laura: downtown adventures

My brother and I took the skytrain downtown the other day and enjoyed a rare, surprisingly sunny Vancouver afternoon in May.

I found this colourful cardigan at Value Village for $6... and I'm pretty sure the last owner was either an old lady or a middle-aged hippie. The print is just so random I love it. You can't quite see in these pictures, but I altered the bottom of the shirt so that it would hang in a more flattering manner. I used my trusty sewing scissors to cut the bottom into an asymmetrical hem so that it hung shorter in the front and draped longer in the back (I have yet to sew the edges properly so they don't fray, but I was too impatient so I wore it out anyway). 

While we were downtown, I just happened to spot another little thrift store beside a senior's home and I dragged my poor brother in with me. I came out with this crazy shirt which takes ANIMAL PRINT to a whole new level. My brother thinks it's hideous, but I've always had a particular fondness for hideous things. 

 RAWR!!!

polka dot pearls meet floral frills

To start off our blog posting, we flashback to the year 2010, to a birthday outing filled with sunshine, laughter, and random strangers who saw our sad attempts at self-photography and offered to help us take pictures. 

 Amanda hung out in dingy metal structures...

 while Laura chased Canadian geese (or pretended to be one).

 There were granite walls just asking to be posed with...

 and outdoor lawn chairs just asking to be sat in.

 Of course, we took breaks from such strenuous work...

... to stare at giant totem poles...

 

...and spend a wonderful day in the sun!

Notice that both Laura and Amanda have chosen to wear crochet/tulle slips under their dresses to add texture and some fun to their outfits. These slips are also perfect for adding a little length to dresses or skirts that are just a bit too short. Amanda is obsessed with layering that beige crochet slip under everything!

Here's to more colourful, sunshine-filled adventures just like these! 

introducing lauramanda!

First, we were co-workers. Just acquaintances. But we soon bonded after realizing we had the same last name, and subsequently fooled people into thinking we were cousins. Our personalities are both so different but our passion in art & style brings us together. So... after much pondering and procrastination, Laura & Amanda are combining creativity and joining forces - and here we are, at the beginnings of our new blog about all the things in life that are beautyfull. =)