Baby It's Cold Outside

On the East Coast we have been experiencing some seriously mild winter weather. In fact, less than two weeks until Christmas & we have no snow on the ground!


Getting in the Christmas spirit has been a struggle this year, with long work days, no snow & the decision to not put up a tree (we will be flying home to spend Christmas with my family so it seems unnecessary & frankly a bad idea with two cats in the house...).  I decided that a wreath would be an out-of-reach & appropriate amount of Christmasness for our new home & ventured out in the chilly but non snowy day.

It has taken me a long, long, LONG time to find a winter jacket I would even consider buying. So many plus size jackets are unappealing, ill fitted, poorly lined or all three.  I've looked every year, settling on WalMart substitutes to get me through but decided it was time to really hunt one down! LL Bean had a few possibilities but my mother swears their return policy is the worst & suggested Eddie Bauer instead.  I was very impressed with their selection of winter coats, varying in warmth & length.

Being 6 feet tall most waist length coats don't work for me, especially when we are talking about a winter coat. I can't stand having a coat ride up, even a little, leaving my back exposed to cold winter winds!! I chose the Slope Side down jacket specifically for it's warmth, length & colour.

Now I ordered mine last year in eggplant which seems to have been replaced now with a new olive colour - another favorite colour of mine!! It is also available in a grey & cream.

Eddie Bauer, Slope Side $199

My hat is a fabulous Etsy find that I also own in purple, from TangledArts. Super soft, great fit & awesome colours. My mitts are recycled sweater mittens from Eco Fab Mama a local business/online shop that supports the talents of many New Brunswick crafters.

And the idea that started the day... the wreath! I picked my wreath up at the local Pumpkin Patch, a beautiful double wreath that I decorated myself.

Now my life has a little more Christmas in it & I'm feeling a little more in the spirit!

In that spirit I announce the winner's of my most recent giveaway from eShakti!
Melissa from Sigh Gush Gasp & Anita from Thick Threads
are BOTH winner's of $20 gift certificates from eShakti!!! Check your email's today ladies & I hope to see outfit posts with your winnings in the future...

Stay Fabulous
Em
xo

Been an awful good girl...

As promised here is my wish list of accessories, shoes & bags for this holiday/winter!

Available in grey as well!

I wore these beauties for the recent fashion show put on by Boutique Zekara & haven't stopped thinking of them since.  They are tall, lined & even though they aren't a wide calf fit, they fit me perfectly.

While searching thru knits on ASOS for a friend I stumbled onto this beauties & since they are currently on sale, I'm thinking they would make a perfect gift to myself.

Of course if someone beats me to it, I wouldn't be horribly disappointed!
Alright so some other fabulous finds that I've got listed as high priority for this winter are...

A new Fossil bag from Manchester Shoe Salon!

OPI Muppet collection available at Salon's like Element5 Spa in Market Square, Uptown Saint John!
Or maybe something gorgeous & sexy from the amazing plus size, online lingerie store, Hips & Curves from my sweetie...

Morgana Long Line Cotton Steel Boned Corset $160

And of course no holiday, or season even, is complete without plenty of fun new accessories!

Fun, bright fabric necklace from LaurenceCollection $35

Bracelet from DarkRide $42

Earrings from talented local jeweler Wild Woman Jewelry! $28

Cherry necklace from itsastitch $27

So now that you've seen what's on MY wish list... how about you share what is on yours??

Shopping Cart - The Etsy Experience

About a year & a half ago I opened my etsy shop, Darling Dilemma, selling my one of a kind beaded jewelry.  It has fed my bead addiction nicely and been quite successful as well as fun! I have to admit though, one of my favorite things about having the shop is watching my paypal account balance grow & know that on some quiet Sunday evening an Etsy shopping spree will spontaneously occur.  I will fill my cart with long ogled treasures, scout out new finds & before I know it dwindle that account back down to zero.
It gives me something to strive for!

So in case you haven't figured it out, this Shopping Cart is featuring some of my current favorite Etsy finds...

Magpie Flower Necklace from NestPrettyThings

 One of my favorite shops to browse is Nest Pretty Things. The colour palettes & designs are sweet & lovely. This piece is my current absolute fav!

Handcrafted Wooden Sunglasses by tumbleweedsoddities

These wooden sunglasses from Tumbleweed's Oddities have got to be the coolest thing I've stumbled onto lately & as a woodworker's daughter, I find them irresistible (in other words, I might be blowing my budget on them)!

Calliope Double Wrap bracelet by Twillypop

This is a colour combination that is just screaming to me this fall!! I'm always amazed at how simple design appeals to me, time & time again....Twillypop nails it!

Indigo Star Earrings by missficklemedia

Tiny, handmade stamped brass star earrings for only $12? Yes please! Miss Fickle makes some of the nicest materials, tutorials & a few select pieces. I've been looking for a set of tiny studs & adore these.

Rock the Casbah set by bullfinchbarbury

The textures in these enamel/mixed material bangles blow my mind but the colours are what draw me in every time!

Petticoat by Miss Brache

And lastly, the petticoat...
I think it needs to be a mandatory purchase for my wardrobe. In fact, don't even bother checking this one out because I'm off to fill my shopping cart now!

Shopping Cart Sunday v.4

The only actual thing in my shopping cart this weekend is the Cherry Velvet dress seen here, (have you made your vote yet?) but dress shopping has made me start to think of shoes & accessories to match!
I started to scour the Internet this morning hunting for the perfect hot pink flat. Why hot pink? It will match my chosen outfits for two different weddings & is a shoe colour sorely missing from my wardrobe!

If I could find it, I think this would be the one for me;

I've seen this shoe in various other colours & always in a high heel. I've fall in love with it every single time.  Problem is, due to severe ankle problems I cannot wear a heel... ever.
Imagine my delight when I saw the above shoe online today.
Now imagine my sorrow when I couldn't find it for sale anywhere.

My friend Melissa, from the blog Sigh, Gush, Gasp suggested I try Zappo's for my shoe hunt & here is what I turned up;

Me Too Ladon



Me Too Stellina

 I did enjoy the idea of these $325 Kate Spade beauties... for a brief moment until my reality kicked back in.




Kate Spade, New York Frankie

It suddenly occurs to me that I could try a great black flat & invest in 1 or 2 colours of shoe clips. Would further my investment & wear... These ones from etsy are rather adorable;

Ruffle Flower shoe clips by sunshineandcarousels on etsy



 So what would be your choice? Or maybe you have a great suggestion for me?

Also can no one mention this post to my husband... he already thinks I have too many pairs of shoes!

Full of Sea Air

We took to the sea today!

I'm preparing for my son to leave for his first sleep away camp by soaking up as much mother/son time as I can before his departure on Sunday.

The week has been filled with ice cream, camp shopping, delicious breakfasts & today, our first trip of the season to one of our favorite places - Irving Nature Park.

When moving to Saint John a year ago we would spend several days a week combing the beach, wandering the forest & taking millions of photos. Above is one of my professional photos, taken on one of the adventures.

It was amazing to get back to the park today, sit by the ocean with my boy & enjoy the amazing weather.  It was the perfect day for our first trip down.

Top; Torrid, Skirt; Winners, Sunglasses; RayBans, Necklace; Etsy, Shoes; Birkenstocks

It is pretty hard to spend much time thinking about outfits, hair & makeup when you are rushing to the shore in weather like this, so I kept it simple.

This necklace is several years old & a purchase from Etsy. I thought it was the right choice for today...

My son is trying his hand at photography these days too



A broad Broad, abroad

*Welcome to my first guest post! I have mentioned Vanessa in past blogs & tweets but now you get the real thing! From time to time this East Coast born, Toronto living, hairstylist & fashionista will be writing about her experiences & take on fashion. You can follow her on twitter as her alter-ego, Kenicke Street.

I like to think of myself as a bit of a globe trotter. Every year or so I hop the pond and treat myself to a European jaunt. There are three things that keep me returning to the old countries: the sights, the food and the shopping!!!

There's nothing I like more on a sunny, Spanish afternoon than sitting at a cafe, enjoying a cervesa and ogling the locals. Europeans know how to kill an ensemble. Everyone is so put together and how they manoeuvre the cobbles in those heels I'll never know.
If Hollywood has taught us anything it's that every European is a vision of waify perfection. What my travels have taught me is that European woman, like the women the world over, come in all sizes. The difference between us North Americans and our European brethren is that the Euros recognize that there are women bigger than a size 10 and that we too like to look savage.
My favourite shopping spot that i have found abroad in recent years is a store by the name of Penney's (or Primark outside of the UK). I compare it to another European superpower H&M, but it has sizes up to a 24! and it's cheap!! I find more often than not, European stores carry up to at least a 16 but usually higher.　

Vanessa outside House of Lords salon in Toronto

The North American retailer, boxed in with small sizes that sit in the store, eventually hit the sale rack and then are recalled back to the company should take note of European retailers. I feel like Europe has a better understanding of supply and demand when it comes to fashion. Between Primark, Asos, Evans and many others, there are so many ways to keep us Full of Fabulous

　
　
dress: Primark (13 euro)
shoes: Walmart ($19)
headband: Ardene's
necklace: etsy (darling dilemma)