Fall Favorites

Fall Favorites by vodka-caviar on polyvore.com

SEPHORA by OPI Urban Ballerina Collection
$9.50 - sephora.com

OPI Touring America Collection - French Quarter for Your Thoughts
$7.65 - beautystoredepot.com

Essie Stealing the Scene
£8.75 - austique.co.uk

Christmas in the Rockies!

Since flights back to Ontario are outragously expensive during the holidays, we decided to spend our first Christmas in Alberta in Banff!  I found an awesome deal on the Banff National Park website for a hotel called Buffalo Mountain Lodge. Usually Christmas in Ontario is not a white one, so I'm excited to have a very white, rustic Christmas in the mountains!

{Buffalo Moutain Lodge, Banff National Park}

Vancouver in Photos*

{English Bay}

{Stanley Park}

{Biking the Seawall}

{Mountains}

{Sea to Sky Highway}

{Whistler ~ Olympic Rings}

{Pacific Ocean}

{Ferry Dock to Granville Island}

{English Bay ~ Beach}

{Kitsilano Beach}

{The Sylvia Hotel}

I had the most amazing weekend in Vancouver! We crammed as much as we could into the 4 full days I had in the city.  Between sight seeing, shopping and going out with friends the weekend flew by. The city is probably one of the most beautiful places in Canada I have ever seen/been to. Everywhere you look there's something amazing to look at: mountains, sky, water, architecture, wildlife. I can't wait to go back, and hopefully live there one day. I definitely feel like I belong there.

::Biking along the sea wall is an awesome way to see Stanley Park, the ocean and all the beaches
::There's an unlimited selection of restaurants, shops and bars to try!  You'll never get bored!
::The drive to Whistler, BC on the Sea to Sky HIghway is amazing. You don't know where to look everything is so beautiful. I loved the long winding highway all the way up into the mountains.
::Accessing downtown from any part of Vancouver is so easy!  3 bridges and loads of public transit

If you have never visited Vancouver or British Columbia....you need to!  It's a trip you'll never forget!

Welcome to Vancouver!

Landed!  I'm visiting my good friend Liz in Vancouver the weekend!  I'm so excited!  I have never been to BC. And since the flights from Calgary - Vancouver are short and relativly inexpensive, I jumped on the opportunity as soon as we both had a free weekend!   I'm sure this is going to be an epic weekend!*

5 Favorite Things..

I know today is only Wednesday, but my weekend is starting at 5. So in celebration of a short work week and an extra long weekend, I have chose my 5 favorite things I have seen this week in the store, or have recently purchased for my trip to Vancouver! Enjoy!*

Michael Kors Cheetah Print Moccasin: $120 Michael Kors

J. Brand Maria Skinny Leg Jean: $220 J Brand

Button Down Romper: $128 BCBGeneration

Fresh Sugar & Lychee Perfume: $98 Sephora

Flurry Up - OPI for Sephora: $9.50 Sephora

Simple Changes

As I've mentioned before, Anthropologie has amazing stuff for your home! Today, I bought two knobs for my bathroom cabinets.  We don't plan on living here another year, so painting the bathroom seems pretty pointless. By adding colourful accents like towels, candles, shower curtains and hardware, you can really transform your bathroom {or other small room} without making drastic changes. I have yet to put them on my cabinets and take a decent photo! But for now, enjoy looking at the pretty accents!*

Anthro Knobs: $8-12 Anthropologie

Stuff You'll Love!

You'll Love: Thierry Mugler - Angel Perfume

Whenever I pick up and magazine I {like every other girl on this planet} find myself drooling over the expensive products they recommend you buy. Sometimes I cave and buy them. But most of the time I opt for the less expensive but equally satisfying alternative. So I thought I would post the products I love and that I buy on a regular basis.  These are all things I think are worth spending your time and hard earned money on, and I think you will love as well!

I don't know about you, but I have maybe switched my perfume five or six times since I was 14. I've had everything from Tommy Girl to Ralph by Ralph Lauren {my grade 9 scent}, Dolce & Gabbana True Blue {which got me through high school} to Absolutely Irresistable by Givenchy and Lancome Romance {my 'grown up' univeristy choices}. One day I was browsing the frangrance department at The Bay, and noticed a new eye catching counter I had never seen before. Thierry Mugler. The cases were littered with beautiful blue and silver bottles in the shape of stars. Obviously I was hooked. The perfume is called Angel according to the sales lady. She handed me a sample. Once I tried it, I noticed the scent never really faded throughout the day. It was still as sweet and strong as it was when I sprayed it on in the morning. I was informed when I went back to the store that the fragrance is uniquely designed to release different fragrance notes throughout the day so the scent never really fades, and as an added bonus, the bottles are refillable at any Thierry Mugler counter!  {this is amazing since it is cheaper to refill the bottle than to purchase a new one. $35 25ml bottle}

I love how sweet and subtle the scent is when you first spray it on. It's not over powering like many other perfumes. At first you can smell vanilla and praline....then throughout the day as the scent mixes with your natural oils you get a hint of caramel. For more information on Thierry Mugler products and Angel go {here}. One or two sprits a day is more than enough, and the bottle should last you about a year. I bought the 25ml bottle and I've refilled it twice since I purchased it two years ago!
Trust me on this one. Go to The Bay and get a free sample of Angel, wear it for about a week. If you don't get a least 3 comments a day on how good you smell I will bite my tongue. Out of all the perfumes I have tried in my life, this is #1. It is a high end fragrance so you are paying more then you normally would, but keep in mind the bottle is refillable and you can only purchase Angel two places in Canada. The Bay and Sephora

25ml: $95

50ml: $134

                                                                            
Other popular fragrances by Thierry Mugler which I also really like are, Alien and Womanity. Also only available at The Bay and Sephora.

Thanksgiving in Photos!

This was our first Thanksgiving in Alberta so we decided to do something special! We made homemade perogies for our dinner for two and had a amazing, filling family dinner at Jon's sisters! I hope everyone had an amazing holiday! Full of turkey, drinks and family*

{Koda on a fall walk}

{My first batch of perogies}

{Dinner for two}

{Delicious turkey}

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving weekend!
Eat and drink lots!*

{Gourds}

{Dinner for two}

Homemade Popcorn!

Popcorn is probably my favorite snack food of all time.  I'm especially a sucker for movie theatre popcorn, as soon as I smell it I can't resist. When I found out how unhealthy movie theatre popcorn actually is, I decided to start making my own stove top popcorn. The best part about making it yourself, is you can make as much {or as little} as you want and flavor it however you want {I like just salt and butter, but we also use Ketchup popcorn flavor by Kernels}. I've been experimenting with the best ways to make a "perfect pop" batch and I thought I'd share my tips with you!*

{Ingredients: 1 cup kernels, 3 tbsp canola oil or butter, coarse salt}

{Heat oil on medium heat. Toss in 2 - 3 kernels, once they pop

you know the oil is ready}

{Pour in the rest of the kernels add 1 tbsp of salt, make sure you leave 

the top open to allow steam to escape. Also make sure you are 

constantly moving the pot so the kernels on the bottom don't burn}

{When the popping is done add extra salt, butter or any 

other seasoning you like}

{Pour into your largest bowl....and enjoy!}

Jewelry Tree

Since we finally got a dresser I felt it was time to let all my jewelry out of their boxes and bags. For the past 4 months I've been wearing the same jewelry everyday, since finding what I wanted took too much time{everything was still packed away from the move}. My goal was to have a simple and attractive but functional way to keep everything organized and easy to find. I found a jewelry tree at a local boutique and a serving tray from Home Sense so everything has it's own place {instead of eventually getting lost on or behind the dresser!}*