a tad bit ridiculous

It's been a busy week as the fun has continued into this week with a dinner at Big Crow with friends on Tuesday and a Blue Jays game tonight with friends. Our weekend was quite eventful, so much so, that I wanted to share a few peaks & pits from our extended weekend away...

Peak: Getting to visit with our friends from Vancouver. We had the greatest time chatting and catching up.

Pit: I dropped my phone in the lake! I felt like such a dork jumping in after it. It turned on and was working, but unfortunately the charger port was beyond repair. (secret peak: a new iphone 6!)

Peak: Getting to swim in the lake. I must have jumped in close to ten times! There's nothing better.

Pit: The sauna at our friends cottage caught on fire! It was one of the craziest/most terrifying things instantly being reminded how powerful fire is. Luckily, so many cottagers and camp staff came to help and we got everything under control... One of those memories we will be able to look back on, right?

Peak: Celebrating my cousins wedding in Elliot Lake. She made the most beautiful bride and it was so fun celebrating and dancing the night away with family.

Pit: Getting pulled over by the OPP on the way into Elliot Lake....

Peak: ...Mentioning we were headed to a wedding and name dropping my cousins name and being let off the hook! (talk about small town perks!)

Overall, the goodtimes completely outweighed the bad, but looking back at the weekend away it was a bit more spirited then we had anticipated! I will share some more photos from our time away just as soon as I manage to get another phone! Hope you're enjoying your week...xx

PS. The blog went a bit wonky this week and I couldn't sort out how to fix it... Jump past 'happy hump day' to see two posts from earlier this week!

I joined a book club

{ All My Puny Sorrows by Mariam Toews }

I'm very excited to share that I recently joined a book club! A friend circulated the idea over email, and even though I don't know all the other girls, I jumped at the idea. I think it will be a great way to make new friends and enjoy new books - plus the commitment is easy, we chose to meet once every two months. I'm always on the hunt for recommended reads and am looking forward to diving into the first choice, All My Puny Sorrows. It was on the CBC Books to Read Before You're 30 List, so checking at least one off the list!

happy hump day

{ cod with roasted nectarines and tomatoes }

Lucky for me my weekend starts now. We're headed to Algonquin Park to rendezvous with friends who are visiting from Vancouver! We don't get to see them very often but have the best time together so I'm pretty darn pumped. We'll hang out lakeside until Saturday morning and then we're driving farther north to attend my cousins wedding! I'm so excited to see the beautiful bride and celebrate with family. 

Hope you enjoy a good finish to your week and lovely weekend. xx

{ the speaker died this week :( I know what I'm asking for my birthday... }

{ a great start to my Monday morning }

{ who knew green juice tasted so good?! }

{ my new wallet/phone case that's made of the softest leather }

{ surprise PanAm tickets }

{ the best kind of girl date }

some tunes for today

A few songs to help you through this stinkin' hot Tuesday...

Clothes Off by Ria Mae

First by Cold War Kids

2 Heads by Coleman Hell

Burning Leaves by JJ and the Pillars

Hollow Moon by Awolnation

a pretty jumpsuit

{ Mara Hoffman Peach Loom Jumpsuit }

How great is this Mara Hoffman jumpsuit, the soft, ethereal colors pair perfectly with her trademark graphic patterns. You can borrow it from Rent the Runway for just a fraction of what it would cost to buy! I think it would be perfect for a poolside soiree or maybe an upcoming summer wedding.

bachelorette celebrations

I spent this past weekend with a group of friends celebrating a lovely bride-to-be at a cottage on Lake Joseph. We feasted like queens, sipped prosecco on the dock and played in the lake for hours. It was so much fun relaxing up north and hanging out with a group of great girlfriends. Here are a few photos if you care to see....

the search is over

We have a wedding on Lake Joseph in early October that is sure to be a very beautiful event. It's being held at the bride's cottage and they'll get married on the dock overlooking the lake - talk about dreamy, eh? When I was shopping for my maid of honor dress I was slightly distracted by a classic black and cream ballgown and ended up ordering it for the lakeside party. I've been patiently searching for the perfect jewelry and shoes to pair with the dress. Since I would definitely consider the dress to be just a little bit flashy (hello, I'll be six feet tall in a ballgown..), I knew I wanted to pair it with simple jewelry that still had personality. As soon as I saw this necklace on the Instagram feed for BaubleBar I knew my search was over. I think it will work perfectly for my desired look: a modern and cool aesthetic, I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

how to: an at-home manicure

One of my favorite treats to myself is getting my nails done. It's so relaxing and feels like such a luxury to have beautifully painted nails. I used to go to a salon near by work that had a great deal, but I've since upgraded to a nicer salon for my pedicures. It's cleaner and they have removable pedicure tubs - which is something I look for because it allows the salon to really clean them well and rid them of any bacteria. Given that I'm spending a bit more on pedicures, I've stepped up my at-home manicure game. I wanted to share my must have tools for a perfect, polished, professional at-home manicure.  

{ Shape & File - Make sure you get that square or rounded tip - which ever you prefer. I have a buffer  that spells out the steps, file, buff, smooth, shine (literally numbered, as you can see) - it will help rid your nail of any ridges or peels and give you a smooth surface to work with }

{ Cuticle Pusher - after soaking your fingers in warm water, use the cuticle pusher to gently push back your cuticles }

{ Cuticle trimmer - You don't want any jagged cuticles or hang nails getting in the way of a clean polish, so trim them away, careful not to go over board (my intial fear in buying myself one of these tools was that I would go clipper crazy!) } 

{ Cuticle Oil - hydrate those cuticles. Your cuticles provide protection for your nails, so it's important to keep them healthy } 

{ 'Feed Me' by Essie - a base coat with extra nutrients that will also help your color go on smooth }

{ 'Good to Go' by Essie - a fast dry top coat that gives extra shine, because there's nothing worse then doing all this work and ruining your nails somehow! }

{ Two coats of your color of choice should be applied between the base coat and top coat. Then you will have a shiny, polished, professional looking manicure }

I have to add, if you don't feel like you're able to do a good job yourself, I've learned that practice truly does make perfect!

nature is speaking

Have you visited NatureIsSpeaking.org? It's a collection of eight beautiful videos, each narrated by a well known celebrity. The short of it, people need nature, so we need to 'protect the only earth we have'.

I don't need to do any more explaining, just click through to the videos and enjoy. This truly is an amazing world we live in.

beach tents

{ Santorini Beach }

How adorable are these tents? They would be perfect for days at the beach to escape the hot sun or to gather under with friends for picnics in the park. I love the seaside feel of the blue nautical stripes. They're on sale via Domino deals with 20% off for $126!

{ Biarritz Beach }

{ South Beach }

{ Bondi Beach }

greenhouse juice co

As a part of our cleanse we've had to cut out a daily necessity... coffee. It's been pretty tough giving up caffeine but I've been doing my best to drink tons of water in it's place. I was thrilled when a girlfriend offered to take me to try Greenhouse Juice Co, a cleanse approved water alternative. They're cold pressed juices, which is the healthiest way to make juice, and they are 100% organic, made in Toronto. Being new to cold pressed juice I found the menu and different flavor combinations really interesting. The juices cost anywhere from $7.50 to $15 with two different sized glass bottles. It was hard to know what to choose but I decided to start by choosing juices that have ingredients I love (ie. grapefruit and pineapple). They also make nut milks, hydrators and boosters that all look amazing, reason enough for a return trip back. Greenhouse Juice Co. also offers juice cleanse programs, ranging from 1 day to 5 days, which would be really awesome to try too. 

I tried Gold Rush and Wake Up and both were so flavorful and refreshing. I definitely see a lunch time visit happening later this week...

{ the ginger was very spicy and balanced by the sweetness of the pineapple }

{ the tangy grapefruit was offset by the mild heat of the cayene }

{ my girlfriend let me try her Cabbage Kings, and it was delicious too! }

happy weekend

{ we enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner at Bestellen }

What are you up to this weekend? I'm hanging out with a girlfriend by the pool tomorrow morning and then we're meeting up with friends to play frisbee in High Park. We started a cleanse yesterday, so I'm hoping I manage to avoid temptation and stick to it over the weekend! Enjoy a terrific, sunny weekend. xx

{ a delicious salad that's cleanse approved }

{ currently on my night stand }

{ watermelon screams summer, doesn't it? }

{ a new hair product that will help protect from styling heat }

a tropical touch

{ earrings $9.99 }

How cute are these tropical accessories from H&M? Perfect for a little summer sass!

{ passport holder $9.99 & pineapple key ring $5.99 }