Costumes and Clothes

I was meant to go to my sister's 30th birthday party last weekend, however due to the horrid weather we were having, I didn't feel comfortable making the trek west in my little car so decided to stay hope and wait out the storm. Unfortunately for me, it was a 1980's themed party, which I had a fantastic costume for!

When I started costume hunting, I searched all of the vintage stores in my subrub and found everything to be quite expensive for what it was. I ended up jumping onto The Iconic and got myself this outfit:

Lovisa 'Citrus Spike Bangle Pack' $16.09 - Mad Love 'Tribey Tribe Cut Out Playsuit' $26.98 - 1&20 Blackbirds 'Shimmy Shaker Crop Jumper' $13.48

 

The print on the playsuit reminds me of the loud Ken Done prints that my mum used to dress us in when we were small and the jumper is neon yellow, which is quintessential 80s. I was thinking of pairing it with my trusty old Doc Martens, which have bright purple laces, BIG crimped hair, blue eyeshadow and maybe even a touch of blue eye shadow. Funnily enough, despite buying the outfit to wear to an 80s party, I can actually see myself using all of the individual pieces- I think the playsuit will be GREAT for beach days/schlepping around the house, the jumper for days when I mooch around the house like a sloth and the bangles just because. I'm still really bummed that I didn't make it to my sister's party as it looked like loads of fun, and my niece and nephews all got into the spirit and had great costumes on (two of my nephews wore shirts that belonged to my sister when she was little!).

____________________________________

Speaking of clothes, my annual eBay clear out (that normally tends to happen in around October) has started early. Since January, I've sold 24 items from my cupboard (scoring myself a cool $572.81!) and currently have nine other items for sale (which will bring in about $200 more... SCORE!). I wish I could say that I've saved all of this money, however I've basically just used most of it to refresh my wardrobe... a good case of 'out with the old, in with the new'. I have only purchased seven items to replace that 24, so I'm definitely downsizing! Babysteps, people!

I'm actually embarrassed at how much stuff I have that I don't wear, and I have another pile of goodies that will be listed over the coming days. Listing things, selling them then heading to the post office to send them off is such a liberating feeling!

I think that people who don't know me well must think that I spend an insane amount of money on clothing and only wear a lot of things once, as my wardrobe is such a revolving door. I'm not an overly sentimental person and really have no attachment to my clothes (save for a few special items) so as soon as I'm sick of something/don't think it suits me anymore/realise I haven't worn something in a few months/want something else, it's OUT. Is anyone else like that?

I have such a hatred of clutter and too many 'things' in my house that having a throw out is actually fun for me- this is probably why I enjoy moving house as it's a great opportunity to cut the fat. I wonder if this stems from my mother's side of the family being hoarders (seriously, I'm sure if you went through my grannies house, you'd find magazines from 1970 that she won't let you throw out as 'she might need it one day').

Anyhoo, I best be off. I can't believe it's Friday already- YAY! I hope everyone has lovely plans for the weekend! All of my friends have seemingly decided to band together and ALL arrange parties this weekend, so my weekend will consist of dropping in, making an appearance then heading to the next one. And, if the weather is nice on Sunday, it's definitely time for a beach day!

xo

 

So how about that weather?

It's been a truly insane weekend in Brisbane, with our first storm of the season gracing us with it's presence. Mother Nature obviously decided that she was going to kick off the season with a bang, as yesterday's storm was truly scary. My mother rang me just before the big storm hit yesterday telling me to drive to my local supermarket to get my car undercover as we were set to get big hail stones. I got about half way there before I pulled into a service station as I couldn't see through the windscreen and waited it out inside with everyone else who had the same idea. I got absolutely drenched going from my car inside and I was wearing a white dress... with bright orange undies. A random man kindly commented that if I was planning on getting that wet, a white dress probably wasn't the best idea. I don't disagree!

This is a picture I stole off Facebook of the markets that I normally go to regularly on Saturday mornings. Insane!

Last night I stayed in and lounged in bed watching movies. It was nice, however due to the rain, I've learnt that my bedroom windows are a little a lot unsealed as they turned into a water feature, with sheets of rain pouring in through them. Thankfully, it didn't damage anything of mine, however I think they definitely need to be fixed- imagine the cold air that will waft through them in winter!

_____________

After all of the excitement yesterday morning with the storm, I went to the Estée Lauder corporate store, where I purchased:

• Estée Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in 'Teal Topaz' for $10 (RRP $38).

• MAC Dazzleglass in 'Love Alert' for $27 (RRP $43). 

• Aveda Be Curly Shampoo (1000mL) for $42 (RRP $69.95).

• Aveda Madder Root Conditioner (250mL) for $24 (RRP $).

• Aveda Smooth Infusion Conditioner (200mL) for $15 (RRP $39.95).

I don't think I'll need to buy any shampoo for at least a year!

_____________

This morning I was woken by a huge clap of thunder and knew that there wasn't much point going out and doing much, so I figured I may as well do a big grocery shop and make myself enough meals to last the week/stock the freezer. I find that I a) eat so much healthier/don't just come home and make toast for dinner because I can't be bother cooking b) am less inclined to buy unhealthy/expensive takeout for lunch and c) save so much money (because of b) when I do this. 

I made a big chicken curry, using satay sauce, Malaysian curry paste, coconut milk, peanut butter and a few dollops of my grandma's homemade mango sauce. I beefed it up with cauliflower, broccoli and chickpeas and oh my, it's delicious! I made enough for lunch today as well as five big containers to go in the freezer. 

 

I also made a Beef Stroganoff, which is currently in the slowcooker. This isn't something I would normally do in the slowcooker, however I bought the absolute cheapest cut of stewing meat I could find, so it really needs to be sloooooooooow cooked. It smells amazing and I can wait to have it for dinner with some spinach fettucini. 

 

While I was under the cooking spell, I decided I may as well go for broke, so also made some apple and berry muffins with some apples that have been in my fridge for longer than I care to admit. I wouldn't bite into one and eat it as normal, however they're fine for cooking. These are yummy and they'll be the perfect sweet treat to nibble at through the day at work. 

I'm now going to make a cup of tea, grab a muffin and watch a movie while I listen to the thunder rolling back in. Have a great Sunday night!

Well don't you look a little (un)familiar...

Hello hello and Happy Sunday!

This afternoon I decided to do a little bit of a renovation on ye olde blog. I think it looks pretty snazzy now (much snazzier than it did before!). Let me know what you think!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend- mine was nice and quiet (though I did have to go into work for a little bit last night) which was so needed as I was super sick and super busy last week and I really just needed some recharge time. Actually, on Friday I almost hit melting point and decided to go and have a burrito and some radioactive pink soft drink for lunch as I'm currently on antibiotics and couldn't have a wine (my preferred option, haha!) with lunch. It worked. I was very happy afterwards!

______

I had my hair cut and coloured yesterday morning then went out to a gorgeous lunch at Libertine with a lovely group of ladies. I was meant to go out last night however decided to grab a block of Cadbury Marvelous Creations and eat it in bed while watching a movie. I'm a sloth.  This morning I grabbed a coffee and wondered around my favourite antique store, then I made Claudia Roden's delicious orange and almond cake and have been chilling out ever since. It's been great!

______

Do you like my new shoes? My friend K bought them from Urban Outfitters for herself, however they were too big, so she sent them to me and I think they're just perfection! Thanks K!

______

ALSO, I'm so so so super-duper-times-infinity excited right now- I'm going to Radiohead with two of my friends on Friday night. SQUEEEE!!! Can. Not. Wait. I bought these tickets waaaaaaay back in about Feb/March and back then it felt like SOOOO far away, and now it's down to days. Excuse me while I do a Tom Cruise style couch jump...

Speaking of Radiohead, have you ever seen/heard this cover of 'Creep'? Holy hell... GOOSEBUMPS!

Have a great week!

Apologies / Anthro / Miscellaneous

I know I've said this before, however I honestly feel like I'm the #1 shittest blogger ever- it's been something like 6 weeks since I've sent my most frivolous thoughts out into the blogosphere and I know that people are reading this (sorry for boring you!) so I should keep you all updated with my highly exciting life, right?

It's been a pretty busy 6 weeks. So busy, in fact, that this week my body finally said "no more!" and so I've spent two days home sick this week. I actually think I really needed that couch time, so, errrr, thanks, throat infection?! Haha!

________

Every year, as if by clock work, the end of October hits and I have this insane urge to get rid of all of my clothes and replace them with new ones. This year was no different. I've been home sick for the past two days so took the opportunity to start listing everything I own that I never wear/wouldn't miss if it wasn't in my cupboard and turning those items into sweet sweet $$ that I can use to buy new things.

The out with the old/in with the new exercise of 2012 has begun with a bang! Within an hour of creating the first of my listings, one of my dresses (that I've actually never worn!!) sold for it's buy-it-now price, which mean that as the out with old old had begun, I was allowed to start bringing in the new. 

Today I purchased...

Anthropologie Burgeoning Hypericum Dress By Girls from Savoy (I got mine on ebay):

 

and this River Island Dita Bikini from ASOS:

I really hope the bikini fits as a) it's super cute and b) my current bikini is about 3 years old and bikini shopping makes me cry, so I'd like to NOT have to go into a shop and physically buy another for at least another 3 years. 

I only just realised that they both feature very similar big yellow flowers, so I'm guessing that yellow flowers will be my look for the season? Wicked!

________

I bought this top and this skirt from the Anthro sale a few weeks ago. I already have the skirt in the same cut in the "Peppering" style and had to go back for this print - particularly as it was discounted down to $39.95. Yes. $39.95 from $128. I shit you not. I think they look great together and I got some many lovely compliments on my outfit all day. 

________

Benefit haul. 'Nuff said.

________

Anyone from Brisbane will tell you that this:

Equals this:

No, I'm not sure what's up with my friend's faces, however it's a sign of an excellent night, isn't it?!

I am the girl with the most cake

This morning I went to my local farmers markets to have a wander. I went to get a coffee and literally walked into my ex-boyfriend. It's a bizarre feeling, isn't it? On the one hand, I feel nothing for him anymore, but on the other I think, WOW- I used to absolutely love this man... I used to know him inside and out, and now I don't even acknowledge him in public. He's so much skinnier and less muscular than he used to be. It made him look quite young. I wonder if he even recognised me as he only ever knew me as a blonde and I was wearing big sunglasses today. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't...

Despite having broken up years ago, I hadn't spotted him at all until this year in January when we were both at the same gig, then today. It was a messy break up and we've just ignored each others existence both times. How odd we humans are. It really really is a case of making out like nothing ever happened and that we were nothing. Yes, I totally just quoted Gotye. Deal. 

____________________________________

This afternoon I decided to have a crack at Claudia Roden's orange and almond cake from 'A Book of Middle Eastern Food'. I personally think that middle eastern food is superior to pretty much ALL the food and this recipe won't disappoint. 

It's so easy- I boiled two large (whole) oranges in a large saucepan for 1.5 hours. I also added some ground cloves and cinnamon to the water, purely so the scent of orange, clove and cinnamon wafted through my house. It was the most divine scent, I tell you, DIVINE!

Once the oranges were done, I chopped them into quarters and pulled out the seeds, then popped everything into the food processor and puréed.

Meanwhile, I cracked 6 large free range eggs into a large bowl and whisked them. I then added 250g of almond meal, 250g of sugar, a teaspoon of baking powder and a sprinkle of both ground cloves and ground cinnamon and mixed it all up. I poured the mixture into a lined baking dish and baked it for an hour in a 190 degree oven.

I then took it out, cut it up and ate it. Yes, it's utterly delicious AND totally healthy, because, you know, FRUIT and ALMONDS and EGGS!

  

____________________________________

I'm now going to drink some red wine, watch a sappy rom-com and reminisce about when I wasn't completely devoid of emotion, etc. Have a great Saturday night, etc. 

Gotta Get Down on Friday

Happy Happy Friday! I hope you're all well and are enjoying the coming of spring. It's been absolutely beautiful here and I wish I could bottle this weather and bring it out during summer when it's too hot and humid to do anything.

It's been a great week here in Brisbane as we had a mid-week public holiday for the Ekka. I've never been to the Ekka, nor do I have any desire to, however every year I always end up at a lovely picnic. This year, a friends birthday fell on the public holiday so we all congregated in a beautiful riverside park for a BBQ to celebrate. I made some delicious sweet treats in the form of Sticky Date cupcakes with Real Caramel Frosting from The Crabapple Bakery cookbook. They were utterly incredible- yum!

___________________________________

I've been really enjoying my Krav Maga training and am loving that it's building a lot of extra confidence in me. It's also an excellent workout, which is great as I love the fact that I'm having fun and getting fit at the same time. During one training session this week, however, I was up against a guy who, for lack of a better phrase, is utterly shit. He has absolutely no control and instead of shadowing when he kicks and punches, really lays in. This is how my leg looked afterwards....

Needless to say, my thigh really hurts and I'm pretty pissed off with him.

____________________________________

I've been insanely diligent about doing my nails lately. I'm sure my flatmate's think I'm weird, however I think it's a nice way to take some time out from life and just completely focus on something that is really 100% mundane. Ages ago, I got some nail stickers for free when I bought something at Mecca Maxima. Last night I decided to try them out and I think they look really cool! This photo was taken about 30 seconds after I finished applying them, so they look awesome. Unfortunately, I think I did something wrong and they've shriveled a lot overnight and look pretty trampy right now. I guess I just need practice. Any tips on how to appy nail stickers perfectly?



____________________________________

Can we talk for a minute about how seriously incredible these sunglasses are?

They're by 'Moo' and you can buy them at Browns. I don't have a spare £330.00 lying around to buy insanely impractical eyeware, however if you do, either a) buy them for yourself or b) buy them for ME.

____________________________________

Pretty much exactly two years ago, I blogged about wanting a pair of pink Swedish Hasbeen Braided Sky Highs. Back then, I did end up buying a pair of Hasbeens, but I had to get a different style as the ones I wanted weren't available in my size. I hardcore love the pair I bought back then and wear them alllllll the time, however the desire for the pink ones never quite subsided.

As someone who is a) incredibly impulsive and b) who gets easily distracted mid conversation if I see something shiny (or whatever...), I can't believe that I held out on buying the pink Hasbeens for 2 years. GO ME! Anyway, I saw on their website that they were discontinuing the colour and pressed BUY immediately. So much for impulse control.

I've reached the stage where despite being a grown woman, I wear so much pink stuff that I'm sure no one is able to take me seriously as an actual adult.

____________________________________

ALSO, in super fun news, I'm moving house next month which is PRETTY FREAKING EXCITING! I've only been in my current place for about 6 months, however my lease is coming to an end and amazingly, two friends/former colleagues who currently live together are also coming up to the end of their lease as well, so we decided to rent an AMAZING house together. It's enormous and feels totally grown up. I can't wait until we move in!

I hope you've got wonderful things planned for your weekend! I'm taking it easy, though tonight a friend is having a boardgame, burrito and sangria night which I'm really looking forward to!

xoxo

Happy Jam Donut Day!

It's completely and utterly MISERABLE in my corner of the world at the moment. Cold. Wet. Windy. BLERGH! There is, however, an amazing market that takes place every Wednesday in Brisbane city which could brighten any dreary day. It's a wonderous place where you can get delicious German sausages, Paella, Turkish breads, fruits, vegies, popcorn, sweets, flowers, bagels... the list goes on! The best thing about the markets, however, is the jam donuts that a little bakery stall sell, which are delicious and are a cool $2 a pop (they're huge, too!). I head over there every Wednesday with one of my work mates, as she also worships at the alter of food-sweet-food. This obviously means that Wednesday is 'Jam Donut Day' rather than 'Hump Day'.

Today it was absolutely pouring with rain and was cold and wet, however we braved the walk over to get our hands on our jam donuts... we just had to hunt to find somewhere dry to devour them. Our dedication to sugar knows no  bounds!

______________

This is a photo I took from my car. Notice the 12inch crack? That's not my camera lense, that's my windscreen. Stone chips- they spread, people! Being right accross the drivers side, it's a complete bitch and I need to organise with my insurance to get that fixed, as it's currently kind of illegal. Eeek!

______________

It's been a pretty exciting week here, in that the Australian Senate’s inquiry into marriage equality has reported back to Parliament, strongly recommending a change to the Marriage Act. FINALLY! I bought one of these shirts from Unitee a while ago, proceeds of which support the Get Up!/Marie Claire campaign for marriage equality. It took ages to get here, but no matter- it's lovely and soft and supports a great cause. I've never been a prolific reader/buyer of magazines, however when I do, Marie Claire is one of my go-to's, so it's great to see that they have a social conscience.

 

______________

I've been extremely dull lately, however last week I learnt about motorboating. No, it's not a boat with a motor, it's a cleavage raspberry. My education came about as I was standing in line for food at the pub last Friday night and somehow the subject of motorboating came up. I didn't know what it meant, so my dear friend S kindly demonstrated it on me.

In line.

For food.

In a crowded pub.

Men are such children- they take far too much pleasure in seeing a woman stick her head in another woman's cleavage, haha!

I went back to my parents place on the weekend to pick up some furniture I've had stored in their shed, and whilst I now have my dining room table, the screws appear to have disappeared into the abyss of the shed. Oh no! Hopefully it won't be too hard to track down what I need.

______________

I arrived at my Krav Maga class this morning wearing a pink hoodie, a multi-coloured (including pink) scarf, a black and pink back pack and to top it off, my current gym shoes are white with pink accents AND my nails are currently lolly pink- he couldn't stop laughing at my pink-ness.

Anyhoo, I need a new pair of gym shoes and I think I'm going to get a pair of Nike Frees. Obviously I need the pink ones. My Krav Maga trainer is just going to laugh at me for them...

I've also been roped into doing the 'Bridge to Brisbane' race this year (my friend wants us to do 10km in under 60minutes... EEEK!), so a new pair of comfy runners are definitely needed. I'm definitely going to need to get my arse into gear and start training, as it's only 66 days away I'm not the best runner in general, but when I do run, I'm quite slow. If you have any training suggestions/helpful iPhone apps... send them my way!

WISH ME LUCK!

Monday I Got Friday On My Mind

After being hassled by a crazy person at a bus stop recently, I took up Krav Maga because I felt that I needed to know how to defend myself if someone like that every got physical. Despite the 6:45am classes (which mean I need to be out of bed at 5:30am- while it's still dark- brrrrr!!!), I'm really enjoying it. Maybe it's just the crazy person in me, however it's kind of fun waking up early and venting all of the frustration I may have that day before the day even begins. Because of this, I've become strangely zen in the past few weeks... bizarre! It's also extremely good exercise- when I leave class, I drip in sweat like a hog. Sexy!

As is the nature of sparring, you occasionally cop a kick/punch, and as such, I'm currently sporting an assortment of rather suss bruises. I've been getting some strange looks lately, particularly for the bruises on my forearms that are caused by blocking. They really look brutal.

I also just discovered this bruise on my outer thigh. It kind of looks like a paw print, don't you think? I must have gotten kicked in the leg... 

______________

Remember the chicken curry thing I posted about yesterday? This is how it turned out. It looks incredibly unappetising (kind of pukey, really...), but it's oh-so-delicious! I need to get into the habit more of making something hearty, cheap and delicious to last me for work lunches, as it's healthier, cheaper and far more convenient than buying lunch. 

Yesterday when I was in line for the checkout at Woolworths, there was this guy behind me, who, I'm not going to lie, was an 11/10 babe. I had to pretend that I was extremely interested in the can of chickpeas I was holding so I didn't just stand there and stare at him like a deranged woman. On about the 12th time that I snuck a peek at him, I noticed that he was buying Smooth Peanut Butter.... and with that, his stock totally dropped and he became a 4/10 babe. Obviously, I could never love someone who buys Smooth Peanut Butter. 

______________

I was really excited when I checked the mail today as this Echino fabric that I ordered from Etsy a while ago arrived. My plan is to split it in half and either a) frame the pieces in two large matching frames or b) stretch the pieces over two canvas frames then hang them side by side in my living room. I'm still very undecided about what to do!

______________

This cracked me up. I had to share. 

Sunday Funday

How amazing has the weather been this weekend? The sky is blue, it's sunny and mild and absolutely perfect. I've spent the weekend seeing friends and all in all, it's been pretty great!

Yesterday I went and picked up my bike. I'm so excited to finally have it! I went on my first ride on it yesterday, which was an almost 10km loop of a bikepath near my house. The last time I rode a bike was when I was visiting friends and family in the Netherlands in 2008, and prior to that, it was in 2003, which is the year that I lived in the Netherlands and was riding 20km+ each and every day as the village I lived in was 10km away from the city my school was in. 

I forgot, however, that in the Netherlands, hills are things that only exist in fairy tales, while in Australia (and particularly my 'hood) they are very real and very daunting things. I'm not too proud to admit that I had to get off the bike and walk a few times when I encountered the more daunting hills, as holy fuckoly, my suburb is really really hilly!

I'm still feeling the pain from yesterday (I forgot how much bike seats hurt your bum!) but I can't wait to feel confident enough to ride it everywhere. 

___________

All of the furniture in my apartment is owned by a girl who moved out about a year ago. It's a really weird set up, however she moved out to live with her boyfriend and as one of the guys she was living with was a friend, she just left all of her furniture so that she didn't have to put it storage. As he is now moving out this week and she won't know anyone living here, she's picking up all her furniture, which means that I spent my morning furniture shopping. I love decorating and buying pretty things, so I had a blast!

I ended up getting this sofa from Freedom (but in a 2 seater rather than a 2.5 seater). It's funny, as the pictures of it on the website are quite 'blah' but in person, I actually love it. It's so deep and snuggly and I'm going to follow the gospel of Faux Fuchsia and overcushion it accordingly. I also bought a 'Babushka Coffee Table' which was half price. I love that it's made from powder coated steel, which will be easy to clean and hard to damage. 

Does anyone know where I can get a rug like that one in the picture that WON'T cost me $700? I absolutely love it- it reminds me of a bag of lollies- but there is no way I'm spending that amount of cash on a floor rug. 

___________

I'm currently actioning a delicious Moroccan style Chicken Curry in the slowcooker. It's from an advertising feature in a Super Food Ideas magazine from a few years ago, and I've adapted the recipe to go in the slowcooker. It's amazing and makes the house smell incredible- I really wish I could show you how delicious my house currently smells!

Last week at work, one of the girls mentioned how amazing the Cadbury Marvellous Creations with popping candy was. I saw some while I was grocery shopping and obviously had to try it out. I meant to go for a bike ride this afternoon, but instead I'm watching bad Sunday afternoon TV and eating chocolate. Ooops!!

___________

I love the cute little e-cards that are constantly circulating on Facebook at the moment. I saw this one the other day and thought that it must have been written about me. It's the truth. 

Bread, Biceps and Bikes

Last week I started my new job, and so far so good! On my first day, I went for a walk (this is a HUGE novelty for me, as I’ve pretty much solely worked in offices in industrial estates for two and a half years where there is no where to wander around) and got myself a little treat...

 

It was delicious! Yesterday, I toddled down to the Kelvin Grove markets to get my fruit and veggies for the week. Everything is so cheap and delicious and the produce actually lasts, unlike the rubbish from Coles and Woolies. 

I gorged myself on an AMAZING Hungarian Lángos for lunch.

 

I also bought some delicious rosemary and olive sourdough at the markets, as well as some yummy Brie (for just $2!) and had that for lunch today. Yum yum!

 

My current exercise regime seems to really be working for me. I know it probably looks pitiful to most people, however as someone who doesn’t generally have any muscle definition whatsoever, I’m pretty damn proud of my guns!

 

As I’ve previously mentioned, since leaving uni in 2009, all of the jobs I’ve had have been so far away from wherever I happened to live at the time that driving was the only option. I hate driving, so I was overjoyed to finally land a job that I don’t have to drive to. From my home to my office, it’s approximately 4.5km and costs about $3.80 each direction to take the bus- that’s $38 per week or $1976 per annum to stand on a stinky bus. SO, I decided to make an investment now that would save me some pennies in the long term AND give me some daily exercise... 

BEHOLD:

 

I really wanted a pretty bike (like a Papillionaire) however because of where I live (hill central), it would just be completely impractical as the amount of hills in my area mean I need a bike with serious gears. I've got my new set of wheels on layby and I'll pick it up next week after I receive my first pay- I can't wait! By my calculations, if I become a full time "commuter-ciser" and cycle to and from work every day for just 12 weeks, my bike will have paid for itself in the savings I’d make from not paying bus fares.

Does anyone else commuter-cise? I figure it'll give me a great deal of freedom and allow me to stop off at the gym on the way to/from work. I can't wait!