Holiday!

Taken from my Instagram; DarlingDilemma

Oh what a long hiatus!
If you are anything like me you have almost no interest in an excuse, only a desire to get back into the swing of things.

Recently my husband & I went on our first ever vacation together. It only took 12 years but it was fabulous all the same.  Since I have been staring at snow and sleet, ice and grey skies for a few days, I think it is only appropriate that I start back in Cuba, with some sunny shots.

 

Besides the sun, sand and surf it was pretty exciting to pack for our first tropical vacation and I was a bit obsessive about it.  I dragged the suitcase out a month before our expedition and left it open.  Every time I thought of something I wanted to bring, or came across something to buy I just added it to the suitcase. So here are some snapshots of my favorite vacation wear items;

One of my Walmart scores for this trip - my beach hat for $10!

Polka dot halter top from Heartbreak Boutique (necklace from my Etsy shop Darling Dilemma)

 



A bargain shopping find for $15!

 

 

My other successful Walmart find, the $30 swimsuit

 

 



And finally this fantastic cover up from Pennington's & some new shades!

 



It was a pretty fantastic first vacation and now that we have caught the travel bug the only question is, Where next?

For the love of... OOTD

Are you familiar with my love of polka dots?
It never wanes.

Case in point - I purchased 3! polka dot tops in the last two weeks.
Oh and how about the polka dot Cherry Velvet dress earlier this week???
It is so rare to find polka dotted perfection, at least I find it so in plus size, so I'm a little bit giddy with my recent purchases.

Today's polka dot contribution comes from Heartbreak Boutique in uptown Saint John. They carry a variety of sizes and recently brought in these super cute polka dot retro halter tops.

Photo taken in the cute dressing room of Heartbreak Boutique!

I love the classic pin-up shape this top gives me. I had a good day in this outfit, loving my curves & feeling fabulously sexy!

Skirt from Forever 21+, is super well fitted, stretchy & a steal at only $11.80!! I'm thinking I
should snatch it up in other colors for work wear this fall!

I kept my accessories simple but with my favorites...

Sweet Cherry - Cherry Velvet review

If you have been following my blog for a little while you will already know that I love the Canadian company Cherry Velvet and their truly adorable dresses!


Inspired by retro & pin up designs the British Columbia based, plus sized fashion boast to 'Juice up your curves' and every experience I've had has followed through with that claim!
When looking last year for a dress to wear to my younger brother's wedding I was pulled out of my dread with the delight of discovering this company. My black and white damask dress was a hit& has served me well at other occasions over the past year... with coloured tights & cardigans changing up the look.

When the ladies at Cherry Velvet suggested sending me one of their new styles to try out I was tickled pink (or teal in this case)!   
They chose a teal polka dot Brigitte dress for me. My previous Cherry Velvet dress was in a 1X so I requested the same time this time.

The fit of this dress is very similar to my other one but a shorter hemline, a knotted back and I found the fitted  baby-doll type cut to be higher.. or the chest area to be smaller, I'm not sure which but either way I find this cut the tiniest bit small on my chest. With the right push up bra I was ready to rock it though!

This is a fabulous little summer dress that can be dressed up with the right shoes and jewelry or kept simple and summery to enjoy the boardwalk. I fell somewhere in between with some Darling Dilemma skull jewelry and white flats.

                                                                                                                                                                  I happen to have the perfect matching  nail polish for this dress, China Glaze's 'For Audrey'. I get blissfully delighted about perfect coordination. I'm nerdy like that.
  

Overall I'm thrilled with my Cherry Velvet dresses! The 'Brigitte' feels like a more casual summer alternative to my previous dress with it's cute high waist and short length (but keep in mind... I am 6ft tall!), as well as all the fun summery patterns it comes in.

 

Lil Summer Somethin'

Lil bit from my etsy shop; Darling Dilemma 

Lil bit giddy 

 Lil bit of summer fun

 Lil bit sweet

 

 Lil bit sexy

 Lil bit tipsy

 Lil bit fun

 Lil bit o'freckles

 Lil bit of me

Lil bit fabulous

The Rollerball!

A few weeks ago I visited the local theatre for a showing of Moulin Rouge in support of the Imperial Theatre. This weekend I had the pleasure of attending another local fundraiser, for The Resource Centre for Youth (TRC), a local not-for-profit organization. "The Resource Centre for Youth (TRC) provides a safe and encouraging environment for our youth to explore their full potential."

The organization had the brilliant idea to host a 'Rollerball" as a fundraiser for the centre, featuring a derby game by our local Fog City Rollers as the entertainment!

The idea was to get all dressed up for cocktails but watch a derby game. They served mini burgers (even vegetarian ones!) & of course drinks. There was a silent auction, as well as a live one but those derby girls demand some serious attention!

I'm really starting to fully embrace the idea of fundraisers, especially their potential for wearing fabulous clothes! Before moving to the east coast I had my favorite hometown charities who's events I always attended but it is only recently, after fully falling in love with my adopted city of Saint John that I have discovered new places to support, events to attend & people to adore!
Check out one of the organizers/youth workers, my friend Letti & I!

We have rockin hair & are generally awesome.

Besides being full of fabulous in her own right, she is also shares my love of crafts & glitter. Check out the fully fabulous Rollerball Trophy she made!!

 I wish I had great photos of my adorable dress but the lighting was dim. I have one picture of Letti & I in our dresses (mine from Torrid, her's from Pennington's) but we look like some strange breed of cheerleaders with our awkward poses. (I really really need to figure out the proper stance for having my picture taken! You think after doing this for almost a year I'd have it figured out, but clearly not.)
However I've worn this dress before on the blog as you can see here so I decided to snap some close ups of the accessories I chose this time.

Tiny & cute rosebud necklace from Forever21 - love that the chain is pink too!

These earrings were one of my first etsy purchases..about 4 years ago!

A score for $8 a WalMart! I've been looking at similar much more expensive
alternatives to this lately so this was great last minute find.
If I truly love them, a more expensive, long lasting pair can be found

In keeping with the pink, I threw on these long lasting leggings from
Voluptuous in Toronto for some extra color!

Wedding Blog Series - Part 1, The Preperations

Beauty is in the details...
The day before my brother's wedding we gathered together, two families & plenty of friends, to make all those details perfect, together.

centrepieces

It was said many times, during the day of the wedding, that a marriage is more than just the couple, it is the blending of two families but I think that blending happens the day before the event. The day that my mother spent with the mother of the bride, making the bouquets, the table arrangements, while I created 8 large arrangements for their aisle.

I think the union happens while setting tables, unfolding chairs, stocking the bar & sharing a meal together.

reception barn

Sharing a few last instagram pics from our day of preparations & rehearsing;

 

 Is there anything more beautiful than a wedding?

Stay tuned for Part 2 - my outfit!