Details: Pilcro top, Jones NY jacket, HM Studio skirt, Poppy Barley shoes, upcycled necklace (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Doing the monochromatic thing again, this time with a pop of orange. I was inspired to add the necklace because the orange matches the skirt perfectly, making the whole outfit look more intentional. I’m now at the point of mixing and matching all the black & white pieces in my closet and seeing what works. I’m still into this “vibe” although I think it’s going to get phased out as spring rolls around. For me, it’s definitely a winter thing.

Details: no name cardigan (thrifted), Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Marc Cain skirt (thrifted), Stuart Weitzman boots (thrifted)

Thoughts: We had some warmer weather recently and I tool FULL advantage. It’s so nice to dispense with the big, heavy coat for a bit — it makes me so excited for spring and summer. I like the proportions of a short skirt with a long jacket (or cardigan, in this case) and the check pattern of this particular skirt seemed like a perfect match for the pattern patchwork of the cardigan. The colour palette is nicely matched too; I am loving these grey tights as an alternative to black.

Details: Wilfred sweater & pants, Ports International jacket, Michelle Ross jewelry (all secondhand), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I like pairing cool colours with warm brown, and this time I decided to try purple (with blue accents). It worked for me! I haven’t been getting a lot of use out of these pants, which is a shame; I still like them, but this style/cut is not a current fave. I may transition them to “home use” — aka loungewear; in my world, that’s a bit of a downgrade but at least it would mean getting use out of them. They’re comfy enough for that, even though they’re “fancier” than my usual sweatpants.

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Ralph Lauren vest & belt (Poshmark), Pilcro jeans (thrifted), Ralph Lauren jacket (thrifted), Clarks shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Back on the Ralph Lauren train! I’m rarely on a different track these days, let’s be honest. This outfit was also inspired by my recent re-watching of old seasons of Vera on BritBox. Whenever I’m spending a lot of time watching English murder mystery shows, I start fantasizing about moving to the country and living in a converted barn … and dressing accordingly. Well, according to my ideas of what I would wear if I were an artist living in a converted barn in the English countryside (with a sideline of amateur detection?) … which basically means some version of an RL catalogue come to life. I am nothing if not predictable.

Details: Black & Brown 1821 sweater (thrifted), Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Zara belt (retail), Carven skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I had been missing this Carven skirt, so it was time to give it a wear (even though it doesn’t really fit my imaginary English rural idyll aesthetic, lol!). Pairing it with a sweater in a complementary colour is my usual go-to formula, but I decided to liven things up a bit with this funky Zara belt I picked up at the end-of-year sales. It has a bejeweled chameleon on it!

Details: Jones NY turtleneck, Woolrich vest, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, Cotton Ginny belt, Office London shoes (all thrifted), Eddie Bauer x Pendleton bag (gift)

Thoughts: I thrifted this Woolrich vest recently and I am a little bit obsessed with it. I had to layer two turtlenecks (one thin merino blend, one thick cashmere) to make it work for the (mild, but even so) weather in Edmonton in February, but it was worth it. It’s a simple outfit, but for me, it’s one of those “elevated basic” situations that make me feel put together with minimal effort.

Winter is usually a busy time for me as far as art projects go because I am in hibernation mode. This winter, however, I have been dividing my free time between my usual embroidery stuff and writing (shoutout to my newsletter, I hope you’ve subscribed!) so my hoop output has been more modest than usual. For a brief time, I felt a bit guilty about this. One of my goals for 2023 is to apply to be a vendor at the Royal Bison art market, which means that I need to build up a good portfolio. Full disclosure: I haven’t made great progress on that. Not only am I working at a slower pace, but almost all of the projects I’ve completed recently are for my personal collection. After reflecting on my feelings of guilt, I decided they were unnecessary — as they often are. The Royal Bison thing is still a goal, but it’s not my only (or even main) priority right now. As always, I need to follow my instincts even when that means doing things that are not in service of that goal. I think of this as remaining open to whatever the universe is bringing my way.

Here are some of my completed projects:

I went back to the waterlilies theme with a new vision, which has been on my mind since last year. I wanted to incorporate some of my newer techniques and some older ones (the felt leaves) into a larger scale hoop. This was a time-consuming project I had hoped to add to my Royal Bison portfolio, but then my daughter fell in love with it — it reminds her of our family trip to Dutch Lake (which was, in fact, my inspiration). It’s now displayed in her room. This is one client I cannot refuse.

Our basement renos are slowly marching towards completion, which means that I’m getting closer to having a dedicated art-making space. Part of that space will be extra storage/display; my husband surprised me with some pink shelving units, including a picture shelf! In anticipation of having extra space to showcase some personal hoops, I decided to make some new ones. I love peacocks, and this peacock feather design is one I’ve tackled before in other ways (I’ve made several pieces of jewelry). This hoop tested my abilities somewhat, but I am satisfied with how it turned out.

I can’t believe it took me so long to get around to making an Anne Boleyn portrait! Queen Elizabeth I was one of my very first embroidered portraits, so it seems only fitting for her mother to join my collection.

I love cacti and, sadly, I recently lost of my plant babies to an unknown disease. So, after previously making several cactus-theme hoops for others, it was time to make one for myself. The green and purple prickly pears are my perennial favourites to embroider (though they take the longest!) but I am very pleased with the rest of the hoop too — I think I got some nice texture and variety in this one.

I promise that I *have* made a couple of pieces for my portfolio as well, but they are not ready for sharing so we will save them for next time. Hopefully, by then, I will have more exciting news to share.

Details: Reitmans sweater, Banana Republic belt, Issey Miyake skirt, Arnold Churgin boots (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I don’t normally thrift Reitmans stuff, but this sweater was an insta-purchase. It reminds me of a vintage (80s) Ralph Lauren sweater that I have been coveting for ages; since my chances of ever finding the original — or even an RL reissue (if one exists) — are slim to none, this version will do just fine. And I love everything about this outfit. It’s been a while since I’ve done all-black, and edgy goth vibes are not my current jam, but this romantic version has got me all shook up. I loved it so much, I wore it twice: once for brunch with friends, and once for a (grown up) birthday party.

Details: Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo shirt, Lord & Taylor sweater, Ralph Lauren skirt, Ports International blazer, J. Crew shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve been loving this shade of brown a lot lately, but this is the most “all in” I’ve gone with it so far. I was worried that it might be too much brown, but I think the cool-toned yellow and blue help to temper the overall brownness. I also really, really love this silhouette — I have several versions of this style of skirt, and I never get tired of it. I am actually wearing this skirt back-to-front because having the slit in front makes it. It’s classic but sexy at the same time.

Details: Gucci blouse, Debew poncho (both thrifted), Banana Republic pants (retail)

Thoughts: It’s hard to capture the colour of these pants — they’re a sort of reddish brown like cherry wood. I’m convinced that blue is its ideal complement, and I’m searching for the perfect shade of blue to go with it. This light blue is not a bad start. I wanted to bring out the pattern of the blouse as much as possible, so I added a poncho for warmth instead of a jacket.

Details: Wilfred dress, Jones NY jacket (both thrifted), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Wednesday Addams meets 90s grunge. I got these faux-silver cuffs on Etsy because I’m obsessed with the Elsa Perretti Tiffany bone cuffs and wanted to try out a similar look. The originals are $4,000CAD+ for the pair, so I’m not sure they’re ever going to happen, but with these dupes, I get to figure out if they would be worth it. I have to say that I do really like the aesthetic, especially with more minimalist outfits like this one.

Details: Tahari shirt, American Eagle vest, Second Female cardigan, vintage skirt, Fluevog shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’m calling this one Prairie Dandy. I’m always tickled to find colour matches, and this cardigan and skirt are almost identical shades of blue. Perhaps I should have tried a different colour of shirt, to break up the blue-ness a bit. Overall, though, I like the proportions here, especially the long cardigan-vest combo. Definitely one to try again!