Stash Acai Berry Tea

I never used to like herbal tea, but I've changed my ways and now drink it quite frequently. Do you drink herbal tea? I really like the Oregon based Stash brand and my new favorite is their Acai Berry, it is fruity without being overly sweet ... scrumptious! What is your favorite type of tea?

New shoes

Oh, Jeffrey Campbell. How you tempt me. There is a little shoe store in Westwood (Top Shoes - if you are local and you haven't been, you are missing out) that mysteriously stocks huge amounts of your shoes for less than half of what they are supposed to cost. Sometimes I wonder where they come from and if my purchases mean that I am participating in some sort of shoe mafia operation. I choose to believe in a shoe fairy instead, even if the owner is really more of a grumpy middle aged shoe titan. Sigh.

Last month I was forced to go inside (my bus was late, people, and the shoe store was RIGHT THERE) and I walked out 30 minutes later with a tower of shoe boxes. So now I am rocking these lovelies.

And these.

They just toe the line between awesome and absurd, don't you think? I couldn't decide if the bottom pair was too closely related to clown and/or bowling shoes, but I was smitten. And they are so, so comfy, so I was won over to the awesome side.

Other purchases were my standard summer sandal stock up - ruffly sandals you've been seeing in all my photos, metallic sandals, brown strappy sandals, each for just $15. Now I have no excuse for going back this year. I'm done.

happy birthday canada!

Even though I had to work all day, it did feel like a lovely mini weekend in the middle of the week. And I did celebrate by going out to dinner and dessert with my peeps {strawberry and chocolate crepes anyone?}.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to bake today, but here is a cake I made a few Canada Days ago, inspired by this recipe from Kraft. I think I've had dessert on the mind a lot lately, as my past few posts have featured cake or cupcakes!

Happy birthday Canada...this is truly a wonderful country to live in!

victorian house skater style

I think I've fallen in love - with a skater house! I saw this modernized Victorian house on Zinnia Boutique's blog (which I love by the way) and have followed their links to read further about it on the New York Times website. Oh my what an awesome house this is - I love everything about it. This is what happens when third generation skater kids (the real kind! not those who just want to sound cool) grow up to be 30, and become interior designers, like Claire Bigby, the owner of this home. I love how she's used black and white with pops of colour like blue and red. Now, I know I've had my beef with skaters (for all those who know me, you know what I'm talking about wink wink), but this sure is a beautiful manifestation of the style! {Pics 1,3,4,5,6 from New York Times. Pic 2 from Zinna's Boutique.}

The pay it forward love continues...

Jac sent me a pay it forward package, I finally got my act together and mailed my five packages out recently, and now Ashley is keeping it going. Head over to her blog if you want a chance to play and missed out the first time. You can also see what I sent her.

P.S. For those of you who loved Jac's wonderful little zipper pouch, she's opened up an Etsy shop! It's full of the most beautiful things, and I can tell you from experience that they will be as lovely in person as they are in her photographs. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Wouldn't you love to have this large one?

{image from Coco Sunday's Etsy shop}

Made Sweet

Adorable bridal shower game designed by Michelle from Made Sweet.

Walnut pesto

Overwhelmed by the state of our overgrown basil pot*, D whipped up some pesto the other night. We were out of pine nuts, but I mentioned that I'd seen recipes where people use walnuts. It worked beautifully.

Walnut pesto (adapted from The Silver Spoon, serves 4 - 6)

25 leaves of fresh basil (or a few large handfuls)
1/3 cup walnuts
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Romano cheese (D actually used a Parmesan romano blend)
3 cloves fresh garlic
Scant 1/2 cup olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

1. Toss everything except the olive oil and the salt in the food processor and blend until a paste forms.

2. Add olive oil in a slow stream. Taste before adding salt.

D sprinkled some chevre on top. Because everything is better with a bit of goat cheese.

*Basil really likes to be hacked down regularly. Don't be nervous - trim it all the way down to the last couple of leaves on the stalk. It will pop right back up.