FLIPPING AMAZING | One Girl’s Fun Day Out at Triple Flip

My daughter is always on the move. I mean, like, never stops moving. And while we always manage to get from A to B, the trip rarely involves walking - it alternates between hopping, twirling, cartwheeling and leaping as we make our way around our city from day to day. When shopping for clothes, I’ve learned that everything from top to toe needs to be able to stretch, spin and move with my little. Oh, and it needs to be fun. Always fun. Triple Flip is one of my daughter’s newest obsessions so when the Oakville store asked us to come in and shop the new collection, both she and I did a little happy dance.

If you’re not familiar with Triple Flip, it’s time to get in-the-know. The brand began in Calgary in 2005 when the company recognized the need for a fun, aspirational brand for tween girls. Based on 400 actual girls’ bodies and feedback from tweens, Triple Flip created its own unique design aesthetic and sizing scale to promote healthy lifestyles and body confidence. With both form-fitting and relaxed styles in the line, girls can mix and match without focusing on labels.  As a mom who wants nothing more than to have a happy, confident daughter, I love this philosophy so much.

Triple Flip is way more fun than your average store - loads of bright colours and fun prints dominate the space, while silver poufs and ‘super fancy’ (her words) change rooms make shopping a joy for moms and kids alike. Seriously. My daughter normally has a 15-30 minute (max) shopping limit before she gets bored but we stayed at Triple Flip for 2 hours at which point I had to drag her out of the store in full pout mode so we could get home for dinner.

The new summer collection is full of so many pieces I wanted to bring home. I normally shop the brand for C’s dance and gymnastics gear online so was happy to discover all of the great summer dresses and swimwear they carry, too. The bold print Twirl Dress is made of moisture-wicking fabric to keep girls cool and comfortable on hot summer days, while the sweet swimwear and rash guards are designed to let kids dive right in. We tried on dresses, bodysuits, printed leggings (um, hello flamingo), and of course Triple Flip’s famous, coziest-ever Minky Dimples line and then it was finally time for the accessories.  

From irresistibly cute bags to colourful scarves to sweet jewellery, we finished off our shopping trip with our arms loaded with colour.

Thanks for the fun Triple Flip. Can’t wait to come back soon - if my daughter has anything to say about it, should be next weekend ;)

Be sure to check out Triple Flip online or head a Triple Flip store near you. Can’t wait to hear what you think!

Ooh, and don’t miss this...

CONTEST ALERT:

I’ve teamed up with Triple Flip for an exciting Instagram contest.  One lucky RLR reader will receive a Triple Flip discount code for $50 off of their online purchase.  

RULES:

1. Follow @tripleflipgirl and @realliferunway on Instagram.

2. Tag 3 friends who you think would like to be entered in the comments section of my Triple Flip IG post.

3. Winner to be selected randomly and announced on the @realliferunway Instagram post on Tuesday June 28th.

4. Contest open to Canadian and U.S residents only

GOOD LUCK!

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.

WIN IT: The New Boutiques on eBay.ca

Currently renting a cottage and cute husband was gone so I had to be resourceful with this one...

As eBay Canada's Fashion Expert, I can always count on the site to keep my wardrobe up-to-date without breaking the bank. And while I've scored some amazing designer finds on eBay.ca, it's the Canadian pieces that mean the most to me.  In an effort to help support local boutiques and independent designers, eBay Canada has launched its brand new Boutiques on eBay, featuring uniquely gorgeous pieces from homegrown designers. This month, eBay has teamed up with Toronto fashion boutique, Coal Miner's Daughter to feature handmade designs from Jool Clothing, Jordan de Ruiter, Haller, Sara Duke, 3rd Floor Studio and Norwegian Wood.

The line is available exclusively at ebay.ca/boutiqueSS14 until June 30th with all pieces priced under $90 plus free shipping all across Canada. Amazing, right?

My personal fav is the Haller Isabelle Dress (pictured above), with its super sexy lace back and drapey yet lightweight fabric. I actually need to wear a bra (don't most of us?) so wasn't sure if I could pull off the style but I simply wear a black bra, undo the clasp and tuck in the sides of the bra. It's stretchy and tight enough to keep everything in place, even without your bra done up, though of course you could head to a lingerie shop for a bra designed for backless dresses, too. I'm just frugal and time-strapped (read: cheap and lazy) at the moment. Plus, I love that you can wear it dressed way up or down, depending on the occasion of the day - see below for a few cute ways to wear it, though you could also wear it as a maxi skirt (with a sweater layered over top and an arm party full of metallic bracelets), with a blazer for work, or even with a neon bandeau underneath for festival season. 

Okay, now for the cool part: to celebrate the line (and to share this stunner of a dress), eBay is offering RLR readers the chance to win a $75 gift card to Boutiques on eBay so you can score a special piece of your own.

Here's how to win it:

1. Leave a comment below telling me your best ever score on eBay.ca (or if you haven't shopped the site, tell me which piece you'd love to own from the new Boutiques on eBay.)

2. For a bonus entry, tweet the following '@realliferunway & @eBayCanada are giving away a GC to shop the new Boutiques on eBay and I want to #win! http://bit.ly/1miXO2w'

3. Contest closes this Thursday, June 26th at 5 pm. 

4. Contest open to residents of Canada only. 

5. Good luck, y'all! 

  

BRING IT ON: Fab Fitness Finds + a $100 SportChek Giveaway

Source: Pinterest

As I sit here polishing off my last box of Turtles (note to self: telling everyone who asks that you'd like Turtles for Christmas pretty much ensures that you'll also receive the gift of an extra 5 lbs over the hols), I am making my plan of rock-solid body attack. It goes a little something like this: start working out. 

It might sound simple, considering I exercised regularly until I had kids, but after sporadic attempts here and there, I have somehow lost my fitness mojo. And so 2014, we need to talk. You are my year. My year to get back at it. My year to prove that I'm still a lean, mean, pushup machine. My year to give this Turtle-fueled heart a little cardiac boost. I know that going to the gym isn't doing it for me anymore so dance classes, pilates, skiing, maybe even a little kickboxing will be my new go-to's. 2014, I'm making a commitment to you (and to me). 2014, we can do this. 

If you're feeling similarly motivated (and I'm not just talking Jan 1st fly-by-night resolutions here...), I want to help. First, check out the cute workout gear below. I consider pretty workout clothes the Jillian Michaels motivating equivalent (minus all the yelling). And if that's not enough?

We're giving away a $100 Gift Card to SportChek to help get you in gear for the brand new year.

SEE THE FULL POST HERE...

GIFTED: WIN a $100 EXPRESS Gift Card

Photos courtesy EXPRESS. How fantastic is that men's look? I love.

My go-to place for all things celebratory (and where you should really go-to, too) is EXPRESS. The store is currently stocked to the brim with party-ready dresses, gorgeous oversized earrings, and far-from-ordinary menswear, all ideal for the parties, primping and all-important fêting in the weeks ahead. 

EXPRESS has given me a $100 GIFT CARD to give away to you, my dearest RLR friends. Here's how to win it:

1) Leave a comment below telling me how you like to celebrate New Year's Eve. 

2) For a bonus entry, follow @ExpressLife and @realliferunway on Twitter and tweet the following: '@realliferunway & @ExpressLife are giving away a $100 EXPRESS Gift Card and I want to #win it! http://bit.ly/J2TtzI' 

3) Contest closes this Friday at 5 pm. I'll announce the winner on Monday, Dec 23rd.

4) Contest open to residents of Canada only.

GOOD LUCK! XO

Win It: A Vawk & Zara Giveaway from eBay

  

Though my life is always busy (whose life isn't?), things have been particularly frenzied this past month with my new gig as ambassador for eBay.ca. Between radio interviews and tv appearances on shows like CH Morning Live (see the segment here) and The Morning Show on Global, I've been criss-crossing southwestern Ontario talking about new mom style and dishing about the new, improved eBay.ca.

I'll admit that aside from actual 'work', online shopping has taken up a fair bit of my time of late (bites lip, looks mildly apologetic). I used to think that eBay was an auction house, a place where you went to bid and wait and bid again and, really, it all just seemed a little complicated to me. But here's the thing. eBay has evolved, big time, and you can now go online and shop retailers and sellers around the globe and buy right away. How's that for instant gratification?

It's super easy, highly worthwhile, and I have a new Club Monaco dress, cobalt blue Narciso Rodriguez coat and J.Crew sweater to prove it. #score. Apparently I'll have to also start hawking some of my things on eBay to fund my new habit...

Okay, giveaway time: My new friends at eBay have generously offered up a VAWK by Sunny Fong manta capelet and a stunning pair of gold brocade Zara pants (size small) exclusively to RLR readers.

Here's how to win this perfect party outfit, just in time for the start of holiday season:

1) Leave a comment below telling me why you want to win this look.

2) Follow @eBayCanada on Twitter.

3) For a bonus entry, tweet the following '@realliferunway & @eBayCanada are giving away a perfect party outfit and I want to #win! http://bit.ly/1c5cWdp'

3) Contest closes next Thursday, Oct 17th at 5 pm. I'll announce the winner Fri morning!

Good luck and happy shopping on eBay. It's dangerous, I'm warning you (see below for the cute looks I picked up for The Morning Show segment)

xo