wishing you the merriest

Wishing you the merriest Christmas filled with the following:

- time with family & friends

- good wine & great meals

- fun in the snow

- a little something special you've been wishing for

This year has been so exciting with life changing milestones and I can't wait to see what the New Year has in store. xx

sweet dreams

We recently stocked up on some household basics during the infamous pre-Christmas mega sales. We bought huge, cozy bath towels for half-off, replaced our old suitcases with easy-to-wheel hard case models and splurged on hotel-quality, luxury bed sheets.
D has discovered, much to my delight, the fun of on-line shopping and suggested we try ordering Brooklinen sheets. They've been reviewed in Vogue, GQ and Apartment Therapy, they come in various colors and designs, plus they were on sale!
We went with the Luxe Hardcore Bundle and chose the duvet cover in classic white, the flat and fitted sheet in the Smoke Stripe, and the extra pillow cases in the Bedford Smoke Stripe.

We received the sheets a few weeks ago and got around to washing them this weekend and slept in them for the first time last night. Holy moly! They are crisp and light and super soft. I had such a comfortable sleep and can't wait to get back into bed tonight. We're already talking about ordering a second set so we can have them on rotation. They're a little bit of a splurge once you add shipping and duty, but even after only a single nights use, worth every penny.

happy weekend

{ cheering on the Toronto Maple Leafs }

Can you believe next weekend is Christmas?! It truly feels like this year has just flown by. Wedding planning has served as somewhat of a distraction from my normal holiday enthusiasm, but we've been keeping busy and enjoying the holiday season. 

I had my work Christmas lunch yesterday then treated myself for a mani/pedi afterwards. I now have bright red polish to last me through the holiday season. We have a holiday party, brunch with a friend and a cookie swap this weekend - so the festive spirit will be in full swing!

Have a wonderful weekend (it's the last weekend to shop before Christmas!)

Here are some photos from recent days if you care to see... xo

{ D's famous dollar pancakes }

{ wrapping necessities }

{ our winter mantle set-up }

{ couldn't resist coffee with baileys at the Ritz Bar }

{ tacos + margaritas at our favorite local spot }

{ annual Christmas tree haul! }

{ the sweetest little visitor,  our friends new puppy Wilbur }

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Here are a few links from around the web... 

Upcoming decor trends

'Research' for this weekends cookie swap (I actually think I'm going to try peanut butter fudge!)

I'm looking to tone muscle a bit more, a friend suggested I try these protein cookies to eat after my workouts.

Obviously being in the thick of wedding planning, I have a new perspective on certain topics - I loved this article on 'plus-one' etiquette + these tips for winter weddings! (Thankfully, I think we've managed to navigate as per Vogue's suggestions ;)

Holiday beauty help for simple eye make up looks

I love this list of movies (that are family appropriate) for enjoying over the holidays (we once made the mistake of watching The Hangover with my Grandma on Christmas morning... she was not very impressed!)

Happy to hear Glossier is working on International shipping! And they they have a showroom in NYC now too!

polished

{ Herbivore Coconut Oil Body Polish, $38 }

In an effort to achieve radiant, glowing skin for our wedding day, I've been exfoliating, moisturizing and over analyzing every step of my skin care routine for the past few months.  I have a pretty good handle on my facial products at the moment but realized I needed to up my body-beauty game. With the winter months having officially arrived, my skin is more parched then normal and seems to drink moisturizer. I love everything Herbivore and knew I had to try this body polish after reading the raving reviews on the Sephora website. The polish isn't too harsh of an exfoliant, so it does the job of getting rid of dead skin without leaving your skin red or irritated. And the coconut oil also leaves your skin sooo soft. I'm trying to keep myself from using it during every shower to make it last, but it's addicting! I even have D hooked. During these dry winter months - this stuff's a gift from above. 

my one of a kind finds

{ cookies from the Teeny Tiny bakery }

I look forward to the One of a Kind Christmas show every single year. It's always at the beginning of the holiday season, so I hold out on gift shopping knowing that I'm bound to find some great presents for the majority of recipients on our list. There are always vendors that I look forward to going back for each year and this year there were a ton if new artisans, which was so great to see. I usually plan two trips on weeknights, since I usually am so distracted that I can't get through the show in one evening. I love chatting with the artisans and learning more about their work. Here are some of my treasure's from this years visits::

{ candles scented like places across Canada }

{ fun stationery for friends }

{ the sweetest baby leggings }

{ a handmade mug for a secret santa gift }

{ one of my favorite vendors, Hoi Bo } 

{ a couple of friends are lucky enough to be getting gifts from this year! }

{ handmade stamps for gifts and cards }

{ wardrobe additions: a cotton tank + a silky blouse + a faux-suede turtleneck }

{ for personal beautification :: brightening + exfoliating face mask w/ applicator brush }

wrapping accents

With the holidays quickly creeping up on us, I've been picking up gift wrap and decor accents as I've come across them in stores (tip: the good stuff goes first, so keep your eyes peeled - Home Sense has some great things right now!). I love choosing a few complementary papers and accents that work together to create a beautiful look under our tree, as well as a lovely aesthetic for those receiving the gifts! Here are a few creative and inexpensive decorative accents that can help bring your wrapping up a notch this holiday season!

{ gift box, $2.99 / 2 pack }

Look for gift boxes and bags that a little out of the ordinary! You you tie a sweet ribbon on these and fill them with home baked goodies. 

{ gift tags, $2.99 for 90 }

Even though it's a small detail, nothing's worse then ugly labels. These are clean and modern, and most holiday papers will work with the red and white.

{ ornaments, $7.99 for 3 pack }

Tied to a bag or taped on top of a parcel, a tree ornament is such a lovely little extra gift and decoration.

{ holiday tape, $3.99 for 3 pack }

Washi tape is one of my favorite wrapping tools - it's such a simple substitute for clear tape and can really elevate the final look (I use it to decorate plain paper bags too!)

a dreamy french wedding

I follow Camille Style's blog religiously and was thrilled to learn that Chanel Dror, Executive Producer of the blog, would be sharing her Parisian wedding via Vogue.com. A Parisian destination wedding would be just about as dreamy as it gets, and Chanel definitely did it up right - with every aspect of the wedding day being perfectly executed. Take a peek at photos of the day here. The late-night dance party sounds epic and her photos have me desperately wanting to return to Paris!

PS. Take a look at the photos from the pre-wedding picnic & rehearsal dinner too!

bridesmaids earrings

 

{ top left to bottom right: 1, 2, 3, 4 }

As we continue to check off items on the wedding 'to-do' list, we're starting to get into some of the fun, smaller details of planning. All of the wedding party will be dressed in black the day-of and two of my three bridesmaids have had success finding beautiful black gowns. I'd like to have a small gift to give each friend the morning of the wedding as we get ready together and love the idea of finding earrings for them to wear with their dresses. I'm leaning towards styles that are more modern with a funky personality. I've started browsing, but will likely wait until the my maid of honor finds her dress for a final decision. 

Which style do you love best? 

And for all you married folk: Did you give bridesmaids gifts? I'd love to hear ideas and suggestions!

weekend in collingwood

{ the farewell gift: home baked orange shortbread }

D and I managed to sneak away to Collingwood last weekend. For my birthday this year, D's family gave me a two night stay and a cooking class at the Willow Trace Bed and Breakfast in Collingwood.  The hosts of the B&B were welcoming and we had a quiet room at the back of the house, which was perfect for cozy sleep-ins. The cooking class was led by a British chef and was very informative and interactive - we sipped on wine as we learned to make fresh pasta, three protein dishes and crepes! We were a little nervous the cooking class would be out of our comfort zone but everyone was so kind and we ended up playing pool afterwards with two of the other people in the class! We agreed we'd love to go back and try another class!

We also snuck in some sightseeing and shopping around Collingwood which is often overlooked when we go up to ski. We checked out a local brewery on Friday and visited the local shops on Saturday. One of the shops Leuk was breathtakingly gorgeous, filled with rustic furniture and cashmere sweaters - if you're in Collingwood you must stop in!

It was such a wonderful, laid-back weekend. We enjoyed the quiet time and came home with some new things for the house and some new cooking skills to boot!

{ making butternut squash ravioli }

wrapped up

{ teal marble wrap kit }

{ ribbon + parcel tags }

{ blue marble wrap kit }

 I saw a photo on Oh Happy Day's IG earlier this week of a gorgeous parcel wrapped in the forest green/teal marbled paper. I tend to gravitate towards festive, holiday themed papers, but these marble papers might be the most beautiful alternative I've ever seen. I love the idea of pulling out and highlighting the accenting vein colors with ribbon and parcel tags. Would it be weird to ask Santa for wrapping paper...?

bad bitch cards

{ #badbitch card deck, $16USD }

I came across this Bad Bitch Card Collection recently online. Described as "a standard poker card deck inspired by powerful, accomplished women" - it's just that, 52 cards with illustrations of inspiring, intelligent females. There are informative tidbits and facts on the back of each card, so you can get to know these #badbitches better. I've ordered a few decks to give as Christmas presents and love that a gift can involve female empowerment in such a fun way! Go girls go!

Check out all the bad bitches here!

happy weekend

{ wedding invites sealed & ready to be mailed }

It was a good week - we picked up our wedding invites and they were even more beautiful then I could have imagined. We stayed up late stuffing and sealing them and dropped them at the post office this morning. It's been an exciting check off the to-do list that really helps make the wedding feel real. I also can't wait for all of our friends and family to see them!

D and I are off to Collingwood for the weekend this afternoon. His parents and Aunt & Uncle gifted me a stay at a bed and breakfast and a coupon for a cooking class - so it will be a fun and relaxing weekend, and hopefully a nice distraction from wedding planning brain!

Whatever you are up to this weekend, enjoy yourself! xx

{ a luxurious eye mask that smells of lavender }

{ a fun new tea towel (and officially the first Christmas decoration!) }

{ the best hair clips from dry bar }

home crush: garden inspiration

There is always so much potential for outdoor spaces and I find it so interesting seeing how architects and designers put together exterior spaces as an extension of the home. I love the zen feel of this London backyard. The geometrical finish of the stepping stones inlaid in the gravel is a look I can't wait to replicate in our yard one day. And I love the way the black seating area is juxtaposed against the perpendicular overhang - again, book marked for future reference :)

Check out the full before and after reveal here.

returning to tradition

{ J. Crew Printed Sleep Set, $39.50 }

We grew up with several Christmas traditions, one of them being that a neighboring family came over in their pajamas on Christmas morning to open presents and have brunch. They've moved away from the neighboring house, but still come over the morning of the 25th. My sister and her boyfriend will be home for Christmas this year too - so we're returning to what the tradition was for so many years, which makes my heart want to burst with excitement. Of course, to celebrate, I feel matching pajamas are a necessity - my vote goes to these adorable J.Crew set, which would be sure to be comfortable to spend the morning in.

happy weekend

{ received my wedding earrings this week with the kindest note }

I've been fighting a cough and cold this week and I always forget how much it stinks being under the weather! I managed to return to my workouts mid week, and also caught up with an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while. I'm proud to share that I'm attempting a dry November and have successfully lasted eleven days so far! (Only 19 more to go!)

D and I have plans to start wedding suit shopping tomorrow, both for him and for his groomsmen, which is exciting! We both know little about suits, so it will be an interesting and fun education.
I'm  meeting up with my girlfriend to go bridesmaid dress shopping on Sunday and we will wrap up the weekend at dinner with my Dad (my mom is still away, so we're trying to keep him company!).

Whatever you're up to, enjoy your weekend! xx

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Here are a few photos and links for the web....

{ my new favorite uber eats - North Poke (the tuna was amazing) }

{ I'm slightly obsessed with this candle scent... }

{ it's safe to say our house will smell of balsam & cedar all winter long }

{ shopping finds: floral velvet + masculine stripe button-down }

{ Rosen's cinnamon buns were totally worth the walk to College & Ossington }

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It's still hard to believe how the election unfolded in America earlier this week, but I have to say, I choose to share in these sentiments. It was a decision that reminded me how lucky I am to be Canadian.

I love this marble macbook cover

This movie has been hailed as the best of the year

The sad death of a ladies man

Ab exercises to work off the Halloween treats and slim down before holiday feasting

These photo sessions are making me wish we were doing an engagement shoot

Have you (or would you) make the switch to natural deodorant?

Tips for avoiding chapped lips 

Did you know Suits babe Megan Markle is dating Prince Harry!?

I think I've found what's for dinner tonight, yum!