Lather. Write. Repeat.

Meet Henry

2012-01-30T12:06:00.001-06:00

Henry's first photo shoot

We have a very special new addition to the family - an 11-week old schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle mix) named Henry! We picked him up on Friday and it's been delicious chaos ever since. I forgot how much work a puppy can be, so it's been constant care and attention - plus outdoor potty training and middle of the night whining ever since!

We really wanted a buddy for our dog Gus, who has some anxiety issues. He's starting to adjust as of today, but definitely went through a jealous phase on Saturday and Sunday! He's used to being an only pooch :)

It was also my bday yesterday so there were all kinds of wonderful things going on - dinner out with my hubby and a family birthday party. So great! I'm happily exhausted today and back to work...but I can't wait to rush home and see my little Henry!

My two boys together, Henry and Gus

Sweetie pie!

How was your weekend friends?

Style Peek: sweater coat + white t + skinny jeans

2012-01-24T11:46:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! I'm back after being down and out with an awful sinus cold. I missed a ton of work and was stuck in bed for 5 days. Yikes. So glad it's getting out of my system! You kind of forget how yucky it is to be sick until you actuall are....hope you're all staying strong and healthy this January!

So, truth and honesty time - I gain weight very quickly and after a very indulgent holiday, I'm feeling it. Both in my clothes and in my self-confidence. A terrible side effect of this is bad purchasing decisions - meant to help me feel better about myself. Do you ever do that? Ugh. Why do we torture ourselves?? So I'm putting it out there to help get myself back on the wagon. This is an Anthro sweater coat I found on super sale while on my December trip to Calgary. I love it, even though sometimes I feel like it's flattering on me and sometimes I know it's not :) It's so cozy to cuddle in. My sweater security blanket - so to speak!

multi-coloured sweater coat - Anthropologie

white t - Elle via Kohls (shop here)

skinny jeans - American Eagle (shop here)

tall black boots - Steve Madden (shop here)

Have a lovely week everyone! Are you feeling the January pinch like me? How do you get back on track?

Style Peek: striped t + black cardi + skinny jeans

2012-01-16T12:55:00.001-06:00

How was your weekend? Besides being busy with dinners (Splurge on Friday and family on Saturday), Jack was sick sick sick! I keep feeling like I'm getting it but never do, so we just kept it pretty low key for the rest of the time. I recently added a third yoga class to my weekly schedule, on Sunday afternoons, and it's been a great way to finish off the weekend and keep my back feeling strong!

This casual striped T was another holiday sale purchase from the Gap, only 6 bucks! Striped T's have really become my favourite kind of basic T. With a simple cardi, skinny jeans and a cute piece of jewelly - they really can go from weekend to office. We've settled into a bit of a deep freeze here in Winnipeg so layers are a huge must!

striped T - Gap (shop)

black cardigan - Gap (shop similar)

skinny jeans - American Eagle Outfitters (shop)

black leather flats - Aldo (shop similar)

How was your weekend? Hope it was fun!

Style Peek: red puppy blouse + white cardi + skinny jeans

2012-01-13T12:27:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday! I'm sure excited to cap off the week. Tonight I'm hosting my Splurge group (dinner for 11 - eeek!) which is always a giant fabulous blast of girl talk. Because I bought so much food...I invited my mom and sis's family over for dinner tomorrow. So this weekend, you will find me firmly planted in the kitchen! How about you?

This top makes me swoon. When I saw it at Old Navy, I just had to have it. I'm a real sucker for the red and white combo with denim (makes me feel springy and fresh!) plus it has pups all over it!!! Sometimes you just gotta wear your puppy love on your sleeve.

The back is the cutest part...

red blouse - Old Navy

white cardigan - Gap (shop similar)

skinny jeans - American Eagle Outfitters

black leather flats - Aldo (shop similar)

Have I shared my love of American Eagle jeans yet? I have a TOUGH time finding jeans I love. With an apple body shape and long legs - it ain't easy :( Lately, I discovered AE and I am LOVING them! Forget the store (unless you're wee...). If you order online, you can get them in up to size 18 and three inseams (short, reg and long). Some sizes even come in extra long! I'm a 16 long and they fit perfectly, with a good rise and soft, comfy denim. Plus they are cheap! Usually between $25-40 a pair. I watch for sales and free shipping promos (they are frequent), then order a few pairs at a time. I love the Boyfriend for more relaxed bootcut and the Skinny (as seen here!). What's your fave brand of jeans?

Have an amazing weekend friends!

Style Peek: blush sweater + white tunic+ charcoal leggings

2012-01-12T09:16:00.001-06:00

Remember me? I'm back from a lovely blogging break...I've been missing being part of the community - even though I still read all your blogs daily! I think I just hit a little bit of the blahs and also took full advantage of the holidays! They were quite nice, how about yours? In order to accommodate the lazy days and big meals, I took on a sewing project and made this a-line white cotton tunic...to wear with leggings and oversized sweaters. Soooooo comfy! It's not a waist-cinching outfit, but sometimes you just gotta be comfy, right? I feel like a necklace always makes it more dressy - ha ha!

I picked up this blush pink sweater at Gap for under 20 bucks over the holidays - their deals have been pretty ridiculous lately. I'm kind of loving leggings too...but I made sure to make my tunic cover my bum - that's the cardinal rule ladies. Now that I'm back to work it's back to less slouchy outfits but I thought I would share my casual dressing for fun. What's your go-to comfy outfit?

blush sweater - Gap (shop similar)

white cotton tunic - handmade by me!

charcoal leggings - HUE

wood necklace - bought years ago in Calgary

black leather flats - Aldo (shop similar)

Things have also been busy with our bathroom reno, we booked our honeymoon to the Florida Keys in May (loved it so much last time we just had to go again!) and I found out my sister is having a boy! January has showed no signs of slowing down so far!

Have an amazing day friends!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T13:55:00.003-06:00

May your holidays be filled with love and family! Mine will be a good one with my two awesome boys...aren't they so cute together? We'll be doing lots of cuddling, eating, hanging out with family and just general re-laxation!!! Yay!

Have a wonderful Christmas and talk to you all soon!

Style Peek: floral top + black cardi + skinny jeans

2011-12-20T13:11:00.002-06:00

Life kinda looks like this these days....like long cardigans and jeans and flowy tops that disguise excess holiday baking binges. Things are pretty routine and I'm counting down the days to 10 glorious days off work...these will be spent lounging at home in stretch clothes, hanging with Jack and Gus and celebrating Christmas with the families....AWESOME! Yoga has been giving me some relief and I've been allowing myself to lag off on my blogging, it's been nice. Did I mention that Jack started our massive bathroom renovation? Things are a little chaotic in the house but with chaos comes the joy of tile selection, paint colours and vanity searches...when he's done building it of course!

black cardigan - Gap (shop here)

floral top - Handmade by my sister

skinny jeans - American Eagle Outfitters (shop here)

black boots - Steve Madden (shop here)

I hope you're all well and I'm wishing you the happiest of holidays seasons! Thanks for always coming back to visit me...I love reading all your notes and comments. I continue to read the blogs, just more low key on the commenting. Life...I'm allowing myself permission to be less than perfect and it feels pretty amazing. You should too...

Style Peek: sapphire dress + mustard cardi + red belt

2011-12-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

Sapphire + Mustard + Red? Oh yes. I was feeeling a little feisty and decided to throw them all together in one happy outfit! This is my new Modcloth dress and I love love it...it's so cute, comfy and vibrant...plus it will go four seasons! I topped it with my favourite mustard cardi plus this cute skinny tomato red woven belt. How's that for taking a risk?

You probably can't tell but it was so cold the day I wore this that I have on tights, leggings, butter socks AND my boots! Anything to be able to wear those dresses... :)

Sapphire for Hire dress - Modcloth (shop here)

mustard cardigan - Gap (shop similar)

red woven belt - American Eagle Outfitters (shop here)

charcoal leggings - Hue (shop here)

tall brown riding boots - Bare Traps via Famous Footwear (shop here)

Tell me...what's the craziest colour combo you've put together and loved?

Have an amazing day friends! Hope you're getting into the holiday spirit!

Style Peek: hearts dress + green tights + peep toe flats

2011-12-07T12:13:00.000-06:00

Hey friends! How are you doing? My trip to Calgary was a blast but of course, now that I'm back into my routine it feels a million miles away...I guess that's why we need to live in the moment. Because that's all it is - a moment and then you're on to the next one! I had amazing visits with my girlfriends and got to stay with my dad and stepmom Laura, who happen to live just minutes from my fave latte spot. Heaven!

Of course I did a wee bit of shopping, but I made myself only visit 2 stores that I don't have here in Winnipeg - H&M and Anthropologie. You'll definitely be seeing my new duds in posts to come...for now, here's an old pic from last week. It's my faithful hearts dress, with black and white that seems to go with everything! I paired it with a cozy black cardigan and my rockin' green tights from We Love Colors. And those shoes? Well, sadly they are a pair that look adorable but pinch my toe in a weird spot (any tips for this prob?). So they got in the picture but not out the door :)

black and white hearts dress - Forever 21 (shop similar)

black cardigan - Gap (shop here)

olive green tights - We Love Colors (shop here)

black and white flats - Faryl Robin via Soul Shoes

Hope you're all having an amazing week friends! Can you believe Christmas is only a few short weeks away?? Eeek!

Style Peek: black crewneck + black tights + summer skirt

2011-11-30T17:19:00.001-06:00

Hey strangers...how have you been? I'm super excited because I leave tomorrow for a long weekend jaunt to Calgary! I'm going to see my dad and stepmom, have tons of great visits with my girls and do a wee bit of shopping. Can't wait!

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the mild November we're having but NOT loving it be dark both before and after work...hence the dark photos. One of the great things about the mild days is being able to still get away with tights. I've been wanting to wear some of my summer skirts, like this one. So I paired it with a plain black crewneck, plain black tights and black flats...so comfy and it puts all the focus on the skirt. Plus I feel kind of ballerina-ish in this colour combo!

black crewneck sweater - Gap (shop similar)

blush embroidered skirt - Gap (shop similar)

black tights - Silk Plus

black leather flats - Aldo (shop similar)

Hope you're all having a lovely week friends!

Hair Ramblings

2011-11-24T12:02:00.001-06:00

So now that I've cut my bangs...I'm can't stop picking at them. I'm snipping and trimming and shaping every second day! I'm working my way up to this...my dream hair....

Not the flaming red even though that looks flaming hot (baby steps!)...just the cut. I imagine she's Florence from Florence & the Machine's young hip niece...I want to be young and hip too :) So I'm starting with the haircut!

image via asos.com

What's your fantasy hair these days friends? How do you work up the nerve to take a leap?

Modcloth reduces shipping to Canada!

2011-11-23T12:53:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I have some great news for us Canadian gals who love Modcloth...they've adjusted their shipping fees!

I made an order in the summer and it was something ridiculous like $17 for one item. I definitely think shipping fees are a huge barrier for companies wanting to increase their online shopping market. Well after seeing Modcloth advertising lower international shipping, I plugged this cute dress into my shopping cart for fun to see what shipping would be...would you believe it calculated at $1.98? I refreshed my screen a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things! Nope, all correct. So of course I couldn't help myself and ordered it.

Sapphire for Hire Dress - Modcloth (Shop here)

As a side note, I tried filling my cart with $200 worth of clothes and shipping was still under $20 so it must be pro-rated.

It's so much easier to think about buying one item here and there when shipping is close to nothing...Asos has really set the bar with this with their free worldwide shipping. I recently scored this dress for free shipping and no customs fees or taxes because the package value was below $50!

dress - Asos Curve (Shop here)

Let's hope everyone else follows their lead and starts reducing shipping fees to Canada!

*Ummm...can you tell I have a thing for blue dresses?

Have you scoped any new great deals you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them! Hope you all have a lovely rest of the week!

Style Peek: navajo sweater + skinny jeans + caramel boots

2011-11-22T13:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I hope you're keeping cozy this November morning? Full blown winter has arrived here in Winnipeg and for a few moments I forgot what it was like....but I remember now and I'm all over sweaters, boots, berets and thick scarves!

See the happy look on my face (see above!)...I have some fab news to share! I've been named the new Winnipeg City Editor for Western Living Magazine (a Western Canada lifestyle mag)!

What does this mean, you ask? Well, I'm still working full time at Fusion, but now I'm contributing monthly to the front-of-book section of Western Living - sourcing fantastic new and unique home decor and design items to be featured. It's a great little side gig for me, plus I've wanted to be a magazine editor since I was a wee lass picking up Seventeen mag...so this is my baby steps into this world!

On another note - I've been asked by you lovely readers about tights for us tall and curvy gals. So here's my scoop - I adore both HUE and We Love Colors for fantastic quality tights.

I get my HUE tights at The Bay (in Canada) and Macy's (in the US). They have great texture and look for sizes 4 and 5 for more height and weight allowance. The bummer is those higher sizes are only available in basic colours like black and brown.

This is where We Love Colors comes in...they have 51 fantastical shades in their Plus Size Tights to pick from. Shipping is $12 but I order 2 or 3 pairs at a time to make it worthwhile. I definitely recommend them if you're looking for something unique. Hope this helps ladies!

navajo sweater - PURE Alfred Sung via Zellers

white cotton top - Old Navy (shop similar)

skinny jeans - Gap (shop here)

caramel leather boots - Steve Madden (shop here)

Have a lovely week friends!

Style Peek: wrap sweater + slouchy knee socks + tall boots

2011-11-18T09:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend and joyful weekend ahead. It's been a busy work week but I'm so excited because I scored a seat sale to visit friends and family for a long weekend getaway to Calgary! Now to keep that shopping budget in check....why hello H&M...why hello Anthropologie....here I come!

In today's style peek, I'm showing off my newest obsession - layering knee socks under tall boots! Warm, cute and a fun look!

taupe sweater - Winners

black slouchy tank - Forever 21+ (shop here)

skinny jeans - Gap (shop here)

oatmeal knee socks - Winners

black leather tall boots - Steve Madden (shop here)

woven and faux leather belt - Zellers

What clothing trend are you obsessed with right now friends?

Have an amazing weekend!

Style Peek: navy dress + mustard cardi + chunky necklace

2011-11-14T09:47:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday friends...I hope you all had a great weekend and your week ahead is looking bright!

I'm super excited to share another sewing project with you. This was a very simple column pattern with an elastic inserted in the high waist for shaping. The pattern called for a knit but I'm not ready for stretchy yet so I took a chance and decided to go with this navy printed rayon. It came out pretty preppy so I tried to boho it up a bit with a chunky wood necklace, mustard cardi and espresso tights. I love the shape so I think I'm going to do a repeat on this on with some other fun fabric - maybe with a shorter lenght? More like a tunic to wear with leggings.

navy dress - handmade by me!

mustard cardigan - Gap

chunky wood necklace - bought a million years ago in Calgary

espresso tights - HUE (shop here)

brown leather flats - Aldo (shop similar here)

How was your weekend friends? You know what I've been thinking about...Christmas shopping. My family has abandoned our homemade Christmas idea - I think we'd need a whole year to pull that together! So now we're going to stick to one small gift each and try to make it sentimental...what are you doing for Christmas this year?

Have a lovely week!

Style Peek: navajo sweater + rust beret + slouchy boots

2011-11-12T09:28:00.001-06:00

Hello weekend! I'm enjoying mine - how about you? Not much to report, I've got a massage, a yoga class and I'm hosting my mom's birthday dinner tomorrow (lasagna!).

It's still nice fall weather here in Winnipeg, but the chill is taking over the air. I really love the navajo trend I've been seeing, so when I spotted this oversized wool-blend sweater at Zellers for under $39 - I snapped it up! It's from the Pure by Alfred Sung line and I highly recommend you Canadian gals go check it out. They line is full of adorable sparkly skirts and blouses for holiday parties, plus lots of staples like this sweater and flowy dresses, all on trend, on budget and sized up to XXL. I really do hope they keep the line when Zellers transforms into Target here.

This is total weekend for me, with a plain white t-shirt, skinny jeans and slouchy boots, plus my rust beret for a pop of colour!

black and white navajo sweater - PURE Alfred Sung via Zellers

white t-shirt - Elle via Kohl's (shop here)

skinny jeans - Gap (shop here)

black slouchy buckle boots - Aldo (shop similar)

Have a fantastic weekend friends!

Wedding Pics: The Photobooth

2011-11-09T13:04:00.001-06:00

I hope you're all having a great week! Thanks so much for your kind words and support as I try to find my blog/life balance! I feel better just knowing that YOU all know I won't be posting every day...I'm going to shoot for 3 times a week for a while. I also starting taking a restorative yoga class (a-mazing!) and reading Dr. Oz's You on a Diet (I like the idea of eating to fuel our bodies and optimize their performance!). So baby steps....

As promised, I still have wedding pics to share with you! These are by far my fave of the bunch because they show me how much fun our guests were having that special day. We had our photographer set up a photoboot at the venue and let everyone loose...it was by far the hit of the wedding! Here's a few of the shots...

My inspiring and amazing mentor Nat (check out her fab food blog) and her lovely hub Tony (thanks for coming all the way from Calgary!)...

My adorable cousin Kyra who spent the night tearing up the dance floor...

Barrett, my co-worker and his wife Larissa - would you believe he got that tan in Manitoba??

My sweet niece and nephew Hailey and Wyatt...

Sis/maid of honour and her hubs...

Gorgeous cousins - yup, I've babysat them all! Dang I'm old...

Me and my old Churchill roomie Amy - known for her pricelessly sarcastic sense of humour...

Kirk and Anna, two crazy kids in love...

My aunt and uncle...another pair of crazy kids in love!

Thompson girls! Best buds since grade 9...

Handsome cousins looking very serious...

Mother of the bride...what a dame!

As only BFFs can be...

A few of the MANY McGees! Love my new in-laws!

Me and Nat...she's such a cutie! I spent most of the night coveting her Anthro dress...fun fact: we discovered Anthro together...

More fun from the McGee side!

Jack and his buds...and Graham doing the zoolander...

My awesome, kooky, gorgeous co-workers!

2 of the coolest new gal pals I've found in Winnipeg!

Me and my sweets!

All images by Leah Bima

Have a lovely and amazing week friends!

A little less blogging and a little more 'me'

2011-11-07T12:36:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! Whew! Who knew 5 days without blogging could fly by in a flash? I wanted to pop in and say hello and also fill you in with what's going on with me.

I've been in a bit of a blogging rut and it comes down to two main reasons:

1 - Social media is the fastest growing area of my job as a copywriter and communications specialist at the ad agency where I work...this means the more I do during the day - the less I am inclined to turn on the computer after hours! It's been so busy that basically I come home and crash...then I feel guilty for not blogging. I need to accept that blogging is not my full time job (as much as I would love it to be!) and I need to go easier on myself.

2 - I am having some health issues - nothing serious but I've always struggled with my back and lately it's been hard to manage. Hobbies I love like painting furniture and sewing leave me feeling a lot of pain. Stubborn as I am - I continue to do them but the bottom line is...if I don't look after myself first, I won't be able to do anything I love. So I'm having to shift my priorities and put more focus back on taking care of myself. I know I need to spend more time making healthy meals, going on more walks with Gus and increasing my yoga. This means less time for things like blogging and my business. :(

I'm not going to stop blogging, I just may a bit more sporadic at it. I still have wedding photos to share, some lovely submissions of 'The Story Behind' from you lovely readers and some outfits on the camera just waiting to be uploaded. All I'm saying is I might not be around as much.

I will try to juggle it all as I often do...so wish me luck and I'l talk to you soon!!

In the meantime, he's my latest sweet splurge...it's been the year of the coat closet revival so along with my winter sleeping bag parka, I've picked up this gem for that in-between fall coat and frigid -40 weather here in Winnipeg...

It's the perfect mix of chic and bohemian and I love the deep moss colour and refined leather trim! When you zip up the neck it has a real military/mod shape to it. It's from Danier's new collection and it's currently on sale if you're looking!

Talk to you soon friends!

Wedding Pics: The Ceremony

2011-11-02T12:23:00.002-05:00

Hey all! Happy Wednesday....here are some more wedding pics to share with you. The ceremony was such an amazingly special part of the day. I walked the aisle with both my mom and dad and Jack's cousin Tim performed our ceremony (which we all wrote together). It was in a lovely outdoor wooded area, the perfect backdrop for our vows.

Isn't my neice Hailey the cutest as our little ring bearer? I made her ring holder from vintage craft books, pieces of my grandmother's wedding lace and twine - I'll share a closer look and DIY instructions in another post!

Jack's business partner Graham played an acoustic version of 'I will follow you into the dark' by Death Cab for Cutie as I walked in.

Jack got a little teary...which made me teary...

During the ceremony, Jack's budding rock star nephew played and sang 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars for us...he definitely stole the show! Plus I love how he rocked a hat because his uncle Jack was!

all images by Leah Bima

Thanks for stopping by friends and have a lovely day!

Style Peek: black & cream dove top + jeggings + tall boots

2011-11-01T13:06:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! I hope you're having a fantastic week! Happy belated Halloween...we had the most gorgeous weather here for it. I'm not a big dresser-upper but I loved seeing all the kid pics on my Facebook feed this morning! I loved dressing up as a kid - my mom really went all out sewing our costumes, although living up north meant that your costume had to be big enough to fit over your snowsuit!

Here's an outfit I wore to a client meeting last week. Luckily, as the writer I can get away with creative casual! But now that I'm getting more client face time, I've been supplementing my wardrobe with these silky tops to add a touch of polish to my more...ahem...relaxed style!

black and white top - Forever 21+ (shop here)

jeggings - Gap (shop here)

tall black boots - Steve Madden (shop here)

Did you get all dressed up for Halloween? Or are you more of a candy giver-outer?

Have a lovely week friends!

Style Peek: rust floral dress + espresso tights

2011-10-30T09:01:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, I hope you're having a great weekend! I'm relishing the time off...catching up on tv series with Jack, taking Gus to the dog park, getting a much-needed massage and doing lots of housecleaning. There's something about this time of year that makes me want to clear clutter and pare down. How about you? How are you keeping busy this weekend?

Here's an outfit I wore last week - Forever 21 continues to impress me with their cute little rayon dresses and tops in on-trend prints at affordable price points (this one was $29!). I have to wade through all the edgier, graphic prints to find the 'girlier' stuff that's more my style - but I'm always rewarded when I do! I love the tones of fall in this floral dress, the rust and pumpkin and cinnamon - plus it has pretty pops of modern cobalt as well. Paired with opaque tights, it's quickly becoming my fall uniform!

rust floral dress - Forever 21+ (shop here)

espresso tights - HUE (shop here)

black leather flats - Aldo (shop similar)

Have a fantastic Sunday friends and hope your week kicks off great as well!

**Informal poll for my curvy readers (sizes 12-16)....my poor closet is bulging at the seams (my fault, I know!), so I'm thinking about setting up a 'shop my closet' section. I would carefully select my best condition pieces I no longer wear or fit and have them available for sale at greatly reduced prices (for pick-up in Winnipeg and to be shipped elsewhere). Is this something you might be interested in? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Style Peek: blue stripes sweater + marigold skirt

2011-10-26T11:52:00.001-05:00

Well hello! I'm in all kinds of a goofy mood lately....must be delerium from being so busy!! Yesterday's outfit is complete evidence of this. I threw caution to the wind and mixed it up, breaking all the fashion 'rules'.

Unexpected colour combination of navy and varsity blues plus mustard yellow? Check! Oversized sweater that's almost as long as my skirt? Check! Black tights with no other black in the outfit? Check!

This blog has made me more bold with my choices. The more I post outfit pics, the more I realize this is about having fun and expressing myself - so I hope to continue to keep doing it. There's only one me - so my outfits should be the same. I hope you're having fun with your style choices today? The golden rule - if it makes you smile and twirl when you put it on - it's a glamour 'do'!!

blue striped cardigan - Gap (shop similar)

white slouchy pocket tank - Old Navy (shop)

marigold skirt - handmade by me!

black tights - had forever...

black leather flats - Aldo

silver necklace - local boutique Silver Lotus (shop similar)

blue leather belt - Target

PS: Since we're all about sharing good stuff here - I thought I would let you know that I bought a new winter coat at Mark's Work Wearhouse. Not sexy I know, but hey - we live in Winnipeg! Anyway, we all know a winter coat is not a cheap purchase but if you're in the market I thought I would let you know that if you sign up for Mark's emailing list - you get a coupon for 20% off one item - it shaved $40 off my coat!

Have an amazing day friends!

Style Peek: silky bird dress + olive cardi + maroon tights

2011-10-25T17:49:00.001-05:00

Hey friends! Remember the big conference I spoke at last week? Well never mind what I said - more importantly, here is what I wore! I definitely struggled with the whole corporate work wear dilemma, since I know my office is much more creative and casual than most. But I also wanted to stay true to who I am and what I do - so I did my own version of 'corporate creative'. I chose my favourite silky bird dress, I think the dressy material just takes things up a notch. Then I paired it with an olive green cardigan, gold accessories and tall black boots. My own special twist - some funky maroon tights...just a sliver of course!

By the way, have I mentioned I am loving putting my hair up now that I have bangs? I swear, it makes it sooo much easier - you'll be seeing a lot of my little messy topknot in the future.

silky bird dress - Forever 21+ (shop)

olive cardigan - Old Navy (shop similar)

layered gold necklace - Target (shop similar)

suede belt - Target

maroon tights - We Love Colors

black leather boots - Steve Madden (shop similar)

How do you dress up for business-y occasions friends? Or are you lucky enough to not have any? :)

Just kidding, I love my job but time to time I do fantasize about working from home in my pjs...although them I would have no material for my blog...never mind!!

Wedding Pics: The Invites

2011-10-24T12:19:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday friends! I hope you're all having a great week so far!

I only have a minute so I thought I would pop in and share some pics of the invitations (for those who haven't seen them). These were a true labour of love and probably the hardest part of the wedding preparations. No joke, I learned Photoshop to make these babies (with the help of my amazing graphic design gal pal Lorraine) and by the end of it I was cursing them and wishing I'd paid to have them made. I knew that looking back I would be proud I'd done them (typical me) - but just a little advice for you brides-to-be - let got of a few things....to save your sanity!

all images via Leah Bima

Have a great day friends!

Wedding PIcs: The Outfits

2011-10-23T20:47:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a fantastic weekend! I've been playing it pretty low key and taking a much needed technology break. But I wanted to continue to share more wedding pics and the outfit details with you - so here are some of my faves of Jack and I and our wedding party.

I had my dress made by a local seamstress, after finding an amazing deal on 100% Italian Silk in the softest champagne ivory - regular $99 a metre on sale for $5 a metre. No joke! We worked together to come up with this design, with a sweetheart neckline, gathered box pleats, pockets and retro tea length. I love how simple but still sophisticated it turned out, very me! I paired it with an aqua green cashmere cardigan from J. Crew, a treat to myself with my Splurge group money. I made my hairpiece out of pieces of my grandma's wedding dress and wore my other grandma's vintage pearls. My cream beaded clutch was made in the 60's and I bought it at Ragpickers, a local vintage shop. I found the cream peep toe flats during one of my summer daytrips to Target for only $18. On my toes is Turquoise & Caicos by Essie.

On my sweetie? He chose to wear a black suit he already had - with a white shirt, turquoise plaid tie from Tip Top and turquoise Converse All-Stars. He topped it all off with a plaid fedora in a taupe colour with subtle turquoise lines running through it, that I picked up at TJ Maxx for $7.99!

Our wedding party was small but awesome! Jack chose his friend Johnny to stand up for him and had my sister Lindsay to be my maid of honour. My niece Hailey, her daughter, was our ring bearer - since in my world any girl can do a boy's job!

Johnny wore the same outfit as Jack, but without the hat. After picking out soft aqua twill fabric together, Lindsay made both hers and Hailey's dresses and topped them with cream cardigans. She is my sewing inspiration! I also made Hailey a rosette hairpiece out of my dress fabric. The girls picked their own shoes. I love how casual but still 'done up' we are - and doesn't the venue have the best backgrounds - love love the weathered wood barn!

Hope you have an amazing week friends!