SHORE (MY ETSY SHOP) AROUND THE INTERNET...

hello friends. a quick post to say a BIG thank you to these lovely ladies for their amazing support of my etsy shop, shore. i love seeing my pieces make their way around the internet... the tweets, instagrams and blog posts always put a big smile on my face. so thank you, thank you. if you have photos of yourself in one of my pieces, be sure to email me. i'd love to feature you on my blog!

(bloom necklace on chelsea, from tea talk)

(sorelle earrings from second hand sundays)

(blossom earrings (sold out) on lisa from stilettos and diaper bags)

ps - fun stuff, i'm also doing a giveaway over at tea talk later today. be sure to pop by and enter!

WHAT I WORE

well, this weekend was mellow. my honey marked assignments (he’s teaching summer school) and i spent much of it coding my blog. oh man, martin & i spent so much time on our computers on saturday that we were giddy with laughter. computer drunk as we like to call it. then on sunday we went to church with our good friends Jeff & Kira, grabbed sushi for lunch, came home, crashed on the couch and watched orange is the new black.

and... this is what i wore all weekend long. i just picked up this dress from zara’s summer clearance sale and i love it. the dress has a fantastic open back as well as deep slits on either side which gives the dress great movement when you walk. so far this summer, i've been favouring a more relaxed & bohemian look: lots of maxi's, top knots with dangly earrings, denim cut offs with pretty flowy cami’s and strappy leather sandals. but, i'll admit i've started dreaming up outfits for the fall. anyone else?

outfit details: 

 jacket - h&m (similar)

dress - zara

necklace - stella & dot

bracelets (coming soon) - my etsy shop
* bracelets will be added to the shop on wednesday

shoes - gap

I'M BACK! AND... SHARING A FEW BLOGGING TIPS

hey guys. sorry, i kind of disappeared on you there for a bit and took a wee blog break. it was good, and needed. i started this space just over four months ago and i honestly had no idea where i was going with it... i just knew i needed change. patient i am not. nor am i much of a planner. i basically whipped up my new blog "by the shore" over night and delved right into it. yay for enthusiasm. but then again, sometimes planning is good. which is exactly what i've been up to this past week. oh yeah, and i gave the blog a new look which i tend to do when refocusing myself. i like change. i actually used my old girl & closet template but gave it lots of new touches... i've been craving colour and something a little less minimalist. not so cold feeling, i guess. i'm hoping to add a few more fun & crafty little components but i'll need to hire someone for that. lynn, i'll be calling you later this week. ;)

so what's this fancy blogging plan, you ask? well, haha, i don't have it all figured out quite yet. i do, however, feel like i'm on the right track. i just took elsie's blog love course (from a beautiful mess). it's awesome by the way. and i feel like i walked away with so much good stuff. here are a few things that really stood out for me + i've included my answers for each...

♥ choose themes for your blog posts: my favourite things to blog about are... family photos, adventures, day-to-day life, vegetarian cooking, my etsy shop.

♥ list three things you want to blog about weekly: a fun outing, personal weekly updates (whatever is going on), what i wore.

♥ list three ways you'd like to share your content: lists, photographs with captions, digital scrap-booking for more personal posts.

♥ choosing features that fit your blog: once you've narrowed down your three blog themes, you'll want to create sub-categories to see how viable and repeatable your topics are. basically, you want to pick something where you know you won't run out of content. i won't break down all of my features but here's an example of one of my favourite blog topics: weekly adventures. my sub-categories for that are: out with friends, at the pool, date night, my weekly artist date, cooking with my honey, giving scout a hair cut (that one might need a video, hehe), exploring our favourite pub, at the zoo... etc, you guys get the idea! ;)

another bit of great advice was to always, always blog about what you love. don't do certain posts if you hate them. i can confess to writing posts because i thought they'd be popular on pinterest and it's just not worth it. a blog should definitely be your happy place, and full of the things you love. sounds so good and fun, right?! well, that's exactly what i'll be focusing on in the months to come.

tofu & tomato gluten-free pasta

I don't know what it is, but I've been craving pasta like mad lately. I can't get enough! I decided to give this recipe a try (with some modifications) and man, oh man... it was good. Martin & I kept commenting between mouthfuls, "it's so simple, but wow, is it good!" Haha, can you tell I'm very enthusiastic about this dish?! ;) Here are the details. Enjoy!

You'll need:

3 cloves garlic

1 large onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 green pepper, diced

400g firm tofu

1/3 jar of vegetarian pasta sauce

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried marjoram

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1/4 cup white aged cheddar

2 tbsp chopped green onion

400g pasta (I used gluten-free)

In a medium sized saucepan, saute crushed garlic and chopped onion in olive oil. When slightly golden, add green pepper (I used a yellow one) and cook for a few minutes longer. Crumble your tofu and add to mixture. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow any liquid to boil away, or you can drain it. Lastly, add your tomato sauce, dried seasonings and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Cook your pasta, then top with sauce. Garnish with cheddar, green onions, and salt & pepper to taste. Yum!

birthdays and good intentions

I had every intention of doing an outfit post this past weekend/yesterday... but somehow, that went out the window. I'm blaming it on two things a) I keep living in the same combo of denim jacket, some kind of dress and flip flops. b) Martin & I are in full summer + adventure mode and our nights are spent living for ice-cream dates, tucking our bare feet into the warm ocean sand, and chasing Scout (our dog) through the waves. It's safe to say we are beach bums and we wouldn't have it any other way! Also, yay [throwing confetti in the air] it’s my birthday this week. Gulp, admittedly kind of scary. I can’t believe I’m well into my thirties. And... that's all I'm going to say about that! ;) Each year, as I watch another year go by, I remind myself of the same thing: love your life, have the courage to do great things and don’t take your people for granted. Good words to live by!

<<< I'm a little late to the party but I finally bought the Beautiful Mess app. And I love it - it's so good. Can't wait to start playing around a little bit more!! It's such an easy way to add cute little graphics to my photos. >>>

xo veronika

lately

A few highlights, thoughts & happenings from my week:

Hitting the gym: I'm thrilled my health has stabilized enough for me to head back to the gym. It's been almost a year. Can you believe it? Martin & I are lucky to live in a condo with two gorgeous gyms and a pool + hot tub, which makes working out easy and convenient. Thank goodness! The plan is to work out every other day and either power walk or do yoga on non-gym days. I hope to get into killer shape this year... I've always admired girls that are super toned & fit, so why not make it a goal?!

Downtime: Yes, I'm a computer junkie and online far too often. Lately, I'm trying to scale back by scheduling more conscious pockets of time for myself as well as finding more meaningful things to do with that time. So, I've started reading, doing more photography and I'm working on a couple DIY home projects.

Writing: I used to be an avid writer and I'd love to get back into that groove. Several years ago, I did The Artists Way and one of their recommended daily exercises was to write out your unedited stream of thoughts first thing each morning. It's meant to help you get in touch with your artist as well as your creative process. I'd love to make that a part of my morning routine again.

Eating: My eating habits have been a little... meh. I'm eating at restaurants far too often and I'm missing my usual home cooked meals. So this week, I'm getting strict with myself and getting back on the healthy eating bandwagon. My favourite meals this week are: raw almond butter & gluten free toast for breakfast; lentil, quinoa + veggie soup for lunch; and gluten-free pasta with tomatoes, tofu & cheese for dinner. Mmmmm!

Working on: Several new necklaces for the shop. I'm introducing a few silver ones, long ones and a few beaded varieties too + I'm working on expanding the shop's bracelet collection. Can't wait to share the new styles with you guys! I'm also planning on hosting another Stella & Dot jewelry party at my home later this month and hoping to do an online one too. I'll keep you posted!

xo veronika

canada day long weekend (part two)

We might have gone a little photo crazy when my mom visited us for Canada day. We were like some kind of photography maniacs. But who can resist that beautiful summer light?! On this particular Sunday, we decided to beat the heat and head to our favourite ocean-side park for an evening walk. Mom & I tried watching a movie at our place but it was way too hot. Sitting & sweating. Not good. So out we went to enjoy that delicious ocean breeze!

We did a bit of walking (my mom still has to take it easy), met a ton of dogs, and watched Scout run and sniff every corner of that park. Funny story, Scout does this thing where he'll run up to a couple and join them for their walk. He happily putters alongside them, tail wagging... and then (my favourite part) he'll stop to admire the view with them. Haha, he's such a social guy. We just hang back and laugh. Seriously, what a character!

<<< Growing up, my mom & I used to go on the most epic walks. They’d last for hours, we’d talk about life stuff... stop at our favourite deli, grab food, and then head to the park for an impromptu picnic. Such great memories. >>>

<<< Someone's got his "ready to rumble" face on. >>>

<<< And yup... there he goes! >>>

<<< Taking a little breather. Next time, we'll definitley be coming back with blankets, snacks, and some wine. >>>

<<< We stayed until the sun set. However, walking back to the car along the dark trail was kind of scary. Well, Martin & my mom were relaxed... but nope, not me. I did a light jog back! >>>

Outfit Details:
Cardigan - Old Navy
Dress - c/o Frock Candy
Cross Body - c/o Handbag Heaven
Shoes - Old Navy

xo veronika

what i wore

Outfit Details:
Dress - Forever 21
Bracelets - Stella & Dot
Bag - Stella & Dot
Shoes - Zara

This season, I'm loving easy & simple shift dresses. Plus, I feel like they'll transition so effortlessly into fall: just add tights, booties and a beautiful over-sized cashmere scarf. Done and done! Ruche currently has some fantastic shift dresses, and I can't wait to get my hands on a few of them. This floral print one is fantastic, same goes for this geometric one, and who could possibly say no to this amazing chevron print. Adorable!

Lastly, if you're looking for great enamel bracelets (so fun to layer)... I'd highly recommend the Julep bracelet from Stella & Dot. The quality + price point on them is fantastic and they come in an assortment of fun summer colours too. You can pop by my Stella & Dot online shop here (Canada only) and if you have any questions, let me know!

xo veronika

canada day long weekend (part one)

We enjoyed such a wonderful Canada Day long weekend. My mom was finally discharged from the hospital and she came to stay with us. We did what we do best: wore sweat pants, cooked, ate yummy food, went for relaxing walks, and watched our favourite TV shows. It was pretty awesome. Scout indulged in his favourite treat of cheese & peanut butter [yup, thanks mom] and spent much of the weekend glued to her. Oh Scout. He's such a little foodie, and treats are definitley the way to his heart.

<<< Scout gazing up at my mom and working the charm. >>>

<<< Wearing a winning combination of sweats & pj's. Oh yes, I'm all about easy weekend living! >>>

On Sunday, we finally decided to get dressed and venture outside. Let me tell ya, it was hot, hot. Like melting sweaty, don't want to move kind of hot. Luckily, we found a little bit of refuge at our favourite coffee shop. Hello shaded + breezy patio. I was also pretty excited to try their new gluten-free bakery additions. I ordered a berry muffin [so delicious] and a decaf mocha. After that, we puttered around the neighbourhood, headed to the village and bought a few ingredients for lunch.

<<< My mom shared her apricot & berry scone with [as we've lovingly named him] the mooch! >>>

 <<< My mom! Isn't she the cutest? Sweetest person you'll ever meet. We're thrilled she's doing better and feel so thankful we can be here for her during this time. >>>

<<< And for the grand finale, we took Scout for a complimentary doggy brunch at the dog bakery. Spinach and egg spanakopita. Can you believe it, how cute is that? >>>

xo veronika