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I’ve been blogging for 3 years and my first social media platform (among the popular ones these days) was go figure, YouTube! The first video I ever uploaded was actually of my first kitten, falling off my desk. It was an accident and I happened to get it on camera. I want to also add that I was young and did not think she would fall off the table.

*no judge zone*

I started blogging a lot more regularly on my first maternity leave. Now that I’m on my second maternity leave, blogging has been what has kept me sane. Getting back into work mode, to come back out of it in less than 2 years can really do a toll on you. Especially mentally. So this time around I’ve been partnering, collaborating and really getting to know the business side of the blogging world. However, this doesn’t mean I say yes to everything that comes my way. There are have been many collaboration requests that I’ve turned down, due to them not matching my lifestyle, ethics or simply I can’t relate to the product or service and know for sure I would not like it. Also, if by chance I’m wrong with a collaboration and the product or service is not what I expected, I explain to the brand why and I don’t write about it. After all, not worth my time. But there was that time when I had that experience at a cafe where I wasn’t allowed to bring my stroller in and wrote about it. Hmm. So i guess it depends. It’s all in the writing. You choose whether you want to be civil and positive or get nasty. But remember, your writing, is your voice online.

READ MORE: WHY THERE WERE NO STROLLERS ALLOWED

Everyday I’m learning something new, meeting new people and of course doing the mom thing at the same time.

blogging
Wearing a Mockberg watch with a mesh band

 

It’s not as glamorous as it seems. It’s a lot of work. Blogging is more than a nice Instagram picture and a 200+
word blog post. You’ve gotta be passionate about what you do. Without passion, one day you’ll wake up and not want to do it anymore. I’ve seen many blogs just die off after a few years. I use to wonder, what happened? Why did you stop? But really, it could be anything. No more drive, never really loved writing or simply was in it for the money and realized that doesn’t just show up without putting in the work.

Think of it this way, when a book is written. How do you think the author starts? They brainstorm. They imagine the characters. A rough story line. They write their thoughts out. Then comes the first draft. Second, third and maybe fourth draft. Someone reads it. Critiques it. Spell check. A million more spell checks. A rough copy is printed. Do you want it to be an e-book, hard copy, soft copy etc. Okay, my point is… there is SO much work that goes into blogging before you can really feel like it’s “working”.  The day I started not caring about that stuff and went back to why I really started blogging, it was all smooth sailing from there. Do it for the love of writing, helping people, teaching, photography and kick ass content creation. This is your project it. OWN IT.

So what does a day in maternity life and blogging look like?

Bloggers: Writers, Photographers and Ultimate Content Creators

blogging

 

6 – 7 AM : I’ve never in my life woken up so early until now. I guess two children will do that to you? I nurse my baby and most of the time she falls back asleep. I take some time to catch up to emails, message, social media and then wake up my toddler for breakfast.

8 – 10 AM: I drop off the little guy to daycare and then from there is when our day really starts for me and baby z. Sometimes we go grocery shopping, downtown for blogging events or to see my mom, or straight back home to get started on house chores or writing up my next blog post.

12 PM: LUNCH – Usually homemade if I don’t have plans or haven’t been busy running errands. #momlife

canadian blogger

 

1 – 5 PM: Between these hours is when I really get busy with blogging. Unless I’m nursing, at an event or seeing friends. I also get some exercise during these hours. If I miss the window to exercise then I wait till later in the evening. Either go for a family walk in the neighborhood or laps inside the house.

First steps in blogging:

Always start with notes for your blog post. Then a draft. Proof read as many times as you can. Take a day or two away from it and then look at it again. (Fact: This post was written in a totally different angle and was changed a few hours before being posted.) Then post! I find one of the biggest advantages to nursing my baby is sometimes I have a hand free to write my notes or first drafts. 

I try to keep a schedule but because babies and life is so unpredictable, it doesn’t always turn out that way. Sometimes I’m writing like a maniac at 1 AM. I’ve always enjoyed writing and so there is never a good time or a bad time to write. I just do it. So for those who are just starting off, my advice to you is to just do it. That is if you enjoy writing. If you don’t that could be a whole other struggle and I’ll save those tips for another blog post.


For the bloggers: Next time you tell someone you’re a blogger, remember everything you do to be a kick ass blogger. Whether you organize photo shoots with photographers, take your own pictures, partnerships, collaborations, editing, writing… you’re the whole works!

For the readers: Blog posts take time and in our writing there is a story, a voice or a message. When you take the time to read my blog posts I am extremely grateful towards you. You took the time to read it, allow me to thank you and to recognize who you are. Leave me a comment on social media, on the blog or even a private message.

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There’s not enough time in the day for me to do everything I want to do. However, for some reason when I have a check list, it can all get done. Ever since I was a teenager I had a habit of making lists in my planners. A list of goals, a list of daily things to do and a favourites list (music, books) to download and to borrow from the library.

daily planner

Time Management with Bloom Daily Planners

Now those lists have evolved and the amount of lists I have to make is overwhelming. So overwhelming that I haven’t done it in almost a year. I actually think I was a lot more successful in getting things done because I had a daily planner or book to write everything down in. Now with my baby brain syndrome (it’s real), I forget everything! I’ve been looking for the right planner to get me organized again for a long time. And now finally I have the Bloom Daily Planner to help me get back into a more organized life.

marble monthly plannermonthly planners

The Bloom Daily Planners come in many forms. You can get it in hard cover or soft, monthly planning or daily, You can even get specific ones: Teacher planner, student planner and a wedding planner. They have a lot to choose from, check it out here.

Monthly planner in marble and some fun stickers.^

When I saw these stickers it instantly reminded me of my old agenda from high school. I’d decorate every week with fun stickers and looking back at it now, it’s almost like looking into a diary/scrapbook. Looking at a list, or a page full of words of appointments, to do or birthdays is boring. So why not make it more fun by adding cute stickers. Especially for things you want to bring attention to when going through the pages.

budget planner

blogger planner

The monthly planner I have is a soft cover planner. When you open the soft cover, the inside of it has an area where you can slide your receipts or loose paper in.

For each day of the month I set goals. Mom goals, work goals, blogger goals, fitness goals or whatever. Set one for each day and whenever you accomplish that goal for that day, check it off. It may sound silly to you, but in hindsight when you go back to your planner in a week and see that you didn’t meet any of your goals, it might spark some new found motivation. For myself, I treat it like a challenge. Meeting my daily goals and checking it off at the end of the day is enough motivation for me. Looking back at a month of checks, is like a big “YES, girl! YES!’

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hard candy make up

This is my first time trying Hard Candy make-up. Hard Candy products are sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Walmart.ca. I shop at Wal-Mart at least once a week, if not more. Whenever I’m out of any of my make-up I first check Wal-Mart to see what they have that can replace my product. All of these products are reasonably priced. Last I checked at Wal-Mart all of these products seem to be priced at under $10.

Keep an eye out next time you’re at Wal-Mart for the below Hard Candy Summer 2017 collection:

color corrector hard candyHard Candy Sheer Envy Color Correct Perfecting Powder 
This powder helps those with redness, dull skin and any other colour correcting concerns. I don’t have any redness concerns ever since my acne cleared up years ago. It’s a natural brightener due to the orange/yellow tones in this powder. I’ve used it after foundation all over my face to set my make-up and then later in the day I touched up my make-up by applying this to my cheekbones as a highlighter. You can also use it to mattify your make-up throughout the day if you have oily skin. Swirl your powder or kubuki brush all over the colours and apply to the face. I love how smooth the finish is and no unnecessary shimmers or sparkles. Especially if you’re going for a more natural look. Another product for skin redness concerns that will help camouflage the redness is the green color corrector that comes with a sponge applicator top.

hard candyOne of the first make-up products I usually run out of is my liquid or pencil eye liner. I love this Hard Candy marker eye liner because of the control you have to create a thin or thick line. The other side of the same pencil holds a khol eyeliner. Great for creating a smokey look as well.

Hard Candy Stroke of Gorgeous Kajal Supreme Eyeliner Duo

Pencil on the left, Liquid on the right

The Hard Candy Lip Artiste Lip Contouring Wand is a dual ended product, made to contour and highlight your lips. The highlight (seen above) is perfect to achieve the illusion of bigger lips by applying it to the center of the lips.

This highlighter, Hard Candy Sheer Envy Prismatic Highlighter , has a pearl finish and when I set it, it looked a lot nicer with a more natural highlight look. They also have a new banana powder for baking. I went out and bought that one to see how it compares to a Sephora brand I have. Stay tuned for the comparison most likely up on my Insta Stories.

Have you tried Hard Candy beauty products before? Which one(s)?

Disclaimer: The products are PR samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.

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It’s one of those days, when you’re running from one event to the next. A busy day, with no time to go home and change. Days like this you have to plan ahead and make sure you’re wearing something that will be the best day to night transitioning outfit. I shopped at Dixie Outlet Mall to pick out the perfect Day to Night summer look. This is a very minimalistic style that can be worn for practically any event.

During the day, I made a trip downtown to see my mom with baby Z. Soon after seeing her we headed over to one of my favourite places for brunch with my sister. It was a really windy day so this bomber I got from Dynamite came in handy from getting cold. Have you ever gone into a store and came out super content with everything you’ve purchased? I’ve had that feeling at Dixie Outlet Mall’s Dynamite Outlet. This bomber was regular $39.99 and I got it for $20! That’s 50% off! The fabric is perfect for summer because it’s breathable and light. I also love the soft powder blue colour. They had a black bomber jacket there with leather arms for $25 (Regular $55) that I couldn’t resist so I bought it as well.
dixie outlet mall

Underneath the bomber jacket I’m wearing a tank top I found at Treasure Hunt in Dixie Outlet Mall. If you haven’t been to this store yet, you’re in for a surprise. It’s a little overwhelming at first but if you’ve shopped at Winners before, you’ll be familiar with the store’s format. I got this Gap tank top for only $10 at Treasure Hunt.

After brunch we walked around for a little window shopping. Whenever I go for walks downtown, I like to wear comfortable yet fashionable shoes in case I decide to meet up with friends. I found these gorgeous loafer slides from Winners at the Dixie Outlet Mall for $34.99! These beauties were regular priced at $65. I love them because they remind me of the Gucci loafer slides that are trending at the moment, but these are better because they don’t have the fur (which I’m not a fan of).

I have a thing for pleated skirts. These loafer slides paired perfectly with this beautiful pleated skirt from Dynamite. A pleated skirt is so classy and look great with loafer slides for during the day or night. But for a sexier look try matching this skirt with heels for a night look. This skirt was only $20 marked down from $45! Note: I previously bought a similar looking pleated skirt for $80, so getting one for $20 is an AMAZING deal! And yes, the quality is at par with the $80 one.

READ MORE: Check out my other amazing finds at the Dixie Outlet Mall

For a day to night style you want to keep jewelry simple and not too flashy or complicated. I went over to the GUESS store to check out their BUY ONE, GET ONE 50% OFF jewelry rack by the cash register. These swirly elegant studs come in a pack of 3: rose gold, gold and silver for only $10. The bracelet was $15 but I got it at 50% off!

 

I’m taking my day look into a night look by just making a simple change by swapping out my loafer sliders for heels. For a more sophisticated look for an evening event, you can tuck in your tank top into the skirt for a cleaner silhouette.
day to night

How do you transition a day look into night?

Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.

 

I had the pleasure of attending the Murale beauty event, where I got to see everything that’s coming soon and on the spotlight for Fall 2017! Yes, preparation for Fall 2017 in the beauty world has come! In case you missed my Instagram story from that day I’m sharing the story here:

Murale FALL 2017 Beauty Products

June 2017

Rodial

This brand has a product called Bee Venom Micro Sting Patches available exclusively at Murale. It’s $110/4×2 patches.
It’s made with pure hyaluronic acid (the good stuff) infused with bee venom. These patches include 350 microneedles in each patch! Whoa. My face is tingling just thinking about what it would do to my skin. The bee venom plumps and smoothes the skin and improves your skin texture. They also have a Bee Venom Body Gel for $78 – 200 ml.
I haven’t tried anything from this brand yet. Available exclusively at Murale.

The Organic Pharmacy

Lots of new products in this brand! The ones that stand out to me is the Carrot Butter – $99/75 ml. It’s a creamy cleanser for all skin types that gets rid of everything dirty on your face, including make-up. It has sheabutter,cocoa butter, calendula (awesome stuff), rosemary, chamomile, st johns wort, vitamin E and carrot of course!

Jasmine Night Conditioner – $70/50 ml is something I received to try. I can’t wait to try this! Stay tuned to my insta story for when I try it and what my first thoughts are about this. It’s a soothing facial mist that you apply at night. It repairs your skin while you sleep. It has jasmine to hydrate and improve radiance, glycolic acid to increase cell turnover and reduce discolouration, retinol to reduce wrinkles and boost collage production and vitamin c. Great for battling those fine lines and wrinkles. (My tip: With this product you have to ensure you use SPF during the day. And I say this from my own experience of using glycolic acid and retinol in the past. Those ingredients don’t suit everyone and everyone’s skin reacts differently. So do a patch test before you apply it all over the face.) Available exclusively at Murale.

July 2017

skyn ICELAND

You may have noticed my insta story of me using these gel masks before for the eyes and the face. Well, they have a Hydro Cool Firming Neck Gels – $45/4 gels. This neck gel is amazing for restoring the elasticity in your skin, diminishing horizontal lines on your neck and any dark spots. In August, they have a winter rehab kit where you can try a face oil, eye pen, cream, face wash and 2 hydro cool firming eye gels (my favourite). $50.

August 2017

Velour

I forever have ran from falsies. I just don’t feel comfortable in them and I suck at applying them to myself. Until I met velour. I tried these lashes on at the event and felt like they weren’t even on me! Now that’s my kind of lashes. They have a wicked new lash adhesive coming out that is going to change the lash glue game forever! $18/10 ml. Also, Too Easy Lash Applicator – $26 . These two are on my must have list!

Nia (not into aging)

I am super stoked to try there new Sunday Detox Whipped Clay Peel-Off Mask – $39/121 g. It has my favourite mask ingredient,white kaolin clay. Also the bamboo charcoal powder mousse works together with the kaolin to draw out dirt from the pores. You let it dry, then peel it off. Also reduces the appearance of blackheads. Available exclusively at Murale.

September 2017

Foreo

The Espada – $199 device cleats and heals acne blemishes with LED blue-light to penetrate below the skins surface.
Easy to use, clean your face, aim to spot, treat and repeat up to 4 times.

EVE LOM

Have you tried there cream cleanser? It comes with a cloth and has a luxurious cleansing process.
They have a new Gel Balm Cleanser $72/100ml that will be travel and shower friendly! Comes out like a gel, when massaged into wet skin it turns into a milky texture. Keeps your skin moisturized for up to 12 hours!

cream cleanser
Cream Cleanser
Cream Cleanser

Lipstick Queen

This has got to be the first in the beauty industry, a black blush! It turns sheer berry on your cheeks and activates to different tones on  all skin tones and types. Has natural oils, vitamin e and shea butter. Black Lace Rabbit Blush $33

Also, watch out for their nude lipstick collection. $32

Nuxe
murale eye cream
murale eye cream

This new anti-aging eye cream has passionflower and hyaluronic acid that smoothes and illuminates the area. It also helps with puffiness and wrinkles. Nuxe is a great brand ive tried before. Nuxellence Eye Care $57/15 ml.

October 2017

Phyto

I’m so excited about this brand! It’s a Canadian brand and owned by Patrick Ales. Goes way back to 1966 when he invented the blow-dry. Click here for his story. He’s got amazing hair, moustache and beard probably due to using his own products. 😉 They have a line called Phytodensia coming soon, it has a plumping shampoo $30 / 200 ml, Plumping Mask (I can’t wait to try it!) $54 / 175 ml and a plumping serum $48 / 30 ml (want it!). All of these products have my favourite ingredient, hyaluronic acid.

phyto at murale
Vitamins for strong healthy hair

phyto at muralehum jk blogger

Double digit weather is finally here and I’m getting ready for patio and picnic dates! It’s a bit tricky deciding on what to wear to a summer picnic. It really depends on what sort of activities you’ll be participating in or the lack of. My general rule of thumb is, if it’s a picnic where you’re playing sports or helping with the BBQ, then I lean towards wearing pants and a top. If I’ll be relaxing and just enjoying the weather, then I want to look cute. Looking cute was a lot easier before having kids. Now whatever I choose to wear, it has to be cute but also “nursing friendly”.

SUMMER PICNIC VIBES

summer time picnic what to wear

If you have been following my blog, Twitter and Instagram stories, you’ll see me mention some of the great #DixieDeals I’ve been finding at the Dixie Outlet Mall. The best is when I don’t even know it’s on sale and I get to the cash register to find out an item is less than half the price. Half! That’s just the best thing ever!

dixie outlet mall picnic

READ MORE: LONG WEEKEND READY WITH DIXIE

dixie outlet mall review

True story: I’ve been looking for a nice dress to wear this summer where I’ll have easy access to nurse my newborn, yet look good in it. I was passing by Ardene’s at Dixie Outlet Mall and noticed the racks at the front of the store with a few dresses hanging. There is one dress that really stood out to me. It was a strapless maxi dress in a cool faded blue tone made with a light cotton fabric (ideal for super-hot days). The tag said $35, and because I loved it at first sight, it was a done deal to purchase it. I went to the cash register and I found out that it was actually $11! I couldn’t contain my excitement and I said out loud, “Wow! Really?!”. I looked back at the racks, contemplating if I should buy more. More of the same colour? Maybe buy it for a friend or my sisters? You know it’s a good deal when you feel like you need to buy more.
matt and nat purse

I love the details on this dress; the cute pattern and the additional piece of fabric over the chest. I’m not yet comfortable with wearing a strapless dress alone or without anything over it. My arms gained weight during my pregnancy and I’ve become self-conscious about them. It’s a weird feeling because I never gained weight on my arms before. Because of this, I started looking for a light cardigan of some sort to wear over the dress. I’ve passed by the store Treasure Hunt many times since I started shopping at Dixie Outlet Mall. I’ve always wondered what was in there!

Treasure Hunt is exactly that: a treasure hunt. They have so many items at insanely low prices. I went over to the clothing section and found a white maxi cardigan that I’m wearing above for only $10! So incredible! On a side note: my husband has been asking me about getting him rain boots for a while now. He needs them for when he uses the power washer or doing outdoorsy stuff. The rain boots I found here were $20 at other stores, but I bought them from Treasure Hunt for only $8! With taxes included.

flat lay toronto blogger

READ MORE: SPRING SHOES DIXIE POST

flat lay toronto blogger

For every picnic you need a nice blanket or a light carpet to sit on. I picked this one up from Winners for just $30. It’s perfect because it fits in a standard bag so that I can take it with me anywhere and picnic whenever I want to! I love practical purses, especially the ones from my favourite Canadian purse designers Matt and Nat. It’s a vegan leather line, made in Montreal. I’ve always wanted a purse by them but I rarely find their purses and when I do I usually couldn’t justify the price. Imagine how excited I got when I found this lemonade Matt and Nat purse at Winners for $79.99! I love its geometric shape and the so unique colour. It’s perfect to take to a picnic because it holds so many essentials! This is going to be my new “blogger purse” because it fits my slr and more.

This is my summer go to picnic look. I’m going to take it easy in this ootd and enjoy a picnic wherever and whenever I want. Do you have a favourite outfit you like to wear to picnics? Comment below with tips on what to wear to a picnic.

toronto fashion blogger

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Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.

 

dixie outlet mall long weekend wear

The wait for the long weekend is over! *insert happy dance* That one extra day of having my husband home makes a world of a difference. It means I get to do so much more than I usually do on the weekends. The weather has been really topsy turvy and because of that I opted for a long weekend ready outfit from Dixie Outlet Mall that would work in rain or shine.

ardene fashion dixie outlet

How To Get Long Weekend Ready with Dixie Outlet Mall

We often forget the power of the sun and being outdoors for long periods of time can get you sun burnt. I keep my make-up to a minimal on a long weekend. Just don’t want to be bothered with spending hours applying it just to take it off again. Best fashion accessory to hide behind is a cute hat of course! I got this hat from Ardene and you won’t believe the deals they have here! The hat (regular price $12.50) was under a section that said 5/10. This means, 5 items for $10! Mind blown, right? I actually had first picked up a cape from the front rack of the store that I really liked. At the cash register they said it was $25, but because it was under the 5 for $10 section, I could pick up 3 more items and get them all for $10. *Heck yea!*

spring shoes dixie outlet mall

long weekend style

READ ALSO: Spring Wardrobe Refresh

It felt like I was getting freebies at Ardene. For the 3 additional items, I chose knee high socks (regular: $5) and flip flops (regular: $6.50) for when I go swimming. Where else can you go shopping and get 5 items like this for $10?! There are so many #DixieDeals at the Dixie Outlet Mall. It’s a matter of learning about them all so when you go there next, you know exactly where to shop, what part of the store and what you’ll be able to get.

long weekend what to wear

I love slip on sandals because they can be dressed up or dressed down for a day at the beach. I got these beige ones from Call it Spring on sale for $29.99. As a side note, you’ll notice the mall has colour coded entrances. This store is closest to the purple entrance. Check out the mall map here to plan out where to park.

 

call it spring toronto shopping

I heard via social media that Suzy Shier opened up at the Dixie Outlet Mall. Naturally I had to check it out! Short story: I use to shop at Suzy Shier all the time years ago. I remember getting the perfect black dress pants and I wore them so much that they ripped. Months later, I went back to Suzy Shier to see if they had a replacement for them and to my surprise they did! I bought 3 pairs that day! For my long weekend look I found the perfect white sheer t-shirt for $22.50; that will transition well from spring, through the summer.

toronto outlet shopping

High-waisted pants are my best friend, especially since having Baby Z a month ago. The grey pants were bought at Dynamite for $20 on the clearance racks! Can’t wait to style these pants this long weekend. Shopping for my little ones is so much fun! Although I’m pretty set for the year with clothes for both Baby D and Z, how could I ignore the great deals at Carters? This entire outfit worn by Baby D is from Carters.

carters dixie outlet mall

Shirt $18  – Pants$20  – Shoes$34

carter shoes

These shoes are really comfortable. He has a pair he wears at daycare as his indoor shoes so this pair will be great for outdoors. They’re called Robeez soft soles and the soles are just that. Ultra soft, flexible leather bends easily making these shoes really comfortable. You can find them at the front of the Carters store on a rack.

carters fashion

toronto kids fashion

His sad face because he said hi to a girl at the park and she didn’t say hi back. Tough love.

That moment when Baby D flung sand up and got it in his eyes. This is real life, mom life.

Our long weekend plans usually consist of spending some time outdoors by the river, at the park, shopping and some good quality time with our families and friends. What are your plans for the long weekend? Do you have an outfit planned out?

READ ALSO: Spring shoes favourites

 

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Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.

Spring flowers are blooming, people are gardening and the spring trends have started to roll into all of our favourite stores! Over the years, I’ve collected so many clothes, to a borderline hoarder point. I have an excessive amount of clothes that I haven’t worn in years. This made me realise it was time for a Spring cleaning wardrobe refresh.  

spring wardrobe refresh

Spring Cleaning For a Wardrobe Refresh…

My goal for a wardrobe refresh was to add more neutrals to my closet and get rid of all the clothes that were colours, prints or designs I couldn’t  see myself wearing again. Out with old, in with new!

Dixie Outlet Mall has some great options for a Spring wardrobe refresh! Keeping in mind the colours I was looking for and the looks I wanted to create, it made my shopping experience so much easier. We often go shopping with little or no thought into what we’re exactly looking for. We end up shopping for hours with no direction. Having a game plan helps you leave the mall content with your choices.

One of my favourite looks for spring is boat chic. Blue and white, comfy sneakers, white or neutral/light t-shirts.

boat chic

The Tommy Hilfiger outlet at the Dixie Outlet Mall is the best place for trousers and chino’s in different fits (straight, slim etc.) Trousers at Tommy Hilfiger generally cost anywhere between $70-120, at Dixie’s Tommy Hilfiger outlet store I purchased my chino slim fit pants for $41.99!

dixie outlet mall deals

READ MORE: Spring Shoes Favourites at Dixie Outlet Mall [Style]

tommy hilfiger chino slim fit

In the back of the store close to the cash register, you’ll find their sale/clearance racks, aka the best in #DixieDeals. They have great choices in comfortable t-shirts and blouses. They have a promotion going on where the sale rack t-shirts are $12.89. These deals remind me of cross-border shopping, but found conveniently in our city! I’ve been wanting a nice pair of white sneakers for awhile now, specifically; converse sneakers. There were a few stores at Dixie Outlet Mall that have converse sneakers and the prices for white chuck taylors range from $60-65. However, I got lucky and found a pair for $54.99 at the Journeys Outlet store.

I found this beautiful, flowy coat from Urban Planet for $29.99. I picture pairing this with a lot of clothes I already own and it’s great for making any outfit, dressier.

toronto fashion shopping

dixie outlet mall deals

Another great Spring trend you can find at the Urban Planet store in Dixie Outlet Mall are culotte pants. I scored these pants for $24.99 and these strappy heels, from the ALDO outlet. You may have seen them in my Spring Shoes Haul post.

All in all, I did really well at the Dixie Outlet Mall, but as I found, that’s no surprise!

spring cleaning

spring cleaning

What are your favourite Spring trends and are you due for a spring cleaning wardrobe refresh?

Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.

hum jk blogger

 

DIY little animal birthday hats


It’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with unique birthday theme ideas. During baby D’s birthday planning, I would say what helped the most to come up with a theme was asking the golden question, “What is he absolutely in love with right now?” and the answer was easy, animals. He loves nature, animals and everything beautiful about our planet Earth. Our back and forth chatter is a lot of “Oh look! Trees!” and his reply is a mumble-y, “Where’s the nest? Eggs!”. Looking forward to the warmer weather so we can build a few bird feeders together and put them up in the backyard. So what better theme to choose for his 2nd birthday but party animal!

Party Animal Theme Birthday Party [DIY]

For his party animal themed birthday there were a few things that I made sure had that animal touch, I say a few things because I don’t like to go nuts with themes and make everything animal etc. Learnt my lesson with my bridal shower when everything was Alice In Wonderland theme and it was just way too much work. (Details here.) This time, I’m a massive preggo and don’t have as much energy as I normally do, so keeping it sweet and simple was going to be it.

We had Pawsitively Pets join us for the birthday to present about 12 different animals to the children who were at the party. It was an extremely interactive event and he really could not retain his excitement. I had to actually sit with him and hold him back a few times because he was so excited about the animals. We learnt facts about the animals being presented and everyone got a chance to hold them as well. I highly recommend them for parties! Also, we had a super fun bouncy castle and an automatic train that moved on tracks. The kids were crazy about it! You can book them both here.

pawsitively pets

pawsitively pets

toronto bouncy castle

 

For the dessert table we had spread out little animal figurines, my favourite ones are by Schleich. They make toys that look extremely realistic and the quality is just excellent. Indigo online sells them or you can find them on Amazon.ca like I did. Colour theme was blue, white and yellow, hence the yellow flowers and the balloon colours.

party animal

Baking a buttercream cake isn’t as easy as it looks. Lots of steps, tools and patience needed! Maybe I’ll share some tips in a future post! Let me know 😉

party animal buttercream cake

For the little party hats I got the inspo from this blog post. So here’s how I made the little hats and banner:

Supplies needed
Glue gun
2 sticks (to hold the banner)
Scissors
Template
Fun paper – not too thin so it stays straight for the banner and holds well as a cone for the hat.
Thin yarn like string

STEP ONE

Cut out the shape of the birthday hats. Use the above template link! Super helpful.

STEP TWO

Use your glue gun to glue the hat once the length and size of the hat is achieved. I played around with mine for a bit. Kept turning out too long so cut the bottom little bits at a time, until I got to the length I liked. That only happened because I didn’t use the template at first, so there shouldn’t be a problem if you do use the template. 😉

STEP THREE

Take the thin yarn in a small amount, roll it into a tiny ball and glue it on top of the hat. You can also use little pom poms that you can find at an arts and crafts store, but I used this thin yarn so that I could use it also for the banner. Double use saves you a few bucks I guess.

LAST

Put some glue around the bottom trim of the little hat and place it on to the head of the animal.
When the event is over you can easily pop them off and the glue comes off effortlessly.

 

BANNER

Wrap the string on both sticks and cut out small triangles with your child’s name spelled out, each triangle being a letter. When you’re done just glue each triangle onto the hanging string. This party animal birthday theme was perfect! Even the adults had a lot of fun!

Party favours, we got some animal plush toys and teddy bears and attached cotton candy packs to them for a sweet touch. Check out C’est La Puf that does numerous amount of flavours of organic cotton candy. You can also follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

c'est la puf toronto cotton candy

cotton candy toronto services

Whatever theme you decide on for your little one’s special day, just remember to keep in mind the fine details. I’m a crafty person so I truly enjoyed putting this together. How about you? Do you have a great idea for children’s birthdays?

humjk toronto blogger

easy lemon bundt cake recipe

5 ways to relax on valentines day

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m going to steer away from the Valentines Day ootd’s, gift ideas etc posts and bring to you these quick ways to relax. Because let’s remember, valentines day isn’t just about loving others or others loving you, but also about loving yourself. Taking care of you and making yourself happy.

It’s so easy to say; relax, but not so easy to actually get into that mood. Especially if you’re all about that busy life, doing multiple things at once, wear a gazillion hats and fear taking a break because you could be really checking something off your to do list. Well, honestly, take that damn break! We get so riled up in our crazy busy lives that we often forget to take time for ourselves. So here’s my fool proof 5 quick ways to relax, and please.. I want you to try at least one and tell me how wonderful it felt.

 

LUSH BATH BOMBS

lush bath bomb

Omagosh. They’re so pretty, smell amazing and get you into the tub. I don’t know about you, but I can’t find the time to just lay in the tub thinking of sweet nothings. It’s shower, out and go.

But taking that time to go to the store, pick out your selection of bath bombs, smell them, feel them.. really look forward to each one, really does enhance that relaxing experience you’ll want to go for. That initial drop in the tub and watching it turn your tub water into all sorts of pretty colours… oh and the aroma… ugh. Don’t get me started on the aroma. Take that scent in. Deep breaths my friend. I have a handful sitting in a basket in my bathroom. And when the time is right, and I totally need that getaway, I pick one of my LUSH bath bombs and I’m checking out of life, travelling to my bath bomb oasis.

 

MASKSrelax on valentines day

I’ve built up a collection of masks for all kinds of days. Just for fun, treatment and troubled skin masks. What I love about masks is that I don’t need to dedicate a whole lot of time to doing one. You can even put one on and continue doing whatever it is you need to do. Well I wouldn’t go outside with it on. Let’s not scare the neighbours, okay? If you want deep relaxation, you can apply your mask, cut a few cucumber slices and apply it to your closed eye lids and maybe eat a few and just lay there. Do absolutely nothing for 15-30 minutes depending on how long you need to keep your mask on.

MEDITATION/PRAYER

Make time to collect yourself. Whether it’s meditating or prayer, make that time every day to stop and collect your thoughts, release negativity and bring in all the goodness that the world has to offer. I know, it may sound a little crazy to some of you, but it doesn’t hurt to try right?

REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT

Did you know repetitive motions such as running a brush through your hair (try for a 100 strokes), washing dishes or even folding clothes can help you relax? Even with a dishwasher at home, I actually enjoy sometimes washing dishes. I may not be drawn to doing it at first, but once I get started, I just can’t stop. If you go for the 100 strokes of brushing your hair, it’ll help with stimulating healthy hair growth and shinier hair. Especially if you use a bristle brush.

ART

Not everyone’s cup of tea, but art can really help you wind down. I like to have at least one project ongoing that involves me painting or getting crafty. At the moment I have two that I’m almost done. I guess that’s why those adult colouring books are pretty popular now.

It’s all about setting the ambiance. You can do all of these quick ways to relax methods but creating that environment of soft background music, or absolute silence, turning yourself off and submerging yourself into relaxation is key here.

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