P.s!: Out With The Old & In With The New!

Celebrating My Birthday with a Personal Confession

My birthday passed two weeks ago without much fanfare. I spent the day with friends, feeling amazing and looking fabulous, which I haven't done in a long time and is exactly how I wanted to spend the day. Maybe because my birthday is so early in the year and happens right before Spring starts, but I've always treated my birthday as my true "New Year". It's a time when I take stock of my life so far, what I've accomplished and what I would still like to do.

Happy Birthday to Me! at Poop Cafe in Toronto

The last year was a terrible one for me, and the rest of the world it seems. Between political disasters, terrorist attacks, refugee crisis, prominent celebrity deaths, and so much more, the world around me seem to reflect how my life was crashing down around me. 

Explore South America: Life Lessons from Backpacking across South America!

Personal Insights Learned from Traveling in Peru, Bolivia & Argentina

I can't believe it's already March; February just flew by, especially since I spent most of it in South America, visiting some amazing places and meeting some fabulous people! I just got back a few days ago from my South American adventure and I'm so excited to share all my experiences, insights and travel tips I have learned along the way over the next several weeks. But first I have to get back into my regular, post trip routine, which has been proving extremely difficult.

Enjoying the view of Machu Picchu from the top of Wayna Picchu Mountain, Peru

For the past three weeks, I backpacked my way across three countries, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, and I will share my adventures in each place with all of you as soon as I can put into words (and organize my pictures:) everything that I saw and experienced, but first I want to share some things I learned about myself and things I'm grateful about now that I'm back home in Canada.

Explore The World: South America or Bust!

My South American Backpacking Trip Announcement

How many things have you crossed off your bucket list? Do you have more than one bucket list? I myself have several bucket lists - career, family and travel are just a few of my lists. My travel bucket list pretty much includes every place in the world but there are a few places near the top that I really want to visit. I traveled a lot in my twenties and some of the places have been crossed off like Antarctica and Rome, but I haven't left the country in almost ten years.

So that's why I'm so excited to be leaving on one of my bucketlist trips tomorrow! I'm leaving for a three week trek through South America! I fly into Lima, Peru Monday night and I fly out of Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday February 27! Did I mention I'm excited??!!

P.s!: Another Year, Another Adventure!

Happy New Year!:  2015 Roundup & 2016 Preview

Is it just or did 2015 pass by in a blink of an eye??!! I feel like I just celebrated 2015 and here it is 2016 already! Maybe it is old age (I hope not), but time flew by. And looking back on 2015, so much has happened in my life both professionally and personally.

After reading last year's yearly roundup and looking through some old posts, I'm pretty happy with the path I have taken with my blog which led to some great opportunities in my life.

P.s!: Tis The Season!

November Blog Roundup & December Preview

The holiday season is upon us! I know it's hard to believe but Christmas is less than 20 days away and then New Year's Eve and suddenly it's 2016. I have waaaay too many things to get done before all that happens and November was not the best month for me. I hurt my left arm and find it difficult to use it sometimes. I've also been sick for the past week, which is the reason I'm behind on my blog posts for November (so sorry). So not only do I need to play catch-up, but I need to fit in all the fun and craziness December has to offer.

From Christmas shopping, working my six jobs, and all the events I have to attend, the next few weeks are going to wild!

P.s!: Beautiful November!

October Blog Roundup & November Preview

It's hard to believe it's already November especially since the last few days felt like Spring outside. With my schedule packed full of personal and professional events and happenings, October passed by so quickly! And I had so many fabulous highlights from the previous month.

One of my favourite moments from October has to be cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays as they kept winning game after game on their road to the World Series. Although they were eventually eliminated, it was still thrilling to watch them get so far and see the city of Toronto and fans from across the nation and the globe Come Together to cheer them on!

P.s!: Fabulous Fall!

September Blog Roundup & October Preview

Is it just me or has this year flown by?! I can't believe that it's October and Fall is here! This month is packed full of events and happenings not just for me, but for a lot of people. October started off with a bang this past weekend with one of my favourite annual Toronto events, Nuit Blanche. And this coming weekend marks one of the last long weekends of the year, when many people will be getting together with friends and families and celebrating Thanksgiving. And don't forget that the last day of the month, October 31, is Halloween which is a great reason to dress up like a someone (or something) you've always wanted to be.

I had alot of fun throughout September. I got to take my 2 years-old nephew to his first art show at Gladstone Hotel. He was enthralled at all the textile art at the Hard Twist exhibit and he can't wait for me to take him on his next art trip. I also got to see some amazing exhibits at the AGO including Picturing the Americas, which helped me chose my next big travel adventure. And I finally found a beauty product that helped my eyebrows look as beautiful as I always knew they could be.

P.s!: Cool Season Approaching!

August Blog Roundup & September Preview

I can't believe that the summer is fast coming to an end. Personally this summer season has been one filled with lots of changes in my life. It was filled with so many fun events and moments that I will remember for a long time.

P.s!: August Rush!

July Blog Roundup & August Preview

I can't believe it's already August! It feels like the summer season just started and now it's nearing the end. So sad. But there are still many weeks of fun filled sunny days ahead! August is always a fun month. It starts off with a long weekend (for some) and ends in one (sometimes). It also ends in one of the largest events in Toronto - The CNE!

Even though it's going to end soon, this summer has been one of lots of fun and adventures that I will not soon forget.

P.s!: Some Sun & Fun!

June Blog Roundup & July Preview

It's already a few days into July, so this post is a little late. It's just been such a busy few weeks! July has started off with a bang thanks to Canada Day on July 1st and the start of The Toronto Fringe Festival! I have been working with Loose Leaf Theatre Company who debuts their amazing play Me With You at Fringe, and I'm so excited to be apart of such an amazing show. If you haven't seen it, there are still four shows left. And if you haven't been to Fringe before, you should definitely check it out!

Some of my favourite moment s from June, has to be working and preparing for The Toronto Fringe Festival. I also found my new favourite fashion accessories store in Cabbagetown called Pipler Accessories. And I went to some amazing art exhibits featuring some amazing Canadian talent. And I finally got to relax a little and enjoy some quality time with friends and family.

P.s!: Summer Festival Season is Here!

May Blog Roundup & June Preview

I can't believe June is already here. May was such a busy and hectic month! Between all the amazing things happening in Toronto, It was hard to fit in my family and friends and me time!

Some of my favourite moments from May had to be the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival exhibits at MOCCA and Gladstone Hotel, my Belt it Out Style Post, writing about the amazing Ireland Park, and of course Doors Open Toronto weekend!

P.s!: April Sun & May Fun!

April Blog Roundup & May Preview

It feels like it was just yesterday that I was writing March's blog roundup, but here I am 30 days later writing another roundup post!

April was such an interesting month. I had some great and not-so great moments. I'm staying on my healthy lifestyle journey and having fun exploring Toronto. I had a death in my extended family, which has made me reevaluate some of my family relationships. I also started to pick up some freelance work as a Social Media Specialist and guest blogger, so my life is getting pretty hectic!

P.s!: March Melts & April Showers!

March Blog Roundup & April Preview

I can't believe March is over and April is finally here! This year has been going by so quickly and I, for one am looking forward to Spring and the fun and bright fashions and the new beauty products, that always appear with a new season.

With the change of a season comes a new change to The Purple Scarf. Near the end of each month, starting today, I will be posting a new P.s! featuring a roundup of some of my favourite posts and highlights of the past month just and a preview of some of the new and exciting posts coming up in the new month. For my first P.s Roundup and Preview Post, it was hard to come up just a FEW highlights from March as there were so many, but here are a few that stood out:

Health & Wellness: My Healthy Journey Begins!

First 5 Steps to Reach a Healthy Goal!

My New Years Resolution this year (and every year for the past ten years) was to get healthy. I know that's a very broad objective but it actually encompasses five goals that I wanted to accomplish. I'm not getting any younger and I really want to be able to enjoy my life to the fullest extent, so this is the year that I made some positive changes to my life to put me on the healthy path. My healthy journey begins with these first five steps:

Step 1: Quit Smoking!

This was the hardest and biggest step towards my Get Healthy Goal, which it's the first one. I quit smoking several times over the years and it has been a constant struggle for me. With the help from my family, friends, and coworkers, I finally quit for good, 43 days ago and I feel great about it. My body (and mind) are still recovering, but every day I feel a little bit better, which keeps be going. Another big help to say smoke-free my entry in The Canadian Cancer Society's The Driven to Quit Challenge. It's offers advice, encouragement, and prize incentives to quit smoking for the month for March. So fingers crossed!

P.s!: Forward Thinking While Looking Back!

Happy New Year!: 2014 Roundup & 2015 Preview

Well another year has gone by. I know I'm a few weeks late with this post, but one of my resolutions for this year is too not stress (too much) over getting things done. So here is my yearly roundup at the past year, the good, the bad and the fabulous and ideas for 2015!

I can't believe it's already 2015. I have spent the first few days of this New Year, sick in bed. I like to think that I'm getting the bad stuff out of the way first. 

P.s!: Hello!

Let me introduce myself! My name is Melanie and I'm the creative, fashion-savvy gal behind the new blog (and fashion online media powerhouse :) The Purple Scarf. I started my online profile just over a year ago on tumblr, and now I built my own website that went live 2 days ago! Yeah for me (happy dance)! Please follow along as I give my opinions and comments on this crazy fashion industry that I have been apart of for way too many years to count in one of the best cities in the world: Toronto! And I'm not just going to post about clothing style and tips, I love to write about Toronto, events, travel, and anything that sparkles!

P.s!: 

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Coco Chanel 

It's going to be a fun and fabulous ride! Come and follow!!!

P.s,

Melanie!