halloween

Happy Halloween from RAOP!

October 31, 2016November 3, 2016 by Alyssa Garrison

We’re so lucky to know so many creatives in the city, whether it’s a designer, painter, seamstress, illustrator .. the list goes on. We decided to do away with pumpkin carving this year to show off some of our local artistic talent!

1. Meaghan Way //

You might recognize Meg’s signature style from a couple of items in #shopRAOP! Clean lines and fun patterns make her work easily recognizable, she’s recently collaborated with Drake General Store and you can spot one of her murals on the corner of Richmond and Peter!

2. Martha Chan //

An Illustrator and Surface Designer from Toronto, check out her website for all kinds of fun portraits, prints and watercolour paintings. Obviously, we’re currently loving her collection of Candy Coloured Portraits!

3. Marta Ryczko //

Marta works as a Designer and Illustrator in Toronto as well as running Weekender Supply Co, an affordable art and design shop online specializing in prints & pins. Her lettering skills are some of our favourite and we can’t get enough of her project Everyday Letter!

4. Johanna Martin //

Resident crafts person of #teamRAOP and serious Gem enthusiast, it was a clear choice to continue on the crystal magic theme with my pumpkin this year!

Here’s a round up of some of our favourite dressed up pumpkins from around the web:

A Subtle Revelry’s Pool Float Pumpkins
Aww Sam’s Snapchat Filter Pumpkins
Studio DIY’s Confetti Dipped Pumpkins
Style Me Pretty’s DIY Fruit Pumpkins

Dress Up

My Halloween #OOTD, Two Ways!

October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 by Alyssa Garrison

I subscribe to “cute halloween”. Every year I dress as something fun and glittery, like a unicorn, a Barbie, an ice cream sundae, or the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. The best part about this type of costume choice is how easy it is to wear all day, wherever you go, and since I love dressing up for work during the Halloween holiday week (that’s a thing, right?), I’m all for it.

That said, there is something appealing about a dark night time costume too. It is, after all, Halloween, and since I live a pastel lifestyle every other day of the year, maybe this should be the one night where I go over to the dark side…

Torn between two worlds this year, I decided to go with the obvious choice: come up with two costumes!

After much debate I decided on two of my favourite strong female characters – Carrie Bradshaw and Catwoman – as a jumping off point, and immediately got to work sourcing my costume. First stop? Value Village of course! One of my favourite places to donate and go thrifting year-round, Value Village doubles as the perfect shop for all of your halloween needs. The shelves are suddenly stocked with every costume option you can dream of, and if you have a particularly great imagination, you can also skim through the second-hand racks and find some amazing dress-up items too!

With a bag of donations on hand (because I like to donate whenever I can!) I headed to the nearest location, determined to find the perfect pieces to complete both of my costumes. Luckily I had a lot of what I needed already in my closet, so there were just a couple items left on my list! I immediately pulled a simple pair of cat ears from the new costume section, then went off in search of amazing leather pants. After some heavy hunting I managed to find a pair that would fit perfectly with a bit of alteration (a key factor in second-hand shopping). For the Carrie look I was lucky to already own the key pieces, though I did contemplate a big blonde curly wig from the amazing wig selection on the Value Village shelves. Finally I scooped up a few spooky decorations at the cash register, because you can never have too many Halloween props for photoshoots!

If you’re still hunting for the perfect Halloween ensemble for the 30th, I highly reccomend you head to your local Value Village – and don’t forget to say #ThriftorTreat!

One more fun treat: All Value Village stores will host free Halloween Costume Catwalk fashion shows at 3 p.m. every Thursday in October showcasing the season’s most popular Halloween looks! Be there or be scared!

This post was sponsored, but all opinions are my own. To inquire about sponsored posts, please emailjess@shineinfluencers.com

Dress Up

Cute and Easy Halloween Costumes

October 29, 2014September 19, 2016 by Alyssa Garrison

Halloween is fast approaching, and if you don’t have a costume yet you might be in a full-on state of panic right? Luckily we’ve got all sorts of simple last-minute costume ideas lined up, and the best part? Pretty much everything you need can be found at Bicyclette, and can be worn again!

Last Thursday in the studio Paige and I decided to play dress up with new items from the shop, and together we came up with some pretty adorable Halloween looks perfect for whatever this weekend has to offer. Our favourites are:

Witch

A halloween classic, our take on witchy style is much more chic than scary. We paired a long sleeved black lace dress with a big floppy felt hat and a pastel spider scarf. Just add some ankle booties and a broom and you’re good to go!

Funfetti Cake

This new cropped sprinkle sweater was just dying to be turned into a cake costume, and what better to pair it with than a big fluffy tulle skirt by Jordan de Ruiter? Finish this look off with ballet flats or your favourite pastel heels, and a home made candle headband fit for the prettiest of birthday cakes. For extra points, add some face paint sprinkles onto your cheeks too!

Cat

By far the most simple option on this list, it’s super easy to be a stylish kitty with this new cat ear toque from the shop. Pair it with a cat-inspired outfit (like this mod black and white shift dress + furry sweater combo) and tack on a tail, and you’re set! Just make sure to add some eyeliner whiskers to your makeup before you meow, purr and hiss the night away.

Popcorn

My personal favourite look, this idea came about the moment I saw this adorable skater dress on our buying trip in LA. Paired with glittery gold shoes and a simple popcorn headband (seriously, just glue popcorn onto a headband), this costume is original and oh so adorable. Carry around bags of popcorn to share if you’re looking to make new friends!