Pretty Cardi's

I haven't met layed eyes on a cardigan I haven't loved so far. I could wear them for the rest of my life. Seriously. Some people may think they are "old lady like" (No offence) but I see them as the outfit saviour/maker. They can be worn with jeans for a laid back look, over a dress, belted, with tights and boots...

So many options..

And there are also so many different cardigan looks to choose from nowadays: We are far from the two pocket long piece-of-fabric-with-no-shape era of cardigans. They come in various colours, you can find them with sequins, brooches (or add your own). See some ideas I've put together:

MeMo

Le Weekend, What A Climb

When the weekend rolls around all I want to do is sip coffee all day, eat, sleep..Basically do close to nothing. Then comes Sunday night and I kick myself in the butt for not going outside.. After a week of work, hosting another friend from out of town and working on the blog, I felt totally beat come last Friday. My bf was kind enough to kick me in the butt (Sorry for so much butt talk) and make me go out. We enjoyed a day at Grouse Mountain that left my legs to burn but was oh so worth it. We also squeezed in a picnic with frisbee tossing. I don't know if everyone is like that, but the second we were out I told myself I should do that every weekend. I just need the little nudge sometimes..

{City view from afar}

{Leftover snow}

{Mountains in the sky}

{It is not a picnic without wine filled mason jars}

{À la française}

{My end of day gift}

I hope you all enjoyed a great weekend! 

MeMo

Thursday Recipe: Green Bean & Pancetta Salad

Make this an end of Summer must for any last minute BBQ you have planned. As we've been getting quite some warm weather lately, I thought I'd give this green bean salad a try instead of using the oven. I am always the one to complain about how I never know what to do with green beans. Seriously..I boil them and then what? It's pretty bland.

What you will need:
- Green beans, trimmed and boiled
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- Diced avocado
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Crumbled walnuts
- Pancetta
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar

What to do:
- In a mixing bowl, combine green beans, tomatoes, avocado, garlic, feta & walnuts.
- In a pan, cook the pancetta until it resembles bacon bits.
- Mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar in with the veggies .
- Top your plate with the pancetta bits.

The creamy texture of the avocado ties the whole salad together, the feta adds just enough of saltiness. To be redone!

MeMo

Knotted up!

I have perfected mastered the topknot over the years as it is my everyday go-to look. Yup everyday! Some might not understand this "bun" or as my bf puts it " the teletubbies look" but I think it's pretty charming. I also have to admit that I love the fact that it doesn't have to look perfect and only takes 5 minutes to do.

You can come up with your own way when doing this hairstyle, just be sure to pin it all into place and have enough height at the crown or else it just falls flat! If I can do it, anybody can..Probably even a 5 year old.

Have fun!  

Fall Color Report

Even if I am usually the one to stick to black and neutrals, these Fall 2011 colours are definitely tempting. For those of you who are less familiar with Pantone's color reports, here's how it works: Each season, Pantone interviews leading designers at New York Fashion Week in order to pinpoint what will be next years color trend.

Leatrice Eiseman, who is the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, gives this advice to buyers in the Fashion world: " Buyers may want to look to the past, present and future to get a sense of coming color trends. The big picture theme is a Mosaic of Color and Style."

I've put together four pieces that I think Pantone would approve of:

HAPPY TUESDAY!
MeMo

Blogging Love

Happy Monday! I had written down my thoughts on blogging about a week ago, saved it on my desktop and completely forgot about it. Then today, feeling a bit let down by the weather (It's pouring here in VC) and having no great weekend shots to post about, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my top 5.

I've been writing this blog for a little under 6 months now and have been enjoying every minute of it. Over the course of it all, I've not only learned about new fashion trends but I've also gained knowledge in better utilizing social media, photography, editing and everything else in between. :)

This brings me to say that publishing a first post is scary and some people probably don't care much about what I write but I don't care, at the end of the day it is so very worth it and it makes me happy. That counts for something right?!

We have extremely nice weather going on outside right now and my mind has already shifted into weekend mode. I cannot believe how quickly the week went by...I do not have any special plans for the weekend so far but there are still so many things I want to do and see in VC before the end of the summer and I am hoping to scratch one item off my list this weekend. Here is my Top 3 right now:

1. Swim with the Seals in Nanaimo

2. Go Zip Lining

3. Hike up Grouse Mountain

Enjoy a nice relaxing weekend!

MeMo

Thursday Recipe: Easiest Ice Cream Sandwich

 This is a "grown up" version of the chocolate and vanilla ice cream sandwiches I used to love as a kid. I made them Sunday after our trip to the beach but we had them a couple of days later..you know when the ice cream has had time to make the cookie so mushy it almost melts in your mouth kind of thing.

I scooped Lemon flavoured ice cream atop Ginger Snap Cookies then topped it off with another cookie. Wrapped the whole thing nicely in some wax paper, froze them for a couple of days and voila! Pretty easy.

I would suggest only one thing: It's not the kind of recipe where you want to take your time. Ice cream melts, especially in hot weather like my apartment when I don't put the a.c. on; I got into a couple of sticky situations let's just say. . .

Happy Sandwich making!

MeMo

Fall Must Have #2: Everything Polka Dots

I don't know about you, but I've always had a thing for anything with dots so I am excited that Fall 2011 will be a polka dot frenzy. Designers like Lanvin & Marc Jacobs ruled the runways with their love for the dots at last years Fashion Week when presenting Fall 2011 trends and this is one trend I am willing to follow.  

I've rounded up cute items and am personnally picking up #6 (Printed blouse from H&M) for myself tonight. :) Click on the links to purchase.

1. LC Lauren Conrad Chiffon Shorts $33  $26

2. Paul & Joe Sister Dress $206 $123

3. Silk Dot Pussy Bow Blouse $300 

4. Deep Baking Dish $44

5. Comme Des Garcons Pouch $185

6. Silk Polka Dot Blouse $29

7. Kates Papeterie. Cutest Pens for your office. $16

8. Toms Polka Dot Canvas $92

9. Polka Dot Neck Scarf $13 $2.95

Happy wednesday Shopping!

MeMo

Fit Your Whole Life In This Bag: Ona

My bf has been looking for a messenger bag for quite some time now. (His excuse for not bringing a lunch to work is that he does not have a "bag" to bring it in..Cute) Since his birthday is coming up, we've been browsing around, looking for what is manly enough yet stylish and practical all at the same time.  During this quest we stumbled upon Ona bags and they are exactly what we've been looking for.

The Ona bag is designed for you to fit everything you need for a whole productive day: Camera, 15" laptop & personal items. You would think that it's bulky, but no it's well proportioned: Perfect for your guy or any avid blogger, photographer..You know what I mean...

Now, I am not saying we bought this bag (My bf reads this blog) but we might have. Maybe. 

Click here to shop bags for Women & Men.

MeMo

Le Weekend, Life Is A Beach

Spent part of Sunday having a picnic and relaxing at Spanish Banks. What started out looking like a cloudy day actually ended up bright and sunny! Wow are we lucky with this stunning weather we've been having lately..I've got to say I'm impressed B.C.

Now I just got to get me one of those Skim boards to end the Summer on a delightful note.

Good job on the picture of my half eaten sandwich! 

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Late DIY

Find the full tutorial here & courtesy of the girls @ becauseimaddicted 

A DIY on a Sunday? I know that's not how it usually works (If you don't know what i'm talking about, read the DIY section) but at least the weekend is not over so I can kind of be forgiven right?! Plus, we are talking friendship bracelets today as an amend. That has to count for something. 

~~~

We've been seeing friendship bracelets in all forms this Summer 2011: Stacked up for an armful of bracelets, delicate just on their own...So many options! Here is another way to make them: With links and it's as simple as simple can be, I promise! You can use a colourful cord as seen here or thread each side like an original friendship bracelet (I'd spend entire Summers doing those) and tie. Again, so many options and YOU decide. 

~~~

I also suggest keeping this trend going for Fall simply by using darker colours (I think you figured that one) ;)

HAPPY SUNDAY & DIY

It's Friday




Wear your dancing shoes, it's Friday!! Miu Miu Heels


Friday you are finally here. The sun is out & the sea gulls have been screaming at each other since 5 am this morning but it's all good because when you get here, Saturday and Sunday follow your lead.

I'm looking forward to relaxing because the past weeks have been kinda busy on my end. I know the movie {The Help} is out but I actually want to finish the book so I'm planning on catching up on some reading which I've been neglecting lately. The thing I'm most excited in doing though is getting my hair finally done (It's more than time let me tell you) scarves and headbands are no longer doing the trick.. So before I bore you to sleep with my "exciting" weekend/hair plans, here are real exciting links on the World Wide Web this week:

I love Anthropologie for their clothes but their home section is what I really look at.
Please do add this Pesto Quinoa Recipe to your cook book.
Make memories that last forever by using pinholepress to transform your pictures into book/calendars.
Have you discovered the new collection from ASOS yet?
This photography from Jonathon Kambouris will make you drool.
Every modern girlie girl's dream home.
Tom's shoes collaborate with MK & Ashley Olsen for a brand new Fall collection.


 I hope you all have a great weekend!

MeMo

 

1 Jar Of Pesto: 5 Different Meals

As I was cooking my Pesto Pasta the other night, I began thinking about how pesto was somewhat not used to its full extent. (Say hello to the new pesto defender of rights!) Most times, you hear about pesto & pasta stories. Yawn! So today I am presenting you five different ways I use pesto. You can make a batch with the recipe found here, freeze it and use it as you'd like:

1. Mix Pesto, sun dried tomatoes, mayo, garlic. Add on top of a white fish and bake.

2. Make a grilled cheese using pesto instead mayo. Add in some prosciutto. Mmm..

3. Top a crostini with a spoonful of pesto than add a halved bocconcini piece. Makes a cute appetizer. 

4. Brush pesto on veggies before grilling them.

5. Or follow this simple penne and asparagus pasta recipe below:

 

 

Sorry for the lack of "pesto itself" pictures but it's not something I necessarily like to look at. Do you have any other special ways to use pesto?

MeMo  

Fall Must Have #1: Colourful Clutch

Every week, I will be doing a post on a Fall Must Have (Please note that they are suggestions, your life will not drastically change by purchasing these products, but it may help) This week I am starting with: Colourful Clutches. They are an easy way to transition from Summer to Fall and will easily punch up any outfit.

1. There is no need to match your shoes to your bag anymore so have fun!

2. Take out your colour wheel (Remember those from elementary school) & pick colours that contrast each other. Example: Blue looks great with Orange!

3. Pick a bold colour to simply complement your Jeans and white T-Shirt combo.

Get inspired by these ladies :

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

1. Givenchy clutch bag
2. American Apparel clutch bag
3. Coach crossbody handbag
4. ASOS clutch bag

Le Weekend, playing tourists

After six months in Vancity, I kinda consider myself a Vancouverite by now. Of course, I still have some learning to do (Like getting my butt to Yoga) but i'm getting there. As one of my friends from Montreal was spending the weekend with us, I got to play tourist and fill her in the best spots (According to moi) while secretly hoping she would fall in love with the city as I did, pack her bags & become a fellow Vancouverite.

Some of my soft spots in Vancouver are:

1.The Poutine at "The Hub" Lounge can challenge a Montreal one

2. There is no better place for a calming walk than Stanley Park

3. Kits beach gives you a great view of the city while hanging in the water

4. My roof for a nice sunset

5. The dog beach..yeah I am a sucker for pups

6. English Bay is host to the most amazing fireworks in the Summer

There are a lot of other places I covet but these were mostly the highlight of our Weekend. 

HAPPY MONDAY!

MeMo

 

Even if the weather still feels balmy and summery, it's never too early to plan your Fall Wardrobe. Here are some must have pieces for Fall that will easily help with the transition: 

1. Nude Shoes: They elongate your legs and pretty much go with anything in your closet

2. Boyfriend Jeans rolled up: Dress them up or down

3. A Blazer: Will be great for layering come the cooler weather

4. Graphic Tees: Don't take yourself too seriously

5. Gold Hoops: They finish off an outfit with a hipster chic touch

DIY PROJECT: Romantic Lanterns

I found this cute do-it-yourself mason jar on Pinterest. Initially, this was an added romantic touch for an outdoor wedding but  I think it would add a pretty touch to any backyard. Interested in making this your own? Head here and find out how. 

MeMo

What Girlfriends Do

If feels so good to have a girlfriend from back home spend the weekend with us. Is it weird if I say it makes me feel more "normal" ? We just spent the day walking around and doing what old girlfriends do & it feels great! 

Happy Friday! :)