Weekend Comfort and Insecurities

This weekend, all I wanted was comfort. For comfort, I reached towards my cozy knit sweater, leggings, and a warm scarf.  It's not the most stylish thing I've put together, but it was warm. And hey, I'm just keepin' it real. It's exhausting to dress to the nines every day!

Garage tights; Walmart boots; ALDO purse; Suzy Shier scarf; Costco sweater

Now onto the second part of my post, I want to chat about insecurities. We all have 'em. Generally I'm pretty happy with myself and I don't have too much to complain about. Except that I hate my forehead (and my nose, but that's another story). My hair-line starts pretty far back, and I feel like my forehead is huge. It's why I've had bangs since high school.

But I remind myself to just suck it up. So what if my forehead is huge? If I don't want my bangs touching my face, I want to be able to put them back without feeling ugly. I have to embrace my forehead and accept that it's part of who I am. It's not something I can change, so I'm learning to love it. No one's perfect, which is why we're all beautiful.  :)

Typical fall outfit

This over-exposure thing is horrible... You can't even tell that my shirt is an oatmeal colour. It's actually very nice! Other than that, this is a typical fall outfit. Layers, cuffed jeans, booties and an umbrella. You can't forget the umbrella.

F21 sweater, jeans, shoes, purse, and necklace; Old Navy button-up; Dynamite jacket

You know those outfits that you put on and don't realize everything's from the same store? That's this outfit. Except the button-up and jacket. But still - sweater, jeans, purse, booties and necklace - all Forever 21. Can you tell that I can usually score with this brand? It's fabulous :)

And can you see that my umbrella is broken? Yep, it's pretty sad. I hate how often I feel that I have to replace my umbrellas... the wind by my apartment building does a great job of ripping them apart...

I hope everyone's having a great weekend! Any Halloween parties out there?

Layering Button-Ups

A cold day in Montreal on Saturday meant lots of layers. Orange button-up + boyfriend's plaid button-up + leather jacket = warm!

Dynamite jacket; AE pants; ALDO purse; Converse shoes; Old Navy top x 2

This purse is my new favourite thing in the world. I was watching Linda's Thursday Latelies a couple weeks ago, and she mentioned this fabulous purse from ALDO that she had picked up. Immediately I went to the website and they had some left! And they were even on sale! Double win.

These pictures were taken during the day trip to Montreal on the weekend. We had lots of fun, but found that we didn't really have much time. I think it would have worked out better if we had taken a later bus home, or we had gotten a place to stay for the night. Oh well, it was cheaper this way and was still fun!  I got some wonderfully successful shopping done, and you guys will see some of it up on my blog soon I hope!

P.s. Thanks for the nail care suggestions! I had no idea what to do and you guys have given me some great ideas. Thanks, you're all the best :)

Tights and Tunics

I think tights are fabulous. 

Dynamite jacket and tunic, Walmart tights, ALDO shoes, F21 belt

I also think tunics are fabulous. Especially this striped one. It's too bad that you can't see the cowl-neck on this one because my scarf is covering it. Sorry 'bout that.

This week is our "reading week" at university. We get the week off of class, so we're supposed to catch up on our readings and do work and such. Most university students take these weeks as "vacation" time and travel somewhere cool. Me? I read. And have 50 bajillion group meetings to attend for final projects due in the next month.

School is truly kicking my butt this semester. 

Today I'm Featured...

... Over Here! Kait from Kait Kulture is totally awesome and asked me a few weeks ago if I'd like to be featured on her blog. I had lots of fun answering her questions and picking some of my favourite fall items to display. Check it out here!

Thanks so much, Kait, for the feature! You're the best!

Sometimes I Wanna Disappear

I don't actually. I don't think disappearing would be too fun. What if you got lost in disappear mode and couldn't re-appear? Anyways...

Dynamite jacket, Gap jeans, F21 shirt, bag and shoes, H&M scarf

I always feel great in a leather jacket. Always. I don't know why, but it's just one of those pieces that I can put on and feel fabulous in. That's when I know the investment was worth it (although, it's not much of an investment because it's not real leather...shhh).

Random question, but does nail polish destroy anyone else's nails? For some reason, every time I wear it my nails become all brittle and (gross) peel. I hate it and I don't know what to do about it. Does anyone have this same problem? Have you figured out a way around it?

Photos from September

Wonderful, another group of forgotten photos from September...Sorry guys.

H&M shirt and bracelets, Dynamite jeans, Aldo shoes, Walmart bag

This was another "place the camera on a ledge" shoot, sorry for the poor lighting. When the boyfriend isn't around as much, it's hard! But I do love this shirt and don't wear it nearly enough. I'm just not always sure how! It doesn't look difficult to style, but for some reason every way I wear it, it looks the same. So it kind of is?  Anyone have any ideas??

And tomorrow I'm heading off to spend a day in Montreal with the boyfriend. I'm very very VERY excited. There are a number of things on my fall wishlist and I hope to hit up the H&M, Forever 21, and more to take care of some of these needs. On the list? Chunky scarf and sweater, knee-high caramel/cognac boots, more leopard print, and the list goes on!

I hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend and TGIF!

A Field of Corn

These pictures were taken Thanksgiving weekend, when it was warm enough to wear this shirt, and probably get away with shorts too. Now it's gone back to fall. Very very fall.

Costa Blanca shirt and necklace, Dynamite leggings; Spring shoes; H&M bracelets

I was inspired by Hilary's hair in one of her recent posts, and decided to play with a braid:

I didn't want too much structure in this outfit, so I just kept the top loose. No belt, no tuck. And you know, I felt like I was wearing PJs all day. Hopefully I didn't quite look like I was wearing PJs....

Either way, this braid thing was so much fun. Too bad my hair isn't longer, because its JUST BARELY long enough to fit behind my opposite ear. Some very sneaky people could probably walk up to me and see the neon-coloured elastic holding it in place. Maybe that's my problem, I just need a different coloured elastic...

Hope everyone's having a great week! Happy Hump Day!

And have I said my readers are totally awesome recently? Well you guys are. Thanks for everything, I love waking up to your sweet comments and it's nice to know someone cares about what I have to say/post. Yay!!!

Yay for Blogger Awards!

Recently I was nominated for the Kreativ Blogger award by the lovely Kait from Kait Kulture.

I guess I'm supposed to say 7 random things about me! Hmm, I hate this kind of stuff because I never know what to say, but here it goes:

1. I lived in the same house from when I was born until I was 17.  The only time I've ever moved was to go to University.
2. I find it hard to read novels because I get so attached to the characters. When the books are done, I feel a huge sense of loss in my life. Does anyone else know what I mean, or am I just crazy?
3. My absolute favourite show is The Office, but it's just not the same without Michael Scott.
4. I have a midterm tonight and should be studying, but instead I'm writing this post. Oops.
5. I hate when people ask me what I want to do after school because I still have no idea. And I'm graduating in 2 months.
6. My favourite food is pasta. Anything to do with pasta makes me happy.
7. Blogging & reading blogs is my favourite past-time. If I'm not doing school work, you can usually find me here :)

Now I'll pass the award along to a few of the great bloggers that I have met recently. If I could, I would pass it back to Kait, because she's an awesome blogger and has a killer fashion sense. But I'll stick with the rules and pass it to some other awesome bloggers that I know.  Here it goes:

Emma from Verbal Mélange.  Her posts are always great, and I especially love her Fiscal Friday posts.  She's a great example of how you can shop within a budget and still look great!

Sorren from Classic Noise. I love her style and she always looks so put together.  Also, her witty posts are always fun to read.

Sabrina from Sabrina Says. She's super stylish, and her posts are always so fun. She's a great writer and always has great photos.

Melody from Happiness & Love. Love her wardrobe and those gorgeous caramel boots she's been wearing recently!

I hope you check these ladies' blogs out, because they're all pretty awesome. Now I should get back to studying... See ya!

Farmers everywhere!

I love that someone is farming behind me...While we were sitting outside, about 4 or 5 tractors drove by. This is what I'm used to seeing back home.

Costa Blanca shirt; Dynamite pants; Walmart boots; H&M bracelets; F21 necklace

I just bought these boots from Walmart and am already in love. Completely. I love the contrast between the feminine shirt and the "rugged" boots. Also, these pants are totally completely fabulous. I know, I've already said that. But they've been such a great investment already!

Lets stop talking about clothing for a minute, just because I feel like being serious.  And as a blogger, I can get a little personal sometimes.  I'm getting to a point in my life where I'll be making some really big changes. In a little over two months, I will be a university graduate without a job.  I have gone through a few internships, but they have only made me more confused about what I am interested in doing career-wise.  I'm not sure what my next step will be, and although it's stressful, it's also eye-opening... 

My entire life I have followed this path set for me: public school, then high school, add a part time job, go to university.  The only decision I've really had to make about my future is what program to study. Now that it's almost over, the whole world is opening up to me. I am free to make my own choices, take advantage of new opportunities.  I can do whatever I choose to, for however long I want, with no more rules.  I am no longer on a pre-determined path; I'm creating it. And it's pretty crazy.

The Forgotten Photos.

When the sun was shining and bright, I took these photos.

Spring shoes, Joe Fresh top, F21 pants, Walmart tote, Old Navy belt, Scarf??

I took these some time back in September. I don't know why they didn't get posted sooner, I guess they got overlooked.

Just a casual outfit for a day of classes. This bag has saved me from back-packs a few times because it's big enough for my computer + wallet + water bottle + snack. If only it was a little bigger, it would be able to hold two big textbooks. I guess for those days, I've got my handy dandy back-pack... I hate that thing. It's too big and I hit people in the head on the bus. Not cool.

EBEW: DIY/Refashion

Leaves = my favourite part of fall. I love walking around in the forest with the leaves crunch under my feet. It's the best.

F21 shirt, belt and (altered) maxi, Aldo shoes

This is my EBEW DIY/Re-fashion challenge because when I purchased this skirt, it was actually a maxi dress! I decided it would be MUCH more versatile as a skirt and decided to chop it off at the arms and sew in an elastic waist. I get much more use out of it now :)

These photos were taken in the forest by my parents' house. Its always gorgeous back there at this time of year. Boyfriend and I took a walk and then took some photos of the adventure.

Heavy-Metal-Heads.

Boyfriend: "What jacket are you wearing?"
Me: "My leather one, why?"
Boyfriend: "Oh.. Okay. I won't wear mine then."
Me: "Why not?"
Boyfriend: "We'll look like 'heavy-metal-heads'."

...Boys are funny :)

Dynamite jacket; American Eagle jeans; The Bay shirt; Spring boots; F21 bag

Again, I can't get enough of this shirt. The flannel is SO soft and perfectly warm with this jacket. And these boots!!! They're the first pair that I've worn all season, crazy! I guess that means it's REALLY fall...

These photos were taken earlier in the week. Since Friday I've been between my parents' house and the boyfriend's parents' house. I've got some fun photoshoots coming up with a big change of scenery! I'm sure you're not excited about it as I am, but that's okay, I'm just a little crazy :)

He's so grown up!

Yesterday my little bro officially graduated high school and received his diploma. I'm so proud of him!!!

It's pretty crazy going back to high school. My brother and I are four years apart, so we haven't attended the same school, at the same time, in forever.  It was fun seeing some of my teachers again, though. Not much has changed in the last four years :)

And because this weekend is Thanksgiving weekend for Canadians, I've had my first turkey dinner of three. I know, isn't that crazy? Three turkey dinners. I'm pretty excited.

My very first blog interview!

 I miss summer already....

Kate from Petite Adventures has been working on some wonderful blogger profiles, and today she's featured me! Come and check out my interview to learn a little more about why I blog and who my style icons are! :)

It's Time for Leather and the Colour Black.

When the temperature starts to drop like it did the other day, the leather comes out. Not only because it looks awesome, but also because it's the warmest thing to protect you from the nasty wind.

Dynamite jacket, jeans, and shirt; F21 bag and necklace; Spring boots; Scarf from ??

First off, again, apologies for the awkward picture quality, and super awkward faces (i.e. photo #3). I took pictures a little too late again, which is why I'm in a bus shelter. It's the only place there's light. Oops. I blame it on laziness, sorry again.

For some reason, earlier this week Ottawa went from summer to winter, skipping fall. Last week we were at 25 degrees (Celsius), and now we're down at 8... 8!!!!!!!! What the heck. Luckily today there's sun, and the temperature is going to climb back up to the 20s this weekend. I'm just not ready for that kind of cold yet.

I'm Blue

Not like this song, though. Do any of you guys remember that song? It was a weird time in music for sure....

F21 blazer; H&M scarf; Garage leggings; Old Navy button-up; Sirens boots

This scarf is awesome. I bought it months ago (back in May) and hadn't gotten around to wearing it. I know, I'm terrible! The print is my favourite :)  I don't know why, but I was inspired by blue for this outfit. Three different shades AND pattern mixing? Pre-blogger Kelly would never have put such an outfit together. I'm sort of proud of myself.

Today I'm sitting around the house reading my textbooks. Or at least I'm supposed to be reading. I'm also trying out a new teriyaki pork tenderloin recipe in the slow cooker. Now that the cold weather has hit us, I'm gearing up for comfort foods! There are some perks that come with fall, I guess ... :)

Three minutes flat.

Yes.

Forever 21 shirt, necklace, and boots; Dynamite pants

I had to get ready in 3 minutes flat. To me, that means button up + cuffed pants + cute booties + bun. Yay for quick outfits that don't look half bad! But I am really sad you can't see my necklace. It's lots of fun and has some cute charms on it... Both it and these shoes are recent Forever 21 purchases.  I swear that place is sucking the money right out of me!

School is starting to get demanding. If I'm not working on group projects or at group meetings, I'm probably reading textbooks and studying. I can't believe it's only a few weeks in and already super demanding. And HOW is it already October? Can someone please tell me where September went? Thanks.

Cottage Life

I love my family more than anything. Recently my uncle turned 50, and of course there was a little get together at my other uncle's cottage. I couldn't go without taking along the camera :)

My little cousin fishing off the dock - too cute!

Forever 21 blazer, necklace and boots; Walmart tights; Bluenotes shorts; Garage tshirt

This outfit was a lot of fun, but not entirely appropriate for the cottage because my heels kept sinking into the ground and getting caught in the slats of the dock... Graceful.

I've been in love with these boots lately. They're the perfect height and I don't own grey shoes. Is that crazy?