I’m always looking for a “top off” for gifts – a cute notebook, a pair of earrings, a statement necklace or a scarf. Silver Daisy delivers.

It doesn’t hurt that they have a very large selection of House of Harlow that I can get lost in for longer than I care to admit.

I dropped by this week for two reasons – to check out the EMERALD House of Harlow pieces that I had spotted on Instagram and to take gift idea photographs for this blog post.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

When I walked in this faux fur stole immediately caught my eye and stole my heart.

Love this classic black cross-body purse

ban.do headbands with extra glitter!

Silver Daisy has a great selection of clothing – work appropriate, party appropriate, Saturday lounging appropriate.

Principessa dry shampoo aka my lifesaver

Love these Gorjana rings…

Emerald House of Harlow <3

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

#30in30 is not only about shopping and supporting local – it’s about informing you of amazing gift ideas available right her in Saint John and surrounding areas.

The “disappointing” thing about potentially winning a #30in30 giveaway is that you have to make the very difficult decision…. do you keep it or do you give it away?

Kate and the girls at Silver Daisy are making it a little easier – the only thing you have to decide is “which pair do I keep for myself?”

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

I’m sure you were as thrilled as I was when you heard Handworks had re-opened in time for the Christmas season at their former location on King Street.

Lisa Oland and Leslie Oland have re-opened and re-modeled the space and it’s incredible.

It has and will continue to be my favourite location to purchase local art and fine craft to gift locally and to send to my relatives in the USA.

When I dropped by earlier this week there were no shortage of gift ideas for everyone on my list.

Take a peek!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

One of each, please!

Love these pieces by Denise MacLean…

Beauties from Jeneca Klausen

Art by NR Miller…

Love this mini Rene Collins…

Brent Rourke shaker boxes… a gift giving staple.

Pottery by Darren Emeneau (MNO Pottery).

Still crying over this Jeneca Klausen quartz ring being too large for me.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

There is something for literally every person on your Christmas list available at Handworks. And to top it off, you’re supporting a local business AND you’re supporting local artists & artisans.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

You guys, this giveaway RULES.

Well, to be honest, they all rule.

Lisa and Leslie are offering a pair of Jeneca Klausen “after nature” studs to one lucky reader!

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

#30in30 has been so much fun this year. I absolutely love touring the stores and businesses I visit all year while they’re decked out for the Christmas Season. Visiting Element5 was no different.

You may have noticed that Element5 recently had a face-lift – they have moved the entrance to the spa to the top of the escalators on the second floor of Market Square. Their new storefront is so, so beautiful, spacious and modern.

Live edge wooden tables, new light fixtures over the main counter, a live green wall… stunning!

There are many gift ideas for you at Element5 (for everyone on your list).

The AVEDA gift packs are a huge hit with everyone on your list including teachers, babysitters, mothers, sisters, dads and friends.

I was told during my visit that the hand relief trio is a huge seller this time of year as it makes an excellent “teacher gift” – small, useful and reasonably priced.

Rosemary Mint is my absolute favourite AVEDA scent. This set is perfect as a hostess gift and features hand wash and lotion!

Speaking of Rosemary Mint……

Element5 has a very large section of products for men, including beard oils, shampoo, aftershave and shave cream.

Need something fast, easy and perfect for anyone?

I was told “these colors look good on everyone” – and I believe it.

In addition to the AVEDA gift sets and full range of their products (sold individually and in different formats and sizes), Element5 also carries OPI nail polish, various styling tools and a full range of AVEDA makeup.

I love these OPI FORD Motor Company nail polish colours. “RACE RED” and “50 YEARS OF STYLE” are classic FORD colours and classic nail colours.

There are also gift packs with 4 mini polishes available:

This styling wand comes with three wand sizes for a variety of curl options.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If you’re making a purchase at Element5 and spend $100 – you get to spin the winning wheel:

You can win anything from an Express Pedicure (valued at $60), a 30 minute massage (valued at $55) to a skin remodeling session (valued at $85)!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Jenny and her staff at Element5 are offering up two (yes TWO) amazing prizes –

The first name drawn will win a massage and a hair cut. The perfect way to kick off (or end!) a day.
The second name drawn will win a makeup lesson with AVEDA products.

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

ESquared Jewels has been in Saint John as long as my blog has been around.

Their pieces are available In Pursuit Boutique, on their Etsy page and in person, by ordering directly from Erin Jeffrey (with free local delivery)!

ESquared is a staple of gift giving for me – unique, on trend, BEAUTIFUL, handmade, well made, well priced.

Take a peek below at some goodies available for Christmas gift giving!

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

These dangling rose bud earrings are the cutest. They’re available in almost every jewel tone you can think of – the emerald green is a favourite!

This is a clip – great for your hair, a scarf or affixed to an elastic on your pony tail!

Can you imagine these studs with your hair pulled back and a beautiful New Years dress? Beautiful.

These necklaces are a staple in my wardrobe. They look great over a sweater, a t-shirt or a dress. Perfect colours and length. BEAUTIES!

I love this pattern – available in studs, clips and on a necklace.

I see these leather bow bracelets daily on the wrists of Saint John ladies. These would make a perfect gift for a school teacher, a best friend, the little girl you babysit or… me!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If you are looking for something specific, Erin will gladly whip up your custom gift of choice – for a Christmas gift, a special night, a birthday or even for your wedding!

Look what you can win for you and your best girlfriend!

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

Saint John is my favourite City.

Lucky for me and living room walls everywhere – It’s Graeme’s favourite City, too.

In addition to being the Executive Director of ACAP Saint John, he’s also a talented photographer and a friend.

Graeme has a photo blog where he posts photos of his adventures here and away. Take a peek at the images below – click on them to visit his blog or his Society6 shop!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I love this shot of Prince William Street. I especially love that it’s available as a tote bag or a pillow!

Love that this photo is called “Twin Peaks”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I love them!

FYI – Society6 is a neat site that has great (and fast!) shipping options! It’s also very kind to the selling artist.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Graeme was very generous and offered to giveaway a 13″ x 19″ print from his portfolio.

Enter to win it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

Exchange On Germain is a designer consignment store for men and women located on Germain Street. Exchange on Germain offers mid-range to higher-end clothing and accessories from J. Crew to Prada, Covet and B.B. Dakota to Chanel and Burberry.

I LOVE dropping in to Exchange on Germain to see the newest designer goodies in store. The amount of high quality designer goods that come from Saint John is astounding.

Current obsessions: Longchamp bags. High heels. Watches.

I’ve put together a few of my favourite gift ideas (new & gently used) for some of the people on your list. Personally, I would not mind a gently used pair of Christian Louboutin heels under the Christmas tree….

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

Love this red Longchamp bag. Gently used. Great price.

Oh, hello.

Sign me up. Too bad they’re about half a size too small for me!

I don’t think these Vivienne Westwood heels have ever been worn. Well, except by me because they fit like. a. glove. and I wore them during my entire photoshoot.

This a brand new (with tags!) Coach change purse. Great price. It would be perfect in a stocking or in your best friends Christmas gift.

I told you I was obsessed with watches… how cute is this Marc by Marc Jacobs watch?

I’m almost positive this Michael Kors bag has never touched a shoulder.

oh, hello. Chanel may be my favourite brand. These heels are CLASSIC. Love them.

In addition to women’s clothing, Exchange on Germain also has a pretty healthy men’s section.

Dress shirts, pants, jackets, jeans….

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Exchange on Germain is participating in Uptown Sparkles Friday night!

Just like every #30in30 giveaway… if you drop by, be sure to snap a photo and post it to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and tag #30in30 as well as Exchange on Germain!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Exchange on Germain is giving away a BEAUTIFUL, brand new with tags POUR LA VICTOIRE bag.

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

Welcome to Day 15 of #30in30 aka 30 reasons to stay in the Saint John area this holiday season to do all of your SHOPPING!

As a women who likes to look good (I assume you are one of these) – or, at the very least – you know a girl that likes to look good, you’re familiar with Je Suis Prest.

The shop is located on the 2nd floor of Brunswick Square and caters to ladies for all possible occasions – work, play, parties and casual events.

I’m currently lusting after at least one item in every category.

The gift ideas are plentiful at JSP, take a peek!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I haven’t been able to get these leggings off my mind. They’re extremely well priced and super stylish. JSP has them in every style and fabric you could want – velvet, “leather”, suede and regular legging material. Want, want, want.

Joy says to me while I’m snapping this photo: “Red is everywhere this season”. Joy, red is one of four colours in my wardrobe. Thank goodness it’s everywhere this season!

*things barb wants for Christmas*

How perfect is this dress?

Imagine – tights and a clutch at a Christmas party….. leggings, riding boots and a sweater at work…. statement necklace and cute heels at a baby shower.

Damn it. I think I just bought a dress.

PERFECT statement necklaces:

Totally in love with this Co-Lab bag:

JSP has a huge sweater selection, including this leopard gem by Maison Scotch:

Belts galore
*hint* perfect as a stocking stuffer *hint*

Now that the weather is staying consistently cold… it might be time to pick up a winter jacket. There are so many beautiful choices… ranging from practical every day jackets to super stylish and trendy. One of each, please!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Je Suis Prest is participating in Uptown Sparkles Friday night!

Just like every #30in30 giveaway… if you drop by, be sure to snap a photo and post it to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and tag #30in30 as well as Je Suis Prest!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Kiera, Joy and the girls at Je Suis Prest have a great giveaway in store for you – a cold weather pack valued at $150! Exciting!

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

My name is Barb, and I CrossFit. (Phew, glad I got that off my chest)

Almost a year has gone by since I started at Fundy CrossFit. It’s been, hands down, the best year of my life. I’m happy. I’m fit. I’m STRONG.

Let me take you back to December 2013. I was very large. I weighed 228 pounds when I weighed myself over the Christmas Break. I was unhappy. None of my pants fit. My friend Gillian Goldie had been going to CrossFit for a quite a while and had told me repeatedly that I would LOVE it, if I tried it. The only thing I knew about CrossFit is that people who did it talked about it. I didn’t have any idea what happened there.

I took a leap of faith and decided that I’d try it for like… 2 months. I couldn’t even imagine signing on for any longer than that.

Boy was I wrong.

Guys, It’s the best. The atmosphere, the culture, the people, the camaraderie, the competition (it’s all friendly), Rich Froning. I love it all.

Rather than tell you all of the reasons you should try it, I thought I’d share a bit of my experience there with you.

This is a typical WOD (Workout of the Day) set-up, is we’re doing box jumps. Everyone works out together and it rules.

This is me in my PR lulus. This is photographic evidence of that time that I jerked 90 lbs 5 times! I can do more than that now, and the bar in this photo only has 65 lbs on it, but this was a huge moment.

This is a photo of Lindsey Carleton back-squatting 220 lbs. Not a typo.

This is my inspiration and life coach, Gillian Goldie.

Here is a photo of Melissa Budd doing a 250 pound dead lift. She did this 5 times. She’s incredible.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Last night I tallied up all of the weight I’ve lifted over the past year and placed it in this handy chart below.

Greg Pattman will get a kick out if this.

(If you click on it, it will get larger)

I guess the most important thing to take away from this is… you’ve got to start somewhere. And then you’ll exceed all of your expectations. And you won’t be able to stop.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This Saturday, 10am at Fundy CrossFit, they’re hosting a “bring a friend” day. It’s free. You show up in your gym clothes and the coaches will walk you though a typical CrossFit class. You’ll do a skill and a workout (or “WOD”) and you’ll go home.

I PROMISE, you’ll love it.

If you’re interested in attending, please send an e-mail to Fundy CrossFit and let them know!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

In order to start at any CrossFit gym, you need to learn how to do it. Lifts, skills, basic movements. You do this at Fundy CrossFit in 6 classes called OnRamp. Lucky for you, my favourite gym is offering that package to you as part of #30in30!

Enter below for the OnRamp classes and your first month, compliments of FCF!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

Manchester Shoe Salon is a staple of quality footwear in Uptown Saint John. Locally owned, they’ve been in business for over 25 years, providing the ladies of Saint John with the very best in fashion-forward footwear!

When I stopped by Manchester Shoes to snap photos for the #30in30 blog post, it was hard not to make a Christmas wish list made up entirely of shoes and handbags! I managed, though. :)

Take a peek below at some gift ideas from Manchester Shoe Salon!

I love everything about these booties. The quilted heel, the gold zipper, the small block heel. Perfect boot.

When Natalie pointed out these heels to me – I gasped! They’re beautiful and could be practical all year! Plus, that heel is totally reasonable.

Love, love, LOVE these ballet flats.

In additional to a huge shoe and boot collection in store, Manchester Shoes also carries a great selection of FOSSIL wallets, purses, watches – AND NEW THIS YEAR – JEWELRY!!

I’ll take one of each!

How perfect is this handbag?

– – – – – – – – – – –

To sweeten the Christmas shopping deal, or maybe to buy yourself a pair of winter boots (FYI, the selection of warm & waterproof boots at Manchester Shoes is impressive), Manchester Shoe Salon is offering 20% off your regular priced shoe, boot and handbag purchase from now until Christmas Eve!

And of course – what would #30in30 be without a giveaway??

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!

I’m sure you perk up as much as I do when you hear that In Pursuit – the mobile boutique owned by Dominique Leger – is making a truck stop.

In Pursuit is a mobile boutique that “pops up” around town. Dominique sells clothing and accessories for women. Her clothing runs from size Small to 3X. Her accessories are BEAUTIFUL.

I stopped by her pop up shop last Friday at One Princess and snapped some photos of gift ideas for the ladies in your life.

Take a peek!

I GASPED when I saw this necklace. Incredible. It would go with anything. A black shirt, a Christmas party dress. Any outfit I own. I love it.

How cute are these heart studs?

Leather bow bracelets, flower and rosebud studs from ESquared Jewels are available at In Pursuit!

Dominique has more scarves than you can count. I love the infinity scarves that only wrap around twice. There’s no wrong way to wear them, which is important to me. I am super bad at scarves.

Am I the only one who can’t get Donna and Tom off of my mind when I read this bag? Love this tote bag. It’s a message I can get behind.

And this pillow reminds me of this. It’s the perfect gift for your best friend. Or your love. Or both.

Dominique’s clothing selection is beautiful, well priced and ready for anything. Christmas parties. Baby showers. Work tomorrow. Saturday with leggings and tall riding boots.

She also has a beautiful selection of sweaters. I’m lusting after a few of them!

… One more because I can’t stop thinking about them. Gah, I love statement necklaces!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Dominique is popping up this Friday during Uptown Sparkles.

You know the drill – visit the boutique, snap your photo and get 10 entries!

She’ll be parked at King Square, close to the bandstand.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Dominique is offering a great prize – a dress of your choice!

(Another case of “man, I wish I could enter my own giveaways…. see: this dress)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you tomorrow!