May Playlist

DIY Copper Planters

The good weather has put me in a mood to start cleaning up the patio and add some plants. My one problem is that I'm a plant killer. Everything just dies and when I say everything, no joke. Everything! It's mostly because of neglect. I'm often running around busy with friends, blogging, events, work.. and so many other adventures that watering my plants isn't a 1st priority. So many friends have suggested cactus's and succulents (I killed mine last year) but here's to another chance. Maybe these will survive or my lovely roommate will water them occasionally for me. I've already been stabbed by the cactus twice so this maybe a sign that this will not go so well. 

Enough of me talking about killing plants. This post is about is the planters. As usual i've been pinning like mad and come across so many variations of copper planters that are so lovely that they simply needed to be DIY'd. I've amassed a collection of glass candle jars (these are the bath & body works 3 wick size) When they go on sale, I buy! lets just say they go on sale often.

What you will need:

Glass jars, tins, old vases

Copper spray paint - this one is from home depot. The colouring is darker for this version which also has a bit of the hammered texture. You can also try Walmart or Michaels for a lighter colour.

News paper/ card board - something to protect the surface around what you are spraying

These were pretty simple to do, but remember to spray them in a well ventilated area. Like a patio or open garage. For the best results spray them with 2-3 light layers and 30 min in between to avoid drips for the best even coverage. 

The cost of this project was about $20:
3 plants from walmart - $10
Spray paint from Home Depot - $10
Glass Jars - reused from finished candles

Heart Truth Red Dresses with KaaDiki

In this second part of my interviews for the Heart Truth Calgary Fashion Show I stopped by Haithem Elkadiki's studio and got a look at his designs under his label KaaDiki for Lisa Longball and Lisa Bowes. As one of the designer had to drop out, Haithem took the task of creating two dresses that will be going down the runway. Two dresses and two Lisa's. Fun!  

Lisa Bowes has been recognized across Canada for her work as a sports reporter, live host, anchor, play by play announcer and producer. She is currently based in Calgary at CTV and freelances for TSN. She is also a Gemini nominee, children's book writer, and volunteers with the Calgary Board of Education to name a few things. 

Lisa Longball is currently ranked top 4 in the World in Ladies Long Drive. She has won 7 consecutive National Long Drive Championship titles, is an LDA Tour Champion and a Nike sponsored athlete. In addition to her competitive career, Lisa is a golf journalist for several publications including Inside Golf Magazine and has had her own column in Golf Digest Canada and Back9Network.

What inspired your creation?

I am inspired by my amazing models Lisa Bowes and Lisa Longball. Lisa Bowes's dress was inspired by Formula One racing and Lisa Longball's look was inspired by the Italian movie "THE GREAT BEAUTY".

What made you want to create a design for the event?

 

I wanted to create designs for The Heart Truth Fashion Show Calgary because it is a great cause that is close to my heart.

Were there any special elements that went into your design?

 

There are several elements and special design details that went into each creation. Lisa Bowes's dress is all about the racing stripes that are carefully stitched on the entire garment + the Ferrari Red color choice. Lisa Longball's look is all about Romance and La Dolce Vita which meant that to achieve that look I applied ruffles, tulle and Gross Grain Ribbon to the garment.

Did you take in account the person wearing your design? was there collaboration?

 

Collaboration is essential to the design/ creating process after all it is all about my models and not me the designer. It is about delivering creations that Lisa and Lisa will feel good about wearing.

How long did it take to construct? What was the most difficult part?

 

I did not keep track of time too busy enjoying the process and having a great time with Lisa B and Lisa L. The creating process for me is about the flow of good energy and to treat any difficulties as blessings.

What was your favourite part of creating the dress?

 

The best part is definitely meeting and working with two inspiring, fun and incredible ladies and working with the amazing team of the HEART TRUTH FASHION SHOW CALGARY

  

You can help support this cause by purchasing tickets or donating here.

April: Favourite Products & Pieces

I wanted to do a little post on a few of my favourite things this week. Some of the products and pieces that I'm obsessed with at the moment.

Bumble and Bumble is one the best hair care products I have used in a long time and I received a sample of the Surf shampoo and conditioner in my Hedkandi gift bag earlier this month, post here. It gave my hair an amazing beachy texture and my Asian hair is usually very slippery and straight, but this product gave it not only texture but also a bit of wave and volume, which makes me feel a lot closer to the ocean then landlocked Alberta. The Surf set purchased from Sephora also includes a hairspray which smells wonderful.

I'm also getting rather attached to neutral polishes and the Joe Fresh brand has some great shades. The polish, drying drops, and the hat (only $14) was purchased during my last grocery trip. Who says you can't buy figs and fashion at the same time!?   

Finally is my new knot bracelet. After looking at a bunch of sites for the perfect Celine look-a-like this Banana Republic version is perfect. It's nice and chunky and will looked great layered with other bracelets or worn on it own with cocktail dresses. All items are 40% off at Banana Republic so I only paid $27. Totally beats $500+

Heart Truth Red Dress with NRT

The Heart Truth Fashion Show is a successful awareness campaign for women that raises funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It has been annually held in Calgary for 2 years and in Toronto for six. It features some of Canada’s finest celebrities and public figures who will walk the runway wearing red coloured designs by local designers. I had the privilege to go into the designers studios and take a look at the making of the outfits and do a little Q&A. This will be a two part post and this first one I'm checking out is NRT who is creating a dress for Jari Love, fitness trainer and the creator of the Get Ripped series. She has been featured in magazines such as Fitness, Oprah, Shape and New York Times. The photos are to give you a feel for the design. I will show you the completed dress after the event... Don't want to ruin the surprise!

What inspired your creation?

The inspiration behind my creation was an actual human heart. I wanted to create something that was structural and eye catching. I used a darker red lace as my fabric to mimic human blood. 

What made you want to create a design for the event?

I think it is such a great cause and I really appreciate events that mix fashion and promote awareness for a health benefit.

Were there any special elements that went into your design?

I wanted to create a dress that was going to fit to Jari's (my celebrity) shape as well as stick to my gothic couture style. I used shoulder pads for a strong shoulder and the mermaid cut for the bottom. 

Did you take in account the person wearing your design? was there collaboration?

I designed a dress I thought would fit Jari's body type but keeping with my style and I sent Jari my sketch and she was on board! 

How long did it take to construct? What was the most difficult part?

I have worked on constructing the dress for a few weeks on and off, the most difficult part is making sure to keep into consideration comfort but keeping with an avant guard style! 

What was your favourite part of creating the dress?

My favourite part of creating the dress has been just that creating something for the runway that can be whatever i want! Now patiently waiting to see it come to life on the runway !!!! 

You can help support this cause by purchasing tickets or donating here.

Kate Moss X Topshop

It's been 7 years since the first Kate Moss for Topshop collection came out and a lot has changed. Mostly the fact that us Canadians have a local Topshop to get our favorite high street products from and that we are also going to get Kate's latest pieces at a price that wont break the bank. I'm sure there are many women out there that are dying to recreate her looks and we will all get a chance starting April 30th at the Chinook Centre location.

The pieces this time around look more glamorous, slinky, and striking. The collection has tailored items like tuxedo jackets and multiple beaded pieces. Of course there will be some signature western inspired pieces that boast fringe and suede. I also enjoyed the comfy pieces that look like pajamas in fun paisley print which are perfect for relaxing in. You can view the entire collection at Vogue UK. Here are a few of my favourite items:

 

Marble Macbook DIY

My Macbook is a huge and very significant part of my life. It contains hundreds of photos and videos along with countless folders of school work and other important documents. Of course all this information is backed up, but my Mac is still my gateway to them along with where I spend time writing posts and countless hours on the internet. I realized that it is an extension of me almost like my iPhone.. just a little less portable. And as often as my iPhone case changes the Macbook has had this lovely decal for almost 3 years so it was time for a change. The original marble DIY was spotted on Design Lykke. My search for the right vinyl was pretty difficult but after some googling, Ebay was the winner. 

What you will need:
Marble print vinyl - mine is light grey/white
Scissors
Ruler - I suggest using a plastic one to avoid puncturing the vinyl
Exacter Knife - only if you want to cut out the apple

Double Zero Chinook

Double Zero has doubled their location. That means double the reasons to eat out with friends and family, Double the space with 2 floors and a patio, and double the ways to enjoy the delicious pizzas and of course my favorite calamari salad. Ohh so much for diets!

They will also be offering new menu choices on the main level and the classic menu fare on the second floor. I'm very excited for this location to open and having another food choice while shopping at Chinook is much needed.

New Balance 420

The era of comfortable and stylish footwear is here. While looking through other blogs and street style photos the number of flat shoes is climbing. Not to say the number of women teetering on stilettos will ever decrease but women seem to be finding stylish and comfortable shoes to wear in any situation now a days. I'm not tall, 5'3 is very not tall and for the longest time I have thought that anyone under 5'4 needs a boost and should wear a little heel. But maybe with age comes not caring about what others think and if feeling good in a pair of stylish sneakers or flat ankle boots is how I'm feeling that day then that is exactly what I'm going to wear!

I have fallen in love with looks like this and this so thus began my search for black or burgundy New Balance sneakers. It was a hard search as every online store was sold out in my size or only had bright colour combos. luckily my local consignment store had a brand new pair in my size and in the perfect black/grey combo! so my comfortable/stylish shoe dreams have been fulfilled and just in time for Tuesdays +20 weather jump. Sorry for the dirty patio. These have been the first few days of good weather and the patio has finally defrosted, so i'll be cleaning it very shortly. 

Outfit: Dress: H&M // Belt: Moschino // Shoes: New Balance 420

Mendl's Box DIY

It's been exactly 1 week since I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel the newest film from Wes Anderson. All my closest friends know how much I adore his films and each one is a never ending source of visual ecstasy. He builds such beautiful worlds for his characters to inhabit and they are so meticulously filled with the perfect props it's hard to choose a favourite sometimes. For those who have seen the film Mendl's is the patisserie that Agatha, Zero's love interest works at. It's pretty central to the story line but I won't say anymore because I would not want to spoil it for those who have yet to see it.  

All that can be said is that Mendl's pastries looked delicious and the packaging is so adorable with the light pink boxes and blue ribbon. It really makes me wish there was a Mendl's in real life that I could visit. The beautiful desserts used in my photos are from Yann Haute Patisserie. They in my opinion make the best desserts and of course macarons in the city!

For those who want a little piece of Mendl's in their life you can make the box pictured above to put your homemade desserts or just to have on a shelf to look pretty. 

What you will need:

Pink card stock

Tape

Scissors

Blue robbon

You can use this visual or the box template.

I used the visual because you can make it any size you want and simply tape together 5 print outs to make a large box. The box template only makes a small box which is still great to store jewelry or tiny bits.

Hedkandi 8th Ave

 

Last Thursday I was treated to my first blowout. Many friends have had blow outs and tell me of the amazing volume and bounce their hair has afterwards and even the day after. I very rarely get my hair cut so going in for anything beyond is even more rare. To be perfectly honest the last time my hair was styled was as a bridesmaid nearly 2 years ago.

Hedkandi is an amazing salon and this is their 3rd location. My favorite thing has to be that they use all Bumble & Bumble products. The thickening spray is incredible (I've gone through 5 bottles since I discovered it 2 years ago) and almost all of the products they used on me smelled wonderful too!

The decor of this Hedkandi differs from the other locations which have more of a minimalist or black and white style. The new location is almost like a grand hotel in the 20's all gilded gold and large botanical wall paper. With some cozy seating for those waiting for their colour to set. 

As Thursday turned out to be a busy evening for events. There was only time for me to have my hair blown out and take a few photos before I jetted off to the Double Zero opening at Chinook (post coming soon!) I missed out on stuffing my face with Jelly Modern doughnuts and adorable mini hot dogs from Tubby Dog. 

I loved the experience of getting the blowout my hair did have so much volume. It was also impressive how the style still kept so well after sleeping on it the next day. I think the next time I have a blowout I will ask for a little less product as my hair felt a little to stiff for my liking. 

April Style Inspiration

April is here! and so is a bunch of inspiring outfits I've gathered from Pinterest (yes, I'm a bit obsessed) they have been organized from most layers to the least skin covered. Because honestly if the temperature does not get better by the end of the month. I'm moving!

These are a few of my favourite outfits and of course they include my go to pieces like leather jackets, stripes, chunky knits, lace, and floral. I hope they inspire you a little bit too.

All images taken from Pinterest