Be Thankful...

Boy, did I ever need this as a reminder last week! It was one of those weeks where nothing seemed to work or be good enough.. do you know what I mean? I felt like I was going to be in that never ending rut forever! Luckily, the sun is shining and that makes a world of a difference this week! I think I can finally feel spring coming (it's almost here...right?) and that alone makes me so happy! 

I made this print and have made it my computer background picture because I think it's so important to keep this in mind. There is always something to be thankful for. Even if you think you're life is going nowhere or you aren't where you think you should be, you can always be thankful for what you do have! It's easy to say that and I know so much harder to actually do it, but if you take the time and look around, I'm sure you can find a few things that you are so thankful to have. I started doing this as a daily task to think of 3 things I am thankful for. It doesn't have to be anything life changing or major, but simply 3 things you are happy you did or have. It really puts things in perspective and makes you realize things aren't ever that big of a deal!

So I thought I'd share my 3 things that I'm thankful for today... in no particular order:

1. Starbucks- I know this sounds bad, but since working from home I've learnt that I need to get out of the house once a day. Seeing that it has been -100 degrees or so around here lately, taking a quick trip to Starbucks has been a great substitute for going for a walk.

2. My apartment- yes it may be tiny, and I may have cursed it out many times this past week because there is no storage left, but in the end I am so thankful that I have this little place of my own. It does feel like home and I love that I get to share it with my best friend.

3. Music (in particular Beyonce)- seriously guys, music is the best thing ever created. It instantly lifts my mood and gives me energy throughout the day. And there is nothing more energizing than listening to Beyonce... really loud (sorry neighbours). Since last week was not very energizing or motivating, I threw on some Beyonce first thing this morning and it instantly put me in a great mood! If you're feeling a little down, seriously throw some Beyonce on, dance around your house and sing at the top of your lungs...it will help! 

The 'Anytime' Gift Guide: under $20

Ever since Christmas came and went I have been thinking about gifts and how to make the gift giving process a bit easier. I love giving gifts, there is nothing better then making someone else happy or feel special with a simple gift. So I figured I would do a little series dedicated to the fun act of gift giving! I've called this The 'Anytime' Gift Guide because that is exactly what it is for, there does not need to be a specific occasion, it can be a 'just because' gift. However most of these options also work great for birthday gifts or special occasion gifts! To kick of this gift guide I've started with gifts under $20. These are perfect little gifts to give, they still feel like you put some effort in to choosing them, but they aren't over the top!

1. Rifle Paper Co Notebooks ($13)- a pack of notebooks, or one beautiful journal is a great little gift to give, especially if its a going away gift for them to keep track of their travels!

2. Voluspa Candle ($12)- I honestly think everyone likes candles, and that makes them a great gift to give. I love giving a really nice candle to friends, because like myself, I know they may not want to spend a lot of money on a candle. This makes it a little extra special for them!

3. Initial Necklace- if you aren't familiar with Etsy then go right now and start looking (trust me!). Etsy is a great resource for little personalized gifts. There are many stores on Etsy that sell adorable and simple initial jewelry. If you plan ahead and factor in shipping times (which is usually pretty quick), then a little piece of personalized jewelry can be a great gift.

4. One Good Deed A Day ($13)- this journal is a great gift for really anyone. Inside each page is filled with cute 'deeds' to complete. Things like "say hello to a stranger" or "learn to change a tire" are some of the deeds and you can write the date you completed it on. There are many other journals like it that are just as cute (here and here).

5. Chapters Teacup ($14)- this is probably my most gifted gift. I love pretty tea mugs and I feel like you can never have too many of them (especially if you're like me and drink tea 5 times a day...). The selection of tea mugs has been getting even better too, with pretty designs and ones with great sayings (here), you are sure to find one for whomever you are giving it to!

6. SS Print Shop Donut Print ($20)- this is just one of the many prints that are sold at SS Print Shop. They are also even easier to buy now since they are sold in stores and online at Chapters. Prints are a fun gift to give, with their beautiful design and really cute and clever sayings. There is such a large selection of them as well, so it makes it even easier to find one that works!

7. Forever 21 PJ Set ($16)- a little while ago I came across pjs on the forever 21 website and fell in love. They have the cutest pj sets and they are actually pretty comfortable too! PJs are a great gift too because it is another thing that I feel like everyone loves!

Places to Shop: Anthropologie, Chapters/Indigo, Forever 21, SS Print Shop, Etsy (BipAndBop, Verse Shop, Lizas Little Things) 

Spring Dresses

For a quick moment there, it felt like spring. Sadly, temperatures have dipped back down and the winter coat is back out. But for a brief time there the weather was warm enough to wear and start thinking about dressing for spring. Spring is one of my favourite seasons to dress for. I love re-introducing bright colours, pastels, fun prints and most importantly dresses. I feel like the past year or so I have started a love affair with dresses. They are just so easy to throw on and head out the door. Most of them are usually pretty comfortable too, which is a big "yes" for me! So to introduce dresses (without tights and heavy winter coats) back into my daily outfit I thought of three different ways I could do this, and not freeze to death!

I love the idea of wearing a sweater over top of a dress. I think this creates such an easy casual look and really revamps the look of a dress. Another way to use a sweater and a dress together are layering the dress over top the sweater. If you have a dress that is more fitted on the top then this could definitely work well!

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An obvious choice is to layer a jacket over top of a dress. This is a great spring look, especially when using a denim jacket to layer. Denim jackets and light coloured dresses just scream spring to me. Another great way to accomplish this look is by layering a detailed jacket or structured blazer over a simple dress, this can create a more formal look too!

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A third way to re-introduce dresses into your wardrobe is picking dresses with mid to long sleeves. These dresses are great because you can simply throw them on and go, no need to layer! A lot of long sleeve dresses can be found in a wrap style, which is really flattering on most (if not all) body types!

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Navigating March Madness

I know it may look confusing but trust me, navigating March Madness is pretty easy! Once you know the basics then you just need to pick a team to cheer for (yes it's ok to pick them based on their jersey colour) and you're all set. 

First things first, I love basketball. It is up there as one of my favourite sports to watch and play. And there is nothing better then college basketball. This is one of the few times you get to watch this sport being played the hardest, these players give it their all (unlike the NBA sometimes). It's also turned in to such an event, people make brackets, enter contests and host parties to watch the games. So join in the fun, because hey you're at least probably going to get some yummy food while you're at it! And if you do then hopefully some of this info will help you out. So without going in to too much detail, here is how to navigate March Madness:

The map above shows how the tournament works, it explains how teams progress and some of the terms used throughout the tournament. Beyond that there are a few helpful things to know, those being key teams and who to look out for.

TEAMS TO KNOW: As I said above 64 teams start out in the tournament, don't worry you do not need to know them all (phew). However there are a few key teams that are either always around (good basketball programs) and others that are hot this year. So a few teams to likely make an appearance at this years March Madness include:

- North Carolina Tar Heels (my favourite!)

- Duke Blue Devils

- Kansas Jayhawks

- Kentucky Wildcats

- Syracuse Orange

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: These are some teams that are 'hot' this year. These teams are playing well and are likely to do well in the tournament this year:

- Wichita State Shockers

- Florida Gators

- Louisville Cardinals (defending champs)

- Michigan Wolverines

KEY PLAYERS: Here are some players you will probably hear about throughout the tournament. An added bonus is two of them are Canadian (yay):

- Andrew Wiggins (Plays for Kansas/Canadian)

- Jabari Parker (Plays for Duke)

- Tyler Ennis (Plays for Syracuse/Canadian)

- Julius Randle (Plays for Kentucky)

Spring Forward

Gap Jacket (old, similar here), Target T-Shirt, Old Navy Jeans, Kate Spade Purse (similar here), 

J.Crew Loafers, Ray Ban Sunglasses, H&M Rings

Guys, it was finally warm enough to not wear boots. You have no idea how exciting it was to only have to put a light jacket and flats on. I bought this Gap jacket a few years ago, but it is always one of my spring staples. I also bought these J.Crew loafers on sale (score) and couldn't wait to wear them, I definitely think I'll be wearing them constantly this spring/summer. Sadly, we are getting a ton (ugh) of snow today, so I guess I'll push the flats back in the closet and put the boots back on. Hopefully it won't last too long and I can finally bring all the brights and flats out for good!

Inspired By...

1. A fun and seemingly easy way to create your own phrase shirt.

2. A list of why spring is the best, and I couldn't agree more!

3. Some easy dessert recipes that will make you drool just by looking at them.

4. To help with one of my march goals, some much needed advice on cleaning out your closet.

5. How you can be happier without social media.

6. Kate Spade's spring collection is not only full of prints and bright colours, but takes you on a little trip as well, this time to Capri.

I hope everyones week is off to a good start! Mine has already been way more productive than last week (phew) and I am looking forward to that productivity continuing to the end of the week. I think a restful and healthy weekend was just what I needed to recharge and more importantly refocus. Also, a few of the things listed above definitely helped kick start my week. Enjoy!

Spring Prints

I started this post as a Spring Wish List, but then I quickly realized that all the pieces I was lusting after were prints. So instead, here are some of my favourite spring prints. I love wearing prints in the spring. Whether it's throwing a printed top on with jeans, or having a fun printed shoe, you can never really go wrong. This dress from Joe Fresh is one of my favourites, and definitely one I'll be looking out for! I love that it's a classic stripe and can be dressed up or down depending on how you accessorize it. I also fell in love with these Zara pants. I left the mall the other day without them and now I regret it big time! I feel like that always happens to me! One thing I don't have to regret are these stripe flats from gap (last seen here) as I bought them a few weeks ago and I'm sure you can only imagine how anxious I've been to wear them! Seeing as there is still waist high piles of snow, I think I'll have to hold off on wearing them for now. Check out the rest of the printed pieces below, and hopefully one of them might make it into your closet!

Tops: Joe Fresh Stripe Dress, H&M Blouse, Nasty Gal Top, Top Shop Dress

Bottoms: Old Navy Pants, Zara Floral Pants, Joe Fresh Print Skirt, Top Shop Midi Skirt

Shoes: Gap Striped Flats, Madewell Flats, Forever 21 Loafers, Gap Floral Oxfords

Wearing A Leather Jacket

For a little while now my leather jacket has been tucked away, hidden in the back of my closet. This is in large part because I only seem to wear my warmest coat possible these days, but it's also because I'm stuck on how to wear it. I know this may sound silly but I always feel like my leather jacket never looks good when I put it on. I love the way leather jackets look on other people, but I always feel mine comes up short. Either way, I thought why not pull some inspiration from some of my favourite bloggers to help me figure out this leather jacket "situation". As I was searching around for some inspiration, I noticed that many people styled their jackets in three ways, casual, everyday and dressy. I think I'll start with a casual look (can't be that hard can it?) and hopefully progress from there! I'll let you all know how it goes...

I like how these casual styles make it seem easy to throw your jacket on and go. Pairing a leather jacket with jeans or even a simple dress is such an easy way to begin to wear it.  Adding sneakers and a sweater to the look make it perfect for a weekend outfit or when you need to run some errands.

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These everyday looks combine dressier elements (skirts & heels), but then are dressed down once the leather jacket is on. I love this idea of wearing a skirt and layering a leather jacket on top to keep it simple for an everyday look. This is also a great idea for spring time, as the weather begins to get warmer, a leather jacket will be perfect for layering over skirts or fun printed pants.

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Finally, unlike the everyday looks that are more dressed down, these looks are still dressy with the help of a leather jacket. The details in each outfit are primarily dressy, heels with a skirt and nice top. They add a leather jacket, but it still maintains that dressed up feel. This is a perfect option for going out at night or having drinks with friends, and a leather jacket will keep you warm during the cooler spring nights!

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March To Do List

Well I can happily report that my January To Do List (it rolled in to February as well...) was pretty successful. I checked off all but one item from the list (my emails are still a mess), and so I figured I'd introduce the next set of "To Dos". So here is my March To Do List.

As we get closer to spring (hopefully... I'm so over winter), I always get the urge to clean out and organize my closets. It's a great time to bring all those lighter pieces forward and push the sweaters back (yay). I love switching things up and pulling out the pieces that I haven't worn in forever. It's also a great time to donate any clothes that you haven't worn in a while, or if you're like me clothes that still have tags on (I know so bad).

I've also decided that I want to find one good workout class this month. I've realized over the past while that I definitely get a better workout in when I'm being told what to do. I like when someone (even if they're on my TV screen) tells me what to do and I can follow along rather than trying to figure out how to use some of that gym equipment....seriously does anyone know how to use all of that stuff? Either way I want to try maybe a few local classes from yoga to boot camp and see what works best!

If you're near by in March then come on over, because there will (hopefully) be some baked goodies waiting! I actually really enjoy baking (hate the clean up) but yet I hardly ever do it. I usually put it off because I don't want a bunch of goodies sitting around my house for me and the boyfriend (who are we kidding, mainly me) to devour. I love baking but I love eating it all just as much. Either way I want to bake some treats this month and then drop them off with some friends and family, it's a win for everyone!

Finally, this phrase "Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy" has been going through my head non stop lately. I think a big reason for my "case of the Mondays" (last seen here) last week was because I lost sight of this. In our ever connected world it is so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. I know I'm guilty of it for sure. I love Instagram, but man it can bring a girl down some days! But that's when I need to remember this saying and keep in mind that everyone is different, and that you can't compare you're beginning to someone else's middle.

Have a good week everyone! I'm hoping this weather is only going to get warmer (wishful thinking?) so I can finally feel like a real person again and go outside for a bit!