It's the pretty things in life…

all me a shopaholic, but when I see something that's so pretty and at a good price, I just can't pass up on it. I was out running errands this afternoon- picking up a birthday gift for my girl friend and my twin sister and as always, I got distracted by all the pretty things I saw. First stop- Chapters/Indigo. I swear, that place is dangerous for me. Especially when they are having a sale.

Here's what I got at Chapters/Indigo:

I saw this pretty notebook (left) with gold foil embossing. They are really promoting all things
Canadiana with their stationery supplies right now. The pink thing to the right is a sticky
note set.

Here's a close-up of the cover. This was $6.50CAD.

The pages are lined inside and there are 3 sections divided by craft paper (you can see
it on the left of the lined page). I'm planning to use this notebook when I go back to work.

This is the Canada Owls Sticky Note Set. Isn't the cover pretty?
Chapters/Indigo also had a blue version of a sticky note set with a different graphic,
but I liked this one better.

Here's the inside with all the different-sized sticky notes. I love the owl-print lining.

Here's a close-up. I'm also planning on using this when I go back to work.
This was $10CAD.

I love love love Voluspa candles. They smell amazing and the packaging is just to die for.
However, it is expensive. That's why I always wait until they go on sale at Chapters/Indigo
before I purchase these.

I got Eden & Pear (my favourite scent out of the 2) and Crème de Pêche. 

They were originally $12CAD, but I got them on sale for $6CAD each.
The great thing about these candles are that I can use the jars after I'm finished with
the candle to store stuff in.

I picked up votive candles to put inside my next purchase. This was $4.75CAD, down from
$9.50CAD. There's no scent to these, but I wasn't sure if my regular tealights
would fit in my next purchase.

I got 2 of these beautiful, mercury glass votives. It's just stunning in person.

The insides are gold and they glimmer in the light.

These were $4.50CAD each.
I'm even thinking of storing some of my jewelry inside the votive. It looks so pretty with
my Voluspa candle.

So this is what I actually went into Chapters/Indigo for- a gift for my girl friend.
I'm going out tomorrow night for my friend's birthday and I wanted to pick up
something for her. I don't really like buying clothes and shoes for friends because
I never know what size they are and I don't know if they will really like what I get.
To be safe, I always get home goods.
I got this initial mug with her first name initial (it was $8CAD or 2 for $12) and an
organic green tea canister from Harney & Sons. This was originally $10CAD, but I got
it on sale for $5CAD. Score!

I then went to the mall to see if I could find something for my twin sister. Our birthday is coming up- August 12 and I noticed she was walking around with flats that were almost threadbare. She is pregnant with her second child right now so I want to make sure she has good flats to walk on. 

From J Crew Factory:

I wish they had the nude colour ones still available, but I still like this persimmon-coloured
ones. I hope she likes them too. I'm more daring when it comes to dressing so I know
I would rock these, but I'm not sure if she would… I think they are so pretty!
These were originally $115CAD, but they were super marked down. I got them for just
under $40CAD with tax. I wish they had it in my size…

As always, I can't help myself from going to HR2. Their stock is always changing so I like going there to see if there's anything new and if things I liked in the past are further marked down. Lo and behold it was! Remember the Echo scarf I talked about earlier here? Well, they were on sale for $39CAD.

I wanted to take better photos, but the scarf is super long. Maybe I'll do an OOTD
photo in a future post.

Ma jolie petite soeur

y baby sister turned 28 today. I can't believe she's in her late 20s! I still feel young at heart so it shocks me sometimes how fast time flies. Do you guys feel that way too?
We celebrated her birthday yesterday with family, but I thought I would show you what I got for her. Her style is very different from me. She's really into preppy clothes and her favourite stores are American Eagle, J Crew and Anthropologie. I like those stores too, but I also like edgy pieces.

I got her a J Crew striped cardigan and a pair of TOMS. Considering how much she loves
comfy shoes I'm surprised she doesn't own TOMS yet. I own a pair of purple ones
and they are my most comfortable shoes in my closet.

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the shoes have gold and magenta threading throughout.

This cardigan is soooooo soft. I wish I got one for myself…

Now, I looooooove to wrap gifts. I think showing care in how you wrap gifts is a reflection
of yourself. I love getting beautifully wrapped gifts so I make sure to take the time
to wrap gifts as nicely as possible. This boggles my husband (and I'm sure a lot of
people) because people throw out wrapping paper once they open their gifts, but I don't care.

I threaded bakers twine through 2 buttons and used a glue gun to glue the buttons down.
I love wrapping gifts in Kraft paper because it just looks classy.

I always use my glue gun to glue the sides because I noticed tape doesn't adhere to
Kraft paper well. Then I finish off the sides with pretty Washi tape.

HRH Collection

ver since I saw Alex's Original Cuff necklace on her YouTube videos I've been wanting to add it to my jewelry collection. I don't know why it took me so long, but when I saw that she came out with a silver version (the Original Acid Cuff) I knew I had to take the plunge and order 1 of each. I placed my order just before Christmas and it arrived today. It took a while for the order to ship out, but I guess it was because it was the Christmas holidays. For those of you who are thinking of placing an order, but aren't sure here are my thoughts on them.

Both necklaces- the Original Cuff (gold version) and the Original Acid Cuff (silver version)
came packaged in a bubble envelope. 

The card that it came with was completely wrecked. I guess the packaging of the necklaces
could have a been a little better? It also came with a heart sticker and a business card
(not shown). Although both necklaces are the same style the gold necklace came
in a smaller mesh pouch. I was puzzled by that, but then I realized that the suede
cording for the silver necklace was longer than the black tie of the gold necklace.

The necklaces have a good weight to them without being too heavy. I really love the
Original  Acid Cuff. The turquoise suede cord is really long and goes so well with the
silver colour of the necklace.

I'm not sure if the Original Cuff is supposed to have a shorter tie, but it was a lot
shorter than the turquoise tie in the Original Acid Cuff. Maybe mine was just different?
If any of you guys have the gold and silver one can you let me know if the ties are different lengths?
The tie on the Original Cuff (black) is not as nice as the Original Acid Cuff and because of the shorter
strap it limits you on how low you want to tie the necklace.
Having said that, I still love both of these necklaces. Yes they were kind of pricey at $50USD
each, but it really goes well with a lot of pieces in my closet. I have a lot of simple
tops in my closet so these necklaces really make the outfits pop.

Here are a few photos I snapped of myself wearing both necklaces.

This is the Original Acid Cuff (silver version).
Tank: Gap, Blazer/Jacket: Isabel Marant, Pants: J Crew Pixie Pants

The Original Cuff (gold version).
Tank: Material Girl, Blazer: Club Monaco, Jeans: Forever 21

Close-up of the Original Cuff.

Another outfit with the Original Cuff.
Tank: Material Girl, Blazer: Diane von Furstenberg, Jeans: Forever 21

Emmie necklace

y Emmie necklace came in the mail today. I ordered it on December 15 and it was shipped out on December 18. I think because of the holiday schedule it got to me later than it would have.

So for those of you who are considering purchasing this necklace from Jenn's Etsy store here are my initial thoughts. She will be restocking on January 7, but if you follow her on Instagram- @jenn5716 she posts what pieces she will be listing. You have to act fast if you want to get anything from her because she sells out fast!

Inside the box (shown at the top of this post in white) included a card and a business-
sized card.

The back of the card had this sweet note from Jenn.

This was on the back of her business-size card. It's basically a care card on how you
should take care of your necklace.

And here she is- the Emmie necklace in Tri Color. She makes them in lots of different
colours.

The necklace is tied with a black ribbon. The necklace also came with a velvet
drawstring pouch to store the necklace in.

Here's a close-up. I think she colours the stones with nailpolish? I'm not sure.
But you can definitely tell when you inspect them closely that the coloured stones are
painted.

Here's a quick photo that I took of myself wearing the necklace. I know it's winter, but
I thought the necklace would look great with my green silk tank. The green colour picks
up on the green of the necklace.

I also tried it on with my heart J Crew sweater. I like how it overlaps the collar on
this sweater.

Another shot taken with my SLR camera.

So I really do like this necklace and I plan on wearing it with casual outfits, but it can definitely be dressed up. I just think it looks better with a plainer outfit. The only thing that I didn't like is the weight of this necklace. It's not very heavy and the quality of the stones look like something you can buy at a H&M or Forever 21. I'm not saying it should be a super heavy necklace, but it didn't feel expensive… It was close to $50CAD so I would have expected the materials to be a bit better. HOWEVER, that being said, I think it's totally unique and I love how it looks like with something I pulled quickly from my closet.

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.