Great Finds File: Fab

Today I bring you a round-up of my favorite products from Fab, who kindly invited me to share my favorite picks from their modern site! Being the internet junkie I am, I couldn't resist but to jump on the opportunity, so I hope you like my picks! Oh and if you like something, I suggest you hurry up and snatch them because these are available for a limited time, so get on it ;)

1. Copper Hex Bowl: How gorgeous is this bowl? Absolutely love it!
2. Rum Ketchup Print: Love the vibrant colors of this print so much!
3. Herb Print: This would look so pretty framed in a kitchen, don't you think?
4. White Striped Tumblers: They come in turquoise too, so summery!
5. Pink Camera Strap / 6. Blue Camera Strap / 7. Black Camera Strap: I'm not one who has been thinking of changing her camera strap, I honestly couldn't care less, but the simplicity of these have changed my mind. These I LOVE.
8. Yellow Placemats / 9. Pink placemats: So perfect for summer gatherings or just to add a pop of color to your table.
10. Ceramic Tea Cups: Love these pretty cups!
11. Navy White Ottoman: Love this dhurrie pouf, I could see this in so many rooms!
12. Dark Gray Blanket: Pattern and color right up my alley! 

* This post is sponsored by Fab, but all opinions, as always, are my own ;)

Art file: Lola Donoghue paintings

I recently came across with the beautiful work of Lola Donoghue, aren't these paintings beautiful? You guys know I love abstracts, so I guess it's no surprise! You should definitely check out her shop, here are a couple of my favorites ;)

My life file: from the weekend

Happy Monday! How was your Father's Day weekend? Hope it was great! I had my race on Saturday and it was beautiful! The weather was perfect, the place was gorgeous, and I did quite well. As opposed to my mountain races from my days back in The Island where I was aiming for the top 3, pavement races are all about timing, all about setting a new personal record. This was supposed to be a 10k race but for some reasons it was shortened to 8k (I won't bother you with details), so even though it was a little bit disappointing, I still enjoyed it!

For those of you interested, I came in 3rd (women's) and 11th overall (out of just 85) not bad huh? I have to admit, it was a nice surprise ;) But you know what? I wasn't that happy for my time. I did it in 37min which is not bad (an average pace of 4:40 min/km), but given that my easy runs are done at 5:00-5:15 min/km, I have to believe that I can do better, I should do better. So this race was a learning experience and starting this week I'm making some adjustments to my training, I got to step it up on my speed workouts!

Anyway, hope you have a great week, and thanks to all of you who sent positive vibes for the race, I really appreciate your support! :)

Getting ready for the race

 The conditions couldn't have been better, it was gorgeous!

A necklace I recently made ;)

If you live in Toronto, you must order some cookies from Cookie Friday! My favorites: belgian dark chocolate + fleur de sel, and oatmeal + blueberries

No preservatives and delivered to your door!

 Need more convincing?;)

I've been adding a pop of orange to my head-to-toe neutral outfits ;)

Blog Series: No Fail Dressing Ideas - The Bright Lipstick

For a loooong time I didn't wear lipstick, I only wore lip gloss and thought that lipstick was just not for me. Well, that was until last year, when I decided to give it a try, and now I'm hooked. Especially with bright colored ones, I'm really into fuchsia and bright orange. For a girl who doesn't wear a lot of color, this gives me the right amount and makes me feel polished. It amazes me how it instantly lifts you up! For those days when you're wearing a simple white tee and boyfriend jeans or denim shorts, put on a bright colored lipstick and you'll see what a big difference it makes ;)

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'm pumped about my race tomorrow, been thinking about my running strategy and now I have to plan my playlist, wish me luck!

PS: The 10 Commandments of Lipstick

Images: Dior Lipsticks image via Luuux / Source unknown via Pinterest / M Loves M / My own
Products: Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick / Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Color in Hot, Pink Blossom, Hot Raspberry / Madewell Swing Tee / J.Crew Eyelet-front sweatshirt / J.Crew Lightweight terry tee in stripe / Madewell Denim Midi Shorts In Midnight / Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Color in Haute Red, Plum Orchid, Pink Pout and Potofino Red

Food File: Asian Style Quinoa Salad

As requested on Instagram by some of my friends, here's the recipe for this delicious salad found via my pal Julia from Pawleys Island Posh. I made a couple of minor changes, so feel free to check out the original recipe. This salad is so so good, that now I make it every week. It's fresh, healthy and has great flavour, I promise you, you won't be disappointed!

INGREDIENTS:

Salad
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 1/4 cup of rice (any kind)
- 1 carrot, peeled and thinly cut
- 1 cup of edamame
- 3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced
- 2-3 stalks of green onion
- About 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped.

Dressing (I followed the original recipe as close as I could considering what I had on hand)
- 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil

WHAT TO DO:
Cook the quinoa and rice (I cooked them both together). Let them cool a little bit. In the meantime cut, chop and slice the rest of the ingredients that need to, and mix everything together in a big bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients until well combined and pour over the salad. Enjoy!

Great Finds File: The Case Factory

May I present you the coolest iPhone cases, aren't they amazing? Seriously obsessed with these sophisticated cases by The Case Factory and you seriously have to check them all out. A little bit pricey, but what can you expect? They are handcrafted in the finest Italian leathers in Sweden, and they are oh so chic!

* Thanks to Krystal for introducing me to them!

Blog Series: In my Closet - Designer Bags & Dirty Diapers

Today I'm happy to be featuring Natalie from Designer Bags & Dirty Diapers as part of this week's In My Closet series. Hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!

Must-have items in your closet: A pair of good jeans and jean shorts is essential because I wear them daily.  I love Rag and Bone Skinny Jeans (Kensington Wash) and Mother Patchie Jean Shorts.  Other must have items are great flats, I love Tory Burch Flats, cotton maxi and shift dresses.  And most importantly blouses.  I have a real sickness when it comes to blouses I can't stop buying them.  Rebecca Taylor, Joie, DVF, and Tibi are my favorites when it comes to blouses  I consider that + jeans my daily uniform.

Favorite Color Combo: I am kind of lame when it comes to color combos.  I really don't mix too many colors.  Most of my blouses are filled with several colors so I just pair that with plain bottoms.  I do always love black + white.

Latest purchase: Rag and Bone Newbury Booties. I have stalked these boots for two years now.  When they finally went on sale I knew I needed to make it happen. A total investment but I know they are worth it!

Who are your Style Icons? Gwyneth Paltrow is my number one style icon (and girl crush) she can do no wrong in my eyes.  I love her daily style.  I also love that as a mom she still takes care of herself and looks pulled together even if she is just in jeans and a tee.  The boho free spirit side of me loves Kate Hudson's style and I also really love Olivia Palermo.  She is always in the most fabulous outfits.

Favorite Online Retailers: Shopbop, Piperlime, Neiman Marcus (for their great sales) and Zara because Charleston doesn't have a store :(

If you could only shop at one shop which one would it be? This is so tough but probably Shopbop because they carry all my favorite designers and they have everything from shoes to dresses to jeans.

How do you keep your closet organized? About 3 years I switched to the velvet hangers in the cream color and they made such a big difference in my closet organization.  For one I could fit more items in my closet because the hangers are thinner and two everything looks more streamlined.  I also organize by style, all my blouses together, all my dresses together etc.

How often do you purge your closet?  I would say about every 3-4 months I do an edit and I make piles and take stuff to Goodwill, sell on Ebay or my blog or pass to my sister.  I like to clean out often- that being said my closet is still filled to the brim!

Most Treasured Items? I have several pieces of clothing that were my grandmothers that are very special to me.  A few of her clutches and dresses that I just adore.  My favorite is a brown dress lined with hot pink and royal blue, I wear it all the time.  I love that it is still chic 50 years later.   Other treasured items are my Louis Vuitton Duffel and pouchette.  They were my first nice investment purses- I used my graduation money to buy them and I still love them years later.

Any personal styling tricks you'd like to share? Spend a day trying on your clothes and playing in your closet to see what items look good together.  That way when you get dressed in the morning you will know what works together and won't waste alot of time trying on outfits.

Any shopping advice for others you'd like to share? Don't snub Ebay or discount chains like TJMaxx and Marshalls.  I have found some of my best deals at these places.  Ebay is a real gold mine if you know what you are looking for.  I hit up TjMaxx about once a week.  You have to go frequently and dig but you can find some amazing designer deals there!

* Thanks so much Natalie! :)
Images credits: Natalie's closet - her own / Gwyneth Paltrow via Goop / Olivia Palermo via Fab Sugar
Products Featured: Madewell Silk Cargo Tank / Mother The Patchie Short / Tory Burch Tumbled leather reva ballet flats / Rag & Bone Newbury Booties / Louis Vuitton Keepall and Pouchette

My life file: Snippets

How was your weekend? The weather was really nice here, and I enjoyed my runs a lot! I'm running a 10k race this Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it. If there's something I really believe in, is that you can always better yourself, and I like the extra encouragement I felt when I came across that line while on the Asics website. It is so true. So let's have a great week shall we? And let's give it all for that better self ;)

Here are some recent snaps, hope you enjoy them!

Pink peonies on my shelf, which, even though they no longer exist, made me really happy while they did :)

One great purchase, I tell ya!

Snagged some pretty plates at a yard sale, aren't they pretty? I was surprised when the lady told me that no one was even looking at them! I spent a good time going through the box trying not to get a whole bunch of them!

And immediately put one to use as a jewelry holder ;)

Post run fun times for my little boy

Remember? I'm so in love with this skirt, how gorgeous is the color?! 

(make sure you order it according to the size chart, measuring tape on hand!)