sunday comforts

Sundays are, and have always been, my favourite day of the week. I try and leave the day free of school work or house work, and just take time to see friends or relax. I usually go to church in the morning and catch up with friends I haven't seen all week, and then on occasion we all go for lunch or brunch somewhere. But then there are other Sundays, like this one, where I come home and spend a quite day by myself...and enjoy some of my favourite comfortable Sunday things.

Big comfy sweater for hanging around in.

A good book.  This one currently.....

Comfort food! My Grandma used to always make us tuna melts when we were kids, so whenever I eat them, they make me feel little again!

Hopefully you have a few favourite Sunday things. I'm about to go spend some time searching the movies on Netflix. Enjoy the last day of your weekend!

<3!

lo's favourite's 2

Time for my fav discoveries this week! I've been off classes this week for reading week, so I haven't been posting as much as I usually do because I've either been relaxing or out-and-about. But I did have time to find some real little gems.

This cute little owl cookie jar from Anthropologie

This Paul Smith dress. My grandparents had a blanket that looked exactly like this when I was a kid. Brilliant!

This HBO series, In Treatment. Even though its in its third season, I just discovered it this week. So interesting. Check it out here

These spring 2011 Prada shoes. Droooool

Any mustard yellow clothing. Loving this colour!

lauren moffatt

I promised you more fun fashions, so feast your eyes on this! I think I've found another fav here. It was so hard to pick which styles to feature on here, so these are snippets of an awesome collection. I really like the simple colour pallet and general design asthetic. There is a fresh and airy summer feel to these clothes, with classic lines, yet there is nothing boring about any of it. They're exciting and fun, while pulling from a 1960's Americana/mod inspiration. Love it! And I hope these outfits put you in a bit of a summer, bicycle-riding, picnic-going mood as well!

To see the full collection, visit Lauren Moffatt's blog.

gorman

I've felt horribly guilty for leaving all you lovely people without any new posts from me in the last few days, but I'm been trying to get over a cold and a little "blogging dry spell". I think because of my sickness I've been feeling horribly uninspired, but I'm back with a little more inspiration...and have plenty more up my sleeve for the next couple days! So watch out for more fun things coming your way! For now, here's a fancy little design company called Gorman. This is from their Fall 2011 line (I know, already. Can't we get to spring first?!). I'm loving the bright colours and fun patterns. I also think the styling is really great with the cute little turbans. Check out the website for Gorman for more lovely fashions.

Now it's time for me to get my sick little self to bed. Goodnight!

sudo spring

It's plus 10 outside (even though it probrably won't last)! This means two things....

....new bangs.....

....and wedge sandals!

lo's favourites

I've decided to start a weekly post that features some fun, pretty, inspiring things that I've discovered over the week. So here is the first edition of "Lo's Favourites". Enjoy!

A custom KitchenAid Mixer designed by Pioneer Woman. Check it out here

Carmalized bananas and strawberries. Get the recipe at a la mode

Capering Cats Dress - $84.99 from Mod Cloth

Quiet Campus Stroll Dress - $89.99 from Mod Cloth

A small sample of the ADORABLE collection of jewellry from an Etsy shop called Vintette. Check out the rest of this charming collection here.

So these were the favourites of some of the wonderful discoveries that I made this week. Stay tuned to see what I find next week!

date night

Last night the man and I went out for a Valentine's Day dinner. We had originally planned on dinner and a movie, but boyfriend has been sick with a cold and I am bogged down with school work, so we vetoed the movie. We didn't really celebrate V-day last year, because its not that important of a "holiday" to us, but this year it seemed like a good excuse for a little quality time together. Valentine's Day is also special for us because 2 years ago on Valentine's weekend, we met for the first time :). I never would have guessed then that we would be as in love as we are now. Also, Valentine's weekend 2 years ago was also when my sister (check out her blog here) started dating the love her life as well, who she would marry 6 months later. So I guess this time of year does hold some sort of magic. And, since its so cold, its a good excuse for a good cuddle.

So last night, RB and I headed to Epicure, a restaurant that we went to for the first time this past summer. Great french cuisine, with a laid-back cafe atmosphere.

That fish is actually what I had the first time we went there.

I wore a new shirt for the occasion,

Date Wear: shirt from Forever 21, vintage belt, Cheap Monday jeans, and vintage flats

and boyfriend got me an amazing Marie Antoinette necklace from my friend's Etsy shop (Fierce Deer Designs). He has such good taste ;)

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day as well! But most of all, I hope you feel TONS of love all year long!

a valentine for you

Happy Valentines Day, my lovelies! Enjoy these vintage valentine's cards. Wishing you lots of love today (and everyday!)

lena hoschek

Why have I not discovered her before?! My word, I'm in love. These small snippets of Lena Hoschek's lines are only scratching the surface. Check out her website here to see more, specifically her spring/summer 2011 line. Once I can snatch some photos of the new line, I will definitely post it on here for you viewing pleasure.

banana chocolate chip loaf - with a hint of lemon!

once again, I should probrably take some sort of food photography class....gah

Everytime I buy bananas and let that last one sit just a bit too long (which doesn't happen often, since I eat bananas like nobodies business) I throw the brownish banana into the freezer to await its future as a baking ingredient. However, the bananas tend to pile up and this morning I opened the freezer and I was attacked by my once dormant bananas. So today was the day to make banana bread. I will be honest, this was my first foray into the world of banana bread, having defaulted to muffins my entire life (for some reason they just seemed easier?!). All seemed to go well. However, the top burned slighlty, while the bottom and sides were fine. If anyone has any pointers on how to keep the top from burning, I'm awaiting your advice! But I'm eating it right  now, and I can safely say its pretty darn delicious tasting. Here is the recipe!

1 cup margarine
3 bananas
2 cups flour (GF or regular - I used Bob's Red Mill GF all-purpose baking mix)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Lots of chocolate chips!

Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs, vanilla, bananas, and lemon juice. Mix flour and baking soda, then add into the wet ingredients and beat until entirely mixed. Add choco chips. Entire mixture fits into a 5 x 9 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center. Makes a decent size loaf, with about 10 slices (depending on how thick you slice it, however). Enjoy topped with lots of butter and accompanied by a cup of tea!

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While my loaf was baking away (and I nervously checked that it wouldn't burn in my gas stove), I returned to doing a little work on my rag rug. A friend reminded me about the little guy (thanks sabrinablog), and I didn't so much as forget, as kind of put it aside while other things took priority. So progress is being made, and if I continue to work on it consistently, I will soon be able to reveal the finished product. Yay! Hoping it doesn't look like an entire mess. Oy.

Heading out on the town tonight with the boy, perhaps for a little bowling or to shake it a little, not sure yet. Hope you're having a fabulous friday! <3

a simpleton

I wanted to sit down and actually take the time to write a longer post, and when I looked back over my past posts, I realized that I wanted to write about living a simple life. Alot of my posts have been about possessions or objects or material items, but I don't want to give the wrong impression about myself. I've never been someone who needs a lot of "stuff". I find inspiration in the things that I put on this blog, but it is never my intention to be someone who is overly concerned with possessions.

I've learned how to live on a tight budget over the last few years, and I've discovered that I'm perfectly happy with what I have. Sure, it would be nice to have my expenses covered and to not have to worry about money, but I strive to live as simply as I can. I've never had grand aspirations of making tons of money, or having a big house, or an expensive car. I've learned that riding my bicycle (when weather allows, of course) saves a lot of money. I've learned how to cook and bake, so I don't spend money on take-out (and wouldn't you know cooking for yourself is actually healthier?!) I've learned how to thrift shop, falling in love with the idea of other people's "trash" (and maybe not so secretly loving used items more than new). I've learned how having tea at home with friends is actually cozier and more personal than going to a cafe.

Sure, I dream/lust after things that I want to buy, but I always do it with the mindset that I can save towards something that I want as a treat to myself. I'm not going to stop posting things that interest me on here, I only want to back it all up with the fact that I don't NEED any of it, (and certainly cannot afford the majority of it). But a girl can dream, right? And anyway, I can probrably find most of it in a thrift shop later ;)

I have simple tastes and I don't need alot to be happy besides the love of my friends and family, because, let's be honest here, that's the stuff that sticks around.

my sentiments exactly

camera lust

I've recently had my passion for photography rekindled. It's been about a year lull. I'm not sure why, other than to say that I was feeling uninspired. But since creating this blog, I've pulled my camera out of its dusty case and have been slowly taking more photos. The next step is to get out my film slr. Since getting back into photography, I've been researching fun cameras that will lend to some creative inspiration. The following are the cameras that I'm lusting after. Once I'm no longer a poor student, my goal is to own each of them.

Holgawood - $48 from Urban Outfitters

Diana F+ - $49.33 from Lomography

Instax Mini - $130 from Urban Outfitters

Canon Rebel T1I - $799.99 from Henry's

home dreams

Lately I've been looking for inspiring interiors for my future (and present) home. Right now I rent an apartment, but I'm looking forward to the day when I am settled into a more permanent place where I can be as creative with decor as I want. Here are my current home dreams:

Pretty much love EVERYTHING here...the pillows, the wallpaper, the photos. But I especially love how the bookshelves are placed up high.

Someday I will have enough space (and enough vinyl) to have a room like this

love this idea. creative way to use cross stitch frames

I've always dreamed of black and white tiled floors.

amazing wall colour

even though this kitchen is small, I really like how airy and fresh it looks.

ummmm pretty much want everything here

such a cute little bed nook!