Friday 27 February 2015

Life Recently

Gosh who can believe it’s the end of Summer already?! The past three months seemed to have zipped by didn’t they? Although I feel like I’m saying that at the end of each month! February was a fairly uneventful month for me, but as the year pushes on I have lots to look forward to, including the big move into our very own home! I’m been trawling Pinterest for DIY decorating ideas and already have some projects I’m dying to try. I’ve also started collecting art and interesting frames so I can create a massive gallery wall in our new living room. After years of living in rentals I am SO EXCITED to be able to hang things on the walls!



Anyway, this is what I’ve been up to in the last month…   

Eating chocolate and my skin is not thanking me!
Drinking soy milk. I’m trying to cut out dairy and it turns out that soy caps aren’t actually that bad! Who knew?
Cooking BBQs, trying to make the most of our last two months in paradise (i.e our amazing Freo apartment)
Watching Better Call Saul
Buying shoes… I’ve been on an eBay binge, someone take my credit card away from me!
Wearing culottes as often as I can get away with
Reading Girl on the Train, for the inaugural meeting of our office Book Club!
Avoiding packing. I need to start sorting and packing for our house move, but I can’t bring myself to do it yet
Browsing Gumtree for furniture, it’s a rabbit hole of DIY projects and I’m addicted
Dreaming of cooler temperatures and my awesome collection of winter coats




Wednesday 25 February 2015

LBD


Even the most fashion obsessed girl can have days where they just can’t be effed. As much as I love getting dressed up and creating interesting and new outfits, I’ve come to realise that it’s important to have a few things in your wardrobe that you can throw on and go and still look acceptable.



I know a little black dress is a bit of a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a good reason. This one is perfect, it’s wash and wear with a simple shape and a work-appropriate length. All I needed to do was add some accessories to snazz it up and then twist my dirty hair into a bun and TA DA! All set for a day in front of my computer (hooray).



Pay close attention to my shoes though please, thanks to my Buy Nothing New challenge I’ve been prowling eBay a little more than usual and found these awesome sparkly J Crew pumps for a steal. I’ve been on a bit of a shoe-shopping binge recently and have another few pairs coming in the post… don’t tell my boyfriend though!


Dress: Op Shop (it’s a new buy but I cannot remember for the life of me where it’s from!)
Necklace: Good Sammies Myaree $2
Bracelet: Opportunity Knocks $2
Shoes: J Crew (via eBay)


 

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Weekend Wear


OK I’ve been sitting staring at my laptop for about 20 minutes trying to think of something to say, but nothing is coming! Normally I can babble on about my outfits endlessly and have to cut out huge paragraphs of waffle, but today is not the case. I could wait until I’ve thought of something interesting to type, but I really love this outfit and I want to share it right now!

So just enjoy these pictures and marvel at my newly op shopped Moschino bag.







Top: Zara
Culottes: Vinnies Claremont $7
Bag: St Lukes Op Shop $6
Hat: Op Shop
Bracelets: Op Shop
Shoes: Melissa
Sunglasses: Karen Walker - Betsy

Friday 20 February 2015

Oh So Trendy

On December 31st I bought the most amazing brown vintage leather jacket. As soon as I got it home and added my own faux fur trim to it I decided that my whole winter wardrobe was going to revolve around this jacket and it’s sweet 70s vibes. So I started collecting images for some winter style inspiration. Thinking that my late 60s, early 70s look was going to be totally unique and ahead of the crowd and not like anyone else. Turns out I was wrong and the 70s are THE TREND for 2015. This seems to happen to me all the time, I think my style references are completely individual (well as individual as borrowing from another decade can be) and then suddenly I see the same style-inspo images splashed all over the blog-world and realise I’m not the only one who had this idea. Dam. 





Regardless, I’m still sticking with my 70s vibe for this winter. I’ve collected a few bits and pieces which will be perfect for the look, including a corduroy A-line skirt, some silky blouses, a black turtle neck skivvy and an excellent leopard print jacket. Now I just need to find some flares in an op shop… I think this will be an impossible task but I am up for the challenge.

COME AT ME WINTER, I’m ready!



All pictures from Pinterest

Wednesday 18 February 2015

One Month



Hey guess what?! It’s just over a month since I started my Buy Nothing New challenge! I’m pleased to say that I haven’t cracked yet. A few times I’ve found myself mindlessly trawling ASOS and filling up my shopping cart only to realise half an hour later that I’m not actually allowed to buy anything. But on the whole it hasn’t been too hard. I have bought a few things from op shops, including this excellent sleeveless jacket, but I’m quite enjoying shopping my own wardrobe and wearing some of my favourites a little more regularly than normal.  




This white jacket is pretty awesome though, it’s perfect for summer as I’m meant to be wearing a jacket to work every day, so I can totally just wear this sleeveless one and no one can get mad at me… well that’s my argument anyway!



 By now you have probably realised that I wear A LOT of black and white to work. It’s just so easy and as much as I love all of the colours, being able to mix and match black and white printed pieces is a really simple way to build a stylish capsule work wardrobe.


Dress: Op Shop
Jacket: Salvos Mt Hawthorne $7
Brooch: Vintage
Sunglasses: Pared
Shoes: RSPCA Op Shop $5


Monday 16 February 2015

Holiday Dreaming



I just booked my first holiday for the year and I’m a little bit excited, it’s always good to have something nice to look forward to while you are slugging away in a windowless office. We are just going to go to Bali for a few days, the standard Perthite’s (Perthians?) holiday, but it will be brilliant. Of course the first thing I do once booking a holiday is start thinking about what kind of outfits I’ll need to take with me. I found this amazing cotton top at Claremont Vinnies and I knew straight away it would be perfect for my tropical holiday.




This is a seriously cool top, it’s like the blouse-version of a full circle skirt. So billowy and flouncy, I love it! I could hide the biggest pasta belly under here and you’d never even know! (I could also hide a real baby, but you know, a pasta one is so much more likely!).




Paired with new DIYed denim shorts, some lace up sandals and a faux turban, I’m certain this whole look will be making it into my suitcase come April.


Top: Claremont Vinnies $6
Shorts: Fremantle Good Sammies $5
Shoes: Oppourtunity Knocks $3
Scarf: Op Shop
Bangles: Op Shop
Sunglasses: Ray Ban


Friday 13 February 2015

Let's Talk About Size

I have been thinking for a little while about writing some more personal posts on the blog, you know, something a little more in depth than just ‘look at my sweet op shopped dress/shoes/jacket’ (although they are good too!). The post I wrote about skin care wasn’t particularly  deep but it was a little different to my usual posts and got some great feedback, so I thought I’d try to write a few more. I was really inspired/kicked in to action when I read this post by Carrie from Wishwishwish. Body image and weight and diet and dress size are all very personal issues, but if I’m taking a million selfies and plastering them across the internet, then I should be comfortable enough to talk about those personal issues. So here it goes, let’s talk about size…

I’m 178cm tall and weigh 75 kilos. There it is, out there for all the world to see. I usually wear a size 14, but given I buy my clothing from op shops, the number on the tag can vary greatly. I’ve weighed 75 kilos (give or take a few) for over ten years now, but it’s only been in the last 12 months or so that I’ve actually come to terms with it and felt truly happy with my body. If my weight has stayed the same for over 10 years, then I’m pretty confident that’s just the way it’s meant to be.

Growing up I was never particularly bothered by my body. My best friend and I were the tallest girls in our grade from year 8 to year 12, but while she was a string bean (and still is) I had hips and boobs and a tummy (and still do). I used to wish I was shorter, mostly because I towered over all the boys my age and I desperately wanted a boyfriend, but I’ve definitely grown to love my height (and very much enjoy towering over people now!)

I can’t pin point the moment I started being self-conscious of my larger body, but it must have happened around the time I turned 17. I remember thinking I wish I could just re-size myself in Paint or something, I knew I was well proportioned, but I just hated being bigger than everyone else. This feeling stuck with me for a long time, it was never so intense that I did any real damage to myself, but I definitely tried a myriad of wacky diets and exercise routines over the years. I went through a gym-going phase, a running phase, I started swimming laps every day, attending pump classes, group fitness classes, boxing sessions, gradually everything new I tried grew boring and tedious. But then something miraculous happened, I joined a volleyball club and for the first time in my life I was playing a competitive team sport, and loving it. Going to training and attending games wasn’t a chore, it was never tedious, it was something I looked forward to every week. I’d run around, sweating and laughing, jumping, sliding and passing for two hours straight and not even notice the time fly. I didn’t really lose any weight, but I felt awesome. I stopped weighing myself daily, stopped measuring my hips and waist every week (yeh, I did that) and just came to terms with my appearance.

picture taken by Derek Scales (thank you!!)

Things really hit home when I started playing beach volleyball last summer. For my first real competition I refused to wear the traditional uniform of a crop top and bikini bottoms, opting instead for a singlet and shorts. When my partner and I rocked up at the beach we were the only people not wearing a bikini. Literally every other team was wearing one. There were bodies of all shapes and sizes, from lanky string beans with no hips, to short girls with soft bellies to tall athletic women with rippling six packs and broad shoulders. No one cared, they were there to play sport and they were awesome. I’ve worn a crop and bikini bottoms for every competition since and even though my abs don’t ripple and my butt is dimply I haven’t felt bad about myself once.


I don’t have particularly great self-control especially when it comes to delicious food, so while I do play a lot of sport, I definitely eat too much not-so-great stuff. I love baking (and eating) cakes, I have carbs with every meal, my boyfriend and I order pizza almost once a week and I can never resist a good burger and fries. Twelve months ago I would still eat all  that stuff, but afterwards I’d be so down on myself and go to bed feeling guilty for eating ice cream or bread or cheese. Now I don’t let that happen. I enjoy delicious naughty food and then get on with my life. Sure I could probably lose 10 kilos if I stopped drinking wine every night and swapped pasta for quinoa , but I don’t think being a size 8 is worth it (for me). Good for you if you can survive and enjoy your life on a paleo, organic, gluten free or vegan diet. I can’t and I’m perfectly happy that way.


In saying all this I can promise you that although I generally feel pretty great about the way I look, I definitely have fat days (or bad hair days, awful skin days, I-have-nothing-to-wear days), just like every other girl who ever walked the earth. I don’t ever feel 100% amazing in a bikini, but I’m not going to let that ruin my day in the sun. I’m going to continue to eat cake three times a week and be grateful that my 75 kilo body can run and jump and dance (poorly) and is pretty good at hitting a volleyball.



I’d love to hear your thoughts/comments/feedback on this post. Is it something you enjoyed reading?

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Wine Weekend


My boyfriend and I escaped the city for a few days in wine country last weekend. It was seriously bliss. We stayed at Redgate Beach Escape, which was so lovely I honestly couldn’t recommend them enough. We had an excellent deck with a view of the ocean through the bush and native scrub. We ate our body weight in cheese and chocolate and sampled a fair few of the local wines. I’m already planning my next trip back!



On the Saturday we went out for wine tasting and a delicious lunch at Voyager Estate. I bought a new dress for the occasion, so was very excited to wear it out. There isn’t particularly a dress code when wine tasting (and I certainly saw a lot of people come through who clearly had just walked off the beach) but I always like to get a little dressed up when go, so this vintage Laura Ashley dress was just the ticket. The beautiful pink and purple floral print matched the magnificent Voyager gardens perfectly, I pranced around in the vine yards for quite some time making my boyfriend take pictures of me. HAHA! These pictures were taken in front of our chalet, so you can get an idea of what our view was like.



Dress: Claremont Vinnies $8
Belt: Op Shop
Bag: Op Shop
Shoes: Op Shop
Brooches: Assorted gifts and op shop


Photos taken by Luke who has very little patience for my posing and prancing hence I only have 3 outfit shots instead of the usual 75 ;)