hair icons + my hair adventures

 laura of ascot friday is my new...everything icon - style, hair, life, job...this gal's got it goin' on. i know i've been talking about her a lot on the blog lately, but seriously she's awesome. go get lost in her blog for a few hours & then come back & try to tell me otherwise.

that was a dare.

brandi & kelly of mucho mucho bueno bueno, the epitome of the perfect ombre. these are two more gals who are just [again] overall everything icons for me. they have the best style, they seem like the raddest girls with huge personalities, are always going on adventures & i want to drink beer & dance with them, ok? 

this one is going to be a big ol' DUH, because she is everyone's hair icon, julie of orchid grey obviously has the most envious hair in all the [blog] land. so thick & blonde & beachy...the best.

sandi...oh sandi, one of the sweetest bloggers around. she's got the cutest kiddos, awesome style & head full of amazing candy coloured hair which is always changing! she has the prettiest natural waves which make me want to chop off all my hair...except my hair wouldn't look like that, so i won't.

stephanie of take hart has the prettiest bright red locks i ever did see. she makes me miss my fire engine red hair oh-so much!

most of you probably know me as dark haired (dark brown-black) as my hair has been pretty much the same for the past 2 1/2 years but before i found this colour, i dabbled in a little bit of everything:

i was red for probably 5 or 6 years, going between ginger to fire engine red to dark burgundy...red was definitely my favourite. and actually this photo made me realize that my hair [when short] is actually so very curly, i kind of forgot.

confession: i started dying my hair red because i *want* to be ariel...truth.

come to think of it, this also ties in with me growing my hair...mermaid hair y'all! 

omg imagine if my hair was red AND long? uh oh...new dream.

i have also been really really blonde back in 2007? i think this was when i was 20-21:

that was fun...blondes do have a lot of fun. i liked this but bleaching kills your hair, not good for hair growth.

this happened not too long ago...maybe 8 months or so. i really liked it, but again because it was stripping my hair of the black it really killed the lighter pieces. i'd love to change my hair again but black is the healthiest it's ever been & it grows so much faster & longer which i dig because i want it past my bum...kidding...sort of...not really.

ah, hair! this post got way longer than i had planned. longer...cause i'm growing my hair, get it? 

[why yes i am slightly delusional because i haven't been able to eat much in the past 3 days. don't judge me]

carly watts

so i came across this beautiful illustrator because she is a follower of my blog & comments frequently, so i thought i'd check out her blog & holy moly, i'm so glad i did - so much cute & talent!

carly watts everyone...

her style is so adorable & i love the soft colours she uses. you are a talented lady miss watts. i think you're pretty great!

updates & stuuuuff

quick little update.

a) i've been feeling like absolute shit the past three days. i've been constantly tired, headachy, stomach cramping + other unmentionables. no i'm not pregnant. my stomach has always been an asshole & i have a lot of issues with it but that's a whole other story. anyway, i feel gross & it sucks.

b) on the plus side, it's given me time to work on some black&bronze pieces. i am so anxious to get the etsy up & running but i also want it to be perfect & for there to be a lot of pieces so i am taking my time. you guys will just have to wait a wee bit longer ;)

c) i'm tired of winter. canadian winters? fun, for about 2 weeks...maybe not even that. i've gotten spring fever wicked early this year when in reality i have a solid 2, maybe 3 months of winter left. blargh! 

d) i just checked & the last time i did an outfit post was dec 4th, i need to get with that. for those who care, i'm sorry. 

here's some blurry IG black&bronze sneek peaks for those who don't have IG, twitter or facebook (which is probably only my parents at this point. hi mum&dad!)

i really love them. can i say that? i really love what i've been creating. there, i said it again. i know that confidence in what you're doing is sometimes seen as cocky but i don't think it should be & i'm trying to get better at that. i think everyone should try to get better at that. we are so quick to put ourselves down & the second we say something nice about ourselves, all of a sudden we're cocky? that's so backwards! anyway, black&bronze...get excited for it!

oh & my nails...because they looked really freaking cool & i love this mani!

i've been getting a lot of ?s mainly on IG about how to do this. it's SO easy you guys! i'm not even just saying that...it truly is! okay, take your nail brush (yup, the one that is already on your polish, not even a special one) and draw a strip 3/4 of the way down your nail, then move your brush to the middle & draw a strip 1/2 the way down (see how easy this is?!) then move your brush to the other side & draw a strip 1/3 of the way down. let that colour dry, then repeat with a second colour (obviously leaving a space for the bottom colour to shine through) repeat as many times as you like creating the mani above...so fun!

so needless to say my week is off to a bit of a rough start but my nails look cool, and sometimes that's all you can ask for in life right?


did you see my post below re: vlogging? i need questions though so leave some in the comments...i'm an open book, ask me anything! yup...annnnything!

vlog?

it's been a loooong time since i've done a vlog. i could vlog about day to day stuff but i don't know, i haven't really felt like it. i think my favourite ones are when people ask questions, you always find out random stuff about the person which makes them fun to watch!

so! ask me stuff!

you can leave a comment here with questions, or email them to dear.love@live.ca

this (awesome, busy) week

it's saturday & starting in february that will mean i will have the day OFF! (well some nights i might be working at the bar) but i will have a monday to friday job & weekends off & that is exciting! 

this week was a busy one, here's a little peek at what i did:

went to the mall, had a dentist appointment with my new dentist, bought a sweet $3 iphone case from old navy...who knew old navy liked beer? not this girl.

decided i was going to open an etsy shop called black&bronze! pretty out of the blue but i was getting a wicked response to the necklaces i'd been making & sold 8 pieces & thought why not? i like adventures & this seems like an awesome one for 2013!

[more on this later!]

in the meantime, you can follow me on ig: @blackandbronze

or twitter: @blackandbronzed

babysat the best baby...in the world, all day wednesday. my bosses baby clive, he's a) the cutest baby you'll EVER see/meet, b) so smiley & happy & oh ya, adorable, c) loves cuddling & napping when he's supposed to & eats well, d) ya, he's THE best!

& is big into yoga right now

enjoyed not one but two awesome lunches at my favourite spot in town. i'd say i treated myself as i normally bring my lunches to work, but really i went to bed before 10 every night this week & didn't get around to making my quinoa dish. i've been so tired lately it's not even funny...well going to bed at 8PM is kinda funny i guess.

painted my nails, duh.

today i work a double and tomorrow my boss & i are going to the accessory/gift show in toronto for the day which i'm looking forward to because accessories are kind of my thing & being surrounded by them sounds like heaven (next to the shoe shows we attend - THOSE are heaven!)

it was a busy week but i made it out alive! looking forward to february which is also going to be a wickedly busy month but is also filled with toronto visits (2 of them!) hotels, anniversaries, vacation time, family time & weekends off!

girl crush: ascot friday

the first time i came across this blog i thought "i want to be this woman" then i realized that was silly & i like being myself, and my second thought was "she has reallllly great style" and my third thought was kind of random but i thought "this is what i picture my hair looks like, in my head" which is nutty, because my hair is not blonde, nor this wild, nor middle parted, nor etc, etc...nothing like this womans. i guess that's because it is my dream hair, so i imagine my hair to be like this. key word: imagine. and you know when someone's wardrobe is just so flawless that it's almost...not fair? that's how i feel about her clothes...it's insanely good. 

oh & i forgot to mention that her husbands a babe & her kids are the best dressed kids on earth and absolutely adorable to boot. 

i love my life, don't get me wrong, i have a babe of a boyfriend, love my job(s) have amazing friends, a pretty awesome wardrobe (for the most part) a great home, but do you ever get life crushes on people? haha, life crush...what? it's a thing. i made it up.

SHOES! Let's get some shoes!

So I manage an awesome shoe store. Most of you don't live in Peterborough, but guess what it doesn't even matter (though that would be lovely, because then we could hangout IRL & I'd like that) BUT in terms of shopping shoes, you're set because we have an online website as well! Visit S.O.S online

Some of my favourite shoes in the store are on super SALE! We just marked everything that was once 25% OFF down to 40% OFF! Now is the best time to be scooping up deals left right & center! The sale is not only happening in store, but online too so all you out of town folks benefit from the sale too!

The Joli by Dolce Vita is one of my faves...I'm even wearing it right now!

On sale for $90.

Shop this boot online

I love the look of this black leather (even the heel is covered!) Nine West bootie with a slight toe cap also in black leather, this bootie is so chic!

On sale for $99

Shop this boot online

Sam Edelman does it again with this adorable Olive cowboy'esque ankle boot. This will be amaaaazing for Spring (hello denim cut offs!) So scoop it while it's on sale for $135

Shop this boot online

Another one that will be wicked with shorts in the Spring/Summer

On sale for $72

See this boot styled in our 'How to' blog post

Shop this boot online

 I am so in love with this boot it actually hurts my heart. With an amazing stacked heel and that beautiful cognac brown that's so easy to pair with everything, this boot is killer!

Take Perry home for $150

Shop this boot online

We have a TON of Toms on sale at 50% off...ya, 50! Unheard of, right?

Shop Toms online

Here are a couple more of my favourite Toms styles on sale for 50% off...but this isn't it, oh there's more!

 Tons of awesome Spring finds on sale! It's better to think ahead then to regret not snagging them once the warmer weather does hit, am I right?

Yes I am surrounded by shoes all day,
Yes my job is awesome!

hearts & hearts & hearts & hearts

i love valentines day. i know it's a silly made up, consumer driven holiday but i can't help it, i love it! i loved it when i was little when it meant having craft time & putting together a little mail box for all your valentines, then making valentines with stickers & glitter smothering them, i liked valentines day even before i ever had a valentine. i mean having a valentine is pretty sweet too though, i remember putting together cute packages for long distance boyfriends i had in high school & receiving a couple too...valentines day is just fun! having a whole day about love and telling those you love that you love them, and okay maybe even all of the hearts and red and pink and glitter and all that mushy gushy stuff, i dig that too.

& seeing as christmas is officially over, and so is new years, and valentines day is less than a month away, i'm allowed to start talking about it. here's some recent etsy favourites:

if this marquee heart light was hanging above my bed, holy moly i'd be a happy girl!

this adorable ring, get your initials stamped on the front & a special date inside

cute cute cute. i'm being drawn to simple, more minimalist jewelry lately so this caught my eye!

this simple gold necklace.

knuckle rings are fun, this heart one is adooorable.

how precious would these be attached to a cardigan? they remind me of a smiley face, and the hearts are little blushing cheeks, hehe

alright, thoughts...valentines day - love it, hate, why or why not?

a new venture: jewelry

i have always, always been interested in jewelry & design. half of my favourited items on etsy are jewelry, i have a large jewelry collection & i can't pass up a unique find. i love finding pieces & assembling them to give them a new life. i've just started this little venture & so far the response has been amazing & so i thought i would share it with you guys. if you have me on IG, you've probably already seen these, but if not, here are my first few pieces...

 brass locket on antique bronzed chain, locket opens - $13

minimalist raw brass rectangle on antique bronzed chain - $15 

studded arrow on antique bronze chain - $12 

raw brass diamond on antique bronzed chain - $12 

minimalist raw brass rectangle on antique bronzed chain - $13 

burmese metal coin on antique bronze chain - $12

shipping will be free for all of these pieces, no matter where they are shipping to. if you're interested in a piece but would like it shorter or longer, please feel free to ask as they are all custom made. if you're interested, leave me a comment or shoot me an email at dear.love@live.ca

feel free to follow me @carlyscloset on instagram as that is currently where i have been posting pieces i've made & also items i am selling.

thanks for stopping by!