Yesterday's shenanigans.

Just a quick outfit post. Yesterday was my wonderful cousin's sweet 16th birthday. Naturally we had to have a family dinner!

Isn't she the cutest?!

Skreened top; GT skirt; Walmart shoes; GAP bag; Aldo sunnies

(this was a pretty discount outfit now that I think about it...)

Can I just point out that it's not fair she looks older than 16? All of my cousins seemed to get this gene except myself. I feel like I've always looked my age, and at times even younger. But her? I think she could get away with at least 18 years old...

Happy birthday Renee!

The place.

I know a few of you (hi, Line!) have been waiting to see pictures of my new place. It's a bachelor apartment in the heart of the city. Totally a city slicker now!

{My living area & bedroom. Entirely IKEA I think?}

{The kitchen. Sorry about the dishes - hey, at least I did them.}

{The bar table that I couldn't resist}

And then the details...

{storage for everything on my dresser}

{The shoe collection. No, it's not all of them.}

And this is my favourite lamp & how I wind down after a day at the office. I love the soft "romantic" lighting (sans romance, ya know).

I am still missing so many things: 

- Photographs of friends & family

- A big picture to put above my bed

- A curtain for my closet to cover the clothing

- Some pretty flowers to put in the vase

- Colourful cushions for the couch

Once I've got these I might do another post of all the little details. 

But for now, this is what you guys get!

That one time I left my cell phone in a cab...

Dynamite faux-leather jacket; Windsor top; American Eagle distressed jeans; Converse; eBay bag

Last weekend we ventured out to beer fest in Gatineau. A bunch of us piled into a cab and went on our merry way to try out all different kinds of beer. Now, I'm not a huge beer drinker (read: It mostly tastes like grass), but it was a good time for sure.

We returned home and I left my cell phone in the cab. Because I'm practically glued to it, I noticed less than a minute later but the cab had driven off. We were able to figure out the cab company, thankfully, and a customer had found it in the back seat. $30 later I was reunited with my phone.

And that, my friends, is the closest I've come to losing it. I'll have it on a leash for the next few weeks until it decides to behave. I don't trust that it'll never leave me again. It needs to learn its lesson.

And I need to learn not to leave it behind in cabs.

The joys of online shopping.

Recently I got this high-low dress from Windsor. Oh the beauty of online shopping.

I loved the idea of a high-low dress for spring. When I saw this dress I was in luuuuuurve.
When I opened the package it was perfect. Then I put it on... This is what I didn't like about this particular dress on me:

1. The colour against my skin tone. Oh yes, I should have known. And maybe I did and just ignored it anyways.

2. How short it is in the front. I purposely selected these two photos because they didn't give anything away... But yes, I guess I'm too tall or something. Is 5'7" too tall now?

3. Can I just say again, the COLOUR. Ugh. Not good on me. I need a mega tan for this.

Don't get me wrong - the dress still rocks, but it's just not right for me.

Don't you just love online shopping sometimes?

My spring go-to & My happiness link-up.

I don't know if you've been able to tell, but this distressed jeans & tee combo is my favourite. 

I think I could live in this all year.

If only it was warm enough all year to get away with it.

Linking up with Sarah again today for my happiness project, here are some things that have made me happy this week:

- Having a short week. 4 day work weeks rock. Nothing like a long weekend to re-energize.

- This t-shirt. I bought it as a complete joke around Christmas. I think I've worn it at least once a week since. Considering the amount of shirts I own, that's a big deal.

- The amount of love that my Castellammare necklace giveaway is getting! Marianna sure makes pretty jewellery. 

Link up HERE and share what makes you happy =)

Coral and pink.

Joe Fresh cardigan; H&M tank; Forever 21 cropped pants, belt, necklace; Call it spring shoes

Just a work outfit. I love these pants - they're the perfect high waist. Right below my belly button, but fitting perfectly 100% of the way up. Nice work on these, Forever 21. You did good.

Do you have a pair of pants, that despite all odds, are a favourite?

Ps. Don't forget to enter my Giveaway with Castellammare Designs!

Giveaway: My first ever!

I don't know about you, but I love pretty jewellery.

Especially pieces like this one.

Today I am partnering with Marianna of Castellammare Designs to present you with a giveaway.

The lucky winner will receive this super pretty necklace made by Marianna herself. She's such an awesome person, and I'm so happy to be able to share her work with you guys. I've got a number of her necklaces myself and I keep turning to them for some simple outfit accessorizing. To find out what I'm talking about, enter the giveaway below! For more details on the piece, click here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone :)

Also... Marianna is generous enough to offer everyone 15% off their purchase with the coupon code TULIP. Like anything from her shop? Treat yourself with this discount!

Insta-updates: This time of year.

This is one of my favourite times of the year. Here's an idea of why:

When the weather is perfect enough to wake up, throw on a t-shirt and go. Sunnies are obvs. necessary.

Hanging out with friends on the Sens Mile, cheering on our hockey team and enjoying a drink.

Going for runs along the canal in the sunshine. And the great pain that comes along with it.

Getting together with some great friends over card games; finally free from the confines of school to spend time with each other. 

And getting together with other friends to enjoy the sunshine and "not tan" because no matter how much sun I get, it just doesn't happen.

What's your favourite time of year?

You can find me on Instagram here!

Link-up: My Happiness Project.

Happiness.

What is it to you?

All in all, to me it's mostly the little things. What happens in my day-to-day life that makes me smile and keeps me going. Today I'm joining Sarah's (of Coming Unstitched) new link-up to share a few things that make me happy! 

I love a great cup of coffee in the morning. I'm that girl who dumps a whole thing of sugar into her coffee. Packets? Sometimes Usually I take 5. I don't care, it's not every day, but those mornings I'm extra happy. 

Getting a mid-work text from a friend makes me happy. It puts a little break in the intensity I might be going through and gives me a little breath of fresh air. 

My new lamp makes me happy. You'll get to see it soon, when I finally get around to posting apartment pictures. It's just great. I dont even know what else to say about it, but yep, a lamp makes me smile.

That's all for today. Obviously many other things make me happy, but I don't want to write you guys a novel :) I'll save more for next time!

What makes you happy? Link up here!

That time I went to a 60th bday party.

Thanks to the little bro for taking these shots.
I went to my uncle's 60th bday party. Turns out he drove by while I was taking these pictures.
I think I'm so smooth doing it before going inside to say hi.
Nope. Totally got called out.
Oh well, I've gotten used to it.

Then this happened:

A random party-goer spammed my Instagram shot of me and my little bro. Cool?

Also, that night I learned some things. In case you were wondering, common topics of conversation at a 60th bday party are: medical and drug expenses, pensions and how screwed the younger generation is (typically followed by cackling laughter), hospital visits and the role of government in old age.

Good times.

What I did this weekend!

Although last weekend wasn't perfect weather, if you were enjoying the Tulip Festival in Ottawa, you had the opportunity to check out The BULB (an art/craft show) at City Hall. Guess where I was? You'll never guess.

I was there with Marianna of Castellammare Designs! She was selling her gorgeous jewellery and asked if I wanted to help her. Of COURSE I said yes. We had never met before but had sent emails back and forth a few times. I was glad to see she was just as awesome in person - she's a total sweetheart with a serious passion for jewellery making.

 Just some of her pieces she put out on display! To see more, check out her Etsy shop: Castellammare designs.

These are some of my favourite necklaces - her pendants are so pretty.

All of her jewellery is so delicate and fragile, but she makes quality her top priority. I've got a couple of necklaces from her, and after almost a year, they're still in pretty perfect condition!

Stay tuned for my very first giveaway, including one of Castellammare Design's awesome pieces...

Live for the little things.

Via

Clearance finds.

Old Navy maxi dress; Forever 21 belt; Payless flats; Fossil watch

No idea why that first photo, and the 70 other photos turned out blurry. Whatever, just go with it.

I bought this maxi the other day after a long hunt for a plain black one. Found it at Old Navy. Originally $32, on sale for $17 and then an additional 20% off. Sweet, I like deals. I felt a little like this:

via someecards

Yup, that about sums it up.

p.s. sorry I haven't been able to visit everyone's blogs over the past few days. Things have been hectic and it doesn't look like it's slowing down yet... I haven't decided that I hate you or something... :)

My take on Jillian Michael's 30-day shred

As I've mentioned before, I was working out with a friend to Jillian Michael's 30-day shred program.
The idea is this: three levels, 30 minutes each, for 30 days straight at 10 days per level. You can find vid's on YouTube, or buy them.

My friend started it, but I jumped in after her first day to join her. It was great cause we got to bond over our pain and accomplishments together. As an avid gymmer, I figured why not change things up a little bit? Plus, it's bikini season soon, sooooo that doesn't hurt.

via
Pretty Accurate

I figured I'd see the biggest change in my abs since they're already kind of toned, but I didn't really... Where I did see change, though, was in my butt. It grew a size from all those squats and lunges. So did my legs. So, squats and lunges DO work!

Sharing how we felt about our legs growing

What did I learn from this workout program? Lots of things.

• Jillian Michaels is psycho. Crazy. Out of her mind. My friend and I bonded over how we felt every night after shredding, and it included conversations such as these:

I censored it just for you. But you get the point.

• Girls don't glisten. Girls sweat. I don't care what you wanna call it, but it happens. In level 2 and 3, I had it dripping off me, into my eyes, on my mat. It was attractive. But it really makes you feel like you accomplished something.

Proof.

• Even if you look like an idiot doing a particular workout move, after 10 days straight, you get the hang of it. Starting the workout, I knew I couldn't do bicycle crunches. I looked like I was having a spaz on the floor. But then, magically, 10 days later I was able to do twenty. Improvement people!

• 3 lb weights do serve a great purpose. She uses 5lbs in her videos and I'm used to using 8's at the gym, but her workouts are so intense that anything higher than 3 and I probably would have passed out a few times.

In the end, it was a good workout if you're looking for something quick to do at home. If you can't make it out to the gym, pull out a Jillian Michaels video and you won't be sorry. Or your might be the next day when you can't walk.

Happy shredding!

Likely a repeat.

This is likely a repeat outfit, but I honestly don't care. There's just something so perfect about chambray and black. Add a pop of colour, and you're set.

Moving in style...Not

I just don't think it's possible to move stylishly.
I mean, sneakers are a must for comfort, shorts for air-flow since it'll be warm, and a comfortable/breathable shirt for heavy lifting.
And it MUST be okay to get all of these things dirty.

Yep, moving is not a fashionable thing, folks.

Budget? What budget?

Every day I get closer to moving, I am reminded that I need to set a budget and stick to it. I've sat down and come up with some rough numbers, but I think it'll take a month or two to see what little expenses I haven't accounted for.

I have a bunch of things I want in the near future, but now I need to spread these wants out over several months. Like a quality tote, some really good sunglasses and a tattoo. Instead, I have to worry about things like rent, hydro, food and transportation first. Plus, my goal is to save 20-25% of my income. So woohoo for priorities.

Me: I want this!

Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote

My bank account: 

via

Me: 

Being a grown up sucks.

I've decided $100 for clothing each month. To hold me accountable, I will join the ranks of bloggers who feature monthly purchases. This should help keep me on track, and if not, I hope that you will yell at me. With big capital letters. And threaten to take away all of my chocolate.
Then I might listen.
I really like my chocolate.

See y'all with my monthly budget re-caps at the end of the month! Do you follow a clothing budget?