Saturday 28 May 2011

Mumbo Jumbo

Hello little chickens.  This has been a very bad week for blogging.  My boyfriend has a friend visiting from England so our living room (normally occupied by my store photo shoots) is very much in use, and my usually very generous photographer of outfits (my boyfriend) is taking the week off.  I, too, am busy studying for my final exam in Shakespeare on Wednesday and finishing up a term paper. Ah, the joys of summer school.  It's even worse because I've been wearing the most fun vintage things this week from my massive shop on Monday.  I'm going to have to wear them all again next week so you guys can see, and then I'll get them into the store.  Having my boyfriend's friend visiting from his home in England has me excited for my upcoming trip to visit him and his family in July (yes, this means vintage shopping in London), and has us both a little homesick.  It seems like the perfect time to pay a little homage to my home: Nova Scotia, Canada.  Here are a few photos I took last summer of the things I miss most about home.  Also, tomorrow before seeing our English friend off we'll be taking him to Picnik Electroniik.  It's an outdoor electro concert that takes place every Sunday, all summer long, in the wonderfully vibrant city of Montreal.  I can't wait to vibe to some great music in the sun.  If you're ever in the city, don't miss it.



















I apologize for this massive jumble, but there are so many things to miss about Nova Scotia... deserted beaches, the country, pastel colored houses, sailboats, friends with GREAT beach style, and most of all the ocean to name a few.  A quick note: if you're in Halifax my favorite restaurant is called The Wooden Monkey, and my favorite (and very unique) shop is called Biscuit General Store.  They're about a block away from one another so check them out! There will be much more of this to come when I head home for a month in August.  But for now, I'll be focusing on getting photos of the new stuff in store.

Hope you're all having a good weekend :)

Gabrielle

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Home Grown Corn

Hello everyone! I've been very busy the last couple of days and haven't had time to get a fun outfit shoot together, but I have managed to have some lovely food, enjoy the sunny weather and spend time with friends.  I had a wonderful vintage shopping day today, I came home with two bags I could barely carry. A mountain of pastels, flowiness,  and summery wonders. Many of these things will be in store in the next week or so, and I'll be enjoying them and taking photos in the time being.  For now I'm just going to post a few photos of some of the things I enjoy most about Montreal this time of year: flowers, patios, and good food. Cafe Santropol has one of the nicest patios in the city; it's a fairy-lit jungle garden in a casual, funky setting, with a bright yellow to go window. It makes me smile each time I pass it by.  Also, if you're ever in Montreal and looking for the best selection of speciality meats, cheeses, chocolates and teas you can imagine check out Le Vieille Europe on St. Laurent.  It will have your mouth watering for days! On this sunny day my friend and I decided to make our own food and take advantage of our own back yard.  It was penny-saving and delicious :) 














                                Happy Tuesday!
                                           xx Gabri(elle)

Sunday 22 May 2011

Lemon Drops and Lollipops

Ah, finally the sun has come out again in Montreal.  This means many wonderful things... afternoons in the park, lovely little antique sales on the sidewalks, warm evenings drinking wine on patios... but most of all it  means that all of the summery pieces getting so lonely in my closet are going to be getting some love. I'm equally as grateful as they are, if not more so.  This is a really fun little vintage romper I thrifted a few weeks ago and had shortened. The shorts are still very billowy so it looks a bit like a dress, but I can do cartwheels without malfunctions if I want to! How marvelous. I also just picked up these open leather oxford inspired shoes from Aldo, and though don't usually buy my shoes there I love these ones, and will likely wear them most days this summer.  I also took a few photos of one of those sidewalk sales that pop up so frequently around these parts.  I desperately wanted to buy some mismatched wooden chairs for my kitchen table.  Oh well...I've got a lot, but I can't have it all. Today I am biking to Jean Talon Market, which is an outdoor market selling mountains of wonderful meats, cheeses and produce. I'll take lots of photos and have them up here very soon.  I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!









Looking at this little red chest and night table have got me yearning all over again!

Happy (Sun)day!

xx Gabri(elle)

Thursday 19 May 2011

Crosswords and Colors

It is true that you can enjoy a game of scrabble any time of the year.  Having said that, I must admit that two of my favorite things about summer are crosswords and colors.  How many times have you meandered to the park to lie in the grass, and secretly thought to yourself..." My goodness this is rather boring"?  I am happiest when I am outside and either mentally or visually stimulated, and so scrabble is the perfect way to waste an afternoon in the park and manage to feel slightly accomplished at the end of it.  A seven letter word that earns you 50 bonus points? Ecstasy.  These photos are from a few weeks ago on a weekend trip to my boyfriend's father's house in Toronto.  It was a magical three days much of which were perfectly wasted playing scrabble and drinking wine in the great outdoors. Unfortunately for me, my boyfriend is a scrabble master and so I left most games with my tail between my legs.  He, however, enjoyed gloating very much.  I am wearing what I think is a really fun "Skyline" blouse I found at my favorite little shop on Mt. Royal in the sale chest.  It feels both retro and modern at once, and I love it!  I am also wearing black bloomer shorts that are as comfortable as sweats and as cute as just about anything I can imagine.



Now, for the colors.  Although I certainly enjoy the colors of nature, sometimes I think I enjoy what these colors inspire in design and creation even more than the nature itself.  Montreal is tons of fun in that its citizens all seem to enjoy color, and so the city is a myriad of bright facades. I love colorful homes, bikes, painting, and design jobs.  Has anyone ever heard of Kate Lewis? I was visiting a really fun Australian designer's blog called Absolutely Beautiful Things, and came across a woman who paints colorful interiors. I just bought a new (huge) canvas and I've decided to paint something similar.  Here is a photo of one of her paintings, and of the interior I am going to tackle, hopefully starting this weekend.  There are also a few photos of mine of the wonderful color in Montreal.







Happy long weekend to those of you in Canada, and don't forget to check out the vintage clothing I have for sale this week in my last post!

xx Elle

Monday 16 May 2011

Books, Books, Books, and Clothes.

Monday morning and it's still raining.  This is a magnificent time of year and I have a closet full of spring goodies waiting to come out and play in the sun, and so the continuing rain is incredibly depressing.  I sometimes find it tough to get motivated to wear something lovely when I know that I'm going to be running home struggling to keep my oversized umbrella in check.  I am not saying we should give in to the rain... only that once in a while on these rainy days rather than force ourselves to leave our cozy little homes we ought to explore the indoors do whatever might tickle our fancies. For me this means books, painting, and sketching my favorite fashion shots. Here are a few sketches I did of what I might wear today if it weren't raining and cold!  They were drawn from images on The Sartorialist.  
 



Now, just for fun, here are two wonderful bookshops that show the two sides of my fashion personality. Literature students like to define things in terms of books (at least I do).  The first, an expensive coffee table bookshop in Old Montreal, is bold, attention grabbing, and fabulous, while the second, a small french bookshop called Le Port de la Tete on Mt. Royal, is modest, simple, elegant and nerdy.  I embrace both of these styles depending on my mood.




Versus....





Which do you prefer and why?

One more thing: I am going to be posting some more lovely vintage gems on eBay in the next day or two.  Blouses, shorts, flowers, checkers, stripes... I am very excited and will have links to all of the items here so please check back!  


Saturday 14 May 2011

A Rainy Weekend

How do you waste a rainy weekend?  By blogging with old photos from sunnier days of course!  I took these photos a few weeks ago, on the first really warm day in Montreal. Also the day I finished final exams... how perfect!  This is my absolute favorite shop in Montreal, which is quite a statement considering how many 'little shops' there are here.  It has unique pieces that are reminiscent of the old, but that always have an exciting new twist worth squeaking about.  If you are ever in Montreal you MUST make this little place one of your stops.  You won't be disappointed. It is located on Mount Royal (the street) in between St. Urbain and St. Denis.  I hope everyone has a lovely Saturday that's as lazy as mine!









Glasses: Rayban
Mustard Blazer: Vintage
Oversized Cardigan: Club Monaco
Striped Tank: James Boutique
Chambray Button Down: Vintage
Leather Backpack: Roots

Happy Saturday everyone :)