de facto redhead

(Or me.)

I like deals, bargains, and saving money in unexpected places. Anyone who has kept up with my blog knows this about me. And so, a few months ago when my mom recommended signing up for the e-mail newsletter from Bargain Moose, I was optimistic, but not overly excited about any immediate deals. How great could it be? Fast-forward to the present, and I am now checking my Bargain Moose newsletter every day! And, if I miss a couple e-mails because I’m busy, I save them all because each one is worth checking out. The whole point of Bargain Moose is to let you in on sales, coupons, and freebies that are available in both the virtual and bricks-and-mortar retail worlds – in other words, sales, coupons, and freebies that you might not otherwise hear about, including “exmoosives,” promotions that are exclusive to Bargain Moose subscribers. Anna, the woman behind Bargain Moose, is Canadian, so all the deals she posts apply to and are valid in Canada, and she often features Canadian companies.

I have told a few friends about Bargain Moose, but I get the feeling my suggestion was given the brush-off, as in “Oh, there’s Carla again, going on about her bargains,” because no one ever told me they took advantage of anything Bargain Moose had to offer. Don’t you know I badger because I love?

So far I have used Bargain Moose’s tip-offs to get a free appetizer and meal on a night out with Darcy at Milestone’s, a percentage off one of Darcy’s recent Kobo books, a $25 discount off a purchase Darcy just made at newegg.ca, and 50% off a gift I bought at simplycolours.ca. I am racking my brain for more examples, because I know I have used Bargain Moose more than these four times, but my mind is failing me. Dumb mind. Pretty bird.

Anyway, the point is, if you like to save money, sign up for Bargain Moose’s daily e-mails! I truly think there’s something for everyone’s greedy intentions of keeping their money to themselves. For example, today’s deals included the newegg.ca discount code I just mentioned, a notice about reduced tea prices at mightyleaf.ca, 15% off at silverjeans.com, a “bogo” type deal at Bath and Body Works stores, an Always/Tampax free-sample kit, a free gift with minimum purchase of Melissa and Doug toys at Mastermind Toys, 20% off back-to-school clothes at Purl Mama, free shipping at Bluenotes, and a free photo album with minimum purchase at kodakgallery.ca.

For more discounts, I also use save.ca, which sends grocery-store coupons right to your door. Where do you like to find your deals?

My lovely Elga two-door wardrobe from IKEA, and the pretty Malla boxes that look so neat and tidy inside it. Please ignore the finger smudges on the doors. I just washed them yesterday, for God’s sake!

Voila! My latest closet, newly installed a couple weeks ago (thanks to the Darcys, both brother and boyfriend, and dad for putting it together!). The reason for its purchase was because the closet in the bedroom seemed too small for me, as I have more things to store than Darcy, and the closet just seemed more practical for him. Lies! Ahem…

During these initial closet discussions, I had the bravery to suggest that if all of my things didn’t fit into my wardrobe, perhaps, maybe, I could use the spare space in Darcy’s closet? This idea was met with one of the most withering looks I have ever seen. I saw this look a few times over the course of the clothing-storage saga, which reached its climax when I was emptying my boxes and putting away the last of my clothes. Interrupted by the need to go to Wal-Mart for a second time that day to buy hangers, I was then accused of being a hoarder, and then told that I absolutely had to get rid of some clothes. Filled with panic, I refused to do anything about the hangers/space/clothes problem for about an hour. Instead, I stewed about what to do, even though Darcy was right and the answer was obvious: bye-bye clothes.

Since I had to perform this tricky operation, I decided to be ruthless in its execution, and started going through my closet and the piles of clothes on the bed with wild abandon. This had a small stain! That had a small hole! This was slightly ill-fitting! That’s an old T-shirt! I haven’t worn this in a long time! Bonanzas, bozos, and bazookas!

Breathless but satisfied with my progress, I called Darcy in to take a look at my two boxes of discarded items. “That doesn’t look like very much” was the response. I stared at him blankly.

Suffice it to say, nothing else was put in those boxes, and they made it to the Salvation Army as is.

See anything you recognize from previous posts?

And, just so you can see what I passed on, here is Darcy’s closet. As you can see, he doesn’t lack for clothes, either, but I’m pretty sure I could still fit some things in there…

Darcy’s wardrobe on display in his Selectives Custom Closet Organizer and Skubb boxes.

Happy Birthday to me!

Greetings, De Facto Redhead readers! I have to apologize for my extremely intermittent postings – moving from Alberta to Ontario has been a huge process that isn’t even finished yet! Since I left Wildrose Country on June 26, I have lived in a college residence in Oakville, moved onward to Erin’s place in Hamilton, and then back north again to Burlintgton into my and Darcy’s apartment. But do you think everything went smoothly along the way? Um, no, it didn’t. First, our car was broken into in Hamilton – driver’s side window smashed – and our new GPS was stolen. No! Second, we didn’t have hot water over the long weekend in August, the weekend we moved in. Darcy and I actually boiled water in a roasting pan on the stove. Hi, Laura Ingalls! Third, Bell kept us waiting for over a week for Internet, thanks to their incompetence and unreliable records. A $50 credit placated me, but not enough to cease the bad-mouthing. Fourth, I scratched and dented the rental car we had while our car was in the shop being repaired. I was at IKEA and scratched the car along a small stone wall that I was parked beside. It was horrible, dreadful, and just plain loathsome! And, I had just negotiated a discount on some slightly beat-up shelving, so my proud moment was ruined by this considerably larger concern.

But, there are good things too! I turned 28 at the beginning of August, the new apartment is slowly but surely coming together (instead of purple bedroom walls, I now have blue ones!), I had a fabulous time at my friend Caroline’s birthday dinner at Brasaii on Friday, and I changed all my addresses last week, which means I am officially an Ontario resident again! Once I get more of the apartment decorated, however, I will post pictures for your voyeuristic pleasure, but until then, this outfit from Friday’s party is just going to have to do!

Shoes, Guess via The Bay; skirt, H&M; top, Forever 21; bracelets mixture of vintage and gifts; earrings, gift; ring, Aldo Accessories.

Dinner was at 7, and I have to admit, I felt ridiculously overdressed for walking around in broad daylight like this, but what’s a girl to do? Through humidity, stilettos, a short, tight skirt, and scratchy subway seats, a woman’s got to do her best to strut it, no?

FYI: You might recognize this skirt from Erin’s birthday party, and the top from my latest Tally It Up total.

Here lies my shopping bounty, all of which was purchased between May 26 and July 19. Already, two things have been sullied, and that’s the sunglasses and the owl necklace. Firstly, poor Mr. Owl has a broken link and he hangs lopsided from my neck, but Darcy said he could solder it back together, so one of my next adventures could involve finding such a tool for him to do this with. Can’t wait for that, especially since I only found out in the last five years that “solder” is not pronounced at all like it’s spelled. Secondly, ink leaked from a pen in my purse and, among other things, found its way onto my white sunglasses that I hadn’t even had for a week. Wrath was nigh.

But, let’s take stock of the loot as a whole, shall we? If we travel from the bottom right and work clockwise, we have:

A lovely yellow V-neck T-shirt from Wal-Mart ($7); a vintage white seagull brooch ($4) and Mr. Owl ($22) that I bought at the Lacombe Secondhand store while in Alberta; a 1987 Edmonton Klondike Days pin from the Rocky Mountain Antique Mall in Edmonton ($3); a black tuxedo vest from H&M ($10); coloured sandals from Reitmans ($16); black sandals from Forever 21 ($19.80); a black and white retro-style bikini from Joe Fresh ($12 each for top and bottom); (once-pristine) white sunglasses from Joe Fresh ($7); a nautical three-quarter-length-sleeve shirt-dress from H&M ($7); a pink-with-black-and-jewelled-ruffle-collar T-shirt from Forever 21 ($9.99); and a funky, screaming-loud wallet from Winners ($24.99). Missing from this picture is an item I forgot to include but later recalled: a red souvenir T-shirt with an outline of a moose on it ($19.99). (Darcy and I both bought T-shirts when we got back into Ontario; his is black with a big wolf’s head on the front and back – and the wolf has green, glowing eyes. Take from that description what you will.)

So, total spent here, with tax, is $188.21, and that brings my official Tally it Up 2010 total to $464.73. The year is half over, and I haven’t even hit $500 yet, so I’m going to give myself a box of doughnuts and a bag of candy for that little feat, and call it a day.

Susie, Jen, Kristy, and me!

Here I am, at the Parkdale Drink in Toronto, loving every minute of Jen’s bridal shower not just because it’s Jen, but because this was my first official Ontario outing! Yay! It felt weird, like I was just there visiting, but after spending the weekend with Darcy’s family in the Sarnia area, meeting up with my friends last night for our Summerlicious dinner at our choice of Bella Vista, and another upcoming Summerlicious dinner with Darcy at La Fenice and then a house party with friends afterward, I am definitely warming up to this whole moving home thing. Like I really needed to warm up to it… Ha!

In other news, I have bought more clothing and accessories, so I really have to get my tally on track and add up what I have spent since the last time I updated my experiment. This is when it actually might seem a little scary – the total amount of shopping I’ve participated in for a month and a half. Eeep!

Also, Darcy and I have found a new place to live – in Burlington! Right now, we’re house-sitting in Hamilton for Dear Edna and her boyfriend, Mikey J., who are away on their fabulous European adventure, but as of August 1, I will be De Facto Redhead from Burlington, my official new location, same time, same station.

I can tell you, though, I will be happy to have access to all of my wardrobe again. I have been living on a calorie-reduced diet of a suitcase’s worth of clothing until we move into our new place, and just let me say, I’m starving! I do, however, like to gorge on accessories, and they really help when I’m feeling desperate and need to binge. “Give me multiple brooches or else the cat gets it!” Here’s my “closet”:

Care to try my diet?

For me, the last month has been late to bed, early to rise, with a hearty dash of work, life, social engagements and sheer tiredness all thrown in for good measure. I’ll be sure to give more updates about my new life in Ontario (I just arrived yesterday – give me a break! Haha!), but for now, while I’m still getting settled in and organized, here are some pictures to keep you happy!

I made this box out of several other boxes. There’s a big DVD shelf in there! I am quite proud of this box, and I should be – it took me two hours to complete!

I used two big cans and two small cans of primer to completely cover my blue, purple, pink, and taupe walls in the apartment. My hands were so sore from holding the paint roller and pressing it against the walls. Claw hands! Claw hands! But, got the deposit back, so my gnarled fingers were worth it.

The much-required winch-strap set for the rooftop luggage.

The start of deciding how to fit the last of our stuff in the back of the car.

We were one of those loaded-down vehicles on the road that people with nothing in their cars make fun of.

So long, Alberta!

An idyllic picture on the Prairies.

I actually kind of blend in here.

I’m here! I’m here!

My mom was happy to see us!

Shoes, Forever 21; tights, gift from Mom; shorts, Urban Behaviour; belt, vintage; T-shirt, Wal-Mart; bracelets, vintage; earrings, gift from Jen.

The sequined shorts live! Today is the debut of these babies, and I have to admit while getting ready this afternoon I had my reservations. I even wavered into buyer’s remorse territory. *Shudder* I was with Kristy when I bought them, so I was worried her enthusiastic encouragement (“Those are so you!”), plus the fact that the shorts were half-price, had clouded my shopping vision. Nay! Now that I can see the shorts in action, after much closet-content deliberation, my love and faith in all things sequined is renewed. I know sequins aren’t for everyone, and in such quantities as this, can shock the eyes, as evidenced by these four reactions I had at work tonight, which I wrote down immediately afterward for blogging purposes:

“Tell those hot pants to cool it!”

“I need sunglasses to look at you.”

“Oooooooh! Sparkly!”

“Whoa!”

What’s your reaction? More “the horror!” than “me likey!”? Or the opposite? Go, sequins, go!

Of course it was on sale!

Last Wednesday I had go and take care of a less-than-desirable errand – an oil change. I am pro-car, yet anti-car. I don’t like dealing with anything car-related, but I love having a car to take to the grocery store. What’s a girl to do? Shop, that’s what. Luckily, located in the same plaza as Canadian Tire were a few stores I could peruse while waiting for the work on my car to be finished. The shops in the vicinity weren’t ones I normally go into, but I had to work with what I had – this was a browsing emergency!

First stop, Reitmans. Quick scan, try on one pair of sandals, reject, exit. A Paderno kitchen store was next. Leisurely stroll, shock at the prices, buy nothing. Stop at Quiznos for a sub. Annoyed that there is no regular mustard, only honey mustard. Buy sub anyway, on a medium-size bun. Grow increasingly disgusted with honey mustard and reject sandwich along with sandals at Reitmans. Irritated with self for not buying the smaller size of sandwich, even with knowledge that medium-size sandwich would have medium-sized serving of honey mustard. Head to Zellers to check out clearance sections. Score above necklace, negating other bad experiences of afternoon. Buy necklace, US Weekly, and gum. Walk back to Canadian Tire and read celebrity gossip in waiting room. Score deal on oil change – sale on synthetic Mobil 1 oil. Yep, I said it – it’s me, talkin’ shop about synthetic Mobil 1 oil.

Tally it Up total: necklace from Zellers – $3.13; overall total so far in 2010 – $276.52

I’ll take five!

Hi, friends! Sorry I have been so incommunicado on here lately. I do have a good reason, though…I’m moving! Not just moving apartments, but moving way, way across the country to Ontario. Back to my homeland! An Ontario girl for all my life, minus the three years I have been an honorary Albertan, I am beyond excited to be heading back home to my family and friends who I have only seen about twice a year since 2007. That might actually seem like a lot for someone who lives over 3,000 kilometres away, but I’m a greedy type of person who likes my people where I can see ‘em! And see them I will, once Darcy and I hit the open road sometime at the end of June. (HUGE thanks to mine and Darcy’s families and friends for all their help so far – before we have even an Ontario address! Blind faith is a wonderful thing. Haha!)

So, since I have been busy organizing my upcoming new life that’s going to exist in the Oakville area, just outside Toronto, I haven’t been putting much creative effort into my outfits, hence the lack of Fashion and Me posts. I’ve been up late at night, and then often up early (because having to go to work doesn’t stop being a reality, unfortunately!), so my uniform has become jeans with a simple T-shirt tucked in, with a belt and minimal jewelry. It’s an easy look that’s quick to throw together when I’m bleary-eyed and forgetful and entirely lacking the motivation to mix and match. It doesn’t help, either, that I’m liquidating my furniture (and what seems like my entire apartment!), and everything that was in my dresser is now in a pile on the floor. It’s kind of sad to see my things getting carted out the door, and I was super-resistant to the Great Liquidation of 2010 when Darcy was pushing for it, but I have come around to the practicalities of it. Why was I holding sentiment with an IKEA dresser, anyway? Or a desk? It does seem pretty silly. And, I remember once, when my brother and I were moving a different dresser of mine to our parents’ storage unit (ye olde lockup!), we accidentally let part of it drop and the entire thing splintered down the middle. We laughed our heads off. Conclusion: dressers don’t matter!

But, what used to be on top of my dresser DOES – and that’s my jewelry. My precious, precious jewelry! This is a post/visual treat I have been meaning to do for a while, and it doesn’t involve me thinking about an outfit, so without further ado, I present the jewelry box of De Facto Redhead! (Remember, you can click on the picture to make it bigger and get a better view!)

Recognize anything from previous Fashion and Me posts? How many pairs of earrings do you think I have in there? And, just so you know, there are more earrings underneath the drawer thing where my rings are, and there are more yet in the little doors that are closed. I also have an extra Rubbermaid thing with drawers that houses the rest of my necklaces and beads. You thought this was all I had for necklaces? Sheer naivete, that….

Shoes, Aldo; tights, Secret; dress, Garage; jacket, KensieGirl; earrings, Forever 21.

Brooch, Forever 21; purse, Aldo; bracelet, vintage.

Happy Birthday to Tracey! Above is what I wore last night to celebrate friend and co-worker Tracey’s birthday at restaurant Il Pasticcio and bar Prohibition. Consensus of the evening: hot buns pre-meal were great – I had two, which I knew was a mistake because of the large pasta dish that was looming in my near future, but I want to know who can resist a hot bread basket? WHO?! Said looming pasta dish “Pasticcio” was “five varieties of pasta, with two types of cheese baked and served with tomato alfredo sauce.” And yes, I did get extra Parmesan sprinkled (i.e. poured) on my plate. Mmmmmm….cheese coma. Moving on, celebratory “My Little Pony” martinis that were some sort of berry blend of pure alcohol were just OK – looking back, not worth buying two, which I did. Whoops.

Off to Prohibition, somewhere I hadn’t been before. The highlight for Tracey was the bocce-ball lanes inside the bar, and from the looks of the pictures from last night, she REALLY enjoyed her time on the dusty pitch. The highlight for me, though, was the $4 Absolut flavoured-vodka special – one cranberry juice and peach vodka, please! OK, sure I’ll have two. But, despite that decision, I was good little editor (mucho work to do today on current book edit), and went home at midnight after the other ladies decided to mosey on over to another bar where there was dancing. I admit, the temptation was strong – I love to dance! – but practicality won out. What wasn’t practical, however, and whose price was entirely out of my control, was my cab ride home. I was Miss. Economical Super Saver on my way to dinner and took the required bus-subway-bus-walking route to the restaurant, but since I didn’t feel like getting assaulted last night (go figure!) I opted for a taxi. Um, the meter started at $6.60!!! I thought (and still think) that was outrageous! Luckily, I didn’t have a long cab ride to suffer through while I steamed in the back seat about the rising fare, but I will say that I was still fairly close to fuming at what seemed like every traffic light turning red as the driver approached it. Me no likey.

As a complete 180 (360? I can never remember this turn of phrase.) from dressing up last night (and during which at no point was I jacket-less – I just thought the dress deserved to be revealed to you in its $10 glory since it stayed covered up derniere nuit), I got out of bed at noon, edited for a large portion of the day, and did nothing with my appearance other than put my hair in a ponytail and change out of plaid pyjama pants and a ratty T-shirt into Adidas pants and an even rattier T-shirt that my dad bought me from the Hard Rock cafe in Vancouver when I was about 13. I’m not kidding. And with that lovely visual, I said good-day!