Ever since I’ve been a mom, my style in the shoe area has gone down quite a bit. I opt for what is easy to put on, comfortable and still somewhat stylish (so I like to think). I’ve never been a lover of the classic Toms Cavas slip-ons, but when my friend Jen blogged about the new TOMS flats, I knew I had to add them to my wishlist.

Apart from the obvious “lack of fashion sense because I’m a mom and I don’t have time” I have issues finding flats. I have a wide foot and usually they either hurt my foot or simply don’t fit. It makes me sad because I’m a lover of flats… but I keep looking at these and I have high hopes. They seem as though they would fit.  Any one else have issues with flats?

If you are signed up to Ebates, then you get 5% cash back when you order these shoes (on the TOMS or Nordstorm websites). If you haven’t signed up, what are you waiting for?

[ Nordstorm ]

]]> http://blushink.com/le-wishlist-toms-flats/feed/ 2 http://blushink.com/nursery-inspiration-vintage-diy/ http://blushink.com/nursery-inspiration-vintage-diy/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:39:09 +0000 Kelly | Glamour This! http://blushink.com/?p=7016 I’ve always been a fan of vintage. There’s just something about it that makes me swoon. Maybe its the combination of old and new, knowing that something has a story behind it, a previous life makes it even more interesting. I love the textures and colors of vintage items and well clearly when I saw this nursery… I died a little. Still unsure what I will be doing for bébé girl’s nursery this definitely sparks some inspiration.

I will feature more lovely nurseries that are worth highlighting, and hopefully ours will be 1/10 as pretty as these!

[ Project Nursery ]

The Virginia actually has a real locket so you can store what ever your heart desires. Maybe a picture of a loved one who has passed but that you want present on your special day…

How to Enter

Simply follow the instructions provided by our friendly Rafflecopter widget below and up your chances to win with 5 additional entries. The chosen winner will win a garter (shown above) of their choice! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I started feeding Mavrick solids at 3 months because he needed it. Sure I got crazy mommy looks but I didn’t care. He’s my child and I know best. I’m the mother so honestly you have no right to tell me I’m doing it wrong.  We are in a society that treats others so harshly when they tend to opt for a different route. Does that make it bad? No… not at all. Everyone is different and everyone opts to do it their own way. I mean, if it doesn’t hurt the baby/child/relationship then what’s the big deal. 

YES I stopped breastfeeding at 3.5 months… SO WHAT?! Yes, I let my son watch Television… SO WHAT?! There isn’t one way better than the other and I’m fed up of people comparing each other. Same goes for SAHM and Working Moms. Being a mom, I know parenting is tough and being a SAHM is a full time job. One I personally couldn’t do. I need to work and do my thing because it means I can live a life that includes other things that baby talk, potty training and elmo… but yes that also means I ship my son to daycare 50 hours a week.

Stop comparing your situation to other moms. Stop making them feel like they aren’t a good mother because of their choices. Their choices belong to them.

My name is Kelly, I am a working mom but  my situation makes me a better mom then the stay at home version of me. If you want to compare situation, compare with yourself. That’s the only comparison you should be allowed to do. Rant over.

I remember when we were younger my mother gave both my sister and I 200$ for our back to school clothing. I came out with 2 bags, my sister 5. I think at the time I didn’t care because I had my first official pair of Levi’s flared black jeans, but when they got ruined 6 months later…I told myself no more. This slowly started my “understanding” the value of items and not wanting to be a brand lover. Sure it meant my friends might of looked at me weird, because I would find pieces of clothing is places they would never dare to step in, but when they would compliment me on what I was wearing, I was so ever proud to say the price I paid and where I got it. (I secretly wanted them to understand that spending $$$ on items wasn’t necessarily… but that never really got to them (hey a girl can try)

When it came time to be an adult. Purchased a car, got our first home then Mavrick came along… I was proud of my accomplishments and as soon as we decided to start our debt free mode, I went into intense saving mode. Which meant, I only purchased sale items, tried to find additional coupons codes or actual coupons. Same applied to food. Why pay regular price for an item when you can get anywhere from 1$-10$ off? I know in the past it made it seem as though, if you couponned, you didn’t have money. But honestly… who’s being stupid in the whole thing. At the end of the week I have an additional 10-15$ in my pockets because I couponed and that money I worked hard to get, so why pay something full price just to avoid getting “looks” or being “judge” I couldn’t care less and when I explain my whole process people are actually impressed.

I’m in no means a pro when it comes to couponning, but if I can find a coupon you bet I will use it. I’ve never paid full price for domain names & online purchases and I intend to keep it that way. I thought I would share my tips and sites I go to to help future Canadian couponners. Sure majority of these tips are online but hey it’s 2012… if you don’t shop online or use the internet (then I’m sure you aren’t reading this to begin with)

Saving money is all about making money or keeping money… so why not use it to your advantage when you buy online. Have you heard of EBATES? (I know majority of  US peeps LOVE ebates) but not too long ago they started adding some Canadian online sites for their friendly neighbors. Bascially, what it comes down to is instead of going to the site itself to purchase what you wanted to get, you go through the Ebates portal which allows you to get cash back on your order.

• Ebates

You can find cash back from the following Canadian sites. : Gap Canada, Old Navy, Children’s Place, Sears, Toys R Us / Babies R Us, Chapters, Garage, Addition elle, Apple, Victoria Secret, The Shopping Channel, Vista Print, Sephora, The Body Shop, Netflix Canada, iTunes Canada, Priceline, Expedia and more.

Please note that it doesn’t mean you can’t go on the US site and purchase from US shops (a lot more choice ) but if you aren’t one to buy from the states then yes the Canadian sites will be useful to you.

Honestly, if you don’t have account, I strongly suggest you sign up. If you click on this link you are using my referral code which gives me Cash back. Once you have your account you can do the same with your friends. So thank you in advance for signing up using my link.

• Retail Me Not

Sure there are other sites out there but Retail Me Not is my go-to site. I usually google “subject here coupon code” and I find results. It’s all trial and error and yes it takes a little time, but saving is what it’s all about so I don’t mind. Another tip is subscribing to the newsletters of stores you shop at. They send you updates and specials for “valued customers”. You can also interact with them on the facebook page and ask if they have any promos going on. I was able to save 15$ on an order because I wasn’t afraid to ask.

Now that majority of flyers have removed coupons you need to get your own. Sure they sometimes have in-store tear pads but I wouldn’t bet my savings on those. Here are a few sites I use to chose coupons (online) that are then mailed to me.

• Web Saver
• Save.ca
• PG Everyday
• Brand Saver
• Go Coupons

You can find many tips on savings and where to find coupons from forums but in Canada we don’t have many. Here are a few

• Canadian Free Stuff
• Smart Canucks 
• Frugal Shopper

Majority of the time there though there are savings in the rest of Canada but Quebec is excluded. Recently a Quebec Coupon Forum site was created (French only) but they have great tips and they even email you when there are free samples (full size) up for grabs. Sure you have to be quick but it’s my favorite go to site (and signing up to the newsletter makes it even easier to save)

• On Magasine

Another tip to save money is knowing the when things go on sale (if you purchased an item full price or slightly on sale) There’s a law in Quebec if you purchased an item regular or sale price and it happens to be even cheaper within 10 days of your original purchase the store will reimburse you the difference. This applies to online sites and in-store as well (unless otherwise noted) Also, seeing that the return policy on items is usually 30-60 days they might even extend the 10 day law to match their return policy. Sweet deal!

One last tip (that I can think of) is the Price labeling and accuracy law (in Quebec). The law states that if you purchase an item and it scans to a price higher than what is indicated on the label one of the 2 following adjustments must be made :

• Item under 10$. They give you the first product free and any additional items purchase will be adjusted to the proper price.

• Items over 10$. They adjust the price of the advertised label and knock off a 10$ additional (for the first item) and any additional items are adjusted to the proper price.

Say I buy a bag of diapers said to be 23.99$ for the package but scan at 29.99$, once you mention it doesn’t scan at the right price, if you are right then they must charge you 23.99$ – 10$ = 13.99$ (for the first package) and 23.99$ for any additional items.

Be sure to check labels properly. Sometimes you might not purchase the right format or the right brand, but if the label is in front of the item you purchased, then technically they should do the adjustment. Stores don’t like to talk about this law so it’s possible they try and tell you that you are wrong, that it’s not the right product. etc. If you are sure, stick your ground or ask to speak to a manager. Get to know the policy and check your bills! (or the cash register)

For more tips on saving money, check out my Les Finances posts. Happy Savings everyone!!!

[ image : Morgue File ]

When I look for sans-serif fonts, I also try and choose ones that have multiple weights. It makes design much more interesting and allows you to keep the design well rounded. Today, I am featuring Andes from Latiotype.  It comprises 8 variants, ranging from Thin to Black, each of the same x-height. This typeface contains additional italic glyphs (a, y, z, g) that help to emphasize text or words. Pretty isn’t it?

Available on MyFonts

When I got them, they were even prettier in person and I started dreaming of decorating a baby girl nursery using those shoes as an inspiration. Beige, Browns, Reds and Mint… all vintage style. I would purchase a red vintage gumball machine, I actually found the fabric online and would plan the bedding accordingly (clearly not all in that fabric, but maybe some throw pillows etc.) I was even thinking of framing the shoes (until baby girl could wear them) as a art piece for the room. The only thing I couldn’t quite figure out is my glider. I have a beautiful gray houndstooth glider which clearly would clash with my vision. Being the girly girl I am and wanting everything to match it really bothered me even more so now that I am having a girl. So I decided to switch my plans.

Inspiration #2 for my new nursery. These beautiful mint shoes, again from Joyfolie. I love the idea of mint in a baby’s girl room and these shoes really are beautiful. The fabric, the embellishment all so very dainty and I see would fit perfectly with my vision of what baby girl would look like.

Clearly mint is a reoccurring color and one I love for a girls nursery combined that with grays, blush pinks, corals, and steel blue. Yes its very uncommon for a nursery but the combo is beyond pretty. Just look at this BEAUTIFUL collage… it’s exactly what I envision for my nursery palette.

I’ve repeated it over and over that I’m not a baby theme lover. Theme as in classic baby themes : butterflies, animals, Disney Characters etc. So creating something unique, not too theme-ish will be quite the challenge, but I love when 1 thing sparks a waterfall of ideas. (I’m still waiting for that to happen) but I’m sure it will … soon.

Have you ever designed a room (nursery or other) using inspiration in an unexpected place?

[ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

I gave her a list of the furniture we already had ( the bed and the dresser) and explained that I wanted something that would grow well with him (meaning not to theme-ish) This is what she came up with.

She told me she would leave the bed as is, but paint the dresser a cream color which is what we did. (Well we technically painted the dresser an Ikea off white) At the time, Mavrick’s room was staying where it is now… but since then I got pregnant, we are moving in the basement and we are splitting Mavrick’s room into a room / playroom.

We have a gray shaggy rug and gray bed linens, but other than that we don’t have much to work with. I love the idea of adding other wood type elements in the room so that the bed doesn’t feel “out of place”  but I’m afraid with the playroom area it will all look like missmash. The hubs wants to add some superman theme of some sort and I am fighting with my very last ounce of breath to make him understand that it won’t happen. I told him the most he can have is this illustration in a wood frame…. and MAYBE a Cars stuffed car. (maybe Mater to match the “wood”)

I want to do something cool, maybe a mural or something that will make the space a WOW factor. But I have no idea where to start. Have you seen some great roomspiration ? Or some unique ideas I should consider?

I cheated and decided to start just a few days before the new years. So right after Christmas, I wanted to take advantage of the boxing day sales (our Canadian version of Black Friday) and seeing I have the hardest time to find boots, (been searching for 3 years) I didn’t think I would be successful. I decided to go into Sears (a store I rarely go in) and came across these beauties!!! (which were 40% off!!!) I was beyond excited that they actually fit my calves and even had room for my jeans!!! SCORE!!! Originally 99,99$ marked down 79,99$ and 40% off that, they cost me 55$ taxes in!!!

Then for my January purchase, I came across this beautiful Chain Lock Bowler Bag in Ivory from Urban Oufitters. It was originally 69,99$, reduced to 49,99$ and I happened to have a 20% discount on top of that! So my bag ended up being 43% off!!! Sweet deal once again. I haven’t received the bag yet (awaiting anxiously) but based on the reviews this is a FAB bag!!!

Now, seeing I got a boots and a purse I have no choice but to buy a piece of clothing or an accessory. It might be a little tough seeing I’m 23 weeks pregnant, but I’m sure I can find universal pieces… or at least I hope so. What’s a must have in your wardrobe? Clearly I need a check list of essential clothing pieces.

[ images : 1 (me) | 2 ]

1. Homeowner’s/Renter’s Insurance
2. Auto Insurance
3. Health Insurance
4. Disability Insurance
5. Long-Term Care Insurance
6. Identity Theft Protection
7. Life Insurance