Natalie Ho

If you’re looking for holiday entertaining or recipe ideas, you MUST visit the PC Insiders Boutique located in the heart of Downtown Toronto. I was recently invited to experience an evening of delicious food and drink with my friends at President’s Choice who recently launched the PC Insiders Collection featuring 70 new, innovative, holiday inspired products.

The PC Insiders Collection Boutique is opened to the public and guests are invited to sample a selection of food and drink from the holiday collection that were inspired by four occasions: Dine, Brunch, Mingle, and Gift. During my visit, I had the chance to try dishes such as PC black label Beet & Goat Cheese Fresh Pasta, PC Butter Chicken Poutine, and PC World of Flavours Sweet & Spicy Gochujang Chicken Wings.

Interested in visiting this one of a kind pop up boutique? Keep reading to find out more and your chance to win $100 to spend on the newly launched line of PC Insiders Collection products!

I just can’t believe how warm (relatively speaking that is) it has been in Toronto! Call me crazy but I managed to wear open toe sandals over the first weekend of December. Amazing, right?!

For my final Le Chateau shoe pick of 2015, I opted for a festive, sparkly pair of sandals that not only got me through my weekend’s casual attire, but will sure be taking me through the upcoming holiday parties. These Jewelled Satin Strappy Sandals ($69.95) are the perfect fit and height. And as you can see, they can elevate any outfit from sweaters and jeans to cocktail party dress paired with opaque stockings.

Have you picked up some new holiday statement pieces for your upcoming celebrations yet?!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?! Who is the most difficult person to shop for on your list? Personally, my parents are the toughest to shop for! Every year I ask them for a wish list, and every year, I’m left with the same response, “Save your money honey, we’ve got everything we need.” But this year, I’m so glad I’ve got just the perfect gift for them.

We received our wedding photo files a couple of months ago and it was so tough trying to figure out what to print for my family as keepsake. I thought what better way to share our special memories than to create custom prints for family and friends this Christmas with PhotoBox.

This post was produced in partnership with Behr. All paint products mentioned in this post was c/o of Behr. However all ideas and opinions are 100% my own. 

As part of the BEHR Holiday Home Challenge, my fellow BEHR DIY Experts and I were tasked to create a holiday DIY project. Today, I’m so thrilled to share not only my own DIY project but 18 other fabulous projects from 18 other fabulous DIY and lifestyle bloggers!

For the past two years, I stuck to traditional Christmas colours such as red and green. This year, I really wanted to create a modern atmosphere and therefore decided to dress my tree and house with shades of minimalistic black and white for the holiday season. These DIY Black and White Ornaments were the first on my list to tackle, they are super easy to make and the possibilities are endless!

Read further to see how you can create your own DIY Black and White Christmas Ornaments and enter to win 4 gallons of BEHR Paint of your choice!

I partnered with Joe Fresh for a holiday advent calendar project that’s both seasonal and stylish. Here’s how to make one of your own. This post originally appeared on Joe Fresh Post. 

Advent calendars have typically been reserved for kids, but who says adults can’t have fun counting down the days to Christmas too? I wanted to take a fresh and modern approach to a traditional advent calendar and decided to create an ultra-cool version that not only includes some great gift items from Joe Fresh but also doubles as a fantastic holiday display for the home!

Be sure to incorporate sweet messages and I.O.U.’s for that special someone!

Make each day in December extra memorable with a beautiful D.I.Y. advent calendar to share with your loved ones.

Happy December! Can’t believe the last month of the year has dawned upon us! November was Financial Literacy Month (FLM), a month dedicated to encourage Canadians to focus on their financial well-being and develop strategies to save for the future, make wise choices about debt, and strengthen money management skills. Earlier in November, I shared some great holiday shopping savings tips, but even though the month has come to an end, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the lessons from FLM and apply them to our holiday spending habits.

When it comes to getting a grip of my own spending habits, which by the way can get a little wee out of control right around this time of the year, i.e. Black Friday sales, holiday gifts, parties to attend, I personally try to manage my own cash by limiting my credit card usage and utilizing my Interac debit card instead. In addition, by using your Interac debit card, you are also supporting local shops with much reduced transaction fees in comparison to credit card charges.

To help YOU save this holiday season, my friends at Interac has kindly shared some additional tips with me to help you (and me) “Be in the Black.”

Read more.

Christmas is just one month away! Have you been planning out your gift giving ideas or wish list?! There are definitely some advantages when you start your shopping early. You’ll likely miss the crazy line ups and also the lessen chance of missing out on that much needed item. In addition – there are many great Black Friday sales going on – so I totally recommend taking advantage of some extra savings!

I was lucky to beat the rush earlier this weekend and visited Manulife Centre to pick up a selection of gifts that are perfect for the ‘his’, ‘her’, and special “little ones’ in my family.

The winter colour palette can sometimes be a bit dreary. I was on the hunt for a splash of colour over the weekend and luckily stumbled upon this graffiti wall. I recently acquired a few new favourites including this Faux Fur Hooded Parka from Ever New – a Melbourne fashion brand who recently landed in Canada and these Italian-made Leather Ankle Boots which are absolutely a staple item for any outfit.

And I may have added another one (or two) Daniel Wellington watches to my existing collection. I swooned over this Classy St. Mawes 34 mm badly last year, but ended up with the Classic Sheffield 36mm instead, needless to say, I’m so happy that this watch finally made its way to my home 🙂 Until January 15, enjoy 15% your entire purchase with promo code: MYLITTLESECRETS.

How do you incorporate a dose of colour when it’s grey out?!

With just over a month until Christmas, I’ve started to fill my Pinterest board with Christmas DIY ideas.  I especially love crafting during the holidays, especially with family and friends! My friends at Fujifilm Canada invited me to host a private DIY crafting party on Tuesday, November 24 in Toronto to see just about how creative we can get with our Instax photos. Naturally, I browsed through Pinterest for some inspiration and found a few favourites!

I’d love to invite one read and a friend to come join me, Fujifilm Canada, and Chapters Indigo at our private DIY Instax party tomorrow from 7 – 9 p.m. Simply leave me a comment below and I’ll pick a winner!

I am loving the extended Fall weather here in Toronto! Typically by this time of the year, I’ve taken out my goose down coat for a spin. Instead, this year, the prolonged Fall weather has allowed me to sport my poncho wrap and ankle booties around the city. I’ve come to really embrace “the poncho” and have been taking this one that I recently purchased from Titika Active Couture with me everywhere.  It not only acts as the perfect wrap for a slightly cooler day, but I love cozying up to it at home on the couch.

On other news, I’m excited that one of my favourite Canadian online shoes site, SHOEme.ca will be soon be opening a Pop-Up store in Toronto. They have such a huge variety of shoes and super fast delivery. I selected these Vince Camuto Hayes boots to add to my Fall wardrobe and I absolutely adore the versatility and comfort. For a limited time only, enjoy 20% off with code CHILL20 online!

Speaking of Canadian shopping, I shared with you a few posts ago that ALEX AND ANI, who are best known for their charm bracelets are now shipping to Canada! To continue celebrating their flat shipping rate of $9.95 (or free for orders over $75) – I’ve partnered with ALEX AND ANI to offer one lucky reader the chance to win $50USD to spend on www.ALEXANDANI.com.

Read further to enter using the widget included.