Lather. Write. Repeat.

20 March 2012

Style Peek: whimsical chair print blouse + skinny jeans

Happy Spring friends! It seems somewhat symbolic that I will emerge from my blogging slumber on the first day of the fresh new season, non? I hope you are all doing well and I really missed you. I missed blogging but I really did need a break...and continue to reset my internal compass in order to make sure I'm living the life I want.

It's been a very busy month. Lots of ups and downs. We lost a loved one from Jack's side of the family, so there were many tears and heavy hearts mixed with relief that she is finally at peace after a long battle with illness. I seriously explored a new career direction and this involved lots of stressful sleepless nights flip flopping on what was the best next move for me and our family. In the end, it was just not the right opportunity for me and I decided to stay where I am and feel extremely grateful for the amazing workplace I have and people I love seeing every day. Henry is growing from a little puppy into a BIG puppy and we're enjoying introducing him to dog parks and this weekend - the cabin! YES! It is so warm here in Manitoba that we've decided to do our earliest cabin visit ever...can't wait!

I've also been doing a massive, slow closet overhaul and you'll see new items added to my Shop My Closet tab (on the upper nav) weekly as I methodically go through each item and FINALLY let go of what doesn't work, doesn't fit, shouldn't have bought...you know the drill. But this leaves room for fresh new items - like this blouse I bought from ASOS over in the UK. It has CHAIRS on it!!!! Their CURVE collection is so modern and fashion forward. Now that I know my size well, ordering is a breeze and they offer free worldwide delivery. I got this on sale with a coupon code so double score! I have a little secret for you....us busty gals often need to go up a size to fit our blouses. This leaves them long and frumpy and not-so-flattering...so I hem them to a flattering hip length! This is pretty easy to do yourself or you can bring the item to a local tailor - totally worth the $10!!

chair print blouse - ASOS (buy here)

skinny jeans - AE (buy here)

black flats - Aldo (buy here)

Hope you are all having an amazing first day of spring! Hugs!

28 February 2012

Style Peek: Coral Cardigan + Black and Pink Swallow Print Dress

Hello! How are you doing today? I'm pretty tired because let's just say that puppy training is not a cakewalk!! We're having some serious issues with Henry crying all night in his kennel and it's not something we experienced with Gus. Argghhh! We're trying everything so if you have any tips or tricks - do share!

So interesting story about this dress...it was my first ever purchase from UK retailer New Look. I love their clothes and was excited for this fun and casual bird dress. When it finally arrived, I opened the package and found they had sent the dress 2 sizes too big. I had a little panic attack and tried to contact them via Twitter, FB, email and any other way I could find....cue crickets noise....no response! Nada! Nothing! Nothing makes my blood boil more than bad customer service. When I didn't hear anything, I decided to try the dress on to see what I could salvage with alterations. Turns out, because of the elastic waist and blousy fit, I could get away with the bigger size (sniffles :) and I actually love the dress (and the adorable pockets!). I do a lot of online ordering so a snafu was bound to happen...but still no word from them?? What would you do? The clothes are adorable, but would you write them off in principle? I probably already know your answer...