Put a Sock In It!

{Skirt: Thrifted and Modified, Shirt & Cuff: Value Village, Ring: bought in Berlin, Shoes: Aldo}

I am admittedly a little slow to take up new trends and styles, and if I do it's most likely an accident.  My personal style stems from my love of colours, patterns, & thrift stores, so I'm usually a decade or two behind.  This is especially true when it comes to my hair, which I spend about 5 minutes styling every morning (throw it up on my head and go).  However, I have watched my fair share of hair tutorials on YouTube, and try as I might I just can't ever get my hair to do the same thing.
This is a proud moment for me: I have successfully put a sock on my head!  You may or may not be aware of this, but it turns out that when you see a woman with a picture perfect bun on her head that clearly indicates she has an insane amount of hair (and patience), she actually just has a sock in there! This is probably not news to most of you, as hair 'donuts' are not a new phenomenon, but as I said....decades behind here folks.  So it is with great joy I share these pictures with you today, and I hope my hair-inspiration continues as I attempt more challenging styles.

Learn to do a sock bun below:

Pop Rocks

{Dress: Made by me, Sweater & Shoes: Value Village, Purse: Lady Day - Amsterdam, Earings: Thrifted}

Many of you have probably experienced the wonderful public art displays along the 800 block of Robson St. this summer.  This particular one - Pop Rocks - has had huge success for obvious reasons.  The pillowy rocks are soft to sit on, but with enough structure and strength to take a beating.  From young children to bored teenagers, the Pop Rocks offer a great place to  hang out, and the umbrellas give tired shoppers a break from the heat.  This block of Robson St. will remain a pedestrian only area in downtown Vancouver until the end of this year, and continue to host unique public art experiences. 

Carrot & Coriander

Hey guys, I've got another easy recipe post for you, a good summer soup!  It's been way to hot to even think about sweating over a hot pot of soup, but the heat finally broke yesterday so here we go!

You will need: 

-Large pot or dutch oven
-Emersion blender

Carrot & Coriander Soup Ingredients:

2 tbs Olive Oil

2lbs Carrots - peeled and chopped (I got the organic ones, because they have WAY more flavor - this can make or break your soup).

1lb onions - chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground thyme or 1.5 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp kosher salt (plus more to add if you desire)

fresh ground pepper

1L water

1/2 cup heavy cream (if you really want to, you can put milk, but it wont be nearly as delicious :P )

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (for garnish)


1. Peel and weigh carrots, then chop into .5" slices.

2: Heat olive oil in your pot. Add chopped onions and ground coriander - Cook & stir until onions are transparent (5 mins)

3: Add chopped carrots, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined & add 1L of water.  Add more water if your carrots are not covered.  Cover & bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer for approximately 30 minutes (until carrots are very soft).

4: Once carrots are cooked, turn off stove and add 1/2 cup of cream.  Blend using your emersion blender until smooth.  Adjust seasoning to your liking. 

5. Serve with chopped cilantro, yum! Serves 4, or you can freeze the rest for work lunches like I do :)

Wonder Woman

{Skirt: Value Village, Shirt: Hornby Island Free Store, Belt: Grarage Sale, 

Shoes & Cuff: Aldo}

Clothes should make you feel something, at least thats what I believe.  I'm not interested in wearing something for the sake of being clothed, and when I get dressed it is always with purpose.  This doesn't mean I don't consider functionality, on the contrary my outfits are usually destination or activity specific.  In some cases I have an inspiration in mind, and in other cases its more of a mood, but it always has to have feeling.  In this scenario I had Wonder Woman in mind, and in this outfit I feel invincible.  So, next time you need to throw together an outfit, consider how you want to feel in it.  Is it powerful? Delicate? Carefree? Your clothes can take you there.

Swing Swing

{Dress: H&M, Sweater & Shoes: Value Village, Belt: Riot}

I know I know I know....more zebra.  You can never have too much of a good animal print though right?  These pictures are actually from over a month ago, in case your wondering how I can stand to be wearing black leggings in this heat!  I had completely forgotten that Sam took these shots while we were wandering up to my parents place.  5th avenue has quite the collection of boulevard swings, extending out over the hill to give you the impression of launching off into the sky.

Welcome to the Jungle

{Dress: made by me, Belt: Riot, Shoes: Aldo}

I. Love. Sewing.  I'm so excited to be learning how to make clothes & handle various fabrics.  I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to construction, but I do know what I like: bold patterns and simple silhouettes.  This dress is essentially a rectangle with holes for the arms & neck, but with a pattern like this one (four animal prints in one dress!) you don't need anything more.

Also, how amazing is this tree?  We are a match made in jungle heaven.

Pen & Ink

As you may remember, I was taking a coarse at Emily Carr on drawing with pen & ink throughout June and July.  The coarse is over now *sad face* but I did complete some neat illustrations throughout and I'd like to share them with you.  From cross hatching to stippling to patterns, the possibilities truly are endless, even without the use of colour.  Click on the images above to get a closer view.

If anybody is interested in this coarse or any other Emily Carr continuing studies courses (they are very affordable and many of them are in the evenings or on weekends), you can check out the fall program brochure here:

http://www.ecuad.ca/sites/www.ecuad.ca/files/pages/39/EmCarr_CS_Fall2012_webupdated.pdf

Highs and Lows

{dress: made by me, sandals: Havaianas, earings: gift from turkey}

I am happy to report that my first few sewing projects have been going really well, despite having to fight with my machine to get it to sew stretch materials.  This high-low hemline dress was my second project and I'm really pleased with it (1st one will debut soon, promise).  Aside from machine issues, making a maxi dress out of a stretch material is really easy,  and cutting the high-low hemline is fairly simple as well.  I am looking forward to styling this dress with some sexy leggings and boots for fall, anybody else getting excited for fall fashion? 

Uncorked

These past few weekends my Mom and I have been taking a course in drawing with pen & ink.  For one of our assignments we had to pick an unconventional drawing tool and use it to create different patterns, textures and designs with ink.  I chose to use a tapered wine cork, which proved to have endless possibilities.  This exercise really helps to push the boundaries of what we think of as drawing, forcing us to remember that any tool can be used to make art if we hold it right.