How I travel...

So tomorrow I am heading off to Los Angeles. This trip is sort of dual purpose. My aunt and uncle, along with their four almost five kids (yes my aunt is pregnant with her fifth child) live in Calabasas, Los Angeles, so it will be nice to visit with them. I am also apartment hunting, because I am moving from Toronto to Los Angeles in September as I am attending a fashion school(F.I.D.M.). But anyways, I leave tomorrow and I find that when I am packing I tend to have different takes than other people, and have different strategies to get all of my clothes into my suitcase neatly and organized. 

First of all I make a list of everything I am going to bring whether it be clothes, shoes, accessories, I even write down my toiletries in order to not miss anything. And I typically make this list about one to two weeks before my actual trip, in order to make room for adjustments. 

Next, I then decide what suitcases, carry-ons, purses, etc. I want to bring for my trip. For this trip I am gone 10 days, so I am bringing a reasonable sized suit case (I actually use duffle bags because they are lighter weight and you can fit more in them), my Longchamp tote bag(see below), Louis Vuitton Speedy 40 in the monogram print(see below), Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 in the Azzur pattern(see below), and my macbook in a pink laptop sleeve from Apple.

Now I know that seems like a lot for only ten days, but I always come home with so much stuff because the deals in California just can't compare to those up here in Canada. After I have decided what bags I am bringing, I then decide what is going where. Then I start to pack, and this is where I differentiate from most people. I first start by rolling all of my t-shirts, tank tops, long sleeve shirts to save space and prevent wrinkling. Then I pack all of my items that need to be hung, and when I pack them I bring along with me hanger on the garments so they can hang once I get to the hotel(in this case I am staying at my aunt and uncle's house) so that once again they don't get wrinkled and stay crumpled in my suitcase. I then pack all of my makeup bags, accessories, and toiletries. I put all of my liquid foundation, or anything in a bottle that could potentially spill in snack size ziploc bags. And I do the same for all of my shampoo, conditioners, hair products, hairsprays, lotions, or anything of that nature in freezer size ziploc bags.  I then put all of the makeup that I have decided that take on the trip in my Coach makeup case. As for my accessories, I bring with me my travel jewelry carrier from Anthropologie(see below). 

Now after all that is done, however all that may take. I print off another copy of my packing list to ensure that I brought everything. And I am set, I print off my boarding pass and get my passport ready. And finally I am off to the airport. I am officially not leaving until Saturday at 8:30am Toronto time, but I will keep you updated with my trip and post pictures along the way. Hope everyone has had a great week so far. 

ttyl

xoxo

C for P

Rainy Tuesday

Today, is quite a boring day - I have school early in the morning which I also dread. And when I say early I mean 8am which doesn't seem that early but because I live so far away from my school I have to get up two and a half hours before class starts. But enough about that, I just have to suffer through the next month and then I will never have an 8 o'clock class again, well at least until October. Then main reason for todays story is to share one of my most recent loves, no it isn't a Chanel purse, or Louis Vuitton luggage. It's my new kitty, she is small and grey with goldy-green eyes. I found her on the side of the road one day in the middle of a busy intersection, and her name is Amelia. My mom named her, after Amelia Earhart because they were both adventurers. Her full name is Amelia Pickle Shales, her middle name is pickle because we have two other cats (Atticus (named after Atticus Finch ins To Kill A Mockingbird) and Atlas (named after Atlas who held the world on his shoulders) and she is constantly picking on them, but I think it is just her way of saying that she wants to play. And if you think that all of our cat names starting with the letter "A" happens to be a coincidence, then you are very mistaken. My mom is obsessed with the letter "A" and all names starting with the letter "A". My name (Arabella), my brothers (Aidan), my sisters (Ainsley), our cats (Atticus, Atlas, and Amelia) all have names that start with the letter "A". We even live on a street thats name starts with the letter "A". But anyways back to my kitten, she is my seventh cat that I have had in my life and many of my family members and friends have cats, so I consider myself somewhat of a cat expert. And never have I ever seen a cat sit the way Amelia sits. (see below)

Dont you find it bizarre, she sits like she's a little person, which I think cats are. But anyways that's my new kitty, I will also be posting pictures of my other cats Atticus (I call her Atty) and Atlas(I call him kitten, yes it can be confusing sometimes). I hope everyone had a great weekend.

ttyl

xoxo

C for P

Day Two

Day two and already obsessed about blogging, as I knew I would be. But I did think it would take more than a day. Anyways, today I have the day off, I don't have school and currently I don't have a job so I am taking the day to get organized. Recently, I turned my dresser also into my makeup table, just because I was getting tired of getting ready in my bathroom. And the space needed something to make it look complete, and I think it ended up looking great.

I also display all my jewellery on my dresser.I love the look of antique or vintage candy jars, which are actually very difficult to find. So right now I store all my long necklaces in a scotch decanter with a stencilled "A" on which I think makes it a little more personnel. And as for my bangles, I keep them in the above seen mirrored apothecary jar. I also have a rather large collection of headbands so I took my basic dance form and turned it into the place where I store all of my headbands. I love headbands and wear them on all occasions, therefore I have quite a few and no place to keep them. So I took this non-confentional storage space and utilized it. I am very pleased on the outcome and think that this is the perfect makeup and jewellery solution until I am able to buy an actual makeup. But thats all for now.

ttyl

xoxo

C for P

First Time for Everything

So I have been debating for about the last year, on whether I blog would be a a good idea, because of the big commitment and the how it can take over your life. But, there are so many other blogs that I visit on a daily basis, and so many other them where I gain my inspiration, so I thought why not give it a try. And so here I am, I finally jumped on the band wagon. I started my own blog. 

My name is Arabella Shales, and I am a 19-year old fashion student, currently living in Toronto, Canada. The name for my blog Crowns for Paisley which is a combination of two of my loves. My middle name is Paisley, I was named that after the print of fabric, and I have always and will always love crowns and tiaras. Since I was a little girl I wanted to be a princess, but I guess that dream is out the window. Anyways, I digress like I said I am a fashion student and i'm studying Merchandise Marketing. One day I hope to be the next Rachel Zoe(if you don't know who that is, then find out- basically she is the person who controls what all of Los Angeles celebrities wear) but I will settle for just being a regular stylist. My program is an 18-month long excelerated program. And it just so happens that I graduate at the end of next month. So if your wondering what I am going to do with the rest of my life at the ripe age of 19, it just so happens that I am attending one of California's finest fashion schools, FIDM. And yes, it is the same school that Lauren Conrad attended and Heidi Montag dropped out of after just one day. My major there is Visual Communication, which I am super excited about. And if your wondering to yourself, how is a Torontonian who is really an Oakvillian (Oakville-a city outside of Toronto) is going to move across the nation and into another country. Well, i'm driving, yes driving and 5,000 miles at that. Me and my dad are taking the trek. But enough about me, never mind thats what a blog is about right? So read my blog to get updates about my current obsession, daily gossip intake, and overall life plans. 

Email me for any questions, concerns, or just my thoughts.

TTYL Everyone,

xoxo C for P