Goodbye 2015

I don't know about you but I have never been so excited to enter a new year. 2015 was horrible and beautiful all in one.

Recipe: No-Bake Sweet Christmas Cocoa Peanut Butter Cookies

Confession: I am not a baker. And I tend to veer towards the uncomplicated recipes (aka less than 10 ingredients). That's just me. If you can relate, you will enjoy today's recipe. These are the easiest cookies you will ever make! AND they're vegan and gluten-free. But not taste-free so don't you worry ; ).

Last Minute Valentine's Day Gifts From Uncommon Goods

Clockwise from top left: Knock On Wood Watch $156.62, Diana Camera $56.85,

Graham Berg Bike Chain Frame $41.76, Working Man's Hygiene Kit $58.01

Custom I AM...pendant $40.60, Three Little Piglets Soaps $25.52, 

Mother Nesting Birds Necklace $81.21, Owl Eyeglass Holder $27.84

If you're looking for a cute, unique and/or unusual gift idea for your fella or sweetie for Valentine's Day look no further than Uncommon Goods. Founded in 1999 and head-quartered in Brooklyn, New York, "Uncommon Goods is a privately owned retailer that features unique designs and hand-crafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people." Half of what they sell is made by hand and about one third of their entire collection incorporates recycled and/or up-cycled materials. (I have a real soft spot for companies who use their business to impact the world in a positive way!) So if you still need to shop for that special someone, take a look through the Uncommon Goods catalog or above for my favorite picks, I promise you won't be disappointed! 

*This post was a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

YOU

I just wanted to wish all of my readers a wonderful holiday! I'm going to be taking a little break from the blog to spend time with family and friends and relax a little over the next week or so but I'll be back real soon! I hope you have a peaceful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Thank you SO MUCH for reading my blog and clicking on my posts, it means a LOT to me. 

XO

Getting Festive With French Connection and Dress Me Dearly

My love affair for the French Connection brand continues! They have an amazing selection of holiday dresses online and in store right now, including this gorgeous Animal Mechanical Cap Sleeve Dress and Janis's Tetris Check Jumpsuit. Whether you prefer sparkle, lace, sequins or prints to wear to your work Christmas party or a fancy New Year's Eve celebration, French Connection has got you covered. And the West Edmonton Mall store is offering all Marie a la Mode readers a 25% discount off their holiday collection just by mentioning the ad on the right sidebar of my blog! : )

I hope you're all having a good week! I can't believe Christmas is only two weeks away, can you?

On me: dress - French Connection , purse - Banana Republic, bracelet & ring - H & M  
On Janis: jumpsuit - French Connection

Shot on location at Cory Christopher's Christmas Market 10914 105th Ave, Edmonton.

Life Lately

I apologize I've been M.I.A. lately and haven't written a blog post in awhile! It's been a busy last couple of weeks for me but now I'm back to my normal routine. I was very happy I was able to take a mini vacation to Phoenix last week and relax in the hot sun with my family. I didn't get a tan though because I use SPF 110. (I'm so anal about taking good care of my skin.) We celebrated both of my nephew's birthdays while we were there. That cake on the bottom right was from Walmart and it was better than anything I have ever tasted, even better than my favorite Dairy Queen Skor Blizzard. And it only cost 10 bucks!! (Food is so cheap in the states!) Not sure if I can get this same cake in Canada but I'm on a serious hunt. I also did some a lot of shopping at Nordstrom Rack in Scottsdale. I could spend hours in that store. I'll be wearing my purchases on my blog in the near future ; ).

A day before I left for Arizona, we filmed segments for the West Edmonton Mall Mother's Day Makeover Contest with the 3 winners for Breakfast Television. It was my second time as a Fashion Stylist for the contest and it was another great experience. I had the pleasure of taking each of these ladies on a shopping spree at Simon's and The Bay and styling them for T.V. : ) They also got a new hairstyle and their make up done. Unfortunately I don't have copies of their "before" pictures to show you : (.

And that's pretty much what I've been up to lately! This week I'm also gearing up for our Blogger Clothing Sale. If you live in Edmonton, you should definitely attend! There are gonna be some niiiiice clothes and accessories for sale, I can tell you that ; ).

Black Friday Deals With MasterCard Canada (Sponsored Post)

As most of you know, tomorrow is Black Friday and this weekend is one of the best times of the year to take advantage of some great deals online and shop your heart out while saving tons of money. I actually took the day off work tomorrow so I could devote my time to finding the best sales and do a little Christmas shopping and maybe some personal shopping, too ; ). What can I say? I'm hardcore. (I also had to use up some of my vacation time so it was perfect timing!) There are some great deals to be had, including ones from MasterCard Canada. MasterCard has been working closely with top US retailers to deliver Black Friday deals north of the border. From November 22nd to December 10th, Mastercard cardholders will receive perks like free shipping, duty-free and discounts. Participating retailers include Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Macy's, Gilt and more. To see all of the offers, along with the promo codes please click here.

Here's what's on my wishlist!

3.1 Phillip Lim Framed Silhouette Dress Regularly $625, now $379.00

Elizabeth and James Yumi Top Regularly $365, now $219

Manolo Blahnik Macoaba Booties $865 (a girl can dream right??)

(All from Barney's)

What's on your wishlist?

Have a great weekend! Happy shopping! And Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!

My Trip to Vegas

Clockwise starting from the top left: My first visit to a Top Shop ended with me purchasing a gorgeous studded leather clutch and a long silver cross necklace (I'm surprised that's all I bought!), standing in front of the fountain at the Wynn Hotel, my view from the airplane, the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. We saw 'Jersey Boys' there!

Our hotel (we always stay here, it's a family tradition!), pink flamingos, enjoying the +30 degree weather at the pool, PALM TREES! I LOVE PALM TREES!

Big, colorful balls (tee hee), we went to see 'The Thunder From Down Under' which was a LOT of fun! Very entertaining! It was just like the movie 'Magic Mike,' costumes and all. I saw it on my birthday with my mom and aunt and it was a hoot! Women of all ages were there from 21 to 81 and they went WILD! Candy at the Sugar Factory (I picked up some candy corn and Bazooka Joe bubblegum), the water show at The Bellagio.

All photos via instagram @mariealamode. I brought my big DSLR but decided not to lug it with me everywhere because it's so darn heavy so I only took pics with my iPhone, sorry : (. We had a great time, I had such a fun birthday and Vegas continues to be one of my favorite cities in the world! And yes, I went outlet shopping and can't wait to show you what I bought! I didn't go too crazy though, I stayed within my budget. But I lost money playing the slots : (. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

I hope you're all having a good week so far!

A Little Break

Today's an exciting day! I'm going to one of my favorite places in the world -LAS FREAKIN' VEGAS!- to celebrate my birthday for a few days but I'll be back with more posts next week. I'm really looking forward to a mini-break plus I heard it's going to be about 30 degrees while we're there. It snowed last week in Edmonton so I am very much looking forward to the warmer weather and getting some sun by the pool. (My vampire skin will thank me.) I'm also looking forward to the outlet shopping. OUTLET SHOPPING - two of my favorite words. Have a great week! I'll be posting photos during my trip on instagram @mariealamode and tweeting if you want to follow along. What happens in Vegas...is shared through social media ; ).

Thanks

I can't believe Thanksgiving is this weekend already! It crept up so fast! Soon it'll be Halloween and then Christmas isn't too far away after that. Craaaazy. Seriously, where did the summer go?? Anyways, in honor of Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays, I thought I'd take some time to reflect and write down ten things I'm thankful for. Here's what I came up with:

1. D., my family and friends. Without them, I have nothing.

2. My two adorable little nephews who bring so much joy to my life.

3. A roof over my head and food in the fridge.

4. A warm and cozy bed to sleep in.

5. My silly little kitty, Prints Whiskerson Sultenfuss The First who can be a terror sometimes but can also be the snuggliest, most lovable cat in the world. Nothing makes my heart melt like seeing her and D. cuddling together. (It's really cute!)

6. My physical health, being able to get out of bed every day.

7. Being able to buy clothes and post about them on this blog when some people can't even afford shoes.

8. My job(s) that pay my bills and my wacky co-workers I get to have fun with every day.

9. My Uncle, who was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago with only a few weeks to live, is still here with us and is determined to live a longer life in such an inspiring and positive way.

10. My readers of this very blog. Without this creative outlet I'd go insane! Thank you for reading!

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm really looking forward to snuggling up with a blanket, burning my fall-scented candles and watching episodes of 'Revenge' on Netflix. (I am obsessed with that show!) And eating a lot, of course. Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians out there! Stuff your beautiful faces and be thankful for all that you have : ).

MEXICO 2012

Sunset on the beach

All you really need in Mexico: beer, real salsa and real guacamole made right at our table

Holy Margarita

Surf's up in Sayulita

I made a friend : ) Except she almost bit my fingers off when I tried to pick her up

Downtown Puerto Vallarta wearing my $5 sunglasses from Forever 21 and a super-comfortable T by Alexander Wang maxi. My naturally curly hair was out of control thanks to the humidity!

I love old churches and the history behind them

Sand art along the Malecon in P.V.

Frida! And friends.

Creepy bracelets

Cheesy couple photo on the beach on Las Caleta's, a private island you can only get to by boat. 
And by boat I mean a booze cruise full of retired women getting sh*t-faced.

Fire show!

The pool at our hotel. We stayed at Dreams Villamagna in Nuevo Vallarta. I highly recommend it!

Practicing 'Safe Sun.' (Last two photos taken via Instagram)
(Roots hat, $6 sunglasses from Forever 21)

Unedited sunset photo

I hope you're all having a good week! 

Gone, Going

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know I won't be blogging at all next week because I will be on vacation. Tomorrow I leave for Mexico with D. to celebrate our 6 year anniversary! We haven't been on a vacation in over a year so we're really looking forward to relaxing and enjoying everything Mexico has to offer, including the all-inclusive, never-ending food and drinks of course ;). I will miss Kitty but lucky for us, we have a house-sitter while we're away that will be giving her lots of cuddles! This photo is from the beach at the resort we'll be staying at. My pale ass will be in one of those lounge chairs in less than 48 hours! I won't be instagramming or tweeting while I'm away, I'm going to be turning my phone off for an entire week which makes me kinda nervous but I think it will be good for my soul. We all need to un-plug every once in awhile! Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you all soon!

Mom's Day

cardigan - American Apparel, cargo pants - Vigoss, t-shrit - Aeropostale,

 shoes - Spring, belt - hand-me-down, jewelry and sunglasses - H & M

photos by my lovely (and patient!) cousin Camilla

Considering I wear this American Apparel cardigan ALL the time, I'm surprised I don't have many more outfit posts of me in it! It's so comfortable and wraps around me like a great big hug. How was your Mother's Day yesterday? My mom is in Arizona right now, vacationing with my Dad and some friends (lucky her!) so unfortunately I didn't get to spend time with her on Sunday but I did have dinner with someone very special last night.

This is my 86 year-old Grandma, my Babcia in Polish. Not even a year ago she was very ill and in the hospital. I remember leaving work last June, rushing there after I was told a priest would be visiting her to give her her last rites. I remember the priest telling her that it wasn't her time yet, she still had a lot of life left in her and he was right. With all her strength and determination she pulled through, made it out of the hospital and is now at home. My Grandma still has lots of ailments to deal with but she's still here, chugging along and enjoying her family, including her brand new great grandson. I treasure these special days with her and am so thankful she's still with us. She's such an amazing woman and a wonderful Grandmother. I don't take any time with her for granted.

I hope you were able to celebrate your Mom yesterday. Or, if your Mom has passed, I hope you honored her in a special way.