Foot Doctor Greys

Today was a flat shoe and pants day due to a podiatrist visit for foot pain.   I decided to wear my grey pants and then as usual went overboard piling on other grey clothing.

It wasn't quite as comfy as I thought it would be - the pants were just out of the  wash and had not bagged out sufficiently. 

The doctor told me all sorts of things about me: one leg is longer than the other and I am slightly pigeon-toed on the left foot.   She was able to tell that just by observing my stance. And here I thought I was relatively symmetrical.

Nothing about why my foot hurts though - need more tests.

So, anyway, I wasn't super pleased with yesterday's scarf organizer, so decided to reloop the scarves.  This time I did a loop in the front and left the scarves dangling down the back.  It's much easier to see all the scarves because a little bit of each scarf shows. 

And, I can easily see that there is room for another 15 or 16 scarves!

Hanging Circular Scarf Organizer

As you know, I have a lot of scarves.  My scarf drawer is becoming a tad unruly.  I've always wanted to try one of those belt-scarf organizers but the cost seemed a little pricey for a bunch of circles joined together.

source

So, when they had one in the as-is section at IKEA (returns, discontinued, missing pieces, clearance) for $5, I thought it was a good time to try one out.

I wasn't sure how you were supposed to thread the scarves through, so just looped them and left them hanging down the front.  With lots of scarves, I put 2 into each circle.

 

I only hung the longer thin scarves; the squares and thicker ones are going to stay in the compartmented drawer.  I'm sure there is a better way to loop them, but will try it like this for a while.

My closet is too stuffed for me to hang this inside, so I McGyvered a ribbon and door hook so that this could be at eye level.

I think it works quite well.

Colourful Floral

Today, I wanted to wear a skirt, but remembered how cold it gets in the office at the beginning of the week - last Monday it was cold the whole day!  And it wasn't just me, the guy next to me was cold too.

It's also Visible Monday again and thank-you Patti for hosting this linky list because it DOES make me think about what to wear.  It starts off the week and gets me in the mood to think about my wardrobe.

So, I hauled out my black jean-style cotton pants.  I matched them with a floral top (bought on the same trip as the big yellow purse).  It wasn't exactly the look I had planned, but it was warmer without having to wear thick winter tights.

The top has a cute mostly black and white print with a splash of colourful flowers on one side.

I brought some more colour up around the neck area by adding a black and pink rose scarf.  This scarf is one that I hardly ever wear - it doesn't seem to go with anything - although it looks okay with this top.

Now that I see photos, I think it would've been better if I put the pink on the scarf on the other side so as not to be lop-sided colour-wise.  I wonder whether people notice things like that.

Channeling Jeannie !

I'm also not fond of how wrinkled the pants have gotten by end of day.  That's what comes of sitting down at a desk all day.

Today I wore:

black sequin tank ... from Winners

floral top ... Chatelet

black pants ... Penmans

loafers ... Spain

scarf ... ???

A Day at the Fair

Here in Lotusland, August is the time for the agricultural fair.  It started as a 4H agricultural/food event: lots of farm animals, domestic arts, horticulture, bee-keeping.  In its heyday there were buildings for fine arts, sports, home and garden, armed forces and shopping.

It has diminished to a shade of its former self but there are still a few interesting things to see. Like this antique underwater bomb disposal suit:

And what's a visit to the fair without those fabulous mini-doughnuts?

I used to love watching them come off
the production line when I was a little kid

As some of you may know, I'm a bit of a geek; I like science fiction, fantasy and historical novels, so, when it came time for the annual fair,  complete with Star Trek exhibit, it was a must-attend for me. 

It was a no-photos allowed display - there were lots of costumes, models and props from the various Star Trek movies and series.  The most interesting thing for me was the timeline; it placed each of the series and movies in chronological order (not in real time, but according to when it takes place in the story).

They did have some photo-opp sets which we took part in; here they are in all their geeky glory.  This bridge is from the original series:

Big J and I ... boldly going where no man has gone before

This bridge is from my favourite series, Star Trek - The Next Generation:

Make It So!

And here is the transporter room:

Energize !

There was a little gift shop at the exit; I succumbed and bought a few buttons with Star Trek quotes.  I was actually looking for Bajoran earrings in the shop or maybe a uniform top, but they didn't have any. 

We also bought some tickets for the Prize Home.  It wasn't as nice as previous prize homes; it was more a vacation style 2nd home than a regular home.  You can go on a virtual tour or check out the photos.  (link will probably die in a few months time, so check it out now). 

I wore:

red check smock ... Faded Glory

ivory s/s cardigan ... Bitten

khaki capris ... Jones & Co

runners ... ???

messenger bag ... desigual

woven tote ... old navy

~

Vet Visit

We took the doggies to the vet today for their shots; they were all excited because they thought it was walk-time - until we got into the car.  Good thing today's outfit was relatively dog-proof except for the nylons.

I've been using my bright yellow purse that I got back in May so today's outfit grew from that. 

Wilting in the Heat ...

I picked the skirt first because it had bits of yellow, then the dark t-shirt.  It looked a bit weird even with a belt so I threw on a short-sleeved greenish yellow cardigan overtop. 

I'm not sure what I don't like about this outfit, maybe the combination of darks and lights?  Co-workers liked it though, so maybe I know nothing.

Today I wore:

dark green t-shirt ... Joe Fresh

greenish-yellow s/s cardigan ... no labels

green floral flounce skirt ... Jennifer Moore
scarf ... ???

shoes ... prive

NetGirl Flounce ReVisit

I love it when a blogger is able to restyle a piece and it looks completely different - I don't have that talent and everytime I repeat a clothing item, it looks almost the same as the last time.

So it is with today's look.  I wore my NetGirl skirt again for some summer cool.  Everytime I wear this skirt, I love it more.

Where is that cord snaking to?

This time I wore a sleeveless peach tee and a cardigan overtop.  The tee is a lowish v-neck so I buttoned the top button on the cardigan and filled in the area with my alphabet peach scarf.

It went up to 32 degrees C (~ 90F) and felt a bit hotter due to our relatively high humidity here in Lotusland (57% today) but what with air conditioning and an inactive day, I didn't notice the heat at all.

You might wonder why our white doggie has been making an appearance in a few posts.  He is always inserting himself into the photos, so I finally decided to leave him be rather than cropping him out.

Today I wore:

sleeveless v-neck peach t-shirt ... Zara Basics

elbow sleeve peach cardigan ... George

peach alphabet scarf ... EFAD

flounced skirt ... NetGirl

shoes ... BareTraps

Tie-Dye Maxi Dress

Whenever it's a blazing hot day, I prefer to wear something loose, long and flowy.  So it was a perfect day for my tie-dye maxi dress.  

I got this dress long before maxis became popular and it's a size bigger than I normally wear which is perfect for a hot sticky day.

I used to always wear a tank under it because the buttons would gape open when I sat down.  So ages ago, I did a refashion with a bit of blue lace and made a fake cami underneath.

Here's a closeup:

The dress has that long-body effect which I hate, so I tied a similarly printed scarf around my waist.  It just picks up the purple patches on the dress.

I also wore my blue T-strap Mary Janes from Spain - I think of these as "school shoes" because in the old days, kids used to wear shoes like this to school didn't they?

These shoes come in blue, red and black and I think next time I'm in Spain, I'll get another colour - maybe red.

It turned out the dress was a good choice for today because it was not only hot and sticky, but we had a barbecue at work - so the loose dress was perfect for a burger and potato salad.  No dinner for me tonight.

Spanish Influence - Another Go

Today seemed like a good day to wear the other scarf which my Mom sent me.  This one is a peachy-red colour with black dots.  The dots almost look dark grey or brown.

I am trying to stay away from blacks and browns when it's super sunny out, so went for the taupey-khaki tube-waist skirt.

I am not sure if I like these tube-waist skirts anymore.  They are very comfy on, and the pockets are handy but I always have a thick-waisted look when I wear them.

I layered the scarf over the big disk pendant necklace and added a big plastic flower for my hair to complete the look.

I think today's Spanish inspired look is a bit better than the one from last Thursday - thick waist or no, but I am not sure if I like the non-matchiness of the colours.

Today I wore:

dark taupe tank top, Costco

orangey-red cardigan, Sears

taupe tube-waist skirt, Sears

Peack and Black Dotty Scarf, Tentazioni Barcelona

Burgundy loafers, Spain

Wild Not Paisley Print

We went comparison shopping yesterday at the Costco in the states to see what the price difference was south of the border. 

I was quite surprised at the huge variety of goods and foods.  With the exception of a few Canadian products, most of the items were at least a dollar or two less than at our local Costco.

For example, there was a package of undies which are normally ~ $12 up here and they were regular $9, on sale for $6! So I bought a pack.  Big J found socks, for about the same price difference.

Even things like yogourt were cheaper - about a $1 less for 24 containers which were each slightly bigger than the containers up here.

I'm quite the bargoon hunter, so what with the gas savings - 3.69/gallon vs 1.34/litre (1 gallon = 3.7 litres, so 1.34 x 3.7 = 4.9 when you convert to gallons!), we will probably make the occasional shopping run as it is quite worth our while, and it makes for a nice excursion.

So on to today's outfit.  Another bargoon.  The skirt is from that batch of $8 skirts I bought - this one is a wild floral print - I think of it as paisley, but I don't think there is any paisley in the print.

It has those upside down triangle insets - godets, which make for swishy-ness when walking.  It's an ideal skirt for summer - longer so you can go bare-legged without being overly exposed. 

I wore it with an orange t-shirt, a light ivory cardigan and my red and turqouise necklace.  I am also trying out those footlet things which are like nylons for your feet only.  They are okay, but not quite as nice as complete nylons for protecting against friction.

Today I wore:

Orange t-shirt - Zara

Ivory Cardigan - Bitten

Floral Print Skirt - Coldwater Creek

Pointy Shoes - Payless

Necklace - local designer

Today, I'm linking up to:

• Visible Monday
• Watch What I'm Wearing
• Monday Mingle at BonBon Rose Girls

Dollar Daze

I went to the Dollar store yesterday to buy some wet wipes for my purse; I ended up spending $7 and got:

• a small box of wet wipes
• 2 long drawer organizers for chopsticks
• a notebook for my computer stuff
• a big container of baby powder
• AND this top:

I was quite pleased with the blouse - it's a sample; the tag on it said it comes in a lot of 80 pieces.  There were two, but the other one had a different colour print on top and did not look as nice.

So I decided to wear it with other Dollar store items:

 

It was flip-flop day at work, but I am not one to display uncovered toes at work, so I wore my Spanish loafers again.

I think the jeans are detracting from the overall look, but it's Friday and the whole department was in jeans or dockers.

Today I wore:

black sequin trim racer back tank - Winners - $3

black and white knit tunic - Dollar store - $2

jeans - costco - $16

shoes - spain - ???

necklace and bracelet - Dollar store - $1 each

Spanish Inspiration

Today's outfit has Spanish elements.  My mom sent me a couple of fabulous scarves from Spain so it inspired me to style up something Spain like.

I'm not overly pleased with the outfit.  It has all the elements - there are ruffles, polka-dots, floppy sleeves - I even wore a flower on the back of my head.  But it felt weird when I first put it on, and now that I see the pics, it looks weird too. 

The ruffled skirt is a soft cottony one that I got for $5 from the defunct True Value Vintage.  The label says:

a 1 of a kind article by 

zachary's smile

new york city

which when I google it, seems to be a vintage store in NYC. 

But, the main reason I tried this look was the scarf.  It's from Tentazioni of Barcelona.   It's a perfect width and length and has a very Spanish, polka-dotty print.  It's also a nice light weight, very versatile and a great addition to my wardrobe.  I can't wait to try it with other stuff.

Here is another look at my attempt at Spanish-ifying my look.

I am so glad I listened to Big J and had a jacket on in the office for most of the day!

Wordless

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Bow Begone

When cleaning out the closet, this shirt was one which I considered giving away.  It's an Old Navy top which I bought because it was on sale.  Do you ever do that?  Buy something just because it's cheap?  This was only 1.97 so I think that's why I bought it.

Plus I like the old-looking print; it reminds me of those illustrations that botanists used to do.  I imagine someone working for Kew Gardens going out in the bush and coming back with a journal full of drawings like this.

It also had an interesting button configuration, with little loops.

But everytime I wore it, it felt weird because of the bow.  The bow is a little hard to see so here it is in all its gory detail.

So I decided to try a refashion by getting rid of the bow.  I read that it's a good idea to iron everything before you start.

Then I just lopped off the bow and started sewing - hand sewing because we're shuffling furniture and the sewing machine has been boxed in.

I didn't really know what to do next, so just sewed the two bits together, and got this:

Here's a closeup:

With the leftover bits, I had enough for a not quite long enough tie:

What d'you think?

Swirly Lollipop Tee

It's a stat holiday here in Lotusland, so no work for me today, which means no need to wear work clothes.  I still put on something relatively bright for Visible Monday.

I've been cleaning out my closet over the past week and have 4 big bags of clothing to donate.  I wanted to be able to put away clothes without having to stuff them into drawers or closets, so really thought about what I wanted to keep. 

Here's what helped me decide:

If the clothing makes you feel uncomfortable, donate it.  If you have to keep tucking it in, or pulling it up or down or otherwise adjusting it - just give it away.  If you feel ugly in it, donate it!  If you keep pulling it out of the closet to wear and then end up changing your mind - just toss it.  It's not worth taking up valuable closet space to store unusable clothing.

This swirly tee though, was one item I decided to keep - at least for a little bit.  I liked the lollipop-like print. But otherwise, I'm on a roll and tossing out stuff right and left!

Wish me luck!

Also linking up this week to:  Watch What I'm Wearing