Halloween

This year I had two very different Halloweens to prepare for: one work related; one wild and crazy.

Halloween #1

For my first Halloween celebration of 2011 I chose Liz Lemon, Tina Fey's character from 30 Rock as my inspiration.

I already own all of the clothes, so this was an easy decision. 

To complete my outfit, I printed out a screen shot that I'd taken of Liz Lemon's actual ID badge from the show and had a speech bubble taped to a chop-stick that read BLERG - one of the character's signature phrases.

The costume was hit and miss; half of the office knew who I, the other half did not. But, those who were fans of the show got a huge kick out of it - which is what I was going for.

Tank - SmartSet; Shirt - Aritzia; Sweater - Zara
Jeans - Mavi; Shoes - TOMS

 Halloween #2

For Halloween weekend I traveled to Kingston to visit my best friend. For this festive weekend my inspiration was Lady Gaga and her meat dress. I take absolutely no credit for this costume idea - a friend of mine came up with it; I just stole the flyers from Hartmann's and made it happen.

The Tuesday before Halloween weekend I took a trip to my local grocer and took handfuls of their flyer, from which I cut all the meat ads. My bag full of papers got me a lot of strange looks and questions at the register, but I pushed through the embarrassment and soldiered on.

I carted it all down to Kingston and got to work on putting it all together. I glued the meat to a dress I got for $8 from Old Navy - and I can't even begin to tell you how shocked I was that this costume was coming together so easily and quickly. At least that's what I thought at first...

The problem started when I tried to get into the dress. I managed - with much help, what are best friend's for! - to wiggle my way in and only did minor damage, but with so much time left before the party, I was able to do a few quick repairs and patch jobs. But then came the task of bending and sitting - these were not easily accomplished. I spent much of the night standing, until I decided that I'd preserved the meat long enough - it was time to give my feet a break! Even then, the costume more or less survived - it's amazing what a little glue stick can do!

The wig though, that was another story. I bought a wig from Zellers that was described as a flirty, pop star wig and the photo shows a lovely, blond, wavy bob. That is not what I had when I opened the package. I had a matted mess that over the course of the night turned into an afro.

But I rocked it as best I could!

Dress - Old Navy; Wig - Zellers; Earrings, Ring, Sunglasses - Aldo
Watch - Fossil; Bangles - unknown tiny store in Kingston

 I have to say, this costume was a huge success. Most people weren't sure what I was, but as soon as I explained that I was Gaga in her meat dress, everyone burst out laughing - exactly what I was going for for Halloween!

I'm not normally one who celebrates Halloween, but after the amazing time I had this year, i might be a convert.

How was everyone's weekend? Did you dress up?

Staycation, didn't get away

Day two of my staycation, and it was finally hitting me that it wasn't just a long weekend, but I was off work for ten days.

Needless to say, I was excited.

And, jumping for joy.

Coco Rocha makes it look so easy, Tyra would be so disappointed with my hands in these photos. She and Andre Leon Talley would be calling this drectitude to the extreme.

But, all of that critique wouldn't stop this Petite Adventurer. I was on vacation - nothing could take that away from me.

Day two of the staycation was much like day one. Lots of work, plus a trip to IKEA to pick-up all the essentials - you know, ironing board, shoe boxes, wine glasses, etc. the things you *really* can't live without. IKEA around labour day is hell. It's a zoo of aggressive families and there is no cart etiquette whatsoever. 

Like I said, hell.

To conquer hell, and dodge all the people and carts moving haphazardly through the aisles, one needs to be grounded; so, I threw on my TOMS, a pair of bermudas and a top that makes me feel cute - something to balance out the bermudas.

This outfit was the ideal choice for such a day. 

I managed to get in and out of Ikea in less than an hour getting almost everything on my list - although, they didn't have the step stool I was looking for - yes I need a step stool, it's one of the many joys of being 5'2".

Even though I went to hell and back that day, I was still smiling at the end of it all. 

Shirt, Tank, Bermudas - SmartSet; Shoes - TOMS

Who doesn't love organizing their closet, especially while being on vacation?!

Conference Dressing: Post-Conference

At noon on Sunday, as delegates were watching the closing remarks for the conference, I was beginning to countdown the minutes until I could be reunited with my comfy hotel bed.

After three-and-a-half days of long hours and hard work, the conference was finally finished. As soon as possible I scooted back to my room and dove into bed for a refreshing Sunday afternoon nap.

It was glorious.

When I re-emerged to the world, in time for dinner, I didn't much feel like dressing up - so I played it casual.

No more dresses.

No more heels - not that my feet could have handled them anyways - three-and-a-half days of running around in any type of shoe doesn't do wonders for your feet.

Top - designer unknown from Aritzia; Tank - SmartSet; Jeans - Mavi; Shoes - Toms

It was a casual outfit, perfect for a casual post-conference dinner - my last dinner in Saskatoon. Bright and early we were on the plane and back to Ottawa - where weather could be describe as more than a little humid - it was glorious!

It was my first visit to the Prairies (not including Calgary or Edmonton) and hopefully not my last - I'll just be much better at packing and anticipating weather next time!

Canada Day: Be Your Own Flag

Canada's Birthday is one of the first of many summer holidays. This year you'll find me out on the town, enjoying all the festivities Ottawa has to offer in an outfit that looks just like this:

Photo Courtesy of SmartSet.ca

Photo Courtesy of BananaRepublic.com

And of course, what better shoes to run around in than Toms?!

Photo Courtesy of TomsShoes.com

Who needs to carry a flag around when you can be your own flag! How will you be celebrating Canada's Birthday?

Conference Dressing: Day Four

Getting up and going to work was the last thing that I wanted to do at 6:15AM the day after the president's banquet.

I'd spent the night singing and dancing until 1AM and five hours of sleep was not nearly enough. But, duty called, so I pulled on my trusty Toms and got ready for my last (half) day at the conference.

Because the weather in Saskatoon refused to co-operate, I pulled on a cardigan to complete the look and keep me from freezing.

Shirt & Tank - Smart Set; Cardigan - Zara; Pants - Talula Babaton from Aritzia; Shoes - Toms; Necklace - Gifted 

Just like my Toms, coffee was an integral part of my morning that day - I wouldn't have made it through without 'em!

Conference Dressing: Day Three, Part One

By day three of the conference I had all but given up on wearing heels. I'd even given up on the flats that had little support. I traded these in for my new red Toms.

They added the perfect pop of colour that this otherwise all-black ensemble needed.

Although I wouldn't wouldn't wear my Toms into the office on a regular basis, I felt that it was not only necessary at the conference, but the rest of my outfit made up for their casual-ness.

Shirt and tank - Smart Set; Pants - Talula Babaton from Aritzia; Shoes - Toms

Plus, they're just so comfy, I couldn't resist.