More Lilly Wallpaper

I've had requests for more Lilly wallpaper, so I decided to just make an entire page of all the wallpaper I've found through the last year and a half or so.  You can find that page by following the "Lilly Desktop Wallpaper" tab below my blog header.  I'll keep adding as Lilly does! Enjoy!

xoxo,

Halloween Costume Ideas

I can't believe Halloween is this weekend! October has certainly flown by.  I had planned to dress as a wind-up doll, but I couldn't figure out how to attach the "gear" to my back.  So I'm currently torn between:

Ugly Betty (super easy- I'd just have to put on a whole slew of different, somewhat clashing items, and I already have a pair of red glasses)

Or June Cleaver type.  I'm not willing to wear a wig to fully complete the look, so I suppose I'd be simply a 1950s housewife.  I know the dollar store carries child tea sets, so I could glue a set to a tray and carry it around with me.

I'm also considering a magic 8 ball (dress in all black, and attach a white 8 to my middle) or a sailor.  It's a good thing I still have a couple of days to decide!

xoxo,

Podcast Favorites

I love how so many news segments are available for free on itunes as podcasts.  I don't have a lot of time to watch the news at home, but I always load up my ipod with podcasts to listen to on the way to class or to watch while working out on the elliptical. I get bored easily while working out, so it's also great that I can use the occasion to educate myself about world events.  Here are some of my favorites:

This is  by far my favorite!  It's a news-quiz show by NPR, and it's absolutely hilarious.  Every week they also have a famous guest. This week's guest was Dick Can Dyke, and he was a hoot! Past guests include Brian Williams (see below), Mayor Bloomberg, Meghan McCain, Miss America, Molly Ringwald, and Tony Hawk. Other segments include fill-in-the-rhyme, stump the listener, and general news questions. 

I think Brian Williams has a great personality for news.  I don't know why I enjoy his segments so much, but they're interesting to watch while working up a sweat.  I think they're just generally easy to follow.  

Confession:  I may have a little crush on Anderson Cooper (a.k.a the Silver Fox).  He's witty, charming, and has a great smile.  I also like how AC360 also hosts debates.  Although I'm not as impressed with the show as I used to be, so I try to supplement it with other news shows.  

This podcast doesn't need much explanation- LOVE Martha!  I don't really have the chance to watch her show, so it's great that she makes a podcast available.  

xoxo,

Outfit of the Day

I really like how some bloggers do an Outfit of the Day (OOTD), so I thought I'd do the same.  Although my picture-taking abilities failed me when I tried to take a picture of myself, so I just decided to draw my OOTD.  I used to sketch so often in high school, and I really miss it. I think I'm going to get back to my arts and crafts habits of the past.

This outfit was from a couple of days ago, before it got cold again.  I'm wearing RL polo shirt, Lilly Pulitzer cardigan (my favorite!), a J Crew skirt and headband, Bass loafers, and carrying a red Coach tote I got about 7 years ago (it was my first "designer" bag).

Does anyone else enjoy the OOTD?  I think I may continue with them if people actually enjoy them.

xoxo,

Lilly Art , and a Possible Giveaway

I finally had a bit of free time yesterday after a stressful couple of weeks, so I decided to paint again.  I've been wanting to paint some Lilly wall art for a while for my room, so I painted one of my favorite patterns

The original, desktop wallpaper

The finished product!  The picture is a little yellow unfortunately.  I think I want to make two more to make a nice little line of them.

I'm also thinking I may do this for a giveway once I reach 50 followers. I would paint the winner's favorite Lilly pattern.  Thoughts?

xoxo,

The Ubiquitous Sperry Boat Shoe?

Is it just me, or are Sperry top-siders EVERYWHERE!?  I love how the publishing of so many preppy-centric books has sparked a revival in preppy fashion, although I'm not sure how much I like the fact that everyone now has boat shoes.  No, I'm not an elitist.  I just hate being part of a trend.  I avoid them like the plague, normally because they are ill-fitting of my personal style, and I know they will pass quickly.  However, I LOVE my boat shoes, and I know that they are classic, well-made, and a preppy staple.  It's been painful, but I've been wearing my top-siders with less frequency lately. So to make up for my bare feet I've been wearing these instead:

They are Bass Washington moccasins, and they are so comfortable. I love that they also never seem to get dirty.  You can find them on the G.H. Bass website here.  I also like that they are dressier than the boat shoe.  

I bought these heeled oxfords from Maxstudio a couple of years ago, and they're also great!  I'm a bit of a klutz, so heels are normally a bad choice for me.  And I'm a speed-walker, so again, that normally means flats.   Luckily these are super easy to walk in.

I have a pair of black driving moccasins from Banana Republic that I've had for since high school and found for merely $19.99.  I have loved them since the day I bought them. Every preppy needs a pair of classic black driving mocs. 

I really hope the Sperry-fever does start winding down soon, though.  I love my Sperrys too much to keep them away for too long!  

xoxo,

Lilly Pulitzer Desktop Wallpaper Favorites

It's true, my name is Canadian Prep, and I am a Lilly Pulitzer addict.  One of the many ways Lilly has invaded my life is through my desktop wallpaper.  I now check the Lilly website daily, hoping that a new wallpaper has become available so that I can redecorate my desktop in style. I haven't been collecting them for long, but here are some of my favorite Lilly wallpapers (all have been attained through the Lilly site or Facebook page)  To download for your own desktop, simply click on the image you want!

You can find some others in one of my previous posts here.  Being a college girl on a budget, Lillifying my desktop is a cheap and quick way to add new Lilly in life.  I hope it helps you Lillify your life too!

xoxo,

J.Crew - Très Romantique?

I admit that I started losing faith in J Crew as designs slowly moved away from traditional preppy.  However, the newest goodies are actually catching my eye!  Maybe it's all of the French art I've been studying and the recent Paris episodes of Gossip Girl, but I like the romantic items that J Crew is now designing. Not all of the following items have French inspirations, just some of my favorite new finds.

Please note, I like the shirt, not the skirt.  I'm not sure I could ever really love a sequin skirt.  They seem to be a staple in J Crew now, considering how often sequins show up in its collections.

 I've loved riding boots since my own riding days years ago.  Although the boots really only go with skinny jeans, and I'm not really one to ever wear pants.  So sadly it seems like my own riding boots have to stay in the closet until I ride again.

 I love how many clothing and lifestyle companies are putting out stationery these days!  It's such a great sign of a returning tradition.

An update on the classic shawl cardigan.  I'm not sure how much I like the color combo, but there's something rustically classic about it.

 I think these are super cute, but I don't think they're worth the $300+ price tag!

I'm now eagerly awaiting my next trip to the US.  Or I at least hope the rumor is true that J Crew has been scouting out property in Canada!

xoxo,

What's Your Favorite Souvenir?

In my One Minute Louvre art history class we've been focusing a lot on tourist art and objects of travel.  We were asked to bring in our favorite object of travel, either picked up on our own travels of given to us by a friend who was traveling.  We then had to explain the authenticity of our objects.  I chose to bring in my babushkas from that I bought while in Prague during my junior year on exchange:

So obviously my babushkas aren't exactly authentic representations of the Czech culture, but I still love them!

Do you have any super fun objects of travel that you absolutely love?

xoxo,

I'm on Youtube?! My Experience at Emily Post

So I was casually surfing Youtube today and hopped onto the Emily Post Institute's Channel.  Well holy moly!  I found a video of ME!  The interns were video recorded this summer as a promotional tool for their internship program.

*note - my voice isn't normally this low.  When I'm super nervous my voice either gets really high or really low.

xoxo,

Where Have I Been?!

So where has CanadianPrep been disappearing to each time posts stop appearing?  Well since September my life has been all about :

COMMERCE KIDS:

Commerce Kids is the volunteering organization for which I am co-chair (co-president).  It's part of the Commerce Society (the student government for the business school), and we send Commerce students out into local elementary schools to volunteer either in the classroom or on the playgrounds.  I've been volunteering since I was a Freshman, and have been part of the committee since my Sophomore year.  I was so excited to get the co-chair position, but holy moly is it ever a lot of work!

Since September I have built a website, created marketing materials, created a new budget and strategy for the year, recruited 125 new volunteers and coordinated police checks and interviews for them, met with principals of the schools, and so much more!  Thankfully volunteering started this week, so the tough part is over for this semester.

ART HISTORY:

This was from an alligator collection in Winter Park, FL, and I loved this one in particular.  This pretty well explains my life lately, all art history all the time. I graduated with my Bachelor of Commerce degree last year, but decided to go for a Bachelor of Art in Art History as well.  As such,  I'm completing my Honors BA this year, so I'm taking 5 art history courses this semester and 6 next.  Soooo much studying!

Seurat

I'm taking a course about Impressionism (my favorite!). 

Manet

My favorite course reminds me very much of Mona Lisa Smile. There are only about 18 of us, and we sit around a table discussing Art History theories and as a discipline.  It requires a weekly reading analysis, which is very time-consuming because many of the readings are quite dense. I think it's just so incredible though that we have such thought-provoking discussions.  It's much better than being simply talked at and required to memorize hundreds of works.

I took this picture my Junior year when I was on exchange on Poland (but on a trip to Greece of course).  I love that my Classical Architecture course references so many buildings and elements that I saw in person while on my trip.  I can now identify those columns as belonging to the Ionic Order due to the curls on the capitals and the base at the bottom.  I will never be able to look at a column again and be able to stop myself from analyzing it!

The two-minute Louvre

I was so excited to get into this course.  It analyzes how tourism has influenced various forms of art and commodified various cultures.  

Ontario Hall

This is where the Art History and Fine Arts Departments are housed.  It's also the site of my last class for the semester, Art Conservation.  It's another class that I'm really starting to enjoy.  We spend half the class in a lecture, and the second half going on a field trip around campus to view special collections.  So far I've seen a rare book collection (with books as old as the 14th Century), been in the vault of our art gallery (sooo cool!), and seen rare documents such as an Indian peace treaty. It's a very hands-on course.  We get to actually touch the works we're analyzing and have to write a report this term about how best to conserve and protect a particular work.  I chose to do my conservation report on a rare book from the 15th Century. I LOVE vintage books, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to really analyze such an old book.

So if I ever disappear again, I truly do apologize.  Just know that it's not for a lack of appreciation for my followers (because I really do appreciate y'all), just a super busy workload.  And I'll always come back!

xoxo,