Surving Winter: Enjoy it!

As Emma’s Winter Survival Guide 2012 comes to a close, there are a couple odds and ends I want to share.

Whenever I talk to my friends in California about living in a colder climate, they always say that they just don’t think that they could deal with the snow. Granted, if you have a house or car, I can see how snow can be really, freaking annoying. One has to keep in mind that I have never had to shovel snow (ahhh, apartment living), or drive in snow. My pipes have never frozen and I’ve never slipped and broken anything (that really is just a luck thing).  My relationship with snow may still be in the honeymoon phase, but there is one thing that will never change about snow: it’s not rain. Not that I hate the rain or anything, but snow does not require an umbrella, nor can you get unexpectedly drenched by a downpour of snow like you would rain. When you get covered in snow, you brush it off and just walk right inside, almost completely dry.  Snow also usually produces a dry cold instead of a damp one, meaning that it doesn’t get into your bones when it’s cold out. I would take snow over rain any day of the week.

Snow means snowmen, ice skating, snowball fights, snow forts and sledding. It’s beautiful and transforms the world into a glorious white wonderland.  With all the bad that snow brings, there is also so much good. And am I the only one that believes that tea and hot chocolate actually taste better when consumed after coming in from a snowy outside? To warm-weather-dwellers I say: don’t be afraid of the snow. To cold-weather-dwellers I say: don’t hate the snow. After all, there is seriously nothing you can do about it so you might as well enjoy it, right?

Well, I think that is just about it. Hope you’ve gotten something out of my winter tips and tricks (and didn’t find that little sermon too nauseating), and will fare better than I did my first couple of winters (if you ever find yourself a warm-blooded stranger in a cold-blooded land)!

Next week we’re back to the same-old, same-old, but in the meantime have a lovely weekend! Maybe make a snowman?

PS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvlHdcvR8mA

Surviving Winter: Accessories

Alright, so you have your boots and your coat, now is the time to accessorize! There isn’t really a right way or a wrong way to wear a hat, gloves and scarf, this is more just an opportunity to share cute things that I wish were in my closet but aren’t. What I will say is that beside the absolutely beautiful Coach gloves my boyfriend gave me for Christmas (that might be a little bit of unnecessary bragging, but really they are so lovely), my favorite hand-wear are the kind that can transition between mittens and gloves. They have little finger holes that expose the tips of your fingers, but also have a mitten attachment allowing for the convenience of gloves and the warmth of mittens! I also find that, if you are blessed with a small head, H&M kids is an excellent place for very warm hats.

 
(Urban Outfitters, Modcloth, Modcloth, Asos, Target, J.Crew)

I happen to really enjoy “whimsical” gloves, can’t you tell?

May I suggest, however, that if you are going to go all out (hat and scarf) and happen to have a ton of hair (like me), don’t wear a sweatshirt with a hood, otherwise you will have hair in your face all day.

Surviving Winter: Coats

To continue with our theme of numerating the tips tonight, I have four criteria for the all essential winter coat:

Make sure it covers your butt

Make sure it will keep you dry

Make sure it has a hood (that stays up).

A formal lining is plus

Only now that I have a big beautiful lined winter coat (thanks Kara!) do I understand how important a great coat is. Sometimes in cold weather, you’ll be standing on a street corner and a big gust of wind will hit against you but not make you cold. That is how you know you have a good coat.

Some example include:

The immensely expensive and immensely popular TNT parka :

The classic Lands End adorable duffel coat:

A detachable wool lining from Asos (ooo, ahhh):

You are literally going to be living (all day every day) in whatever you buy, so pick carefully. I think that is the theme of these posts, pick carefully.

PS: I just made these and they are FREAKING DELICIOUS and SO FREAKING EASY. Ugh I’m going to eat them allllllll.

Surviving Winter: A Good Pair of Boots

 

Today we’re going to start from the ground up, meaning today is all about shoes (my favorite topic). See when it’s snowy and icy, you can’t just wear your tennis shoes (or as they call them in Canada, runners). They aren’t warm enough and you’ll just fall on your butt. My first year, I went out to buy my first pair of winter boots and ended up with something so ugly, I literally only wore them on the coldest of cold days. I don’t want that to happen to you. There are attractive snow boots out there, but you might have to search for them.

When purchasing said boots, or searching for said boots, I’ve found that there are three essential questions you must ask yourself and one thing to consider.

First: are they sewn into the sole? Can you see stitches? If not, that means they’re glued and you probably don’t want that because they are less waterproof than stitches. I wouldn’t consider this a hard and fast rule, but it’s definitely a deciding factor for me.

Second: what is the traction like? Do they have nice, thick, preferably rubber soles? No? Maybe not the best option for winter.

Third: how tall are they? I would say the taller the better. Again, not a hard and fast rule, and might be a issue of personal preference, but  lets just say when that truck plows through that puddle, you want to tall tall boots to protect your nice pants.

Lastly, when purchasing boots consider insulation. Those ugly boots I bought first year where lined with faux fur, and of course there is the obvious choice of buying a pair of Uggs, but I would seriously advise against Uggs as a winter boot. Yes, they are cozy and warm but they also get salt stains like no other and have no traction.

1. Are they sewn into the base?

2. Good traction

3. Tall (this is a preference)

4. Insulated is better

Here are some ideas:

 

 

(Pepperlime, DSW, Doc Martens, LL.Bean)

My Doc Martens have become my favorite pair of shoes ever. They are so comfortable, keep my feet dry and prevent me from falling on my butt all the time.

Hope you’re enjoying the snow! I sure am!

 

Gibson Bun

So as I procrastinate on , I mean take a break from, my thesis research, I wanted to share this really neat little hair tutorial video from Sarah Lynn Paige.

It’s super easy and turns out so cute! (I’m wearing it today)

mine didn’t turn out quite as perfect as hers does, but maybe with some practice I’ll get there.

Enjoy your afternoon! I’ll be posting later on boots for my Winter Survival Guide (oooo, ahhhh).

Grace Kelly

Hello, hello!

How was your weekend? I’m putting together a great introduction to Emma’s Winter Survival Guide ’12 but first, isn’t Grace Kelly beautiful?

I managed to slip away and see an exhibit on her transition from actress to princess at the TIFF Bell Light Box this weekend.  She just seemed to have been a truly lovely person in every sense of the word.

 

I find her so incredibly enchanting.

Surviving Winter: The Basics

Welcome to Emma’s Winter Survival Guide! Today let’s go over the basics of how to survive winter.

FIRST: check the weather every day.

In California when it’s sunny outside, it’s probably more or less warm depending on the time of year. In Toronto during the winter, there might be a big beautiful cloudless sky and still ring in at seven degrees Fahrenheit. It’s always safe to assume it’s freezing and prepare for the worst. Which brings me to point number two.

TWO: Do not leave the house without a hat/ gloves at least in your bag.

Frozen ears are the worst behind frozen fingers. Even if you don’t think you’ll need them because you checked the weather and it’s only going to be twelves degrees Fahrenheit instead of seven, BRING GLOVES. (Honestly, I probably wouldn’t even be going outside if it was that cold).

THREE: The wind is your worst enemy.

I feel like this is a truth everywhere on the planet. Even in California, where it doesn’t get that cold, a nice strong wind can take it from a chilly day to a downright freezing day. Which is why I direct you to number four.

FOUR: Layers are your best friend.

When I moved to this arctic tundra (I joke) no one informed me that in order to wear normal people non-plastic snow pants all the time and still have legs by April, I needed to start wearing leggings/tights underneath my jeans. I distinctively remember coming back from one particularly chilly November day and asking my then-roommate how you prevent frozen thighs, but I don’t think she understood my question because she said that most people just wear jeans. NOT TRUE. Most people wear jeans + leggings, and if you are me, + 2 to 3 pairs of socks.

Any questions, comments, complaints?

Tomorrow we’ll start with the clothing recommendations! Hope everyone is staying warm!

Bonus insider tip: hot beverages are the best.

Whoops

Op! Did you hear that? that was me, dropping the blogger ball yet again.  Ah well.

I’m going to make it up to you, okay? Next week is winter week! When I first moved to Toronto from California, I was so excited to live in my first place with snow, but I knew absolutely nothing about it. I didn’t really know that I knew nothing about it, but looking back I was pretty clueless. Now, however, I am older, wiser and have FINALLY after THREE winters have mastered the cold. How you might ask? Well you’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, have a lovely weekend, and what do you think of this ensemble

I’m pretty much IN LOVE with that dress. BUT I feel like I’m too young to wear it. Does that make sense?

 

 

Black and White Stripes.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely fall into the category of “bargain hunter.” I want what I want at the price I want.

Is this maybe a wee bit demanding? Yes. But rarely do I buy something that I don’t wear and later regret. I am not in any way an “impulse buyer.” Purchasing my first home will be an interesting experience.

This dress, breaking the small student budget at $87.26,  is completely lovely. This is where it becomes difficult. Lovely yes, but worth $87.26? Which is effectively two weeks of food? I won’t even be able to wear it for at least another four months. For now, until I win the lottery, I’ll admire from afar.

A Cold/ The Cold

Unfortunately I am starting of this (my last semester of school ever) with a cold. Typically, I am blessed with a great immune system and rarely get colds (I can’t really remember the last one I had), meaning I tend toward the side of whiny when I do get sick.

Whine, Whine, Whine, Sick, Sick, Sick, SNEEZE.

At least this happened at the beginning as opposed to the end of the semester right? Not like I can miss class either way. I’m just going to drown my sorrows in tea until I have to drag my snot-filled body to class (whiny AND dramatic, a winning combination).

Also, this country isn’t worth being so cold if there isn’t any snow.

Also, happy appendix-versary!