Details: April Cornell dress & hat (both thrifted), Capelli bag (Poshmark), J. Crew sandals (retail)

Thoughts: I love this dress so much in principle — the 90s silhouette, the length, the colour, the floral pattern. It’s perfect for a stroll to the farmers’ market and an outdoors art show, which is where I wore it. But I’ll be honest: I struggled at times to feel confident in it. The dress is loose but the material is the kind that clings to every bump and curve, which made me self-conscious every time I caught a glimpse of myself in a shop window. A long time, I decided to let go of all my body hang-ups, and for the most part I have succeeded; so this was an unwelcome reminder than I am not immune to society’s toxic commentary on female bodies as I thought I was. It leaves me in a bit of a quandary because I love this dress but I also do not believe in wearing things that make you uncomfortable. So I will need to figure out whether I can wear it a way that doesn’t, or find a way to silence the critical voice in my head.

Details: Wilfred top (swap), Liz Claiborne dress (thrifted), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I adore this dress *in spite* of its spaghetti straps, but I also prefer not to have to deal with them (or a strapless bra) whenever possible. So this formula — wearing a top over it, tucked into a wide belt — is a favourite. Luckily, the dress offers so many possibilities for mixing and matching. Here, I chose one of my favourite colour combos: purple and turquoise.

Details: Vero Moda tunic (swap), Gap dress (thrifted), Anthropologie belt (thrifted), Old Navy shoes (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This is that interesting tunic that I picked out from the swap. Isn’t it a neat piece? It’s very nice for summer layering, especially now that our weather has warmed up significantly. Something like this allows the outfit to have visual interest without sacrificing comfort. The colour is not one I would normally gravitate towards, but I am figuring out what combinations might make it more appealing to me. I think I will have to try something with more blue next time.

Details: Denim & Supply top (thrifted), vintage belt (Poshmark), Susan Bristol skirt (Poshmark), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: This was very much the epitome of my summer Jo March On the Prairie aesthetic, and I loved it. The skirt is wonderful but can be a challenge in terms of mixing and matching, but this top is its perfect complement.

Details: Vince top, Pilcro pants (both thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I loved the colour palette here, and the stripe/floral pattern mixing is a classic, but looking back, I’m not in LOVE in love with this outfit. It feels a bit too … safe? muted? simple? It’s a lovely outfit but not one that made me feel “wow”.

Details: Max & Co dress (thrifted), TeenFlo skirt (thrifted), Esprit belt (thrifted), Chelsea Crew shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I have been wanting a skirt cape (aka overskirt, aka skirt train) for ages, and this TeenFlo corduroy skirt I picked up at the vintage warehouse sale finally made my dreams come true. The waist is too tiny to fully button up, but if I only do up one of the buttons (on the last buttonhole) then it becomes, you guessed it, a skirt cape. Paired with this dress, it’s perfection. The corduroy material is soft enough to have a nice drape, but still has some body to it so it doesn’t just lie limp against the dress. I can’t wait to try it with other outfits.

Details: Denim & Supply top (thrifted), J. Crew vest (thrifted), Everlane pants (swap), Brave belt (Poshmark), Chelsea Crew shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: A little bit prairie, a little bit pirate? That wasn’t my intention but I ain’t mad about it.

I would love to be writing a post about our finished basement renovations … but, alas, that post will have to wait for another day. Hopefully a day soon. The downside of DIY is that timelines have to cede precedence to a million other deadlines, emergencies, and just, well, life. We are making progress on the basement, which is good; though, after 12 years, it does still often feel like a herculean task that will never be completed.

So, in the meantime, I continue to focus on other parts of the house that feel more within my control. I’ve become very fond of the idea of vignettes — little corners of the house that present a pleasant view, something to be savoured and enjoyed in quiet moments of contemplation. As I move about the house (and I do that a lot, being a homebody who also happens to work from home) every day, I try to stop and take stop of these vignettes as I come across them; sometimes, looking at things from a slightly different angle can reveal something new. And I’ve been capturing them as I go along. It’s a nice reminder of all the beauty that surrounds me all the time.

Remember my recently reorganized mantlepiece? About that …

My husband decided that the large commission painting that I had just re-hung above the mantlepiece was something he preferred to have in his (future) office in the basement. The dimensions certainly pointed in favour of this plan, but I was a bit annoyed (to be honest) at having to upend my mantlepiece tableau so soon. Nevertheless, the heart of happy cohabitation is compromise, so I got work reimagining the arrangement.

I decided to build the new mantlepiece around another piece of art (naturally). Since it has to be a piece of fairly imposing size, my options were somewhat limited; however, as luck would have it, there was one perfect choice.

The story of how I came about this painting is funny in itself; I had admired it years ago 4 or 5 years ago on someone’s IG account, but had not been able to find it locally at the time (it’s a reproduction piece that was sold at Structube). I had ended up buying another large piece by the same artist (which I also love) but never forgot about the one who got away. Well, long story short, a few months ago we went to Structube to look for a coffee table for the basement and what do I spot in the back? Yes, THE painting. The staff told me they had found it in the back of their storage room where it had been sitting all these years. Honestly, what are the odds?

Here, you can see the before and after. I love the new mantlepiece, even though I had to sacrifice my rainbow candle display which was hard. But if we know anything, we know that a mantlepiece is forever an evolving thing, so who knows … the rainbow may make a comeback some day.

Oh hey, speaking of that other painting by the same artist — here it is! This is one of my favourite little corners of the library/family room, which I recently tweaked just slightly. This plant, meanwhile, continues to thrive on benevolent neglect. Unlike most of my other plants, it doesn’t seem to mind not having a window nearby, and it also doesn’t need too much water.

I discovered how much I liked this angle/view accidentally; I had to temporarily move a couple of chairs to one end of the library while the basement is getting done, and this afforded me the chance to sit in a new spot in this space. Another reason why rearranging furniture from time to time is a good exercise — you can end up seeing your house in a different light/from a different angle, and fall in love with it all over again.

I also rearranged my little “art gallery” shelf. Mixed some old and some new personal art things, and I love the riot of colour.

Sorry, needed to take a moment to memorialize iris season, and specifically this one perfect stem (which, sadly, I had to cut during a bad rainstorm to stop it from breaking off and crushing the flowers).

This view from the library daybed/sofa is nice too. I love being surrounded by books, art, and plants.

Here, I am trying out a new tableau. I like the mix of textures and materials in dark/warm tones, but I am still deciding if it works or if it needs a tweak.

I’ve been wanting a ladder to display my thrifted blankets for a while, but I knew it would be a hard thing to find at the thrift stores — I figured that I would have to take my chances with the antique mall, and hope to get lucky. Well, who needs the mall when one has awesome friends? I was visiting one of our dear friends and ended up admiring her beautiful ladder … and she offered it to me! She had decided to switch up her decor as well, and well — it was kismet. It’s the perfect colour and it looks great in our main bedroom.

The library is still a work in progress due to the basement renos but I did manage to finish reorganizing the shelves so here is a little sneak peek. I can’t wait to have this space completely finished! That blue corduroy chair you can see in front is a piece that my husband made more than a decade ago. It had been sitting in the basement for years, never quite having a place in the house; we had only kept it for sentimental reasons. Well, its time to shine has finally come! I think it’s going to be a great addition to this space; it already looks so good with the thrifted patchwork quilt topper and pillow — I love it.

Here’s hoping that, next time you read one of these posts, it will be the long-awaited basement reveal. Wish us luck!

Details: Papillon dress (thrifted), Denim & Supply jacket (thrifted), Anthro belt (thrifted), Old Navy shoes (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This was 10/10 a very Adina outfit, and I felt so good wearing it. It’s simple but it works harmoniously together. I love using brown as my neutral colour in the summer, and buying these Old Navy slides has turned out to be a smart move. I still haven’t seen anything similar at the thrifts, and I’ve been wearing this pair often so I am getting my money’s worth for sure. Ditto for belts in general, including this one. Belts have become one of my favourite accessories, and I’ve been lucky to find some great ones recently (including this one).

Details: Superluckycat top (swap), Free People dress (thrifted), Lena Bernard necklace (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I had high hopes for this dress when I found it; it checks off so many boxes for me. But I was defeated in the end by one of the things I loved about it in the first place: its length. I love maxi dresses but this one is a mega maxi; I found myself tripping over it constantly, and wearing sky high heels to try to fix that problem just isn’t in the cards for me. I sold it not long after, but we will always have this boho-princessy outfit to remember.

Details: Maeve top (thrifted), Thierschmidt skirt (thrifted), Napoleoni shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I still haven’t found any short crop tops to wear with this (very high waisted) skirt and my magenta one, so I am trying to make do with the shorter tops in my wardrobe; tucking them in can be tricky because my skirts are snug in the waist and there is little room for extra fabric. This top isn’t too bad because the material is very light, and it’s also quite short so it doesn’t require a lot of adjustment.

Details: Everlane top (thrifted), Everlane pants (swap), Josef belt (thrifted), Fluevog shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I very much enjoyed this simple outfit. The colours work together so nicely, and I’m quite happy with this belt as well. The vintage gold buckle compliments the mustard-y top. There is a tie front detail which I don’t love-love, but I was able to tuck in the ends behind the belt, so that was a win too.

Details: Pelican Cove vest (thrifted), Max & Co skirt (thrifted), vintage belt (thrifted), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I got so desperate about my crop top situation that I ended up wearing my Aerie bralette as a top one time (I was working at home and didn’t have meetings, it was okay, I promise!). And you know what? I loved the look. This is exactly the style of crop top I want; to be honest, I don’t think it looks all that lingerie-like anyway. Hmmm, maybe that’s something worth looking into…

Details: Topshop top (thrifted), DKNY shirt (thrifted), Everlane pants (swap), Isabel Marant belt (thrifted), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I recently rediscovered this top (it had fallen off the hanger at the back of my closet) and wasted no time in wearing it because, hello, it’s somehow July already. It will be fall in the blink of an eye, I’m afraid. I’m glad I bought this DKNY shirt; it’s the perfect cover-up for days when I know I’m going to be in the sun a bit, but don’t want to slather myself in sunscreen BUT also don’t want to boil to death. It’s light and airy, but gives good coverage.