sweater weather

It’s sweater weather! Today is a bit of a fall fashion post. From work to the weekend there are so many great sweater styles that can be paired with jeans, leggings, skirts, shorts or dress pants.

Take a look at some of my picks:

For the office

a sweater with some shape and details can be be appropriate for work. Top left & right : RW& co, bottom: Dorothy Perkins for Hudson’s Bay

For the weekend

I love comfy patterned options for casual wear. Top left: J Crew, Top right: Ralph Lauren, bottom Forever 21.

wishing you all a wonderful day!

fall flowers

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Today was one of those completely inspiring days. The weather was warm & sunny, I got to catch up with an old friend and enjoy some girl time. Telling her about events, decor and ideas I have been working on just lead to even more ideas and inspiration!

Earlier this summer I shared my love for peonies (they can be found in darker shades for the fall) and today I am posting about fall flowers. I have seen so many gorgeous bouquets and I cannot wait to work on fall events to put my ideas into action.

Many summer flowers such as calla lilies and roses come in these bright fall colors. Also popular for this time of year are marigolds, mums, sunflowers, snapdragons, ranunculus and scabiosa.  Best filler for any season and any budget? Hydrangea.

wishing you all a wonderful night!

ground beef recipes

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all doing well.

It is almost the weekend and I have been cooking & baking a few great things this week that I would like to share.

First, I had a friend ask about recipes that use ground beef.. so here are some great ones for all of you as well:

Mini Tacos: a household favourite. This recipe makes them so easy to serve to guests as well.

Chili Mac: we had this on a cool day last week, so yummy!

Classic meatballs: good for spaghetti or subs

Cheeseburger Pizza: use a store-bought pizza dough or naan bread and add all your favourite toppings!

Dressed-up Sloppy Joes: a childhood favourite that is just as good as an adult, make them with garlic buns yumm

For a healthy alternative use ground turkey in any of these recipes!

products I love part 2

 As I have mentioned, I tend to be a pretty simple girl with a love for themed parties, pretty dessert tables and inspiring color palettes. I always try to keep things simple and stress free. Sometimes the simplest things are the prettiest. So today, I thought I would share a few things on my go-to list.  It’s time for the second edition of products I love.

Missed the first one? You can find it here. Looking for fall product inspiration? Check out this post.

For entertaining:

Ikea has a great product at a low price. Basics such as the frosted jar or the heart shaped mould can be used year-round and the orange and black tins are perfect for the season and halloween party treats!

West Elm never seizes to amaze me. How fabulous are these ceramic candle holders? Perfect for fall! And I am in love with this casual chic white serving set- perfect for every occasion.

I love this tray from Z Gallerie,the pattern and metallic are so trendy right now.

For me: 

As our tans start to fade we need a little bronzer! I am not very picky about make up and I usually go for a mineral base but right now I am using Marcelle (the ones with the blush and bronzer are great!).

Yumm, a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. A good alternative for an at-home version- the Tassimo/Keurig discs or the powder mix from Bulk Barn. Then you can add as much water or milk as you would like.

I try so hard to keep my hair hydrated especially when I am blowdrying or straightening it. John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum is great for everyday use and leaves a light shine.

I love Victoria’s Secret/Pink loungewear. It is great for those cozy movie nights at home.

It is also the perfect weather for running, VS has awesome sports bras and athletic wear!

That’s all for now-wishing you all a wonderful day!

cheesecakes

The weather is getting cooler and fall recipes are on the to-do list! I love the richness of a good cheesecake and apparently so do my fellow bloggers! Here are a few favourites to try this season:

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake courtesy of Keep It Sweet Desserts (would pair so well with a pumpkin spice latte!)

Red Velvet Cheesecake courtesy of recipe girl (I made this to bring to a dinner party last winter- it was delicious and so pretty)

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Erica’s Sweet Tooth recipe (the spices of a carrot cake combined with the cheesecake is soo good)

Mini Cinnamon Cheesecakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting – the ultimate fall treat! Courtesy of gimme some oven (I am making these again for friends next weekend and I cannot wait!)

YUM!

Second edition of products I love, third part of my trip to Italy and ground beef recipes coming later this week.

wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

my Italy trip part.2

Hi everyone!

I shared a few pictures from my time in Milan here and I wanted to share a few more!

    

After our time in Milan we made our way down the coast and stopped in Genova. Another great city with yummy gelato!

And then we arrived in Lerici- my favorite stop!! This was the view from our hotel room and I felt like the absolute luckiest girl waking up to this.

 

We took this boat to Portovenere and Cinque-Terre where we got to walk around, have delicious pasta and shop!

 

  

The weather was great and we did a lot of walking (which made up for all the pasta 🙂 )

After our time at the coast we drove back to Milan and flew to Paris- more on that stop next time.

Stay tuned- I’m sharing some delicious cheesecake recipes this weekend. 

wishing you all a wonderful day!

home office tips

Working from home can be very tricky for some people. It is so easy to get distracted or stay in your pjs all day. Unfortunately, that probably won’t lead to a very productive day.. so here are a few tips!

1.  Don’t stay in your pyjamas. Remember, you are at work.  Take a shower, get dressed and work in your office. Not your dining room table or your couch, your office.

2. Start your day with a to-do list ( and a coffee 🙂 ) having priorities and things you need accomplished will get you started.

3. Have a separate phone line for business- you don’t want to end up on your personal facebook, social media, or texting friends.  This will not only help you stay focused during the day but it will also help you disconnect at night when it is personal time.

4. Make your office appealing and comfortable. Buy a nice chair and desk, frame some inspirational pictures, and stay organized. Make yourself want to be in that space.

5. If you find yourself doing laundry, vacuuming or distracted by other house chores, try a coffee shop! Sometimes a little break outside of the house can do you some good.

As for your office decor- here’s some inspiration

Get creative- remember the home organization post? Use some of these creative tricks in your office. It will create a personalized, pleasant atmosphere and may inspire new ideas.

You are going to be spending a lot of time in this room so make sure you like it. And stay organized!

wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

cookies inspired by fall

Who doesn’t love a good cookie??

I shared some of my favourite cookie recipes last month (you can find that post here) and today i’m going to share a few more! I pretty much collect cookie recipes… they are one of my favourite snacks/desserts.

So here’s the fall edition, enjoy!

Cowboy Cookies– courtesy of lemons & lima beans

Maple Sugar Cookies– recipe from your home based mom

Pumpkin Cookies– a twist on the oatmeal cookie. Courtesy of singingwithbirds.com

Chocolate Cherry Cookies– recipe from inspired by charm

Brown Butter Snicker doodles– from chef this up

  

I am officially hungry and off to a meeting where I will be having a cookie!

wishing you all a wonderful day!

fall weddings

Happy Monday Everyone!

Hopefully getting back into the work week isn’t too bad today. I was in a wedding course all weekend for personal, and professional development and I am completely inspired so I thought I would share some fall wedding ideas/trends today.

We all think of leaves, pumpkins and halloween when we think about Fall. Although this tends to be true for everyday, it doesn’t have to be that way for weddings. Having a fall wedding simply means incorporating warmer tones, richer flavours, different flowers, perhaps the use of more raw materials.. get creative, think outside the box and embrace the wonderful season (and backdrop for your wedding!)

  

 

 

It can be such a fun theme and there are so many color scheme options! You can incorporate as much or as little “fall” as you want. I guarantee it will be beautiful.

wishing you all a wonderful day!

* I do not own any of the photos posted above. I have collected them from various sites and brought them together for inspiration.

breakfast

I have promised you breakfast recipes so today I am sharing breakfast recipes.

Here are a few of go-to recipes I have collected from other great bloggers- So good they need to be shared!

Quick weekday breakfast:

Savoury Breakfast Muffins– make these when you have a moment and freeze them, great to defrost and eat on the go!

Do the same for these: Oatmeal Choco Chip Muffins & Simple (2 ingredient!!) Pumpkin Muffins

Healthy Pick: Oatmeal Smoothie

I also like breakfast sandwiches on a weekday morning- fry up an egg, add some cheese and turkey slices or bacon and serve on a whole wheat english muffin- tasty and keeps you full until lunch.

It’s the weekend and you have a little more time-Gives these a try.

Lemon Almond Bread– YUM

Pound Cake French Toast

Bacon & Potato Frittata (make these mini in a muffin pan and freeze for quick breakfasts)

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes – we had these last weekend and they are delicious, not healthy, but delicious.

  

I always love a cute display.

that’s all for now- wishing you all a wonderful day!