When Thrift Meets D.I.Y.

I'm impressed. I did a DIY, took pictures of the process and it all even came out quite nicely. 

I am stepping up my blogger game!

The best part is that I used items I already had kicking around (What? You don't stock gold spray paint in your house?), so I didn't spend any money either. This makes me happy because I've done projects before that were meant to be all thrifty and DIY but just ended up being a huge money drain...

And while I know people like to call polka dots a trend, it feels more like a classic. I'm hoping I'll use this clutch long after the word oxblood is a distant memory of 2012.

Below are the steps for my mind-blasting DIY...

1. I thrifted this leather envelope clutch for $4 recently. I would usually be pretty reserved about spray painting a perfectly good classic leather clutch, but I have a few of these burgundy clutches. They seem to be an easy find at the thrift store.

2. The back of the clutch was taped off and then I used Gum Arabic to block off a polka dot pattern. I used the eraser side of a pencil to blot out dots and a clear ruler to measure out the spacing. Then I had to wait very patiently for the Gum Arabic to dry. This part was difficult. In hindsight this could have been so much easier if I used Glue Dots because there would be no drying time and the dots would be pre-shaped but I didn't think of that until the end. Besides I've had that Arabic Gum since my first year university art classes so I might as well bring it out again... about a decade later.

3. This post wouldn't be possible without Kyle's close supervision. Not only is he adorable and fluffy, he is also shockingly good when I am working on stuff. He likes to be nearby so he can see every detail but he doesn't touch; just watches intently from an inch away. Thank you Kyle for your contribution.

4. I spray painted the front of the clutch using some regular gold spray paint. It helps to test a little area inside the clutch to make sure the spray paint binds and sticks to the leather. When the paint dried, I carefully peeled and chipped the dried Arabic Gum away to reveal a perfectly adorable polka dot pattern. 

This post offically makes me a DIY blogger*. Get ready world.

*or not. Sounds like work.

Full disclosure: I re-painted only my thumb nail for these pictures. 

Archives and Coloured Tights

Dress? Vintage c/o White Elephant Tights? ? (similar here)  Jacket? Costa Blanca (similar real and faux)  

Purse? Vintage, Modify Your Closet (some similar purses on Etsy here and here... so pretty!)

Beanie? Roots (in red or striped) Boots? Aldo

I made a big deal about it; the fact that I am wearing coloured tights. I think this has only happened twice (here and here) before on the blog. The wearing coloured tights part, not the making a big to-do about nothing part... That part I have on lock down.
But after all the fuss I made, the tights don't even look so bold in these pictures at all.
That's probably because my camera is a jerk on cloudy days. Or because I am overly dramatic about wearing a relatively tame pair of wine coloured tights.

I've had this blog for almost for 4 years now. Many things have changed but me whining about my fear of coloured tights has stayed consistent. I ended up scrolling through my older archives to find more evidence of tights whining but instead I got distracted by how adorable Matt is in this wooly sweater I thrifted him, how much I randomly love this outfit and how I pretended to do a giveaway once with one of my cats as the prize.

Oh embarrassing archives... I forgot how entertaining you could be. 

Fluff

Jacket? Rebecca Taylor (similar here or slight leopard print here) Denim shirt? Vanilia (similar here) 

Jeans? Acne Purse? Vintage Ruitertassen, gift from Mama (found some new ones here) 

Boots? c/o La Canadienne (here) Sunglasses? Betsey Johnson

I'm glad I am finally wearing this jacket. Sometimes I get a little intimidated by its fluff factor ('it's sooo flufffffyyyy...') but when it's genuinnely cold outside, one can appreciate the warmth of its marshmellow bulk. When I wore this faux fur jacket earlier this season, it was incidentally also the day I watched a youTube video to relearn how to curl my hair with a straightening iron. And curl away I did...

I tweeted about it, but when I saw my head of huge, perfect curls, I felt a little like I was trying out to be a part of the next Housewife franchise. Between the high boots, the faux fur and the giant hair, I looked in the mirror and scared myself. I shoved a beanie on my head to try and control some of the hair and keep things looking a little sloppy. I like the outfit so much better with my giant roots and messy bun. A touch of dishevelment is a good thing.

Beat of My Heart

This vintage bag?

Might just be perfect.

When I see it hanging up in my closet, I get a goofy little smile on my face.The best part is that I used credit to get it at my favourite local consignment store. Never mind, even if I didn't have credit, I would still gladly have paid for it. The best parts of the purse are actually the heart shape, the inlaid mother-of-pearl and that clever clasp; ie. everything. This purse will bring me joy for years...

Have I mentioned I finally found a consignment store in the area that is my perfect match? 

The last time I consigned was two summers ago when I went to Plato's Closet. I wrote about it here but I ended up with a grand total of $17, an empty tank of gas and hurt feelings. I'm mostly kidding about the hurt feelings, though it's hard not to take it personally when the 18 year old sales girl is accepting your old h&m and rejecting your silk pieces as 'not current'. Are you calling me old? Or unfashionable? Either answer is unacceptable... excuse me while I go cry in my truck. 

Anyways, a few months ago I made an appointment to consign at Modify Your Closet and they took all my silk and vintage and only rejected my F21. All is right with the world again. 

And in addition to the fact that they consign my clothes for me at Modify, they also had this treasure sitting in a basket by the cash, still waiting to be priced. I never even gave this hard shell beauty a chance to hit the shelves. 

Because when you fall in love, it should look like this...