currently

currently

reading: 'what should i do with my life?' by po bronson

ya know...i figured i had asked myself that question enough times, might as well check out the book right? it's actually incredibly interesting and no, it's not one of those quiz books where it tells you to be a teacher at the end. it's stories of peoples life journeys & how they got there - super interesting & i've enjoyed every word

anticipating: i turn 27 next month & am kind of super excited about it. age is a funny thing, i sort of freak out a little when i find a new wrinkle or grey hair, but ultimately 'the only constant is change' right, might as well embrace the change that is our bodies & souls

feeling thankful for: my girlfriends. i seriously love them so freaking much it's not even funny. we had such a great day at the cottage while the boys were golfing last weekend...and last night we had an awesome dance party at a small wine bar in town...the best.

working on: new black&bronze pieces. trying to find time to fit in a little photo shoot/editing session but that probably won't happen for another couple of weeks

loving: this is going to sound narcissistic but my hair. i've been having awesome hair days lately & that my friends is an awesome feeling. i've discovered that after 27 years my hair likes to be air dried, braided & then let loose! 

wanting: a new tattoo! i'm working on a new piece & am going to have a different artist do it than my usual (a girl!) and am getting really excited for it (sorry mum & dad!)

also. today i got to hold my friends 3 week old baby & my heart melted. babies are so amazing, aren't they? (everytime i start this conversation i feel like a stoner) but seriously, there's something SO magical about making a human...whaaaat? it blows my mind when i think about it. babies are pure magic...and a little bit of sex. okay, i'm tired...i'm out.

just because: 20% off black&bronze

from now until sunday receive 20% OFF your black&bronze order. this is just a little 'thank you' whether you've purchased something before or for just being a wicked individual. i think you're great!

enter coupon code JUSTBECAUSE at checkout!

#duh

this weekend a bunch of us headed up to megs cottage for the long weekend. sitting around the fire i counted 22 people, 22 of the best pals a girl could ask for - all in one spot. 

these are my friends. that is my boyfriend. yep, the one with his pants down #duh

my catch phrase of the weekend: hashtag duh...using the word 'hashtag' in real life is really funny....to me...

truth: my friends are babes.

such a great weekend with amazing friends. it makes me so excited for summer; i want 100 more of these days!

i have a few days off in a row next week so i am planning to head up to my cottage for some R&R and boy am i excited!! it's almost june you guys & that is really exciting!! i'm excited for this summer as there always seems to be something going on, my schedule already seems pretty full for summer & it's barely started! plus i turn 27 on june 13th & i'm kind of exciting. getting older doesn't scare me, it makes me excited to see what's in store!

clean living: the gnarly whale

it seemed like you guys appreciated the last post about natural products i have found/love, so here's more yummy all natural products i've found!

i was originally drawn to the gnarly whale because i really liked their simple black & white branding (i'm a sucker for that stuff) i then read the scents & ingredients & thought they sounded delicious! the price was right so i made my first purchase. the hair detangler came in a great little hemp bag & they included a cute note/coupon code for my next purchase (such a smart idea for etsy sellers to keep customers coming back) but i would have anyway as their products are great!

oh you love creamsicles? ya, who doesn't?! this lip balm smells so so sooo good! & the best part is i'm not licking any harsh chemicals off my lips. i haven't switched over all of my makeup yet, but the lip balms & lipsticks had me the most worried as it can be ingested.

since i started lightening my hair i've had to use a hair detangler every time i wash my hair. this one works great & smells amazing!! i use it even if my hair isn't tangly...which truthfully doesn't happen very often anymore.

the gnarly whale currently has a coupon code for free product in their shop announcement so it's a great time to order some goodies!



side note: i do not have any affiliations with this shop, i just really love their products & wanted to share with you!

secrets to happiness I

i'm going to start a new feature on this little blog called 'secrets to happiness' it's not going to be a weekly or bi-weekly & maybe not even monthly feature (because i can't commit to that) so it will just appear when it does & i promise they'll be good.

personally i've always wondered if i'd ever be 100% happy. that probably sounds more depressing than it is. it's not to say i'm not happy, because i am, but there always seems to be something [more] that i assume could make me happier, whatever that may be. 

remove all notions that you will be 100% happy when ______ happens

- you have kids

- you get married

- you get that promotion or 'career' job

- you buy a home

- you move somewhere new

- etc, etc, etc

my first secret to happiness is probably the biggest one i have learned in my life. it's one that i've had a hard time learning even though it might seem obvious to others, because i, like most people, really love having things to look forward to, but that's not what life is all about. if you remove the notion that some thing is going to make you happy, you'll be set free. it doesn't even have to be as major as some of things i listed, it could even be you trying to justify a purchase, ex: i'll be happier when i buy this pair of shoes' yes, you might be happy, momentarily. it will be fleeting because eventually those shoes will wear out, or get ruined, and quite frankly your happiness should not be based on material things.

back to the topic of being '100% happy'. truth be told, it's not realistic. the only constant is change. we are constantly wanting and needing to make changes because we always want more for our self  and that's a good thing. what would life be about if we eventually reached an ultimate happiness & then just had nothing to do, nothing to dream about & nothing to push us forward & keep us going. 

we need to stop basing our happiness on things that we think might make us happier if we had them. think about why you are happy right now. think about all of the amazing things that you currently have...right now, and i guarantee you you'll have a smile on your face within seconds.

get out there & be happy.

tell me whatcha want whatcha really, really want

'want'...'need'

i see these comments SO often in social media; twitter, facebook, pinterest, instagram, blogs. i've been the one leaving the comments too, don't get me wrong. i constantly have a mental list of things i want, things i convince myself that i need. i feel like wants that soon turn to needs that then turn into regretted purchases happen far too often for me. i definitely give in to following a thousand brands on social media platforms & seeing them post things that i want & need. i have definitely seen a fellow blogger wearing something in an outfit post & proceeded to buy it for myself. i've absolutely seen a company post a product & immediately think to myself "i totally need that"...but the fact of the matter is that i don't. i have SO many things that sometimes (when i'm feeling in a particularly minimalist mood) it leaves me feeling sick to my stomach. the amount of things i've convinced myself i need and have bought is quite frankly, ridiculous. 

well internet, i'm cutting myself off.

plain & simple. i don't need anything more than i already have...and if it turns out that i do, like...i don't know when all of my clothes fall apart, then i will deal with that as it comes but for now i am trying my absolute best not to accumulate anymore things...stuff...pieces of momentary happiness.

wish me luck. it ain't gonna be easy.

sidenote: sorry, not sorry about the title of this post. spice girls whaaat!!

living clean

a bit ago i mentioned that i was feeling very inspired to change over to all natural body care & eventually hoping to make the switch in other aspects of life as well (makeup, cleaning product, hair care) & a few of you expressed interest & mentioned that you would like to do so as well, so i thought that a follow up post might be good to do from my experience so far.

at the end of april i ordered a few different products from the etsy shop southern twisted soaps & i will definitely be ordering from them again! when i started to read up on how many chemicals and toxins were in body lotions it really freaked me out. to think that i lather it on multiple times a day and it's soaking into my skin & absorbing those chemicals...uh uh, i wasn't okay with that. that was one of the first things i wanted to change! here is what i ordered from them:

honeydew melon lotion

such a light scent, i love this & it's not overpowering to slather on after the shower. it's perfect & soaks in quickly!

monkey farts hand lotion

don't let the name fool you...it is SUCH an amazing scent, i love it! & think it's pretty damn cute they named it monkey farts. i can't wait for someone to ask me what that smell is, haha

honey orange body spray

i love this. though it doesn't last all day like a regular perfume would...it's also not jam packed full of chemicals so i'll carry it with me if i feel the need for an extra spritz throughout the day or after the gym.

raspberry lemonade solid perfume

light & pretty i love that this is small enough that i can carry it around with me & light enough of a scent for summertime when i don't want something heavy. it meshes well with the other scents i chose from the lotions & sprays too.

oatmeal & honey exfoliating cold pressed soap

for $6.50 you are getting a huge block of soap that smells amaaaazing. i truly fell in love with all of the scents the second i opened the package! it's hard to buy scented things online right, because you can't smell them...but the names are a very accurate depiction of how they should smell!

i bought all of this stuff for $45...so it's actually cheaper than buying body lotion at bath n body works or shoppers drug mart, or wherever you regularly buy your body care...and say goodbye to $100 perfume bottles, not worth it if you ask me!

i highly recommend checking out southern twisted soaps. the scents are great, the quality & quantity of the product for the price is amazing & you're getting a homemade product that someone has put thought & love into. what's better than that? oh ya, it's 100% natural...gotta love that!! plus sweet & simple packaging always gets me...everytime!

ps: i was not paid by or asked to write about these products at all. all thoughts are my own & i was just really impressed by the shop & wanted to share it with you guys incase you're looking to make the switch to clean living too ;)

easy summer hair

wash. towel dry. put into side braid. let dry. unleash.

& guess what that means? 

this girl is retiring her hair straightener & couldn't be happier about it. 

to my amazing, caring, generous, loving, hilarious momma; without her i wouldn't be the person that i am today. i notice on an (almost) daily basis how much i am reminding myself of my mum, and of course at first when i was younger i thought 'oh great' but the older i get, the more i appreciate the fact that i want to be like my mum because she's an amazing human being...and i could be so lucky to turn out as wonderful as she is. 

as i grew up she was not only my mother but also my best friend; a person that i could go to with absolutely any problem or question & she would give the best advice or just let me talk or cry or whatever i needed to do. she is patient and loving and will do anything for anyone at anytime. 

again, the older i get the more i appreciate my mum and all that she has done for kyle & i. i can only hope to be as amazing a mother to my kids one day as she is for us

love you mum ♥

(one more mothers day post for you to read...my mum is too awesome to let this day go by without a special blog post)

tank - F21

shorts - free people

denim jacket - old as hell (bluenotes actually!)

boots - steve madden via save our soles

i wore this today & it turned out to be cold & rainy so i was a little under dressed to say the least but i can't wait to wear this outfit again as i was so comfortable all day. i got these shorts a few years ago but will definitely be rocking them a ton this summer. they cover all my not-so-favourite thigh bits.

do you own a denim jacket? if so, is it your absolute favourite piece in your wardrobe? mine is! i own a lot of denim tops/jackets/vests but i wear them like crazy because they just go with everything ya know? such a key piece! 

i just did another major purge of my closet. it feels so good...and i'm surprised i have anything left after i do them, i always seem to get rid of so much. just another realization that i have way too many clothes & need to stop shopping [a post on that coming later this week]

hope everyone has a great weekend! i'm off to toronto.

wanderlust

a friend of mine from high school is an extremely talented photographer. i just came across his work recently through his facebook page & holy moly i have fallen in love with these absolutely stunning images. they take you to a completely different place...

^ this is one of my favourites...though it's really hard to choose. i just can't stop looking at it & wishing i was there. it seems so magical.

^ i'm sorry but like...is this real life??

these give me a serious case of wanderlust

wow

you can see more of his work here

slow ride. take it easy.

i'm learning to take things slow...

it's an ongoing process for me & something i have to remind myself on a daily basis & teach myself how to do. whether it's rushing around in the morning; downing my coffee & breakfast, throwing on some clothes & running out the door to work...or walking quickly - everywhere (cause i'm just a fast walker) or feeling like i should be doing something when i actually find myself having downtime, we constantly feel like we should be rush rush rushing around, busying ourselves with something or working & accomplishing something - always. i really wish this wasn't the case & i am definitely trying to get better at it.

i want to wake up earlier & enjoy my coffee instead of chugging it back while i'm doing my makeup

i want to leisurely walk to work instead of worrying about being late...unless of course we're running late ;)

i want to slow down & enjoy every bite of my dinner instead of thinking of what i'm going to do next

i want to read every word instead of skimming through quickly

i want to enjoy every moment of time spent with friends instead of letting my mind drift off elsewhere

i want to take time - to take things slowly 

we're in no rush...life isn't going anywhere, and if it is it's only going to pass by at an alarming rate & one day we'll wake up & wonder where it all went because we didn't take things slower. 

enjoy every moment. 

lounge.

linger.

let things be.

it's okay to stop.

it's okay to walk a little slower.

take it easy.

warm days

(best ever) tank - vintage via public butter, toronto

wide leg denim - fidelity

necklaces shown - pyrrha (short) & black&bronze (in hand)

southwestern ring - etsy

bueno ring - this amazing shop

it's been really warm here the past few weeks. we immediately skipped over spring from winter right into summer & i am certainly not complaining. the sunshine has been glorious & my days off have been spent outside & i've been running as much as possible instead of being holed up at the gym. isn't it crazy how the second the sun comes out & it's warmer outside people are instantly happier? i know i definitely needed the warmth, that's for sure. i hope it's been lovely where you are too!

outfit post: just me

i've said it before on this little blog of mine & i'll say it again as i finally feel as if i'm coming into my own, style wise [it only took 27 years!] but this is me. i'm a jeans & a t-shirt kind of gal. i've tried a million different things & it always comes back to this...i feel the most 'me' when i dress just like in the photo above, or some variation of it. a great t-shirt, solid pair of denim - match that up with some killer accessories & a wicked pair of shoes/boots & away i go. 

you know when you pick something up at the store and think 'this isn't me, but i'm going to try it' ...ya, i've stopped doing that as those are the pieces that sit in my closet & then i end up giving it to the friend that i originally thought 'this is so _____ [insert friends name] but i'm gonna try it anyway' ya, i've wasted too much money on clothes like that SO jeans & tees [for the most part] are what i'll be spending my money on. i'm still on the hunt for the perfect pair of jeans.

today is my day off & it is freaking GORGEOUS out there, sunny & warm, so excuse me while i go frolick in the sunshine with my gal pal jess as we are heading out for a picnic!

side note: liz, if you're reading this...i still can't figure out a way to get my instagram photos to appear more clear in my posts. and anyone else reading this side note, any tips? i generally grab the photo from the site web.stagram & am wondering if that has something to do with the distortion when i upload/enlarge it on here?