favourite finds

Lace Doki Geki jacket from Bliss boutique, Victoria


Timberland Boots from Still Life boutique, Victoria


Lulu Bijou necklace from Just Furs, Yellowknife (made with caribou antler)
Thrift store jars


Wolf ring from Decade, Victoria


Cigar box from market in Belgium
Pocket watch from Urban Outfitters
Necklace from market in Belgium

the breakup dress

The beautiful Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2011 dresses remind me of Grady McNeil, a character in Truman Capote's "Summer Crossing" who exudes effortless confidence and ease. The dresses are stunning and soft and bound to make heads turn. Best of all, they keep the drama in the dress. If I were facing down a break up, these are the types of dresses that would make me feel cool, calm and confident.

Play:


Read:


Wear:


When I get to Warwick Avenue
Meet me by the entrance of the tube
We can talk things over a little time
Promise me you wont step out of line



When I get to Warwick Avenue
Please drop the past and be true
Don't think we're okay just because I'm here
You hurt me bad but I won't shed a tear



I'm leaving you for the last time baby
You think you're loving but you don't love me
I've been confused out of my mind lately
You think you're loving but I want to be free
Baby you've hurt me



When I get to Warwick Avenue
We'll spend an hour but no more than two
Our only chance to speak once more
I showed you the answers, now here's the door...

vintage vibe

Your outer environment affects your inner environment - best make it comfortable!


My typewriter was a gift from my two best friends - one of the best gifts I've ever received.




My workspace

Inspired by:

Goodbye Yellowknife. Hello Victoria.

Each April and September I seem to put one life on hold and re-start another. Summers are spent lounging under Yellowknife's midnight sun with friends and family and working a Monday to Friday 9-5 job. Winters are spent in classes and cafes with occasional weekend trips to Seattle and Vancouver.

Though I've been coming back to Victoria each September for the last four years there are some things that still impress me on each return:

1. A second summer! There's frost on windows at home but highs of 20 in Victoria
2. Events, events, events! There's always something going on - my first week back I had a front row seat to cirque du soleil (It was AMAZING)
3. Catching up with the smart cookies in my writing classes
4. The comfort of my cozy apartment...which I'm still decorating
5. Coffee & a Good Read. With so many bookstores around my bookshelf has already become crowded and there's nothing like flipping through a good novel in an eclectic cafe.

Yellowknife:

Victoria:

into the wild

There's something very soothing and zen about sleeping one hundred feet from a mammoth waterfall, which is exactly what my sisters and I did on our camping trip to Lady Evelyn Falls near Kakisa (about a four hour drive from Yellowknife). After taking full advantage of the beautiful summer we had in the NWT this year, and spending every possible moment outside, this was the perfect end to summer. And as the temperature continuously dropped throughout the night we realized it truly was the end of summer.

Though I was grungy, cold and tired by the time we arrived home, I still felt relaxed and replenished. It was the type of experience that feeds the soul.



We felt like Fern Gully when we walked through the forest - so much to see if you stop and look around!


Despite forgetting half of our supplies, we still managed to eat better than we do at school. Dinner was chicken caesar salad alongside yams, zucchini, and corn on the cob that we cooked over the fire. Breakfast was Greek yogurt with berries, bananas and granola.

Kyla doing yoga as the sun goes down over Lady Evelyn Falls

the closet conundrum

Ah, the typical dilemna: a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. Solution? Raid your boyfriend's! Following trends can be more trouble than it's worth but the boyfriend shirt is one I whole-heartedly embrace! Dress it up, dress it down, or dress in only it for lounging around the house.

Ashley Olsen seems to have mastered the casual, yet stylish look of boyfriend t's.







Don't want to splurge on what could be a temporary trend? Sift through your boyfriend's shirts until you find the right one - then stitch a hidden heart in it for him to discover later :)


(photo from Garance Dore's beautiful blog)

domestic bliss

I have trouble staying in one place for too long - even home - but here's my recipe for domestic bliss in any space.

Listen to: happy, mello, feel-good music
If I Were a Tree, by Forest City Lovers



Bake:
Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting - the perfect treat for fall, alongside a steaming cup of coffee or chai tea. (Bonus: they make your place smell delicious)

1 Cup butter
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 Cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 Tsp vanilla
2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. Drop spoonfuls onto non-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Frosting:
Boil 3 Tbsp butter and 1/2 Cup brown sugar until mostly smooth (approximately 2-3 minutes). Cool and add 1/4 Cup of milk, 1 Tsp vanilla extract, 1 Tsp maple extract, and 2 Cups powdered sugar or until desired consistency and whip with hand mixer until smooth. Spread onto cookies.




Pick up: a local read
Visiting Hours by Shane L. Koyczan
I've just started Koyczan's collection of poetry but am already in love. Begin a beautiful book.