I had an idea for a new series where I share the last three things in various life categories – things I did, bought, read, saw, etc. I was inspired by one of my old guided journal, which included blank lists for recording the, shall we say, ephemera of life. I found it an interesting way to approach journaling. And what is this blog if not a journal, too?

So, let’s get into it!

Last Three Things I Bought on Poshmark

I got this vintage-ish Liz Claiborne jacket a few months ago now, on a tip from an Instagram follower. It’s from the same collection (circa 2009, I think) as my beloved rainbow plaid dress. I’ve been low-key collecting pieces from that collection for a while now, so of course I had to get this jacket. It came in pristine condition, basically unworn, and it’s absolutely gorgeous IRL. Bright and vibrant and joyful. I paid $65CAD, which I consider a good deal given its condition, quality, and relative rarity.

Sourcing magazines for my scrapbooking continues to be a struggle. I’ve tried FB Marketplace, only to be ghosted by sellers on several occasions (even though I was offering to pay their asking price). On Poshmark, people tend to sell one-off magazines for $25 and up, plus shipping, which isn’t feasible for my needs and budget. So, I was happy to find this lot of 5 Harper’s Bazaars from 2022 for $28CAD (shipping included). Still kinda pricey but your girl is running out of options …

This was another lucky find bundle; the seller didn’t have them listed by brand, but I’m pretty sure these earrings are from Indi City, one of my fave indigenous designers. I was looking for something else entirely when I stumbled onto another of the seller’s listing, which led me to finding these. Both were designs I had previously coveted but was unable to get before they sold out. The last time I checked, Indi City was on a hiatus/not selling anymore, which is a shame. I hope they return. For now, I’m happy to have the chance to enjoy some of the old designs. I paid $50CAD for the bundle (shipping included).

Last Three Books I Read

I picked this up at the thrift store on a whim, but the truth is that I have a mild obsession with secret societies thanks to reading The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail as a teenager, and then Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum in my early 20s. At this point in my life, I have no patience for conspiracy theories (unless they’re written as straight fiction and even then, barely), but I do enjoy reading about the history of humankind’s obsession with esotericism and related conspiracies. This book seemed like a safe bet in terms of being serious non-fiction grounded in research rather than speculation, so I decided to give it a try. It was an enjoyable read and well-balanced – discussing the available scholarship in an accessible way.

Between this and the Frances Yates book on the history of the Rosicrucians that I read last year, I have some ideas for a potential book percolating in my mind. Always fun!

I loved Sarah Bakewell’s book on humanism, and this one on existential philosophy has been on the TBR for months. I’m glad I finally got to it – it was great! She writes in a such a beautiful and accessible way about a subject that can, at times, feel quite daunting for someone who’s almost 30 years removed from her university philosophy classes.

I grew up with Terry Pratchett’s books. To this day, he is one of the biggest influences on my writing and, in particular, my writer’s voice. I admire his humanism and his humour, which are reflected in his characters and his story-telling. It’s been years since my last re-read of his books, and I decided that it was time to revisit them all – or as many as I can manage this summer. I started with this one, randomly, because the Wyrd Sisters books are some of my fave Discworld novels, and I realized that I didn’t own this particular one. I ordered it and then, when it arrived, promptly started to read it because I have no chill or patience. Oh well. The beauty of most of the Discworld books is that you can read them out of order without dire consequences. Anyway, this one was a brilliant banger.

Last Three Collages I Made

“Chaos in colour” – 9+ layers. This started with the background, which appealed to me because I love mixing classical art with modern images. Then came the figure in the middle, which covered one in the background image that I didn’t like as much. Everything else was chosen as part of a colour story, which is why it’s pretty chaotic – hence the text, apposite.

“Take me anywhere” – 6 layers. This started with the central image, which was a Gucci ad, I believe. The rest was just … vibes, lol!

“Leaping bloom” – 6 layers. This started with that gorgeous, kinetic image of the leaping woman. I chose the background to complement the colour of her dress.

And that’s it: a glimpse at my life, lately. Let me know if you enjoyed this post, and I’ll do another 3×3 soon (with new categories!).

To whom do I need to talk to get a do-over of this week? Is there a manager or … ok, just kidding. And not kidding. Being on vacation this week was wonderful and I would love to do it all over again. This time around, I had the house all to myself during the day, which was perfect for what I wanted to do with my time off – mostly unstructured ‘play’, aka reading, listening to podcasts, crafting, etc. I’ve been doing a lot of deep work in therapy lately, and came to realize that I need to give myself more room to experience the joy of play/experimentation that I had as a child, free from the constraints of external expectations and validation. Anyhoo … it was great!

And I stuck to my word and did absolutely no work on my books.

As you know if you read my last post, the clothing swap was a success. I found some great pieces to add to my wardrobe, and got the chance to catch up with friends. I also had a friend stop in for a visit and chat later in the week, which filled my cup some more. Something else I need to make more room for in my life this summer, even if it means making adjustments to my writing plans.

Speaking of which: The Mysterious Affair at Gaunt Hall is now out! Thank you to everyone who’s bought a copy! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it – and if you do, please help me spread the word. Tell your bookish friends, looking for their next, fun, cozy summer read. Word of mouth is extremely important for indie authors, and one of the most effective ways for their books to find their audience.

This week being all about comfort, most of my reading and watching was confined to old favourites. I re-read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (and re-watched the movie with Sean Connery and Christina Slater, what a blast from the past!) and got through the first couple of seasons of Poirot (the OG version with David Suchet). Which proved timely, because news just came out that Poirot is being rebooted, sorta, with a prequel series featuring the character at the start of his career as a private detective in London between the Wars. Poirot is going to be played by Edward Bluemel, who has starred in A Discovery of Witches and My Lady Jane. I like the actor so, while I am generally on the fence about most recent Christie adaptations, I am cautiously optimistic for this series.

My son is having his birthday party (early) this weekend, so I have to look forward to a horde of teenage boys taking over my basement. I’ll be picking out chip crumbs out of my couch cushions for the next month. But since being informed that we are the “cool house” because of all the snacks and food we threw at them last time, there is now pressure to live up to our own hype, lol! I’m hoping the rest of the weekend is pretty chill – and I’ll get a chance to squeeze in some thrifting with my daughter – because I need to prepare myself for getting back to the grind next week. Wish me luck, haha!

Have a great weekend!

Another clothing swap is in the books! By rights, this one ought to have been #20, but thanks to COVID, we are just shy of that milestone. But swap #19 did not disappoint! It had the biggest turnout yet, which included four ‘next generation’ members. It’s so nice to see our daughters engage with the tradition and continue it. Mine had been looking forward to the swap almost more than me! She helped me with the set-up, which was a game of house Jenga this year, as we had to find a way to make room for eighteen people (plus all their swap goodies) in our smallish living room. The event is becoming a joint venture between my daughter and me, and I love it! Family rituals and traditions like this are a wonderful way to remain connected through her teenager years and beyond.

But enough about that – let’s talk about the swap business!

As always, I kept things pretty informal and chill; there are no real rules to my swap except ‘bring good vibes’. Everyone takes turns showing off the clothing items they’ve brought, and we encourage each other to get/try stuff we think they would enjoy. It’s not too often that several people are interested in the same item, and when it does happen, amicable negotiation gets things sorted out. There is always a ton of clothes to go around. This year, for example, the bags that people brought took up most of the floor space in my library. This was just my contribution:

Items that don’t immediately get claimed go in a big pile in the middle of the room. During breaks, people usually go back to look through it for things they are (re)considering – like a second, and third and fourth, pass. Breaks are also for trying out clothes (and exchanging with others, if items don’t end up working out) and snacks and chatting and perusing the ‘boutique’.

The boutique is the display of accessories – jewelry, bags, belts, shoes, scarves, etc. – home goods, makeup and skincare, books, and other small bits and bobs. I set this up separately, and people add their stuff to it as they come, so that’s it’s easy to view and offer an experience similar to being in a shop … except everything is free. Truly, such a fun experience! Here, too, everyone can take as much or as little as they like (just as they can bring as much or as little as they like/have for the swap). In fact, my whole swap tradition is built on the premise that there is no keeping track of who brings what and how much. This may not be feasible for large, public swaps, but I think it works well for smaller, private ones like mine.

When I started my swap, back in February 2007, I was motivated by the idea of sharing my love of secondhand style. That still remains at the core of this tradition, but my philosophy has evolved over the years, influenced by my experiences – both in swapping, and life in general. I’ve come to see how important it is to share abundance. Giving makes room for receiving. Some of us have more to give, others need more to receive; and we can take turns giving and receiving. This is why I don’t keep score when it comes to my swaps. I am lucky to know women who have generous spirits, and who have adopted the ethos of my swap. It wouldn’t work without them. (And if someone didn’t, they probably wouldn’t get invited back. I mean it when I say that bringing good vibes is the only rule of the swap.)

Ok, I know you’re waiting to see what I got this year.

The short answer is: a lot more than I was expecting/planning. The one thing I really need at the moment is pants – my size has changed and I’ve been struggling to find pants/jeans that fit both my body and my current style – so that was my focus. That was also pretty much the one thing I wasn’t able to get, lol! This is the thing about swaps: as with thrifting, you can’t control what the universe delivers. But, don’t worry, I found plenty of amazing things to make up for the lack of pants.

Starting off with some skincare stuff. I love trying out new products in a low commitment way. Last year, I picked up a hair spray that I ended up loving and re-purchasing on my own. This year, I’m especially excited to try the Clinique moisturizer. Also, that Biore sunscreen is my absolute favourite, so I’m pumped to get a tube since it’s nigh impossible to buy in Canada now.

More personal care stuff. I’ve been wanting to try the MAC Turquatic perfume for ages; ditto for the Armani perfume (and the bottle is almost full!). I’m currently wearing the Nars Orgasm blush stick, and it’s quite nice.

Two pairs of cute earrings. I love pomegranates and butterflies, so these are both totally up my alley.

Never overlook basics! They might not be exciting finds, but they will definitely come in handy. Two pairs of opaque tights (one of them is going to my daughter) and two base layers in neutral colours. I’m pumped about the turtleneck bodysuit because I have a super long torso and this one fits!

Extremely excited about all of these. I’m not a baseball fan, but these NY hats are my faves; the plain black will be a great ‘go with everything’ option. I’ve been wanting a belt like this for ages, and this Banana Republic leather one is really nice. I’ve also been wanting to try these Free People bralettes for a while and see if I can pull off the peekaboo lace look this summer.

As soon as this came up, I was, like, ‘YES, PLEASE’. Everyone immediately agreed, because everyone knows my love of (a) brown, and (b) tulle skirts. I’ve been stalking one just like this on Poshmark for more than a year, never quite satisfied with the options to pull the trigger. Well, the universe delivered!

I’m not 100% sold on this dress because it’s polyester (and unlined), but I do love the colour and the full, faux layered style. And I was ‘peer pressured’ into taking it, because the consensus was ‘it’s an Adina dress’. We shall see. I do think it would look great layered over the tulle skirt, so that will be my first experiment.

This Pendleton cape was an instant ‘yes’, too. I mean … just look at it. It’s reversible, too!

This dress was one of my other fave pieces. I am obsessed with the magnolia stained glass window effect.

This might seem a bit boring in a flatlay, but trust me when I say that the fit of this Holt Renfrew shirt is absolutely insane. Just wait until you see it in an outfit – you’ll understand.

This is just a cute, fun summer top. Is it too ‘young’ for me? No such thing!

I love long column dresses that are not too bodycon, and this is a nice, elevated staple from a local designer (Emmy Deveaux). It’s hard to see but it has a zippered slit on the side, which gives it a bit of extra sex appeal.

I actually thrifted these pants for one of my friends, but she’s outgrown them so she brought them back. They’re a bit big for me, but as no one else was interested, I decided to take them and give them a whirl. Belted, they have a paperbag waist effect that’s kinda interesting. We will see if they work out in the long run.

Also not 100% sold on these jeans, but thought they were worth a try. I like the fit in the waist and hips, but the length (cropped) and leg (skinny-adjacent) are question marks for me. I’ll give them a few wears and see how I feel about them.

I’ve been low-key thinking about getting a new denim jacket for the summer, so this was very timely, haha!

Last but not least, this is a funky, witchy-coded tulle shrug thing. Marie Saint Pierre is a high-end Canadian designer, so this is def luxe Stevie Nicks territory. Now and then, I do love me a witchy moment.

And that’s it! That’s a wrap on my 2026 clothing swap. What do you think – which is your fave piece?