Sara Russell

leisurely swim in my backyard

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000

I still can't believe that I can walk down the road from my condo and swim in the ocean. So far I am absolutely loving living in Vancouver! Everywhere I look there are trees, mountains and the sparkly ocean. What more do you really need?

xo sara

cascade falls

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 01:51:00 +0000

There are so many incredible trails and waterfalls in British Columbia so I thought I would start checking a few off my list. Cascade Falls is about an hour and a half easy drive outside of Vancouver. Considering I went here on a Saturday afternoon, I didn’t find the park that busy.

Outfit Details

Top, JOE FRESH

Shorts, American Eagle

Watch, Daniel Wellington c/o Jacaranda Tree & Co.

Backpack, MEC

Much like most outdoor places within the mountains, there is so cell service! So for all those Snapchat lovers out there, you’ve been warned.

After I spent some time looking at the waterfall and taking a few picture, I wasn’t ready to go home. I saw a couple people come down a road beside the waterfall wearing their bathing suites and carrying towels. What was up there? I wanted to find out. A few others and I went up this road and found a small opening into the forest. After trying to navigate our way around the trees and down a really slippery slope, there was a huge opening of little pools with the current running through it.

xo sara

blueberry picking

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 02:34:00 +0000

I work just outside of the city so I'm always passing by farmers marketing and blueberry patches. I don't know what it is about Vancouver but I have never seen so many blueberry farms in my whole life! There are rows and rows of blueberry farms! I stopped by one on my way home from work and picked a whole bundle of blueberries.

xo sara

the calgary stampede

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 02:31:00 +0000

One of my best friends Darcie invited me to go to the Calgary Stampede with her this year and without even a hesitation, I accepted. Finally, I felt like I was going home to the mothership! I packed two dresses, cut off jean shorts, two tank tops and a pair of sunglasses. All I needed was a pair of cowboy boots. When we arrived, can you guess what our first stop was? You guessed it! I bought myself my first pair of authentic cowboy boots! I've never been happier.

Darcie, myself, her dad and a bunch of his work friends all went to a rodeo. This was my first time ever going to one. All of the events were super quick which made each one really exciting. They would introduce each of the cowboys before their event. They had the hottest cowboy names ever and were so dreamy. There is something about a man in a cowboy hat, tucked in button down, jeans and cowboy boots that makes my heart flutter.

xo sara

cottage weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 17:18:00 +0000

A couple friends and I had a lovely weekend at my cottage in Northern Ontario. When we arrived late Friday night, we caught a stunning sunset! It was a peaceful evening so we were able soak in all of the beautiful surroundings.

There is something pretty awesome about making breakfast at the cottage. Maybe it's because it is the start of a day spent entirely with your friends, or maybe you know that the sun is coming up and you know it will be filled with sunshine? Whatever the reason, it's my favourite and I think the gang agrees.

xo sara

quick trip home to toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 16:07:00 +0000

Isn't my mum super cute?! She owns, in my opinion, the best home decor store around. If you haven't already been to Jacaranda Tree & Co, be sure to pop in and say hello when you're in Toronto strolling along Mount Pleasant Road. This is a picture of her in front of her shop!

Outfit Details

Sunglass, Vintage Vuarnet Sunglasses

Top, J.CREW

Purse, J.CREW

Watch, Daniel Wellington

We went out for dinner to Boland's Open Kitchen which is a couple doors down from Jacaranda Tree. One of the wonderful things about Mount Pleasant Village is that all of the shops and restaurants care to get to know you and treat you like a friend. Chris Boland is the owner and head chef at Boland's and he always makes a point of coming over to our table, sitting down with us and catching up on our lives. He rocks and if you're in the neighbourhood and looking for a nice home cooked style meal and great company, head on over to Boland's.

xo sara

san francisco in june

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 21:30:00 +0000

Twice a year my company goes to San Rafael, California for an annual general meeting for one of the brands we represent. I stayed a couple extra days in San Francisco at the Hostelling International Hostel and toured around town with a friend of mine for the weekend. This is the second time I've stayed at this hostel and absolutely loved it. The entire place is really clean, has really cool decor and is filled with people from all over the world. Plus - it's a lot less expensive than staying in a hotel!

My friend and I went to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market by the docks in the morning which was incredible! This is where the cities best known chefs come to get their food for the day. There were so many stands of fresh gigantic flowers, big baskets of vibrant fruits, delicious veggies and artisan and prepared foods.

M U I R W O O D S

After we had breakfast, we rented a car and drove to Muir Woods National Monument just outside of the city. While my friend and I were walking around the woods, we couldn't help but notice that it looked like there was a fire at the base of many trees yet there was no all over forest fire. How can this be? "Fires over the centuries can hollow out a redwood, burning out a case in the trunk of a living tree. Though the fire caves on some of the redwoods look fresh, the last forest fire that occurred in Muir Woods was about 160 years ago" - says Muir Woods National Monument website.

There is no cell phone service in the woods so be sure to plan ahead if you plan on meeting up with someone there or having someone pick you up at the end of your visit.

Did you know that Coastal Redwoods only exist along a narrow

500 mile coastal strip in northern California and southern Oregon?

Outfit Details

Sunglasses, Free People

White Button Down Top, JOE FRESH

Watch, Daniel Wellington c/o Jacaranda Tree & Co.

Purse, hibou from Little Burgundy

Jeans, JOE'S JEANS

Sandals, Vionic Shoes

L O M B A R D S T R E E T

Since it was such a spectacular day and the flowers were in full bloom, we went to see Lombard Street which is the most crooked street in the United States. We parked the car and walked up and down the windy round. There are a handful of gorgeous Victorian mansions that have beautiful flowers pouring from window boxes as well as vines climbing up the front of the homes and lovely little gardens that curve with the windy road.

G O L D E N G A T E B R I D G E

I've been to San Francisco a couple times now and every time I try and get a close up picture at the Golden Gate Bridge, it's always cloudy! One time I took a cab from my hostel (where there was a beautiful clear sky) all the way to the bridge ($$$ later) and it was too foggy! Devastated. This time I was walking along the water with some friends and was able to snap a shot. Side note - I had no idea how windy and chilly it would be in San Fran in June!

xo sara

p.s. if you missed my last post in January about my trip to San Francisco, check it out here!

capilano suspension bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 13:00:00 +0000

It's been such an awesome week having two of my best girlfriends visiting me in Vancouver! For our last touristy adventure, we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The bridge is 140 meters long and 70 metres above the river. There were lots of trails in the forest on the other side of the bridge as well as a tree top treking course which was fun to ~~run~~ gently walk across.

Outfit Details

Belt, J.CREW

Jeans, ZARA

Sandals, Vionic Shoes

xo sara

richmond night market

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

What do you do on a beautiful sunny Friday evening in Vancouver? You go to the Richmond Night Market! The whole gang piled into my car and off we went to Richmond to try out some delicious food and see if any touristy trinkets caught our eye.

Outfit Details

Sunglasses, Free People

White Button Down Top, JOE FRESH

Short, ONE Teaspoon

Sandals, Vionic Shoes

The place was packed solid of people with lines at nearly every single food stand!

Guess who bought a selfie stick?

xo sara

killer rainbow in vancouver

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 20:55:00 +0000

My snapchat story used to pretty much only consist of sunsets because I never thought I would see one more beautiful than the one I saw that night. Turns out, there is an even more beautiful sunset every night! I don't know how or why but there are the most stunning sunsets on the West Coast.

We've had a pretty dry summer which has been amazing but a little rain didn't hurt anyone. With a little rain comes a rainbow and did we ever get to see a big and beautiful one!

xo sara

cactus club in vancouver

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 19:45:00 +0000

I finally made it to the much talked about Cactus Club! This West Coast favourite chain is a great spot to go to if you want decent sized portions, delicious food and modern decor.

Susie and I had a lovely evening here - we ordered The Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps which had a sweet and spicy szechuan glaze, peanuts, wontons, Korean chilly sauce and spicy yogurt. Since we are on the West Coast, we had to order fish! We also had the Civiche which has lois lake steelhead, sustainably harvested prawns, red onions, thai basil, mint, cilantro and nuor cham. I'm usually very hesitant to order civiche at a restaurant because it's usually $16 with a couple of items in a tiny bowl. I have to say that the portion size of the civiche at Cactus Club was really fair!

To my Toronto friends -> did you hear that there will be a Cactus Club opening in your hood soon?!

xo sara

lunch with a seal + otter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Our friend Annie told Susie and I that if you visit the Fisherman's Warf in Victoria, you can feed the seals. What does that mean? Exactly what you think! Susie and I might have raised an eyebrow at the idea because how can you feed a wild animal from a dock? Turns out you can and it’s super easy! All you do is buy a platter of dead fish from a fish joint on the dock for $4 then hang over the dock and dangle the fish! I have to admit, I watched a couple of kids do this before I gave it a try.

When I was up for feeding the seals, they were apparently full so a couple otters came by for a snack. He climbed right up the dock which was super cool!

After feeding our ocean friends, we wanted to get some food of our own. Susie was super eager to try out Red Fish Blue Fish right on the water in Victoria. We waited about an hour to order our food - this place is a hot spot in town!

xo sara

the butchart gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 04:00:00 +0000

While Susie was visiting me for the week in Vancouver, we only had one weekend together so we wanted to make the most out of it. Since neither one of us had ever been to Victoria, we thought we would make the trip! We woke up at the crack of dawn to catch the 7am ferry to Vancouver Island and we made it just in time as were the last car to board!

On the way to Victoria, we stopped by The Butchart Gardens which were unbelievable. There were paths upon paths of the most luscious flowers we had ever seen.

Outfit Details

Sunglasses, Free People

Shorts, One Teaspoon

Purse, hibou from Little Burgundy

Sandals, Vionic Shoes

There is a really pretty part of the garden that has a colourful Ferris wheel!

xo sara

camping in squamish, british columbia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 04:00:00 +0000

The last time I went camping in British Columbia I was in grade 11 and we went on a school trip. It was nearly two weeks of kayaking in the ocean and staying on beaches in Tofino. There is something so special about waking up and seeing sparkling water, clear open sky, mountains and luscious green trees. It was time to go back!

When Susie and I got to our campsite, one of our friends who was already there came and met us at the car. He took a quick look at our cooler and bags we had and told us that we were not going to be able to bring all of our things to the campsite. His reason became pretty obvious when we saw the path to our campsite which were two fallen down trees across the river. Everything had to be packed into our backpacks!

Outfit Details

Plaid flannel top, TNA

T-Shirt, Mumford and Sons concert swag

Jean Shorts, ONE Teaspoon

Sandals, Vionic Shoes

Backpack, MEC

xo sara

summer bash at shoes on fourth

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 29 May 2015 04:00:00 +0000

I helped organize an event at Shoes on Fourth in Vancouver to help support Dress for Success. For every pair of shoes sold during the event, the store donated a pair of shoes to DFS. The evening was a great success with friends of the neighbourhood, customers and bloggers in attendance. We donated a total of 56 pairs!

Bit of a warning, I might have got a little carried away is the VSCOcam app when editing the photos.

I was in charge of balloons so naturally I loaded my car up and had to snap a picture!

Outfit Details

Necklace, ZARA

Top, H&M

Pants, J.CREW

Sandals, Vionic Shoes

Lot's of Vancouver bloggers attended including Alicia Fashionista and Prairie Girl in the City!

Each time Shoes on Fourth sold a pair of shoes, they clipped a shoe cut out onto this beautiful ribbon display!

xo sara

capocaccia in toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 May 2015 20:06:00 +0000

Capocaccia is mine and my mum's favourite neighbourhood haunt. Why? Their food is delicious, the decor is absolutely divine and the wonderful people who work there are so pleasant to be around. Italians have a way of making you feel so warm and welcome. Needless to say, we love it there.

xo sara

day at quilchena golf and country club

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 May 2015 20:04:00 +0000

My company is part of a large organization in Vancouver and each year everyone plays in a golf tournament. This year it was held at Quilchena Golf and Country Club. It's a little tricky to tell from the pictures below but the morning was cloudy and rainy. Don't worry, the sun came out and I got my first burn of the season on my face and arms. Since I'm not much of a golfer, I gladly volunteered at the putting station.

Sandals aren't exactly proper golf attire but I had to represent my favourite sandal brand, Vionic!

hike up to quarry rock

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

It blows my mind that I can hop in my car, drive half an hour and go for a hike. If you're looking for an easy hike with a magnificent view, be sure to visit Quarry Rock in Deep Cove. It's about 1.5 hours round trip and the trail takes you through a rustic forrest with a clear set path. At the top there is a big clearing where you can see tons of trees, the town of Deep Cove and lots of water.

xo sara

new do

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

After struggling with the colour of my hair for months and having gone through an awful attempt at the 'ombre' look (note - don't cheap out and go to a place where they are learning), I finally just had to cover it all up. I scoured yelp for places in Kitsilano, BC that knew what they were doing and I found Poppy Hair Salon! Thank you for making my hair happy.

xo sara

fshd gala

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

A dear family friend of ours was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) at a young age. FSHD is the most prevalent of the nine primary types of muscular dystrophy affecting adults and children. Her family hosted an event to help raise awareness and funds in Vancouver which Liam and I attended. Amazing doctors from the United States and all over Canada flew in to talk about FSHD and how far they have come to finding a cure. It was an amazing evening!

To learn more about FSHD, please visit www.fshd.ca.

xo sara

i moved to vancouver

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Do you remember about a year ago I wrote a post about how everyone should live in Vancouver? Turns out I am now I'm a lucky new resisdent of this sick West Coast city!

Over the past few months, lot's has happened to me. I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to move out to Vancouver at the beginning of March and continue an amazing job with an awesome company. Although it was a very tough to say goodbye, I knew I couldn't pass this one up. So off I went - I packed my whole life into 8 boxes and flew across the country!

I moved in with a friend from back home named Liam who is the sweetest. Keep an eye out ladies, he'll be in a bunch of posts from now on and he's super cute.

xo sara

home for a hoppy holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

I can always count on my mum to have a lovely wreath on our front door for each holiday. Since it's Easter, naturally I had to go shopping for some fresh cut tulips and found a bushel of them at our local green grocer.

xo sara

vancouver fashion week

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Outfit Details

Jacket, Club Monaco

Top, Lucky Brand

Purse, ALDO

Pants, J.Crew

xo sara

go leafs go

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 05:00:00 +0000

There is something so insanely patriotic about the people of Toronto. It doesn't matter how badly the Leafs are loosing, we are lifetime fans. Susie and I had lots of fun cheering on the boys win or loose!

xo sara

family trip to jamaica

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 05:00:00 +0000

During the hideously cold winter Toronto has been having, my family and I went on a trip to Jamaica. Being in the beating hot sun and walking around on crisp white sand was just what we needed.

We met a little sand crab on the beach! I was nervous at first to pick him up but he turns out he/she was really friendly and gentle.

xo sara