Inaugural Fashion: Jennifer

This week, I have shared ideas of what to wear to my dad's inauguration, as suggested by fellow bloggers. Today, I'm excited to share what Jennifer from Southern Living: Preppy Style came up with! Jennifer is hands down one of my favourite bloggers and I couldn't wait to see what she was going to suggest!! Here's what Jennifer came up with:

Melissa recently asked for some fashion styling help for her father's upcoming inauguration. I am flattered that she asked me for such help and I had a fun time picking out a few selections. 

As the wife of a government official, I know all to well the dress code for such political yet very exciting events.  And Melissa knows that I like to air on the conservative side of things for such events.  This doesn't mean you can't have the "pow" though!

I asked a few questions of Melissa; if the inauguration would be indoors our outdoors, if there would be a party thereafter, what type of party and if she would have access to a dressing room to change into a cocktail attire.  One never knows and the questions have to be asked.  

THE INAUGURATION EVENT

Since Melissa is in Canada and the event will be indoors, I chose the following for the inaugural event.  This is a more business-type event and therefore, I went with a dressier business outfit.  I LOVE this dress from H & M.  I actually have this dress and for the price, the comfort, fit and quality is really outstanding and unexpected.  $34.95!  The blazer is also from H & M for $49.95.  These are classic items she can wear again and again as Melissa announced to me some other very exciting things happening in her life where she might need such staples in her closet.  I do not own this particular jacket but I do have other H & M jackets and whenever people find out where I purchased by dress suits, they are always pleasantly surprised. I completed the outfit with classic pearls, simple bangles and some fun J. Crew pumps for the "POW!"  After all, Melissa is the honored guest standing beside her father so she should ONLY look slightly better than him!  *wink wink*

What I also love about this pairing is that Melissa can remove the jacket and voila!, instant cocktail dress.  Business to cocktail in two seconds flat.  And should it be a chilly atmosphere, she can easily put the jacket back on and still be cocktail attired.  The jacket is dressier, in my opinion, then a regular business jacket and can help her transition from one event to the next. 

1.  H and M Blazer

2.  Mikimoto Pearls

3.  H & M Dress

4. David Yurman Bracelets Here and Here

5. J. Crew Roxie Calf Hair Pumps 

THE COCKTAIL PARTY - THE INSPIRATION

Now, let's say Melissa does want to make that change to more formal cocktail attire.  She does have access to a dressing room, so this is a possibility. In that case, we have the following.

When I'm styling myself (or in this case, others), I like to start my search with the creme-de-la-creme of fashion and with this session, I started with Neiman Marcus and Van Cleef and Arpels.  Hey, one can dream that one day I'll own a pair of $48,000 earrings but for now, we'll have to Spy It, Buy It.  If Melissa can afford them, well then she's my new bestest friend!

I spied this gorgeous, yet conservative, cocktail dress by Adam Lippes for $1,395.00.  I love the simple black conservative LBD (a/k/a little black dress) but the lace overlay gives it that "POW!" Melissa needs when standing by Daddy.  The shoes, who doesn't want a pair of "Red Bottom Shoes?"  Strappy with a little sheen and very tasteful.

Also, my biggest fear at a cocktail party where everyone is usually standing and travel mingling, is that someone will bump into me with a red glass of wine with red wine subsequently being poured all down my dress.  With a black LBD, this is not as much as a disaster as it seems and Melissa can quickly recover and return in the case of disaster.

Adam Lippes Dress  $1,390.00

Christian Louboutin Pumps - $925.00

Van Cleef and Arpels Magic Alhambra Earclips - $48,000.00

THE COCKTAIL PARTY - THE REAL DEAL (Spy It, Buy It)

Taking the inspiration and pairing it down to a much more affordable cost, I found this gorgeous dress at Nordstrom for $158.00.  And with a staple like this in her closet, there's bound to be many places she can wear this beautiful LBD.  The shoes are Ivanka Trump at Nordstrom and again are very tasteful for any LDB or any dress of any color for that matter.  Melissa is sure to get lots of use from these shoes.

The earrings are a little more on the pricey side however, Melissa could easily find some costume jewelry at her local department store that will dress up the cocktail dress and provide just a hint of "POW!" 

Adrianna Papell Illusion Lace Sheath Dress - $158.00

Ivanka Trump Duchess Sandal -  $129.95

Diamond Clover Hoop Earrings - $475.00  

The only thing about this styling is the shoes versus pantyhose.  I am a Florida girl styling a Canadian with open toe shoes in December.  This may not be a good option for Melissa.  As an alternative, a simple black pump would suffice and most likely, Melissa already has these in her closet!

Melissa, I can't wait to see what you wear to this special event!  And congratulations to your entire family on this new role, what an exciting time for you all!

First of all, how great is Jennifer??? Second of all, how gorgeous are the outfits she came up with?!?!? I defiantly headed down to H&M and was on the hunt for that dress!

Thanks Jennifer for your help!! To see more of Jennifer's style (and her two adorable little girls), you can visit Southern Living: Preppy Style.

Hey, It's Ok

That this is the last week to enter the $1650 cash giveaway!!! You can enter here.    To be nervous excited about the Chamber Awards tonight. We have 6 nominations in total, including Best Non-Profit and I'm humbled to have been nominated for Employee of the Year. Fingers crossed that we win something.   That How to Get Away With Murder (the TV show) is insane!! Last weeks episode, the night of the bond fire, blew my mind! I can't wait to see what happens next!   To be hoping very, very, very, very hard that I get a good news phone call this week. Preferably today.    That I'm counting down the days until Christmas...between vacation days, our office being closed and the holidays, I'll have a week and a half off. It's much needed.

Inaugural Fashion: Sydney

It may have been mentioned once or twice that my dad is a politician. There was an election recently, which means I have an inauguration to attend! My life has been so busy and hectic the past few months, that I wasn't sure when I'd have time to figure out what to wear to the inauguration. So, I decide to reach out to some of my favourite bloggers and ask them to help.

The first blogger is Sydney from Summer Wind.I've always admired Sydney's classic style and knew she would be a perfect blogger to reach out to and ask to help inspire my outfit for the inauguration.

Sydney suggested this beautiful Elizabeth McKay dress:

 

I love this dress and can understand why Sydney picked it! It's classy and conservative- which is key for an inauguration- but the little bit of sparkle keeps it fun and age appropriate. 

Sydney actually owns this dress and featured it in a recent blog post; You can go here to see how she styled it.

Thanks so much Sydney for the style suggestion! For more of Sydney's style, check out her blog, Summer Wind.

Inspire Me: Why Not?

Happy Monday!! I can't believe that we are in the last week on November and that the Holiday Season is essentially here!! I have a busy week ahead of me; Christmas Dinner with my Sorority Sisters, Chamber Awards, work meetings and a kinda farewell lunch for a co-worker (she's leaving our office and moving to another one). There are some fun things coming up, but it will also be an insanely busy work week for me and I'm not looking forward to it.

In reflecting on the past little bit and knowing where I currently am in life and currently dealing with, I thought this quote would be great for this week's inspiration:

I'm finding myself, recently, in a position with I am being questioned on everything that I do...and I'm being questioned on personal things, that have nothing to do with my professional life, nor do they interfere professionally. I'm really bothered by it; I'm feeling disrespected and my invasion of privacy, and I'm feeling pressure to change who I am as a person, which I refuse to do. 

All of the questions and negativity has made me evaluate my life and my priorities. There are a lot of people who discourage me and question my actions. When they ask why, they are trying to create doubt, lower my self esteem and make me question and second guess myself. 

To all those people who ask me why, I ask them why not? You'd be surprised how many people are unable to answer 'why not?'...and if they can't answer that, if they don't have a valid reason for me not to do something, I tell myself that their questions and opinions don't matter in the situation. There is no reason for me not to do it.

 

Even if I am the one questioning myself, asking myself why, I then ask myself why not? And if I can't answer or come up with a reason not to do it...I know that I have no reason to doubt myself. I move forward. 

Hey, It's Ok!

That you still have time to enter the $1650 cash giveaway!!! You can enter here.   To need a break. I am so overworked and tired, it's ridiculous.  

That I'm excited to see Royal Wood tonight!!! I love his music and he puts on a great show! It should be a fun night out.

 

To want the snow to go away. It's only been two days, but I'm over it.

 

That I am going to continue to laugh and be a happy person, even if my supervisor doesn't like it.

 

Remeberance Day- Lest We Forget

Remember the sacrifices that our brave men and women have made fighting to give and preserve the freedom we share today. With bravery and strength they serve.

 

In Canada, today is Remembrance Day. This is the day that we honour and members of our armed forces; those who have served, are serving and, especially, those who have fallen. Canadians wear poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day.Poppies are worn from the last Friday in October until November 11, Remembrance Day. It is actually a sign of disrespect to wear poppy outside of this time frame (with a few exceptions).

Remembrance Day this year, to me, has more meaning as Canada honours and remembers Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was killed on October 22 while on duty at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Museum, and Patrice Vincent who died October 20 in the parking lot of a federal building in a suspected terrorist attack.

There is a section of highway in Ontario, which has been named the Highway of Heroes. All of our fallen soldiers travel this stretch of highway and many Canadian line the overpass to pay their respects. It's a very moving tribute and a way for Canadians to say one of their final 'goodbye' and 'thank you' to our fallen heroes. 

Highway of Heroes by The Trews

 

Lest We Forget.

 

Inspire Me- Expiration Date

Happy Monday!! I had a great weekend. I was able to leave work early on Friday, which allowed me to come home and rest- I was in a car accident a few weeks ago and am in constant pain with my neck, shoulder and back...it was good to rest my back for a bit before starting my weekend. I spent the weekend in my hometown; so lots of time with family. 

 

I had a great talk with my dad on Saturday...he's going to 'assign' me a really fun, daunting, exciting project. I can't say too much about it yet...but I'm looking forward to the challenge! 

Sunday was a brunch that went on for hours with one of my really good friends. She's getting married this summer, so it was fun to hear about her wedding details. Home to rest for a bit before heading off to a wedding show with her and her mom. We were at the wedding show mostly to look at the dresses...she saw three that she really liked. 

I ended my weekend by stopping by a friends' art gallery Sunday night. I had a nice visit and chat with him and his girlfriend. They are such a great couple, perfect for each other. 

This week is going to be a busy week for me, with a number of long days. I have a HUGE event for work on Friday. It should be a funny event, but I'm not confident in it...there's a lot of unknowns and the committee is a bit...of a learning experience. Fingers crossed that everything will go according to plan and that we raise a TON of money.

It's going to be a very busy and very stressful week, so I will definitely need some inspiration:

This quote is such a great reminder. How many of us have dreams or goals that we start to pursue and give up on when things don`t go our way or we get too frustrated? I know that this has happened to me on more than one occasion.

It's so easy to have things fall apart and give up on our dreams. We need to remember that just because things didn't work out the way we wanted them too the first- or second or third or...- times, doesn't mean that it will never happen. 

 

Dreams and goals don't expire. You just have to keep working at them and keep believing until you accomplish what you set out to do. 

Take a deep breath. Try again, Eventually it will work. 

Things will work out the way they are supposed, when they are supposed too.

Hey, It's Ok

To be party of a really great giveaway...someone is going to win $1650 cash!! You can enter here.

That I spent the weekend getting caught up on blog stuff...it felt good.

To have gotten sucked in by 19 Kids And Counting...I, for years, purposely made the point to never watch this show. Then, a month ago, there was nothing else on TV and I watched an episode. Now, I watch it every week. Ugh.

That I per-ordered David Myles Christmas CD on the weekend. You can get it here.

To wish I could delete my work email, and just start over. I have over 300 emails I need to deal with.

Inspire Me- Courage

Happy Monday!!! I can't believe it\s November already!! I hope everyone had a great Halloween and weekend! 

My co-workers and I dressed up as a road crew, so that was pretty fun. My weekend was really low key. I was able to leave work early on Friday (that happens when you work 20+ hours in two days) and escape to my parents weekend house. My cousin and her daughter came over Friday night, Saturday I went to a craft show and ran errands in the morning. The afternoon was spent getting caught up on blog related stuff- mostly emails. Sunday, I did more blog stuff, read and relaxed. It was relaxing weekend.

Also, I've teamed up with a bunch of great bloggers for an amazing giveaway...someone is going to win $1650 cash!! You can enter here.

 

This weeks inspiration:

 

It's so easy to get into a routine and just settle for what you have. It's easy to sit there and think "I wish..." or "What if..." or "It would be great...". So many people give up on their dreams, dreams as big as being an astronaut and dreams as small as being happy. 

 

People get discouraged, frustrated, negative thoughts take over. I think the biggest factor in not pursuing dreams, is failure. People fear failure. It's easy to get scared, not want to fail, give up and just stick with what you have.

My dreams have been put on the back burner for too long. I know I need to make changes in my life, some small and some drastic, but changes need to be made. I've know this for months. Changes don't always mean improvements, and I really can't let things get worse. 

I've taken small steps to get my dreams back on track. I'm working on that courage thing.

Giveaway: $1650 Cash

Happy Saturday and Happy November!! I have teamed up with Angel and some of her friends for an AMAZING giveaway!!

One incredibly lucky person will be winning a CASH PRIZE of $1650!!! The winner will receive their cash prize on Black Friday so they can start shopping for Christmas.

You can enter using the Rafflecopter below...there are two parts, so make sure you do both. GOOD LUCK!!!

Part 1 a Rafflecopter giveaway   Part 2 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Please read the rules of sweepstakes and contests held at Sew Crafty Angel.

Giveaway is open worldwide to participants with a verified PayPal account.

All entries will be verified. In the event an entry can not be verified participant chooses to forfeit that entry and another winner will be chosen.

Winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email.

Giveaway will run from October 31st 11:59 PM CST to November 22nd, 12 AM CST

Any taxes or fees associated with the winnings of this contest are the sole responsibility of the winner according to their county, state and/or country laws.

Prize money to be distributed by Angel Allen from Sew Crafty Angel.

CASH prize is in US Dollars and will not be converted to any foreign currency.

Void where prohibited by law.

Monthly Round Up: November

Idea taken from Jen, Our Love and Our Blessing. What's Monthly Round Up? On the first Friday of each month, you recap some (or all) of your posts from the previous month!

In October, I...

...recapped November's post.
...did some Blogkeeping.
...shared my thoughts on the CMA's.
...talked about the Poppy.
...wrote about Remembrance Day.
...had a guest blogger.
...posted a recipe for S'more Crescent Rolls.
...featured my thoghts on first perceptions.
...introduced must watch Christmas Movies.
...linked up for Boys Behind the Blog.
...revealed what I got in my Cara Box.
...created a Christmas Playlist
...wish I could've participated in the Food Court Flash Mob
...ended the month with an update on my life recently.

Throughout the month, I...
...compiled my Monday-Friday posts for Weekly What? (here and here).
...posted weekly Inspiration (here, here and here)

I participated in two weekly link ups;

Hey! It's Ok (here, here, here and here)

Sunday Social (Wish List & Media and 4's)

Lots of different posts...I can't wait to see what December will bring!

Life Update- November

I can't believe it's the second to last day of November already! This month, like most months this year, has just flown by! Before I update you on what I've been doing this month, I just have to share this video:

Oh man... after you have recovered from the amazing-ness that is Luke Bryan, read on to see what I've been up to this past month!

Once again, work dominated my life...but work also rewarded me with some pretty great opportunities. Besides the day to day office stuff, this month I:

• Attended the National Finals for Chartwell Senior Star (Canada's talent competition for people 65+)
• Hosted a Community Engagement Session; a chance for us to update our community partners on what we've been working on the past few months
• Attended the Chamber Awards, where we were nominated for two awards; Best Marketing Campaign (we lost to men in heels) and Best Fundraiser (we lost to real, live elephants)
• Did a presentation to local branch managers of one of our community partners
• Attended a Young Professionals Networking event, where I was the last to leave because I got talking to a Chef who has his own television show!
• Meetings: 1 staff, three committee, 4 department meetings, 6 community partner/sponsorship meetings, 1 potential volunteer meeting
• Networking Breakfast

The highlight of my professional life this month was working on a television commercial for CTV! I ended up being much more involved in the process than initially thought. HUGE thanks to CTV for allowing me to REALLY work with them! I was originally just supposed to sign off on the script and recruit people to be in the commercial. But I had the opportunity to provide them with a concept, consult on the script, offer input and shot ideas when filming, and review footage while on location. We will be shooting the second part of the commercial next week. I can't wait to share more details AND the final commercial with everyone!!

Personally, I have been just as busy and have had a variety of fun things going on:

• Had dinner with my university roommate
• Went to an AHL hockey game
• Fundraiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters (posting about the event is on my list of things to do!)
• Dinner with friends/former co-workers; including meeting one friends new baby!
• Dinner with my dad
• Bowling with Brock Alumni
• Brock Trivia Night in support of the United Way
• High School Alumni meeting
• Sorority meeting
• Peter Pan...it was a traditional Panto performance, so much fun and highly entertaining

Today is a co-workers last day before she starts her mat leave, so we are having a little going away lunch for her, which will be bittersweet. She is a close friend and I will be sad not to see her everyday. I know that she'll be back and I know I'll still see her. It's crazy to think that, likely, the next time I see her, she will have a baby! Also, tonight is the Brock Alumni Christmas Dinner! I'm excited to be kicking off the holiday season with my fellow Alumni Network executive members.

December will be busy with work; handful of meetings already set, plus the staff Christmas lunch and finishing our CTV commercial. December is also the holiday season, which is always a busy time for everyone. December is also World Juniors (international hockey tournament)!!!! It's going to be a great month!

I also wanted to thank Sarah from Journeys of the Zoo for featuring me on her blog during the month of November! 
   

One last thing...if you are looking for a unique gift, a gift for someone special (significant other, parent, sibling, etc) and/or a gift for the person who has everything, check out Datevitation! They are now shipping to Canada!

Food Court Flash Mob

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and happy Thursday to my non-American friends!! I have had a busy week but today is Day 1 of shooting our tv commercial! While it should be a bit of a hectic day, it should also be a fun, interesting day. I'm looking forward to being part of the filming and I'm looking forward to Day 2 of film next week. 

Today I decided to share Food Court Flash Mob! I know this video is a couple of years old, but I still love it and I still think it's beautiful. 

Inspire Me

Happy Monday! Even though I had a low key weekend, I could still use another day off to recover from the craziness that was last week! I have another jam packed week ahead of me and it`s a co-workers last week before she starts her mat leave. Sad. 

Here`s some inspiration to help get through this last week of November:

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be going to see Peter Pan on Friday!! I got the tickets for free from one of my contacts (bonus!) and will be seeing the show from her. I'm really looking forward to it!

That I've started watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music. I love the Christmas season!

To be participating in my first every cookie exchange this year! While I'm happy to participate, I'm still trying to figure out what to bake. I was thinking maybe candy cane cheesecake squares...but I really don't know!

That I will be attempting to take some time off this month! I've already booked Dec 2 (to bake with my grandma) and Dec 24 (to travel home for the Holidays) off. I'm looking to take another day or 3 off in Dec, we'll see how that works out for me.

To not be good at competitive things. Last week, I went bowling; girls vs boys. The guys lowest score wasn't even close to the girls highest score. I personally, bowled a 46...as my friend Eric said, more room for improvement. Last week, I also did a Trivia Night. Our team came in second to last. I had a TON of fun at both events though, and that's really all that matters, right?

Have you entered the giveaway for $1,000? How about checking out the I Am Canadian feature at Journeys of the Zoo where I am the featured blogger?

Inspire Me

Happy Monday! I have another week full of meetings and networking ahead of me. It's going to be busy, but if I survive the week, I will be rewarded with Peter Pan! One of my contacts was able to get tickets for me! I'm not sure if it's a play or a musical, but it is live theatre and I'm looking forward to it. 

To help me get through this week, some inspiration:

First Perceptions

Even if we don't admit it, we judge each other within a minute or so of meeting, which is why first impressions are so important. I'm told that I make a great first impression- hopefully people who say this to me are not lying!

But what about perception? How do people, who me know-maybe not well, but still know- perceive us?

Back in April or May, I was having dinner with some friends that I met through the Brock Alumni Network. While we knew each other, as in had previously met and previously socialized together, we did not know each other well. For some reason, the conversation turned to me and how I was perceived by the group.

The consensus was "girl" (and also that I come across as a Kindergarten teacher). Always wearing skirts and/or heels, always smiling/laughing, lots of pink, smiley faces in my texts and emails, nice, stickers.

While I am all about being open minded and not being pigeon-holed into a category, I was ok with this perception and, have to admit, it's fairly accurate. 

A few years ago, a wonderful, wonderful friend said that, based on the way I spoke, you could tell that I was intelligent and well-educated. This was his perception of me. While it was said after a lengthy conversation, it was the first time we had met. To this day, this is one of the nicest (and my favourite) compliments I have ever received.

In September, my boss and I were having a conversation and she was making a lot of Star Wars reference, which I was NOT following- she was calling me Young Jedi, something about a force and mind tricks...I don't know. I finally had to admit to her, I had no idea what she was talking about and that I had never seen an episode of Star Wars. She apologized and said that she thought I was a Sci-Fi nerd like her. 

Me? Sci-Fi? Really? Apparently, that was her perception of me...and I don't know why. I am definitely not into Sci-Fi. But, what made her perceive me this way? While she never answered that question, and she was very off in her perception, it does make for a funny story. 

Earlier this week, I had a co-worker tell me that he could see me as being a huge Lady Gaga fan. Again, really? I do not like Lady Gaga. At. All. Around the office, I am frequently talking about my love for David Myles and Luke Bryan (both loves well documented on this blog, BTW). David Myles (folks jazz/roots) and Luke Bryan (country) are not even in the same musical genre as Lady Gaga. Again, no idea why he thought this...

Last night, I was bowling with Brock Alumni and I was talking to a guy I had never met before. Well into our conversation, we decided to play the "guess what my major was" game. His other guesses included (after I said my major wasn't math based and I did chose my major specifically because there was no math): psychology, rec and leisure, English, business, child & youth (that Kindergarten teacher thing?), concurrent education (ditto), geography, speech therapy. My major was Communications.

His initial guess? "Something agriculture based." Do I come across as something agriculture? Or was it just my bowling shoes and skirt combination?

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be happy that Rob Ford is not my mayor. While Canada has been in the news recently because of Rob Ford, I don't live in Toronto...he's not my problem. And, he is not representative of Canada, just Toronto.

That, after 27 season, I have finally jumped on the Survivor band wagon. Up until this season, I had only seen one episode of Survivor (my RA in university sat on me and made me watch...true story)

To not be domestic. I don't cook, clean, bake, decorate, DIY...it's just not me. I can attempt all of those things, but I don't enjoy any of them and I'm really not that good at it.

That I'm not happy to have woken up to snow. Yes, it's mid-November and yes, I live in Canada and yes, I know it could be so much worse. But snow...really? I'm just not ready.

To looking forward to bowling on Thursday and Trivia on Friday. I'm not good at either...but both should be fun, 

Have you entered the giveaway for $1,000? How about checking out the I Am Canadian feature at Journeys of the Zoo where I am the featured blogger?

Remembrance Day-Lest We Forget

Remember the sacrifices that our brave men and women have made fighting to give and preserve the freedom we share today. With bravery and strength they serve.   
 

Highway of Heroes by The Trews

Weekly What?

Idea taken from my darling friend Jenn from Party of One for Weekly What?

Basically, you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday! What a great idea! I love the concept of having all of your posts from the week in one post- it's a great summary of the week on a blog.

MONDAY: I started the week off with some inspiration. 

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I posted a Blogkeeping items.

THURSDAY: I shared my thoughts on the CMAs.

FRIDAY: I finished the week with poppies.