Sorry for the radio silence, I have been busy preparing for our trip to Barbados!  We arrived yesterday afternoon and have been taking in the sun and sand.  

We are here with five of our friends for a full on vacation and it is so hot (no air conditioning in the house either, except the bedrooms, which is great for sleeping).  We spent the day yesterday at the beach and watched the sunset, came home, got ready and went to dinner at Rude Boys.  We had authentic Bajan food and it was so good.  Most of us called an early night so we were fully refreshed this morning to spend the day at the beach.  

The water here is crystal turquoise and blue, the sand is super soft and fine and the locals are uber friendly.  We sipped on beers all afternoon while hanging out in the ocean, every so often grabbing shade under an umbrella on the beach.  Later we grabbed flying fish sandwiches at a shack bar at the beach.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little bit toasted today, but it was worth the fun afternoon!

Tonight we are headed to a fish fry and later on a party on the beach with an all-you-can-drink party!  Should be a great time and can't wait to try more of their amazing food on this island.

Follow along on Instagram (I'm acoest1984) and check out our unique vacation hashtag #brilliantbarbadosbreakaway for photos from me and my friends too.




My closet-office room is the second bedroom in our condo and was built using the Ikea Stolmen system, which is completely customized to whatever you like.

We chose to go with three sections as it was important for me to have lots of hanging space for tops and a longer hanging area for dresses.  I needed shelves for folded pants and accessories, and then we put shelves across the top to house shoes.  

The initial plan was to install drawers but they were too deep so we returned them and picked up the cubbies instead.  I had the faux black leather boxes already (from Loblaws) which fit perfectly into the spaces.

Overall the build took a few days and turned out great. I use the built-in closet in the room for jackets, skirts and to tuck away sweat pants, leggings, swimsuits in various boxes, etc.  I recently added a mirror and artwork to the room too so it's really coming together and will share more updates soon.



We have been living at our place for seven months now and the bed, despite being new, is something that has felt unfinished (see our bedroom tour here).  We had purchased a new Hotel Collection duvet cover (style is called, 'Frame'), but didn't get matching shams because I wanted to find something less expensive, less matchy-matchy, but also that worked in the space.  On top of that, other expenses took precedent.  All that said, I finally finished our bed last week and even found some art work to hang above it.  

The three Euro pillows (with cases) were found at Home Sense, the black damask stripe King pillow cases are from Home Outfitters, the black ruffle pillows is old and from Home Sense, and the white fur and grey woven pillow are both from Bouclair.  I've had that furry, black throw for years and it works well as it's become Eve's favourite place to lie (and we no longer use it for ourselves, ha).  

More after the jump...
 Outfit deets:
* Joe Fresh tee which you saw during my trip to NYC but in black and also when I initially tried it on in the fitting room.
* Kenar skirt that I'm obsessed with.  It was one of those purchases I instantly knew I'd make the minute I saw it.
* Accessories: unknown necklace (old), Swarovski & Hot Diamond bangles.

Per usual, I'm drawn to neutrals (and still am, with a mix of olive green and maroon for Fall) and have come to accept it's just what I feel best in.  Colour has a place in my heart but it's taking a backseat currently.  

I totally forgot to post these photos that were taken a few weeks ago and now the weather has turned here in Ottawa, but I figured better late than never.  Additionally, since this is an outfit that's been on repeat, I wanted to capture it even if it meant using my iPhone instead.  Hope you're having a great week & happy October!


 Photos by Serena Rivard (via my iPhone).


Here we are the end of September and it's definitely Fall in these parts.  Marco and I kicked off September by traveling to New York to celebrate our anniversary (see a short two-minute video here).  When we got back, I bought several bikinis--on sale!--from Ardene, since my shopping during our trip was minimal.

I looked after Peanut one weekend and found a mirror for my walk-in closet.  I made three-ingredient peanut butter cookies (recipe here), bought some new boots and went to a party where a friend brought the most amazing, gourmet, meatballs.

I detailed my car, shared my first Fall outfit of the year and got the new iPhone 6 (thanks to a very generous boyfriend).  I shared an almost-all-black outfit, obsessed over these two-ingredient pancakes, and since I was supposed to travel to Vegas but fell ill at the last minute, I shared my tips and tricks on packing for a four-day holiday in only a carry-on.


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