GIVE A LITTLE BIT | My Fave Holiday Tradition at Vaughan Mills

Messages of love at the Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall.

Right now is that precise time of year when the fashion on my mind is exclusively inspired by jammies. The week leading up to Christmas, for me at least, involves a steady fashion menu of Roots joggers, cozy rompers, oversized sweaters and maybe the odd puffer for those last-minute panicked trips to the mall. Sure, I'll bust out the sequins and velvet and all of that festive hawtness starting Christmas Eve but right here, right now, I'm just down for anything that I don't mind spilling hot chocolate on. You feel me? Fashion, I'm afraid, is the furthest thing from my mind as I watch Home Alone (1 & 2, not 3 - ugh), pop advent chocolate and test-drive red wine. So when Vaughan Mills asked me to come back to celebrate the launch of their Love Lock Wall - this time as a blogger - I knew this was going to be the perfect first post back, since this event has come to mean so much to me. 

Our first time at Santa's Tiny Big Town in 2015, when they were still so little (sniff)...

For the last 4 years, my kids and I have gone to Vaughan Mills for what's become one of our absolute fave holiday traditions. We shop (of course), we eat (obvs), but then, we head straight to the Event Court to give a little bit. It's SO easy for kids to get caught up in the 'getting' this time of year, the 'giving' part sometimes gets a little lost. This trip always flips the switch and somehow makes us all care a lot less about gifts and a lot more about what actually matters: presents. My daughter just read that and was like, 'omg, mooooomm!' 

The amazing team at Vaughan Mills has made it their mission to give back in the most epic way to SickKids Foundation. As an official Catalyst Sponsor, Vaughan Mills has already raised over $600,000 (seriously) in only 4 years for this amazing cause, with an ambitious $1 million goal; all through Santa photo packages at Santa's Tiny Big Town and its Love Lock Wall experience.

C & I locking in our love at the Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall.

That's me, trying to act natural. 

We arrive at Vaughan Mills and get right in line to get photos with Santa (which I can't stop, won't stop doing until they're in highschool - they'll thank me later). Santa's Tiny Big Town is stunning, Santa is the real deal, and unlike so many other places, you get your own private family moment with the big guy. The best part? 100% (!) of the proceeds from the photo packages goes directly to SickKids. Right beside Santa's Tiny Big Town is the Love Lock Wall, where you purchase a lock, dedicate it to someone you love with your own special message, and lock it on the wall. There's something about the act of dedicating the lock that always makes my kids quiet (this is a big feat) and thoughtful and truly, I think, helps them remember just how lucky they are. You can purchase 1 lock for $15 or 2 for $25 and with each lock purchased, you get to take home a beautiful 'keypsake' necklace to gift or to keep (um, yup, best teacher gifts EVER). Once again (you guessed it) a full 100% of the proceeds goes to SickKids. We lock on our locks, choose our necklaces (a moon and a star for their fave teachers) and then sit down for a concert by Shawn Hook (looove) who's come to celebrate the launch at Vaughan Mills. Scroll down to the video diary below to see how it all went down.

Want to give back this holiday season and share an amazing experience with your fam? Be sure to head to Vaughan Mills to visit Santa's Tiny Big Town and the Love Lock Wall. Oh, and while you're there, be sure to snap a pic of you locking in your love and share it with the hashtag #VMGives. After visiting SickKids hospital and getting to meet some of the families whose lives have been impacted by this amazing place, including kids who can't come home for the holidays at all (ugh I know), I really cannot think of a better cause than this. xx

 

C & A at the Love Lock Wall & Santa's Tiny Big Town in 2016. 

LOVE ON THE BRAIN | 18 Valentine's Gifts to Make Them Swoon

Pretty in pink Ray-Bans via Sunglass Hut

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

There's nothing better than love. Sigh...I mean, what's not to love about love? From new relationships to weathered, old ones - er, I mean, deep, lifelong, stuff-that-movies-are-made-of ones - Valentine's is about celebrating that most important 4-letter word. I'm talking about love. Love is patient, love is kind, and love demands presents from time to time. Or is it just me who demands them? Anyway, it's complicated. Let's let these sweet, swoon-worthy gifts do the talking for me today. Clearly, I'm so smitten that it's making my mind foggy. Must be love on the brain...

READ MORE...

MERRY & BRIGHT | 50 Fun Gifts For Everyone Left On Your List

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

I can't blame you for feeling overwhelmed by it all. I mean, December is always straight up manic - between making plans and hosting parties, grabbing gifts and doing good deeds, this time of year is all about stressing and hurrying and getting it done. But then, when all of that rushing is done, it's all about stopping. It's about pausing and relaxing and fa-la-laaing with your favourites. It's about crisp white days and silent nights. It's about spending time with the people we love. We forget about work and worries for awhile as we watch Clark Griswold light up the night (Joy to the Woooorld) and Kevin experiment with after-shave. We remember what it's like to feel like a kid again as we eagerly wait for Santa to arrive.

As we all learned from Dr. Seuss, we know that in Whoville at least, Christmas came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. We know Christmas doesn't come from a store. We all know it means just a little bit more. But still, you have to admit it - giving great gifts is FUN. Since you're probably a little bit busy right now, I put together a list of 50 fun gifts for everyone on your nice list so you can quickly grab your gifts and get to all the good stuff just a little bit sooner. Happy holidays - hope you're enjoying every manic minute! 

SEE THE GIFT GUIDE HERE...

GIVE A LITTLE BIT | The Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall + Our Visit to Santa's Tiny Big Town

Messages of hope on the Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall...

Epic snowstorm or not, we are on our way to Vaughan Mills. My kids are in the backseat, all dressed up, and there is no turning back. With school, soccer practices, choir performances and colds having delayed us over the last few weeks and Christmas only a week away, this is literally our only night to do this - and for the record, we're not just going to shop. As the Official Stylist of Vaughan Mills, I spend most of my days focusing on the fluffy stuff - the fashion, the shoes, the sparkly gifts I find on the daily at VM, all of which I love. But while Vaughan Mills is one of my favourite places to shop, it's their focus on giving back that means the most to me. And so, we're driving, through a blizzard, for 3 hours, to see Santa. 

Even a snowstorm can't stop these two from seeing Santa...

 

Made it! C & A, all set to meet the big guy at Santa's Tiny Big Town.

For the second year in a row, Vaughan Mills has partnered with Toronto's SickKids Hospital for Santa's Tiny Big Town, where 100%(!) of the proceeds generated from Santa Photo Packages will be donated to SickKids. We came last year and my kids still talk about how magical Santa's Tiny Big Town was. The set-up is beautiful with twinkly white lights everywhere and magical little elf houses dotting the path to where the kids eventually meet the man of the hour. This year, there were no line-ups, no waiting (see: blizzard) so C & A waltzed right in but VM has thought of everything so along the way, there are loads of games and distractions to keep little ones entertained. 

Fun games in the line-up make waiting loads of fun.

All is calm, all is bright...

Frame-worthy. And yes, Santa's beard is 100% real (I know because they checked). 

We're greeted by two elves, direct from the North Pole, who usher us into the room where Santa sits. The genius part is that you can't see the big guy until you're allowed into the room so it feels special and quiet and magical. Once inside, you finally see Santa, in all his jolly glory, sitting on his giant green armchair. My kids are in awe and I see them examining his beard. It's definitely real. They tell him their wishlist (which includes everything from rocks to hoverboards this year), then he gives them a magical key to leave out for him on Christmas Eve before posing for a pic, winking his eye and bidding them goodbye. 

All giddy after meeting the man of the hour.

"He's the real deal, mom," declares my daughter, whose grade 4 classmates in her 3/4 split have had her questioning things like Santa and the tooth fairy lately. Confidence restored and two thrilled kids in tow, I smile, realizing I get to keep them little for at least another year. Vaughan Mills is awesome so they've given each of my kids a gift card to pick up a little something for themselves as a pre-Christmas treat. We head to LEGOLAND®, the Disney store, Toys, Toys, Toys (where Alex is in Pokemon heaven) and Build-a-Bear, where my daughter gets to build and dress up her very own reindeer. She is 100% smitten. 

No trip to Vaughan Mills is complete without a visit to LEGOLAND®. 

Decisions, decisions...

Literally larger-than-life LEGO...

Talking Pokemon (a language I'm sure I'll never understand)...

Chloé's first trip to Build-a-Bear and her newly 'born' reindeer, Emma. 

An important reminder in this season of giving...

Shopping was fun but I'm most excited for this next part. The kids don't know it, but they're about to be part of something amazing. With the focus so quickly turning to what we want to get this time of year, I often struggle with how to teach my kids to give in meaningful ways. We make our way to the Sport Court (Entry 4A) to visit Vaughan Mills' newest charity initiative - the VM Love Lock Wall. The concept's inspired by the love locks in Paris where you write a message on a padlock and leave it behind. The Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall is similar, but which each padlock purchased, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to SickKids. I was lucky to be invited to the media event last week to see the wall in progress and meet some of the families who regularly rely on SickKids - so many inspiring messages of hope have been left on the wall already and it really hits home when you meet these strong, incredibly brave kids. 

All ready to lock in our love for SickKids...

But first, cupcakes...

Vaughan Mills ambassador, Katie Zeppieri, gives C & A the Love Lock run-down...

I take C & A to meet Katie Zeppieri, former SickKids patient, TED speaker and Vaughan Mills Love Lock Ambassador. She explains how you buy a padlock, write a message on it, then lock in your love by attaching it on the wall. As a 'keypsake', you get to choose a charm necklace to take home or give as a gift. Um, teacher gifts: DONE. Katie explains that they can write whatever they want on their locks - from words of love, to a message of hope for the kids at SickKids. I can see their wheels spinning as they try to think of the best words to write. My son asks how to spell Pokemon so we explain it again to make sure he really gets it. 'OHHH, okay, how about Be Brave.' Perfect.  

The perfect holiday gift for teachers, friends and family this holiday season...

You can't miss the massive GIVE sign...

Choose from Hero, Love, Dream or Best Friend - purchase a lock and you get to take home a 'keypsake'...

Bright red locks all ready to be personalized...

Thinking of the perfect message is the best part...

A writes 'Be Brave' on his lock...

Love this message.

The Love Lock Wall is starting to fill up...

C & A try to find the perfect spot for their locks...

C leaves her message on the Love Lock Wall...

After the locks are locked on, we head back out into the storm and make our long, slow trip home. As my kids fall asleep, my daughter murmurs from the backseat, 'That was so worth it.' I totally agree. 

Want to give back this holiday season? Be sure to head to Vaughan Mills to visit Santa's Tiny Big Town (hours here) or the VM Love Lock Wall (or both) until Dec 24th. While you're there, be sure to snap a pic of you locking in your love and share it with the hashtag #VMLoveLockWall. Also, don't miss our 

12 DAYS OF GIVING CONTEST

Share your Love Lock Story and you’ll have a chance to win a $200 Vaughan Mills gift card and a padlock to lock in your love at our Love Lock Wall.
 
All you have to do is:
 
1. Follow @vaughan_mills on Instagram
2. Like the Vaughan Mills 12 Days of Giving post on Instagram
3. Tag a friend
4. Comment on our Instagram post or share a video about who you will be locking in your love for
5. Winner will be announced on @vaughan_mills 12 Days of Giving post at 1:00pm and will win a $200.00 Vaughan Mills gift card and a padlock to lock in your love at our Love Lock Wall.
6. Profile must be public

LUXE VS. LESS | The 10 Most-Wanted Gifts for Her

via HudsonsBay on Instagram

Originally posted in The CLOSET

With gift-giving season in full swing, I keep running into men and women with one thing in common: they have no idea what to buy the women in their life. Women, it turns out, are not always so easy to spoil. I could tell my husband I want makeup for Christmas but he compares Sephora to that time he asked me to go to the hardware store to buy him wood screws. I walked in all confident and, 45 minutes later - after wandering through the aisles, lost, alone, with no Wi-Fi or cell phone reception and a decidedly unhelpful summer student who also knew nothing about screws - left with a bag of nails. I thought they were screws. And why are there 7,000 kinds of screws in the first place? And no, it is not the same thing as nailpolish. We NEED all the colours. 

And so, I consulted my friends, fellow bloggers and female family members to see what everyone is secretly wishing for this year. This guide is personal, as all guides are, but with luxe vs. less options, I hope it helps you in your hunt. And I'm not gonna lie, I also secretly hope this will make it through cyberspace onto the screens of my loved ones, just in case anyone happens to want to get me the Sunday Riley Power Couple Duo. It's at Sephora. And, in case you need a little help when you get there, either ask a Sephora Expert or come back here - last time I checked, they have Wi-Fi ;)

SEE OUR MOST-WANTED GIFT PICKS HERE...