Happy New Year!
Wishing you and your families a wonderful, prosperous, and healthy 2017!
Yesterday, I gave a massive shout-out to all the brands I have been fortunate to work with in 2016. Several collaborations were the result of years-long relationships, and others were brand new experiences for which I am very grateful.
Today, I wanted to share some highlights from the year.
- Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation: Because of generous donations from family and friends, as well as an October fundraising effort on my blog and social media (#WhiteCabanaWearsPink), I was able to donate over $1200 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Amazing! In addition to the monetary donation, I ran 5K (my first in a long while) for the CIBC Run for the Cure here in Kitchener-Waterloo, and it felt great to be running alongside survivors and supporters.
- WhiteCabanaxStephenHawes: What started out as an informal “have you ever considered…” conversation with one of my MBA colleagues turned into an amazing collaboration with Waterloo potter Stephen Hawes. The first WhiteCabanaxStephenHawes collection was on sale for one week at the Robert Langen Art Gallery at Wilfrid Laurier University. The collection sold out! Happy! Happy!
- Expedia.ca: Thanks to an amazing collaboration with Expedia.ca, I was able to tour Italy for 2 weeks with my Dad. Among many cool adventures, I attended a reunion lunch in Rimini with his highschool friends, and spent some time in Florence with one of his best highschool friends, and my cousin came along, too.
- Langdon Hall: I have such admiration for Langdon Hall. The place is warm, the people are friendly, and the food is divine. Just last month, I was invited to an incredible dinner with Chefs Jason Bangerter (of Langdon Hall) and Jackie Lin (of Toronto’s Shousin). This was an evening that I’ll remember (and talk about) for a long while!
- Blogger meet-ups: The online blogging community has paved the way for real-life friendships. Our meet-ups have extended beyond brand media events, and I’m so thankful to have such warm and kind people in my life.
- Triathlon relay: This was a last-minute decision, but I’m so glad my friends and I braved the rain to complete our first triathlon relay. My friend Chris was a great swim coach, and TYR generously sponsored our wetsuits for the event. While the swim didn’t go as smoothly as I had expected (ew-dark lake water), it was a positive experience, and I’m even considering doing it again next summer.
How about you? What were your White Cabana highlights? What posts were memorable? What did you enjoy reading?
Thanks to you, dear readers, for joining me on this journey in white!
via Minted
Near the end of 2015, I wrote a thank you post featuring all my sponsors for the year (see this sponsor love post). I’m repeating this post for 2016. I’m very grateful to the PR representatives, brand account managers, social media whizzes, and shop owners for putting their trust in my writing and in my blog.
I’m sending out a big thanks to all the following companies for their enthusiasm, loyalty, and generosity:
Expedia.ca (post, post, post, post, post, post)
King Edward Hotel (post, post)
Langdon Hall (end of 2015 post) (post, post, post, photos)
L.L.Bean (post, post, photo, photo)
Needham Lane (post, post)
TYR (post, post, photo, photo)
Thanks again, dear sponsors, for supporting me and my blog, and for making such fabulous products and experiences for all of us to enjoy! See you in 2017!
What’s your approach to wrapping Christmas presents? Do you plan a theme? Do you use wrapping paper or bags? Is everything colour-coordinated?
As for me, I keep things simple (are you that surprised?). I use one wrapping paper design and just a few bags. I keep ribbons and tags simple, too. My wrapping is basic, and Pinterest certainly makes me look like the worst wrapper ever.
Just look at these five beautifully wrapped gifts. Wouldn’t you love to receive one of these? I think I may consider improving my approach to wrapping next year.
The Cross Design via Erica Cook
via 30s magazine
via Homey Oh My
via Style At Home