finally, the wait is over

those closest to me, know that i have a not so secret deep fried pickle obsession. to say i'm excited to try this recipe doesn't even cut it. these will be the first thing i make upon my return from the beach. can't wait, YUM!

interesting concept...

the curiosity is too much i need to try this

anyone already using it? recommend it? hate it?

do tell.

girl crush

{zoe saldana}

..you're completely nuts if you don't agree with me on this beauty. she's also dating people's sexiest man of 2011. tough life eh?

sweet treat

this weekend d and i are meeting up with his cousins and their babies for lunch and the lovely momma's birthday has recently passed. a bouquet of beautiful flowers was my first present idea but timing didn't allow for ideal freshness, so the close to perfect fall back was chocolates. now i'm not talking typical, store-bought chocolates. i'm talking gorgeous, handmade delicacies from soma chocolatemaker. the second store recently opened on king st w just east of my office and this was my second time indulging. (luckily, the walk is far enough that the exercise justifies the decadence).

i picked out two bars- one dark chocolate with dried berries and the other milk with dots of gorgeous sea salt, a bag of cookies and a bag of english toffee; and for an extra $2 they wrapped it up in the sweetest little box with pink ribbon.

figured while i was there, i might as well have a treat, so i tried a salted caramel and a pistachio truffle... imagine the best chocolate you've ever had, then imagine it five times more delicious! so yummy!

this is definitely the type of treat where quality beats quantity. their philosophy and passion makes it such a great food experience. the next time you need a sweet fix - i promise soma chocolatemaker will not disappoint!

i want an iphone because...

{society6 via cup of joe}

{rebecca minkoff via shopbop}

{daniijo via shopbop}

...the cases are just so darn neat!

warning: after browsing society6 there's a good chance you'll start to share the same feelings...

wanderlust wednesday

come may, d and i will be relaxing on the beaches of algarve, portugal! a good friends family owns a house there and has very generously allowed us to use it. it's the first thing we have officially booked for our trip and to say i'm over-the-moon excited is an understatement. i imagine after some backpacking, a deserted beach surrounded by towering rock face will pretty much feel like heaven on earth. there's so much more to coordinate and book and plan but to have this as a starting point is so amazing!

pinning

check it. my pinterest

homemade classic

after finishing an early dinner saturday, i felt a need to do some baking. i decided on chocolate chip cookies since i had all the ingredients on hand. i have to admit, my favorite recipe is the one printed on the back of the hershey's milk chocolate chips package, not very exciting - but delicious! i undercooked them slightly and added just a little bit of sea salt to the top. simple and tasty. the perfect saturday night treat.

dream weaver

{cup of joe}

{little green notebook}

{little green notebook}

upholstering my headboard has been on my DIY project list for over a year now. i found a wooden headboard at a hotel, end of the line type store for $40 and while it's current state is less than desirable, i luckily, inherited my momma's ability to see past the ugly and envision it's potential!

i have some left over blue suede from a chair i had upholstered for our bedroom but i'm not sold on the idea of matching the fabrics... but then there's the decision of whether to sand it down and paint it and add some sort of architectural detail, or to go ahead and upholster it..

these photos inspire only further confusion. to lie against a padded headboard would be so lovely, but then that studded headboard is quite possibly the coolest thing ever.

regardless of whatever decision i finally come to, i have made up my mind that i need this blanket for the bed. it combines my love of plain graphic prints and grey absolutely perfectly.

additionally, just because... this room is beautiful.

{trad home via little green notebook}

wishlist

i had some time to kill and ended up on shopbop, shocker.

my wishlist now contains the following...

i want this

and this

i love this (like really love...)

i'm dying for this but need to be richer

i really like this, but i think i'll hold out to find a branch like cuff instead

i've been debating over these for weeks

and i think this would be just dreamy for my upcoming mexican vacation in two weeks

free skate

last friday night i went with two girl friends to a local skating rink. i think we were the only three people there without a kid 4 or under, but regardless, we twirled and chatted as we skated around in circles. it was a rink i grew up at, having learned to skate there when i was little, so the nostalgia was in full effect and i was loving it! if you're looking for something cheap($3 for three hours!) and fun i highly suggest looking up the times of the free skates at your local rink! for more laughs, bring a friend who isn't good at skating ;)

tasty tuesday

after reading an article in women's health exposing the amount of calories in fruit juices coming from sugar, it really turned me off sweet fruit juices.

my replacement, that i now love even more than juice, is san pellegrino with lime! tonight there were fresh berries in the fridge so i decided to add one in and it was a lovely addition. we bought a case of the bubbly water from costco (the most affordable way of buying it), and d and i usually finish off a bottle per night and have found it so refreshing and a delicious alternative.

if you're feeling for something a bit more sweet you can try adding a bit of lemonade, or a flavored lemonade or orange juice (personally i like a 5:1 ratio of s.pellegrino to juice). but fruit provides so much natural sweetness so why not enjoy it!

incase your curious, these were the five facts that turned me off the fruit juice...

106 calories from sugar in 8oz of pink lemonade

112 calories from sugar in 8oz of orange juice

127 calories in 8oz of orange soda

137 calories from sugar in 8oz of cranberry juice

152 calories from sugar in 8oz of grape juice

ps. this is my first post with pictures from my new camera! yay! aren't they pretty?

just because

{kelsi dagger - ilya boot}

and the globe goes to...

{#1: charlize theron in dior}

{claire danes in j. medel}

note: this dress looked better live on tv

{#3: elle macpherson in zac posen}

top 3 red carpet picks of the night!

about to tune in for the show!xo

check out a dress gallery here

what makes love true

my favorite part of tiffany's 'what makes love true' campaign is the 'true love in pictures'. not so surpringly so, the sartorialist is noted as a contributor. this made me happy and made me even more excited to spend a weekend with d. enjoy.

chanel - spring 2012

chanel - spring 2012. karl sure didn't disappoint on this one. known for his creative and over-the-top shows, his magical, underwater display for the SS12 show is, in my humble opinion, one of the prettiest shows yet. florence welsh couldn't have been a more perfect musical guest appearing in the shell like botticelli's venus. the piece-de-resistence- the clothes... creamy pearls wrapped around waists replacing belts, dreamy pink corals and light mints, paired alongside chanel classic tweeds and dropped waists. perfection for a fresh, clean springtime look; loved everything about it. you can watch the whole show online here!

national popcorn day

fun fact of the day: on january 19th, next thursday, cineplex is celebrating national popcorn day by giving out free popcorn with the purchase of a drink! sounds like reason enough to me to plan a date night! i hope george clooney's descendants is still playing! i heard it was a good one!

i feel this flick will be necessary to watch, as every year before the oscars i try to watch as many of the best picture nominated films as possible! last year i think i had seen 9 of 10. from the buzz surrounding the descendant's i think it might be in this years running.

do you enjoy the oscars or other award shows? i'm looking forward to the golden globes this weekend! i love seeing what everyone wears and i like the more laid back atmosphere of the globes! as i've mentioned before, my personal "best dressed" pick from last year was emma stone, what a babe!

it's a dogs world

this was to adorable not to share. a puppy blogger's first post!

{courtesy of the daily muse}

baby steps

my favorite christmas present from this year has to be my new camera. although it allows me to take beautiful photographs, i am completely aware i have SO much to learn. i'm planning on taking some classes and reading the manual before d and i go travelling so that i'm able to use the camera to atleast a little bit of its potential. as i was surfing the web i found this little "how-to" lesson on blurry-background photos (that's the super technical term :P). i know a couple friends who have digital slr's and are in the same boat, they love the camera but are always wanting to learn more. so take a read here!

best yet

i'm so proud of my pretty white cake, that I felt the need to share. the yellow cake recipe is not a keeper, but the vanilla icing is a new go-to favorite. i think it will be a good base recipe to add flavours to as well... (i'm thinking chocolate or espresso) it was d's half birthday yesterday too, so the perfect excuse for a big beautiful cake!

added bonus, got to try out my new christmas gift! (one of my many "make me more cupcakes to eat" themed gifts of this holiday season! ps. to all you gift givers - i will happily oblige!)

{my inspiration}

pizza libretto

{ontario prosciutto}

{margherita d.o.p}

{cremini mushroom}

(this was my pizza, i don't know if i'll have the guts to try a different pizza knowing how delicious this one was!)

so i had a life changing experience on the weekend... i ate at pizza libretto on ossington. they make real neapolitan pizza and it is to die for! i'm not usually a big pizza fan, the chewy dough and processed cheese does nothing for me. but this pizza... paper thin, with poufy light crust (the pizza actually only goes in the oven for 90 seconds!) combined with fresh, simple ingredients, topped with fresh mozarella - you can actually choose between "fiore di latte" or "di bufala".. ohmygoodness, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

forgive the blackberry pictures but i hope i have successfully somehow convinced you to make the trip to pizza libretto!

warning: i don't think there's ever a time when you go to this restaurant and there's not a wait... we went and put our name on the wait list, then drove down to the drake for drinks and a sushi appetizer (the sushi chef from blowfish works there on weekends... i mean, this was like the best night ever!).. and then the hostess from pizza libretto calls your cell phone when they have a table ready!

so plan on a bit of a wait, but i PROMISE, it is totally, completely worth it!

hot lips

for a sassy little finger bling, i think these hot lips fits the bill! shop solange azagury - partidge's funky, fun website HERE!

just because

{photo courtesy of everythingbutthedress}

fashion envy

if this is not clothing and style to be envied, i don't know what is! these are two of my favorite looks. this swedish blogger always seems to pull off sharp, basic looks so effortlessly. check out the rest of elin kling's 2011 outfit posts HERE!

(photos courtesy of stylebykling)

21 days of hair

i saw this in january's elle and thought it too great not to post. i'm always looking for new ways to style my hair with the short amount of time i give myself to get ready for work in the morning after hitting snooze four times. day 3 and 9 top my list of must-try's.

what's your morning routine include??? do you get dolled up? or opt for extra z's?

brown rice with shrimp and avacado

d and i are hoping to make this one night soon... we both picked up men's/women's health for the flight back from bc and felt very inspired after flipping through the pages. great recipe and workout ideas! thought i'd share my favorite :)

update: we made this on the weekend! firstly, who knew how hard non-minute rice was to cook! secondly, while it didn't look as pretty as the picture, it sure was tasty! shrimp and avocado really are a match made in heaven. yum.

i've decided...

that i need to watch the movie annie hall.

girl crush

apparently i'm not the only one with a big fat crush. after watching both the help and crazy,stupid,love within the past couple of weeks i've fallen even more in love with this quirky, witty, hilarious babe. personally, love her most as a platinum blond, especially in that peachy calvin klein number at last years golden globes. you go girl

just because

{elizabeth & james mae platform pump}

ps. use EXTRA20 on shopbop.com for an extra 20% off merch already on sale!