in my last post i mentioned feeling alive & somehow re-awakened with this change in seasons. i remember stating before that i 'needed' it...saying 'need' seems extremely dependent but it was the truth. since the weather has become better & warmer, i have felt more myself. i want to get out & explore the great city i live in - even if that just means going for a run or taking a stroll to get some coffee, just getting outside after being cooped up from the longest winter everrrr. i want to spend time with friends & have long chats over beers on a patio somewhere. i want to spend my days off at my parents place, sitting in the sun by the water & going for a swim in the lake. i want to treat myself to a new pair of sunglasses & some lightweight shirts. i have become completely mesmerized by the sun & feeling the need for it to sink into my skin & make me feel alive.

i am welcoming spring with open arms & already day dreaming of summer.

being in the moment

today was beyond what i needed...

after a mini sleep in, i immediately opened all of the windows & doors in the house (fresh air feels SO good) did a quick clean of the house, had some breakfast & coffee on the balcony, mikey & i went for a walk to the trail/park right by our place. feeling the hot sun on my face & body was exactly the wake up i needed from the longest winter ever...

...& damn it felt good!

then this afternoon i went to my first yoga class...hot yoga at that. my friend steph just got certified to teach & so she was holding a free class. i'm so glad i went. it's something i've always wanted to try & can i just say something...i was sweating out of places i didn't know could do that...and it felt absolutely incredible, to just let my body sweat out everything it needed to & feel refreshed afterwards. sweating like that isn't something we're used to at all...i mean, there's a sweat you build up when you're working out and then there is hot yoga sweat...a complete release. it feels great. learning to be completely in the moment & forget everything, focusing entirely on your breathing was hard for me at first but by mid class i was already feeling my worries melt away. yoga is something that i've realized i enjoy & would definitely like to practice more. i definitely see more yoga & hot yoga in my future. 

tonight we watched snoop dogg/lion's new documentary reincarnated & it made me super stoked for our trip to jamaica in december for my brother's wedding! alright time to call it a day...i'm feeling refreshed & positive after this weekend & am hoping the feeling carries me into this week.

also!!! a big congrats goes out to my girl chelsea who got engaggggged this weekend! SO excited for her ♥

living clean: awareness

lately i've been thinking a lot about my health and about the importance of caring for our bodies, and being aware, both by what we put into them but also what we put on them. you never really think about the amount of chemicals that are in things like lotions, face washes, makeup, etc...well maybe you do already & if so that's awesome. to be honest i never did. sure i've read labels and thought "what the hell is that?" but then i would shrug my shoulders and slather it on my skin anyway. that doesn't seem right, does it?

during my whole 30 experience my blog reading changed from mostly fashion & lifestyle blogs to health, fitness and living clean. from there i've come across & learned a lot about things that before i started that process, had never ever thought of. it's something i've really taken an interest in though & really want to take steps in the right direction towards both eating & living clean...living with a purpose & making positive changes. 

i've been reading adriane's blog the A&B stories since i met her last year at blogpodium. she's been doing a fantastic series lately on living clean & it's really kick started my interest into gear & actually wanting to start to make some of the changes i've talked about. she's listed some amazing resources to help you out if you don't know where to begin with all of this, because to be honest it can all be a little overwhelming. i found her post on living clean: makeup & living clean: bath/body to be the most helpful as she's done all the work for you & found awesome products to use!! i'm definitely looking into changing my daily face routine & have looked into the oil cleansing method & am definitely going to give it a try! adriane talks about how her first step in making changes for her body was lotions, because if you're like most women you slather it on after the shower & throughout the day - can't get enough of it...when in reality your body is absorbing an insane amount of chemicals & toxins that could be really damaging instead of doing good. i found this website really helpful & eye opening, all about ewg ratings & also the photo below:

other than perfume & lotion, nail polish has the highest number of chemicals & can be linked to fertility issues?? what the what?!! that is terrifying. the number of chemicals in all of these things that we use every single day...is insane & shocking. 

it's going to be a long process of making the switch over to chemical-free products but it's something i really want to do. when there are good products out there available that are free of all of toxins & chemicals in these other products, why not make the switch right? i feel like being aware is a lot better than being in the dark about things...which to be honest, i have been for almost 27 years.

in other news, i am doing my first yoga, and actually hot yoga class tomorrow afternoon & i am really excited for it! my friend just trained in LA to be a yoga instructor & is home now so she's teaching a free class & it's something i've always wanted to try, so i'm excited to get a taste for it.

outfit post: basics

outfits like this are my favourite. nothing over the top but when put together are still interesting. shoes & accessories totally make an outfit.

tee - vintage from public butter

hat & bangle- kensington market toronto

my boots are from my work & you can pick them up for yourself here

they're my new favourites & i haven't taken them off since i got them....except when it's raining.

ugh

ya know...when you're just having one of those days, where you know you should be doing things but you just don't want to. you're bored but you don't feel like getting up & doing anything. it's raining, so that kind of makes you feel like it's okay that you're being a lazy asshole. you should be at the gym but you'd rather eat pizza. you start something and then immediately don't feel like doing it anymore. you can't decide what kind of music to even listen to. i'm having one of those days & i'm kind of even annoying myself.

black&bronze

a recent update to the shop, includes vintage pendants, lots of world coins & of course some animal teeth. here is a small peek at the update: 

visit the shop to see more!

lumbermen

the lumbermen are playing a show tonight! it's been quite a few months since their last gig & also a few changes, including members so everyone's really stoked on tonight's show!! i've got my lumbermen tee on & i'm excited to partyyyy!

incase you're new around these parts or missed this video when it took place last june, here's their first video. it was shot upstairs in our attic/their jam space & holy moly was it ever a damn good time!! 

that's my handsome little pig man on drums ;)

toronto times

our trip to toronto was amazinggg! we had the best weather on monday which was our main day there. it was gorgeous out & it's a good thing because we did a lot of walking! we did a lot of shopping & wandering & i found some pretty finds at public butter & in kensington market which i'm sure you'll see in outfit posts to come. our hotel ended up being in the chinese mall on spadina (aka: hello kitty heaven!) and it was pretty awesome considering how cheap it was & prime location too. anyway, we had a yummy dinner at everest & some beers in the hotel room before heading to lees palace to see fu manchu!

they put on a REALLY good show! we had seen them once before but i definitely enjoyed them 100% more this time around.

after the show we headed back to the hotel & partied til about 5 in the morning, oops! it was a late night, but an amazing time & was much needed. i'm so freaking thankful to have the friends that i do (some of which i get to call family) i will never ever be the kind of person to take my friends for granted. 

i also popped into s-trip to visit one of my best girls julie at work. that was fun but kind of a tease because i miss her immensely & would have loved to have spent actual time with her. soon!!

oh, wanna hear the song i'm obsessed with currently? of course you do

...not even embarassed at all. snoop dogg er...lion & major lazer? YUP!

spring style: layering

i love layering - springtime looks especially! here are some of my favourite springtime inspired layering looks. the more the merrier, right?

everything about this photo wins - lace, denim, fur, awesome accessories - yes!

i'd love to find a vest like this one!

hats! khaki! pretty florals! cute shoes!

i bought this free people slip a few weeks ago (in the above photo) and cannot wait to layer it for spring!

this look is leaning a little more towards fall, but it had denim & leather & lovely stacked bracelets so it has my vote!

are you a layers lovin' gal or do you prefer to make a simpler statement?

outfit post: jeans & a tee

what i wore: sunday

hat - brixton 

(originally a mens bowler [aka: mikeys] but i have made it mine & turned down the brim which has a more feminine feel to it

i feel this is going to be the spring of hats

white tee - vero moda via plush boutique

jeans - old navy

boots - save our soles

necklaces - pyrrha & black&bronze

jeans & a tee is my all-time favourite look. i know it's not a terribly exciting or new concept by any means...but it's classic, it's a go-to, it's a i-know-i'm-going-to-feel-awesome kind of outfit, for me anyway! i always believe in accessories making an outfit come together...especially when you're wearing something simple like jeans & a tee. i always have a handful of rings (on each hand) a wrist full of bracelets & great shoes - those elements of an outfit are what make me feel completed & put together. i know it's silly but the odd days i forget to put my rings on, i feel off all day. they've actually become a part of me (cheesy, but true!) i also seem to have gone back to my high school days where i wear a wrist full of bracelets. lately it's been the more the merrier when it comes to accessories...& hats! i love hats and now that my bangs are no longer i feel like i can pull them off better (& minus the whole sweaty bang thing which was always a bummer) 

anywho, today is the start of my 'weekend' - two days off & road tripping to toronto with some of my besties to shop, eat, get wild & see fu manchu tonight in toronto!

rainy days

 a rainy day kind of outfit...because that's all we've been having here lately. yesterday our town woke up to a complete ice freeze over and the power was out half the day...not cool spring, not cool.

tank top - harley davidson, thrifted

pants - H&M

jacket - obey

leather jacket - thrifted

necklaces - pyrrha & black&bronze

boots - hunter

yesterday was my first day off in two weeks & other than the fact that the power/internet was out most of the day, it was a pretty wonderful day. my boss & favourite baby came over for a coffee visit in the morning & in the afternoon i did a ton of creating for black&bronze, including the piece above & below which are for sale on my instagram account, or leave a comment here if you're interested.

today i'm working a double & then have a quick shift at the shop tomorrow then we're off to toronto for two days to see fu manchu & do some shopping & i couldn't be more excited to get out of town for a bit! here's hoping the skies open up & we see some sunshine really soon because damn this rainy, grey weather is really getting redundant. 

what are you up to this weekend?

oh & while we're on the topic (no we're not...) how handsome is this guy?!

i'm a lucky gal!

spring style: hats

i'm excited for real spring weather for a few reasons. a) i'm fucking sick of winter ...excuse my french but really, lets get on with it & b) hats. i sported a lot of hats this winter...well, toques specifically, as i was growing out my bangs and now that they are longer & the bangs are no more, i am excited to wear more hats this spring! bangs get in the way with hats so they never really looked right before.

are you a hat person or are you one of those people who think 'you can't pull them off' (i hear this phrase far too often - & hate it) and to that i say, find one you love & make yourself a hat person!

smitten with ecojot

earlier today i was thinking of small businesses, large businesses, just general sized businesses haha and i was thinking how i would love to buy more locally, within canada & how it seems that more often than not you just can't. it's either not easily accessible or it's extremely expensive and not within my budget. 

fast forward - i came home from work, pop online & my pal elycia is hosting a giveaway over on her blog for this company, ecojot which you guessed it, are canadian & actually happen to be based in ontario even, just one town over from where i grew up!

here are a few of my favourite designs...

& those are just the notebooks. they also have planners, greeting cards, prints & more! okay so they are canadian, make absolutely adorable products but also, with every jumbo journal purchase they have a giving program where they give a workbook to a child in need to build literacy skills...oh, and their products are 100% recycled materials.

i was happy to search the website to find canadian retailers and see that GreenUp, a store here in peterborough carried ecojot, so i popped by & scooped up the last 2 new notebooks they had!

i'm a lucky girl

i always chalk up 'lucky' things that happen in my life to being born on a friday the 13th. yes, i know to most that might seem backwards, but to me (& my family) it makes complete & total sense :)

i just wanted to take a moment to share some exciting/proud moments i've had so far regarding black&bronze. first of all i feel so blessed & lucky that people have been responding so well to it & really like what i'm creating. it's a pretty incredible feeling! 

♥ repeat customers. i've had a few now, specifically miss allison who has bought 5 (6?) pieces now. it makes me so happy to hear & see (through her blog) how much she loves them & wears them & how much of a black&bronze fan she is! you're the best girl!

♥ a message from a customer telling me that she will be wearing her black&bronze pieces on her wedding day in may (!!!) i just about teared up reading that...i feel incredibly honoured & cannot wait to see the photos she said she would send along

♥ international orders from the united kingdom & spain (!!!)

♥ the reaction & support from both my (irl) friends & blog friends

♥ i'm stoked on the sales i've been getting from guys, i personally love accessories on males & really think it's awesome when they dig my stuff

overall, i'm just feeling super overwhelmed (in a good way) & really fortunate that people like what i'm doing...thank you guys, really!

outfits lately

this outfit is sure to be in high rotation this spring.

i truly felt like me in my distressed jeans, loose top & favourite shoes!

top - F21

jeans - old, garage 

shoes - sam edelman from save our soles

denim on denim y'all

on instagram i said one of the perks of living in canada is that no one ever questions a strong denim on denim outfit - canadian tuxedo & i love that.

jean button down - garage

jeans - $14 old navy

belt - old...??

boots - troopa by steve madden from save our soles

this hardly constitutes as a worthy outfit post but it was a comfy one & one that i would wear on a day off which is when this happened.

sweatshirt - obey

you can find similar here

jeans - hurley

belt - old...??

as you can tell i wear a lot of denim, always. it's always my go-to...whenever i don't know what to wear [which is most mornings] i generally end up wearing denim that day. i also have about 8 pairs of jeans & 6 or 7 different denim shirts. it's just tried & true...and always makes me feel comfy.

i truly cannot wait for [actual] spring weather to grace us here in ontario. i have so many outfit planned & they're all being ruined by the cold/rainy/grey weather we've been having here. we've had the odd nice day but i am 100% ready for it to stay. what's the weather like where you are? if you have warmth & sunshine, send some my way will ya?? ;)

a lovely weekend indeed

my morning smoothies always make me smile, and to be honest i get really sad when they're over. i could eat smoothies all day everyday.

the 'after work beer' always ends up being 5 or 6, never just the 1. i was happy though because we had great conversation & i always love time spent with these two. i'm so lucky to have the best second family!

sunday was a lovely day off spent with this guy.

it was so nice out, we had the doors & windows open & the fresh air was much needed!

a black&bronze update was needed & sunday i had some time to create!

there are new items listed in the shop.

today was such a typical cliche monday...aka: it sucked. it was slow downtown which makes for long days at the shop. not mention it was rainy & grey most of the day too. tomorrow should be better [checks weather network] or will still be raining...but better because it will be tuesday!

black&bronze update

today was a lovely sunday, a much needed day off & some downtime/creative time to recharge & feel inspired! we had the windows & doors open this afternoon (i didn't wake up til one...hey, i needed it! i worked 13hrs yesterday) enjoyed some coffee & cuddles & then for the remainder of the day i created for black&bronze. i made 10 new pieces & thought i'd share some with you here. 

for the full shop update be sure to check out black&bronze

i'd love to know if anyone has any feedback to do with my etsy shop. i am very new to this & have only been open for a little under 2 months. if you have any advice, comments or questions i'd love to hear from you! you can either leave a comment here or contact me at blackandbronze[at]gmail.com

don't forget to follow along on twitter [@blackandbronzed] and also instagram [@blackandbronze] as i often post listings on instagram of pieces before they hit the shop/when i don't have time for shop updates, so you can have first dibs! 

i'd also love love love you guys if you could share on your blog, twitter, facebook, wherever & spread the black&bronze love - that would be beyond awesome!