Spring Bliss List

White Tulips, Yellow daffodils, Warm rain, Cherry blossoms, White jeans, Green grass, Picnics, Singing birds, Lace, Satin, Gardening, Beach bon fires, Open Sky, Clean windows, Spring break, Patio dining, Yellow sheen, Fresh fruit, White Sangria, Bike rides, Floral Dresses, Hats, Chocolate eggs, Flip-Flops and Wedges, Sundrops and Rainbows, Pedicures, Long afternoons, Morning walks, Swing sets, Sunnies, New bedding & pajamas, spring purse, Bright jewelery

New songs, New beginnings.

xx

Apology

Dear Blog,
I'm sorry I have ignored you.
I am however always thinking of you.
I promise I will try to be more dedicated to you...
Starting tomorrow.

Love,
Me.

Meet me at the hotel!

Who says hotel lounges are just for tourists?

I have always loved hotels. Especially growing up in Bali, where hotels are always extra beautiful and luxurious with the undeniable competition of Balinese architecture and arts. I have stayed in a fair share of hotels (lived in one for the first few years of my life!) so I feel like I have knowledge and expertise on what makes a hotel a good hotel.

But I want to talk specifically about hotel bars, restaurant and lounges. Only because Saturday night Kelsey and I went out for cocktails at one the most luxurious hotel bars. In true 'bb' style, armed with a bright smile in new YSL lipstick, Chanel's latest nail polish and matching LV shawls we were ready for a night out!

We started our night at "The Market" at the Shangri La Hotel. As soon as we walked in we knew we were having a glamorous evening. The Lobby Lounge features dramatic two-storey floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an outdoor art galleria curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery. Guests can linger over live piano music and sip premium brands, or opt for a light snack. On the third floor is a destination bar (our destination!) with high-top chairs, window seats and a full range of premium brands. We sat at the bar, perused over the drink menu and decided on a lemon drop margarita to start. Delicious! We thought maybe dessert? The choices were unbelievable. I wish I could remember the glorious names to all of them, but there were fig and blueberry cheecake, classic chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice cream..., etc. We were contemplating sharing one to start and maybe another one later.... but then we noticed that the bartender served us a little jar of the most delicious mini marchiano cherries, and the most delicious mini serving of popcorn I'd ever have, season lightly with olive oil and rosemary. So we were pretty content with our snacks. Fast forward a couple hours later (a crafe of french wine and coffee bean shots) it was time to say goodbye to our lovely bartenders.

"The Market" is now definitely one of our fav spots!

xx

Retail Break Up

I am giving myself a challenge...
No retail for 4 months!
Why am I doing this?

I'll share a little story of my latest shopping experience...
Last Sunday I went on my usual walk down to Lower Gibsons, with the intentions of exercise only. It was pouring rain when I got down there so to get out of the rain I decided to check out the shops at Molly's Lane Market.

I was looking at the vintage jewelery and right away these gorgeous pink orchid earrings caught my eye. Only $15!! I try them on... and they are perfect! Not to be compulsive I asked the nice lady to hold it while I think about it and browse the other shops. I head into my favorite shop Starlet Vintage - http://www.etsy.com/shop/starletvintage I have found many gems here, some of my favorite wardrobe pieces have come from this tiny little shop. So while I pretend that I'm not interested, I noticed the cutest knitted wool sweater... like the ones grandmas would knit for baby girls. I try it on and...it's perfect and come to think of it, I needed a wool sweater for my upcoming ski trip, it'll be so cozy paired up with tights. And then...like that saying when it rains it pours... I keep finding the best things. Oh and by the way, they're on sale!

Ok so by the time the rain stopped (literally) I walked out with a gorgeous black jumpsuit, 2 tops and the wool sweater. I walk to my sister's work and before I even walked in the door, she noticed my giant shopping bag and she gave me a look that I translated to "you shopped again??!!", I smile and automatically say, "oh but Santana you should see... (not even a complete sentence, because of my retail high). The point is...she has has a point. I do buy something almost everyday... almost. As I walked up the hill towards home.... I realized that it was time for a detox.

Wish me luck!
xx

p.s I never did go back to buy the orchid earrings... maybe that will be my last retail purchase?

Artsy Fartsy

Last night my niece and I decided to skip our tuesday swim and get creative (not that swim time doesn't get creative sometimes...)

We still wanted to get some exercise so we started out with a nice walk. As we walked down the hill, we stopped for a moment, widen our eyelids and took in the beauty of the mountain and ocean views (inspiration)... "oh aunty it's so pretty"... something about a 7 year old noticing this makes it the more special.

It was a little chilly by the time we were done our walk so we were ready for a warm cup of tea when we got home. Kaliya thought it would be fun to pretend we were students in Art School, or she was the teacher (always) and I was the student. So we took our seats and layed out our painting supplies. As we sipped pomegranate tea in fine china (with jazz music qued up in the background, that she soon wanted to switch to Miley Cyrus), we were ready to dip our brushes and start painting our blank canvases!


We created colors like you've never seen before! Kaliya discovered how fun it is to mix all the colors together and couldn't stop. Our canvases (and Kaliya) were covered in the most brilliant shades of purple, pink and turqouise. You'll have to wait and see our masterpieces when they're ready!

xx