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Fall, Fashion, Local Love, Lookbooks, Pantone, Vintage, Work Wear

AUTUMN 2018 LOOKBOOK

Fellow fashionistas, this one’s for you! My Autumn 2018 Lookbook has been months in the making and a concept I’ve wanted to produce for about a year here at JustineCelina — but I could simply never find the time with my previous publishing schedule. While I did take a break from posting during my Intermission due to computer issues, thankfully my camera wasn’t affected — and neither was my love of autumnal fashion. In fact, I’ve mentioned many times here over the years that fall is my absolute favourite time of year to get dressed (we started shooting autumn style content in August!). Well, this year I’ve compiled a massive 12 outfit LOOKBOOK featuring everything I’ve been wearing over the past couple of months in both personal and professional settings, sprinkled with an overview of seasonal trends, styling tips and of course, tons of shoppable links!

While this post is getting to you about a month later than I originally intended due the loss of my previous laptop and 4 months of edited, beautifully catalogued style content (that one still stings!), I really wanted to take the time to execute it true to my original vision. Moving forward (dependent on your feedback, of course!), I’d like to publish a Lookbook at the onset of each new season featuring multi-outfit style inspiration — and then break each look out into a subsequent, more detailed oriented post as well as incorporate them into some of my pre-existing series — TREND GUIDES, HOW TO STYLE and PATTERN PLAY (I’m also kicking off a new WORK WEAR series in 2019 — more on that in this post!). That way, you get an overview of everything I’m wearing and loving for the new season at a glance in the Lookbook and can come back for more inspiration or information if you’d like to learn more about one of the looks, prints or pieces. While this post took a considerable of research, organization and coordination to create, I’m extremely pleased with how my first seasonal Lookbook came together — and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed creating it! Due to the timing of publication, many of the items featured in the post are currently on sale for Black Friday / Cyber Monday, which I’ve also made note of (because you know I love a great deal!). Alright, enough housekeeping — let’s get to the FASHION, shall we?!

November 25, 2018 by Justine

Entertain, Fall, Giveaways, Local Love, Occasions, Wine & Cocktails

LATE HARVEST SPICED APPLE SANGRIA

I bet you thought I’d abandoned sangria for COCKTAILS, didn’t you? Although sangria was definitely my first love, as I’ve dived deeper into recipe development and mixology here at JustineCelina, my foray into cocktailing over the past 3.5 years was something I never would have predicted (I’m a huge wino and I thought I’d always prefer wine based libations to cocktails!). I’ve published just about every type of sangria recipe you can think of on these pages, incorporating red wine, white wine, rosé and prosecco — you’d think I’d have my bases covered by now, right? Nope. I’ve always wanted to create an autumnal sangria incorporating October’s beautiful BC apples and late harvest wine, but could never find the right spirit to bring it to life — that is, until now! Enter Eau Claire Distillery‘s newest limited edition offering, Apple Brandy. This seasonally inspired spirit is infused with orchard fresh Okanagan apples and the essence of warm French oak — and I knew it would be the perfect ingredient to elevate my Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria with handcrafted flair and character!

Just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving, I’m thrilled to bring you a fresh sangria recipe inspired by changing leaves, cozy knits, brisk autumn evenings and celebrating this beautiful life with family and friends! My Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria combines late harvest riesling with Eau Claire’s Apple Brandy, freshly pressed apple cider and ginger beer with a sweet and spicy trio of Okanagan apples, fresh ginger and cinnamon sticks to infuse this comforting, apple-centric sangria with autumnal warmth. In the spirit of the season to thank you for all your support this year, I’ve teamed up with Eau Claire Distillery, Calgary Farmer’s Market and Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival to create the Ultimate Local Foodie Giveaway — including a bottle of limited edition Apple Brandy, 50 Farmers Market Bucks so you can shop for everything you need to recreate this sangria at home while supporting our local farmers and attend Calgary’s premiere food and wine festival, on me (check out the bottom of this post for entry deets!). Wishing all of my Canadian friends the happiest of Thanksgivings — I’m so grateful for each and every one of you!

October 5, 2018 by Justine

Accessory Edit, Fall, Fashion, Local Love, Spring, Summer, Vintage

THE ACCESSORY EDIT | NATURAL MATERIAL BAGS

If you’ve been following along with my FASHION section (or Instagram feed) this summer, you may have seen this post coming! Over the past few years, I’ve accumulated quite the collection of natural material bags — we’re talking everything from raffia, to wood, to jute, to straw. In fact, I’ve fallen so in love with them that I was inspired to start a brand new series here at JustineCelina called THE ACCESSORY EDIT, where I dedicate an entire post to a standout accessory (or possibly accessories!) of the moment and how to style them, along with my best shopping tips, killer sale alerts and tons of shoppable links at every price point. The first post in this series is an ode to my love of natural material bags of all shapes, sizes, colours and ages!

Natural material bags are something I’ve worn since long before they were particularly on trend — in fact, I’ve owned some of my vintage straw bags for nearly a decade! I love organic looking, natural details and textures both in my wardrobe and in my home. Last summer, I decided to finally pull the trigger on the iconic Cult Gaia Large Ark Bamboo Handbag (a birthday splurge!) and it reignited my love for natural materials bags! Over the past year, natural material bags have been spotted everywhere — on the arms of your favourite bloggers, celebrities and fashionistas alike. Today I’m sharing my entire collection of natural material bags (that’s 19!) with you, along with all the different ways I’ve worn them, plus how I plan to style them up into AW18. If you, too, are a lover of natural materials, hang out with me while I spill the details on everything you wanted to know about the bags of the moment!

September 6, 2018 by Justine

Fall, Fashion, Jewelry, Local Love, Occasions, Sponsored, Summer, What to Wear to

WHAT TO WEAR TO | A HORSE RACE

Welcome back, friends and fashionistas! Today I’ve teamed up with Saks OFF 5TH to bring you a fresh post in my WHAT TO WEAR TO series dedicated to Horse Races — and to announce the Grand Opening of their second location at CF Market Mall! Saks OFF 5TH‘s newest Calgary location is open to the public on August 30th (that’s tomorrow!) and home to 800 designer brands for women, men and children. I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with them once again to create some new style content featuring my latest OFF 5TH finds!

Earlier this summer we had the pleasure of attending Packwood Grand and to be honest, the sartorial aspect of the race excited me much more than the main event! Longtime readers will know I love any excuse to dress up and dress well (which is part of the reason I created my WHAT TO WEAR TO series in the first place!), so I took this unique event as an opportunity to deep dive into horse race appropriate attire and put my own unique spin on the dress code! After hunting for the perfect gingham dress for what seemed like an eternity, low and behold, I found it on Saks OFF 5TH‘s Calvin Klein rack — at just over 50% off, ringing in at $74.99! I’ve always been a fan of gingham and although it’s very on trend at the moment, it’s also a timeless print that lends itself to more traditional occasions and settings. So, I styled my darling Calvin Klein Gingham Wrap Dress up for the races — and today, you’re coming along! If you’ve always wondered What to Wear to | A Horse Race, or are looking for a crash course on transitional prints and trends (at an incredible value!), Calgary’s newest Saks OFF 5TH location and I have you covered!

August 29, 2018 by Justine

Fashion, Gluten Free, Local Love, Paleo, Salads & Bowls, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

SUMMER BOUNTY SALAD WITH SASKATOON CIDER VINAIGRETTE

Welcome back for another seasonally inspired RECIPE, beautiful people! I’m currently typing to you from my impromptu outdoor office at my childhood home in rural Alberta on this gorgeous August afternoon. The bees are buzzing, the butterflies are fluttering and the sweet scents of summer crops are lingering on the country air — it’s the ideal setting to publish my Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette, don’t you think? If you’ve been reading JustineCelina since last summer you may remember the delicious, clean Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble I came up with after a friend let us forage their farm to take advantage of the plentiful crop. It was saskatoon overload (in the best way possible!) so I took the opportunity to work on a few more saskatoon themed recipes — but because of my intensive testing process I wasn’t able to publish them before the season ended. Excited to bring those recipes to the blog this summer, we headed south in search of fleeting saskatoons and canola — and we ended up finding a beautiful field of canola (annual photos coming soon!) with wild saskatoon bushes growing alongside it. Honestly, what are the chances?!

My Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette is inspired by the abundant seasonal produce and herbs available at our local markets (and in the wild!) at the height of summer! This colourful, local, ultra fresh salad can be on your table in 15 minutes and is brimming with incredible, heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich superfoods and nutrients. Straight from our Alberta farms to your table, a vitamin-infused bed of baby spinach and arugula showcases a striking mosaic of freshly picked saskatoon berries, garden peas, shredded golden beets, crisp radishes, fresh mint, sunflower seeds and scallions — dressed with a punchy Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette celebrating Alberta’s favorite berry. Enjoy this feel good salad as a light, plant based entrée whenever you’re in the mood for something quick and nutritious, or as a beautiful accompaniment to grilled fish (it’s great with with trout or salmon), meat or tofu!

August 8, 2018 by Justine

Beauty, Fashion, Local Love, Occasions, Summer, What to Wear to

WHAT TO WEAR TO | A GARDEN PARTY

Welcome back for a fresh installment in my WHAT TO WEAR TO series — where I select a seasonal occasion you may not be sure what to wear to and bring you my take on it! Believe it or not, this summer we don’t actually have any weddings (and after attending 7 last year, I’m okay with that!), but we do have quite a few garden parties and outdoor daytime events in the calendar. Although the term ‘Garden Party‘ is more widely used in the UK then it is here in Canada, we’re actually attended our fair share of garden parties (defined simply as an afternoon event held outdoors on a lawn or in a garden) over the past few years — and no one ever seems to know what the dress code is! Naturally, I thought the topic would make a great blog post — and I had just the perfect dress and location in mind to bring it to life!

I hope you’re not getting sick of seeing me in breezy floral dresses this summer, because 3rd Floor Studio‘s stunning Ingrid dress is the star of the show today! In fact, chances are if we’ve hung out IRL lately I’ve probably been wearing this dress — and this bag! While the idea of wearing florals to a garden party isn’t exactly groundbreaking, I think it’s the perfect opportunity to take your favourite LFD’s (little floral dresses!) out for a spin and have some fun styling them up with more casual, daytime accessories. Today I’m demystifying Garden Party attire and sharing versatile styling options to suit every body type, occasion and venue! As always, I’ve included tons of shoppable links at every price point, with a few killer mid-summer sale items throw into the mix.

July 30, 2018 by Justine

Bar, Dining Room, Living Room, Local Love, Plants, Summer

HOW TO SELECT AND CARE FOR HOUSEPLANTS

If you would have told me 3 years ago that I’d be writing an article about How to Select and Care For Houseplants, I would have never believed you! While my green thumb is fairly new, to say I’ve learned a lot since I began selecting and caring for our houseplants since November would be a major understatement. And while I don’t yet consider myself an expert, I have managed to keep our 15 houseplants alive for 9 months and counting now — so I must be doing something right! Our plants are growing like crazy this summer and while I’ve wanted to publish this post for awhile now, seeing them thrive prompted me to push this highly requested post to the top of my list!

If you’re considering plant parenthood, it’s important to remember that plants are living things and they deserve their best chance to thrive. They become your responsibility as soon you bring them home and you should commit to caring for them just as you would a pet. Plants need a great home, water (and sometimes food!), sunshine and most importantly, consistent care and love! Today I’m kicking off a brand new PLANT section here at JustineCelina with a crash course in plant selection and care — including how to select the right plants for your space, cost, the best plant shops in Calgary, planter selection and potting tips, and watering guidelines and schedules! If you’ve always been curious about the details of our urban jungle and how I keep our houseplants healthy, happy and thriving, pour yourself a delicious glass of wine, kick back, relax and settle in for a in-depth mid-week read!

July 25, 2018 by Justine

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