// TORONTO OFFICE

I don't normally have this much time of my hands. I can like wake up and actually give myself time to think up creative things and stuff. It's a new feeling. A feeling I will need to get used to in the new year. Not complaining, this is a aamassing. I'll be redecorating my office here in Toronto, which means putting up wallpaper [yay!]. I feel like I should choose a print from Collection N Twelve. The collection I feel most proud of. Collection N Twelve and Floyd. Love me some Floyd. What do you think about this one, just maybe blow up the flowers to a larger scale? 

// KASA MOTO

// Toronto Nights

It's been a while since I've been out in Toronto. Every visit home is normally for an occasion of some sort which means home in Richmond Hill is exactly where I would rather spend my time. I have another week here which makes this holiday probably the longest I've been home since last Christmas. The ladies and I drove down to a new restaurant in Yorkville I've been wanting to try - Kasa Moto. The food was delicious, and so were the dirty martinis. I was in need of some much needed girl talk time. The next restaurant on my list in Frings. Not because I secretly wish Drake will be there... 

It's not a holiday in America today so I'm working away, slowly. I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend! x -C

// CHRISTMAS DAY

// Merry Christmas!

My brother was up before all of us Christmas morning. Laying on the couch with a coffee in his hand with Santa's gift on his lap. Actually that's a lie, my mom was up before all of us... she made the coffee. For the last 15 years we host breakfast at our house Christmas morning. My mom is running around, Yavey's on the grill, Tina is making the pancakes, cookies, waffles #Bless, Meagan is in charge of making sure everything stays warm, I'm cleaning and decorating [aka making myself as busy as possible so I don't need to help in the kitchen. I eventually get there just in time for toast duty, which I still get yelled at for how untoasted they end up] and Daniel - I don't think he did much. We have a large family that have remained super close [therefore making my cousins my best friends, my uncles my second dads, and my aunts my second moms]. I grew up next door to my mom's one brother Peter, and down the street to my mom's other brother Paul. All three families have four kids each... you can do the math. We are loud and crazy but we wouldn't have it any other way. The morning starts with mimosas, and ends with games and coffee. Christmas morning is my mostest favouritest day. It's so nice to be home. Family is everything. Everything. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. x -C

// TIM HORTONS + HOME ALONE + GIFT WRAP + 1989

// 

The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was take the Jeep [I've been reunited with my Wrangler and it feels glorious, except for the fact that it now smells like boy. My brother has taken it over, Maple Leafs mats and all] to TIm Hortons to order myself an extra large coffee. Extra large so I can heat it up and continue drinking throughout the day. I then put on Taylor Swift's 1989 tour and thought perhaps I should wrap my gifts. My mom ordered like fives rolls [bless her heart] so I stole some :) Taylor just gets me. She thinks big, and remains herself while thinking big. The difference between her and I is - she actually is a big star, and I can't sing or play the guitar for my life depended on it. If you haven't watched the tour yet, it's something to see. It feels so nice to be home, I actually haven't moved from the living room all day. My body is exhausted from the last month that I'm giving myself and my brain some much needed R&R which explains the late afternoon post. There are new horoscopes up if you haven't read yours yet. x-C

p.s. if you didn't order gift wrap in time for the holidays, the shop is going to remain open for special occasions. Mothers day is coming up! 

// MORNING WORKOUTS

// Collection N Twelve

The only thing I've done since I've been home is stare at the wallpaper samples from Collection N Twelve and think about what I should be doing. I've napped, ate a lot, drank a lot, and napped some more. Perhaps I need to give myself a week of nothing before anything creative can flow to my brain. I am excited to have a full day just to sit and draw something. I also wouldn't mind a vacation somewhere, like to St. Barts or the South Of France, something european. I also really need to workout. Alright, back to the couch and TV I go. x -C

// HOME BOUND

// 

Ya I know, that photo doesn't even look like real life. Christmas in New York really is that beautiful. Dan and I went on a Friday night stroll to the tree and the light show before ending our night at a gentleman's bar we found around the corner from our house. A perfect way to spend my last night in NYC before 2016. I'm back home now and loving every minute of my situation right now. Couch bound, computer open, Justin Bieber singing in the background, and on Tim Hortons coffee #2. I hope you guys had a good weekend and happy Monday. p.s. Christmas is this Friday. Like woah? 

// IT'S TIME

// New beginnings for 2016

 

Candice Kaye Design launched May 5th when Elisa [from Maman] and I decided it was a good idea for me to start putting collections together. Our conversations usually start with one idea and end with about ten. One of those ten ideas was to do a launch party at Maman to celebrate this collection that I didn't even start yet [starting with an end goal is always a bad idea] A couple months after this conversation Collection N Eleven was born, I had PR running the event, I had a florist, champagne was being delivered and I was running from my full-time job to make sure I made my party in time. I woke up the next morning with a headache and a sinking feeling in my stomach "shit what have I done". 

I work full-time at a brilliant high end company called Holland & Sherry. I work in the rug department [designing] right next to the Creative Director. For the past year I've been learning/teaching myself all the ins and outs of how to construct a proper rug. Holland & Sherry works with only high end top quality product, so I thought this would be the best place to learn. And it has been. It also has been exhausting. All of the collections, freelance jobs, powder room murals, gift wrap shop have been created during 'after hours'. Any meetings are always scheduled for 6 pm, which I usually get to sweating [from running]. Truth is, I'm really tired of feeling sweaty. So as I write this post, I'm currently sitting at a desk I will not have Monday morning. It's finally time to make my full-time job Candice Kaye Design. This decision has been a long time coming and it's funny I thought I would feel more confident with it. I'm not. But I am confident in what I don't want. And I guess that's a start. 

Candice Kaye Design may have 'launched' or started or whatever in May, but with all of this time that I'm giving myself for 2016, I am certain my product is just going to get stronger, and I can't be more excited. So, thanks again for following along on this crazy ride - we are in for another crazy one for 2016. [happy dance]

// EARTH QUAKES AND STUFF

// Thursday thoughts

I've never been a fan of not knowing what's going to happen next. But I guess I've been through enough by now to know that trying to stay on top of change is just a waste of my time, and sometimes things are left best in the hands of serendipity. This has sort of been my theme for the past couple months. I know now that things will work out the way they are supposed to, but let me tell ya - while standing in an earth quake ranking at like a 6.1 things are not fun. As the ground shakes the things around me have fallen leaving me with nothing to hold on to other than well, myself. I had so many reservations about leaving for New York and isolating myself from all my friends and family in a city that's nearly impossible to afford. But as 2015 comes to an end, I'm happy I've come here. I couldn't escape this uncomfortable feeling of being unsure, so I was forced to sit with it. And I mean like all.the.time - during dinner, over coffee, and sometimes even over cocktails [the nerve right]. Maybe this is what comes with being 27 -finally finding your voice/wanting more/not quite ready for what I want, but I've come to the conclusion that life is going to be uncomfortable for a little while longer, and I'm just sort of putting my hands up in surrender. Too many unanticipated life changes have happened in the last two weeks that couldn't have turned out as well as they did even if I tried to make them happen myself. If you're reading this and going through something similar, I feel ya homie. 2016 get here already. x-C

 

 

// DRESSING ROOM

// Reformation

So I haven't gone shopping in a while, correction, I never go shopping. I've put all my time and money into the business and therefore have curated a wardrobe of classics which pretty much can all be paired with one another. Jeans, light, dark, white and black, plain T's, classic knit sweaters, a Ted Baker blazer [which I've had for years now and still love], black blazer [from Zara which needs to be thrown out] a couple pieces from Club Monaco [I got a really lovely knit pencil skirt which I wear with everything], black leather boots, and the same rings I wear almost everyday [which I love because each piece of jewelry that I own has some sort of meaning]. I can't wait for the day that I can start buying clothes that Gigi Hadid wears [my girl crush] or Miraduma [my other girl crush]. Miraduma puts on outfits that makes me be like, where did you even find that killer jacket [haha I can't believe I just said "killer"], and I want that dress, and I want those pants, and you make me want to grow my hair really long and get bangs. I actually had bangs for a couple months. True story. I want to buy all of Alice Temperley's [she's my idol] dresses and wear them on like a regular occasion to dinner with Dan or something. So as you can see, I'm very far from my wardrobe dreams, Alice Temperley dresses sell for about 1,500 pounds - but you have to start somewhere. So I bought these pants while christmas shopping for my sisters. They were 50% off :)

New horoscopes are up guys. It's Wednesday. x -C