An Up themed baby shower

A few months ago Stephanie and I threw a shower for Angie & baby T. Keeping the little one's impending arrival in mind, I figured now was as good a time as any to (finally) get around to posting this fun little party.

Since Angie is a fan of everything Disney and baby T's nursery was styled with Disney Pixar's Up in mind, it was a natural choice to use this film as inspiration for her shower. It also allowed us to have fun with decorations and food.

food:

We kept things quite simple and offered a mid-day spread of chicken salad sandwiches, veggies & dip, salads, pinwheels, crackers & cheese, and other munchies. Our sweets consisted of cookies, candies, a doughnut 'cake', and cupcake 'balloons' (these just happen to be the cutest thing ever. the template for the 'Up' house can be found here).

drinks:

We offered cucumber water, coffee, tea, and punch.

decor:

I picked up various swatches of quilting fabric and sewed together a few strings of triangle bunting. This was surprisingly easy and once I got going it took no time at all: I hand-cut the triangles in various fabrics, ironed a small fold at the end, and then sewed them to rik rak. We also - of course - incorporated helium balloons which are always fun, easy, and cheap. Throw in a few fun candles and some streamers and you have yourself an Up-themed party.


parting notes:

Angie, it is clear your daughter is going to be the best-dressed (not to mention most socially-aware and well-dispositioned) child on the playground. It may or may not have something to do with the fabulous females she will be surrounded with...

Ms. Stephanie, it was a pleasure throwing this party with you; you are fantastic. I can't wait until baby T is one to do this all over.

Big Love.

baby T

Remember these two? Well, this very morning, these two will become a three! Ms. Turner will be heading to the hospital with her Mr. to deliver their baby girl.

Although her many aunties were excited to find out the sex, I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say we will be equally as excited to find out this lady bird's name! A & R have kept this under wraps until her grande entrance. Which is today. I'm not sure if I mentioned that.

Anyhow, off I go in attempts to concentrate at work this morning.




(Photos by Miranda Karkling).

today.

two points for a Thursday morning:

1. I love this print. I just bought it and I'm pretty sure I would like to hang it above my dresser. Positive affirmations are an awesome addition to any morning routine.

2. Someone very special is coming into the world. Today. I couldn't be more excited to meet baby T who is slated to make her debut before the end of the day. More on that shortly...

Today is the day. As Kal would say, Go!



(poster + image via the big harumph's etsy shop).

wedding snapshots.

Two of my favourite people got married last Saturday and it was perfect. The love was radiating, the cocktails flowing, and the dancing never ending. Well, eventually it ended... just before 2 am early Sunday morning.

You could feel the love between this amazing couple. Jen & Matt also have the innate ability to make each and every person in the room feel special. Which they did. I am so honoured to have been asked to stand up with my beautiful friend Jennifer along side the most amazing bridal party that ever was. I love you girls and I know that we will be celebrating our bridal party anniversary for years to come.

Congratulations to Matt & Jen. Your love is crazy beautiful and altogether inspiring.


I can't wait to share some of the beauties that were captured by this talented soul and her amazing second shooter.

M & J.

Today Ben and I are in Delta prepping for the highly anticipated wedding of our amazing friends Matt & Jen who get married TOMORROW on the ninth day of July, their ninth anniversary. (Where has the time gone)? B and I are so very excited to stand up beside these two beautiful people and toast to the next chapters of their story. Congratulations Matt & Jen. We love you very much.


Miranda Karkling took these stunning engagement shots a couple of weeks ago. Don't you think they turned out perfectly? I cried a little bit when I saw them. (Yes, I'm bringing tissues to the ceremony).

M. + J.
07.09.11.

Kenny Chesney feat. Grace Potter, You & Tequila

Tags: You and Tequila, Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter Videos

I hope you enjoy one of my favourite summer songs on a sunny summer afternoon. Their voices are magic together; I can't get this one out of my head.



(Video via CMT).

sun care + faux glow

In keeping with today's safe sunning theme, I wanted to share a few of my favourite products that will protect your skin and add a faux sun-kissed glow.

sun protection.

I wear sunscreen in my moisturizer 12 months out of the year.

My favourite under-all protection is Clinique's City Block Oil-Free Protector (SPF 40). It is weightless and it doesn't sting if when you accidentally get it in your eye.

Skoah's Face Skotian (SPF 30) is another of my go-to's because it's light and it smells good (& they are a BC-based company!).



bronzing.

Bronzer is fun. Unless your Snooki.

My favourite all-over bronzer is Mac's "Refined Golden" Bronzing Powder. I've been through/ smashed about 4 compacts thus far and I'm on the market for my next.

Lorac's TANtalizer is an amazing, amazing product. Grace Potter uses it so I use it. Enough said.



Here is a great article outlining what to look out for when it comes to sunscreen safety.


Do you wear sun screen and/or bronzer? What are your favourite sun care or bronzing products?



(Photos courtesy of Clinique, Skoah, Lorac via Sephora, and Mac via Style Hop).

Melanoma Awareness.

The wife of my oldest friend recently lost her courageous battle with melanoma.

Although I wasn't fortunate enough to have known her better, her story touched me. So did the nature of this disease. Up until very recently I'm sorry to say that I was absolutely ignorant to the effects of melanoma. This fact scares me because I know I am not alone in my ignorance. For this reason, I am sharing this message through every outlet I possibly can in hopes that - through education and awareness - this aggressive disease can be overcome.

I am thoroughly impressed with the work of The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and suggest that you visit their site. At the very least, please watch the video they produced and spread the word.


Big love, Reba. Your beautiful spirit lives on through the countless lives you touched, especially Nick's. For that, I will be forever grateful. xo.



(Film by The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund).

let's get married in Brooklyn.

I fell in love with the sweetness of this wedding. Everything about these photos portray a relaxed and well thought out celebration full of personalized details. Even the rain is charming (confession: I secretly want it to rain on my wedding day so I can wear wellies and stand under huge umbrellas). Isn't the photography stunning?






This proves that weddings that incorporate a lot of DIY projects don't have to end up kitschy.



(Photos by Charlotte Jenks Lewis via Once Wed).

friendship bracelets: yay or nay?

Friendship bracelet DIY's have taken over the blogosphere and the finished products are frequenting the wrists of stylish birds everywhere. I for one enjoy the fact that one of my favourite summer-at-the-cabin-pass-times is now mainstream and that my mum, sister, cousin, aunt & I are going to be considered trendy. Score.

Where do you stand on this one? Do you need a tutorial to brush up on your knotting skills to fashion an arm-full or are you over it?



(Photo and tutorial via Honestly WTF)

let's get our celebration on.

Although I have a monthly membership with cocodot, I love sending (+ receiving!) cards through the mail. It's always such a fun treat, especially if it is sent just because.

Birthdays are the perfect time to brighten a friend's mailbox and these are some of the prettiest cards I've seen in a while. Eat cake and be merry? Pretty much my 'party' mantra.

These beauties were created by Sam Dubeau and stumbled upon via Beyond Beyond + Pintrest.

Psst... If you haven't experienced Pintrest you are missing out on something special. We should also be friends (find me here).

Do you send cards by mail? by email?



(Photos for Sam Dubeau by Scarlet O'Neill).

Canada Day Sangria

Happy Birthday Canada. To celebrate our fair country (and girls' night with my friend Jen), I wanted to incorporate red + white. And - because I'm that kinda girl - I figured what better way than with wine?


To create the citrusy-white wine sangria and berry-infused red sangria I had envisioned, I thumbed through a few of my favourite sangria "recipes." None of them sounded just right so I started throwing things together myself. They turned out so deliciously that I decided to share them with you (plus, this way I will remember how to make them again)! Cheers!


citrus-inspired white wine sangria


Ingredients
1 bottle of light/ crisp white wine (we used Barefoot Pinot Grigio)
citrus fruits, cut up (we used 3 oranges, 2 peaches, 1 nectarine, and a quarter of a lemon)
1 can of orange mango juice
1 bottle of lemonade
splash of vodka
splash of sprite

combine all ingredients in a large pitcher (or a large bowl) and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. pour in a red wine glass. drink until its gone, get a spoon, and keep going.


berry-infused red wine sangria


Ingredients
1 bottle of fruity red wine (we used Barefoot Zinfandel)
berries (we used strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon)
blueberry pomegranate juice
splash orange brandy
splash of ginger ale

combine all ingredients, chill in the fridge for as long as you can contain yourself from drinking it. enjoy!


What is your favourite sangria recipe?