{Original photo taken by my mother, Carol Watson. Modeled and manipulated by Kellee.}

About Me

Welcome to Pirate + Lilac.  My name is Kellee and I'm 24 years young living in Vancouver, BC.  This is my experiment of getting healthy while living stylishly on a small budget and big morals. Sometimes it feels frustrating and defeating being a young person in the most expensive city in Canada, but I'm here to prove it can be done without sacrificing your bank account. You better believe I'll be wearing carefully thrifted duds on a fabulously healthy frame while I do it!

Why Blog?

Blogging to me is not only a creative outlet, but also a way to find and give inspiration to others.  I've always felt a strong desire to help/inspire people, and I'm hoping sharing both my ups and downs will motivate others to get healthy, start a new home project, or style a new outfit!  Take my posts with a sense of humor and an open mind. Topics that I will cover will include giveaways, beauty reviews & recipes, outfit posts, DIY clothing & houseware tutorials, thrifting tips, special deals on our shop, life stories involving Pirate, Cam, and our adventures with becoming adults together, plus lots more!


{Original photo taken by Carol Watson. Modeled and manipulated by Kellee.}

Posting Schedule

Sadly, I can't guarantee that I will post every day.  I work full time, practice yoga, cook & clean, plan & take thrifting trips, run my shop, take care of my kitty cat, and make as much time as possible for the love of my life (more about him later too!) I do try to stick to posting at least 4 days a week which are listed below.

W. Fitness, health, and yoga (mostly Bikram hot yoga)
Th. Thrift adventures & DIY
Sa. Personal style & beauty
Su. Life / Free Write

Pirate + Lilac?

My blog name has a combination of meanings to me.  First, Pirate is the name of my furry companion pictured above.  She's a whole lot of attitude and love rolled into a ridiculously cute being.  I love her with all my heart, as does Cameron.  We basically think of her as our daughter in a way, and if she's not sleeping or eating, she's cuddling in our arms. I've learned a lot of patience from my cat, and I also get the best kitty greeting every time I arrive back at my apartment! Lilac represents myself. I've always loved the colour purple, and have had my hair 4-5 different shades of it in the past 3 years.
Together, they demonstrate a balance I like to keep in my fashion style and home decorating; edgy ensembles while still maintaining feminine grace.

A small style bio...

 I was born in Alberta, Canada, grew up in Wimberley, Texas, spent a year in Sydney, Australia, and am now settled in Vancouver, BC.  I've worked in retail, merchandising, costuming for films, and am now happily part of the Bikram Yoga Vancouver family.  I spent the majority of my high school years as part of the Lone Star Theatre program.  This is where my love for costumes and fashion began to form.  My style at first was pretty outrageous.  My body was a canvas to me, and I loved to share my creativity with what I wore.  I'd bounce from plaid miniskirts and ripped jeans to long gothic tops with bell sleeves, to bohemian dresses with wooden accessories.  I'd go through phases of only wearing pants, then months later declare I hated pants and only wear dresses and skirts!  I'd change my clothing as often as my mind, and didn't see anything wrong with that (I still don't).  As I began to climb through my 20's I started paying closer attention to trends, designers, and colour palettes.  I will always maintain my "badass" side, but that doesn't mean I have to reject the girly side of me that has become so prominent these days.


{David Lam Park, Vancouver}

Environmental Morals & Clothing Recycling

I've always had a strong sense of morals, but my environmental awareness has only come about over the past few years (with a lot of help from Cam of course, who worked for Greenpeace in the past). I try to recycle what I can, support sustainable programs and try not to drive if I can help it. With my love for fashion, and having worked in the film industry, I've seen a lot of waste having to do with clothing. For this reason I've made a decision to try to buy more from consignment / vintage / thrift stores and less from cheap season trend lines. Handmade items are also on the a-ok list. I encourage you to do your own research and decide where your morals lie within the retail industry. Given my love for fashion and supporting small business, I know it is unrealistic to buy every item second hand, but I can't ignore what is happening to our earth, and have to try to lesson my personal footprint.

"Luz Claudio, writing in Environmental Health Perspectives, considers the way Americans and Europeans shop for clothes as “waste couture”: Fashion is low-quality and sold at “prices that make the purchase tempting and the disposal painless.” Yet this sort of so-called “fast fashion” leaves a pollution footprint, with each step of the clothing life cycle generating potential environmental and occupational hazards." - The Good Human

I will be traveling around Canada, and hopefully into the USA in the future to chronicle recycled clothing shops such as consignment stores, thrift stores, vintage shops, and combination shops (vintage shops with their own lines, etc). I will also be hand picking items to sell in my Shop, as well as items for DIY tutorials (how to update thrift finds to keep up with today's trends). If you have any favourite thrift / vintage spots of your own (in Canada or the USA, or online shops) make sure to write me on twitter, facebook, or comment below! I will also be donating part of our profits from the online store to Dogwood Initiative.



{Original photo by Lululemon}

Where does Yoga fit into all of this?

Since finding my yoga practice my life has changed considerably for the better.  I wish sometimes I could shout from a mountaintop about how much Bikram hot yoga has helped me.  I was in a pretty rough place mentally and physically when I timidly stepped into the hot room for the first time, wondering if I had lost my mind completely.  I huffed and puffed and felt so dizzy I thought I was going to die... but I didn't.  In fact after class I felt more alive than I had felt before class.  I was tired and sweaty, but aware of my body, and in a state of complete bliss.  After months of teetering on the edge of depression from injuries and anxiety from a recent car accident, I couldn't stop smiling when I got home! My boyfriend noticed an immediate shift in my mood, my clarity, and my confidence.  When I don't keep up with my practice, my old injuries come back, and I generally feel pretty crummy.  I realize now how many benefits I get out of the hot room, and my boyfriend does too!  I feel lucky to have someone that can share fitness goals with me!

If you live in the Vancouver, BC area, you can come try a class for free!  Please be sure to write you heard about BYV from Kellee's blog, or Pirate+Lilac when you fill in your registration form. :)




Thanks for stopping by for my first post! Make sure to stop by our brand new facebook page and say hello! ♥ xoxo