lucky penny has been too busy to blog as of late.

she would rather spend long days imbibing patio pints, road tripping to chicago with boy bestie, or scouring summer sale racks for the *perfect* pair of denim shorts.

eureka! these beauties by 7 for all mankind are prettily pleated, vintage-looking and super soft… just tuck in a blouse, slip on kitten heel sandals, and get outside.

another round of ciders for the table, pleeeeeease.

lucky penny has a sweet tooth… so much so she was like a kid in a candy store when a handsome, little box from the sweet spot arrived at her doorstep in montreal.

handmade by baker extraordinaire kia nicolaou, these little “cakepops” and “piepops” are exactly that… mini-cakes and mini-pies packaged like lollipops. how sweet!

our girl loves lollies—cakes and pies, too—so this was really a no-brainer for her! candy pastries? even better… they are dipped in chocolate.

for cakepops, she nibbled on “chewy cherry”, a cherry cake with white chocolate and pink sprinkles, “creamy cheesecake” dipped in milk chocolate topped with graham cracker crumbs… and “oreo delight”, which is pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think?

their piepops are bite-size pieces of heaven… classics like apple and blueberry pie. creamy chocolate pie, chocolate peanut butter pie, and pecan pie are also on the menu.

lucky penny can be such a sucker, sometimes. *wink*

lucky penny loves cosmetics, but sometimes, caking it on leaves her skin feeling dry, itchy, and in need of a little tlc. [note to self: stop scratching!]

enter maple organics. a *new*, local and usda-certified organic skincare range that includes two body washes (one hydrating, one enlivening), a lovely-smelling rosemary sage body lotion, and lavender hand salve.

each contains sycamore maple and indian shorea butter, which is regenerative and anti-inflammatory.

they have also developed the country’s first organic baby skincare line. the company’s website has a brilliant glossary, so lucky penny knows exactly what is on her porcelain peau.

what a relief!

lucky penny, as a wee one, loved to play dress-up in grandma’s closet… adorning herself in costume jewels, stomping around in heels too big, and parading about in fur toppers… that was every sunday afternoon.

so imagine her delight when she received an invitation to preview swarovski’s stunning fall/winter 2011 collection. titled “wings of fantasy”, over 50 pieces were on display.

flitting between a dozen podiums, she tried on numerous bold, beautiful pieces. her favourite? “the proudly” necklace… paying homage to the feathers of majestic birds. this multi-coloured beauty induced a longing and wishful sigh.

a close second was a fully encrusted hello kitty doll. only 88 were created and each one retails for about $10,000! sheesh.

for cute boyfriend, there were bracelets, rings, cufflinks, a necklace and accessories… like a beautiful, black leather iphone case, and two gorgeous skull paperweights.

***psst… a new fragrance was also unveiled. aura is a nice, light and summery scent with notes of white musk, lychee and hints of citrus… and housed in a crystal bottle, of course.

lucky penny has a tiny teacup that sits on the bedside table… filled with all her found coins. they are mostly pennies (natch), a few nickels and dimes, and even a toonie.

the *three* winners of her fourteenth reader giveaway contest are… drum roll, please… congratulations, christian d., julie d. and kevin n.!!!

christian, julie and kevin all win 1 of 3 pairs of perfectly preppy penny proper coins.

co-founded by two canadian lovelies, penny propers come in a variety of colours like lipstick red, royal blue, preppy pink, mustard yellow, and green with envy. neons and metals available, too.

***

fifteenth lucky penny reader giveaway is true north, strong and free… and vegan to boot.

nella bella lima tote (colour: yellow)—total value of $95.

the winner will be announced on monday, august 1st.

one rule to enter: simply leave a comment, and write us why you deserve to win. that is all!