birthday

RAOP is 3!

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016 by Alyssa Garrison

And just like that, three years have flown by since I decided my world needed to get a lot more colourful. Random Acts of Pastel was never meant to be a business powerhouse or a super brand – it has always been about fun, happiness, and love. Over the past three years the world I exist within has changed drastically in almost every way imaginable, but my baseline stays the same. I do what I love, because I love to do it, and my main goal isn’t to sell you guys things or create awesome advertising – it’s to make as many people as I can smile every single day. I hope that message hasn’t been lost in translation, and I thank each and every one of you for supporting me and following along as RAOP grows from a funny idea to a dreamy lifestyle. Without you, I wouldn’t be here, and I am so incredibly grateful to have the privilege to do what I do.

Every year team RAOP celebrates with a cake. Year one I was the only “staff”, so I made little mini ombre layer cakes. Year two Johanna had come aboard to start helping out, so we loaded up on donuts and made a donut cake (which we later devoured between the two of us!). This year the RAOP family has grown even more to include Jo as my right hand, our new intern Olivia, our awesome agency Shine Influencers, plus endless clients, friends, and helpers (including my bf Josh, who I’ve proclaimed head of video and tech support) who all come together to make this sparkly dream world of mine a reality. The conclusion? We needed a much bigger cake!

Luckily Marble Slab came to the rescue just in time for our long weekend + Pride weekend third birthday. We have a lot to celebrate today, so we loaded up a mint chocolate chip heart-shaped cake with sprinkles and fizzy cotton candy bits for the occasion. We figured there was no better time than this epic day filled with reasons to party to share our #MarbleSlabMoments– and guess what? Even though it’s our birthday, we have a sweet gift for you too!

I’m giving away three $25 gift cards from @marbleslabcan on Instagram! Share a photo of a special moment you love to celebrate in life on Instagram and tag #marbleslabmoments by July 10th 2016 to be entered to win!

Dear Diary Party Time

RAOP Turns 2!

July 4, 2015July 6, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I’d be lying if I didn’t say this “blogiversary” totally snuck up on me. RAOP has become such a part of everything I do that it’s sometimes strange to think there was a time when it didn’t exist. Just like a love that feels so right from the moment you find it, RAOP feels like it’s been part of me for a lifetime, even if the date stamps on my posts prove otherwise.

For two years I’ve poured my heart, soul, dreams, spare time, spending money, sweat, and sparkles into these pages, and though it was a slow start, these days I get back so much more than I ever could’ve imagined. In the past 6 months alone I’ve had the chance to work with some of my favourite brands and designers, my audience has almost doubled, and each morning I wake up, look around me and think “I am so lucky to have this life”. On top of getting to play dress up in pink outfits and eat sugary treats for a living, I also have the most amazing community behind me, both online and off, and the love and support I receive on a daily basis truly is beyond my wildest expectations.

I don’t have much time (I’m setting up a very special blog birthday party for this afternoon, so be sure to follow along on Instagram), but I guess what I really wanted to say is thank you. Thank you to all you dreamers out there who believe in what I do, who read my posts and comment on my photos, and who don’t think it’s unreasonable to live a bright, glittery life. Without you, none of this would exist, and my colourful world would be so much darker.

One last thing! I’ve been thinking for awhile how fun it would be if I could see all of your random acts of pastel out there in the world, and what better time to start than now? If you’re up for it, hashtag your pastel pics (on Instagram, Twitter, wherever!) with #randomactsofpastel and I promise I’ll find them, like them, and share my favourites on my feed!

Sweater by Wildfox via. High Street Fashion

Photos by Johanna Martin

Dear Diary

A Birthday To Remember

August 27, 2014June 22, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

In case you weren’t already aware, I had one of my best birthdays ever last week.

My amazing partner put so much work into making my day special, and he planned out everything from delicious breakfast in bed supplied by Kitten and the Bear, to my perfect For Love and Lemons birthday dress, and at the end of it all, an amazing “tropical paradise” surprise party in the yard with all of my closest friends. In the afternoon I went on rides and won a unicorn plushie at the CNE (all in a tulle skirt of course) and for dinner I probably drank my weight in champagne. My best friend Sarah even bought me a package to go horse riding with a friend at sunset on the beach, which you’ll surely see tons of photos of when I go with Paige from Bicyclette tomorrow evening!

The result was truly a magical day to remember, and I wanted to share some of my favourite moments with all of you here!

Morning photos by me, evening photos by Brianne Burnell

Dear Diary

Make a Wish

August 18, 2014June 22, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I’m not going to sugar coat the truth for you guys on this one: I’m a total birthday princess.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been totally insane about my birthday. As a kid, I’d make plans and send out invitations months in advance, and I even started making birthday wish lists with links, images, and level of priority (what a brat huh?)

My traditions have grown and developed as the years have gone by, and I don’t plan and obsess quite as much as I used to (or make lists at all for that matter), but my level of excitement hasn’t dulled much, and there are a few birthday traditions that I still hold near and dear. I love getting together with my friends and picking out a special dress just for the big day (usually the more glitter the better!) I always open my presents first thing in the morning in bed just like I always did with my parents back home, and I eat exactly what I want, all day, no matter how inappropriate my cravings (and yes, this usually means cake and ice cream for breakfast!)

But today, I’m 24, and for the first time, the joy I usually feel about my birthday is altered ever so slightly by the creeping in of anxiety and pressure. I’ve had a life changing year since last August: I jumped into my career with both feet, and I feel so lucky that I’ve been happy and successful in it so far. I’ve worked on so many incredible projects, had all sorts of magical adventures, and made so many wonderful new friends. I fostered dogs and helped them find homes, moved into a new apartment, learned a lot of information about beauty products and lipstick application, went vegan and then went back again (still struggling with that one), and dyed my hair about 15 different colours, all in the span of 365 days.

So why all the negativity?

The problem is, though I’m still really young, I get anxious that I’m running out of time. There are so many things I want to do, feel, see and hear during this short blur that is my one shot at life, and lately I’ve been feeling worried I’ll never be able to get it all done. I want to get married and start a family by 27 (I know, I’m crazy), but I also want to visit South East Asia in the next couple of years, and build my career and maybe even buy a house: is it even possible to do all of that in such a short period of time?

The answer is no, It probably isn’t possible, but looking back, that’s sort of the beauty of life isn’t it? I have done so many things I’ve expected and planned to do, but so many of my best memories have been built from spontaneity, from magical surprises and shocking heartbreaks. Whether I check off my little mental 20-something checklist, I think I need to remind myself that every year, in fact every minute of every day, is a gift, and all I can do is make the most of every second, and appreciate every passing moment.

At the end of the day, I really have no idea what 24 has in store for me, but if it’s even half as glittery and fun as 23 was, I can’t wait to find out.

Photos by Paige Boersma