a rose by any other name

I like roses. white roses.

I like get well soon roses.

All the while I think I've been patient with life, especially lately. The truth is, I am just beginning to learn about patience & God is challenging me to this. I have a lot to learn but these photos are a true test & reminder to take time and smell the roses.

strawberry bavarian cream strudel

Obviously I need to tone down the food on my blog.

I just really like food. Sorry.

yummeh.

This is the last one. i promise.

fruit loops & hearts

Did your mama ever tell you not to play with your food? Mine did. 

Clearly that didn't go over well!

There's nothing better than enjoying some colorful cereal & getting a taste of being a kid again when you're sick & feeling sad.

 I hope everyone's weekend was great. I have so much e-mail catching up to do, blog catch up etc so bare with me over the next few days. I promise I will be caught up by the end of the week!

Happy Monday!

for japan with love ♥

 

Thank you to the girls over at utterly engaged and ever ours for starting this amazing movement. I am so honored & excited to be apart of this. Tomorrow, it is important we participate and reflect on the tragedy that has happened in Japan.

For Japan With Love has a direct link on their website for this fundraising page for ShelterBox. ShelterBox was one of the first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake.  Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family , blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children's activity pack and other vital items. 

Please check it out and donate if you can. We can all make a difference even by sending love & prayers their way.

So. Tomorrow. I will be silent. I hope you all do the same.

Have a beautiful weekend dolls. I will play catch up on sunday.

it's pinchy pinch day

 May you always have

a sunbeam to warm you,

Good luck to charm you,

And a sheltering angel

so nothing can harm you,

Laughter to cheer you,

Faithful friends near you,

And whenever you pray,

Heaven to hear you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day my beautiful little leprechaun's! Play safe! ♥

awkward and awesome thursday

awkward.

• It's March 17th & it's snowing outside. I think my city's weather is confused. It's St. Patrick's Day not Christmas
• I am still trying to figure Twitter out. It's a process.
• Going for lunch with one of my girlfriends yesterday & trying to dodge old co-workers. Extremely awkward.
• a snoring puppeh.
• Getting my passport pictures taken on Sunday. Do these photos EVER look good?? What is with hair tucked behind the ears etc. It's just not cute no matter what. Ew.
• Trying to find something green to wear. Apparently I own nothing of this colour.
• Blogger continuing to correct my spelling of 'colour.' Yes, we Canadians add a 'u' in there. It's what we do. Is there an option to change my language to English (Canada)?

 awesome.

• I have a wine date night with one of my girlfriends tonight. Playing catch up on her wedding details. It's coming so fast!
• I have a hair appointment later this afternoon. Love being pampered. The salon I go to is owned by an amazing guy and I am really good friends with his sister so It's pampering/bonding time and they feed me wine as well =)
• My friend from Calgary is coming to town for the weekend & I get to spend some time with her tomorrow!
• My friends and I are officially booking our May long weekend vegas trip this weekend. I have never been there and I wouldn't do my first time any other way than go with my girls!!
• I am attending a Fundraiser on Tuesday at a local(ish) restaraunt, Famoso Pizza (my good friend Lindsay works there). All proceeds go to The Red Cross for the Earthquake/Tsunami Relief. I am so excited to be a part of this. We need to do all we can to help the people of Japan!
• Puppeh is keeping my tootsie's warm. 
• My girl friends. I don't need to say more than that. My friends. They are awesome.

I think I have a bigger list of awesome. I am more than okay with that.

what's in my bag?

I've seen these 'what's in the bag' posts done before & thought it would be fun to do today.

 Let's start with my bag. my precious baby. 

My damier azur canvas speedy 30 by louis vuitton.

I usually don't take her out until it's officially spring but I'll make an exception this year.

From left to right:

• Ok first things first, I hope only girls are reading this. The pretty leopard print? That my friends is a pair of underwear. You seriously never know when you'll need them, okay??? You just never know. This is embarrassing. (from Victoria's Secret).
• Aveeno hand lotion, dry weather here makes for dry hands.
• behind that, my make-up bag (details in the photo below!).
• Excel White gum. Flavor? Bubble gum. What else?
• Hand sewn coffee to-go sleeve from Etsy (I wish I remembered the store name, such cute things!). Even with a cardboard sleeve that comes with the cup, it's still usually too hot for my hands, this has been my hand-saver?!
• Prada sunglasses. I don't treat them very nicely, they've been thrown around, been in the ocean etc. yet they are still alive.
• Quick shine for nails. 50 natural by chanel. In case of a run, hole? You never know. Or just paint my nails when I'm bored.
• Lipgloss. Rouge (345) by dior.
• Lipstick. Rouge Allure (58) by chanel. A very beautiful deep red. My favorite red ever.
• My, too small, wallet by louis vuitton. I need a new, bigger one. One day soon....
• My, too small, change purse by louis vuitton. It bulges with all the change I have in there. Not cute.
• Justin Bieber, Never Say Never, movie ticket stub. Don't hate. From my date night with my two besties on Friday!
• my iPhone 4. She is my love.
• House key. You know, so I can get in my house and stuff.
• My sugar tablets in case of an emergency. I am hypoglycemic so these are a staple in my bag.

what's in my make-up bag?

One of my friends is/was working the counter of Laura Mercier at Holt Renfrew in the fall & she hooked me up with some pretty amazing things. Including the actual make-up bag itself.

From left to right (as best I can):

•  Tweezers. Need I say more?
• Translucent Loose Setting Powder by laura mercier.
• Timewise matte-wear liquid foundation by mary kay. My favorite foundation so far!
• Mascara in black by laura mercier.
• Blush in warm-soul by m.a.c.
• Foundation Primer by laura mercier. I love this stuff! It's so light and makes my foundation go on perfectly. I HIGHLY recommend using foundation primer! Even eye primer helps to set the eye shadow and prevent creases! 
• Secret Camouflage in SC-4 by laura mercier. Ok hear me now, this concealer has two colours in this pallet. One a lighter shade and another in a darker shade. Mix the two and you get the perfect tone for your skin! This stuff is magic for any imperfections. This is highly used in the celebrity world such as Kourtney Kardashian etc.
• The magic mini brush by laura mercier that needs to be used for the concealer. Must.
• Travel powder/blush brush by m.a.c. Brush #129SH. Perfect for traveling and does the job well!
• Flawless Skin Eye Creme. Anti-aging Eye Creme. I actually put this on before I put my eye shadow on, it seems to set the shadow all the while keeping crows feet away =)
• Eye shadow personal quad by m.a.c. I can't remember the exact names of these colours but there's a brow highlighter, gold, bronze and purple.
• Lastly, bobby pin, hair elastic & clip.

 And that's that! 
I have way too much stuff & type too much.

chirp chirp?

I caved.

Officially a tweeter. Follow me @tweetsbyMelissa

 I would add a twitter button to my page but I don't know how. Yup. I just don't know.

xo melissa

to japan with love...

via

September 11 - New York.

January 11 - Haiti.

March 11 - Japan.

Luke 21:10-11

And Jesus said to His disciples: "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."

We need to ask ourselves, are we ready?

Let us continue to pray for those experiencing this devastation in Japan and do all we can to help. For those of you here in Canada that would like to donate please click HERE to find out how you can help. Every little bit goes a long way.

xo melissa

spring ahead

Although we sprang ahead, there's still so much snow on the ground but warmer temperatures have graced us which makes me so so happy.

These also make me happy.

I'm excited to watch the much anticipated bachelor finale tonight with one of my best friends & mama bear. If you're a fan, be sure to watch so we can gush about it tomorrow ♥

xo melissa

black to basics

//embelished chiffon top in black {go jane} //william rast savoy witch jeans {william rast} //ankle boots {leather, black - aldo}//

orange

starfruit juice. obsessed.

champagne wishes. & caviar dreams

hi dolls.

As you can see - I've had a makeover! I decided to take some time and change things around that are more, well....ME! So this is me!

So goodbye Love and Life......hello champagne wishes.

Thanks for all of your love & support you give me each & everyday.

I hope you all love the new look as much as I do!

xo melissa

awkward and awesome thursday

 

awkward

- this random smokers (yet not a smoker) cough I suddenly got.

-  charlie sheen. need I say more?

- my mama's puppeh obsessing over licking her paws. Ew.

- watching real world las vegas with my mama.

- 'private caller' numbers that call over & over again without leaving messages. then calling much too early this morning and me answering with a not-so-happy-voice to hear a super nice, chipper lady on the other end. oops. awkward.

- barbara walters getting uppity on the view. so awkward.

awesome

- my yummeh green tea.

- my uber obsession with working out lately. yup. believe it.

- this weeks episode of glee. gwyneth paltrow and john stamos.

- cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal.

- my new chunky scarf I finished knitting.
 - justin bieber. don't be a hater. HATER.

-date night with my two besties tomorrow. ♥

xo melissa

that's love

I wanted to share this beautiful new feature my incredible friend Katie (Love with Katie) is adding to her loving blog. It's a chance for us all to join in a movement to share anything around you that you feel is an act of love. It could be someone that inspired you by something they did, perhaps something you did yourself that you feel great for doing.

 It is truly anything where your first thought is "Wow.... that's love."  ♥

We all have the power to do something inspirational and to be a part of something as inspirational as this.  I encourage everyone to follow Katie and her inspiring blog and of course to be a part of this new feature. ♥ ♥

:closet talk:

Carrie Bradshaw said it best when she said:  

"I like my money right where I can see it.... hanging in my closet."

I've been collecting designer pieces since I was 17 years old. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't go crazy and spend copious amounts of money on many items at once. A little bit here & there over time and you've got yourself a collection of what will one day be vintage and worth a lot more than what you initially spent. I hope to one day pass down these pieces to my daughter(s), daughter-in-law(s), grand daughter(s) and so on and so forth. 

Every dime I've spent on designer things I have worked very hard for and I like to call it a pat on the back when I finally take a trip to Louis Vuitton, Prada etc.... Who needs a man to buy these things for us anyways? It just ends up being a reminder of them rather than something we personally worked for - and in the end that's something nobody can take away from us.