Design: Pretty Pinterest

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What have you been pinning on Pinterest lately? Here’s what has been making my Pinterest boards pretty.

Pretty kitchens…

photo by Spacecrafting; via Domino
Huxley Home

Pretty food…

crepe cake, Victoria
Jasmine Rae Cakes

Pretty clothes…

Alexis Mabille, via Vogue
Fashion Jackson

Pretty flowers…

Luna de Mare photography, via Style Me Pretty
Boxwood Avenue

It is so easy to spend an hour on Pinterest without realizing the passing of time, isn’t it?

Celebration: 10 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas from the Grocery Store

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Well, there aren’t too many places to shop in person this month, so I’ve put together a list of 10 Mother’s Day gift ideas that are easy to pick up from the grocery store. It’s the one place that I know forsure will be open (although I know there are plenty of curbside pickup spots and online shops, too)!

  1. Food. Pick up all the ingredients you need to spoil your mom with a great meal (perhaps one that you’ve perfected over the last year of lockdown).
  2. Flowers. Ideally, you’d buy flowers from a local florist, but if you can’t get to one, consider the flowers and plant options from the grocery store. An orchid is always a winning option, for example.
  3. Candy, chocolate, and ice cream. Choose her favourite flavours. Who can ever resist some sweets?
  4. Card. Don’t forget to send your mom a card!
  5. Coffee. Grab a few and bundle them together in a coffee-themed gift basket (reuse a basket you own or get creative with packaging).
  6. Magazines. My mom loves magazines, but she only has so many subscriptions, so it’s nice to treat her to magazines she doesn’t subscribe to every once in a while, too.
  7. Cake. Check out the baked goods in the bakery section of your grocery store. You could get a cake with a personalized message in icing on it.
  8. Spa products. Check out the beauty section of the grocery store. You might just find some nail polish, a loufah, or her favourite moisturizer. These days at-home spas are all the rage. 🙂
  9. Picnic ware. If a quick backyard visit is your only option, buy some paper plates and pick up a pizza to share.
  10. Cheese and charcuterie. Pick up all the delicious cheeses and charcuterie you mom would like, arrange it on a wood cutting board (which you can also pick up at many grocery stores), and gift her a delicious easy meal.

Reminder: Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 9th.

Design: Monika Hibbs Home

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Monika Hibbs wears and has worn many hats – doctor, blogger, influencer, designer, author, and shop owner. Based out of British Columbia, her namesake homewares shop is absolutely lovely. She has some really beautiful pieces in stock currently, especially in the areas of lighting and decor. Here are a few of the items that caught my eye (but are definitely not in my budget…sigh).

carnegie table lamp, $874CAD; vedra table lamp, $1050CAD; desmond table lamp, $1311CAD
bryant chandelier, $1249CAD; coco magnolia pendant, $3148CAD
eloise pendant, $1225CAD; eldridge pendant, $1428CAD; keil swing arm, $700+CAD
laurel pot brush set, $76CAD; bread tin, $89CAD; marble container with lid, $75CAD; calley dipped vase, $198CAD; copenhagen pot and saucer, $65+CAD; egg board, $135CAD

All product images via Monika Hibbs Home.

Fashion: Black and White Chic

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These photos may have been taken years ago, but the fashion remains chic today. A black skirt and white shirt is an easy pairing that provides instant chic. Throw on a Panama hat and a bag, and you’re ready for a day of strolling around town or an evening dinner on a patio. Because the structure of the set can be loose (or form-fitting, if you’d like), this is a good option to transition from loungewear to anything-but-loungewear this spring.

9 to 5 Chic
Yours Truly Yinka
via Style Advisor
via Steal the Look
By Sophie H

Personal: April Update of My 2021 Goals

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Who else has drafted a list of goals to accomplish in 2021? What’s on your list? How did you to this month?

April has flown by in a flash. End of term kept me busy at work with early mornings and busy weekends. The spring term is right around the corner, so I’ve been prepping for that, too. While March had me down for so many reasons, April – and several days of sunshine – meant for some happy days (in between terrible Ontario lockdown restrictions again). I’ve had a decent amount of downtime to work on my hobbies like crochet and reading.

Here’s this month’s update of my 2021 goals.

  1. Eat more vegetables. Sort of! I’ve made a few delicious salads each week (mostly with whatever veggies I have on hand + hard boiled eggs). I’ve also done so many roasted veggies, and they’re just delicious. These blistered green beans have been in heavy rotation. I’d like to get back into the habit of going to the market on Saturdays…I went to Kitchener market last Saturday after I hadn’t been in over a year. (Here are the gorgeous tulips I picked up at the market.)
  2. Travel. Nope! Ha ha. It’s basically a terrible joke that I have this on my goal list, isn’t it?
  3. Save money. Yes! I have continued to track of my spending for the most part.
  4. Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes! I passed on a stack of magazines early in the month. I also sorted through stacks of magazines and books I was hoarding, and I have been slowly going through my closets (very slowly). Items have been or will be thrown out/passed on/donated once Ontario’s lockdown is over.
  5. Crochet a blanket. Yes! I’ve made decent progress this month (see my blanket progress). It feels and looks so nice. I still have another 274193 hours until it’s done!
  6. Reduce social media consumption. Sort of! My aimless scrolling doesn’t last too long these days, but I know I can do better. Does anyone have any advice? Delete the Instagram app over the weekend, for example?
  7. Renovate my bathroom. Nope! No progress here.
  8. Play games. Yes! Bananagrams continues to be a go-to game. Nintendo and the weekly crossword, too, have kept my mind busy.
  9. Edit my magazine subscriptions. Nope! Like in the last two months, I didn’t need to edit anything this month because none of my subscriptions were up for renewal. I haven’t signed up for any new subscriptions, so I think that’s a goal achievement, too.
  10. Read more. Yes! I finished Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (part of my faculty book club at work). I also moved quickly through Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour, and I quite enjoyed the audiobook version.
  11. Blog. Sort of! I started off slow at the beginning of the month, then picked up regular writing mid-month. It always makes me feel good to write blog posts – even short ones!
  12. Bike ride regularly. Embrace cross country skiing. No need! Snow is gone! I’ve replaced my winter goal with a spring/summer goal – bike riding. And, yes, I did go for a few rides this month. It’s been a good way to see friends at a distance.
  13. Cross stitch. Nope! No progress.
  14. Have fun! Yes! I did have some fun in April…but I could have more in May!

Previous updates: January, February, March