another nook

As soon as my exams were over I surrendered the use of our dining room table, which I'd been holding hostage as a work station for the past school year. Now I'm on holidays and have more time to make fun and cute things, so I've set up a smaller desk in the bedroom and this little area has instantly become one of my favorite corners in the apartment. Neither of our very old fireplaces are functioning (there's another, even nicer one in the living room), so it's safe to have my desk beside the mantle full of trinkets and an adorable heart garland from Isa strung across the hearth.

Above my desk are some old photos and postcards, drawings from friends, and gifts from pen pals.

This little white desk has a glass surface which is great to work on, and it was Liam's idea to put confetti underneath it. I'm forever tracking sequins and glitter around on my clothes which is somewhat charming until you have to vacuum them all up, so this is a perfect solution for at least some of those sparkles!

Celine sent me a bunch of silver stars in a recent letter and I love the way they look under the table top. I've had this stamp (which prints my name flocked by hearts) since childhood and recently rediscovered it, much to my delight.

I found these beautiful jewelry boxes at an estate sale a few months ago and decided to re-purpose them for craft supplies, including washi tape. My collection is modest compared to many I've seen, but it's expanding steadily and has already grown since this photo was taken a few days ago.

happy may day!

Spring has finally arrived and I could not be happier, in spite of the straight face! After months spent in hibernation through an especially harsh winter, I've been emerging from the apartment and doing my hair and make up on a regular basis again, hence the selfie. I've just finished my second last year at uni and booked a trip to the UK in June so things are going well.

What my recent outfits lack in seasonal pastel colors, they make up for in their multiplicity of patterns. I'm really into plaid with stripes at the moment and polka dots (as previously mentioned) with everything, all the time, forever, obv. My skirt, top, and bow are vintage, shoes are Dr. Martens and bag is from Top Shop.  

I don't celebrate Easter but do condone any excuse to eat lots of chocolate, not that I needed one. Malt eggs are some of my favorites and they're nice to look at too!

My mom brought over some lovely tulips a few weeks ago, and their cheerful presence helped me pull through the last days of winter. This effect was much needed as it was still snowing earlier this week! The print above our fireplace is a section of Klimt's Mother and Child, which is one of my favorite paintings. I saw it at Tate Liverpool years ago and have been in love ever since.

This adorable chair cover was a dollar store find that pleases me more than any innate object should. While still partial to feline forms, I have become very fond of rabbit motifs lately. I've been working in a little hat shop for almost a year now and the boater is one of my favorite styles, even though it doesn't suite me very well and spends more time on my wall than on my head.

I'd been searching for the perfect pair of silver brogues to no avail for a long time before finding these beauties on sale at the Gap. They are super shiny and glitter when the sun hits them!

mexi-gogo

Last month my wonderful mother and I spent a blissful week in Mexico. During our frigid winters, Canadians flock to the area on the East Coast where we stayed. I love visiting for so many reasons: the incredibly friendly people, brilliant color palettes, and of course amazing weather. I returned with several miniature strings of the bunting which lines many streets in the beautiful village of Sayulita, Bart and Spongebob (who have found homes on our mantle), and a sunburn on my shoulders to get me through the rest of the ongoing ice age up North.

soft spots

A few more of my favorite nooks around our apartment, and the little hat (complete with daisies and a velvet bow), set of jewellery boxes, and vintage birthday cards I brought home from an estate sale for $3 the other day! We've only lived here for two months but the knick knacks crowding every surface such as these give the appearance that it's been closer to ten years. While our pad is unabashedly very feminine, Liam has his own office/studio which I might feature in an upcoming post. Today is Canadian Thanksgiving and I have so much to be grateful for, including this wonderful place to live.

for liam with love

You most definitely would not guess it from these photos, but earlier this month my boyfriend and I moved into a wonderful little apartment together. Lucky for me, he doesn't mind my vast array of knick knacks, vintage garments, and mismatched furniture being strewn throughout the space, and so I've quickly taken to adorning every corner with floral arrangements, sparkling dresses, and delicate embroidery. There's also an assortment of Star Wars and Ninja Turtles collectibles on display among the glitter and lace, but boy toys have never been my forté, unless we're talking about one in particular. This post is dedicated to him, for allowing and even helping me to make such a cozy home for us. For a peek at my previous dwellings, see here and here.

sealed with a kiss

From Erin

From Lisa

From Valerie

My beloved little blog has once again suffered from neglect during the end of another term at uni. I plan on revitalizing this space during the upcoming summer months, but until then thought I'd share with you a few lovely letters I received over the long winter from some of my favorite ladies. Snail mail and paper goods in general cheer me up immensely and I'm always looking for new pen pals!

finer points

Here on the Canadian prairies it reached -45°C this week, and I've never been more determined to defy weather constraints on my sartorial selections. These cat print tights were admittedly worn earlier in the winter when temperatures were slightly less frigid, but they'd never been featured on my blog before now and I figured it was about time.

My feline themed clothing collection continues to grow, with recent additions including this silver necklace and leopard print shrug. They're seen here with a white lace dress, but I've been wearing both at every opportunity for the past couple of weeks.

I've been spending many an evening shut in with my textbooks, though not always with taco pizza on hand (unfortunately). I'm so happy to be back at school after a break from the academic world of almost three years!

The start of a new term was the perfect excuse to buy myself a beautiful bag, which is a blatant imitation of The Cambridge Satchel Co design but in the most beautiful shade of pink and the perfect size for school. I'm looking forward to the day when I can pair this with light denim, although summer seems like a figment of someone's imagination at the moment.

To subvert winter blues I've taken to new indulgences which include wearing craft glitter as eye makeup on nights out. This works surprisingly well and is actually quite subtle irl. Embossing powder seems to be best suited for the job and is much cheaper than a lot of beauty products!

bookshelves & pinafores

In September I moved into a little house with two of my favorite male companions, which sounds quite saucy but isn't meant to. Sharing the rest of my space with boys has resulted in designing a bedroom which is even pinker, lacier, and more sparkly than the last one I lived in. This is not only where I sleep but also read, write, blog, and often times eat (toast crumbs in bed, anyone?). I'm naturally a homebody but during the long winter months I see more of this sanctuary than most places, thus it's naturally strewn with my favorite dresses upon the walls and trinkets cluttering each and every surface.

allow me to reintroduce myself

I haven't updated this blog in nearly six whole months and have missed doing so the entire time. My only serious resolution for 2013 is to give this petite corner of the internet some attention on a regular basis, starting with some gems from my holiday season. Our New Year's Eve window display at work was my favorite ever and involved a lot of spilled glitter which was consequently traipsed around the entire store.

My mom has given me an ornament for the tree every year since I was born, but this one is so amazing I plan on keeping it on my bookshelf year round. Not pictured: the other 4678572 feline decorations that adorn my new abode.

I've also amassed a small collection of feline prose, including this astounding piece of literature which was given to me by a friend. The backdrop is an amazing dress which cost $20 and makes me smile every time I look at it.

For Christmas Eve I wore my black dress from Top Shop which manages to incorporate glitter, velvet, and polka dots in one garment and is therefore among my favorite pieces of clothing ever. The hot pink faux fur coat was one of my favorite presents this year and will be elaborated upon in the near future.

This was our sixth Christmas since the death of my dad, who is missed even more than usual at this time of year. He'd given this tiny ceramic thimble to his aunt as a gift when he was a boy and she gave it to me this Christmas. As much as I love my gorgeous new jacket, this was obviously the most amazing gift to receive.