Wednesday 26 August 2015

Chic Life | Overalls + Jumpsuits SS2015



Hello Dolls!

If you do not have a pair of overalls or a jumpsuit in your wardrobe yet.... it is time to go invest in one! I love wearing jumpsuits or overalls because it is a complete outfit that just needs a few key accessories. Overalls + Jumpsuits are extremely versatile. They can be dressed up or down solely on how you accessorize. I have confidence in my chic dolls to pull of a pair of rustic denim overalls on a red carpet if need be! 

As a petitie gurl, standing 5 feet and 1 inch TALL, overalls/jumpsuits really help give me the allusion of more length. Be sure to choose one which cinches at the waist and is a single colour or consistent pattern. I avoid oversized overalls + jumpsuits as they tend to overwhelm my petite frame. 

My favourite out of the two are the overalls as they are so much more fun! That being said, I do like to pick a chic pair. The black overalls with silver hardware from Aritzia is my go to piece. They have a drawstring at the waist and a very flattering cut. These overalls are long legged and every bit as amazing as a nice silk jumpsuit! My favourite way to rock them on the daily is with a white cropped shirt that is fitted so I have just a little hint of skin peeking along my side, and my trusty Keds! Of course, I must wear a million silver stack rings and some fun glasses. 

Pairing a full sleeved or half sleeved shirt under a pair of overalls is tres chic. A striped shirt will look even cuter! It is also fun to play with bright patterned shirts under a pair of black overalls. 

I talk all about my faux jumpsuit in a previous post. I highly suggest giving it a peak since jumpsuits are great, but faux jumpsuits are far better! 

BYES

Thursday 20 August 2015

Edible Obsessions | Granola Recipe



Hey Dolls!

As I continue to try and live a more healthier and active life, I have started to try and cook and eat food from scratch. One of my favourite snacks is granola and yogurt parfaits. I probably eat far too many of the Starbucks' yogurt parfaits each month because it is so easy to grab one on the go. As well, buying granola from the grocery stores contain just far too much sugar, so I decided to make my own! 

I has surprised by how easy it is to make your own healthier granola at home! Plus, it makes your home smell so lovely while you are baking it in the oven. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 Cups Rolled Steel Cut Oats (NOT the instant/quick oats)
  • 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup of honey (I used Mellifera Lemon Infused Honey - Locally Made!)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup small diced dried fruit (I used dried cranberries)
  • 1/2 cup chopped or toasted nuts/seeds (I used sliced almonds)

Mix together the rolled steel cut oats, sugar and salt in one bowl and set it aside. In another bowl mix the honey, oil and vanilla together. Be sure you get a homogenous mixture! This is the fun part but also a bit messy, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and start mixing it with YOUR HANDS! Really take your time to make sure all of the oats are well coated. 

Spread out your sticky granola mixture onto a sheet try. Be sure to spread it out as thin as you can. Pop it in your oven pre-heated to 300•F. Bake it for 15 mins and then you want to stir the granola to break up any clumps and then continue baking for another 5 to 10 mins (until the oats are golden brown). If you want your nuts to get a little toasted, add them in for the last couple of minutes with your granola. 

Once your granola is golden brown, pull it out and let it cool on a rack. Be sure to really stir up your granola a few times as it cools so you do not get large clumpy granola. Add in your nuts and dried fruit. Mix it all together and store your amazing granola in a cute jar! 

Surprisingly, you do get quite a bit of granola which is awesome! Best to finish it up in two weeks before it starts going stale. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I love it! Share with me any tips and tricks you may have to making an amazing granola as well how you like to enjoy yours! 

BYES

Monday 17 August 2015

Desk Goodies | Planner Sticker Haul!




Hey Dolls!

I guess I have finally given in to the planner sticker craze and picked up some of my own from a couple of Etsy shops! Since I am far too impatient to wait for my final order to arrive - as I really want to start using my stickers - this is half of my stash! I purchased all of these stickers with my own money and was not sponsored or gifted by the stores. These are my honest opinions dolls!

The two orders I have received are from Willow Fields and The Alex Studio! It was so tough to pick which shop to order stickers from as each shop had their own sticker designs and styles. 

Both of those shops are from the USA and I live in Canada so shipping can add up pretty quick :( it is super frustrating because you practically end up paying as much shipping as the total cost of your order was. I loved so many stickers from several shops, but it seemed silly to order a couple of stickers from multiple shops because I would end up paying an absurd amount in shipping! 

I am going to need more The Alex Studios' cake stickers and the adorable nerdy critters!
Top Right is the freebies she gave me... YAY!

I am going to start with my favourite shop! I am loving Alex Studio's Stickers! I ordered them on August 4th and received them today, August 17th. My sticker's arrived prior to Etsy's predicted arrival date of August 21st so YAY! The moment I opened my package, I knew I was in love with my stickers! The colours are bright and vibrant. Being a pastry lover, the cakes are my favourite; however, it is also the amount of detail in each slice of cake! Some of the cakes are garnished with slices of fruit while others have chocolate bits. Plus she threw in some freebies! Everyone loves free! Hehe. Definitely will be ordering more stickers from the Alex Studio because her customer service as well as sticker quality as amazing! As well, how cute are her nerdy critters! LOVE THEM! 

WillowFields stickers are at a fabulous price! So many dumbbells!

My thoughts on Willow Fields' stickers and Customer Service! I ordered my stickers on July 14th and received them on August 14th. It took an entire month for my stickers to arrive which is a very long time to wait! Especially for me because I generally dash to the door as soon as I hear the mail slot open. I just love getting mail! I had tried to contact the shop a couple of times in regards to when my stickers will ship, but unfortunately, I got no response. Once the shop had finally shipped my order, it was about a week for them to arrive at my door. So it was the processing by Willow Fields that took the longest. Furthermore, I was fairly disappointed when I opened my package (it did come in a fabulously pink bubble package!). The stickers are not vibrant and just lack excitement! Especially the coffee stickers I ordered, they just look like sad brown blobs :( From the long processing time and just the lack of print quality, I will not be ordering any more stickers from Willow Fields. 

I hope this haul was helpful! Would love to hear what shop suggestions you may have for me!

BYES

Sunday 16 August 2015

Chic Finds | Sewn Design's Bralettes!



Hey Dolls!

I am so excited to share a new Vancouver-based company with you, Sewn Designs!  Alesia Akehurst is the women behind the inception of Sewn. It was almost as if it were destiny, she had made herself a bralette since the market was not able to offer her what she was looking for. Soon after, her friends were putting in requests for their own bralettes by Alesia which encouraged her to open Sewn in 2013. Lacy, comfortable, chic, & gorgeous Alesia crafts all of the bralettes herself in Vancouver!

As the demand increased for her gorgeous bralettes, she enlisted the help of her favourite seamstress in Kelowna. Her bralettes are a delicate piece of lingerie so only equally gorgeous delicate fabrics can be used! Alesia hand selects each lace and buckle and designs the new pieces. 

It was such a pleasure to meet up with Alesia at one of my favourite bakeries in Yaletown,  Small Victory. I felt like a kid in a candy store as she pulled out all of her bralette designs and laid them out one by one in front of me. I cannot express to you all how difficult it was for me to not just TAKE THEM ALL! 


All of Sewn Designs new bralette styles! Picture by SewnDesigns

As a strong independent women myself, I admire Alesia's vision in creating lingerie that makes women feel empowered. Her vision is to create pieces that make the wearer feel comfortable, more confident and more pretty! When I wear a set of matching panties and bras, I wear it for myself. It makes me feel more pretty and feminine as well as a little bit more mature!!!! 

Not so surprisingly, many of my friends and including Alesia wear nice bralettes and panties for their OWN SELF. It is irrelevant if no one is going to be seeing our undergarments as we do not wear it for others. I am so happy to see this is Alesia's vision of helping boost every wearer's own confidence and self-esteem. You keep rocking it dolls because feeling amazing about your own self is the most important thing. 

Before my meet up with Alesia, I had done some extensive instagram stalking to familiarize myself with her brand, vision and products. If you have been following Sewn Designs long enough, you must know she had been creating gorgeous hand stamped clutches. The clutches were tres chic and I really want one of the gold painted ones. Plus they come on a long chain so instant night time bag! Unfortunately, not only did the fabric she used for the bags got discontinued, Alesia just could not keep up with the large demand. So sadly for me and everyone else who wants one of her chic clutches, we will have to wait for its maybe re-launch in the future! 

Alesia has given me a sneak peek of her fall designs, but my lips are sealed dolls! You will just have to keep an eye out yourself! 

BYES

Saturday 15 August 2015

7 Lattes & Wishes | Back to School

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Hey Dolls!

I cannot believe September is around the corner which means back to school.... yay.... Haha I am going to my fifth and final year of UBC Sciences in Food Nutrition and Health. It is the last push to get my remaining credits completed; however, it does not mean school is any easier. 

To help me mentally prepare for classes being back in session, I generally like to treat myself to a few back to school goodies! Firstly, BACKPACK! I have been eyeing Nocturnal Workshop's reflective backpacks for about a year now and am ready to make the splurge. My main form of transportation is public transit so I can be standing out in the cold and dark at 6 AM waiting for the bus. After being struck by a car last year ( that is a story for another time!) I have taken it upon myself to look out for my own safety as you cannot rely on the drivers to always be attentive at the wheel. This backpack is reflective while staying chic. I love the use of black leather and suede in the simplistic design! Definitely a statement piece when you are in a crowd at night! The best part, all of Nocturnal Workshop's items are made right here in VANCOUVER! #Local

I am always careful of my items and want to take the best care of them so I can have them around longer. To make sure my laptop is protected  I like to keep my mac in a sleeve. Hershel makes my favourite sleeves as they are well made, but also come in fabulous patterns! Make it a statement piece! Definitely needing the white feather patterned one. 

UBC tends to keep all of their lecture halls at freezing temperatures.  Perhaps it is their attempt at keeping the heating bills down or they think by freezing the students, we might stay awake. Either way, I hate it. That is why I like wearing a scarf so I can use it as a wrap when I am freezing. Plus a cute travel mug is a must as I need my green tea lattes to help me stay awake and warm! 

Phones these days tend have terrible battery life which can be quite a pain on a long day of school. A cute portable charger is great to have because when I am transiting home at night, I want to make sure I have a charged phone for safety. 

Lastly, I deserve a treat for myself! Black leather booties from Rachel Comey.... YUP! A new pair of shoes can definitely help boost your confidence on your first day of school, plus they are so chic! 

What do you need for back to school dolls?

BYES

Sunday 9 August 2015

Edible Obsessions | Small Victory Bakery

Look at that AMAZING thick layer of coconut creamy mousse goodness! 
Hey Dolls!

For August, I am going to be hitting up my favourite bakeries in town and I am starting with the Layer Coconut Cake from Small VictorySmall Victory is a fabulous bakery nestled in Yaletown Vancouver. With their chic interiors and fabulous staff, this bread & coffee house has some to die for cake. 

Their layered coconut cake is amazingly light, creamy and fluffy that leaves you licking your fork day dreaming for more. They have done a fabulous job by keeping the cake airy by having a layer of some sort of coconut mousse pudding. I just cannot explain it, but its what really makes this coconut cake stand apart from the other bakeries! Plus, the cake's flavour is really delicate because they did not over power it with sweetness! I am sure you have had a slice of cake before where you are only a bite in and the sweetness is just too overwhelming for you to take another bite. It is just refreshing to have a cake with developed flavours that really makes you appreciate the coconut and craftsmanship! 




Now me being me, you know I sampled a few more goodies! The strawberry short cake is presented in a mason jar which is super cute! Nothing extraordinary  just lots of fresh whipped cream, cake and fresh strawberries! 

The Pistachio Cake is presented in a rectangular format which definitely makes it stand apart from the sliced cakes. SO YUM! I love pistachio, places need to do pistachio ice cream more and more pistachio cake! It is a little on the sweeter side; however, it is a must try! But Small Victory's Coconut Layer Cake is the winner for me!

Okay, so can I please have this Milk Fountain installed in my home because it is so Chic! 
Whilst at Small Victory, I did get in trouble for using their Milk fountain.... A cold glass of milk is a must with any pastry! Just seems like a shame for them to leave out glasses by the milk fountain and not let me use it for just drinking milk. BTW, its meant for the coffee as the milk fountain is accompanied by a cream fountain, but I thought I would be smarty pants and just grab a glass of milk for my cake.... 

Let me know what you think of Small Victory's Layered Coconut Cake and what other bakeries I should hit up for Coconut Cake! 

BYES




Monday 3 August 2015

Gurly's Life | August 2015 Goals + Reflection on July Goals

Practicing my Modern Calligraphy! 
Hey Dolls! 

With August here it is time to set new goals and review last months goals. In my July Goals + Setting Goals post, I shared some tips on how to motivate yourself in achieving your goals. 

Lets see which goals from July I have achieved and which ones I did not. 

  • Blog 15x in July
  • Find a really good part time job
  • Hit the gym 3x a week
  • Eat more healthy - reduce my takeout

I wanted to do 15 blog posts in July. I was very close, I did 11 blog posts. So yay! This also is a good time to assess if I had set an achievable goal, and I think 15 was a good target number. I am going to keep this goal for August and hopefully achieve it! 

I FOUND MYSELF A REALLY GREAT PART TIME JOB! Goal CROSSED OFF! I will be sharing more with you in the upcoming weeks, it is a really exciting and great opportunity! Really get to use my graphic design skills! 

I sadly did not hit the gym 3x a week. Nor did I exceed 3x a week. Things just got so darn busy with work in July.  After a long work day and the summer heat/sun draining me out, I did not have the energy to hit the gym much. .... Yes, this can be misconstrued as me making excuses, but it is the truth! That being said, working out is very important for my health and really helps keep my anxiety levels low. I am going to continue pushing myself to live a more active lifestyle and hitting the spin bikes at the gym. 

I can say my "fast food" meals were significantly reduced. I think I might have gotten maybe 5 fast food meals. That is excluding Oatmeal from Starbucks! However, I also was not eating very healthy at times. I ate A LOT of cake .... whoops,... and I did have some late night snacks. However, I was eating a lot of fruit like MANGOS! YUMMMY and the chefs at my job have been wonderful in making meals that use fresh locally grown produce. But I also at times was only eating twice or once a day because when I get in a good working groove, I tend to not eat. For August, I am going to practice better eating habits. 

AUGUST 2015 Goals:

  • blog 15x in August
  • Instagram 20x with quality pictures! 
  • Have healthier eating habits - 3 meals a day with minimal processed food
  • GYM - just get my butt to the gym a few times a week
  • Watch my Green Tea Latte intake as I seem to be going a bit crazy since I do get free lattes at work...

I really want to hear from you if you have any tips on how I can go about better achieving my goals. As well, what goals you have set for yourself! I look forward to reading your comments dolls! 

BYES

Saturday 1 August 2015

7 Lattes & Wishes | August Wish List


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Hey Dolls! 

Gosh, the Summer months seem to be flying by! Can you believe it, we are at August already! With a new month, there is a new wish list hehe. 

It is no secret that I am loving joggers this season. They are just so darn comfortable and practically give you the comfort of sweats yet allow you to look chic and professional. As well they are easy to either dress up with a gorgeous lace black tank or pair it with a classic T for a casual look. Either way, Joggers are my favourite item in my closet these days and I need MORE! All of these items are from Aritzia, the quality is amazing and they use a lot of cotton and silks in their clothing. I always avoid synthetic fabrics in the summer like polyester and nylon. 

I have been loving statement sunglasses and Dior's So Real Brow Bar Sunglasses are not only unique in shape, but also tres chic! As well, I feel these Dior sunnies would complete any outfit. 

Have you dolls heard of water bottles by S'well? I have only recently discovered them and must get one because they will keep any drink cold or hot for around 24 hrs?!? With this heat wave in Vancouver, I definitely need a water bottle that will keep my water COLD! As well, S'well bottles come in so many fabulous colour. I am loving the shocking pink! 

And I know I have plenty of shoes already, but I think it is time I got myself a pair of classic white converse. And I might as well get the white birkenstocks in the Arizona style! White shoes are definitely a must this Summer for me! Hehe.... #ShoeAddictProblems

Let me know in the comments below what is on your August Wishlist! 

BYES