JustineCelina

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

Create, Digital Blooms, Fall, Flowers

DIGITAL BLOOMS OCTOBER 2018 | FREE DESKTOP WALLPAPERS

Who’s ready to deck their tech out for fall?! This month, Rebecca Dawn Design and I have incorporated a seasonal medley of autumn’s breathtaking tones and textures with an inspired assortment of fall foliage, produce and flowers in our October Free Tech Wallpapers! Never before in our 2 and a half years of creating monthly DIGITAL BLOOMS have we been able to catch the changing leaves at the peak of their beauty — we foraged Rebecca’s backyard for a fresh selection of seasonal goodness just before we shot our AW18 flower content and it was so much fun working with what nature provided for us. This cozy colour story is inspired by the sophisticated earthtones present in the Pantone Fall / Winter 2018 Colour Trend Report, including Red Pear, Valiant Poppy, Ceylon Yellow, Martini Olive, Russet Orange, Tofu, Almond Buff and Meerkat.

This October we’ve curated an earth toned assortment of Dahlias, Amaranthus, Sedum, Chrysanthemum Poms, Ornamental White Pumpkins, Crabapples, Hops and an array of leaves and berries foraged from our changing Calgary landscape. Celebrate the beauty of the season and bring the pumpkin patch to your digital device by clicking through to download October’s DIGITAL BLOOMS — absolutely free! And don’t forget to share your beautified tech with us using #justinecelinadigitalblooms or tagging me on social media — we love to see them in action and I always highlight my favourites on Insta Stories!

October 1, 2018 by Justine

Fall, Flowers, Music, Summer, Travel

SEPTEMBER 2018 SOUNDTRACK

Okay seriously, how is it the end of September?! 2018 is just flying by! September was a jam packed month, but we did manage to sneak in a few outdoor adventures — including a trip to Jasper to relax and decompress for the long weekend before our busy season kicked off (I honestly haven’t even had a chance to go through most of my photos!), as well as a trip to the Bowden Sunmaze to catch a field of sunflowers in full bloom before the frost set in. It was absolutely beautiful and highly worth the trip if you’re planning to go next summer (they’re now closed for the season). My September 2018 Soundtrack saw me through it all — and as usual, it’s a mash up of musical genres, styles, lyrics and artists with a healthy dose of chill and instrumental (plus some explicit hip hop throw in for good measure!). This 2 and a half hour playlist makes for an easy listening, feel good option no matter what you’re up to!

Some of my musical highlights this month include Tabrill & Emily’s Lossless, Hirola’s Melaie, HDBeenDope’s For the Record, Arms & Sleepers Down, Tom Hilcock & Nicolas Boscovic’s Golden Halo, Andrew Applepie’s Hong Kong Bedtime, Young the Giant’s Superposition, Royal Yellow’s Hazeldene, a beautifully stripped down rendition of The Naked and Famous’s Young Blood, Dizzy’s Pretty Thing, Alex Cruz & Brascon’s remix of Magical Cloudz’s Downtown, Lycoriscoris’s Her and Of Water’s Materializing. Happy listening, beautiful people!

September 30, 2018 by Justine

All About, Fall, Flower Education, Flowers, Spring, Winter

ALL ABOUT RANUNCULUS

Flower friends, I’m elated to share a fresh installment in our ALL ABOUT series with you — and this time, it’s All About Ranunculus! If you’ve ever downloaded one of our DIGITAL BLOOMS or stopped by to learn more about an arrangement, there’s a good chance Ranunculus were present. They’re one of our all-time-favourite flowers, they come in nearly every colour of the rainbow and they’re now available year round — hence the abundance of Ranunculus here at JustineCelina! Today Rebecca Dawn Design and I are teaming up once again to educate you on an of the moment seasonal flower — we’ve already covered Anemones, Tulips, Roses and Peonies in this series, so it’s about time we dedicated a post to Ranunculus! This post features a variety of shades, hues and varieties of our favourite flower, so get ready for a whole lot of pretty along with a healthy dose of FLOWER EDUCATION!

If you’re looking to bring some colour into your home this autumn with affordable, long lasting blooms, consider our All About Ranunculus post your one-stop educational resource to learn everything you ever wanted to know about this popular flower. Today we’re sharing alternate names and meanings, colours and varieties available, vase life, what to look for when purchasing, as well as how to care for and condition your Ranunculus so you can enjoy them for up to 2 weeks. Rebecca also shares her insider tips about how to perk up droopy stems! Whether you’d like to learn more about these gorgeous, classic blooms or simply stopped by to brush up on general flower care and conditioning, we’re so happy you’re here!

September 27, 2018 by Justine

Fall, Fashion, Life, Pantone, Pattern Play, Summer, Travel

PATTERN PLAY | STRIPES

Happy Autumn Equinox, everyone! Today I’m saying farewell to summer and welcoming fall with the second installment in my PATTERN PLAY series, dedicated to one of my favourite prints — stripes! Remember when I mentioned that I took some time to get re-inspired style content wise this summer and was planning to bring you more comprehensive, multi outfit posts to JustineCelina? Well, this is the first of many! I’m kicking things off today by rounding up all the different ways I wore stripes this summer, highlighting key stripe trends and colours I’ll be wearing into autumn as well as sharing shoppable links for my transitional striped wardrobe (plus my AW18 wishlist!).

When I look back on all the content we captured this summer, one thing is very apparent — I wore a lot of stripes! These past few months I really took my commitment to getting back to a way of living and working in a way that nurtures my passions seriously — which included lots of time spent outdoors with friends and family. I also switched things up and shot more style content in the moment whenever possible! I wore stripes from the prairies, to farmers markets, to berry pick, to mountain lakes and just about everywhere in between. They’re such a versatile print that can be worn in both personal and professional settings, ranging from classic and understated to bright and bold — a true chameleon print! If you’re a stripe lover or are looking for some fresh styling ideas to incorporate stripes into your autumn wardrobe, join me today for a crash course in all things striped!

September 22, 2018 by Justine

Bar, Creative Process, Dining Room, DIY, Dwell, Entertain, Plants, Space Refresh, Wine & Cocktails

OUR DINING ROOM BAR | A BUILT-IN LOOK ON A BUDGET

Interior design lovers, I’m back today with a highly requested post in our SPACE REFRESH series detailing exactly how I created our built-in-looking Dining Room Bar for less than $900 (please keep in mind this project was completed n 2019), all in! In the initial reveal of our Dining Room, Bar & Kitchen, I touched on our design choices and the process of how the room came together, but today I’m sharing everything that went into bringing our home bar from concept to completion — including inspiration, planning, sketches and mock ups, alternate shelving options, sources (plus how I hunted down the best deals!) and of course, the finished space. If you’re planning to create a beautiful home bar yourself and are up for a healthy dose of DIY, or you simply want a closer look at where all the COCKTAIL magic happens behind the scenes here at JustineCelina, you’ve come to the right place!

Although this project didn’t turn out as I had originally envisioned it due to timeline and budget constraints, we truly couldn’t be happier with it! Throughout this process, I’ve learned that great interior design does absolutely not have to be extravagant to be functional and beautiful. Our goal with this space was to utilize its recessed features to create extra storage for our libations and glassware without losing any square footage in our main living area. We wanted to create an inspiring area to whip up cocktails, serve wine and allow guests to pour themselves a drink without having to come to the kitchen, which can become full easily. Since we love to entertain, creating a relaxed, informal bar area adjacent to the dining room table allows for much better flow in the room — and it also keeps the liquor flowing! Fix yourself a cocktail or pour up a delicious glass of wine and take a seat at our bar to see how this space came together!

IKEA LACK Wall Shelf in White (x3) | Michaelson 64” Wide 3 Drawer Buffet Table (in White Gloss / Maple Cream) | Mid Century Turned Wood Leg Planter | Bensley Antique 6-Light Chandelier (similar, similar, similar) | Acacia Wood Dining Table (similar) | Mid Century Dining Chairs with Wooden Legs (similar) | Macrame Table Runner (similar)

September 19, 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

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