Lifestyle

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.

With Christmas holidays in under two months, I’m already prepping for my holiday shopping list. This year, we racked up a few BIG expenses, including our wedding, honeymoon, and also saving up for (hopefully) a near future kitchen renovation. With all that in mind, my goal this year is to reduce my holiday spending without compromising the quality of my shopping and entertaining plans. In Spring, I chatted about my savings journey with RetailMeNot.ca by utilizing some fantastic digital coupons offered by many retailers online. Since then, I’ve continued to scout many great deals and finds!

There is a misconception that couponing means saving $0.50 on frozen pizzas and and $2.00 off your next laundry detergent purchase. However, digital couponing can mean savings big dollars on your next luxury goods purchase or even your next holiday vacation.

I’m so thrilled to once again partner with RetailMeNot.ca to share some shopping tips and a $200 VISA gift card giveaway to help you exercise your couponing skills!

I finally started to go through some of the photos we took during our honeymoon! I will be sharing more in a few more posts, but first up, is the beautiful town of Oia on the islands of Santorini. During the second week of our honeymoon, we explored the islands of Greece and spent one day touring this breathtaking town. There are four main towns along the caldera in Santorini – Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Oia. These are located on the western edge of the island and are situated on the caldera cliff, which offers fantastic views of the volcano.

Keep reading to see more photos.

I was provided product by BEHR to write this post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Happy Halloweekend! Whether you’re frantically getting ready for Halloween or looking for fresh Fall decorating ideas, these DIY Gold Leaf Painted Pumpkins are the perfect way to add an extra flare to your doorstep or window sill. When the BEHR 2016 Color Trends were released, I fell in love with pretty much every single colour which led me to order a sample of each, literally! With miniature pumpkins in hand, I was determined to showcase a few of my most favourite from the Color Trends list.

Read further to learn how to create your own Gold Leaf Painted Pumpkins in just a few simple steps!

For those of you who have tried Peking Duck before, you know just how delicious the combination of crispy duck skin, tender duck meat alongside with hoisin sauce, green onions and a soft, slightly sweetened flour pancake is. For those of you who haven’t tried, stop what you’re doing and make a reservation at your nearest fancy (or not so fancy) traditional Chinese restaurant and order this dish, you won’t regret it.

I love Peking Duck. It’s certainly not an ordinary dish we prepare at home, nor would I ever attempt to, it’s reserved for special occasions. With a craving for Peking Duck last weekend, I decided to tackle a knock off and modern version of this well celebrated Chinese dish in my very own kitchen. And so with the help of McCain® Superfries®, Peking Duck Fries was born!

This is a super easy recipe to #MODIFRY your typical frozen bag of fries from a side dish to a center stage meal option!

Hello! I’m finally settling back in after returning from our wonderful honeymoon! We had such an incredible time touring parts of Europe but my most favourite were definitely the Greek Islands. Can I say, WOW?! I’ll be sure to share some photos with you once I’ve had a chance to go through them!

Packing for a two week vacation can be quite daunting, especially when multiple destinations and temperatures are involved. Regardless, when it comes to beauty essentials, I’ve always got an it-list, good for any travel plan. I’ve curated a number of beauty products that I’ve personally tried and tested, and I guarantee you’ll absolutely love them too!

Check out my Beauty Travel Essentials to learn more about my most favourited items to pack in the suitcase!

Most couples have a ‘song’, for Kyle and I, we never had a ‘song’ for the few years we dated. When it came time to find a song for our wedding dance, I thought the song selection process was going to require quite a bit of effort seeing that we never had a ‘song’, but to my surprise, the both of us unanimously (and simultaneously) made the decision of picking Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” as the special song for our wedding night.

In early June when Ed Sheeran scheduled his concert in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre, I tried to purchase tickets as a romantic way to gear up for our big day. As you would imagine, tickets sold out right away, and no dice for me! But thanks to American Express Canada, we were able to enjoy the Ed Sheeran concert this past weekend with Front Of The Line reserved ticket allotment and relived our first dance (how romantic!).

If you’re looking to score tickets to the next hot show or event I encourage you to explore the perks of being a American Express Cardmember. As an Amex Cardmember, you have access to Front Of The Line presales, reserved ticket allotments, Delights experiences as well as exclusive benefits at special venues across the country.  You can also check out www.AmexInvites.ca to learn more about some of the hottest upcoming events! For now, check out some photos I snapped at the concert and of course a photo of our first dance from our wedding!

Thanks to my friends at American Express Canada for letting us relive #ThisMoment!

To prepare for Thanksgiving this year, I want to show you just how simple it is to create your own modern centerpiece and table setting that is both suitable for the Thanksgiving holiday and further into the winter season.

Traditionally, when you think of decorating for Thanksgiving, you think of Fall colours such as reds, oranges, and browns, and of course items such as apples and pumpkins! For my own tablescape this year, I decided to go with modern home decor items and a classic fresh floral centerpiece made up of warm and cool hues of ivory and white. I also transformed this Pumpkin Soup Tureen from Chapters Indigo into the focal point of my tablescape, what do you think?!

I’ve prepared an easy shopping guide from some great merchants at the Manulife Centre, be sure to check them out!

Read further to see how you can accomplish a similar style for your Thanksgiving gathering!

I was provided product by BEHR to write this post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I was totally surprised when Kyle said yes to letting me update our office space with a fresh coat of BRIGHT paint. Let’s just say I may not have exactly disclosed to him that I was thinking pink! I instantly fell in love with Pagoda, the fuschia pink colour featured as part of BEHR 2016 Color Trends. I had to get my hands on it and was willing to make any paint project work with this. The office was the perfect opportunity!

Since Pagoda (T16-02) is quite dramatic, I really didn’t want to use too much of it, but rather as a happy accent. I decided to paint two side panels behind our custom DIY shelving unit and really thrilled with the final result! To be honest, I am the one who primarily occupy our home office space, therefore I was ecstatic that Kyle agreed to let me put my own stamp on it. A little pink never hurts a creative soul, right?!

Today, I’m excited to share not only my September BEHR DIY Expert Paint project with you but privileged to also share the projects from my fellow BEHR paint ambassadors AND a fabulous BEHR Paint Giveaway! Be sure to check them all out and enter the giveaway at the end of this post.

Four lucky winners will receive three gallons of BEHR 2016 Color Trends Paint! Yay! Best of luck!

With the official arrival of Fall means more cozy nights in. I love hosting intimate gatherings at home during the cooler months, it’s a fantastic time to catch up with friends and enjoy each other’s company. Hosting dinner parties can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re hoping to impress your guests. With my busy schedule, hosting an elaborate dinner party is almost impossible, therefore wine & cheese nights are much more manageable in my opinion.

However, hosting an ultimate wine & cheese night does require some preparation. The wines and cheeses you select are definitely going to be the superstars to your evening, but home decor, dinnerware and your entire tablescape is certainly going to be ‘wow’ factor.

I recently hosted my own Wine & Cheese Night with the help of some fabulous merchants from Manulife Centre, thoughts?!