Mad About Plaid

Plaid has been everywhere these past few seasons- on shirts, dresses, shoes, etc. It can be a great look and can also be very versatile. My sister was the inspiration for this post today. She moved to London, England a couple years ago and I was hoping her eye for fashion would improve being surrounded by so many great fashion inspirations, but it hasn't seemed to happen yet (sorry Nicole)! She called me this morning because she was out shopping and wanted to know how she could wear the plaid shirt she just purchased. So here are some great options on how to wear your plaid shirt:

With leggings.

With ruffles and tucked in.

Worn loose and over-sized with denim.

Layered with a vest.

Left open and worn loose.

As a dress and a bit risque (Nicole I wouldn't recommend this one for you).

Knotted and paired with distressed denim.

Images from Chictopia, The Alteration and Leese Looks.

Wish List: Alexander Wang Diego Bucket Bag

Oooh I just saw this Alexander Wang bag from Opening Ceremony and it was love at first sight! I must have this (or at least a version of it)!!

DIY: Bang Trim

I love the look of bangs and loved having them (I recently grew my bangs out a bit and am now doing the side swept look), but my biggest pain with them was always having to go for frequent trims because I was too scared to cut them myself. I saw a DIY bangs video on DailyCandy yesterday and it inspired me to cut my bangs myself! I grew them out a bit to avoid the curly bang look which is not so cute (I have lots of natural wave to my hair), so I might end up cutting them again in the fall when the heat and humidity die down. The video also gives a great demo on a quick up do which is perfect for these hot summer days.

Click here for the video.

Photo credit: Who What Wear

Wish List: Skeleton Spike Necklace

Love, love, love this 'Skeleton Spike' necklace by Lauren Wolf! This necklace would look great on it's own, but even better layered with a few longer chains!

Morning Sunshine

I just got in from my morning jog and there's blue skies, sunshine and warm temps in Toronto today. Summer has finally arrived! Hello sundresses!

Print by Fraskedesign

Pierre Hardy X The Gap

Here's a sneak peak at Pierre Hardy's capsule collection with The Gap which will be in stores mid-September. I will definitely keep my eye on the bottom pair which apparently will be available in navy!

Via Vogue France

Recipe: Cinnamon Buns With Cream Cheese Icing

I hope you all had a great weekend! I definitely indulged this weekend by eating a ton of cinnamon rolls amongst other great things. I decided to make them using prepared pizza dough and they turned out great. And if the thought of cinnamon buns isn't making you drool, how about cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing?!

Makes 8-9 large rolls:
prepared pizza dough
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp melted butter

Icing:
1/2 of a 250g container of cream cheese (soften)
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup of butter (softened)
2 tsp of milk
1/2 tsp of vanilla

1. Take the pizza dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stretch the rested dough out on to a baking sheet to form a large rectangle and brush with melted butter.
3. In a bowl, mix together cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Sprinkle over the entire rectangle of dough.
4. Roll the dough tightly to form a log and seal ends (I started rolling with the short side to make big rolls). Cut into 1/2 inch rolls.
5. Place the rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet (with spiral facing up and about 2 inches apart). Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
6. While rolls are baking, mix together all 5 of the icing ingredients. Drizzle the icing over the baked rolls and enjoy!! Mungia mungia!

Eat.Live.Shop. options: You can also add chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) with the sugar mixture for an extra treat.

DIY: Crate Art

I love this DIY art work created by a Design Sponge reader. It was made using an old crate that has been cut into chunks to create 3D wall art. And the best part is that it only cost her $11!

Click here for DIY instructions.

Street Style: Siren Music Festival

Style inspiration this past weekend at the Siren Music Festival at Coney Island.

via www.style.com

Current Obsession: Momiji Dolls

It was love at first sight when I first spotted Momiji dolls at Propaganda in Toronto over a year ago. They're just so cute and I'm excited to keep adding to my collection (first picture).

For me, For You Necklaces

Check out these necklaces made by Kate from For me, For you. I love how they are reminiscent of our favourite childhood friendship bracelets, but now done with a sophisticated cool twist. The 2nd batch of necklaces were released today, but sold out in a mere 15 minutes! She will be restocking them in a few weeks. Check out her Etsy store for other great items made by Kate!

Recipe: Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes

Mmmmm cupcakes!! What better way to kick off the weekend then with a cupcake recipe from one of the top bakery's in the world? I love cupcakes and I love Magnolia's cupcakes, so I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to hunt for a recipe sooner, but better late than never, right? The recipe is for a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting (yum!) which happens to be my favourite kind.

Click here for the recipe.

Have a great weekend!

Wish List: Stackable Rings

I love the simplicity of these stackable rings I found on Etsy. They're classic and gorgeous. I want!

Sterling silver and copper custom stacking rings from Etsy by Muffintopdesigns. They come in a set of 12 and you can choose the size, metals and finishes.

14k recycled gold stacking ring from Etsy from Beyondtherockz.

Current Obsession: Cut-Out Booties

Chunky heeled cut-out bootie by Dolce Vita.

Light tan flat cut-out bootie by Jeffrey Campbell.

Grey cut-out wedge bootie by Dolce Vita.

Publish Post

I love these cut-out booties! They are a great transition shoe to fall (I can't even believe I'm thinking of fall, but with the lack of summer temperatures here in Toronto it's hard not to). You can wear them now with cut off shorts and a boyfriend shirt button down or with your cute floral dress. To wear them in the fall, pair them with your favourite skinny jeans and funky blazer. Total must have!

Recipe: Brie Appetizer

This brie appetizer is one of my favourite recipes! My friend Stacy passed it on to me a few months ago and I've been making it for friends and family ever since. It's ooey gooey and absolutely delish!

Large or small round brie (either one works just fine)
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Honey
Pecans

1. Unroll Pillsbury Crescent Rolls into one large rectangle and wrap around the brie covering the cheese and bunching the dough in the middle.
   
2. Spray a deep set pan with cooking spray and place the brie on the pan. Drizzle the brie with honey and top with pecans.
   
3. Bake at 375 degrees until crust is golden. Serve with crackers or French stick.
   

Eat.Live.Shop tip: Use some of the dough to cut out small shapes to place on the top for a fun looking appetizer.

Style Idea: 1 Pair of Vintage 501's, 2 Looks

Fringey by eatliveshop featuring Levis

City Slicker by eatliveshop featuring Levis

Cut off denim is a huge look this season and what better way to get the look then to go vintage. These vintage Levis 501's look great dressed down (flat gladiators, basic tank, slouchy bag) or dressed up (with heels, silk blouse, fun accessories). You can get so many versatile looks from just one pair of shorts!

Toronto Event: Shopping Party

Chasse Gardee, one of my favourite shoe boutiques in Toronto, is hosting a private summer shopping party next week. Five women entrepreneurs pull together to treat us to a night of shopping, yummy treats and drinks!

Chasse Gardee

1084 Queen St. W
Thursday July 16th
5-10 pm

Street Style: The Brooklyn Flea

Three uber stylish ladies talk about their vintage looks at The Brooklyn Flea.

Via www.style.com

DIY: Message Board

My good friend Alex decided to make her own message board which not only looks great, but was both easy and affordable to do!

All you need is:
-a wooden picture frame
-one piece of printed paper (scrapbooking paper works well)
-spray paint (colour of choice)
-sandpaper

Before: plain wooden picture frame

First step: spray paint a light coat
Tip from Alex: Don't spray paint when it's windy outside!

Second step: using the sandpaper, sand the frame, then paint another light coat and then sand again.
Third step: insert printed paper

After-use a dry erase marker on the glass

If you have a cool DIY project you did and would like it featured on Eat.Live.Shop, please email me pictures and a description at eatliveshopblog@gmail.com.

DIY: Alexander Wang Coco Bag

After seeing Alexander Wang's 'Coco Mini Duffle Bag' a few months ago it was love at first sight (pictured above). The bag sold out in just a few days, but thanks to Park & Cube's amazing DIY (seen on Because I'm Addicted) we're able to have our very own version AND save a ton of cash!

Click here for the DIY.

Trip to Halifax

We just got back from Halifax a couple of hours ago and I'm pooped. I was really disappointed when we arrived and realized we forgot our camera at home because I was hoping to share some bits of our trip with you.

Halifax in a nutshell: Shopping/lots of seafood/garlic fingers/The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo (amazing show!)/grey skies/one bad hair day after another/the Atlantic ocean/pea soup fog/picnic in the Public Gardens/an extra 3 pounds/antique hunting/donairs/drive to Lawerence town/missing our dog like crazy/running up big hills/relaxation.

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting our new favourite store, Carbonstok (we discovered it when we were in Halifax at Christmas time). It's a small store filled with amazing products where you can spend hours looking around. One of the lines I loved is called Spitfire Girl and I particulary love their collection of eco-friendly wooden stationary:

Spitfire Girl wall art.

Spitfire Girl bookmark.

Spitfire Girl gift tag.

Recipe: Shrimp Pate

We arrived in Halifax yesterday evening and I've already had lots of delicious seafood! Being near the ocean with all of this fresh seafood has me thinking of a yummy appetizer I had a couple of months back. I've been to a few family parties recently (well almost family) and this shrimp pate is always there. I am constantly finding myself standing near this appetizer at the parties because it is absolutely delicious and I can't stop eating it! I've asked them to pass on their family recipe (shhh don't tell).

1 ½ envelopes of gelatin
cup boiling water
1 tin Campbell's tomato soup
1 large package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (8 ounces)
1 cup of Kraft Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 cup of finely chopped celery
½ cup of finely chopped onion
1 can of small cleaned shrimp
½ teaspoon of salt

1. Mix gelatin and water stirring to dissolve and set aside.

2. Drain shrimp, crush with a fork, mix in salt and set aside.

3. Bring soup and cheese to a slow boil completely melting cheese. Remove from heat, add Miracle Whip and gelatin. Cool 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Add celery, onion and shrimp, stir well to mix. Spray Pam in your mold/pan and refrigerate overnight. Loosen edges with a butter knife and turn out to a serving platter. Dab any excess Pam from the pate with a paper towel.

5.Garnish with olive. Serve with crackers

Gift Idea: Freshly Baked Macaroons

For my parent's anniversary and a good friend of mine's birthday, I decided to make some macaroons-who doesn't love homemade baked goods?! I got creative and put them in a patterned paper bag, sealed it with a cute sticker and made some gift tags that hung on rafatta.

All you need is:
-some baked goods (cookies, peanut brittle, bars etc)
-paper bag (patterned or you can even decorate a plain bag yourself)
-fun stickers to seal the bag
-coloured and/or patterned paper for the gift tag (I used scrapbooking paper)
-rafatta or ribbon to hang the gift tag
-hole punch
-glue stick or double sided tape

I'm leaving for Halifax in a few hours to visit the boyfriend's family, so I will try to do a few posts when I'm there. Happy Canada Day!