Author: edebock

What’s in your purse?

/ edebock / 2 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3

A friend of mine once reached into her handbag and pulled out half a hamburger wrapped in a paper napkin! It had been there for several days and was practically petrified.

What’s the most unusual thing in your purse?

Here’s what’s in mine right now:

  • leather clutch wallet purchased 8 years ago in Japan that contains driver’s licence, health care cards, cash, credit cards, receipts, business cards, an expired State of Israel Border Control Stay Permit and a reloadable Japanese Pasmo card that can be used for anything from train and bus travel to shopping. (The last two items are non-essentials, but they don’t take up any space and they bring back memories that make me smile every time I see them!)
  • cell phone
  • keys
  • pens
  • small folder containing rewards cards
  • cheque book
  • notebook
  • address book
  • calendar/planner
  • small pack of tissue
  • an ultra compact reusable shopping bag
  • 2 small cosmetic bags containing lip balm, lipstick, nail clippers, emery board, tiny foldable scissors, bandaids, eyeglass cleaning cloth, allergy and headache medication, a small tube of hand lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste
  • ziploc snack bag of almonds

Until recently, I was a one purse person, carrying the same bag for months on end without ever switching. The purse we carry is part of our overall fashion statement, however, and since boring is not the message I want to give about myself, my collection of handbags has started to grow and I’ve figured out how to switch quickly and easily from one to another. The trick is to organize the contents of your purse into smaller bags that can be transferred from one bag to another with ease.

I’m presently using this one a lot. I love it’s carefree summer look and the fact that it’s big enough to carry extras like sunscreen, sunglasses, my camera and even a hat. From The Sak, I won it last summer and first posted about it here.

IMG_5418

What do you carry in your purse?

 

Modesty and cultural sensitivity

/ edebock / 4 Comments

IMG_3548

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3Visitors who dress immodestly will no longer be allowed to enter Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temple complex, the agency that oversees the site announced last week. Beginning August 4th, all tourists will be required to wear pants or skirts that fall below the knee and shirts that cover their shoulders.

When I read that, I immediately went back to our photos from Jan 4, 2009 to see what we were wearing the day we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is also Cambodia’s biggest tourist attraction. Would we meet the new standard, I wondered.

We got up at 4:30 a.m. the day we toured Angkor Wat so that we could be there in time to watch the sun rise over it’s towers. It was still a bit chilly when we arrived and at that point, dressed in a warm fleece hoodie and capri pants, I would definitely have met the new dress code.

IMG_3507

Richard would not have, however, as he was wearing shorts and later, in the heat of the day, I wouldn’t have either.

I almost hate to post that picture because I look so frumpy, but please keep in mind that we were basically backpacking through southeast Asia. We had just traveled the length of Vietnam by night bus and we were staying in a $12/night guesthouse that wasn’t much more than a roof over our heads. I may not have looked great, but I was having the adventure of a lifetime and fashion was the farthest thing from my mind!

The question here, though, is what is modesty? My tank top may not be particularly attractive, but is it immodest?

In 1 Timothy 2:9, the apostle Paul advises women to “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation” but he doesn’t give a lot of detail about what that looks like. He does go on to say, “not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing” but to understand what he was getting at, one needs to look at the culture and the context. In this passage, Paul was advising women on how to dress for church, telling them to adorn themselves in a manner that was considered appropriate for worship. In Ephesus, where his protégé, Timothy, was pastoring at the time, the elite of that culture were known for their gaudy and extravagant wardrobes, their elaborate hair styles, and their expensive clothing that communicated extraordinary wealth. Paul’s description of immodest dress conjured up a picture of someone preoccupied with appearance, fashion, luxury, and perhaps even sexual prowess. He was simply advising the Christian women of that time and place not to mimic that behaviour, but to dress in a way that showed that they desired attention to be on God, not on themselves.

Dictionary definitions of modesty include “behavior, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency” and “the quality of behaving and especially dressing in ways that do not attract sexual attention.”

In discussing dress codes, it’s important to note that modesty must involve cultural sensitivity. We don’t find the wearing of shorts or sleeveless tops offensive here in North America,  but Cambodia is a completely different culture. Angkor Wat was the spiritual centre of the Khmer empire that dominated that region from the 9th to 15th centuries. It’s a symbol of great national pride and is depicted on the Cambodian flag. As such, it is worthy of utmost respect. If, to the Cambodian mind, that means a certain manner of dress, then visitors definitely need to honour that.

Though it’s unlikely that I will return to Angkor Wat (only because there’s so much world that I have yet to see), but if I do, I won’t be wearing a tank top. If you haven’t been yet, I would definitely suggest adding it to your bucket list, but make sure you pack accordingly. After August 4th, those who are not dressed appropriately will be turned away or required to change their clothes before being allowed to enter.

IMG_3496

IMG_3532

IMG_3530

 

Brand new, but second-hand

/ edebock / Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3

I volunteered at the Good As New, our local thrift shop, on Wednesday afternoon and had hoped to find something new to share with you today, but that was not to be. Though I tried on several items, some didn’t fit and others simply didn’t inspire me. Then I remembered that I had yet to wear one of my recent frugal fashionista purchases.

IMG_2004

The royal blue sleeveless top, originally from Laura, one of my favourite Canadian fashion retailers, still had it’s original $65 price tag on it when I bought it for just $2! I can’t imagine why anyone would buy a garment and then donate it to a thrift store without ever wearing it, but the Good As New has recently set aside one rack especially for brand new items because they receive so many of them. Obviously, in spite of our present economic downturn, we are still a culture of excess!

IMG_1968

When I was young, I refused to wear anything without sleeves because I was very self-conscious about my skinny, toothpick arms. Once I started working out, however, I began to feel differently and now I’m very comfortable in sleeveless tops and dresses.

The polyester/spandex top is just loose enough to hide the little bit extra that I carry around my waist these days and the silver grommets around the neckline and on the shoulders dress it up a bit.

IMG_1997

My sister and I are off on a road trip to visit our brother’s family this weekend. Perhaps this outfit should go with me. The white jacket is a hand-me-down from my daughter, or perhaps I should call it a hand-me-up! The pants are the white crops that I’ve featured in a couple of other posts recently and the shoes are a favourite pair of denim flats from Payless ShoeSource that are several years old and, sadly, almost worn out.

IMG_1962

 

Black lace

/ edebock / 5 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3Lace is on-trend for 2016 for both evening and stylish daytime wear. My latest frugal fashionista (thrift store) purchase, a black lace top, is feminine without being too girly and, unlike some lace garments, it doesn’t remind me of my grandmother’s curtains!

For me, versatility is an important factor when I’m shopping for clothes and this top definitely fits that bill. It can be worn with dressy pants, jeans, capris or even a pencil skirt. It isn’t lined, so I can wear it over any number of different camisoles. It looks good over both black and white, but I especially like it over khaki as shown below.

IMG_1935

Black has never been the best look for me, but the khaki camisole underneath seems to soften the overall effect. Even so, this much black close to my face can leave me a bit tired looking. Adding a little extra colour to my face helps overcome that. Hence, the bright lipstick, something that I seldom wear.

Considering the fact that I seem to be perpetually packing and unpacking our suitcases, I also think about how well a garment will pack before I buy it. Again, this top works well. It takes up hardly any space, weighs practically nothing and doesn’t wrinkle. It has to be hand washed, but I can easily wash it out in a hotel sink (after all, isn’t that what they’re for?) and hang it overnight to dry.

At just $2, this was definitely a bargain! I wore it to a conference last week, to church on Sunday and here, I’m wearing it for a day of shopping.

IMG_1949

That brings me to another recent purchase. I bought this handbag brand new at a garage sale for just $8! It still had its tags on, the handles and zipper pulls were still wrapped and the tiny silica gel packs were still inside. It had clearly never been used.

No, it isn’t a Tory Burch (I’ve been asked twice), it’s from La Terre Fashion, but what do you expect at a garage sale? It’s very well made and I love it!

IMG_1562

Frugal fashionista!

/ edebock / 6 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3I looked through my closets yesterday and counted 24 garments purchased at our two nearest thrift stores; the Good As New here in Sedgewick and Twice Nice in the neighbouring town of Killam. Add to that a couple of belts, several scarves, a pair of shoes and a favourite necklace and I am clearly a frugal fashionista!

In our area there’s no stigma attached to shopping second hand. In fact, the shops are social gathering places frequented by people of every social and economic status and, for many of us, searching their racks for bargains has become a delightful game.

Richard and I were invited to the home of friends for dessert and drinks last evening. Here’s what I chose to wear.

IMG_1923

The sleeveless cowl neck top (originally from Reitmans), the necklace and the shoes were all purchased at the Good As New for a grand total of $9. The pants were bought new a couple of summers ago.

Over the next few Fridays, I’ll be sharing more of my thrift store finds, evidence that it’s possible to dress with style even on a limited budget.

What about you? Do you shop thrift stores too?

Art on my arm

/ edebock / 4 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3No, I’m not talking about a tattoo! I’m actually referring to a favourite bracelet that is, in fact, a piece of wearable art.

When I arrived at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute for my treatment last fall, there was an Art Society of Strathcona County show and sale going on in the main reception area. Of course, I had to stop and take a look! There were several paintings that caught my eye, but I especially admired a unique bracelet made by artist, Barbara Mitchell.

IMG_1878

Imagine my surprise on Christmas morning when I opened a gift from my husband, who was with me that day at the Cross, and discovered the beautiful bracelet inside! Sneaky guy!

People often comment on it and because it has a somewhat Asian look, they usually assume that I got it when we lived in China or Japan. Their surprise at learning that it actually originated much closer to home led me to contact the artist and ask her about the process she used to make it.

Barbara graciously replied explaining the process that she uses for two different types of bracelets.

I take every single piece of glass in the bracelets…and I turn them over, handpaint on them using inks, mica powders, luminere, etc…then I seal them and after it dries I glue on a piece of white cardboard which brings the colors out. Then I file them all and glue them into the bracelet blanks.

In the case of your lovely bracelet, I take my original paintings or tile art paintings…and I make a copy of them…seal it…file it into the round or oval shape…glue it into the bracelet. It’s all alot of work but I enjoy doing it.

IMG_1485 - Version 2

I love having Peace, Hope, Faith and Believe circling my wrist!

We’re winking again!

/ edebock / 3 Comments

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since my daughter and I put on our blue eyeshadow and participated in Wink Day 2015, but here it is again and as it turns out, I’m at her house again.

What is Wink Day, you ask? It’s a day set aside by the Canadian beauty industry, through it’s charitable foundation, Beauty Gives Back, in support of women going through the social and emotional challenges of the Cancer Blues. Women across Canada are  encouraged to post pictures and videos of themselves wearing blue eyeshadow (with the hashtag #winkday) as a way of raising awareness of the Cancer Blues. The Cancer Blues is a term, coined by Beauty Gives Back, to describe the emotional distress caused by cancer and its treatment, an often ignored consequence of the disease that can seriously affect a person’s ability to fight and thrive through the ordeal.

IMG_1898

My daughter looks great in blue eyeshadow, but me, not so much! “It ages you,” she told me as we applied our make-up and I think she’s right. For Wink Day, however, I’ll put vanity aside.

For over 20 years, Beauty Gives Back has supported tens of thousands of Canadian women through the Cancer Blues with programs such as Look Good Feel Better and FacingCancer.ca. Look Good Feel Better workshops are free of charge to all women with cancer and are designed to help them feel better about themselves and thus face their illness with greater confidence. Over 1800 volunteer cosmetic advisers and hair alternative specialists give generously of their time to bring the two hour seminars to cancer care centres across the country. I was so impressed with my own Look Good Feel Better experience that I’m now a spokesperson for the program helping promote the twice a year fundraising galas put on by Shopper’s Drug Mart, one of the program’s biggest sponsors.

Though I’ve been diagnosed with two completely unrelated cancers over the past three years, one of which is incurable, I must admit that I haven’t experienced the degree of mental distress that many victims of the Cancer Blues do. I attribute this to my faith, my wonderfully supportive family and friends, a great cancer care team and the fact that, so far, my treatment has been successful. My disease is stable and I’m able to live a reasonably normal life. I do, however, love those occasions when I’m someplace where no one knows that I’m the woman with cancer; moments when I can almost forget about it myself.

On days like Wink Day, however, I’m eager to do my part to raise awareness even if it means looking totally silly! It’s not too late to join the fun. Simply post a picture or a video  of yourself wearing blue eyeshadow on social media anytime before the end of June (with the hashtag #winkday) or visit winkday.ca to find out how else you can help.

IMG_1896

 

Abaya

/ edebock / 5 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3I spent last Saturday at our church’s 16th annual ladies retreat. This year’s theme was Pilgrimage and as part of the program, my friend, Leigh, shared her testimony, the very moving story of God’s intervention and work in her life, and I did a slide presentation on our recent visit to Jerusalem.

Almost two months ago, when the retreat was still in the planning stages, I received this message from Leigh.

Screen Shot 2016-06-08 at 3.18.18 PM

I had never heard the word “abaya” before, but I quickly Googled the term and learned that an abaya (pronounced a-buy-a) is “a loose-fitting full-length robe worn by some Muslim women.” In the photo that Leigh sent me it looked quite beautiful, so I let her know that I’d love to try it on. When I slipped it on later that evening, I felt like a princess!

IMG_1865

It fit as if it had been made to measure and, believe it or not, I even had a pair of orange sandals that matched it perfectly! I quickly sent Leigh a message with a photo and here’s the conversation that followed.

Screen Shot 2016-06-08 at 3.29.37 PM

I was blown away by her generosity!

Sometimes worn as an outer garment over other clothing, a traditional abaya is often black and covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands, but like most other clothing, colours and styles vary from region to region. You can find some beautiful examples here. In some Muslim countries, abayat are worn with head coverings and/or veiled faces.

Though mine looks like two pieces, it is actually an all-in-one garment. Apparently, it was handmade and the detailing on it is exquisite. With no zippers, buttons or snaps, it simply slipped over my head and in a moment I was fully dressed and completely transformed!

IMG_1868

When I asked for the story behind the abaya, Leigh told me that both the one that she wore and the one that is now mine were gifts from Arab friends in the community where she used to live. Mine, from Syria, is one that would normally be worn as a wedding dress by a village girl. She jokingly told me to tell my husband that he now owes my father the bride price of nineteen goats and one red camel!

abaya

Photo: Doris Johnson

 

I’m a survivor!

/ edebock / 4 Comments

2016-NCSD-logo-166

Today is National Cancer Survivors Day, a day set aside to celebrate the more than 32 million people around the world who have battled the disease and to raise awareness of the challenges that many of them face.

So what is a survivor? To many, the term ‘cancer survivor’ suggests a person who has beaten their cancer; perhaps one who has been cancer free for several years, but I like the definition used by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. “A ‘survivor’ is anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.”

In other words, I am a survivor!

I live with cancer every day. Unless a cure is found for neuroendocrine cancer (NETS) within my lifetime or God performs a miracle on my behalf, I will never be cancer free. People have a hard time grasping the idea of a chronic cancer. The usual assumption is that patients either die of their disease or they are cured, thereby becoming cancer survivors, but I look at my situation differently. I may die of my cancer or I may die with it, but either way, I am a survivor! Fortunately my disease is stable at this point and it doesn’t significantly impact my day to day life. A schedule of monthly injections and biannual treatments restricts my previous worldwide wanderings a bit, but I recognize that every day is a gift.

I’m also a cancer survivor in the more tradition sense, as in one who had the disease, but is now free of it. As many of you know, seven months after my NETS diagnosis, I was diagnosed with a second, completely unrelated cancer that was removed surgically. Six weeks of radiation followed and, since that time, there has been no recurrence. That possibility still exists, of course, but in the meantime I will continue to live life to the fullest.

I am, after all, a survivor!

Ideas and inspiration

/ edebock / 9 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3I often get fashion ideas and inspiration from other bloggers. Not long ago, Alyson Walsh of That’s Not My Age, wrote a post entitled “How to wear a white shirt and not look basic“. After reading it, I felt inspired to pull out the white shirt that’s been hanging in my closet for the past couple of years and try wearing it again. I bought it because a white shirt is a basic item that it seems every woman should have, but I’ve never felt totally comfortable wearing it. Perhaps I just didn’t know how to style it.

When I saw this picture of Alyson wearing her white shirt with white jeans and a denim jacket, I immediately thought of my new white crop pants and wondered if I could pull off a similar look.

Here I am in my Alyson inspired outfit.

IMG_1813

It was okay, but I thought it might look better if my shirt and jacket weren’t exactly the same length so I tried this combination instead and voila! I’d found a look that I was really happy with. In fact, this is what I wore to church last Sunday and I received several compliments. Thank you, Alyson!

IMG_1810

The charcoal jacket from Bianca Nygard is a little shorter and lighter weight than my Gap jean jacket. The silver threads running through it and its big sparkly buttons also give it a dressier look. Both jackets were bought almost new at our local thrift store for less than $5 apiece.

Now that my white shirt has seen the light of day again and I actually enjoyed wearing it, perhaps I’ll wear it more often. If you look very closely, however, you’ll notice that it isn’t a perfect fit. It’s a wee bit snug across the bust and gapes just a little. I could cover that by buttoning the jacket as Alyson has done, but I might actually keep my eye out for another one that’s a little looser and longer.

What about you? Where do you get your fashion ideas and inspiration from?