{ the greys }
Boxing Day is the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada, it takes place on December 26th and it's always a mad house at any mall - it's like the Black Friday of Canada. The last two years my bff and I hit the mall before it opened and had a hay day. This year, we ended up going much later in the day, but I still scored big time. Not all the sales are fantastic, and sometimes not even worth it at all, but everything I purchased was 50% off and more than worth it. I made purchases from Mexx, Jacob and The Bay and haven't had that successful shopping (and splurging) like that in a long time.
{ the blacks }
{ colour }
What I purchased:
Mexx
* Light grey wool open-faced cardigan, extra long in the body
* Baby pink silk tank with ruched empire
* Grey (faux) leather skirt
* Black-ish (faux) fur snood
* Dark steel silk cap-sleeved top with boatneck
Jacob
* Black silk tunic dress
* Black tapestry-style pencil skirt
* Black high-waisted pencil skirt with full zipper at back
* Light grey boat-neck tee (loose)
* Dotted tights
* Dark grey knit headband
* Black square bangle
The Bay
* Vera Moda navy dress with leather circles down front
* Vera Moda light grey t-shirt dress with bird-style embellished sleeves
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{ with my chinese-gift-exchange score: two bottles of my fave champagne }
Every year at Christmas time, my high-school friends and I (aka THE 5) get together at my place for potluck dinner and a chinese gift exchange. We all live in various places and have busy lives and the only time we connect with all five of us is at Christmas. We try to get together twice a year, but Christmas is always a certainty.
This year it almost didn't pan out as one friend was only in town for a few days, and we all know how busy it can be during the holidays. However, another friend suggested we do a potluck brunch instead and it worked out so well. We had baked french toast, veggie quiche, bacon, a fruit platter, fresh juice and coffee. It was delicious and after we stuffed ourselves with a late brunch, we did our chinese gift exchange ($20 limit) which was equally as fun. Afterwards we discussed who we have and haven't seen recently from High School, what's coming up in the future, etc. It's so cool to stay in touch with friends I've had for over a decade (wow, that makes me feel a lil' old) and reminisce about the old memories and create new ones.
{ THE 5 - Christmas 2010 }
{ our family tree }
Merry Christmas everyone! It's been a crazy busy last few days and I've missed you all very much. I know I've been MIA but the holiday season has taken over my life, and honestly, that's pretty nice. On Christmas eve I went to work in the morning and spent my time exchanging gifts with friends and coworkers, tying up some lose ends before my 10-day-long vacation, drinking coffee with Bailey's and attending an annual Christmas eve potluck (brunch). It was fantastic. I left work around noon and heading in the direction of home with a few stops.
My sister came over to my place and we got busy preparing (my dad's birthday) dinner for that night (tacos - his choice). My parents and grandparents showed up just before 5pm and we ate, talked, and laughed.
Much later that night, my parents, sister and I headed to my parent's house to keep up our annual tradition of us sleeping over the night before Christmas. We woke up later than normal (which was so nice to sleep in!) and ate breakfast (a combination of fresh fruit, cinnamon buns and croissants) and drank mimosas. We then ran to the living room to see what Santa brought us and open our gifts. I was totally spoiled by my parents, sister, hubs and in-laws. That night we had our (traditional) turkey dinner (my fave) and of course stuffed ourselves to the brim.
I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and I'll be checking your blogs to hopefully see how it went. I will also be posting more detailed shots on what I got, Boxing Day shopping and more.
{ my stocking & Santa gifts }
{ opening something totally unexpected and totally exciting:
my very own sewing machine! }
{ our tree at home with all our gifts underneath }
La Classe Couture jacket, H&M dress, Chinese Laundry belt,
Liliana studded pumps (last seen here) Old Navy tights & Suzy necklace
Honestly, how many (faux) leather jackets can I buy in one season?! This would be the third, or fourth, considering I bought two at the same time. I know. The worst part? It's now too cold here to actually wear them outside, however, I was super anxious to put this bad boy to good use so I made it work for indoors - and I'm quite pleased (so pleased that I belted it over another outfit within a week).
So Christmas is a mere three days away (omg, typing that just make me freak out a little more) and I'm so unprepared. My shopping is almost done (is it ever really done? Like, don't you always feel you need, 'just one more thing'? ...story of my life) but I haven't started wrapping. That was supposed to be last night and I ended up making some jewelery for a few friends as Christmas gifts (still productive) plus I had a couple orders from customers as well. Tonight I will wrap, I must, I must, I must increase ... the amount of wrapping I do...? Right. How about just start. Sheesh. I'm on a time crunch tonight too, as my girl friend and I are doing our gift exchange tonight around 9pm and I just found out that her boyfriend got her one of the same things I got her (out of three items I have for her). Awesome. So, I will be on a mad hunt to exchange it for something else (yes, all tonight before the exchange, before doing all my wrapping and all that jazz). I'll be sure to post about our exchange and show you my goodies! Yipee, Christmas is fun!
While driving home from the gym the other night I knew I'd be eating solo and wanted something quick, healthy and to be able to use ingredients I already had (I really didn't want to stop at the grocery store!). I decided on the tried and true tuna melts I often make in this situation. When I got home, I realized there was no mayo but remembered a friend had advised me years ago that you could substitute humus wherever you used mayo (a trick her doctor taught her). I actually had humus and gave it a shot and it was actually really good. From now on, this is how I will make my tuna melts. Now, to keep humus on hand will be the tricky part...
What you'll need:
- 1 can of tuna (preferably in water, much healthier)
- 1 or 2 stalks of celery (or something crunchy - I like the crunch)
- block cheese (I used what I had on hand, cheddar)
- a spoonful of humus
- some sort of bread
- an oven, pre-heated to 400 degrees F
Chop celery, cheese and mix in a medium bowl with the canned tuna
Add a spoonful of humus (I just winged this, you might need a bit more/less)
Spoon tuna mixture onto your bread (I love using a bun but was trying to be healthy
so I used 12-grain bread), on a baking sheet & pop in the oven for 20 minutes
or until cheese is melted and the tops look slightly browned
Enjoy!
Urban Behaviour sweater, H&M tank, Stitches skirt, Sirens leggings,
AMI boots (last seen here), A.Co Designs necklace & Suzy ring
AMI boots (last seen here), A.Co Designs necklace & Suzy ring
While visiting my BFF in Toronto I was telling her about my newest colour combo obsession, navy and black. She said that she was always told, as a kid, that if you wore the two together, you'd look like a bruise. I never heard that before, although I did hear other 'fashion rules' (ex. blue and green should never be seen...., etc.). And then she put on a green top with a navy blazer (and looked awesome).
So this sweater is just like this one, but navy, which I cut in half to make into a cardigan. I was so impressed with myself (wow, I used scissors) and excited to wear this one. I mean, I know it wasn't hard to do, but I took a sweater I hadn't worn in a couple years, and I've been wearing it quite a bit now - how's that for shopping your closet!?
So lastly, how was everyone's weekend? I know I didn't post, I was pretty sick all weekend long, just feeling crappy and laying low (which you might think would inspire a post, but I was just trying to stay away from the computer for once... which isn't easy since I'm obsessed!). I did, however, get a bunch of cleaning done around the house and a ton of laundry - it's like I have all the 'good' and 'favourite' items ready again! Yipee! I need to pick my Christmas outfit this week. I stay at my parent's house on Christmas eve so I have to plan and pack something for that day. The last two years it was a dress of some sort, with leggings... this year? I don't know, I can't predict the future, but I could see it involving leggings.
Joe Fresh cardigan (last seen here), Gap silk top, Smart Set cami, Old Navy pants,
Aldo shoes (last seen here), Le Chateau pashmina, Suxy belt & ring & Bijoux Terner necklace
I'll admit, the minute I saw these pants on Blair I was in awe and to find out they were from Old Navy (you mean, within my budget?!) and still available?! Hello! I went out and hooked a sistah up, and by sistah, I mean myself. While I normally wear skirts and dresses to work, it's nice to actually find a pair of pants that fit well and I love - a rare combo.
So I ran into this guy at work, that I don't see very often, while wearing the salsa dress... he's French and while I speak it, we were talking in English (a surefire way to ensure having some messages lost in translation) and he asked me if I was having a baby (I know it's a flowy dress, but...) and it must have been the shocked look on my face because he quickly retracted his question and realized what he'd said. What he meant to ask was when I was planning on having a baby, not if I was having a baby. Anyways, we had a good laugh about it, but geeze, the baby questions don't stop as soon as you get married!
Yes, my hair is super short as this was two years ago when we first got engaged
(and yes, I chopped off 5 inches of my hair after getting engaged)
While wedding dress shopping, I asked my mom to take pictures of the dresses I tried on so I could look back on the days we spent shopping. It was really interesting to see how well some of the dresses resonated in photos considering how awful I felt in some of them. Most places wouldn't allow us to take photos, but the mid-high end boutique I first went to was not only helpful, but they allowed photos and it was wonderful. In the end, I ended up designing my own dress, which you can see below (if you haven't already).
George cape (last seen here), Suzy sweater, H&M tank, Nitrogen Signature pants,
Le Chateau boots (last seen here), H&M bangle & Bijoux Terner necklace
Remember when I was worried about not wearing this cape enough? Yeah, me too. Turns out, no need to worry as I seem to grab for it more often than not, which isn't exactly something I tend to do. I like to spread my clothing out, try to get the most wear out of my wardrobe by continually switching things up, but, everyone has their favourites (including me).
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