Shopping, shopping, shopping

orry for the lack of updates. June flew by and July has been a crazy month with my daughter's 1-year birthday party, my son's 4-year birthday party and hosting my inlaws for 2 weeks. I have a couple of weeks left before I go back to work :'-(
I was initially supposed to start work on July 22, but I'm taking 2 weeks vacation before I go back. It's good because that means I can have a period of rest before I start work. After I had my first (in 2009), I started work right after my son's 1-year birthday party so I was so drained and tired. This time I wanted to use up some of my vacation time. That also means I can spend more time with my little ones before I become a working mom. I know how much I'm going to cry when my daughter starts daycare… Even though I experienced putting my son in daycare after my first mat leave it doesn't make it any easier… August will be a depressing month for me.

In a lighter note, I've been doing a lot of shopping in preparation for work. Here's some of the stuff I've acquired in the past couple of weeks:

I've been wanting these Zara skort ever since I first saw them on fashion blogs.
I finally got it in white. They are super comfortable! They are still available online in
white, black and red. I even saw a gray pinstripe one in store today. These white ones
were $49.90CAD.

I got a few bottoms at HR2 a couple of weeks ago.

I got my first pair of Alice + Olivia shorts. They were marked down to $65CAD, down
from $176CAD.

These Rag & Bone Jodhpur jeans were $98CAD, down from $335CAD. You can still
find these on Shopbop in all black, but they are not on sale.

Got these gorgeous, bright jade trousers from Vince Camuto. They were $48CAD, down
from $98CAD.

I also got this Anzie necklace from HR2 last week. It's a silver disc necklace with my first
name initial. It also has a clear topaz charm attached to the chain.

Initially I wanted to get my kids initials- A & K and layer them on, but the chain is not
adjustable and it just looked messy when I had both of them on.

I wish it came in gold because I tend to wear gold jewelry more, but I really love this
necklace regardless. This was $63CAD, down from $300CAD.

I picked up 2 Gorjana rings from HR2 as well. They were $13CAD each, down from $30CAD.
I'm planning to wear them together. I don't think there is anything wrong with mixing metals.

I picked up this silk top from Aritzia today. It was on sale for $39.99CAD, down from $110CAD.
It's quite sheer so I need to wear it with a nude bra. It's also pretty loose. I got a size
small, but I think I could have gone down to XS.
I'm wearing the top with my new Alice + Olivia shorts.

I ordered these Zara ankle strap sandals online last week and I had them shipped to my
local Zara store. I picked these up today and I couldn't be happier! They are just gorge!

They are super high, but surprisingly comfortable. It's not real leather, but the price was
great at $49.99CAD. I plan on buying Zara shoes online in the future because I always
have a hard time finding my size (size 6) in stores. Plus, if you have it shipped to the
store there is no shipping fee (and shipping is free if it's over $50CAD before taxes).

While I was picking up my shoes in store I fell in love with a simple black top. I know
it doesn't look like much, but it's so lightweight and the back is why I fell in love with this
top. The front neckline is high, while the back is low.
You can see how the shoes, skort and shoes look in this look.

See what I mean? This was $19.90CAD.

Here is my Aritzia top with my Vince Camuto 

Here's how the Rag & Bone jeans look on me.

The leather panels (white) gives the illusion of thinner calves. I love that! I have fat
calves so I was pleasantly surprised when I tried these on.

A small treat

or those of you who follow me on Instagram (@cujo931), you'll know that I got a little something something at Louis Vuitton today. I've been wanting this item for a while now and I'll tell you why. For those new to my blog I'm a mother of 2 kids- a 3-year old and a 7-month old. Most of the time I'm carrying a diaper bag with me. However, when I go out on my own I like switching to a regular purse. Since I'm constantly switching back and forth from a diaper bag to my regular purse I'm tired of my huge Kate Spade wallet taking up so much room in both bags. And if I'm just dashing out the door to pick up my son from daycare I just want my keys and driver's license. Nothing else. So that's why I've been thinking about getting the Louis Vuitton Key Pouch. It can fit my driver's license and my most-used cards in the pouch and the keychain can hold my car keys and house keys. 

After watching PearlyThePug's review and Hollyannaeree talking about it on their respective YouTube channels I was sold. I'm kind of bummed that I didn't get it before the Louis Vuitton price increase a couple of weeks ago, but the price increase for this particular key pouch was very minute.

And here she is. It doesn't go with my Miu Miu Bow Satchel that I wore today to the mall,
but it goes with a lot of my other purses in my collection.

I chose the Monogram print vs the Damier Azur (like the print on my Speedy 25 here)
because I don't like how dirty the Damier Azur print gets. Plus, I'm seriously thinking
about getting the Damier Ebene Speedy 30 Bandouliere as my next purse. I wanted a
key pouch that would go with both purses without it clashing. The sales person thought
I should also go with the Monogram print.
Here you can see it clipped onto the D-ring that is inside my Speedy.

For those of you who are wondering the price of the Key Pouch (or the Cles as it's
sometimes called), I bought it for $185CAD (not including tax). I'm a little bit surprised
because on the US Louis Vuitton website it is listed as $190. Usually prices in Canada are
much higher than in the States so I anticipated it being around $225CAD. I think before
the price increase it was listed on the US site at $180. So this item didn't increase in price
that much.

The key pouch comes with a dust bag and a pull-out box with a leather pull.
I never was a huge fan of Louis Vuitton because I thought it was too gaudy and loud.
However, the quality of their bags are great. After owning a Speedy 25 for a few years
now I'm more interested in the brand because of the craftsmanship.

I know some people are so picky with their Louis Vuitton being made in France (I believe
they are also made in Spain and the US). Some even going as far as making the sales
people exchange it to one that is. I was never one to care, but I'm lucky that both my
Louis Vuitton items are made in France :-)

Here's a close-up.

So while I was at the mall I picked a couple more basics to add to my closet. 

I don't know about you guys, but I've always had a wish list notebook with cut-outs from magazines. It would give me great pleasure crossing off stuff on my wish list. Now that I have Pinterest I can post my wish list online and access it anywhere I go. Lately, my wish list has consisted of basics. Today I was able to cross 2 things off my wish list- a boyfriend-style jean and a jean jacket.

I know the jeans look strange in this photo- almost like midget jeans, but it's because
I rolled it up when I tried it on to the length that I wanted. I got this pair at Zara.
I love the distressed detail on it. 

I'm not quite sure how I like this print showing through the hole. I wish it wasn't there, but
I loved the colour of the jeans and the fit so I couldn't pass up on it.

I could have gone with a smaller size. it's a little big at the waist and the crotch area
seems a little baggy, but this was the smallest size that they had. I know boyfriend-style
jeans are supposed to fit a little more relaxed so I'm not too worried about it being a bit
big. This was $59.90CAD. I think it's a decent price. I saw one at Gap that was around $80.

Next, I went to Old Navy. I love going to Old Navy because I can get great deals there. You guys know I love a good bargain!

I bought my sister-in-law a really cute jean jacket at Aritzia last year when I went to
visit my in-laws and I've been wanting one ever since. However, Aritzia isn't cheap.
I used to shop there all the time when I was in my early 20s, but I'm sort of over that
place. Every other girl here wears stuff from there and I can always find better deals
at places like Holt Renfrew Last Call for premium designer brands.

I was so surprised how cheap this jacket was. It was $34.94CAD. I think the Aritzia one that
I bought my sister-in-law was around $100CAD? Maybe even more?
The best part about the jacket was that I got a discount on it. I'm in Old Navy's mailing
list so I checked my email while I was in the changing room and found out that I could get
20% off the regular price. Score! I think with the 20% discount I got it for around $31 taxes in.

I took a quick snapshot of myself wearing the jacket in the changing room.

There's a lot of stretch to the jacket that I love. I also love how it looks with the collar
popped up.

Have you gotten anything on a deal lately? Please share!

What I've been up to…

een a busy little bee this month because I've been doing so many preparations for Christmas- making my own Advent Calendar for my son; shooting our family Christmas portrait; making our annual calendar and designing our family Christmas cards. I've also been doing a lot of shopping and going to parties.
If you don't follow me on Instagram yet please do- @Cujo931. I usually post what I'm up to there daily. I'm addicted to it!

Shopping at Old Navy. Was debating whether to get this leopard-print cardigan, but
passed on it. 

My OOTD last week.
Top is from Wilfred by Aritzia, jeans are from Paige Denim, bubble necklace is a
J Crew-inspired necklace from eBay.

I had a gift certificate from Club Monaco that I was saving until I lost my pregnancy
weight. I was eyeing this Reva coat…

I took the plunge and got it. I initially bought it on sale for 30% off the original
$299 sale price, down from $398. But the day after I got it I received an email
from the Club Monaco newsletter that they were having a 40% sale off the sale
price. I ended up returning it and repurchasing it for 40% off. Yes!
(FYI: Club Monaco has a policy of not doing price adjustments on sale items, but
the salesgirl I dealt with allowed me to do a return and repurchase)

The faux-fur collar is removable.

The coat is a bit wrinkled, but I adore it.

I'm loving my makeup here.

I happened to go in Gap to check out their sales and I came across this sequined
clutch. I missed out on the Zara sequined clutch that all the fashion bloggers have
been sporting so when I saw this I couldn't pass on it. The Zara clutch is a gold colour
and this is obviously not gold, but I still like it. I think it'll go with a lot of items in my
closet. It's hard to capture the true colour of the clutch. Here, the sequins are pointing
up and it gives it a completely different look than the shot below.

Here the sequins are pointing down. The clutch looks more silver here.
I love how this clutch has a strap. I don't think the Zara one did…
I got this for 20% off 39.99?

Here I am holding it. It kind of looks purple in certain lighting.

Surprisingly it fits a ton of stuff. I can fit my huge Kate Spade wallet plus many
more.

This will be great to carry around with me when I don't want to carry a huge purse.

Last Thursday I stopped by Indigo (one of my favourite stores) to kill some time
with the family. It is a bookstore, but they have a fantastic home/gift section.
I came across this Botanicals Labels and Stickers book by Rifle Paper Co. I have
one of their other labels and stickers book and I always use it when I gift wrap because
it really makes the package that much nicer. I ended up purchasing this and I can't
wait to gift wrap!

This is the Cath Kidston 2013 agenda.
Although I loved it I already have a Kate Spade agenda and I buy the refills every year.

The lovely frames and display cases at Indigo.

They also had a shelf with ombré book covers of classic titles. Such a pretty way
to display books, no?

Lots of stocking stuffers out too. They had colourful enamel bangles and other
knick knacks. 

Voluspa candles.
The packaging on Voluspa candles are exquisite. I had to stop
myself from getting these because I had already made several candle purchases
from Bath & Body Works.

One thing to note is that I rarely buy home goods from Indigo for full retail price.
They always have sales and if you wait you can get things for 30-50% off.

Indigo is holding a contest now on Instagram where if you hastag #MagicalHoliday
on one of your instagram pics with something relating to the theme "Christmas
Morning" you have a chance of winning a $100 gift card. This was my entry.
Fingers crossed!

Lastly, I'm starting to restock my Etsy store. It's just so time consuming to take photos
of all the pieces, but that is my New Year's resolution this year.