Snow and Stripes

I'm still hanging out in Ottawa with my family, my sisters have returned to their real lives, but I get to enjoy vacation a little longer.  I've picked up a few shifts at my Uncles' restaurant to make a bit of cash and I forgot how much fun serving can be.  I'm definitely applying to a few restaurants when I get home.

Today my mom and I spent the day shopping at the huge Asian grocery store and then at China town for a few presents.  I bought my friend a bento box and I'm going to surprise her at work on day with it packed with cute food.  I wanted to get my boyfriend one too, but there weren't any that suited him, I'll have to get him something else for Christmas. 

Onto the outfit of the day.  I wore one of my favorite skirts and my parents both asked me to take it off saying it was 'too short', and that I would be way to cold.  Well it is short, but I wasn't that cold, because I paired it with thigh high socks and a warm sweater. 

I'm working NYE, so I won't have any fun outfit post, but I'm happy to make money.  Hope everyone has a fun night!

sweater Joe Fresh/ skirt and socks American Apparel/ boots Hunters

Christmas Gift Haul

I  hope every one's Christmas was as good as mine.  I added a few more pictures to yesterday's post. I had such a great day spending time with family, plus I got some pretty sweet gifts, a lot of them had an Asian theme.  Here are a few quick snap shots of some them. Thanks family for the thoughtful gifts.

Hello Kitty sleep mask, Chinese silk coin purse dress, black bow belt

The coolest cook book ever, a panda bento box, hard boiled egg shapers

chocolate and nuts

Lucky money/gift cards, silk pouch with a silver bow broach, native union pop phone

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone is having a good day!! I'm just going for a drive with my sister to pick up family members. We had one turkey dinner last night then went to a Christmas eve party at a friends of the family. Today we get another turkey dinner at my aunts house. I'm excited to see all my extended family that I haven't seen for awhile.

We're having the most wonderful weather here in Ottawa, the roads are kind of a mess, but the snow is beautiful. I've added a few photos of yesterday and today, hope you enjoy. Merry Christmas everyone.

Pajamas and Family

I've relocated for the holidays to Ottawa so I can spend it with my family.  Me and my sister both arrived late last night, and pretty much crashed as soon as we were at our parents house.  Today, we both woke up well rested and spent the morning organizing the gifts.  We always join forces so we don't have to spend as much, we have A LOT of family and it keeps growing.  Once that was complete we spend about 45 minutes trying to buy presents with our Dad, but that didn't go so well, traffic around the shopping the complex was so busy we gave up and came home after only two stores.  We're going to try again tomorrow, early and beat the rush.

So, after failing at the stores we returned home and spent the rest of day watching TV and catching up with each other.  It was the perfect lazy family day, everyone around relaxing and laughing.  I'm so excited for Christmas for all of us to be together.

This outfit of the day is a little unusual, it's pajamas.  Since I spent almost all day in them I decided why not?  These are actually from Walmart and only cost $22.  They were an early Christmas present from my boyfriend and I've wanted a pair just like them since I saw Blair Waldorf (I mean Leighton Meester) wear something similar in an episode of Gossip Girl.  Plus, in the January issue of Marie Claire they have a few pictures of Angelina Jolie wearing a pair by Salvatore Ferragamo. 

pajamas Walmart

The Best of 2011

2011 was a good year for me and since it's almost over I thought I would reflect on my favorite memories and accomplishments.

My first accomplishment is this blog. After a couple a years and two posts, I finally decided to continue with it and I'm glad I did. It was slow at first, I would only get two page views a week and I had no followers. Even though I'm far from being a notorious, I'm very greatful for my thirty followers, my page views have gone up greatly and I still get excited to see a comment has been made on blog.

I've made I little of instagram- ish collage of the rest of my favorite 2011 moments.

1. My cat. I love hanging out with her, my apartment is never lonely and I'm so happy that she followed me home one day and decided to stay!

2. I turned 25, a milestone age in my books.

3. Clark and I celebrated our two year anniversary. It's along time to be with someone and I'm just as happy as I was when we first started dating.

4. This photo of sushi was taken on one of my many lunches with my girlfriends. Talking and laughing over a spicy tuna roll and some wasabi is good for the soul and it became a ritual in 2011 for me and a few friends.

5. This is photo if my group theory text book. I've never taken such a hard course in my life. It wasn't any more work then any other fourth level math course, actually it might have been less. The concepts were a little over my head but I worked and passed the course, barely but I've never been more proud of any mark.

6. This Ferris wheel picture was taken on a family reunion in Niagara Falls. I love spending time with my family and this years memories are no different except that they also came to visit me in Newfoundland.

7. This is a photo from my trip to South Africa. It was an amazing trip, the first time I was oversees and it was an amazing experience. Plus I got to meet a lot of interesting people and spend more time with by boyfriend's parents.

8. Graduating!!! It took me a really long time and a couple years hiatus from school but this year I finally walked across the stage and accept my Bachelor of Science!

9. This is an American Apparel shopping bag. I worked there for over a year and quit right before my trip. It was an great experience and I made some amazing friends, plus my wardrobe tripled.

Snowing

It is in no way the first snow fall of the year, but no less magical.  I love large snow flakes that fall gracefully from the sky.  It makes me feel like I'm in a Christmas movie.   I could sit and watch them from my window all day, in fact that's my only plan for the day.  Gotta love not working.

Any who, on to the outfit for the day.  It's pretty simple, but I didn't need to get all fancy to drink coco and snuggle up with my cat.  In fact, this outfit would not have been any good for today, way to cold, I was freezing just standing on my porch while taking these.  But the dress is really comfortable and I paired it with slipper booties and a blanket.  Going to watch turn on my Christmas lights and watch Love Actually. 

dress, belt, beret American Apparel

IFB Weekly Round Up

My "Ten gifts under $100" was picked as one of the twenty IFB weekly round ups.  I'm really excited about it, there were so many great options posted in the group.  Below is a little blip by Denimology and the list of all twenty blogs featured this week.  My favorites included Absolutely Fuzzy, Simply Frabulous, and Stephanie M. Style.



Cooler Weather Brings Haute Fashion: That's How The Saying Goes Right?


Edited by: Jessie Thorpe of Denimology


Cooler weather has made it's way in and it leaves me feeling a definitive need to dress up lavishly. Some girls have been frocked fancifully for the entire month of Dressember. I think it's important to make the effort to look extra stylish in the Winter months. I've been decorating myself glamorously in festive jewel tones: emerald, crystal, ruby with gold making and appearance every now and again also. My wardrobe has definitely become darker as I use lots of navy and black basics letting my accessories do the talking.


THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: DECEMBER 15TH


Absolutely Fuzzy DIY studded denim jacket

Crashing Red Balenciaga: Return of Jedi!

Denimology Pay it Forward with Molly Bear

Fashionistyle Edie Sedgwick, the Girl with the Black Tights

Flounces and Sashes Dangerous chic bling. DIY Crystal Knuckle Duster


House of Guise The Dreaded B-Word: The Basics of Accessories

Lady O'Fashion DIY Making Leather Look Aged


Miss Vicki To photoshop or not to photoshop?

Piewacket Dolly Parton cover shoot for Rue Holiday issue


Pretty Quirky Pants DIY Multi-Chain Necklace


Purple Bananas and Fudgeballs DIY Miu Miu Glitter Sneakers Tutorial


Purushu Renaissance in Runway. Inspiration from the past.

Simply Frabulous The Man Who Sees the World in Denim

Stephanie M. Style Preppy Style in Blue

Sugar and Spice How to have a frugal, yet stylish, Christmas

Tha Darlinh DIY: How to make fancy silver shoes out of 5€ leftover ones.


That Girl Kip DIY Gold leaf jewelery


Wardrobe of a Secret Millionaire Are High-Low Designer Collabs a great idea?

Yellow Cup Cake Holiday Guide for Gifts under $100


SPONSOR:


New Bikinis at Shopbop: Josa Tulum, Made by Dawn, Pret-a-Surf, L*Space, Marc Jacobs Swimwear, 6Shore Road, Vix, Mikoh, Red Carter, Juicy Couture, Flip Flops, Flats & Sneakers.


PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE


If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

Tinfoil Curls

I love the website http://www.handbag.com/ it covers fashion, beauty, hair, health and more.  If you've never checked it out, it's worth it. 

I love their many, many hair tutorials by various professionals. This is the first one I've ever actually tried.  I've been loving this tutorial for over a year, it's curls with major volume!  It was pretty easy, a bit like ragging your hair but with tin foil instead, definitely takes a bit of practice to be perfect.  If you have a friend with an extra 20 minutes ask her to do it for you. 

Here is the before picture.  I've done nothing to my hair, except brush it.
The second picture is a during, tin foil head.
Some after pictures.

Here is the video, and for more you should check out the website.

Re-arrange and Lazy Days

I've been so lazy the past week!  Maybe because I have no where to go, I feel like I have endless time on my hands, but it's slowly slipping away and I haven't done many of the things I planned to do while on my work hiatus. 

Alas, I did find time to clean and re-arrange the main space in our apartment.  It's not a very big apartment, but the way it was set up before made it feel even smaller.  I decided to turn the space directly off the kitchen into our tv nook, previously our dining room.  And our previous living room into a nice open space our little table for two in the one corner opens up the rest of the room for so much more activities. 

Anway this is a pretty random "Kelly's life update" post but I've included an outfit, one variation of my lazy day uniform and some pictures of the apartment re-arranged. 

necklace Accessories/ pants and blouse American Apparel

10 Gifts Under a $100

10 gifts for under a $100 by kellylee featuring hair clip accessories


Christmas is so close and that's super exciting, but trying to find gifts for everyone when you are low on funds can be a bit stressful.  I've come up with a few ideas all under $100.   Hopefully this will help find gifts for your friends and family that they will enjoy without breaking the bank.


Let's start, here is my Christmas gift guide on a budget:


1.  Everyone has a friend or family member that is into video games.  It's really easy to go to EB games and pick out something and you can definitely find some good ones for a decent price.  However, I've always felt that giving a video game as a gift felt very impersonal, so give your video game lover a vintage console like a super Nintendo.  Visit your local flea markets, I found one for $30 and it included three games.  You can always check e-bay too.  If they already have one getting them a vintage game seems more personal, it's more work to find them and shows you know them better.


2.   It's hard to get a music lover a good gift since iTunes came around. I feel silly buying someone a CD because, who really listens to them anymore, almost everyone uses MP3 players or iPods.  These speakers are made out of cardboard, you can get them at Cole's bookstores, they are portable and can be plugged into anything with a headphone jack. 


3. Here is another gift problem caused by growing technology.  The movie lover now has Netflix, plus the Internet allows you to download almost every movie for free.  DVDs are still a good gift, but I would go with something more original then the latest blockbuster.  Classic movies are not always in Netflix and they are a little harder to find online then new releases.  Breakfast at Tiffany's, Funny Face, Some Like it Hot or The Apartment are just a few good choices in my opinion. Amazon has lots of choices for under $20.


4. For the cook in your circle, a lovely bottle of olive oil is always appreciated, especially one in a cute refillable bottle. If you have any extra cash to spend, throw in a matching bottle of balsamic vinegar. I would try Winners or Stokes for the bottles. You can fill them with any nice oil you find in your local grocery store.


5. Anyone would enjoy a pretty picture filled with photos of fond memories. Hardly anyone prints photos anymore, but it would be really easy to find their favorite photos to print for them using facebook, tumbler, etc.  I recommend using photoshop or a free photo editing program (there are many online, picnic.com for example) to make sure the pictures look their absolute best, you could even change them into black and white or give them an old school effect. Printing photos is as easy as uploading them to Walmart's online photo store where they will print them for 20 cents a picture they are ready as quickly as an hour and you can pick them up in store or get them delivered to you.  What could be better then that?


6.  Magazine subscription is an easy inexpensive present to give to anyone, plus they get to enjoy it all year long.  There is a type of magazine out there for everyone.  Vogue, vanity fair or glamour for the fashion lover, Sports Illustrated, Maxim, maybe even GQ are a few choices for the boys.  Then there magazines for tech-ies, home decor enthusiast, art or design lovers, fitness buffs, even fishing.  If you are really stuck on what to get someone, go to Chapters and see if their magazine section gives you any ideas.


7.  Wine is a pretty standard gift for a host or hostess of a party you attend this holiday season.  If they host a lot of parties then it's a good gift because it saves them from running out of wine later that night or a possible trip to the store.  If they don't host a lot of parties then they could end up with a lot of bottles of cheap wine come January.  A good alternative is beer.  Most liquor stores sell imported beer by singles, and I'm not talking about Heineken.  Some are made of malt toffee or berries and they often have the most interesting names.  Build them your own special six pack and you can always throw in a nice beer mug for their drinking pleasure.


8. Yoga mat is a great gift for anyone who practices yoga.  It's one of the only forms of working out that can be done with almost no space.  If someone you know is interested in picking up yoga, then a yoga mat is a great way to help them get started, you can buy them at Walmart.  If you are friends with someone who is already into yoga then having an extra mat is never a bad thing.  They could keep one at work and then go straight to the studios afterwards, or maybe they like to do yoga outside when the weather permits they could designate one for that keeping the dirt outside and not in their home.  If no one is into yoga, a mat is still a great present for those who like to work.


9.  The gorillapod is a flexible tripod that will fit any camera.  Joby.com is a great place to look at the different products they have, it'll tell you what tripod is best for the different types of cameras, they even have them for your iPhones.  I would recommend trying to purchase it from Amazon instead of directly from the website.  This tripod is great for the amateur photographer or anyone who blogs.


10.  An American Apparel hair bow ($18) is a great gift for any girl.  They come in every colour of the rainbow, plus if you buy three you get 15% off, so you could give a girl choices.  It's cute and fun a great stocking stuffer or maybe pick up a pair of fun socks (between $10-$15) to go with it and keep her warm in the months to come. 


Ok well I just wrote a NOVEL!  Sorry this is definitely the most time I've spent on a blog post!  I hope you like it, and I would love to other ideas too!

My Christmas Wish List

my christmas wish list by kellylee featuring clutch handbags




I was never very good at coming up with things I want for Christmas.  I like thinking about what to get other people, but I'm kinda of buy it if you want it kinda girl. However, I have no money right now so every little bit of funds goes right to Christmas presents for others and bills.  


Here are a few things I would like this year.  I realize some of them I will probably never get in my lifetime, but hey it's all for fun.


1.  This gorgeous chandelier actually represents pretty decorations for my apartment.  I love decorating it, I'm in the middle of re-arranging our living room/dining room.


2.  A pretty sequined blazer.  I like this one because the black stripe keeps it from being to girly.


3.  A new everyday purse.  The ones I'm using now I've had forever.  I still love them, but it would be nice to have some more options.


4.  A Tiffany clutch.  Beautiful, I love the colour.


5.  Fun flats with a leopard pattern.


6. Native pop phone, it plugs into your iphone.  I love the pink one and the light blue one.


7. A flat screen tv.  The one my boyfriend and I are using is so old it still has a VCR player.


8.  Jeffery Campbell's.  I don't normally like the Lolita's, maybe because everyone has them, but this colour is so much fun.




Anyway that's it for me, what do you want for Christmas??

The Fox and the Hound

I haven't done an outfit post in a long time, so I thought it was time for one. 

This shirt has been sitting in my closet for a few months.  I bought it from Model Citzen, the vintage store here in St. John's.  I thought it was so cute, but the fit isn't great.  I think it might be a little big for me, but maybe I'm just not use to the giant puffy sleeves.  Either way, it's cute and easy shirt to wear on lazy days, I paired it with skinny jeans.

shirt Model Citizen's/ jeans Stitches