Patterns

 Well if you know me I am mostly a neutral, monochromatic, minimalist kind of girl when it comes to  fashion. But this spring my eye has been catching the patterns and brighter splashes of colour. Maybe it's just because I see it more everywhere. But it's pretty brave of me to add the patterns and colours. But sometimes you gotta be willing to change and move where life wants to take you. Sometimes it's just a new season and time to try something new. By now I'm not just talking about fashion, but it most definitely can be expressed there as well.

I paired this crazy patterned shirt with a pair of comfy joggers and neutral flats. This shirt would also look fabulous with a white pant. I took the extra step and added a bold piece of jewelry to an already crazy shirt. Normally I might say that there's too much going on and less is more, but in this case it makes a statement to put a pattern on a pattern. I mean, why not! The color in the necklace nicely ties in with the color on the shirt and it really does not look like too much at all.

And now! Shhhh..... I have a hair secret... I LOVE anything that I can do with as little work as possible but still look FAB! You know that wavy textured look that doesn't look perfectly curled but like you just woke up looking NATURALLY good? Well here's what you can do. With your bed hair, just take chunks of it and start twanging it. That's right! TWANG. I like that word. You know what you do with your hair when your nervous - you twirl it around your fingers. Well now you can say that you're actually doing your hair! Do it in the morning, do it at the stop light. HECK, you can even do it at work if you're sitting in an office! 

In these pictures I took my hair out of a messy bun. They did not look good at all when I took my hair down. But when I twirled the hair around my fingers piece by piece, they sort of de-frizzed and got that textured not too perfect waves. I didn't spend a lot of time, but the more you twang the better! You could possibly add a bit of mousse to help out if you really feel you need it to hold better.

P.S I just looked up the definition for twang. It actually is a sound you make with a guitar string. But I concluded that it still worked in my context. You pick at your hair with your finger and you make a wave.... just maybe not a SOUND wave! :) 

And now for the makeup to go with the spring pattern look. I kept the face bright, focused on a bit of blush and contoured cheek and a bit of blush on the eyelids and a rosy coloured lip. This keeps the face looking fresh and young. And you know what else keeps the face looking young? Keeping those eyebrows bushy! Yup. Remember how I said I like as little work as I can but still looking fab? Well even though you don't need to follow fads and trends, right now is a trend you might as well jump in on. Just keep your natural full brows with maybe a little bit of trimming underneath the arch. This look keeps your face looking young and original. Besides, it's low maintenance and its your natural look.

So maybe I'll set aside my shame in hopes that it might change someone's life and show you a picture where I tweezed  the life out of my eyebrows because that's what everyone was doing and see if you know what I mean. The first picture is about a decade ago. I look older and like someone tortured me by picking away my eyebrows. The picture on the right however, are my eyebrows in all their bushy glory with just a bit of grooming and since they're still filling out I touched them up with my fabulous Mirabella Eyebrow Pencil. Voila! 

I'll be Back!

First of all, thank you for reading my blog posts and experiencing life with me. As it has been, I feel like I need to take off of blogging for a while. I already didn't post in February. It's not that I'm out of things to write about or I don't care about you guys anymore. :) I know I always hated following a blog that I looked forward to the next post and then they just leave me hanging suddenly, without a word!
So I wanted to let you know that I am intentionally stopping for a couple of months. I'm not sure what's all gonna come out of it, but it'll be better after. I'm in a phase of reconstructing. As I reconstruct my life, this blog needs to as well. But I will come back! Till then!

Top 5 Things to Have in Your Closet this Winter

Good Evening! It's a great night to blog and do school work with my handsome man at Starbucks. The start of 2016 has been a crazy jump start for Mr. E and I. At some point soon I want to talk about the cool changes that have happened in our lives... but for now I want to talk about something one of my clients suggested - "what are the top 10  things to have in your closet this winter?"

I will stick with my top 5, but it was a no-brainer for me. The following items are very basic, but my absolute favourite items to wear this winter.

1. Marsala knitted scarf.

Scarves are simply an item of warmth as well as style. You can complete an outfit in a second just by adding a scarf. And it's true that warmth around your neck can warm your whole body. A knitted scarf is a must have for the winter.

2. Mirabella Velvet Lip Pencil

While we're on the colour, this gorgeous marsala/wine coloured lip pencil from Mirabella is the perfect berry colour for the winter. And it's called velvet for a reason. It feels so silky as you put it on. You can give your lips an ever so slight stain to give it just a hint of colour as you see me wearing it or you can layer it on more for a bolder look. Either way it stays on without a smudge.

3. Wool Socks

In the same way that a scarf around your neck can affect the warmth and comfort of your whole body, so do warm feet. Again wool socks not only bring warmth but they have also become part of fashion. It's rare to see me without my wool socks during the winter.

 

4. Sweater

Again, an obvious item for the winter. But try having fun with your sweaters as well. If you live in Canada there are many months of cold and you are going to be wearing a sweater of some sort anyway, you might as well show off your personality doing so. Right now this two-toned knit sweater is my go to for almost any occasion. Whether I'm curling up on my couch or going out to a function.

5. Boots

Complete that look with these leather fur lined boots. They are perfectly fine for romping in the snow but they have an element of style to them. They are not too clunky to just wear going out.

So there you have it. These are my favourite things to wear this winter. I think my other favourite thing would be flannel shirts, but then it would be 6 items. :) What are your winter favourites?

And thank you to my husband for being a good sport and taking instagram shots as we take a walk on the river on a day when it actually was quite warm for a January in Winnipeg!

Winter Fashion and a Christmas "Light Bulb" Moment

How do you stay professional during the winter season? As I've mentioned earlier Mr. E and I made a move 3 months ago. We moved from small town to city. Many might see Winnipeg as a drab boring city, but as always I like to find beauty in a seemingly ugly thing. For starters we have this wonderful old stone church right by our place. Right now, I'm sitting in a cozy coffee shop that is just a quick walk from our house. So this city definitely has it perks. My job I got a few weeks after moving required being dressed up. I had no problem with that! But it can be a challenge being professional looking when it's cold and you just want to wear comfy cozy things. 

Here it's a comfy dressy black sweater with a dark green tea length pencil skirt. It's a soft stretchy material, so quite warm as well. Pair the outfit with heels and your good to go. I love the balance of looser tops and fitted bottoms. You can make this skirt more dressed up by wearing a blouse and blazer instead of the sweater.

I just watched a beautiful piece by Lindsey Stirling where she’s playing “Hallelujah” on her violin in a bus station and no one really takes time to listen and appreciate the beauty of her music. She has such talent and yet she didn’t dress up so people would notice her. She looked happy though, that she could make the beautiful music no matter if people saw her. It just hit me and I cried. (I'm always prone to crying just after a massage treatment though! :) But I’m realizing that I can go from feeling excited and having a lot of purpose and potential to feeling like an absolute waste of time in a short time. 

I lost a job recently and I'm realizing that I like to be defined by the job that I have. It's hard to start something new. And I'll be honest right now I don’t feel that people are seeing the beauty in me. I have nothing left to impress people with. I’m done looking good for others. I'm not really sure where my life is going right now. None of my dreams really seem possible at all. I really don’t know what I have to offer anymore. I don’t feel like a very strong person. I stress out before I can accomplish anything. Anyone ever felt this way? Anyway, this is how I was feeling in the moment.

But I’m sitting here thinking… Is it really about me? It's Christmas and for the first time I’m thinking about Jesus our Saviour. This is the time we celebrate him where he offered himself as a gift to us. He sees the beauty in me when I can’t.

I don’t have a special talent. I don’t play music beautifully or have lots of money. But I can do a lot of things. I can apply makeup. I can bake. I can see beauty in clothes, in rooms, in people’s faces. I can encourage. I can love and give grace. I have the gift of honesty and refreshment. I am beauty. Why don’t I focus on giving this Christmas. Not in impressing others. Not in competing for the best job. Not in comparing myself to others. Why don’t I take the focus off myself and start seeing others around me. Yes I have experienced pain and unfairness in my life. I may not be totally healed from that. I may not be the strongest healthiest person out there. But what’s the use in holding back because of that. What’s the point in wallowing in self pity and trying to get attention. I can start sitting back and looking at the world through the eyes of the One that came to bring beauty. That came to love the unloveable… that came to bring hope to the humble and to the proud… to the poor and to the rich… to the bums and to successful people… He came to bring hope to a girl that has known Him all her life, but has felt disconnected through all the pains, twists and turns in her life… She’s not poor neither is she rich… there doesn’t seem to be anything super special about her… but He came for her too and He knows her pretty deeply. And He loves her pretty deeply. In fact if she or anyone really knew how significant His love was for them, they would probably not feel worried or stressed, or depressed or hopeless or bored. There would be a light in their eyes… brilliance in their face, and a quickness to their step. The music would change…the world would start to brighten. The sick would get out of bed, the dead begin to rise. The depressed would start to sing and the proud would fall to their knees. There would be joy in the city, for the Saviour has come to earth! He is real.

So here I am. It’s time to humble myself and look through the eyes of Love and stop worrying about my job or about me. I want to start giving. Of myself. I might not be doing anything different on the outside, but the attitude would be completely different - the reason why I do things. If I do it to give to the world instead of making me look good could make a difference. Wow! Why have I never thought of that before! 

So there is my little Christmas revelation and hope it encourages you. Have a very Magical and Merry Christmas! 

Hallelujah- Lindsey Stirling- #aSaviorIsBorn-Youtube

Snow, Christmas Decor, and Such

As I'm curled up inside on our first real snow day my mind naturally goes to Christmas. I've been in the slow process of decorating our house that we moved into a couple of months ago. Now to add Christmas to it! I'm so excited. So today I'll share some pinterest ideas that I think may be low budget and unique. These are things that I'm thinking of doing in our house. One can always dream. :)

I love the bohemian Christmas going on on the left.

And on the right, who wouldn't want a festive basin like that to welcome you home.

 

I definitely want a little modern Christmas tree. And so
happy for my cheap furs I got to add to my Christmas
decor. White and fur!

Isn't this tree the cutest thing! Love the little ornaments! And it saves space!

 

I have been keeping some old window frames from when our house got revamped.  They are perfect to do something like this with them. Any old picture frame will work.

Anyway, that will do. Till next time!

Emotional Well-being - Love Yourself

As winter sets in, these are days for all things warmth. Furs, hand me down sweaters and hot teas.

I'm on this journey to find complete emotional and physical health. In fact, it's a journey that will probably never end as long as I'm alive. But everyone, I believe, has a potential to be in a state of well-being.

You see my husband and I just moved. It's an exciting move for us, but when your taken out of your comfort zone or also known as the place your familiar with and put into a whole new environment, your whole being gets shifted as well. Your stress levels shift, your mental awareness shifts etc. So I wasn't necessarily surprised when my body was experiencing tension and I was having a sense of disorientation. 

With not having a job, not being involved in any sort of community or church, some sleepless nights, I begin to question my identity and purpose. I realized I was condemning myself. Thoughts would cross my mind like: "I don't really know why my husband would love me", "I will never get to have the job I would actually want",  "I hate my body," "I'll never be well."

Season changes in one's life can be hard. But if you stay emotionally aware (not introspective), you can deal with things on the spot and save yourself a spiral down. 

There are 2 people that are heroes to me in this area of emotional health. Jason Vallaton and Abbi Stumvoll. 

As I was listening to them and other people in my life, like my pastor, my massage therapist and my husband, I started to become aware of a very obvious factor in my life. I didn't love myself. 

Now, if you know me well, the message I preach and  something I have had great revelation in is to know that I am loved and I am amazing because I have a Father God who loves me. But in the moment where I feel like a failure, do I love myself in spite of the fact that I don't measure up? I realized I did not. 

So I took Abbi Stumvoll's technique and practiced for a couple of days. This is what I did. Right in the moment when I felt dumb and in my mind I was not measuring up, I would stop myself and ask, "what are 3 things that are loveable about me right now?" It was somewhat life changing. It raised my level of thinking and it was actually quite healing to my emotional being. I challenge you to try it. It was amazing how intentional I had to be. It feels wrong at first when in your mind you are not measuring up (mind you, it's usually how you think about yourself, not what others think about you), in fact you have messed up, and in that moment to think of things  someone would find amazing about you. 

It's being super intentional at first, but I'm already at a totally different spot a month later where it comes much more naturally. I like what Abbi says, "Instead of imagining the negative things people might be thinking about you, start imagining the positive things people might be thinking about you. If your gonna live in a fantasy world, you might as well live in a positive one!"

There is usually always a reason when you're not feeling confident and loving life. You're not just having a bad day, you need to be aware of your inner world. You need to care for yourself if you want to care for others. Ask yourself in the morning, "How am I doing?" It sounds absurd, but it's being proactive and it's saving you from a spiral of bad days and insecurities and feeling angry and other negative emotions that you don't know where they come from.

I am still in the midst of practicing this, but I find it amazing how your emotional well-being can affect your life whether it's for the good or for the bad. So I may write more about this as I learn.

But love yourself and give yourself grace as winter is setting in!

Wedding Day - The Day Every Girl Dreams of.

I said I would post more wedding pictures here. I realize I delayed but here we go. I like the more candid non typical shots, so that's what you'll get!

The wedding day is the day that every girl dreams of her whole life. She pictures it to be perfect and beautiful, and feeling the most wonderful she ever has. After the wedding she will be whisked away on a honeymoon where everything will be completely romantic and she will get to be in the arms of her lover 24/7.

Is this actually reality? Your first response probably is no. At least mine would be. I got up the morning of my wedding not entirely rested for some reason. Little nerves that didn't let me rest completely. I had a coffee that morning which is probably a bad idea because I was as jittery as could be on the ride to the location. Not a great start to the day. It was an extremely hot day. I did not smell and feel fresh at all by the end of it. I had put on a bit of weight since I fit on my dress so it was nice and snug which did not help in the heat. A couple of items for my decor that were key to my theme, never made it in place because I failed to make sure that happened. And on goes the list of little things that didn't go perfectly.
On our way to our hotel all we could think of was food (well maybe not all) but  we went to eat at midnight. Not at a fancy restaurant.. Smoke's Poutinery, a little poutine shop... the messiest food out there probably. And first thing we did was stuff our mouths with that in our wedding garb on our wedding bed. So no it was not perfectly romantic as one would think it should be. Or at least it didn't look like it.

But honestly, when I think back on everything, the only thing I can think of to describe it was wonderful and perfect... my dream come true. Lots and lots of boho flowers and gold, that first look, our first dance, pictures in the field, and people just having fun.

 I think a lot of it is in the mind. Whatever I did, I made sure that I was able to enjoy the moment. Yes there were moments of stress, but those had to quickly be solved. I made sure that those things that were important to me, even though they seemed like frivolous details, would happen. Because I figured it was ok to feel like my dream wedding was happening. Girls dream about their wedding for a reason. Put value on those things that you secretly always wanted. Your wedding tells a lot about you and you will remember it the rest of your life. But at the same time I held these details loosely enough so that I could still have my dream wedding without paying a fortune and stressing myself completely out. That stress just wasn't worth it. So sometimes it meant handing out more money to keep the stress down and other times it meant letting go of some ideas that weren't that important anyway. I kid you not the last week and even month Mr. E and I relaxed. We had time to connect and prepare our hearts for this marriage that was about to happen. I choose that over getting all the details perfect, and not even having time to connect with our fiance.

Now circumstances don't always allow for you to just sit and do nothing the week before the wedding. I get that. Even if there is a million things to do... and truth be told there were a million things for us to do as well, but it didn't have to feel like it, because our connection was priority. Take the time to stop, and make sure you know where you both are at. You won't regret it. When Mr. E and I look back on our wedding day we just shake our heads and say we can't believe how much fun we had, and how smoothly everything went and most of all how peaceful we were. I think it was a perfect day.




Theme: Boho Rustic (wildflowers, wood, gold)
Colors: Marsala and Gold
Dress: Vintage, lace, illusion neckline, corsette back
Flowers: Academy Florists
Photographer: Simply Rosie Photography