Ah, yes. Winter in Manotick. Everything is lovely and clean, pristine and peaceful. Bucolic, even. Especially after a snowfall. Especially in the bush. I love when it snows just after New Years. Making everything look, well... new year new. That's my theme today, actually. New stuff.
 |
| We saw lots of chickadees today while we were skiing. |
I've been waiting to tell you about the two new tops I purchased just before Christmas. When I slipped and slithered down the snowy streets in Westboro, avoided the crowded malls, finished my Christmas shopping for Hubby at Mountain Equipment Co-op, and then spent a lovely chatty hour or so with Mary at Canopy on Richmond Road. Canopy is the new name for Green Tree Eco Fashion, which has long been a favourite store of mine. I love this place. Partly for its ethos: "capsule wardrobes and sustainable style," as they say on their Facebook page. Partly for the unique pieces I find there, many of them made in Canada. And partly for the friendly and knowledgeable staff, who make shopping there so much fun. Mary pulled this Studio d top off the rack for me. I wanted something new to wear to a Christmas party with my old black leather trousers.
 |
| New year, new top, old pants. |
I don't hop on many trend bandwagons. And statement sleeves is one of the trends I've avoided so far. Mostly because many of the styles are bizarre. Hugely long cuffs. Sleeves which cover the hands completely. Ginormous puffs. I wrote about over-the-top trends, including this one, a while ago in a post called Fashion Hyperbole.
But this little number from Studio d is an exception. It's simple, almost classic. Made from bamboo terry, it's smooth like jersey, stretchy, and quite heavy in weight so no clinging. I love the "double flounce" sleeves. The cream bit on the sleeves is not trim, but a longer, cream flounce under the black one. Looks great, I think, feels feminine, but at the same time feels just like a tee shirt. I wore it to the hockey gang Christmas party with my leather trousers, a pair of black and gold sparkly earrings which Hubby bought me many years ago, and my vintage cream Bakelite brooch. I didn't wear a watch or bracelets because I didn't want to distract from those flounces.
You can see the whole Studio d collection here. It's made locally in Ottawa, and is available in lots of stores, or on-line. And the cool thing about Studio d is, if you visit their atelier, they will customize any garment for a flat rate of $10.00. That's a great option for hard to fit people. With an offer like that, I may be tempted to try their wide-leg pants... a style which never, ever fits me properly.
 |
| I'm participating in a trend, folks. |
I had to be persuaded by Mary to try the other top I bought that day at Canopy. But once I had it on, I loved it.
 |
| This design on this top is busy, not what I usually wear... but I love it. |
 |
| Accessorizing my new shirt with my Caroline Faiers cuff , my old earrings from Pier One, and a few wrinkles. Ha. |
Have a look at this cool little video from the Noujica website showing them at work. Watching this made me feel all proud of the two women who own and run this business. True artisans, they are.
So. Let's do a recap. New year. New snow. Two new tops. And soon Hubby and I will have new floors in most of the rooms in our house. But in the meantime, living in a winter worksite has been... well... definitely not bucolic.
Yep. Winter in our house so far has been neither pristine, nor peaceful. We've been invaded. We've never had so much all encompassing work done in the winter, when it's not that easy to escape. Can't take my book into the backyard. Or sit with my tea and lunch on the deck. Today, I'm ensconced in my tiny den. Typing, drinking tea, with a heater on the floor beside me because the workmen have to go in and out, in and out; the back door is right behind me. And then there's the nailing, hammering, sawing, sanding, brrrruppping of the power screw driver, the banging, the worrisome thumping, the dust, the mess... I could go on... but words are beginning to fail me.
 |
| Winter reno: Day 1... OMG. Day 2... OMG. |
A few hours later when we arrived home, the workmen had left for the day. The house was quiet, and in darkness. I virtually tiptoed in. I held my breath. I was afraid to look. Had I made a terrible mistake deciding we should do this? All this bother, and all the mess, not to mention the money, and we'd no doubt hate it. The floors would look awful. Not like I had imagined. And nothing would go with anything. And it would all be awful. I believe that's what psychologists call "awful-izing." I excel at "awful-izing" sometimes.
But. It wasn't awful. The dining and living room floors looked wonderful. Just as I had imagined. I walked around, with my hands over my mouth, grinning and sighing. And when Hubby came in after parking the car in next door's driveway, so the workers would have space to park their trucks the next day, I was almost speechless with happiness. He laughed, agreed it looked great, and poured himself a beer. And now I'm thinking that he's thinking that if speechlessness is the result maybe we should renovate more often. Ha.
So two more days and it will all be done. Hopefully. The bedrooms and hall are underway. Mostly someone has to be here in case something goes wrong, or decisions need to be made. Old houses like ours always, always present little surprises. We've been down this road before. Today we escaped to the ski trails for a couple of hours. The skiing was perfect; the snow was perfect. Pristine, as I've said. As pristine as our new floors will be... soon.
 |
| Escape to the ski trails. |
So that's what's new with me. By the way, I'm well into Olive Kitteridge and really enjoying it. It's wonderfully Alice Munro-ish in style and setting. The rest of the book recommendations so kindly made for me by you in my last post are on a list.
A very, very long list.
I hope some of the rest of you were making a list too.
So, my friends, besides your growing "to read" list, what's new with you?
Linking up this week with: Visible Monday, #IwillwearwhatIlike, Style Me Wednesday, Thursday Favourite Things, Passion 4 Fashion, Fun Fashion Friday, Fancy Friday, Saturday Share Link-Up