Outfit deets:
* Urban Planet sweater which I have in baby pink & maroon (and you saw all of them in my Colour Pairings video), and you've seen outdoors with denim and boots.
* Urban Planet pants--my go-to black skinnies, they are the Brazil fit, $20 and perfect. I own three pairs (hello that price!).
* H by Halston cap-toe heels that I picked up in Vegas which I wore during Toronto Fashion Week this year, also with my favourite maroon waxed pants & in my How To Wear a Sequin Skirt post last year around this time.
* Accessories: Sirens necklace, F21 wrap bracelet & MK watch.
So the good thing about blogging is you don't need a voice. The bad news? When you're sick you don't feel like taking pictures of yourself. Fortunately I had this one that was taken earlier this week with this beautiful tree.
So I have Laryngitis; I've been fighting something all week and woke up on Wednesday with no voice. I didn't realize this until I got to work and someone came to discuss something with me…Oh my! Where is my voice?
It progressed and got worse through the day, until I was whispering only when necessary and my vocal chords felt very strained. I went to the clinic and she confirmed, viral Laryngitis which means the only cure is rest--ie. no talking--and that I'm contagious. That said, I'm home today, resting and missing my Christmas party lunch with colleagues #wahwah.
How's everyone's Christmas shopping going? Mine is not even half complete so I'm hoping to finish up this weekend and meet my goal of wrapping everything by Sunday night. I always tend to shop right up until the last minute anyways, so, this is pretty normal. Any last minute shoppers out there like me?
As always, thank you so much for reading and coming to my little corner of the Internet.
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The holiday season is upon us and I asked you all on Facebook if you had any topics to suggest for the next LCW (Let's Chat Wednesday--thanks Kate) and someone suggested holidays traditions and re-gifting. So without further adieu…
I think I might have re-gifted something once or twice, but I don't tend to make it a habit. Additionally, if I'm going to re-gift something, I'm going to add another item to beef up my gift, so to speak.
One thing I love re-gifting for though is a hostess gift. If someone gave you something like a spa kit, a bottle of wine, or something for the home that isn't necessarily your taste, I would see nothing wrong with passing that brand new item onto someone who will truly love it. Additionally, a hostess gift is not a gift you had to give, but a nice gesture.
Thoughts on re-gifting? Would you?
With Christmas quickly approaching, I've got several things on my radar at Place d'Orleans I'm hoping I will find under the tree.
Here's a quick look at what I'm wishing for:
Clockwise from top left
1. Aldo, Herveline over-the-knee boots | Confession: I already bought these as an early Christmas gift to myself. I know they will take me from holiday parties with friends to out shopping for gifts and well into the new year. Bonus, they have a chunkier heel making them easy to walk in during winter and totally on trend.
2. Jean Machine, Vegan leather & ponte jacket | Love this waterfall-front blazer, I'd pair it with leggings on the weekend and ankle boots.
3. Maurices, Bow earrings | These remind me of bow earrings my mom wore in the 80's but with a modern twist that make them chic for now. I love studs and like to mismatch my earrings for added interest so I'd likely only wear one at a time.
4. Roots, Mabel tee | I love slouchy tees and I always tend towards grey. This would be perfect with denim for an effortless look. Add a statement necklace and wedge boots to dress it up or a beanie and some hi-top kicks to dress it down.
5. Bluenotes, Ombre gloves | Who doesn't need an extra pair of gloves? If not for yourself, these make a great gift or add on for someone else. Love the subtle ombre which is a trend that is still going strong.
6. Eclipse, Tattoo French terry zip-up hoodie | I have to admit the colour and leather pulls on this hoodie sold me. I love hoodies and wear them on weekends and to-and-from the gym. This one looks so cozy and comfy.
7. Limite, Delaney faux sherpa jacket | This is nothing like anything I own and I think it would be a really cute with some leggings or over a plain dress. Since it's not too heavy, it would be more of an indoor layering piece now, and a coat for next Fall.
8. Softmoc, Converse Chuck Taylors | I have been eyeing a pair of Chucks for months now and have decided they are a necessity for my wardrobe. Bonus, they are on sale at PDO right now!
9. Jean Machine, Blank NYC vegan leather denim | I can never get enough black pants and waxed or faux leather are a personal fave because they add interest even if you pair it with something plain and black.
10. Aeropostale, Bayla perfume | I found this in the summertime and haven't stopped thinking about it. It's a light, citrus-y scent that would be perfect for daytime or a holiday down south. The price can't be beat either.
11. Dynamite, Soft faux leather shorts | Love these jogger-esque shorts. I have a pair of faux leather shorts and wear them all the time; in the summer with sandals & in the winter with tights. So versatile and I like how these are an unexpected take on the trend.
12. Boathouse, Nixon Monarch watch | I like how this is different that a regular gold watch with the tortoise/gold strap. I love thick, metal watches and this would be a great one to add to my slowly growing collection.
Welcome to your new home! These Aldo, Herveline over-the-knee boots are finally mine.
I had initially purchased a pair of black OTK boots with a pointed toe--similar to these--but when they came in, the leg portion was huge on me and they looked cheap and plastic (but cost $140, so they shouldn't--they are no longer available). I immediately found these instead but couldn't pull the trigger right away as they were $250 and didn't come in a size 10.
I waited and checked the website every day, and happened upon them at the mall. The display was a size 9 and it turned out to be a perfect fit, which is odd as I'm always a 10. I went back the next day, returned the other ones and as luck would have it, they were marked down as part of a three-day sale for $160! I made the exchange and went on my merry way.
My weekend began Thursday night--as I took Friday off--with a Secret Santa party among friends. This was a stellar gift table and you already saw my charcuterie plate I brought.
I scored a beautiful, custom necklace which I tweeted about.
Friday was spent running errands and prepping for the surprise 60th birthday party my mom, sister and I were throwing for my dad that night. We spent all day at my sister's chopping, cooking, preparing the food, holding my nephew--naturally--and be very sneaky about it.
Later on that evening, waiting for my parent's to come home to a house full of people, tons of food and a great celebration.
My Dad and I at the end of the night. He was so surprised! I made a little video about the party if you care to watch.
Saturday morning gym sesh; my best attempt at a pull up. Seriously.
Lunch at Chuck's.
After lunch we poked around Marshalls. I spotted these Puma x Alexander McQueen hi-top kicks. I thought they were cool looking but I didn't get them; I'm on the fence about whether I'll still be loving wedge sneakers come Spring--it's been two years since first coveting, they might be getting played out.
This weekend was freakin' freezing (-30 degrees Celcius) so I was bundled up everywhere I went.
Outfit deets: Winners beanie, Bench jacket, Club Monaco scarf & Ardene mitts.
Saturday night: Chinese food & Home Alone movies with my man. Perfect night to stay indoors during a snowstorm.
Cuddling with #eveyabish
Sunday morning--er, afternoon--brunch post gym. We sped through the meal to get errands run and a football game watched.
I'm trying so hard to grow out my nails for Christmas--that was my goal when I started about three weeks ago. See that gash on my ring finger? It's from my nail! That's progress. I have a terrible nail biting habit so I'm so proud to get them to this length.
Sidenote: I lost that midi-ring at my Dad's surprise party. Wah.
Sunday evening chilli & work (blog, YouTube, etc.)
Happy last full week before Christmas!
The other night I went to a Secret Santa party with friends and needed to whip up a quick appetizer, as the party started soon after work ended. I'm going to show you how to create this plate for under $22 (including the dishes!).
What you need:
Food Basics
* Whole wheat naan bread (5 pieces) | $1.99
* Prosciutto | $5.00
* Olives | $1.99
* Artichoke & Asiago dip | $3.49
* Roasted Red Pepper hummus | $3.49
Dollarama
* Cutting board | $3
* 3 small dishes | $2
Putting it together:
1. Chop your naan bread into pie-like pieces, the smaller the better as it will go further and no one likes a huge piece of bread (no double dipping allowed!).
2. Take out your proscuitto and roll it up individually so it's easy to grab.
3. Instead of using the containers the dip come in, I like to spoon the dip into small ramekins; it looks prettier and like you spent way more time--hey, did you make that dip?--you get my point.
4. Put the olives in a bowl.
5. Set it up with bread on one side, meat on the other and your dishes separating the two for a stylish take on food. Prepare for tons of compliments.
You could add cheese if you wanted, I was trying to keep the cost down though. The best part is you can leave the cutting board and dishes at the party as hostess gifts, if you wanted--they will love it and it only cost you a mere $5 bucks.
Happy partying!
This used to be a really difficult thing for me. To swallow my pride and apologize.
Yuck.
No thanks.
You be the bigger person.
Or, it's not my fault.
However, with some time and a lot of practice, it's become a bit easier. There are definitely times when I don't want to apologize, but ultimately, I try to approach situations being gentle and not getting my back up. I always tell myself to put my pride on the side and make the situation better. An apology goes a long way, and as the age old saying goes, 'Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?'
I thought I would bring back the Let's Chat again, it's been a while and it was always enjoyable reading your responses!
Why does this picture look sepia? It's black and white, I swear... you guys saw it on my Instagram. Hey! What's the big idea?
Hello Wedn... waitaminute...
Rewind.
This week is getting away from me--make it stop. Things have been go go go for several days now and there is no sign of slowing with Christmas quickly approaching (two weeks?! What?!). Speaking of Christmas, who is on top of their shopping? I'm behind the game but after running a few errands tonight, I will be battling the crowds at the mall to put a bigger dent in it. I'm aiming to super organize myself this year--yeah right--and have all my wrapping done by December 22.
Completely do-able, right?
(Yikes)
Hope your day is good, just wanted to check in and say hello!
Friday night Christmas party at my grandparents' senior residence.
Outfit deets: Forever 21 top (old) & vintage clutch.
The food was so good; there were multiple anti-pasta tables and apps being served and the dinner was a roast beef buffet.
Nephew spotting in the background.
Outfit deets: Forever 21 coat & top, Urban Planet pants, Aldo shoes & Mexx fur snood.
The hair from the back. Tutorial?
Aldo, 'Carmelithe' (new!)
Saturday was Marco's birthday so his parents came to town and we went out for lunch. Afterwards we had some coffee at the mall and visited before they left.
Saturday night we planned a potluck birthday dinner and Marco requested Epic Fish Tacos. I did as much prep work as I could before heading over to his friend's place, where we were having the intimate dinner party.
Pretty tree.
Outfit deets: Vero Moda top, Dynamite shorts (last year, but first time I've worn them), Sirens necklace & unknown tights.
Most of Marco's friends are big foodies which is a major plus whenever there is a get together. His buddy made Gravad Lax with a dill-mustard drizzle and brought a sparkling wine to go with--um, an appetizer and a wine pairing? Amazing.
Melissa & I.
On Sunday morning I met up with my girlfriends for brunch to celebrate our friend's birthday. We went to the Arrow & Loon, a spot Marco and I frequented in the summertime.
Afterwards, we attended a two-hour cupcake workshop at The Flour Shoppe where we learned how to decorate cupcakes and consumed way too much sugar! Video coming soon.
After the workshop I got home and climbed into bed at 3pm. I ended up passing out for a couple hours; so short on sleep! I spent the evening with Marco, he opened his birthday gifts--finally--and I spent the rest of the evening working.
I put together a slideshow with all the pictures you see above, for fun. I know some people prefer video/my YouTube channel to reading blogs, and vice versa. If you like this type of recap, let me know in the comments below and I might keep doing it.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Hi all, sorry for the radio silence, it seems this time of year is already keeping me insanely busy and exhausted but I wanted to hop on and share my exciting news: I won second place in the Made in Blog awards in the Lifestyle category!
Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the three categories that I was nominated in (Lifestyle, Style & DIY) to put me into all three top tens. From there the judges deliberated and picked me in the top three for Lifestyle! I'm so excited and grateful to have won. I've shared the pic above to show you the prize I will be getting, which is sweet, but in general just happy to be picked.
See you tomorrow!
Happy Holidays! The season is upon us and I'm sharing three outfits--in under two minutes--to get your out the door to the party!
As always, thanks for watching & stay tuned to the Place d'Orleans Facebook page for more videos!
Other videos:
* Fall Fashion (video #1)
* Wardrobe Classics (video #2)
* Bundling Up for Winter (video #3)
* How-to Style a Sequin Skirt (video #4)
* What to Wear for New Years Eve (video #5)
* New Year, New You! (video #6)
* Accessories & a Hair Tutorial (video #7)
* What to Wear on a Date (video #8)
* Dreaming of Summer (video #9)
* How-To Turn Your Maxi Dress into a Maxi Skirt (video #10)
* DIY Kiss Printed Jacket (video #11)
* Spring Trends (video #12)
* Biggest Spring Trends (video #13)
* Summer Event Wear (video #14)
* How-To Transform Your Look: Day to Night (video #15)
* Back to School (video #17)
* Fall Fashion (video #18)
* Colour Pairings (video #19)
* Bundling Up (video #20)
Wednesday night after some major snowfall--and getting stuck with my car being plowed in--and this massive snowball.
Thursday morning gym sesh--so unmotivated, but got it in.
After the gym, Marco and I went shopping for some snowboard boots for me and I ended up picking up this red Burton 'Sapphire' model.
That evening was a turkey dinner with a ton of friends. Everyone brought a dish--I made my Grammy's sweedish potatoes which were a huge hit--and it was a really fun evening.
On Friday, after doing some Black Friday shopping, finishing packing, we finally hit the road in the afternoon. Since I clogged our weekend, at one point we were playing a silly game (similar to the 1-2-3 tag) to pass the time, which I caught on video:
Outfit deets: Bench jacket, H&M pants, Spring boots & headband, Club Monaco scarf, Ardene mitts & Aldo cross-body/clutch.
After dinner, I said hello to you all and then we relaxed with a movie. Our one-bedroom suite was really quaint and cottage-y; I liked having the fire place on anytime we were there (why not!?).
Outfit deets: TNA jacket (old), Aeropostale scarf, Sirens leggings & Spring boots.
On Saturday morning, after being unable to get a hot breakfast at our hotel, we headed out of the village towards McDonalds for breakfast. We instead ended up stumbling upon l'Arome cafe--thank you Urbanspoon--and had a delicious breakfast with the most amazing home-made mango-peach jam…
…and were able to purchase a jar of it! They make it in house and sell it, which I'm so excited about--I don't even eat jam at home normally but I will now!
We got back to our hotel, changed and then it was time to hit the slopes! Here I am at the top of Mont Tremblant:
I hadn't been snowboarding in several years and was quite apprehensive when we first got to the top--however, like riding a bike, after the first couple runs (which took a while), I got a bit of a groove back and started to feel more comfortable (despite numb feet and sore quads).
Later that evening, we headed out to the Mont Tremblant casino to dine at Altitude--a fine dining restaurant with a beautiful setting… 
Outfit deets: H&M dress (new!), Sirens leggings, Expressions by The Bay necklace, Aldo boots & clutch.
Unfortunately, we ended up having a terrible experience with over cooked food and a smirking manager. They had to bring my beef tartar three times before the poached egg on top was done right and by the time I got to my steak I had ordered rare and it was done medium-well, it was pretty frustrating. I definitely wouldn't recommend the spot and we were really, really looking forward to it, sadly.
On Sunday morning we over slept and rushed around to finish filming my upcoming Holiday Lookbook for Place d'Orleans. I instagrammed a photo of this dress in the fitting room and yep, she came home with me!
Outfit deets: Le Chateau dress.
On our way home, we stopped at l'Arome cafe again for breakfast as my insistence.
We ended up ordering Chinese food on Sunday evening when we got home--finish the weekend right… right?--and I spent hours editing my video.
And finally, ending the weekend on a super sweet note: Marco got me an iPhone 5S--yipee! We set it up so I could start using this gold 32GB beauty. My previous iPhone 5 was 16GB and had no space left because I hate erasing my photos off of it. That said, I reserved this 5S over two months ago and that's how long it took for it to come--nutso, I know. Hoorah to it finally being here.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
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