Dress Up

Though the weather hasn’t been the best and I find myself busier with work than ever, this summer has been pretty wonderful so far. I’ve had the chance to work on a ton of fun creative projects, celebrated my blog’s first birthday, and coordinated an incredible party shoot with Bicyclette. Perhaps the biggest event so far though was Sarah’s visit.

Sarah and I have been best friends since we were eight years old, and though our closeness has come and gone, I don’t think any time has been quite as rough as this past year. Last summer Sarah decided to go to grad school in Vancouver, where we’re both from, and at the end of August she left her life here behind, including me. It was so hard to see her go, and even harder to have such an incredible year of success and excitement without really being able to share it with her. We kept in touch nonstop, sending one another cards and packages, but it just wasn’t the same. I felt like part of myself was missing.

Sarah’s visit these past two weeks was so bittersweet that it’s hard to even sum it up. We did all sorts of amazing things she wanted to do, and went a handful of places that I had promised to show her. It certainly wasn’t perfect, and if I’m being totally honest things did feel a little bit different at times, but when push comes to shove we had an amazing two weeks filled with beauty and adventure.

One of my favourite days with Sarah was when we headed to Toronto Island to shoot photos with Brianne for a Take me Out post. We spent the morning frolicking around the island taking pictures, and in the afternoon we lazed around on the beach until we were so hungry that we had to leave. It was a beautiful day filled with hundreds of tiny beautiful moments; here are some of my favourites!

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Photos by Brianne Burnell

Dress UpOh so Pretty

Our Pool Party might have been this past Sunday, but that so doesn’t mean the fun is over! We’ve got a few more recipes, DIY’s and printables up our glittery sleeves, and of course we have a bit of advice concerning the most important part of every party: what to wear!

Paige and I spent so much time meticulously planning this event that we almost forgot to figure out our outfits (almost). We were lucky enough to have our hair done by Amanda, a colour magician at Blyss Salon, and we wanted to play up the amazing raspberry and blush hues she created in our locks.

We knew that a lot of pink had to be involved, and of course some party pieces by Ban.do (also known as the most fun company on earth.) We also wanted to work in our new favourite celebration piece, the Party Skirt (an adorable Canadian brand that just became available at Bicyclette! Yay!) With all of those guidelines in mind, we put together a few colourful ensembles that would be perfect for a summer bbq, a rooftop soirée, or even a pool party!

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And of course I couldn’t just leave out pool party beauty now could I? There are so many wonderful mega-cute products that work so well for summer events, and you might be surprised by how many of them are waterproof too!

Pool Perfect Products//

*I’m having a serious love affair with Fresh’s Sugar Tulip lip treatment. It’s moisturizing, SPF 15, and gives my lips the perfect hot pink summer glow!

*In the world of liquid eyeliner, nothing beats Stila’s stay all day waterproof formula. I wear this product daily whether I’m swimming or not and it’s always perfect!

*Add a bit of colour to your cat eye with Stila’s smudge stick waterproof liner

*Get some seriously glorious mermaid lashes with Pacifica’s vegan, all-natural Aquarian Gaze water resistant mascara

*Nothing says summer party like Mermaid perfume, a sweet orange blossom scent for for any pool party princess!

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Sips, Sweets & Snacks

We firmly believe that cocktails are a must for any soiree, but something simple like gin and tonics or vodka waters just won’t do! Making themed, fancy drinks and dressing up a bar cart is one of our favourite parts about throwing parties, so figuring out cocktail recipes was the first order of business on our list when it came to planning our Pastel Pool Party!

Poolside lounging is pretty synonymous with cute tropical drinks, and we really wanted to bring some fun elements into these cocktails to channel that pairing. We teamed up with BYOB, an amazing cocktail accessory shop down the street from Bicyclette, and they provided some amazing syrups and mixes for us to experiment with. We also picked up a few bottles of gin from Dillon’s, a local distillery that makes wonderful spirits, plus some fruit, sparkling water, and of course pink champagne. Here’s what we came up with when we put everything together for our tiki cocktails!

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Gin Tiki Twist // 

Spicy and refreshing, this drink is perfect for hot sunny days spent in a bikini with a couple of your closest friends. 
1 shot Dillon’s Gin
1 shot Lab Sirop Artisinal Tiki 1930
1/2 shot White Whale ‘The Filthy Liar’ Mixer
Sparkling Water
Tropical Fruit to garnish

Stir the gin and syrups together in your favourite cocktail glass, then top it off with sparkling water (to the rim) and garnish with tropical fruit of your choosing!

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Cotton Candy Colada // 
Sweet and pretty, this bubbly cocktail’s garnish slowly melts into the drink, sweetening it as you sip! 
5 shots Owl’s Brew Coco-Lada Mixer
Pink Champagne
Cotton Candy
Measure out the Coco-Lada and pour it into your favourite champagne glass, then top it off with pink champagne (to the rim) and garnish with a fluff of cotton candy!

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Photos by Paige Boersma

Sips, Sweets & Snacks

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I swear tea has magical powers. When you’re feeling chilled it warms you up, when you’re sad or tired it gives you a boost, and it always seems to bring people together one way or another. The first time Paige and I met in person it was over tea and scones at The Kitten and The Bear, and from that moment on we’ve been dreaming up RAOP x Bicyclette magic, so it was only fitting that we’d eventually make one of our projects something to do with tea.

We’re both big fans of Sloane Tea, a local brand with incredible blends and super pretty packaging, so we rounded up a handful of our favourites and started experimenting together at Studio B. By the end of the afternoon we’d come up with 6 delicious, fancy iced tea recipes to keep you cool this summer. Some have caffeine, others are caffeine-free and kid-safe, and all promise to bring magic, fun, and togetherness to your summer.

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Crimson Berry Punch 

(Makes 2 cups)
5 tsp Crimson Berry Sloane Tea
12 oz Hot Water
Fresh Berries
4 tbsp Peach Juice
1 tbsp Agave

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Steep the tea for 4 minutes. While you wait, fill two cups with berries of your choice (we used a mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) and ice. Once the tea is steeped, carefully pour it over the ice and stir in 4 tbsp of peach juice and 1 tbsp of agave (or to taste). Serve with a berry garnish!

Add some extra fun with red wine.

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Pineapple Pear Fizz

(Makes 2 cups)
5 tsp of Perfectly Pear Sloane Tea
12 oz Hot Water
Pineapple Syrup
Sparkling Water

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Steep the tea for 1.5 minutes. While you wait fill two cups with iced tea. Once steeped, pour the tea over the ice and add pineapple syrup to taste. Top it off with sparkling water and garnish with a pineapple slice!

Add some extra fun with vodka.

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Rose Pineapple Chai

(Makes 2 cups)
5 tsp of Persian Palace Sloane Tea
12 oz Hot Water
Pineapple Syrup
Rose Water

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Steep the tea for 2.5 minutes and fill two cups with ice while you wait. Once steeped, pour the tea over the ice and add pineapple syrup and a splash of rose water to taste.

Add some extra fun with rum.

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Sparkling Peach Rose Pink Lemonade

(Makes 2 cups)
5 tsp Jasmine Pink Lemonade Sloane Tea
12 oz Hot Water
2 tbsp Peach Juice
Rosewater
Agave
Rose Syrup (available at BYOB or The Spice Trader)
Sparkling Water

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Steep the tea for 1.5 minutes and fill two cups with ice while you wait. Once steeped pour the tea over the ice and add a tiny drop of rosewater, 2 tbsp peach juice and agave and rose syrup to taste. Top it off with sparkling water or bubbly!

Add some extra fun with gin.

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Coconut Peppermint Patty Iced Latte 

(Makes 2 cups)
10 tsp Mint Chocolate Sloane Tea
8 oz Hot Water
Vanilla Coconut Milk
Agave

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Steep the tea for 4 minutes and fill two cups half full with ice while you wait. Once steeped, pour the tea over the ice and add vanilla coconut milk and agave to taste. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Add some extra fun with mint liqueur.

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Lavender Coconut Cream Iced Latte

(Makes 2 cups)
10 tsp Heavenly Cream Sloane Tea
8 oz Hot Water
Vanilla Coconut Milk
Lavender Water
Agave

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Steep the tea for 2.5 minutes and fill cups half full with ice while you wait. Once steeped, pour the tea over the ice, then add vanilla coconut milk, agave and lavender water to taste. Garnish with lavender buds.

Add some extra fun with Galliano or another vanilla liqueur.

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And as an extra special treat for our readers, enjoy 20% tins of Sloane Tea at The Kitten and the Bear until next Wednesday when you say the code word ‘Random Acts Of Pastel’ or ‘Bicyclette’. The perfect excuse to stock up for summer and up your iced tea game!

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This is a collaboration post with Bicyclette and it can also be found on their blog too!

Dress Up

There’s something so comforting and exciting about being able to shop outside in the sunshine instead of inside an air-conditioned grocery store or a mall, isn’t there? When the weather warms up in Toronto, the city is flooded with yard sales, outdoor pop-up events, and farmer’s markets, and the result is often weekends packed with so many activities that it’s impossible to get to them all! Luckily, all year round, everyday, there’s Kensington Market.

Kensington is a perfect combo of cute restaurants, affordable organic groceries, and vintage shops, and it’s filled with all kinds of treasures. There’s a ton of selection, and a large number of specialty stores with rare products you’d have a hard time finding anywhere else, which makes it the best spot to shop when planning a dinner party or a special meal. My favourite thing to scoop up there though is fruits, veggies, and herbs!

Every year when summer hits, Kensington’s produce vendors expand their shops into the street, loading metal storage units with seedlings you can take home and plant in your garden. Fresh fruit is also moved outside, which means the entire market has a sweet, fruity aroma. I headed down to the narrow streets to wander in the sunshine and pick up some sweet treats, and I couldn’t help but take a few photos with Brianne too!

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Photography by Brianne Burnell