Wishlist Wednesday

Happy hump day! For a while I have been contemplating becoming a vegetarian.. but never came around to it. For a few reasons 1. I love meat 2. I'm addicted to hamburgers 3. I have low iron 4. I hate fruit 5. I can't cook and eat take out a lot and a few other reasons. I have seen multiple documentaries about the cruelty of farm animals and I have always wanted to stop eating meat. Last night I saw the most disturbing video that has really turned me off from meat. I'm not sure if I will be able to successfully transform into a vegetarian but I will take it one day at a time, there is no harm in trying. Today I turned down a roast beef sandwich so that is definitely at leap for me. If I realize I'm not able to do it I won't be disappointed because at least I know I attempted to make a change in my life. Right now I am totally turned off by meat so as long as I stay in this mentality I'll be okay.

It's Wishlist Wednesday! Here are a few things that I'm crushing on:

one, two, three, four, five, six

What's on your wish list?

Are you a vegetarian or thought about becoming one?

Tips For Surviving College Roommates

I currently live with three boys. No estrogen in the house at all, just me and my three favourite boys. Originally there were seven of us (four girls, three boys) one of my roommates moved out, and my other two female roommates rarely ever come by (I can literally count on my hands how many times I've seen one of my roommates). 

At the beginning of the year our house  was hectic. A lot of us didn't respect each other's boundaries which may have caused one of them to move out. Lights were left on, people didn't do their dishes, friends were over too late. Seven of us was way too many. 

Last year I lived in a dorm room with two other girls. One room, three girls. Both my roommates were really clean and I wasn't. I'll be the first to admit I am an extremely messy person. No matter how hard I try I just cannot keep my room organized (I blame it on the amount of stuff I have). My roommates and I still got along but I knew that me be being messy caused a few issues (except for the random times I would clean the entire room and they would check my forehead for a fever). 

My roommates this year and I get along perfectly now (maybe because there is less of us) but if you are having issues with your roommates here are some seven tips you need to set:

1. Cleanliness

This is what has gotten me in trouble with roommates in the past. Although now I have a single room to myself and my messy room doesn't bother anybody I still hate cleaning. I am respectful in the point I don't like doing dishes so I do my dishes as soon as I finish eating (most of the time if I'm not in a rush). In my house we have two kitchens one upstairs and one downstairs. It used to be three people using the upstairs and four of us using the downstairs, now it is an even two and two. I still see my roommate downstairs doing the garbage every Sunday and the upstairs kitchen is still never clean. When I visit my other friend's they always have a schedule for who cleans what and when (mind you these are all female houses I don't know how well it would work with the boys I live with) if you want your house to be clean you need to set a schedule with who cleans what or else your house will be messy. You need to respect the fact you are living with other people and if you're messy (like me) you need to change it.

2. Noise

This has been an issue in my house for sure. Boys are loud. I have two older brothers and I forgot how loud boys are. You really need to set boundaries for when you should make noise. Also you should choose the room you will be sleeping in wisely. I chose a basement bedroom right under the living room (not a good idea). I have had countless of nights without sleep because I can hear the television even when it is at it's lowest volume (I'm an extremely light sleeper). I also have had some of my roommates bring people home during exam time or when I have a test the next day (not fun). I can't even tell you how many times I have been woken up at eight in the morning by the boys being overly excited about something ridiculous. If you want respect in the house you need to be respectful of how loud you are. I can get real cranky when I get woken up. If you need to study I highly suggest just sucking it up and going to the library because sometimes no matter how hard you try your roommates will not be quiet and you need to respect that they also live here they can't be quiet forever. If you need to study go to the library but if it is exam time your roommates should understand you need a good night's rest and should shut up. If you are having this issue with noise try setting up a noise policy in your house. Between 11 PM - 10 AM on weekdays is "quiet hours" where on weekends 2 AM - 11 AM is "quiet hours" (or however you and your roommates decide what quiet hours are) 

3. Boyfriend/Girlfriends

My boyfriend lives a million miles away so I haven't had much of a problem with this (although one of my roommates told me I had to shower with him when he was visiting for a week because he isn't paying for utilities.... no) but there is a difference if your boyfriend is visiting every day and using up all your utilities. Last year I had a boyfriend who my roommates hated and I would be lectured over and over about how I need to break up with him and how they don't want him in the room (he didn't like being in the room anyways). If your roommates don't like your boyfriend they have a reason and you should probably break up with him (wish I had done that sooner) and if your roommates don't like your significant other find a happy medium. If you are living in a dorm room like I was last year say okay well my boyfriend is coming over today is it okay if I have the room for an hour? Or just make arrangements to spend more time at their place than yours. Just make sure that they aren't sleeping over every night because it will cause issues, they aren't paying rent and your roommates shouldn't have to deal with that.

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Music Monday: My Top 5 Of All Time

It's Monday... which means I'm back at school. I had a terrible sleep last night woke up about fifty times because of how cold it is in my basement bedroom and then I couldn't get back to sleep because I was hearing creepy noises that made me think that the girl from The Ring was going to pop up anytime. I went to class and I can barely stay awake through any of them... I can already tell this week is going to be a hard one. 

For today's Music Monday I thought I would share with you my top 5 all time favourite artists. The reason I put an emphasis on all time is because my top 5 change almost every month. I will listen to one band that I just heard over and over and over again and they become my top 5 for now. The top 5 I will introduce to you have been my favourites for years. I think to make it to your top 5 of all time you must own all (or majority) of records, know majority of their songs off by heart, and have been your favourite for more then two years. 

My number one favourite band of all time is Nirvana.

 Nirvana stole the number one spot in my heart when I was nine years old. Kurt Cobain died  when I was nearly a year old RIP Kurt so I discovered them by stealing one of my brother's Nirvana cd's and was addicted ever since. Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic are the most intelligent, musically gifted, artistically inclined individuals to ever hit the face of the earth. Let's start with my main man Kurt. People frequently ask 'if you had to bring one person back to life and have dinner with who would it be' my first answer would be Kurt Cobain. This man was so twisted and artistic I just find him amazingly intriguing (and a babe). If you follow me on Instagram I frequently take pictures of me in my room and you may catch the poster I have of Kurt Cobain smoking a cigarette in his guitar. I also dressed up as the infamous Courtney Love (who we can all debate if she really was in on the murder) for the 90s party that I threw. If you want to read an amazing biography on Kurt Cobain I highly recommend reading Heavier Than Hell. This book may convince you that Courtney Love had nothing to do with the murder but I have also watched a few documentaries that have convinced me she had something to do with it. All in all I believe Kurt Cobain is a twisted lovely man and his writing will always hold a spot inside my heart. Dave Grohl is another man in the band who I find to be the ultimate rock star. No scratch that, he is the ultimate rock star. Not only is the the front runner of the amazing band Foo Fighters but he has played with about any rockstar you can name, he can play everything, he can sing, he can write, he is hilarious, he is an amazing husband and father, and I would marry that man in a second. Krist Novoselic who is the tallest man on earth (not literally but he is pretty tall) is also the smartest man alive (not literally but pretty smart). You probably haven't heard much about him post Nirvana but he is the coolest dude ever, I highly recommend following him on twitter @KristNovoselic. His political standings make me love him even more. I love the members of the band, I love the music, I love everything. I love love love love love love Nirvana. Did I tell you that I love Nirvana?

Favourite Album: Bleach (1989)

Favourite Song: About A Girl

In second place near and dear to my heart is Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes' consists of more members than the lyrical genius Conor Oberst who has had other side bands including Commander Venus. Other members include producer Mike Mogis who plays multiple instruments in the band as well as Nate Walcott on the piano; they also frequent collaborations with other artists. I discovered Bright Eyes when I was twelve years old and they became my favourite ever since. The first song I ever heard from them was surprisingly not First Day Of My Life but actually Bowl Of Oranges.  I had the opportunity to watch their final performance on their final tour and I balled my eyes out (I'm a sap). I have never watched a performance by anybody so passionate about their music ever. Conor Oberst has had many critics talk about how he can't "sing". I don't know what the hell they are talking about that man has more passion in his voice than anyone I have ever heard. The raspiness in his voice is so sexy I can't even. He is such a beautiful artist and if you like his music you will appreciate his music ten thousand times more if you saw him perform live. I am excited for any future projects in store for him. I LOVE YOU CONOR!

Favourite Album: Cassadaga (2007)

Favourite Song: At The Bottom of Everything

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Sunday Weekly Roundup

This week was my reading week (Canada's version of spring break). I didn't get to go anywhere hot and exciting but I did get to go home and spend some quality time with my family and hometown friends. I don't visit London much so it was really nice to see people I haven't seen in years. I'm quite jealous of those who got to go down south for their break, the most southern I've been is Disney World in Florida but I hope to go somewhere in the Dominican soon! 

Weekly Roundup

TO EAT

French toast is my favourite breakfast food and I'm loving this recipe of baked french toast strips over at A Beautiful Mess

TO WEAR

I adore this moody fox felt brooch I found on the Etsy store Hanaletters. Check her store out it has an adorable collection! 

TO LISTEN

I'm obsessed with this song. If you can listen to this entire song without dancing you need to seek medical assistance immediately. 

TO DECORATE

I'm thinking of buying this print for my kitchen next year!

TO SEE

A pink Volkswagen. Need I say more?

TO CREATE

I'm going to have to try this DIY Edible Sugar Lip Scrub ASAP!

How was your week?

My Obsession With Astrology

We all have our little obsessions and mine happens to be astrology. I know everything there is to know about astrology and what the stars say about me. My sun sign, my moon sign, my venus sign, my saturn sign... I know them off by heart. Yeah you didn't know there was more to astrology than your sun sign? If a guy at the bar comes up to me and asks me what my sign is I'll tell them about eight different signs. A lot of people think "I'm a virgo" is all there is to know about themselves and it's not. Then there are the skeptics who say "you really think that the stars explain your personality" why yes, yes I do. I don't believe my entire personality is based on the time and place I was born, of course I have traits of my mother and father but I do believe that a lot of my characteristics have to do with astrology. 

I began my obsession with astrology when I was a little girl reading those teenage pop star magazines when I was around eight years old and began obsessing over what my horoscope said. Now that I educated myself more on the subject and came to the realization that horoscopes in magazines are just for entertainment. I do not read my horoscope anymore but I have taught myself everything there is to know about astrology. 

I own a lot of astrology books... I remember when I was in grade six and I thought it would be funny to buy an astrology book on sex. Here is this 12 year old girl going to Chapters and buying a book on sex (I'm hilarious) but little did I know how graphic that book was (apparently I'm into spanking, my best friend prefers to have sex with her relatives and my other friend is into beastiality) you would think after reading that I would be scarred from reading astrology but no.. it just made me scared of sex.

Every boy I have EVER had a crush on has gone through my astrology compatibility test. I probably should have taken it more seriously now that I think about it because the compatibility tests told me to stay away and I didn't! Paul and I's sun signs aren't compatible but a lot of our other signs correlate making us perfect for each other. My parent's are compatible in their sun signs and their chinese zodiac signs and they have been married for almost thirty years! 

I know a lot of people think it's non-sense, how can I POSSIBLY believe in it but I have taught myself the basics of astrology and yes I do believe in it. Are you going to tell a child they are stupid to believe in Santa Claus? Or a Christian in Jesus? No. I have my beliefs and you can have yours. I have a lot of friends who have been skeptical until I gave them an in depth reading (not only a sun sign reading) and they quickly jumped over to my side. 

If you want to get a free natal birth chart report visit cafe astrology  

A preview of my reading: 

Sun in XI

You are a humanitarian who aims to treat everyone as equals. You seek to be unique and original, and you do your best to avoid bias and prejudice. Social status is less important to you than belonging to a group of diverse personalities. Your identity, in fact, is somehow linked to a larger unit than yourself. You have high hopes and goals, and tend to look at life in terms of opportunities. You have magnetic appeal, as people sense your broad tolerance and openness. The friendships you establish are crucial to your development. If you identify too much with your friendships and your friendliness, you may become too impersonal and alienate those who would like to get close to you. Successful career thanks to support of patrons, friends or relations. You are a leader in groups and people look up to you.

If that doesn't sound like me.... I don't know myself at all. 

What are your obsessions? Has anyone ever challenged your beliefs? 

Frugal Fashion Find Friday: Bees Knees Gems + A GIFT FOR YOU

Today's Frugal Fashion Find Friday is all about the Toronto based vintage jewelry store Bees Knees Gems

Outfit Brooch: c/o Bees Knees Gems, Blouse: Vintage, Cardigan: Vintage, Shorts/Belt: Tobi, Boots: Forever 21

It was love at first brooch when Laura from Bees Knees Gems sent me this adorable fox brooch. 

If you love vintage inspired jewelry then you will love the Bees Knees Gems collection. Oh and did I mention that these fine pieces of jewelry won't break the bank either? 

Here are some reasons why you will love Bees Knees Gems:

Beautiful. All our crystals sparkle brightly since they are genuine Swarovski or Austrian Crystals. The casing is always silver or 18K gold/platinum electroplated, making them shine beautifully on you. The two elements combine to create elegant and timeless jewelry that you’ll enjoy for years.

Durable and Sturdy. You’ll be surprised at the weight of our jewelry. Bee’s Knees pieces aren’t just little trinkets, they’re solid pieces of jewelry, due in part to the thick layer of gold and platinum that coats the casing. These pieces will last you years with the proper care.

Full 1 Year Money Back Guarantee. If you don’t love your Bee’s Knees Jewelry at any point in the first YEAR after receiving it, just send it back. 100% refund, no questions asked.

100% Hypoallergenic. All our jewelry is nickel free and won’t cause an allergic reaction or green your skin.

Inexpensive. It's true, our pieces are not solid gold. Instead they are electroplated with gold or platinum. The means that, using the process of electrolysis, a layer of 18K gold or platinum is fused to the exterior of all the pieces. You get the weight, shine and comfort of pure gold without paying hundreds or thousands of dollars.

                                                 

one, two, three, four

Still not convinced? Well, right now Emerald has been named colour of the year by Pantone for 2013 and Bees Knees Gems has a great collection of emerald pieces like this one. Also, rose gold is a major trend and they have a vast selection of rose gold pieces like this one.

 Laura from Bees Knees Gems has offered all of you incredible Oh Summer Candy readers an astounding 40% off all jewelry in her store! If the prices weren't low enough they are about to get lower! All you need to do is when you purchase one of her beautiful pieces enter the promo code Summer40 at checkout.

Splurge + Save: Monochrome Blazers

Monochrome is a huge trend right now and I am quite pleased about that. I love black and white, especially vertical stripes. For today's Splurge + Save feature I decided to compare two black and white vertical striped blazers. 

Splurge: Net a Porter Save: Forever 21

I actually own the monochrome blazer from Forever 21 and it is one of my favourite items in my closet, I like to pair it with a nice pastel top or shorts. I hope this monochrome trend is here to stay!

How To Throw The Ultimate 90s Themed Party

This past Friday my friends and I threw the niftiest nineties party this decade has ever seen for two of my friends' birthdays. We were all born in the early nineties, so the theme was perfect.  Britney Spears, Zack Morris and even Tommy Pickles made an appearance at the party. The playlist was bumpin' and the guest list only included the hottest celebrities. Since the party was a huge success I thought I would share with the blogosphere how you too can throw the ultimate 90s party.

Pictures from the party:

I dressed up as Courtney Love for the evening. I wore a black baby doll dress, combat boots, smeared red lipstick and a lot of black eyeliner. I also made sure to have at least ONE picture with my husband Kurt. I also made sure to stay in character the entire night by screaming at Kurt and dropping way too many curse words. 

Three of my friends went as the Rugrats (Left to right: Chuckie, Angelica and Tommy Pickles). Tommy Pickles also made sure to carry around his trusty screwdriver and Angelica was carrying around her precious dolls. 

In this photo we have the female version of Kurt Cobain kissing angry Courtney on the cheek. Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski on the right and Britney Spears from her first major hit Hit Me Baby One More Time in the front. 

Britney Spears and Courtney Love. 

Denim on denim on denim on denim. 

Salt n Peppa in the middle. 
. 

Here are some more costume ideas: 

Single Costumes:

Will Smith as Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
MC Hammer
Marilyn Manson
Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman
Cher from Clueless
Gwen Stefani
Tupac

Group Costumes:

Destiny’s Child
Spice Girls
Sex and the City
S Club 7
Backstreet Boys
Lou Benga and the girls from Mambo No. 5 (Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina, Sandra, Mary, Jessica) (girls can wear Hi my name is ____ tags)
Rugrats
Recess 

Couple Costumes: 

Harry & Lloyd from Dumb & Dumber

Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain

Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake

Salt N Peppa

Jay & Silent Bob

Zack Morris & Kelly Kapowski 

Steve & Doug Butabi from A Night at the Roxbury

If you don't want to dress like anybody specific, make sure you wear a ton of denim, splash pants, and plaid. 

Now that you have picked out your costume, you need to find the perfect jams for the evening.

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Music Monday: Girls Soundtrack

Let me start off by saying... I love the HBO show Girls. It is currently one of my favourite shows on television to watch. I watched one episode and was hooked ... watched an entire season in one sitting (don't judge me). For one, it is hilarious and secondly the cast is an actual believable cast. Every character doesn't look like Megan Fox (finally) and they challenge many feminist issues. I love how Hannah is able to strip down naked and not give a damn what anybody thinks. The show has challenged her as not being as "beautiful" while she walks around saying well guess what I am beautiful and deal with it. Her friends will tease her about her 'small boobs' and she rocks it. Females need a show like this, especially with these pro-ana websites I think a character stripping down naked who isn't a size 0 is what society needs. Another character I love is Jessa, "so hip I could puke". That girl is the epitome of cool, please let me be her. 

Aside from feminist issues, Girls has an amazing soundtrack. If you're a fan of the show like me you can't help but notice the fricken' awesome music featured. I made a playlist of 60 songs they have played on the show in the past two seasons. If you like comedy and good music then Girls is the show for you. Enjoy!

Girls Soundtrack from summercandy on 8tracks Radio.

Sunday Weekly Roundup

The past week has been hectic with party planning and midterms. It has been a fun week, a stressful week, a sad week and a happy week. I'm back in the blogging mode so expect to read a lot this week! 

Today's weekly roundup: 

TO EAT

These Cake Cones and Macaroons look tasty and fun!

TO WEAR

Lower Manhattan Trousers are the perfect work pants.

TO LISTEN

Groove Amanda - I See You Baby in honour of the 90's party my friends and I threw on Friday

TO DECORATE

I'm loving this workplace over at My Girl Thursday

TO SEE

TO CREATE

Gold Dipped Feather Garland

Valentine's Day + GIVEAWAY WINNER

Hi everyone, Happy Valentine's Day! I haven't been posting much this week because of my midterms and it just hasn't been the best of weeks for me but next week I'll be sure to post more. 

Today is the day I get to announce the winner for the TashTashJewelry giveaway! For my first giveaway ever we had a successful 1364 entries! I'm so excited to throw more giveaways in the future.  (Drum roll please) The winner is .... Kristen De Jesus congratulations and Happy Valentine's Day!!

If you didn't wake up excited that it was Valentine's Day well here's a video that'll for sure put a smile on your face:

Happy Valentine's Day

Music Monday: Love Songs

If you haven't noticed I'm the sappiest cheesiest romantic this side of Canada. I love love, I love being in love, I love rom-coms, I love spoiling my loved ones, I love Valentine's day, I love love (except of course when I'm single and everyone else seems to be in love but me then I hate love) .. Kidding but not really. Embracing the cheesy girl that I am (you have permission to vomit) I made a playlist of love songs for Paul (awwwwwwwww). I made this playlist months ago but it's Valentine's Day so let's release it to the public! I have accepted the fact that I am cheesy and gross but I'm over it. All of these songs directly remind me of Paul .. most of the songs have something to do with the mountains, long distance relationships, or how in the hell did a normal guy like Paul fall in love with an insanely obnoxious girl like myself. Thanks for being the best Valentine ever Paul!!!

About a Boy from summercandy on 8tracks Radio.

1. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

2. Baby I'm Yours - Barbara Lewis

3. Coyote Song - Bright Eyes

4. Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine 

5. Ho Hey - The Lumineers

6. You Make My Dreams Come True - Hall & Oates 

7. Crazy He Calls Me - Billie Holiday

8. Love Love Love - Avalanche City

9. Already Yours - Bahamas

10. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Johnny Cash

11. Make You Feel My Love - Adele

12. I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles

13. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson

14. I Love You Because - Johnny Cash

15. I Was Made For You - She & Him

16. I Love How You Love Me - Jeff Mangum 

17. First Day Of My Life - Bright Eyes

18. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones

19. Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden

20. Oh, It is Love - Hello Goodbye

21. You Always Make Me Smile - Kyle Andrews

22. Ivory Road - King Charles

23. Crazy For You - Adele

What songs remind you of your significant other?

Valentine's Day Weekly Roundup + NEW BLOG DESIGN

Notice anything different? Probably my super duper amazing blog layout that my fellow sponsor the amazing blogger and designer Kotryna Bass designed for me. Doesn't it look amazing?! Oh and she designed it for a frugal five dollars! If you love my blog design let the talented Kotryna design yours for only $5 on Fiverr. Check out her blog it's fantastic and one of my favourites. 

Today's Weekly Roundup is all about Valentine's Day: 

TO EAT

I heart this heart shaped donut recipe

TO WEAR

This Wear Your Heart On Your Dress dress is perfect for a Valentine's Date!

TO LISTEN

You know couples who have a really cheesy love song they call their song? Yeah this is Paul and I's. 

TO DECORATE

I love this print just a little bit

Young love. 

TO CREATE

If you can't spend Valentine's Day with your loved one send them a DIY Valentine's Day Care Package

Happy Valentine's Day love bugs