anthropologie: favourites of yesteryear

I visited Anthropologie last weekend, and although I tried a few things on (reviews to come), nothing really got my style senses tingling. I'm hoping the blah releases of the last few months will be replaced by a bevy of beauties, in the spring. A girl can only hope.

Until that time, I'm going to continue to enjoy my Anthro purchases of yesteryear. Every single one of these items makes me feel pretty, feminine, chic and classy. And that's how you should feel when you're getting ready to take on the day.

Let's start this trip down memory lane with a marigold frock from Girls from Savoy. I wore this stunner to my husband's Christmas party, and my next step will be to incorporate it into my work wardrobe. I love how vintage, classic, and timeless this dress feels.

Fall/Winter

{Fluted Ponte Dress}

{Whirligig Dress}

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{Refined Cord Shirtdress}

{Vagabond Dress}

{Wightwick Manor Dress}

Spring/Summer

{Compeer Dress}

{Take Action Dress}

{Beda Dress}

{Flutter Sleeve Tunic}

My friend Ayesha has a couple of favs, too:

{Air Mail Skirt}

{Raining, Pouring Blouse}

Did you enjoy this look back at some of our most cherished Anthro items? Sometimes it's good to be reminded of what you already have in order to keep the consumer monsters at bay. Right, ladies? (;

Happy Friday, y'all. I hope you all have something fun planned for the weekend.  I'm playing in my first soccer game of 2012. Wish me luck!

Dajana

p.s. I'll be back in a few days with a few Anthro reviews and an exciting announcement for Edmonton's style fiends. Come on back now, y'hear?

well said.

{via}

????�I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don�t want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines, and sing out loud in the car with the windows open, and wear pink shoes, and stay up all night laughing, and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets, and throw parties, and eat ripe tomatoes, and read books so good they make me jump up and down.� - S. Niequist  

all lacquered up: shellac manicure

Long-lasting, chip free polish? Sign me up, please.

I recently had my third Shellac manicure and I absolutely love it. It's my new favourite indulgence.

Here's why:

• It lasts for about 2 to 4 weeks.
• It goes on like polish but sets like gel.
• It takes about the same amount of time as a regular mani.
• The high gloss colour stays shiny and flawless.
• No nicks, chips or smudges even with my multiple hours of typing a day.
• I don't have to worry about reaching for my keys and ruining my freshly done nails.
• It prevents me from biting my nails. This is huge for me.
• I feel like a lady when my nails are pretty and presentable.

The chic and understated neutral I'm wearing above is OPI�s Over the Taupe. I've renamed it Caf� au Lait. It�s a very �ladies who lunch� shade, wouldn't you agree?

One thing to note, Shellac manicures are only offered in salons and by nail professionals. If you live in Edmonton, you can visit my lovely esthetician, Amaris. The lady is a perfectionist and is the only person I trust with my nails. I�m persnickety, that way. Message me if you'd like her contact info.

If you'd like more info on Shellac, check out this review from Nails Magazine, this NY Times article or this blog post.

Hope you're having a lovely Friday, friends. I'm off for sashimi with the boy.

Dajana

p.s. My scooter mug is from here. It turns tea time into a fun event.

happy birthday, kat

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{Kat and I at Al Fresco on 104th Street}

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S Dnem Rozhdenija, sweet friend!

Some people enter your life and you think, "Wow, I feel like I've known them for years on end."

That's how I feel about my friend, Kat. Our friendship is natural and comfortable and real. No pretenses, no ego, no games. Just two girls with a mutual love of good food, fashion, travel and life.

We're two Slavic peas in a pod.

Dajana xo

p.s. The picture above was taken last summer. On that day Kat and her husband delivered the wonderful news that they were expecting their first child. Today, they are the proud parents of the cutest little baby boy - Broderick Dmitry. (:

happy birthday to my beautiful mom

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{my mom holding my brother and me circa 1977}

????????????Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, but only one mother in the whole world.    ~Kate Douglas Wiggin

Happy birthday mom! You're such a beautiful soul - compassionate, sweet, loving and kind. 

Words could never express how much you mean to me.

With love today and always,

Dajana xo

high fives all around...

It's Friday! And there are no words to describe how happy that makes me.

Last Friday, I was malaised with the flu & a horrid case of sinusitis and was confined to my house and pjs. 

With the help of antibiotics, my mom's chicken noodle soup (or as I like to call it, the elixir of life) and supportive family and friends, I'm feeling much better now.

So today, I'm celebrating � la Audrey. Won't you join me?

Dajana (:
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{via}

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baubles: fortune cookie necklace

I saw this fortune cookie charm necklace by Michelle Hartney featured on A Cup of Jo and never looked back.

I mad dashed it to Michelle's etsy site and bought the little charmer within seconds.

Wouldn't you have done the same?

Hope you're having a lovely Wednesday, friends.

Dajana (:

well said.

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{via}

"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides." - audrey hepburn

happy birthday, christine

Happiest of birthdays to my lovely friend, Christine!

She's truly the bee's knees: the kind of ladyfriend you want to have in your corner. Forever.

Dajana xo
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christine, mike, me & scotty.cuba.2009.

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Rick Briggs and Adam Simon

Valentine is pleased to present new and recent work by Rick Briggs and Adam Simon.










"Painting for Dona" Rick Briggs





The opening reception is Friday January 13th.
from 6 - 9.
The show runs through February 5th.











"Waiter" Adam Simon

new year, fresh start

??I�m back, dear friends.

Sorry for being MIA for so long.

One of the reasons I took such a long break is because I truly needed it.

The last few months of 2011 brought some unexpected challenges to my life (I won�t bore you with the details) and because of this, I just didn�t have the energy to expend to blogging.

The good news is I�m feeling like myself again (yay!) and I'm ready to return to this lil' blog of mine.

I have heaps I want to share with you and frankly, I'm pretty dang excited to be back.

Here's to an all kinds of lovely 2012!

Dajana (:
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