Before the weekend hits, let’s chat about things we like, we love, we adore.

During a Toque Girls workout date on Wednesday night, Chris commented that she liked Michelle’s workout top and was surprised to hear it’s from the Victoria’s Secret Sport line. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. Lots of cute gear for reasonable prices. Michelle has her eye on this outfit. She’d also like to order the abs:

Here are other things on our list:

• Zinda shoes deserve a shout-out. Michelle bought a pair at Gravity Pope earlier this year and has worn them day in and day out — and they still look fantastic. They’re really comfy, too. (Chris loves them, too, and wore them to a wedding last weekend!)
• We’re digging the patio weather so far this spring. Thank you to Avenue Magazine for this great write-up of the new patios in Mission and along 17th Avenue.
• Chris was at a gorgeous wedding in Balls Falls, Ontario, last week. Here are the first photos. Congrats again, Kristine and Peter!!
• We checked out a new spin gym on Wednesday night — post to come on Tuesday! — and met some lovely girls from Lululemon. We got chatting about workouts and they shared this fun news: Lulu is starting a Saturday morning running group and anyone can join. It actually starts tomorrow! If you’re interested, head to the 4th St. SW location at 9:30 a.m. and be prepared to get your run on. All levels are welcome.
• Roots sweats are the most comfortable pants (if, indeed, sweats are pants) on earth. Anyone who grew up in Canada in the 80s knows this. Get ‘em for 25% off this weekend at Roots online.
• Chris saw the one-man show, Playing With Fire: The Theo Fleury Story, last night. It is astonishing! Only a few days are left in the run so go now. We’ve heard the Saturday afternoon show has plenty of seats available. (Theo Fleury was Chris’ favourite hockey player all the years he was with the Flames. In Grade 8, one of the boys in her class got her an autographed photo from Mr. Fleury, which she still has.)

For the second part in our photography series, we’re bringing in the lovely Trena Olfert, a local makeup artist and skin-care expert (and CEO of the volunteer organization Dress for Success Calgary). Trena does amazing work with brides and knows all the tricks, from all-natural ways to get your skin glowing to hownto disguise red, puffy eyes.

Here are Trena’s tips for how to look great in photos.

The kind people at Clive Burger hosted an event for media folk tonight and I’m so happy I stopped in. Considering I still have burger juice on my wrist — classy! — I know what I’m talking about when I say the meal was pure yum. I ordered a single patty with cheese, mushrooms, fried onions, pickles and other toppings I can’t even remember and it was messy perfection. The fries were incredible, too.

I have a tidbit to share about Clive Burger but you have to promise to keep it secret, okay? Thanks.

I asked where the name Clive came from and was told that it’s a partner’s dad’s name — but they’re keeping it secret until the dad checks the place out. So sweet!

Also something to note: Clive Burger is starting its late-night hours, which means you can stop in before 1 a.m. to get a late-night treat on your stumble home. You know, when you’re messy perfection yourself.

~Michelle

So, just in time for wedding season, I enlisted the help of trish boyko (no caps at her request) of Calgary’s f8 photography Inc. She and her husband, Matt, have been shooting weddings together for 13 years. On the side, trish does glamour photography, too. She fell in love with glamour photography through her work with brides. Those are moments when a woman’s curves, glamour, beauty and confidence really shine through, she says.

Trish gave me a few tips for women who want their look to be more glamour, less baby dinosaur when there’s camera pointed in their direction.

1. Stance

Glamour is all about the way a woman stands. It’s about creating curves, elegance, grace. Don’t face the camera dead-on like a football player (I totally did this at my wedding!!); instead, turn slightly to the side. Now, step forward slightly with the front foot, bringing it slightly in front of the other. That will give you a lovely curve along your thigh and bottom. If you raise up a little onto the toe of the front foot, it activates the muscles in the leg and shows off your toned shape.

Keep your shoulders down. Try this: lift your shoulders up to your ears, slide them back an inch, and let them drop into place. Feel your posture improve? Good. Now keep them at that level. You can still use your shoulders to accentuate curves; move one forward, one back; one up, one down.

2. Arms

Arms deserve special mention. Bend your elbows lightly, and keep your arms away from your body. Put a hand on your hip if you want. That gives you sexier arms than if they’re squished up against your body. If you are not confident about your arms, three-quarter-length sleeves look gorgeous in photos. (The most important thing, she says, is that a bride feels good in her gown. Buy a dress that shows off your favourite assets.)

3. Face

Tilt your face out towards the camera. That will accentuate your bone structure and elongate your neck. Like Tyra Banks always tells the models on America’s Next Top Model, smile at the camera with your eyes. Sounds nuts, but it works! Engage the camera with your eyes; don’t just stare at it.

4. Avoid Tone-on-Tone Colours

Find colours that pop. “If you are using white flowers, make sure you’ve included a lot of green in the bouquet.” If you are planning an engagement session or family photos, she cautions against wearing anything with a logo. Go for clothes that you make you feel amazing. Black always works well for photos, she says.

This is my beautiful sister on her wedding day (she’s a photo pro and really knows how to make an image pop!):

And some other suggestions for the wedding day:

5. Give The Photographer Plenty of Time

Trish recommends booking two or three hours with your photographer. That way, you have time to enjoy the photos and no one has to stress about holding up the reception. Make sure you leave yourself some wiggle room for things like traffic problems, missing flower girls or any other hiccups.

Trish also suggests brides leave enough time for the photographer to get picture of the details of the reception — the flowers, the plating, etc — before everyone digs into dinner.

5. Consider an Engagement Session

It’s a good way for the couple to get accustomed to the photographer, and the photographer to get a good sense of the couple. (We didn’t do an engagement session and we definitely started out very unnatural in front of the camera that day!)

You can find more of f8′s beautiful work here.

**

I’m working on a post for next week with Calgary makeup artist, Trena Laine. She’ll give you her makeup tips! (She has some very good suggestions for women who cry during weddings.)

~Chris

PS – Jennifer Dykstra of Open Image Photography was our wedding photographer and did an amazing job! Our time with her was one of the highlights of our wedding day. Jen is a specialist in working with people that love outdoor adventures.

That’s my good friend and former roomie, Jen, who has a new food blog, called Food Three Ways. Check it out and be prepared to crave everything from Spiros’ lamb pizza to cupcakes.

Local 510 was a zoo after the show. I love that place but, lately, I feel like, no matter where you stand, you’re in an awkward spot and end up getting knocked around. It made me crave low-key weekend nights at home, which  are happening on an ever-increasing basis.

Yes, I am getting old.

~Michelle

First up, our favourite things this week: our moms. Thank you both for being the perfect combination of gentle and tough. Thank you for teaching us that we don’t have to choose between being kind to others and standing up for ourselves. Thank you for the millions of things you do (like stitching up Chris’ dress last night when she showed up at your house in a great state of panic). We’re us because of you.

Now, here’s what got us grinning this week:

• Did you know that Roots came out with a Calgary Stampede Centennial collection this year? This bag = we want.
• Anything from Manuel Latruwe Belgian Patisserie. If we could be around our Moms this Mother’s Day, we’d be treating her to a brunch of croissants and quiches from this bakery.
• Do you know the 18-letter word that only uses one vowel? Find out here. (Chris has a nerdy addiction to dictionary.com’s fact of the day)
• This appy is so easy to make and the results are delicious.
• T Magazine’s roundup of the best swimwear fashions makes us yearn for summer and bikinis. Michelle is on the hunt for a great bikini after destroying the L-Space bikini she bought for Vegas last summer. Word to the wise: vacuum cleaners love to eat up the strings on bikini tops, if they happen to be within reach. Sigh.
• New favourite music site. CBC Radio really is the best.
• Someone asked Chris about London eats. A few quick suggestions: Moro (she’s been a fan for more than a decade; CARAVAN (she’s quickly becoming a fan), Gail’s Bread (for coffees and brekkie) and Thomas Cubitt (delicious weekend lunch). Duke on the Green was a new discovery, too!

Have a great weekend, gang!

~The Toque Girls

Fast forward to an hour after landing, when I had to swing by Holt Renfrew. I happened upon a rack of soft, boot-cut jeans with a perfect wash for summer. They were none other than Mother Denim! It seemed like denim fate.

Obviously, I had to try them on. I fell in love. They’re soft and comfy but structured enough to hug and lift the right places. Meet my new pair of Mother jeans, which will make for a welcome switch from my usual skinnies:

What do you think?

~Michelle

{Photo via Mother Denim.}

I already told you about our little flat. The flat’s guest book is filled with messages from past guests, describing their Edinburgh highlights. The book turned us onto a nearby pub, The Magnum, where we headed for our first dinner. It was DOPE! (I’ve been on a marathon of watching The Voice since I’ve been back and Christina Aguilera-isms keep busting into my vocabulary.)

Day Two, our Canadian-turned-Scottish friend Sabrina picked us up and took us on a tour of the countryside. We visited gorgeous St. Andrews (home of the world’s oldest golf course and where Kate and William first met), drank beer for lunch and drank whiskey for tea time. Lovely Sabrina drove us all over the place; we saw highlands (from a distance), sheep, beautiful little towns and more shades of green than I knew existed.

My favourite stop was Dunkeld, a village where people spoke with accents so thick that I couldn’t understand a word but with lilts so lovely that it sounded like poetry! We counted seven pubs for population of 400. Impressive, no? There’s a beautiful Hilton just outside the village and I’m staying there at some point in my life.

Day three, we walked ourselves silly. The heels of my shoes were wearing away by day’s end. We visited castles, the museum at the Royal College of Surgeons (fascinating and macabre) and walked up and down the Royal Mile. Late in the afternoon, when we were already exhausted, we decided to hike up Arthur’s Seat, the main peak of a group of hills overlooking the city. Amazing!

We ended the climb with a fantastic meal and a pint at Holyrood 9A, a pub near the University of Edinburgh. Not my prettiest moment here, but I’d just hoofed it up a big hill!

On our last day, we did something that no one else under 60 years old would admit to: we visited Britannia, the former royal yacht. Mock me all you want, it was fascinating! The yacht was decommissioned in 1997 and docked in the Edinburgh port, right up against the back of a shopping mall. So you can go to the yacht and then to Debenhams.

Inside, the yacht is  almost as it was when it was still the Queen’s floating home. We saw her bedroom with its tiny floral-covered bed, the family’s gin stash and beautiful candid photos of the family. Back in the day, they used to host official state dinners on the ship. Staff typically took three hours to set the table as they meticulously measured everything with a ruler to make sure the spacing was perfect.

That about covers it! Now, back to work.

~Chris

Sante Spa at Hotel Le Germain is such a lovely place. Located on the top floor of the hotel, the new spa offers the regular fare — massages, manis and pedis, facials — in uber cool surroundings. I loved the modern, clean decor, especially in the couples’ room, which has a fireplace (filled with candles) for added ambience.

The vibe is so relaxed at Sante that there’s actually no one manning the waiting area at all. When you walk in, a kiosk greets you and tells you to sit back, relax and wait for your appointment. This is a good thing, because that means there’s no one to witness you chowing down on the BEST snacks I’ve ever seen in a spa. Seriously, check this out: yogurt-covered somethings (raisins, perhaps?), a Mini Eggs/jelly bean combo and raw almonds. I love all three, but Mini Eggs were my snack of choice. Apparently, that’s what other people like best, too.

Here’s what else I loved about the new spa:

• It’s so intimate and relaxing. Even the hallway is like a retreat, with its dark walls and candle-like lamps.
• The massage beds are heaven. Sante brought them in from Germany and, whatever the cost, they’re worth every penny. They’re wide, long and ultra comfortable.
• Their pedicure station is stocked with the best magazine selection. When I passed through, the latest issues of Harper’s Bazaar and Allure were on display. I always appreciate a great magazine stack.

My life is rough, I know.

~Michelle

I’ll fill you in on the details later this week once I’ve cleared the jet lag cobwebs out of my brain. For now, I’m excited to tell you about where we stayed. This (below) was our living room:

We rented this one-bedroom Edinburgh flat after finding it on Airbnb, a Web site that lists flats, rooms, even castles available for rent from private individuals around the world. It was our first time to using Airbnb and we’re hooked. (I’m now obsessed with looking up houses in Spain.)

Our apartment took up part of the top floor of a traditional tenement building built in 1890. James, the owner, stocked our kitchen with bread from a local bakery (the dangerously good Manna House Bakery), homemade marmalade, milk and eggs which we ate every morning looking out at our view of the city. We were quite near to the famous Royal Mile — close enough to walk, far enough away that we could escape the tourist crowds.

The place was cleaner than many five-star hotels that I’ve stayed in, which impressed me no end. For about one-third of the price of a hotel room, we had a full kitchen (with an excellent espresso machine!), bedroom, living room and a personalized guidebook  filled with suggestions from James’ former guests.

More on the trip later this week!

~Chris