30 for 30 day two!

today's outfit will be brought to you via a jig saw puzzle! just to make the fact that there was no one home to take a photo of me in it this morning fun (well, there was someone home, he was just still asleep in bed!)
i was at work all day today (i work with little kids) so it was all about comfort and layers. it was still chilly today so i wanted to be able to strip off and still look respectable when i got hot after running around after the kiddies, but then be able to layer back on to keep warm when i started to cool down (and still look nice). and so i present, day two.

and those ever elusive black tights underneath the short shorts (there will be a picture of them by the end of tomorrow. they're inside, clean and folded in the laundry basket, they're just waiting for the happy snap. they're not too hard to imagine though, right?).






x

aaaand, tights!

30 for 30 day one!

day one, so far so good :)

just out of the shower and no makeup means no face shots for you.

scarf, knitted 3/4 jacket shrug and plain white singlet (all from my old work - boo), jeans (mum), thongs (best friend handmedown).

and the funny looking mark on my left thigh is the shadow of my mum's head who was taking the photo, not anything strange!

x

the final picks (for the 30 for 30 challenge)

drum roll!
after much desperate debate, i present to you, the final contestants in my 30 for 30 wardrobe! from the top down...

 it's coming into spring where i live, so i had to be careful with my jacket choices. light but still warm? i went for a mix of both (and i just had to have the panda in there. daggiest, but softest ever).

 

yes, i know that there is a few shirts (and by a few i mean, perhaps slight overkill, but they're a staple ok!). i picked these in particular because i needed shirts that could be dressed up or down, so i can get multiple looks out of one item (kind of like a 30 for 30 cheat, or the subtle purpose of this exercise).

 

dresses because it is spring and getting warmer! (yay!!)

 

playsuits and cossies. loooots of love here.

 

jeans for chilly spring, shorts for warmer spring, and a skirt for dressing up :) slightly dodgy photo of the tights, but you get the idea. they are high waisted too :) fun!

i will most likely spend the majority of my time in my thongs (top left), because they are sooooo comfy! but for colder days i have my loafers. new sexy heels for going out, and clogs because i am so in love with them :)

wish me luck!

x

green wedding (planning) crazy!

i had two things on my wedding list of 'things to organise' that were absolutely essential for me to have organised before i could relax into the creative side of wedding planning (and by that i mean, colour schemes, table settings, all the decorative stuff that personalises a wedding), and they were the venue and the photographer.
i didn't have an exact dream wedding, just a basic idea. i wanted to avoid the traditional ceremony, photos, reception, a set course dinner and finish up at 11:30. i want everyone (all our close friends and family that are invited to the wedding) to feel comfortable, to enjoy the whole day. i want everyone to love the food and the music, and to party with us until late, to really celebrate our love and love in general.
i see the ceremony as being the very personal part of the wedding, where everyone shares in the official commitment of our love, and also adding their own love for us to the mix. where as the reception is the party! so that is my 'theme'.
the good news is that i have found both my venue and my photographer! i am so relieved and excited!
we are having the ceremony and the reception at the same place (no travel between equals being green! ohh and my humor strikes again) and it is also the accommodation for all of my mans family and friends that are traveling to the wedding. we've also booked it for a week, so we have enough time to decorate with all the goodies that i am going to make! and some time left afterwards to relax. plus that also means no time restrictions on the night! i'm so excited i could pop! it's going to be a massive party! (ridiculously excited really, as you can probably tell from the excessive use of exclamation marks). i met with my photographer for the first time last weekend, and really liked her from the beginning. she ticks all the boxes on my 'must haves' list (beautiful work, sense of humor, honesty, easy going, experienced), and as a bonus, she has worked at our venue before, so she knows the good spots, the bad spots, and the ins and outs of it. brilliant!
here's a sneak peak at where we are planning the ceremony (the gazebo will be off to the side, we are having the signing of the documents in there). so pretty! and it looks out over the ocean!

i'm honestly a very natural person in terms of decor (my house is filled with wooden furniture and natural tones), so my wedding decorations and table settings are going to reflect that. which will also be wonderful in keeping with my goal of being as green as possible, as i'm not looking for exotic or extravagant decorations. i'm actually planning on making the majority of the decorations myself (some call me crazy, but it's important to me, so i will find the time and energy). i've got over a year to do it all, and the two major bookings are done! happy days! if anyone else is planning a green wedding, and has any tips, ideas, or experiences that could help me out, please leave a comment.

x

a random post about puppies (and exercising them when you are feelin' lazy)

only because i have one :)

she's a bit bigger than that now, and possibly the most adorable thing in the world (except for my other  furry love, my beautiful kitty). i usually take her for a run every morning, but there are some days when i just can't be bothered to get out of bed. these days are usually saturdays or sundays admittedly, so i don't feel too guilty.
however, my man and i were walking her on the beach recently and at the moment, we are training her with basic commands, like "come", "sit", "stay". so we stood about 25 metres apart and called her to us, one after another, back and forth, like a tennis ball. as she was panting and tripping over the sand to collapse at our feet, we realised that this was a brilliant lazy man's dog exercise!
so from now on, when we are feeling a little too lazy for a full on run, we take her down to the beach and play "puppy tag". It's a win-win-win, because we can do it anywhere there is even a 20 metre long stretch of grass, it's reinforcing her obedience training, and she gets her exercise (without us being as pooped as she is after we're finished).
so if you're ever feeling too lazy to take your pooch for a wander, try puppy tag :)

x

the hor'dourves of the promised '30 for 30'

soooo it turns out picking 30 items out of my wardrobe is a lot harder than i originally thought. still in progress, but i've had a little help...

and a little more help...

and still more help. surprisingly all that help was rather unhelpful. but i'm sticking to it, and i will have it done soon, promise!















in the mean time, here is the sandwich i just made for lunch that is absolutely amazingly delicious and suuuuper healthy. and takes about 2 minutes to make.
take your ingredients:

• 2 pieces of bread (i like to toast mine)
• 1/4 of an avocado
• 3 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• a small handful of roasted chicpeas (scroll down for more info on these)
• and a few teaspoons of salsa

1st. toast your bread if you want to.
2nd. spread the avocado on one slice.
3rd. spread the salsa on the other slice.
4th. sprinkle your the chic peas on the avocado, balance the tomato pieces on top.
5th. cut it in half, and voila! yumminess!

admittedly, it doesn't look nearly as good as it tastes (plus i used to same plate to spread the ingredients out for a photo, and then eat my sandwich off. messy, but why would i waste the water, detergent and time? so really it's the eco choice, haha). it's a little savoury, a little sweet, a little crunchy and a little soft.

and about the chic peas. my favourite flavour is 'sicilan herbs and garlic' but they also come salted. they're super healthy, filling, and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. and they're from australia :) i buy them from woolworths, but you can also get them from organic and natural food stores.

x

ps.

tonight was my first tweet! i'm a little bit excited.

is that dorky?

x

30 for 30!

I am going to do the 30 for 30 challenge!
I originally found the idea here at Itty Bitty Impact (possibly one of my most favourite blogs ever), and i loved the concept right from the start. the whole idea of the 30 for 30 challenge is to pick 30 items of clothing (not including accessories and under garments), and use only these items to mix and match your wardrobe for 30 days. Oh, and not buy A SINGLE new item of clothing either. Brilliant, hey?
Not only does it encourage you to really consider ways to reinvent the items already in your wardrobe, it also discourages spending on new stuff you probably don't need! (stuff that is often made by underpaid laborers, working in terrible conditions).
See what I mean, brilliant!
Now I've got to go through my wardrobe and pick the 30 items that I would die without.
I know my thongs will definitely make it in (for those of you who call them something different, that will probably sound odd. they're shoes), as will my denim short shorts (bring on spring!), and my leopard print knitted granny jumper (which is possibly the most worn item in my wardrobe, no kidding. it's cuter than it sounds), so that's 27 to go.
Tomorrow morning is dedicated to raiding my wardrobe and getting excited about all the outfits I'm going to get to plan!

x

saturday seconds

today i went op shopping to find a pair of suitable shoes to dress up as a spice girl for my friend's birthday party. instead i found these...

amazing, cute, comfortable (no lies) clogs. $6. also, no lies.
they look a little big in the bottom photo because i was being a bit goofy when i was taking the pictures. they actually are pretty much the perfect size. i've never really been a fan of black, but these have a dark wood (imitation) heel, and the buckle finishes them off nicely.

x

my wonderful mum

works at a 2nd hand store in the city. and she has a brilliant eye for amazing recycled finds.
observe.

perfect fit. i was like cinderella, except in my track pants instead of a ball gown and running around my house instead of a castle. minor details really.
hey, i had the most important bit. the shoes.
check back later for an outfit with these babies. you shouldn't have to wait long.

x

beautiful planet

an expression of love, organised.

so now that i am wearing a beautiful symbol of my my man and my upcoming (and present) commitment, i have turned my concentration (not to my university work, haha) but to the planning of my wedding!
now that i have been obsessively sifting through website after website of eco, green, environmentally friendly weddings, i have come to the realisation of exactly how much planning is involved!! there is just so much to consider!
i am a planning and organising freak, i love getting fresh stationery and labeling everything, keeping it all alphabetised and in order. it's a little bit extreme if i am honest.
so when it came down to buying a wedding planner, i was super keen to have one, to plan my day right down to the ribbon on my wedding favours. i needed one that was within my budget of course. and i wanted it to look exactly how i wanted, be exactly the right size, and of course be environmentally friendly.
after a few seconds of contemplation i realised that i could be looking the entire length of my engagement and find no success with those kind of expectations. boo for me. so what was my solution? what's the best way to get exactly what you want from something?
make it yourself!

so i did. i searched online for an electronic wedding planner (which i found, for free here, at the smart bride) to get the basics for what i needed in a planner and headed to a stationery store. i found tonnes of recycled and environmentally friendly goodies! have a looky see!

first of all 100% recycled paper to write all my ideas, inspirations, contacts and all the other essential wedding things on.

second of all, a pen made of sawdust, tree resin and recycled plastic to write down all of my ideas and details with.

third, dividers made from recycled pulp to keep all the different ideas seperate.

fourth, an eco 2012 diary for me to keep on top of all the important dates.

last, a folder made from recycled board to keep it all snug and organised.

i can't explain how excited i was when i finally got this all together and wrote out all the tabs, put blank paper in each section and clipped the diary in. it was a reality check that it was actually really happening!

x

beautiful planet

beautiful planet

life, love, and everything inbetween!

oh it has been some time since i have posted! apologies for my absence, but life happened, and consequently, blog did not. but i have returned, and with such huge news that all my indiscretions will be forgotten!

I AM NOW ENGAGED!!
my man and i were headed for a quick (supposed) business trip to queensland, when we made a wrong turn off the highway, towards the Hunter Valley (for those of you not local, that's a beautiful, scenic winery/holiday getaway location about an hour north of me- soon to be us!!). me, being super intelligent and cluey, said "babe, you're going the wrong way!", to which there was a reply of a pair of furrowed eyebrows, a cheeky smirk and a "happy birthday baby" (my birthday was a few days beforehand, and my birthday present was supposed to be a surprise in QLD on the saturday night).

"oh"

*insert sound of penny dropping*

yeah, i'm clever.

anyhow, we drove into the BEAUTIFUL hunter valley with me smiling and exclaiming at all the scenery and how i was totally surprised and what a beautiful birthday present and don't i have such a wonderful boyfriend. i asked "where are we staying?" and he'd booked an entire villa for the weekend for us! "but before we go there, there's somewhere else i want to take you".
at this point, i'll be honest, some little flags went up in the back of my head, but i was still overwhelmed by the initial surprise. we drove to the hunter valley gardens, and wandering around the beautiful gardens he took both my hands and my heart froze!
then my wonderful man went on bended knee and asked with quiet confidence "will you do me the honour of being my wife?"
i squeaked (in a cute but dignified manner) and stood there grinning like an idiot and mentally frozen, just taking in the moment, before putting him out of his patient misery with a nearly inaudible "yes".

and so, without further ado, i present,

(please excuse the not so pretty hand)

and this is where he proposed

but back to the ring! 

the main diamond is an australian diamond that was repurposed from an antique ring. the gold is also sourced from recycled jewelery as are the rest of the diamonds on the ring. as my man knows that being enviromentally friendly is key for me, it played a huge role in his ring choice, as well as juggling all my other not so obvious hints about what i wanted in an engagement ring (haha).
but he did a perfect job. i love it. it is elegent, beautiful, unique and massive (which i will shamelessly admit, is what i asked for!)

and now for the eco wedding planning to begin!