May was a pretty big shopping month for me, so I decided not to buy much in June...then the Iconic had an extra % off sale items. I couldn't resist picking up a maxi skirt I' d had my eye on for months after seeing it on Beth's blog, and of course I had to add in a few extra things to get free shipping ;)
In the end I only kept 3 of the things I'd ordered and returned another 3 so I'm quite pleased I didn't buy too much this month. Definitely going to be doing No Buy July again this year though! No clothes or accessories purchases for the next month. I didn't quite achieve it last year, hopefully I can do better this year! Here's what I bought before starting #NoBuyJuly16.
I have a goal of wearing things twice in a month after buying them. By setting myself this goal I'm making sure I'm only buying things I'll actually use now, and not just store in my wardrobe with the tags on. My wardrobe is full enough already! I'm trying to make sure I buy versatile pieces I can wear a few different ways too. I've started a Ways to Wear series to show the different ways I've been wearing what I bought. Really pleased I managed to wear everything twice this month!
Since we are halfway through the year already, I thought I'd do a tally on my spending so far. (I got this idea from Beth too, it's not just shopping inspiration she gives me!) I've spent a total of $1,510.77 which averages $251.80 a month. Most months, like this month, I'm well under that total. Considering I've bought 3 handbags this year I'm surprised the total is relatively low, but I'm hoping that for the second half of the year I can spend even less.
Baby boy had a very speedy arrival into the world! Baby T's birth was fast for a first time but at least then we had time to finalise the admission paperwork before things really got started. This time around I was answering the admission questions with my newborn baby in my arms! I'd been regularly waking for the past week or so with contractions around 3 am that eventually stopped every time, so I wasn't sure if this was another false alarm at first, and stayed for a while at home.
I foolishly thought that the midwife was just being encouraging when we arrived and she suggested that it wouldn't be long before baby arrived. We actually made it to hospital just in time. I took her a little more seriously when I had to start pushing and she reassured me that they could deliver the baby themselves if the on-call obstetrician didn't arrive in time. He did. Just! While baby surprised us all and arrived before my OB had returned from her holidays, the lead midwife was the same one who had helped us deliver baby T, so it was really special having her there.
Wanted to share my 'first days with a newborn' outfits that I posted on instagram. To show that you that everyone's different post-baby and you shouldn't set overly high expectations on yourself. Just relax and enjoy your baby! They don't care what you wear, they just want lots of love and cuddles.
There were a few comments left on the blog, especially near the end of the third trimester, where people commented that they were surprised I wasn't wearing trackie dacks/sweats/joggers or pyjamas in my pregnancy. Part of that was having the third trimester capsule wardrobe to make dressing easy, and also because I knew that the comfy clothes would become my 'uniform' in the newborn days. In pregnancy you want to be comfortable yet you still have some energy to put into picking nice outfits. With a newborn, your focus is on them only. Although you might try find clean clothes to wear at least, style is not a priority!
This was my 'fancy' outfit for visits from extended family. I packed and wore my pyjamas most of the time in hospital, but kept a clean nursing singlet and pair of trackie dacks for when extended family members came by to say hello and meet baby. In the early days with a newborn, comfort is key, so this is as 'pulled together' as I looked.
Last worn:trackie dacks. (Can't find a pic of this singlet on the blog, although it's an old one).
This was what I wore to take baby home from hospital, and also what I wore while I was in labour! I always lay my clothes out the night before, so when I went into labour in the early hours of the morning I thankfully had some clothes to grab. I didn't want to be walking through the main hospital in my pyjamas!
I was pleased I'd taken the time at home to put some clothes on. When we got to the hospital the contractions were so strong and fast as I'd hit transition in the car. It was drawing a lot of attention as I had to keep stopping as we walked to concentrate on getting through every contraction. They really shouldn't have the maternity ward at the back of the hospital...I lost count of how many staff members offered hubby a wheelchair to get me to the birth suite!
It was nice to have some 'normal' clothes with me to change into to take baby boy home too, although as soon as we got home it was back to pyjamas again ;)
A couple of weeks ago, baby T turned 1! I shared some photos on instagram but a few people have been asking for a blog post, so along with what I wore I'm sharing some pictures and answering a few questions people had.
This is what I wore for baby T's first birthday party. The same formula I wore when we were guests at other first birthday parties - maxi dresses are perfect for so many occasions! I quickly took this photo about 5 minutes before the guests arrived, after everything was set up and the last of the food was in the oven cooking. As we had the party at home, I stayed home all day, setting up before the party, having the party and then cleaning up afterwards. So I just wore some cosy blue socks! No shoes, no bag. I did try do some eye makeup for the occasion following a tip I'd picked up at a Clinique counter a few weeks before.
There wasn't really a 'theme' for the birthday party, everyone kept asking if there was one. Blue is a theme right?! We had everything blue, including the cupcakes! I did spend some time considering buying a blue wig to wear too, but DH told me that was going a bit too far!
Most of our decorations were pictures of baby. As well as buying up every kind of blue birthday decoration at the local dollar store (also Kmart has a huge range!), every wall and door had some kind of photo theme going on. Some of the photos, like the wall of Cooper and baby T photos, we've left up after the party as they make us smile. Others we had printed out to give away to the guests with the photo holders in party bags alongside some lollies at the end of the day.
We had made plenty of floor space for everyone to sit down and play with baby, but that floor space was quickly filled up with all the gifts people generously brought. We asked people to fill in a 'birthday wishes' card so there was no pressure with gifts. It's hard not to go all out with gifts for a first birthday though!
It took more effort than I expected to plan and host a first birthday party, but it was worth it in the end. We just had finger food (pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, fruit kebabs, cupcakes) so that all the prep was done up front. Once the food was served people could help themselves and I could concentrate on enjoying the day with friends and family and sharing stories about baby's first year. I'd filled out the baby books we got as baby shower gifts, so people were flicking through them during the party when they were letting others cuddle baby. We did the cake smash photos at the end of the day too.
It was wonderful spending the day surrounded by family and friends celebrating baby T's first birthday. He got lots of gifts and we had a lot of fun, but the absolute highlight of the day for me was when I had run upstairs to grab something after our first lot of guests arrived, and another group of people arrived. I looked down and saw baby's confused but happy face as the room filled up with even more people he knows and loves. The look on his face just made my entire day. Although he's a little too young to understand the concept of birthday parties, he has spent his first year getting to know and love his friends and family and he enjoyed having them all come together just to fuss over him. It's moments and days like these that are the best part of being a mum.
Another doctor's appointment today, although I am feeling a bit better.
Here's what I wore:
Top: Threadless "Rose Marry" girly tee (New purchase)
Bracelets: the usual
Jeans: Jeanswest
Shoes: Cotton On black thongs
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull
Cooper was sniffing at the fence line so you get a shot of his fuzzy butt! I think he spotted a lizard, he was sniffing pretty intently.
I also got a parcel today which cheered me up immensely - my Indigo Rose Design order I put in last week. It was a little slow arriving due to the lack of post over the Easter holiday weekend. I bought 2 wrap bracelets and 3 necklaces! I'm looking forward to wearing them all (although not all at once!)
Don't the bracelets look so nice when worn? Not sure which one to wear first! Hoping I'm well enough to go back to work tomorrow so I can wear one then.
Quick post today. Not feeling well and had to go to the doctors. I'll be off work for a couple of days, hopefully back to normal soon.
My mum and sister came over to cheer me up, and mum brought me some lovely flowers. They are very pretty, don't you think?
Here's what I wore today:
Jacket: Juicy Couture Long Sleeve Original Zip Hoodie
Singlet: Just Jeans brown ribbed singlet
Shorts: Jeans west denim shorts
I know, horrible camera phone pic in the bathroom but at least I was well enough to stand upright and snap some type of picture. Hope the pretty flowers makes up for the terrible outfit pic. :)
If you want to see a proper outfit, my pastel challenge outfit was featured over at the Fashionoclast today as part of their Frivolous Friday round up. Check it out to see my version of pastels and some really fun pics from other participants in the challenge. I'm looking forward to the "bling it on" challenge this week!
Hope you all had a lovely Easter. :) As promised, here's a better pic of what I wore to the wedding last night.
In the end I picked the red Balenciaga clutch. It was the biggest and I needed the extra room for a wrap. The bride and groom made such a lovely couple, and it was a very elegant wedding.
Dress: Jeanswest snake print maxi dress
Necklace: gifted silver spiral
Bracelets: the usual plus 2 freshwater pearl bracelets, red crystal bracelet and swarovski crystal bracelet from Indigo Rose Design
And I'm very excited to announce I have my first ever blog giveaway in honour of my 100th outfit post! Thank you for stopping by to checkout my outfits, and for all the advice and pointers you've given me since I started the blog this year.
I have teamed up with the lovely Rolanda at Indigo Rose Design to giveaway a $20 credit for any jewelry item in her store to one lucky winner! That could get you some wrap bracelets, a gemstone bracelet, necklace or even some fun Lego cufflinks!
The giveaway is open internationally - no matter where you are in the world, you can enter! The lucky winner will also get free shipping.
Indigo Rose Design has a Facebook store that sells semi precious jewellery designed and hand made in Australia.
Here are some of my favourite items for $20 or less:
Note: all pictures belong to Indigo Rose Design, kindly reused with permission. Competition sponsored by Indigo Rose Design, no compensation received by myself for hosting this giveaway.
Entering is really easy - just fill out the form below. You have 23 chances to win! There's a huge range of bracelets and necklaces at Indigo Rose Design that you could pick, I'm looking forward to reading what you would choose.
Hope you are all having a lovely Easter Sunday. Today we celebrate Jesus rising from the grave! And eat lots of chocolate :)
Video from Easter service at Church Online last year.
Today is also the day some friends are getting married, so I have scheduled this post and hope it works.
Here's what I wore today to spend the morning and afternoon at home with Cooper before getting ready for the wedding:
Top: Top: Jeanswest "Sarah" stripe tank in firecracker/coconut
Jeans: Also jeanswest!
Bracelets: the usual
Shoes: Asos 'flossy' flat sandals in tan
And tonight for the wedding I'll be wearing this.
As you can see I'm still undecided about what bag I'll be wearing! You can follow me on instagram @awayfromblue for some wedding pics tonight, and I'll upload a wedding outfit photo tomorrow.
Off to get ready now, have a fantastic Easter Sunday!
In the Christian calendar, today is the day we mark the event of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. It's "good" Friday as he died in our place. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the day that he rose from the grave.
Today we spent some time with our families. Here's what I wore today:
Dress: JayJays feather print maxi dress
Necklace: old, Diva
Bracelets: the usual plus gifted black beaded bracelets
Shoes: My sister's Havaianas thongs - borrowed for a spontaneous walk in the park. I was trying to further break in my black wedge heels for the wedding on Sunday (last seen here) but swapped to more sensible footwear to run around on the grass with Cooper.
My Dad took the photos and added in a few arty ones! I really liked this one, although it is a strange angle.
Closeup of accessories:
My parents and I went for a walk in a local park as it was such a nice day, and we took Cooper with us. We bumped into some friends of my parents by chance, and Cooper had a bit of fun meeting their dogs as we chatted. This is one of the pictures of him playing with Eddie (beagle) and Bella (maltese poodle cross). He seemed to have fun, although he was a little unsure at first!
Nice relaxing Sunday today. I had a chance to wear my new Kmart purchase, grey leopard print jeans.
I fell in love with this Sass & Bide pair but with the zips at the bottom they would be too difficult to shorten, and I always need to get their jeans taken up. Reading Shop Till You Drop I spotted this similar pair at Kmart and after seeing some amazing things bloggers have been buying there, I had to get them.
Plus the more money I save on clothes, the more money I have for handbags! ;)
Here's what I wore today:
Top: Jeanswest Agness tee in khaki
Necklace: freshwater pearl strand, gifted
Bracelets: the usual
Jeans: Kmart grey leopard print cropped skinny jeans - only $29!
Shoes: Balenciaga sorbet RGGH studded sandals
Bag: Balenciaga 2010 sorbet RH city
Closeup of accessories:
I would much rather splurge on accessories than clothes, which I have a habit of outgrowing or ripping or tearing, etc. Accessories are much easier to maintain. What's your fave fashion splurge?
Decided to wear tan sandals to go with it because although I have an awesome pair of purple heels that would be even better I hurt my knee at the Getaway Plan yesterday so flats were needed. After a long think of what to wear with purple and orange, I settled on the aqua bag and necklace and tan shoes.
Felt nice and bright to match the sunny weather. My only downside is how baggy these pants get at the knee after running around in them all day, they really start to sag. I love the colour so I keep pushing on with them. Thinking I should have sized down though. Something to keep in mind if you're buying these from asos.
Here's what I wore today:
Top: Supre purple singlet
Necklace: Lovisa turquoise and silver long disc necklace
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC in Aquamarine with python embossed leather (worn as clutch)
Closeup of accessories:
Had a great time at the Getaway Plan with my sister. I was glad they had a merch stand as it was so cold in the room I could put the tee on right away. They played so many of my fave songs, and my sister and I had a great view. Best part of the night was meeting Matt. I didn't know what to say. I kept saying "thank you" a lot, haha! He was so nice.
Highlight of my entire year! I was so excited! And blushing - very red face!
Some more photos we took at the show:
We were standing right at the front of the stage where Dave was playing - very awesome!
Best way to start the weekend. Hope you are having a great weekend too!
Such a funny story behind this shirt. It's from the "Skin and bones" tour Kisschasy did in 2008. I don't have any photos of the show to show you as shortly after Kisschasy came on stage, my sister was kicked in the head by a crowd surfer. We ended up watching some of the show from the screens in the bar before heading to hospital. Luckily my sister only had minor concussion. The doctor was really nice too, asking us if it was the Kisschasy show we were at after noticing my tee. One of the more memorable shows my sister and I have seen together!
You're my mystery You are always at my fingertips Without you I'm just bones and skin
- KissChasy, Strings & Drums
Hilarious video of the song if you haven't seen it:
DH snapped this as we were enjoying a quick bite to eat at the BBQ after voting, that's why I'm sitting on a wall with a can of solo! hehe.
Cooper looks much better after his grooming - and he can see again! His face was getting too fluffy, he was really overdue a good cut.
Here's a quick before and after:
He's much happier after!
We are eading out to a friend's for dinner and drinks tonight so I changed what I was wearing. Cooper always wants cuddles after being at the groomers and although I love it, it means I get covered in cut hair. Not a good look for going out.
Here's what I'm wearing to dinner:
Top: just jeans black lace trim singlet
Bracelets: the usual
Pants: Burnt Ochre orange pants from Vero Moda at Asos
Wedges: Ninewest "Quicken" wedges in natural
Bag: vintage Chanel chevron evening bag
And now I have to go or I will be late. Have a great Saturday night everyone :)
