We have moved!

Please follow along on Oh The Sweet Things to find out more about our creative venture.

Oregon Coast

West coast, best coast? Yes. Indeed. 

For today's Photo Favourites, I've decided to share photos from our drive up the Oregon Coast. This was hands down my favourite part of the trip. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and as you know, I love a good road trip where time is not an issue and detours are a must. 

Isn't the drive up beach we found (from taking a detour) so incredible? I miss it so much already and want to do this trip again soon! 

Have a great weekend! Heck, go on a road trip with someone you love. 

See more travel posts here.

Portland

Portland. Where do I even begin? 

I've anticipated this trip with my husband for some time now and couldn't help but feel like a child in a candy store when we first pulled up at the Ace Hotel to check in. The way the light filled this place seemed so magical. 

We spent most of our days wandering around the Pearl District area, which was filled with plenty of cute little shops, cafes and restaurants. We also enjoyed a couple different neighbourhoods in the outskirts of the downtown area. 

This city has so much to offer and it has definitely been a trip I will treasure forever in my heart. 

Stay

Ace Hotel 

Of course we had to! The lobby (as everything else in this place) was beautifully designed with the dark wood paneling and tiled floors. There's also an old photo booth that's a must (sadly we didn't get to use, but you should)! There's also Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen and Clyde Common downstairs for your convenience.

Mark Spencer Hotel 

We wanted to stay another night at the Ace, however it was already booked up. They suggested this boutique hotel next block and we were quite pleased with it. Surely, my husband was! The rooms were definitely bigger, with lovely "old building" touches like exposed bricks and large windows. We both couldn't stop talking about how soft the bed linens were! They also had a fairly decent complimentary breakfast. 

Eats

Clyde Common 

Located in the lobby of the Ace Hotel, this was a busy place for dinner. We expected to wait in line, however we were seated right away. I loved the open kitchen, large windows and casual feel of this space. Their basil pesto gnocchi was amazing.

Ruby Jewel 

It was later in the evening and we were told to check out this ice cream spot. A family-owned business that carefully hand-crafts their ice cream with locally sourced ingredients. Apparently they let you try every flavour, so were planning on taking advantage of this, however after a couple samples, we were sold. The selection of seasonal flavours were so good!

Tasty n Alder 

A short stroll from our hotel, we enjoyed a "share-your-meal" style breakfast. You order your meals, but they don't arrive at the same time, so you "share-your-meal". It was a fun experience, and we loved the coziness and warmth ambience this place offered. Definitely order the Bim Bop bacon & eggs "stir like crazy" - so delicious.

Blue Star Donuts 

Of course we had to get something sweet. Walked up to this place since we didn't want to wait in line at Voodoo. Plus this places was all about quality over quantity and we prefer that too. Beautiful space with white walls, natural light and scrumptious donuts. My husband got the marion berry with peanut butter powder, and I got meyer lemon and key lime curd. 

Bailey's Taproom 

Suggested by one of our Portland neighbours at Sasquatch, we knew this was a bar we had to check out. It was small, however the greenery suspended from the ceilings and large windows made it feel intimate and spacious at the same time. Beers on tap were listed on two giant screens along with other info that any beer lovers would appreciate. Note: They do not serve food here. But you can bring your own.

Santeria 

As we were having beers (at Bailey's), we realized we were hungry. That's how we discovered Santeria the best Mexican food we've had in a while. Located right next to the taproom, my husband walked over to order. They give you an empty bottle to place on your table, and the servers from the restaurant walk over to serve you the most amazing Mexican food! You have to get a  few different tacos because they don't only look beautiful (like little bouquets), but boy they are tasty!

Shop

Canoe 

Located across from Tasty n Alder, we peeked inside Canoe. A shop curated with beautifully designed products anywhere from Europe and USA. From pens, to notepads, to baby rattles, to place settings, I was in awe of the quality product this shop carried.

Alder and Co 

A couple stores down from Canoe is Alder and Co. A charming shop that welcomes you with bundles of fresh flowers from Hilary Horvath as soon as you come in. This shop was so stimulating, flipping over cookbooks, feeling the kitchen linens, smelling their great selection of apothecary and back around to the fragrant scent of the flowers! Lovely shop.

Powell's Books 

This spot is a must-see of course. The largest used and new book store in the world! We only made it down the cook book aisles as it almost felt overwhelming how busy it was. I couldn't help myself and picked up this gorgeous book.

Madewell 

Okay, so if you didn't know yet, I have a soft spot for Madewell. Now you know. As soon as I found out that there was one opening in the city, I knew we were making a stop. I also had to have this. I might be slightly obsessed with it. I've used it everyday since.

The Kinfolk Shop 

Once again, I felt like a little kid in a candy store. The shop had selected items that were locally designed/made such as Jacobsen Salt, Woodblock Chocolate, Another Feather, and of course their recently published cookbook, The Kinfolk Table. They also had a number of items from their Ouur Collection. Beautiful designs with quality materials. I was in heaven. 

Sasquatch

A trip that was originally going to be shared between only my husband and I turned out to be one of the best weekends ever surrounded by such wonderful (and entertaining) new friends.

A convoy of six vehicles drove towards The Gorge Amphitheatre to experience music, entertainment and overall fun.

Our favourites included (in no particular order):

Foster the People

The Naked and Famous

Rudimental

Crystal Fighters

The National

M.I.A.

Outkast

Cut Copy

Boys Noize

First Aid Kit

Ryan Hemsworth

Half Moon Run

Kid Cudi

Major Lazer

Birthday Floral Picnic

First of many picnics with these sweet gals last week to celebrate my birthday with them! We shared plenty of savoury, as well as sweet treats. We laughed our hearts out. We had genuine talks about traveling, friendship and how quickly time has flown by. It's only been a little over a year since I moved to the island and I'm so grateful to have these ladies in my life. 

(Rory & Sarah if you guys are reading this, we wish you were there too!)

Photo Favourites

Well hello there! It's only been two weeks since I last blogged, but feels like ages ago now! So much has happened within the last couple weeks, it was nice having a little break but it also feels great to be back. 

Here are some photos that my lovely husband took from this week before we went back to our regular work routine. We enjoyed a breakfast picnic (where we packed way too much food - but is there such a thing?) on a grassy hill by Gonzales Beach, watched some of the kite festival on Dallas Road and then he took me out to Ogden Point for the first time. It was a beautiful day. 

Ps. Stay tuned next week for photos from our trip!

Have you got any plans for the weekend?

Is it Thursday yet?

Greetings! Is it Thursday yet?

Tomorrow we'll be hitting the road to make our way to Sasquatch Festival! Sunshine, music and good company. I can hardly wait! 

That also means that I'll be taking just a little over a week off from blogging, but follow me on Instagram so you can see what adventures we'll be up to!

Photo Favourites

{picked up the new copy of Anthology, you should too!}

{you guys. my life has changed forever. it's like one of my favourite gelatos but peanut butter...}

{is it bad that I want to wear this jumpsuit everyday? 

ps. I invite you to read my feature over at Tara Hurst's blog, and more photos of me wearing said jumpsuit on Gillian's blog!}

{sigh. this guy has been away all week. cannot wait to see him today}

{this. it's happening. next week already. where did the time go?!}

This week has been so unbelievably warm! It honestly feels like it jumped from winter to summer.

I'm also very excited to see my other half again for the weekend. He's been away all week for work and life just isn't the same without him.

I can't believe that Sasquatch is going to be next week! NEXT WEEK. As in we'll be at the Gorge this time next week. Probably somewhere in the middle of a big crowd having a ball. And then after that we'll be in Portland! Ah!

Okay, I'm off to have some apples with my monkey butter... seriously, this stuff is amazing. 

Have a fun weekend!

Monday Picks | B/W Staples

clockwise from top right: top | shorts | flats | clutch | sunglasses

It feels like a bittersweet Monday.

Some old pals came to visit for the weekend and you can bet that we had a wonderful time. You can also bet that we had some delicious meals. We shared a platter of tapas with sangrias, savoured some flaky croissants, tossed up our own salads, baked an apple crumble, enjoyed my husband's eggs benny neary breakfast specialty, basked in the sun while having sandwiches and (even more) salads on the patio, and we consumed a lot of decadent chocolates in between. But they've gone back to their homes now and I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness by being so far away from them. There's something to treasure about great friendships - especially ones that share the same passion about food as much as you do!

On a brighter note, our road trip to Sasquatch festival and Portland is coming up quickly! I wouldn't mind wearing this outfit while we're on our road trip. Can't ever go wrong with some black and white staples...

I'm already looking forward to the weekend - a long weekend at that too! 

Photo Favourites

 {my dear husband and I went out for an ice cream date night to celebrate seven sweet months of marriage}

 {a bunch of dried babies breath basking in the sun}

{stopped by green stems to pick up flowers before meeting up with the lovely Gillian Stevens}

{I wouldn't mind living in one of these please. arched doors? please and thank you.}

{just a little reminder that it's Friday and you're awesome!}

What a week this has been! Last weekend we got to witness a couple of our best friends tie the knot and it was a beautiful thing. (Perry and Jodi, you two are perfect for each other. We love you!)

I also got to meet up with the ever so talented Gillian Stevens to work on a project together - keep in touch to see what we were up to!

Today, I've got a huge list of things to do, but I'm more than happy to do them because we're having a couple friends over for the weekend!

Ta ta for now, have a lovely weekend! 

PS. Don't forget to grab these before it's too late!

Freebies | Mother's Day Gift Tags

Have you found the perfect gift for mom, but need a little something pretty to add to it? Well, here's a printable gift tag you can download! Simply print out on 8.5"x11" card stock, cut out, hole punch and tie on! The tags actually come in two versions, but you'll have to find out what the other one is after downloading it! 

I decided to go with a rustic look, tying the tag with raffia and added in some foraged flowers. You could even tie it with some ribbon, add a peony and have a completely different look. 

Have fun!

Download the file here. When sharing, please link back to this site and not the download link. Thanks.

Decorate With Flowers | Book Review

Let's talk about fresh flowers. There's something about going to your local floral shop, picking up a few blooms to brighten your day. They add a certain warmth and happiness into a home, so it doesn't come as a surprise that I like to treat myself with fresh cuts every now and then. 

The lovely Tara Hurst lent me this book, Decorate With Flowers, written by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring. It is not only a visual delight, but it has so far encouraged me to be even more creative in how I style my flowers at home. Overall, I loved the book - from the concept, design, photography and the bountiful of ideas it entails! There's no need for you to be an expertise in floral arrangements to pick up a copy of this book. Ps. It would make a great Mother's Day gift too!

There will be a launch party in Vancouver at The Cross, so if you get a chance to go, RSVP here. I certainly wish I could be there. I may have to simply throw a floral party myself with some friends this weekend!

A few of the pages were actually shot at Tara's beautiful studio so I thought I'd share them with you!