Admiral and Tea

Perfect gifts

Yes, I'm aware that this is way behind, as the holidays have been over for a while now (I'm still in denial...), but I got some really great gifts this year. Many of them I had never seen or heard of before, so I wanted to share a few of them and spread the word!

1. Nars Orgasm Illuminator: this gives such a pretty glow, and helps add a bit of summer to a winter complexion.
2. Matt & Nat purse: my best friend Simran got me this purse and it is one my absolute favourites. Matt & Nat is an amazing brand that uses vegan leather for their products. I love the gold and zipper detailing, the size, and how there is a shoulder strap and a longer braided strap- so perfect!
3. Baggu No. 6 bag: the coolest tote bag ever. I already loved Baggu, but this collaboration with No. 6 has yielded some really beautiful and special bags.
4. Diana Mini camera: I love playing around with disposable cameras, but now I can't wait to experiment with this amazing Diani Mini, which takes both square and half-frame format images. 
5. Coco Chanel: Three Weeks/1962 by Douglas Kirkland: my wonderful aunt is an extremely talented gift-giver- she always gets me things that perfectly fit my tastes, and this year was no different. This book is filled with gorgeous images and beautifully conveys Chanel's elegance and style, as captured by a young Kirkland. I had never heard of it before, and now it's a new favourite. 

I always find it really amazing when people manage to buy gifts that are just spot on. It's hard to do, and it's so surprising to receive such personal and appropriate things, like all of the items above (and like the incredible initial ring my friend Taryn got me)! I am so thankful :)

Inspired by Florals for Winter

While looking through the February issue of Lucky magazine I came across the beautiful fashion spread "Winter Blooms," which incorporates a variety of floral patters with winter knits and other gorgeous pieces. I am especially inspired by the above image- I really love the setting (ahh wood floors and walls, leather boots, and coats!), the lighting, her hair and make-up, and the cool outfit. I appreciate it when magazines recognize that although spring clothing is in stores, it is still freezing cold winter in many places! I put together some items that can help you achieve this pretty, layered, 'feminine with just enough tomboy' look. 

 

Clockwise from top left:

Purse from Forever 21: $18.80 

Blouse from ModCloth: $44.99 

Jacket from American Eagle: $59.50 

Socks from ModCloth: $24.99 

Leggings from Forever 21: $12.90 

Purse from Forever 21: $17.80 

Leggings from ModCloth: $27.99 

Ring from Forever 21: $3.80 

Boots from Sorel on Amazon: $75-$110 

Gloves from ModCloth: $49.99 

Shirt from Forever 21: $19.90 

Cardigan from Forever 21: $19.80 

Flower pins from Forever 21: $1.50 

Gloves from Aldo: $28 

Have a wonderful weekend! :) 

Wish list

A few days ago I helped my three year old sister write her letter to Santa. She asked for: a jewel, a bouncy ball, a peppermint stick, and a chocolate bar. Oh man, she makes me laugh. My list is not as good as hers, but I can't argue with the jewel, and of course, the peppermint stick :).   

Here are some examples of lovely items that would be nice to see under the tree: 

Pretty bath accessories and cosmetics-

Soaps from Anthropologie 

Perfume from Urban Outfitters 

Matte nail polish from O.P.I. 

Beautiful and interesting jewelry-

Pocket watch necklace from Urban Outfitters 

Deer watch necklace from Mod Cloth 

Skeleton key necklace from Mod Cloth 

Key necklace from Tiffany 

Watch from Urban Outfitters 

Flower brooch from Anthropologie 

Cool books with lots of pictures and ideas-

The Polaroid Book

Closet Confidential

I Love Your Style 

A nice new purse or bag-

Messenger bag from Urban Outfitters 

Hobo from J.Crew 

Purse from Top Shop 

Fun art-

Feather print from Urban Outfitters 

Polar bear print from Urban Outfitters 

And a few others-

Cozy infinity scarf from Urban Outfitters 

Shoes that I love from Aldo 
 

Of course I don't expect all or even some of these things, that would be quite excessive :) But where is the fun in making a practical wish list? Its nice to peruse the internet and compile all the things you might like to have if money were no object! Whatever you give or receive this holiday season, I hope it brings a smile to your face! 

Vogue in the 1920s

 Hello! I have been missing in action the last little while, school has been absolutely insane and so so busy! I am taking a break today though because it's my birthday :) One school project I have been working on the past few weeks that I actually loved was about Vogue in the 1920s. In my research I came across the most beautiful, unique and inspiring Vogue covers from the twenties. I am still in amazement at how cool they are, and I wish they were still like this!! I want to print off some of these and frame them!

These are just a few of so many incredible ones you can find. They are both from the amazing book "In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine" by Norberto Angeletti and Alberto Oliva. I highly recommend it, it would be a perfect Christmas gift for any fashion lover. For my project I had to spend a day in the library looking through old Vogue microfilms. I thought that it would a nightmare because microfilms are so tedious and annoying. But it turned out to be so much fun because all those old issues are absolutely gorgeous! I was just sitting there grinning and spent so long going through all the issues and saving images for myself. I can't get enough of all the flapper fashions. And the design of Vogue was stunning- the articles, layouts, and fonts are so unique and beautiful. Here are some examples for you:

 

I love how they show the fashions displayed on those pages- so cool! Oh how nice it would be to have all those vintage Vogue issues...I would really love that. :) I hope that these images are as inspiring for you as they are for me!

(Oh, and in case you want to check it out, here is the link to my website about Vogue in the 1920s: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~csheehan/Home.html ) 

Autumn Apples

Hello, and happy first day of fall! Its a new beginning to a season filled with cool, crisp days, gorgeous colours, cozy sweaters and warm cups of tea. 

This past Sunday my mom and I journeyed out to an apple festival in a nearby town. It was great- there were tons of cool vendors, apple deserts and bags of apples for sale everywhere! I took a few photos of the gorgeous, bright apples, which inspired me to gather together some apple finds from Etsy.

Clockwise from top left:

Vintage Red Apple Plastic Charms from vintagecallgirl: $2.25 

Sweet Little Apple Post Earrings from thistinylife: $3.50 

Apple Pouch from cottontopquilts: $5.75 

Orchard Apples Locket Necklace from talulabelles: $28 

And make sure to check out this wonderful free Green Apple Printable Stationary Set by Ez from Creature Comforts! 

I hope that these apples have brightened your day and kept the doctor away! :) 

Feathered Inspiration

Hello! Next week I will be posting about fall fashions, but for now I have a little post inspired by feathers! Lately I have been in love with feathers- they are so beautiful, delicate and unique. I also love that they symbolize birds, and taking flight- such a positive message! I decided to put together some of the best feather finds that I have come across. 

Above, clockwise from top left:

Earrings from Forever 21: $3.80

Shirt from Forever 21: $12.80 

Ring from Fred Flare: $36 

Shirt from Forever 21: $16.90 

Earrings from Forever 21: $3.80 

Shirt from Forever 21: $19.80 

Shirt from Target: $14.99 

Etsy has some gorgeous pieces of art featuring feathers. 

From left to right:

Feather print by littlepaperbird: $24 

Two Feathers by unitedthread: $20 

White Feather by artangel: $24 

I love all of these! I think they would look beautiful hanging anywhere. 

Lastly, here are some of the wonderful pieces of feather jewelry that can be found on Etsy!

Clockwise from top left:

Feather Drop Necklace by chinacherie: $16 

Golden Quill Earrings by sulablu: $27 

Feather Necklace by silverlining11: $18 

Feather Earrings by kawine: $9 

I hope you have enjoyed this little feather collection! Have a great labour day weekend, see you back here next week!