In My Cuban Closet 2016

Friends, to be completely honest, when I sat down to write this post, I wasn't sure whether to put it in the 'In My Closet' section of my blog, or in the 'Confessions Of A Single Mom' section.

I recently took a trip to Jibacoa, Cuba. The awkward thing about the trip was...it was supposed to be my honeymoon. The plan was to get married on New Year's Eve, and then to get whisked away to some sand, sun and relaxation on Jan 2nd. You can read about the reasons that I didn't feel we were ready to get married here.

After numerous discussions and debates, we made the decision to still go on the vacation together.

The week was actually great. When the weather was lousy, we played pool and ping-pong. When the weather was nice (which was only 2 days out of 7), we snorkeled, swam and relaxed on the beach. I actually had hope that we could still possibly make 'us' work.

Unfortunately, the other half of the equation did not share those feelings. So, instead of focusing on that (and it will likely factor in to another post soon I would think), lets focus on the clothing items that I brought on the trip, yes?

Yes. 

Here are the thrifted/ second-hand clothing items that I took to Cuba this month:

 

I just love this tankini that I picked up at this Clothing Swap. Also love that it was FREE.  

 I really love to bring a couple of neutral-coloured maxi skirts and a few tank tops on vacation with me. You have a huge array of possible outfits that way. During the day, tanks and maxi skirts were what I would throw on over my bathing suits.

Black Maxi- thrifted years ago. I believe it was around $5.99

Yellow Tank- Picked up at our last Clothing Swap- FREE 

Ocean Pacific teal bikini top- $4.99 at Value Village 

  

I didn't plan to leave the resort, but we went into Havana for one of the days. Since All I had with me were dresses and skirts- I borrowed a pair of shorts from the man. It was raining off and on that day, and I didn't want my long skirts dragging around in puddles. 

Shorts- Borrowed

Black Tank- $3.99 at Talize

*Straw Fedora- $4.99 at Value Village 

Strappy Black Sandals- $6.99 at Plato's Closet

*(I have to tell you- if you shy away from second-hand hats because of lice or bugs of any type- simply put a bag over the hat and put it in your freezer for two weeks. The extreme cold kills them)  

In the evenings, I opted for maxi dresses most nights. It got a bit cool at night.

Maxi Dress- $9.99 Value Village (also seen here)

I celebrated my birthday in Cuba this year. I had a delicious dinner in the Italian restaurant at the resort. 

Lace dress- $14.99 Value Village (also seen here)

Belt- $2.99 Salvation Army Thrift Shop

Brown Sandals- $5.99 Value Village

Clutch- $3.99 Talize

I also like to bring along one short black skirt to add to the outfit possibilities with the various tanks. And a black sweater, since the Cuban winter get a teensy bit cool. 

Blue Tank: Cothing Swap- FREE

Black Mini Skirt: Cast-off from a friend- FREE

Black Flats- $5.99 at Talize 

Black clutch and jewelry I've had forever. 

Well, friends- that's what was in my Cuban Closet this time around. Hope it gave you some ideas for packing (and thrifting) for any upcoming trips you may be taking this year.

I hope you are all having a fabulous 2016 so far. It's been a tough go so far for me....but I have faith that it can only get better from here!!

Blessings.

 

Support A Fabulous Local Entrepreneur- Christina With GlitterBug Face And Body Art

Over the Christmas holidays, my children and a friend's girls were blessed with a day of face painting.

The kids absolutely LOVED it and had such a blast choosing what they would have painted on themselves. 

Some chose to have an elaborate design on the face. Others decided to do something less elaborate on the cheek and also to have a design on their arm.

All of the designs were SO beautifully done, and the kids were over-the-moon-excited about it! 

Here are a few photos of the process:

Silas getting a flaming hockey puck on his arm.

 

 

He was ecstatic with the end result!

Christina was then kind enough to do this amazingly-detailed snowflake on his cheek!

Sloan asked for a rainbow. This rainbow with a pot-of-gold completely blew me away!!

Then, he asked for a snowman for his cheek. I just love the glittery-wintery background.

Next up- Grace. :)

She wanted a snowman as well.

Love it.

Faith asked to be a reindeer.

Amazing.

And for Ava- an angel.

So pretty.

She then even offered us Mom's anything we'd like. My friend Lyndsay asked for a cross on her arm. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Snowman.

Friends, I HIGHLY recommend Christina McCarthy with GlitterBug Face And Body Art
for any birthday parties, corporate events, family reunions, holiday parties, Halloween parties...anything you can think of! The kids (and adults) will love it!

She was beyond professional, well-equipped and crazy-talented!

Her website is www.glitterbug.ca.

Check it out. 

She also offers glitter tattoos!! Umm, helloooo bachelorette parties?? Just a thought...

 Here are some other designs from her facebook page:

Seriously. Book her. Do it now. ;)

I love to try to promote local businesses and local talent. And Christina definitely has talent.

Blessings, friends.

 

In My Closet- My Christmas Party Outfit

I just wanted to write a quick post about what I wore to our annual Pretty in Pink Christmas Party.

My cousin's wife was recently clearing out her closet. I found myself the new owner of a couple of pairs of pants, some sweaters, button up tops, and this lovely cobalt blue top.

I thought that this year's Christmas Party was the perfect place to wear it!

Cobalt Blue Top- Free (Castoff from cousin-in-law)

Black leggings- $7.99 Value Village

Grey Wool Boots- $20 from Facebook Buy And Sell Group (Also seen here)

Grey Wool Purse- $6.99 Salvation Army Thrift Shop






Great top, yes?  LOVE the colour.  




Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends.





Blessings.




 

Confessions Of A Single Mom- My Choice To Postpone My Wedding With Only 5 Weeks To Go

One week ago I sent out a note to our wedding guests that there would no longer be a wedding on New Year's Eve.

Those may have been some of the most difficult words for me to type to date.

But we just weren't ready.

For the wedding- oh yes, we were ready! The website was running and the RSVP's had all come back in. I had DIY-ed our table numbers, boutonnieres, chalkboard signs...even our bouquets! And I couldn't wait to blog about all of it.

But we just. Weren't. Ready.

The food had all been chosen, the cake, decor, the shuttle had been booked. Trust me, as a 'thrifty' person- the money that has been lost weighed heavily on me.

But there were still things that needed to be done.

Not for the wedding. But for the marriage.  

There were still things that needed to be completed- some schooling, for example. And there were some things that needed to be started, or perhaps rediscovered- like a genuine mutual respect for one another.

My love and I did things backwards, it seems. We dated. We had a baby. Then we fell in love. There are certain difficulties and hardships that come along with that.

Not to mention the fact that I'd been married before. My love told me numerous times that I am jaded. But I don't believe that I am. In the past 4 years I have learned to be open and vulnerable. I have broken down walls that I had believed kept me safe and have found that I am happier for it. I learned to trust someone again, which I never believed that I could. But through all the positive strides, I knew there were things that I needed to be in place before I could marry again.

I needed to know that it would be best for us- the adults involved. That through marriage, we would help to bring out the best in each other. Not that we NEEDED each other, but that we CHOSE each other. Every single morning.

I also needed to know that it would be best for my children. That they would see in us a happy, healthy relationship. They would see conflict, of course. But I need them to see resolution in a loving and respectful way.

In these ways and more we need more time to get there. I need more time to get there. 

And I still have hope that we may. As a couple. As a family. But possibly I have done too much damage with the postponing of the date. I know this. But I still have hope.

I love him. Still. 

But we just weren't ready.

Peace.

Today I DIY-ed A Re-usable Advent Calendar

Today I decided that if I was going to DIY an Advent Calendar this year, it had better be today. Next week is the beginning of December, after all. So, here are my many step-by-step's to my repurposed, re-usable Advent Calendar that I dreamed up and finished today.

I was inspired by various Pinterest calendars that I've seen, but also by my friend Sharlene's Calendar that I blogged about here.  

First, I went down to my laundry/ storage room. Otherwise known as the Repurposing Room. I found a mirror that the past owners had left here. They had it left above their sink. At first, I thought- "why would someone want to look at themselves while they did the dishes??" But now I wonder if this was a genius idea- doing your makeup while making the kiddos breakfast perhaps?? I may need to think more on this... ;)

Anyhoo, this mirror is no more.

I removed the mirror and the board behind it. So then I was left with an empty frame.

I tied some raffia to the frame. I decided to do 4 rows. Then I attached some glittery washi tape to some regular, run-of-the-mill wooden clothespins.

 

I realized quickly that the bags that I had purchased from Dollarama were going to be too big to fit 24 of them on this frame. So I decided to snip the tops off of the bags.

 

I then wrapped 3 small goodies in Kleenex (so the kiddos couldn't peek inside) and placed them in each bag. I used stickers, markers, some supplies to make ornaments, and a few sugary treats, too.

 

  

And here is the finished product: 

Oh, I should mention that I decided to staple-gun the raffia to the back of the frame so that it stayed in place.

Here it is up on the wall:

Then tonight I decided it needed an 'Advent' sign. You know- in case it wasn't clear what it was. Haha.

 

Alongside my kijiji-bought  "curtain lights" and star-ornaments.

 

Absolutely LOVING how this repurposed, reusable Advent Calendar turned out. Now I cannot wait until December first to start celebrating with my kids! (yes, I do realize that advent does start before December first- but there was NO way of fitting any more bags on that frame!!) ;)

You can check out other repurposed Christmas decor ideas from my past posts here, here, and here.

Peace and blessings, friends.

Why I See Red When I Hear About Starbucks

First of all- I am SO over the Starbucks Coffee Cup Scandal.

I need to ask, what is WRONG with us as human beings that we can get SO upset over a Coffee Company's choice of holiday cup.

Why do we as Christians feel persecuted when others don't celebrate the same holiday that WE do? Why can't we simply celebrate with those we love in a quiet, humble, loving way- instead of angrily trying to shove our Blessed Holiday down everyone else's throats? 

I suppose that is a post for another day.

THIS post is about why I see red when I see a Starbucks cup- of ANY colour.

Instead of getting angry that the cup doesn't celebrate our holiday enough- why aren't we FURIOUS that Starbucks and other coffee companies like them are making billions off the blood and sweat of poverty-stricken coffee farmers? 

Where is our outrage that coffee prices dropped to a 19 month low in August 2015 (according to the International Coffee Organization), yet the price of your daily caffeine-fix continues to rise?

Who do you think is pocketing that extra cash? 

Who do you think SHOULD be making a decent wage? The CEO sitting at his comfy desk, or the coffee bean farmer working the land to support his family and to send his children to school?

In case any of you are under the illusion that Starbucks serves fairtrade coffee- Starbucks reports that 90% of it's coffee is sourced from their Coffee And Farmer Equity Program (C.A.F.E.) and that only THREE percent is from third party certifiers like Fairtrade International.

THREE percent.

Three.

Remember when I mentioned that coffee prices are at a crisis-level-low? This affects the farmers. This affects them being able to put food on the table. Clothes on their family's backs. Roofs over their heads. When coffee prices go down- so do their already-low wages.

Although C.A.F.E. is a decent system- it is NOT Fairtrade. Fairtrade pays farmers the same value (currently $1.40/ lb- more if is certified organic) which does not rise and fall, no matter what the global markets are doing. Which according to Fairtrade International have dipped to lows of .45/lb in the last 15 years.

So I get upset. I get angry that Starbucks charges $4.00 for a latte and pays pennies to the farmers working the fields to keep them in business.

Why doesn't everyone get angry over this?

 Instead of the colour of the cup. 

 

And that is why- no matter WHAT colour the Starbucks cup is at that moment-

I will ALWAYS see red.

I posted on the importance of Fairtrade back in May, 2013- Can You Really Make A Difference With Your Morning Coffee? Please check it out.

 

Blessings.

Thrift Some Dollar Store Crafts

I saw this post on Pinterest today- "14 Pretty And Practical Dollar Store Crafts" and just had to check it out.

I love saving money on home decor ideas. 

But I REALLY LOVE when I can envision making those same items with some beautiful, thrifted gems.

Here are a couple of my favourite ideas from that post:

Updating Dollar Store Frames

This post had a great idea to use inexpensive Dollar Store frames and paint them white.

 

She then added some metal bookplates to personalize the fames.

I just love how you can print out labels to remind you when and where the photo was taken. And when you switch out the photo? Switch out the label.

I can absolutely envision thrifted frames used in the same way. And you would get a more interesting, non-uniform look with different sizes and shapes.

Dollar Store Craft Box Lamp

 

In this post, the writer took a few craft boxes (used to store photos or small items), painted them, stenciled words on them, stacked them and used a lamp making kit to create a beautiful one-of-a-kind lamp.

 

My thought is that without making the boxes into a lamp- you could find some cute, thrifted boxes that were a little less match-y ...and do the same thing. Paint, stack, stencil some meaningful words on them.

Great second-hand decor idea and extra storage, too!   

And lastly,

DIY Jute Candles 

This blogger found some candle holders on  line for $40. She thought- "I can do that with Dollar Store items", and did so for $5.

All she did was wrap jute around the base of the candle holder.

Again, you can EASILY find vases, mason jars, candle holders in ANY thrift shop. You can wrap jute, rope, ribbon, lace, burlap....the list is ENDLESS! You can also find candles. So- you could get her $40 for $5 or even cheaper if you look second-hand.

Thanks for reading friends. 

I hope I've given you some ideas to DIY not only cheap crafts, but to recycle and to repurpose items that have already been loved.

Blessings.