Tiki Style in a maxi dress

Today's outfit is my entry into the Frivolous Friday challenge over at the Fashionoclast. This week's theme is Tiki Style!

I thought it would be wonderfully easy until I realised I gave all my hula girl costume accessories to my mum when I returned the grass skirt she lent me. But the show must go on so I threw on the loudest dress I own (recent purchase actually) and a flower in my hair to make a challenge-worthy outfit.

What I wore today:

Dress: Somedays Lovin White Heart tiger Maxi dress (modified and worn strapless as it's much too long otherwise)
Flower in my hair: Frangipani from the tree in the garden
Necklace: Juicy Couture charm on a chain, both gifted from my bestie.
Bracelets: the usual plus some labradorite ones made by a talented friend
Shoes:  Asos flirt leather sandals (hidden by the flared hem of the dress)
Bag: vintage Chanel chevron evening bag
Cute fluffy doggy: Our adopted Shih Tzu cross Cooper.

Closeup of accessories:

Was the perfect thing to wear for a BBQ lunch at the in-laws house. We spent the evening relaxing in the back yard with Cooper before I had to go online for Church Online. Here's a fun picture of Cooper in the hammock with DH :)

If you do have some spare time this weekend or this upcoming week you can check out the message playing at church online - it's a really good one called 30 second theology  It's watching a bunch of moving, sad, funny and hilarious commercials from around the world and talking about them for a bit. Covers everything from parents to self esteem and beauty, safety, how precious life is and power. Good stuff! http://30secondtheology.com/

Blue jersey dress

So happy to have such lovely weather for the weekend. The weekend was off to a great start with take-out and a movie night with DH and Cooper last night, it was lovely.

Had a very relaxed Saturday today. Tried to catch up with every one's blogs as I've fallen terribly behind this week. It was a crazy week at work, lots of extra hours. Hoping next week is better.


Here's what I wore today:

Dress: Asos drop waist jersey dress in blue
Necklace: gift from a lovely friend
Bracelets: the usual
Shoes: Cotton On thongs
Bag: Balenciaga 2008 Sapphire RH city with violet tassels

Really like this dress, it's so comfortable and easy to wear. I was halfway to the post office when I noticed the tassels on the Balenciaga city and the tassels on the side of the dress were maybe a bit much though, next time I wear this dress I'll pick a bag without tassels. Doesn't look too bad in the pic, but the tassels swing about a bit when I walk.

Closeup of accessories:

Hope you have had a lovely Saturday, whatever you were up to.

Jeans and a tee again

A very relaxing Sunday again - it rained most of the morning but when it stopped in the afternoon I was able to take Cooper for a much needed walk. Also had my first session on my exercise bike. May have overdone it a little for a first time, maybe 30 minutes at once is too much for my knee. DH has told me if it's sore today it will be really sore tomorrow. Fingers crossed it won't be!

Just wore comfy, casual clothes today.

Here's what I wore:

Oversized tee: Wildfox Couture

Jeans: Jeanswest

Necklace: Chanel (via Reebonz)

Bracelets: the usual

Shoes: Cotton On thongs

As you can see the sun was shining when I took the pic - my top seems really bright sorry! There is a photography thread that was recently started on Effen Haute forum that I'm participating in, hopefully I'll soak up some tips about taking better photos.

Closeup of accessories:

Although I'm not volunteering at church online (http://live.lifechurch.tv/) this evening as it's my week off, I will just be attending as a guest and we have a meeting for it later. I love that my church is online so I don't have to dress up specially for meetings! :)

Hope you had a great weekend!

Garage sale goodies!

Very rainy afternoon, but nice morning. We went for a trip to the Beenleigh Baptist church garage sale in the morning. Cooper came along too of course, and loved being the centre of attention.

Here's what I wore today:

Tee: Jeanswest Agnes tee in khaki (From my Jeanswest haul here)
Jeans: again Jeanswest
Necklace: glass pearls made by a talented friend
Bracelets: the usual plus a gifted glass pearl and bow one, and 2 freshwater pearl bracelets made by a talented friend.
Bag: Chloe Ethel in sweet pink
Shoes: Balenciaga sorbet RGGH studded sandals

Really pleased to be able to wear my Chloe Ethel bag again :)

Closeup of accessories:

We were just going to the garage sale to show our support and drop off something for some friends, but of course there were a few impulse buys!

I bought these cute leopard print slippers that my mum had put aside for me - they fit perfectly and are so comfy! My mum always picks the best things! Cooper is still unsure if they are for me or him - he keeps biting them now and then. They are very similar to his fluffy toys I guess.

And a very last minute purchase was this exercise bike! Not planned at all, which frustrated DH a little. Oops!

Someone jokingly asked if we wanted it at the end of the sale, as they were packing up all the items that didn't sell to donate to the Salvation Army store. We had missed it when we were looking around before. They were very surprised when I jumped at the chance to take it! DH was especially shocked - I think this is the strangest impulse buy he's seen me get! Tried it out quickly and it worked great, although it's old and dusty it still works.

Those that know me personally know I've badly injured my knee a couple of times recently, and that's why I can't wear heels as much anymore. I used to wear them every day. One of the things the physio suggested for me was an exercise bike, to build up the strength in my muscles without having the varying terrain and resistance of  biking outdoors. The price and hopefully short term requirement for use always put us off getting one.

Very excited with my new-to-me bike and looking forward to using it to strengthen my knee.


What's the strangest impulse buy you've made?

Really casual Friday

Yesterday was a public holiday for Australia day, so I took today off as well to have an extra long weekend.

Busy morning getting groceries and picking up some parcels at the post office with Cooper, and got back home with enough time to snap a pic just before the rain started.

Here's what I wore today:

Tee: Cotton On brown boxy tee ($5 at DFO outlet!)
Necklace: gift from DH
Bracelets: the usual
Jeans: Jeanswest
Shoes: Roxy thongs
Bag: ThursdayFriday 'Together' bag last seen here.

I love how lightweight and easy to carry this tote is - it's great for errands and carrying groceries, leaves my hands free for Cooper's lead. Such a fun print on it too.

Cooper and I then had a very relaxing afternoon at home, perfect weather for curling up together on the sofa!

Not the most productive of days, but a very relaxing day which is just what I needed. Hope you had an equally great start to the weekend.

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia day!

We had a great day celebrating with my family and some friends. The rain cleared and the sun came out, it was a really nice day.


Here's what I wore:

Singlet: Asos basic singlet in black
Necklace: House of Harlow
Bracelets: the usual, plus some gifted jade ones from my father in law, and some labradorite ones made by a talented friend.
Skirt: French Connection leaf print skirt
Thongs: Cotton on
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Nikki in silverstreak

I don't have many green and gold items in my wardrobe, but this skirt and some green and gold accessories did an okay job I think. And you can't celebrate Australia day without thongs!

Closeup of the accessories and the print on the skirt:

Some more Australia Day pics from various years:

Hope you had a wonderful relaxing Australia Day!

Go for what DOES matter, and new laws to stop puppy farms in Queensland

Relaxing Sunday today, spent some time with DH and Cooper and of course will be volunteering at church online this evening.(http://live.lifechurch.tv/) Got a great message going too:

"Let go of what doesn't matter..cut back, throw out, turn off ...go for what DOES matter." (via LifeChurch on facebook )

Here's what I wore today:

Tee: Jeanswest (given to me by my awesome sister in one of her wardrobe clear-outs)
Bracelets: the usual
Shorts: Jeanswest
Shoes: Cotton On thongs
Bag: Chloe Paddington cross body clutch from David Jones

Closeup of the usual accessories:

And I read some great news this morning about new laws being proposed to stop puppy farms in Queensland. Just had to share. :) I'm a big supporter of Oscar's Law so these new laws make me very happy indeed.


Via the RSPCA Queensland Facebook page:

‎#ClosePuppyFactories - we're so close! in response to the 2010/11 Close Puppy Factory Petition and community reaction to the closepuppyfactories.rspcaqld.org.au campaign, the Queensland Government proactively announced a Breeder Identification Number (BIN) system. Have your say on the proposed new dog breeder standards in Queensland here:
http://www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au/gi/consultation/315/view.html

From the legislation page:

The proposed legislation introduces a system of registration targeting intensive dog breeders and introduces a system of inspections against animal welfare standards.
Other proposed measures include:

• ways of assisting consumers to purchase puppies from registered breeders

• the adoption of mandatory standards for all dog breeders; and

• the expansion of existing dog micro-chipping requirements to improve animal welfare monitoring.

When you go to the link you can read the full proposed standard. The options get stricter and more effective as you go down the list, so option 3 and 4 are the toughest and investigation shows they would have the biggest impact on puppy farms. Full details are in the draft PDF statement on the website.

I was extremely excited to be able to have my say on the proposed laws. Hopefully if this is something you feel strongly about you can add your say as well.

Marco Tagliaferri bag, Asos lace skirt

Cold and rainy today - perfect staying in bed weather, shame it was Monday and work! Wore some of my new sale buys today to cheer myself up.

Here's what I wore:

Cardi: Jeanswest

Top: Jeanswest Maria cami (as seen here)

Necklace: House of Harlow 5 station necklace in black and silver  (via Revolve Clothing)

Bracelets: the usual, hidden by the cardigan sleeves

Skirt: Asos lace textured pencil skirt (as seen here)

Shoes: Ninewest Fascinate in silver (as seen here)

Bag: Marco Tagliaferri first generation birk bag in navy

Closeup of accessories and the lace on the skirt:

I took a video showing what fits inside the medium Marco Tagliaferri bag. It's really nice leather, perfect for rainy days like today as it's pretty much invincible. It's a first generation one so the shoulder strap is attached to the handles, on the second generation MT bags the shoulder strap attaches to the side of the bag.

Hope everyone had a good Monday :)

Friday, the day the oven exploded

Ugh had one of those days today! Work was bad, but then I came home to a lovely card from a friend that cheered me up, and I got my Asos sale goodies (post to come soon). Just when I thought things were looking up the oven exploded when we were cooking dinner!  :( Hoping tomorrow is a better day!

Here's what I wore today, casual Friday at work:

Scarf: Gift, Target

Top: Rose pink Dawn tank By Malene Birger at the Outnet

Necklace: Made by a talented friend

Bracelets: the usual

Skirt: French Connection

Bag: Chloe 2007 Brun Paddington

Shoes: Balenciaga sorbet RGGH studded sandals

Closeup of accessories:

This is the lovely card from a friend who I volunteer with at life church on Sundays (http://live.lifechurch.tv/). So thoughtful of her, and it really cheered me up. The bookmark is one of my favourite bible verses too:

Jeremiah 29:11  NIV For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Hope everyone else had a fantastic Friday!

LBD, Shoe shopping, Happy Blogger award

Let me start this post off by saying one thing - it's HOT! The rain is coming later this week and no doubt I'll be missing the heat, but it's getting hotter every day and my motivation is going down as the temperatures go up. This time last year I was reading the alert warning for severe rainfall and flooding before my city went underwater, but this week it was one cautioning about the high fire danger. So strange.


Anyway, today was work where the air con was thankfully working, and a brief trip to the shops at lunchtime as the Rubi flats I had under my desk were falling apart and needed replaced ASAP. So I took a trip to the Nine West sale.

Got these lovely "under the desk" shoes that I'll always have handy in the office.

Sorry for the smart phone pic of my feet! I can't find a link to these online for better pics either.

I'm an impulse shopper through and through, so although these are not what I went for at all they were so cute I couldn't resist! Last pair in the store too. And at 60% off two pairs of shoes for the price of 1!

You can get them here.


So here's what I wore today:

Dress: Target
Necklace: Chanel (via Reebonz)
Bracelets: the usual plus two rutilated quartz ones made by a talented friend. Love the charms on these!
Shoes: Cotton on thongs (swapped to black flats at work)
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull


Closeup of the accessories:

And the lovely Purvi from Purvi's creative hub gave me a "Happy Blogger" award. Thank you Purvi!

Feel very honoured to have won an award! I don't think I know 10 bloggers to pass it onto. All my readers are very special though, so feel free to decorate your blog with this award if you wish :)

One year on, beating the heat

One year ago today the Lockyer valley was smashed with an "inland tsunami", a wall of water that destroyed families, lives and property.

There are so many stories I could share. The parents swept away as they pushed their children to safety on their roof. The bravery of Jordan Rice as he told rescuers to save his brother first before he and his mother were swept away moments later, the pregnant mother who had her toddler torn from her arms by flood waters....
But there is a hopeful side too, for in the days afterwards Queenslanders came together in a big way. The mud army, the evacuation centres so overflowing with donations they had to turn donations away, people donating time, effort and money to help people back on their feet. This news article sums it up better than I can.

Image from Brisbane Times

We were blessed that none of our friends or families lost their lives in the floods. I thought about the events of last year today, as I sat in an office that had flooded. I'm thankful for so many things; that through the horrible events the good in people shone through, and that my family and friends are safe. Condolences to those who lost friends and family members in the floods last year. Saying a special prayer for them all tonight.


Onto lighter things, here's what I wore today. Kept it simple to try beat the heat.

Dress: Asos twist workwear dress
Necklace: Chanel via Reebonz
Bracelets: the usual
Shoes: Nine West
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Closeup of the accessories:

Also got a small mention over at The Fashionoclast today as I took part in their Frivolous Friday challenge. Quite happy to be mentioned on such a great blog! Next challenge is bow ties - looking forward to it!


Make sure to let your loved ones know how much you care about them today and every day.

Lunchtime shopping, Balenciaga Velo

It was one of the warmest days for two years today! Although the heat called for another lazy day by the pool, I had to be at work. My good friend K (from MakeEveryMoveCount blog) and I went shopping at lunch time to break up the work day. We checked out a few sales but there wasn't much left so I didn't spend a penny which was good.

Had some fun meeting the Nova guy - a mascot for a local radio station. I couldn't resist getting my picture taken. Thank you again to K for being the photographer!

And here's what I wore today minus the crazy Nova Guy pose!:

Dress: Linen dress from asos. So wrinkly after a long day at work but so perfect for hot days

Belt: Op-shop

Necklace: gift from a friend

Bracelets: the usual plus one gifted, 2 made by a talented friend

Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs patent mouse flats

Bag:  Balenciaga Coquelicot 2011 RH Velo from Reebonz

And a closeup of the accessories:

I love my Balenciaga velo bag, although the strap is too long for me to wear crossbody comfortably - you can see how long it is in the pic with Nova guy - so I sometimes double up the strap. I've tried to explain this on www.effenhaute.com and taken photos but sometimes you just need a video!

So if you're interested and own a balenciaga velo, town or pom pon and want to know how to double the strap, this is a short video showing how I do it:

Means you don't have to permanently alter the bag and you can always switch back to the original strap length whenever it is needed.

Hope everyone else had a good Monday - especially those that are having to survive this heat without air conditioning!

Lazy Sunday, Underdogs by Pedigree

It was really warm today so we had a very relaxed Sunday. We spent some time in the pool and lazing around in the hammock. One of my favourite kinds of days, just spending time with DH and Cooper.

Rather than just wearing a bikini all day I dressed it up a bit with a sarong too. Here's what I wore:

Bikini: Big W

Sarong: no tag, bought in Malta

Shoes: Cotton On thongs

Beach bag: ThursdayFriday 'Together' bag

No accessories other than my wedding ring as we were in and out of the chlorine pool all day.

In the evening I went to church, and luckily my church is online so I could stay in my comfy sarong ;) I volunteer at church online, http://live.lifechurch.tv/


Also watched a great video today I just have to share - a documentary called "Underdogs" by Pedigree Adoption Drive. It's only 22 minutes long and it's worth the watch if you are an animal lover :) Our dog Cooper was adopted, and I think rescuing a dog is extremely rewarding. We are so happy to have him in our lives.

Birthday Dinner

After giving Cooper a bath in the morning, the family got together for my mum's birthday dinner today.

As expected we got soaked washing Cooper so I changed into something much nicer, and wore the second top I scored in the Sass & Bide sale.

Here's what I wore:

Top: Sass & Bide Musical Genius tank
Necklace: Made by a talented friend
Bracelets: the usual plus one gifted (with the cute bow) and one made by a friend.

Jeans: Sass & Bide

Shoes: Cotton On thongs

Bag: Balenciaga 2009 GSH day in tempete

Closeup of accessories and the detail of the pattern on the top:

Love the neon orange stitching on the tank, this is definitely one of my favourite tops now.

The birthday cake was delicious, although I didn't think to snap a pic until it was too late and we were all eating it! After dinner we watched more funny home movies. Was a really nice day :)

Hope everyone else had a nice relaxing Saturday!

Leopard print tee, Asos and Sass & Bide further sale reductions

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my Sass & Bide sale purchases arrived and I was eager to wear them right away! Casual Friday was the perfect reason to wear the printed tee.

Here's what I wore today:

Tee: Sass & Bide "New Day rising" tee
Necklace: Juicy Couture bonsai tree charm on a chain, both gifts from my bestie.
Bracelets: The usual
Jeans: JeansWest 'Spoylt' straight leg pale blue jeans
Shoes: Nine West
Bag: Balenciaga 2009 GSH day in tempete

Closeup of the accessories which I kept simple as it's a neon leopard print tee - it doesn't need much else ;)

Also got a couple of sale emails I wanted to share.


Sass & Bide e-boutique sale has further reductions (Only ships to Australian addresses):

 Asos have further sale reductions too - up to 70% off. You can get an extra 10% off the sale using the code "SALE10"*

*For 10% off offer, enter promo code SALE10 at checkout. Valid until 7:00pm EST 9th January 2012. Offer applies to orders up to a maximum spend of $845. Selected items only, brand exclusions apply. Only one promo code can be used per order.

Have you bought anything in the sales this year? What did you get?

Wrap dress, outfit inspiration websites

Feeling better and so back to the office today. Had some very productive meetings, lots to think about on a professional front.

Kept my outfit simple :) I love wrap dresses as they are so easy to wear but look very polished too.

Here's what I wore:

Dress: Asos
Singlet underneath: JeansWest
Necklace: gift from DH, don't recall the brand
Bracelets: the usual plus some made by a friend
Shoes: New Look
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull



Closeup of accessories:

I'm very excited that my Sass & Bide sale picks arrived today so I'm planning on wearing one of them tomorrow :)

Had a discussion on the Effen Haute forum today about what websites you browse for fashion or outfit inspiration. I find blogs really useful, and I'm often saving outfits or pictures to come back to later. Sometimes I'll leave the computer and try an outfit right away - like the rolled up jeans and heels look. Which doesn't work on shorties like myself!
I've never come across a retail website that I could think of going to specifically for outfit inspiration, do you have any?

The most basic of outfits, What I wore

As I wasn't feeling too well today I worked from home instead. Not as busy as the office, but it does mean it feels a little lonely. Was glad to have Cooper there to cheer me up - he decided to nap under the sofa for most of the morning which was hilarious to see. He really misses the Christmas tree I guess!

He looked so cute with his little fuzzy face poking out from under the sofa, made me giggle!

I always find it's better to go through the motions and get dressed when I work from home, even if I'm not going to be seen by anyone. Makes it easier to think about work than sitting in PJs! DH even asked why I needed to take a photo of what I was wearing, as the only time I left the house was to walk Cooper.

Not every outfit is going to be pretty or stylish or fashionable, I'm just trying to document what I wear.  In fact I often think I really don't understand fashion at all, I just buy things I like (I still have a Chloe Paddington from 2005 even if it's not the "it" bag anymore). So apologies if you were looking for a fashionable outfit picture! 

At my very heart I'm a comfort over style person, jeans and a tee was my "uniform" for a long time. I have more tees in my wardrobe than anything else. If only I didn't have to wear business casual to work everyday, they would get more use! It's nice to branch out now and then of course, but sometimes the familiar things are just what you need.

So here is what I wore today - falling back on my old default outfit of jeans and a tee.

Tee: Asos

Necklace: Chanel (via Reebonz)

Bracelets: The usual

Denim shorts: JeansWest

Thongs: Cotton On

If we had gone out anywhere other than walking Cooper, I'd have dressed this up with a fun scarf to add a bit of interest.

Closeup of the Jewelry: 

Do you have a go-to outfit? What is the outfit you most frequently wear?