December isn’t over yet, but my work month has wrapped up so … whooohoo! I still have not wrapped my head around the fact that we are going into a new decade (my fourth!) so I will be spending this “bonus” time at month’s end pondering this milestone. I should probably write something here – after all, this blog is turning 10 in May 2020 – if only because writing helps me to organize my thoughts. It’s safe to say that I am an entirely new person now than I was in December 2009, which is a testament to the impact of very small incremental changes over a long period of time. Though, to be fair, there were some big changes in the past decade as well, not least of them getting married, having kids, and changing career tracks.

But all that is a post for another day. On to the clothes:

Because December was a short work month, combined with the fact that I worked from home more frequently, I don’t have a lot to show you. My unofficial theme for the month was “subtle sparkle”. Not sure how “subtle” that ended up being, but I like the results nonetheless. Metallics are neutrals in my book, and a little bit of shimmer never hurt anyone.

Looking forward, we are coming up on my least favourite month of the year. January is usually a long, cold, hard slog. As with November (my other least fave), I am planning to be proactive about keeping a positive frame of mind. One of those ways may be to focus on a brighter palette for my outfits; more colour, less black than usual. We’ll see how that goes.

As far as the blog goes, I would love to hear from you about what topics or conversations you’d like to see on here – the better to help us both avoid those dreaded winter doldrums.

Happy holidays!

One of the hobbies that I’ve been neglecting this year is knitting. Of all the crafty hobbies I’ve tried, it was always my least favourite. It doesn’t really lend itself to improvisation and learning as you go, so I never felt like I could simply run with it; there was a lot of YouTube tutorial watching and feeling lost. Too much for my liking. But there is something about cold weather and long winter nights that makes me miss knitting. So I’ve been looking at my pile of yarn and wondering if it was time to do something with it again.

I already have a couple of old, unfinished projects (including a sweater that likely won’t be complete until 2030) but none of them were calling my name. Then a random post on my Instagram Explore page – usually to be avoided because, ugh, I hate their stupid algorithm – caught my attention. When you have a big basket full of yarn, like this:

Know what you can make with yarn? Pom poms.

And know what you can make with pom poms? Well, actually, many things. But for purposes of this post let’s start with this: a pom pom wreath.

If you’re an amateur crafter, you probably already have all the necessary supplies; I did (thanks to a little improvisation). Apart from yarn, the main thing is a pom pom maker. You don’t NEED it; there are lots of suggestions for crafting pom poms using cardboard, forks, you name it. But I find the tool convenient, and I already had it (purchased as a 3-pack on Amazon for about $10 last year). The other component is the wreath frame. I repurposed a spare embroidery hoop, which worked great.

I am terrible as bad at giving step-by-step instructions as I am at following them, so I encourage you to Google around for a proper tutorial if you’re inclined to try your hand at making a pom pom wreath. Nonetheless, here are some progress photos:

Yarn wrapped around the tool:

Cut the yarn:

Tie pom pom together (I used leftover embroidery floss in a matching colour) and voila:

Repeat process a dozen more times, making different sizes of pom poms:

Then wrap the wreath frame in yarn. This will serve as the base to which the pom poms can be secured:

Sew the pom poms to the wreath frame. I used a thread that matched the colour of the yarn on the frame, so I could be as messy as I wanted without it looking too sloppy.

And the back:

I love how colourful this turned out to be: not necessarily Christmassy but definitely festive.

Making the wreath was super easy and quite fast. I became quite adept at whipping up pom poms … and quite addicted to it to. So I had a look online for other easy crafts I could make with pom poms. A pom pom bouquet immediately caught my attention, and it turned out to be even easier to make than the wreath.

First you start with some pom poms, natch.

Then you need some florist wire (or, according to my local dollar store, jute wire):

Cut the wire to size (based on the vase you want to use) and stick one end into the pom pom. That is it. I am not kidding. I will caution that the longer the “stem” and bigger the “flower”, the more droopage you will have to deal with, but you can bend the wire to make it appear intentional or double up the wire to strengthen the stem. Here’s my bouquet:

I love how fun and whimsical these look – they remind me of autumn chrysanthemums.

One of the best parts of taking OOTD (outfit of the day) photos is having the ability to look back and make little collages of the “Year in Review” variety. Wait, is my foreshadowing too heavy-handed? Ahem. This post is, as the title says, all about my favourite outfits of 2019. Because this was the first full year since I adopted my style avatars (part way through 2018), I thought it would make sense to group my favourites accordingly. I have been saying that I feel like I have a good grasp of each avatar aesthetic, and I think the following collages do show that. There are consistent themes that tie each avatar’s outfits together, and a pleasing (to me) sense of cohesiveness. At the same time, I have never felt more free or comfortable to experiment. I know what I like and what works for me – preferences and lifestyle-wise – but I also know that style isn’t a static, one-and-done, proposition for someone like me. I think this avatar-focused approach to personal style will grow and evolve with me, and I look forward to seeing what fashion has in store for the new decade ahead.

The Prince

The Prince doesn’t always wear black, I promise, but 2019 was the year when I embraced “Corporate Noir” so … yeah. A lot of black it was. Playing with texture, volume and angles was my favourite thing to do in terms of fashion experimentation, and these Prince-ly outfits are prime examples of that.

The Artist

The Artist is the softer, less structured, and slightly more colourful counterpart to the Prince. 2019 was also the year of midi/maxi skirts and dresses. Skirts in general multiplied in my closet like pretty little mushrooms after a rainstorm.

The Adventurer

Skirts even made their inroads with the Adventurer avatar, my most rough-and-tumble version of myself. (Hey, it’s all relative!) This year, I moved away from the Han Solo characterization into more of an Indiana Jones territory. This remains my most neglected avatar; nonetheless, I still feel that it serves an important function in my sartorial self-expression. We shall see whether 2020 and beyond offer new inspiration to breathe new life into this avatar.

The Bohemian

This avatar is a bit of a catch-all, but not really. Whenever I get experimental, this is where I usually end up. Colours, prints, interesting proportions – the Bohemian has it all. It can get dressed up or down, go minimalist or maximalist (although it tends to favour the latter). It’s fun and cool and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

If you’ve been following your own version of the avatar process, share your year-end thoughts in the comments. What worked, what didn’t and what are you looking forward to in 2020?