Saying good bye to Vancouver Island all over again

Outfit details

1940s/1950s black hat with red fabric rosettes: Etsy (the shop that I got it from is no longer in business)
Red plastic rose earrings: Claire's
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Fitted black cotton blazer: Banana Republic
Fitted red top: Urban Planet (I think - bought it years ago)
Black cotton cami: Real Canadian Superstore
c. 1940s plastic novelty binoculars brooch: eBay
1950s seashell novelty print skirt: eBay
Black cinch belt: Hip Hop 50s Style
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
Vintage bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
Black crocheted purse: Thrifted (Value Village)
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Black pumps: Payless Shoes
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red
Photography by Tony Cangiano  

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By complete and total coincidence, today marks exactly five months since these photos were taken on the very last day of our awesome two week long trip to Vancouver Island. It's genuinely hard to believe that so much time has passed since then. It feels like mere moments ago that I was standing out there on the deck of the ferry, wee rain drops dancing around us as icy winds blew over the Pacific and rippled my skin with goose bumps.

As with most final days of vacations that you've adored, this one had a note of bitter sweetness to it. Tony and I both enjoyed our time on the Island immensely and I personally found a certain kinship with it that I've almost rarely discovered elsewhere in my travels. Yet, we were starting to miss our comfortable bed at home, having more than one bathroom, and most of all, our darling pets. Thus, with misty eyes we said goodbye with love in our hearts for this stunning part of Canada, vowing to return again as soon as possible.

The weather wasn't in any kind of mood to cooperate, so we didn't get a lot of photos that day (and it was impossible for me not to squint up a storm in those that we did due to the wind), but thankfully we have a few to remember it by.

I'd purchased this darling 1950s novelty skirt on eBay a few months prior, once it was locked down for certain that our 2014 holiday destination was going to be Vancouver Island, which floats merrily in the Pacific. I didn't get a chance to wear it earlier in the trip, so I made sure to sport it on the last day - not knowing when I'd be anywhere in the vicinity of an honest-to-goodness ocean again next.

Its smile-inducingly sweet pattern of shells, seaweed and triangles is super fun and stands amongst one of my favourite novelty prints in my whole wardrobe. It will definitely be coming with me on future trips to the sea (and the beaches here in the Okanagan).




I've said it before and I'll say it here again today, we had an amazing, action packed time on Vancouver Island. From the charming little private mid-century house (pictured above) that we rented on Airbnb to stay in, to the many fabulous experiences (several of which, such as going whale watching and feeding a little herd of seals, were complete firsts for both of us), to simply getting away from the daily grind for a while, this vacation stands as one of the most memorable and enjoyable of my life.

Though I was knackered to the nth degree by the end (I can so see it in my face here), I was also deeply happy and filled with that certain nameless sense of deeply rooted contentment that comes from getting to experience a truly fantastic - and much needed - holiday for a few days.

As things stand now, Tony and I don't have any set plans in place for a trip in 2015. Given our shared passion for traveling though, it's highly likely that we will be hitting the highway (or high seas!) again, if only for a weekend or two here and there as this year progresses, the weather improves, and our wanderlust reaches a tipping point.

I truly loved sharing about our trip both during the fact (on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) and here on my blog in the weeks and now months since we’ve returned home. Wherever we venture next, you can rest assured that we'll have a camera in hand and that there will be lots more fun travel related posts to follow. I can hardly wait!

A charming 1950s novelty print skirt for a morning spent at the Penticton Farmer's Market

Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
Brown velvet Frank Palma vintage hat: etsy seller Nostalgia Vintage
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Brown cotton cami: Forever 21
Turquoise blue cardigan: Cleo
Edwardian inspired dangle brooch: eBay  Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
1950s/60s Orange gloves: etsy seller Revvie1
Striped purse: Jones New York
1950s autumn forest novelty print skirt: eBay
Nude seamed stockings: eBay
Dark brown faux letter heels: Pipsqueaks and Damsels Consignment Store (here in Penticton)
Lip colour: Red Apple Lipstick's Firstorm Lip Gloss over their Red Lipstick
Photography by Antonio Cangiano  














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The Okanagan Valley is amongst the richest agricultural areas in the province (if not all of Canada), producing a massive quantity of fruit and wine each year, thanks to the seemingly endless array of orchards and vineyards that cover much of the available growing land around these parts. However, the area is also fortunate to have an impressive number or local food producers, who create everything from artisan cheeses to beautifully sweet honey, high quality baked goods to Mennonite style sausage.

Many of these items, a cornucopia worthy amount of local produce, and various assorted merchants and crafters can be found each Saturday morning in 100 Block of Main Street here in Penticton at the weekly farmer's market, where stall after stall beckons onlookers with their mouth-watering assortment of raw and cooked foods alike.

When I was a youngster, the farmer's market was a whole lot smaller than it is today (it used to take place in Gyro Park and didn't run for as long into the year as now does), however over the past decade or so its truly blossomed into one of the highlights of the growing season for the community, the bulk of which (trust me, the size of crowds there could practically give those at Disneyland a run for their money!) comes out several times (if not each weekend) during the market's ample season, which spans May 1st to October 31st.

The one main drawback (in my books) to the fact that the Penticton Farmer's Market takes place on Saturday mornings is that I rarely get a chance to visit it, given that I like to devote as many Saturdays as my health will permit to hitting the local yard sales. Sometimes though, if the garage sale pickings are slim, or I know I have someplace to be at a specific time on Saturday (and thus don’t go yard saling at all), we'll head downtown and enjoy a stroll through the throngs of folks who have come to do the same thing at the outdoor market on Main Street.

It was on a gloriously sun-kissed morning not too long ago when we did just that, and when Tony captured these outfit photos of me before we embarked. The weather, while gorgeous, wasn't exceedingly warm, so I opted for a long sleeved cardigan and one of my very favourite 1950s skirts, which features a darling autumn forest print (so perfect for this time of the year!).

My novelty print collection - be it skirts, dresses, or blouses - isn't that large, so it's a quite the boon when a new piece gets added, such as when I was lucky enough to be the winning eBay bidder on this delightful skirt earlier this year. It's so sweet and fun, and while it's certainly autumnal, it's also the kind of piece that - thanks to it's vibrant palette and relatively light weight cotton - I could totally wear in the spring and summer, too.

Though I didn't dress with that intention in mind, I loved that once we got to the farmer's market, I colour coordinated with some of the produce on offer there, from the tables of squash to the late season peaches, the swoon-worthily yummy looking freshly baked bread to the tender salad greens - my skirt and shoes even went well with the Nutella filled crepe Tony stopped to munch on from a local vendor who specializes just in French style crepes.

Though we didn't buy much, we had a beautiful morning, and I thoroughly loved getting to spend time outdoors, while the weather was still fabulous, in the heart of our little city, surrounded by, and able to help support, the truly wonderful efforts of some of our area's best local food producers.

With October wrapping up in just a couple of weeks, that means the Penticton Farmer's Market will go on hiatus again until May, when it will return with the most tender, tasty crop of asparagus, spring onions, teeny-tiny candy-sweet strawberries, and myriad other ingredients – all of which we'll eagerly, happily, forgo a bit of yard saling for every now and then.