Holiday!

Taken from my Instagram; DarlingDilemma

Oh what a long hiatus!
If you are anything like me you have almost no interest in an excuse, only a desire to get back into the swing of things.

Recently my husband & I went on our first ever vacation together. It only took 12 years but it was fabulous all the same.  Since I have been staring at snow and sleet, ice and grey skies for a few days, I think it is only appropriate that I start back in Cuba, with some sunny shots.

 

Besides the sun, sand and surf it was pretty exciting to pack for our first tropical vacation and I was a bit obsessive about it.  I dragged the suitcase out a month before our expedition and left it open.  Every time I thought of something I wanted to bring, or came across something to buy I just added it to the suitcase. So here are some snapshots of my favorite vacation wear items;

One of my Walmart scores for this trip - my beach hat for $10!

Polka dot halter top from Heartbreak Boutique (necklace from my Etsy shop Darling Dilemma)

 



A bargain shopping find for $15!

 

 

My other successful Walmart find, the $30 swimsuit

 

 



And finally this fantastic cover up from Pennington's & some new shades!

 



It was a pretty fantastic first vacation and now that we have caught the travel bug the only question is, Where next?

For the love of... OOTD

Are you familiar with my love of polka dots?
It never wanes.

Case in point - I purchased 3! polka dot tops in the last two weeks.
Oh and how about the polka dot Cherry Velvet dress earlier this week???
It is so rare to find polka dotted perfection, at least I find it so in plus size, so I'm a little bit giddy with my recent purchases.

Today's polka dot contribution comes from Heartbreak Boutique in uptown Saint John. They carry a variety of sizes and recently brought in these super cute polka dot retro halter tops.

Photo taken in the cute dressing room of Heartbreak Boutique!

I love the classic pin-up shape this top gives me. I had a good day in this outfit, loving my curves & feeling fabulously sexy!

Skirt from Forever 21+, is super well fitted, stretchy & a steal at only $11.80!! I'm thinking I
should snatch it up in other colors for work wear this fall!

I kept my accessories simple but with my favorites...

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!