New Year's Eve Entertaining {with friends}

~ yesterday we had the good fortune of having our tips for NYE entertaining be featured on The EveryGirl. alongside Meghan Faye from Living Boldly, Bria Lear from Digital Darlings Creative and Nicolette Lang-Andersen from Coveting Chi Chi, we shared our easy entertaining strategies for a glimmering New Year's Eve party. while no party is complete without good eats, sparkling dresses and bubbly, we think the most important part of any party are the guests. these three girls made the party swing so smoothly for us and while they all know this, and we've thanked them endlessly, we wanted to dedicate this post to them as a special thanks *kisses* ~

 

 

 

 

 

  

Nicolette Lang-Andersen

 

Meghan Faye

 

Bria Lear

 Cheers to a wonderful 2015!!

{Photography: Matthew Burditt}  
{Makeup: Jasmine Hoffman/Hair: Mizella Alaparaque/Wardrobe: Mine and Yours} {Decor Styling: Delovely Creative/Food: Cotto Enoteca/Cake: Cadeaux Bakery/Stationery: LeLe Chan/Florals: Balconi/Shoot Coordinator: Cristina at Fluent Productions}

The Everygirl {Tips for NYE Entertaining}

~ today is a wonderful day! we are finally able to share a secret we've been holding onto for a while! we, along with some amazing bloggers and vendors, have been featured on The EVERYGIRL.  over the next few days we will be posting images from the shoot and related posts but we wanted to dedicate this first post to all the help we received in executing the vision we had for this shoot. it was a dream to work with so many talented people and local vendors and this shoot would not have happened without everyone's involvement~

A HUGE thank you to:

Cailyn Bays~ Decor & Styling www.delovelycreative.com

The Cross Design ~ Decor www.thecrossdesign.com

Cadeaux Bakery ~ Cake www.cadeauxbakery.com

Events by Fluent {Fluent Production} ~ Shoot Coordination www.fluent-productions.com

Cotto Enoteca ~ Food www.cotto.ca

Balconi Floral Design ~ Floral arrangments www.balconi.ca 

Lele Chan ~ Stationery www.lelechan.com

Kien and Sweet ~ Cookies www.kienandsweet.com

Mine and Yours ~ Wardrobe www.mineandyours.com

Jasmine Hoffman ~ Makeup www.jasminehoffman.com

Mizella Alparaque ~ Hair Mizzy

Meghan Faye ~ Blogger www.livingboldly.ca

Bria Lear ~ Blogger www.digitaldarlingscreative.com

Nicolette Lang-Andersen ~ Blogger/Stylist www.covetingchichi.com www.nicolettepersonalstylist.com

Matthew Burditt ~ Photography www.matthewburditt.com

Holiday Festivities

~ my family celebrates Christmas on the 24th. i spend Christmas day normally with my best friend's family. we're Persian so Christmas to us is an adopted holiday. i grew up with my cousins whose mother is absolutely bananas {bananas is good} over Christmas so we became accustomed to celebrating every year. i love Christmas mostly for the presents. i'm kidding. its a great time to spend with family and friends and just settle down and enjoy some quality time, good food, drinks and just overall merriment. i bake A LOT over the holidays, gifting everyone i can think of with delicious goodness. i've gotten better over the years, practice making perfect and can now call myself an avid baker. i cook also but i've been cooking for a while, the baking is relatively new. there is something about feeding people that brings me joy. especially baked goods. i think their tummies feel the same. i thought i'd share a bit of my Christmas eve with you all. we had a bunch of family friends over and watched Home Alone 1 & 2. i hope you all had a wonderful day and Santa was good to you ~

~ started my morning with a delicious cup of creamy earl grey tea {i love the one from the secret garden tea house in kerrisdale} in my new monogrammed anthropologie mug. i was so sad i didn't get one last year because it is just the prettiest! i jumped this year when i found it and im glad i did!

~ this adorable entry way table is decorated with all dollar store finds! even the vases. i just spray painted them gold~

~ i love a good bar cart. styling a bar cart is loads of fun! this versatile bar cart was a gift to myself last year. i've used it for so many different things and its so perfect for any kind of event. i got some super pretty lights from martha stewart {thanks tarah} to give it a little glimmer. a mix of target and indigo accessories and bar ware were perfect compliments to the bit of decor on the bottom level. i like scouring home sense and michaels for good deals on decorative items. i thought it worked out in a really lovely, understated way~

~ a closer look. the lights are battery-operated so i had to find a creative way to hide it. a few gold napkins and a champagne glass filled with ferrero rocher chocolates et voila. i included a little DIY sparkly moose i made a few days ago ~

~ couldn't leave out my little fur monsters in their snappy bow ties ~

~ a super delicious appetizer: burrata {from trader joe's} with a tomato compote that Tarah makes from a Jamie Oliver recipe. it is SO good. we usually serve it with proscuitto and baguette. and of course i have a monogrammed cheese plate from indigo ~

~ some of the baked goods i made: raspberry thumprints and coconut thumprints topped with creamy caramel and fleur de sel ~

~ a very delicious lemon cream cheese tart topped with pomegranates and mint chiffonade. i adapted the recipe from joy of baking ~

~ of course no Christmas eve would be complete without leaving Santa come cookies ~

 xoxo Oz

Holiday Gift Guide {For Her}: Last Minute Gifts

~ Christmas is coming!! if you are like me, you've likely finished all your holiday shopping. thank goodness for online shopping and free shipping! however, like many, work and life can get in the way and all of of a sudden it's Christmas eve and you've got to scramble looking for gifts. we've put together a few holiday gifts for the lovely ladies in your life and the best part is, you can find them all online with quick shipping! ~

 ** also, being a huge fan of pitch perfect, there's a reference in here. if you get it, bravo! you're my kinda person **

1. for the glam girl: these gorgeous Olive and Piper tassel earrings are so lovely and a perfect accessory to any holiday look
2. for any girl who loves to entertain: vintage gold rimmed champagne glasses from Chapters Indigo are perfect and so classy
3. show me a girl who doesn't love sephora: a fresh lip set is not only super pretty but also practical for the wear and tear of winter on our pouts
4. a classy girl needs a classy watch: a classic sheffield lady watch from Daniel Wellington would make any girl smile on Christmas
5. the girl who loves mani's: will no doubt own some Essie nail polishes. why not treat her to a few of the new collections?
 6. some hostesses are purists at heart: a gorgeous pen for the thank you notes she will no doubt send is a beautiful way to say thank you

Daily Prettiness {Antiquing}

~ i went to Portland this past weekend with my brother. its a sibling trip we take for his birthday. we go to watch the Trailblazers play and do some {tax-free!} shopping. normally we stay overnight but its a bit of a drive {5 hours} for one night so we decided to stay two. neither of us are big on touristy things but i do love antiquing. my poor little brother. he followed me to 5 different antique stores and was patient with me while i browsed the many, many aisles of antiques. this was my first venture into an area that was so filled with antique shops and so many different kinds! i've been to flea markets before but this was a foray into a new territory for me and i am HOOKED. i bought way too much and regret nothing.

now, if you haven't been antiquing before, let me give you some pointers based on my very little experience:

1. patience ~ most antique shops are organized chaotically. you really have to take your time and look through many, many pieces to be able to find the treasures. 

2. hold on ~ even if you aren't going to buy it, hold onto it. there are many occasions when multiple people will have eyes on the same thing and if you walk away thinking it won't be there, you are sadly mistaken. example: the ornate phone that i purchased, my brother had to stand guard on to make sure this lady who was following me around, picking up things that I wasn't taking, wouldn't try and snatch it. y'all, it's a jungle out there! survival of the fittest antique-er is what's up.

3. the eyes have it ~ i like to think i have a good eye for things that appeal to me and are showcase pieces. i do get carried away sometimes but for the most part, i try and find unique, magical items that are conversation starters and look like they have a history. in my mind, i live in a magical fairy tale and the pieces i tend to choose emulate that. so trust your taste and your eyes and zoom in on the pieces you think convey your personality the best.

~ i am relatively new to the process of antiquing. i don't know the good from the bad so i tend to not purchase thing that are very pricey as i am unfamiliar with which antiques are worth it or not but the ones i do get are just SO PRETTY. i hope you love my new pieces as much as i do! i did get a few others that are for a secret project i'll be sharing later on

xoxo

Oz

{ps. you'll have to excuse the appearance of the towels and linens, i was too excited to share and didn't clean up}

Flash Back Friday: A Party at The Cross

A Party at The Cross

All things pretty, sparkly and fabulous culminated at an amazing party for Leah Alexandra jewelry and the launch of Party Skirts by Skot Apparel at The Cross Design last Wednesday. 

We were fortunate enough to be invited to this soiree, and while we were familiar with the FUN that comes with wearing a Party Skirt, we had not had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Leah Alexandra.  Check out the highlights below! 

If you have never been to The Cross Design (1198 Homer St, Vancouver) it is an SBDGirls FAVORITE place to just BE! So essentially it's a treasure trove of unique and gorgeous housewares, clothing, dishware, jewelry, books and did I mention they offer interior design services? Needless to say, it's THE best place for a party. 

Photographed by The Collective You with treats provided in part by Ferrero Rocher, we were warmly welcomed by staff from The Cross Design  and guided into all the girly excitement.  The girls from Party Skirts were our first stop, Lauren and Mariel Armstrong started Skot Apparel due to a need of something fun in their own closets.  Once friends and family took notice so did the fashion world, now their designs are carried online (skotapparel.com or shopbop.com) and across Canada at Rebecca Bree, Blu Bird, and all Holt Renfrew locations, just to name a few.  Recently featured in Teen Vogue, the sky is the limit for these two entrepreneurs and I for one can't wait to get my hands on their new shade of party skirt this holiday season!

Once we picked out our party skirts, various birthday cards, lusted after candles, tea cups and justified shopping for little ones as well (yes they have a baby section!) we made our way to all the glittery things.  Now, like any woman, we have a serious weakness for anything that sparkles, and Leah Alexandra's jewelry line satisfies all those necessities.

A modern esthetic with a little freedom and whimsy thrown in for good measure, we are sufficiently hooked!  The Ear Climbers were a particular favorite, as were the dainty rings and feather weight Y-chain necklaces. Now, while we didn't win their Instagram contest (sigh..) that didn't stop us from picking up a few baubles for ourselves. 

Vancouver based, Leah's collection is available at The Cross Design, Blue Ruby and Beauty Bar, her line consists of sterling silver, 14 karat gold fill, 24 karat gold vermiel, gemstones and fresh water pearls and is inspired by summers sent in Cape Cod. Celebrity clients include Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon and are all handmade here in Vancouver. 

creating the prettiest office

~ many of the blogs we read here at Sbd HQ {glitter guide, the everygirl, steph sterjovski, lauren conrad, to name a few} all post about creating an office space that makes you happy and allows you to be the creative self you envision. surrounding yourself with office decor that is just too pretty to handle only makes you want to work at your desk all day. i'm slowly putting together an office space that allows me to do my blogging and writing in an environment that strengthens my creativity. i'm obsessed with all things polka dot and thankfully for me {not so much for my wallet} kate spade sells polka dots galore. i'll share bits and pieces of my office space as i'm building it but i couldn't resist sharing this polka dot prettiness ~

xoxo

StylexBeauty Dept

Oz