cosy bedroom vibes with parabo press

Ohhh baby, fall is finally here. Not sure about where you live, but here in Toronto September-October is this kinda awkward time where none of us know if it's going to be hot af or starting to get chilly. We had some really random hot days in October that served no purpose other than to truly confuse the heck out of all of us!

But, it seems as though fall is finally here, in fact the last few days have really been quite chilly. I'm talkin' time to wear slippers inside and put extra blankets on the bed kinda chilly.

We're getting our home ready for hygge season and that means little new additions and ways to switch it up and make sure we're even cosier than ever before.

Pete and I were trying to decide what to put above our bed. We knew we needed some sort of print or photo but couldn't decide. After looking through some photos of last years trip to Joshua Tree we realized that was the *exact* print that would be perfect for our above our bed (so we can dream about Joshua Tree every night, obviiiiii)

As soon as we decided on the photo to get printed, I hit up my favourite place to print beautiful photos - Parabo Press! What a dream. And since I am such a visual, crafty, kitschy kind of gal I still absolutely love to get actual prints made. Nowadays it's so tough to even find a place that prints photos, and this is a way to not only do that, but do it from your own home (while in your jammies!)

I'm always beyond excited to receive my prints from Parabo and this was no different. The packaging is beautiful and so unique and the quality of the photos are top notch. This print turned out perfectly and it was just what our room needed. 

If you've been saying forever that you want to get some prints done, then let's make it happen! You can use my code HEYXO for 25% off your prints // offer valid until October 31st!

HAPPY PRINTING, BABES!

celebrating two years of wedded bliss!

Two years ago today I married the love of my liiiiife.

I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was beyond excited to plan our wedding, and two years flew by just like that.

Thinking about our wedding day makes my heart want to explode. It was everything I could of hoped for. All of our favourite people were there. The colours were bright and sparkly and the confetti was everywhere (legit)

Our wedding photos turned out absolutely amazing thanks to the incredible Jessica Silva who legit made our dreams come true. Any excuse to share some of the love with y'all because there are honestly just so many amazing shots from the day!

I can't say much has change since getting married. I officially became a Whish which is still so exciting for me. Pete and I have been together for close to ten years so the idea of getting married was in no way stressful.

I don't have a recipe for a successful marriage but I will say this - Pete and I take time every single day to laugh, have fun and enjoy ourselves. We love to travel, to explore, to walk, to wander. We love spending time with friends and family. We love to make delicious meals, to eat meals out, to find new and awesome coffee places. We love decorating our little home, and we love to host. We are always planning our next celebration, event, weekend away, trip and so on.

Even though we do most things together, we've also always been the type of couple to do some things apart too, and we've always accepted that this is who we are. It's important to maintain friendships and a sense of independence and it's something I think we do so well.

Today, as I reflect in the best day of my life, I am so beyond thankful I found someone so perfect for me. Pete makes every day better, and more exciting. I am more in love with him than ever before and can't wait to see all the amazing things our future holds together!

filling your home with hygge!

Ok, so it seems as though fall is finalllllllllly here to stay (for the most part) and as a hygge enthusiast, I could not be more excited! ♥

If you haven't heard me talk about hygge before (first of all, where have you been?!) and also you can read a bit more here on my previous post. 

Also, here is a definition that I took from the Visit Denmark website.

"Hygge is as Danish as pork roast and it goes far in illuminating the Danish soul. In essence, hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Friends and family – that’s hygge too. There's nothing more hygge than sitting round a table, discussing the big and small things in life. Perhaps hygge explains why the Danes are some of the happiest people in the world?"

To me, hygge means being cosy with people I love. Being wrapped in a blanket, reading a book, putting on a warm pair of socks, watching snow slowly fall, lighting candles all around our house, laughing, drinking coffee, tea or a cup of hot chocolate. It means playing a board game, sitting outside when it's a bit chilly, having friends over for dinner and drinks, being snuggled up with my husband. It's about enjoying every moment you have, with everything you've got.

& since hygge season is in full effect come fall & winter, here are a few things to do to stock your home with that hygge kind of feeling:

- blankets

- sweaters

- books & magazines

- candles, all the candlessss

- flowers

- coffee & tea, hot chocolate (and let's say wine too!)

- a fire (if that's an option!)

- cosy jammies

- board games

- warm socks

We've got a busy week or two here but then things slow down a bit. & before we know it, Christmas will be here again (two months tomorrow!) So, I've got so many hyyge plans in the works!

the anatomy of a cool dresser (stylin' tips!)

♥ H E L L O    A U G U S T ♥ 

Ummm, can we just talk about the fact that July is some how over and Summer is going to be gone before we know it? I can't believe it. So much to do, and so little time. 

And yet again, here we are two weeks since my last post! (not horrible, but not ideal!) I am super excited to share this post today because it's totally my jam. 

Pete and I have been on the hunt of some things for our bedroom, because it's probably the one room that's not quite done yet in our house. We've been dreaming of a mid century modern dresser and we finally found the perfect one! This dreamy babe is the perfect addition to our room, and I could not wait to get my hands on it to style it and brand it "Pete & Jules"

I've always loved decor and styling things to make them look pretty. I often switch up the little shelves and areas in our home to freshen them up and display our favourite things. This dresser was a nice, big blank canvas for me!

You will get the idea as to my thought process behind this when you see the photo's, but here are some of my favourite things to use on a dresser or shelf to display them! books, candles, trays, picture frames, matches, cameras, plants, flowers, jewellery, dishes, knick knacks, vintage pieces, magazines,  plates, dried flowers etc. I always like to switch things up every few months, depending on the season too! Here is our first draft of our new dresser. I hope you enjoy! (PS- Hi Looch! Love you!)

before:

after:

baby love!

h  a  p  p  y    m  o  n  d  a  y! ♥

Today was a pretty gloomy, dreary Monday here in Toronto but didn't feel so bad. I had a great day! I'm absolutely loving my new job and it was another amazing day at work, and I also got to go to the Penguin Random House office for a Spring Book Launch

This past weekend was very eventful! I feel like we had the perfect mix of fun with family & friends, time together, and chill time (those are the best kinds of weekends) I hosted our monthly girls night at our house so that I could host a little surprise baby shower for my bestie. She's going to be having a baby boy in one month - so excited! 

I took some photo's of the little set up. It was a beautiful sunny day and as always, just perfect to hangout with my bestest friends and shower my #1 girl with love.

I've been to a lot of baby showers at this point and although this one was a bit different because it was so small and at home, I thought I'd share a few tips.

* Don't stick with just one colour! I mean even if you know the sex of the baby, it's still fun to put a spin on the colours to add a little spunk! Carly is having a boy so I chose light blue, mint green, white and yellow as the colours and thought it was nice and bright for Spring.

* Keep it simple! It seems like the evolution of the baby shower means you don't really play many games and the gifts get opened later on. It's nice to just spend time with everyone there, eat, chat and hang. We got to watch Carly open her gifts since there was only six of us, but when it's a larger group it is nice to take that out of the equation.

* Collect the cuteness! I'm one to stock up on cute napkins, plates, and decor as I see it. It's nice to have a mix of different decorations and ones you really love. Sometimes when I'm in search of something really specific I can't find it and wish I had stocked up when I saw it! Nothing worse than regretting not stocking up on cute stuff (lol)