Stella & Dot: Shopping for Summer Accessories

Anyone who knows me knows that I dream of shopping in luxury, with a glass of champagne in one hand, dainty eats in the other, and an array of beautiful items to peruse. So when one of my University friends asked if I would be interested in having a Stella & Dot shopping party, naturally I got super excited. For those of you who haven't heard of Stella & Dot, they are a jewelry company who have individual stylists who  help you host a trunk show, where you can get together with your friends, family, anyone you want, and shop their newest collections in your home. The lovely ladies Chantale, Shivani, Victoria, Rebecca (of Rebecca Elizabeth Designs), Irene, Alison (of Styling My Life blog), our stylist Shannon, and my mom all came to join in on the afternoon of shopping and treats.

I was very glad to finally get a chance to use some of the pins from my Fashionable Eats board on Pinterest for the event!  With the help of my photographer/bestie, we decided on a list of girly and delectable treats: citrus sangria, lavender lemonade, earl grey scones with devonshire and jam, meringue with whipped cream and raspberries, cucumber sandwiches, and lavender cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting. YUM.

It was a truly delightful afternoon of girl time, and of course, we all walked away with some stunning new jewelry that will be sure to be show stoppers! I decided on some serious statement pieces: a necklace called the Olivia Bib, and another called the Juniper, as well as a simple yet feminine Camilla cocktail ring. These are going to be great for adding some colour to plain tops and dresses this summer! 

The moral of the story? Girly days like these are a must!

My mom perusing the catalogue

Shannon, our stylist, wearing the Lillith Fringe Earrings

Rebecca wearing the Dot Bloom Necklace

Doesn't Irene just look amazing? I couldn't get over her sassy glasses and trendy collar!

Myself trying on the Olivia Bib

Victoria and myself

Shivani and Alison (of Styling My Life blog)

Irene and Alison both brought bouquets of bright, beautiful flowers, how sweet!

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Fashionable Eats: Happy Macaron Day!

I was very restless in class all day today, because all over Vancouver bakeries and coffee shops were giving out free or discounted macarons in honor of Macaron Day - and for many, proceeds were going to charity! Macarons have really taken off in Vancouver over the last 2 years, and I have become completely obsessed with them too. They are the definition of a fashionable eat, with their adorable rainbow of Colours and delicate flavours. And they are perfectly paired with glass of champagne!

So in lieu of not being able to go out eating macarons all over the city today, I sat in my class putting together a list of all the places in Vancouver that sell Macarons; some I have been to, while others will go on my list of places to try. If you know of any others, please leave a comment!! One of my favorites still has been the macarons from Thierry. They are a good size, a perfect mix of crisp and chewy, and the ones with berries/pulp in the middle are incredible!

You can also check out The Urban Tea Merchant, who have a delicious looking array of tea-infused macarons. Here's a list of other places you can find macarons in Vancouver:

- Thomas Haas
- Leonida's Waterfront
- CinCin Ristorante
- Bel Cafe
- J'adore les Macarons (online, pickup in Vancouver)
- Ganache Patisserie
- Kitchening with Carly (at UrbanFare)
- French Made Baking
- Soirette
- Stuart's
- La Baguette et l'Echalote

If you have reviews on any of these places, please let me know! I'm going to make it my mission to try them all! Oh and of course, when you go out for macarons and tea, it is mandatory to play dress up :) so make sure you're looking fabulous as you divulge on these petite treats!


Treats from Thierry on Alberni and Burrard


A set of macarons from Ganache Patisserie. Small, but delicious ganache, I must say!


Some cheap macarons from T&T market. Not very good quality, but when you're desperate, they're there!


A pistachio macaron from La Baguette et l'Echalote. Not the best, but they are such a cute treat while meandering around Granville Island.


A selection of macarons from the Little White House in Fort Langley. Quite a ways away from downtown Vancouver, but SO worth the trip! This place has amazing macarons AND an adorable setting! Highly recommended.


The Little White house's macarons! (They also have special occasion ones, and others that change regularly.

Fashionable Eats: Cafe Latte Cupcakes

What better to have on a cold day but a hot cup of coffee...or if you're not much of a coffee fan, substitute it for this tasty little sweet! I got the 500 Cupcakes book for my birthday from one of my best friends/photographer this year, and I've been working my way through it one cupcake at a time! These cupcakes were a lot of work (mostly the marshmallow foam), but they definitely paid off. I highly recommend picking up the pink book and trying it out for yourself.

Essentially, the cupcakes are vanilla, with a coffee and chocolate frosting, and topped off with whipped marshmallow for the foam. Sprinkle on a little chocolate powder for added effect.

Happy baking!










Shirt-Urban Behaviour, Skirt-Head (vintage), Belt-gift

Look of the Week: Parisian Cafe

Well, it appears fall has come, bringing with it lots of homework and rainy weather, and so I must try to embrace it best I can. How shall I do so? By spending some downtime sipping liquid chocolate and tasting every macaron in the rainbow! I came across Thierry's Patisserie last week online and made it a goal to seek it out after class. It was the perfect place to go when you're all dressed up like you belong in Paris! And I must say, their macarons were amazing, and by my standards, not too pricey either. I highly recommend their blackberry and raspberry macarons, which each have a fresh berry right in the middle! So tasty! And if you've ever wanted to melt chocolate and drink it as is (and really, who hasn't), then try their hazelnut liquid chocolate. I felt like all I needed was to grab a baguette and some wine to make the experience complete.

I like taking little trips like this, to explore new tasty locales. It's a great mental break and I recommend doing this once a week to keep from the stress of life making you crazy! Dress up too, it makes you feel fresh and fun. And what better way to feel like your in a Parisian cafe? Throw on some red lipstick and heels. If you don't have time to take a whole afternoon off, find some tasty treats, bring them home, make yourself a London Fog, and cuddle up with some homework!

My outfit is inspired by the skirt I'm wearing, which was given to me by my Nana, and gave a little bit more of a vintage feel to the look. It's made of wool, too, which will be perfect for when winter hits. I usually shorten my Nana's skirts, but I like the length of this one;it keeps the vintage feel alive. However, if you're wanting a modern look, get rid of the skirt. Earlier in the day, I wore the long striped shirt to class as a dress with tights, some black flats and an oversized black blazer, for a more comfortable look. This outfit includes my favorite colour combinations, black red and white, and their boldness is a great way to stand out on an overcast day.

























Shirt Dress –Forever 21, Skirt-My Nana’s, Trench Coat-Papaya, Purse & Necklace-Richmond Night Market, Shoes-Wet Seal

A Garden Party

I’d like to share with you my little slice of paradise from last week! One of my best friends has left us for 4 months abroad in France, and so it seemed fitting to have a classy little afternoon of treats to see her off! You’d be amazed how full you can get off all these little snacks...by the end of day, as it finally started to get dark, we were too stuffed to move!
I found some lovely glass pieces from Value Village which were perfect for our get together; I had been looking for a beautiful sandwich platter for awhile, and came across one that was just perfect for our fresh cucumber sandwiches. I found the glass container for our strawberry vanilla lemonade at Value Village as well, and I’ll be able to use it in the fall as well for serving wine! I came across the punch bowl there as well, which we used to scoop out copious amount of sangria!




I found these lovely cameo pieces in a local baking shop called Scoop-n-Save Ltd. and thought they would be an excellent match for my London fog cupcakes. I made mini ones this time, using the same recipe I’ve posted here earlier this summer. I liked the effect piping the icing gave them this time, as opposed to using the tried and true butter knife technique.



These were probably my favourite snack of the afternoon...I introduce to you: pink lemonade cupcakes! I stumbled upon this recipe trying to find something quick and easy for the party. These are certainly easy to make, and they were so tasty I was eating the leftovers for breakfast and dinner the rest of the week! You can find the recipe here: http://www.ericasweettooth.com/2010/04/pink-lemonade-cupcakes.html They are surprisingly light and fluffy, and have the perfect amount of tartness. I highly recommend them!



My cake pops were definitely a first attempt... I was hoping to be super creative and put little Chanel C’s on them with black icing, but they didn’t quite turn out the way I’d hoped. Dipping them in the white chocolate was much fussier than I’d expected! I’ll let you know once I perfect this one :)





One of the lovely girls also brought some carrot cake muffins, stuffed full of raisins and walnuts. They were absolutely amazing! I didn’t know I could eat so many cupcakes in one sitting...but I wanted to make sure I had at least one of everything. If you want something sweet, but not too sweet to give you a toothache, these are a great option. Very filling!