Yes… it has happened. The Force is strong in this one. I knew as soon as I ventured over to Twitter.com, it was over… and there was nothing I could do to stop the impulse. It’s like my MacBook took over the controls and 2 minutes later, it was done…. and I now have a slice of the social pie they call Twitter.

How did this happen? It’s not as if I ever thought about twittering… er, or tweeting? Look, I don’t even know the lingo… are you even allowed to be using this if you don’t speak the language?? I suppose I could blame it on my curiosity… except that mine never stops at killing the cat, it destroys entire prides of lions. One day, not too long ago, I just wandered over yonder to Birdieland and well yeah, you know the rest.

Now, as the lions try to regroup, I am happily playing catch up to what the rest of the world has already conquered… I suppose I’ll have to see whether my curiosity is sated enough for the time being before it ravenously demolishes another feline habitat.

Oh, and if you’ve already succumbed to the tempting ways of Twitter… come find me at the watering hole (JenneYun).

Happy twittering/tweeting Thursday!

Well, here it is… Hugs + Shrugs. It’s simple, each edition of Hugs + Shrugs will have things I love at the moment (things I lurrve) and things I not-so-love at the moment (things that are “meh”) and I have to unequivocally give credit where credit is due: Jasmine Star and her Kisses and Disses blog entries.

Jasmine is an uber-fab photographer out of southern California and I’ve been following her photography blog for quite some time. Actually, it’s more than a photography blog, it’s her life’s journey. The words that have flowed from her blog have inspired me to become a better photographer, view life with a more creative eye and just live it one day at a time, one blog post at a time… one word at a time.

So it makes sense to start off my very first segment of Hugs + Shrugs with a great big HUG to:

- Jasmine Star. If I could meet you tomorrow, I’d give you this hug in person! For the past couple of years, you have been an incredible source of inspiration, both through your beautiful images and your thoughtful words, and I want to say thanks for everything!

And the first SHRUG on my blog goes to:

- Christmas carols. Now don’t get me wrong… I love Christmas carols. I love sitting around a warm crackling fire on Christmas Eve with carols playing faintly in the background. I just don’t care for them when they are played repeatedly over and over and over again… in stores, in restaurants and even random cell phone ringtones… from November 1st onward.

And that’s the first edition of Hugs + Shrugs! Happy Wednesday!

Woot! So I just happened to check the GCDA (Girls Can Do Anything!) online magazine website today (funny enough, Jenifer, the Editor-in-Chief, also happened to comment on it today as well on my Facebook fan page) and guess who shot the December cover (see below)?! Two guesses… actually I’ll just give you one!

I blogged briefly about the shoot back in August and mentioned one Real Girl in particular who was incredibly inspiring and she is this month’s cover girl! Seriously, read about Leah in her December feature… she’s so resilient and down-to-earth. I love that her fashion sense is the opposite of whatever is “in-fashion” and that she’s not afraid to walk her own path in life. It’s girls like Leah that will grow up to make a difference in the world and I’m so happy to have met her while doing this shoot!

I have to say, yet again, that this is an amazing magazine for teenage girls who are looking for a great source of information on everything from topics on dealing with school and health to creative DIYs for the holidays! If I had a daughter, I would love for her to read material like this in her spare time… for all the moms and dads out there with teenage daughters, what are you waiting for?! Oh and don’t forget to keep your eye out for the next all-call for Real Girl cover models next summer… you just might have a Real Girl in the making!

Jen: You’ve done such a fab job in creating a fun and educational magazine and I want to thank you for letting me take part in this awesome experience! I can’t wait to work with you again!

Leah: You’re an amazing girl and I know you’ve got an awesome life ahead of you! Keep on doing what you do!

Much love & appreciation, Jenne.

4 fab designer lines, a Mary Kay makeover and mini cupcakes?? What else can a girl ask for on a chilly November weekend? It was the weekend of the Holiday Pop-up Boutique hosted by Sally Han of Psalms 91:1 Accessories.

What is a pop-up boutique you ask? It’s a spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous way to offer up a one-stop shopping experience to shopping divas. It’s a collaboration between some pretty fab designers in the fashion industry showcasing uber-chic merchandise and it was just in time for the Christmas season! For a girl like me… it’s absolute heaven.

The Holiday Pop-up Boutique was held at The Loft down by the Distillery District and featured an amazing line-up of leather bags (442 McAdam), clothing (Aime, Brazen Hussy), jewellery (Psalms 91:1 Accessories) and makeovers (Mary Kay)! There were also delish mini-cupcakes from prettysweet (seriously, to die for!) and a little bit of bubbly to wash it all down in style! Along the way, I got to meet some pretty amazing women and entrepreneurs who really made a lasting impression! To top it all off, a percentage of all proceeds from sales over the weekend was donated to Dr. Roz’s Healing Place.

I did my part and picked up some choice items that I couldn’t resist! Who am I kidding? The only way I would be able to NOT buy anything is if I incinerated by wallet into oblivion and glued my eyes shut so I wouldn’t be able to see all the pretty things…. and even then, I’m sure I’d figure out a way to feel the luxurious pieces and barter for goods with anything I had on my person at that moment! Oh shopping gods… why doth thou tempt me?!

Happy Sunday!

My new ultra-fave leather bag designer… 442 McAdam. Sarah’s bags are much like the cupcakes mentioned above… to die for. The familiar smell of leather just soothes the soul. I had to pick up one of her handbags… keep an eye out, I will be blogging about it later! Beautiful, rich leathers and suedes, amazing detail, what else could you ask for?!

This is Sarah… smart woman who was pre-med and then followed her dream and passion headfirst into the fashion industry… brilliant and hilarious to boot!

These mini cupcakes by prettysweet were fantastic! Yummy and moist… can’t ask for a better combination.

I lurrve Sally’s jewellery line, Psalms 91:1 Accessories. In fact, I had to stop myself from buying up entire collections because it is Christmas after all, and I do need to save some money to shop for gifts for other people!

Sally and I will be setting up a shoot sometime in the future so keep an ear to the ground on that one!

Meet the sexy and savvy sisters behind the Brazen Hussy fashion line! Kathleen and Michele were amazing to talk to and their line of women’s clothing is bold and… well, brazen!

Absolutely love the vintage feel around Sally’s loft. She did an amazing job with the decor.

The textures and feeling of the women’s clothing line Aime is just amazing! Think, the comfort of yoga wear in pretty chic business wear! Monica is one awesome entrepreneur who has ingeniously fused comfort in high fashion! And she’s got a brilliant smile… and shoes!

Lisa and Kareena were the Mary Kay consultants who were doing the mini-makeovers! Some serious pampering was going on… of course, I had to get in on that! I remember when my mom’s friends were selling Mary Kay and it was definitely not a chic thing back then… but now?! It’s not just your mom’s make-up company anymore!

I just had to throw this last photo in… Sally and her husband Dave, who by the way, is so diligently lending a helping hand to his amazing wife. I can bug him about this because I’ve known him for ages! Tee hee Dave!

Oh where to begin?! This engagement sesh was fun… no, it was more than just fun. The word “fun” wouldn’t even begin to describe how ridiculously awesome this session was. Never mind the fact that it was November and the weather was perfecto… or that the awesomeness of the lighting just kissed Rhi’s ginger hair with the right amount of oomph… or that the chemistry between these two lovebirds rocked through the entire sesh… yeah, “fun” just doesn’t cut it!

When Rhi first approached me about shooting her wedding waaaay back last year (and she knew she wasn’t getting married until 2010!)… I was stoked. I met Rhi when she was just starting out in her 1st year studying naturopathic medicine and I was finishing up my 4th year. After some time spent on the volleyball court together and running into each other in the halls, we hit it off fabulously and now I’ll be shooting her wedding next year (wow, can’t believe it’s going to be 2010 soon)!!

Rhi & Mirko: I had a fab time shooting this session with you guys… seriously, one of my all-time fave sessions, period. I can’t wait until your wedding in July where I’m sure it’s going to be just as awesome and full of craziness only you guys can deliver!

So much love and appreciation, Jenne.

Mirko brought the lawn chair as a prop… kidding! It just happened to be kickin’ around at The Docks! I love the Toronto skyline… there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be!

Rhi actually got some decent air here… She’s always saying she’s got no hops, but not too shabby!

Love the random yellow lamp post!

These two were always laughing together throughout the session… it was kinda hard not to laugh along with them!

One of my faves… gotta love me some light!

More light love…

Okay… now is this not THE coolest red striped wall?! Are you kidding me? This street with this wall, and some of the other nooks coming up, was the most random find while Graham and I were exploring the city. I tucked it away carefully with some extra tissue paper wrap knowing that one day, the perfect couple would come along to accessorize the wall. Eh, voila!

Another fave from the sesh… these two make it look easy!

Absolute fave… I lurrrve it!

Rhi came prepared with some fashionista boots! Speaking of shoes, Rhi’s looking for some green heels for her wedding day. She found a pair (some gorgeous Louis Vuitton’s) but they got away! I’m hoping someone out there can provide some leads on some rockin’ glam green shoes for her big day! Leave a comment if you have any leads!

Love this look… oh, Rhi… love you girl.

Can’t forget you Mirko… lookin’ all suave.

We found this rockin’ poster (pun semi-intended) and well… the rest is as you see it.

And… to see some more uber-fab images from this session, CLICK HERE for the slide show!