For Fun: My Old Apartment

Nothing like starting off a year by looking back...

I was sifting through my pictures and found these photos from my old apartment and I thought it would be fun to share!

My family moved around a lot when I was young. I've lived in many houses and have discovered that wherever you nest will be home. I lived in this apartment for 5 years. Other than the house I grew up in where my family settled for most of my life and the house The Boy and I live in now, this is the place I've lived the longest. I lived here in university, through the most major break-up in my life, I lived here when I met The Boy.
I lived here with my ex (the major break-up), I had room-mates in this apartment and I lived alone. This place saw me through a lot of major moments in my life.


The photos are a little grainy. I took them with my old flip phone.

My dining room. I loved it. My apartment was very girly. 

The living didn't always have two couches in it. The red couch used to be centered on the back wall under the picture. I took these pictures when I was looking for someone to sublet after we bought our house. The sectional was being kept so it could go in the house we live in now (it's since been replace by our leather sofa and it now lives in The Boy's workshop in the basement). 

My very cute 60's gallery style kitchen. This kitchen had more storage than the one in my current house if you can believe it. 

This place floods me with memories..the good, the bad and the ugly.

I wish I had a picture of my bathroom and my office. My office was really nothing special, but my bathroom had pink tile, walls and floor and a turquoise toilet, sink and tub. In fact it looked a lot like this:

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Is it just me, or was anyone else singing the Barenaked Ladies song "Old Apartment" when they read the title of this post? 

Enjoy! Now you can sing this in your head all day with me! lol!

Lisa.xo

2014: A Year in Review

I'm doing my year in review post a bit different this year as well. Instead of chronically every month and highlighting important posts like I usually do, I'm highlighting my favourite posts from the year just like I did with my outfit roundup yesterday.


By far, my favourite posts of the year are my Thrifting Tips series. I worked incredibly hard on them and am very proud of how they turned out.

1. Where to Start

2. Finding the Good Stuff

3. Finding Vintage

4. Caring for your Finds

5. Wearing Vintage

This year I was interviewed by Shaw TV about thrifting and my blog which was very exciting!




After living in our house for 5 years, I finally got the courage to tackle the enormous job of painting our kitchen in April. Another 6 months down the line and we're almost ready to knock the wall down between the living room and the kitchen. Like I said, things happen slowly in this house.

for the record, we have put the outlet covers on. this is just an old photo. 

We had a new addition to the family in June. We rescued Chopper. He's about the sweetest dog you could ever meet. Him and Dave love each other and we can't imagine life without him. 

In November I cut about a foot off of my long, long hair. I loved my long hair, but I can't believe I didn't cut it sooner.  

I really hate to be a downer on the blog, but it's been a tough year. I feel very tired. Even after 5 weeks off. I overloaded on work this year - I felt like I couldn't help it - so many projects and opportunities knocked on my door and I was compelled to say yes to most of them. I don't regret working so much...I really did learn a lot and some very exciting doors have been opened as a result, but I think I'm going to be more mindful in the coming year what I say yes to. 

On top of which my personal life has been really stressful this year. I don't really know what to say about this here, except that in some ways my life has been in limbo. This combined with too much work has kept me from blogging or too tired to care about a lot of things - like Halloween costumes (we didn't dress up this year) or Christmas (confession: I never put up our tree or decorations...couldn't be bothered). 

The good news is that I believe things are getting better. I can see some light at the end of the tunnel. I have work to do - both in my professional and personal life. No New Years Resolutions this year  (not even anti-resolutions) ...just the promise to myself that I will be mindful of my spiritual well being, my personal happiness and above all: keep it simple. 

Check out previous year in review posts from 2013, 2012 & 2011.


Lisa.xo

Two Months Later..

So I guess I needed more than a month.

I took this one morning a month ago before work on our front lawn. 

I've been struggling to write this post...I really don't like getting super personal on the blog. But I will tell you that on top of being very tired from overworking myself this year, the last two months have had personal stresses that I have been trying to deal with. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I'm in a much better place than I was a week ago. That's really all I can ask for right now.

Sorry this post is so vague...I really wanted to stop in and say I'm still here and ready to start blogging again, but also give you some - however lame it is - explanation for my extended absence.

I'm off work until the New Year now, so expect to see my face some more 'round these part. I missed you guys!

Lisa.xo

See You in a Month!

I'm still alive and well! I seem to have inadvertently taken a little blog break in the last few weeks. Work. Again. You know the story.

I'm actually tired of shopping. Seriously.  (photo source)

Just to give you a flavour of my life right now, my weeks are playing out like this:

Sunday: Two show day for Cock & Bull (I'm home before 10pm thankfully)
Monday: Shopping for TV series from 9-5 (day off from Cock & Bull)
Tuesday: Shopping 9-5. Drive to the venue. Prep & Performance for Cock & Bull 5:30 - 10:30pm. Drive home, write show report, do show laundry. Fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow (12-12:30ish).
Wednesday: Repeat of Tuesday
Thursday: Repeat
Friday: Repeat
Saturday: Morning & Day off. Performance for Cock & Bull in the evening.


My next ACTUAL day off is October 5th. And on the 6th I start prep for my next stage managing job (while working my last week shopping for the TV series). I'm already running on empty...I've discovered I'm now too old to work two jobs at the same time. This may very well be the last time I do this to myself....always gotta learn the hard way, don't I?!


So I'm officially calling it a mini blog break and I'll see you fine folks in about a month when I've recuperated.


I'm posting regularly (almost daily) on Instagram if you miss my face. I miss you guys, but I've got nothing else to give right now...


Lisa.xo

Keeping Busy with Work (as usual..)

Sorry for the radio silence folks! Work and life has kept me away from the computer for the last week or so.

These are what my days are looking like as of late:

photo snagged from my Instagram account

I've been stationed behind my prompt book calling cues as we have our dress rehearsals for Theatre by the River's production of Mike Bartlett's COCK and BULL.

And we open this Saturday!!

Plus I start another job buying costumes tomorrow for a Canadian sketch comedy series being shot in Winnipeg right now...life is gonna get a bit busier...ah!

If you live in Winnipeg, come see COCK and BULL. They are amazing shows that I am incredibly proud to be a part of.
For more info and to buy tickets go here.

Sooo...things might be staying a little quiet around these parts for the next week or two...if you miss me you can always stalk follow me on Instagram in the meantime.


Lisa.xo

Breaking with Tradition

I usually strive to wear as much vintage head to toe as I can on my birthday.

I had another vintage dress all picked out to wear to dinner yesterday, but once I repaired it (the fabric was shredding at the shoulder seams from being hung improperly) I decided it wasn't what I wanted to wear.

Deep down I knew I wanted to wear my new Jenny skirt in Burlesque print from Pinup Girl Clothing. So I broke with tradition and wore it.

Matching Vintage Pink Rhinestone Earrings and Necklace: Were my Grandma Nelsons

Beaded Black Bustier: Forever 21

Pink Flower Brooch (worn at waist): Smart Set

Jenny skirt in Burlesque Print: Pinup Girl Clothing

(unseen) Black Vintage Crinoline: gift from Krista

Black Peep Toe Pumps: thrifted, Value Village

Vintage Pink Shoe Clips: Ragpickers

(hard to see, but it's there) 30's/40's Black Cord Purse: thrifted, Value Village

We had dinner at Cibo Waterfront Cafe. The interior design and location on the Red River was beautiful. Our food was delicious, but we were a bit disappointed with the service - it wasn't terrible, but we expected more for the menu price point. We had fun regardless. 

My girls: Jenny on the left, Leyan on the right.

After dinner we went to a Winnipeg landmark: Nucci's Gelati.

I had an amazing day! I have the best friends - they are the ones that make it special. :)


Lisa.xo

32

Another year, another birthday.

source

Today's the day. :) I've had many wonderful texts, emails and phone calls from friends and family already. I've eaten birthday cake for breakfast. So far, so good. :)

This afternoon I plan on collecting my free birthday drink from Starbucks and then hitting up Value Village for some thrift shopping. Tonight The Boy and are going out for dinner with friends.


I love birthdays. Today I feel blessed for the many wonderful things and people in my life. This feeling keeps me going through the tough times life throws my way too (who are we kidding, no ones life is perfect except in the blogosphere, right?!). I am also thankful for you, who come and visit this little blog of mine - thanks for hangin out - you guys rock!



I'll post birthday outfits and tales of dinner tomorrow. See you then!

Lisa.xo

MIA

Hey peeps!

I'm gonna be MIA this week. I got a last minute gig working on a National Film Board of Canada short film this week and it's consuming my life.

See you next week!

Lisa.xo

Anti-Resolution Check In

My fellow vintage loving Canuck Laurie from Retro Reporter just posted a 2 month check in on her 2014 goals and how she was fairing.

I thought "hm..I haven't been thinking about mine since I posted them in January...I wonder how I'm doing"

So I'm going to follow her lead and post a little check in for myself.

unsourced via Pintrest

Blogging Goals

• keep up with the Link Love series.  - Success! I've been posting every two weeks without fail! I've found the trick is to always have a new "Link Love" post in draft and I add to it while I'm surfing the internet and something catches my eye.

• share more of my collection with you in my Show and Tell series. - Success! I just finished posting my entire purse and clutch collection and am fired up to show you more really soon! I got such amazing response from you guys on this! I'm hoping some of you follow suit like you said you would and post your own collections! I love seeing other peoples treasures and geeking out about them as much as you do!

• don't worry so much about taking a million photos for a post. - Working on it. Most of my posts have been pretty picture heavy this year so far, but I keep reminding myself that little check in posts are ok too.

• keep working on planning ahead when it comes to posts so I can keep posting regularly.  - Success! Despite being busy with work I have keep up with blogging since the new year. I have posted at least once or twice a week and I'm really proud of myself. I am a bit bummed I didn't post an outfit in February, but I'll keep working on that. 

Conclusion: Blogging goals seem to be in good form despite me not consciously "working" on them. But as I said in my original post, these are not new 2014 goals, but ones I have been working on and thinking about little by little for some time now. 

Personal Goals

• Get rid of things we/I don't need/use. - Working on it. I have a massive pile of stuff to donate in my basement that I keep adding to. And I've even got The Boy putting things in it (which is a bit of a miracle, because he is more of a hoarder than I am!!). We just have to take it to the thrift store when I'm finished this job. And I plan on continuing with the purge after that as well. So even though some might see that as a success, I am saying 'working on it' because I see more work to be done.

• And further to that. I'd like to follow the William Morris quote: 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'.  - ??? Hm. maybe this isn't really a goal, but more of a philosophy to keep in mind while I purge and work on the house.

• Keep working on our house. - Working on it. I have big big plans to FINALLY paint our kitchen after this gig finishes. I pumped up and ready to tackle the job after 5 years of living in this house (that and I've come to the conclusion my dream IKEA kitchen is another few years away and I can't stand my kitchen in its current state anymore! lol!). Wish me luck!

• Shop less - Shop my closet more.  - Success! I have made a few thrift purchases, one Etsy purchase and one retail purchase this year. So in total probably less than $120 spent -  which for me is a big deal! I have been seriously contemplating every impulse to buy and really curbing my spending. Right now dreams of kitchen paint are keeping me from buying a leather jacket at Le Chateau or a vintage silk kimono on Etsy I've been eyeing. Also doing laundry regularly and keep my favourite clothes clean in my closet seem to be helping...who would've thought?! lol!!

Conclusion: Personal goals still in progress. Although they are a bit loftier than my blogging goals, I think. However, I am working towards every single one and that makes me happy. Baby steps people. That's all I need. :)

Soooo....it seems that I've picked some good goals overall for myself. I seem to be unconsciously working on all of them. I don't need daily reminders or personal pep talks to make these happen. And THAT is my ultimate goal. Have goals that become imbedded in me, so I am always working on improving myself and my surroundings. 

How do you keep track of your goals? Did you make any resolutions (anti-resolutions?) this year? How are you doing?

Lisa.xo

Good-bye. Hello! (OR Thank God for the Internet)

I have a little story to tell you today that starts out sad, but has a happy ending.


First let me introduce you to my favourite brooch:

There he is (yes, for some reason the little butterfly is a he). I bought him while I was working at Ragpickers in university. I love butterflies (if you couldn't tell already from my blog name) and I was instantly enamoured by his diminutive size and intricate metalwork details. I have no clue from what era he hailed from, but it didn't matter. I loved him anyway. 

Here he is hanging out among the flowers:

He always seemed to round out any collection of brooches on my lapel. He was a good bug. 

Well…I lost him. 

Last year while we were on the Munsch Tour. He was pinned to one of my cardigans and disappeared one day in some school somewhere in Winnipeg. 

I held it together all day after I found out he'd gone missing. When I got home I wept. Such a silly thing to cry over a lost brooch, but I was devastated that he was gone. That I had done him wrong and lost him - my favourite. That's not how we treat the things we love. 

That was almost a year ago now. And maybe just like buying a puppy after your trusted old hound passes away, I was finally ready for a new butterfly. It occurred to me last week that I might find a similar brooch for sale online. And boy was I right. 

Today my new little buddy was shipped out from California - I'm so excited! Here he is:

Very similar. And naturally, I have made a vow to safeguard him better than his predecessor. Wish me luck!

If you like this brooch I have many more styles saved on my Favourites list on Etsy. Check them out!

Lisa.xo

I Keep Reading...

how 2013 was the year the blog died.             ….I never got the memo...

If you're a blogger you may find this article from design*sponge interesting as well as this one from writer and web commentator Jason Kottke.


So in an effort to "stay with the times" I'm now officially on the Twitter.


Follow me there @Lisa_BDV and let me know if you are also on the Twitter so I can follow your witty 140 character banter.


Lisa.xo

New Years Anti-Resolutions

I'm not a big fan of the New Year's Resolutions.
Frankly, I think they're a recipe for failure. Grand expectations and un-realistic timelines make for anxiety, not achievement.

You'll never catch me stating that I will "lose weight", "eat healthier" or "get rid of my debt" on the first day of the new year.
I firmly believe that personal development is done successfully in small steps and must be worked on all year. You don't need a new calendar year to make new goals.
And now I'm going to contradict myself a bit by sharing a few of my goals for the blog and for my personal life with you. The thing about these goals is that they're not really new goals. I have been thinking about these and working on them a little in the past year, but I am using this new start (the new year) to reinforce and remind myself about them. Personal growth is always part of my MO, so I like to use any excuse to get excited about the goals I've got in my back pocket…and the New Year is a great excuse.

Writing down goals is a great way to solidify them for yourself. source

In no particular order. Here are my current blogging goals (notice how I didn't say "for 2014"):

• keep up with the Link Love series. I'm enjoying this series so far and I think you folks are too. I'd like to make it a staple around here. 
• share more of my collection with you in my Show and Tell series. I've fallen off the band wagon a bit on that one and I enjoy those posts.
• don't worry so much about taking a million photos for a post. It's ok to take a couple close ups, post one or two pics and say hello occasionally. 
• keep working on planning ahead when it comes to posts so I can keep posting regularly. I believe one of my goals for the blog for 2013 was along this line and I think I had some success in that department last year, but I would like to continue focussing on it to make my blog better. 

Overall, I'm working on posting more and keeping up with the things that I've started 'round these parts. 

And my personal goals:

• Get rid of things we/I don't need/use. I did a lot of purging last summer and it felt great. I want to do much more this year. 
• And further to that. I'd like to follow the William Morris quote: 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'. I only want useful, beautiful things in my world. 
• Keep working on our house. We are far from even painting every room on the main floor, but we plan to live in our house for a long time and I'm not keen on rushing any decorating or renovating decisions. I would, however, like to keep plugging away at making our home ours.
• Shop less - Shop my closet more. I have a huge wardrobe filled with many wonderful things. I certainly have a small list of voids in my wardrobe that need to be filled, but I'd like to stop shopping for shoppings sake. Use that money for savings or put it towards the house. 

These days life is all about cutting away the excess, surrounding myself with beautiful things and loving the things I do have. 

Have you made any New Year's Resolutions? Anti-Resolutions? 

Lisa.xo

2013 A Year in Review

Holy !#@%!&  (Insert proper expletive here)

Is another year really gone?! I must be getting old. This year has flown by and it's time for the annual 'Year in Review' post. So here we go…

We started the year with some impromptu New Years plans. I was sick as a dog at the beginning of the year, but managed to pull it together so we could go out with Steph and Laura to Stargrill for drinks and cake.

The rest of January was a bit of a mixed bag. I showed off my favourite Christmas present from Mom: Grandma's Pearls.

And I invited you all to stalk me at work. I was stage managing Prairie Theatre Exchange's annual kids tour about Robert Munsch and we were blogging the entire time we were on tour. 

our set for the show 

February found me blogging about life on the road.

on our way to Norway House, Manitoba here

We spent the month touring around Manitoba, as far north as Lynn Lake, where I showed you this hotel room trapped in a time warp.

We spent Louis Riel Day in Dauphin enjoying some winter activities.

And I showed you some of the vintage loot I scored while we were on the road. 

We were still touring for most of March. We spent several days at Heather's parents beautiful heritage home in Brandon and I did A LOT of thrift shopping there. 

I shared photos of all the beautiful B&B's we stayed in while on tour. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Patrick Place, Yorkton, Saskatchewan

here we all are looking a bit tired and trying our best to behave while staying at Patrick Place

The Boy must have missed me while I was on tour because he surprised me with flowers on my return home!

When the tour was over I found myself with some much needed time off. I used it to re-organize my dressing room. 

I was back to work and still feeling the tiredness of the tour in April and did not post once. Whoops! Apparently it was a much needed blog break.

Work took me from the blog in May as well. I only posted four times! I was finishing up the second instalment of Angels in America with Winnipeg Jewish Theatre. It was a huge show that demanded a lot of my attention. 

Despite being a short month post-wise half of those posts were outfit posts. The other thing I shared with you was my wish for a vintage parasol. Still don't have one by the way…lol

this one is apparently still for sale here!

June always seems to be a good month for my blog. I posted a lot again this year. I posted a review on on of Winnipeg's newest vintage shops: The Foundre

I spent the month working for Shakespeare in the Ruins again. This year they presented Julius Caesar. 

Our friends Steph and Laura (who we spent New Years Eve with) got married. I love an excuse to get dolled up. 

I started an Instagram account (I'm totally addicted btw..) Follow me here.

there's my lady head vase I bought on tour!

And I finally bought myself a tripod!

July found me off work again this year for the summer. It was a tough season and I needed a pick me up. I am an optimist and decided to share the 12 Things Happy People do Differently with you. 

I reviewed another great vintage shop in Winnipeg: Rhymes with Orange.

I turned 31 this year (it's time to update the 'About Me' page… I think it still says I'm 29..lol!!!). A small group of us celebrated at Hermano's - we had an incredible time. 

And I was nominated for a Leibster Award and shared some tidbits about myself with you. 

August found me finishing up what I started in my dressing room. I painted, we put in new carpet and hung drapes. It's my favourite room in the house. 

I was on a roll and did another vintage shop review. This time for Debbie's Vintage.

And I did some thrift shopping with my friend Leyan.

I was back to work, as usual, in September. This time I was working for Theatre Projects Manitoba on a new play: The Miser of Middlegate.

In an effort to post more everyday outfit photos, I shared a work outfit with you every day one week in September. 

And did some Halloween thrift shopping.

October was a fun month for me on the blog. I bought an amazing vintage coat I've been on the hunt for. I've been longing for a green swing coat with a fur collar. This one was $25 from Value Village. 

 I shared my beauty regime with you in two posts: prep and makeup.

And I dressed up and showed you 5 Last Minute Costume Ideas from Your Vintage Closet.

my favourite costume from the bunch. some version of this is in the running for next year I think

In November I shared my costume from Halloween with you. I went as Carmen Miranda!

I reviewed a book I bought: Minxy Vintage.

I shared that I did an interview with ShawTV one Sunday afternoon (still waiting to hear from them. It hasn't aired yet)

And did one last review of my favourite vintage shop: Vintage Glory.

I got my tree up early this December for a change (I didn't put the tree up at all last year, so I was anxious to have it up).

I shared my love of black and white this winter season with you.

Introduced a new link roundup series: Link Love.

And perhaps my my favourite post of the year: I shared a brief history of the Hudson's Bay Point Blanket after I showed you my new-to-me Vintage Point Blanket Coat.

It was a good year. And despite work being tiring and sometimes overwhelming I managed to post quite a lot this year. So I'm very happy with myself about that. 

I've got a few goals for myself and the blog for 2014 which I will share in the new year. Stay tuned for that!

How did 2013 treat you?

Need more? More 'Year in Review' posts: 2011 & 2012.

Lisa.xo