Middle Eastern Prints

 Top and Pants: Zara Shoes: Ardene

So I've really been into more 'ethnic' clothing and prints lately. I just feel like it's a nice contrast from the norm and it's nice to see people embracing other cultures (even in a way as materialistic as fashion choices). I've actually been looking for pants like this for a while. I was so happy when I went into Zara the other day and saw them hanging on the rack. They make the most amazing statement piece and are definitely my favorite pair of pants right now. Also, in case you didn't know ... tomorrow is Canada Day !!! I've been running around today with my sister and cousin, trying to prepare for it. We were picking up geeky Canadian sunglasses and temporary tattoos. I just really hope the weather cooperates with us tomorrow. Fireworks are never fun in the rain. Regardless, I love the long weekend. Sleeping in will make everything worth it, rain or shine!

Coffee, winks and pencil crayons

I had the day off work today and it was much needed. I accompanied my mom last night, on the longest drive to the airport in Montreal to pick up relatives. We literally didn't get back until about 7 or 8 this morning, so I was in no condition to go to work. In the afternoon though, I went back to Yorkville and paid a visit to Winks Eyelash Boutique, where I got Mink lash extensions done. It's my first time having Mink and I love them. They look so natural, but the technician gave me a very subtle cat eye. It's perfect. Afterward, I went to Lazy Daisy Cafe for a late lunch and cappuccino. I've also been working on my first page in Wreck This Journal. I'm taking my time with it and really enjoying it. The page I'm working on is "a page of good thoughts". I've decided to fill it with quotes and good thoughts from many different people (Nelson Mandela, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ghandi). I've also just been trying to illustrate some of the quotes in my own way. This is my progress so far. Can't wait to show you guys when I'm actually done with these pages.

Vingt Trois - Happy Birthday to Me

I'm literally trying to write this post as quick as I can, so that I can publish it while it is still my birthday. I've always thought it was kind of lame to make birthday posts after the deal is done. Anyways, I'm 23 now. This is a recap of my birthday weekend/birthday! (In no particular order)

 My parents and sister bought me these gifts and I received them first thing this morning. The two main gifts here are books/journals that I've wanted for quite some time now. The Wreck This Journal, is basically a very non conventional/creative way of keeping a journal. I can't wait to get started on it and keep you all posted on the progress. The One Line a Day, is a journal with a layout sort of like an agenda. It has space for you to basically write a couple of sentences each day for five years. I think it will be great to have and look back on. You can literally just turn to any day in the book (for instance June 24) and see what happened on that particular day each year.

Friday night, I went out to a lounge to celebrate with some friends (one of which has the same birthday as me) and my sister. To be honest, the DJ was not all that great. It was a lot of trance/house music and I'm really not into that. I was expecting Top 40 or some kind of pop/radio music. Anyway, it was an experience.

Even though I had to wake up this morning early and work on my birthday ... it was still pretty amazing. I work at a nursing home and literally as I walked through the door, one of the residents was waiting at the front for me and singing Happy Birthday. It was so sweet. It literally made my morning. I also had these beautiful flowers delivered from "Olivia Pope". If you know me, then you know I love the show 'Scandal', so I loved that these flowers were sent by a fictional character. It actually turned out to be from my cousin by the way.

Finally after work, I went to Unionville with my sister for dinner. We ended up eating at Unionville Restaurant Co. and it was really delicious. I had the Chicken Club pizza and it was so amazing. I never would have thought to have guacamole on pizza, but then again .. guacamole pretty much goes with everything. Anyways, I had a pretty good day/weekend overall. The only downfall to this birthday, is that I can't really sing Taylor Swift- 22 anymore. Oh well ...

So, I have to be in California in about a month and a half for school ... but as of right now, I still don't have a place. It's a little bit stressful, but right now it's looking like the on campus apartments for law students are no longer an option for me. Anyways, I'm really playing around with the idea of getting a studio apartment. They're slightly more affordable and they can be cute if you make the effort. I found some tiny/studio apartment decor inspiration online. I think these ideas are so cute and homey. I'm just crossing my fingers that I can find the right place, in a decent neighborhood ... and of course, with the right price tag! If any of you know of any websites or places that I should look at to ease my apt hunting process, PLEASE let me know. I would like something in the Malibu/Calabasas area if possible.  

Bye Bye Google Friend Connect. Hello Bloglovin.

So if you've been paying attention at all, then you should know that Google Friend Connect is being eliminated. Personally, I liked Friend Connect because it was convenient and all of my subscribers were there. Anyway, if you'd like, you can still keep up with my blog by clicking THIS link and following me on Bloglovin. I've also changed my Subscribe button on the site to a Bloglovin link ! Hope everyone is having a lovely day :)

Bloor Street and Street Meat

I went to get my eyebrows done today in Yorkville. I went to this place called Mync Beauty. It was my first time getting my eyebrows done there, but I absolutely love the place. The set up is really cute. It's just very chic and girly inside ... they also give you the full treatment. They measure your brows for you .. determine your natural arch, give you a treatment before they get started etc. The staff was so friendly and they seemed to really know what they were talking about. They also specialize in eyelash extensions (which I didn't get today) but who knows, maybe one day I will. I really wish I could have taken a photo of the decor to show you, but I didn't want to totally freak them out, since it was my first visit. Not to mention, my eyebrows were free since my birthday is a few days away. It was the perfect experience. After that, I just wandered around a little bit and did some shopping. I was basically acting like a tourist in my own city ... snapping photos of every little thing. Aritizia was having a sale .. it wasn't amazing, but I ended up getting a pair of trousers I really love. I also got some cute "corporate" dress pants from Zara. I've been trying to switch up my style a little bit and wear more business appropriate attire. The pants are definitely more on the business side, but they're also a teal green color with this cute gold detailing, which is a little more "me". Since I will be starting law school soon, I'm definitely trying to find a balance between "dressing the part" and not losing myself in the process. It's harder than it seems.

Days Off and New Networks

I've literally had the last three days off of work and it has been amazing. I just feel so rested and refreshed. Sleeping in three days in a row is pretty much unheard of for me. This has felt like a vacation. Also, I woke up this morning, ready to pay the second deposit for my law school. To my pleasant surprise, the deposit amount was actually only about half of what I thought it would be. This means that I will have a little more money to play with this weekend (my birthday weekend). I'm very happy about this. 

BTW, I made a Vine account and an Ask.fm account. My username for both is jennvolcy. Feel free to follow me on there and ask whatever you want. I'm glad that I've added these two to my collection of ridiculous social networks. Hope everyone has had a good day!

   

Doggy Walks and Thoughts

I took a day off from work today and although I'll admit, I spent the majority of it in my bed, I did get up to walk the dog. It was a really nice day today, despite the fact that the weather man called for rain. I have yet to see a single drop hit the ground and that's just the way I like it. I love going for walks with the dog, because as lame as it sounds, it really is a great way to clear your head. Usually I just listen to music on my IPod ... but I came across a quote earlier that really got me thinking.

"Don't tell me what was said about me, tell me why they were so comfortable to say it to you."

As soon as I read that, I was instantly in agreement. There are so many people out there, that will claim to be on your side and pretend to always have your back. As we get older though, we need to realize that not everyone that claims to be our friend, is our friend. It's unfortunate, but it's true. We need to be able to sort the real from the fake. It doesn't mean that we necessarily have to be rude to people or treat them differently, but you need to know who you can and cannot count on. It isn't important if someone that you already know doesn't care for you, has awful things to say about you. You should expect it, this isn't news to you. It shouldn't be any of your concern if two, or five people that hate you, sit there and completely bash you all day. As a matter of fact, I'd probably be flattered. But it should alarm you, when any friend of yours is present when something like this is happening. I remember my dad always used to tell us when we were younger, "It's not your enemy that can hurt you, because you don't open the door for your enemies. You open the door for your friends."

Just another Sunday

So it's Monday night, meaning that this post is going up just a tad bit late, but hey, better late than never. I'll try to keep it short and sweet as nothing totally newsworthy has actually happened since my trip to the distillery on Saturday afternoon.

Hat: Topshop Top and Jeans: Forever 21 Purse and Watch: Michael Kors Shoes: Dolce Vita

I wrapped up the weekend quite simply. I went to church in the morning and ran a few errands with my sister after that. It was also my cousin's birthday a few days ago, so we went out to dinner with her to celebrate. She picked this little Mexican restaurant right by our house. We get food from there quite often, so I was actually surprised that she picked it ... but it was familiar and it was nice to just chill and chat. They also had the most amazing enchiladas (my favorite Mexican dish), so I was in heaven. An overall good time. Oh, I didn't mention that I watched a movie this weekend with Halle Berry, The Call. It was pretty good, I have to say. Word of advice to all, don't get abducted. Simple as that. 

Toronto: The Distillery District

I went to the Distillery District in Toronto for the first time! I was with my sister and a friend, Sarah, who was visiting from France (by way of Montreal) and I loved it. BTW, Sarah's blog can be found here! There are honestly so many parts of the city that I never knew existed and I'm having so much fun experiencing them.

Head scarf: Ardene Denim Shirt: Forever Crop Top: American Apparel High Waisted Jeans: Necessary Clothing Purse: Aldo Sneakers: TopShop Watch: Michael Kors

Basically, the Distillery District was home to the largest distillery in the world around the 1800s. Unlike most of the city, it's original architecture was preserved and is now a historical site, filled with restaurants and shops etc. It's pretty awesome. They also rent out segways there to ride around on, but it was a little chilly for all that today. We did get to see an amazing street magician and dine at the Mill St. Brewpub. After that we walked to St. Lawrence Market. Woofstock (a huge dog festival) was going on there, so it was filled with all the cutest dogs and their equally cute owners. It was just a very care free day. Great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd found my dream neighborhood this past weekend. I could not believe that despite all the time I've spent in Brooklyn, I'd never been to this area before. The houses in Ditmas Park, have been there since Brooklyn was still considered 'the countryside' and they are beautiful. I love Victorian homes anyway, so seeing this neighborhood, I instantly fell in love. It still has the country feel to the neighborhood, but it's right there in the city and I love it. Maybe being born there has made me a little bias, but I've always loved New York and this just seems like the perfect little nook. If you only knew how much I daydream about my dream home and finally settling in somewhere. One of the things I absolutely cannot wait for, is to be a home owner. I'm not looking forward to mortgages and payments ... but I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of it.

I know that it's not exactly "woman crush Wednesday", but I thought I would still share with you the person I have been lusting over lately. It's not fair to keep a good thing all to yourself. OLIVIA PALERMO. Years ago, when I used to watch The City (a spin off of the Laguna Beach spinoff, The Hills), she would always catch my eye, even though I didn't always care for her character. She just has such a sophisticated and chic look. It's very much New York and she always looks put together, but still fairly effortless. I love her style. I'd actually forgotten about Olivia for a little while, until my sister re-introduced me to her this week. Please God, just let me have her closet. Amen.