ONE HUNDRED & TWO/ loose lips sink ships

When I saw this lip shaped bag on clearance at H&M for $14.99 plus an additional 50% off I immediately knew that it had to come home with me. It was love at first sight. Admittedly it isn't the most practical handbag in my collection but it's slowly becoming one of my favourites. Every time I wear it someone comes up to me to either ask about it or showers me with compliments. Who cares if it only fits my keys, iPhone, credit cards and lipstick if I get a huge confidence boost out of each wear? I'd say the pros outweigh the cons on this bad boy.

If you're interested in seeing the rest of the handbags in my collection I've actually been working on a video collaboration with Aurelia on that very topic. The video is still in the process of being edited but you guys will be the first to know when it goes live!

COAT/ Old Navy SCARF/ Henri Bendel (via consignment)
SUNGLASSES/ Aldo Accessories WATCH/ Michael Kors (via consignment)
HANDBAG/ H&M SHOES/ Dr. Martens (secondhand)

Photos by Aurelia Cerquozzi

ONE HUNDRED & ONE/ dear winter, i'm over you

Is anyone else sick of winter? Living in Ottawa has been absolute torture this past month. Our weather has reached constant lows of -20 to -30°C (-4 to -22°F) with the windchill and I don't know how much more I can take of it. I'm sick of wearing the same coat every day, I'm hate seeing my winter boots and even thinking about my daily frantic search for my toque and gloves makes me sick. Winter used to be my favourite season but I find myself hating it more and more each day. The clothes that you'll find me wearing lately aren't the most stylish but as someone who lives in this climate and takes public transit - they're necessary.

I find myself adding different patterned or textured scarves to this basic ensemble to breathe some more life and interest into it. So far it's working but I would give almost anything for a (relatively) warm and sunny day. I'm not asking for a miracle, but anything above a -15°C would put a smile back on my face.

COAT/ Love & Legend (Addition Elle) JEANS/ Forever 21+ SCARF/ via consignment
BOOTS/ Blundstones HANDBAG/ Longchamp (via consignment)

Photos by Aurelia Cerquozzi

TWENTY-NINE/ spring wishlist

Hey winter, I'm over you.
Here's a mini spring wish list. I keep checking out different websites and I'm constantly dreaming of what I would wear it were warmer out. Although I usually love winter, I can't wait until the weather allows me to wear a denim jacket again.

1. ASOS Curve swing dress with cold shoulder 2. ASOS Curve swing tunic with lace inserts 3. Forever 21+ mineral wash denim jacket 4. H&M flower hair clips 5. Joe Fresh lipstick in Bubblegum (my personal favourite) 6. Jeffrey Campbell "Planet" heels via Solestruck

* None of these pictures belong to me and they have all been referenced back to the appropriate sources. Floral boarder is from here.

TWENTY-SIX/ winter dress ideas

Winter is in full force where I live. The days are shorter, it's freezing cold and the ground is covered in a thick layer of snow. As much as I love this season, it is so difficult to get out of the warmth of my bed some mornings. Usually I'll wait until the last possible second to get up and get ready for the day. I give myself about five minutes to actually pick out clothes and throw them on so I've been sticking to a strict uniform of dresses, leggings and a cardigan/jacket/sweater/blazer combo. There's a lot less effort in wearing dresses than there is in just about anything else and the most fantastic part of it all is you almost always look great. It's foolproof, really.

Right now all of my favourite dresses are from Old Navy. You can usually find them in the clearance racks ranging in price from $2 - $20. They fit like a glove on me and I love the assortment of styles, colours and materials. Also, I can't really argue with the prices. I also have some from New Look, Avon and of course, thrift shops. If you find it's difficult to find a dress to fit your body type properly, look for something in a jersey-type material. It's usually very forgiving and flatters every body type. Also, a pop of colour can bright shed some light on an otherwise dark winters day.

Here are some outfits I could definitely see myself wearing over the next couple of months. The second one is especially easy, and leggings are much much warmer than pantyhose. 

Look One: jacket/ New Look dress/ H&M, clutch/ New Look, necklace/ ASOS, booties/ Jeffrey Campbell via Solestruck, tights/ Addition Elle

Look Two: dress/ Old Navy, leggings/ New Look, blazer/ H&M, boots/ black velvet Dr Martens via Solestruck, necklace/ ASOS, watch/ MBMJ, purse/ H&M

* All images belong to their respective owners and have been referenced back to the original sources. This post was not sponsored or endorsed in any way, all thoughts are my own

TWENTY-FOUR/ all bundled up

I travelled to and through five different provinces (that's half of them) in the past week alone. Trust me when I say that it's tiring and when people say there's no place like home, they truly mean it. I am so exhausted, in every sense of the word.

My week first started in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. It's a lovely ski resort village and it looked like a winter wonderland when we arrived. There was snow on the ground and lights on all of the trees and chalets. My family and I made the journey up there to say goodbye to my oldest brother before he moved out west.

A couple of days later my brother packed all of his belongings into his car, and we made our way out west. I decided to go with him because a 40+ hour drive by yourself is not only boring but can also be dangerous. Although I don't have my license, I figured I could keep him awake and help out if anything were to happen. He's also my best friend and I thought one final road trip would be an awesome way to say goodbye. We drove through Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan before arriving at our final destination in Alberta. We spent three days crammed in his tiny little car with all of his possessions just talking about anything and everything, enjoying the sights and listening to all of our favourite songs. We experienced so much along the way and it definitely made me view this country in a different light; northern Ontario almost killed us, I fell head over heels in love with Saskatchewan and we saw an amazing view of the Rocky's in Alberta - his new home province. We arrived in Alberta Thursday night and I flew home on Friday, and believe me when I say that I'm horrible at saying goodbye.

I will never ever ever make that trip again. Hopefully I'll head back to each province we visited, but if I do, I'm flying. As beautiful and terrifying as the sights were, 40+ hours on the road is just much too long. The weather in Mont-Tremblant and Calgary (where I took the majority of the pictures below) was completely opposite from the weather we've been having here in Ottawa. It was snowy and cold in both places, and it seems as though I brought that weather home with me. It's because of those early winter conditions that I was living in my parka, large knit scarf and Uggs (don't judge me) this week. I wouldn't have it any other way, winter is by far my favourite season. Take a good look folks, this is what I'll be living in until March.

COAT/ Addition Elle BOOTS/ Uggs LEGGINGS/ American Apparel SCARF/ Gap

In Calgary, Alberta

Saskatchewan on either side, just outside of Thunder Bay (Ontario) in the middle

Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

A great view of the Rocky Mountains in Calgary, Alberta

* The top picture was taken by Derek Waugh, the rest of the pictures were taken by me.