Hi all,
Just wanted to update you. I’m quietly working away in the background of this here blog. I’m going to be redesigning and relaunching in the coming months. Stay tuned.
I’ll leave you with this adorable guy — he’s a bit dirty, but he’s in a construction zone.
– Natalie
Overseeing the construction
I thought THIS Telegraph interview (by Luke Leitch) with Anna Wintour was too good not to share. In it, Anna discusses her father, her passion for nurturing young fashion talent, her start at Harper’s Bazaar, and what she thinks of being a “celebrity”. The article doesn’t offer much of what we don’t already know, but it does show a somewhat, dare I say, softer side of Anna. Could it be that fashions most notorious ‘Ice Queen’ is doing away with her cold image? I managed to dig up some photos of the famous fashion editor that match this sweeter image. Yes, that is Anna Wintour in gold lame.
Some favourite Anna quotes from the article:
“One doesn’t want fashion to look ridiculous, silly, or out of step with the times – but you do want designers that make you think, that make you look at fashion differently. That’s how fashion changes. If it doesn’t change, it’s not looking forward. And that’s important to me.”
Anna Wintour. Photo source: Huffingtonpost.com
“Fashion today is available to everybody in a way that it’s never been before: you’ve got every designer you’ve ever heard of working for H&M or Target. That’s fantastic.”
Anna Wintour. Photo source: Huffingtonpost.com
“It’s no secret that I worked very hard for the president this campaign… And it’s very rewarding to see that money can’t buy the White House, which is what the Republicans were trying to do…”
Anna Wintour with Sarah Jessica Parker. The duo hosted a fundraiser in aid of Obama’s re-election campaign. Photo source: telegraph.co.uk
“New York is a city for people who want to work. And I love that it is a city where everyone is from somewhere else – so you are not judged by your accent, who your dad was, or any of that Englishness.”
Anna Wintour. Photo source: nypost.com
“Grace [Coddington] is having her book party in New York on Monday. And I have to be here for that. It’s a big thing. She’s given so much to this magazine – she’s one of the great unsung heroines of our business.”
Grace Coddington and Anna Wintour. Photo source: cheztitina.blogspot.ca
One stop shopping is great. Finding everything you need for different occasions under one roof is a plus in my book. But, finding a variety of clothing and accessories from the comfort of your own computer? A MAJOR plus. eLUXE is a Canadian company (more bonus points!) that carries a variety of labels that take you easily from day to night to weekend. Here are 3 outfits I’m currently craving from their site:
All photos from www.eluxe.ca
If you’ve been searching for a cookie recipe that doesn’t come laden with guilt-inducing ingredients like butter, refined sugar, white flour, eggs, etc., then look no further – I think I stumbled onto something amazing. I’ve been on the hunt for a magical cookie that tastes delicious, while at the same time will not fill me with a bunch of unnecessary processed crap. A few weeks ago I finally hit the jackpot when I discovered THIS recipe on Tessa the Domestic Diva. As Tessa states, these are not technically sugar-free, but they are refined sugar-free. They mostly derive their sweetness from honey, dates and dark chocolate chips. They also call for ingredients like quinoa flakes, ground flax seeds and the main ingredient, almond butter. All healthy choices. The best part is, none of this healthy stuff takes away from the flavour. They taste delicious and are pretty filling. Try them out!
Here is a write-up on the benefits of almond butter vs. peanut butter I found HERE:
“Almond butter has a bit more fat than peanut butter, but those include more monounsaturated fats and about half the amount of saturated fats. Almond butter also has more fiber, and fewer carbohydrates so it has about the same number of calories as peanut butter.
Almond butter has more minerals than peanut butter, with the exception of selenium, and peanut butter contains more B vitamins. Both almond butter and peanut butter contain phytosterols, which are the plant version of animal cholesterol; however, unlike dietary cholesterol, phytosterols may help to reduce elevated cholesterol levels in humans.”
Tom Binns Design was founded in 2004. The company has since won numerous awards including the 2006 Accessory Designer of the Year from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the 2007 British Fashion Council Award for Best Accessories Designer and the 2010 Elle Style Awards for Best Jewellery Designer. The designs are fun and fresh. The Spring 2013 collection is currently available for pre-order on ModaOperandi. I’m coveting the entire collection, and would love to be wearing any of it next spring. The trunk show ends tonight, so hurry and buy! Here are my favourites:
Tom Binns Last Laugh Shark Tooth Stud Earrings [$115]
Tom Binns Electro Clash Nova Antoinette Necklace [$2550]
Tom Binns Soft Power Earrings with Pink Teardrop [$240]
Tom Binns Assymetric Necklace [$600]
Tom Binns Nail Stud Earrings [$115]
Tom Binns Twisted Nail Cuff [$388]
Harper’s Bazaar moves fashion mag’s into the 21st Century with new e-commerce site http://www.ShopBazaar.com
Harper’s Bazaar is elevating what it means to be a fashion magazine in today’s world. Last month they launched an online shop: www.shopbazaar.com, in partnership with American Express and Saks Fifth Avenue, which features a highly curated selection of fashion goodies. They currently have 70 designer lines listed ranging from Equipment to Alexander Wang to Stella McCartney showcasing a variety of apparel and accessories for women. Prices vary quite a bit. They have dresses from $140 for a Helmut Lang jersey long-sleeve style to $8300 for a Gucci feather dress. Shoppers are able to purchase from their tablet or computer with plans for an iPhone app to be made available in February.
Harper’s Bazaar is trying hard to make it easy for you to spend your hard-earned money. Starting with this month’s issue, readers can shop directly from the pages of the print magazine. All items featured in the magazine that are also available on the site have a special “B” logo. These icons are stamped with a Digimarc watermark code that will lead smartphone uses directly to the item’s page on ShopBazaar.
Hello future of the fashion mag.
October 2012 Harper’s Bazaar. Page 193
October 2012 Harper’s Bazaar. Page 258
October 2012 Harper’s Bazaar. Page 270
I’m in save-mode and have been for longer than I care to remember. The truth is, I’m a spender. If I could, I would shop daily. I love to change my wardrobe frequently; unfortunately I can no longer fund that habit since I need to save for a grown-up life (a.k.a a wedding and a home). My new reality is to scout out beautiful things online and make dream purchases. We all do this right? Online window shop with a limitless budget?
This year, I’m lusting after new boots. I’d love to give my shoe closet a complete overhaul. I’d replace everything with updated versions of staples. Namely: flat ankle boots; heeled ankle boots; flat knee-highs; wedges; and coloured boots.
Here is how I’d spend my dollars (if I had them) on fall boots…
Some of the boots from other angles:
To my fellow Canadians, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for and was reminded of that over the weekend. I have a lot of love in my life and try to remind myself daily that there is a lot more to be grateful for than to complain about.
AJ and I had a Thanksgiving engagement photoshoot on Saturday with our photographer. Don is a great guy and talented photog. Our photos won’t be ready for some time, but we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek with this photo:
Can’t wait to see the rest! I’m so happy with how my makeup turned out. I’m pretty makeup useless so I was so fortunate to snatch up Fiona Kelly as my makeup artist. She is a super talented friend of my sister’s that I highly recommend if you live in the Toronto area and need any special event makeup done.
On Monday we feasted! I made homemade no-sugar cranberry sauce courtesy of my friend Jessica’s recipe. Jessica is a fitness trainer/nutrition expert based in Barrie, Ontario. Check out her site: www.lovelivefitness.com.
I also made sugar-free, flourless (gluten-free) zucchini brownies. WAIT! Before you click away in disgust, these brownies are soooo yummy! And not healthy-yummy, like actual dessert delicious. My chocolate loving, decadent dessert eating family members gave these brownies rave reviews, and I think you will too. You don’t even have to tell anyone what’s in them! You can’t even tell there’s zucchini involved, all you taste is dark chocolatey goodness. I’ve already made them twice since discovering the recipe on Sammie Kennedy’s blog. Click here to check it out.
Shredding zucchini – The second time I made this, I used a food processor for MUCH faster results.
This recipe is SO simple. Step 1: Mix all ingredients. Step 2: Bake.
Sneaky little zucchini pieces that no one has to know about
Ready to bake in a coconut oil greased pan
Serve with some fresh fruit to up the yummy factor AND earn extra nutrition points
My upcoming wedding is approaching quickly, almost a year ago my fiance and I got engaged, and in 8 months we’ll be married! Today I wanted to share with you how I asked my bridesmaids to be in our wedding party.
Choosing my bridesmaids was an incredibly difficult decision. I have four girlfriends that I’m really close with, “besties” if you will; and one sister (Emily) that is pretty much a fifth best friend. AJ (Fiance) and I decided we wanted a very small wedding party – a Best Man, a Maid of Honour, one groomsmen and one bridesmaid. My MOH choice was simple: Emily, planner extraordinaire/sister/bestie was as easy a decision as ever. Being only siblings, we’ve pretty much known we would be each other’s MOH’s since birth. I’m so fortunate to have her!
The bridesmaid choice was a little more complicated. AJ and I struggled for a long time with whether we should keep the wedding party to four or expand to include all of our closest friends. In the end we decided it was important to stick with what we originally wanted. If you’ve ever had to decide between friends in a similar situation, I can completely sympathize. Each girlfriend of mine is amazing in her own way. In the end I chose my friend Jeannette to be my bridesmaid. First of all, both her and my sis will plan the crap out of any and all wedding events, she lives super close to me and she is the most dependable gal I know. To my other lovely GF’s, thank you for being so understanding and knowing that if I could, I’d have you all in the wedding party!
Now on to the fun part: How I asked Em and Jeannette to stand up for me on my wedding day. I invited them to join me last winter for a wedding show. We met at my house first where I presented each with a small gift asking them to be in my bridal party. I didn’t want to break the bank, and I didn’t want anything necessarily bridal related; I just wanted to give each one a little something. I found everything I needed at Chapters.
Vase, tote, cookbook, tissue and card all from Chapters
My sister was experimenting with a gluten-free diet at the time so I figured why not make this a useful gift instead of just bridal related? I spotted the “A Little Something To Love” bag (I added “Do” to the card) and thought it was perfect.
MOH gift
For Jeannette’s gift I decided to get a vase that had the “A Little Something To Love” card as well. I wanted to get a little more crafty with hers, so I picked some twigs, grabbed some scrapbook paper and got to work.
So happy to have you ladies by my side and can’t wait for the many planning adventures to come. Love you XO
Cullen Gardens – Whitby, Ontario
That’s right, I’m dusting off my blog. It’s been 4 months since I decided to quietly disappear from the blogosphere in early June. I needed a time out I suppose. Blogging is a funny thing. It’s a great outlet; a convenient way to document events, recipes, outfits, and plentiful other things. But, it can also feel incredibly vain and egocentric. I began to struggle with pinpointing why I was even blogging in the first place. Does what I say matter? Who am I to think it should? Is there a point to all this sharing? I don’t have a business that I’m promoting through a blog. I just happen to love certain things – fashion, (mostly healthy) food, and DIY projects – that many others also enjoy.
No matter how hard I try to shake it, I find myself drawn to this 21st Century way of sharing and discussing these interests on my little corner of the internet. I have decided to no longer concern myself with whether this means I’m self-absorbed. Instead, I’ll focus more on how my posts can help others. I hope you find some value in my blog. I hope that you learn something; discover a new recipe you want to try, a new trend you’d like to wear, get a dose of inspiration, or anything really, as long as it’s helpful. For now the format will stay the same, but expect some changes in the coming months as I charter new territory on this here little blog of mine.
Thanks for having me back.
everydayauthentic.wordpress.com 