Goddess of .. Charming Rebecca Giveaway Winner !

 Good morning, Bloggies ! How was your weekend ?

I hope it was as fun as mine :o)

  

I spent my friday night with a bunch of my girlfriends (and two of their boyfriends)
at a Brasilian restaurant we'd been wanting to try for a while !  

The food was wonderful : All-you-can-eat 10 sorts of meat grilled on charcoal (pork sausages, chicken , turkey wrapped in bacon, roast pork, top sirloin, strip sirloin, flat sirloin, contre-filet, rib of beef, rib steak, filet mignon, lamb, etc.), served with all-you-can-eat mixed greens salad, sweet potatoes, rice and sauteed mushrooms ! Delicious !! One after the other, the waiters came to our table with a different type of meat and they would slice it fresh in our plates, it was so fun and the meat was juicy !

And dessert : Grilled pineapple with cinnamon or vanilla ice cream, + coffee or tea !

Oh and we can't forget the entertainment : Samba dancers !

Then, on saturday night, I was expecting to start entering the data / entries for the Charming Rebecca giveaway in an Excel spreadsheet .. yes, those were my totally exciting typical saturday plans. However, around 11pm, my friend Violet called me and we decided to go out for drinks ! We had such a blast, good conversation, good drinks and we met some cool people :o)

And on sunday afternoon, I met up with Violet again : We walked around town for about an hour, fed peanuts to some squirrels and pigeons (Yes, we're totally aware that we are strange pigeon ladies, à la Home Alone, lol.) and then, we stopped for lunch (warm vegetable soup & swiss cheese burger).

On the walk back home, we stopped at the park and enjoyed the sun a little. It was laid-back, relaxing and very fun ! Who said crazy pigeon ladies can't have fun ?!

....................................................................................

You've been very patient, listening to me yap-yap-yap away about my weekend and my pigeons ! Unless you just skipped to this part, either way, I love you and I thank you for visiting my blog. But if you read the whole thing, I love you more. Also, I wanted say thanks for entering the giveaway .. I had WAY more entries than I ever thought possible and hopefully, you enjoyed discovering Charming Rebecca's items !! After spending hours on Excel, entering all your comments / entries to the giveaway, I have the results of the Charming Rebecca giveaway for you.. drumroll, please !

The lucky winner of one item of your choice
from Charming Rebecca's Etsy store is :

The wonderfully sweet and inspiring

Summer @ "B" is for... Brown, Breathe & Believe !

Congrats girl ! Now the fun begins, picking your new piece of jewelry :o)

Thank you all for participating !
Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway, there's more stuff to win..

Goddess of .. B'day Giveaway #1 - Charming Rebecca !

::: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED :::

What kind of girl misses her own 1 year blog-o-versarie (March 26th, woot woot) because she's too busy looking for a job and throwing a pity party for herself ?

This girl.

Many bloggers host giveaways in celebration of their blog-o-versaries and honestly, I probably would have myself.. if I hadn't totally spaced out about my poor blog's birthday.

However, when I realized what a bad-bad blogger I'd been (prrrrr, prrrrr.. meow !), I decided I should make it up to you bloggies by hosting a few giveaways in the weeks leading up to my 25th birthday (May 9th 2010) !

 Without further ado, it's giveaway time, Bloggies !

Charming Rebecca is a brand new Etsy store filled with wonderful jewelry (pins, necklaces & rings) that I adore. I'll post a few images of my favorite pieces below, you'll see just how pretty and chic this jewelry is ! If you've been reading for a while, you know how much I love anything French or "Eiffel Tower" related .. this store has everything I could ask for !!!

The lucky winner will have the choice of

ANY ITEM

from Charming Rebecca's Etsy store.

 

Oh Darling, the places we will go ..

Paris (not Hilton), je t'aime ..

Yes, No.. OUI.. Non ! Sometimes, it's so hard to decide..

Three's company & Four's a party !

Charming Rebecca

Giveaway Rules

**Open to followers worldwide**

To enter this giveaway :

1. Follow my blog (through Google Friend Connect)
2. Tell me what item you would pick if you won @ Charming Rebecca's Etsy store
   

For extra entries (Please, leave a separate comment for each one) :

• Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)
• Be my friend on Facebook (1 extra entry)
• Blog / Twitter about the Charming Rebecca giveaway (2 extra entries)
• Buy an item from Charming Rebecca's Etsy store (5 extra entries) 

That's a total of 10 possible chances to win, so get on it.. Stat !

The giveaway is opened from Monday, April 12th 2010 to Sunday, April 18th 2010.

The winner will be announced next Monday, April 19th 2010.

Good luck, Bloggies !

Goddess of .. Can't stop thinking about you !

Hey there, you're looking quite pretty today, if I may say so :o)

I've been thinking about you lately. A lot.

Don't worry, nothing creepy. I swear. For the most part.

All week long, I have been rummaging Etsy shops for hours on end, looking for the very best items.. the crème de la crème. You should've seen me, it was cute at times and pathetic at other times (i.e. when it was 4pm.. Okay, I'm lying, it was 5pm.. and I had spent the whole day in front of the computer. All I had eaten was toast & coffee .. and I was still in my pjs). The things you do for love. *singing* The things you do for love. *singing*

But it was worth it, 100%. I am well on my way to some great partnerships with the finest & coolest Etsy sponsors a girl could have.

And THAT means giveaways for you !

Stay tuned, bloggies.
XOXO

P.S.    Don't worry, today was a wonderfully-bright-and-sunshiny day.. and I spent it outside ! I won't let you write me off as a total hermit crab just yet :o)

HAVE A VERY HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND BLOGGIES !!!

Goddess of .. Roses, Bows and Endless Ruffles !

With Easter right around the corner, I felt compelled to put together some of what I consider the perfect outfit choices for Easter brunch, spring 2010 edition.

The pop of color : Peach, light pink, beige.

The neutral : All shades of grey and silver.

The fun stuff : Bows, ruffles and flower accents.

The accessories : Rose rings, necklaces and crystal earrings.

{Click to enlarge}

Easter Brunch - Spring 2010 by AritzaGoddess including Valentino dresses

As a kid, my Mom would always buy me a new dress in the spring (usually around Easter or my birthday) to kick off the new season. I guess that's where I got my love of fresh new spring outfits. Also, I love dressing a little fancier than usual for Easter. Often times, around my neck of the woods, Easter Sunday is the first warm day of spring when I can actually wear open-toe / peep toe shoes, after months of wearing boots. It is so refreshing and makes me feel alive again !

Last Easter, I was in Philadelphia  with my Mom and we had a really wonderful time. Although I won't be traveling this year, I'm really looking forward to Easter weekend, they're announcing some pretty warm weather around here! Yay, rejoice! I'm gonna have the traditional Easter Sunday family brunch with my Mom & my grandma, and I'm sure it'll be fun to go out with them.

Oh, and I went to Forever 21 today.. they have lots of pieces that fit in with my Easter brunch theme. The light pink in their "Spring Pastels" collection is the perfect pop of color for this spring. Here's some of the things I saw :

Every Pleats Knit Dress

$22.80 @ Forever 21

Chiffon Layered Petals Top                                Chiffon Layered Front Top

$15.80 @ Forever 21                                             $17.80 @ Forever 21

Chiffon Rose Trim Top                                      Asymmetrical Rosette Tank

$17.80 @ Forever 21                                         $22.00 @ Forever 21

Of course, the idea is not to pair a rosette top with a rosette skirt, that would just be too much. But roses, bows and ruffles are fun to incorporate in a feminine spring outfit. I would suggest pairing a light pink / taupe top (or bottom) with a grey or black bottom (or top). You don't want to go all pink / taupe.. spice it up, it's not a uniform. Plus, if you were to wear all beige would probably drain you out and make you look dead-ish .. unless your skin is really dark.

Rosette Knit Skirt                                                   Bow Front Skirt

$22.80 @ Forever 21                                           $28.00 @ Forever 21

Heeled Ankle Bootie                                         Susie Rose Earring Set
$27.80 @ Forever 21                                         $4.80 @ Forever 21

What are your Easter plans, bloggies ?

Any Sunday brunch traditions ?

Mostly importantly, what will you be wearing ?

Goddess of .. A simple math lesson with Aritza !

Lawyers are renowned for being great mathematicians ! Uhmmmmmmmmm.. NOT.

However, one thing we are good at is : Alcohol. This skill was developed through enduring several years of Law School. True Story. Click here for scientific proof.

For example, Lolita (who is also a lawyer) 's dad is a profesionnal wine-taster / specialist (remember his wine cellar?). He will be working at the "Wine & Spirits show" next weekend and asked his beloved daughter to give him a hand. Lolita will be pouring wine samples to strangers from noon to 9pm. And now, this is where it gets interesting, her dad asked her if she would like to be paid "in cash" or "in wine".

Her answer : "In wine, of course !"

Her logic : Rather than getting paid about 100$ in cash, they'll give her 100$ worth of wine at cost price. That could be roughly about 12 bottles. Plus, if she's ever short on cash .. 100$ wouldn't go a long way but wine, on the other hand, would totally help her forget she's short on cash. It's pure genius.

100% pure lawyer math & logic

I began doing some math of my own yesterday. You know, just to keep my brain active during my weeks months of unemployment.

I started off with things I'm familiar with :

Gin + tonic water + slice of lime = Gin & Tonic

Lychee liqueur + vodka + a few lychees = Lychee Martini

This boosted my morale and I figured it was time to try something new :

Sparkling wine (perhaps champagne) + peach purée = Bellini 

Now I've heard about Bellinis through many, many of you bloggies but I have yet to try one. I'm super excited and I've enlisted the help of my dear friend Violet (not a lawyer but she's in law enforcement / immigration so it's all good, lol) to get on this mission as quickly as possible. I will report to you as soon as we do !

Speaking of Violet.. she and I had a movie night last night. We bought lots of veggies, dip, chips and chocolate. Added a nice bottle of red wine. Watched "Brothers" and "Up in the Air".. both really good movies btw ! It was an awesome evening, filled with drinking, eating and drooling over hot men.

I'll leave you with one last math equation :

Red wine + an awesome friend + the hawtness of Jake Gyllenhaal =

 Best. Evening. Ever !

This guy doesn't even have to take off his shirt to be hot ..

.. but I never (ever) protest when he does.

Goddess of .. Where will I be in 10 years ?

I've been tagged, by the wonderful Oughtasay, to answer that specific question.

Where do I see myself in 10 years ?

Ten years from now, I'll be 34 y/o.. soon to be 35.

That is such a scary thought for me right now. I don't even know where I see myself in 2 weeks. Honestly, there are SO many uncertainties in my life right now that I can only project where I want to be .. whether or not it's actually realistic, is another question.

First and foremost, I want to have a job that makes me happy. I'd like to be a successful lawyer who still has time for her friends and family. I'd like to be working in the Work Relations department, for either an important worker's union or a big company. Oh, and I'd like to look damn hot doing it, yes, please and thank you !

Also, I'd like to be in a fun, loving and commited relationship. Hopefully, I will be with someone who brings out the best in me and always pushes me to achieve more (whether it be at work, or getting in shape, etc.). I want to make that person really happy and always keep them interested and challenged.

As for the material things, I'd love to own a condo or a house in one of my favorite neighborhoods of the City. Someplace near all the beautiful little markets and coffeeshops. Maybe drive a bmw 'cuz I've always had a thing for beemers. I'd like to have one (or more) dogs, to give them a fun life with lots of exercise ! 

When it comes to children, it will simply depend on where my relationship is at. Obviously, I don't think I would be ready to have children with someone I haven't known for a long time. I could see myself starting to pop babies when I'm around 30 y/o .. so maybe one to two kids by the time I'm 35. But it's not a race .. all in good time :o)

I'd love to be close to my girlfriends. I know Violet and I always joke about living close-by and sipping on gin tonics while our kids have a playdate.. so we'll see what the future holds. That'd be nice !

Goddess of.. BIG Birthdays!

In exactly 2 months from today, it'll be my 25th birthday !

Two weeks after that, it'll be Lolita's 25th birthday !

And in June, my adorable grandma will celebrate her 100th birthday !

As you can imagine, I am busy brain-storming for the best ideas on how to make these special days even more memorable. Planning, I like to think, is one of my specialities. I'm organized and, quite frankly, one of the most anal-retentive perfectionnist people around. I'm determined to make a big deal out of these birthdays and to get shitfaced celebrate in style !

The first thing that came to mind

when I thought of a way to make a big deal of this : CAKE.

I'm a fanatic of the tv shows Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes. Either you know what I'm talking about or perhaps, you've seen pictures circulating of those amazing cakes. It's no secret, they're really fabulous but also quite expensive. I found a cake shop, here in the city, who seems to make similar (amazing) cakes.

I'm thinking of perhaps combining Lolita and I's birthday celebration .. and get one cake for both of us. That cuts the cost and gathers more friends & family in the same place. Also, we're bestfriends, turning the same age, within 2 weeks of each other .. it DOES NOT get more perfect than that, right ?

Obviously, for my grandma's cake, I would go with something simple, pastel colors, with some beautiful (real or icing/fondant) flowers on it. Both parties would probably involve around 50 people, so I guess it's good that it wouldn't be as big as a wedding cake. Of course, I need to find a job before spending this kind of money on cake, but that's .. well .. a piece of cake ! Uhmmm .. right.

If the budget doesn't allow for the "cake of my dreams", it could be just adding a special touch to some cupcakes and to the drinks.

via @ The TomKat Studio etsy store

via @ The Pink Cherry Mama etsy store

For some reason, I think these silly little party hats would be awesome to wear. However, I think that's the kind of thing that I would never be able to get Lolita on board with.

via @ The Monsoon Bead etsy store

Perhaps I'm leaning towards an Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatters themed party ?

But then again, neither of us are big Wonderland fans.

How about an Old Hollywood Glamour theme ?

Audrey Hepburn meets Marilyn Monroe.

Afterall, Lolita is the Audrey to my Marilyn.

Let me know what you think bloggies ?

P.S. You are ALL formally invited to this birthday bash !!

Goddess of .. Online Dating 2.0 !

Last week, Jenn Bollenbacher @ You'll grow to love me published her first E-Swagger article on the basics of online dating (which I strongly suggest you go read, right after you're done here !!).

Jenn's first tip suggested that each person must find the dating site that's right for them and then, went on to mention that she has chosen OkCupid for herself.

My last venture with online dating, in October 2009, was disappointing at best. Apparently, the dating site I used appealed mainly to construction workers originating from the suburbs of my city. And although, I have no personal beef with construction workers in general.. I have no interest in dating them. Our family & educational background, points of view and interests clash.. it's inevitable. That's a generalization, of course.

I did meet Benji through that specific dating site and although, we're not a good dating match, I respect him and find that we have many things in common. However, that dating site was still a major disappointment. Aside from Benji, I didn't meet anyone else in person. No profile got me thinking "Oh perhaps, him" or "Could he be my next bf ?".

As I read Jenn's article, I realized that perhaps I had underestimated the value of finding the right dating site for me. Sure, every site has losers and plenty of people that you won't get along with but some appeal to different types of people.. or at least, make it easier for you to figure out who would be a good match.

Enter OkCupid.

I had heard of OkC before but never knew it was entirely free (you're not limited to "winks" or sample e-mails) and used by many Canadians (I thought only Americans used OkC). I signed up, wrote a few paragraphs about myself, upload some pictures and started answering Match Questions to help find people who could be compatible matches. In no time, I had e-mails poring into my inbox and started browsing my possible Local Matches.

I found plenty of interesting and good looking guys for me. Young professionnals, who love to travel and learn about different cultures, who love to cook and enjoy great food & wine with friends, who are non-homophobic / non-racist. 

I'm really happy with OkCupid so far, really.

I exchanged several e-mails with one particular guy, Raj. He's really interesting and seems to fit all the above-mentionned "criterias". According to OkC, we're an 80% romantic match and a 70% friendship match.. it can't hurt, right ?

So we chatted on msn for a while yesterday and he's charming. Not pushy, quite funny and laid-back. He suggested we meet this week and I agreed, so we're going ice skating tomorrow night ! I'm probably gonna meet him at the ice skating rink (inside) around 5pm, when he finishes work. I'm really excited and I hope it'll be fun.. I'm sure it'll be funny at least, because apparently we're both kinda sucky at skating. Who knows, if all goes well, we might go for dinner afterwards ?!

He's 30 years old (but looks about 26-28 y/o), his parents are Indian (from India, not native indian) but he was born here I believe, quite funny, confidant, loves to travel, loves to cook & loves to discover new cultures. All of which sounds really good to me :o)

Cheers to my first date of 2010 !!!

Until then, I'm heading to the Alicia Keys concert tonight ! I'm in an Empire State of Mind ;o)

Goddess of .. Trading Spring Flings for Spring Things!

Uhmm, Spring Flings .. well maybe not so much. Any resemblance of a love life I may have had is a thing of the past .. and by past I mean .. 2009. Yup, it is that sad. Can't believe it's February already.

I'm in a great mood though. Single, jobless and happy. Could it be ?

There may not be any Spring Flings anywhere in sight for me but there are still plenty of Spring Things to feast my eyes on :

Like photographs by The Sartorialist

Like a Valentine's Day movie date with my (single) girlfriends

Like my awesome new red carry-on

33.99$ CAD @ Costco .. get yours today ;o)

Like all things nautical for spring-summer 2010

Spring Fling - Nautical by AritzaGoddess using Burberry shoes

How about you, bloggies ? What are some of your Spring Things ?

.. or are you sticking to Spring Flings this year ?

Goddess of .. If You Could Be Anything

I woke up in a really good mood today. I was having a silly dream and Mr. Unreliable was in it. He's kinda short and a little fat .. and he was running to catch up to someone .. and he looked silly. I was laughing at him (I'm a meanie, I know) and I was laughing so hard .. that I woke up. So, that put me in a good mood, lol !

Anywowzer, I've been busy at home. Until yesterday, I was elbow-deep in papers and stupid little nic nacs as I tried to get some order in my "office" and bedroom. My parents split up last year and now they are getting around to dividing their assets, mainly, the houses. Soooo, to make a really long story short, my mom hired an evaluator to establish the value of our home.. and he came yesterday morning. Obviously, we had to do a major clean up and put everything in order. So that's that.. we're just getting out of that. It looks amazing now though, so I'm really happy !

Other than that, I still haven't received a call for an interview. I have applied to a bunch of places that are interesting (in commercial or labour/employment law) but no news.. I've been unemployed for 3 weeks now. Wow, time flies.

Also, I have been questionning myself (for years) about what I really wanna do. Most people know right away, riiiight ??

- I like cooking and baking, I think I could like being a pastry chef.

- I like food and being judgemental, I think I could be a food critic.
But really, the odds of that happening are quite slim.

- I like travelling and sleeping in hotel beds, I think I could be a hotel critic.
Haha, again, odds are slim.

- I like fashion and design, I think I could be an interior designer.

- I like art and museums, I think I could work in a gallery or be a curator in a museum.

- I like volunteering and helping people, I think I could be a volunteer.
But that doesn't really pay the bills now, does it ?

- I like making money and having good social standing, I think I could put up with being a lawyer for 10 years and then, do whatever it is that I really wanna do. That was the original plan.

Gahhhh, this can drive me crazy. The possibilities just keep spinning in my head. None of them seems like the perfect and obvious choice. I think there must be a career I haven't heard of yet that fits my personality perfectly, right ?? Any ideas ?

If I could be anything in the whole wide world, I would be : HAPPY !

Yeah, that's all I got for now.

If you could be anything, what would YOU be ?