[ someone's having a birthday! ]

HAPPY birthday to my guy today! Still as cute as ever ;)

lisa

[ indulgences ]

SO I've been pretty good lately when it comes to limiting lots of sweets and goodies. Of course I still cheat but as a whole, I'm doing pretty well. That is, until I heard about these bad boys with the funny name…

…and now I'm slightly addicted. Drat! Have you heard of them? I hadn't but some Dutch expats were raving about them here so of course curiosity got the best of me and I looked for them in the grocery store. Big mistake. And just like potato chips, you can't eat just one. They may only have 60 calories per cookie but they've got 3g of sugar which is what I've been trying to avoid.

What's your latest indulgence?

lisa

[ my day so far ]

OK, REMEMBER when I was going on and on about missing fall? Well, for today, I take that back.

I decided to enjoy a lovely leisurely breakfast today on the terrace of my favourite place, Paul. The view overlooking the Burj Khalifa was beautiful...

After 6 months of sizzling heat, this is finally possible!

And check out this continental breakfast ~ baguette with jams, apricot pastry, latte and fresh squeezed oj....mmm carbs!

And how did I top off that wonderful breakfast experience? A bit of shopping of course!

I found these super comfy suede flats and decided to treat myself. After 4 years in rainy Ireland and not being able to wear suede, I can finally wear them without ruining them in the rain!

I love the neutral stone shade that will go with everything and the soles that are like running shoes.

How's your day panning out so far?

lisa

[ project life ]

SO, unless you've been living under a rock {like I was for the past couple of years}, you've probably heard all about Project Life ~ Becky Higgins' answer to photo albums/scrapbooking/journalling for all of us who are pressed for time or simply lazy...

I've never been a scrapbooker and having lived here in Dubai and Ireland prior to that with limited access to fun supplies and goodies, I hadn't heard of this quite brilliant system for documenting life. Thanks to Pinterest {are you as addicted as I am?}, it opened my eyes to how wonderful it is to document all the things going on in everyday life and how easy it is to make a pretty album by just sliding everything into pocket pages.

Even though I have this blog, which has been an excellent place to make note of everything for the past almost 4 years, I thought it would still be nice to have something to flip through, especially to remember our years as expats.

Becky's system includes binders, photo pocket pages and pretty insert cards...

The preprinted cards can be used to write in some journalling notes or just pop in some of the patterned ones to fill in empty spots. It's designed for weekly documenting which I find to be too much, especially since I'm working my way backwards. 

I decided to create a spread for each month instead, sometimes only one page for a month depending on what I actually had going on. Thanks to iPhoto, my pics are all organized by date so that definitely makes things easier. It's a lot of work going back and sorting through pics, organizing and printing them out but I'm slowly making progress. I bought a couple of different pocket pages but didn't bother with her preprinted insert cards ~ Pinterest has tons of downloadable freebies and I created many of my own. It's turning into a hybrid of text added in Photoshop and handwritten notes and some pasting which is making it interesting. 

Here are some cute examples from Pinterest of completed pages...

As you can see, the options are endless ~ you can make things as simple or as layered as you'd like. I may share a couple of my completed pages once I get them done and my journalling notes added in {it may be a while}. So that's what's been eating up my time.

Have you embraced Project Life?

lisa

[ the aran sweater ]

MY GUY just returned from a business trip to Ireland and brought me back this lovely Aran sweater made from soft 100% merino wool...

so that I can look as cute as this {note the denim shirt underneath}...

It's funny because we lived there for 4 years and I never bought myself one!

Aran sweaters ~ aka fisherman sweaters {or jumpers as they're referred to in Ireland} have been around since the 19th century and originated on the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland at the mouth of Galway Bay. Originally they were handknit by the wives of fisherman from undyed, unscoured wool which retained its natural lanolin oil and made them water resistant. 

The sweaters are distinguished by their complex stitch patterns and each have a significance: the cable is said to be a wish for safety and good luck when fishing, the honeycomb is the symbol of the hard-working bee, the basket stitch represents the hope for a plentiful catch, and the diamond a wish of success, wealth and treasure.

Eventually island women began producing these sweaters not just for their families but as a source of income.

These sweaters have seen a resurgence in popularity and have become a fashion must this year, a true wardrobe classic.

The Aran Sweater Market since 1892 on Inis Mor, the largest of the 

three Aran Islands

Looking for a genuine Aran sweater but no plans to be in Ireland anytime soon? Try the Aran Sweater Market online shop!

Of course you can always try to find an imitation at places like LLBean, JCrew, Brooks Brothers, ASOS.com. etc. Either way, you'll still look fashionable...

How about you? Do you own an Aran sweater? Will you be adding one to your fall/winter wardrobe this year?

lisa

[via aransweatermarket; LLBean; models.com; nichollvincent.blogspot; lolobu.com; chictopia.com; stylezen.net; swandiamondrose.tumblr; michaelkors; dailycrush.net; trendymadness.blogspot]

[ updates and such ]

I THOUGHT I'd post some little updates as to what's been going on around here.

1} Remember that gorgeous Pottery Barn jug I scored for $25 on clearance {see post here}? Well, I couldn't help but go back and pick up a couple more! Check out the deals I got on these babies...

Of course my guy just rolled his eyes ~ I know, these things do have to ship from Dubai at some point. But I love them grouped together with my vintage little bottle collection. I think the three big ones will look fab on a big dining room table someday with a few cherry blossom branches.

2} Remember the post about unknowingly wearing mom jeans {see post here}? Well, after being absolutely horrified at what my butt might be looking like in the jeans I had {and believe me, once I tried them on, a couple pairs did get shuffled into the emergency wear only pile}, I went on a hunt for a new pair...

Keeping in mind the importance of pocket size and placement, I found these Red Herring jeans at Debenhams for only $38! {which was great since I really wasn't too keen on spending on designer jeans}. Thank goodness for fitting rooms with three-way mirrors!

3} Remember how I mentioned meeting up for coffee with a fellow blogger who just moved to Dubai? Well, I'm happy to report that she's settling in nicely and we've been able to meet up for a couple of breakfast dates...

4} I'm still reading Casual Vacancy and am only about 1/3 of the way through so far. It is definitely not an uplifting book so far and it does touch on some pretty disturbing topics and human behaviour. But having not read Harry Potter, I'm not comparing it in any way to her other writing so I think that might be a good thing since most reviews can't help but make the comparison. It's definitely not a book for kids, even though teenage characters play a big role. I'll keep you posted.

5} Remember my post about the popularity of brogues {see post here}? Well, I finally found some after quite a long search here in Dubai. These lovely leather ones I picked up at Topshop...

So that's about it in terms of updates!

One thing I'm loving right now is Adele's new song Skyfall for the upcoming James Bond 007 movie...

Have you heard it? I think it's classic 007 and her voice is so perfect for it. I just wish they'd bring back Pierce Brosnan as Bond.

We're still waiting for the weather to turn here in Dubai to something cool enough to get outside for some fresh air. Temps are still 100F (38C) and humid but I'm hoping within a few weeks we'll start seeing them drop a bit. 

I'm really missing my gorgeous autumn Muskoka river view...

I hope to someday have something equally as beautiful.

Happy weekend everyone!

lisa

[ the denim shirt ]

WHETHER you call it a denim shirt, a jean shirt or a chambray shirt, it's pretty much everywhere right now. I remember having one back in the early 90s {along with my overalls} and haven't thought much about them since. But I've been seeing more and more of them in mags and in the shops and they are proving to be a very versatile item...

as a simple shirt with skinnies or pants...

paired with a pretty skirt or dress...

or layered under sweaters and jackets...

and don't be afraid to bling it out...

So whether you are cleaning out the barn or going out for a chic dinner with friends, the denim shirt will take you there! 

I decided to add one to my wardrobe and found this light washed one from Tommy Hilfiger...

I think the light version is the most versatile for me here in Dubai ~ nothing too heavy for our hot climate. So are you adding a denim shirt to your wardrobe this season?

lisa

[via allforfashiondesign.com; fashforfashion; pinterest; leblogdemok.blogspot; breakfastatfaymes.tumblr; prepfection.tumblr; fashion-district.org; theberry.com; atlantic-pacific.blogspot; typemystyle.com; meggielynn.tumblr; fashion.teenvogue.com; unitedcolorsofbenetton;  fashiondivadesign.com; closetcravings.com; allforfashion.com; fashiondivadesign.com; stylemeetsy.blogspot; jaimen.tumblr; pinterest; pinterest; heartfeltconfessions.com; swankanddapper.com]