Dreams of sunny beaches and really cute outfits...

Thanks Mulberry!

OMG Guess what I'm going to see in February?!!

My awesome great Aunt Mary bought me a ticket. I've told everyone I know. I am beyond excited.

Oh hey,

I have been remiss in my blogger duties this week, and for that I am sorry. I have been thinking of things to blog about though, I promise! Have a peak at all of the pictures I saved on my desktop, just to share with you:

Okay, so first there was the time I was supposed to be on Craigslist searching for jobs, but was distracted by Net-a-Porter. I (naturally) gravitated straight to the shoe department where I found these Louboutins that would look friggin fabulous with my bridesmaids dress Sadly, these cost a cool $800 (or something) but due to the fact that I am half a foot taller than my Bride-to-be friend high heels have been outlawed anyway... I suppose it just wasn`t meant to be.

But maybe I could somehow, someway get my hands on these Pedro Garcia beauties, so that I could wear them ALL SUMMER LONG.Or these adoooorable Chloe flats, which I would just wear always, everywhere..

I also happened upon this beautiful Richard Nicoll number, which is just the most chic and comfy of summer dresses, that I would have l-0-v-e loved to wear to the opera on Wednesday night (I went to the opera on Wednesday night!)




But enough fantasy shopping! Look at all of the other pictures I found:

Bookshelf envy, courtesy of Mr. Lagerfeld (of course..)

And some more organized clutter:

and I found some adorable brogues (just when you thought I was done showing you pictures of shoes...)

and then, just because it`s Friday, how about some twirly fun:

Photos from Net-a-Porter, The Selby, Snippet&Ink, and Audrey Hepburn Complex

Confession:

I'm kind of in love with the line at Roots right now. I walk by a store on my way to the gym, and I gotta say, their merchandise just keeps getting cuter and cuter!

Like their new dresses. Cute cotton cover-ups, and fa

b looking maxis (that don't seem to exist on their website). They've got the crisp, casual white shirt that I am determined to make a staple of my summer waredrobe and an adorable tote; and who knew Roots made shoes designed for something other than wilderness hikes?!

Most of all I covet the Olivia Bag. I have wanted it for months. Far too many months to mention. It's just the perfect new bag for me, I am convinced. (and while I'm partial to the gray it now comes in all sorts of fun colours too!)

Just... I mean, Roots, Roots... Way to go. Way. To. Go.

Found: Dream Home

I want to live here. I want to go to Paris. I want to stay here. I want this to be my life.

Total exhaustion: Imminent

What. A. Weekend.



I'm going to give a play-by-play, and hopefully once reading it you'll realize why I am resorting to lists/point form.



Friday:

::Packing. All day long. It is truly remarkable to me how much stuff I am able to accumulate over short periods of time.

::Out to dinner because it is Winterlicious*! (Possibly my new favourite time of year). Went to Trevors Kitchen which was delightful, and I'm pretty sure I would do anything for their parsnip soup with sage brown butter & bacon recipe

Saturday:

::Wake-up call 6 am

::Head to Scarborough for a day's volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. Quadruple layers helped to ward off cold, and steel-toed boots and hard hat aided in my looking rediculous. I had a blast though. I used a mitre saw and a nail gun and cocking, err caulking (why yes, us 25 year olds had as much fun with that double entendre as a bunch of school boys). My group installed baseboards and window trip for an entire house. Handy skills learned, fun had, body worked to the bone.

::Saturday evening gratefully provided me with a Hugh Grant movie marathon on television which was enjoyed whilst final packing was completed and sore muscles were tended to.

Sunday:

::Wake-up call 7:40am ->not an alarm this time though, just nerves as it is MOVING DAY

::Load and unload 2 station wagons full of all of my things into giant empty apartment. Head to the grocery store to pick up a cool $70 worth of cleaning products (although I must say, apartment was in quite good condition, far from the disaster zone that I'd pictured in my mind at 7:30 Sunday morning)

::Delicious and neccessary lunch break at Pho Hung. Best pho soup in town. (Saw an old university cronie to boot!)

::Afternoon consumed with cleaning (where luckily 2 of the most bestest friends ever helped)

::5pm. Off to UHaul to pick up giant cargo van to aid in the pick-up of Sofa. Sofa is beautiful. Cream Ultra Suede, perfect condition. I heart craigslist.

::While in loading bay of Sofaman's condo, spot dresser, coffee table, floor lamp and 2 sets of shelves. Sofaman says they are free for the taking - JACKPOT

::6:30pm. Loading sofa into apartment prooves difficult. Much swearing and sighing as pristine couch gets dirtied while squeezing through door and being dropped on ground by accident.

::7pm. Return van. Realize not a drop of water has been consumed all day so an emergency pit-stop at Subway for some bottles of water (and maybe some cookies) is made.

::8:30pm. Amazing designer friend comes over with materials for curtains. I install brackets, she sews drapes, her bf watches the Grammy's, we all eat a pizza et voila! I have fabulous curtains that make my living room look homey and magnificent.

::10:45pm. 2 days of drywall/sawdust/regular dust/household cleanser aromas results in the worst wheezing/asthma I've had in ages. Severe exhaustion also sets in. Leave apartment in its current state, and head to my cousins house to sleep in a bed...after a steaming hot shower and a cup of tea (naturally).

Today I get a bed of my very own, and I will strive to clean and set-up the entire bathroom and kitchen. Wish me luck!

*Annual city-wide food&wine extravaganza where all of the Toronto's most fabulous restaurants create prix fixe menus so laymen like me can afford to sample their gastronomic delights. Being a foodie, and one who spends money in less-than-appropriate ways, I find it to be a dream come true. This week's outing: Conviction

Yay new discovery!

Today my dear friend and I were strolling around Yorkville when we stumbled upon a store called Anthropologie. She said she'd heard all about it and wanted to check it out, so we did.

It was beautiful! Filled with pretty albeit overpriced tops and cosy sweaters and quirky mugs and housewares, and just lovely things that I would love to have purchased. However it is Christmas shopping season and I am about to sign a lease and I have no job to speak of, so no purchases were made.

BUT they will be in the future and it will be glorious.

Check it out!

VICTORY! and Dreamin' Big

Halle-freakin'-luiah!

We haven't signed the lease yet, but a lease has been drafted and the place is as good as ours. Initially we had some trepidations about the area; it wasn't really where we initially thought we wanted to live, and it's more of an "up and coming neighbourhood" than an established area BUT it is close to downtown, the apartment is gorgeous and the rent is right on target SO it's a go.

I stewed over this place for a while, but now that it's a go-ahead I can tell that I am excited and really like it.

How can I tell you ask? Why because I have been thinking, invisioning, and looking up ways to decorate my fancy new digs.

For example, I think this print (courtesy of Ciao Chessa) is fabulous and would look oh-so-cute in our bathroom
and I'm thinking a sectional sofa would be great in the living room... perhaps not this one
(even though it's the coolest ever) but something simple, classic like any of these

photo sources

and Roomie is intent on having some sort of deer, or squirrel, or antler in our apartment, so perhaps something cutsie and vintage like this for our mantle (because, that's right we have a brick fireplace!)

or maybe a couple of these little guys?? All in all, I am happy that the Apartment Safari is [temporarily at least] over and while I have nowhere near enough cash to furnish the apartment as I see it in my dreams, with some creativity, some clever budgeting and some craigslist finds, I'm sure we can make this place a wonderful starter apartment for our fab new Toronto life.

I covet every single one of these outfits

Lately I've been kind of hating everything in my wardrobe; and there are often times when I am browsing through shops and I see a fabulous piece of fashionable beauty (aka nice top, gorgeous dress, amazing shoes) when I say 'I wish I had the kind of life that could justify buying you, you beautiful article of clothing', sigh loudly, and put the item back on the rack.

These women don't do that.

I think I am going to start trying to buy pieces normally reserved for "my fantasy life". New city, new style, new fabulous fantasy wardrobe? I can see that working quite well for me (perhaps not my bank account, but that's a mere technicality..)

Photos courtesy of The Sartorialist

While I'm gushing about beautiful things I wish were mine, if my apartment turned out looking something like this one, I would be pretty darn pleased.

I am a Material Girl

Juuust realized how excessively long Swayze's press release was... sorry folks!

MOVING ON: I spent today at the mall. I was reminded of high school, I ate at the food court and most importantly I purchased this:



(Pause for adoration)

.

.

.

I bought it to wear to the opening gala of the Atlantic Film Fest on Thursday. (One of many benefits of having talented actor friends...) Original plan was to find a fab dress that wouldn't break the bank and that I could wear at something other than a gala. Instead I bought said beautiful top only to realize upon my return home that I have no suitable bottom. Damn.

Any suggestions?

HOME SWEET (vastly expensive) HOME

So I just spent far too much time looking at prospective houses/condos/lofts online.

Mother phoned this morning and told me to look up Red Door Reality because one of our neighbours had put his house up for sale (for a cool 3/4 million, if you don't mind) and needless to say, I got carried away.

I then decided to see what a quaint house for one would cost 'round these parts, and then what a new condo would cost, and then what a summer home in Mahone Bay would set me back, and before you can say 'fixed mortgage' an hour (ok maybe more) had gone by and I was on TorontoLofts.com looking at the floor plans of $600,000 condos.

Lately I've been thinking that I would really like to invest in real estate. I figure if I'm going to spend $X hundred in rent every month, I might as well put it towards owning something of my own. Ahh what a wonderful notion - an entire space that is mine and only mine. It is probably the only "grown-up thing" that doesn't freak me out. Marriage? Eek! Long-term career? OHGod.. Children? (look of utter shock/mild nausea) House to call my own? Alright..

Sadly, I am as green as the basil on the caprese salad I had for lunch today when it comes to real estate and realistically there is no way I can currently afford anything close to my dream home. Anybody want to go splits on an overpriced, slightly minuscule yet grossly fabulous loft in an old Toy Factory?? Anybody??

Helping the economy ?

Today I decided to take myself shopping and I bought two amazing items, both of which were a tad expensive and neither of which I could actually afford. But hello:

Item #1 Adorable, flattering, summery BCBG dress - bought in a pink/tomato-y colour... and on sale!


Item #2 The ubiquitous skinny jean, with a designer label (thank you J Brand) and in a dark wash - always appropriate... and a size smaller than I used to be!




All in all, a successful day - save for the damage irrevocably suffered by my Visa card.