is this your dream dress?

Posted by kait / September 26, 2012

Could this be your dream dress? It was mine until we decided to change the theme of our wedding to garden party and suddenly it was a bit too fancy for sipping champagne amongst the flowers. I am selling this beauty of a gown right now for $750 or best offer. And really truly make me an offer. I would love to see some beautiful bride happy with this gorgeous dress. It has never been worn – I’ve only tried it on twice.

Here are the specs:

Style no: 3140.

Satin organza halter gown with sweetheart neckline and empire bodice. Multi-ruffled skirt.

Dress details:
Color: white/ivory
Designer: Demetrios
Fabric: satin, organza
hemline: floor-length
neckline: halter, sweetheart
Dress Silhouette: trumpet/mermaid
sleeve length: Sleeveless
train: Chapel
waist: empire
Wedding Dress Price: $$$ = $1500

Measurements:
Size 10
Bust 37″
Waist 28″
Hip 39.5″
Shoulder to Floor: 60.5″

I paid $1500 originally but am selling it for $750 or best offer. I am located in Calgary, AB but definitely open to offers across Canada and the US. Just send me an email or leave a comment if you have any questions.

One day this dress will find it’s princess! xo

british invasion tray DIY

Posted by kait / September 26, 2012

I am one of those people who has always been obsessed with UK culture. It goes beyond my love for their music – I love the food, the rituals and traditons, the history and the style. I am the first to admit that Coronation Street is pretty much my favourite television show (I even PVR it while I watch – total nerd!). Anyways, so when my Mom and I were daydreaming ideas for this vintage metal tray she gave me, we thought about giving it a British spin. All of the details are over at Swerve where you can see the full transformation as well as the three different looks I styled for it!

I’m gonna go put the kettle on…

refresh and re-inspire yourself

Posted by kait / September 25, 2012

Being a creative and busy person can often lead to unfinished projects and every so often I find myself feeling rather uninspired.

I just caught myself last week realizing a dream + goal I had nearly a year ago had not come into any type of fruition. I got distracted, I was stressed – I actually changed jobs and started working for myself. Things happen and your goals don’t necessarily happen as soon as you would like them to. They can’t be forced and I don’t really think that any good idea should be forced into completion prematurely. I feel good about the path I am now – I just had to slow down, re-group, re-inspire myself and find my creative footing for this special project.

We all have big goals and we all know that doing everything all at once is impossible. It is not about when you get your personal goals or projects done, it is how about how you get there and the quality effort you put into it.

*This photo of Emma Stone is absolutely stunning but I cannot find a photo credit anywhere! Help me out if you know?

joy money club

Posted by kait / September 24, 2012

I had an amazing opportunity yesterday to spend a lovely fall afternoon outdoors drinking coffee and tea with eleven lovely Calgary girls. I have joined a Joy Money Club. The concept is simple and thoughtful: twelve women are invited to participate over twelve months. Every month each woman brings a set amount of money and it is thrown into the pot. A name is drawn and that special lady gets to take home all of the money that month and spend it on something nice for herself. Think heading to the spa, buying a new pair of shoes or just going out for a nice meal. This continues until everyone has received the money. It is amazing because at the end of the year you will be neither owing or short the money – it all equals out! Plus, it is so nice to get together each month and get to know some new faces and enjoy an afternoon of tea and snacks.

Yesterday was our first get-together and I won the money! I couldn’t believe it! It was only that morning I had used loose change (think dimes and quarters) from the bottom of my purse to buy an Americano! I certainly felt very lucky to get it just as I most needed it. And the other exciting thing is that I get to host the next afternoon tea at my house at the end of next month! I put together this little mood board inspired by the Joy Money Club – a little bit of tea party inspiration.

After meeting Nanette Lepore this week, I fell in love with her gorgeous dress silhouettes and I think this turquoise number would do the trick for hostessing though I might have to join a couple more Joy Money Clubs to save up for it.

A lover of everything made of paper, this kraft paper envelope caught my eye with it’s pretty floral insides. Perfect for storing and keeping safe next month’s draw ballots in.

There is something to be said for a great teapot and Marimekko hits the nail right on the head. Simple design and the coinciding tea cups are the perfect minimalist addition to a potentially overly-girly tea party.

These gold leaf bowls (learn how to make them here!) are so glam and I think they would be so lovely (and lucky) to draw next month’s winners name out of! Or maybe to serve up some delicious bonbons in.

I just discovered an amazing new place in downtown Calgary that sells French Macarons for an excellent price. I have to pick some up for when I host next.

A fortune cookie coin purse to bring your monthly donation in? Way too perfect for an occasion like this.

congrats coffee + film lover winner!

Posted by kait / September 24, 2012

Congrats to Seth for randomly winning the coffee + film lover giveaway! I also just love his comment below: I like my films like I like my coffee: Noire. Film.

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Congrats again and thank you to everyone who entered.

citron + pink

Posted by kait / September 19, 2012

Absolutely smitten with the styling of this dream space. The dipped table legs, the cityscape-esque wall treatment – right down to the precious textured mixing bowls. And how could I resist the DREAM neon sign? You can’t not have lovely dreams in this clean and bright space. Gorgeous.

photos found here.

coffee + film lovers giveaway!

Posted by kait / September 19, 2012

Last week, I spent some time with some fine folks from Van Houtte coffee to learn more about coffee profiling and cupping to discover flavours and aromas. I am so excited to offer my Albertan readers this fabulous giveaway from Van Houtte Coffee and the Calgary International Film Festival. I am hooking up the winner with a gift basket chockfull of great coffee and film fest movie passes. Check out my recommendations for some great films over here.

Here are the details:

To be entered three times to win the gift basket here is what to do! This giveaway is only open to residents of Alberta and who can attend the Calgary International Film Festival from September 20-30, 2012.

1) Leave a comment here telling me why you love coffee and film!

Once you’ve done that, you can also gain a second entry by tweeting about the contest:

2) Send this tweet out to your followers, “Looking forward to sipping some delish + traipsing around town for thanks to ! #fallgiveaway #yyc”

Wait! You can get one additional entry by heading over to Facebook:

3) .

Good luck everyone! I will randomly draw the winner on September 20th.

Thanks again Van Houtte + CIFF for this great giveaway.

follow your dreams….and blog!

Posted by kait / September 13, 2012

Oh yes, here I am again, about to point out the amazing blogging expertise Alt Summit has to offer. Beyond the conference and the fabulous online classes, they have recently launched their blog which is chock full of incredible free advice and tips for being a successful blogger. It is a great place to start when you are lost on the internet, grasping at straws, trying to figure out how and what and why you should be blogging.

I have discovered several posts on here that have already helped me that I would love to share with you here.

8 Tips for Great Blogging: So many excellent ideas on how manage your time blogging, staying inspired and bringing your online life into the offline world.

SEO: How to Start and End a Post Well: The best post ever if you never knew what the Alternate Text column was for when uploading photos onto your blog. Makes a world of difference to have those keywords placed there.

Travel Blogging: Taking Unique Photos: While we all see the world differently sometimes when we are traveling a touristy area we often take very similar photos. The key to great travel blogging is to capture something a little bit different. This blog post will help inspire you to look for the unexpected details you can snap away at.

For blogging inspiration and business advice check out the new Alt blog! Also, if you blog about Alt Summit and the great resources on the Alt blog you will be entered to win full registration to January’s conference. You just can’t beat that.

Photo by Tina Fussell.

Tie One On: Shiny Friendship Bracelet DIY

Posted by kait / September 11, 2012

I had so much fun making a wristful of these lovely little friendship bracelets for Swerve! Super easy and minimal supplies (you can pick all of them up from Michaels, Walmart or the Dollar Store!). Check out the full DIY here: Tie One On.

Make My Lunch: Lunchbox DIYs

Posted by kait / September 10, 2012

Even though I don’t have children yet, I do like to pack my husband’s lunch every so often and I am an expert picnic basket packer – I thought I would share a bit of my expertise for back-to-school lunchbags! Check out the story over at Swerve. How do you make your kids’ lunches special?