The Best Kind

The Olympics Are Coming!

Our city of Vancouver has been morphing into Olympic land for months now~ and we are finally getting so close! The games will officially start this Friday the 12th and people from all over the world are already starting to infiltrate our lovely city. They will be pleasantly surprised~ it's spring weather out there!

There are so many things to see, enjoy and experience but my favourite thing so far are these breathtaking light beams that bisect English Bay every night. They are truly incredible to see as I've been walking through the downtown core after work at night. They light up the whole sky. Amazing. Thank you to The Cross for the above incredible photo.

I'll be filling you in on more Olympic madness/fun as it unfolds throughout February!

Do Not

(Photo credit unknown)

No J.Crew in Vancouver is a Bad Thing

I love living in Canada for many reasons. Universal health care. Relatively inexpensive university education (and my university has a nude beach, no joke). The birthplace of Aritzia, Club Monaco, Ryan Reynolds, Tim Hortons (and tons of other cool things, I won't go on).

Something I'm bitter about however? How is it that we are hosting the Olympics but we have yet to open a J.Crew?! The closest store to Vancouver is a significant border line up and then a solid 2 hour highway drive in Seattle, Washington. Hallelujah for online shopping! These fantastic looks for spring are quintessentially J.Crew~ casual but perfectly pulled together, easy but stylish, effortless but chic. I adore the layering and perfect accessories throughout. I can't WAIT for the girls shopping trip in April! I'll be ready to buy spring clothes!

I love this vibrant coral tank and I'm oddly finding the distressed denim alluring!

I love the casual denim shorts paired with the more structured blazer. Easy chic.

Dress up jeans and a simple jacket with a sequined tank. Wear anywhere.

I'm in lust with this shrunken leather jacket. It looks as great with shorts and a tee as it would over a little cocktail dress for evening!

Love love this sweater and scarf combo. The watery colour of the sweater is so soft and flattering~ and just happens to match my new bedroom wall colour!

Quote of the Day~ Sickie Edition

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

-Bertrand Russell


This awful cold is still kicking my butt so today I spent the afternoon curled up on the sofa in my pj's, watching a Sarah's House marathon on HGTV (my fave!) and hanging with my fur monster. Though it feels like a wasted day I both needed and enjoyed it (hence the above quote). Down time is good! Plus, it gave me an opportunity to start my Wish List for my spring redecoarating project. And, wow, is that list long (a carpet for under the dining table, floating shelves for a big bare wall and chic accessories are just a start)! Details to come, but for now....
I think it's nap time!

Lilac Love

This is not about want. This is about need.

When the Olympic fervor in Vancouver dies down and my bank balance is wonderfully fatter after the craziness of the games, this baby will be coming home with me. There is nothing like a pretty coloured handbag to kiss spring hello.

(Photo via Coach)

No Domestic Goddess Here

I am no domestic goddess, believe me. Though I love amateur decorating and baking the odd piece of sugary goodness (usually from a mix), I am no Martha Stewart. This hugely frustrates me. I wish I were effortlessly crafty and handy. I am definitely not.

Today I started painting my bedroom. After a little over a year in my apartment I have finally felt strong and assured enough in that my roomie and I will stay for awhile and so I took myself off to the paint store to celebrate settling in a bit more. The colour I picked is called Skylight and is a soothing, pale aqua~ very reminiscent of this pretty room and this one above. One litre, two hours and several repeats of my current fave iTunes playlist (featuring Phoenix, Mumford & Sons and The Silversun Pickups) later there is one wall done. One! So why does it feel like I scaled a mountain?! I'm a wuss, I know! But seriously, one litre equals one wall?! Back to the paint store I go tomorrow. Still, it looks dreamy. So much better than beige. Who needs a beige life? Not this girl. Even if I did step in the paint can lid several times. See what I mean? Definitely not a domestic goddess.

Dying For...

Dying for... an afternoon nap and maybe a candlelit dinner in this treehouse-like hideaway.

Photo via Vi.sualize

Dying for... this ultra chic navy blazer and white denim combo for spring, via Shopbop.

Dying for... this lovely way to display jewelry like little art pieces via

The City Sage

Dying for... this Clockwork cutie. Adorable, no?

Dying for... this Art Deco mirrored coffee table (the first thing on my To Buy list!) via The Cross

Dying for... these glamourous yet soothing white spaces on

All Things Lovely

Dying for... this jaw dropping jewel encrusted minaudiere via

Coco + Kelley

Dying for... some of this white powdery stuff for the Winter Olympics next week here in Vancouver... wishful thinking? Maybe. Probably!

14th

Hmmmm.... February. The month of the groundhog (boo to 6 more weeks of winter!) and the most loved/hated holiday of the year. Oh, Valentine's Day. You are half sweet and you half gross me out. This year I am going to bake cupcakes for my girlfriends, treat myself to something super pretty and will spend the night at my new work (this I will actually enjoy!). If I were into VDay then this saccharine sweet mini dress from BCBG would fit the bill. An entire dress covered in tiny, fluttery red hearts? I think I feel a toothache coming on....

sweet, sweet, sweet.

Quote of the Day

"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life."

-Brian Andreas

(Photo via Vi.sualize)

Oscar Nominations

The 82nd Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and it's a day I look forward to every year. Though I haven't seen many of the films at the centre of attention right now (no, not even Avatar yet), I'm certainly planning on it before the ceremony on Sunday, March 7. Every year there is always much discussion on who was rightfully nominated versus who was callously snubbed (read that here) but regardless of that, the nominations announced this morning were much expected.

See the full list of nominees here.

I, for one, can't wait for three things: seeing my huge man crush George Clooney in Up in the Air, the amazing gowns the actresses will wear and the ceremony's co-hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin one upping each other all night at the big event. So excited!

The Hollywood Issue

Ever since I was in high school and a little obsessed with being an actress (ha ha ha) I have been transfixed by the Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair. It is always, by far, the dreamiest and coolest issue of the year, from the collection of the hottest actresses (and once in awhile, actors) of the moment on the cover to the ingenious, photographic magic of the spread inside. This year is no exception. With the Academy Awards pushed back this year until March (to accomodate the Winter Olympics here in my hometown, Vancouver) the issue will be released well before the most important night of the year in Hollywod, but no matter. An issue like this stands alone.

This years collection of fresh, young faces on the cover are (from left to right) Abbie Cornish, Kristen Stewart, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Hall, Mia Wasikowska, Emma Stone, Evan Rachel Wood and Anna Kendrick. Lucky, lucky girls. I can't wait to get my hands on this issue!

See some behind the scenes footage here.

(Photos via Vanity Fair)

Quote of the Day

"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So go do it."

-Kurt Vonnegut

(Photo via Vi.sualize)

Not Just For The Bedroom Anymore

I adore scrolling through the lookbooks on Shopbop.com, ever in search of what-to-wear inspiration. Their latest had me stopping dead in my tracks with a slackened jaw. Is it hot in here or is it me?! Hello, sex appeal. Lingerie inspired looks are more popular than ever for the upcoming spring season and I can't wait to be able to dive into this trend. Clothes that look like they should be hidden as underpinnings have such a naughty but nice edge~ forbidden fruit and just as sweet. Corset inspired tops, lots of lace, slippery satin, pale blush colours and barely there hemlines? Sign me up, immediately.

Drool over the lookbook yourself here.

Mane Thoughts

Now that my hair is a significant 5 inches shorter I'm dying to wear it tousled, loose and sexy~ exactly like Keri Russell in this InStyle editorial from last year (January 09). She looks sultry but fresh~ the very best kind of bed head. Throw a little more eye makeup on and put together a cuter, more eclectic, French girl style a la these photos and I'll be set for spring. Now if only it were April...

What do you prefer... curly or straight hair? Shorter or longer?

Mad for Manolo

While out shopping recently with friends, the future Mrs. Ewert (aka my friend Sarah) took the rest of us to see the dream wedding shoes she is contemplating. The four of us had lustful eyes for Manolo Blahnik's d'Orsay pumps in raspberry satin~ they could not have been any more beautiful. In fact, the store had the shoe in a bevy of vibrant colours, all lined up and looking like candy. Well, eye candy at least. Turquoise, purple, yellow. Drool.

So what did I (ever so foolishly and impetuously) do? I went and fell in love (like, serious love) with $750 yellow shoes! Now I ask you, what paycheque challenged girl would reasonably allow herself to even look, nevertheless fall for, $750 shoes (and yellow at that, damn you Chris Martin and your beautiful song)? Falling hard for something you seriously can't have is like falling for a married man.

Hello, super off limits!

What can I say? True love~ it's real and it's deep and hey, you know what they say... it strikes you when you least expect it! As for me, perhaps not. As for Sarah... well, we're working on her!

(Do it, Sarah!)