2015 Favourites

As cliche as it sounds, 2015 passed by SO quickly, but I had a wonderful year, and wanted to post my annual Favourites list! Hope you enjoy this post!

Household

Rachel Kozlowski Fireside Animals Raccoon Cake Stand (West Elm, sold out)

I added this whimsical cake stand to my Christmas wishlist, and received it from my brother-in-law and his girlfriend! Just look at it.



Dapper Animal Plates (West Elm)

I actually purchased four of these as a Christmas gift for my cousin-in-law, but I liked them so much, I immediately purchased some for myself. These are small salad/dessert-sized plates, but they are great quality, and the illustrations on them are super nice.



Domesticated Trinket dish (Anthropologie)

I purchased both the dog (out of stock) and cat version of these little trinket dishes, and I love them. I store three perfume bottles in the cat one on my dresser top, and it cheers me up every morning!



Disney Tsum Tsum plushes (Disney Store)

I love these cute plushes (the game is fun too, but I get bored of it quickly). I saw the mega one at the Disney Store recently, and it was just awesome.



Chromecast (Google)

We bought this last year, and have gotten so much use out of it, it's hard to remember life before it. There are similar products from Amazon and Apple (and others I'm sure), but we are happy with our Google version. We stream Netflix, Youtube, etc. to our TV seamlessly, it's really terrific.



Photobooks

I've gone full-on crazy mode with creating photo books for "year in review" and old trips. I won't say too much now, because I plan to write-up thorough reviews, but suffice to say I have tried about 10 companies so far and am pretty obsessed.


Copic Ciao markers (MarkerPOP, Dick Blick, most art stores)

I briefly had a colouring obsession this past year, and purchased a bunch of Copic Ciao markers (and subsequently labeled them myself!). I actually have not used them much recently, but I'm glad I have them in so many pretty colours!

Apparel & Accessories

Anthropologie Trinette Shirt Dress (sold out, Anthropologie)

I liked this casual shirt dress so much, I bought a "backup" when it went on sale. It is super soft, even after washing, and has two layers, so is modest, even without a bra (amazing!).



Aritzia Exquis Jacket (sold out)

I needed a blazer for a client-on-site visit and found this button-less jacket at Aritzia. It fits really well, and doesn't look oversized on me. I've gotten a lot of wear out of it this year!



Onitsuka Tigers Serrano in Tokidoki print (Onitsuka Tiger)

I had wanted to purchase some new casual sneakers, and my husband loves his Onitsuka Tigers, so I started looking there. When I saw they had a collaboration with Tokidoki, I had to get these. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Tokidoki, but I do think the prints are super cute, so I ordered these ones and absolutely love them. It helps that I snagged them with a promotion code ($30 off) as well!



LeSportSac Medium Weekend Bag in Hiking Day print (2014 print, Hautelook)

I pounced on this small duffle bag from Hautelook when I saw the ridiculous cat print. I've used it several times for short weekend trips! The print makes me smile every time I look at it.



Hello Kitty & Paul Frank Comfy N Cozy Bathrobe (Hautelook)

I purchased this for $20 from Hautelook. It is just a generic manufacturer that licensed the Hello Kitty brand, but it is super soft (fleece), comfy, and cozy.

Food & Drink

Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate (70% Cocoa)

I bought this chocolate for the first time in October, after the cheaper baking chocolate was sold out at my grocery store. I used it to make a chocolate mousse cake, and it turned out the best ever (having made that recipe maybe 5 times before). Now I horde it whenever it goes on sale, and reserve it for recipes that really shine with nice chocolate.



Blue Star Donuts (in particular, Lemon Poppyseed Buttermilk)

I'm not really a fan of donuts, but I was blown away by this one at Blue Star Donuts in Portland, OR. To this day, I still think about it. I should just try and find a gourmet donut shop in NYC, eh.



Beecher's Flagship Handmade Cheese (from Costco)

We had the mac and cheese at Beecher's on our trip to Seattle last year, so when I saw this at Costco, I was thrilled! The price is also really good, for the amount of cheese, and it makes a mouthwatering grilled cheese. We always have this in our fridge now.



Ginger Beer

This one is Rachel's Ginger Beer in Seattle (from my Pike Place Market post). I didn't even know I would like ginger beer, but the strong stuff is so addicting.

Movies, TV, and Games

The Grand Budapest Hotel

This movie came out in 2014, I didn't see it until early 2015 on a flight. I enjoyed it so much, I watched it on the flight back, and made my husbandwatch it as well. I thought everything about it was fantastic. I really loved it.



Election (Available on Netflix)

Although this movie came out in 1999, I didn't watch it until this last year. I'm a fan of Reese Witherspoon in general, but her character, Tracy Flick in Election had me in stitches. I think Tracy Flick is my spirit animal. Probably. I seriously enjoyed the movie, and look forward to re-watching it again!



Hemlock Grove (Season 3) (Available on Netflix)

My guilty pleasure show had its third and final season this year on Netflix. I'm sad to see it go, but it was one hell of a ride. I enjoyed every moment. I felt like there was a lot more humour in this final season (below, Roman realizes there are many more upir than he originally though). It was awesome, and I will miss it very much.



Broadchurch (Season 2) (Available on Netflix)

While I enjoyed Season 1 very much, I don't think it made my Favourites list last year. Season 2, however, was IMO even stronger than the first season. The acting is just superb. The US remake (Gracepoint) is abhorrent, though (based on the trailer and the last 10 minutes of the finale).



Mind of a Chef (Season 3) (Available on Netflix)

A favourite every year, Season 3 of Mind of a Chef was especially awesome because the second half of the season featured Magnus Nilsson. I desperately want to visit Fäviken.



Better Call Saul (Season 1) (AMC)

Breaking Bad is still one of my top 2 shows of all time, and the spin-off did not disappoint. I look forward to future seasons!



Telltale Games: The Wolf Among Us

I started playing a few episodic games this year, of which The Wolf Among Us from Telltale Games (they also make the Walking Dead games) was one of my favourites. It is based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series. The game is set in the 80s in NYC, and many fairytale characters are now living in the city (albeit, somewhat hidden from the normal human population). The Bigby Wolf (the Big Bad Wolf) is their community's sheriff, and he works with Snow White (assistant to the deputy mayor) to catch a serial murderer in their midst. The game has a great art style, immersive music, and a very engaging storyline. Highly recommended, even if you don't typically like playing video games.