Gift Ideas

Mother’s Day Gifts

In Gift Ideas, Shopping Guides on 9 May 2012 with 9 comments. Click here to leave a comment.

From the top:

Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Pearls by the Yard bracelet in 18k gold - $525 CAD (buy here): My mother is always stressing the importance of buying high-quality and long-lasting items. She would love this 18k gold pearl bracelet.

Kate Spade Illustrated tea cut and saucer in porcelain with 24k gold- $30 each (buy and browse the home collection here): How cute are these watercolor tea cups? Kate Spade is doing everything right these days. I can’t even browse their website anymore in fear that I might buy everything.

Simon Sebbag Freshwater Pearl Long Lariat Necklace - $298 (buy here): You can double-loop or even triple-loop this beautiful necklace. I would wear the necklace with the sterling silver clasp showing in the front. It’s a very classic and elegant necklace and I think it would be perfect for me stylish moms.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - $10.88 (buy here): Both my mother and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this memoir. Jeannette Walls is proof that your past and upbringing don’t have to determine where you end up.

For Canadian shoppers living in BC: I get all of my American purchases shipped to Tsb Shipping in Point Roberts, WA.

Affordable ankle boots a la Rachel Comey, Isabel Marant, and Rag & Bone

In Gift Ideas, Shopping Guides, Style, Wishlist on 14 April 2012 with 4 comments. Click here to leave a comment.

1. Rachel Comey “Hitch“, $420 | 2. Isabel Marant “Dicker“, $580 | 3. Rag & Bone “Newbury“, $653

I have been eyeing the wooden heel ankle boot trend for the last few months and it has been growing on me steadily. Ankle boots by brands like Rachel Comey, Isabel Marant, and Rag & Bone were styled with everything. They looked comfortable, relaxed, and effortlessly chic. My shoe collection is divided into two main categories – black heels for work and winter boots. Flats make my feet hurt and summer sandals can be too casual and impractical, so I wanted shoes I can wear casually but comfortably and still look chic and put-together. Aritzia just received a selection of Rachel Comey “Hitch” boots in store, which is shown in the picture, and I tried them on Friday night. I was immediately in love. They are made of perforated leather, which meant they were breathable; the heel height was perfect; and they looked amazing with my jean leggings. I took it home to see how it would fit with my wardrobe and because the price was prohibitive, I checked to see if I could buy it for less online.

I couldn’t find cheaper Rachel Comey boots online and there weren’t any on eBay, but I did find many affordable versions that looked almost identical. Of course none of them are exactly like “Hitch”. The heel shape on Hitch is quite exquisite and the soles of the boots are rubber (i.e. anti-slip and long-lasting). It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to the Rachel Comeys, but I’m going to return them and buy a pair at a quarter of the price from my finds below. I thought I’d share my research with you! If you know of any other affordable versions, please let me know! You can also see my selections on my Pinterest.

Ankle boots under $100 after the jump:

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Inspired by Oxford aka “Pointy” Shoes

In Gift Ideas, Shopping Guides, Style, Wishlist on 4 December 2011 with no comments. Click here to leave a comment.

Inspired by Oxfords by stuffilove featuring a wingtip oxford

I make fun of my best friend Alyssa a lot for owning a million pairs of what I call “pointy” shoes. I joke that they all look the same. Whenever she wears a pair, I say “hey nice shoes, they look like every other pair you own!”. I’m a great friend. Anyway, Alyssa has great style and oxfords look great with skinny jeans. They add a lot of style to an otherwise casual outfit. I found a great selection of oxfords online, threw in a bit of my own style and made this set for Alyssa. I love cashmere scarves and the infinity scarf is very on-trend right now. The mini satchel is a classic Coach style from 1974 – I love that they brought it back. The YSL Muse purse is a classic and it’s currently on my wishlist. The Butter London nail polish in All Hail the Queen is a great color that’s both stylish and appropriate for work.

Lollia Candles

In Gift Ideas, Shopping Guides on 11 November 2011 with Comments Off

Lollia candles are currently on clearance sale at 50% off! I recommend ordering several online as Christmas gifts. I like to have nice but generic gifts on hand that cost less than $20 for occasions where it’s proper to bring a gift but I don’t know the person very well. These will do great*. They are beautifully packaged, smell amazing (but not overpowering), and at $14.75 it’s an affordable and unique alternative to chocolate. My favorites are below.

This one is called Another Quiet Day. The website describes it as “featuring top notes of Vanilla and Heliotrope followed by Coconut, Muguet (Lilly of the Valley), Almond milk, Basmati Rice and finished with bottom notes of Creamy Sandalwood and Musk.”

Another favorite is Sleeping Under the Stars, which I have sitting on my desk. It features "top notes of Bamboo Petal, Bergamot and Dewy Water Lilly followed by Blue Water Lotus, White Freesia and finished with bottom notes of White Patchouli, Beachwood and Sheer Musk."

Great for: hostess gifts, last minute presents, office Secret Santa, distant relatives, family friends you see once a year, friends that like candles, and yourself.

If you'd rather buy it in store, Chapters has a few left, which you can check using "Find It In Store".

*Except, maybe, for firemen. I don't know how they feel about potential fire hazards.

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