Homebody

Homebody \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

My mom always said that I could be perfectly content wherever I was. It didn’t matter whether I was at home, at school, or starting my new life at a campsite in the woods. Wherever I happened to be, was the place I wanted to stay forever – even if I had also decided that about the place I had just come from. She said I could make my home anywhere and be happy.

Homebody \\ Sophster-Toaster BlogHomebody \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

My habit of falling in love with wherever I am and never wanting to leave started at birth, according to my mother. She would joke that since I had been born two weeks late, after a long labour and a c-section (where they still had trouble prying me out) I was a homebody from the start. To this day, I never want to leave home but when I do, I never want to return. I’ll miss home the whole time I’m at the cottage, then miss the cottage when I’m home. I moved 200 kilometres across the province for reasons I can’t really remember, but I know I would never go back. The first thing I do when I arrive at a new location is unpack my belongings and make my bed while others are busy exploring the space. My mom used to say this was me building my nest.

Homebody \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

Top H&M (old)
Cardigan H&M (old)
Jeans Gap (old)
Socks ModCloth (old)
Hair Barrette So old it’s vintage now

Homebody \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

All photos by me.

As Casual as I Get

As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

I can’t really recall the last time I wore sweat pants outside of the gym. I remember ripping the knee in a pair while catching snails with a friend (so we could put them in the little habitats we had built for them in old margarine containers) when I was in grade two. That was probably one of the last times.

Sweat pants were never really my thing. Once I started choosing my own clothes, I became a jeans and t-shirt tomboy who sometimes wore a dress… on special occasions… as long as it wasn’t pink. I’ve always been a big fan of pajamas, though. I’ve been known to change into them at sunset in December – around 4:30 pm in these parts – and leave them on until well after breakfast, but I would never leave the house or entertain guests in them. Sweat pants, and tights-as-pants, for that matter, seem to form a grey area between the pajamas / street clothes divide. I guess I just can’t handle the ambiguity.

This is how I typically dress for a day of running errands downtown, taking the long way home and then cuddling up to watch a movie.

As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

Jacket ModCloth (old)
Jeans Gap (old)
Scarf ModCloth
Gloves ModCloth (old)
Camera Bag Amazon
Button Craft Arts Market

As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog As Casual as I Get \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

Photos of me by Matt Harrison. All others by me. 

Fall Transition

Fall Transition \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

Fall has always been my favourite. Seeing the red, orange and yellow leaves grow vibrant as the morning fog clears to reveal a crisp blue sky, walking in the afternoon without getting all sweaty and cuddling up with a steaming cup of tea and apple pie scented candles in the evening make me incredibly happy. I look forward to this season all year long and although the first official day of fall has arrived, the sweater weather hasn’t quite yet.

Fall Transition \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

The days are getting shorter and the sunlight had turned to a sparkling golden colour at it’s lowest angles but the temperature still climbs to over 20 degrees everyday and reaches close to 30 with humidity. I want to wear flannel and wool, boots and sweaters but it’s just too hot. I guess I’ll have to settle for richly coloured dresses and black during the day as I transition my wardrobe from summer to fall.

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Dress Vintage
Shoes ModCloth
Hat Forever 21
Earrings very old

Fall Transition \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog Fall Transition \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

Photos by Matt Harrison.

Rainy Day Nautical

Rainy Day Nautical \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

I’ve loved water for as long as I can remember. Being near water, whether it be hiking along a river, watching the waves from the cottage or swimming in an indoor pool in the middle of winter, has always made me feel good. However, one thing I’ve never enjoyed is going to the beach. My parents are big fans and used to drag me along every sunny Saturday from May to September. The beach was far away so they liked to make a day of it, but I was ready to go home after an hour or two of playing in the water. I loved the water but hated the rest, even on the rare occasions where we got ice cream afterwards. I guess crowded sand and sunburns were never really my thing.

Rainy Day Nautical \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

After a few years of living in a city on Lake Ontario, I’ve discovered that I do actually like going to the beach, just not on warm, sunny days. Last February, my husband took me to the frozen beach for my birthday. It was my first time exploring a beach in the winter and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful landscapes I think I will ever see in my life. It was the most fun I ‘d ever had at the beach. Last weekend – the first cold and rainy one of the fall – we layered up and went down to the beach to see the sailboats one more time before they get tucked in for winter. 

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This marina is especially neat because it is situated in the mouth of the Second Welland Canal and you can see the old stone walls and remains of the mid-19th century lock.

Rainy Day Nautical \\ Sophster-Toaster BlogRainy Day Nautical \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

Sweater Bluenotes (old)
Skirt ModCloth
Tights ModCloth (similar)
Shoes ModCloth (old)
Scarf ModCloth
Ring was my mother’s

Rainy Day Nautical \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog

All photos but the last by Matt Harrison.