three wishes

Green, lush forests.

 

all photos from paper tissue

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Behold, the Miss Patina dress. Perfect for any girly occasion...I would love to have a cute little teaparty in this gress. Unfortunately I didn't today.

XO.

winnipeg shoppin'

Ahhh Winnipeg. As much as I like to leave it, it does have some unique spots for shopping. I'll try to keep this organized and go from section to section. Of course I haven't been everywhere in Winnipeg so if you know of any other great places to shop, please comment! 

Note: I felt I was getting a little repetitive when it came to describing the price range of each store. Point Blank, majority of the small boutiques I've mentioned are expensive (like 50 dollars for a plain dress) but I still enjoy going to them. Most of my purchases come from the mall locations I mentioned, unless otherwise stated.

The Exchange District

This historic area of Winnipeg is home to some of the best architecture, and architecture businesses, such as  5468796 Architecture Inc. (they came and lectured one of my classes this year). The Fringe festival is held here as well. The area also has a variety of delicious eateries, but most importantly the area has some great shops. Here are my 3 favourites.

1. Hoopers

70 Albert Street

website: http://www.shophoopers.ca 

The store specializes in selling vintage furniture - they have a lot of nifty 60's and 70's pieces. They also sell both modern and vintage clothing. If you're looking for vintage-inspired, unique modern clothing, just take a look around the upstairs area and browse through the many racks. If you're looking for vintage clothing, head on down to the basement and begin your search. They also sell random items such as notebooks, interesting reads and more. The website definitely needs a makeover though - it doesn't reflect the greatness of this store.

 

2. Ragpickers Emporium  

216 McDermot Avenue 

website: http://www.myspace.com/ragpickersemporium

You will find all your costume/thrifty/vintage needs at Ragpickers. It's a cozy shop filled to the brim with costumes you can rent, and racks of thrifted/vintage clothing you can buy. There are plenty of accessories, bags and hats to look through as well as shoes. They have some pretty cuhrazy events through the year, whether it be parties or the all-you-can-wear sale event.  

 

3. Candie & Dolls

1735 Corydon Avenue

website: http://www.candieanddolls.com

Candie & Dolls is a newer shop in Winnipeg. It's wonderfully girly, selling a variety of dresses, bags and other clothing from different designers. I love looking through the Betsey Johnson dresses and other items. Other designers they sell are Ella Moss and Tension.

 

Osborne Village

Osborne is a strip in Winnipeg with some of the best boutiques, spots for eating and just for hanging around. It has some of the best walking traffic in Winnipeg (which is hard to come by) and on Canada Day all the stores have sales right on the streets. Here are some of my favourite places to shop on Osborne. Other stores I didn't mention below are American Apparel, Sew Dandie, and Local Shop Awesome.

1. Paramix

100 Osborne Street.

This small boutique is really popular in Winnipeg, and is always rather busy inside. It has tons of unique peices- the dresses are the best thing about this store. It sells many lovely shoes I always seem to drool over, as well as many accessories such as sunglasses, necklaces and belts. My friend worked there and she told me that the owner actually goes overseas to find the unique clothing and then resells it here. 

photo from http://tjejsajten.blogspot.com/

2. Out of the Blue

99 Osborne Street

My friends and I always end up wandering into Out of the Blue. They have a great selection of bags, hats and also some vintage-inspired jewelry. They sell brands such as Prairie Girl and Gentle Fawn, selling both casual and fancy clothes. I like going there in winter, a few years back I bought a gorgeous scarf which you can see here, and they always have many hats that will surely keep your ears warm in horrible Winnipeg winters.

Malls

I'm not someone who discounts a store just because it is mainstream. I think there's unique things you can find just about anywhere, and you can make things personal through styling. So here is where I shop in malls.

1. St Vital Mall 

86-1225 St. Mary's Road 

website: http://stvitalcentre.com 

This is my most frequently visited mall and home to the stores where I spend most of my money. Here, I shop at Aldo, Urban Behavior, Costa Blanca, Sirens and Le Chateau. For makeup, it has M.A.C Cosmetics. I also occasionally shop in American Eagle, Dynamite and Garage. I'm obsessed with looking through Chapters, so it's a plus that St Vital has one. I love this mall especially during the Christmas season because of the pretty lights in the food court area.

 

2. Kildonan Place Mall

Regent Avenue 

website: http://kildonanplace.shopping.ca

I used to hate this mall because it was so small but now it's getting more and more stores so I don't mind going there now. Same stores as St. Vital minus Aldo, Chapters, American Eagle, Dynamite and MAC.

 3. Polo Park Mall 

1485 Portage Avenue 

website: http://www.polopark.ca

Polo park is quite far to drive, but it's worth it because it's so big. There's even a Chapters down the street that has 2 floors. It has Sephora, Aritzia, Aldo/Aldo Accessories, Town Shoes, Sirens, Le Chateau, Billabong(which has an awesome scent, I don't know why), and Club Monaco. I must talk about Club Monaco. One day when I have a career, I can't wait to shop there. I love everything, and the materials are so nice (mmm, cashmere). 

Other Places

Other shopping spots that didn't fit into categories.

1. The Ruby Slipper

970 Sargent Avenue 

This shopping gem is certainly a treat to visit. It's full of inexpensive vintage/thrifted finds, including clothing, shoes, scarves, accessories and many many awesome hats. The owner is super friendly too. 

 2. Le Chateau Outlet

1395 Ellice Avenue

I have to prepare myself whenever going into this outlet store. Of course, like other outlets, it sells the old season's clothing at wayyy lower prices. We're talking 50-70 percent off at times. I love looking through things that are timeless for me -such as silky blouses (which are always amazing at le chateau), trenches, dresses and shoes. They also sell men's dress shirts at amazing prices, so if you are going to grad and don't wanna spend so much money on your dress shirt, go to the outlet. 

3. Joe Fresh Styles (In Superstore!)
Last but not least...one of my favourite places to shop - Joe Fresh Styles. My sister works there so I get a discount too. I really love it, I always find the colours I've been searching for for the season here, as well as some styles. The sizes might throw you off a bit though. For instance, I'm an XS at Joe but other places I'm normally a S or M. They have the craziest sales - 3 dollars for shoes? Yes please. 

 

Well, this post has been way too long. Until next time.

XO.

Ps. I want those shorts from Joe!

bittersweet

Is anyone else in love with the newish wedges from Jeffrey Campbell? I know I have similar ones, but I mean...I've always dreamed of owning the iconic Acne wedges and these are way cheaper, yet still good quality. So many people think they are hideous...what do you think? They also come in white, but I think I could wear more outfits with the simple black pair.

photo from Where Did U Get That

Today I didn't do much. I worked (I loveeee getting eight hour day shifts. Night shifts really aren't fun.) and then after work I went to the mall with my sister and mom. Nothing too eventful happened, and this weekend is likely to be a bust as well. It better rain. This blazer goes with everything...I just had to wear it again. Same with the top. Both are from Costa Blanca. The "Jeggings" are from Garage - yes, I rather enjoy this trend. As long as the material is thick enough, I have no problem with wearing just leggings.

 

blazer and top from costa blanca, jeggings from garage, shoes from famous footwear.

XO.

grey days and beach homes

I seem to love grey scale outfits lately. A lot of my picks from UB/Costa Blanca were neutral tones, including greys and silvers. The blazer I'm wearing is from Costa Blanca-it is silky/metallic, and I think it looked really nice matched with the knit grey dress from Costa Blanca as well. I wore this to the mall with Vicki and Mylaine. I had to restock on some makeup (coverup - covergirl true blend mousse in ivory, maybelline's blackest black mascara, and almay liquid black liner.) and they both bought some clothes. I was asked where some good shopping was in Winnipeg so I plan to make a little post about that soon :).

 

dress and blazer; costa blanca, shoes; forever 21, purse; new york and company.

While doing my usual rounds on the internet, I couldn't stop staring at the recent post at Freshome. I mean, after watching shows like Home Hunters International, I can't help but daydream about having a home in the tropics, and this post certainly did not help. For more pictures, click here. Enjoy.

 

XO.

the end...

*Major spoiler alerts in this whole post*

 

Well, it's over. Although I wish I maybe made watching the last episode a bit more special, I still enjoyed it. I have this particular way about how I like to finish things. For instance, when I read the last Harry Potter book I locked myself in my room for 12 hours so I wouldn't be interrupted. I mean, can you imagine reading the last chapters of that book in a crowded room? It just doesn't click, there is no connection.

For awhile through the last season of Lost, I was worried the show was losing touch with all these characters they had so closely introduced, and explored. It seemed to be turning focus onto Jacob and the whole idea of a successor for an island - which was sometimes impersonal. The last episode definitely redeemed the importance of each and every character. I think the quote Live Together, Die Alone had some significance in the finale - seeing as they could not truly 'die' or move on without being together with those who held the greatest importance. Many wondered why people like Anna Lucia and Michael weren't in the final church scene - but remember when Michael explains to Hurley (in the forest when Hurley asks if there are 'others like him' on the island), that many of them cannot move on because of what they did - or perhaps they existed in a separate waiting room with the people who were most important to them. Black and white, life and death, good and evil were all important themes in the series- and all turned out to be parallel and coexisting with one another. The island was real, as Christian said, everything that happened was real, and although some died after the island (people like Kate, Miles, the ones who left on the plane), they all ended up with ultimately the same fate, in the same waiting room (or purgatory, in the sideways world). Other themes that stood out to me in the series strongly were love, friendship, the circle of life, the contrast between seeing/believing, faith, and of course redemption. As the flashbacks/memories came to each character in the final episode, it almost always came from what or who they loved most- revealing true love. Example, Locke got his memory back from seeing his toes move- walking was his true love. 

The series had always revolved around Jack, and it ended in the same way. In fact, Jack was always my favourite character from the start. The last moments of Lost, with Jack laying down beside the bamboo trees, and closing his eyes...so good.

Other favourites...

My favourite scenes. Definitely "Walk-About", the scene were John is told he cannot go on the walkabout, the moment when the camera zooms away and you see his wheelchair for the first time. Then his theme song plays, and it flashes back to when he crashed, finding out he could now walk, and then it starts to rain.

Also "Greatest Hits" where Charlie goes through his life, ending with meeting Claire. The season finale for season 3 where Charlie drowns is also super sad and always touching to watch...

"The Constant", where at the end Desmond finally calls Penny - who has been waiting for this call for a very long time."Par Avion" where we get a glimse into Claire's life...

 

Sure, there are still some unanswered questions, such as the numbers, which have so many references and occur randomly, intentionally and by fate...Lost, I will love you always.

Whatever happened, happened.