jet set

{tunic: Zara, vest: altered F21, leggings: Aritzia, bag: MBMJ, bracelets and sunnies: H&M, flats: DVF, scarf: Denj}

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving on a jet plane to New York and Chicago for the week! I am beyond excited!! and I'm  also super lucky to have a few lovely ladies (Kristy, Leah, Kate, Cee, and Kristin!) filling in for me on here while I'm gone. Thank you so much girls!

xo denj

yummy yummy blueberry muffins

{photo by me}

These blueberry muffins have quickly become a favourite in our house. They are so wonderful that we made 3 batches and froze the extras so that we could have blueberry yummy-ness for longer! We found the recipe HERE, and made a few small changes by swapping out the oil for apple sauce (it totally works, and adds a nice apple flavour!) and sprinkling a bit of coconut on top. YUM!

xo denj

sweet summer

Just spent the last few days at my absolute favourite place in the world : )

xo denj

beach bowl

{photo by me}

I have been obsessed with FRESH, a (very) small Toronto vegan/vegetarian restaurant chain for years now. We finally took home the restaurant's cookbook recently, and decided to make one of my favourite menu items, the Beach Bowl. SO good people! If you are in Toronto, I definitely recommend stopping by, but if you're not, you can buy the book here!

have a wonderful weekend!

xo denj

kinda, really

{skirt: Ark & Co via Bicyclette Boutique, tee: Urban Outfitters, watch: Portobello Market in London, mesh bracelet: TopShop, woven chain bracelet: DIY via Honestly WTF, photography by Kari}

Yes, I actually wore this skirt to take Ryley for a walk, and right after I wore it to the grocery store. And yes, I did get a few extra looks from a few grandmas in the produce section, but hey, I figure it's better to be overdressed than under dressed right?... or is that just my theory? I feel like there must be some affirming quote from Chanel or Audrey Hepburn out there somewhere.  In other news I finally tried out that amazing woven chain bracelet DIY from Honestly WTF - it's just as good as I imagined I love it!

xo denj

black bean wrap

{photo by me}

you will need:
1 large whole wheat wrap
1/2 avocado
3(ish) slices of tomato
4 slices of cucumber (cut lengthwise)
2(ish) tbsp black beans
2(ish) tbsp hummus
a bunch of sprouts
a little bit of fresh cilantro
a squeeze of lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

I think we all know how to assemble items into a wrap... so I won't get into it. I used the homemade hummus that Kari and I had made the day before, but of course any hummus will do just fine! We got the idea from this picture on Pinterest - it looked SO yummy that we decided to create our own version, and it definitely was as delicious as we had hoped!

xo denj

yellow

{dress and skirt: unknown, sandals: Zara, belt: Aritzia, bracelet: Jcrew, bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs. On Kari: dress: Dace, oxfords: Office}

It has been insanely hot in the past week, and I mean that in the best way. Work lunch breaks have been spent outside on Starbuck's patio to soak up as much as possible, and weekends wandering around the city, brunching, and reading books and doing word puzzles in the park. All the best nothingness of summer. I started this outfit with the blue skirt in the first few pictures and the dress worn as a shirt, but it was so hot that shedding any unnecessary layers was the only way to cope. We found the most amazing wall off of Queen St. and the yellow dress was a perfect match. Serendipitous maybe? haha, anyways the real best part is the window in the sky - its like it's straight out of  Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or something, I love it!

xo denj

veggie hummus

Kari and I have been rather obsessed with making our own hummus for ages. After a few failed attempts, and several trips to the grocery store - we finally found the key ingredient - tahineh!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of chickpeas (796ml)
1.5 tbsp Tahineh
1/2 lemon, squeezed
3-4 leaves of fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh chives
and a few slices of any veggies you have in the fridge
(we used a bit of zucchini, red pepper, and broccoli)

salt and pepper to taste

TO MAKE:

Blend the chickpeas, tahineh, basil, chives, and lemon juice together in a food processor until smooth. Transfer into a bowl. Grill/cook veggies until soft and chop finely in the food processor. Combine with the chickpea mixture and season with salt and pepper. and done!

It's so easy and SOOO yummy - you just need the right ingredients and you're set!

xo denj

sunshine

{dress, locket, sunnies: H&M, vest: DIY+F21, sandals: UrbanOutfitters}
photography by Kari 

I'm beginning to see a trend in my blogging habits - I tend to blog in groups - a bunch in a row and then nothing for ages! So I'm going to try to put those intense blogging times to extra use and save up a few extra post for those long breaks in between! Spread the love a little you know? haha So just you WAIT. I've already got an amazing recipe all prepped and ready for tomorrow. It's extremely yummy!

xo denj

<3

{on me: vest: DIY F21, skirt: Urban Outfitters, tank: Aritzia, shoes: Zara, necklace: Hudson Bay Co., bracelets: H&M, on Kari: dress and shoes: Urban Outfitters}

2 things:
# 1: it was my little sister(and baker extraordinaire)'s 20th birthday this past weekend! My mom and I woke up early, hung streamers in the backyard and made pancakes and fruit salad  - yum!
#2: I've been seeing quite a few olive vests circulating the blogosphere lately and I realized I had the perfect one already in-house! I chopped off the sleeves and did a little hemming and voila! I've been wearing it pretty much constantly since.

xo denj

hearts

{dress: UO, shoes: MRKT, necklace: F21}

Hi lovelies! Life has been so very busy lately that blogging has taken a bit of a backseat, and not to mention it's hard to sit at a computer for any extra time than I have to when the weather is finally so nice! I promise to get my blogging act together!  My blogroll has been terribly neglected as well - I can't wait to catch up with all that everyone's been up to lately!  Very soon : )
As for the outfit - this is the first strapless item of any kind that I have bought in ages (probably years!). I generally avoid the style because I hate feeling like I might run into an outfit malfunction at any given moment. I fell in love with the print on this one though,  and the cute tie in the back (and the fact that it felt like it would stay put!) so I gave in and made it mine!

xo denj