Five Things to Love

1. Lunch with a sweet friend at the sweetest cafe. London fog latte for her and vanilla rooibos tea for me.  

2. One of my favorite ways to paint water colors is onto cards. Giving a hand painted card to a friend is such a joy! 

3. Chalkboard art in my room as a reminder of the true reason for the season

4. A snippet of our Christmas villages: the pet shop with the lighthouse in the background

5. Oana Befort's beautiful December calendar. I've been faithfully using each month's calendar as a desktop background for a year now! Go check it out- you'll be so happy you did. 

Much love, Vivi 

things to love this winter

lights strung along the fireplace

a messy, vibrant water colour palette

Candy canes! Sugary, festive, what's not to love?

winter melon for a late night snack

taking time to relax and unwind with my sketchbook & most favourite paints

the best way to use said candy canes: white chocolate bark! this stuff is hard to stop at one piece...

my beloved tea pots atop the mini literature section of my room: Jane Austen and the Oxford library of classic poetry.

               What are you loving this winter time?

Much love, Vivi

Five things to love

{ a few of my favourite products residing in a mini flower pot }

{ English afternoon tea in an adorable little container }

{ elephants lined up on our fireplace mantle, souvenirs brought back from my mom's trip to India last January }

{ my autumn scarf project nearly reaching completion! }

{ a delicious omelet to start the day off right }

 

The other day I realised just how long it has been since I wrote a post in the Five things to love series! I've really missed doing these Friday specials, and you can expect them to be a more regular occurrence here on the blog in the next few weeks. :) I hope all of you Americans are having a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend! Here in Canada trickles of Christmas are already starting to show, with everything from Christmas music to decorated trees filling stores and homes. Next thing I know, snow will be falling down! 'Tis the season. ;)

Much love, Vivi

Five things to love

{ my mom's tea cup collection }

{ bright and beautiful fruit }

{ a delicious lunch made by me, which is amazing since I hardly ever move away from baking! }

{ a rewarding view after a three kilometre hike! }

{ trying stratichella gelato for the first time }

Much love, Vivi  



Five things to love

{ an afternoon at the local farmer's market is always well spent }

{ beautiful light reflecting on beach waters }

{ farmer's market flowers that caught my eye }

{ my dear friend kendra snapping happily away on her camera in a gorgeous peach dress! }

{ a new favourite of mine: menchies! a frozen yogurt bar with more choices than room in my bowl... }

Much love, Vivi

Five things to love

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts, so I thought doing a summer themed one would be fun! Here is a little piece of what I've been loving this summer so far....

{ chocolate fondues on picnic blankets outside }

{ peach and pink nails with a touch of sparkle }

{ my favourite shorts and sandals for touring this lovely place }

{ purple pants! I have so much love for anything purple }

{ wild flowers that add a beautiful touch to any space, in this case, my room :) }

Tea crazy

Over the years, I've tried and tasted many teas. From spicy chai to classic breakfast, tea has always been a favourite of mine. A steaming cup of tea can lift your spirits and make any activity more enjoyable. Many long homework marathons have been accompanied by one of these teas. :) I sifted through our tea cupboard and pulled out my very favourites to share with you!

1. Lemon ginger tea from Stash is my go to drink whenever I'm sick. Just drinking it makes me feel healthy! :)
2. Coconut chai tea from Zhena's gypsy teas is my all time favourite tea. Words can't even express, friends. This tea has just the right amount of spice and sweetness. It tastes wonderful with just hot water, and a little creamier with a splash of milk.
3. Mighty Leaf teas are amazing teas. You can actually see chunks of fruit and herb leaves in their woven tea bags. I'd drink these everyday. Well, I kinda do.
4. Tetley warmth tea is exactly that, warm. It has a strong cinnamon liquorice taste which just can't be beat.
5. Lipton's orange blossom hibiscus infusion is a sweet and citrusy tea full of flavour. I love the pyramid tea bags and just like the Mighty leaf teas, you can see all of the details of what's inside your tea bag.

What are some of your favourite teas? I would love to try them. :)

Much love, Vivi

Five things to love

{first beach trip of the year! With sunny skies and fresh air...}

{new chai tea! I love the flavour of the cocnut chai from zhena's gypsy tea, and the creaminess of the elephant vanilla chai from David Rio is unbeatable!}

{perfect Spring barbeque}

{reflections}

{chocolate ganache spaceship}

As you can see, I had a most delicious week! My brother unleashed his baking skills and whipped up an amazing chocolate ganache cake with strawberries. It was truly amazing. And gobbled up an evening. ;) The sun also visited us for the first time this year! So far we've only had grey weather with clouds and rain storms. Seriously, weather? Why so sad? Bleh. A peek of sunshine was oh-so welcome! As for the play, things are seriously starting to come together. Lines memorised, choreography being fine-tuned, emotions coming through, yadda yadda! Oh, did I tell you I get to act drunk? Yup. It's definitely a challenge! There are so many elements to acting that I had never been exposed to before I immersed myself in the world of acting. Anne of Green gables isn't just a cheesy musical, but a story of growth and emotion. So happy to be a part of it! :)

Much love, Vivi 

Friday Favourites!

Happy Friday!

To celebrate this great day that is much loved around the world, I thought I would share with you the random compilation of loveliness that I've found and been inspired by this week. This week I was really inspired by bright colours that reminded me of Spring.

What an adorable breakfast idea!

Pink ombre cake. Is anything more heavenly than this?!

I love everything about this outfit! Boots, pants, jacket, so beautiful!

Okay. So those shorts really need to make their way into my closet. And that scarf. And those shoes. Oh, I might as well take the hair too... :)

Converse nails. I think this may even catch on with guys. Okay, maybe that's pushing it, but really. These are more than amazing!

Mmm... Heart shaped fruit would be a perfect Valentines day snack!

These bright pink stairs add a retro feel to any space.

I hope this outfit explains why I'm really looking forward to Spring weather! I love the floral shorts paired with a soft pink blouse. Elegant and feminine!

I wish I had this talent! I almost wouldn't want to drink this it's so artistic!

 all images via Pinterest

Hope your week was wonderful and that these little inspirations could brighten your day!

Starting tonight, I'll be attending a conference for youth all weekend at my church. It's going to be a weekend of youth getting together from all different backgrounds and places to hear more about God's word and be inspired to live for Jesus. This is my first year going, and I can't wait to see what God has in store! I can't wait to share with you all how it goes... :)

Have a happy weekend!

Much love, Vivi