I love seeing all the blogger's round-up posts of 2010, so I thought I would share mine!


1. I assisted on a fashion shoot for Xpress Fashion & absolutely loved every minute. 2. I lost my job... and then got a new one working for Seed Femme at David Jones. 3. My long-term boyfriend and I broke up and he moved out. 4. My sister moved in with me. 5. I turned 21 and celebrated with a huge party (I haven't had a party since year seven!), drank a heinous amount of champagne and had a fantastic time grooving on the dancefloor with all of my favourite people. 

6. I saw the Pixies, the Aquabats and Reel Big Fish, Echo & the Bunnymen, Florence and the Machine, Eddie Current Suppression Ring, Ben Kweller, Buddy Guy, Crowded House, Angus & Julia Stone, and many more! 7. I failed two units at university due to some of the horrible personal things that happened. 8. I went to ten 21sts. My wallet and liver are glad THAT is over. 9. My beautiful nan passed away. 10. I got an SLR camera for my 21st and still adore it.

11. I worked on two editions of The Western Independent, as a sub and as a chief-of-staff. 12. I went through a freak storm in Perth that terrified me and destroyed half the city! 13. I interviewed Evil Eddie, Los Capitanes, Patrick Hughes, and Lacey. 14. The internship I did the interviews for was unceremoniously canceled, which was a bit of a bummer. 15. I spent a lot of time with my best girlfriends and loved every second of it.


16. I met a boy and fell pretty head over heels. 17. I learned to cook and found that I was actually rather good. 18. I lost my passion for writing... then found it again. 19. I was the sickest I've been in about three years and spent a night having hallucinations about Adobe InDesign! 20. I dyed my hair red (something I've wanted to do for years and years) and am quite enjoying life as a ginger.


I can't wait for 2011. 2010 kicked my ass and I ended the year in a completely different direction than what I imagined. I had some amazing experiences and am really thankful for everything that happened... but I have a feeling 2011 will be full of even bigger and better things and I can't wait to get started!

How was your 2010?

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I'm in Bunbury for Christmas this year. Every year our street does this thing where people put candles in milk bottles and light them all up at night. It's been going since I was in year five! It looks really pretty and there's always heaps of people driving around and yelling out happy things from their cars. Because of said car yellers (one little girl yelled out "Merry Christmas! Nice camera!") I didn't get many photos, but hopefully this captures it somewhat!






Some other traditions I'm looking forward to are hanging out the Christmas stockings my Grandma made, handing out the presents on Christmas day, and watching A Muppet Christmas Carol and the Spicks and Specks Christmas Special.

Merry Christmas!

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I was very excited to be part of the Lustable 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. Basically, I got to pick a prize that I knew my readers would love, and give you all a chance to win it!

From the start, I knew that I wanted something from an Australian designer. I couldn't go past this gorgeous Drown x Subfusco necklace from Alegorie, made by the mind-blowingly talented Alicia from Sea of Ghosts.


The Fermi necklace retails for $229, and to make things even better, it's a one-off! It was produced as a collaboration with Subfusco for part of their SS11 Runway collection, Luminous. It's a wonderful, unique piece that would make the perfect statement necklace. I have some of the Drown earrings and the space prints are even more beautiful in real life!



To enter, all you have to do is follow @lustable on Twitter, and tweet your answer this question using the #Lust4Xmas hashtag:

A while ago I assisted the lovely Emma from Dropstitch on a fashion shoot inspired by Picnic at Hanging Rock. It was shot at the Ruined Piano Sanctuary in York, which is a beautiful, beautiful place. I love how the photos turned out and I'm so happy to have been a part of it!




These three are my favourite shots. You can see the rest in the Xpress Fashion magazine (out now, or at the Xpress website). And if you want even more, you can read Emma's blog here and the amazing photographer Otilee's blog here.

It was such a great experience and I am really keen to help out on some more styling shoots in the future! I absolutely loved it!

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If you're looking for a last minute Christmas present (or maybe something for yourself!), Manikinn are having a 50% off sale - with ALL of their stock included in the sale - for the next 72 hours.


Get your 50% off with the code: 50xmas

Thanks Manikinn!

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Sorry for the delay between posting part one and part two! This one is all about siblings. Although you might be at each other's throats 364 days a year, Christmas is a time when you can put all that aside and band together to get through the myriad family Christmas events. Obviously it is hard to cover EVERY SINGLE person's taste in a Christmas guide, but hopefully this gives you a few ideas!...


Book Depository is a goldmine for presents (and, well, for everyday, really). Not only is there an enormous range of books, but there's free shipping worldwide! I think that 'coffee table books' make excellent presents, and so I have my eye on Style Diaries ($24), which features a lot of my favourite bloggers, or the Polaroid Book: Instant and Unique ($18).


Homeware things are always fun to get, especially if your siblings are living out of home on a student budget. Getting something that doesn't come from Coles and Kmart is always fun! Urban Outfitters has a great range that I am constantly lusting over, from the slightly irreverent (the Indelicate Doilies, $8) to the slightly extravagant (Folding Ladder Bookshelf, $279) and everything in between.


Clothes are always a bit of a risky present. While you might absolutely love something, your brother or sister might scrunch up their nose in disgust. Getting clothes as a present might be a chance for your sibling to try something new and push them out of their sartorial comfort zone, though, so it's worth a shot (and honestly, who knows you better than your family?). Modcloth have some awesome guy's tees, including a line based on novel covers like this Slaughterhouse 5 one ($27.99).  And while I've blogged about many, many, MANY beautiful Modcloth ladies items before, I love the simplicity of the Ruby Romance dress ($44.99). It can be dressed up or paired with a blazer and some flats for a chic, easy day look.


If your siblings are of the little, little variety, then maybe the Melissa x Vivienne Westwood minis? I think these are absolutely adorable. Forget buying them as a present, I kind of want a pair! And as for little boys, Cotton On Kids does some very, very cute shirts (I used to work there, so I do know this for a fact! In fact, the cute clothes were the only bearable thing about working there...). But after that I am kind of stuck. Anyone else have any ideas?

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I can't believe it's been so long since I updated! I have had quite the busy week this week, including seeing the Reel Big Fish and Aquabats concert, trying to organise a surprise dinner, and celebrating Cam's birthday (hooray! Happy 21st Cam ♥). Oh, and working. A lot. And yet, for all this work, I seem to be permanently broke, which is not fun.

But, I had a Saturday off for the first time in about a month and a half, and decided to finally put up my Christmas tree! It still needs some new ornaments to keep with the whole blue, white and silver theme (I had to add some purple in to beef it up a bit). The last two pictures are of my favourite ornaments - I think they're both from David Jones.



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Today I had a rather delightful day. I had lunch with two of my favourite people (despite awfully rude service - I'm not happy at you, Windsor Hotel), then book shopping with Cam. Tonight we are going to see The Social Network and I'm so excited! I've been wanting to see it since it came out. I have only heard good things about it.




Last time I wore this dress, it was just a bit too... big. Which is very, very rare for me with vintage dresses! This belt that I got in Bunbury ages ago is perfect for it. I still can't decide what the print on the dress is. Chess pieces? One of my friends thought they were little armless people.

I am resigned to wearing flats for a while because I twisted my knee really badly at my friend's 21st this past weekend. I also scraped my arm because I fell against a brick wall! Clever.

I also bought this amazing book at Elizabeth's Bookshop! I can't wait to read it. 60s inspiration ahoy!


And at Borders, Cam also surprised me and bought me a book on vintage fashion! It looks amazing so far.

Well, I am off to the movies!

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It's almost December! So this is usually the time I start feverishly bookmarking sites, so that I can show people my (extensive and usually expensive) Christmas wishlist. But, I thought, why not put some of these together into a little gift guide for you lovely readers? The majority of what I'll feature can be purchased online, and with a range of price points, so there's a little something for everyone. And at worst, you'll find something more to add to your Christmas wishlist.

Part one is dedicated to friends. Since I have particularly amazing friends, I thought it was only fair that they be first on the list.

If your friends are tea fiends like mine, the I'm a Little Teapot teapot from Modcloth ($44.95) should hit the spot nicely. Even cuter - the little basket can be used as a "temporary tea bag holder"! Aw! Plus... it's an excuse to make tea. What more do you need?

 If you're prepared to spend a little extra on an extra special friend, the Fujifilm Mini Instax Instant Camera ($158) would make a fantastic present. I am dying for a film camera - aside from it being a lot easier to lug around in your bag, come on, who doesn't love film? Taking pictures & not knowing how they're going to turn out? NOT having to upload everything to Facebook only to be told by your friends how gross they look and delete it now, please? Lovely.

 Box set DVDs are a favourite present of mine (to give and receive). If you can't sloth around for a day of DVD watching with your friends, well then who can you sloth around with? Any box set should go down well, but me and my friends are prone to a bit of Beverly Hills (and the new 90210), Sex and the City (oh, shh) and, of course, the old standby Friends. Try Amazon for box sets (just make sure the DVD is in the right area code!).

If your friend's tastes are a bit more on the quirky side, I love these tattoo dolls. I love that on the site they are referred to as Mr. Percy and Lil' Edith. I love that Mr. Percy looks like a strongman from a 1930s circus. Plus if you buy them for someone else you will get to see them all snuggled up on the couch when you go over to their house.

An original print - like these La Vie est Belle prints by Etsy seller evajuliet - is a fantastic gift. If you buy a set like this, you can split them up and all have something that reminds you of friends all the time!

Good luck! Parts two, three and four coming in the next few weeks!

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What are your shopping excuses? I'm sure that you must have some too. You know, the lines that you throw out when trying to justify an extravagant purchase to your mother/sister/boyfriend/friend/yourself. I read a piece by Maggie Alderson explaining hers and it reminded me how silly we can all go over buying things. Here are my top five excuses:

1. "I study journalism, so I actually NEED to buy all these magazines."
After clothing, magazines are probably my biggest expenditure. I am voracious when it comes to new reading material. My sister doesn't often complain about me filling the house with magazines, probably because she gets to read all the magazines for free when I'm done with them, but Cam does sometimes raise a questioning eyebrow when I say "Oh, I just have to stop at the newsagent's quickly... again..." Some people agree with me (fellow journalist students, mostly), while others (mothers) claim that reading magazines doesn't actually count as studying. Pfft.

2. "It was on sale, so technically, I saved money."
I am (in my opinion) a great bargain hunter. I haven't paid full price for anything from a chain store for about a year. However, it doesn't really count as a bargain if I didn't actually intend to buy it in the first place. Recent items to have fallen into that category have included a pleated back dress with horrible, unflattering spaghetti straps, a 70's looking maxi dress that's too low in the front AND the back, and a great big pair of earrings shaped like birds. But who can resist fifty percent off the sale price?

3. "I bought it online when the Australian dollar was doing so well."
Well, the Australian dollar IS doing well. Remember a few years ago when it was something like 60 cents to the US dollar?! It gives me great pleasure going on currency converters and only seeing a few dollars difference between the US price and Australian price. This is not so much a justification as it is a happy fact.Well done dollar.

4. "I have a fashion blog, so I NEED some new stuff. To, um, write about."
Probably the weakest justification ever.

5. "Well, at least I'm not spending the money on crack and heroin."
Actually, I stand corrected. THIS is the weakest justification ever.

So, I'm sure you must have excuses that you use. Especially after the craziness of Black Friday and the soon-to-be insanity of Cyber Monday. Come on now.

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I thought I should write a blog post kind of explaining my absence. I know I mentioned on the blog that I went for an interview for an internship, and I did actually get it. However, because the place I was interning for decided to cut editorial content, it meant that the internship program got cut as well. So, I am left without much to do for the uni break, and I'm pretty disappointed. Mostly because I had four more articles to write based on interviews I've done, and I feel like I'm doing the interviewees a bit of a disservice by taking up their time and then... nothing gets done. I'm sure it is all part of being a journalist, but still.

I'm also in a bit of a style rut - I can't really blame it on the weather, it's more that I'm just over everything in my wardrobe. I feel like my style was veering towards wearing crazy statement pieces just for the sake of it, when it's really not me to dress that way all the time. I went on a bit of a spree last night (with a staff discount and myriad gift cards, so not too extravagant) which will hopefully inspire me a bit.

Anyway! Sorry for the rather gloomy post (and picture, which I actually think is quite cool. I found it on tumblr, if you know where it's from please let me know!), things aren't all that bad really. I'm kind of glad that for a while at least, I'll have more time to spend with my boyfriend and family, and writing blog posts, of course!

Thanks for reading while I'm in a bit of a lull, and hopefully things should liven up around here soon!

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Hello again! It seems like ages since I have actually written a post. I'm sorry! I wish it were a case of real life being so exciting, but unfortunately it has just been work and a cold keeping me miserable and away from my computer. I took the day off today, though, so here's my sick day ensemble.



 
I adore this skirt. I bought it on a whim (for $7!) when Cam and I were opshopping, and I'm so glad I did! It's handmade, and it poofs out a bit all on its own. I think it is still a tiny bit too long, though. It's not quite long enough to be full length, and hits me mid-shin, which is a look I think only people taller than I can pull off!

I also loved the singlet, until it got ruined in the wash. Now it is oddly starchy and makes pssssf noises whenever I pull on it. But, unlike the Sportsgirl singlet from my now-deleted recent outfit post, it is comfy and, most importantly, it keeps me decent.

Now I am off to write write write and cook butter chicken for dinner! Mmmm.

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I've seen Tarina Tarantino's jewellery on fashion blogs before, most notably Gala Darling's, and have always loved the over-the-top, sparkliness and unabashed girliness of her pieces. While I love all the Swarovski-crystal studded hearts and oversized bows, my favourite line of hers was that inspired by Day of the Dead. Ever since I saw Mondo's last collection on Project Runway, which was heavily inspired by Dia des los Muertos, I've been really interested in learning more about it. I love the hyper bright colours used, the imagery of the skulls, and finding out the meaning behind it.

Here are some little shots from around the place.










1. Stella McCartney for Target bracelet
2. Pugs & books
3. New Miu Miu inspired shoes from eBay
4. Frankie poster, IKEA frame

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