (Aerosoles)

Earrings - Diva

Watch - from my Dad's closet

Ring - Gifted

Bracelet - Aakriti Designs

Penne with pesto

 Happy Friday!! Hope you all have lovely weekends lined up. B and I are heading to our friends' cottage in the Ottawa valley. We're looking forward to some waterskiing, tubing, golf (him) and reading (me), catching up with friends we don't see nearly enough and general merriment. We're also anxious to find out if our volleyball team managed to maintain our top-4 spot and make it into the playoffs next week. Cross your fingers!

This is an easy weeknight meal. Cook a small package of penne according to package directions until al dente. While pasta is cooking, wash and cut 1 small eggplant into slices 1/2" thick and quarter 1 red or orange pepper. Brush both vegetables with olive oil, and broil or grill until the eggplant browns, turning once. To loosen the skin on the pepper once it's cooked, place it in a sealed ziploc bag for several minutes. Remove skin.

Toast a handful of pine nuts over med-high heat in a dry pan on the stove, shaking occasionally until they start to brown (watch the pan carefully or they will burn). Drain the pasta and add grilled vegetables and pine nuts. While still warm, add store-bought pesto to taste, some grated Parmesan and chopped basil.

Variations:

Make a big batch of homemade pesto by following and doubling a recipe such as this one. Pour prepared pesto into an ice cube tray and freeze. Store frozen pesto cubes in a Ziploc bag for future use.

Add grilled portobello mushrooms.

Add grilled zucchini.

Add sun-dried tomatoes.

Add olives.

Add chicken or shrimp.

Saturday night with my sista

My sister and I took these pictures one Saturday night when we dressed up to go out but ended up drinking wine and watching silly videos on YouTube instead. As it happens, there was a professional photographer nearby. He took an interest in my camera - which I confess I haven't played around with enough - and kindly offered to show us some tips. However, he wasn't familiar with all my camera menus and I wasn't much help in navigating them. So the lighting and focus are a bit off in some of these. Time for a hot date with my camera manual.

 

I thought this camera angle was kind of fun. It reminds me of a advertisement for razors.

Cami - Hand-me-down

Necklace - ? (Australia)

Bracelet - Witchery (Australia)

Shoes - Bandolino via Winners

Purse - from my grandmother's closet

I'll leave you with some pictures of my sister, J, who's as intelligent, athletic, caring and sincere as she is beautiful. Love ya J! (Notice our belt switcheroo?)

xx

 

 

Bruschetta

I promised to check back in on the state of my balcony plants - I'll let this sprig of basil speak for itself thankyouverymuch. August is my birthday month (psttt...the 25th) and also one of the best months for fresh produce. Corn, tomatoes, the discovery of helium, all kinds of good/random things happen in August.

When I think of tomatoes and basil, three things come to mind: caprese salad, bruschetta, and how hungry I just got. To make this bruschetta, I gently tossed 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes and a handful of chopped basil with 2 tsp minced garlic, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a good sprinkle of sea salt (as usual these are guesstimates, adjust to your preference). I spread the mixture on country-style bread, sprinkled some grated parmigiano reggiano on top and broiled for 1 minutes.

Variations:

Omit the cheese and toast the bread on its own before adding the bruschetta topping.

Add chopped anchovies and capers.

Use roasted garlic instead of raw garlic.

How to: cheese tasting platter

There's something quintessentially European about a cheese tasting platter. Throw in a couple of bottles of wine, al fresco dining and good company and I'm a happy camper. It's a relatively fuss-free option for hosts who can't or don't like to cook. The possibilities for the platter are endless and can be adapted to suit personal tastes. Need inspiration? Here are a couple of rules of thumb I follow.

1) Use a variety of cheeses, including soft, semi-soft and firm ones with flavours ranging from mild to sharp. I picked a veiny blue cheese, an aged Gouda, a semi-soft sheep's milk cheese, a goat cheese, and a creamy Brie-style cheese. Don't be shy to ask your local deli for guidance (they may even give you a taste!). Set the cheese out 30 minutes before serving so it returns to room temperature.

2) Then you need your bread products. I served pumpernickel crackers in a silver dish, and slices of French baguette in a basket lined with one of my nautical-themed scarves. A nut bread is another option.

3) Fresh and dried fruit always pair well with cheese. I used grapes, figs and dried dates. Pears and apples would also work nicely, as would champagne grapes for special occasions.

4) Round out the flavours with something sweet and something salty. I used caramelized onion and a mango chutney, along with olives and sweet-and-spicy pecans (recipe here). Other options are cured meat, honey or a port reduction.

5) Wine. Obviously. The more the better.

 

For the presentation, I piled everything on a sturdy wooden cutting board. Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere labelled a slate cheese board with chalk, and a mirrored tray would be cute too.

Purse strap works overtime

This is an outfit I wore a few months ago and never posted (the indoor pictures are your hint). I wanted to show these cropped trouser-style pants one last time. They've served me well but have acquired a large and stubborn mystery stain that has resisted all attempts to be removed - professional or otherwise. My friend's mom is going to try tailoring them into shorts after I bribed her with homemade lasagnas. In other unfortunate (and baffling) clothing news I lost the matching skirt for this suit jacket. I came to the conclusion I must have dropped it off at the dry cleaners before I moved to Australia and forgot to pick it up. On a happier note, I found the detachable strap on a purse of mine can do double-duty as a bracelet. You can replicate the look by weaving a length of ribbon through a chain necklace and wrapping it around your wrist. 

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

xx

 

 

Pants - Jacob (also seen here and here)

Tank - RW and Co. 

Jacket - Sharagamo via Winners

Scarf - NYC street vendor

Bracelet - Strap from purse

Earrings - Winners

Shoes - Thrifted (Naturalizer) (also seen here)

Ombre colours and a wildlife anecdote

In the past few months I've discovered a lot of mix-and-match possibilities from my closet by seeing things hung next to each other on my drying rack. Case in point: this ombre silk scarf with a striped-and-floral sheath in the same pink tones.

B and I spent a lovely weekend with my aunt, uncle and cousins at their cottage in Quebec this weekend. Luckily we decided not to heed advice on the route through Montreal - a concrete beam later collapsed onto the Expressway. This came on the heels of B and I clipping a black bear with the car a few days earlier! The bear had come tearing out of the woods in Gatineau Park, right into the path of the car. We hit it on the passenger side and the bear took a tumble into the ditch but thanks to B's quick braking the bear, car AND passengers all emerged unscathed. Thank God! To safe escapes, I raise a glass. (Rose, in keeping with the colour scheme). Hope everyone had a lovely - and safe - weekend. 

xx

Dress - Hand-me-down (Olsen)

Scarf - Winners (also seen here)

Belt - Thrifted (Nygard)

Wedges - Clarks via Winners

 Earrings - Gifted

Watch - Gifted

Ring - Winners

Ladies who brunch

These pictures were taken at high noon on one of the hottest days of the year. I wore this gauzy silk cardigan for a girls' brunch/Stella and Dot party but the exotic print, pretty basket-weave collar and light-as-a-feather material would make it great for a tropical destination. I haven't figured out too many ways to wear it so for for now I'm sticking to basics that let the colours in the cardigan hold center court. 

 

Tank - RW and Co. 

Shorts - Mexx
Belt - Thrifted

Shoes - Thrifted (George)

Blouse -  Thrifted (Chico's)

Clutch - Gifted 

Ring - Coach

Earrings - Walmart