50 years and counting

what i did today:

1. wore my valley girl dress.


2. went to my partners grandparents 50th anniversary. (try saying that over and over twice as fast).
anyway, we attended a mass held in their honour at the very church they were married in 50 years ago. they were such an inspiration to all of us and i hope that my partner and i will stay together for as long as they have.

3. nearly 30… i thought it was about time to look after myself. so today i had my very first facial at ‘ella baché’.
i absolutely loved the experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

i have noted a couple of things to remember for next time i go there…
a) don’t wear a hair tie; its hard to relax with this throbbing pain at the back of your head. i didn't know if i was aloud to move so i laid there in pain for half of the time i was there.

b) remove makeup thoroughly… yeah i thought i did, but then she had to take off my mascara with her fingers and it felt like she was pulling my eye lashes out,...

and

c) wear something you can easily slip on and off.

the best thing about the whole experience was the ambiance, the lovely staff and the massage that made me so relaxed i found it hard to stay awake.

to top it all off they gave me a goody bag. in it were samples of the moisturisers they used during my facial, a free bottle of water, hand cream and a 20% off discount card for my next visit.
i don’t know if the actual facial was any good, mainly because i have never had one before. but my skin does feel a lot smoother and there is a definite decrease in black heads. (gross i know) i also think that it would take more than just one visit to make a dramatic difference, so i guess only time will tell.

4. after my facial, i had enough time to do a little shopping and picked up 3 singlets from supre…(i know, i know, i said i would stop going there but they were only $10 each so i couldn't resist). i also picked up a black belt and this horrible size 16 top. so why did i buy it i hear you ask…for the material, it reminds me of something my grandmother had. i plan to cut off the sleeves and wear it as a dress.

Q: what do you think keeps a relationship going for 50 years?

until next time xoxoxo…

currently listening to: oh yeah- by ash

head in the clouds

what i did today:

1. today was austalia day. people celebrate this momentous occasion by hanging out at the beach, drinking lots of beer and having a barbie with family and friends. for my partner and i we usually take a long drive to the country so that we can listen to a radio station called triple j. at this time each year they list the top 100 songs as voted by the australian public.

this tradition was made around three years ago when my partner and i had a small argument over who would win the list that year; i said 'mcr' he said silverchair. we settled the argument by placing a bet, who ever picks the band closest to number one gets a free dinner on feb. 14th to celebrate our valentines/anniversary.

this year, we decided not to celebrate our valentines/anniversary due to our big trip to melbourne, however the habit of listening to the list was hard to shake off so we took our annual drive through the country to reach a town called toowoomba.

as per usual the weather was not on our side, as soon as we stepped out of the house it started raining. the only good thing was for some reason the clouds were particularly low today, or was it because we were so high? anyway, it was great because even though we had our 'picnic' in the car we were literally surrounded by clouds. we had a chance to step out of the car for a minute to enjoy... well the fog... and it felt oddly nice being surrounded by crisp air.

so who won the bet this year?.... number one for the year was kings of leon. my money was on the ting tings his was on MGMT. now i must say i am glad that we didn't place an official bet because MGMT won 2nd and 5th place, ting tings came 9th.

2. wore my envious top and shorts, thrifted scarf and dotti bangles.


3. ever since the cronulla riots australians have been extra patriotic. this got me thinking about what it means to be australian. to be honest i don't know. all i know is becoming an australian citizen saved my life. if my mother hadn't migrated, we wold be struggling to survive in the philippines along with every other person there.

i am just so lucky and grateful to be here...

happy australia day! xoxoxo

rise of the lycan

what i did today:

1. wore my pink floral 'wish' top, thrifted skirt 2005, thrifted belt from god knows how long ago, bardot ring and dotti bag.

2. went to the markets for something to do. like always i leave there disappointed, i didn't find anything worth buying, i was drenched by the rain and then the strap on my top decided to break along the way.

3. my partner and i passed the day by going to the movies and watched 'underworld - rise of the lycans'.

a fan of underworld and underworld: evolution, it is no surprise that i jumped at the chance to watch this awesome prequel. i have always been horrible with telling the plot to a story, so please visit the site to get a better understanding.

http://www.entertheunderworld.com/

what i love about underworld in general is the special effects, the blood and guts and most important, the interesting take it has on the history between the lycans and vampires.

favourite character: i love viktor played by billy nighy. his ability to play a vampire is so believable he sends chills down my spine. surprisingly i also feel in love with the character 'raze' played by kevin grevoux. i bring it down to the fact that in this prequel we are able to establish him more of an unsung hero than just another lycan follower as portrayed in the previous movies.

4. keeping with the vampire theme, i finished the book 'twilight'. not an avid reader it took me six months to read this book. it was good, but i think the hype behind it is a little over the top. this isn't going to stop me watching the movie, i am a sucker for vampires (pardon the pun).

Q: what do you think of the twilight hype?

empire records

what i did yesterday:

1. went late night shopping and bought the empire records soundtrack.

the cult movie came out 1995 and it has always been one of my favourite comedy dramas. (ahhh... the 90's flannel shirts, undercuts, short tartan skirts, knee high socks, goths and kurt cobain.)

anyway, enough reminiscing. this movie has had a cult following from my generation because like myself, majority of those who watched the movie longed for the lives of those jaded teens. and who could blame us, how cool would it be to work in a music store, hang out with your best friends, listen to music and not to mention the upside of having a boss that is more of a friend than an authoritative figure.

i've had the dvd for as long as i could remember and have watched it 100 times, i just don't know why it has taken me this long to add the soundtrack to my cd collection.

if your a 90's kiddo like me you will appreciate the artists featured on this cd such as the cranberries, edwin collins and one of our very own... the cruel sea. the only down fall... so many good songs from the movie were not included in the soundtrack. eg. video killed the radio star by the buggles and money (that's what i want) by the flying lizards.

this movie is a must see, put it on your 'bucket list'.

favourite track from the cd: #1 till i hear it from you - gin blossoms

favourite quote from the movie: we mustn't dwell... no, not today. We CAN'T. Not on Rex Manning day.~

favourite character: all of them check out the cast on this website. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112950/fullcredits

bonding time....

what i did today:

1. wore my shorts from ice, scarf from dotti, glasses from fiorelli and singlet from colorado.

2. for a while now mum has been making these overall type outfits, and i had asked her if she could show me how. so we both went to spotlight (yahoo! two days in a row), and picked up some material and little buttons.

it was a great day, i hardly get the chance to just hang out with my mum and it felt really special. i think she loved the fact that she could pass something on to me and have that mother daughter bonding time. we talked and laughed and reminisced about when i was growing up.

six hours later, we were having such a great day that we lost track of time. anyway, here is what we came up with. keep in mind this was just a trial run to get the pattern and to quickly show me how its done so there were a couple of mistakes here and there.

it isn't entirely finished either, i have yet to hem the bottom and place maybe another button or two for embellishment and then its done. in the long run i hope to maybe make the same thing but as a dress instead.

3. on the way home i was parked near a 'wicked camper' van and on it was this delightful message....

http://www.wickedcampers.com.au/

until next time xoxox

my brown shoes...

what i did today:

1. wore my new yellow dress and belt from 'sportsgirl' 07.

2. met up with emma http://thisragdollsriches.blogspot.com/ and she drove me to a craft store called spotlight. there were so many cute buttons, ribbons and fabrics to chose from i felt like a little kid in a candy store. you could definitely spend a whole day in there just finding inspiration and ideas for things to do.

emma and i spent most of the time looking at patterns for dresses. there were some i found hideous, but the ones from the 'vogue' catalogue had really nice vintage patterns. i was unable to find a pattern for the skirt that i had in mind so instead i have decided to design it myself with the guidance of this site.

http://www.burdastyle.com/howtos/show/202#

being a trial run, i picked up the cheapest but cutest material i could find.

while i was there i also bought a memory box in the hopes of finding a way to display this little fairy figurine that my partner hand painted for me. unfortunately the box is too small, but I'm sure that i will be able to find a good use for it.

3. found my brown shoes!!! they were on special from 'betts' by 'airflex'. (yeah i know they sound like something an old lady would buy, but by god are they comfortable.) the only downside is that i feel in time they will loosen up too much. nevertheless, i love them and they were on sale which is an extra bonus.

http://www.betts.com.au/


4. found this cute ring from 'bardot'. unluckily i had it on today and with an arm full of groceries i accidentally scraped it on my door and now some of the paint has come off. :( never mind, it adds to the character.


5. while surfing the net for skirt tutorials, i had stumbled upon this great video. i love the buttons and i feel that it is something i can definitely make.

enjoy and be inspired! xoxox

melbourne

what i did today:

1. during my break from work i visited a little boutique store a couple of shops down called 'butterfly by the bay'. its a cute little store that stocks mostly australian designers and local talent. with my melbourne trip in mind i didn't spend much, but i did pick up this cute necklace by designer unknown. (yes another yellow item, seeing a pattern here?)

2. i started my melbourne jar! sure it only has $50 in it but its a start. :) now that my car loan is nearly payed off im sure it will be full before august comes.

i love setting goals for myself. the idea of having something to work hard for and look forward to makes waking up in the mornings much easier...

Q: what are your goals for the year?

when i grow up i want to be

ladyhawke http://www.ladyhawkemusic.com/index.php

today i listened to my new cd ‘ladyhawke’ by musician phillipa brown. her debut album was released on modular recordings in september 2008 and can be described as electro pop and is highly reminiscent of 1980’s music.
admittedly, I don’t usually gravitate towards this genre, but I can’t help but like her catchy tunes and her haunting voice. it's easy to listen to and is a refreshing change from the angry music i mostly listen to.

"pip" can also be commended on her sense of style when it comes to fashion. born in new zealand and now living in australia, it is strange that she exudes british punk/ kate moss but minus the drugs.
another thing to note is her awesome film clips and the album art by sarah larnach.

rotary antiques fair

what i did today:

1. went to the rotary antiques fair with my partner http://www.rotaryantiquesfair.com/.

it was great fun searching for hidden treasures and there were so many stalls to go through. i was good today and restricted myself to only a few dollars pocket money and i found that even with very limited funds i was able to snap up two new broaches and a detachable vintage collar.
now i don't know that the broaches suit the head piece i am planing to make, but the collar i think is a perfect find.

2 i wore my 'buy of the month' which is the bargain shirt i picked up from cotton on, belt was from supre and the black dress from the philippines about 4 years ago.

As happy as i was with my find and the day in general, i was kind of expecting something a little more like the antiques fair we went to last year at redbank. it wasn't as big but it had cheaper items with more clothing and acessores for sale. hopefully the same event will be held again this year.

sad news

ok... it's official. i will not be buying a chanel bag.

according to 'lady melbourne' http://ladymelbourne.blogspot.com/

a bag is around $3000. my partner would kill me if i bought something that expensive, and more to the point i would never be able to save up that much.

i am still going to melbourne at the end of the year to shop.everyone raves about it and i cant wait.

however, if i was to enter the chanel store it looks like i would only be buying the cheapest thing they have- 'breakfast at tiffany's style'. (i wonder if they have a telephone dialler or anything for under $10).

wish list

sleepless nights are perfect for making wish lists...

there are many things that i want in life and these are just some of them. i hope to have the following before the end of this year.

starting from the top left

1. chanel bag- i don't know if this is at all possible. i am willing to pay around $500 for a bag, but judging from what i have read online i could be looking at $1500.

2. skirt with braces- ideally i would like a skirt much like the one that 'the cherry blossom girl' has. in fact i want her whole wardrobe but i know that will never happen. http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/

3. vintage beret and hats

4. tailored dress 1940's or 50's style

5. black healed shoes for winter

6. a chelsea de luca inspired head piece- most probably made by me ;)

7. vintage collars preferably lace ones

8. every day brown leather bag

9. chelsea de luca neclace

10. 50's inspired swimwear- i have been searching high and low but now i think i know where to look next time i'm out shopping. the label is called 'jets' by jessica allen. myer and david jones stock them; which is great because its easy enough to get to, plus they have lay-by. http://www.jets.com.au/

11. brown leather shoes for every day use

and that is it! i'm sure that the list will change through the year and more things will be added. but for now i think i shall aim for these few main items in order to restrict my spending.

wish me luck! xoxo

chelsea de luca

what i did today

1 nothing but work. i had finished retouching these images for our latest client and i could not help but ask her where she bought her delightful accessories from. i was glad to hear that the pieces were from a brisbane based designer named 'chelsea de luca'. unique, stylish and amazing, chelsea draws her inspiration from the glamorous days of the 1920's and 30's.

one of my main goals this year is to visit her boutique at fortitude valley. i was however warned that this was to be an expensive visit. the necklace is a must have, but as for the head piece; i am thinking of maybe creating my own cheaper version with a vintage broach and silk material.

for more on chelsea de luca visit her website http://www.chelseadeluca.com.au/ or read her designer file on http://www.vogue.com.au/fashion_central/companies/fashion/chelsea_de_luca.

happy reading! xoxox

we have good days and bad

what i did today:

1. received a disappointing phone call from work wondering where i was. so unfortunately my holidays have been cut short and as of tomorrow my year has finally begun.

2. had my hair trimmed and conditioned... it felt nice to be pampered, but it did come at a cost.

3. more bad news... yes i gave in to bargain shopping and had completely ignored all the rules i had set for myself. within the span of two and a half hours i was able to visit two different shopping malls and found these items.

FROM ICE

two very similar shorts and a dress @ $10 each. http://www.icedesign.com.au/mainindex.asp

FROM COTTON ON

button up shirt $10. http://www.cottonon.com.au/

FROM MYER

bright yellow stockings by miss shop $5

FROM KATI ES

polka dot scarf $7. http://www.katies.com.au/

FROM MOMBASA

a cute clock necklace, slightly damaged $15

so $60 and a bag full of good but not so great items later, i retreated to a safe place; home.

once there i laid all the items in front of me and strangely enough i felt happy and content, this got me thinking... if this feels good, imagine the overwhelming feeling i would have if what was in front of me, was the infamous Chanel bag. now wouldn't that be a high...

until next time! xoxoxox

wakeup call

what i did today:

1. absolutely nothing.... most people i know are back at work, but me i don't have to go back until next tuesday. yes, it is something to brag about i'm sure but a week of nothing to do means a week trying to avoid shopping temptation. why?

2. well yesterday while reading super kawaii mama's blog on 'the trials of a conspicuous consumer' it really made me think about spending habits and the amount of items i have and disposed of at a monthly basis. http://superkawaiimama.blogspot.com/ .

furthermore i had also stumbled upon http://thevintageyear.blogspot.com/ , which was another inspirational read.

now i am not denying the fact that i am a shopaholic and i am not going to stop shopping all together, but seriously i need to re asses and prioritise, so i have made a couple of rules to live by. well will try to anyway....

RULE 1: SHOP MONTHLY= BETTER QUALITY
first of all i have to start thinking quality not quantity. to be honest most of the items i would really like to acquire are of good quality and because of this they are way over my budget. so instead of quality i go to places like supre and ice to snatch up a bargain at $20 to $40 a garment instead of $100 to $150 a garment. however, upon doing my sums i realise that i spend up to $300 a month on poor and out of date items, when instead i could be saving up my monthly earnings and at the end of each month, those once out of reach items will become more attainable.

RULE 2: NEED + LONGEVITY = GOOD BUY
secondly, if i do find myself at a lower end store i need to be more particular and ask myself "am i buying this because it suits me or am i buying it because its cheap and i want something new to wear?" i have to also think, "doe's it work well with what i already have, will it stay fashionable?

RULE 3: LIMIT CASH FLOW
if ever i find the need to just shop it is probably best to set a limit on how much to spend. to do this i will have to take money out of the account beforehand and leave all other credit cards etc. at home and out of reach.

RULE 4: SET GOALS
setting goals and starting a wish list will help hinder the impulse shopping.

so, do you think i can do it? well tomorrow will be a big test for me. i have a hair appointment at the mall and hopefully i will be able to avoid temptation. i have my doubts with all the pre christmas sales on but i promise to try my hardest.

birthday wishes do come true

what i did today:

1. began my new years resolution of not taking things to heart. i would also like to recycle and do more for the environment.

2. uploaded the photos taken last night at my birthday dinner. it was a beautiful night spent with great friends.

3. opened the last of my birthday gifts. i had received many things this year but my most favourite are of course the shoes i had received from mum and the following:

BRAIINNNSSS....

from my partner i received a cute plush zombie toy from 'think geek'. for those who know me, i have a fascination with zombies and vampires so this gift is not so strange. think geek has many quirky gifts like these and is worth having a look at even just for a laugh.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/

VINTAGE MIRROR

i love this mirror from my good friend emma. i have always wanted one of these and now i can finally cross it off my wish list.

GEISHA DOLL

another glorious geisha doll to add to my collection.

VICTORIA'S SECRET

this cute little singlet is perfect for lounging around...

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/index.html

all in all it was a lovely birthday and a great start to the new year.