Bragging Time

It’s bragging time! I’ve finished all of my Christmas shopping… not only that but I’ve also wrapped all of my gifts and have them waiting patiently under the tree ready for the big day. I’m pretty pleased with myself! Last year I challenged myself to make at least half of my Christmas gifts... I failed miserably and ended up spending soooo much money on gifts for my loved ones because I left everything to the last moment and was just desperate to buy something (anything!!). So this year I was determined to achieve my goal and got organised nice and early. I’ve have been cleverly op-shopping, thrifting, crafting and trawling gum tree and ebay for the perfect presents.

It’s been a really enjoyable process and I’ve saved so much money (I spent just over $250 on gifts for 20 people!). I'm so excited for everyone to open their presents! I ended up making my own gift tags and buying all of the wrapping paper and ribbon on ebay, it was SO much cheaper and nicer than anything I could find in the shops, plus after getting lost down a Pinterest rabbit hole I knew I wanted my gift wrapping game to be perfect.

This is my 7^th outfit of Christmas! This newly op shopped Kookai dress was perfect for lounging around the house and wrapping gifts on the weekend, when I went out for a last minute cider with my brother I just had to throw on a hat and denim vest to complete my festive Sunday sesh outfit.

Dress: Salvos South Lake $8
Bag: Good Sammies South Lake $6
Vest: Red Cross Mandurah $3
Hat: Op Shop
Shoes: Op Shop
Sunglasses: Karen Walker*

*I love these Karen Walker Intergalactic sunnies, but they are so hard to photograph! I have no idea why but I can just never get a nice picture wearing them, these pics where the best of a rather average bunch!

White Christmas

Have you ever had a white Christmas? I have! In 2008 I went to visit my uncle in Seattle, it doesn’t often snow in Seattle, but that year was crazy. The day after I flew in a thick white blanket covered the entire city and no one knew what to do. It was mayhem. For the whole week I was there the roads were blocked, people were sledding down the streets in the CBD and my uncle and I had to literally trek through a snow storm to the store to buy a turkey for Christmas day (which my uncle then hauled home in a sack on his back!).

A city like Seattle didn’t know what to do with itself with that much snow and everyone I met was winging but I loved it! I went sledding and ice skating, I made a snow man and forced my uncle’s dog to go walking with me through the snow banks (she did NOT appreciate it). I drank spiked coffee with my grandma and threw snow balls at squirrels. I also slipped over about 3000 times and marched into Nordstrom to buy the first pair of snow boots I saw (which happened to be a very lovely Coach pair).  

That white Christmas in Seattle was so much fun, but Christmas in Perth is pretty sweet as well. Hot nights and hotter days call for very little clothing and lots of icy champagne. For my second work party I'm wearing this white cotton shirt dress, it’s super lightweight and easy to wear, perfect for a sticky day on the river. I’m sure I’ll have another white Christmas eventually, but for now the hot dry heat of Western Australia is fine by me.

Dress: Melville Markets, $5

Belt: Gift

Hat: Eumundi Markets

Brooch: Assorted gifts/op shop

Shoes: Rachel Antonoff
Sunglasses: Pared Eyewear 

 

Friendsmas

This past weekend was such a blast! I hosted a Friends-Christmas-Dinner (aka Friendsmas!!) with my favourite people ever. Each year my friends and I go out to a fancy restaurant sometime in December to celebrate the holidays together, but this year I decided to host the dinner at my place instead. I wanted an excuse to decorate the house as all my other Christmassy events happen at my folks place. So I spent the better part of Saturday cleaning, cooking and putting up decorations.

I am super lucky to have been friends with this wonderful bunch for a very long time. They knew me when I was a chubby school girl with unruly hair and pink elastics in my braces. They stuck by me even though I sometimes ditched them to spend time with shitty boyfriends and they were there through the inevitable break ups (with chocolate and HJs in hand). They hung around while I travelled, lived overseas and interstate, sending me funny letters and emails and keeping me up to date with what was happening in their lives. This group includes an architect, a PR guru, a super star designer, a pilot, a bushman, a florist/chef/event planner extraordinaire, a languages expert and me…  we all have stupidly busy schedules these days, but they all make time for me. I don’t often gush about the great community of people I have in my life, but this group make up a big part of it and I’m so lucky to have them.

Ok enough soppy stuff… I decided to dress up for the occasion (of course!) and was very excited to wear my newly op shopped Alannah Hill skirt. I don’t buy a lot of beaded/sequined stuff because it's so hard to clean, I hate hand washing so I normally just avoid buying it completely, but this skirt so sparkly, pretty and cheap I just couldn’t leave it behind!

Skirt: Good Sammies Osborne Park, $6

Top: Op shop

Belt: Op shop

Necklace: Gift

Shoes: Gorman

P.S It was absolutely impossible to find a wind-sheltered spot for outfit photos on Saturday arvo, I literally got blown off my feet a couple of times!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Only one week until my Christmas break begins but I’m definitely already in holiday mode. As the days heat up all I want to do is traipse around in loose clothing and bare feet, sipping G&Ts and eating fruit mince pies… actually I’d like to do that all year round please.  

I wore this outfit last weekend to visit Studio Bomba and check out On A Whim's new summer collection. Gosh they have some pretty stuff, I took home a simple cotton shirt in bright green (it's awesome), but their dresses and skirts are out of this world. I have my eye on a turquoise parachute skirt that one of the designers, Erin, was wearing. I must mention that to Santa! 

I told you I’d go ‘full peasant’ with this gorgeous vintage blouse eventually didn’t I?! To keep up with my 12 Outfits of Christmas I added a few glittery brooches to the band of my hat, got to have those festive sparkles somewhere!

Skirt: Mr Zimi

Top: Vintage, gift*

Belt: Vintage, gift*

Sandals: Op Shop

Hat: Op Shop

Brooches: Assorted, gifts and op shop

*How lucky am I to be getting all these gifts?! Word seems to have spread amongst my mums friends that I love a little vintage, so I’ve been getting lots of lovely clothes donated to me. My mum was considerably smaller then me when growing up and most of her gear from the 70s and 80s doesn’t fit (oh the tragedy!) so I feel truly spoilt to be receiving vintage treasures from some of her wonderful friends.

(Christmas) Party Time!

It’s Office Christmas Party time! I’m inordinately excited about my work Christmas do, it’s today and I can’t wait. Mostly I’m excited about drinking free champagne, but I’m also looking forward to relaxing in the sun, playing croquet with my colleagues and watching my Secret Santa open her gift. I’m still on my festive dressing kick, so I’m wearing this green printed dress, it’s actually ‘vintage’ Target (if you can call Target vintage…). It’s stinking hot today so a light cotton dress is all I feel like wearing.

I’m thrilled my hair is finally long enough to put it up in Heidi braids again. This is my favourite hot-weather style because it gets all the hair off my neck. As much as I've enjoyed the change having shorter hair brings, I'm definitely ready for my long locks again, I just don't know what to do with this weird mid-length hair!

Dress: Op shop

Sandals: Zara

Belt: Op shop (it's vintage Lanvin, ooh la la!)

Brooch: Gift
Bangles: Op shop

Braving the Shops

I braved the shops this weekend and dashed into Garden City to grab a few final Christmas gifts. I love Christmas but BOY do I hate the shops during this festive time. I hate crowds at the best of times, but during December things just get out of hand. Screaming children, sweaty mums, irritable shop staff and clueless men all weaving in and around each other, give me a quiet, messy little op shop any day! 

Visiting Garden City was a necessary evil, so I ran in and out and I made sure I was wearing my spiky brogues so I could kick someone in the shin if things got desperate (they didn't, dam). Thankfully I have now completed my Christmas shopping so I won't need to go back, phew!

When I was in Sydney recently I was eager to check out the Uniqlo store. I didn't know much about Uniqlo before going into their shop, but it was easy to see why everyone in Sydney seemed to be walking around with one of their red and white bags. The store was filled with classic shapes and basic designs in a rainbow of colours. They didn't have many printed items, but of course my eye flew to the small section of they did have and this Jonathan Adler print shirt came home with me. It's so lovely to wear and is the perfect thing to layer under my vintage Laura Ashley denim dress.

Dress: Op Shop 
Shirt: Uniqlo 
Brooch: Vintage
Shoes: Asos
Bag: Op Shop
Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana 

P.S In keeping with my 12 Outfits of Christmas I added some touches of red… red totally makes everything more Christmassy!

All The Trimmings

Have I told you how much I love Christmas? Yes? Well I’ll tell you again… I LOVE CHRISTMAS! The start of my festive season is always the day we decorate the tree at mum and dads house. They have a ridiculous collection of Christmas ornaments and decorations which have been amassed over the years; handed down from family members, collected while travelling and given as gifts. Each year my brother and I get to buy one more bauble to add to the tree, it’s one of our many Christmas traditions and I always look forward to it.

As this is the first of my 12 Outfits of Christmas I had to wear something nice and festive, so red and white were definitely in order. The scarf in my hair didn’t last long though, it was quickly replaced with a Santa hat and some tinsel.

One of the many reasons I love December is that it’s finally acceptable for me to start wearing all of my novelty Christmas themed brooches (I have a few), this one is particularly gaudy and tacky, I love it! There is a little switch on the back and the wreath lights up!

Skirt: Vinnies Claremont $6

Top: Op Shop

Scarf: Op Shop

Shoes: Melissa

Brooch: Red Dot

First outfit of Christmas