Favourite Outfits From 2014

This is fairly late.. and by fairly I mean 1/4 of the year has gone by and I'm just getting around to it now. But hey, better late than never? I just started feeling comfortable enough with myself after my pregnancy by early 2014, so it wasn't until about March last year that I started to take style photos. A year later, it's definitely my favourite part about blogging. And although, I don't have all the money in the world, a semi-pro photographer buddy, the right body structure, or an outrageous sense of style, I am proud of my style posts and how far I've come with my self love and body acceptance. 
Here is a few of my favourite outfits from 2014!
Autumn Transitions Tracking Bigfoot Safari Pink & Self Love Lady In The Garden Rocks & Stripes Cemetery Trail Birthday Dress! Honey & Anchor
For as much as I love sharing my style and favourite articles of clothing, I do hope my readers appreciate it, too! Would you like to see more style posts, or less? Tell me in the comments!
xo Amber

Northern Flicker Turns Two!

Happy Blog Day to me, Happy Blog Day to me!

Today officially marks the 2nd anniversary of me starting my blog, and while there's been some highs and lows, it's been one of the most rewarding adventures I've taken. I've pushed through many a days of writers block and discovered more about myself than I ever thought I would. 

I just wanted to take this moment to thank each and every one of my readers, friends and supporters. I truly appreciate all your love and advice and I am filled to the brim with gratitude. 

With that being said, I do hope to be back on schedule soon with regular posts. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but jeeze louise, it is incredibly hard to balance life, family, work and keep a blog up and running. I don't know how any of you super women do it! I am definitely willing to try though, and I do appreciate my readers patience until I find a way to get my schedule to flow easily. In the meantime, you can keep up with my Instagram, and you can also enjoy these ridiculous photos of me and some balloons!

Dress // Hello Holiday

Cardigan // Modcloth

 Necklace // Modcloth

Shoes // Walmart

Purse // Modcloth

Here's to another year! Cheers!

xo Amber
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Unicorn And Me

Unicorns are fun.

I don't know why, but something always compels me to wear this outfit to concerts. It's not even like the material allows for much breathing, however it is light and flowy, so it feels nice when you're in a venue during the non summer months. I love pairing it with shiny leggings, because with unicorns, you gotta be shiny, right?

It's finally warming up here so hopefully I'll be able to get out and pose for more outfits and get into some new ideas too, like recipes and spring flora photos! I haven't been posting too much because I have a ridiculous virus that has been a real pain in the ass to try and get rid of. Help!

Top & Necklace // Modcloth

Leggings & Cami // Forever 21

Shoes // Walmart

This outfit was featured in the Modcloth Style Gallery, take a peak here!

xo Amber
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Spring, Please

I love Spring but I really hate the transition. The weather has been so touchy this month. We've been negative 15 to plus 8 in the same day pretty much. Snow, rain, sunshine. Puddles the size of lakes. Everyone in our house is sick but me, but, I feel my doom is ahead. 

I saw this little baby doll dress in Walmart and it really made me hopeful for Spring. I had to have it! The colours are so vibrant and make me feel like flowers and sunshine and warm breezes are near. I can't wait for the purple crocuses to start peaking out from the snow, and see the buds forming on the trees again.

My blog once was the most important thing to me and now it's the last thing on my list, it seems. My planner is filled with ideas though, so I'm hoping once it warms up a bit and I can hear the birds chirping again, it will inspire me to work harder on my blog. I just have the winter blues, the writer blues and the overall blues these days. Even eating clean has gone on the back burner for me. Well, I'm still trying very hard but I've been stuck at a 15-20lb weight loss that teeter totters and I can't seem to shed any more pounds without being able to get outside and walk, bike or jog. I'm dying for the temperature to rise so I can get more active.

Dress & Boots // Walmart

Cardigan // Forever 21

Belt // ASOS

Clutch // Vintage (via Emma Deer)

Tights, Necklace & Midi Ring // Modcloth

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you are seeing signs of Spring in your neck of the woods! 

xo Amber
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Hello, Bow

Top // Modcloth Jeans // Forever 21+ Cardigan // Modcloth Boots // Local Boutique Purse // Forever 21 Necklace // Modcloth I have a difficult time styling myself in the winter because I have to choose things that fit under my coat, which must be a heavy duty coat for warmth and I often have to wear two pairs of pants. It was -20 when I took these photos and my sister and I basically froze to near death. But, I just couldn't wait to do more style posts. That's one of my goals this year for the blog, do as many style posts as I can manage with my time. Having Cherie living with me is a real blessing for many reasons, one being she is my photographer now haha. I can't wait until Spring so I can bust out the dresses again!
xo Amber
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Eating Clean Update v.1

Have you ever dreamed of an item for so long, you almost start to believe it could never, ever be yours? For a few years I've pined over this coat, found it in many places, but for some reason just never purchased it. Last year, I got a gorgeous burnt orange coat instead of this one, and although I love, love, LOVE that orange coat, I felt regret not getting this one because it sold out instantly. Alas, this winter it became available again on Modcloth and I did not hesitate this time to snatch it up. Finally, the Cookie Pie Coat is mine! And I love it so much. 

When it arrived, I quickly tore open the box and threw it over my body. I tied it up, and felt sadness rush over me immediately. It barely fit around my waist with the buttons done up. Still wearable, but not very comfortable. Despite the fit I wore it around anyways, hoping nobody noticed the tight crease in the middle buttons. Flash forward a few weeks, and it's now loose on my waist and feels so cozy. How did this happen, you ask? Well, since taking the oath to eat clean in 2015, I've lost 11 pounds! 7lbs in my first week and 4lbs this week. 

I honestly can't believe how quickly my body has transformed, and things that haven't fit me since pre-pregnancy are now starting to fit comfortably again. Not that I've been doing this for the weight loss, but it's definitely helping me look away from sugary treats and other foods bad for my body. I can already see my body slowly healing itself. Just in two weeks my hair looks shinier, my face softer and brighter and my waist is starting to become flatter in the front. Despite some mild discomfort and moodiness, I can tell my insides are beginning to heal, too. What a world of difference it can make, just drinking more water and cutting out junk food. 

Coat // Modcloth

Jeans // Forever 21+

Boots // Local Boutique

Most importantly, I'm just happy. Inside and out, my body is just ecstatic and full of energy. I feel like a new person, and it's only the beginning. There's also some new and exciting things happening here that I just cannot wait to share with everybody! 

Have you kept up with any tough goals so far this January? What goals have you skipped?

xo Amber
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Crimson Dress // eShakti Review

Sometimes life really takes over and gives you little time to complete commitments you have made. Sometimes you feel really bad that you've let something go so long before finally doing something about it. This review was suppose to be a thing about a month ago but one thing after another, and it got pushed to the side. Which is unfortunate because to be honest, I was extremely excited to be chosen by eShakti to talk about one of their many fabulous dresses. 
When I got the email I was over the moon and could not wait to pick a dress! I spent the entire day choosing the perfect one. I had a couple of friends that were getting married in November so I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to get a dress for the wedding. Their colours were red and black so I picked quite an obvious choice. However, if there had been more selection there was definitely one I had my heart set on before this one. This red dress looked phenomenal in the photo. A dark crimson red with a hot zipper in the front and the skirt of it poofed out the perfect amount. eShakti also gives you the option to give them your precise measurements so your dress fits you like a glove! I did just that and I ordered a petticoat for under the dress just for that extra oomph. 

Through other blogger reviews I had heard that eShakti shipping was some what long so I made sure to order it quickly so it would arrive before the wedding. To my surprise, my dress arrived 3 days after I ordered it and I hadn't even received a shipping notification yet! I opened my package and immediately put my new pretty dress on. I realized right away that the measurements were wrong, which was upsetting because I double checked my measurements before I sent them in. The waist is pretty loose, as was the bust, and the skirt was a lot longer than I wanted. I'm not 100% comfortable in it because it makes me look boxy and frumpy, but, I would definitely feel better if it were taken in.

It was suppose to be taken in before the wedding because it really is an easy fix to take in the waist on a dress like this, through the pleats. However, it was not done on time and I ended up wearing a sequined little black dress instead. Then time passed, and I got busy with work and planning Josie's birthday and Christmas that this dress totally went under my radar. 

With that being said I was still eager to keep my end of the bargain and tell my readers about my eShakti experience. And, although the dress didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped, I must say that over all, I thoroughly enjoyed ordering from eShakti, and would do it again. The selection of items they have is endless, there's plenty of styles for every body type and they make it extremely easy to order something made to fit. Lastly, in my experience, shipping was really easy, packaged well and arrived fast. If I had the chance to do it again, I would definitely choose a more casual piece in a different fabric (this one is 100% cotton) so that I could enjoy it more, instead of a dressy piece and possibly size down a bit in my measurements, or perhaps just order a normal size instead of custom. 

Have you ordered from eShakti before? What are your opinions on the brand?

This post was sponsored by, and affiliated with eShakti, but all opinions are entirely mine and I wholeheartedly love this brand and would never express opinions that aren't my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Banjo & Scout! To read more about affiliate links, click here.

xo Amber

Getting Back Into My Groove

Over a week ago, I started a new job. I briefly talked about it in a previous post, but I didn't really talk about how important it is, not only for me to ease back into the workforce after being a stay at home mom for two years, but, because I'm back inside a coffee house. I first got into the art of coffee back when Jesse and I first got together, we lived in a different town and I ended up working at a really great cafe with loads of character. It was right in the heart of the city and I loved everything about it. Eventually we moved home and I worked a few other jobs I hated until finding another job at a coffee house downtown here. It was one of the best experiences I've had because it was my first job that I had a lot of freedom at, and learned a lot about the business.

A lot of people may think cafes are a relentless, boring job, but being a barista is like an art. It's not just making a coffee for customers and that's it. You're creating a finely crafted beverage that can really make or break someone's day. It's my job, as a barista, to provide my community with a great start to their day, or end. 
My first week has been an excellent one, and I can't wait to jump head first into this job. I thought leaving Josie every day for hours would be really hard, but, so far she's taking it okay, and so am I. Baby steps. Being happy at your job is important because then you're happy at home, too. So, it's really good I found something I am passionate about! I honestly feel so at home in this new coffee house. I love my team, the atmosphere, the people, and the art of making coffee. The perfect chai latte every morning doesn't hurt, either. 

Dress // Modcloth Cardigan // Modcloth Petticoat // Modcloth Shoes // Walmart Necklace // Handmade
So, again, I do apologize for being a little absent around here lately, but, hopefully I can find a way to balance my job, my family and my blog and do the best that I can in all areas of my life. It feels so good to be productive again and I hope that shines through on my blog as well! 
xo Amber
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