In the last two years my blog has become such an extension of who I am, and I have learnt and grown so much as a result. On a daily basis I flood my brain with ideas on fresh blog posts, how to elevate my content and I am constantly trying to push myself to do more. I do however think it is important to look back at how far I have come in just another short year. I have experienced so much growth in the last 365 days and so today I thought it would be fun to share with you 10 of my favourite blog posts (in no particular order expect for #1) and why I love them so much.
1. 2015 // Posted January 5, 2015
This post is my absolute favourite for a few hilarious reasons. Jamie is usually my outfit photographer 80% of the time so I rarely get to share posts that involve him. Besides this post, this New Years Eve photo shoot is the only couple blog post we have ever done together. We shot this look on New Years Eve while the sun was setting on what had to have been the COLDEST day I have ever experienced while taking photos. Not only was it freezing, but it was windy, we were by water and I was in a thin, short sleeve dress. Can I just tell you I have NEVER been so cold in my entire life. This post took almost an hour to shoot because we all had to run back and forth multiple times from the outdoors into the heated car to warm up. We almost missed the sun setting because of the time constraint. When we were done and I arrived home I had to sit on the couch in my dress with slippers, a robe and a blanket wrapped around me until we had to leave for our dinner date. The funniest part about this shoot is that you would never know what we went through because these pictures turned out to be some of my faves.
2. DIY Grapefruit Scrub // Posted April 15, 2015
Sometimes posts just come together so perfectly that you surprise even yourself. That was the case with this DIY grapefruit scrub. I have been finding myself studying photos on websites such as Pinterest so much more lately to teach myself how other posts are styled and what I am personally drawn to when I see a photograph. With this scrub post I really felt that I honed in on my creative and photography skills and set up a beautiful vignette for these pictures. This scrub also turned out fantastic, and my sisters and I enjoyed every last drop of it.
3. Meet Milo! // Posted June 17, 2014
I obviously had to add this post about one of the best days of mine and Jamies life so far…the day we adopted out sweet Milo. There really isn’t anything like owning a dog (except for maybe having a child?). Milo has brought so much more love into our life and we have been so blessed since the day that we adopted him. Milo just celebrated his first birthday this past Valentines Day and it has been so fun to watch him turn into a little doggie adult.
4. Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes // Posted February 17, 2015
I may have just added this post into this round-up because I am currently craving a stack of these fluffy sweet and tart pancakes, but who cares they are just sooooo good! This post is another instance where I can really see the growth in my photography and food plating skills. Every time I see this photo I want to make these amazing pancakes. This post also reminds me of the couple of days that my sisters, Jamie and I spent in Ottawa and enjoyed these delicious fluffy circles of heaven.
5. How To Get The Most Out Of Your Manicure // Posted March 10, 2015
After the new year I started a new segment on my blog that I have deemed “Exploring Toronto”. I am currently working on a better title but the main concept is that I have been heading to local shops around Toronto and picking the brains of the people behind them about what they do best. So far I have learned all about juice with Village Juicery, interviewed the owner of Gilding The Lily, Annie Jagger and was taught how to get the most out of my mani with The Ten Spot. Of course it was great being treated to the best manicure I have ever received, but I also loved working on this post because of the attention to detail and knowledge that Ashley my esthetician put into it as well.
6. #AerieBraletteCrush // Posted February 5, 2015
Aerie is a brand that I have loved since high school and rarely stray from when purchasing my undergarments. So when they reached out to me back in February to do a post on their bralettes my jaw nearly hit the floor. I styled up this Valentines Day inspired shoot with my sister and we had sooo much fun with it. I was also told by Aerie that I would have a chance to be featured on their upcoming e-mail blast if they liked my photos so I really wanted to do a good job. In the end, not only was I chosen for the e-mail blast but my photo was the the opening shot. Aerie has been one of my favourite brands to work with so far, and I can’t wait to do another collaboration with them (hint hint).
7. Little Living Room Updates // Posted November 11, 2014
Recently receiving the news that we may have to leave our home has really got me bummed out so I have been looking back on the small amount of posts that I have done on it. I love giving you all a little sneak peek into where we live and this post really showed a few of the changes that I have made to our living space since moving in. There were still so many things that I wanted to change up in here (this gallery wall did get checked off the list) but we will have to wait and see!
8. DIY Tassel Bedding // Posted March 18, 2015
One of the biggest moments for me this year was being asked to do a segment on the Marilyn Denis show. I had always dreamt of being on the show one day and never ever would have thought that it would have happened so soon. Did I mention to you guys that I turned it down at first? I am a crazy crazy girl. For the DIY dreamscape challenge I had to make an entire DIY bedroom that included bedding. This tassel bedding that I made seemed to be a hit with the audience and I ended up winning the challenge!
9. Strawberry Rhubarb Cocktail // Posted April 28, 2015
I became inspired to create this cocktail after watching a similar one made at a burger brawl that Jamie and I attended. I can’t say no to a good cocktail especially one that looks this pretty. If I do say so myself I perfected this strawberry-rhubarb fizz and it will definitely be a summer staple in our home.
10. The Blondielocks X Merry Mag // Posted November 17, 2014
One of the things that is really amazing about blogging is all of the other crazy talented bloggers that I have met. One blogger in particular Melissa who writes the blog The Sweet Escape came up with a blogger magazine called Merry this past holiday season. When she asked me to be a part of this all-blogger written magazine I was more than excited to partake! My sister Raelene shot these beautiful photos This particular outfit was my absolute favourite. I am also so excited to announce that I will be doing the fashion segment again for the Merry Mag summer edition, so look out for that!
{One of those “for no reason” surprises from my Jamie.}
{Finally adding some wall art to our home in the form of a gallery wall.}
{Marilyn Denis and I after winning my segment.}
{Milos first bath.}
{A snap of the Fairmont during our winter trip to Ottawa.}
{The prettiest roses to celebrate 7 years with Jamie.}
{A little family walk during the holidays in Halifax.}
{The best pastry shop that recently opened up in our neighbourhood, Roselle.}
{Putting our lock on the LOVE wall in the Distillery District.}
{End of summer fun at a friends pool in Halifax.}
