Opening Ceremony Collab - Part 1

Betsey Johnson teamed up with white-hot label Opening Ceremony to create a small, edgy collection that recalls the dark punk days of the 80's. Not totally sure about the jumpsuit of cherries but still love how she takes risks and marches to the drum of her own beat. The snakeskin off-the-shoulder dress above is totally badass and very Betsey.

Two-Wheel Love Affair

Now that hubby's got a fixie, I have been looking around to possibly add another bicycle to the roster. I'm totally smitten with this 1930's vintage-style Path Racer model from Pashley Cycles but the frame is too big and not to mention, the price tag is hefty. Hubby says he'll try to build me a custom one from a vintage frame.



With the great summer weather, we're cycling everywhere and loving it. On Friday night, we cycled to The Reef restaurant which serves up Caribbean-style jerk chicken with a side of freshly DJ'd tunes. It got a little dark by the time we were done, but there was something so exhilarating and child-like about biking home at dusk.

I found the below video on cycling culture in Copenhagen, Denmark. This is what I hope to be doing in about a year's time, when hubby and I head to Europe.

Flying High at the Southlands Classic

We did it - Miss Fancy and I successfully competed in the Southlands Summer Classic Hunter Jumper Show this past weekend and I am quite pleased with the results. It's been a whirlwind, starting with show preparation last Thursday (lots of cleaning, wiping, braiding, picking etc.), and heading straight into competition on Friday morning and again Saturday. It was very hot and sunny on both days, and I was cooking underneath that pin-stripe jacket and black helmet. I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally after Friday, and I had to drag my butt out of bed on Saturday to do it all over again. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

It's something I've worked hard for, and it was a goal to get through a major show and compete at the jumper level for the first time (Jumpers being the competition based on the speed and accuracy through a course of fences - fastest and cleanest rider wins). When it was my turn to tackle the 10 jumps, I was so nervous and sick to my stomach. What if I went off course? What if I missed a fence?

I took a deep breath and lumbered in a lofty canter towards the first fence - Miss Fancy picked up on my anxiety and she was not as speedy as usual over the first 3 jumps. As I cleared the first few fences, I gained more confidence and soon I was flying through the rest of the course. When it was all over, the announcer said I had made it into the jump-off! As there's no time in between your first round and the jump off, I stared down hard at the jumps and went for it. I went hard at the last series of jumps and to my own surprise, I had a huge grin on my face. I couldn't believe I had done it! Not only that, but I was in 2nd place!

I didn't end up winning that class, but it doesn't matter. What's important to me is that I went through with it and did better than I expected. Miss Fancy gave me a chance to win and I held nothing back.

I fared better in a few other classes, placing in 3 of them (we got ribbons - yay!). It didn't matter that I had burnt my brand new show shirt on the shoulder the night before in my attempt to iron it (wore it anyways - the judges can't see under my jacket!); it didn't matter that I didn't win a 1st, 2nd or 3rd. It was so much fun and very satisfying to know I had reached this, a long-time goal.

And my husband says, "All that work and money spent for a few dollar-store ribbons?"

And I say, "Absfuckinlutely!".

A few more pics of the show below.


Below: Back at the barn after a long, but rewarding day.

Below: Briggs, a cute Appaloosa owned by a friend also at the show.

Thanks to Totem Photographics and my dear friend Melissa for these wonderful pictures.

For You Harry Potter Fans...

Here is a behind the scenes look at Emma Watson's photo shoot for Teen Vogue a little while ago. I adore the very eccentric english "Alice in Wonderland" look of this whole spread. And she looks beautiful!

Hot Heat Needs

Found some cool ways to stay cool amidst the hot summer heat. Really dig the colourful throwback watches below and love the funny trapeze-shaped cropped tank above.

A sporty grey racerback dress I would rely on for any hot summer occasion.

I've been wanting a dramatic fringed necklace for a while now...love how it makes a simple beater look instantly updated.

All these lovelies can be found at Need Supply Co. and at reasonable prices. Thanks to my friend Teresa for this tip!

Sorting out my pics from the horse show from this weekend, so will have an update shortly!

Tofino Wrapup

Home now after a great week trip in Tofino - I'm so sad as I miss the waves already. We didn't take too many photos as we were too busy having fun and surfing in the rain!

I did get some snaps of a really delicious dinner at The Spotted Bear Bistro. This relatively new restaurant is in the location that used to belong to the Rainforest Cafe. It's quite small, and reservations during the summer are recommended. Inside, the decor is westcoast (long cedar bar, First Nations prints and arts) but uniquely modern. Like their food, it's Westcoast with a modern twist.

We were extremely hungry after a day in the surf so we started off quickly with two appies to share. We ordered the Beef Tartare with local organic greens and thinly sliced Yukon potato crisps and a Seared Albacore Tuna with garlic foam, crunchy chickpeas and greens. Both were wonderful - really nicely balanced in terms of flavour. Not usually a big fan of foams on my food but the garlic foam added a surprisingly tactile touch which enhanced the dish. The beef tartare was marinated very nicely and the little thin chips added just the right amount of crunch.


For our mains, hubby ordered Seared Scallops with Wilted Greens and shitake mushrooms, and I had seared duck breast on a bed of roasted yukon golds (no doubt with the duck fat as it was sooo delish) and asparagus. Again, these dishes were smashing. Perfectly seasoned, just rich enough to be satisfying and light enough to want every last bite.

We were getting very full but since it's been spot on so far for this bear, we wanted a last course. I ordered a Molten Chocolate Pudding and hubby savoured a selection of cheeses. Heavenly!

Tofino has nourished not only my belly but my soul. As the carefree days of Tofino fade away, I am looking ahead to the next couple of days - the Southlands Classic Horse Show. I am ready to compete on Friday and Saturday, and there's lots to do before then. Wish me luck!

Life is Good

I'm chilling at a TuffBeans in Tofino, enjoying their wireless as my cottage doesn't actually have wireless as advertised (boo). Hence the reason for no posts the last few days.

My feet are brown from the sun, and I can't seem to wash the sand out of my ears. I've been blessed with sunny weather, and I can't remember feeling so much like I'm on a foreign holiday ever in Tofino. I like this.

Hubby and I have been doing quite a bit of surfing, and mostly eating and chilling. We had a nice lunch at one of my fave spots, the Botanical Gardens. Darwin's Cafe serves really fresh and simple food with an emphasis on herbs plucked right out of their garden. The Botanical Gardens is a slice of eccentricity in this hippie town - 12 acres of brambling gardens, forest and shorelines accented with sculptures.

Modeling a DIY deconstructed t-shirt below after lunch at Darwin's. The shirt is actually something quite symbolic to me - it's part of the Raise Your Hand campaign, a project that I've worked on for 3 years. Sponsored by WorkSafeBC, Raise Your Hand raises awareness about young worker safety - you can read more about the campaign here or check out the website and make a button to show your support.

I basically cut the shirt in the front and back, cut up the sleeves, and cut out the collar. Then, I stretched out the slits for a distressed look. There's lots of great videos on youtube about t-shirt deconstruction, and I'll share some in upcoming posts.

I also found a very cool shop in Tofino that sells tees and hoodies made out of bamboo and cotton blends. it's incredibly soft! i picked up this purple hooded top with pointed sleeves.


I'm really excited for tomorrow as I'll be joining in a surf yoga session by Eoin Finn. Then, it's another afternoon of surf and a seafood BBQ to end the day.