Good Things Sunday: Feelings Mixtape Edition
Wearing my new Nick Ferrio & His Feelings Tee, designed by No Fun Press
Feelin’ so good this Sunday. Lots of things deserve shoutouts but I can’t forget these two:
- love
- antidepressants
I’m in such a great mood that I made an 8tracks mix for you guys: Big Voices, Big Feelings. The marquee on the cover of the mix is by Jenny Holzer. The mix itself is basically like if I could get all of my favourite people from Toronto’s music scene to do a mega-show that included all their side projects. Bruce Peninsula! The Weather Station! Jennifer Castle! Party Time! The Pining! Julie Doiron! Sarah Mangle! In fact I think that’s everybody.
Other highlights from this week:
- Burning Hell Ontario tour dates have meant waking up with my dude beside me in bed. Is anything better? Nope. Just when I had become very good at sleeping alone… okay, with a laptop, cell phone, cider, and puppy, but you know. BEING IN LOVE RULES DON’T FORGET.
- Lots of family time with my family featuring extra puppies & my mom’s butternut squash mac and cheese with toasted almonds. Shit yeah. First bike ride of the year.
- I usually dread the first of the month but on May 1, my favourite cafe by the water (and close to my house), the Silver Bean opens. Also and extra-specially, my pal So Fawned is the official owner of local clothing hotspot Tango. I think I’m going to get to put in some time behind the counter there too & I’m excited. I’ve had the privilege of helping Des decide what stock to order for the summer and fall and I am so excited to get you guys trying it on!
- I’m also putting in a bunch of time at Sympathy this month while my boss is on tour with his band, Rikers. Just in case you’re wondering one day he asked me if I could work because he “had to make a little music video” but actually what he meant was that he was part of making this happen.
- Nick just sent me a link to this Marine Dreams performance. “I don’t want no love that isn’t constant love.” I wanna have these cats over for dinner again soon.
- Nick’s butt in the skinny jeans I bought him.
- Planet Bakery ginger cookies.
- I just discovered TheKnitKid and I am freakin’ out about everything. I wish this were a pattern shop rather than an Etsy store because I really want to make some of this stuff:
Knitted Collar from theknitkid
Knit dress from theknitkid
- After much searching & even pondering an internet order, I found a place to get Muskoka Maple coffee.
- Jenna Brager’s comic For Mark Aguhar made me weep with recognition and sadness: “How do I draw absence? Part of me thinks that drawing anything, saying anything, is just taking up space.” My post about Mark’s death is still one of Bossy Femme’s most popular & I don’t think it has a thing to do with me. I can tell that you are missing calloutqueen too.
Band Girlfriend Update: Middle Spooning 4 Eva
I can't find the original source for this - does anyone know? Perfect comic for relationships that span time-zones.
Headed to Toronto to see Nick play with The Burning Hell at Lee’s Palace, but most importantly, bringing him back to Ptbo with me so that I can go back to being the middle spoon for a few days. I am beyond stoked for an epic cuddle party.
Dreamy Butts illustration by Pussy Envy
I love this dude so much and I am so so so excited to see him, but also so sad that this is gonna be the last visit until July. Wait actually let’s not think about that part. Instead think about this:
Okay okay so in the interest of doing some good old fashioned band girlfriend promo on this blog check this stop-motion music video for “Dinosaurs” by Leigh Kotsilidis:
Floral Print for Hard Femmes
Floral can be tough.
I remember a time when I wondered if I would ever wear anything with a flower ever again. It *sooo* didn’t work with my all-black wardrobe of solid knits. Of course, this was before – probably just before – the 90s floral resurgence we’re seeing now.
And before I learned my #1 Fashion Rule: anything I think I will never wear is exactly what I’ll fixate on in about six months. Never say never. I don’t believe in absolute rules about clothes.
Pauliina from Hel-Looks is into "witch-like styles with many contrasts." Me too!
It’s taken some experimentation but I’ve figured out two things that work for me in terms of mixing floral with my summertime goth aesthetic. Those are dark backgrounds and floral-on-floral. I’ve been calling this “print blocking” and I love the way it hardens and complicates the sweet, innocent (and sometimes unsophisticated) impression that florals are known for.
Guy Bourdin - thanks Julia for posting this.
Teacup bracelets by StayGoldMaryRose
The outfit that the person on the left is wearing in this photo is just absolutely perfect. Floral pants and collar, knit sweater, leather jacket, bowl cut, leopard shoes.
DIY floral ice cubes from Martha Stewart. Throw some gin up in there and let's party.
Crowd shot from the LV menswear collection from Paris fashion week. Love that her hair matches the flowers on her skirt. Click through to see more shots of this outfit - the shoes!
Colour blocking should be done. Pattern blocking should be next. Stockholm Street style.
Head to toe geometric floral suit with a print purse? That's some hard femme shit.
Good Things Sunday: Don’t f*cking tell me what to do!
Found at Fuckyeahhardfemme, original illustration by Joe McDermott
Every Robyn-referencing post title deserves a video, right? Watch Robyn get her colour block on in Cobrastyle:
I rearranged my work schedule so that I could have two days off work in a row – Mondays and Tuesdays. Which means that Sunday night feels like Friday night to me… if you do the math I think that means I am writing this post on “my” Sunday morning… it feels like the weekend, anyway. You 9 to 5 job people don’t get to run everything!
- I finished my first sweater! I know I’ve been talking about this forever but I feel like knitting a garment is an important step towards serious knitter status. I promise to post lots and lots and lots of photos soon. (Just try and stop me!)
Gudrun Johnston wearing her Simmer Dim shawl... she is a fav knitwear designer because obviously we have the same taste in outfits.
- I am also knitting a pattern for a shawl that I came across about a year ago. I favourited it on Ravelry even though I had basically none of the skills required to make it. I like going back through the things I’ve bookmarked and reflecting on all the stuff I’ve learned to do. I’ve known how to make knit stitches for almost a decade, but this last year and a half has been so astronomical. Working beside a yarn store and being BFFs with a (very patient) yarn store owner is one of life’s great pleasures.
- Spending time with my family these last few days. Today we went back to a spa that mimics Scandinavian hot springs… one of the few things we all agree on. So many perfect moments: hot baths out of doors on snowy days, sitting in front of a fireplace as tall as me, wearing just a bath robe, reading a magazine.
- New pants! My mom is the best at making sure I’m not walking around with my crotch exposed. It’s a luxury I can otherwise hardly afford. We went to the Levis outlet, rather than Stitches. It’s way easier to try to invest in quality when you’re using someone else’s wallet. Still, trying to get out of the disposable clothes mindset.
- I get to see Nick in two days! You should see my grin.
- Bruce Peninsula just released a new song cycle called “Of Songs” – stream it/buy it on their bandcamp.
- I’m not sure how to explain this, but it feels like lots of the things I’ve been anticipating and planning are starting to happen… and so far I think things are going very well. I don’t have very specific things to point to as examples, but I’ve been liking my life. It’s been nice to pick myself up fresh ingredients for an elaborate dinner for one. I’m planning so many craft projects that I just need the time and money to execute. My dog is happy. My partner is happy. I don’t feel lonely, even though we’re apart, and even though my friends are further away than they once were. It’s nice to know that I get to share some of this good feeling with you, blog reading people.
It would make my day if you’d comment and tell me some of your good things too. And if I don’t know you yet, say hello? I have been having great chats with internet friends lately & maybe you should be my internet friend too!
HUNKS
Posing with my new HUNKS mug. It’s an illustration by comics hero Kate Beaton, inspired by these comics. I have been flippantly joking that someone should buy this for me and then Desiree actually did! I have the best friends.
In this photo I am also representing my chartreuse/emerald/turquoise manicure & most importantly my signature lipstick smudge. I remember seeing commercials as that suggest that smudgy lipstick is somehow inferior or embarrassing but to me it’s sorta like a femme calling card.
I love the Make Owner’s Manifesto – “If you can’t open it, you don’t own it.” Similarly, for me, if it’s not covered in pink lipstick… I probably don’t own it.
I know I’m guilty of photographing these flowers everywhere but these are in my! yard! I pay rent for these blooms, damn it!
Glad it was sunny out because I’ve been wanting to get true to life shots of the colour that Rebecca did for me. I know I say it every time but this is my favourite colour yet. Look at those shiny midnight blue highlights.
Can’t take a photo without being subtle-ly photobombed by Geraldine. She’s creeping around the edge of every shot hoping that this photo shoot will turn into a quick game of fetch…
Mixed brights is a thing, yes? I’ve been wearing these flats with neon yellow vinyl toes with my lime green leopard socks as often as possible. Lookin’ so good with the bright nails and chartreuse sweater, yeah? Why stop at one neon pop of colour when you could have a bunch of close-but-not-quite identical ones? Matching is for boring people.
Also, I’ve got some great news for you:
My pal Lauren made it to the F21 in Toronto today & SHE FOUND THE SHORTS! You think you get sad when your friends move to bigger cities to be lawyers or whatever but then you can exploit their fashion connections and kindness. I hope to see her tomorrow, outfit picspam to follow.
