A fresh new look for Harper’s Hats Love! A new name: Pursuing Pretty and a blog makeover. See why I decided to do a blog rebrand for 2017, plus read my top 10 blog posts for 2016!
Fall Fashion and Free Crochet Scarf Pattern
Happy Fall everyone! For the first time ever, I’m sharing a FREE crochet pattern on my blog! I have been creating crochet patterns for my Etsy Shop, Harper’s Hats, for the past couple years and I thought it was time to give back a little and provide one for FREE. This Jillian double wrap scarf pattern is so easy to make and a great one for beginners. Plus, read more to get all the gorgeous shoppable style in this week’s post.
Beauty in the Canola Fields of Alberta
I’m experiencing a bit of a love affair with my adopted province of Alberta this summer. I’m not sure if it is because I’ve taken a bigger interest in photography but the beauty of mother nature is almost overwhelming this year! The Canola Fields are a sight to see if you are traveling to Alberta during the summer months. Take a weekend to explore the countryside and read about the style that goes along with it…
How To Add Glam On A Budget
As the frugal fashionista that I am, finding great deals is definitely my thing. I get so many outfit questions and most people are surprised to learn where I shop the most: not the expensive brand name stores that you’d expect from a fashion blogger but the well-priced stores that offer good quality at good prices. It’s all about how out take a simple dress, customize it and make it your own. Add a little glam to your style, even on a budget! Here’s how to take an $8 dress and make it look like an $80 dress…
The Importance of Looking Your Best
I started this blog about a year and a half ago because I wanted to inspire other stay-at-home moms to not give in to the “mom-rut”. As moms, we are unanimously tired. There’s barely enough time to drink a cup of coffee and scarf down a piece of toast in the mornings, let alone time to shower, get dressed, do your hair and put on make-up. Well, I’m here to tell you, MAKE TIME. And this is why….
[Read more…]
Spring and the Circle of Life
Spring and The Circle of Life
Jeans – Garage (ON SALE for $24.50!) / The NANCY crochet cowl scarf – Harper’s Hats / Tunic Shirt – Express or this one too! / Boots – last season from Geox but I like these from Aldo (ON SALE for $55!) and these from Nordstrom / Jamberry Nails – Serendipity / Lipstick – Rimmel Lasting Finish #107 / Bracelet – Stella & Dot “Caddy Wrap” / Crochet Pattern for Cowl
I took these photos two weeks ago in hopes of showcasing afew items to help you transition your wardrobe into the spring season. Then, the following day my Mom unexpectedlypassed away. The inexplicable grief I
have experienced made me put my whole life on hold. Today, I am finally feeling the strength to
blog again and I know she would want me to keep doing what I love. So here we go…
Matte nails and matte lips are a beautiful trend right
now. It is no secret that I LOVE
Jamberry Nail Wraps. For those of you
who don’t know, “Jams” are non-toxic, vinyl adhesive nail wraps that do not
chip, last up to 2 weeks on fingernails, 6 weeks on toenails. There are over
300 styles to mix and match and they are always buy 3 sheets, get one
free. You can order online or host a
party to get lots of free rewards. They just came out with their brand
new Spring/ Summer catalogue and I couldn’t be more excited about the new
styles.
When I received last month’s Jamberry Sister Style Exclusive, I
immediately fell in love with their matte floral design and went searching for the
perfect matching lip colour. Rimmel has
some great inexpensive lipsticks right now. I am usually not a huge fan of drugstore
lipsticks but I love the matte options in their “Lasting Finish” line.
That “matchy-matchy” nerd in me definitely gave way to a colour scheme for this outfit. I mixed this bright berry coloured tunic shirt from Express and
pastel pink jeans from Garage Clothing. Over the knee boots finish the look and are
great to wear from fall to spring in these chillier climates.
A new season and a new scarf. I love this one as it is not bulky but still
keeps me warm. It is easy to wear as a simple,
circular cowl. If you check out my Etsy website, you will see that I always name
my crochet patterns after someone special to me. In honour of my mother, this new design is
called “The Nancy”.
Now go call your momma and tell her you love her.
Thank you for all your support and prayers these past couple of weeks. xo
Kiki
Harper Styles His Momma
HARPER STYLES HIS MOMMA
I was having tea with my new amazing blogger friend Kaeleigh a.k.a UnpregnantChicken when she showed me a blog post from a blogger named Summer entitled “I Let My Toddler Dress Me For A Week”. I
immediately fell in love with this idea and wanted to do it too! I figured that since I am a new blogger, it would
be wise to learn from more experienced, great bloggers out there! Good ideas need to be shared and I thought
this could be a lot of fun.
So, Day 1. I Told My
3 year-old son Harper that he would be choosing my clothes for me today. He looked at me with the expression,
“huh?”. I led him by the hand into my
closet and pulled down all my hangers of pants and laid them on the
floor. After not a moment’s hesitation
he said “these ones!” He picked a pair
of jeans, probably because he was also wearing jeans. Then I hoisted him up so he could choose a
shirt, and he picked the brightest blue fit-to-flair short-sleeve top. I started thinking, this might not be so bad!
Besides the fact that it’s -13 outside, this actually doesn’t look that
bad together!
I asked him if he’d like to pick a necklace and he said, “No!
Bracelets”. Except when he says bracelets, he pronounces it “brace-sa-lettes”
which always makes me giggle. Harper had
lots to choose from because I sold Stella & Dot for a couple years and my
obsession still continues. The best part was when he told me “that looks
beautiful”. My heart smiled. I was glad I was doing this little
experiment.
It was a pre-school day for him so we went down to the
laundry room and I told him to pick me some shoes. I was a little worried when he went over to
my giant shoe rack because I was not in the mood to be teetering around in
high heels while carrying a 1 year old in the snow. But my
wonderful child chose my Converse Chuck Taylor’s. I must tell you that was a proud moment for
this Momma.
So the following week continued in this manner. I started thinking about the upcoming days
and realized that maybe I should have chosen a different set since the
upcoming ones involved shopping at Market Mall, drinks at The Keg with
girlfriends and a casting call.
Oops. I was not embarrassed about
my outfits, they were even good conversation starters but I wasn’t sure a bright orange tank top was appropriate for some of these occasions.
Day 2 was my favourite: a red checkered sweater, cobalt blue pants and red Toms. At least he was learning how to colour-coordinate. He must have got the matching gene from me:
By Day 3 I started noticing a trend. Harper was choosing the most colourful shirts
and pants that I had in my closet. Being
a typical woman, I usually buy so much black and grey. Why?
These bright colours actually made me feel more confident and seemed to
lighten my mood.
Day 4 was a bit more challenging. I was attending a casting call in Calgary for
a local stock photographer. I was a bit more weary about what Harper would
choose for me. Of course he chose my
purple leggings to start and then proceeded to a lilac purple shirt. At
least he has his colour palattes right, I thought. When I tried the outfit on, he gave me a once
over and said, “That doesn’t look very well.”
He went back into my closet and
picked a black sequin heart singlet instead.
Now this I would work with! I was
prepared to wear the other but secretly very happy for the switch.
Day 5: Floral leggings and a neon pink shirt plus LOTS of bracelets and heart earrings. I prompted him to pick a sweater after learning my lesson on Day 1 and of course he chose a faux-fur lined one. Trendy kid!
I’m glad I did this fun little project and I challenge all
of you to let your little one pick your outfit for a day. By then end, I was ready to start choosing my
own clothes again, and he was ready to stop choosing them. He is way too interested in watching Paw
Patrol and eating Eggos in the morning then caring about what Mommy is
wearing!
Thank you to Unprepnant Chicken and Summer Bellessa some
inspiring this stay-at-home Momma to try something new.
Love,
Kiki
