quote of the day: sonneillon V.

"It is okay to want your own happiness. It’s okay to care about yourself the most. It’s okay to do what’s healthy for YOU. When someone hits you, it’s okay to hit back and then ask them what the hell they expected. It’s okay. You are not obligated to sit there and smile and swallow every bit of shit everyone heaps on you. You are more than furniture, you’re more than window dressing, you’re not their shiny toy. You’re human, and you have the right to say “That was shitty of you”. You have a right to say “Let me feed that back to you; tell me, how does it taste?” You have a right to protest your own mistreatment and set boundaries for respectful interactions. The rest of the world doesn’t realize you have this right, and they will act offended and appalled when you exercise it, but it is yours."

Sonneillon V.

quote of the day: kovie biakolo

Falling in love with yourself is as beautiful as any experience of love is. It’s learning to laugh at your awkward tendencies and smile at all your quirky habits. It’s learning to be grateful for the many sides you have – confident, crazy, shy, sexy, nerdy, angry, weird, and all the rest of them. It is realizing that you’re one of a kind and that you deserve to give the world the best person you can be. Falling in love with yourself is being happy in your life and knowing that in this one moment in time, you’re beautiful simply because you are you.

Kovie Biakolo

6 tips on thrift shopping like a pro

fact: I love thrift shopping.

And no, I don't mean vintage stores, where they buy an 80's sweater for $3 and then put it on a fancy hanger in front of a brick wall and sell it for $60. I mean the legitimate, unglamorous, thrift shopping. Value Village. VV is my home turf.

It's easy to be intimidated by a store full to exploding with people's crapola. But you can find some amazing gems hidden in the racks between the bright purple dresses (with brass buttons, of course) and 80's power suits (with shoulder pads, of course). If you know the tricks.


1. Learn to know your size by looking at it. This is a great tip for shopping in general. Don't rely on "size 2", "size 4" - all companies' sizes are completely different and therefore completely unreliable. You should know your body well enough that you can pick up a piece of clothing and know whether or not it should, in theory, fit you. This is an especially useful skill for Value Village, where 100 different shirts are marked "medium" but some are skin-tight and some are bag-lady tents that you could live in with your 10 cats.

2. Learn to distinguish quality from crap. I'd go so far to say that this is the most important thrift-shopping tip of all. With practice, you should be able to brush past a sweater and go "holy shiza! that's cashmere!" and snag it for your personal hoarding collection. On that note, you should know to avoid polyester (that cheap, drapy fabric that magnifies all your lumps & bumps and usually comes in horrible shapes & prints), most ribbed clothing (you know it's from the 90's), any extremely pilled sweaters, etc. Pay attention! Know quality when you see it.

3. Look for problems. Not to be a negative Nancy or anything, but with thrift shopping sometimes its best to expect the worst. Sure, it's a beautiful blouse. Is it so beautiful that the only reason someone would give it away is because it has a huge stain on it? Examine everything carefully. There's nothing worse than getting a beautiful new item home and realizing it has an unfixable issue with it... and giving it back to Value Village as a donation. The vicious cycle continues!

4. Be patient. Be prepared to spend a good amount of time going through the racks. There is no such thing as power shopping when it comes to thrift stores. You will find the best items when you grab a coffee, have a few free hours on a Saturday afternoon, grab a cart and throw in everything that might possibly work. Some trips you won't find anything at all, and some trips, you'll fill your boots. Literally and figuratively.

5. Try whatever you want. One of the greatest things about thrift shopping is there is a little bit of everything - there are no suggestions, no mannequins, no stylists, no judgement, and no intimidatingly stylish salespeople. Try on some crazy stuff if you want! Try on annnnnything! Last week I tried on a camel & black herringbone poncho. My friend Alanna vetoed it, but I thought it was kinda ballin'.

6. Look closely. One of my good friends found Prada and Chanel flats at Value Village. Look closely at the labels. You'd be surprised how often you will find a designer item, hidden between items from Reitmans and Walmart - and sometimes, with a bit of elbow grease, you can restore these items to near new.

quote of the day: learn the difference

learn the difference between 

a man who flatters you
& a man who compliments you. 

a man who spends money on you
& a man who invests in you. 

a man who views you as property
& a man who views you properly. 

a man who lusts after you
& a man who loves you.

- unknown

-

spring projects: 10 cheap & cheerful diy's to try

1.  This easy concrete stool for under $5

2. This cute dresser make-over

3. This IKEA hanging light hack 

4. Cloth + sharpie = constellation scarf

5. This cute LEGO utensil holder

6. This stitched screen door

7.  These oh-so-organized chalkboard-painted spice jars

8.  This wood slice table

9. These colour blocked terracotta pots

10. And these map coasters!

enjoy! go and thrive and be crafty!

quote of the day

"It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we don’t really see ourselves. We don’t watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent with chests rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don’t see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. You don’t see yourself looking at someone with love and care inside your heart. There’s no mirror in your way when you’re laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of you. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly yourself."

the skinny on skivvies: 5 crucial rules of women's underwear

ATTENTION, women of the world: your undergarments are just as important as your clothing.

This is a bit of an intimate subject for most people, but seriously guys, I wouldn't post about it if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Every day I see women wearing the 100% wrong undergarments. And as a fashion blogger, I am taking it on myself to rid as much bad fashion from the world as I can. So here goes.



1. Utilize the right underwear for the right occasions. Educate yourself on the different types of bras and underwear and pay attention to how they fit and flatter you. There are different types, fabrics and cuts for a reason!

For example:

A low-rise panty with a high-waisted skirt will most likely leave you with a panty line, so swap it out for high-rise or shapewear to give you a smooth line all the way down.

A tight t-shirt with a balconette, extreme push-up or lacy bra underneath will leave you looking lumpy, and can leave a line on your bust where the top of the bra ends or give you double-busting (overflow). Try a t-shirt bra instead - it has a higher front cut, and it's completely smooth so it's hidden under shirts.


2. No one else should be able to see it. I am shocked and appalled on a daily basis by the amount of people who wear the completely incorrect undergarments. If you are wearing a backless dress, you do not wear a bra with a back! If you are wearing a strapless dress, you do not wear a bra with straps! If you are wearing a skin-tight skirt, you do not wear granny panties with a pantyline! Please, for the love of everyone, use your common sense.

Strapless dress = strapless bra. 
Backless dress = backless bra. 
Racerback shirt = racerback bra. 

Find the common words and put them together. 

And lastly, let's just get this out in the open......... everyone can see your clear straps.

3. IT NEEDS TO FIT. It seems like common sense, but obviously this needs to be outlined. If you are constantly pulling up your bra straps, if something pinches or hurts, if your underwear gives you a muffin top, if it's uncomfortable, if you're constantly adjusting, it DOES NOT FIT.

Lots of lingerie stores offer FREE bra fittings, so there is no reason you should be wearing an ill-fitting bra. Put up with the awkwardness once, and thank me for the rest of your life. I saw a What Not To Wear the other day in which she was wearing a 34B, she got fitted, and found out she was actually a 36G. And according to "surveys", about 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size. This most likely includes you.

Taken from www.freshpair.com:

You Need to go Up a Cup Size if:

• You're spilling over anywhere—top, sides, or bottom of the bra
• The underwire is resting on the bust or poking it
• The underwire is lifting away from the bust and not lying flat against the body
• Your band size has decreased

You Need to go Down a Cup Size if:

• There are gaps between the bust and the cup
• The band is level and the underwire is digging up into your armpit
• The band is level and there is space between the underwire and where the bust starts
• Your band size has increased

4. Embrace shapewear. There is a common belief out there that shapewear is for larger women. I completely disagree! Any size of woman will look fantastic with shapewear - that's the whole point. There are four kinds - camisole, bodysuit, waist and legs. Depending on what part of your body you're less comfortable with, it can be a fantastic way to pull in all the parts you're not crazy about and make you look trim and shapely. No lumps, no bumps.




5. Don't skimp on your underwear. I know no one can see it, but YOU can. You should feel sexy and beautiful without any clothing on. Buying plain beige bras and plain white underwear does not serve your self esteem! Spend a few extra bucks to get some pretty underwear. Get a little bit of a push up. Get something lacey. Treat yourself.

And take care of it! Read the washing instructions and follow accordingly. Replace it when it gets old. You'll be amazed what nice underthings can do for your confidence, even if no one else sees them.

quote of the day: jeanne ray

Cakes have gotten a bad rep. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. “No, really, I couldn’t,” she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, “That person is better than I am. That person has discipline.”

But that isn’t a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is some place that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what’s served on the happiest days of your life. This is a story of how my life was saved by cake, so, of course, if sides are to be taken, I will always take the side of cake.

Jeanne Ray

quote of the day: kate nash

wake up every morning and tell yourself that you’re a badass bitch from hell and that no one can fuck with you and then don’t let anybody fuck with you.

— Kate Nash

black is the new black: all-black outfits & why they're great

I just really, really love black.

I'd say half my wardrobe is black. My friends always make fun of me, and exclaim in surprise when I actually wear colour (yes, it's rare enough that they feel the need to comment on it). But hear me out.

I scoff at anyone who says an all-black palette is boring. If it is, you're just not doing it right. So here are some tips and tricks to help you wear an all-black outfit with ease.


1. Incorporate different textures. This is the simple most important tip for rocking an all-black ensemble. A black cotton t-shirt with black cotton tights and a black cotton cardigan is boring as hell. A black sweater with a black leather jacket and black jeans with a black fringed bag is a totally different story. It's the different textures and dimensions to an outfit that give it interest - this rule applies even MORE when you're doing an outfit of all one colour/shade.

2. The blacks should match. Some blacks have a cold/blue cast, while others have a warm/brown cast. It's important that you pay attention to what kind of black you're wearing, and plan your outfit accordingly. But don't stress about it too much - if you can't tell if it's warm- or cool-toned, chances are most other people can't, either.

3. Pay attention to the silhouette. Because people aren't being distracted by pattern or bright colour, their eyes will pay attention to what's underneath. Therefore, it's important you pay attention to the silhouette your outfit is giving you. Remember your balance; all-loose outfits make you look like a bag lady, and all-tight outfits make you look like a show-off. Combine tight and loose for the best silhouette.

4. Wear wool when you can. Wool carries dye better than other fabrics, so black wool clothing will keep its colour longer than other fabrics. If you have to buy cotton, try buying cotton with a bit of Lycra in it (which holds dye better than straight cotton).

And now... inspiration!