Long live the Queen B

My favourite guilty pleasure is back! Season three of Gossip Girl premieres Monday night. I can't get enough of this show. A gorgeous cast, great witty writing and the clothes! Oh the clothes. No ones wardrobe is better the Blair Waldorf. The Queen B. My favourite bitch. The most noticeable trend to come out of Gossip Girl is the headband. The headband is all Blair. It's the Queen B's version of a crown. I love headbands. They can look preppy, girly, elegant - you name it! My favourite places for headbands are Club Monaco and Anthropologie. Both stores offer styles that range from simple (see above) to daring (big flowers, jewels and bows - very Blair). You now you love them XOXO.

A nice little Saturday

So today I got to see some TIFF movies. In between screenings I had a few hours to kill. All I wanted was to find a patio to sit on, where I could have a sandwich and read my book. I walked around Yorkville and quickly realized that this would be impossible. The place was bananas! Everyone was out looking for George Clooney or Oprah. Craziness. So I walked up Yonge a little and decided to try out the Black Camel. This is a little sandwich shop across the street from Rosedale subway station. I'd been meaning to try this place for a while as I've heard it's fantastic. Well I heard right! I got a seared steak sandwich and side of coleslaw to go. The sandwich was amazing. Super fresh bun, paper thin slices of rare steak and the perfect amount of dijon and horseradish (you can pick from several sauces/condiments). The coleslaw was crisp and crunchy with a light creamy dressing that had a fantastically healthy dose of fresh pepper. And hello... is that apple I see in the coleslaw? Why I believe it is! I love apple in coleslaw. My mom does this too. If you've never tried it, you should. It's GOOD. I took my tasty little lunch and walked over to the park across the street, sat under a tree, read my book and enjoyed a spectularily relaxed Saturday!

Today I went swimming with turtles and saw a ballet in Paris...

Well not actually, but it sure felt like it! Today I got to see two TIFF documentaries courtesy of my friend from work. (she had tickets she couldn't use). The first film was Turtle: The Incredible Journey. An incredible journey indeed. This little movie about a little loggerhead turtle (who eventually grows to be quite large) was delightful. It had everything. Drama, suspense, sadness, and joy. The movie itself is beautifully filmed. Like beyond gorgeous. The story was also fantastic. And while it becomes clear that they are not following around the same turtle for the entire film, they make it seem like she is the same. And you want to believe she is. I even gave her a name - Murtle. Yup, Murtle the Turtle. I know, I am super creative and original! Parents take note, this is a great movie to see with your kids. There were tons of kids at the screening I was at. The four year old sitting beside me really seemed to enjoy it, and he was only temporarily traumatized when the just hatched turtles were being attacked by crabs. (Five minutes later he was totally over it)

The second documentary was La Danse. This film offers a behind the scenes look at the Paris Opera Ballet. It too is beautiful. Especially if you like ballet. The dancing is absolutely stunning. My only complaint - the length. It was over 2.5 hours long. After an hour and a half my butt was numb, my legs needed stretching and I had a rather full bladder. And while the dancing was great, with no narrator or plot, it did seem to drag a little. It could have benefited from an intermission.

Get a little lippy

No one likes having dry lips. I know I certainly don't. Definitely not cute. So of course, lip balm is a necessary item. My favourite lip balm is Kiehl's Lip Balm #1. This name is very appropriate. It's #1 for a reason. It's the best Best BEST! Super moisturizing with a silky smooth texture but not sticky or goopy. And best of all, it doesn't leave that weird white stuff on your lips. (Don't know what that stuff is, but it's gross!!)

But the best thing about Kiehl's is the free samples! It's virtually impossible to walk out of that store without free samples. (This suits me just fine!). And if you can get up to the Yonge and Eglington store on Friday September 11 do it. You'll get a full size Lip Balm #1 and other deluxe samples FREE!! Good stuff free. What could be better?

Happy as a clam v.2.0

So I was visiting my folks again this past weekend. Naturally it was decided that we would have something on the grill. We're big BBQ people, and in the summer we like everything done on the grill. Dad and I had enjoyed the doing clams so much the first time, that we decided to have them again. But to quote Dad, they needed to be "kicked up a notch". So we put them on the grill and patiently waited for those little babies to open up. Once they were done, I placed a small piece of Prosciutto inside and drizzled on a little vinaigrette (dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh chives and parsley). The results were AMAZING!! Seriously, seriously good. Dad and I demolished them. I definitely recommend trying these while it's still warm enough to BBQ. You will not be disappointed.

(I bought the clams from Pisces Seafood and the Prosciutto from Olliffe. Both on Yonge, just North of Price street. Both fantastic!)

Lets hear it for the boys!

Well, lets hear it for their clothes any way. If you've opened a magazine lately you've likely noticed that boyfriend inspired clothes are IN! If you have a boyfriend or husband, you should definitely start invading his closet. Luckily for single gals like me, almost every clothing store has "boyfriend" clothes in the ladies section. Jeans, t-shirts, button up shirts, cardigans, and jackets. Everything has gone "boyfriend". I have to say, I'm loving this trend. The looks are loose and comfy. And the more distressed they get from regular wear, the more authentic they look. But one thing to keep in mind is not to wear all these items together. Pair them with something girly. I once tried matching boyfriend jeans with a boyfriend shirt and ended up looking like I should be painting houses for a living. I've bought a great pair of cropped boyfriend jeans at American Eagle. Club Monaco has beautiful cashmere boyfriend cardigans in both the men's and women's sections. I bought mine on sale earlier this year (sales there are great). I love this sweater. It's long and crazy cozy. Aritzia has great boyfriend dress shirts and t-shirts (super soft and well priced). 

But my favourite "boyfriend" item is my men's Invicta watch. It's manly and GIANT. I wear it everyday. I get many compliments on this watch. There's a barista at Starbucks who only recognizes me because of this watch. And it's size is actually a bit of a public service. I often see people on the subway (like 10 feet away from me) looking at my wrist to see what time it is. You're welcome!

I'm Mr. Bright Eyes

In an ideal world I would wake up every morning like a princess in a Disney movie - lightly rub the sleep from my eyes, stretch my arms, and look perfectly awake and refreshed. Unfortunately, I am not animated royalty. Most mornings I wake up silently cursing my alarm and looking like a tired mess. And while refreshing showers and strong coffee can help with this, it doesn't completely do the trick. Luckily, I've found something that does do the trick. It's Eye Bright from Benefit. It's a soft, light pink concealing pencil. You draw a few lines along the inner and outer corners of your eyes and Voila! You look instantly wide awake! Honestly, this stuff works miracles. Awhile back I had run out of it one morning. I thought "oh well, no biggie. I'll just use regular concealer". Later that morning I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and nearly scared myself to death! Needless to say I went right out after work and picked some up. You can buy this little magic pencil at Sephora and larger Shoppers Drug Marts. 

A very adult pizza party

Last night I was treated to a lovely little weeknight dinner party. It was a thank you dinner for helping friends move. And thank me they did! I love having dinner parties. And I think the best kind of dinner parties are super casual. Everyone is much more relaxed and stress free. But that doesn't mean the food can't still be gourmet. Last nights meal was definitely relaxed gourmet. For a starter (to be enjoyed in the kitchen while prepping dinner) we snacked on a couple of delicious cheeses. (I could have eaten just the cheese for dinner and been thrilled!). The three of us happily sat in the kitchen, chatting away while he made beautiful flat bread pizzas and she made a lovely salad and peach crisp. Dinner was gorgeous! Hearty, rustic and simple. To me these are the BEST kinds of meals. And I must give credit to the chefs, those pizzas had some fantastically fancy toppings: roasted egg plant and peppers, carmalized onions, pancetta, artichoke hearts, and goat cheese... oh the goat cheese... Whoever first thought to put goat cheese on pizza is a genius! Everything we ate was incredible.

My only job for the dinner was to bring the wine. Now I definitely LOVE wine. But I'm by NO means an expert. I have a vague understanding/knowledge of what wines to pair with what foods. Since I knew we'd be having fancy pizza for dinner, I decided on red. My cousin had introduced me to the wonderful world of California Zinfandels earlier in this year. Sadly, the LCBO I went to did not have the one I usually buy. It's called Fetzer. And at $14.95 its a great wine (at least in my humble opinion). So I instead opted for one called De Loach. It too was only $14.95, and was also really good. I would definitely recommend either one.

But the BEST part of the whole evening, was getting to spend time with my lovely charming friends while enjoying this great meal together. At one point I had a headache from laughing so much (I promise, it wasn't from all the wine!) And being the fantastic hosts that they are, they even sent me home with leftovers, which I am now eating! Cold pizza with goat cheese - Mmmmm! Could life get any better......

Fun display for fun items

So, as I've stated below, I love jewelry. But not all my stuff is fancy. In fact most of it is fun and silly. And I think fun stuff should be stored in a fun way. Regular jewelry boxes just don't do it for me. Either it's old school and opens to some weird lullaby and slow spinning ballerina, or it's a boring box that sits on your dresser. Well not on my dresser baby! My fun stuff gets put in candy dishes, dessert bowls and tea cups! Now that's my kinda treat!

If you like it then you should put a ring on it

I love jewelry. This is not a shocking statement. Really, what girl doesn't. I think I get this from my Mom. This is a woman who loves her some bling! Some much so that she has a "guy" in the Bahamas who emails her items to check out. But that is a story for another day...

Like my Mommy, rings are probably my favourite. But as anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm VERY particular about what I like. Not just any old ring will do. For me, it's about having pieces that are unique. Something that not everyone and their grandma has. I love when someone compliments one of my rings, asking where I bought in the hopes that they can get one too. I can then very nicely (although in my head slightly smugly) say "Why thank you. It's one of a kind" or "They only had one left and I bought it". The best way of ensuring this happens is to buy jewelry from smaller stores and boutiques, or to get one of a kind pieces made. My favourite such store is owned by my friends brother - Leif Benner. This place is a little "gem" (some jewelry humour for you) in the Distillery District. I'm lucky enough to have two of his pieces. The one pictured on the left is one Leif designed. The one on the right I designed and my friend made. But the best thing about knowing someone who makes jewelry is that when I go to visit I get to try on all the pieces! You haven't lived until you've had several diamond engagement rings on at once!