Dressing for the Holidays

Now that the cold weather is finally upon us (boo!) it's time to start thinking about all those holiday parties we're going to be attending over the season.  The big questions on everyone's mind are: "what on earth do I wear??" & "how much is it going to cost?!?".  We all know that the holidays can put a huge strain on our wallets so without breaking the bank here are some ideas to get you through the holidays with little stress and money still left in your wallet!


The Ever Elusive Office Party
We all know that in there comes that time in the year when a memo goes around inviting everyone to the famed (or infamous) office holiday party.  We also know that there are many of us who absolutely dread it (myself included).  Without going into office party etiquette, I would like to share with you some ideas for wowing your co-workers without having your image posted all over the internet in a less-than-fabulous light.


During Office Hours
Typically these dos occur within the operating day and as such we need to be mindful of what we sport to such an event, and as such you should consider separates or a work appropriate dress.  Here are some ideas from Ricki's:

Separates

Accessories

Work Appropriate Dresses

Key to Wearing the During Office Hours Separates:

The tops can be worn with the skirts shown (or with pants, of course) and you can either wear a blazer or opt to show some skin.  If your top has a jeweled neckline it is not necessary to wear a necklace, instead wear some drop or chandelier earrings, a cocktail ring and even some bracelets.

Price Points for the items shown:

$12.50 - $129.50 CAD

After-work Office Functions

There are the rare occasions when the office holiday function is held after-work (in the evening) or on the weekends.  For these functions it is recommended that you glam it up, so here are some glitzy holiday ideas from Le Chateau:

LBDs

Festive Dresses

Pant and Suit Options

Key to wearing LBDs and Festive Dresses:

You can either spice up your dress by wearing estate-style jewelery or keep the jewels understated.  If you don't want to show too much skin opt for a wrap; but if you do remember to wear a clutch because the last thing you want to be doing all night is fidgeting with your bag and your wrap.

Price Points for Items Shown:
$130 - $324.87+ CAD

The beauty about the Le Chateau website is that you can "Shop the Look", which means that every item shown, from pantyhose to earrings are priced out for you.  This makes it easy to shop for exactly what you want and leave out what you don't.

Naturally, these options can easily be worked into your friend & family gatherings, so be sure to get into the holiday spirit while out shopping for your next great holiday ensemble and the beauty of shopping for your festive soiree is that these pieces can easily take you into the New Year and beyond!

Happy Shopping!

Other Places to Consider:

Suzy Shier

H&M

Jacob

Mexx

Dynamite

Mango

RW&Co

BCBG

Denise

...+ Many, Many more!

Is it November already? The Christmas Countdown begins...

It's hard to believe that Halloween was 5 days ago and already the shops are packed with holiday trimmings.  I could've sworn I starting seeing hints of Christmas creeping in slowly by the time the school year started back in September; but sure enough it wasn't even the end of October and the stores were already packed with everything festive.  Now don't get me wrong, Christmas for me is a magical time of year and by far one of my most favourite holidays so I guess it's no surprise that I'm going to be dedicating a few posts on this very topic.


In anticipation of Jolly 'ol St. Nick
If you're like me, you're already thinking ahead about trimming the house with all the festive fixings; hanging the lights, setting up the tree, decorating the banister and mantle, sending out Christmas cards, buying presents..etc.  But for some of us, decorating for the holidays is a chore and not a joy.  And I can fully understand why, the amount of holiday ornaments to adorn your home and your tree with are overwhelming at best. So a quick way to begin thinking about what you would like your house to look and feel like during the holidays is to think in themes, in particular colour themes.  I know, it sounds kitschy and a bit hokey, but trust me thinking in themes is the easiest way to keep on track and deck out your halls.


I'll have a Blue Christmas...
One of the first tricks to thinking about holiday themes is to think in colours.  Monochromatic and Multi-Coloured themes work best if you take into consideration your existing space and make sure that you don't go overboard.  Here are some tips and examples:


Monochromatic Theme:
If your home is already adorned with soft shades of cream and white you could easily stick with the same colour theme and deck out all your holiday decor in these same shades.  Likewise, you could easily introduce variations on shades of blue or green or red solely into your holiday decor.  Here are a few examples:

Multi-Coloured Theme:

If your home has many shades or even if it consists of only one or two, nothing should stop you from incorporating a multi-coloured holiday theme.  The trick when considering a multi-colour theme is to stick with two or three colours at most.  The more colours you introduce, the harder it will be to tie them together.  For example, red and green are always safe bets and work very nicely together; red and gold are other good contenders.  Blue, white and gold make a nice combination for a more modern look & Purple, pink and turquoise make for a festive Mardi-Gras look.  A tip for making the most of the multi-theme look is to build in shades of the two or three colours you select.  This will give the theme more depth and interest.  Here are some examples:

Holiday decorating is a lot of fun once you take the chore out of it.  So get out there and start thinking about the colour theme you'd like to bring into your home and start building on your collection, trust me all the fun is in the hunt and in setting it all up!

Places to consider:

Crate and Barrel

West Elm

Pottery Barn

Pier 1

BouClair

Homesense

...and just about anywhere!

Happy Shopping!

Cocktail Rings...Not Just for Happy Hour!

Well I don't know about you gals, but I'm a HUGE fan of cocktail rings.  The bigger the better in my opinion, but what I've found is that there is a common misnomer about them; women seem to think that cocktail rings are only meant to be worn with a cocktail dress or on special occasions. Well, I say that's nothing but poppycock!


Cocktail rings (or big chunky rings) are meant to be worn otherwise why design them?!  I personally like to wear one everyday, whether it's during the workweek, out and about shopping or even on the weekends.  I like to wear a complementary or contrasting stone with my outfits to create a bit of panache.  The size of cocktail rings can vary from small-medium to large-extra-large and they come in an amazing selection of stones, metals, colours, styles and shapes.


The trick to wearing a cocktail ring is to keep the remaining jewelery selection minimal; that is unless you're going for the complete "estate" look (wearing your best jewels at once, all the while keeping it classy!), or for an eclectic/artsy feel.  As mentioned above, one of the easiest ways of wearing a cocktail ring is to select a stone with a complementary, similar or contrasting colour.  For example, if your outfit has a lot of brown you can choose a stone in either brown, gold/yellow or orange to complement the outfit.  If you want your ring to stand out, select a stone in either red or blue, and so on.  The options are limitless, and when in doubt clear stones are always a safe bet!  


So get out there and start your very own collection of cocktail rings, trust me you'll wish you did this a lot sooner!  Happy Shopping!


Here are some examples to get you inspired:

Courtesy of:
The Shopping Channel

Bringing Drama to Lighting

Nothing says opulence like a beautifully decorated room illuminated by strategically placed task, spot and overhead lighting (not to mention natural lighting).  So what better way to enhance your space than to introduce a wonderfully ornate, simplistically modern, functionally traditional or architecturally beautiful chandelier or pendant overhead.  


Chandeliers/Pendants have typically been reserved for and thought of as lighting sources meant to illuminate grand staircases, cathedral height ceilings and vast open space dining rooms.  But this concept has changed over the years and I am sure happy for it.  Chandeliers are making appearances in any number of locations throughout the home where you would never have found one before, in bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens.  Sure, they are still being used in their "traditional" sense, but the style of chandeliers available allow for a great number of opportunities to create a sense of whimsy, sophistication, sleekness and refinement.


There are tricks however, to selecting and hanging a chandelier in your home which will impact the overall esthetic's.  When examining a space in which you're considering a chandelier take these thoughts into consideration:

1. Where am I going to hang it?
2. How large is the overall space?
3. How low can the fixture be hung?
4. What is the "look" I'm going for?

The reason for these questions is simple, when considering your space and it's functionality you need to determine that:

a) Chandeliers can be hung in a number of locations from the stairwell/entry to the powder room, it's really just a matter of imagination.  You can consider hanging one over an island in your kitchen, or in a more traditional location such as your dining room.  Bedrooms and bathrooms are also ideal locations as well as living spaces.  The choices are limitless.

b) How large of a fixture to hang is impacted by the size of the space.  If your room is small, you don't want a chandelier that is 3/4 the size of the space, or vice-versa, if your room is quite large you wouldn't want to select a very petite fixture.

c) The height at which to hang the chandelier is equally as important as the size.   Depending on where you're planning to install one you want to be sure that either heads won't be banged when walking into the space or that linens won't be caught every time you make the bed/table.  And if you're hanging one over the dining table that the table is illuminated and people can see across from one another and are not obstructed.

d) The overall appearance is important when selecting a chandelier (as with any other lighting source) as this can greatly impact the space.  Consider the chandelier as a floating decorative object in the room, an art piece of sorts.  Your fixture can be demure or whimsical, modern or traditional.  What matters is that the fixture fits with the overall "theme" or flow of the room and doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. 

So now that we've covered the basics, let's get into the fun stuff...choosing a chandelier!  Here are some options broken down for you by category, both in chandelier and pendant configurations, but remember the options are limitless, so be sure to hit the shops and boutiques and find that next great fixture for your space(s)!

Sleek/Modern:

Architectural:

19th/20th Century:

Sophisticated and Charming:

Whimsical and Kitschy:

Those are just a few options in only a limited number of styles that are available, so get out there and scour the shops for your next great chandelier/pendant fixture!  Your room will thank you.

Happy Shopping!

Courtesy of:

Restoration Hardware

Living Lighting

Home Depot

West Elm

Vivaterra

Lighting Originals

Pottery Barn

Fall Fashions

Waking up to that chill in the morning is certainly a change from the hot and humidity of the summer and many of us find that the Fall is one of the most creative times of the year when it comes to fashion, and a lot of us prefer it.  Layering & coziness, rich colours & textures and best of all boots!  My aim is to provide you with some inspiration for your next fall fashion purchase.


Below are some outfits that I threw together to give you an idea how to create some fashion flare instead of just opting for the standard jeans and a sweater.  Get creative, and get out there and start shopping!  Remember that you can mix and match and substitute items that you may not agree with or feel comfortable wearing.  The key is to have fun and remember, one of the greatest fall fashion tricks is layering!  


Military with a Twist:

Military with a Twist substitutions: 

• Dark wash or Grey/Black skinny jeans would also work well with this outfit.  
• You can trade the layered tunic for a graphic tee or a military inspired top.
• The boots can be traded for a pair of pumps or booties.

Country Casual:

Country Casual substitutions:

• The skinny jeans can be traded for a pair of gray knit leggings/stockings.
• The gloss Violet Hunter boots can be swapped for a pair of brown riding boots.
• You can add a series of necklaces for that layered look.

Dressed to Impress:

Dressed to Impress substitutions:

• The gold tones can be replaced with silver to create a different look.
• The brown belt and brown shoes can be switched with black.
• The scarf can be replaced with a cropped cardy/bolero or a grey fitted blazer.

Feeling Feminine:

Feeling Feminine substitutions:

• Replace the grey skirt and cardigan for a black skirt/fitted top.
• Exchange the mauve/taupe shopper with a clutch.
• Trade the flower studs for chandelier drops.

Layered Luxury:

Layered Luxury substitutions:

• The cardigan can be swapped for a wrap-style cardigan.
• The embellished tee can be exchanged for a v-neck or a cami.
• The jeans can be traded for a skirt.

Additional Fall Accessories to consider:

So get out there and start perusing the shops for your next fall wardrobe purchase!

Happy Shopping!!

Courtesy of:

Mango

The Gap

Town Shoes

Aldo

Ricki's

Suzy Shier

Nine West Canada

Piperlime

BCBG

StopStyle.com

Back to School - Workstations on a Budget

"...It's the most wonderful time of the year..."  It's back to school and what better time to think about re-doing your child's, or even your workspace to help get those creative juices flowing and those synapses firing!  We all know that with the start of the school year budgets are tight as there are new wardrobes to be bought, and textbooks, supplies, backpacks, laptops, and everything in-between to be purchased - funds can be stretched pretty thin.  I would like to provide you with workspaces on various budgets to show you that even on a small budget beautiful spaces can be designed.  All spaces below are courtesy of IKEA and all prices are exclusive of applicable taxes:


UNDER $105.00 CAD

UNDER $160.00 CAD

UNDER $300.00 CAD

UNDER $440.00 CAD

UNDER $620.00 CAD

Those are just a few options at various price points to get you motivated and inspired to make that next workspace purchase!


Happy Shopping!


Courtesy of:
IKEA