Facebook + Blog Design

Okay fabulous followers, I've got a new way for you to show your support! I've just created a Facebook page for the blog. I'll be posting blog updates there as well as other links & lovely random bits that don't make it here. You can like it here (there's now a tab in the sidebar as well). I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support! So a huge thanks in advance ;) 

On which note: If you've been following me up until this point you will have noticed that I've finally implemented some long over-due design changes to make the page a little easier to navigate. A huge thanks to Sue of As It Seems Designs for all the work she put into creating this look & the endless emails back & forth! Like any website it's a work in progress. To make sure things are perfect as possible for you lovely readers I would appreciate any feedback or constructive criticisms you may have! :)

Last but not least, a few words on the look above: This is a typical errand-running outfit for me. It's pretty much a jumble of my favourite & most comfortable pieces thrown together. On the rare occasion that I wear jeans I like to pair them with heels to dress them up & throw some brights or prints into the mix. This particular day I chose the brightest of bright bags, my fluro pink Cambridge satchel; & added a touch of glitz with my beloved Spike the Punch necklace! How do you jazz up your errand-wear?

I was wearing:

Turquoise Batwing top - Piko1988, via Nastygal

Dark legging jeans - Banana Republic

Pink fluro bag - Cambridge Satchel Company (here)

Rainey necklace - Spike the Punch

Pointy-toed heels - Spring (old)

Wayfarers - Ray Ban

Ponies & Snow Flurries

At long last, I'm well & back on my feet again! The weather is also out in full force... wind & snow & ice & cold.... the whole nine yards. So while I couldn't get in a decent outfit photo shoot this morning, Mom was kind enough to snap a couple pictures on my way out the door; this time bundled sufficiently (having learned my lesson after last weeks poor preparation). As the title suggests, there are also ponies involved. While Vancouver "study breaks" extended to mini shopping trips, here they involve teasing my poor ponies with carrot treats in order to lure them into posing for photos. Fairly wholesome entertainment as you can imagine... cheaper too! ;) 

First things first though; what am I wearing? At the prospect of -10 this morning I chose the warmest coat I own: my houndstooth Soïa & Kyo beauty from a couple years back. It's a little too big for me which is why it's been in storage here in NL (also there was really no need during Vancouver's "winter"); but now it's out, weighs about a tonne, & is keeping me feeling warm & stylish at the same time. My favourite thing about Soïa & Kyo coats are the gorgeous & unique detailing. What drew me to this one in particular is the structured neckline, which can be either folded or funnelled; & the huge "hubcap" buttons, which are in actuality almost the size of my palm. I paired the coat with my favourite indigo jeans ("Legging" cut) from Banana Republic, brown lace-up boots borrowed from dear Mom, & my fluorescent pink Cambridge Satchel for a good dose of colour.   

Enveloped in snow flurries! 

"Hubcap" buttons

Lookie here! I'm wearing appropriate footwear for once ;)

Angel & Ginger, Christmas presents of my childhood & the funniest of creatures :)

Thank you for reading lovelies! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start! <3 

Pink & Florals

Good morning everyone! This will be a fairly quick post just to share this little leftover Valentine's Day look: what I wore to work yesterday/on a pre-work wander. It's girly, it's pink, it's matchy matchy. Admittedly I tend to get in those modes during holiday occasions. Humorously enough I'm pretty sure I was the only one wearing pink out & about, & certainly the only one at work. Is it really just me who likes to colour coordinate with holidays? 

Other than the obvious excessive use of pink I really liked this outfit; I'm a huge fan of high-waisted pants & I really liked these paired with the vintage pink belt. The ditsy floral top is a bit of an oldie... purchased in Dublin in 2010. I don't wear it very often so I was glad to incorporate it in my Valentine's Day look. As for the Cambridge Satchel, it really is a head-turner. I've yet to go somewhere without having people stop me to pass a comment. It's such a vibrant, fun piece :)

What did you wear this Valentine's Day? 

I was wearing:

High-waisted pants - American Apparel (here)

Ditsy Floral top - Zara (old)

Neon pink satchel - Cambridge Satchel Company

Gold Chronograph Watch - Michael Kors (here)

Loafers - Michael Kors

Pink belt - vintage

A Peplum Affair // IFB Conference

Please raise your hand if you too, are loving the peplum trend right now. Yeah, that's what I thought. Peculiarily enough, for a style which is listed as one of the top trends of the season, I've found them unusually difficult to find. My closet currently holds a grand total of two. The orange one pictured above was an October purchase from H&M. Thankfully the quality was good & it has withstood some pretty constant use. It's one of my go-to tops for work; generally paired with a navy pencil skirt or something of the sort. Here I've made it a bit more casual with my taupe American Apparel trousers & Michael Kors ballet flats. MK watch + Stella & Dot chandelier earrings (c/o) for some simple accessorizing. Perfect for a rainy day! 

I swear I'll get my hands on a tripod soon. And a better rainy day location... for now, the balcony it is ;)

Just wanted to show off my pretty Stella & Dot earrings :)

Recall a couple days ago when I mentioned a tiny purchase from H&M? Yes, you guessed it; my second peplum item. It seems as if H&M is the only High Street retailer on the peplum bandwagon at the moment. I had made somewhat of an unwritten resolution not to purchase any black items this Spring, but it looked so nice on, the material was lovely, & the price was too good to pass up. For any of you who are interested, they have it in a white/pastel orange combination as well (unfortunately white clothes & my skin-tone are not the best of friends). One combination I am loving however is black + neon yellow. Admittedly my intent was to order a Cambridge satchel in neon yellow, but my patience isn't the greatest when it comes to their month-long waiting period. Instead I ordered this soft jersey pencil skirt from ASOS. It's due to arrive next week so that's one look you can expect to see soon. And who knows, perhaps my upcoming bonus may extend itself to the satchel as well ;) 

On one last note, did any of you watch the IFB conference in NYC live streaming yesterday? I decided to take the day off from studying & followed it from beginning to end with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm haha. The second-by-second #ifbcon hash-tagging on Twitter was unreal & the panelist discussion was truly fantastic. Andy from Style Scrapbook was by far my favourite panelist... surprise, surprise. From start to finish each blogger was full of great advice from content quality, social media networking, & branding, to posting frequency & personal style. If you didn't get a chance to watch it yesterday the video is now available in it's entirety here. Hopefully I'll be able to attend their next conference in person :) 

Have a lovely day everyone & thank you so much for reading! <3 

Blue Eyed Soul

At long last, an outfit post for this week! This was the outfit I wore yesterday, though bundled below my Zara jacket. The denim top was my very first Banana Republic purchase, & such a versatile piece! Work wear, casual wear, party wear... I've used it for just about everything. And I just love it paired with a collar/bib necklace, like this one from Forever 21. The House of Holland suspender tights help jazz up the outfit & give a little contrast to the tiered black skirt. And then of course, my fluorescent pink satchel from Cambridge Satchel Company (last seen here). It's undeniably (& unapologetically) bright, but it has really grown on me since I got it from my birthday over the summer. It definitely adds that perfect pop of colour in this case :)

I was wearing:

Denim shirt - Banana Republic

Black tiered skirt - Aritzia (old)

Suspender tights - House of Holland

Pink fluorescent satchel - Cambridge Satchel Company

Military-style coat - Zara

Collar necklace - Forever 21

Paloma wedges - Dolce Vita

To be honest I ended up spending all of 10 minutes editing these, but hopefully you enjoy them regardless! I was back to work today, with another string of 5 days in a row to look forward to. Although I haven't been anywhere near my usual over-the-top festive self, my Christmas-mania is beginning to kick in little by little. I'll be off to Ottawa soon for 2 weeks, which should be a nice change of scenery! Fingers crossed for snow :)

Thank you so much for reading & hope you have a wonderful day! <3 

What's In My Bag?

   

The bag: my dear 14" Cambridge Satchel in fluorescent pink, with my initials embossed in gold! Every time I wear this thing people stop me in the street just to comment. Pretty amusing, pretty bright.

My beloved Blackberry 

Comb, bobby pins, & my work name tag, on top of the most important thing of all - my Planner! I prefer to write things out rather than put it in my blackberry. I actually would not be able to function without this thing, so it obviously comes with me everywhere. 

My favourite lipgloss in the cutest little floral ball; a USB drive for those 'just in case' times; & a lucky penny... it's a little weird I guess, but I keep one in all my bags (& suitcases when travelling) for good luck haha :) 

The best moisturizer ever (Cosmetic Lad, Lush) & a lipstick, which I always have on hand in some colour or another. This particular one is Elizabeth Arden, Fiesta. 

My handy dandy Ray Ban glasses, without which I would not be able to survive. I shamefully don't wear them as often as I'm supposed to (that being all the time...oops). They are super fun though, & I love them dearly!

My favourite wallet: It's a Matt & Nat item with pyramid stud detailing. Matt & Nat is an amazing Canadian line of vegan & eco-friendly handbags & wallets - if you haven't heard of them definitely check them out! 

My neon yellow makeup pouch from H&M + my basic retouching makeup: L'Oreal Paris True Match foundation in N2 Classic Ivory; Bonnebell eyeliner in Black Ink; & Garnier Nutritioniste Anti-Dark Circle Roller.

Organic trail mix... I go literally nowhere without a bag of this on hand.

My cute bejewelled compact mirror & a pair of earrings I always keep in my bag just in case I forget to put in a pair before leaving home. 

And this is the gorgeous weather I woke up to this morning :)

So there you have it - that is what's in my bag! This was actually a pretty fun post to create, so hopefully you guys enjoyed it as well :) After a very hectic few days at work, I have the next 4 days off & am pretty excited as you can imagine! I'm really looking forward to getting in several outfit photoshoots, & spicing up the blog a little.

I really want to thank all you lovely readers for taking the time to read my blog. Please feel free to comment & leave your own personal blog address, as I visit each & every one. And if you enjoy my blog please consider following on Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' :) 

<3 Shawna