looking back at 2012

as the end of the year nears, i wanted to thank you all for being part of this blogging journey with me. thank you especially, for reading and supporting my blog! i have had a wonderful time getting to know you and look forward to seeing you here in 2013 for more adventures! happy new year to you all!

this past year has been interesting from many standpoints for me. i have met so many wonderful people, and learned so many things, i wanted to jot down some of my thoughts and some of my favourite outfits.

 

(outfit: colourblock, here and midi skirt, here)

1. things happen for a reason. rounding out 2012, i now look back and am so thankful for an amazing year. i've reached certain milestones that young adult P in the university library would never think i would. while i wanted some things to have happened earlier, i think that i had to wait until now so that i could appreciate them. i tell my friends and family all the time i can only do what i do because i have their support. i can only hope to be as supportive to them as they are to me.

(outfits: clashing, here and wearing my favourite dotted skirt by SPG, here)

2. don't be afraid to try something new. it may sound cliched, but i have been pushed beyond my comfort zone this year, both at work and with this blog. while it was terrifying at the time, it really has been a rewarding and growing experience. at work, i took on a monumental project. with this blog, a nudge and idea from my husband and best friend has grown into a wonderful creative outlet. i have met amazing and wonderful people this year, that i am blessed to call friends. 

(outfits: lady jacket, here and pink to a wedding, here) 

3. integrity and respect mean a lot. i have learned that you are nothing if you don't have your word and honour. respect is hard-earned and easily lost. this year, i learned these lessons first hand from the people i've dealt with through work, to some parent at the kids' school, and even some people in my life. it almost seems cynical to write this, but it is very much a lesson i'm reminded of on a regular basis. i've seen way too much this year on this front, and it has really impacted me. 

(outfits: patches, here and tartan, here)

4. finally, enjoy your present. this year has been incredibly busy, and i was only able to really slow down in december. with the "go go go" pace we all live in, i was happy to do nothing but sit at home with my boys watching marathons of old episodes of 90's sitcoms, cheesy movies, loafing around in pyjamas til noon, and chatting with my friends. i am relishing all of this. i had forgotten how wonderful it is to just be and hope to do more of that in the new year.

(outfits: jules, here and draped, here)

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PFC 22: cute cold weather shopping

hi everyone!! i'm so excited to be able to participate in this month's petite fashion challenge! check out the list of participants at "a preponderance of fashion", who is hosting this month. her challenge was to dress appropriately, stylishly but also comfortably for winter shopping. her balance was to find something that allowed her to shop freely but also not be considered a tween in runners and jeans. 

The weather outside is frightful, but indoor shopping is warm and delightful. 

So, whether you have wind, rain, or snow, 

show me your clothes when shopping for friends or foes!

my shopping outfits in the winter have to balance some major cold weather, the fact that i am with my kids and that i have a small window of time to do everything. i still think jeans can still be made to look stylish and not too young, so putting on chic layers, and colour works for me. sheer necessity dictates a cross-body bag, so i'm hands-free to hold things - and my kids! 

outfit - coat: lacoste puffer, an outlet find in the middle of summer with K! similar on sale here at j. crew j crew 30% off sale items with code BOXING30 - sweater: j. crew funnelneck hoodie, here (i went up one size to a S for an oversized/roomy look but my regular XS would have been more fitted); shirt: j. crew perfect shirt in tartan, here; jeans: joe's jeans, petite, similar here and on sale here; boots: soft moc, old; bag: cambridge satchel company in graphite gray glitter, here

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fuschia

hi everyone! i hope you had a great holiday! i've enjoyed taking some time off and relaxing, eating too much and hanging out with my family. thank you to those who wrote me with christmas wishes. i really appreciated it and loved hearing from you! i didn't do anything special but stay in, and managed to behave in relation to boxing day sales. how did you fare?

my friend I wears drop-waist styles so beautifully, she inspired me to think of this cut as i try to expand into different silhouettes. before she started rocking this style, i did not think much of it. there is one dress i want, but i think it's only because she makes it look wonderful. a big caveat though, is that she is taller than i am, so i have to be particularly careful where the waist hits, and where the skirt stops, as it could go from cute territory to potato sack pretty quickly on me. wearing my holt renfrew 175th anniversary magenta manolo BBs. i love these shoes. *obsessed* as says my friend K. 

outfit - dress: marc by marc jacob eames dress, on sale here, and in a different colourway here; shoes: manolo blahnik BB, holt renfrew, similar here in patent; bracelets: old, aldo accessories; necklace: j. crew, old.

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! if you don't celebrate Christmas, i wish you happy holidays! i hope you enjoy the time off! i've been taking advantage of this time to sleep in, trying to kick this cold that came back for round 2, and catching up. for me, this time of the year is about family. a few weeks ago, i took a day and did all the gift shopping then as well as decorating the house. i then baked like a mad woman, hoping to infuse the smells of the holidays into the house. i hope you enjoy the pictures of my home decorations. i'd love to hear what you do in your home to make it festive and what your plans are these next few days.

i hope you have a wonderful holiday and wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting and supporting my blog. you all make this blog such a fun and rewarding place to be. 

each year at school, my sons make an ornament craft. this year, our youngest made a papier mache musical piece ornament. my sister-in-law has also been giving one ornament to them each year since they were babies, so we are collecting ornaments for them. when they are older, and have a tree and family of their own, they will have their starter set. it both warms my heart and saddens me a bit to see the ones from years before. my kids are growing too fast. below is the beginnings of either a big fat snowman, or a massive fort. the boys haven't decided yet what they want to do. there is plenty of snow here, so i'm sure they could do both if they wanted to! baking-wise, my traditional raspberry thumbprints have been a success again. i did four batches and they're all gone now. i'll whip up a few more this week. 

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leggings

happy friday everyone! we are getting hit with a bit snow storm. they are anticipating about 20-25 cm/10 inches of snow so if it stays, we'll have a white christmas. while the buses are cancelled, i'll still be driving the kids to school. snow days at school always seem more fun, and you just play - especially the last day before the holidays. i'm also not sure if they cancelled the christmas pageant so we will definitely have to head out just in case!

this season, i have gravitated towards oversized tops. i am blaming olivia palermo for this after spotting her with a vince poncho on this fun blog, what she wore. i am also blaming skipping too many workouts. this zara asymmetric sweater is so big, i feel i can justifiably overeat (isn't that what the holidays are about?) and you won't be able to tell that i ate 3 times my weight in food. the vince poncho is also nestled nicely into my closet. thanks, olivia. these are my first pair of leggings and i really liked the seams at the knees. i was a bit concerned with a full faux leather panel at the front being just too.. shiny? i went up to a S in these - sizing up with zara is the norm, if you are ordering online. have a great day and if you are battling snowpocalypse, please be safe! xox P

outfit - sweater: zara, here; leggings: zara, here; booties: adrienne vittadini, old; necklace: christina M boutique, wood and gold chain necklace, here.

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pegasus

i am a self-professed geek: comic books, mythology, sci-fi, etc. we were at a party recently and the guys all stood around talking about the "man of steel" trailer, and were taken aback that it was me, not my husband that commented in detail on it. i also can't wait to read "game of thrones" which my brother-in-law got for me, during my time off. but, i digress. this post is about pegasus, the winged horse from greek mythology and symbol of wisdom and inspiration. in S/S 2011, Hermès released le Pégase d'Hermès, by artist Christian Renonciat. the print is inspired by Da Vinci as you can see with the blueprint schematics and script. i loved it for many reasons: not just the symbolism of the print, but also the inspiration from a great artist, and the striking colours. there were several colourways but the ultraviolet combination simply took my breath away.

it took me a long time to find this, and it evaded me several times. ultimately, it was all thanks to my wonderful and thoughtful friend G who found me this unicorn. it is my second Hermès scarf, because while they are all stunning and beautiful, it is no small feat to tie it well. i'm still practising - and fighting off hubby who feels it is art, and "because it is art, it should be hung, not worn". step away from my precious, honey, step away - please and thank you. (trying to do my best gollum voice) :)

outfit - blazer: j crew, old, similar here; top: burberry, old; pants: banana republic sloan pants, similar here and here; shoes: christian louboutin batik ron rons.

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dear jules,

how did i not try you on before? i have seen you around the internet for some time, on tiffany, m, gigi, audrey, and cee, to name but a few. they all wore the dress beautifully, but for some reason, i never thought it could work on my frame. as i wrote here, i got this dress for a total of 55$ (current code is CELEBRATE for 30% off and FS +100$) and am so pleased. i needed a black long sleeved dress for work and the black one was "online only". there were no 0s left, so i tried the 2P. results? instant cuteness. the only drawback is the shorter cut - the petite is like a mini dress. overall, though, i really like this shape. paired with some dotted wolford tights my girl I sent me for christmas, and i feel a little mary tyler moore, a little marlo thomas in "that girl".

outfit - dress: j. crew, jules dress, here; tights: wolford dolly tights, on sale here, and here; necklaces: joe fresh (gray) and two row gold link necklace c/o Christina M Boutique here; shoes: valentino kitten heels, old; purse: j. crew color block edie grand, similar colourway here, similar size here. 

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put a bow on it

earlier in the fall, i made a "can't buy list" and it included black shoes. they are kryptonite because they will always be work appropriate, thus "safe" buys and justifiable. when i became a mom, i discovered how quickly i can talk myself out of things that i want. i can justify anything for the kids, my husband or the household, but when it comes to myself, i am no longer the big priority. this is why multiple markdowns make purchases more palatable to me (plus, i'm frugal).

i quickly posted on instagram when they arrived. the bow t d'orcet is an older style (circa 2009) and K knew i loved it (she has it in a fantastic barbie pink). i could not justify it because it is a special occasion shoe, and even on sale if my size was still around, too pricey. she found them on ebay, and alerted me: brand new and about 75% below retail. how could you say no? these will be perfect for a christmas (check out amy's blog for other christmas eve outfits) or new year's party, among others. black shoes are classy and elegant but if you add bows, it elevates them... kind of like putting a finishing touch on something pretty, no?

outfit - top: zara, old, wore it here; pants: club monaco, old; shoes: christian louboutin bow t d'orcet; clutch: chanel; bracelet: j. crew, from ebay.

more bows - left to right: ann taylor here in satin. louboutin's vampanodo pump

  

left to right: mango bow pump, on sale for 45$ here; kate spade sarah pump, here.

the epitome of a bow and an amazing shoe, valentino couture bow pumps, here, here, and here

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sunday

in trying to transition my thoughts to something else since friday, i'm jotting down a few things i picked up with the j. crew 30% off sale (code WISHLIST) and target delivery. the tragedies in connecticut and henan were so heartbreaking, words can't express how i feel. we talked to our kids about emergencies at school, and went over their lockdown procedures (which broke my heart even more). we hugged them more tightly and thought of the victims and their families. a few weeks ago, i posted about different ways to gift, and asking you to consider gifting to charity. this seems even more appropriate now. this list of things here isn't meant to divert attention but i did find it good to be writing.

i got this leather bound flask (here) for my husband, as a stocking stuffer. thought this would be fun for his fishing and winter off-roading trips. the "this side up" embossed into the leather was particularly funny because it's an inside joke we have since we've known each other. this was simply too brilliant to pass up. i would have gotten it for him in any event. 

the gifts i ordered from the target + neiman marcus collaboration (posted here) finally arrived. these items had quite the adventure before getting here. apparently, ups handed over the shipment to usps and when that happened, all traces of the shipment were gone. the tracking # on UPS's site still says my order is in transit. like many of the online reviews, the lela rose lace top was a big fat "eh" so it's heading back as a return. the lunch box (here) is cute as is the beverage container (here) so i hope the people i'm gifting this to will love it.

my besties, I and K got their wished-listed crew tops that they had been talking about: I, the collection embellished raglan sweatshirt, and K a tippi sweater in polka dot. like me, they've already opened their presents so i'm safe posting this here. lol.

for myself, i received a gift certificate my friend K gave me for my birthday, but did not get anything for the past month. with the markdowns, i got what i'd been eyeing for some time but wanted to wait out for further markdowns. the lace printed sweatshirt (here) was a total 46$ after the markdown and taxes - yay 13% sales tax. (see it on m, ajc and gigi)

the black wool jules dress (other colours here) was a staple i'd been searching for, as i need a long sleeved work dress that i can layer during the winter. all said and done, this will be 55$.

finally, this funnelneck hoodie was also ordered after i was inspired by hello fashion's post (here). this was the exception to the rule, as i normally wait for second markdowns with a code, but it was quickly selling out.  i tend to have a lot of work clothes, and much fewer weekend or casual items so i wanted to get this before it was gone. with a combination of wool too, i know this will get a lot of use this winter. i ordered it in S, one size up, as i find the j. crew sweatshirts look better on me if i don't go true to size. i had the houndstooth in XS and exchanged for a S because it was too oddly fitted for me.

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