Short Break

WOW that was an unintended break!

Sorry that I have not posted in a while but my life was pretty hectic for a while. Since my last post I have had to finish my final year of University, study for and write a certification exam, find a short term job, graduate University, and start said job (those last four items happened in three days by the way). I have moved back home only to move out of it because we sold the house we have lived in for the past ten years. Now I have finished all of the moving and my work contract has been extended so I can finally settle down, take a breath and get back to blogging.

I promise I will have a brand new, full post soon. I just wanted to say hi and sorry for the disappearance!

Until next time I will be

Just Jacklynn

Thrifted Thursday: Spring Pastels are Here!

Crop Top - White Tiger Vintage

Tank top - H&M

Pants - Vera Moda

Watch - Flea Market

Necklace - Forever 21

Earrings - Aldo

Hi there. This is going to be a very quick (and late) Thrifted Thursday. I have have now completed all of my exams of University and only have one paper left. On top of this my younger brother has moved to Waterloo so I am helping set him up and get acquainted with this wonderful city. Since it is finally starting to look like spring is here I felt like getting into the spirit of things and dress in some spring pastels.

I will return to posting regularly soon. Till then I'll be

Just Jacklynn

Thrifted Thursday: Granny Sweater Weather

Hello Everyone. For today's Thrifted Thursday I though I would share something that has been keeping me very warm lately, the Granny Sweater. The Granny Sweater is definitely not the most flattering of sweaters but it incredibly cozy. This is necessary because while it is spring in many places, here in Waterloo it is still Winter. It even started snowing while we were taking pictures!

Plus how can you not like a sweater that is big enough it is practically a blanket?

 Soooooo cozy (despite its' resemblance to a straight jacket in this picture).

This Thrifted Thursday happens to be a double feature too! I have a thing for pearl strand necklaces and was immediately drawn to this one when i saw it at Value Village. The only problem is that whenever I wear it I cannot stop playing with the chain tassel on the end.

Granny Sweater - White Tiger Vintage

Lace Top - Gloss

Pants - American Eagle

Boots - Aldo

Hat - Target

Necklace - Value Village

A special shout out to my roommate Megan for taking such lovely photos!

Till next time I will be here, just dreaming of Spring.

Just Jacklynn

Crunch Control: Keeping Sane During End of Term

 Sorry I did not post anything last week. It is the final few weeks of my last term of university and it has been crazy. Last week alone I had a midterm, a collective bargaining simulation, and about five other assignments due!

When work for school or life in general gets crazy I have a few things I do to keep the stress from getting to me and I thought I would share a few of them:

1. Music and Tea: these two things are very simple but the small things can make a huge difference. A caffeinated tea can help give you energy and an herbal one can help calm you down if you start feeling stressed. I personally like a strong mint tea if I feel the beginnings of a tension headache start to form. Music works the same way; create a playlist for how you want to feel. You can create your own or go to a website like Songza that has many great playlists already available.

 

2. Work at a Different Location: Sometimes looking at the same four walls can make you feel stagnant. I like studying at cafes because there is always something going on. People watching can be a great study break. An added bonus is that you are motivated not to people watch for too long in order to avoid seeming creepy. I find that I am less likely to spend too much time browsing the internet because of the feeling that people might be watching (and judging) me. Although in psychology this is referred to as the Spotlight Effect and is proven not to be true it can still serve as a source of motivation. The trick to this is finding a place with the right amount of action so it is not too distracting.  

One of my favorite places in Waterloo to study is Cafe 1842 in the Huerther Hotel on King St.

3. Fuel Your Brain: The human brain requires an enormous amount of energy. While it is best to eat food that is high in nutrients in order to supply the brain with this energy sometimes it just feels really satisfying to eat that grilled cheese sandwich you may have been craving. I say go a head and have it but try to balance it out with a side salad. I find if I have too many dense greasy carbs that I get tired and feel sluggish with is not conducive for effective studying. 

You can also use food as small rewards for studying. If you set yourself the goal of studying for an hour straight allow yourself a short break afterwards with a small treat such as a mini cinnamon bun and Chai cider.

 

4. Allow yourself some fun time! No one can study or work constantly for long without feeling burnt out. Allow yourself one or two big fun things that enable you to blow off some steam. I went with my friend, Erin, to see the Danny Bhoy comedy show the Friday before all of my projects were due. I have been a fan of Danny Bhoy since high school and was so excited to see him live! Afterwards Erin and I continued our girls night with wine, episodes of the Mindy Project, and an impromptu dance party. That night left me refreshed with my emotional batteries fully charged to face the week ahead. I had so much fun that I did not mind that I had to miss out on St. Patrick's Day festivities due to a midterm and projects due the next day.

 

We had really close seats for the Danny Bhoy show.

My gorgeous friend, Erin.

I hope my tips for reducing stress can help!

Just Jacklynn

Thrifted Thursday: Keeping It Simple

Dress - Value Village
Fleece-Lined Tights - Gloss
Belt - Was a part of another shirt
Boots - Aldo
Pendant Necklace - Gift
Crystal Necklace - Skirt
Spoon Ring - Flea Market

Hello everyone, today's post is a pretty simple Thrifted Thursday, just like the outfit itself. This purple tunic dress has a great little empire waist and was picked up at Value Village for only $7! It is one of my easiest outfits to wear - just throw it on with a pair of tights and maybe a scarf and some boots and I am out the door in 5 minutes (handy for when I am late for class or brunch plans)

Local Feature: Gloss

Top - Gloss

Pants - American Eagle

Today I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite stores to shop at in Kitchener-Waterloo (this is not a sponsored post). Gloss is a boutique and hair salon located on King St, downtown Kitchener.

I originally found out about Gloss through a Looks on Campus feature on College Fashion. I was so excited because I rarely see anything related to Canada on that website and this feature not only focused on a Canadian student but it mentioned that she liked to shop at an independently owned store in the city in which I lived! I knew I had to check it out immediately.

I headed to downtown Kitchener to check it out and I was not disappointed. The clothes are beautiful and have interesting details that you don't tend to find at stores in a mall. The clothes do tend to a bit more expensive than say H&M and Dynamite but the quality is much higher. While chatting with the owner she shared how she only orders clothes that are made in North America or Europe as a way to ensure the quality of the clothes. I, for one, am impressed by this strategy because it also supports clothing manufactures in North America and Europe. It's these local producers who have to pay their employees decent minimum wages and end up investing in their local community.

I am a huge advocate for buying local and supporting local and independently owned businesses. This is most likely due to my mother owning a small store throughout my adolescence. I have learned through first hand experience not only how much local businesses support the community that they are in but how much local businesses require the support of their community. 

Gloss is a great example of a local business because it provides fantastic products and services and actively gives back to its community. The store hosts monthly give aways that you can participate in by posting you wearing an item that you purchased there on Instagram. If your post has the most likes by the end of the month then you win store credit equal to the value of the original item. I have already won a month of this contest (winning item posted below) and used my credit towards a necklace and a pair of plum pants that I have worn on this blog. The first photo is the outfit that I have entered for the month of February (Please like it here).

Dress - Gloss

Belt - Colorblind

Boots - Spring

Ring - Ardene

As always I will continue to be 

Just Jacklynn 

Thrifted Thursdays: Blue Velvet DIY

 Oh good Lord what am I wearing you ask?

This is a velvet dress that I found at VallueVilliage two years ago. At the time I had a friend who was good with sewing so hemming it wouldn't have been a problem. Unfortunately that never worked out and this sad dress - full of potential - sat in a drawer.

Luckily (for me) velvet is everywhere on the runways these days so I finally bit the bullet and decided that I would hem it myself. I have a whole week off school and the dress only cost me $7 so why not?

I should mention that I have absolutely no sewing skills whatsoever. Still, I am a determined, independent young lady so I would not let that stop me. I found some no-sew hemming tape and got to work. Again the dress was only $7. Even if it didn't work out I would still have had a crafty afternoon which I haven't had for a long time.

 First to go were the shoulder pads.

I cut off about a foot of fabric. The circumference of this dress was so large that the resulting scrap piece of fabric was about 7ft long. One thing I knew about altering clothes/fabrics is that before you do anything to them test it out on a small hidden piece first. I grabbed a chunk of the scrap piece and tested out my iron on it (apparently irons and velvet don't always work) as well as the hemming tape to make sure that it would stick. Both were successful!

I ironed the (inside) panels of the dress to make sure that I had a straight, flat hemline.

Next I lined the pieces of hemming tape a long my new hemline. I bought a PeelNStick version for roughly $6. Other versions of hemming tape require heat to activate the glue but my kind was sticky enough without heat. I was reminded of this fact repeatedly because while trying to place the tape carefully it would get stuck to my fingers and then I would need a new piece.

After aligning my tape along my new hemline I would pull off the paper backing and carefully fold over the excess fabric. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of this step.

This is the final product. I was very happy with the results. The only thing I regret is that it took me two years to get this done!

Dress - ValueVilliage ($7)

Pride & Prejudice Scarf - Gift from roommate

Belt - Colorblind

Tights - Walmart

Boots - Aldo

Headband - Target

LORELAI: She's a craft person now, so it's not safe to leave anything around her anymore.
RORY: Maybe that's where crafty comes from.

-Gilmore Girls, Season 4

Hehehe I couldn't resist a Gilmore Girls there! But that is me being 

Just Jacklynn