JustineCelina

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

Flowers, Giveaways, Local Love, Pantone, Summer, Vegetarian, Wine & Cocktails

JAPANESE LILAC GIN LEMONADE

I’m not really sure what’s happened — but this year, my love of cocktails is outshining my love of sangria (hey… no hard feelings sangria — we had a really good run!). I’ve also been dreaming of publishing a lavender lemonade for years — but funny enough, it’s never made it’s way onto these pages. I had the most delicious lavender lemonade the summer before I started blogging at some small town in interior British Columbia on our way back from a music festival — and I’ve been determined to create an equally delicious lavender lemonade ever since! That said, I know there are tons of lavender lemonade recipes out there, but now that I have a few solid years of COCKTAIL development under my belt and some incredible, unique, delicious ingredients in my bar, I thought I’d give it a go this summer!

So, while I fully intended this recipe to be a vodka-based lavender lemonade, as I moved though a rather intense testing process (remember when I mentioned I was cocktail testing over the long weekend?), I ended up swapping lavender for lilacs and vodka for gin — and I’m so glad I did! My Japanese Lilac Gin Lemonade tastes like summertime in the country and is very near to my heart — incorporating Japanese Lilac blossoms from the tree at my childhood home in rural Alberta, honey from the hives just across the stream and Eau Claire Distillery‘s award winning Parlour Gin distilled from the flourishing barley crops and unique botanicals of Alberta’s prairies. This floral-kissed, lightly effervescent lemonade was created with a thoughtful, hand crafted, farm-to-glass approach and made for lazy summer days on the patio, easy entertaining and watching the sunset behind glowing fields of canola! Join myself and my Connecting Over Cocktails crew to indulge in a summer inspired cocktail menu (check out their creations at the end of this post!) and enter to win bottle of the best gin I’ve ever tasted, along with a Tour & Tasting for 2 at Turner Valley’s Eau Claire Distillery (giveaway now closed)! Cheers to hot summer nights, refreshing gourmet cocktails and the celebrating the bountiful offerings of this beautiful land!

July 15, 2018 by Justine

Beauty, Fashion, Makeup, Summer, Travel, Trend Guides

SUMMER 2018 TREND GUIDE | FLOWER POWER

Friends and fashionistas, welcome back for my first TREND GUIDE of Summer 2018! This season, I’ve resolved to have as much fun as possible (with FASHION and otherwise!) and that mindset is definitely reflected in this look. I actually picked up most of this outfit during a last minute shopping spree in preparation for my Exploring Calgary’s Colourful East Village Junction article with Tourism Calgary! I had spotted this dress in the window at H&M a couple of weeks prior and couldn’t get it out of my head, plus I knew it would be perfect for the setting! These fun (and super comfortable!) Topshop espadrilles also caught my eye that day, as did this jubilant circular bag from Zara. As someone who’s typically a very calculated, mostly online shopper, it was a refreshing change of pace to let my impulses take over! This colourful, fun, free spirited outfit is the result — and one I’ve worn several times this season. Every time I do, I receive tons of compliments and questions — so naturally I thought it would be the perfect look to kick off my Summer 2018 TREND GUIDES!

Today we’re chatting about a handful of this summer’s hottest trends — including bold florals, rainbow brights, espadrilles, red, woven circular bags, shell details, tassels, pompoms, statement earrings and stained lips (because sometimes, more is more!). While I wouldn’t typically wear these statement items together, this summer, I’m all about switching things up and getting out of my comfort zone. But some things never change! I’ll always be a fan of breezy, statement summer dresses that almost style themselves — you know, the ones that you can just throw on and look fabulous, no matter the occasion? Today I’m sharing a selection of my favourite, flowy floral dresses with you, along with versatile styling tips to ensure maximum wear — whether you pick up something new or are looking for fresh ideas to rework your existing summer wardrobe!

July 13, 2018 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dinner, Flowers, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salads & Bowls, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

VEGAN KALE CAESAR SALAD WITH GLUTEN FREE CROUTONS

Wow, has it ever been a minute since I published a non-cocktail recipe — let alone a salad or bowl! Remember that post I published back in January about sharing things as I feel inspired to, rather than sticking to my very rigid, previously very balanced, editorial calendar? Scaling back on extremely time consuming content in order to get our SPACE REFRESH series off the ground (did you know I test my recipes 3 – 7 times on average and that can translate to over 30 hours of work?)? These changes resulted in a steady stream of cocktail recipes during the first half of 2018 (they’re a blast to create also relatively simple to test!) — one of which landed me my first Style Me Pretty Living feature, so I guess it all worked out! And while my adventures deep into cocktailing this year have been a lot of fun, sometimes you just need to dry out a bit and eat a kale salad — you feel me?!

If you follow along with my Insta Stories, you’ll know I’ve been eating this Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Gluten Free Croutons almost weekly since I first whipped it up back in April. In the process, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tested this recipe and it’s since become one of our favourite salads! The best part? There’s no marinating or planning ahead (I’ve really been focusing on keeping it simple lately!) and it can be on your table in 15 minutes. It’s a nutritious, protein packed, plant based spin on a classic that eats like a meal — and I promise no one will know it’s vegan (in a blind taste test, it was praised by meat eaters!). I’m also sharing my secret for flavourful, tender, raw kale! If you’re looking for quick, healthy meal options to add to your summer rotation (or #MeatlessMonday!), I cannot recommend this contemporary spin on traditional caesar salad enough!

July 10, 2018 by Justine

Beauty, Colour Crush, Fashion, Makeup, Pantone, Summer

COLOUR CRUSH | RED

Do you have a power colour? I’m beginning to think mine is red. Oddly enough, it’s not a hue I’ve worn often over the past 4ish years since rocking my natural hair colour. Back in my (much) younger, platinum blonde days (yes, really — in fact, I’ve had almost every single hair colour except jet black!) red was one of my favourite colours to wear! This year, I’ve been increasingly drawn to red and have incorporated more of this statement shade into my personal style. Fast forward to SS18 and red is everywhere — a classic colour that demands attention, instills confidence and couldn’t be more suited to our scorching summer climate. I’ve always believed that red lips give you superpowers, so just imagine what wearing red-to-toe (ie: wearing red, head to toe) can do for you!

Today’s post is a fresh installment in my COLOUR CRUSH series and my take on a summery, red-to-toe look — along with a crash course on colour theory to help you find your perfect shade of red and master on-trend, monochromatic dressing. The best part? Once you’ve learned the basics, you can apply these tips to any colour or shade if red isn’t your thing! No matter what colour you chose, monochromatic looks are always slimming and sophisticated — and although this bold look was a bit outside of my comfort zone, I’m so glad I went for it! Get ready for a healthy dose of red-hot style inspiration, mashed up with an introduction to a handful of seasonal trends and an update on what to expect FASHION wise here at JustineCelina this summer (hint: get ready for tons of fresh content and the emergence of a brand new series!).

July 7, 2018 by Justine

Digital Blooms July 2018 | Free Pantone 2018 Colour of the Year Inspired Desktop Wallpapers for Spring and Summer | Free Bright Summer Floral Wallpapers | Design 2 // JustineCelina.com x Rebecca Dawn Design

Create, Digital Blooms, Flowers, Pantone, Summer

DIGITAL BLOOMS JULY 2018 | FREE DESKTOP WALLPAPERS

We’re officially half way through 2018 (say what?!) and today Rebecca Dawn Design and I are marking the occasion with a Pantone 2018 Colour of the Year inspired set of Free Tech Wallpapers! You may remember the Ultra Violet Inspired Arrangement we created this past winter to explore Pantone’s selection for 2018, but we also wanted to do something summery, festive and fun. July 2018’s Digital Blooms actually feature a lovely selection of blooms and foliage we found in Rebecca’s garden! Despite the planning that goes into creating cohesive colour stories here at JustineCelina, allowing the seasons and our surroundings to inspire our FLOWER content is one of my favourite things — and it just goes to show you that beauty can be found (and created) almost anywhere. July’s DIGITAL BLOOMS go to show that foraged flowers are just as lovely as store bought blooms (remember that Foraged Prairie Wildflower Bouquet we created a couple of summers ago?!).

We’re celebrating Canada Day with a spirited selection summer’s candy coloured brights (more on this trend coming to my FASHION department soon!), juxtaposed with Pantone’s 2018 Ultra Violet. Acquaint yourself with Irises, Matsumoto Asters, Veronica, Freesia, Allium and Cornflower in July’s tech wallpaper offerings — heavily inspired by the Pantone Spring 2018 Fashion Colour Trend Report. Give your tech a jubilant update and click through to choose from 3 free floral tech wallpapers to enjoy on the background of your computer, tablet or phone all month long!

July 1, 2018 by Justine

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