black and white with a touch of pastel

Check out this great Swedish home. The owners Sara and Kristian, have utilized black and white as their base color but have also added a bit of pastel to add a pop of color. Simple, yet fun and I must say that I love it!

 Source

Cheers,

Karen

spring has sprung

This weekend was the first real time that it felt like spring. The sun was shining, the skies were blue and it seemed like the entire city was out enjoying the weather. And like everybody else, so were we!! We had the most lovely weekend in the sun....walks on the beach, coconut ice cream (our favorite), and  of course a few BBQs. Plus, we managed to squeeze in some photos in which I must compliment Dominic on his photo taking abilities (isn't he amazing?).  

Sweater: Club Monaco

Jeans: Pull and Bear

Jean Jacket: Gap

Shoes: Dolce Vita

Purse: Mexico

Love,

Karen

built by wendy ss 2012

Taking cues from boxy lines, slouchy linen trousers and crop tanks, Built By Wendy's Spring Summer Collection would be the perfect collection for any summer occasion. Inspired by the brilliant hues of turquoise and smokey blue enlivened by hints of pastels, pinks and brightly colored yellows, the collection envokes images of the Greek Islands of Santorini. There are so many pieces in this collection that I am dying to buy!

Love,

Karen

some weekend inspiration.....

I hope you have some big plans for the weekend! Dominic and I  are attending a few events and I hope that we will be able to fit in some time for a photo shoot or two. I have some new clothes that I am just dying to share with you! 

In lieu of of my own outfit posts I thought I might share some of these inspirational outfits with you! I was thinking that if I had an inspiration board, I would like to hang them on it! On that note, if I have time this weekend, I may try to make my own inspirational board - I will keep you updated!

Love these spring polk-a-dots..............

Love this eclectic look....and again, more polk-a-dots..........

Love her bag...........

And finally, I love the simplicity of this jean on jean ..............

Have a great weekend......

Love,

Karen

Romantic Finland

If you are looking for a secluded yet romantic adventure holiday, then I think I may just have what you are looking for. Kakslauttan is a glass igloo resort located in Northern Finland, beyond the arctic circle. The igloos are made of a special glass that keeps the warmth in and prevents frost build up, which makes for excellent viewing of the Northern Lights. I think it would be so romantic to cozy up in the igloo and watch the Norther Lights dance across the sky! 

Hugs and Kisses,

Karen

Ban.do Rose

The cherry blossoms are almost in full bloom here in Victoria which means that warm weather is just around the corner. And with all of the beautiful pink flowers abound, I have been feeling like wearing a flower in my hair. I think this pretty pink rose by ban.do would suit the occasion just fine. 

Kisses,

Karen

Ruby Aldridge for MiH Jeans

I am loving Ruby Aldridge in the MiH Jeans Spring Summer Campaign. Plus, the jeans also seem to be amazing! I can't wait for spring and all of the light colored denim it is going to bring! 

 

Love,

Karen

Black and Blue

My old stand by pair of J brand black jeans finally wore out. Although I dearly loved them, I didn't want to replace them with the exact same pair of jeans. So instead, I bought these J Brand high rise skinnys. And so far, they have been fantastic - giving a bit of edge to each and every outfit!

Also, this is the friendship bracelet that I was talking about making a few weeks ago. It actually turned out to be quite pretty and I love the colors! Have a lovely weekend!

Kisses,

Karen

Happy International Women's Day

International Women's Day was originally initiated with the goal of facilitating women's rights and equality. Yet, over 100 years later, women, in all parts of the world, are still faced with numerous human rights violations on a daily basis. Women often work more than men, yet they are paid less; gender discrimination affects girls and women throughout their lives, and women and girls often suffer the most poverty.

Although it is fundamental that we try to raise awareness about the issues that women on the global scale are faced with, it is also important to acknowledge the issues facing women in our own community. That is why I am attending a lecture series, here in Victoria, entitled, "Prostitution and Women's Equality: Imagining More for Women." The lectures are about the sexual exploitation of girls and women in the commercial sex trade which is a human rights crisis and a direct hindrance to women's equality. 

So, if you have the time, you should definitely try to participate in your local International Women's day event, and learn about the issues that are hindering women's equality in your city. It is important to mark the economic political and social achievements of women, so that one day, women too will be considered as equal.

Love,

Karen

The Ektorp Sofa

When we moved out west, we were not able to bring our entire couch set with us because it would not all fit in our little U-Haul. Since, we were only able to fit it one little piece of our three piece sectional, we really feel like we have no place to sit! So, we have decided to buy a new couch and I think we are going to go with the white Ektorp couch! It has sort of a cottage vibe which will be perfect for Saskatchewan Swedish Cottage as well as the little beach cottage we are currently living in. Plus, I think the white couch will really bring the whole white on white look together! I can't wait to get it!! What color and kind of couch do you have?? I would love to hear?

Love,

Karen

stud...basically a badass

Lately, I have been noticing that these studded boots are the hottest thing on the block. And I for one am so so so in love with them. Paired with a pretty dress, studded boots will put a stylish edge to any girls outfit! 
These are two of my favorite picks from Sasha and Zara. Unfortunately, Sacha (the top boot) doesn't ship to Canada. However, I think the Zara boots are just as fabulous. I am am able to get to a Zara near here, these will totally be mine!!

Love,

Karen

Instgram Roundup

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!! Since I had Saturday off, Dominic and I went for a hike to this beautiful waterfall (picture 15) and we also made a huge amount of home-made ravioli - vegetarian style! We made three different kinds of filling which were butternut squash and walnut, mushroom and herb and spinach and ricotta!! We froze the majority of them so that when we come home from work, we will be able to make a quick, delicious, healthy and home-made meal! 

I know that I promised to post my instagram photos more often, but alas, I have finally got around to posting them. So enjoy the little glimpse of what our life has been like here on the amazing West Coast of Canada!! 

1. Sunset in Saskatchewan aka. Land of the Living Skies 

2. Getting skunked while ice fishing at Big Shell Lake 

3. Norther Saskatchewan at its finest

4. Sparkly Tom's I got for X-mas

5. All decked out in my cold weather gear

6. Finally made it to the West Coast

7. Cherry Blossoms are starting to bloom

8. Fish and Chips west coast style

9. Our first attempt at home-made pasta

10. Hike at Mystic Beach

11. Snow drops are in full bloom

12. Forest creek on our hike up Mt. Finlayson

13. Made it to the top - 1380 feet.

14. Eggs Benny ( a west coast staple)

15. Niagara waterfall which is slightly smaller than the real Niagara but still really pretty

Love,

Karen