Party Time

Today is a special day – It’s the first full moon of Spring tonight, and though many might glaze over this momentous occasion, we decided to throw the new season’s moon a full-fledged party. Luckily April’s Full Moon this year isn’t just any old moon: it’s called a “Pink Moon”, and although the moon itself isn’t actually pink, it’s named after pink flowers called wild ground phlox, which bloom this time of year. Pretty cute, right?

We’ve been really feeling the love when it comes to the special women in our lives this season, and we wanted to celebrate all of the amazing ladies that give us power, strength, and support. Spring is a time to celebrate birth and rebirth, motherhood and coming back together after a winter in isolation… Feminism! We had all of these things in mind when planning the Pink Moon Party – in fact our guest list only felt complete when we had some of our new momma and soon-to-be-mom friends RSVP’d. What better way to welcome a fresh new season than to gather with your favourite women and set some positive intentions for the new moon phase?

With Bloom School as the backdrop, we were surrounded by fresh Spring blooms lovingly arranged around the room. Becky taught us a simple but super cute moon wall swag workshop (DIY coming to the blog later this month), and at the end of the afternoon we all contributed our crystals to a mandala amongst a sea of flower petals.

The Wedding Cake Shoppe provided magical sweet creations like pearl dusted watercolour moon cookies, handcrafted marbled chocolate crystals and the cake to end all cakes. A true masterpiece of confectionary, this tiered crystal geode cake was the star of the party. Topped off with a special cucumber rose punch (again, recipe coming soon!) and candles, our treat table was complete.

Made all the more cozy thanks to Homesense, and a little bit more magical thanks to Sugargirlee Co‘s balloons, we had the ultimate stage for an enchanting afternoon celebrating girl power and the ladies we love most. We even got a special guest appearance from Luca (the only boy invited).

Captured by the mega-talented Photos // Brittany Deck , we hope this shoot casts a spell of empowerment, sisterhood, and LOVE on your new moon tonight – don’t forget to put out your crystals for a cleanse!

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Photos // Brittany Deck
Florals // Blush and Bloom
Cake and treats // The Wedding Cake Shoppe
Props // Homesense
Balloons // Sugargirlee Co
Drink accessories // Cocktail Emporium Aspen Punch Bowl Set
Watercolour backdrop // Johanna Martin
A special thanks to our models; Anabella, Martha, Jaymi, Sophie, Meghan, Aleia, Rachelle & Amanda.

Party Time

It feels a little silly to do a sneak peek post for a shoot we’re sharing this Tuesday, but we honestly couldn’t wait for the full moon to show a few snippets of this amazing event. I really don’t want to give anything away until next week, so for now here’s a handful of images from our day at Bloom School that we couldn’t resist publishing a bit ahead of the moon cycle.

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Check back Tuesday for the gorgeous official set by BKH photo, plus a recipe and a DIY from the party going live later this month!

Party TimeSips, Sweets & Snacks

Alyssa: We firmly believe that all Canadians deserve a sunny vacation when the cold weather rolls around, but it’s not always an option for everyone between finances, busy jobs, and well, life in general really. I was lucky enough to escape most of the winter chill this year, but the rest of #TeamRAOP back home had to get a little more creative. Queue Couch Island, our go to strategy for winter survival:

Jo: It’s a rough time here in Canada – we’re right in the middle of the coldest time, Christmas is long gone behind us and ‘the most depressing day of the year’ just breezed by. The obvious answer is to get away; Mexico, The Bahamas, Costa Rica, LA (in Alyssa’s case) but we know it’s not always that simple, so we’ve created an oasis inside our own home, and you can too!

This ultimate stay-cation themed lounge fest always helps us fight off those winter blues, and it’s inspired by one of my favourite places to visit: couch island (a close second to bed island). Inexpensive, close to home, safe, warm and filled with friends and loved ones, there’s really no better place to be when the temperature drops. Our version includes Malibu Rum Frozen Pina Coladas served in pineapples, tropical snacks, colourful decor and of course RAOP’s go-to in the ultimate guide to staying at home: a selection of our current favourite music and reads via Playster. Through the glow of the pink flamingo neon light and the sounds of our favourite tunes we can hardly tell we’re not actually in a beach cabana…

You can find our custom RAOP playlists here:
RAOP’s Sunshine Station
RAOP’s Couch Island Book Club

Looking to make your own perfect Malibu Rum Frozen Pina Colada? Scroll down for the recipe!

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Malibu Rum Frozen Pina Coladas

What you’ll need //

2 oz malibu original
3 oz pineapple juice
1.5 oz coconut cream
1/4 oz lime juice
1 dash simple syrup
1 cup ice cubes
coconut flakes
fresh pineapple

We used a core-er to hollow out pineapples as cups. Simply blend on high until smooth and garnish with coconut flakes, fresh pineapple and a cute straw. Now grab some snacks BFF’s and strand yourself on your very own Couch Island!

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A special thanks to Society 6, Sunnylife & ShopRAOP for providing our comfy-tropical decorations.
And thanks to our models Meghan Yuri Young and TeamRAOP members Kelsie & Olivia

Get CreativeParty Time

It’s been a long time since Paige and I have gathered the time and energy to put on another #getsocialworkshop, and in all honesty we were a bit nervous this time around. We were working with a new space, a lot of new sponsors, and both of us have shifted our focus so vastly over the past couple of years we didn’t really know what to expect.

But for the third time, we were so pleasantly surprised with how it all came together.

The workshop this time around was packed, despite having expanded to a larger space, and everyone came from totally different backgrounds, which made the range of information we had to discuss so much more dynamic. Over incredible pink waffle breakfast sandwiches from Burger Pawty, fresh blooms by Wild North Flowers, and hot tea from Teapigs, attendees spread out around the space, snapping photos on coloured backdrops with glittery fun props. I think it’s safe to say that even when time was up, no one was really ready to go back to reality and head home!

Paige and I feel so incredibly lucky to have the chance to take part in such an inspiring and creative community, and it’s days like this past Sunday that really remind us why we do what we do. Thanks so much to everyone who joined us!

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Special thanks to our incredible sponsors //

Burger Pawty
Teapigs
CONVEY
Wild North Flowers
Cake Beauty
Flow Water
I Love Puffy Love Marshmallows
Fancy Pufs
Richer Poorer
Bite Beauty
Ban.do
Nude Bee Honey
Rosehound Apparel

Dear DiaryParty Time

Guess what? The #getsocialworkshop is finally back, with more information and fun than ever before! Paige and I have both gained so much knowledge in everything from opening an online shop to formulating a strong visual strategy for your brand, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve learned with our newest students (alongside sweet treats and fully loaded gift bags as per usual of course!)

Whether you’re a blogger or business owner we can’t wait to teach you about photos, promos, partnerships, and everything else that comes with the wild world of social media and digital marketing on Sunday November 13th!

Tickets won’t be on sale until Monday (link will be here – act quick as we always sell out!) but for now you can see snippets from our last classes here, here and here!