The most familiar symbol of the “Roaring Twenties” is probably the flapper: a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts, excessive makeup and jewellery, who drank, smoked and said “unladylike” things … and more sexually “free” than previous generations.
Some of the lovelies behind the Toronto Vintage Society
The fashions of the ’20s are one of my faves…but sadly extremely difficult to find in my size, and even harder to make look good on my body shape. The drop-waist isn’t something that I can pull off.
But I love me some fringe & feathers!!! So when I found this getup on sale at an online costume shop – it had to be mine! ❤
And there was finally a reason to wear it as Toronto Vintage Society hosted a Selfie Photo Booth at Palais Royale’s Winterlicous night of dinner and dancing!
I have to admit, this might be the most glamorous venue in Toronto!!! The Palais Royale Ballroom has been around for 92-years. This space is oh-so magical.
Winterlicious diners enjoying before the dancing begun.
Since I’m not the best with makeup application – I googled what a flapper in the 1920s would do and then tried to replicate it with what I had on hand. Here’s what I found and my results…
Volia! Me trying my hand at Gatsby makeup: base from PURMinerals, eyeshadows and blush from E.L.F., lipstick from MakeupForever, mascara fromYounique 3D Fiber Lashes (please ignore the hair curlers)
The best part of flapper wear…is all the accessories!!!
T-strap shoes from Naturalizer; feather headband came with the dress; earrings from Necessities; pearls and bracelets picked up at Toronto Vintage Clothing Show
And…with all the pieces together – TAH-DAH!!!
I was pleasantly surprised how well my hair worked out. There was a sh*t-ton of hairspray to keep these waves in. And I’m happy to report that the doo lasted pretty much the whole night…including post-event libations in the wee hours of the AM…which is pretty impressive with my thin hair, blustery winter weather and Lindy Hopping all night. 🙂
Now that I had the hair, makeup and outfit all done…..it was time to dance my feet off to the music of Alex Pangman!
Swing dancing to Alex Pangman + an excuse to get dressed up in 1920s garb – what better way to end the work week!
The Toronto Vintage Society had a fabulous Selfie Photo Booth set up, complete with fabulous authentic props!!!
Here’s a selection of moments captured “TVS-Selfie-Photo-Booth” style:
Dapper swing dancers romancing me for the camera – Giddy Up! 😉
All the fabulous vintage props at the TVS Photo Booth….This fab pic of the Toronto Vintage Society gang – at our fab Selfie Photo Booth — tons more on Instagram #palaisroyaleballroom
For the past month and a bit I’ve been three NEW products in my facial care routine …
This Active Naturals line of AVEENO products feature an exclusive formula of Southernwood Extract with anti-oxidants and vitamins A,C, and E.AVEENO FRESH ESSENTIALS Nourishing Moisturizer SPF 30
Whenever I select a facial moisturizer I always make sure that it has an SPF baked into it … saving me one less thing to worry about. Happy to say this product protects from the sun’s harmful UVA & UVB rays. And the upright pump bottle doesn’t take up too much space in my already crowded ‘get-ready-station’ around my bathroom sink. 🙂
I have extremely dry skin in the winter, and while the lightweight daily moisturizer locks in existing moisture while adding extra hydration, I found that it wasn’t enough for my skin. By mid-day I would notice certain spots on my face appeared dry and chapped, particularly my cheeks and forehead, requiring additional application throughout the day. So this product might be a summertime ‘go-to”, rather than in winter. I’ve got my big Asian Adventure in a few weeks…definitely gonna be bringing this slim bottle along to protect my skin in the tropics. (I’ll let y’all know how that goes.)
AVEENO FRESH ESSENTIALS Daily Exfoliating Scrub
Typically, I only use a facial scrub product once a week. I was nervous to use a scrub product daily like this one. The exfoliates are super fine and gently sloughs off dead skin cells, leaving a light coconut scent upon your skin. This product is oil-free and hypoallergenic and super affordable at under $13 CAD.
I did find that using the scrub every day for the first two-weeks brought redness and caused me to break out a bit on my cheeks. Perhaps, that’s due to the scrub cleaning out all the pore-clogging impurities …leaving my pores more vulnerable to having crap fill them in again causing breakouts. But once my skin got used to this new routine, it did seem to make my skin smoother and fresher looking.
AVEENO FRESH ESSENTIALS Hydrating Night Cream
This was my favourite of the three products I used over the last month!
The night cream’s rich and creamy texture left my skin dewy and soft in the morning. My face looked refreshed and felt uber soft, smooth and renewed. It even showed improvements with the dark under eye circles I struggle with, and patches of dry skin on my forehead and cheeks! And at under $20 CAD for a jar — I love this night cream!!!
Overall, the Fresh Essentials AVEENO line of products are effective, smell wonderful and are affordable. I encourage you to try them out yourself and see if they work for you.
What’s your skin care in the winter? Anything special or additional you do to your regular facial care routine to combat against the winter elements? Share them with me in the comment section below.
With the New Year, my main mission for 2015 is a simple one: Getting and Staying Happy.
In order to achieve this lofty goal I applied a START-STOP-CONTINUE approach. Cooking is good for the mind, heart and soul. Especially when shared with others. And so I’ve decided to START cooking more – using recipes I’ve never tried before and sharing my culinary mis/adventures on the blog once a month.
I’ve even created a sub-menu on my homepage under REVIEWS for you – my readers – to find them easily…and hopefully try a few yourself all year 🙂
JANUARY’s recipe: Banana Pecan Mini Muffins
Note: In an effort to share my baking with friends – I took a simple Banana Loaf recipe and poured it into mini-muffin pans instead. Which means my ‘muffins’ aren’t super sweet. FYI.
The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe – i.e. black ones. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.
Ingredients (approx. 4 dozen mini muffins):
2-3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar (can easily use 3/4 cup, or drop it down to 1/2 cup if you want it less sweet)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of pecan pieces
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and spray butter a mini muffin pan OR use muffin papers like I did.
STEP 2: Mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth. STEP 3: Stir in melted butter, baking soda, salt, sugar, egg, pecans, vanilla extract, and flour. There’s no need for a mixer for this recipe! And to make clean-up is easy too – mix everything in one bowl … like me 🙂
STEP 4: Pour the batter into your prepared mini-muffin tins OR into your mini papers on a cookie sheet – like me 🙂 Now…these ones may not keep a ‘proper muffin shape’ …but they’ll be just a delicious.STEP 5: Bake for 15-mins at 350°F (175°C), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Remove the banana bread from the pan.
STEP 6: Get them ready to share with friends … caring means sharing … and sharing means calories don’t count 😉 WIN:WIN
“Cooking is good for the soul”… I’m sure you’ve heard that before.
I have to say, I’ve forgotten how much fun cooking/baking can be. My confidence in the kitchen is slowly building up and it is pretty satisfying seeing the results of these (so far mostly) delicious experiments. This is why I’m determine to continue showcasing one monthly recipe, complete with step-by-step pictures, here on the blog …as it seems to be in the right direction of getting and keeping me happy! 🙂
What do you think of this recipe? Do you think you’d give it a try yourself? How would you improve or change it for the better? Tell me your thoughts in the comments section below.
In an effort to keep my 2015 promise to myself to Shop Less, and Travel More … I’ve taken the bulk of March off work to explore South-East Asia.
In my last post, I reviewed the 5 essential things to know before you go ….the importance of planning BEFORE a big trip. I’m happy to report that I’ve been able to book all my flights, determine a budget for the overall trip, topped up my travel insurance, and have made an appointment for all necessary vaccinations with a travel clinic for early next week (giving me plenty of time to begin any early doses of meds, if required). I’m feeling pretty accomplished friends. 🙂
Now, the big question remains … WHERE the heck am I going?
The Huffington Post recently put out an article entitled: The Top 50 Cities To See In Your Lifetime. I’m sad to report that I’ve only been to 8 out of these 50 cities so far. Buuuuuut…come March 2015, I’ll be able to check off #26 from this list!
DESTINATION #1: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
This is the capital and most populous city in Malaysia. The main religion there is Islam, with significant Buddhist, Hindu and Christian minorities. With tropical super-summer-heat weather from March through to July. I’ve gotta keep both of these elements in mind when coming up with outfit choices.
Sadly, there won’t be any major festivals being celebrated while I’m there. This is the first destination of this trip as I’m meeting a gf of mine who currently lives there. Once I’ve recovered from the 29-hour flight there (yup…29-hours of solo travel – two stopovers – ew! That’s what you get when you book big travel on points friends.) After taking a few days to adjust to the time difference, she and I will head off together to ………….
DESTINATION #2: Boracay, Philippines
Boracay Island
This is a small and most famous island in the Philippines – known for its beautiful beaches, and pricey resorts, with a major party scene. Woot! Woot! We’ve decided to book a more modest hotel for the bulk of our stay here, but do a two-day splurge-o at a fancy spot before we depart.
Thinking I might even don my very first bikini on this beach …let’s see if my online order arrives on time…and if my body confidence is at an all time high by then. The main religion here is Roman Catholic, so I’ll fit right in – catholic guilt and all 😉
DESTINATION #3: Hội An, Vietnam
Hội An
Our last trip will be to this historic Old City in Vietnam, with a unique mix of Japanese, Vietnamese, and European influences. Turns out, there’s a community of swing dancers out here and they are hosting a dancing weekend while I’m there!!!
VLX – Vietnam Lindy Exchange, is a fun weekend of Swing dance exchange hosted by Saigon Swing Cats annually since 2009 in different towns in Vietnam. (Mui Ne, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Saigon).
2015 VLX – Swing Dancers Nationality
Apparently for the first time in the history of the VLX, this year, the Vietnamese represent less than 10% of the dancers. We have signed ourselves up for the full weekend – which means we don’t have to do much research for hotels – yay! I’m also determined to find a fab tailor to make me some custom threads too while we’re in Vietnam, I just hope there’s enough time.
There you have it folks – high level overview of where and what I’m planning on doing in South-East Asia. Weeeeeee! Writing this post has been super helpful – It’s really REAL now and I’m getting excited.
Full Disclosure: I’m freaking out!!!
This will be the first time I’m flying completely solo — I’m a nervous flyer in general, and these multiple connections I’ve gotta do alone is making me very anxious. Plus, don’t the airplanes of Malaysia have a recent history of disappearing all together!?!?!? 😮
Packing right is going to be incredibly important. With all my many flights and connections, I’ve decided NOT to check any luggage. Which means, I’ve gotta come up with 22 days worth of outfits that are cultural respectful, yet summertime comfortable that fits into 1 piece of carry-on only … yikes!
That’s gonna be challenging. Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll cover just that friends. Dun dun dunnnnnnn…
What are the MUST pack vs. Nice-to-pack items that YOU’D recommend I take along with me for this upcoming adventure friends? Would love your packing tips and thoughts and tricks — leave them in the comments below.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the stuff! I’m just not very skilled at the application part. And so, I limit myself to press powder, a bit of blush, lippy, eyeliner and mascara. I’m a simple gal 😉
I’ve always wanted to try those fake, fun, lashes….but the truth is the idea of GLUEING something directly to my lash-line kinda freaks me out!
It’s a natural product that enhances the length of your lashes and gets applied like a mascara.
To really SEE the magic of this product — I’ve taken a ton of before vs. after shots to really see the difference.
WARNING: Extreme close up pictures of my eyeballs throughout this post friends – stand back!!!!
My natural eye lashes are a pretty decent length, however they’re not very thick and full as I’d like them to be. The photos below are without makeup so you can see what I was working with:
The 3D Fiber Lashes involves applying a Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers to help create the appearance of incredible thickness and volume to your existing lashes.
The instructions for application are simple…..and are as follows:
To prepare your eyelashes for optimal results, first apply one thin coat of your own regular favorite mascara and let it dry. Then, apply Moodstruck Transplanting Gel to your lashes.
Immediately following, and while the gel is still wet, apply the Moodstruck Natural Fibers.
Reapply the Transplanting Gel a second time to secure the natural fibers onto your lashes.
That’s it! And Volia ~ Super Duper thick full lashes:
Look at how the fibers fill and lengthen the look of my lashes Left eye: Younique Fibers vs. Right eye: regular mascara
I applied and wore these 3D Fiber Lashes for all-day wear this past weekend — I dunno about y’all, but my eyes always tear up in the cold winter air. I’m happy to report that these lashes remained perfect all day as these fibers are water-resistant. (FYI … I only applied the 3D Fibers to my upper lashes, not my lower lashes.)
Plus, they didn’t feel heavy along my lash line when I blinked, like false-glued-on-lashes would I imagine. Applying the product was super easy too, and you can see the immediate results: 300% increase in thickness and volume of my lashes, while still looking real and natural.
The one tip, or tool, that I wish I had during the application process was a lash comb to help separate the lashes and eliminate the clumps that may form when applying the fibers to the transplanting gel.
The ingredients of the natural fibres are 100% natural green tea. And the transplanting gel is a base of water, beeswax and iron oxide (i.e. the black colouring). The recommend shelf-life is 3-months if you use it everyday, and up to 4-5 months for occasional wearers as long as the tubes are capped tightly.
To remove, I simply followed my regular face washing regiem – using my Aveeno Fresh Essentials Daily Exfoliating Scrub that I’ve been using this month (stay tuned for the that product review at the end of the month friends). These fibers are water-resistant … but easily wash off with warm water and facial cleanser at the end of the day.
The Younique’s Moonstruck 3D Fiber Lashes costs $35 CAD – and you can order it by clicking the link or by emailing Independent Sales Rep, Josselyn Parra directly. Be sure to tell her Irene and PPMeow! sent ya…and she’ll take good care of you 🙂
I’ve included a demo video below, in case you wanna see the application process before trying it yourself.
Cheers to YOU and your new thick & full lashes ladies! Enjoy!
Here we are….the last day of 2014! And thus concludes my first year of blogging! Yay!!! 🙂
Thank you for reading, following and commenting. If you’ve got feedback or ideas you’d like me to explore/review in the new year … let me know in the comment section and I’ll do my very best to tackle them as blogposts in the New Year!
There have been 170 blogposts, not bad for the first year! I only really got the hang of publishing and alerting various social media channels towards the later part of the year, so I thought I’d pick out a few of my favourite posts that were maybe missed, or hidden by Facebook at the time.
Go Canada Go! The biggest news worthy thing I remember happening in 2014 is Team Canada winning gold, beating Sweden 3-0 in men’s Olympic hockey! Canada dominated moving into the finals! And at 6am on this Sunday in February bars everywhere opened their doors to die-hard Canadians who support our athletes by drinking beers and cheering at big screen TVs with complete strangers in unison. And to join the hoopla I dedicated an Outfit Of the Day to the win 🙂
Although I often write about fashion – What I Wore – I try to also focus on lifestyle too – What I Did while wearing it. Just as seeing someone who more resembles your body shape wearing an outfit you never thought to try yourself, I write about my adventures at trying something new in hopes that YOU might try it for yourself as well. There have been several specific LIFESTYLE posts around activities I’ve tried such as:
BollyFuze – Now What? a Bollywood dance based workout designed to get you up and moving! Each class runs an hour-long, blending together elements of Indian Classical, Modern Bollywood & Folk dance with main stream fitness techniques that gives you a full body workout. Best part – BollyFuze is designed for all levels, ages & abilities …and with the energetic beats of Bollywood you totally trick your body into getting fit with hip-shaking-fun!
Yoga I personally hadn’t practiced yoga in nearly two years before I found Studio Blue. I was super nervous to go back into the classroom with a bunch of wafer thin bun-headed girls, wearing nothing but LuLuLemon pants and sport bras that matched with zero sweat on their perfectly manicured eyebrows and likely full make-up faces (Why are People Afraid to Try Yoga?) But once I got over the initial ‘scare’ it yield a ton of benefits …. AND I even arranged for a PPMeow! $30 Pass EXCLUSIVE to YOU – my blog’s readers & followers 🙂
Swing Dancing I officially got bit by the swing fever bug at my first Rockabillie Concert… I signed up for classes the very next day. I’ve blogged about my very first swing lesson – describing myself as a hot mess. It was tricky at first, but week after week I felt more and more confident of the steps, felt myself improving and I couldn’t for class to learn the next big move. And now, honestly I dunno what I did without this fun dancing outlet in my life!!! There have been a number of different blogpost related to swing dancing … I love it so… simply type the words “swing dancing” into the search bar within the blog and you’ll find them all friends 😉
There have been a ton of outfit posts so I’ve created my first Flipagram to capture my faves ….it’s even set to my personal theme song:Golden by Jill Scott 🙂
Thank you again for reading, commenting, following and supporting Petite Plus, Meow! There are some exciting things in store for me and the blog in the upcoming months – as I’m declaring 2015 to be THE YEAR OF TRAVEL in my life. Stay tuned friends.
Wishing you a fantastic New Year’s Eve tonight, and may 2015 be our best year yet! xo
Ok…the holiday season is upon us and I’m sure you’ve got 101 places to be as invitations start filling up your calendar. I aim to write not only about What I Wore …. but rather What I Did while wearing it.
So get ready for a flurry of Holiday Happening posts from me throughout the month of December friends 🙂
One of the first invitations was to a Vintage Cookie Exchange!
If you’ve been following the blog, you know that there is a group of special friends in my life from all my involvement with the Toronto Vintage Society. Among them are the crafty, kitchy, artsy, put-Martha-Stewart-to-shame few who’ve really helped me expand and discover new skills I never knew I had. And this invitation was one of those moments of discovery!!!!
The Mission: Bake 8 dozen holiday inspired cookies to give away to the others who were coming to this shindig, plus a few to be plated, shared and enjoyed at the party.
Now, for a chick (moi) who doesn’t bake, my immediate thoughts were …. DUN DUN DUNNNNN…Run Away! Run Away! in a Monty Python spirited way.
But then I bought this amazing fanny midi skirt, which would be perfect for the get-to-gether …and so I decided I’d make an effort by trying my hand at baking! 😉
I picked up this lovely skirt from Tatyana Boutique’s newest location on West Queen West during their BOGO deal. Yup – Buy One, Get One FREE!!! Naturally I had to scoop up this midi in both colours: wine and green. Needless to say that these two skirts will be making multiple appearances over the holidays (stay tuned to the blog for that!) 🙂
Best part about these skirts: THE POCKETS!! Perfect for iPhone, cab fare and lip gloss … you know, the essentials!
In an effort to step my up holiday glam, I decided to wear festive accessories like my gold xmas bows set I picked up from Target a few years ago. Still kicking myself for not picking them up in the other metallic xmas colours they had at the time. Sigh…
How I Got The Look: Black n’ white polka dot 3/4 length top from Reitmans; Fanny midi skirt from Tatyana Boutique; Xmas bows accessory set from Target; and shoes were thrifted
Outfit Photo Credit: Val Soo
As for my baking effort and contribution … I’ve been told that peanut butter cookies are the easiest of all the cookies to make. And with the help of Pintrest, I found the following recipe and added my own holiday twist and TRIPLED it!
Ingredients (needed for approx 3doz cookies):
1/2 c. butter (unsalted is best, but salted works fine)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Un-wrapped Hershey Kisses, 1 for each cookie
I’ve even documented my efforts step-by-step for y’all 🙂
Step 1: In the bowl cream together butter, both sugars and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla. Step 2: Then combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mix to butter mix. Step 3: Refrigerate dough in bowl for 30 minutes.Step 4: While dough is in fridge, preheat oven to 375C, line your cookie sheets and unwrap all your Hershey’s Kisses. I went with Hugs instead…the swirls looked more ‘holiday-like’ 🙂Step 5: Form into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.Step 6: Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are just a little brown.Step 7: Discard all the burnt ones – lol. This was my very first batch…seems the recommended use of parchment paper was of critical importance. Sigh…Step 8: Remove from oven, and press a Kiss/Hug into each cookie. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move cookies to cooling racks (or plate).Step 9: Put a dozen of them into individual festive baggies to give away at your Vintage Holiday Cookie Exchange! I call these cookies: Christmas Hugs!!Step 10: Become Cookie Monsters with your cookie baking friends and eat as many as you can in a violently horrific manner!! #nomnomnom
This was my first cookie exchange ever – first time baking cookies ever, in fact. And with relatively little work and preparation I’m now am able to offer a variety of lovely baked goods to family & friends at upcoming holiday festivities and gifting. HAZZA! 🙂
Between all the shopping, parties, wrapping, decorating, and travel this time of year, most of us would put “more time” as the number one item on our holiday wish lists. So this year, why not kill two turtledoves with one stone by hosting a cookie exchange party?
The easiest way to make your Summer pieces more Fall/Winter appropriate isn’t to ditch them altogether, but to come up with new ways to wear them.
I picked up this dress from BIGDeal Toronto‘s pop-up sale.
I picked up this sheer, pleated, sleeveless dress from BIGDeal Toronto’s pop-up sale a few months ago, and was determined to transition it for Fall/Winter wear. (Click here for other ideas to transition summer into winter outfits.)
Transitioning this into a Fall/Winter outfit required hosiery and a sweater. I love the way adding tights to dresses and skirts easily give them a whole new look.
Personally, I think tights give my outfit a chic, sophisticated, lady-like look. Lucky for me Sonsee Woman sent me two packs of tights to review, which do just that! 🙂
Sonsee sizes come in Gorgeous (14-16), Flawless (18-20), Stunning (22-24) and Radiant (26-28).
Unlike shape-wear – Sonsee is both comfortable & smoothing with broad ranges in sizing, products and seasonal colours. I was sent “Shadow” – a solid grey colour shown in these pictures, and “Black” which I’m yet to wear (click here to see how I’d wear them).
I have to say, I’ve become ever dependent on buying cheap hose from the Dollarstore. Being petite (aka short) their ‘queen size’ seems to do the job, but these are only really good for one-time wear.
These Sonsee tights were such a nice change in terms of fabric quality, with a fabulous “sheer:thickness ratio”. Meaning I didn’t have to fear ripping them as I rolled them up my leg. They’ve got an anti-roll waistband which allows you to wear them high or low on the waist with comfort. And there’s extra reinforcement at the thighs for greater durability – and “Lighting & Thunder” – my loving nickname for MY thighs – really appreciate that! 😉
Since I wear a size 18 in clothes, I ordered my Sonsee tights in size Flawless (18-20). Being petite, this size was a bit too big on me. Next time I’d order a size smaller to avoid extra length and scrunching at my ankles, as you can see in the close up shots in the pics above.
To up the sophisticated vibe of this outfit, I added my navy statement necklace & earring set from LOFT and covered up my arms with a simple v-neck grey cardi from Old Navy.
You really do get what you pay for. These Sonsee hose transitions this Summer dress perfectly into sophisticated chic Winter wear, don’t you think?
What do you look for in your tights and hosiery products? Leave a comment and share your thoughts friends 🙂
FYI — Sonsee Woman offers FREE worldwide shipping – when you buy two or more pairs; enter coupon code: SONSEELOVE at checkout, just sayin’!
How I Got The Look: Shadow grey tights,Sonsee Woman; Grey & black maryjane shoes, Nine West; Tri-coloured pelted sheer-dress, BIGDeal Toronto pop-up sale; Grey cardi, Old Navy; Statement necklace and earrings set from LOFT.
With project deliverables and timelines being pushed back, October was the first time I’ve been able to schedule a vacation all year!
The biggest pain with travelling solo is the ‘single supplement fee” many vacation destinations and travel packages charge travellers simply because they’re travelling solo. I had no real plans to go away this year, but not taking any time off since last November was starting to take its toll on me.
Luckily, a gf of mine was also looking to get away for some R&R…and we were able to snag a fabulous Air Canada Vacation deal at a 4-stars ALL INCLUSIVE 7-night stay at a beautiful resort in Grenada! TripAdvisor scored it pretty well, the dates worked and the price was right!
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ve likely already seen a few of these pics…
Our 1st day in Grenada – complete with rainbows, drinks, sand & sunset!
The last few years of trips and travel have been more bucket-list-adventure focused (click here to see what I mean).
For this trip, I truly was a beach bum! There was a lot of lounging around the pool, drink in hand, reading my book while falling in & out of naps in the sun. To be honest friends, there weren’t too many outfit pictures taken on this week away. It was a SOLID rest and relaxation for the first time in a long time (vacation-wise).
Having said all that, this blogpost will be focus more on ‘What I Did”, rather than “What I Wore”.
Here we go….
Packing for the Trip
Seems that whenever I travel, somehow a pair of sunglasses goes missing. No matter what. So, I’ve gotten into the routine of buying a few ‘cheapy vacation pairs’ to combat my forgetfulness.
I picked up these three below: Heart shaped polka-dots from Clare’s Accessories ($5) and the other two from Forever21 ($7 each)
Packing outfits for this trip was pretty simple: I just looked back to the blog to see what Summertime looks I rocked and shoved those items into my suitcase. I’ve linked each image below with their respective blogpost if you’re curious about the specific outfit deets 😉
Grenada is an island country consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Known as the Spice Isle for the nutmeg and cinnamon, clove, ginger, vanilla, lemongrass, bay leaf, thyme, and turmeric that grow so abundantly here, Grenada is a wonderfully green peaceful place, that feels off the beaten tourist track. Which totally works for me!
The Vacation Package (Flight + Hotel)
As I said above, we found a last-min deal with Air Canada Vacation — advertised as a 4-star resort in Grenada: Grenadian by Rex Resorts.
Let me start by asking … when YOU hear 4-stars, what do you expect out of an ALL INCLUSIVE resort?
The ‘Garden View’ Rooms weren’t anything special. They were clean and the view really wasn’t a garden so much as it was a hilly batch of grass. But who cares about that stuff. My biggest disappointment was the fact that the bathroom was teeny-tiny and did not have a tub. Now, I realize that a tub isn’t essential….however the standup shower was soooo small that if you were to drop the soap, your bare ass would be completely out of the shower! Shaving ones legs all week in there was not easy friends.
Seriously!? 4-stars and I have to ASK for a four-piece bathroom – really? Just saying’…
This was the width of the shower. Zero place to put your toiletries, soap, shampoo, etc. It was Ridiculous!The width of this shower … it was tight. 4-stars…I think NOT!
Outside of that bathroom disappointment, there weren’t any a la cart restaurants voucher included with our stay. The single restaurant on the resort grounds would give us a $40 credit, which didn’t mean much as each entrée started at the $80+ mark.
Lucky for us the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinners were delicious! Super flavourful and authentic, which I appreciated. Hate it when resorts make their foods more “tourist friendly”.
The grounds of the resort were beautiful. There was only one pool, but since it was a off-season, there weren’t too many people there in general, and even fewer children. There seemed to be a lot of travellers from the UK there, but mostly honeymooning couples or retirees with tons of vacay time (upwards of 5-weeks). We did meet and hang with three Brit dudes that week – let’s call them Alvin, Simon and Theodore. And by mid-week there was an invasion of Caribbean Tennis Pros who happened to be conference at our resort. So there were plenty of friends to be made for drinking and dining with, all week-long 🙂
Things To Do in Grenada:
Coincidentally, earlier in the month I met a light-eyed, broad, tall, handsome stranger at a networking event who happened to be from Grenada. My immediate thoughts were…”If THAT’S how they grow their men in that country, then I need to get to there!’ 😉
He shared the following list of things I HAD to do while visiting (those listed in blue consider them completed off the list):
Eat Oil Down – traditional dish of Grenada, its delicious!
Try to visit Cariacou (one of Grenada’s sister Islands, the other is Petite Martinique). I believe there is a ferry service daily
Fort Fredrick (and old Fort built by the French in the 1790s i believe). One of the best views on the island!
Concord Falls
BEACHES – Grand Anse (Grenada’s “top” beach), BBC (nice and secluded. this is my favourite), Bathway (stay within the retaining wall area, the sea is very rough but manageable as long as you stay within that area), Levera (very rough water where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic. Also where the Leatherback Turtles come to lay their eggs. you might just want to take a walk along that beach if you’re not a strong swimmer. Bathway is around the corner, so you can always take a dip there), Pink Gin Beach (pinkish colour sand),Magazine Beach(I think my hotel was on might this beach)
River Antoine Distillery (organic white rum, Full Strength!! lol)
Sulphur Springs (great mud bath, close to Levera and Bathway)
Fish Friday in Gouyave
Things I DID in Grenada:
Great beaches, excellent Caribbean food and wonderful people. I’m told there is really good scuba diving (I’m a non-swimmer, but an excellent wader! I did manage to convince one of the wait staff to procure a noodle just for me to use ALL week for both the pool & beach. Seems I’m an excellent sweet-talker … especially in my bathing suit 😉
Leapers Cliff
Concord Falls
Check out this Jumper!! I tried capturing his jump shot-by-shot until the SPLASH!
Nutmeg Processing Plant
Crater Lake
Rum Factory
River Antoine Distillery (organic white rum, Full Strength!!) One of the last places if not the last, that uses a water wheel in the distilling process, a system that goes back to the 1700’s and I believe the wheel they have running there is the original one from that time.
Fish Friday
Fish Friday in Gouyave – a weekly street party with lots of FRESH fish and seafood cooked up in a variety of ways plus music and other entertainment.
And one morning I even woke up bright and early for Bird Watching (yup…you heard me right).
I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it too. 🙂
Things I BOUGHT in Grenada
I did very little shopping while I was there. I did bring back with me bars of Grenada’s finest dark chocolate from both Jouvay and The Grenada Chocolate Company. AND a bottle of the fantastic West Indian hot sauce. As you can see I’ve used much of it already since being home. I’m a fan – the spicier the better 😉
Oh! And I bought a bottle of Rum Punch from the factory too…no pictures of that…. **hiccup**
There it is … my 2014 vacay summary recap. With Winter weather upon us, some of you may be looking for a sunny vacation destination to get away to. Having read my post, would Grenada be on your shortlist?
SWING OUT TO VICTORY! is an annual dinner-dance held at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. You don’t need to be a dancer! There are tons who come out just go to absorb the experience in a great museum setting with people dressed in their vintage finery.
The superb Toronto All-Star Big Band performed nostalgic tunes from the 1930s and 40s all night underneath the famous Avro Lancaster (last in Canada) – the main focus of the event.
This was going to be my first ‘away’ dance … and I was excited to get all decked out in ALL of my 1940s gear!
Finding vintage plus-sized pieces hasn’t been too easy. But I did have some luck at this Spring’s Toronto Vintage Clothing Show, where I picked up this floral belted day-dress, along with these new-vintage (i.e. never been worn) Celebrity bow-tie heels. The white gloves are from 69Vintage, and the purse was a vintage gift (thanks JJ!). The only non-vintage piece was my fascinator, which I picked up from the Your Big Sisters Closet.
In an effort to make this dress more ‘1940s evening appropriate’ … I was on the hunt for a fur stole. Lucky for me, my vintage loving friends (thanks Erin & Joy) discovered that The Public Butter (a vintage shop on WQW) had a ton of them for sale!
I picked up this beautiful mink fur with a patterned, in perfect condition, lining for only $40!
The beautiful vintage mink fur stole I picked up – in mint condition from The Public Butter, $40!
The hair is always my biggest challenge. Liz, of The Vintage Inn, gave me a great easy tip and I was able to create this vintage back-roll…which held up pretty well all night!
A gaggle of us carpooled our way just outside of Hamilton, in our 40s finest …. stopping to have dinner at Swiss Chalet, we be Klassly like dat….yup – classy with a ‘k’. And then we were off to dance among the planes with uniformed men 🙂
Lovely 1940s fashions, airplanes and furs with some fabulous ladies! Special thanks to Erin for bringing along her camera to capture some of these fab snaps!A little sweaty faced after all the dancing
At some point in the middle of the fantastic night, a delightful lady handed me a card and said I was her choice for “Best Dressed” of the evening…and would be called up on stage for the competition! Woot! Woot!
Geez…check out my Best Dress competition – 7 ft tall goddess with perfect pin-up hair…Best Dress Contestants were me, 7ft pin-up goddess and Winston Churchill
2nd prize winner of a giant basket of goodies for the Best Dressed Contest!Moi – a la 1940s. Photo credit: Shermette … click the link to see her blogpost recap on this event.
Is there a panda behind my head? “I always feel like somebody’s watching me”….Toronto Vintage Society ladies totally ambushed this uniformed crewmen into this shot. He doesn’t seem to mind too much though 🙂
Dancing to the always magically big band music of Toronto All Star Big Band, surrounded by the planes at The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, among veterans and friends dressed in vintage finery and WINNING 2nd place in the best dressed contest ….. what a fantastic night!!! Can’t wait for next year! 🙂
I have to admit, this might be the most glamorous venue in Toronto!!! The Palais Royale Ballroom has been around for 92-years. This space is oh-so magical.
I was pleasantly surprised how well my hair worked out. There was a sh*t-ton of hairspray to keep these waves in. And I’m happy to report that the doo lasted pretty much the whole night…including post-event libations in the wee hours of the AM…which is pretty impressive with my thin hair, blustery winter weather and Lindy Hopping all night. 🙂
Now that I had the hair, makeup and outfit all done…..it was time to dance my feet off to the music of Alex Pangman!
AVEENO FRESH ESSENTIALS Nourishing Moisturizer SPF 30
I have extremely dry skin in the winter, and while the lightweight daily moisturizer locks in existing moisture while adding extra hydration, I found that it wasn’t enough for my skin. By mid-day I would notice certain spots on my face appeared dry and chapped, particularly my cheeks and forehead, requiring additional application throughout the day. So this product might be a summertime ‘go-to”, rather than in winter. I’ve got my 
To be honest friends, there weren’t too many outfit pictures taken on this week away. It was a SOLID rest and relaxation for the first time in a long time (vacation-wise).
The grounds of the resort were beautiful. There was only one pool, but since it was a off-season, there weren’t too many people there in general, and even fewer children. There seemed to be a lot of travellers from the UK there, but mostly honeymooning couples or retirees with tons of vacay time (upwards of 5-weeks). We did meet and hang with three Brit dudes that week – let’s call them Alvin, Simon and Theodore. And by mid-week there was an invasion of Caribbean Tennis Pros who happened to be conference at our resort. So there were plenty of friends to be made for drinking and dining with, all week-long 🙂
PPMeow! 
