It's ... Boot Season!

I was very excited this morning when I realized it was going to be a cool and crisp day.  I know, sounds crazy that I would be excited about the cold weather, but when it gets miserable out, you gotta find the positive.  Sooo, I pulled out my first pair of boots this Fall season :)  I never really understood boots in terms of a fashion statement until just last year when I found the perfect pair - the Frye Melissa Button boot! 

This boot is the perfect riding boot.  I purchased it in black, but it comes in all colors.  I might have a to get a pair of brown ones in the future.  They are a bit pricey, but totally worth the money as the riding boot will never go out of style and they are made from 100% leather.

Below is my OOTD wearing my coveted boots!

shirt - Zara

black riding pants - F21

boots - Frye

Speaking of boots, I really do want a pair of dark brown boots.  Not the cognac color, I have a pair of those (with a heel), but more of a dark brown.  Not sure if I would like them to be flat or have a heel at this point.  But here is a great inspiration pic from probably the cutest preggo I have ever seen.

And another pair from Coach.

(ok, by the looks of things, I'm thinking flat boots!)

I also want a pair of black Uggs (shhhh ... not sure if Uggs are really fashion forward) but I think they are so comfortable and great for walking to and from the train for work.  Also good for running errands and hitting the gym in the Wintertime.

Tickled Pink - Baby Shower Soiree!

I had the pleasure of attending my good friend's baby shower this weekend.  It was hosted by another good friend who is the guest of honors bff!  She did an amazing job with the decorations, food, prizes and small details that were noticed by all!  One of the unique attributes to the shower was that it was a Soiree, so it was later in the evening -- pretty much a dinner party!  I thought it was a great change to the typical afternoon shower. 

I immediately got excited about the shower when I saw the invite!  ADORABLE!  I love anything paper, so I was soooo thrilled when I found out the hostess created this herself!

The hostess let the guests select wine glasses that included tags with famous moms written on them.  She then had us searching her house for their children (well name tags with the coordinating baby names to the moms that were written on our wine glasses).  When we left we had to submit the name tags for our parting gift - a nail polish in all different shades of pink.  What a unique idea!

Table is set for dinner!  The party colors were pink & brown.

The hostess & amazing help! 

Yummy Desserts -- the brownies were homemade and so delicious!

Gifts!

Thongs as game prizes!

Here is a pic of the glowing mom-to-be, myself & my bff!

Can't wait to meet baby!!!  She's due early December!

Also, I got a manicure/pedicure the day before the shower and tried out a baby pink color.

Essie - Beach Party



Lastly, here is my OOTD!  I love this lace top from Aritzia.  It can really dress up an outfit!

top - Aritzia

grey pants - Jacob



OOTD - Grey & Yellow

Another quick post of my outfit of the day!  I decided to wear a skirt that is normally part of my Summer wardrobe and pair it with tights & a cardigan - it was raining when I left so I needed to add a bit of color to add 'pep to my step'!

cardigan - Jacob

skirt - American Eagle

tights - Jcrew

t-shirt - Gap
nail polish - Essie Beach Party

I had a great weekend that was topped off with attending a good friend's Baby Shower Soiree on Saturday night!  Her best friend did an amazing job organing, planning and executing.  I can't wait to share a couple photos -- look out for my next post!

Brown & Black OOTD

Just a quick post today!  I've really been liking how brown & black work together lately and thought I would post an outfit of the day with this combination.  I think it was a fashion 'no-no' a couple years back but I think it's a very classic & elegant look. 

cardigan - aerie

tank - tna

skirt - the bay (moon)

headband - jcrew

TOM's Ballet Flats *pinch me* + OOTD

Ekkkkk!  You've heard me talk about them before but my coveted TOM's are coming out with Ballet Flats next spring!  Check out a preview!!!!  This excites me beyond belief.  I'm loving the light pink & light grey ones!

Here is what I wore today.  The day started off rainy so I wasn't feeling the whole 9-to-5 dressy vibe.  So I decided to opt for a casual blazer & skinny jeans.

blazer - H&M

jeans - Paige

white tank - Gap

nail polish - opi russian navy



My Recipe Binder

I love all things organizational in nature, so it's really no surprise that I keep my recipes very organized so that they are easy to find.  Don't get me wrong, even though I have a recipe binder, I am also a die hard collector of recipe books.  The key reason I keep a recipe binder is so that I have a place to collect and store recipes I have found while browsing online, ripped out of magazines and even better it's a place I can collect some of my family favourites that have been passed down from earlier generations. 

As you'll see my recipe binder looks a bit disorganized as sheets of paper are different sizes, some are typed out, some printed out ... but I love it!  For some reason it gives the book an authentic vibe sorta as though I have scored all resources for the recipes.

I started off with a 1 1/2 inch ring binder.  I purchased the type that had a see-through cover, so that I could include a fun title page & spine.  I downloaded this Recipe Binder template via the Internet.  I love it!

Next I purchased page protectors to protect each page & recipe.  I find this so useful as usually I don't like to have my entire binder on my counter top while I'm cooking as it takes up a lot of room.  This gives me the freedom of removing pages and not worrying about spoiling the recipes with spilt milk & loose flour.

I also purchased tabbed dividers for my recipe binder.  I browsed a couple cookbooks at first to find out how cookbooks are easily divided, and I also thought about my recipe database & things I enjoy cooking.  Taking both into account, I had settled on the below categories.

Appetizers

Sides (this can incorporate salads, vegetable dishes, etc.)

Pasta & Rice

Main Dishes

Family Favourites

Breakfast

Breads

Drinks

Desserts

Holiday!

I used alphabet stamps for the first letter on each tab and hand wrote the rest of the word.

Here are some pictures of how I've laid out my recipes within my recipe binder.

Recipes ripped from newspapers & magazines

Handwritten while cooking with my mom.

I have even taken photos of recipes in magazines at Chapters

I love to add comments of my own

Printed off websites

Family favourites handwritten for me!  This one is from my dad of my favourite sandwich - the Monte Cristo!

Sometimes I highlight ingredients I might not buy on a consistent basis.  That way I will be reminded of key ingredients while creating my grocery list.

I love recipes from a magazine, the colors really help you re-create the dish

Post-it notes for quick & easy recipes

Do you have any ways of how you like to organize your recipes? 

Friday Faves!

Hi ya'll!  It's Friday!!! :)  My favourite day of the week.  I thought I would quickly go through and capture a couple of my favourite things/events throughout the week (possibly longer) and include some pretty pictures I have recently collected. 

I think I'm going to break this post down into sections just so that I can organize my thoughts better.  God, I love organization -- which reminds me I still have to do a post on my recipe binder!

Clothing:
I was pursing shopbop.com and came across this adorable maxi skirt by Theory & a cute pair of black platform sandals.  I love both of them!  Thinking if I should splurge?

Oh, and I wore my JCrew tweed mini for the first time this week.  I am in love.  I just need to find a top that goes seamlessly with the outfit.  I wore one of those royal blue colored tanks with it, but am thinking it's not the perfect match. (for some reason the royal blue top didn't come through in the pic)

Entertainment:
Let's Go Blue Jays!  The Jays were in town this past weekend for the last time this season, so my bf and I decided to check out a game!  We've been to a couple this Summer as he has a seasons pass!  Gotta love the combination of peanuts, rowdy fans, lots of sun and beeeeer! :)

If you love beer, you'll love Beer Bistro.  Beer Bistro is a small pub-ish, lounge that gives you the opportunity to sample all sorts of beers from around the world.  You can order 3 samples for $6 -- and if you find a beer you like, order a full pint!  Their french fries are also to die for!

DIY Projects:
I'm dying to get my hands on another DIY craft project, and weirdly enough the project I've wanted to work on will actually help me with another problem I have been having - losing my jewellery!  I love this jewellery board for necklaces & earrings!  It actually makes for a really nice art project too.  I could put it in my closet or even on a wall in a washroom.

Speaking of necklaces, I think my next necklace purchase will be a coral beaded one similar to below.  I think JCrew used to carry something similar to this, but I'm hoping I can find something like it at Forever 21.

Home/Decor:
So where is the one room I would experiment most with color & texture?  Probably my laundry room - just in case I don't love it!  I love these pictures of non-traditional paint colors for laundry rooms.  Makes me want to do a load of laundry EVERY night! :)

And look at this amazing storage/organizational idea for your cutlery!  Amazing!  A quick weekend project.

Lastly, I recently got my hair cut and at first I hated it (as I always do when I get my hair cut).  I was having trouble curling it when it was so long, but now it's the perfect length.  I was finding that my flat iron was actually pulling out my hair, now I get a more softer and easier curl.  Here is a pic just after curling my hair.

Have a great weekend!