moons + balloons =

happy september!

xoxo,

coco

Holding up to 6 pairs of shoes the Bohdi Shoe Bag is the perfect answer to the ‘shoe-a-holic’s’ traveling woes.  Being a card carrying member of the clan, I know how tough it can be to pack shoes.  I want to bring more than I need, but wrapping them all in individual shoe bags takes up too much space and the lack of structure of the shoe bags allow for the shoe to get warped or all banged up ‘in transit’.  The ‘Shoe Bag’s’ individual compartments are structured made from leather and lined with linen which helps to keep your shoes in shape.  Plus, if you’re shoes are shamefully your biggest investment the Shoe Bag is small enough to be carried on as a ‘personal item’ along with another purse so you’ll never have to worry about your shoes getting lost with your luggage.  *phewph*

See more from Bohdi HERE

xoxo,

coco

Two master keys to financial independence:
1. Pay yourself first. Spend only what you have left AFTER saving, not before.
2. NEVER let your expenses grow as fast as your income

Author Unknown

A secret passion of mine is great, amazing, delicious FOOD! More than just fuel, I absolutely adore food, everything that goes into it…from handling and preparation to delivery and final product. Food connects people in many different ways, and a great meal makes everyone happy .. regardless of age, race, creed, height, weight etc!

While for the most part I am very open to trying (almost) anything, Italian food and dishes are always my go-to! Even when I was a little girl, Lasagna and Pizza were always on the top of my list .. now that I’ve grown into Bruschetta and Risotto, that little girl is silenced a bit .. but only sometimes lol

Strolling in Downtown Oakville, I stumbled on a little place called ‘Julia’; I took one look at the menu and was immediately intrigued. An Italian restaurant with Latin American influences, yummmmmmmmm =)

click the link for the rest of my wonderful experience!

I started off with a Caprese salad, which was huge and oh so tasty!
(excuse the bbm pic, it was just so good .. didn’t even remember about the camera!)

After inhaling the salad, I decided to proceed with a Seafood Linguine dish – This is something that typically I would never go for, only because the few times that I have ordered seafood dishes at restaurants, I got sick, the first time was full-out, emergency room, food poisoning. So you can see where my anxiety with seafood from a restaurant lies!

Alas, I decided to be daring and ordered it anyways, and I am so glad I did! A wonderful linguine tossed in a fish based rosé sauce with a jumbo Scallop and Tiger Shrimp placed on top in addition to fresh Clams and P.E.I. Mussels!

(I was in love as soon as I saw the plate!)

I finished off with a glass of Pellegrino as I was way too stuffed for dessert, but overall I would say a great meal and I am definitely anticipating my return!

Click here for more info on Julia’s Ristorante!

xoxo

Shan

After a whirlwind trip to the UK, packed with tons of excitement and next to no sleep, B and I headed off on a 12 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand.  We were totally excited but equally as tired….  Since a honeymoon is supposed to be a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, B pulled out all of the stops -and used all of our airmiles-  for this vacation which started with flying first class, an absolutely indulgent experience that has subsequently spoiled me for life.

Sleeper seats and Thai Air pj’s -that they invited us to change into upon boarding – helped me catch up on a bit of the sleep that I had missed in the last couple of weeks.

They provided a cute bag of toiletries complete with a toothbrush, eye mask, hairbrush, lip balm, lotion and Evian spray to keep your skin hydrated.

There was an endless amount of food and -unlike normal flights – it was actually edible.

We landed early evening to a rainy Bangkok.  We then headed straight for our hotel -Lebua State Tower- checked in and tried to head out to see all that Bangkok had to offer.  Our first attempt was stifled by the torrential down pour so we went to check out some of the many restaurants and bars that our hotel had to offer.

We eventually settled on Breeze for dinner.

Located on the 52nd floor, this beautiful restaurant has breathtaking views of the city and super yummy Asian cuisine.

After dinner the rain had yet to stop but I couldn’t leave without attempting to check out the famed Sky Bar that I posted about last year. Unfortunately, the staff said it wasn’t safe for us to go outside so we had a seat at the inside bar and stared longingly at what would have been the perfect spot to take in the amazing Bangkok skyline at night.

Too ashamed to report back that we’d been to Bangkok and seen nothing but the insides of our hotel, we hired a cab and got a drive-by look at some of the sights that were obviously closed and abandoned.

Things I noticed on our quick stop in Bangkok:

- The reverence for the King and Queen seems to be deep, statues, shrines, photographs and bumper stickers were everywhere.  Most likely a reaction to the recent political turmoil in the region, but interesting to see none-the-less.

Below a pic of King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the airport, one of the thousands I saw while in Thailand.

One of the many ‘bumper stickers’

- Thai people bow or ‘wai’ rather than shake hands as a sign of respect and a greeting.  It got kind of confusing as to who to ‘wai’ to and who not to, so I just ‘wai’d’ away to everyone.  It’s done by placing your hands together at your chest and lowering your head

-I’m not sure if it’s just excellent customer service, but Thai people seem to be the nicest grouping of people I have ever been around

-Thai women are out of this world beautiful

-Most cabs in Bangkok are hot pink

-August is the rainy season….

Check back tomorrow for some highlights from our next stop, the beautiful island of Koh Samui

xoxo,

coco

I saw this line by Caroline Baggi at Colette in Paris but it also turned up in the September Issue of Marie-Claire.

I love the bright colours and the melange of different materials!

see more here

xoxo,

Lowe