Aston Hill Tea with British Pacific Properties

British Pacific Properties invited us for an afternoon-tea inspired lunch at the beautiful Aston Hill residences in West Vancouver recently. The event featured yummy delights curated by local food enthusiast Erin Ireland, and speaker & CEO Narges Nirumvala of ExecutiveSpeak, who share inspiring words about female leaders and the challenges and opportunities we face; it was a wonderful way to spend a Friday afternoon!

The view from the patio was absolutely unreal; we could see a stunning view of Vancouver and the water below. And the patio itself, decorated by Taffete Designs, gave the outing a beautiful touch of summer sophistication. I was in love with the white drapes!! I am 100% trying this when I have a patio like this...one day!

For such a lovely, sophistocated afternoon, I opted for a polished high bun, and crop top - pencil skirt combo. If you're wary of the whole crop top trend, or want to wear it in a more modest setting, a high-neck crop top paired with a high waisted skirt is a great option. You won't show off too much tummy, but the contrast of hip-hugging skirt and looser crop top will define your waist nicely. 

British Pacific Properties' Geoff Croll shares his excitement about the new Aston Hill community

Narges Nirumvala inspires the group that "we are limitless"! 

Erin Ireland from It's to Die For with Juno Kim Catering: the creators of the event's delectable eats!

Our limo ride to and from the British Properties...all aboard!

A sparkly little treat from Olive + Piper: their ever-popular Lucy necklace!

Thanks to Sunny Chiu from Dunn PR for many of the photos!

Outfit: Top - Forever 21 | Sunglasses - Target | Necklace - c/o Nobis & Grey | Earrings - c/o Nobis & Grey | Skirt - Thrifted via Salvation Army | Purse - Just Fab | Heels - Darnetta via Just Fab

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Afternoon Tea for Fashionistas: TWG Tea Haute Couture Tea Service from The Urban Tea Merchant

Cards on the table, I'm overly obsessed with afternoon tea! There's just so much to love about it...the fresh scones, the sweet macarons, the perfectly steeped tea, and - of course - the dressing up for it! And so it seems natural that The Urban Tea Merchant would want to offer a TWG Tea Haute Couture tea collection and tea service, combining fashion and tea for the afternoon tea lovers out there. I was invited to try it out for myself, along with bloggers Claire of Von Vogue and Whitney of Macarons and Mischief, and now I can share with you a mouth watering teaser of what you can expect! 

Not only is the food beyond delicious (you can tell just by looking at them below), but the service is truly spectacular as well. Chef Michael Riley even surprised us with a few new items to taste: a tea infused tiramisu, and tea infused ice creams (chai was my favourite!). The tiramisu was infused with TWG Tea Number 12 Tea, which itself has notes of coffee in it, which explains why it's a perfect match for tiramisu. What is really interesting, though, is that Chef Riley also loves to experiment with infusing tea in savouries as well. In fact, several of the savoury items in the Haute Couture Tea Service are infused with TWG Tea.

We tasted a few different TWG Teas, including the Haute Couture Follow Me Tea and French Earl Grey Tea; earl grey is always a favourite of mine, but the Follow Me Tea was surprisingly delicious, with its notes of succulent pineapple. I've been hoping to expand my tea selection at home, and it sounds like I've found a new favourite! An added bonus: with the purchase of the Haute Couture Tea Service, you receive a $5 voucher towards a TWG Tea Haute Couture tea.

If you love your tea, and have a penchant for delicious treats and fashion, The Urban Tea Merchant Haute Couture Tea Service should be on your to-do list this fall!

The massive selection of TWG Tea available at The Urban Tea Merchant

First tea of the day: TWG Tea Haute Couture 'Follow Me' tea, with notes of royal pineapple

Haute Couture Tea Service

Left to right: mini poached lobster benedict, beef carpaccio, TWG Tea Dignitary's Tea smoked chicken in sesame cone

Left to right, back to front: TWG Tea macaron, Chocolate Tea profiterole, Devon crème & tea-infused jelly with fresh baked scone

Left to right: Chocolate-dipped strawberries, Tokyo-Singapore Tea lime-mango tart, French Earl Grey Tea petit four opera cake, Weekend in Venice panna cotta

Left to right: TWG Tea infused ice cream (earl grey, chai, matcha), tea infused tiramisu

Mmm...Silver Moon French Press (prosecco, Silver Moon Tea)

 The Urban Tea Merchant's TWG Tea infused macarons...heaven!

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

22nd Birthday Tea!

I celebrated my 22nd birthday with friends this past Monday at the Secret Garden Tea Company in Kerrisdale. I go for afternoon tea any chance I get: who wouldn't be in favour of dressing up, sipping tea, and tasting dainty sweets? My favourite tea of the day was Provence, which had lovely hints of lavender...I felt like I was in the south of France! As for the food, by the far our favourite finger food were the scones. Something about them is just so ridiculously yummy! Add that tasty Devonshire cream and jam and this is one scrumptious little snack. We continued on from the Secret Garden Tea Co to Granville Island market for some drinks, then finished off the evening with an absolutely fantastic meal at Caché in Yaletown.

My birthday dress was featured here on Thrifty Thursday a while back. It's by a local designer French Spy and features a silk sash and full skirt. To keep with the vintage feel of the dress, I added red lips and polka dot heels: my favourite colour combo has always been red, white and black. Side note: Maybelline SuperStay 10hr Stain Gloss has an AWESOME red lipstick. It doesn't stay on for 10 hours, but it does last really well and doesn't dry out or crack. This is my new go-to red lipstick (even those it's really a gloss!).

The beautiful lace umbrella was a birthday gift from some of my close girl friends, who picked it up from my favourite store in Fort Langley: the Little White House. I've never wished for rain, but it was nice to have been able to use it right away!