The Lucky Shopping Outfit

I don't know if this entire outfit is lucky, or just some aspect of it. Perhaps I'll try going shopping again wearing each of these pieces individually to see if one of them is magical. I hope it's the bracelet - I could wear this every day!

Details

Sweater: Smart Set (Halifax)

Turtleneck: Mac and Jac (Moments, Truro)

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

Sneakers: Converse (Margolians, Truro)

Bracelet: Club Monaco (Halifax)

Earrings: Gift

Hat: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Bag: Coach (Gift)

I scored some seriously cute pieces that would have added up to over $200 at the original price. What did I pay? $30.

My finds included two belts for $2 (buy one get one free!), a pair of $4 flats, and a pair of polka dot jeans for $7.

I'm so in love with printed jeans but I hate spending a lot of money on them in case the trend is short-lived. I paid $26 in total for my floral and polka dot pairs, so I think I'm doing okay at not breaking the bank!

As always, here's my Wednesday writing prompt from Plinky.

You've been asked to do a five-minute presentation to a group of schoolchildren on anything of your choice. What would you present?

I would talk to them about the importance of being kind to one another. Yes, I’m stealing that from Ellen, but I think it’s the most important thing you can teach a child. It disturbs me so much when I see or hear of kids being mean to each other. Kids aren't mean by nature, so they must have learned it somewhere. Unfortunately, not all kids have a positive role model so we as a society have an obligation to make sure youngsters make kindness a top priority.

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

The Alpaca Sweater

I got this sweater for Christmas and I love it. Partly because it's stripey and warm, but mostly because wearing an alpaca hair sweater might be the closest to owning an alpaca I'll ever get.

Details

Sweater (made from alpaca, have I mentioned?): Gap (Halifax)

Jeans: Mossimo for Target (San Francisco)

Booties: Call it Spring (Halifax)

Bracelet and Earrings: gifts

Necklace: Forever 21 (LA)

Scarf: Mexx (Dartmouth)

My poses are rather stiff and awkward as I'm still getting used to the tripod. I envisioned that when I got a tripod I'd have such interesting pictures because I'd take it out to parks and the waterfront. Turns out my comfort level with taking pictures of myself is low, even in my own house. I think I'll try getting comfortable with using it indoors and my yard before I venture out in public.

Other bloggers, do you feel strange going out in public with a tripod? How do I get comfortable with it?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Color Deleted

Some of my favorite things are black and white - the printed pages in a novel, Dalmatians, and Junior Mints to name a few! For this week on My Friday's Fancies, I'm linking with longdistanceloving for a black and white outfit post. No pops of color in sight!

Details

Shirt: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

Tee: American Apparel (Halifax)

Jeans: Calvin Klein (Costco, Halifax)

Scarf: Costa Blanca (Dartmouth)

Boots: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Watch: Guess (Vancouver)

Bracelets: Forever 21 (San Francisco)

Necklace: Swarovski (Gift)

Earrings: The Black Market (Halifax)

I'm having an even larger than normal obsession with Joe Fresh lately. Their pieces are so comfortable and affordable. I have a lot of Joe Fresh clothes for work (which get washed constantly since I'm a health care worker in a hospital) and the durability is amazing. Their stuff is so cute that things I buy for work creep into the "stylish" side of my closet on a regular basis. They have some great spring pieces in-store already with lots of bright solids, stand-out prints, and classic stripes. 

What store have you been crushing on lately?

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Pumped Up Kicks

The original Isabel Marant wedge sneakers are truly amazing, right? How could a zillion supermodels be wrong?

Not so amazing is the hefty price tag – in the vicinity of $700. Unfortunately, most of us don’t operate on a supermodel’s salary.

Wait – there is hope! My prediction is that low to mid-range wedge sneakers will be one of the most rampant trends of 2013.

Details

Shirt: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

American Apparel Circle Scarf (Vancouver) worn as a cardigan

Jeans: Guess (Moments, Truro)

Belt: Gap (Halifax)

Necklace: Etsy

Sneakers: Skechers (The Shoe Company, Halifax)

Bracelets: Forever 21 (San Francisco)

Darker hair

These Skechers are so comfortable. They have a three inch hidden wedge. I had a hard time deciding between black and tan but I'm happy with my choice!

Here's a fun writing prompt from Plinky!

If you had to evacuate your home in an instant, what five items would you grab on your way out?

1)      My boyfriend. We’re an item. He counts.

2)      My photo albums from Australia. It took me about five years to assemble and journal them, and they remind me of the best year of my life (so far).

3)      My car keys with the cute flower keychain

4)      My Coach bag – the brown leather one. I’m using it at the moment so it’ll have some goodies in it like my wallet, lipgloss, and some migraine meds as I’m sure I’m stressing over why I’ve fled my home.

5)      My jewellery box. The box itself was a gift from my Gram and I keep my nicer pieces in it (generally from people who mean a lot to me).

What would you grab on the way out?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Glymm December 2012

Such a late post on last month's Glymm box! I had a lot of outfit posts backed up from my holiday blog break. I enjoyed the December Glymm goodies!

 A pretty gold bag and a $10 Glymm beauty boutique gift card. Some lucky ladies got even higher amounts!

Two products from Lash M were included - a full set of false lashes and lash enhancing serum. I've only ever worn false lashes on Halloween, but I'm game to try them out. These ones don't need any glue the first time you apply them.

I've used the lash enhancing serum a few times, but it's a product that's meant to be used consistently and I keep forgetting about it. I'm going to have to keep it somewhere visible so I remember to apply it. I wasn't blessed with long and luscious lashes so I was excited to see this in my bag.

I received a Suncoat water-based peelable nail polish, which I was skeptical about. After I got passed a few blips with application ( it takes a long time to dry and don't use a topcoat!) I was impressed by the wear and removal of this polish. I really like the color too! It's also unscented so it would be great for those who are sensitive to scents.

The lipstick was from a brand called Glamorous, and it's a very deep shade of berry. It's a little too harsh with my skin tone to be worn alone, but I like it with a lighter gloss on top to tone it down.

Swatch of the lipstick

Nail polish applied

Just pick at a corner til it lifts - peel to remove!

If any of you Canadian readers are interested in getting your own monthly Glymm for you or a friend (they make great gifts!) here is a link you can use: http://www.glymm.com/share/jennifermerlin

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Purpose of Repurposing

I’m such a fan of things that serve more than one use. Don’t even get me started on Circle Scarves from American Apparel (which come with a card showing you all the ways they can be worn). I try to limit myself to buying one Circle Scarf a year, because if I let myself do what I wanted, I’d have about a hundred of them.

Imagine my delight to realize that certain dresses can double as skirts.

Photo Credit: Heidi Anderson @heidianderson_

Details

T-Shirt and dress worn as skirt: Dynamite (Halifax)

Blazer: Ann Taylor Outlet (Wrentham)

Boots: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Tights: American Eagle Outfitters via Winners (Bedford)

Headband: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

Bracelet: Gift

 This dress in its original form has a scoop neck and cap sleeves. I threw a studded tee and a blazer over it, added a pair of tights in a different grey tone, finished off with some edgy boots, and created an outfit with a completely different vibe than the dress has ever given me before.

Take some time to think about things hanging in your wardrobe that could be worn a different way. You may find that repurposing saves you some cash!

I've linked up with longdistanceloving today for a link-up that is supposed to be based on an "outfit crush" found on another blog. Truth is, I have a crush on SO MANY of the outfits my beautiful blog friends have created, that I couldn't possibly choose my favorite one to emulate.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

New Year's Sneeze

OK, I know I'm a little late posting and a wee bit on the casual side... but here's my outfit from New Year's Eve. FYI:  I was in the middle of a stupid and unfortunately-timed head cold and we went to the movies as that was the most effort I could muster up.

Details

Tunic and belt: Dynamite (Halifax)

Leggings: Margolians (Truro)

Boots: Call it Spring (Halifax)

Jacket: Danier (Halifax)

Bag: Coach (gift)

Bracelet: gift

Necklace: Swarovski (gift)

Headband and socks: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

We saw Silver Linings Playbook and really enjoyed it! I'd never been to the movies on NYE before - it was packed! Have you seen any great movies lately?

Injecting more literary into Glitterary Girl, here's another writing sample from the topic generator Plinky.

Recall your very first day of school. How did you feel?  Write about it.

The months leading up to September when you’re five are filled with variations of the question, “Are you excited to start school?”

Always, my answer was “no” and then my lip would tremble.

I was a pretty sheltered kid. Up until I started school, I think I was only ever looked after by my family. I never had a babysitter. I had friends, but we usually played in my yard.

My mother took the day off work, knowing that my first day at school probably wouldn't go well. Good call, mom. It was raining and not even the thought of using my new Garfield lunch box brought a smile to my face.

When mom and I got to school, the teacher was nice enough, but there was no way I was letting go of mom’s hand. The only thing that made me feel slightly better was that my best friend Joey was going to be in my class. Imagine my horror to find Joey in the corner playing dump trucks with boys. Joey and I never played with dump trucks.

Defeated, I sat down at my new desk. My mom was able to negotiate that she would stay with me and sit about fifteen feet away. In the middle of some activity like learning to count (hello… I could already count) I looked up to see my mom wasn't in her chair. I leapt from my seat and ran screaming up the stairs towards the exit, dragging her back. This happened repeatedly throughout the day.

So my first day of school wasn't a great memory, but it slowly got better. I stopped crying every morning by the time Christmas vacation rolled around, and in grade three, I actually started to like school a bit. My primary teacher spoke at my high school graduation and made reference to the fact that the valedictorian had cried through most of her first year of school. By that point I was able to laugh about it – sort of!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Girls Girls Girls

I was late jumping on the Girls train. To be honest... I'm not that smart with the fiber-op and didn't even realize we had HBO on demand until a few weeks ago. I thought I'd have to wait for it to arrive on Canadian Netflix. For anyone who is familiar with American Netflix, Netflix in the true north strong and free takes about a decade to add shows.

For anyone out there who hasn't watched Girls, it's hilarious. Sooo funny in an awkward "OMG, why is she doing that?" kind of way. It's also addictive in an "oh wow I've just consumed an entire Sunday watching the whole first season" kind of way.

Season Two began last night - did you watch?

Details

Sweater: Old Navy (Halifax)

Jeans: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

Shirt: Gap (Halifax)

Belt: Smart Set (Halifax)

Shoes: Franco Sarto (Town Shoes, Toronto)

Necklace: Paddy's Market (Sydney, Australia)

Bracelet: Gift

On Nails: Essie Skirting the Issue and Sally |Hanson Pumping Iron

What's your favorite show on TV right now? Top five for me are Pretty Little Liars, The Bachelor, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy and Girls.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Pantone Color of the Year: Emerald

I knew I bought this skirt for a reason. It spoke to me and said, "Buy me, buy me... I'll be the color of the year for 2013."

Details

Sweater: Gap (Halifax)

Skirt: Dynamite (Halifax)

Tights: old and unknown

Shoes: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Bracelet and earrings: Gifts

Scarf: Element (Margolians, Truro)

There is heated debate going on in my head as to whether this is emerald green or kelly green. Tortured is the life of a style blogger.

I've linked up with longdistanceloving for My Friday's Fancies, where I'm sure there will be a ton of emerald goodies for your viewing pleasure.

What do you think of the Color of the Year? Do you own some emerald already?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

January Blahs

What is it about January? After the busy holidays, things seem so boring this month.

Details

Cardigan: Forever 21 (San Francisco)

Shirt: Gap (Halifax)

Jeans: Mossimo from Target (San Francisco)

Boots: BareTraps from The Shoe Company (Halifax)

Scarf and Hat: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Belt: Dynamite (Halifax)

Maybe I should appreciate January more. After all, January gives us the return of shows that have been on hiatus for the holidays or even longer (hello Pretty Little Liars and The Bachelor). It also gives us sales (have you seen the clearance section at Joe Fresh?) I'm sorry January - can we kiss and make up?

Remember how I said I was going to inject more of the literary into Glitterary Girl? I found a great writing prompt website called Plinky. Each day they provide a new topic to write about. If I feel inspired, I'll write about the topic and share with my readers once a week.

What is your worst quality as a human? Describe it in detail and why you think it’s bad.

My worst quality as a human being is the avoidance of conflict. The thought of having a serious argument with someone makes me cringe. The result is I often put aside my own wants and comforts in order to escape confrontation. The closer my relationship with someone, the more likely I am to be comfortable with some conflict. It even bothers me when others are arguing around me - even if it has nothing to do with me. What’s the cure for this? It’s not like I think I’m not important or have low self esteem – I just hate the feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when there is tension around me and I’ll avoid it whenever possible. This trait could be problematic if I ever really had to stand up for myself against a lot of people who disagreed with me. I’d make an awful lawyer.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Trying the Tripod

One of my favorite Christmas presents was a tripod from my parents. I'm pretty sure R begged them to buy it for me - he seemed to be getting frustrated by my interrupting his football-watching to take blog photos.

Here is my first attempt at tripod use.

 

Details:

Sweater: Gap Factory Store (Halifax)

Jeans: Calvin Klein (Costco, Halifax)

Boots: Call it Spring (Halifax)

Bracelets: Forever 21 (San Francisco)

Necklace: Etsy find from Pure Stunning

Scarf: Gap (Halifax)

Sunnies: American Eagle Outfitters (Halifax)

I love this piece of jewelry! The J Crew ones are too pricey for me ($150 for resin beads... um... no) so this was an amazing find at $18. The shipping was fast (less than a week coast to coast and cross-border) and it seems like solid construction. Check out Pure Stunning for these necklaces.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Blog Wishes for the New Year

What do I want for Glitterary Girl in 2013? More of these shirts.

Details:

Blouse and Bracelets: Forever 21 (San Francisco)

Pants: Uniqlo (San Francisco)

Boots: Call it Spring (Halifax)

Faux Fur Collar: H&M (Dartmouth)

Earrings: Gap Factory Outlet (Las Vegas)

Rings: Gifts



Just a dusting of the white stuff. These photos were taken on Christmas Eve.

My ideals for Glitterary Girl this year:

Make more connections
I'll continue to reach out to other bloggers who inspire me and perhaps do some collaborations, host guest posts, and maybe actually connect with the fashion blogging community that exists in my little corner of the world.

Add some polish - and not just on the nails.
I want my blog to be more user friendly and easy to navigate. I got some wonderful advice a few months ago from av at longdistanceloving (who I'm also linking up with today for My Friday's Fancies) but haven't taken the time to incorporate a lot of the great suggestions she made.

Bring the literary part back.
I originally intended for this blog to be just as much about my writing as it was about my life and style. Somehow, the clothes took over... Once a week, I'll aim to get a bit more wordy with my posts. For those of you who are wondering, there is nothing to report on in terms of my novel going anywhere. That's what happens when you don't submit anything to agents for... oh.... six months or so. Once I get my fitness back on track, I plan on giving the book another push.

I've added my Instagram link (username: jennifermerlin14) to my social networking over in the right sidebar. My apologies to anyone following me on Pinterest - I've fallen out of love with it at the moment.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Resolutions and Red

Happy New Year!

I took a break from blogging over the holidays - things were busy and my to-do list got out of control. Now I have a stockpile of outfit posts just waiting to be blogged about.

I wore this on a day when I had two parties to go to (there were a few of those).

Details:

Sweater: Gap (Halifax)

Skirt: Forever 21 (San Francisco)

Tights: Jacob (Dartmouth)

Boots: Le Chateau (Halifax)

Bracelet: Suzy Shier (Truro)

Necklace: Joe Fresh (Halifax)

 

What's your take on New Year's resolutions? A few years ago I made a list of month-by-month goals at the beginning of the year and I actually met most of them (including finally organizing my photos from a year away in Australia - a feat indeed). I think that stretching out goals over the course a year instead of resolving to change everything in your life on January 1st makes completing them a lot more realistic.

I resolve to make a goal list again.... soon. 

At the top of the list is actually completing a Beachbody program - I start them and do well for 3-4 weeks, then laziness takes over. P90X2 is on the horizon, and this time I'm finishing it!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl