I'm Mad, Mad, Mad for that Plaid, Plaid, Plaid

Plaid @ MFW

I can't explain it. I just am. Any item, whether it be a coat, a shirt, shoes, or a skirt, if it's that classic tartan plaid, I'm at once attracted to it. Perhaps it's the changing seasons, perhaps I've been watching too much Outlander, perhaps I'm just mad. Either way, my shopping carts are going to be full of plaid (which will make for an interesting spring).

Yeah, it's definitely the Outlander talking.

I know, plaid. It's simple, it's easy, it's fluid throughout the seasons. And I, like most, see an eighties film, with it's plaid furniture, plaid jackets, plaid skirts, and it's dated, I know. But what's old is new, and I, personally, am reveling in those era's that let it all hang out and said, what the hay, let's get it in plaid. So, without further adieu, here are my favourite kinds of plaid this season.


I love mixed plaid:

Eleonora Carisi @ NYFW

I love matched plaid:

Jessica Stam @ PFW

I love plaid pants:

10/10 outfit I must say

This is just plaidness!

Yeah, I actually just made a play on madness with plaid. Aren't you happy you're reading this?

And of course, the Zara blanket scarf. My most prized possession at this point:

This outfit. I mean TWO plaids, Leather, Studs, AND Leopard Print. This does Plaid proud.

I need to figure out a way to do this, cause that way everyday would have plaid in it.

These were inspired by Outlander, just FYI.

I am especially loving the layered look accompanied by the statement necklace. Definitely two things on my late Autumn/early Winter shopping list is a plaid (no, not the flannel plaid look, PLAID plaid - yes there is such a thing) button up to go under a knit sweater, paired with a diamond statement necklace. Classic, comfortable, yet flashy and feminine. I'm on the hunt.

Hunter green is such a great colour, is it not?

But lastly, my true goal for this shopping season, my grail, my one necessity to feel as though I've satisfied a hunger, a plaid skirt.

Miroslava Duma @ LFW

Now, my runway to "realway" is more akin to this little number from H&M. Which I would style with a great, simple yet structured blazer, or perhaps a cozy cable knit (extra points if you put a plaid shirt layered underneath!), with stockings and those oh so vogue booties, and of course that eye catching statement necklace. And of course if it's chilly, you can always throw on that Zara scarf!

Thanks for reading lovelies,

x emily

P.S. check out my just plaid outfit inspo on Polyvore!

Bragging with Gratitude

click here for positivity

Here's the honest truth - my life has been awesome lately. Alright? Alright.

I hesitate to admit this because I don't like bragging, especially so blatantly. But I need to get the heck over that because life is short and practicing gratitude is so important.

So let the bragging gratitude begin!

My life has had ups and downs like every single other person on this planet. However, the past two years have been the oh so cliche "who am I?" And more frequently: "what the fuck am I doing?" and "what the fuck am I going to do?" I've experienced anxiety, sickness, doubt, disappointment, and just a plain ole case of the mean reds that went on for far too long.

I've always put pressure on myself. I remember my first spelling test in first grade. Now I went through private schooling for two years prior, loved to read (s/o to Junie B. Jones), and went into the first grade reading and writing (which if you're not keen on childhood markers - I was (am?) impressive). This spelling test was in a public school (not to downplay public education - I've loved my public school education), and this test was most definitely within my grasp. Nevertheless I made my parents help me study. Jump to other points in my academic career and I can give you other anecdotes displaying the pressure I've put on myself. And yes, this pressure  resulted in anxiety and thus physical sickness and a few trips to the hospital, doctors, and some tests in my first year of University.

Scholarly.

This summer I applied that same pressure to get a real job (aka not a restaurant or customer service based job). However my initial efforts were sorrily unfruitful and I ended up with two of those unwanted jobs in the interim, cue more sadness and "what the fuck am I doing?" (Customer service is an extremely respectable - and fun- profession, I've just done it for too long now and I know it's just not for me, I can't commit enough to it). 

Then I got a REAL job. It was an 8 week contract at a feminist organization (#coolpoints), in which I tweeted, read cool articles, AND made friends with some pretty cool chicas. Then out of the blue my friend was able to hook me up with an amazing job, which is set to start right after this one ends! Even better? It's at the Library and Archives of Canada and I'll be working on a First World War project! History! An insane pay rate! Relative to my studies! An impressive resume additive! Ahhhh! 

So yeah that's all pretty awesome and stopped the "what the fuck am I doing?" and also the "what the fuck am I going to do?" But then something else totally amazing happened. I got into an amazing school in a city I've fallen in love with!! And extra bonus that I say with pride as it is unrelated as to why I applied - I'm a quick and cheap bus ride away from my boyfriend ♥ It's still not 100% if I'm going because they're assessing my credits for transfer and if they don't give me a substantial amount I won't go (I will not undervalue the hard work, stress, and money I put into previous courses). I've got a good plan for each option no matter the outcome of the transfer assessment that both lead me to my bigger goal, and either way - I'm so immensely proud of myself for getting in. 

It's so hard to believe there's better days to come and that in the end it'll be okay when you're feeling so low. I know there will be days, weeks, whatever, when I'm feeling low, it's inevitable, so I'm going to proudly enjoy my life right now. It deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated, and I ain't too proud to say it!

Trust life a little bit!

-Em x

When a Song Describes Your Life

source

Just sitting here trying to map out a five year plan, waiting on responses, waiting for results, singing along to my library on shuffle and the lyrics from the Billy Joel classic Vienna hit me:

Slow down you're doing fine  

You can't be everything you want to be before your time

I could go on to quote the entire song, but these were the words that hit me and made me stop, breathe, and center myself.

Alright, this post has come to an end. Just wanted to mark the occasion.

Hope you're having a lovely day!
-Em x

Vienna

April Favourites

Hello May! Here's my very first favourite list! They're honestly my favourite (Haha get it? Favourite? Yeah?). So it's a pretty random list but let's dive in!

Beauty Favourites

• Rimmel Gel Liner in 001 Black -- My first gel eyeliner!

• Revlon Parfumerie in Powder Puff & Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish in Bon Bon (used BonBon as the base and Powder Puff as the top so the opacity was perfect and no chips!)

• Aerie perfume in Hidden Love. I bought this last spring and temporarily lost in behind my dresser. I was in Shoppers Drugmart browsing and smelled Benefit's Laugh With Me Lee Lee and loved it but knew I had one just like it at home -- long story short my dresser was moved and it's been my go-to ever since.
  

Fashion Favourites

• My navy blue Abercrombie & Fitch sweater I bought from Winners

• Black "leather" bucket bag from Ardene

Entertainment Favourites

• Mindy Kaling/The Mindy Project/Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

• Emma Stone/Easy A (Seriously watched this movie almost everyday idk).

• Emilia Clarke/Khaleesi/Game of Thrones (She is my sun and stars).

• Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman (the best form of exam procrastination)

Favourite Apps

• 2048 (Highscore: 11820)
• MynetDiary
• Tao Way of Life

Favourite Music

• Time Will Tell - Gregory Alan Isakov
• Fancy - Iggy Azalea ft Charli XCX (I can rap this in its entirety -- also THIS VIDEO♥)
• Ain't That A Kick In The Head - Dean Martin
• Who You Love - John Mayer ft. Katy Perry
• New York - Ed Sheeran
• YONCE - Beyoncé (Partition is good too but this intro is just mint)
• Bon Iver - Bon Iver album (sings me to sleep)

Favourite Foods

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel Popcorn Chocolate Bar (My new favourite of all chocolates. It's perfection. Seriously. Go eat this. Now. Give me some though. It's polite to share joy).
• Hot Chocolate (I know it's spring, but I can't help it).
• Strawberries

Favourite Quote

• "Trust life a little bit"

Favourite Day-Dream

• Big city livin'

Where I Found This Picture

Goals for May

• Read at least a chapter of Emma by Jane Austen a day.
• Acquire a job
• Practice seeing the bright side/accept life as it comes

-- Em x

Graffiti Girls

My lovely friends who I met while I lived in Montreal visited me this weekend! I hadn't seen them in ages and it was awesome catching up with them and showing these two American girls a bit more of Canada.
I took them around my hometown and downtown to see the major and hidden attractions of the area! Including a giant graffiti wall, these girls love their graffiti (you have to if you live in MTL).

It was rainy the day we went downtown but they're among the most optimistic people I've ever met so it didn't rain on their parade (yes I just said that). Which in all honesty was a little eye opening for me, I see this stuff almost daily so a rainy day is a downer, but they're seeing it with fresh eyes, and the rain magically turns into ambiance. It allowed me to be a bit more appreciative of my daily surroundings!

They loved the Cyrus-esque tongue action of the Unicorn ("It's a unicorn!!!")

We went to the Parliament buildings and became celebrities to some friendly tourists from China who wanted pictures with Canadians (unfortunately for them they only got 1.5 Canadians -- half of my friend Haley is from the Great White North). There was also a funny moment when the girls hesitated to follow me onto the lawn of Parliament.

This cookie quickly turned her teeth pink!

 For lunch we went to one of my favourite places in the Byward Market and I had completely forgotten that it's the place Obama visited on his first trip to Canada as the President. They loved all the pictures and memorabilia for him!
A fun fact: These girls went CRAZY for Bulk Barn. Like they are the biggest fans ever. They couldn't believe how much the store had and the variety too. It was so funny to watch them experience something so common, and frankly, an old persons store (despite that statement it's my go-to place to buy candy before seeing a movie or partaking in a sleepover).

We went out, we hung out, and laughed about, and it was honestly a great weekend that of course went by way too quickly! I need to go see these girls this summer, and I hope they come back soon as well! Distance doesn't affect real friendships (sorry I felt like I had to have some mushy quote to finish this off).

Hope you had a lovely weekend!
Em x

I Did it Myself: DIY Kimono!

Hello! Firstly, thanks for reading me and I hope you're having a nice day. I have made my own kimono for a total of 7$! I was stumbling through YouTube and not only discovered the amazing LaurDIY but her tutorial on making kimonos! It looked so easy that I decided to give it a try.

So I initially headed to Value Village looking for a scarf like the video suggests. However I couldn't find any that I liked (ain't that always the way), so I headed to my local Fabricland. Luckily, and unluckily, their lease is up so everything was 50% off, and I was able to snag this gorgeous chiffon like navy blue fabric with white flowers that have a bit of pink in them. I got a meter and it came to just under 8$, which is amazing. I already liked this DIY, most kimono's are 30$!
So I headed home to get started on my kimono, a bit intimidating.

Now I have sewed before, but I am by no means a seamstress. I just know how to sew on buttons or mend something minor, so I was nervous to start this. And while the video is great, it isn't dummy proof, and I got a bit confused on what and where I was supposed to cut, fold, or make a seam. So I decided to grab a piece of paper to practice, which eased my nerves a bit! Looking back now I followed the directions, I just needed to practice a bit!

Another thing the video didn't really address was making a kimono from seamless fabric. However, I just ironed folds over and sewed in seams to stop frays (which this fabric is always doing). It was a bit extra leg work since every where needed seams, but the sewing is honestly so easy it won't take you long. A great thing about making a kimono is that it's such flowy fabric that when you pick a similar coloured thread, you can barely even notice the seams.
This was a labour of love, but not because it was extensive and really hard to do, but because it was such a quick reward of a DIY that I loved making it.



All in all, this was a great DIY.
You can customize every aspect of this project, the length, the colour, the fabric.

The video suggest 60cm up from the bottom to make the arm holes, however this really depends on the length of the fabric you have, I'd go somewhere between 40-60cm, and if you're not happy it's painless to redo it until you're happy!

I am sososo happy with the end result! Great price, easy work, and it's all mine! I would definitely recommend this to anyone, even if you're not all that confident in your sewing abilities!

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely day! :)

- Emily ♥

DIY Kimono - LaurDIY