loving: b.b. dakota striped dress

I've gone kookoo for cocoa puffs lately, except my cocoa puffs happen to be striped dresses. I've purchased three in the past few weeks. *gulp* 

Um, plus a striped sweater and a striped blazer. *double gulp* 

This is my favourite of the bunch. I'm enamoured with the colourful bands of red, teal, blue, and brown.




I found this fun Jack by B.B. Dakota frock at The Bamboo Ballroom. It's a fantastic little shop chock full of all kinds of lovely things. Local peeps - be sure to stop in during your next jaunt to Whyte Ave. Once you've perused the wares at Bamboo Ballroom, head over to Tutti Frutti, a fro-yo shop located oh-so-conveniently around the corner (try the taro and pistachio!).

Now, give it to me straight - I'm not alone with this stripe obsession, am I? Are stripes your thing or have you been filling your closet with another spring trend?

Happy Friday, friends!

Dajana

Image via.

it's my birthday!

It's been the most blissful birthday week, friends.

It began when the boy stopped by my office to drop off these lovelies from The Artworks .



And then my favourite Lemon Meringue Cake made an appearance at one of my birthday dinners.



But the birthday love didn't end there. My ladyfriends are so very thoughtful: Karen made me the loveliest handcrafted birthday card, I received a Babyliss curling iron from Kat (she knew how badly I wanted one) and Cathy gifted me with an assortment of macarons from Duchess Bakeshop. Add in two delicious family dinners and I am feeling so loved! Thank you, everyone.

Tonight, my main squeeze is taking me out for a *romantic* dinner.  I am such a lucky girl. 

xo Dajana

destination: jamaica

Last year, Scotty and I travelled to Costa Rica for our tropical vacay (gorgeous pics, here). 

This year's relaxation destination is Negril, Jamaica. Yeah, mon!


Black cliffs, azure water, soft sand, spectacular sunsets, mellow vibes and mouth-searing jerk. These are all things I'm looking forward to experiencing at Couples Negril - a resort that came highly recommended by one of my friends.



Before jetting off on this much-needed tropical rejuvacation, there's something I need to do and it's a task I'm truly dreading. Packing!

I am THE most horrible packer. Scotty, my family, baggage handlers or any of the ladyfriends I've travelled with, can attest to this fact.

I procrastinate to the nth degree, decide I don't like a thing in my closet, and usually end up on last minute shopping trips the day before leaving. My MO also includes bringing waaay too many things but wearing only about 20% of what's in my suitcase. Argh!

I'd love to hear your packing strategies - especially for a sun & sand holiday. And I'd love to know if you've ever been to Jamaica.

I hope y'all had a smashing weekend. Here's to a fantastic week ahead.

Dajana

Pictures via.

happy birthday to my irish twin!

{Me and Ivi on my wedding day. June 21, 2003.}

Happy birthday to my brother Ivi! We're referred to as Irish twins because we were born within 12 months of each other... which is perfect because I've always wanted a twin.

I honestly feel that being so close in age to my brother is one of the best blessings in my life. He was always right there for me as a friend, protector, mentor, playmate and sparring partner. My childhood was beyond special and adventurous and hilarious because I shared it with him.

Love you, dude,
xoxo Dajana

p.s. I'm sorry for stealing your piggy bank money when we were kids. (;

my fabulous week!

I've been a busy bee this past week, friends. Heaps of good things to celebrate:

• Our ladies soccer team won our last game of the indoor season and ended up first in our division. Happy times! We have a tournament in Calgary in a few weeks, and once the snow is a distant memory, we'll start playing in the hopefully-not-mosquito-ridden great outdoors.
• We had a super end to our dodgeball season, too. Our team placed third in our division. Yay! It was my first time playing this crazy game of dodging and throwing and I'm officially hooked. I wish I had a picture of my "uniform" to show you. Picture this: orange tie-dye knee highs, wristbands, a headband and a bright orange t-shirt. 
• My niece Raissa's near-perfect report card (all As with a lone B in phys.ed.) was another reason to celebrate. And celebrate we did - with food, of course. We took her out for yummy frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti on Whyte Ave (the perfect people watching spot). I went *crazy* and mixed taro, my favourite flavour, with pistachio. It was a tuber/nut love affair. Royal Red Velvet is next on my list of flavours to try!  Raissa thought blueberry was the bee's knees.

• My ladyfriend Patrycia and I had a great girly catch up at Viphalay, my favourite Thai resto. Their stuffed tofu, pad thai and Thai iced tea are taste bud tantalizing! We finished off with tasty roti rolls for dessert - soft roti dough pan fried and rolled up with rich caramelized condensed milk syrup. Nom!
   
• And then last night, my main squeeze and I met our friends at Duchess Bakeshop for a pre-theatre snack. The mini lemon meringue cake was calling my name. It's the lovely little cake on the left of the middle shelf. Yup, that's the one. Its deliciousness consisted of lemon chiffon cake with a thin layer of caramel and a thick layer of lemon cream wrapped up in toasted meringue. Bonjour!

• After our sweet treat, we went next door to the Roxy Theatre to see Ignorance, a whimsical and sarcastic puppet documentary about the evolution of happiness, by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop. It was captivating, creative and funny! The Old Trouts are the dopest puppeteers around. Highly recommend!

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Happy second day of spring y'all!  I hope your week is moving along fabulously, too.

Dajana (:

EAT SLOTS, PLAY FREE

NEW PAINTINGS BY JANE DICKSON
OPENING FRIDAY MARCH 23 FROM 6 - 9

Jane Dickson�s new hyper-hued oil paintings present glimpses of the worlds within worlds of the architecture of distraction, Vegas-style, where faux and virtual realities converge to sweep us irresistibly into the unstable worlds of the electronic baroque. Entering the casino�s deliriously scripted spaces mirrors in 3-D, the seductive chaos of the web, where we all struggle to hold focus on tasks trying not to be led astray by the siren songs of you-tube etc.

Dickson visited Las Vegas during the sobering period of 2009-10, when it had just become the poster child of America�s housing bust. Average homes there had lost 50% of its value. The casinos at that point were sparsely populated and uncannily subdued. Nothing could rekindle the party atmosphere. This seems like the right place to consider this moment when the whole world has come off a gambling spree, in which most people lost and the game seems to be drastically changing.

Jane Dickson has been exhibiting her work internationally for more than 2 decades. Often working on industrial materials, her paintings examine the conventions and disjunctions of contemporary American life, from the crowded theatricality of Times Square to the unnerving blandness of waiting rooms, airports, highways, garages.

EAT SLOTS, PLAY FREE will run through April 15th. The gallery is open on Sat. and Sun. from 1 - 6 and Friday's by appointment. email at valentineridgewood@gmail.com

The L train to Dekalb or the M to Seneca

eat: burrata cheese

The first time I tried burrata cheese was in a delicious Lobster Heirloom Tomato Salad at Bar Crudo in San Francisco four years ago. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Granted, I�ve never met a cheese I didn�t like, but that burrata was on another level of deliciousness. It was truly one of the most amazing taste sensations I've ever encountered.

Sadly, I haven�t had burrata since that memorable time in San Fran� until last week, that is! I was flipping through a Sobeys flyer (a local supermarket) and squealed out loud when I saw they were selling burrata cheese. Off to the market, I went!



For those of you not familiar with burrata (pronounced boo-RAH-ta)  � it�s an ultra-creamy fresh mozzarella that originates from southern Italy. It has a silky texture on the outside and is soft, gooey and delicious on the inside (the center contains mozzarella shreds soaked in cream) - when you cut into the burrata, the cream oozes out irresistibly. Burrata comes from the word �burro� which means butter in Italian, referring to the cheese's buttery taste and texture. It�s available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores, Italian markets, and cheese shops. It�s highly perishable and once cut, it should be eaten immediately (trust me; you won�t have any problems with that task).

Although it has Italian origins, the burrata I purchased came from BelGioioso Cheese in Denmark, Wisconsin and is a serious award winner - placing 2nd in the 2011 World Cheese Awards. Nicely done, Wisconsin!



When it comes to serving burrata, simple is best. Try it at room temperature atop fresh bread (toasted ciabatta is a good choice), sprinkled with kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. For a fancier version, serve the burrata with heirloom tomatoes, prosciutto (preferably San Danielle) and fresh basil.  Mouth watering, yet?

If you're lucky enough to come across burrata, please try it! It�s a tad pricey, but it�s an extravagance worth every penny. This is a food experience you're not likely to ever forget. I�m already planning my next burrata shopping exurcusion to my local Italian Centre Shop to try out their version.

Read more about burrata, here, here and here.

Happy Wednesday, friends! Hope you�re having a fantastic week!

Dajana

Pictures via.

anthropologie: slung slash tee

Top: Anthropologie Slung Slash Tee in Moss

Blazer: H&M

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: My go-to pair from Feet First

Earrings: Banana Republic hoops

My casual Friday look during the winter usually consists of a blazer, shirt, skinny jeans or a dress and boots. Not terribly exciting I'm afraid, but it works and I feel comfortably chic. I especially like the look of the coquettish Slung Slash Tee peeking from beneath a cardigan or in yesterday's case, a plaid equestrian'ish blazer from H&M. I am so happy I purchased this versatile shirt - I like that it looks just as good tucked into a pencil skirt as it does worn with denim. I'm not sure it'd be as work appropriate sans blazer (the lovely neckline is a wee bit low cut) but once 5 p.m. rolls around, look out! (;

Does your workplace have casual Fridays? What does your "uniform" consist of?

Have a super weekend, y'all! I hope it's filled with heaps of fun and relaxation. I'm looking forward to doing some shopping with my mom and niece and watching my hubby play hockey. On Sunday, I have my last indoor soccer practice of the season. Once the snow melts (soon I hope!), our outdoor season starts. Yay!

Dajana

coveting: new girl's kate spade cherie coat

"I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children and I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person. That's just weird and it freaks me out! And I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown and I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something to make it just slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart and tough and strong!"

I adored Jess Day's impassioned defense of girliness speech on New Girl. It's one of the many reasons I'm glued to the TV every Tuesday night. Another reason is Jess' fashion - a quirky mix of bright colours and bold prints from Anthropologie, Zara, Asos, H&M, J.Crew, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Shoshanna and ModCloth, among many others. I am truly besotted by her feminine and vintage-esque style.

One of my favourite pieces from the show is the alluring Kate Spade New York "Cherie" coat in Snapdragon, which made an appearance on last night's episode (and during the Christmas episode).

I am officially obsessed with finding this no-longer available coat. Many of you are probably already wearing your new spring duds (lucky!) but I'm still up to my knee caps in snow, and can see myself battling windchills and frostbite ever so stylishly in this hot pink flannel number.

{via}

Do you watch New Girl?  The next nine episodes are all new, which makes me a very happy lady.

Hope your Wednesday is all kinds of fabulous!

Dajana (:

eat: it�s ph? friday!

Ph? is one of my most favourite things to eat. I�ve been a fan of the tasty Vietnamese noodle soup ever since my first spoonful.

It's hearty, bursting with flavour, cures whatever ails you and is extremely affordable. I can't think of a better way to combat a cold winter�s day than with a piping hot bowl of ph?.



A typical bowl of ph? consists of rice noodles and slim cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket) swimming in a steaming hot, aromatic beef broth. I usually order a small bowl (large = a cauldron) with thinly sliced rare steak (the beef cooks in the broth) and additional items that some people might classify as "exotic," like beef balls and tripe. I love me some tripe.

For freshness and added zest, ph? is garnished with fresh bean sprouts, basil, cilantro and lime wedges. 

Sriracha (hot chili) and hoisin sauces are also found at the table, but I prefer to enjoy my ph? as is, in all its flavourful glory. My husband, on the other hand, is a lover of spice and invariably adds a few generous squirts of hot chili sauce directly into his bowl to heighten the heat.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.



Want to try this noodle soup bliss for yourself?

Check out one of these slurp-worthy Edmonton restos:

• Tau Bay (ph?-only): 10660 98 Street
• Ninh Kieu: 10708 98 Street
• King Noodle: 10613 97 Street

Are you a ph? enthusiast? Is there a place you frequent? I�d love to add a few new places to our list.

My next culinary challenge is to try to make ph? at home. I�ll let you know how it goes, no matter what happens.

Have a ph?bulous weekend, friends! (;

Dajana

p.s. Wondering how to pronounce ph?? This post will teach you in mere seconds.