saturday in pictures

My Dad and I had a father-daughter date Saturday and spent the morning together downtown. It was just the two of us and we had a great morning. Here's a look at what we got up to...

{ Exploring the back alleyways near our new house }

{ House shopping at West Elm in Liberty Village }

{ Arguably the best brunch spot in Toronto... Eats at Mildred's Temple Kitchen }

{ The biggest soap fortune cookie I've ever seen... Well, the only soap fortune cookie I've ever seen }

{ But the soap store actually had some amazingly delicious scents }

{ A Balzac's iced latte to keep us going for the shopping ahead - definitely my new summer drink }

{ Pulling over to look at menu's - like father like foodie daughter :) }

{ Sweet summer wedges - a perfect shoe to stylishly explore the city }

{ Weird but awesome }

Not pictured, but I'm so excited about my new BIKE! I pick it up this week and will be sure to share some photos later in the week :) I'm starting to feel like a real city-dweller!

playa cabana cantina

Last week I had dinner with girlfriends at Playa Cabana Cantina- the sister restaurant of Playa Cabana. As before, the experience didn't disappoint. I'm not typically a fan of Mexican food, but this restaurant has converted me, and our waiter proudly announced that that's what they do - convert people into to loving Mexican food. Always a creature of habit, I had the exact same meal I had at Playa Cabana (braised steak burrito and grapefruit margarita) and it was just as good as I remembered. A new restaurant that takes reservations, has good food, strong drinks, friendly staff and a laid back atmosphere is a spot that has all the ingredients to become a quick favorite in my books.

{ Grapefruit Margarita }

{ A tequilla-spiked sangria }

{ Plate sized burritos }

When we were out for dinner my girlfriends suggested that I start a restaurant guide on the blog. Toronto has so many restaurants and it can be hard to try to navigate what's good and what's worth trying. Working (and soon to be living downtown), I do love to eat out and am a total foodie and would love to share my thoughts on some of the spots I visit. I have two awesome restaurants coming up soon and hopefully many more over the coming months! I'm hoping I can help suggest some tasty new spots to chow down and inspire you to explore the city.

planning stages

{ My OCD kicking in - trying to plan every last detail }

{ Since my memory tends to fail me, lists are in abundance }

{ We sat down this week and picked our paint colors. Beer definitely made the process easier }

 My brain has been running non-stop thinking about our new place. I'm trying to organize what we have and what we need, so that we can get settled quickly once we move and just really focus on enjoying the summer downtown. We go in Thursday to take some measurements then the bigger furniture will be ordered! Booking my first furniture delivery - I'm starting to feel like a big kid! Definitely really, super excited about June 1st approaching so quickly. I'll share more design details as they unfold and we have some awesome DIY projects that we'll get finished this weekend and I'll share next week - so check back for those.

great brows

{ via }

Well groomed eyebrows are one of those daily prep items that I feel may be often overlooked, but personally, I feel well shaped eyebrows add such a subtle, natural beauty to an everyday look.

I was inspired by this little feature and finally made my way into Sephora this weekend. I asked for assistance - it was my first time doing so, and I'm sad I waited to long to speak with someone - the girls are great. The Sephora line of products has a clear eyebrow gel (not shown online), and while it sounds a little nutty, it really helps keep my unruly brows in line. I'm a fan so far!

While we're on a beauty break, I also picked up Nars' tinted moisturizer that I'm already madly in love with. It gives nice coverage and doesn't feel too heavy, exactly what I was looking for in a new summer make up regime. Plus it has SPF 30! Bonus!

camera bag

{ Rebecca Minkoff Laser Cut Collin Camera Bag }

How cool is this camera bag?! My T2i is one of my favorite belongings but I tend not to carry it around with me because of it's size. I definitely wouldn't think twice about bringing it everywhere if I had this gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff to tote it around in!

a year ago

{ South of France }

{ Versailles, France }

{ Berlin, Germany }

{ Split, Croatia }

{ Venice, Italy }

{ San Sebastian, Spain }

{ St. Tropez, France }

A year ago we were in Europe having the time of our lives and sometimes I can't help but reminisce about the fun we had and the places we were lucky enough to have visited. I love looking through our pictures and thought I would share a few. 

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope your summer plans include adventures to new places. xx

floral frocks

{ maxi dress with a flirty front and back }

As I've mentioned before, when the summer heat is upon us, I'm all about easy to wear dresses. Flowy, flattering pieces that I can throw on without thinking twice. I love these three numbers with their large, graphic floral prints. I'd enjoy wandering the streets of Toronto, picnic-ing and patio-ing all summer long, in each and every one of them. 

{ drop waist magnolia dress }

{ scallop hem dress (with awesome back detail)}

our couch

I promised to keep y'all in the loop as we keep on decorating for the new pad, and coming to a decision on a new couch was no easy task. Finding something that both D and I loved was a big deal. And for a big purchase like a couch, we both needed to love it. Luckily it was not as long of a search as it could have been. We've decided on CB2's pebble tufted sectional :) Isn't it lovely? The color, the detail, the comfort... a great couch!

magnolia trees

Earlier this week I snuck onto a neighbors front lawn to take some pictures of their magnolia tree. I'm absolutely mesmerized every time I see one of these amazing trees. It's such a shame their beauty is so short lived. One day, I'd like to get lost in a field of magnolia trees (with my camera, ofcourse). 

simple salmon dinner

 

D and I both really enjoy fish but tend not to eat a lot of it since my parents aren't the biggest fans. With them away this week, we took advantage and made salmon. It's such a simple and healthy dinner and packed with so much flavor. I always try to buy fresh fish at the grocery (there will usually be a fresh option and a previously frozen one), and for our marinade we combine maple syrup, dried ginger and soy sauce and drizzle it over the raw fish before baking. One of the things I love most about cooking is how sometimes super simple combinations can be the tastiest.