Wedding Season Is Upon Us

Along with the nicer weather, wedding season is here again. I’m heading off to Saskatoon on June 1st to see my brother tie the knot. The only problem I had to face (and many of you will as well) is: “What the heck do I wear?!?!?” Yes, I have tons of things that would be suitable, but for me a wedding is a wonderful excuse to buy something new. So I went shopping – a lot. I went to a consignment store, Winners, Smart Set, Ricki’s, H&M, Le Château, The Bay, Cleo, WAL-MART and even Mark’s Work Wearhouse. I ended up buying two dresses at H&M but wasn’t jazzed up about either of them. Finally I just threw my hands up in the air and went to Value Village. I lost hope almost immediately as the dresses looked like they were stolen from an 80’s sitcom. But then I saw the cutest dress. And it was my size! And it fit!! Here is my find:

And yes it was only $16.99! Now to jazz it up a bit, I’m going to add some royal blue to the mix:

Here’s the breakdown on what I spent:

Dress $16.99 Value Village
Blazer $38.00 Reitmans
Necklace $4.25 eBay
Shoes $30.00
Total: $89.24

So the moral of the story is when all else fails, head to your nearest second hand shop.

To help you out while you look for the perfect ensemble, here is a list of what not to wear to a wedding:

1. White because that is solely reserved for the bride
2. Anything too short. Knee length or longer is best.
3. Anything too sleazy – showing too much cleavage or something skin-tight is not a good idea.
4. Flip flops. They are way too casual unless it’s a beach wedding and even then you could find some cure sandals to wear instead.
5. Denim – way too casual.
6. The colour the bridal party is wearing so you don’t look like a part of it when you aren’t.
7. Shorts – even if they are dressy they are still too casual.
8. Anything that is not part of the dress code if there is one established on the invitation. For example wearing a sundress to a black tie wedding is not acceptable.

Wedding Season Is Upon Us

Along with the nicer weather, wedding season is here again. I'm heading off to Saskatoon on June 1st to see my brother tie the knot. The only problem I had to face (and many of you will as well) is: "What the heck do I wear?!?!?" Yes, I have tons of things that would be suitable, but for me a wedding is a wonderful excuse to buy something new. So I went shopping - a lot. I went to a consignment store, Winners, Smart Set, Ricki's, H&M, Le Château, The Bay, Cleo, WAL-MART and even Mark's Work Wearhouse. I ended up buying two dresses at H&M but wasn't jazzed up about either of them. Finally I just threw my hands up in the air and went to Value Village. I lost hope almost immediately as the dresses looked like they were stolen from an 80's sitcom. But then I saw the cutest dress. And it was my size! And it fit!! Here is my find:

And yes it was only $16.99! Now to jazz it up a bit, I'm going to add some royal blue to the mix:

Here's the breakdown on what I spent:

Dress $16.99 Value Village
Blazer $38.00 Reitmans
Necklace $4.25 eBay
Shoes $30.00
Total: $89.24

So the moral of the story is when all else fails, head to your nearest second hand shop.

To help you out while you look for the perfect ensemble, here is a list of what not to wear to a wedding:

1. White because that is solely reserved for the bride
2. Anything too short. Knee length or longer is best.
3. Anything too sleazy - showing too much cleavage or something skin-tight is not a good idea.
4. Flip flops. They are way too casual unless it's a beach wedding and even then you could find some cure sandals to wear instead.
5. Denim - way too casual.
6. The colour the bridal party is wearing so you don't look like a part of it when you aren't.
7. Shorts - even if they are dressy they are still too casual.
8. Anything that is not part of the dress code if there is one established on the invitation. For example wearing a sundress to a black tie wedding is not acceptable.

Joelle

Monday's Meme

Friday's Faux Paw

If it doesn't fit you must acquit! While that may have been a popular saying years ago at the OJ Simpson trial, the same holds true in fashion to this day. In case you don't know, the majority of humans cannot buy directly off the rack and get the clothing to perfectly fit. Yes I'm talking to all the ladies that think they have weird bodies. It is not you, it is the clothes! They are made based on what the industry thinks is a standard size. They will fit many people but not all people. Doesn't that make you feel better? I know when Joelle realized this gem of information she became rather happy. So unless you are scared of looking good, go and find yourself a good tailor. Otherwise your most expensive outfit (like Gwyneth shown here) that doesn't fit well will look cheap. Good tailoring means you can spend less get the outfit tailored and look like a million bucks. If you don't, you deserve this rating: 

Where I Get Wonderful Accessories For Super Cheap

I know I'm not the only one who knows the importance of good accessories. I use them often to add to or completely transform an outfit. But where oh where do I get such wonderful necklaces like these?

$10.00

$4.00

$4.00

$3.00

$1.00

The answer is eBay!! Here are my reasons for choosing eBay:

1. I don't have to leave home and can shop in my pyjamas.
2. No money spent on gas.
3. I can shop any time I want.
4. No pushy salespeople.
5. Paying up to 80% less than in store.
6. Wide selection. Some things not available in Canada.
7. Saves time. I can check out a whole bunch of items in a matter of minutes.

So seriously - what are you waiting for? Setting up an account is free through eBay. And you'll need to set up an account at PayPal with your credit card to pay for your purchases. PayPal also protects your purchase so it gets to you safely. And if you are scared of auctions where you have to bid to compete with others for the item, then just stick to "Buy It Now" items, where you just pay the price the person is asking. All of the necklaces shown were won by me in auctions, because that's where you can usually get the best price as the bidding for all of these necklaces started at one cent!

So have fun and start accessorizing the cheap and easy way!

Joelle

Monday's Meme

Friday's Faux Paw

This faux paw falls in the realm of "You've got to be crazy if you thought that this was a good idea!". I blame the runways for this but retailers should have been intelligent enough to see that this was a look that should have stayed on the runways and not made it into stores. I speak of the dreaded sneaker wedges. These are shoes that are not even worthy of chewing. They are clunky, ugly, and way too warm for summer. I wonder who had the brilliant idea of taking a sneaker and a wedge and putting them together. This is clearly a case of two rights making a wrong. I guess if you're crying to be different and noticed, by the time fall rolls around all of these beauties will be marked down and you will have a great selection of them.

The Ten Step Closet Purge

Spring is finally here on the prairies! I think we have finally seen the last of the white stuff. My indicator of spring is when my husband takes off my winter tires I see the birds returning and nesting in the tree in my front yard.

Being that spring is supposed to be a time of renewal and rebirth, I thought I would incorporate some change into my life. I started with my closet as there were tons of things I no longer wore. Nine garbage bags of clothes, purses, and shoes to give away later, I cannot believe I did it! Admission: coming from a poor family I am a hoarder. I hold onto things thinking that I will wear them again or for sentimental reasons. The good news for you is that if I can do it so can you! First I thought of something I could do for myself once this job was completed to motivate me. I chose getting a massage which I'm going for today! Choose something for yourself. Choose it now - I'll wait. 

Got it chosen? Good! Now let me tell walk you through the ten steps:

1. Find a place where you would like to donate the clothes that are in good shape but you no longer want. I am taking mine to our church's garage sale to raise money for our parish. After the sale the leftovers are going to St. Vincent de Paul.
2. Grab a garbage bag for those clothes that are too worn, stained etc. to donate and be ready to throw stuff away.
3. Make a pile for items you'd like to sell on eBay, Kijiji, etc.
4. Grab one box for items you no longer wish to keep in your closet, but wish to store for sentimental reasons. Choose wisely as you're only allowed one box for this.
5. Have a bag for recycling just in case something needs to be recycled.
6. Make a pile for anything that needs to be taken to a tailor to be altered, mended, etc.
7. Make a pile for anything you are unsure about to try on. This will most likely give you an answer as to whether or not it needs to go.
8. Have a bag for special items that you'd like to give to a family member, friend, etc. My Mom gets excited when I'm cleaning out my closet.
9. Now go through each item in your closet with this saying in the back of your mind, "If I were shopping would I buy this now?" If not, out it goes! Be very honest here.
10. Finish the job! Try the things on from your unsure pile and assign them to piles, take the donated things to the donation centre, throw the garbage items out, sell the for sale items, put away your sentimental box, recycle the recycled things, take the stuff that needs tailoring to the tailor, and give the bag to that family member/friend.

And we're done! Now make sure you celebrate by doing whatever you promised yourself at the start that you would do. Hope this has helped you to tame that wild closet.

Joelle

Monday's Meme

Friday's Faux Paw

When the moon hits my eye like a big pizza pie... you'd better pull up your pants!! This week I have seen far too many butt cracks to mention. One is actually too many. The worst thing is that so far all of them have been men. However that doesn't mean that women don't do it too. It's also a fashion faux paw for the fairer sex. This is simple to fix. Buy pants that fit you. And for the ladies, buy pants that have a higher rise. Don't make me howl at your moon!

No More Dry, Frizzy, Crazy Hair!

Yes, I must admit I have fallen prey to the Pinterest machine (click here for my account). There are so many useful things that I have spent way too much time pinning when I should be doing something else like a blog entry cleaning the house. I have started a board called Pinspiration to show the pins that have inspired me to try something. I also write about my experience and what to change or avoid on each pin I pin to Pinspiration. And that bring us to today's blog entry.

The pin in question was taken from the How Does She? blog - you can find the article the pin is based on here. Anyhow, the pin was about using coconut oil on you hair as a conditioner. I didn't have my computer in front of me a few days ago when I decided to take a leisurely bath so I did my own thing instead of following the instructions. I left the coconut oil on for about 20 minutes and didn't apply heat. I applied it to most of my hair but kept it far away from the roots. Then I tied my hair up with an elastic and had my bath enjoying the wonderful coconut smell. I washed my hair once with shampoo then applied my Aussie conditioner which also has a coconut smell. It totally works!! My once dry and frizzy hair now feels soft and looks and smells beautiful! I loved it so much I did it again two days later. 

In conclusion, this is a wonderful addition to any gal's beauty arsenal. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed.

Joelle

Monday's Meme

Monday's Meme

Friday's Faux Paw

The bad news is that this faux paw will make you look older and sickly. The good news is that it's relatively simple to fix. I speak of the dreaded too dark hair colour. As you get older you lose colour in your face so the hair colour you choose can't be too dark. You will know it's too dark if you look older, washed out, tired, and sick. If you're not sure if your hair is too dark, ask someone who will be brutally honest with you (I'm available) or a stylist who knows their stuff. If you're too scared to ask someone, keep this rule in mind. Try going two shades lighter than your usual colour. Look in the mirror and see if you look younger, vibrant, awake, and healthy. If so, then you've succeeded in finding the right colour. The colour that may now look best on you may be lighter than your natural colour and this is okay. If you still don't look your best continue to go lighter or get some well placed streaks until you look great. 

Celebrity Style For Less - Emmy Rossum

I seriously cannot believe that it is May first today. I liked doing the last Celebrity Style For Less so much that I’m doing another one today. I’m also choosing the same person – Emmy Rossum because I love her style and hey, it’s my blog so I can do what I like. (Hope Zeke doesn’t read that.) The only thing I didn’t like about her outfit are the shoes. So I added what I think would look better.

Emmy Rossum

Blazer $60  Blouse $35  Skirt $24  Purse $25  Sandals $40

Celebrity Style For Less

I seriously cannot believe that it is May first today. I liked doing the last Celebrity Style For Less so much that I'm doing another one today. I'm also choosing the same person - Emmy Rossum because I love her style and hey, it's my blog so I can do what I like. (Hope Zeke doesn't read that.) The only thing I didn't like about her outfit are the shoes. So I added what I think would look better.

Emmy Rossum

Blazer $60  Blouse $35  Skirt $24  Purse $25  Sandals $40