Truth be told I have only ever had my hair coloured by one person since I was 10 years old. I trust her with my hair more than anyone but unfortunately living in Toronto has made it difficult to see her as often as I should. Having a blog entitled “The Blondielocks” automatically limits what I can and will do with my hair and it also makes it extremely important to me to maintain happy and healthy blonde hair. Read more…
Monthly Musings
June 30, 2015
Living in Canada I automatically feel an immense pressure to make the most out of every minute of the summer because I know that this warm weather only lasts for so long. Canada Day is tomorrow and this year Jamie and I are taking a road trip to the USA. I don’t know if that is anti-Canadian of us but the 30 degree temperatures and ocean in Delaware are sure calling my name. June has been a busy month that has been full of events, long walks in our neighbourhood and lots of ice cream runs! But I am looking forward to what July has to offer which is hopefully more sunshine and a new home to live in (fingers crossed).
1. Toronto Flower Market: The first month that the Toronto Flower Market was in town I was in Halifax so I missed out on it. So this month Jamie and I woke up early to beat the crowds and have first pick. I was determined to get a huge pile of peonies before the season ended and the TFM did not disappoint. I came home with a bundle of these gorgeous flowers which not only made our house smell so fragrant but two of these guys lasted for almost three weeks!
2. Treats From Nagège: You might have seen via my Instagram that last week Nadège Patisserie sent over the most thoughtful box of macarons customized with my logo. On top of the beautiful macarons they also sent the most stunning box of their P’tit Choux & Miniature Gateaux. I am not kidding you I ate 75% of this box within the first day and saved just a few for Jamie. It was indulgent but so worth it.
3. Surfet: I was so excited to be asked to go on my second adventure with the Bench Canada team a couple of weeks ago. The first time around we went axe throwing which was fun but not really my thing, so when I found out that I would be working out on indoor surfboards for this adventure I was so game. I thought that because I have paddle boarded that this workout would be a piece of cake, but it kicked my ass! I loved working on my balance and pretending I was surfing so this is a work out I will be doing again!
4. Rooster Coffee Date: Last summer Jamie, Milo and I would always walk to Rooster Coffee on Saturday or Sunday morning and have breakfast on their patio. We have been pretty busy so far this summer and put a yield on this tradition. Last weekend we made it a priority to go and it was so nice to feel nostalgic and drink coffee with each other.
5. Pamuk & Co.: I wrote about my affinity for Turkish Towels back in May so it comes as no surprise that I have been on the hunt for some for my own bathroom since then. I felt so grateful when Pamuk & Co. contacted me to see if I wanted to try a couple of their ultra luxurious towels and now feel almost guilty I hadn’t heard of them before I made my round-up. These authentic Turkish Towels are so soft and gorgeous. Having them in my bathroom makes taking a shower that much more enjoyable.
6. Replanting: It came as a huge surprise to me that one of the succulents that I had planted in my DIY succulent garden would grow so much that I would have to re-pot the others. Charlie, as Jamie informed me is his name, has grown over a foot tall was taking over the entire bowl, so recently I had to move the other plants into their own mini bowls and I ended up love the look of them.
7. Boots & Bling: I was so happy to be invited to the Front Street Capital Charitable Foundation’s 5th annual Summer Solstice event this past Thursday. The event raised more than $275,000 for St. Joseph’s Health Centre’s Paediatric Emergency so you can imagine that it was quite the party! The event was white and western themed and obviously included a mechanical bull that I felt the need to try. Embarrassingly enough I flew off the bull and my entire dress ripped. I’ll spare you the details but it was bad…Luckily for me the caring ladies in coat check sewed my dress back together and I went on to enjoy the evening…turf burn and all.
8. Club Monaco Preview: Club Monaco is one of my favourite brands so when I was invited to check out the fall preview I was beyond excited. There isn’t much that can make me wish away the summer but the rich fabrics, colours and textures that Club Monaco is offering this fall (almost) did. One of my favourite styling tricks that Club Monaco showed was layering turtlenecks underneath silk camis which was something I did a couple of years ago and am glad to see it is still so popular.
9. Wall Flower: June is the month when all of the flowers that had been planted back in May really start to bloom and stand out. I always enjoy walking by local homes and businesses and admiring the gardens that people create. This one in-particular really caught my eye. I think the contrast between the dark grey wall and purple flowers make a beautiful impact.
10. Kensington Market Openings: I really enjoy the laid-back and carefree vibe that the Kensington Market area lends but I rarely make my way to the area. The Trinity Commons opening party was the perfect excuse to wander around the little shops and eat delicious food on the Trinity Commons patio. Jamie and I loved that the restaurant sources most of their ingredients from the grocers in the market and we were huge fans of their house made sausages. We will definitely be going back.
My Top 10 Favourite Posts of The Year
May 13, 2015
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!
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