Monday 19 September 2016

Leopard Print Scarves, Skinny Jeans and Plum Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote Bag

As it's spring now in Brisbane I'm aware that I'm not going to have a lot of opportunities to continue to wear my scarves. While I love scarves I do find them tricky to wear year-round, especially with the high humidity. I'm enjoying wearing my big blanket scarves for the moment while it hasn't fully warmed up yet.

What I wore:

skinny jeans, striped henley and purple accessories: spring SAHM style easy denim outfit | AwayFromBlue

Bracelet Stack: Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch plum purple mini MAB tote bag Rebecca Minkoff | AwayFromTheBlue
Scarf: Sportsgirl animal scarf in violet
Top Jeanswest 'Marina' stripe henley
JeansJeanswest 'shale' super skinny jeans
ShoesMarc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
BagRebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pastel and on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

The style challenge for the day I wore this was "this is what I found" and I had been hunting for my bright purple jeans. While pregnant last year, we boxed up a lot of things to empty our house a little in preparation for selling it. I figured I wouldn't need my pre-pregnancy clothes for a while so packed a lot of them away with no particular organisation. Since we didn't get our perfect house and house-hunting still hasn't gotten us anywhere, I'm a bit unsure where everything is! I didn't find the bright purple jeans I was looking for but I did find this grey pair with a bit of a purple tint.

Since I still felt like wearing purple I grabbed the purple leopard print scarf and Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote bag for accessories. I really liked this outfit in the end! Even though it wasn't what I had in mind at first I really enjoyed wearing it. I've worn the jeans and top together before too.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, leopard print scarf, striped henley, grey skinny jeans, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote.

Other ways to wearleopard print scarf and leather jacket, striped henley and printed shorts, grey skinny jeans in the office, black ballet flats and flared jeans, Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote and a pink maxi dress.


Sale Alert! 



Jeanswest ship internationally and as well as some lighter pieces on sale they have a lot of fall-appropriate things for my northern hemisphere readers! :)




What I wore:

Blue leopard print scarf navy tank skinny jeans with purple cardigan and mini MAB tote bag | Away From Blue

Faux fur pom pom charm on Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum | Away From The Blue
JacketJeanswest Peggie kimono cardigan in purple mulberry marle
ScarfCotton On animal print scarf in blue
TopMEV Britney bubble tank in mood indigo C/O Zibibo
JeansJeanswest Super Skinny Jeans in Mid Indigo
ShoesMarc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats (on sale in black or silver!)
BagRebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

This is what I wore to venture out of the house for the first time in a couple days after the boys and I were recovered from the flu! I went into the city with the boys to visit a friend and stop by my office to see some colleagues. Afterwards I had a wonderful chat with a new friend.

If you've followed along on my blog (or twitter) for a while you'll know I volunteer at Life.Church, an online church. My team leader got in touch to say that she had a friend who also works at Church Online who has a niece that's visiting Australia. Since the niece was in Brisbane and the boys and I were feeling better and up to meeting people I emailed her and we had the chance to talk over coffee.

The funniest thing about catching up with this relative of a friend of a friend was how perfectly timed it all was. I'm not sure what God had in mind for our meeting but I really enjoyed it, and we kept marvelling over the way things worked out.

  • I'd never usually meet up with a stranger, especially with the boys tagging along, but I was in the city that day anyway dropping by the office so it made sense to meet.
  • If it had been a few days earlier I would have been too sick to catch up. 
  • While we were talking a little about where she was staying I realised I'd checked out a house in that street - she had just moved and was living 5 minutes from us! It meant I could have her round for dinner before she left that weekend for a newly accepted au-pair job in Sydney. 
  • Her new job requires her to look after a little boy around the same age as toddler T, so she could prep a little by playing with him. 
  • When organising dinner I mentioned one of my food allergies - she has the exact same one and (like me) hadn't met anyone with it in person before! 

While she's left Brisbane now, she's got a few people in Sydney from Church Online to catch up with too.

Being able to meet with someone from Arizona I'd never know about if it wasn't for my friend at Church Online, and to have so many things happen just the right way for us to connect blew my mind a little! I'm so grateful for my church. I can't wait to see what God does in my new friends life during her Australian trip.


Last worn: purple cardiganblue leopard print scarf, navy breastfeeding tank, skinny jeans, gold mouse flats, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote bag (above).

Other ways to wearpurple cardigan and maxi dressleopard print scarf and a white top, navy breastfeeding tank and a baby bump, skinny jeans and a trench coat, gold mouse flats in the office, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote bag and denim shorts.



Don't forget to enter the giveaways I have running! Enter to win $100 for a JORD Wood watch or $50 for that baby/toddler essential, diapers. They end this week!


Linking up with Mix it Monday, Turning Heads, On Trend, Confident Twosday, Style Sessions, Wardrobe Wednesday, Midweek Inspo, What I Wore, Fresh Fashion.


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Friday 16 September 2016

Chambray and Stripes: Dress and Maxi Skirt with Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag

I have two great giveaways on at the moment! Enter to win $100 for a JORD Wood watch or $50 for that baby/toddler essential, diapers!


There are some outfit combinations that are so good you just have to repeat them. Chambray and stripes is a classic however you decide to wear it! I wore a chambray dress and striped maxi cardigan one day, and a striped tee and chambray skirt another. Both with my Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.

What I wore:

purple scarf, chambray dress, striped duster winter outfit | Away From Blue

Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in charcoal grey | Away From The Blue
Jacket: Kmart striped maxi cardigan
ScarfMarc by Marc Jacobs mauve square scarf
DressJeanswest Rachel Lyocell chambray dress (C/O)
ShoesRMK Chester black ankle boots (on sale!)
BagRebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey (on sale in black)

Why I wore it:

At last I get to wear this dress again! I was so excited when I got it last year and I saw it being worn a lot, however the quickly growing baby bump meant it sat unworn in my wardrobe for longer than I'd like. It's been 11 months since I last wore it! I couldn't wear it right away post baby like I wanted as the buttons were impossible to fasten in the first few weeks as we established breastfeeding. Now things are a little more normal, it was so good to wear this again.

I like blue and purple together so this scarf seemed like an easy choice when I wanted an extra layer to put on with the dress and cardigan. Simple outfit to run a few errands.


Last worn: striped duster, purple Marc Jacobs scarf, chambray dress, ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.

Other ways to wearstriped duster and flares, purple scarf with black and grey, chambray dress and purple cardi, ankle boots and printed jeans, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag and a blue kimono.


More chambray skirts and dresses under $100:








What I wore:

red striped tee chambray maxi skirt cobalt scarf Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag spring outfit | AwayFromBlue

JORD Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch Rebecca Minkoff charcoal grey cross body bag | AwayFromTheBlue
ScarfMarc by Marc Jacobs bright blue stole
TeeAtmos&Here 3/4 sleeve stripe tee in berry white
SkirtNoisy May long denim maxi skirt (on sale!)
ShoesMarc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats (on sale!)
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
BagRebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey (on sale in pink)

Why I wore it:

This is my favourite outfit I've ever put together with this maxi skirt. I really liked the way this looked. The cobalt scarf was a bit of an after thought. I wasn't sure what scarf to pick but I'm pleased I went with this one in the end. The outfit came about when I tried to complete two style challenges at once - #springFlingStyleFile and #TRMstyle.

I wanted to wear the striped tee to meet the 'red' style challenge prompt on instagram, and I saw this skirt hanging in my wardrobe and thought the two would look great together. I picked the silver ballet flats to meet the 'sparkle and shine' theme. The only thing I didn't like about this outfit was how the chambray maxi skirt kept getting caught in the breeze. I wore it on a very windy day and it was tricky getting a photo in the morning with it flapping around! Luckily we were inside most of the day, I needed to have a super quick trim to tidy up my hair a little bit and then the in-laws came over in the afternoon.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, cobalt scarf, burgundy stripe tee, chambray maxi skirt, silver ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag (above).

Other ways to wearcobalt scarf and graphic tee, burgundy stripe tee and skinny jeans, chambray maxi skirt worn two ways, silver ballet flats and printed jeans, Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag and tweed jacket.

Linking up with Weekly Style Edit, Let It Shine, Shoe & Tell, Red Carpet, Hello Monday, Modest Monday.



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Wednesday 14 September 2016

Win a Gift Card For Diapers (Cloth Ones)

I have a special giveaway today, perfect for my mum readers!


There are so many choices you have to make when you have a baby. There are the fun ones, like how to decorate the nursery and the not so fun ones like when to return to work. One of the big decisions you have to make is around diapers: to go with cloth diapers or disposable diapers. You actually do a fair bit of reading to research what your baby will poop in!

There are pros and cons with cloth and disposable, and of course the decision is down to whatever is best for your family. Mums always make the right decision for them. Choice has excellent buying guides (not just for baby-related products) and has one to help you decide what diapers to buy.

If you're thinking about going with cloth diapers like I was at first, have a look at some of the great cloth diaper groups on Facebook to chat to other mums and find out what brand would be best for you and your baby.


In the end, we decided to go with disposables for the boys. Some days when we seem to go through a mountain of disposables I wish I'd gone for cloth diapers. There are days though when I'm very glad we chose disposables. Those days when it doesn't matter where you are, what you're wearing or how stylish you feel...baby has a diaper explosion!


Below are just a handful of outfits I've enjoyed wearing until something escaped from a diaper!








No matter what your diaper of choice is, experience has taught me you always need a few more spare than you think, just in case. That's why this is a great giveaway - you can get $50 USD to go towards more cloth diapers! Check out the huge selection you can spend it on.


You can enter via the rafflecopter below, and remember to leave a blog comment for your entry to be valid. The winner will be judged to have the most creative answer to the question "What was your worst diaper-related experience?", left as a comment on this blog post. With so many times it can all go wrong, from diaper changes to leaky diapers, I'm sure to be sympathising with a few of you!

The giveaway will end on Thursday 22nd September and the winner selected from the comments on this blog post will be emailed with details of how to use their gift card. Diapers.com ships worldwide so the competition is open worldwide.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


This giveaway is a partnership with Nakturnal, with a prize of a gift certificate.


Linking up with What I Wore, Oh Hey Girl, Fresh Fashion, September Giveaways, Thursday Moda, Fashion Files, A Labour of Life, Fabulous Friday, Fun Fashion, On The Edge of the Week, Weekend Linkup, Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion, Friday Faves, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole.


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