1. My parents have been redecorating their home and bought this beautiful antique table. I guess it’s pretty obvious where I get my love for antiques and vintage from.
2. Cleo and Maya! I grew up with three dogs, but Sophie passed away over a year ago. Just these two are left. They have grown so attached to each other over the years. It’s so cute!
3. My parents always have such a lovely garden.
4. My brother Nick, and his son/my nephew Jason. Jason has autism (and wears those headphones a lot because too much noise upsets him) and it’s definitely not an easy thing for any parent, young or old, to have to deal with, but we love him to death. He couldn’t possibly have a better father or grandparents here to do whatever they can for him.
5. My two brothers, Nicholas and Zachary. I don’t see them often, but I love them dearly.
6-7. My beautiful, wonderful mother. This lady is an actual angel and I don’t know what I’d do without her. I can talk to her about anything and I’m so grateful for that. When I’m upset or overwhelmed she is the first person I call.
8. My dad! If you ever wondered where I get my strangeness from, it’s him. My dad is the most generous human I have ever met. His kids and grand kid are his whole life and he goes above and beyond for us. We didn’t really get along when I was a teenager, but our relationship has turned in such a beautiful direction.
9. My cousins Matthew and Ashley and their other halves. It had definitely been over a year since I had seen them (maybe more!?), and it was so nice to see how well all my cousins are doing.
10. My amazing grandparents cutting their cake for their 60th anniversary. I surely hope I can stand someone for that amount of time (haha)
11. My grampy! We kept joking that he looks very bohemian with his long hair.
12. My dad and I taking Cleo and Maya for a walk.
13. More flowers!
14. Cleo is the best! Growing up she was my dog, and it was really tough on her when I moved away from home back when I was 19.
15. Every time I visit Ottawa it is an absolute must that I see Upjeet. I have known him since I was 12, and we dated in high school for a couple years (teehee), and then became best friends (well I guess we have always been best friends). I don’t see him very often, but he is so important to me, and lucky for me he is moving to Toronto, so I’m pretty excited about that.
Dear Ottawa
I just got back last night from a very short but so so sweet visit to Ottawa. It was my grandparents 60th anniversary (crazy right!?), so I knew I had to be there to celebrate with them and the whole family. There were faces I hadn’t seen in years, so it was really nice to see how well everyone is doing, and how grown all my cousins are. Unfortunately Ryan was on call for work, so he couldn’t make it down, but I’ll drag him along next time to experience the country’s capital. I was pleasantly surprised to find my best friend Kristen and her other half Sergio were also in town to see Book of Mormon so I crashed their date after the show and we went to eat fancy tacos (no surprise there) at El Camino and sip some beers and bourbon sours. Our friend Jon joined us later in the evening, and honestly the night was so good. It was an evening full of nonsense talk (which is pretty much my favourite) and laughing till our cheeks hurt and our bellies burned. It’s tough sometimes, not being able to see Kristen whenever I want. What we have is really special to me and I miss her so much, but it’s nice to know that even if we don’t see eachother for months, we can always pick up right where we left off like no time has passed at all.
These photos are from some antique and vintage browsing I did with my parents on Saturday afternoon. I have a post planned for this place because it was super cute and full of treasures.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend!
*photos by my mom
Blouse: thrifted vintage
Skirt: thrifted Club Monaco via Common Sort
Bow tie: handmade
Shoes: Seychelles
Tote: Parkdale Flea
Into It, Intimates / Hopeless Lingerie
When I came across Hopeless Lingerie it immediately gave me serious femme fatale/black widow vibes. To me, Hopeless Lingerie is the seductress of lingerie brands, which I think is the intent, because designer Gabrielle Adamidis pieces are inspired by old films, modern art, the ocean, the 1980’s and B-grade horror films. Her inspiration doesn’t just end at the designs, this particular lookbook is eerily tantalizing and the photography focuses mostly on the parts of a woman that can be of temptation to a man or woman – the stuff that makes us lose our heads. It’s the (veggie)meat and potatoes of film noir, and thus totally perfect. It’s so easy to find collections that lose their purpose and direction, I see it all the time. Sure, the garments are nice, tons are, but what makes it stand out? Why would I want to wear it? Maybe I think too deeply about these things, but Hopeless Lingerie never makes me wonder. The inspiration and direction is never lost. It’s a solid brand, with beautifully detailed, handmade pieces that would make any woman feel sexy and empowered while wearing them.
My favourites: Donna Knickers – polka dot, Jessica Bralette – black lace, Nancy Cami – polka dot, Monica Wrap Top – star mesh, Carrie Knickers, Jeanne Knickers – star mesh
Belle Vie / 14
1. I was trying to take some silly photos for my birthday when Ryan walked in the door with some gifts for me and then decided he wanted to be in front of the camera. I let him be a weirdo for a moment, and then joined him. It would be nice to have more photos together I think.
2. I love love love the outdoors and I love being near water, but I’m actually pretty terrified of swimming in lakes/oceans. I don’t like the idea of not knowing what’s beneath my feet. It always takes a bit of self-encouragement before I get into water with lil’ fishes in it.
3. Ryan and our friend Oskar got really into soccer during the World Cup. They’d watch a game and then head to a soccer field to kick the ball around for a few hours.
4. Before sitting on the beach for the day on Saturday, we strolled around the paths on Ward’s Island, checking out the houses and wishing we lived in them. We found this one home with a giant boat hanging in a tree.
5. Jiggly Balls! I don’t know if that’s an actual name, or if Ryan made it up, but Ryan filled 3 balloons with sand at the beach and started to juggle and then tried to teach me. I don’t think I will ever get the hang of juggling.
6. We turned the Jiggly Balls into smiling fish, or smiling tadpoles, or smiling sperms (inappropriate)?
7. Boats!
8. He’s just like really handsome, and he shaved his head!
Styling / Audrey Kitching
As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent the majority of Friday styling Audrey Kitching. Gerald found out he would be shooting her about one week and half before, so he got his regular team together (me and Leesa) and quickly planned a concept that ended up being so awesome! Audrey was a dream to style. Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, but she is so sweet and down to earth. I kept the whole thing a secret from everyone (except Meaghan and Ryan) until the day of the shoot, and it was pretty hilarious to see how excited some of my old pals from high school were about me getting to meet and work with her. She was a pretty big deal for scene kids back in the day and I had a ton of friends who loved her. She is obviously still very popular and I feel really and truly lucky to be able to say I got to put her in some of my gorgeous Larkspur garments and a darling floral matching set from Rosehound Apparel that I pulled from the lovely gals at Victoire (thanks ladies!). It was a beautiful day and perfect for shooting. I can’t wait until the photos are released. As you can see the concept was aviation and Gerald pulled out all the stops for it – including a giant model plane, a wicked airplane headpiece, flying bikes and an actual parachute from Leesa’s dad’s army days. This series is going to be a killer one, so keep a lookout for it!
okay andie 