I'm so frustrated with our Vancouver summer. We keep getting glimpses of high temperatures, blue skies, and sunshine... only to have it covered with gray and cold winds a few hours later! Most people I've talked to have no optimism in their voices when we speak about the summer weather, in face a few even commented "I doubt we'll even get a Summer." How sad! The environmentalist in me wants to rant and rave about why this is our doing, but this is not the place for it. :) I'll keep my fingers crossed for a brighter future in Canada in more ways than one!! Let's get on with what this post is really about... ;)

Thrifting Tips

{Photo by Tinou Bao}
7. Know Your Fabrics
This is a subject that I need to take more time to study. I know many fashionistas that can tell a fabric simply by touch, and that is a skill that can come in handy while doing a quick thrift! Determining the value of an item largely depends on the material it is made of. This also helps determine how "high maintenence" an item is going to be. Will you have to take it to the dry cleaners or can you wash it at home? Does it wrinkle quickly, or can you pack it and take it with you without needing an iron? Things like this help me decide whether I really "need" an item, especially if it's similar to something I already own. I have a fabric swatch book from fashion school, so I like to keep that on hand to identify obscure vintage items. You can make your own swatch book by collecting small samples from the discount bin at fabric stores. Just cut a small square of the fabric, and tape or glue it to a page with the description and content next to it. Whenever you need to identify a fabric for washing or stain removal you'll have a handy reference guide! You can also put stain removal tips next to your fabric swatches in your sample book for even easier guidance!

8. If All Else Fails, Use Fabric Dye!
Have you tried absolutely everything to get that pesky stain our of your favourite skirt or pair of jeans? When all else fails and the item is destined for the donate bin, why not try dying it first? This is a great way to experiment with fabric dyes and different effects, plus you can give items a completely different look! If the fabric is a light colour, try pastel dip dyes on lighter stains, or go big and dye it a midnight blue or black! If you're dealing with a dark fabric, dry using bleach to achieve a dying effect (make sure to be careful and wear gloves!), or splatter it across to camoflouge the stain!


{Photo by Inger Maaike}

Thrifting Rescue 101

If you're a visual learner (like myself) then reading all that text above about dying is well and good, but you might be a bit confused still on how it's all done. Because I am at the mercy of my iphone for photos right now (I am saving up for a new camera!!) I've sourced some videos from youtube for you to demonstrate! Want to dip dye the fabric freely by hand with multiple colours? Try this video from Otis College. Would you rather have a measurement to go by to get an ombre look with one colour? Check out this DIY ombre shirt tutorial!

Thrifty Finds

This is a new section I plan to feature every Thursday! Have you found a vintage or thrifty item we need to see? E-mail us at pirateandlilac AT gmail.com!

Maxi Skirts from Etsy


{Vintage 1960s Maxi Skirt, $38.00}

{Vintage 1980s Sheer Black Skirt, $48.00 }

{Vintage 1980s Raulph Lauren Maxi, $38.00}

Only 2 Days Left in June's Giveaway!!

{Photo by Amy Moss}

One of the main questions I hear frequently is "Can Bikram Yoga help me lose weight?", or "Can Bikram Yoga help me gain weight or muscle?" Honestly, I have nothing to go by except the books I've read from Bikram himself, as well as the results I've seen working at BYV (which are numerous, don't get me wrong)... but I want to be able to speak from my own experience. That's when the Bikram Paleo Challenge was born!

The Challenge

{Photo by tiarescott}

We will be dedicating the month of July to our Bikram Yoga practice, as well as eating a nutritious Paleo diet. We'll both be logging our calories to ensure we are eating enough, but not too much at the same time! I want to try to lose as much weight as possible, so I will be attempting 5 days at least a week of yoga. Cam wants to maintain and even gain weight as well as muscle so he will be practicing 3 or more times per week. Obviously the more the better, but we have to be realistic with our daily time constraints factored in. Every Wednesday we will both "weigh in", and post the results for everyone to see. We'll also be concentrating on a different pose every week, posting tips, what we find difficult about the pose, and progression from week to week.

We're also excited to announce we will be giving away a class card from BYV! Every Wednesday you'll have a chance to gain a new entry into the contest! Last day for entries will be July 31st. Winner will be drawn (at random by myself and some help from random.org) August 1st, 2012. We will announce the winner August 1st, so make sure you leave a VALID e-mail address when you enter so we can get in touch with you!! Check back July 1st, 2012 for the official rules and first chance to enter to win!!

The short term goal for this project is the month of July, but my long term goal is to hit my goal weight by my birthday! (A little over 4 months from now!)

We will be zeroing out our weight loss counters to ensure the count is for the month of July only. Make sure to check back every Wednesday for our progress!

If you live in the Vancouver, BC area, and have never been to the BYV studios, your first class is free!! Click here to sign up for your first free class or visit their website by clicking below! We'd really appreciate it if you write you heard about BYV from Pirate + Lilac! :)



* I do not get paid whatsoever for mentioning BYV or Bikram yoga. I enjoy the practice, and also want to show what maintaining a regular practice can do for your health.

I was eyeing a pair of spiked heels a few weeks ago and didn't buy them (I figured that I could thrift a pair of plain heels and just spike them myself... Still on my list of DIY projects for the future). Now everywhere I turn, I see different versions of spiked shoes of all shapes and sizes. Here are a few of my favourites:

What do you think of this trend? Would you rock any of the shoes above?

June Giveaway!!

Only 3 more days to enter our June Giveaway!! We're giving away an outfit of your choice as a preview to our shop opening on July 15th! Click below for more information.

{Photo by Cameron ♥}

Is our perception of beauty only from modern and cultural influence?

I watched this video this morning and found it fascinating. What do you think?



I'm so excited to get more involved with posts about my yoga practice. Next week we'll be diving deeper into the actual poses, and start an exciting new challenge!

Hopefully wherever you are, your weather is a bit better than ours in Vancouver... (if you read my post yesterday, let's just say the weather light switch is definitely off today!) If you're in Vancouver, I feel your summer frustration! Have an amazing weekend everyone!

Our contest is only open a little while longer, so make sure to enter while you can!!

It seems like Vancouver has a big weather switch, much like a light switch, that turned on today on the arrival of Summer. It's been so dismal lately, with gray skies, rain, and intermittent teasings of sunshine, but as of today it's hot, sunny, and summery! Sure there's still a few clouds kicking around, but I'm dying of heat in my tiny apartment with all the windows open, so I know it's definitely summertime!

Thrifting Tips

{Photo by Ollie Crafoord}
Tip #5 - Get Out of the "Flooded" Zones
Vancouver is no stranger to thrifting + vintage stores. With this surge in popularity comes price hikes, quick pickings through new stock, and a huge amount of non-unique items (I see the same tops at multiple thrift stores... part of thrifting to me is getting something that I may not see on every other person on the streets). When I get outside of these "flooded" zones into the smaller towns and shops that are not so heavily picked over, I find a higher amount of quality items, and super awesome vintage items! Don't think you have the time to get out of your local zone? No worries, when you do go on vacation, make sure to research some shops in that area to visit that you've never seen before!

Tip #6 - Don't Underestimate the Garage Sale
I think the surge of vintage and thrift stores becoming "cool" has caused the downfall of the popularity of the good old garage sale. I have fond memories of my grandfather driving me around to garage sales and letting me pick through the "treasures" for toys or other items I wanted to aquire. Not only was it a fun bonding experience that always brings a smile to my face upon rememberence, but I got twice the amount of loot because we could afford it, rather than only 1 brand new toy! To a six year old, that's pretty darn awesome! Thanks Grandpa for teaching me the art of the garage sale. ♥ I don't know if you can remember if now, but I will always treasure that time together. The current purse I carry (and absolutely adore!) is a soft faux leather bag with menacing spiked studs. It's in great condition, and I bought it at a lawn sale for $15 bucks! Plus they were raising money to go on a Paris adventure, and I am in full support of traveling! Keep an eye on newspapers, craigslist, or if you live in a large city centre or town with physical paper postings (some Vancouver people post old school cardboard signs for garage sales, others design posters and post them around) make sure to take a walk and pay attention to any signs you see advertising future lawn sales!

Thrifting Rescue 101

{Photo by Pete}
Removing Underarm Stains
I tend to disreguard items with underarm stains unless it's something I just absolutely can't live without. If you fall in love with an item that needs some rescuing, try this trick with items commonly found in your home:
Mix 1 part Dawn dishsoap with 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. Spray it onto the area you want to clean, and let sit for an hour before washing. If you notice after that hour that the stain is still very apparent, try scrubbing with an old toothbrush and baking soda before washing.

New Smashbox Palet

I know this has nothing to do with thrifting, but I'm way too excited not to share it!


{Smashbox Fame Palet}
I absolutely adore makeup, so when I saw this palet yesterday at Shoppers, I had to have it! It just so happens I got a ridiculous amount of Optimum points out of it as well (16,000 woo hoo!) so I'm stoked at this purchase. I've been looking for a summery shimmery palet with peachy tones, browns, and some kind of bright eye catching colour, and this has it all! I'm so excited to try it out!


{Oooh pretty colours!}


{My favourite colour of the bunch: Sherbert! I can't wait to try it out!!}

Do you have a favourite brand of cosmetics? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or below!

Don't forget to enter our June Giveaway!

{Cam's thrifted treasures: a green plaid shirt, and a DVS green windbreaker}

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Cam + I went thrifting at Salvation Armys around Vancouver. We ended up with a pretty decent haul! I found a white lace dress (like I mentioned in my wishlist post, a white bird blouse, and a retro-looking dress in bright colours! Cam was on a green kick and ended up with 2 green jackets (special score: a DVS jacket, brand new!) and a green plaid shirt! He also found a couple pairs of jeans, and even ventured away from just a plain blue jean tone! ♥

Divide and Conquer

{Thrifted bird top, Hello Kitty watch from my closet}

This strategy only works if you are with multiple people who have a sense of style similar to your own. Cam + I arrived at our first Salvation Army, and immediately went to work. Cam concentrated on the men's section, and I gravitated to the dresses first (as I always tend to do since they are on my collections list). I had discussed a few thrifting tips with him over the past few weeks (posted every Thursday!), so we ended up going through every single item in the key sections of the store, as well as house wares, tried on our clothes, and made our purchases, all within an hour! Weeoo! Then it was off to the next "Sally Ann's" where my lace dress + bird blouse were found! Cam is the one that actually picked out the white lace dress for me, and what a good find! I'm so excited to wear it on Canada Day with my retro style bathing suit and a big floppy sun hat!!

The Haul

Item 1: Lace Dress


{No brand, but who cares! I love that it has little kick pleats so it flares out. Great for the beach!}




Styled: Yoga to Beach Goddess
Wear a white lace dress with your yoga clothes underneath, then change into your bathingsuit to hit the beach after! Or if you're daring, try a fun printed bra (or bandeau) to go out on the town!


{Lace dress thrifted, Black bandeau by Onzie (available from BYV), Sportsgirl shorts from my closet, Studded purse thrifted, Earrings available on our June Giveaway, Black and silver bracelets, and feather headband from my closet}


{Win the shoes styled with this outfit on our June giveaway}


{Win the earrings styled with this outfit on our June giveaway}

Item 2: Bird Blouse







Styled: BBW = Beautiful Business Woman
I paired this bird print with a subtle polka dot cardigan and high waisted skirt which (I know you can barely see it! I'm saving up for a good camera!!) also has a bit of a ruffle effect at the top of the waist. To finish it off, I also added a ruffed briefcase and my favorite hello kitty watch (so I don't feel too grown up!). You could also add a blazer instead of a cardigan, but for myself that would be way too overdressed for work at the yoga studio!


{Bird blouse thrifted, Polka-dot cardigan by Garage, High waisted skirt by Dynamite, Thin black belt by Bebe, Glasses by Kata, Hello Kitty watch by Sanrio, Ruffled briefcase thrifted}



Item 3: Leaf Dress



Styled: Rocker-A-Go-Go
I added some rocker flair to this 60's inspired dress with leather boots, a black waist belt, a bandana to tie around my hair, and a necklace from Classic Hardware.


{Outfit: Leaf Dress thrifted, Black leather waist belt from my closet, Black leather boots from my closet. Accessories: Necklace by Classic Hardware, Pink bandana (to tie in hair) from my closet}



Cam's off to Vancouver Island to visit family, and I already miss him. We were laughing earlier today about the fact that we have never spent more than a few days apart from each other in 2 years... It's going to be weird sleeping alone in bed tonight! Pirate better be ready for some cuddles...

How would you style these 3 items? Until tomorrow... xoxo

{Photo by Jef Fisher}

Oh, time management. Such an important skill, but one I find gets the best of me on a regular basis. Even today is a good example, as I had planned for Cameron and I to drive to Delta, BC and do a little thrifting adventure, as well as visit the bird sanctuary. I didn't, however, take into account the fact I had 2 appointments in the morning, plus this blog post to edit before I could even set myself on the path to thrifting glory. So, we've decided to nix the Delta plans until a later date, and instead are going to conquer 2-3 Salvation Army thrift stores in our area, as well as take a walk out in the sunshine! We've had such terrible weather in Vancouver lately, that any sight of sun makes us pretty giddy! Do you get upset when your plans get derailed, or do you just go with the flow?

Print vs Digital

{Just a few of my various notebooks that I use on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis.}

I don't know what I would do without my various scheduling devices. I use google calendar for keeping track of my work schedule and social plans, and I have a blogging binder full of plans and inspiration. There's also another binder full of healthy recipes and tips, and a notebook I keep in my purse for thrifting notes. Then there's a notebook I've plastered with healthy photos of people I admire both physically and style wise, as well as my workout and yoga schedules. Other than that, I have multiple spiral notebooks full of everything from my budgets, to post ideas, to websites I want to remember! I've always had a love for books, so I end up collecting notebooks and journals that I think are pretty or interesting. I know I'll end up using it eventually! Sometimes it gets a bit annoying having everything spread over so many volumes of hand written pages, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have a method to my madness, even if I am the only one who sees it! I'd rather be able to go back over hard copies, and read my own writing, see my own sketches and thoughts across a page... Digital text just doesn't do it for my visual mind when it comes to creative activity planning like blogging, styling, etc. What about you, do you prefer notebooks or digital schedules? Do you use a combination of the two like I do?

Time for Cameron and I to take off and thrift it up! Hopefully we don't come home empty handed!

Have a lovely evening! Until tomorrow... xoxo

Don't forget to enter our June Giveaway!!

{Photo by Cameron}


{Photo by Cameron}

Have a great weekend! ♥

Thrifting Tips & Tricks

{Photo by Mark G}
This is a continuation of last week's list. We will be compiling them every week into one master list that will be accessible from the menu at the bottom of the blog.

Tip #3 - Don't Sell Where You Shop
This doesn't really apply if you don't plan on selling any of your old items that may not be your style anymore. If you do plan on selling some of your pieces, make sure you don't sell where you shop! I know seeing your own clothes may not bother some of you, but sometimes you might end up rebuying an item by accident (or on purpose if you suddenly get sentimental) and then BAM it's stuck in your closet collecting dust again! I love exploring thrift stores, but there's bound to be the occassional one that isn't really your favourite, or is maybe too far out of the way to frequently visit. Ask about selling policies here, so you have less of a chance of running into your old items!
Tip #04 - Narrow down your "collections"
I am one of those types that tends to hold onto things for ages and ages. I'm trying to get out of my pack rat ways, and the best way I've found so far is to establish "collections" that you will allow yourself to keep, but understand that anything that does not fall into that catagory and you are not absolutely in love with, must be left behind. This is also a good rule of thumb when cleaning out your closet and storage space. My collections include dresses (vintage and otherwise), hat boxes (vintage and vintage style), jewelry/shoes (only UNIQUE styles for styling purposes that are in MINT condition), and records (for Cam). This is a bit broader than most people's collections will be, but I need to have accessories on hand for syling future photoshoots, so I am building my collection now!

Thrift Rescue 101

{Photo by J.B. Hill}
The Missing Button: Did you find a gorgeous item that's missing a few buttons? Never fear! Even if you've never sewn anything in your life, this is an easy skill to learn. You can even update an item, just by changing it's buttons! My favourite store in Vancouver for this situation is Button Button. Check out the video below by threadbanger to learn this quick skill!

Outfit Giveaway!!

Have you entered our June giveaway?? You can win an outfit consisting of a main item, accessory, and pair of shoes!! Click the graphic above, and read the rules at the bottom of the post! It's super easy to enter. Good luck to everyone!!

Do you have special plans this weekend? Cameron & I will be making a thrift trip up to Delta, BC! Tell us about your adventures on twitter or facebook or comment below! :) xoxo

{Photo taken by Cameron}

Hello everyone! Sadly I am making this post extra short. I've had a migraine off and on for a few days now, and I just can't bring myself to sit in front of a bright screen for any longer. I promise I will be back to writing you novels upon novels (ok not that much, but at least paragraphs!) and have a bamboozle of photos (in a large part to Cameron and his iphone skills haha!) tomorrow. I've always been sensitive to the detoxing phase, and tend to get wicked headaches once my body starts getting used to better eating. I know I'm making the right choice, and my body will understand soon too!! Have you entered into our Giveaway??
Until tomorrow my lovelies... xoxo

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Sorry this post is so late in the day! I usually get them out by early afternoon, but things have been especially busy this week... As a sneak peak to our shop (opening July 15th, 2012!) we've picked 9 items and styled them 3 different ways!

Outfit 1 (recommended with black or blue leggings)

Outfit #2 (recommended with a dark skinny jean)

Outfit #3

Outfit Giveaway from P+L's Shop!

We're giving away an outfit of your choice from the ones listed above, or any combination of your choosing from the 3 catagories below! Check out the requirements, and make sure to comment by June 30th, 2012!

P+L June Giveaway Entry Requirements:
1. "Like" Pirate+Lilac on facebook.
2. Pick 1 of the outfits from above, or style your own using 1 item from each catagory below (3 items total), and leave us a comment with which 3 you want to win!
3. Make sure in your comment you leave a facebook e-mail or name you used to "like" our page, and the 3 items you'd like to win!
4. Comments must be posted no later than June 30th, 2012. Winner will be drawn at random and notified by email July 1st, 2012.

What you win: All 3 items that you choose from our shop (1 from each catagory) will be mailed to you, or you can arrange a pickup if you live in the Vancouver, BC area. If you take photos of the pieces you win, we will also feature you in an upcoming blog post!

Bonus Points: Follow us on Blog Lovin' or Twitter and receive an extra entry into the draw for each! (Make sure to let us know in your comment!!)

Pick 3 Items To Win:
(One from each catagory)

Catagory 1: Main pieces

1. Thrifted Dress, No Brand
Approx Size: M/L


2. MX Jeans Anchor Top
Size: XSmall


3. XXI Black Bow Dress
Size: Medium

Catagory 2: Shoes


4. Red pointed heels by Lasonia
Size: 8 1/2


5. Nude heels by Dollhouse, brand new never worn, still wrapped in tissue.
Size: 8 1/2


6. Thrifted black bootie sandles with zipper back and dark silver belt
Size: 8

Catagory 3: Accessories


7. Thrifted earrings & bracelet


8. Thrifted bracelets and necklace


9. Thrifted earrings and bracelet

Good luck everyone! Until tomorrow... xoxo
**CONTEST CLOSED** Congratulations Holly! ♥