Monday 17 June 2013

Bloom Maternity

With a little searching I found Bloom Maternity in Westmount Montreal. It's a small maternity clothing boutique that has a little of everything.



I loved my experience shopping there because the owner who buys all the styles they stock was on hand to help me find just what I needed. It felt like I had a personally shopper - for free (well almost ;))!

So I finally found a dress to wear for our first wedding of the season. I loved that the owner had "faux belly foam inserts" on hand so I could see if the dress would accommodate my belly as it grows in the coming months. She buys items that you can wear before, after, as well as throughout the whole pregnancy.

They had this style in black which is very similar to the one I ended up purchasing. It's by Jacky Luxury which is not even a maternity brand so I will be able to keep this little black dress to wear post baby too.


Bloom Maternity offers many known and lesser known high end brands and I was surprised to pay less than I would normally for a "non-maternity" dress. Great experience overall! I would definitely recommend this store for momma's to be! A gift certificate from this shop for Montreal pregnant mom's is a great gift idea!

You can check out their Facebook page to see some of the styles they are currently carrying! Happy shopping!

Thursday 13 June 2013

Father's Day - A Gift of Quality Time

My husband has been saying for months how excited he is for summer to start doing activities with our son who is now old enough for father-son activities. He has also been wanting to take up biking again and finally use the Chariot carriage our generous friend gave us.  So last week, I asked my brother who has a friend with a bike shop, to take my husband and get a bike for Father's Day as well as a helmet for our son.  My brother took him to Cyco's in Ottawa.

via Cyco's
The service was apparently amazing and my husband and my eldest son have been going biking almost daily.  I even got my husband to go for a ride early Sunday morning - for those who know him know that skipping sleeping in on Sunday is unheard of. In other words, he loves his Father's Day gift and especially loves the time he gets to spend with our son.

One of my recommendations for a Father's Day gift is to get the Father of your young children a gift that would allow him to spend more time with his kid(s), especially if he gets to see them very little given that he is at work all day.  Think of an activity he loves and get him the tools he needs to incorporate the little one.

Here are some ideas

For a cyclist

A bike, a Chariot (or other carrier) and helmet for your child.

via Toys R Us
For a swimmer or just someone that enjoys the water

Sign them up for swimming lesson at your local pool and maybe get them each a new bathing suit and personalized towels.  Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn has a great selection of beautiful beach towels that can be personalized.

Via Pottery Barn Kids

Via Pottery Barn Kids
Via Pottery Barn Kids

Via Pottery Barn Kids
Via Pottery Barn

Via Pottery Barn

For a sports fan

Matching jerseys for watching the game together or equipment for your child to play with dad, like a kids' baseball mitt.

Via NFL.com

Via NFL.com

For a chef

Personalized aprons.  There is a very large selection of aprons on Williams-Sonoma's website, some of which can be personalized, including a selection of MLB aprons for Baseball fans. They also come in a variety of colours.  Click here to see more.

Via Williams-Sonoma
Via Williams-Sonoma

For the movie goer

Gift certificate for an upcoming movie they would both like and gift certificate to their favourite restaurant. Perhaps the upcoming Despicable Me 2 movie!  I can't wait for that one.

Via Despicable Me
Good luck!!  Would love to hear about what you got the Father in your life.

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Father's Day - A gift for the sports fan

For my husband's first father's day I ordered a box full of Philadelphia Eagles fan gear for him and for our son (he's a die hard fan!). I ordered a #1 Dad Eagles t-shirt similar to the one below and I swear it brought a tear to his eye! Eagles & Papa pride all wrapped up into one!


via Eagles official website


Then he unwrapped all our son's first Eagles gear! Now that really blew him away! His first cap, jersey, jogging suit, socks & pjs! Totally adorable to see them in matching gear on game day!

via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website


via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website

They even have pink items for the girls! If they don't melt daddy's heart then I don't know what will!

via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website

via Eagles official website

You just can't go wrong if your hubby is a true sports fan! Just google their team's official website and discover their fan shop!



Father's Day - Spa at Home

I have been watching way too many home renovation shows these days and now it has gotten worse given that I am home with my newborn. Watching these shows is sometimes dangerous because you start dreaming of things you want to do in your home or things you want for your dream home (like a mini sauna and meditation room just like in some places in Europe where it seems every home has a mini sauna!).

One specific renovation item I have seen over and over again and I have definitely added to my list as a must is a rainfall shower head.  I would love to have one and think my husband would as well.  This would be especially nice these days given that we are both sleep deprived and just plain tired.

I am looking for something similar to these, the effect of the rain fall but with enough water pressure.  I will let you know what I think when I find one.

Via Faucet Direct

Via Faucet Direct

 With the shower head I will also get him a shower gel with relaxing scents like:

Polynesia lime and coconut

Via The Body Shop
And a nice body brush

Via The Body Shop
I could have treated him to a massage, but the shower head is nice because it is permanent and can help him relax daily.

I know he already got his bike for Father's Day, but with this gift I would also be treating myself - haha!

Monday 10 June 2013

Father's Day - A Gift for the Classy Dad

I was searching online for ideas for Father's Day and fell in love with this deluxe cuff link display case.  I am a sucker for a man in a suit and tie and even more for cuff links.  I find them very attractive on a man!  This cuff links case is just perfect for a father that wears cuff links or would like to start wearing them.

Via Red Envelope

You can even personalize the case.

To make it an even more personal gift, just add these cuff links:
Via Red Envelope
Of keep it simple with these "dad" cuff links (these would be a perfect gift for my dad):

Via Red Envelope
Visit the Red Envelope website for more cuff links ideas - click here.


Baby & Child Restoration Hardware

Ready to fall in LOVE? If you don't know about Baby & Child Restoration Hardware you need to go and take a look.

via RH baby & child

via RH baby & child

via RH baby & child

via RH baby & child

via RH baby & child

via RH baby & child

via RH baby & child


They are on the pricey side and we do get hit with extra fees for ordering from Canada but when they have sales like this one I can't help but start to shop!

via RH baby & child

There are too many goodies on this site! To name a few, they carry some of my latest obsessions - items I have on my list to buy for my son's room since he will be sharing it with a little brother soon...

1) Framed baby animal portraits by photographer Sharon Montrose:

via RH baby & child
via RH baby & child
These are just too adorable and at $140 for 4 wood framed prints it's a pretty good deal! She sells them off her site for $25 per print (no frame).  Take a look at all her work at The Animal Print Shop.

I will be getting these close ups for the boy's room:

via The Animal Print Shop


2) A teepee tent for hiding/reading/playing/dreaming :):

via HR baby & child

3) A mobile to put over the change table to help keep baby distracted while diaper changes are going on:



via RH baby & child

Enjoy!




Friday 7 June 2013

Bed Bath and Beyond - Great Service

I rarely walk out of a store surprisingly impressed with the customer service as I did when leaving Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday (the Trainyards location in Ottawa).  Believe it or not it was my first time shopping there and it certainly will not be my last.  I immediately had someone helping me print a wedding registry list, then I had someone else find the items I was looking for and this person made sure to tell me about the courtesy gift wrapping service.  I had signed up for the online newsletter and was sent a 20% off coupon.  I was pleased to see that automatically the coupon is applied to the most expensive item you purchase, unlike most coupons that usually apply to the least expensive item. The gift wrapping was super nice and the employee who wrapped my gifts even offered to take my cart before I existed to save me from having to "park" it outside.   All in all a great experience and I just wanted to share!




Tuesday 4 June 2013

My Mother's Day Gift - Marc by Marc Jacobs

I realized that I never posted about what I received for Mother's Day from my boys and how I was spoiled. Last year my husband had to make an effort to figure out what to get, but this year he had it easy as I had been talking endlessly about whether or not I should get this particular Marc by Marc Jacobs bag.  I needed something for the summer and just couldn't decide on a style or colour.  After much searching while in New York City, in Montreal and in Ottawa, I finally decided on the Classic Q Natasha bag in grey.

This is the bag in nude.

Via Neiman Marcus

Via Neiman Marcus

Via Neiman Marcus
This is the colour I got - gun metal.

Via Shopbop

This past weekend, now that I am no longer carrying a baby bump, I finally started carrying the bag and I absolutely love it.  It is perfect for many reasons.  It is not too deep so I don't lose anything; it has a separate pocket where I can store my keys and phone and find them quickly; and it is cross body and easy to carry.  I definitely recommend for anyone looking to have a practical casual bag that can also be used at night because of its size.