Spring Clean your Purse with Grace Adele

I think keeping a clean, well organized purse is almost as important as keeping a clean, well organized home. It keeps you on top of things, when you phone is ringing you can find it, when you need a tissue it's right there, when you need to return that item because you found a similar item that's way cuter at Target . . . the receipt is easy to find.

I was introduced to Grace Adele bags by a friend and I couldn't wait to share them with you. They are so smartly designed, even Lee said that's a really cool bag when I showed him all the goodies.

First you pick out your bag, then you pick out your accessories like:
My personal favorite a removable clutch, it fits perfectly in to the front, and gives a pop of color to your bag, and when you want, you can take it out and use it as a clutch.

My second favorite accessory:
The Key chains and the D ring on the front to clip your keys on to . . . no more searching elbow deep in your purse for your keys.

Next accessory is another clutch type purse on the inside, that clips in or out. It also comes with a strap so you can use it as a purse all on its own.

Grace Adele also makes lots of clip on accessories to go with the purses or clutches, I like the leather flower!

and don't forget the matching jewelry . . . I'm not kidding Grace Adele has matching jewelry to their bags!!! It's awesome!!! haha

On top of all of this they have coordinating wallets and makeup bags, phone holders, rings, scarves and pretty much anything else you can think of, including a whole line of Leather Purses.

 I hope you'll check out their catalog, they really put a lot of thought in to their bags as well as having TONS of styles and colors!

*I was not paid anything for this post, I was given a bag to photograph. All opinions are my own.

Fashion on Friday: Eye Color and my Colored Contacts

This post is brought to you by 1-800-CONTACTS.

"Jeepers, Creepers, where'd you get those peepers?"
Answer: I bought them in a box! tee hee

Despite what you may think, colored contacts aren't just for attractive vampires in blockbuster movies (you know what I'm talking about). I wear colored contacts from time to time as well.

I have terrible eyesight, but one of the upsides is I get to experiment with my eye color. I have a menagerie of colored contact lenses. I usually wear freshlook colorblends, and between my sister and I, I think we've tried every color they have. I've personally tried Blue, Green, turquoise, brilliant blue and right now I'm wearing sterling grey, and so far it's my favorite.

Here are my brown eyes, which I am still more than happy to rock most of the time:

Here are my Brilliant Blue eyes:

 Here are my Sterling Grey eyes: (this is what happens when you think your husband is taking a picture of just your eyes . . . you make weird duck lips)

With my ever changing eye balls, I get to play around with eye makeup and different colors. So I set out on a fact finding mission, what colors work best with which eye colors.

Blue eyes: 
Brown, Rose, Lavender, neutral tones. Also, try Navy liner instead of black for a softer look.

Make sure to tone down you lip color so that all the focus is on those baby blues.
Dark Brown and Navy eye liner is always preferable to black for blue eyes (I never knew).

Brown Eyes:
Naturally I have VERY dark brown eyes. Darker colors like Plum, and charcoal grey  or dark neutral colors have always looked best with my dark browns.

Medium Brown Eyes: 
The world is your oyster, everything works for you. My sister has medium brown eyes and honestly ever color looks great on her.

Light Brown eyes: 
Try dark brown liner, it's less harsh on light eyes than black.
Warm Metallics will reflect the glints of color in your eyes.

Hazel:
Try champagne tones lined in dark brown! 

Green:
Purple is your best friend. Avoid Silver and Black instead try gold or charcoal. And I am insanely jealous of you green eyed people ;).

For the most part avoid colors that are the same as your eye color,
and a smokey charcoal eye looks good with almost any eye color . . .  even Vampire Red ;).

If I have one piece of eyewear advice it would be . . . Don't wear these:

 aren't those the creepiest joke glasses you've ever seen??

Thank you to 1-800-CONTACTS for sponsoring today's post. Right now they are offering free shipping on web orders over $50. So you can get your new peepers in time for Christmas! :)

Hunter Boots

For my Birthday Lee picked out something that I've wanted for years now . . . HUNTER BOOTS.
I'm in love with my new rubber friends. The best part is . . . it's pouring rain out!

 I've been having the best time outside . . . poor Max I've been making him go for long walks in the rain so I can wear my new boots . . . yesterday I had to carry him home because he had enough of the rain!

Their glossy shine should wear off in the next year (did you know that happens? I didn't) then I will have my much anticipated Matte Black Hunter Boots!!! :)

Everyday Housewife Outfit

One of the questions I get the most is:
"What do you wear?"
I think that because I'm a housewife/blogger and I spend most of my days at home I get a few inquiring emails about whether or not I spend my days in my Pajamas, or if I live in sweats.
I can assure you I do neither of those things. It's true I probably spend more time at home than the average human, but I do leave the house frequently to run errands, meet a friends for lunch, grocery shop etc.
On a day that I'm writing posts . . . taking pictures . . .  editing pictures, organizing cupboards, baking cupcakes, or just generally hanging out at home, you could come over and find me in jeans and a t-shirt, leggings and a long sweater, yoga pants and a long sleeved top. It's basic, but I always get dressed . . . I live in constant fear of the un-announced drop in so I always make sure to get dressed. I also feel WAY more productive when I look nice.
So what would I wear to grocery shop or lunch with friends, or to go to an appointment . . . would be something like this:

I would spend the morning at home in my leggings and sweater, pull the sweater off, throw on a jean jacket, a long scarf and a pair of leather boots!

Jacket: Old Navy; Scarf: Target; Boots: (Bought years ago from Target); Braclet: The Bay;

I definitely wouldn't consider myself a "fashionista", if it's comfortable, and looks nice I'll buy it and wear it! ;)
I think that because I'm a "housewife" people can make the assumption that I would be a very girlie, girl with my puffy dresses and pearls. But since I don't live in a 50's sitcom, I leave the pearls at home ;).
My Clothing philosophy can be summed up in:
1) Functional- so I can work in it.
2) Comfortable- so I don't go crazy in it.
3) Attractive - so I'm not embarrassed to wear it.
4) BANGS- If you have an above average forehead the only answer is BANGS! ;)

I would LOVE to hear about your day to day outfits! I think we get too caught up in talking about the special occasions clothes, but I would love to start talking about everyday clothes!

We're wishing everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween! And our prayers and well wishes to those of you on the East Coast dealing with 'Sandy'.
I hope you'll pop back tomorrow for our latest decluttering adventure. I have a list, complete with pictures of everything we've decided to "let go".

A Princess and a Witch walk into a bar . . .

A Princess and a Witch walk into a bar . . . .
They weren't watching where they were going, walked into eachother and their outfits got all tangled and mixed up and My halloween costume is the result of their collision!
That sentence made more sense in my head. What I'm trying to say is . . . my costume looks like I couldn't decide between a witch and a princess so I made a "Witch-cess" errrr . . . a "Prin-tch" . . . errrrr. . . and evil princess! Yeah!

I know I promised a sneak peek at our Outside Decorations for Halloween, but they're not finished yet! Looks like we'll be sending a rare weekend post your way. Make sure to check back this Saturday or Sunday! :)

I thought, instead, I would share my Costume for this weekends party . . . I made it myself!

It's kind of like a Princess and a Witch hybrid (and we all know hybrids are all the rage these days, well at least hybrid cars ;).

The skirt was really easy to make, I just bought a TON of fabric. About 10 yards of tulle, and about 4 yards of organza. Luckily our local fabric store (Fabricland) had a discount on tulle, 50% off for members, so I was able to get all the tulle for $2 a yard, and the organza was $3 a yard. I assembled the skirt kind of like a Long, Puffy, Apron, open at the back, but when it's cinched closed it looks like a real skirt.  Total Cost: $35!
For the sash I just picked up some satin quilt binding! It's already folded in half and all I had to do was:
1. Cut the tulle into long strips (long enough to hit the floor) the stripes were about 5" wide.
2. Open the satin binding, bunch the fabric, pin it and sew a straight-ish line!
3. Bunch more pieces of tulle and sew on top of the other bunches.
4. Once you've finished sewing in bunches of tulle and organza, fold the other half of the quilt binding over, sew it together and you have a skirt! 

It was so easy, and I LOVE IT!!!! For the top I just used a sequin tank top I had kicking around in the back of my closet!
I feel like an evil princess . . . with cute shoes ;).

 I'm ready to kick up my heels and party this weekend:

If you're dressing up this weekend I'd LOVE to know what you're going as . . . and if you're wearing cute shoes too! ;)

Fall Fashion on Friday

If you caught my Spring fashion shopping list you'll know what this is all about. If you missed it I'll explain a little bit.
At the start of the Spring and Fall seasons I make a little shopping list. Key pieces that I'm looking for. For me this is the BEST way to save money, add some great pieces to my wardrobe and save myself from poor quality impulse purchases.

I won't necessarily buy every item on my list, but it gives me a direction.

1. I'm looking for this vest specifically, it's from Modcloth and I would love it, and wear it all the time . . . and never get sick of it, and always treat it nice . . . teehee. If you like it you can find it Here.
2. I love a striped sweater! Navy and white so classic, it's from Here.
3. A 3/4 sleeve striped Tee, look for it here (sorry just found out it's sold out).
4. I need a new everyday jacket. I Love toggle buttons and the warm grey color. Mostly I love how long it is, I like to have my winter jackets covering my bum :). It gets cold in the winter and no one likes a cold tushie! You can find the Jacket here, on sale for $79!!!
5. A great pair of skinny jeans. The ONLY reason I'm buying skinny jeans is because they are way easier to wear with boots . . . otherwise the shape does NOT flatter my figure! Skinny Jeans make me look like a walking triangle!
6. These Boots! Man oh Man these boots! I have been searching for brown leather flat boots for a year now. I have abnormally skinny ankles and calves so finding boots that fit is a bit difficult! But I'm determined this year is  #flatbootfindingyear! You can find them Here.
7.Yellow jeans, I'm sick of wearing plain old jeans all winter, a rustic yellow colored jean should break up the monotony. Here's the link.
8. Knitted Knee socks, to pop out of the top of my new boots!!! Here's the link.
9. Lastly, and most long awaited item on my list . . . a pair of hunter rain boots. I have always wanted a pair of Hunter Rain boots. I am so tired of buying things that wear out after a year or two. The last pair of cute rainboots only lasted me a year and a half before the heel ripped off. Waste of money. This is finally the year I'm going to get some hunter boots. But just like my Uggs I plan on buying them off craigslist! A lot of people get gifts they don't want and sell them for a discount on craigslist. My Ugg boots were a gift for someone who wasn't a size 7 so she sold them for about $50 less than I could buy them in the store!

Here are some of the ways I could pair up my finds with things already in my closet!!

Night Out: Pants, earrings(Sorry sold out), bracelet (sold out), clutch, shoe-bootie.
Fall Day: Jacket, Dress, Necklace, Ring, Hunter Boots. Okay so I'm probably not going to wear a dress and rain boots, but the idea was too cute not to include!
Fall Outing: Earrings (sorry sold out as well), Denim Shirt, Black Pants, Ring, Tote (sorry sold out).

Funny Fall: T-shirt, Tote, Scarf, Boot.
Rainy Fall: Umbrella, Earrings, Watch.

I think I broke the "Number of Links within one Blog Post" record! I hope you'll give making your own list a try, It really does save me money and keeps my closet full of well thought out clothes instead of a closet full of "Nothing to Wear"!

Now I'm dying to know, what pieces are your favorite!

Housewife Uniform

 One of the questions I consistently get asked is what kind of clothes do I wear during the week?  I found this kind of weird at first, of coarse I don't walk around naked. I was telling one of my girlfriends about it and she said she wondered that too. She explained, that if it was her blogging from home she'd be in her PJs all day, she wondered if I was in my PJs all day.
I definitely DON'T stay in my PJs all day, I find that I feel the best and get the most done when I wake up, get dressed in something attractive, do my hair and put make-up on. The days I look frumpy . . . I feel frumpy. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this!
Most days it's jeans, an attractive top, a simple necklace and stud earrings. I like to carry a tote around to run errands because I can keep extra shopping bags, and my coupons . . . everything a suburban housewife needs to run her life (apparently I only need shopping bags and coupons . . . and chapstick ;).

 If I'm going to see friends or you know . . . . "lunching with the ladies". I'd probably still be in jeans and a pretty top.

 If I'm going to visit Lee at work and maybe go for lunch I might put something a little bit cuter on. Something like a little summer dress and a jean jacket.

 And lastly. If I'm going to be shopping with my sister or heading into the city for an event I would probably wear something like this . . . like most women I can't get enough of Maxi dresses! 

Disclaimer: 
           If I have cramps all of this goes out the window and I can be found curled up in a ball, on the couch, in my pajamas, with a messy pony tail and a cup of tea, All Day Long!

If you'd like to know where any of the items are from, shoot me a comment below and I'll comment back and let you know!

Spring Fashion Shopping List

Something that helps me a lot is making a type of Master Shopping List. I do it when I decorate a room, and I do it for my wardrobe!
It helps me save money. I know what I'm looking for when I go shopping. It forces me to take a look at what I have already and decide what will seamlessly fit in and makes sure I don't keep buying the same thing over and over (how many grey sweaters does a girl need?).
I have 7 pieces I'm looking for this spring, I probably won't find them all (hopefully not because I can't afford them all) but I'll be looking:

1. A yellow scarf: This one is from Kate Spade (so it might not be this one exactly at $105).
2. A great pair of super wide leg jeans. I can't do the skinny jeans thing, I blame my hips. These ones are from Levi and are $50!
3.Some great Yellow Nail Polish.
4. A new Clutch, I love this one from BCBG and at $78 I might be able to afford it this spring.
5. A new pair of flats in a color! I have lots of flats but I'd like something BRIGHT . . . maybe they match my new clutch. These ones are from H&M and are around $13!
6. Oh MY! These earrings, I would pierce my own ears with a rusty nail to wear these (thankfully my ears are already pierced so I won't have to). They are from Stella and Dot and are just under $50.
And Lastly,
7. A New Plaid Shirt! Something in a really light weight! This one is from Old Navy and is $25!

You might be wondering why there are no tank tops and shorts? Short Answer: I live in Canada. The mildest part of Canada, but it's still Canada and Spring is not shorts weather, not for me anyways.

I hope you like it! I make all of my Fashion Boards using Polyvore, Love them. Here's a link to my Polyvore page, it should have links to all of the cool stuff on my list.

Spring Cleaning Outfit

I love March! It means it's time for Spring Cleaning. I've spent the last couple days knocking tasks off of the old "To Do" list. This weekend Lee's going to get around to his Spring "Honey Do" list and we should have a great spring cleaning post ready for you next week, but I thought today I'd share my GO TO spring cleaning outfit:

You can see the sources for these items HERE.

A pair of loose jeans, a striped tee and a pair of runners are my favorite spring cleaning tools. I wear a clean pair of runners around the house when I do a lot of chores, it's way easier on your feet then running around in sock feet with no support (I also have a pair of rubber soled slippers for the task too). A headband is a MUST HAVE, and a pair of good fitting rubber gloves are priceless!

Does anyone have a spring cleaning outfit must have??

Fall Fashion

Just a quickie, we're up to our necks in projects around here! Hopefully lots to show you next week :)
At the start of each season I like to put together a small list of wardrobe wants, it makes it easy to walk away from sales at the mall, and gives me a direction when shopping.
This Fall I'm looking for:

• Fabulous flat brown boots like these ones from H&M
• A great winter coat in a color, I have coats in black and brown but I thought a beautiful color would be great this year. (coat from Pacsun.com)
• A couple of sweaters!
• I love having a Large bag so that I can just pop things into it when I shop . . . pop them in AFTER I pay for them!!!! (I felt the need to add that after I read it!) This one is from Banana Republic.
• and inside my larger bag (from Banana Republic) I like to carry a small clutch (from H&M). If I'm heading out to lunch or maybe to a store with many breakable items (hehe) I can grab my clutch and leave my tote in the car. For some reason I always feel super chic carrying a clutch ? ? ? I don't know why!
• And a simple necklace. I love pairing two small necklaces together!

So there's my Fall shopping list . . . I would love to know what you've got on your fall list!

Fashion on Friday

In lieu of our Flowers on Friday, I thought we'd do a little fashion this Friday! Since I spent most of the week showing you our newly organized closets I thought I'd share some of my fashion picks for this summer.
Here's a sunny day out, lunch with a friend, shopping at the mall, that kind of thing:

Grocery Shopping by maillardville manor featuring striped shorts

Here's A weekend day downtown, or casual weekend evening with friends:

Shopping day by maillardville manor featuring structured handbags

Date night, or a night of dancing with the girls:

Date Night by maillardville manor featuring gold jewelry

Weekday at home: (in the Kitchen)
btw . . . I LOVE Gwyneth Paltrow's  my father's daughter cookbook! and Vegenaise is awesome!!haha

Day @ Home by maillardville manor featuring H&M

Here's a board that represents Lee and the way he dresses perfectly (maybe not for summer?)

Lee's outfit by maillardville manor on Polyvore.com

and we couldn't leave out Max!! Here's his board too :)

Doggy by maillardville manor on Polyvore.com

I Hope you enjoyed our Fashion this Friday! I had a GREAT time putting together these boards!! If you want to know where any of these items are shoot me an email and I can look it up!!

Anybody have any Summer wardrobe must have's???

My Style!

Another Blogaversary Post Today! I received an email asking me about my personal style, and while some days what I wear can't be considered "style" I have worked out a couple of super easy "Looks"  for everyday. I've found that becoming a housewife has made it harder to decide what to wear, some days the only person who sees me is Lee, and heels in the grocery store just seems tacky, haha.
I like to look good, but not at the cost of function (except at Night, if we're headed out to a party, I Love ridiculous heels, LOVE THEM).
The following outfits are ones that I'd wear to grocery shop, run errands, walk the dog, and of coarse to blog in :)

Here's an example:

COLOR!! too much??? by maillardville manor featuring flat sandals

Jeans, every one's favorite, I'm really loving the "boyfriend" cut, kinda loose, kinda beachy (plus you don't have to shave your legs). A cute tank top with some color. A cardigan (seriously I wear them all the time). A Belt!!! I have recently discovered how great belts are, they help make an outfit look "finished". Sandals, in a color! LOVE! and you'll never find me with out a HUGE purse! I don't understand small purses, although maybe when I'm 80 and have a bad back I'll regret my BIG PURSE HAULING WAYS.

Two words could pretty much sum up my "STYLE" . . . YOGA PANTS. Lululemon are my pant of choice! Most days you can find me sporting something similar to this, I like a cute pair of earrings, I've noticed the days I wear earring I get way more compliments on my appearance, and this little pair of pink flower studs were too cute. And I don't own this bag, but I super wish I did :(

Yoga Wear by maillardville manor featuring a pink ribbon necklace

I LOVE stripes and I love the contrast of Orange and turquoise. I also Love a great leather sandal, and a great leather belt.

Weekend Shopping by maillardville manor featuring boat neck tops

And last, a day outfit that I'd wear if people were going to see me :) Like lunch out during the week or a day out with Lee on the weekend :)

Orange Weekend! by maillardville manor featuring a drape cardigan

I Hope you enjoyed this post, I know it's way out of my area of expertise, but then again so is almost everything I talk about here haha.
Stay Tuned, more posts to come today!