goes to my head

One thing I haven't mentioned, which is truly madly deeply lovable, is Red Wine.

Never one to be forgotten, Red Wine will stain you lips, stain you teeth, stain your clothes, stain your life. And yet, regardless of the embarrassment you feel when you catch sight of your purple teeth and Joker smile, you still rush back to the inviting, heady, seductive taste of Red Wine. It washes over you like a warm liquid embrace. A hug, if you will. After a glass or two, your neck and shoulders loosen, you relax, and you gradually become more charming and more fun (as does the lucky few who share your bottle).

Clearly, I am well beyond a glass or two. And how!

I'll tell you what I love!

eau de cartier. it's totally worth an OMG. there are few things that smell as gorgeously amazing.
but don't get it or anything... because it's my secret.

another most wonderful smell (and I am breathing it in deeply as I type) is the

Chakra^TM 1 Balancing Body Mist.

holy moly olibanum, patchouli and vetiver. the most wonderful pairing of scents imaginable. i am about to Lose. My. Mind inhaling this.

where did i go?

even i don't know...
off into the galaxy on a trip?

i can smell you -

- and you smell delicious.
Welcome back Spring. You're in the air! Now stop trying to be all cool and shit. Warm is the new cold. Do yourself a solid (and me by default) and bring on the higher temps.
Just Do It!

how to wear black

Ummm, just like this.
Tada!
She is the queen of black. It is at it's most stunning when paired with the brightest pop of colour.
I love the choice of emeralds here, instead of diamonds. They provide just the right edge. If awards shows had any edge.

feathers

in my hair
around my neck
on my wrist
nuff said

omg she is incredible

WOW. This dress is A-ma-ZING!

Celestial Dancer

My elusive Celestial Dancer Boot has returned to Free People. I rejoice.
They must have been sold out when they last disappeared. Now they are BACK.
I'm sure you can see why they haunted my dreams.

Freaking gorgeous boot. I love them so much.
Now... hmmm... $228 USD plus shipping and duties. Not right now. Grrrr.

low on the love

It's been a while. I have to say, there is not too much to ecstatically enthusiastically love right now.
It is January.
It has been incredibly cold and windy.
I can't use my car because it has been frozen within a glacier and I don't think I'm getting it back until the end of this ice age.
There was a blackout in my hood last week. No heat, among other things, on an incredibly cold night and day.
I've been sick.
Amongst the worst of the things that are stealing my joy is the fact that I'm on a 12 day detox. No sugar, no yeast, no flour, no tropical fruits, no fermented foods or BEVERAGES (hello wine & beer. or should I say goodbye). Meals revolve around brown rice. Booo.

*SPOILER ALERT* What follows is a lot of things I love. I guess I had it in me after all.

On the other hand, my birthday (Fri 9th Jan) was loads of fun. I took the day off work.
I got down to relaxation business at Body Blitz. After an amazing circuit, I had a one hour massage that was perfection.
I followed that up with an Aveda manicure and pedicure chez Civello.
I trotted on down on my pink toes with feathers in my hair to the Gladstone for some dins and a big huge karaoke party. So fantastic a party that it also included HORSE tats. No worries, they're temptastic. So many friends were there, and I do love & appreciate my friends! I know I'm lucky.
And somewhere in the blurry period between 12:30am and 1am, we headed off to the Social for the Friday night rock dance-party.
Finally, a pre-bed snack at the Lakeview. That, my friends, is a perfect birthday.

I was also gifted with a few things that I really wanted. One of course was the tripod I was given early. The other is the delightful Tassimo. I love it! I love having coffee in bed on the weekend and not having to change out of my pyjamas or drink sludge. I'm TRES happy about it. Except due to the detox, it's just sitting on my counter looking pretty.


So I guess I really have nothing to complain about! Err, brrrrr...

See glamourous The Gladstone bathroom photoshoot:

boot bandit

I really love the idea of this decorative boot bandit accessory: hEre!
But do I think you have to spend $68 USD + shipping for it? Oh hell no.
A fabric band with fun details and a rubber stopper inside to hold it in place? Hmmm, sounds like the new Lululemon headband with some fun beads/pin/brooch/charm attached, no? I think so. Or at least, a strip of fun ribbon from a shop like Mokuba.

I'll show you handcrafted.
(not anytime soon. I'm hibernating right now and the only DIY craft I am working on now is the feathered tiara/headdress that I'll wear on my birthday. lazy. say it.)

cup of joe

This entry serves two purposes. I'm killing two birds with one stone, while stressing frantically that of course I would NEVER kill birds (though I DO let others do it so I can eat chicken) as I love them so very much and have even committed their image x 10 to a very prominent area of my arm... I'm wavering severely off track here but can at least blame the delishy red wine and themad-crazy-tasty gorgonzola pasta coma that I am in...

And we're back.

I love JOE. The clothing line that you get in your local Loblaw Superstore courtesy of Joe Mimram (uuhhhh, Alfred Sung, Club Monaco and Caban. You may have heard.). I love that I can get pomegranates and a fabulous cardigan ($19.99!) in the same place. This is a cardigan that is so on-point for this season that after buying and taking the black one out for a spin, I dashed back to get it in grey and off-white. I'm not going to lie, I'm a teensy bit annoyed that they have changed their website and no long show the line in full by type with price (actually I am MORE than teensyly annoyed) but what can I do? I certainly can't go find a pic of the cardigan online and post it for you, that is true. And I will "Oh hell no" NOT try it on and take a picture in my current state (where do I even start describing my current state???). But take my word for it. This is an awesome cardigan. Perfect length (mid-hip), with a deep V buttoned low with wee little pockets. Just the right cardy to layer over an American Apparel t-shirt dress with leggings and boots. So there.

I also like joe also known as coffee. And I stop every morning for a bold coffee to be poured into my reusable mug to take with me on the short but full of stress Queen streetcar ride to work. But I'm currently absolutely FIXATED on the idea of having a Bosch Tassimo of my very own. Oh the cappucino and the hot chocolate and the crema and the espresso I would have. But would I actually bother to fill the water and push the button, or would I continue to frequent the chain that does this all for me for a small fee? Is it worth the $149 to $169 cost (depending on the shop) or is that money better off spent on another pair of boots??? Hmmm....

birthday

Someone (me) would love if someone (anyone, or groups of anyone) wanted to buy her a tripod for her birthday...

la la la...

daylight

Is there ever a song that you hear that just kind of cuts through all the background noise and makes you stop and listen?
Well, Daylight by Matt and Kim did this for me some time ago while listening to my Sirius at work online (XMU which used to be lovely Left of CentRe).
And here I am still loving it.
And so should you


And they come to TO with Cut Copy in March. Noice!

I also have much love growing for local boys Woodhands...

"I wanna do it one more time"

american apparel love

New as of Friday:


The blue sparkle tights are so beloved by me already that I've worn them with barely-contained glee twice this weekend. The mermaid green (I would have said teal) hoodie got to go out yesterday on me, and already I can tell that it was the perfect new addition to my winter layer wardrobe. It is so soft and fuzzy, it is like slipping on a old cozy fleece blankie and going out in public. And I don't even have to tell you how fantastic it popped with the orange hat (see earlier post) and bright blue GOSH eyeshadow (again, see earlier post). Perfect for a cold winter day under a pea coat w/ some checkerboard Vans. And absolute comfort was a happy by-product.

The grey skirt will go to work with me some time in the coming week. Unfortunately, sans blue sparkle tights. Those are definitely not for my office... strictly for my extra-curricular activities.

I'm off to visit the recently jazzed up AGO with the moms. I'm going to lure her first all along a fairly long stretch of Queen St all the way to Dundas Square to Chipotle for my 3rd burrito in a week. I wonder what I'll find in the gallery gift shop that I have to buy because I love it so much (for now)?

a quickie

Here is a quickie. I have a new hat and it is bright orange and it is warm and it is big. And I love it.
It is just the ticket for brightening up a dreary slushy snow day (which every beautiful fluffy snow day turns into about 5 minutes after the snow hits the ground).

Hey, speaking about tickets...
I love my new bright orange hat, but not my bright yellow parking ticket:

another pair?

Yes. Another. But these ones I really really love. I love them so much, and not just for now.
Pewter ankle booties! Metallic Jeffrey Campbell booties. Waiting for these to ship from Free People may just drive me insane.


I'm excited about these. I think they will work really well with what I have to wear for working in an office, and I can't wait to see them with dresses and jeans and leggings outside of work. They should be a good everything, everyday, everywear shoe.

Happy Christmas to me. From me (with love).

I'm also having heart palpitations over the Hopi fringed boot and the Farrah boot by Jeffrey Campbell. They are shades of brown, which I don't wear. But still.
Also another pair of much more excellent boots that have disappeared off the site before I got the full name, brand or picture. But Dancer was in the name. And I feel like I've lost something I never even had.

love for lykke

I love Lykke Li! She's lovely and trippy and poppy and soulful and folky and electric and fast and slow and everything in the middle.
Not only is her music infectious and fun, but she's a character in concert.

"Dance dance dance" has to be one of my most favourite songs (along with her "Let it Fall"), but I'd be hard pressed to name a song of her's that I didn't adore. And she can bust out some wicked covers too. I love a little "Can We Kick It?" by Tribe Called Quest delivered in a quirky Nordic way.
And she's coming back to Toronto in February.

How do you say excited in Swedish?

over 2 months later, and my heart still aches for you

I love the Gucci "Devendra" tassled riding boot.
Seriously, so wearable for years to come, even after the fringe / tassle is over. And they'll still be kicking around when the fringe makes it's next popular turn. It is already off the Gucci website, so I suppose it is already considered passe. But not to me, precious.

Oh this beautiful beast of a boot has several things I'm looking for in footwear: flat, above-the-knee, black, slick & classic at the same time, a little swish / interest via the tassle, or and a $2000+ price tag.
Here it is in all it's glory, and here too:

i DON'T love...

...meth.
I can't say this is from personal experience. But this page certainly does NOT help! Click at your own risk.
Kids, keep it clean & green.

toms shoes

I love these TOMs shoes!

They are like a slip-on Keds semi-lookalike with a twist.
Not only are they easy and cute, they are super comfortable. I feel like I'm walking on air when I wear mine.

Another reason to make me feel happy when wearing them? Their "one for one" policy. One for me, one for a child in need. Feels good both on the feet and deep down inside.

Check it.

homemade headbands. still.

I do still love the headband. I don't bust the look out very often, as my schedule is filled with wearing feathers in my hair, but I love them. Especially the easy-peasy ones made from ribbons from Mokuba. Big love.

bite me

I love vampires. Always have, always will.
If you have something negative to say about it, bite me.

Specific vampire books:

• The book that started it all for me: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. Awww, it reminds me of my pre-teen years...
• The Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton. Start with book 1, Guilty Pleasures (it def lives up to it's name).
• Twilight. Yes. I'll admit it. I did pick it up sometime late summer 2007 and I didn't realize it was for kids until I got it home. But I love it, I do. And, well, there's Edward...

True Blood the TV show deserves a mention. Oh sookie sookie.

I could go for days about this. Perhaps I'll add to this in the future.
Now, don't even get me started about lycanthropes and shapeshifters...
(but read and love Bitten if you are down)

proper burritos

I have seen the light. In this burrito-crazy city, it is sometimes hard to wade through the plethora of burrito purveyors. But now I have a trick. I narrow it down to the ones that steam their shells. Job done. Case closed.

Tortilla steaming is key for an authentic burrito. And once you taste the difference, you can't go back to Burrito Boyz or Big Fat Burritos or Quesada and the like.

Now my list is short and oh so sweet.

• Mission Burritos (The Grange Food Court by OCAD & AGO)
• Chipotle (Yonge & Dundas).

Honestly. I'm usually quite verbose, but now I must insist briefly but firmly: take my word for it. I've fattened myself up for winter coming to this conclusion.

I want to marry the barbacoa beef burrito from Chipotle. I do.

oh my GOSH!

I got a bunch of free makeup in an event gift bag a few months back. Much of which was by a Danish company called GOSH. I noticed that the occasional time that I used the bright green eyeshadow, the shadow lasted all day with no fading or creasing.

I can be both lazy and vain. I want to "put on my face" but I don't want to keep checking on it's status (unless I could get it FB styles... "Rhonda's eyeshadow is currently melting sloppily into oblivion) or touching it up. Alas, GOSH is the magic solution. I recently came upon their display in Shoppers and have tried out their EXTREMELY WATERPROOF liquid liners. Love them. Love the bright blue and bright green and bright pink and black. Also love that even after I've washed my face, I can stick wake up with a precise and perfectly preserved line of intense blue. Kind of shocking before my coffee, but I love a long lasting liner.

I've also tried the primer which is just as good as Smashbox (in my opinion) at almost half the price.

In summary, I can vouch for the eye shadow and primer. And I want to marry the extremely waterproof liner. Oh my GOSH.

W2EBC

I love the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. It benefits the Princess Margaret Hospital.
How do you donate to me, you ask?
I say, right here! - www.endcancer.ca/goto/Rhonda2009



Net proceeds from The Weekend to End Breast Cancer will benefit The Princess Margaret, a leader in the fight against cancer and the largest institution in Canada exclusively devoted to cancer treatment, research, and education. Funds raised will be primarily directed to ground-breaking research in breast cancer, moving us a step closer to discovering a cure. At The Princess Margaret, we focus on translational research - research findings that are quickly transformed into improved treatment options and enhanced patient care.