blueberry picking

I work just outside of the city so I'm always passing by farmers marketing and blueberry patches. I don't know what it is about Vancouver but I have never seen so many blueberry farms in my whole life! There are rows and rows of blueberry farms! I stopped by one on my way home from work and picked a whole bundle of blueberries. 

xo sara

quick trip home to toronto

Isn't my mum super cute?! She owns, in my opinion, the best home decor store around. If you haven't already been to Jacaranda Tree & Co, be sure to pop in and say hello when you're in Toronto strolling along Mount Pleasant Road. This is a picture of her in front of her shop!

Outfit Details

Sunglass, Vintage Vuarnet Sunglasses

Top, J.CREW

Purse, J.CREW

Watch, Daniel Wellington

We went out for dinner to Boland's Open Kitchen which is a couple doors down from Jacaranda Tree.  One of the wonderful things about Mount Pleasant Village is that all of the shops and restaurants care to get to know you and treat you like a friend. Chris Boland is the owner and head chef at Boland's and he always makes a point of coming over to our table, sitting down with us and catching up on our lives. He rocks and if you're in the neighbourhood and looking for a nice home cooked style meal and great company, head on over to Boland's. 

xo sara

cactus club in vancouver

I finally made it to the much talked about Cactus Club! This West Coast favourite chain is a great spot to go to if you want decent sized portions, delicious food and modern decor. 

Susie and I had a lovely evening here - we ordered The Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps which had a sweet and spicy szechuan glaze, peanuts, wontons, Korean chilly sauce and spicy yogurt. Since we are on the West Coast, we had to order fish! We also had the Civiche which has lois lake steelhead, sustainably harvested prawns, red onions, thai basil, mint, cilantro and nuor cham. I'm usually very hesitant to order civiche at a restaurant because it's usually $16 with a couple of items in a tiny bowl. I have to say that the portion size of the civiche at Cactus Club was really fair!

To my Toronto friends -> did you hear that there will be a Cactus Club opening in your hood soon?!

xo sara

lunch with a seal + otter

Our friend Annie told Susie and I that if you visit the Fisherman's Warf in Victoria, you can feed the seals. What does that mean? Exactly what you think! Susie and I might have raised an eyebrow at the idea because how can you feed a wild animal from a dock? Turns out you can and it’s super easy! All you do is buy a platter of dead fish from a fish joint on the dock for $4 then hang over the dock and dangle the fish! I have to admit, I watched a couple of kids do this before I gave it a try.

When I was up for feeding the seals, they were apparently full so a couple otters came by for a snack. He climbed right up the dock which was super cool!

After feeding our ocean friends, we wanted to get some food of our own. Susie was super eager to try out Red Fish Blue Fish right on the water in Victoria. We waited about an hour to order our food - this place is a hot spot in town!

xo sara

capocaccia in toronto

Capocaccia is mine and my mum's favourite neighbourhood haunt. Why? Their food is delicious, the decor is absolutely divine and the wonderful people who work there are so pleasant to be around. Italians have a way of making you feel so warm and welcome. Needless to say, we love it there.

xo sara

welcome to new york

For my 13th birthday present, my mum and aunt took my cousin and I to NYC for the very first time. This was when Abercrombie and Fitch hadn't made their way to Canada so you can imagine how this trip went . . . lot's of A&F visits with the shirtless male models. After just over over a decade, my mum and I made it back!

First stop - Rockefeller Center! This is a must see when you visit NYC. You literally see 360 degrees around the entire city. We happened to go at sunset which was absolutely stunning. Mind you there were a handful of people snapping shots of the glorious view but we were lucky to get a few ourselves.

Step 1: Go to New York City

Step 2: Become BFFs with Taylor Swift

Each season my mum and I go to gift shows to purchase items for her decor store in Toronto. We have always dreamed about going to the NYC Gift Show and this year it finally happened!

One of the best things about New York is the food!

xo sara

party politics at the design exchange

(Image via She Does The City)

The Design Exchange puts on events about once - twice a month inside their building. After seeing an email from them about the Party Politics event which was an evening filled with cool beats and a clothing swap, my girlfriends and I couldn't say no! This soirée was on a Wednesday evening which was the perfect day to help break up the work week.

Fun fact about these events - there is an open bar all evening 

Outfit | Oak + Fort sweater \\ Jacaranda Tree necklace \\ J. Crew pants \\ Miz Mooz boots c\o

Before the event, we all had dinner at Mercatto at Bay and Adelaide which was delicious. There's nothing like a round of Negronis and pizza or pasta to start off the evening!

xo sara

dinner at a vineyard in california

Urban Outfitters sunglasses \\ J. Crew earrings \\ J. Crew necklace \\ Lost April top \\ J. Crew Skimmer pants \\ Vionic Santiago sandals c\o

The company I work for hosted a lovely dinner at Cline Cellars Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma Country, California this past summer. We were able to wander around the grounds and view the perfect paths lined with luscious trees, beautiful blooms and an oasis like watering hole. 

Naturally, I was wearing my gorgeous faux snake skin Vionic sandals to keep me comfortable yet stylish throughout the whole evening.

Here are a few of the awesome team members!

xo sara

delicious sushi + beautiful blooms

Nathan and I went to our favourite sushi place, Fukui Sushi on Bayview for lunch. There are a million sushi places in Toronto and surprisingly they aren't all amazing. When I find a new favourite sushi joint, I have to share it with everyone!

On our way home, we came across this luscious nursery. They had just about every type of herb and colourful flower you could imagine! I've done all my planting for the season but it was still really hard not to buy even one pretty flower.

xo sara