Veronica Slater presents

And the winners are .....

2012-01-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

First I need to tell you that Marnie and I were so impressed with your participation and enthusiasm, that Marnie decided to throw in an extra scarf, PLUS 4 $50 gift certificates towards any of The Blushing Maple's products. Keep in mind that an amazing Spring collection is coming soon to Fresh Collective! Liz and Alaina will also be thanked for sharing the most posts on their FB pages, Marnie

Contest - Win a Scarf by The Blushing Maple!

2012-01-27T10:33:00.000-05:00

CONTEST ENDS TOMORROW EVENING, SO HURRY!Allez, vite!!Apúrense!! Hijacked image from Marnie's page :) Remember last week's post on the gorgeous Hilton scarf by The Blushing Maple sold at Fresh Collective? You could win your very own by simply 'liking' my Facebook VSp page. Be a darling and double your chances by liking The Blushing Maple's page too! Done? Bravo! Your name is in the hat,

What I Wore on RelieF - V

2012-01-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

RelieF 44'30" I was back on RelieF last night to talk about commonly used things that can make you and your family sick. Which ones are they? There's a few, including your purse and tooth brush. No kidding. What's the best way to keep them clean? Watch the segment, just click here and go to 44' 30". Here's what I wore on RelieF... We’re having an unseasonably warm winter in Toronto, and

Here comes the Dragon!

2012-01-23T09:33:00.001-05:00

Photo credit Right Attitudes Here comes the year of the Dragon! Is your family celebrating the Lunar (Chinese) New Year? If so, Happy New Year to you! 2012 is the year of the amazing dragon, an auspicious symbol which stands for power, good luck, success, and happiness. Sounds pretty good to me. As you probably know, each lunar year is associated with one of twelve animals, and one full

Winter Scarf - A new twist every day!

2012-01-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

It's a cold day in the Great White North and the Latina in me feels totally out of her element, so I need to keep warm, distract the mind, and carry on. I've figured that a fun scarf a day will keep the blues away and so I'm planning on putting my new favourite winter beauty to good use. Meet The Hilton, by The Blushing Maple and available at the Fresh Collective. I love the length, the silk

The ultimate satchel by Mariclaro

2012-01-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

Here’s the most exciting gift I put under the Xmas tree this year: a shoulder satchel by Mari Cla Ro. It was exciting because it is the perfect gift for the single most difficult person to shop for: Mon homme! You see, I don’t often shop for him because he’s pretty self-sufficient in that department...if he needs something, he simply goes out and buys it. If a new gadget comes out, he’ll be

Happy New Beginnings!

2012-01-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

The absolute best part of a new year and the days that follow is greeting people we know (or not) with a sentence that starts with the word 'Happy'. Impossible to do it without a smile. A new year is a perfect time to refocus, make new personal resolutions to keep (and/or forget), dream small and big, plan time well, be grateful, project good stuff, and know (or hope) we'll be ready to deal with

Persimmons - To love or to loathe?

2011-12-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Gotta love a fruit that works with the room ;) I'm taking a much needed break from my last bit of Xmas preparations to talk about another seasonal fruit that I think deserves a little more respect : Persimmons (AKA 'kaki' in Japanese). I happen to love them and so do the kids, but for some reason I'm under the impression most people hate them. And who could blame them? Taste the fruit while

When and how to go GREEN during the holidays

2011-12-13T08:43:00.000-05:00

There's so many ways to 'greening' Christmas. It's a matter of making choices - all the time. From the tree we pick, to the stores we shop at, to the products we buy or make, to the wrapping, to the dishes we use while entertaining... being conscious of how our small and big gestures make a positive difference is a great incentive to go green. I'm not big on crafts (nor baking!) but I was

My quest for the perfect wallet is over - Thank you, Scout!

2011-12-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

Photo credit "The Grid" My family Secret Santa has an easy job this year. It involves running to Scout on Roncesvalles, meeting the lovely owner Leah, and picking-up my pre-selected gift. I typically love to be surprised - which I’m sure can be a real pain in the neck for the person doing the shopping for me, but this year there’s only one thing my heart desires: the ultimate wallet. Yes,

Keeping at it, 19 days ‘til Xmas!

2011-12-07T08:26:00.000-05:00

How's the shopping going? Do you have gift ideas for everyone on your list? Are you stuck on someone in particular? Let's face it; certain people are just more difficult to buy for - no question. What it often comes down to is they just seem to have everything! O.k. stop right there ... no one has everything. '3 steps to a perfect gift'. Retailers are in the business of tempting us each

3 Dollar Store finds and 1 confession

2011-12-06T11:02:00.000-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with the darn dollar store. The very concept of the place goes against everything I believe and try to live by. You know? Like...less is more, buy local, live green, good quality pays off, you name it. But who am I kidding? Once in a while - especially around holidays or birthday parties, I can't resist diving into the madness with hopes of finding clever

3 steps to the perfect gift

2011-12-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

Bon Friday! Yesterday was all about making lists to stay on track and avoid stressful situations. I also posted about holidays' style. I though it would be helpful to revisit the gift list, so back to your list of known suspects: you've got their names down, how much you want to spend for each one of them, now you need to identify the right gift for each person (even if they've been naughty

What I Wore on RelieF - IV

2011-12-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

The Derby - Little Back Dress by Michelle Carey $182 - Fresh Collective on RoncesvallesSilk Flower by Elizabeth Victoria Other accessories : Mon closet :) What I wore on RelieF last night was this lovely LBD (little black dress), also recently worn at a black tie event. I love versatile clothing, and the Derby dress has to be the ultimate example of a wonderfully adaptable dress. Extra bonus:

Stress free Xmas - We're on a mission!

2011-12-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

Last night's segment on RelieF with Gisèle Quenneville, was all about reducing the dreadful stress the holidays bring along. To watch the segment click here. Go to 14'48". Here's what we talked about... The secret to perfect Christmas happiness is simple...Start now! The beauty of this year's Christmas is that YOU'VE STILL GOT TIME! enjoy the process, spend wisely, show your creativity,

Deck the halls and the chandelier - Fa La La

2011-11-29T08:29:00.000-05:00

Slowly but surely I’m beginning to deck the halls here at home. Christmas is only a month away - in case you needed me to remind you (sorry!), so it’s time to get going. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to Christmas decor, I really try to keep things simple. I don’t like too much stuff crowding the space. What can I say? Visual chaos is not for me. A few touches here and there

How to seed a pomegranate minus the mess (well almost!)

2011-11-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

For video, scroll down... No, it's not chicken pox.... We love pomegranates in this house, so we eat them all year round. 11 months out of 12, and just because I'm such a sensible (read lazy) person, I buy the seeds in the frozen section and conveniently add them to oatmeal and cereals. It's good stuff, plus such an easy and sensible way to eat what is otherwise a very (very) messy fruit.

From bookworm to e-book girl

2011-11-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

Being married to a sexy geek mon homme has proven to be awesome in many, many ways and to name but one: my guy loves giving me stuff I’d never shop for in a million years (I’m not talking cheap lingerie or gym equipment either, y’a know?). His latest big hit: an e-reader. It’s a pretty gutsy gift considering how much I love books and everything about them. He must love a challenge, 'cause as

What I wore on RelieF - III

2011-11-17T13:04:00.001-05:00

Last night on RelieF it was all about the love of Vintage, repurposing, reclaiming and why these trends have become so popular. I also presented some tips on how to shop smart when it comes to second hand in general. Vintage is a lovessesion of mine so I was in heaven! I showed some pictures of my favourite finds and a tiny bit of my clutch collection made an appearance too. The best part

La photo du dimanche - La Boca, Buenos Aires

2011-11-13T19:32:00.001-05:00

Bon dimanche! Je suis de retour chez Magda et ajoute avec enthousiasme une autre participation à la photo du dimanche. Ma dernière image a été choisie comme coup de coeur et ça m'a rendue bien heureuse. Je dois tout à mon araignée ;)! Je m'amuse à découvrir les adeptes de cet événement hebdomadaire et leurs coups de génie photographiques, merci de partager! Voici ma 'tite contribution de

"F" is for Frittata!

2011-11-10T10:57:00.010-05:00

Too many cooks in my kitchen I don't like wasting food so my family's lack of enthusiasm (to say the least) about eating leftovers drives me crazy... Why do leftovers have a such a terrible rep? Really, if you don't want to waste perfectly good food, you need to be creative, reinvent, and of course fool the customers a tad! It's a gratifying experience to watch your offspring lick his plate

Eye Candy - It's all in the patterns!

2011-11-09T08:40:00.000-05:00

All pictures and clothes by Anthropologie Good day! So I have been writing a lot about style of late, blame it on the change of season and delicious pictures and inspiration I just can't resist. These four pictures have two things in common: 1- they are all by Anthropologie (I totally heart their goodies and the fact that they are now available in Canada)2- they feature what most women (not

Family Room Makeover - The Old, the New and the Second Hand!

2011-11-07T13:24:00.001-05:00

Our new space! Nuts about the Egg chairs... they swivel!!! It's done! I'm so excited!! I just put the last touches to my family room on the main floor. You see mes amis, a few weeks back I decided to sell just about everything we owned on our main floor and refurnish the rooms (my husband survived just fine, thank you very much. I didn't even put him to work this time! :) I truly felt that

La photo du dimanche : Les talents de mon araignée!

2011-11-06T10:55:00.000-05:00

Bon dimanche! Je suis de retour chez Magda et sa photo du dimanche que je néglige depuis quelque temps! Désolée, mon amie! Voici ma contribution... Feuille d'érable cuivrée qui comme l'automne torontois, ne tient plus que par un fil... Les araignées sont des artistes, tout le monde sait ça. Prenez les prouesses de Charlotte l'araignée rendue célèbre par la littérature américaine et vous en

Équiper bébé sans se ruiner et idées cadeaux pour les jeunes familles!

2011-11-04T11:20:00.000-04:00

Good day! Today is all about 'Shopping for a New Baby Without Braking the bank and Gifting Young Families' (for English version click on 'translator' top right on home page!) Mon p'tit bonhomme Bon vendredi! Voici l'information et les conseils que j'ai présenté à RelieF - avec Gisèle Quenneville, en compagnie de trois mamans extraordinaires et la journaliste Mélanie R. Boudreau qui est sur