New Giveaway- Gorgeous Jewelry, Just in Time for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Giveaway

Friends, I am EXTREMELY excited about this giveaway.

It is amazing. It is beautiful. It is planet-friendly AND it supports organ donation.

And it is oh-so-perfect for Valentine's Day.

flutterELLE is donating one Valentine's Collection Piece Bracelet to one very lucky reader!

My friend, Jess, started her own business creating stunning jewelry for HER, SIR and JR.

I'm seriously in LOVE with everything that she makes. 

I met Jess years and years ago in college. Thankfully we have kept connected over the years because Jess has encouraged me when I was in low times, and is just an absolutely gorgeous person- inside and out.

She co-founded a not-for-profit company called Because I Can (becauseicanproject.com) that supports organ donation in Canada. A portion of every purchase of the advocate collection flutterELLE jewelry supports this incredible charity.

This wife and mom of three designs and creates the jewelry herself. And have I mentioned that it is all stunning!!??

(From the website):

The Butterfly Effect

The BUTTERFLY EFFECT stems from the concept that small causes can have large effects. Our family motto is, BE the change you wish to see in the world. It is not our personal responsibility to change the world, but it is our responsibility to change OUR world. To flutterELLE, the butterfly symbol represents expressions of transformation, growth, beauty, change, diversification + strength.

Each piece from flutterELLE is authentic + hand-made with equal parts precision + care. Our collection pieces are inspired by cherished individuals who have graced our lives with significant impact + love. Each one has a unique story, as we believe that every story matters. Our company is family derived + proudly Canadian. x.

Gorgeous jewelry. Hand-crafted. 

Proudly Canadian. 

Need I say more?

(From the website):

C H A R I T A B L E  G I V I N G

The BUTTERFLY EFFECT means actively being the change we wish to see in the world. We are proud to support our chosen non-profit organization, because i can project. We have a special place in our hearts for organ donation + adore the advocacy of saving lives. A portion from every piece of our SIGNATURE ADVOCATE collection is donated directly to because i can project.

​

For more information regarding organ donation, please visitbecauseicanproject.com.

E A R T H  P R O T E C T I O N

We work to ensure that our signature pink + black boxes are sustainable by sourcing the products from an earth friendly supplier. Our boxes are 80-90% recycled, carbon neutralized, or made from treeless paper. We are intentional to minimize our environmental footprint + impact.

So there you have it, friends.

Who wants a FREE flutterELLE 

bracelet??

I wish I could enter myself!

To enter the giveaway, simply share 

this post and comment on which of the 

flutterELLE philosophies

you appreciate 

most-





The Butterfly Effect (BE)

Charitable Giving

or Earth Protection.

(Draw will run from January 18th to 

January 25th)




***If we are not social media friends,

 comment on this post below, and you 

will be entered***





Thanks for stopping in and good luck 

friends!






Blessings.

My Second-Hand Christmas 2017

It was likely coming home to newly-fallen snow tonight. 

Or maybe it was the chilly December evening.

Whatever it was, I just had to turn on all my cozy Christmas lights and snuggle up with this year's Christmas decor.

Being in teacher's college this past year has forced me to cut back in many areas of my life. Time with friends, the quality of my cooking, cleaning the house...and this year I only put out the necessities when it came to Christmas decorations. 

In the back of my mind I kept thinking- "Remember, this all has to back AWAY again in a few weeks"...

SO, I thought I would share the lucky pieces that made the cut. 

OF COURSE, I had to update my ladder out front of my home:

Ladder- found on the side of the road. 

N*O*E*L- letters drawn with black marker on placemats.

Edison lights- Habitat for Humanity store- $40

(Also seen HERE from last Christmas)

This was the one piece that I bought for decoration this year.

I bought this sign at Robert Bateman High School's Christmas craft sale. I actually really REALLY love it. It was made my some student's in the Special Education Department at the school and I scored it for only $4!

I love that they used repurposed hardware to spell out the word "JOY".

Next we'll go to my 'plywood Christmas signs that I made last year.

To take a closer look at my "O Come Let Us Adore Him" sign that I made- you can find it HERE.

For my "A Thrill Of Hope..." sign- you can find that HERE.

For the repurposed 'Starburst Mirror' DIY- you can find that HERE.

Also in the Living Room, I repurposed these crates that I bought on Kijiji for my wedding in August for $25 each into a sort of shelf. So far, I'm loving it.

The Santa figurines were my Grandma's. I'm in love with them.

In the Dining Room, I kept it very simple this year, as well. 

On top of the piano I displayed a nativity inside of a green crate that I've had FOREVER.

The gold wire star I picked up over the summer as wedding decor. Pretty sure I only paid $1.99 for it. With some LED lights- it's quite Christmas-y.

These Votive candle holders were also picked up for my wedding and were placed on the dinner tables. Pretty sure the white ones were $1.99 and $2.99. The burgandy one I think was $3.99.

The wood slice coasters were $1.50 each at the Resource Thrift Shop.

And in my kitchen, I just put out these little lovelies. 

I've always loved these little vintage Santa candle sticks/ salt and pepper shakers of my Grandma's. Now every day I get to gaze at them in my own kitchen.

And that's pretty much it for my second-hand decorating this year. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Many blessings for a very happy holiday season!!

Honeymooning- In My Dominican Closet 2017

Friends,

I feel like ALL I do is apologize for being non-existent and for finding it very difficult to find time to blog.

University, placements, kids and husband have been sucking up all my previous blog-time!

I definitely want to share a few of the second-hand items that I brought along on my honeymoon (back in September!).

Shortly before I left on my glorious and relaxing honeymoon, a new women's consignment store opened in Hamilton- "Style Encore". I have to say, I am a HUGE fan!

Because they are a consignment store you KNOW that you are going to be shopping among quality, name-brand clothing. I also must mention that their prices are EXTREMELY reasonable. Better than you will find at Value Village (who get their stock given to them for FREE).

Here are the following items that I brought along with me on my Honeymoon in the Dominican:

Strapless Dress- $11 Style Encore

Necklace- $8 Style Encore

Clutch- $3.99 Talize

Shoes- FREE from a Clothing Swap

I LOVED this strapless dress! It was super comfy and a cool material. Perfect for those warm and sticky Dominican nights.

I really REALLY wish that my new hubby would have said, "Don't hunch over like that, honey- you look like a Hobbit"....but oh well....

The back of this dress is what sold me on it. So CUTE.

Coral Dress- $24 Style Encore

Belt- Thrifted forever ago

Necklace- Castoff from a friend- FREE

This adorable tank was also a castoff from a friend. Actually- the same friend that I got this necklace from! Thank you LEANNE!!

Tank- FREE

Shoes- FREE

Necklace- FREE

Skirt- thrifted ages ago and has been on every Caribbean trip with me.

Sunglasses- $11 Style Encore
Bathing Suit Cover- Borrowed from a friend

So, in case you've never read my blog before...

try shopping second hand! You can look like a million bucks while being kind to your wallet AND to the planet. 

And ladies in Hamilton, if you haven't yet tried Style Encore- definitely check them out! They will also buy your great-condition/ name brand clothing for cash!!

Blessings.

My DIY'ed $2 Bathroom Sign

As I've mentioned before, life is busy these days.

What I have just recently realized is, when I'm feeling overwhelmed- crafting actually helps center me. Is that weird?

Not only do I feel a sense of accomplishment when I look at that creation on my wall (or wherever it ends up), I actually feel less stressed about life in general when I'm creating something. Interesting.

With that in mind, I went digging through my many planks of wood that I've traded for, saved, or rescued. I wanted to make a sign for my bathroom. The wall above the toilet was looking bare. I traded a couple of things with a friend of mine and scored a super adorable raw-wood bathroom cabinet, and decided to make a sign to go under it.

Now, I could've done any number of other things on my To-Do list for that room...painting the cabinets, putting new flooring down, painting the baseboards...but hey- I was just trying to kill some time between school assignments and bedtime.

I had seen several signs similar to the one that I ended up making on Pinterest (where else??). 

I used a simple 2x6 plank. I painted it with some white primer that I had laying around. I like the look of the flat primer and think it adds to that farmhouse-type feel.

For the lettering I used a grey paint that I used to paint my stairs, and I also used it on these Christmas signs. I used a light grey paint for the corner 'squiggly' designs that I picked up in the mis-tint paints for $2. The twine I used to hang the sign I found in a box in my basement (yet another huge job...the basement...).

And here is my sign that cost me $2 to make. 

Cabinet- Free (traded)

Sign- $2 and a couple of hours

(I'm really wishing that I had not taken a photo of my ugly flooring and my unpainted baseboards. Sigh...)

 

 

And there you have it friends. My DIY'ed $2 bathroom sign.

I think it's pretty swell.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings.

In My Closet- Panama 2017

First of all, I would like to thank all of my readers that continue to read my blog even though my posts have become intermittent and few. Between school, work, navigating a relationship and 5 kids under 9, life is busy.

But, I still want to share how easy it is to continue to buy second-hand. That is one thing in my life that does not cause extra work. ;)

My boyfriend and I took a much-needed vacation in April. We decided to try a different destination than either of us had been to before and found a smokin' deal to Panama for a week. 

It was a great trip. Seeing the Panama Canal was so interesting- if you are ever able to get there, I highly recommend it!

Before we left, I took my boyfriend thrifting, as most of his summer clothes were cargo shorts and camouflage (which are great for the trailer this summer, but not-so-great for a 5 star resort). 

Here are the thrifted items that were in our Panamanian Closet.

I wore this dress our first night in Panama. I bought this dress at a consignment shop when I was visiting a dear friend in Calgary years ago, and I always think of Danielle whenever I wear it.

Dress- $29.95 Vespucci Ladies Consignment 

Sandals- $12.99 Value Village (also seen here)

 Clutch- Thrifted over a decade ago

 Got my bf in on the blogging as well. I think he liked posing for it a bit too much. Haha.

Blue polo- $5.99 Talize

Grey Shorts- $7.99 Talize

  This dress I grabbed one day while shopping with a friend. It was super flow-y and comfy and the perfect dress for touring around Panama for the day. A few people have asked me where I got my head scarf from that I was wearing in these photos. It was the belt that came with the dress! I just wrapped it around my hair for the day. It actually worked well to protect my head from the sun.

Dress/ Belt/ Head Scarf- $7.99 Talize

Again, the bf having way too much fun posing...

T-shirt- Free...found in the woods (true story!)

Shorts- $7.99 Talize

Flip-Flops- $4.99 Value Village

 Ah, this lbd (little black dress) has been everywhere with me! It's fantastic for work, and great for travel, it rolls up and tosses into a suitcase no problem!

Lbd- Thrifted so long ago, I can't remember how much I paid for it, but definitely under 10 bucks.

Silver sandals and clutch- see above

I nabbed this skirt at a thrift shop when I went in for something completely different and it caught my eye. Hand-made and SO cute! I had SOOO many compliments on this skirt the night I wore it!

Silver Pleated Skirt- $4.99 Mission Thrift Shop
Black Tank- Free from a Clothing Swap

Black/ Rhinestone Sandals- $3.99 Value Village

One of my favourite go-to dresses, this maxi can be dressed up or down.

Maxi Dress- $9.99 Value Village

Black Clutch- $3.99 Talize (seen here) 

Sandals- see above 

Apologies for the blurry photo of the dress, my bf's camera on his phone is cracked. Second photo was taken with my phone. :)

Dress- $12.99 Value Village (also seen here)

Boyfriend's Shirt- $8.99 Talize

Well, that about does it, folks. I only picked up one new-to-me item for this trip (Dress/ Belt/ Headscarf- $7.99). I will admit that we spent more on my boyfriend's wardrobe. BUT, he pretty much picked up an entire summer wardrobe (4 shirts, 4 pairs of shorts, 2 bathing suits and 2 pairs of flip-flops) for around $70. Not too shabby.

Hope this inspires you to try thrifting! It's great for your wallet, the earth (less waste), and you look fabulous! ;)

Thanks for reading! And I haven't forgotten about my next giveaway- still in the works!

Blessings.