Introducing: Lydia

I have a habit of naming my sewing machines.  As I currently have six machines, it gets a little harder to name them as I go on... there are a limited number of styles and personalities a sewing machine can have. Or, so I thought.  Truthfully, there was a strong feeling about this machine from the start, when her Indigo snakeskin printed cover caught my eye in the goodwill.  I noticed the desk she sits in right after that, and she is a pretty package indeed!

With such a lovely, simple black body, and that gorgeous deco desk providing all the bang, I thought a name that was sort of glamorous and a little bit gothic would suit this lady just fine.  Initially I thought "Morticia", but it seemed a step too far.  A little ways through giving this girl a quick cleaning, however, and I thought of the heroine of one of my favourite Tim Burton movies, Beetlejuice; Lydia Deetz.  It's perfect for her.  A gothic girl thrust awkwardly into a small town setting, like my machine, thrust into a makeshift sewing table; really no more than a desk with a gaping hole cut out of its top.  

Beautiful though the table is, I'm really not hurting for another place to sit and sew.  I know a certain someone who is mad for deco, and having no luck finding a computer desk... so I told him if he can fashion a smart looking plug for that big hole up top, I'll refinish the desk and let him have it.  A fine bargain.  I can let it go for free, considerring I only paid $25 for machine and desk combined! But at least I know that Lydia's counterpart will reside in a room where both Ephraim and I can enjoy her aesthetic value; because as you can see, this pair has got it in spades.  Hmm.  I like that.

--Erin

OOTD: Broken Hearts and Polka Dots

This necklace is the first, and thus far only, piece of clothing or jewelry I have bought over the internet.  I don't own much jewelry (really!), but the moment I saw this piece made by the now defunct Paraphernalia, I knew I had to have it.  Wearing it is a weird confidence booster for me, so naturally I wore it to a certain infamous (in my eyes) grad school interview a couple years ago, where, long story short, it broke.  And long story shorter, I didn't fix it until a couple weeks ago.  But now my baby is back, and I'm going to wear her all the time.  Because I'm cool like that.

This outfit totally reminds me of my earlier high school days, when I wore a lot of black clothing.  That's probably mostly because I actually thrifted this skirt around that time, though it looked pretty different back then.  Inspired by the high-low gothic skirts I was seeing in shops like Silver Cross and Sirens (for all my Toronto readers; how's that for a flashback? Before Queen West was a strip mall!), I altered this skirt for a similar vibe.  Turns out I was about 7 years early on that trend, but it's cool, my patience paid off, and I have always loved the hem of this skirt.  Makes me remember learning how to so (mostly by trial and error).

The Deets:

Top: Hand-me-down (Bubbie)

Bustier: Danier, hand-me-down (Step-Mom)

Belt: Anthropologie

Skirt: Thrifted, altered by me

Tights: a billion years old

Boots: Leone (not sure of the brand, oops!)

Bag: Hand-me-down (Step-Mom)   Makeover story here
Necklace: Paraphernalia (no longer open)

We took these pictures in a back alley after a very pleasant afternoon out shopping.  I picked up a gift for my little sister's birthday next month (she loves the Big Bang Theory and I am determined to make her into a real nerd, not just someone who thinks nerds are fun to laugh at), and a quick trip to the comic book store Ephraim and I both prefer.  I should do a dedicated post on them some time, but if you're in Toronto and you've never been to The Beguiling on Markham street, your life is sad and empty and you should fix that (stop by the Victory Cafe afterward! Yummy!)

For some back alley shots, the lighting in these sure was pretty.  Also we look like such hipster scum in these portraits.  I kind of love the shot of Ephraim especially.  One of the things I've been wanting to work more on in my photos is lighting, especially getting the hang of lens flare (which I did VERY successfully in some of my 365 challenge, as you'll see in this post.  That's not a filter!), and I think the lighting coming through the fence and branches in that shot is just so lovely.  Plus I like his face.  So there you have it!

--Erin

Yellow Coat in the Snow: Paddington Bear Style

I hinted in yesterdays post at my new yellow coat I picked up while I was in Toronto! Let it be no secret, I am totally smitten with this coat.  It makes me think of Paddington Bear, it's "my" colour, and I'll be damned if it doesn't brighten up these dreary winter days!! I'm usually one of those people who buys a new coat only when it's absolutely necessary.  I purchased my current winter coat (admittedly a touch warmer than this yellow one, which won't be worn on the coldest of days!) a couple days before I headed to NYC for a grad school interview two years ago.  I thought that if I went in in my old black peacoat they would mistake me for a homeless person.  It was more than worse for ware, missing buttons and threadbare at the shoulders.  Well, the new coat didn't make that interview any better, and I have much more reasonable expectations for this coat: to be a bright beacon of summery goodness among the slush and cold that is Canada right now. And it's doing its job splendidly.

THE DEETS

Hat: Vintage

Scarf: Hand me Down

Jacket: Pink Martini from DLR

Jeans: Anthropologie

Boots: Vintage, Kingpin's Hideaway

Purse: Michael Kors, Hand me Down (sometimes you get lucky!)

Brooch: Goodwill ($3. Hot damn) 

I'm back at work, and let me tell you, it has been a harder adjustment than ever before! My head has just not been in the game, and I made sure to wake up extra early this morning, make a cup of tea and a to do list to get my day started off productively.  I just keep dreaming about relatively far off challenges, changes and wishes, and it's leaving the right-now kind of lacking.  Definitely time to get my butt in gear and get back to living like the hard-working, creative and constantly-busy girl I have always enjoyed being! 

Also, can we take a moment to appreciate how nice these photos are? Ephraim has been seriously impressing me with not only his willingness to take silly glamour shots, but his skill in doing so.  If you haven't done so yet, the nerdier of you will definitely want to pop over to his blog, Jetpack Wonder Stories.  It's still quite young, but that man is way funny.  I won't say I'm not biased, but 8/10 people polled agreed (okay I polled one person and they were 80% sure). 

I can hear my Mum sighing as she goes to print this picture out to hang at her desk (she JUST printed out a new one last week!)...except now she's crying because I talked about her on the blog.  Hehehe love you Mum! (psst..click the photo for a larger version to print :P)

If you haven't done so already, be sure to pop over to Old Red Boots to wish Lauren a happy 30th birthday!! We've only recently become pen pals, but I have enjoyed every email (and little packages sent) to and from this hilarious, creative, perfectly sassy woman.  Happy Birthday Lauren!! You're tops!

--Erin

Ships Ahoy: Navy White and Red Life Preserver Print

*** First, a quick notice.  I have made the blog more narrow for easier viewing for those with smaller screens.  All images can be clicked to enlarge.  I am going through the archives to do a rough resize, but it will take some time.  Please leave a comment if you see a particularly egregious formatting error. Thanks for your patience!***

I finally took the plunge and dyed my hair dark! I have always envied those girls with dark beautiful auburn hair, and now I walk among them. I was going on two years since my last professional haircut, which is obviously really long overdue. I can't believe how light my hair feels. Or how confident I feel to style it! Turns out I had no idea what to do with my hair simply because there was too much of it to really do anything with. Well, unless I wanted a style evocative of the trends of the Victorian lady, which, no. Point is, I am so so happy with my new hair. The cut and colour look amazing with my new frames (not pictured, I am taking them to get my prescription put in next weekend), and I am really pumped to do a bit of retro styling in the coming weeks. Exciting times, friends! Okay enough blabber, more glamour. (HAH)

It was snowing and I was FREEZING

I picked this dress up from the Goodwill last week, and took a bit of a gamble on it. I basically had to be in and out of the store pretty quick, so I bought it without trying it on. It's a petite 10, neither of which are sizes I wear, but it actually worked out pretty perfectly! To be fair, some of that may be because I can cinch the waist in with that amazing self-fabric belt, but all in all I'm calling this a win. And I'm glad it worked out, because thrifting is getting expensive! All the dresses I saw at the Goodwill were marked at $10 (well, $9.99 to fit in with their weird palindrome pricing). It's not so easy to pick up whatever looks interesting anymore, but on the same note, my closet is way too full already. I suppose I'll have to learn to be more picky, hard as it may be! Have you found thrifting in your town to be becoming more costly, too?

It has pockets!

The Deets

Nautical Print Dress: Thrifted

Red Tights: Topshop

White Leather Ankle Boots: Vintage
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson (gift)

What hair colour have you always wanted to try, but never worked up the nerve? Give it a shot, it's only hair!!

--Erin

Embracing my Retro Kitchen

Value Village was very good to me this weekend.  Not only did I get what I needed for my halloween costume, but I also picked up 4 place settings worth of the greatest dishes! Even better, there are cups and saucers to match.  But even better than that, I also found a metal kettle that looks charming with the set.  My house is very dated, and there's not a lot I can do about the decor.  So I've tried to embrace the 70's nature of the house, despite normally being more of a 50's or 60's girl.  The print on these plates has colours that can fit into either era, so they work in this kitchen and will hopefully work in one I have more design control over too! 

Speaking of design, as you can see I tried out a couple new fonts in this post.  I have been toying around with some design changes, including the fonts.  What do you think? Yay or nay?

--Erin

O.O.T.D: Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Howdy Folks!

I picked up this amazing swing coat in Kensington Market a couple weeks ago, and I am just...so in love with it my boyfriend should be concerned.  It's just so perfect in every way.  Fits perfectly, was lovingly handmade, is REVERSABLE (and lined in flawless yellow dupioni silk!!), and the shop owner gave it to me for half price.
Tax free.
And I never even made a coherent offer.

Destiny, dudes.  This swing coat was my destiny.

The Deets:

Sunglasses: Vintage, Cabaret

Clip on Earrings: Thrifted

Scarf: Hand-me-down 

Pin: Hand-me-down

Jacket: Vintage, Exile

Jeans: Anthropologie

White Leather Booties: Vintage

Purse: Inherited (Check out its makeover HERE)

Ah, more glorious glorious hand-me-downs! Lisa wrote all about her love of hand-me-downs (which I share, I mean, awesome free stuff? yeah!), you can check it out (and the cute outfit too!) HERE!

To be honest, I only wore this outfit to the corner store to buy some ice cream, haha! It was a quiet day, what can I do?

--Erin

My Weekend in Retro Specs v.8: Kensington Market

I know, I know, it's Wednesday.  But in my defense, I worked Saturday Sunday and had Monday Tuesday off, so today is kind of like Monday, right? Right.

This hot and sunny Saturday I headed down to the Kensington Market in Toronto for some shopping and hallowe'en costume scoping, as well as picture taking.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside, perhaps almost a little too clear skied and hot, but it poured all day the next day to make up for it.  Gotta enjoy it while it lasts!

Bungalow is one of my favourite stores I never buy anything from.  You know the kind? They have tons of stuff that's right up your alley but never anything that screams you and you don't need expensive furniture for your furnished apartment? The store is beautifully curated and sells both new and vintage clothing including menswear, and lots of Teak furniture. They also have another small location right across the street that stocks mostly vintage clothing.  

Kensington Market has scores of restaurants, fruit/cheese/fish shops, bakeries (My Market Bakery holds a place in my heart), bars, and most importantly, patios.  There's a lot packed into this small neighbourhood, which is best enjoyed on the monthly Pedestrian Sunday, when no cars are permitted in the market. 

Vintage reigns supreme here. The storefronts are all colourful and loud, the shops themselves cramped and dim and full of treasure.  I made an incredible score this weekend that I am excited to make some new buttons for and take pictures of! Some shops, including Courage My Love, have been in the neighbourhood for decades.

With a wide variety of stores, foods, and cultures to offer, Kensington Market has always been one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Toronto to wander for an afternoon.  Of course no trip to Kensington is complete without a stop by the Garden Car.  This is the second incarnation of the garden car, the original of which was created in 2006, and updated to a newer model this summer.

Director's Project is in only 2 weeks and things are crazy around here until then! I'm glad I could have a couple days in Toronto before work consumes my life! Plus now I have a new thing to keep me going: Hallowe'en! I saw lots of costume stuff in kensington and made the first step toward my costume for this year! Does anyone else start this early or is that just me??

--Erin