30 day blog challenge: day 10.

day 10 - a photo of your favourite place to eat.

The royal vancouver yacht club

I don't care whether its Jericho beach or Coal harbour, I love it. When I was a kid we went to the Coal Harbour all the time, and I loved the clam chowder, and the smell of the ocean. Since I've been older, we go more to the Jericho beach location, and even if you just sit in the clubhouse downstairs, the view is absolutely beautiful. Sitting upstairs is even more lovely, and you can watch the sailboats come in and out, and feel the most perfect sea breeze while you eat. YOU can't go wrong with the Halibut and Chips (a classic) But I also love the black and blue salad and the California Chicken wrap.  I can't eat shellfish, but my mom says the shrimp sandwich is PERFECT.

30 day blog challenge: day 9

day 9: a photo of the last thing you purchased.

OK, this is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I feel like that is kind of cheating, but I have a good reason for it.

There was this shirt at Aritzia that I had been eyeing, and I tried it on one day during the presale, but I was already buying a TON of other stuff that was on sale, and this wasn't, so I left it. but I kept thinking about it. Then one day I was at the mall, and I saw a girl wearing it in a really cute, effortless kind of way. I decided I had to have it, and I went straight to Aritzia to get it at that very second. It was gone. I took this as a sign and moved on. But not really, because I checked every aritzia location in calgary for it. no such luck. In the last store, I tried on the top in a different colour, just to see if I liked it as much. When I stepped out of the dressing room, the SA commented on it looking nice, and I said "yeah, but I'd really rather have the cream and navy version." Well, the SA kindly found it (although I was annoyed to discover it was at the location where I usually shop in vancouver) and they had it brought in for me. I`m wasn't surprised, because I'd had this done before, but man was I happy that they were able to find it in my size somewhere! anyway, this was my last purchase, and it came in on friday but I've been working too much to pick it up. But I intend on goign to get it tomorrow, and then I will definitely take a picture of it!

30 day blog challenge: day 8

Day 8: a song to match your mood.

Seriously, I could come up with about a million songs for my mood today. So I'll try to narrow it down to two.
1) Smoke on the water - deep purple. It is SO smoky in calgary from the forest fires, and its making my eyes and throat sting! This morning when I drove over the Glenmore reservoir it looked all weird, and there was smoke hovering over the water, and it made me think of this!
2) Home - Michael Buble. why? because at this time on thursday thats where I will be...HOME! I'm so excited that I'll be back in Vancouver. Its been more than 2 months since the last time I was home, which is just about the longest I've ever gone without seeing my family! I've got lots of great things planned, including a spa day with my mom and grandma, seeing a friend who has been in the netherlands for the past year, and celebrating my best friend's graduation! I can't wait!

I'm moving!!

YAHHHHHH!!!

I'm so excited that I'm moving! My current official living situation = 4 girls, 2 bathrooms, 1 split level house. Its dirty. These girls DO NOT know the definition of a clean kitchen. Or bathroom, for that matter. Not to mention there might be a crazy or two living there. I won't delve into that right now though. Anyway, my solution to this situation? Take up camp at the boyfriend's place. This has been O.K., but its really a boy's place, and I don't feel 100% comfortable there (ok, the bathroom floor/wall are rotting. its not just a boy's place, its a dark depth of ..... something gross.)

So my lease (finally!) came up on the first of september, and I chose not to renew it (clearly) nto to mention my landlord has been hinting at potentially selling come december, and moving at christmastime (when I'm graduating and would also like to go home to visit my family, not to mention Calgary's AWFUL winters) is not my idea of a good time. Plus all those other things I mentioned above. So I`m moving to a townhouse that is pretty out of the way, but SO much prettier than any of the other places I`ve lived thus far.

Highlights include: private ensuite, walk-in closet, digital pvr, and....a covered garage! seriously, not having to get up unsure if my car would start in the mornings and scrape all the snow and ice off is just about the greatest thing ever for me.

But here is my issue: I`ve never lived in a place that I`ve cared enough to decorate before (other than my parents', of course). The walls are a chamois yellow colour, and I'm trying to figure out how to decorate around it. Here are some pictures of inspiration I've found so far.

I really want a little vanity table (or a big one, haha):

what a great alternative to a bedside table, for a small space!

Oops, I guess I'm getting a bit out of control with the pictures, I think I'll stop before things really get ridiculous!

xo

blog challenge: day 7

day 7: your dream wedding.

I am going to be perfectly honest here. I have NO idea what my ideal wedding would be. Not for lack of trying. I seriously only seem to watch say yes to the dress, which is conveniently always on right when my boyfriend walks in the door every day. Poor guy is probably scared shitless, haha. I don't even know what kind of dress I want. SO instead I'll leave you with some picturse from one of my favourite blogs, cup of jo. She posts some of the coolest wedding photos ever! I just love what this first bride wore...

This couple got married in this tiny little chapel in Iceland. How cool!

I love this 1920s inspired look. How fantastic!!

This couple got married in the middle of the forest in Vermont. Their guests were invited to camp out in tents, and this was the "Ladies' Lounge" tent!

How beautiful is this? I love how her veil comes out of her hair like that. I totally want to do this!

Picture Credit: cup of jo

blog challenge day 6.

HOw embarrassing. I couldn't even make it a week without screwing it up a million times over. So here is day 6, even though I SHOULD be on day 7.

day 6: a photo of an animal you would like to keep as a pet.

I am going to do a video instead of a photo, just because I love this little guy so much:

Hopefully this works! this is a slow loris, and I want one!

blog challenge: day 4 (and 5)

Last night I had totally intended on doing day 4 of the blog challenge, but I completely forgot! I got distracted by my delicious nectarine brown butter buckle, from smitten kitchen. So I'm going to make up for lost time and do day 4 and 5 in one foul swoop.

Day 4: your favourite picture of your best friend.

Ok, my best friend ever is sophie my cute little westie pup. But I'm assuming I should probably go with my human best friend. To be honest, I don't have a ton of pictures of us together, or even just of her.

This picture makes me laugh so hard every time I look at it, and I feel like I should tell the story behind it. A and I (A being on the right, me on the left) used to work at a tourist attraction as our summer job. This job required us to wear a costume to work. This costume was pioneer themed, and included a full-length wool skirt. It soaked up water on rainy days and held in heat on hot ones. It was MISERABLE. one day we went to the museum of vancouver, and when we saw these pioneer costumes to try on, we couldn't resist. so this is our old school pioneer portrait (hence the frowny faces). YOu can even kind of see my favourite Minnetonka boots underneath that ridiculous dress!

We had so much fun that day, and I can't wait until I can go home and see her next week. She just graduated from university (on monday!) and we'll definitely be celebrating!

Its difficult to tell in this picture, but Ally is actually beautiful in real life. there are some professionally taken beach pictures of her to back this up haha.

Day 5: a photo of you from 2 years ago

Oh god. I was so ugly two years ago. I'm so scared to do this.

This picture is AWFUL. BUT look who it is? A is to my right, and on my left is a good friend of ours, L. This would have been taken nearly exactly 2 years ago! As you can probably tell, I was a) growing out my hair, b) not entirely sober, and c) had not coloured my hair in FAR too long. Ok so those are my excuses for how I look in that picture.

happy wednesday!

an education.

Earlier this summer (or was it last summer? oh my god I'm losing my mind) I went to see an education. It was an absolutely beautiful movie, and best of all it was an awesome cross between chick flick and indie/artsy. I walked out of it with this good feeling inside of me, like a combination between happiness and satisfaction and nostalgia.

The other thing I loved about this movie was the costuming! it was exquisite! The men and the women were both beautifully clothed, and the contrast between Carey Mulligan's role of Jenny and Rosamund Pike's character or Helen was so well done, and I loved the subtle interest of Peter Sarsgaard's David.

This is the perfect example of what I mean. They are dressed in the same colours/prints, but they each look so different from eachother.

Peter Sarsgaard is best described as handsome, and has this look about him that is perfect for the time period and yet perfect for today, too. His style is definitely understated, but it his suits are so perfectly tailored it hurts.

Helen is still my favourite, though.

I want to live in this movie and wear all the clothes, its just to die for.

xx

Blog challenge: Day 3

3. your idea of the perfect first date.

I have a confession. I have never really been on an actual first date. All of the boyfriends I have ever had have kind of been whirlwind romances, or friendships that have just kind of blossomed into relationships. Not to mention I haven't dated someone new since I was 19. Honestly, my idea of the perfect first date would be for a guy to take me to some really cool restaurant that I'd never been to before. Like vij's in Vancouver. This place isn't just a restaurant, its an experience. It is always packed, and half the fun is waiting for your table. They pass around great appetizers and drinks while you wait, and once your seated the food is incredible. Vij, the owner of the restaurant, wanders around the restaurant, greets you at the door, and comes by to see how your food is. Vij's serves Indian food with a modern take, but not the typical modern fusion you might expect. For example, a favourite appetizer is chickpeas and kale. what a weird combination! But I digress.

I guess I'm pretty easy to please that way, but I honestly have yet to take part in the typical dating scene that most people experience!

outfit post.

Ok this week has been SUPER stressful, but I really wanted to get an outfit post in. This is what I wore the other day while I was running errands and at school. I had to get knew work pants, so I took this (on my cell, ugh) while I was trying some on.

Cardigan: Forever21, Tank: Wilfred, Jeans: Forever21, Shoes: Sperry

I just want to quickly say something about my jeans. They are from forever 21 and they were only $15! I bought them last summer while in California, and I loved them so much that I bought a second pair when I got back. In these pictures I have the cuffed, but IRL they are full length. I love having these in the winter because they are perfect for boots. The wash is nice and dark, and despite wearing them ALL the time and putting them in the dryer (shhh) they haven't faded too badly. Anyway, I love buying expensive jeans, so I never thought I would be okay with these, but they truly are fantastic!

blog challenge: day 2

Day 2 - a picture of something you ate

ugh. this is the worst possible day to have done this because I have so much going on that I am making a boring meal tonight, but I have already taken too many days off so I need to get back at it.

I'm making baked pasta with meat sauce, and this is the meat sauce I made:

 If I remember I will add a picture of the finished product. obviously another crappy picture from my cell, I swear to God I will charge my camera and actually start using it ASAP. I spent the weekend at my boyfriend's parents house outside the city, playing with his little sister who is 2 and hilarious. It was really nice to just relax for a couple of days, but now I'm playing catch-up with all the homework I have to do for tomorrow. If I have time before dinner is done, I'll do a quick (but boring) outfit post from the other day!

Blog Challenge: Day 1

Its only day 1 and I already almost forgot about the blog challenge.

1. Post a picture of you and a description of how your day was.

Alright, so this is me. This picture was taken during stampede, hence the slightly strange outfit.

Today wasn't the greatest, to be honest. I did sign the lease for my new townhouse today, which I'm really excited about. But I had a paper due today so I only slept for 3 hours last night, and then I had to go clean up my room in my old house so my landlord could show it, which was about the last thing I wanted to do after writing my paper. I went to Ikea afterwards to look at some things for my new place, which made me feel a bit better, and then I came home (and when I say home I mean my boyfriend's place). I tried to take a nap, but just as I was about to fall asleep the bf came in from work started bugging me. So I went to the grocery store and came home and cooked dinner for the Bf and his cousin who was over. I made greek potatoes, greek marinated chicken, and cucumber salad. On my way home from the grocery store my dad called with some bad news and I've been feeling really worried ever since. Hopefully everything will be ok, though. Anyway I'm excusing myself now from tomorrows blog challenge in the event that things aren't going well. fingers crossed and lets hope for the best!

30 day Blog Challenge

I can see already that I am not going to make it through the 30 days successfully, but I figured I'd give it a try anyway, seeing as other bloggers are doing it. So this is it:

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of our favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing
Day 30 – A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

I think I'll start tomorrow (clearly I'm already failing) but only because I don't have a picture of me that I can post at work.

Things I hate to love.

I have a problem. when I decide I hate something, I really hate it. I tell everyone how awful I think it is, and I really just....hate it. This is a problem because a lot of the time I'll start out absolutely hating something, and turn around and like it 5 minutes later. Case in point: ballet flats. mind you I was young when these came back in, but i remember looking through cosmo girl (or some equally as embarrassing magazine) and thinking gross. Well guess what I am wearing right at this very second? I know.

Ok so this brings me to what I'm about to talk about. CLOGS. when I first saw clogs on the chanel runway, I was all "seriously? Karl, what are you thinking?" followed by "no one is going to buy into this, they'll be in and out in a second", which was then followed by a little tiny "I bet you I'll want them in a couple of months once people start wearing them".

Well guess what? I am dedicating this post to my love of clogs.

As you can see, I'm particularly taken with Jeffrey Campbell and everything he does, but I also love these great green miss selfridge sandal clogs. I also really like the floral ones by Jeffrey Campbell because they are such a cool combo of soft and hard. I'm not totally into these Free People ones with the collared top, but I included them because I liked the idea of wearing those slouchy grey socks with them. I also think the Rachel Comey Clogs via La Garconne are too conservatively styled (if you are going to wear clogs, then wear them, or don't. I don't like these half way between compromise sort of things) but I love the idea of the black tights. Also clearly I like the contrast of wearing a flowy dress or girly print with clogs.

From top left. Jeffrey Campbell charlie natural clog, bondarag.com; ASOS Harness leather clog slingback, asos.com; ; Jeffrey Campbell charlie black clog, bondarag.com; Miss Selfridge green strappy clog, missselfridge.com

From middle left. Free People charli platform clog, freepeople.com; Marc by Marc Jacobs leather slingback clog, net-a-porter.com; Free People solvang clog, freepeople.com;

From bottom left. Jeffrey Campbell floral charlie clog, bonlorisshoes.com; Rachel Comey burns elastic clog, lagarconne.com; Prada studded clog, neimanmarcus.com

photos via polyvore.com

buying EVERYTHING.

OK, I'm at work right now, and I just remembered about all the things I got yesterday. First, I got new nail polish...OPI's Here today Aragon tomorrow in suede. I love it but I think its gonna have to be put away until winter...too dark for the hot summer sun! I will write a real review of it another time. Also yesterday I got a package in the mail and it was....my sephora summer sun safety kit! So many samples, so many products! I'm so excited! I will take pictures of my swag and do a post about it later on! I have found so many new blogs to love today, I can't possibly write more of my own!

I suck.

Ok so I went camping this weekend. REAL camping. My family still doesn't believe me. I even fished (I didn't really catch anything though). I'm becoming such a redneck! kill me. Anyway I thought I should blog something real quick since I obviously wasn't at a computer all weekend.

So I will be the first person to admit that I don't take care of my skin properly when I'm at my boyfriends. This usually isn't that big of a deal, but since I've essentially been living with him lately, its become a problem. my skin has become DISGUSTING. I don't think the camping helped much either. So anyway, mer in cashmere did a post a while back about this great st. ives product, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've used the st.ives apricot scrub for a long time, but it was just a little bit too gentle for my skin. If i'm going to exfoliate, I need it to really scrub, you know? So I figured that St. Ives Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion is a relatively inexpensive option for me. I bought it and used it a few times, but then I was gone camping, so I've just started using it again.

My initial reaction was/is positive. I love the way my skin feels as I'm washing my face, I feel like it is actually scrubbing my skin, and afterwards my skin felt all soft and nice like I'd put on some really expensive moisturizer or something. and after the 3 or so days I'd used it, I really felt like it was making a difference in my skin. It was evening out my skin tone, and definitely helped with dry areas and those annoying little spots I tend to get on my chin and forehead. Anyway, so far I'd say that this is a GREAT product especially considering the price, but who knows what will happen long term!

here is a link to the product website.

St. Ives Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion, $6.37, drugstore.com