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!