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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, Fragrance, Local Love, Makeup, Skincare, Sponsored, Spring

THE ULTIMATE GIRLS DAY AT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE CALGARY

Happy sunny Monday, beautiful people! If it seemed a little quiet around here during the beginning of April, I was working on a few exciting projects BTS — this one included. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world being treated to The Ultimate Girls Day at SAKS Fifth Avenue with Tourism Calgary — and today I’m thrilled to share my experience with you!

After what has quite possibly been the longest winter in Calgary’s history, I’m sure we’re all in need of a little pampering — am I right ladies and gents? If you’re anything like me, spring evokes the desire to refresh your wardrobe, beauty routine and skin in preparation for the balmier weather that lies ahead. Last month, I had the opportunity to indulge in the ultimate girls day at the newly opened, 115 000 square foot SAKS Fifth Avenue located in Calgary’s CF Chinook Centre — the first location in Western Canada. And today you can come along as I share each luxurious experience and thoughtful detail — including a beautiful champagne lunch, my own private shopping suite complete with personal styling services, a diverse selection of the hottest designer labels, exclusive cosmetic, skincare and fragrance brands and an ultra pampering facial in SAKS‘ spa-like treatment rooms!

April 23, 2018 by Justine

Entertain, Flowers, Giveaways, Local Love, Pantone, Spring, Wine & Cocktails

SPRING EQUINOX KIWI ELDERFLOWER SMASH

Happy first weekend of spring, friends! Wow — what a crazy, whirlwind week this has been. Between publishing our Living Room Reveal on Monday, my Style Me Pretty Living feature on Wednesday (pinch me!), a very exciting FASHION announcement (which has now published!), to a jam packed calendar full of events and meetings, plus 8 rounds of testing for this recipe (and subsequent cocktail ingredient runs before noon!), I’m finally getting a fresh cocktail for you this weekend. Initially this recipe was supposed to publish on Wednesday to welcome the first day of spring, so let’s just say my Spring Equinox Kiwi Elderflower Smash is fashionably late (like our spring weather) — but she comes bearing gifts! I’ve teamed up with Eau Claire Distillery once again to give away a full sized bottle of Prickly Pear EquineOx to one of you lovely Canadians (check out the bottom of the post for details on how to enter!).

After a long, snow covered winter, I’m elated to unleash my Spring Equinox Kiwi Elderflower Smash — a post-hibernation celebration of spring’s refreshing flavours in cocktail form! I figured it was time to pump the brakes on the gin train (let’s be real… there’s been a ton of gin drinking going down here at JustineCelina!) and introduce you to a completely unique spirit to welcome spring’s arrival. Today I’m working with Eau Claire Distillery’s award winning Prickly Pear EquineOx — a sweet, lightly citrusy, barley based vodka incorporating Alberta’s Prickly Pear Cactus with a special blend of spring botanicals. Complimented by a refreshing bouquet of elderflower, kiwi, lime, a kiss of wine, a dash of bitters and a splash of soda, I’ve created a seasonal elixir that pairs perfectly with longer evenings and balmier weather. I’ve also teamed up with 4 talented food bloggers across North America to bring you the Spring 2018 Edition of Connecting Over Cocktails! If you’re looking for some inspired cocktail ideas as we transition into spring, we’re totally got you covered — stay tuned to see what my fellow Food Bloggers of Canada are mixing up for you this weekend!

March 24, 2018 by Justine

Entertain, Flowers, Giveaways, Local Love, Occasions, Spring, Wine & Cocktails, Winter

ROSE INFUSED CHERRY GIN FIZZ

Remember the summer I acquired a taste for gin? It’s since become my favourite spirit. In fact, around this time last year I even ventured to Vancouver Island to track down an infamous local gin unavailable in Alberta (I also made a cocktail with that one!). Although the gin I brought home from my coastal travels is long gone, late last year I stumbled on Eau Claire Distillery via Instagram (their bottles are gorgeous and totally drew me in!). Imagine my surprise to find out we have an incredible, award winning distillery less than an hour from home! Over the holidays I took a trip to the visit their distillery in Turner Valley with my Mom (who loves gin) and my brother (who was home from New York and loves cocktails) for a tour and tasting — and we were all completely blown away by the quality of Eau Claire’s hand crafted offerings and their farm to glass approach. Now that I know they exist (and they’re local!) I actually can’t fathom using anything else in my cocktails! Over the last couple of months, we’ve padded our bar with several of Eau Claire’s artisinal spirits — including their most recent offering, Cherry Gin.

In honour of love day, I’m so excited to share my Rose Infused Cherry Gin Fizz! This feminine, fruity and lightly floral cocktail combines Eau Claire’s stunning Cherry Gin with my favourite Prosecco, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a Rose & Pink Peppercorn Infused Honey Simple Syrup for a contemporary spin on the classic French 75. My Rose Infused Cherry Gin Fizz is a beautiful addition to your Valentine’s Day menu, but can be enjoyed anytime you want to indulge in a gourmet craft cocktail at home! As always, it’s free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar — and bursting with fruity flavours, floral undertones, unique botanicals and a refreshing effervescence. The best part? Eau Claire is helping me share the love this Valentine’s Day by giving away a Cherry Gin Cocktail Caddy valued at $99 to one of my Canadian friends — check out the bottom of the post for details on how to enter!

February 13, 2018 by Justine

DIY | Asymmetrical Holiday Wreath | How to Make an Asymmetrical Holiday Wreaths for Christmas with Pine, Cedar, Brunia, Eucalyptus pods, Red Ironbark Eucalyptus and Magnolia | Christmas Wreath DIY | Modern Christmas Wreath DIY // JustineCelina.com

Create, DIY, Dwell, Flower Arranging, Flowers, Living Room, Occasions, Pantone, Winter

DIY | HOW TO MAKE AN ASYMMETRICAL HOLIDAY WREATH

To kick off December, I had the pleasure of attending a wreath making workshop with the lovely and talented Rebecca Dawn Design. The wine and holiday cheer were flowing — and between all the eating, drinking and being merry, I created this Asymmetrical Holiday Wreath! I took you along via Insta Stories and after lots of questions and comments about the process, I finally had some time to photograph the wreath and publish a DIY post for you (better late than never, right?!). If you have an hour to spare, you too can create this modern, Scandinavian style holiday wreath with a handful of inexpensive, easy to source materials! They also make a lovely hostess gift if you’re looking for last minute ideas with a handmade, personal touch.

This year, I’ve definitely taken a more minimalistic approach to the holidays and decorating. Since my main focus these past few months has been refreshing our living room (stay tuned for the reveal in the New Year!) and we’re out of town visiting family for the holidays, we didn’t even set up a tree! Instead we decorated our new Bird of Paradise plant with a few twinkling lights, added some cotton stems to our vases and hung this Asymmetrical Holiday Wreath! If you’re looking for a simple DIY to add a festive touch to your minimalistic decor this holiday season, a fresh wreath is the perfect addition. Our home is brimming with greenery and lots of natural wood textures with a mid century modern vibe — so I selected Cedar, Pine, Brunia, Eucalyptus pods, Red Ironbark Eucalyptus and Magnolia Leaves for our wreath (it’s also makes the living room smell amazing — no tree required!). If you’d like to learn how to make an Asymmetrical Holiday Wreath of your own, throw on your favourite Christmas playlist, settle in with a glass of your favourite festive beverage (may I suggest Classic Winter Citrus Red Sangria?) and let’s get started!

December 20, 2017 by Justine

Entertain, Gluten Free, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wine & Cocktails

WATERMELON FROSÉ MARGARITAS

You guys, this week has been such a whirlwind! Between spending time in the prairies working ahead on some exciting new projects, capturing tons of content for JustineCelina, publishing 3 blog posts, speaking at a YYC Blogger Babes event last night about The Business of Blogging and attending another event earlier today for a new partnership — I’m totally having a cocktail (or two) tonight as I finish up this post!

If you’ve been following along with my Insta Stories this summer, you’ve undoubtedly seen me whip up a Watermelon Frosé Margarita. She was a fun recipe to test and a fast favourite among friends and family — a pretty, pink cocktail gone rogue! This time, my Connecting Over Cocktails crew and I are serving up an array of seasonal, fruity cocktails for our Summer Edition and I knew I wanted to do something a bit different. Today I’m shaking things up with my Watermelon Frosé Margaritas — an icy sangria 2.0 with an attitude, and tequila on her breath! In true JustineCelina style, she’s made with just 5 ingredients blended over frozen watermelon creating a naturally sweet, feisty summer cocktail that embraces fruity flavours with a margarita essence and a Himalayan pink salted rim! If you, too are in desperate need of a refreshing cocktail this weekend (hellooooooo, heatwave), check out the bottom of this post for inspired summer sips from my mega talented foodie friends!

July 29, 2017 by Justine

Beauty, Fragrance, Reviews, Sponsored, Spring, Summer

SPRING / SUMMER 2017 FRAGRANCE EDIT

Welcome back for another installment of my seasonal FRAGRANCE EDIT! This time, I’m sharing my top recommendations for Spring / Summer 2017 — the fragrances I love to wear as we transition into warmer weather and sunshiny days! I like to go lighter, brighter and fresher in both my beauty routine and fragrance rotation during the spring and summer, transitioning my fragrance collection along with the seasons. Today I’m working with Sephora Canada to introduce you to 8 beautiful fragrances perfect for balmy spring weather and carefree summer days including 4 Longtime Favourites (including a fragrance I’ve worn for over 10 years!) and 4 Recent Obsessions!

If you’d like to explore the exciting world of designer fragrance this season but don’t know where to start, I’ll be your tour guide! Come gather around my vanity as I chat about my favourite fragrances from Givenchy, Dolce&Gabanna, Versace, Maison Margiela, Guerlain, NEST, fresh and Commodity. Today I’ve selected an array of my most loved scents ranging from fresh and fruity, to crisp and clean, to warm and soft, to light and bright — there’s something for everyone (and every budget) in my Spring / Summer 2017 Fragrance Edit. This post is also a fantastic resource for those of you looking for Mother’s Day gift ideas!

April 11, 2017 by Justine

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