The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier

JPG first cone shaped bra was made for his teddy bear Nana. Later, it  would be the famous cone shaped  dress he made for Madonna that made his cone shaped work "famous"

So excited to get into the Exhibit. Couldn't think of two better people to share this experience with!

I was in Montreal a few weeks ago and had the time of my life while I was there. Hands down, one of the best mini getaways ever and memories to last a lifetime. While I was there with a couple of girlfriends I had the opportunity to visit the The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and visit the Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibit. This is the very first international exhibition devoted to the inspirational French Couturier and marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of the designer's label. For those of you who are not familiar with Jean Paul Gaultier, this exhibit was more than high end fashion, it drew you into his unbridled imagination, his view on society and ultimately his vision of a world in which anyone regardless of sex, race, religion, size can assert his or her own independence. It was a refreshing look at his spirit, generosity, his vision and his message to society. For anyone in Montreal, regardless of whether you know this particular designer, this exhibit is breathtaking, awakening and so freaking awesome. Go check it out!!

The mannequins were lifelike, placed throughout the gallery and talked to you.
The things that they said left you speechless, made you re-evaluate how you looked at society and drew you  in.

"Be yourself, no matter what nature has dealt you"-  JPG

Love! Love! Love!

"I am convinced that beauty comes in diverse forms. When you look at something like a tin can with a fresh eye,  you can see a kind of beauty where others will only see a garden-variety object" - JPG

JPG thinks of society as "a cocktail - mixed, stirred, spiced, varied and decompartmentalized. The product of a single melting pot, society no longer consists of groups indifferent to one another while living side by side. It is made up of individuals, and each of them tells the story of our diversity." 

A lot of these pieces you see took anywhere from 500 hours to 14,000 hours to create!

The end to an amazingly fun, inspiring, captivating day! Thank you to N and A for sharing it with me!

Canada Day Surprise :)

I got the little Canada Flags from Bulk Barn

Unfortunately for me, I spent the entire long weekend working but I wanted to make something yummy for all the fabulous nurses I work with. I used the Magnolia Vanilla Cupcake Recipe and the cupcakes turned out moist, fluffy and delicious. I also filled the cupcakes with a couple small pieces of fresh strawberries for a little Canada Day surprise and they were a great hit.

You need about 60 pieces for this recipe, and I used a couple for each  cupcake

When the cupcakes are half full add a couple pieces of strawberries and then add remainder of filling.
Only fill 3/4 full to avoid spilling over!!

This recipe makes about 30 cupcakes and stay fresh in an airtight container for about 3 days!

Relaxed Neutrals

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I love the relaxed look of this sheer tunic and the satin scarf gives the neutral shade a bit of soft color. This look is perfect for a night out sitting on a patio with some neutral bottoms, wedges and gold jewelry! The Johnny Was Collection is intoxicating to look at online, I can't imagine how it would feel to be in the store!

Delicious & Healthy

I'm always on the run in the morning and start work pretty early (and I mean early - 7:15). With that said, my mornings are meticulously timed from the minute I get out of bed until I have to leave which leaves me with only a few minutes to eat breakfast. I love baking and I really enjoy this recipe for Carrot Pineapple Muffins. It's a perfect snack to take with you on the go, not to mention very healthy. If you enjoy carrot cake then you will love this easy, healthy and very satisfying recipe. Let me know what you think of it!! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup Oil

2 large eggs beaten

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup finely grated carrots

1 cup crushed pineapple drained

1/2 cup grated walnuts (optional)

In beater bowl, combine honey, oil and beaten eggs In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix well. Add dry ingredients to the sugar and oil mixture and stir to moisten. Add grated carrots, pineapple, vanilla and walnuts.Stir until just blended. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and bake-375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Makes 18 medium sized muffins.

Rosy Glow

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I love Micheal Kors watches - aren't they gorgeous? I absolutely love the rosy glow color on these watches. It's creamy, feminine and compliments any outfit. The subtle color dials down the oversized "boyfriend" inspired look and is a perfect match for any skin tone! What rose accessories do you absolutely love???

Vibrant Totes

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It has been a while since my last blog post so I have dedicated this weekend to catching up on things that I absolutely love this Season. Apologies for the long break, but a much needed honeymoon was in order with the hubby and it was fabulous! I love all the trends for this Season but, I have to say that all the vibrant colors are my absolute favorite. Handbags are a great accessory to really go over the top with to make your outfit cheerful, fun, playful and bold. It is definitely time to drop that boring black bag and pick up something fun full of life. Marc by Marc Jacobs has a sweet collection of totes right now that I adore. You can find some great totes at H&M, Forever 21 and Zara for a reasonable price.

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Floral Splash

Whitney Port rocks a gorgeous Topshop floral bikini in Maui 

I’m obsessed with anything and everything floral and floral swimsuits are making a huge comeback.  With pops of colour and lots of sexy designs the possibilites are endless. The best part I must add is that these sexy styles scream high fashion and make for a lovely Latin inspired look. I am headed on my honeymoon in less than a week and have bought a few pieces that are inexpensive and “caliente.” Start at places like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and La Vie en Rose and I'm positive you can find some fun combinations to make a floral splash.

  

Coconut Delights

I made a few of the cupcakes with sprinkles to offset the taste of coconut.
My hubby likes coconut but definitely not as much as I do.
The sprinkles were a nice touch.

Growing up, my mom would always delight my brother, sister, and I with her delicious baking, and over the last few years it has definitely become a passion of mine as well. I had been craving coconut cupcakes, I absolutely "LOVE" coconut and found a recipe online by the popular Ina Garten. Ina Garten is truly amazing and her freakishly delicious coconut cupcake recipe is easy to follow not to mention so incredibly tasty.

Fill up the muffin cups but try to not overfill them.
I had a few with cake overflowing down one side in my first batch.

Be sure to let the cupcakes completely cool prior to icing.
I would recommend a minimum of twenty minutes to avoid the icing melting.

You really only need a third of the icing recipe to have enough for all the cupcakes.
I would also suggest putting your coconut in a bowl and once iced turn your cupcake upside down to
coat with coconut. Less mess and works great!

 With this recipe, I ended up with 30 cupcakes; I believe the recipe makes for 16. You can always freeze the excess and then thaw, ice and serve later. If you do end up making these, let me know how they turn out for you. Life is sweet ;)

Post Wedding Blues

Six months ago, I married the man of my dreams and cannot believe how fast the time has gone. The holidays snuck up on us so quickly and before I knew it, we were ringing in the New Year. Our romantic getaway for Valentine’s Day was over in an instant and my birthday festivities came as quickly as they left. It’s disappointing that such warm and intimate times of the year come and go so quickly and all that’s left are those extra pounds that I swear, once you’re married, are even harder to get rid of. 

Why do we get so excited, happy and creative leading up to an event rather than have those same feelings after the event has come and gone? I mean really, the anticipation is hope and thrill but as my better half would say, the memories last a lifetime! My hubby and I revisited this a few nights ago when we were talking about the most memorable day of our lives, our wedding, which is by no means an exception to this rule. We spent a year, well almost a year, planning our perfect day which, of course as many would say, flies by in the blink of an eye. You spend hours searching for the perfect dress, complete with the sexiest pair of shoes imaginable, the ideal hairstyle to compliment the perfect dress and make sure your make up consult is flawless. You spend hours perfecting your first dance, which for us was a surprise hip hop number, that we had so much fun with, ensuring the menu is full of flavour, your cake is everything you dreamed of and the flowers are a perfect fit. You picture everyone’s face, how they will look, what they will say and then BAM! It’s all over and there is nothing left except a walked upon aisle runner, some rose petals, left over programs and a wedding dress you will never wear again. I think the correct term here is post wedding extravaganza blues.

So, how do you fight these post wedding extravaganza blues you ask? Below are a few suggestions that hopefully will help.

1. Help a friend or family member plan their special day. Every bride has her secrets, words of wisdom and lessons learnt so pass them along to fellow brides. My sister is getting married in the Summer of 2012 so I have already started putting together a list of must haves for her special day.
2. Watch your wedding video with your other half and tell him or her what you were thinking just before you entered, ask him what he told his brother just before he got up to do his speech, ask him what that little smirk meant when he caught your eye before you cut the cake. Look at how your guests enjoyed the evening, the dance move your grandfather was attempting on the dance floor, the proud smile on your mother’s face. Get a bag of popcorn and enjoy a good laugh, cry and snuggle. Snuggling is the best part ;)
3. Donate your wedding dress. There are many charitable organizations that accept donated wedding dresses and Brides against Breast Cancer is one that comes to mind. Brides have a chance to find the gown of their dreams at a remarkable price and your wedding dress can help make a wish come true for someone else. Visit http://bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/ for more information.
4. Throw a Party!! If you want to re-create some magic put together some DIY invitations, centerpieces, menu and place cards and set a date for a get together at your place. It will be on a smaller scale than a wedding but you can whip out all the great gifts you received – from that china set to the wine glasses – and put them to good use. Invite people who you wish could have spent more one-on-one time with you at the wedding, and make it a point to have some fun.

The most important piece of advice that I can give you is to enjoy your time doing all the things you love and remember all the wonderful reasons you chose to marry your special somebody. For me, I married the love of my life who is my inspiration, my best friend and as corny as it sounds my soul mate!! 

Cat Frames

I've caught myself daydreaming about anything and everything that has to do with Summer and have noticed that cat eyed sunglasses seem to be a new trend that a lot of Hollywood Fashionista's seem to be prowling around in. They were mainly popular in the 1950s and 1960s among fashionable women such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Barbara Windsor and seem to be making a comeback. I don't know if its the thick rim or how the arms of the glasses join at the lenses in the top corners but they definitely are not a trend I will be following. What about you?

  http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/gallery/0,,20049306,00.html#20909190

Scribbled Signature

I spent my childhood days doodling my signature in my diary, on the margin of my notebooks listening to a lecture, experimenting how my name doodled would look compared to the guy I had a crush on and so forth. In fact, I would say that I had perfected my signature, the "C" in my last name had a cursive element to it and it made my signature "mine". The signature that I had perfected however changed on October 9, 2010 when I married the man of my dreams and adopted his surname. I spent a significant amount of time weighing the pros and cons of this traditional protocol and concluded after much debate that with marriage comes change, a new identity as a wife and perhaps someday a mother and creates a sense of family unity. With all that said, part of my debate, missed in its entirety how I was going to recreate my perfect signature. After all, an entire 28 years of my being was spent perfecting my maiden name! Six months post the wedding, I have yet to even be able to duplicate the same signature twice. Not to mention the look when cashiers try to match the receipt with my signature on it to the one displayed on my credit card in my married name. I've even had a sales clerk remove her glasses to have a better look at my scribbled mess. So ladies, I have concluded that I absolutely do not have cursive talent and more importantly, I need to practice my cursive writing skills to make a somewhat legible signature appear similar time and time again! I will keep you posted on my progress!