Bo's Bodacious Blog

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

Ageless Style: I See Spots & Link-Up

Welcome back for another installment of Ageless Style. This months prompt was brought to you by Mireille and we are showcasing "spots" and our interpretation of that prompt.

I am show casing a top that's been in heavy rotation for me this winter. It's a twist on the classic leopard print, but with a subtle animal connection, and a girly twist due to the ruffles on the sleeves, and the soft shade of pinkish brown. It's such an easy blouse to throw on tucked into a skirt, paired with black trousers and heels, or jeans and booties. This week I am styling it for sprig because I have no intention of putting in into my fall/winter bucket for safe keeping, rather I am repurposing it and pairing it up with lighter colors. I love these white pants that I recently picked up at H & M for a spring style challenge I am doing. I was hunting for a wide leg version but as soon as I put these on I knew they were the ones. I am short and have short legs, so wide pants are somewhat difficult to find and pull off, especially since I am not patient or interested in taking them to a seamstress to have them hemmed. Instead these straight leg, pixie pants, are the perfect fit, right off the hanger. I love how soft they are, not to mention the slight stretch they have making them super comfortable for work. I added a little pop of gold, brown and nude, to make the palette light and neutral to complete the look. My favorite piece of jewelry are hands down these amazing hoops that I was recently gifted. I had been eyeing them up for a while because they throw me back to the early 2000's and JLo used to wear them all the time. I love that period of my life, dancing away nights at the club, and being young and carefree. No, I don't need to go back to that time but I if I could go and dance the night away, I would do that again. Dancing gives me so much joy and makes me feel alive. So when I wear these hoops, I feel a little extra pep in my step and swing in my hips!

Shop This Post:

Be Bold Hoops (only $22)

Top (similar @ Shein)

White Slacks (similar @ H & M)

Annbrosa Purse (sold out in brown; black)

Now go visit the rest of the ladies and see what they are up to and make sure to join us next time on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After

Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle
Blog /Instagram

Bo ~ Bo's Bodacious Blog

Blog / Instagram /Pinterest / Bloglovin

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Joanna ~ My Slice of Life

Blog

Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom

Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Rosemary ~ Distinctly Southern Style

Blog / Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook

Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style

Blog | Instagram | Facebook |

Sunday, 12 March 2023

Blue Velvet Sofa: Living Room Refresh

Today I am sharing our living room transformation that happened at the beginning of the year. Honestly, as soon as we brought our black leather couches into our space 5 years ago, I hated them in that space. I loved the comfort of the couches, the recliners, but they were just way too big for our living space. It's an open concept between living room, dining room and kitchen, but it's not grand and the couches were so bulky that they filled it up so much. Regardless where we moved them, it felt overwhelming. Although we loved sitting in them and lounging, I didn't like the vibe. I wanted a sitting space. A place to visit without a TV in the background. A modern feel with clean lines, color and textures that could play together. Since then I've known I wanted a different set up but I didn't know what! All of a sudden in December I went to look for a sleek little console table to hang our stocking from and once I found it, a few other pieces just kind of jumped out at me. We ended up leaving with the console table, the marble and gold side table, and the two white accent chairs. I being looking on Pinterest for a living space that I wanted once again, specifically looking for a couch that grabbed my attention. I landed on a velvet, rich blue sofa and although at first my husband wasn't sure, being a good sport, he went along with it. We went to numerous local stores and couldn't find anything like the sofa I had seen on Wayfair so we took a chance and ordered it. I LOVED IT the moment it came. Then I sat on it and LOVED IT even more! It's extremely firm and the velvet is soft and smooth to the touch. We've now had it for almost 2.5 months and have zero complaints.

After the sofa arrived, and all the previously purchased pieces went well with the vibe, I began shopping around for new accent pieces like the paintings, pillows in light pinks, a new gold mirrored tray for the ottoman and a fake tree to add a splash of earthy tones to the space. We swapped out the burgundy throws for plush white ones and a large wicker basket. Most of the accent pieces came from Home Sense, Winners or the FB Market Place at a fraction of the price as many stores on line. You just have to be patient and wait for it, but also when you see it grab it. All around I think we were able to transform the space for approximately $2000. We also sold the couches that were downstairs for $500 so that helped buy a lot of the accessories.

I love how the space has come together! I read or blog on this couch daily. On the weekends we both enjoy our coffees and books, and even Oreo loves the new couch. Oh, and the leather black couches went downstairs to our family TV/games room and they are prefect there! Win all around.

Thanks for stopping by and remember that this upcoming Thursday, the ladies of Ageless Style and I will be back with our link-up and we will be styling spots and dots! See you then.

Shop This Post:

AllModern Geo 84" Blue Velvet Couch (Wayfair)

Gold Tray (Home Sense; similar from Wayfair)

Blue & Gold Art (Home Sense; similar from Wayfair)

Marble & Gold side table (Home Sense; similar from Wayfair)

Throw (Winners; similar from Wayfair)

Faux Planted Tree (Market Place; similar from Wayfair)

Sunday, 5 March 2023

Winter Cottage Style

It's still fully winter here but the good news I am hopeful that we are out of the frigid cold and now we will have another month of just cold winter. Although I wish spring would arrive, I have long ago learned to invest in cozy winter pieces more than any other seasonal wardrobe. Take this cozy, fleece top for example. It's perfect for a cozy day at the cottage, explore a little mountain town, or getting comfy in it after hitting the slopes. It's also a perfect layered under a puffer vest once the weather warms up but is still on the cool side. Pair it with some lululemon leggings, a weekend staple for me, wool socks and Blundstones to keep toes warm and you have yourself a perfect winter cozy look!

I took these pictures when we were at our cabin in February and I was all natural. NO MAKE-UP because at the lake it's just about relaxing and enjoying the slower pace. I rarely go without make-up to be honest, because I feel insecure about all the scars on my face that are left over from years of hormonal acne. I thought about editing them in photoshop but I decided that I am okay with you seeing me exactly as I am. I think it comes with age, being more comfortable with all parts of ourselves, but don't get used to it because I will likely have make-up on 90% of the time and that's okay too.

Are you fully out of winter where you live?

If yes, what are you adding to your spring wardrobe?

If no, how do you combat the endless winter blues?

Shop This Post:

Billabong Pullover Fleece

Lulu Lemon Swift Speed High-Rise Leggings

Lulu Lemon Everywhere Belt Bag

Blundstones Boots

Monday, 27 February 2023

Life Lately: Family February Edition

Hi friends! I took a week off from social media and spent the week enjoying my family. One of my goals was to prioritize spending tine with the girls, my husband and friends. Last week was a school holiday, so we all had the week off. It was very cold again, like -30C, so unfortunately we didn't play outdoors as much as we would have liked but we did make the most of it and we just allowed ourselves to slow down and relax around the house. Here is our week and what our family has been up to.

Saturday, Feb. 18th

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband Logan! We celebrated by going up to the cabin.

Sunday, Feb 19th

Halie's boyfriend joined us at the cabin for the weekend. We skated, got outdoors on the side-by-side and sled, and enjoyed some walks. We played games, Halie and BF cooked us a delicious pasta dish for supper, and we even got a visit in with three of our friends from the lake. Oh and we saw a Lynx just strolling by.

Monday, Feb. 20th

Back home and we got together with some of our oldest friends. We were supposed to go out but due to it being Family Day, a holiday, the place we were going to go to was closed so they just came over. We had the BEST time. We laughed so much and had a blast catching up, reminiscing and just full-on laughing out loud.

Tuesday, Feb. 21st

We recovered from the night before and stayed at home. A lazy morning. Mail day!!!! Look at what I got in the mail from a local jewelry, Isla! Rae Jewelry?!? I am so in love with these huge hoops! Make sure you check her out, she ships and these are a great price at only $22.

Wednesday, Feb. 22nd

Coffee date with my friend Kandice to start off the day. Driving the girls to and from the barn, job, friends. Basically a full-time Uber!

Thursday, Feb. 23rd

We went to watch AVATAR and Halie decided to come along. Anya had already seen it and opted to hang with friends instead. It was a really good movie and even though I never did see the first one, I really enjoyed it.

Friday, Feb. 24th

Cooper day!!!! For our nephew Coopers 7th birthday we decided to give him an experience gift. When he arrived we had a waffle and sausage breakfast, then played numerous games of Loop n' Louise, Guess Who and Go Fish. We went to Ruckers and played arcade type games, followed by going to a hockey game. Luck would have it that the game was our city, Blades, vs. the city he lives in, Raiders. A really intense game, including a power outage, and an overtime win for Coopers team!!!

Saturday, Feb. 25th

After a morning hot tub with Cooper, Logan drove him home and Anya wanted me to teach her how to clean the bathroom. I've given both girls opportunities to learn to clean the bathroom properly and I am willing to pay them for that chore. It's a win-win! After Halie was done at the barn, the two of us went to the mall as I needed to pick up a few items for a new collaboration I am working on. Stay tuned on those details.

Sunday, Feb. 26th

Last day of vacation means a slow morning coffee before working out and starting the day. The weather lifted and we spent some time outdoors with Oreo. We also hosted my family over for an afternoon visit, coffee and cake for Logan's birthday. Check out the new winter coat Logan bought with his birthday money.

Overall, I spent a lot of time just hanging out with the people I love the most. Also, I dug into planning our Disney World trip in 6 weeks and we feel set and ready to go for the most part! The countdown on our adventure is on. If you have any tips or tricks, let me know!

Have a great week and thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Thursday, 16 February 2023

Kindness with Ageless Style

Welcome to this months Ageless Style link-up. This month our theme is Kindness which was picked by the lovely Joanne from Slices of Life. This theme is absolutely perfect timing as in schools we always acknowledge, celebrate and encourage kindness, empathy and understanding in our fight against bullying in the month of February. In our school division we had out "pink shirt day" yesterday, Feb 15th. In honor of this day, I decided to get my craft on and I made this shirt that I truly represents how I see small acts of kindness and their effects on community. I bought the sweatshirt at Walmart for $17 and its not only a beautiful pink, but it's the softest sweatshirt I own. I got out my Circuit and finally opened my Easy Press that I got for my birthday in July!!!!! As a teacher I use the month of February to really think about what love stands for. What does kindness and love, look, sound and feel like? It's our actions big and small that demonstrate who we are as humans, not just during a special day, but in our daily lives. I would argue that the tiniest, smallest acts of kindness can have the greatest impact.

Here is a perfect example. Recently my teenage daughter began a job at a local supermarket. It's mostly good and mostly people are kind, with an odd grumpy one here and there. The main thing you can get as words of encouragement is a smile and a simple "have a nice day" or "thank you". Well here is a story from last week that just went a little further and made her, and her collogues, feel a little extra special. A lady purchased a handful of chocolate bars. Upon paying for her groceries, she went and handed each till person a chocolate bar and thanked them for being part of the "essential workers". Isn't that so kind? It's not a HUGE donation. It didn't come with camera crews and it wasn't filmed and posted on IG. It was simply about connecting and thanking without expecting anything in return.

So here is a list of little and big ways to show kindness:

Smile at a stranger and say hello
Hold the door for someone at the gym, mall, hallway, etc.
Leave a little note with a treat for a collegue
Leave a review for a buisness
Buy flowers and stop by a friends house to surprise them just because
Send a card to someone special for no reason at all
Shovel or snowblow a neighbours dirveway (especially if you live in Saskatchewan)
Make and deliever packages for the homeless in your area (we've done this and it's wonderful way to take away some of the fear and stigma related to interacting with homeless people, yes even for kids)
Donate blood (this is something I am scared to do but really want to)
Surprise a total stranger by buying them coffee
Buy a bouquet of flowers and give them to a stranger
Volunteer or offer to car pool for friends to help out

What other ideas do you have? Add them to my quick brainstorm!

Below are two ways I've styled my cute little top. Work version and a casual weekend version. Have a great week and join me back on Monday, Feb. 27th for a new post, until then see you over on IG!