Learning

My Dad always says "the sun will come up tomorrow" and he's right. 

But "even sunshine burns if you get too much".

How terribly sad is that?!

Found on instagram

How low can you go?

I can go low, very low. Low carb, that is*.

How good does that salad look?

Absolutely phenomenal - and it tastes even better!

I've been a fan of The Londoner for ages now and am working my way through her recipes. Beth put me on to this winner after I'd dabbled with the Travelling Noodles over the school holidays. They were a hit and a half, I'll tell you that much!

See here for the recipe.

Anyway, thanks to my spiffy new spiralizer, I'm discovering all sorts of delicious vegetable pairings.

This low carb pad thai is a cracker and packed with flavour - and all things nutritious.

Recipe follows below, but in the spirit of transparency and being authentic, I thought I should include a pic of my attempt below. It's not pretty, but it packed a punch! A very picky and hard to please friend rated it 9/10 on Sunday night. That's good enough for me!

When you eat it with chopsticks, it even feels like a naughty takeaway deal. Fun!

To make enough for two generous portions, you’ll need:

• 1 Cucumber
• 2 Large carrots
• 2 Spring onions
• 1 Handful of fresh coriander
• 1 Handful of fresh mint
• 1 Handful of peanuts (roughly chopped/smashed)
• A couple of handfuls of shredded chicken/beef/duck/prawn/tofu/omelette/whatever you fancy!

Dressing:

• Juice of 1 lime
• 3tbsp Sesame oil
• 3tbsp Soy sauce
• 1tbsp Fish sauce
• 1tbsp chilli flakes
• 1tsbp honey
• 1 Clove of garlic

Start by turning your carrots and cucumber into noodles/ribbons. Pop them into a large bowl. I added zucchini as well - it's a  bit firmer than the cucumber and not as watery, I really like it - adds a  bit more crunch.

Use a pair of scissors to snip the spring onions over the top.

Add your protein. I went all out on Sunday and did egg omelette, prawns and chicken. Delish!

Snip over your coriander and mint.

I also like to add bean sprouts for a bit of extra crunch.

Dressing

Peel your garlic, add the rest of the ingredients. Shake/whisk until combined. Pour over salad.

Top with crushed peanuts and serve. Ah-mazing.

Recipe from here

*But only on the odd occasion, fear not! Nothing beats carbs for ultimate comfort meal :)

Happy days

Have you ever had one of those ultimate weekends? Where life just can't get any better and you thank your lucky stars for all the good?

I just had one. And I'm tickled pink.

It all started on Friday night when I went to my first soccer game at AAMI Park. I'm not really into 'football' in this form, but being the sports fan I am and living in the heart of Melbourne's sports precinct, I was keen to give it a go. And Adelaide United was playing, so happy to jump on that bandwagon.

We won.

Then Saturday morning I got up bright and early and took the dog for a walk - I was housesitting in Hawthorn East which is a lovely suburb not far from my house and I cherished the opportunity to have a furry friend around. We went to get a coffee and kick start our day at 7.30am before heading over to celebrate my precious Goddaughter's first birthday with breakfast.

Love her to bits.

Her Mum Bree is a superstar and whipped up a gourmet feast to line my stomach for the day ahead. Eggs, chorizo, avocado, tomato and feta. TDF. So much fun with the kidlets.

Then it was back home to prep for Derby Day. The weather threw things into a bit of a spin and I had to rethink my hair style, but we got there in the end - thanks to a YouTube tutorial on how to do my makeup! 

Looks terrible in the pic below, but it was so much fun to do and I'm led to believe it looked better in real life (albeit not much like a Victoria's Secret Angel!) . . .

Didn't Em look hot? I have such pretty friends!

Derby Day was great, we were based in The Nursery and gorged ourselves on chicken sandwiches and champagne all day. We were hosted by the gorgeous McKinnon family and I was over the moon when Clare told me her cousin reads this little old thing. Who would've thought?! I have a reader out there who isn't a blood relative or friend of my Mum's!?

Randomly bumped into my dear friend Alice on the train platform on the way home which was a gift from the Gods - I was worried we'd never manage to catch up that night. 

Obligatory train selfie below . . .

Rocking the red lips, Acey! 

Then Sunday was a day of rest - of sorts. I was still housesitting so indulged in a Foxtel marathon (Say Yes to the Dress is my new fave!) and then went shopping with Lill to soothe the hangover. Thank goodness for burritos.

Caught up with Alice again Sunday night for drinks at City Wine Bar then dinner at Lucy Liu's followed by nightcap at Eau de Vie.

Wow, we look tired (but so brown and gorge, Acey!)

Monday morning saw Alice get up with the sparrows at 4.30am to catch the red eye back to Brisbane and I managed a few more hours sleep before dragging myself out of bed for a run. Good girl, Kate.

Such gorgeous (and rare) weather called for lunch outdoors so Melissa and I treated ourselves to a couple of hours at Porgie & Mr Jones whilst debriefing the races. Monday night called for some serious couch time and a Breaking Bad marathon (I'm hooked - half way through Season 4. It's so addictive!).

Tuesday was a bit manic preparing for a Melbourne Cup Day BBQ with new friends - made my new favourite Ottolenghi salad (recipe to come) and drank far too much champagne. Retired to the couch for more Breaking Bad last night. I can't help myself.

And that's it! How good!? A seriously fun weekend with seriously fun people and events. Lots to add to the gratitude board.

 Thank you Melbourne for your glorious public holiday (and work for the free day off on Monday!) How did your (long) weekends fare?

And what are you grateful for?

xx

LIKEtoKNOW:IT

I love the thought of being an entrepreneur. Identifying a hole in the market and solving a problem.

Well, it's hats off to the team behind LIKEtoKNOW:IT, a new program that taps into instagram to connect consumers with retailers through the power of fashion bloggers.

It's so simple, why didn't I think of it? (Um, because I'm an IT nufty who lacks any motivation!)

What is it, I hear you ask?

Basically, you know what it's like when you see a gorgeous dress in an instagram pic and wonder 'where did you get that? Well, now you can not only find out where they got it, but get a link straight through to wherever they bought it. Brilliant!

And the best bit? They're mostly American labels which I've never heard of. It's like opening the door to a secret garden . . . so many brands at your fingertips.

You might have you noticed the little www.liketk.it URLs appearing in the description of some of your favourite instagrammers. This is gold, people. 

But how do you tap into this fabulous new world of online shopping? Super dooper easily, my friends.

The basic steps are below . . .

1. Sign up for LIKEtoKNOW.IT here
2. Like an Instagram photo with a www.liketk.it link at the bottom (ie double tap)
3. Receive ready-to shop product links via email (it'll change your world)

My inbox is FULL of emails from liketk.it,  I'm like a 'like' addict on Instagram now. It's opened up a whole new world to me - a dangerous and potentially expensive world - but a fun one.

Go forth and prosper, ladies xx

Playing dress up

 

Okay, so we've all seen it already but I couldn't help myself.

 

I do get a bit gushy with a gorgeous country landscape. Just wish dear old Isabel had a gorgey brother we could perve on. Nothing like a bloke in RMs, moleskins and an Akubra to get the heart racing.

 

I digress.

 

This is my pick from the collection. My friend Alice had already emailed it through to me before the Country Road email landed in my inbox. We are on the same page, this Alice and I.

 

 

Buy it here.

 

I want to get a felt hat for Winter. I think it will be very 'Melbourne' of me - but I don't want to look like a try-hard. The name on everyone's lips is lack of color (the spelling annoys me, especially  because it's an Australian brand) so I'm keen to invest and experiment. Surely black is safe and I'll totes look the part? Yay or neigh, friends?

 

 

 

Shop it here (sans saucy bra thing)

 

Speaking of hats and looking the part, think I need one of these beauties for the footy (don't mention Sunday's game, but we can talk about the Showdown for a bit longer yet can't we!?)

 

 

 

Question is, which colour? Isn't Tina a scream? Couldn't ask for a better model for Lady Chatterley's Affair than the pretty lady herself.

 

Beat the rush and get your mitts on a beanie yourself here.

 

xx

 

 

 

 

Wine time, or vodka even

 

TGIF ladies! We made it!

 

Heading out with the girls tonight and I'm especially thirsty. Dashing home from work to slick on some lippy and slip on some heels. Luckily my morning blow dry has *almost* held.

 

Loved this quote I found on the sheshopped instagram the other night. That Lucy Cornes is a crack up!

 

The mood I'm in, I might need my friends to confiscate my phone . . . #trouble

 

Happy weekend lovers xx

 

PS. Go the Power! We're having a Mexican Showdown party to celebrate the first game at Adelaide Oval tomorrow. I'll share the famous pulled pork recipe with you next week . . . if Liam lets me!

Meet Shuggie

You know me and how much I love finding a new blog to get my teeth stuck into.

And you also know how much I love making new friends.

Well, I managed to combine the two in my first two weeks in Melbourne (I'll get to New York later, patience people!).

Lill introduced me to Shuggie, this mythical character I'd heard so much about - "She's my Melbourne version of you" Lill tells me.

So we finally met and she was every bit the awesome Lill made her out to be.

AND she let us set up a blog for her to document her travels to Mexico! How cool!

How many tacos can one girl eat?
How many trinketts can one girl buy?
She's worth 4 million camels in Morocco-
how does that translate into Llamas?
Will she actually use this blog?

Let's find out!

Shuggie has a way with words - reading her blog is like being on an adventure with her. And she takes food pics - even of potatoes in jars. A girl after my own heart.

So check her out, it's a great read and you're sure to have a giggle (and don't you just love her blog design? Snaps to you Lill!)

Finding my Inner Mexican

xx

A vision

Feel like treating your eyes to a visionary feast?

Well, head to Black & Spiro's freshly launched website.

www.blackandspiro.com.au

It's beyond beautiful.

I've come in to work to tidy up a few things before I leave and I've been here for nearly an hour and still haven't opened any emails or actioned any items on my list. I've been distracted. But do you blame me?

Check it out now and read about it on Anna's blog here.

Like sand through the hourglass

Talk about living the American dream.

Sarah Vickers and Kiel James Patrick (and their entourage) live a storybook life - if their blogs are anything to go by.

I'd quite happily swap my wardrobe for Sarah's - her outfits are perfection. Classically simple. And her hair's always effortlessly chic.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall to see what they really get up to in their everyday life. Do they lead as much a charmed life as their carefree photos suggest?

In the meantime, I'll stay fixed to the computer screen for daily updates of their dreamboat life.

Hello petal

Most of my friends are turning 3-Oh this year and I'm soon to join the Club in May.

I'm always on the hunt for unique and personal pressies for my friends and family and was so so so excited when the fabulous Pip Boydell agreed to do a commissioned piece for my darling friend Bree's birthday.

I got all the girls from school involved (thanks JB, Gemmal, Kib and Jo) and put in a special order for a peony - Bree's favourite flower and her bridal bloom.

Pip did a phenomenal job. She has so much attention to detail and I love it to bits. It's so beautiful in real life, these pics just don't do it justice (so you can imagine how exquisite is in the flesh!).

Peonies seem to be the flavour of the month with Pip working on another peony recently (third pic down). Aren't they just the most perfect flowers?

Make sure you check out Pip's blog for other examples of her work. I'm saving my pennies for a painting of my own one day.

Thank you Pip, it's a really special gift that I know Bree will love forever x

Take charge

Like I needed any more justification to be a 'yes' girl . . .

From The Londoner, my new fave blog thanks to an introduction by Sally x

Figuring it out

Totally loved The Everygirl article today about acting your age.

It's like she took the words right out of my mouth . . .

 Is it more uncomfortable to reach 30 without those milestones? Or is it this way for every woman, no matter her relationship status, job position, number of dependents on her taxes? So maybe that’s makes me want to lie and say I’m 26 when I’m out late on a Monday night dancing to Motown music and drinking a PBR. Because those other, ‘30-ish’ things aren’t a reality for me yet. And maybe because I have a suspicion that people are more comfortable with that single, childless, woman at a bar being closer to 20 than 30. But maybe (hopefully) I’m wrong. I certainly know plenty of fabulous women in their 30s who would say so.

Love your work, Lyndsay.

Read the full story here.

Say cheese!

Looking to add some fun to your Christmas Day?

Why not capture the magic of the day with a DIY photo booth?

Great ideas from Oh Happy Day here . . . and the free printable templates are even included!

We'll be sillying it up at my folks' place this year, can't wait to get my merry on and rope the oldies into some pics! I've also got a gorgeous big gold empty picture frame that will really top it off. 

Stay tuned for the end results!

Click here to download for yourself.

Sending out an SOS

If you're anything like me, then you always need a new project to work towards, something to look forward to on the horizon. 

Don't get me wrong, I definitely live in the 'now' but I like having something to dream about, plan for and use as an excuse (if only to myself) for spending hours surfing the net.

New Zealand is the next big adventure for me, but Lou and Fern have our itinerary all sorted so I'm going to indulge in being totally looked after without having to think. It'll be total switch off holiday mode which is just what the doctor ordered for me at the moment.

So beyond that, it's my 30th which has lots of elements to consider. Of course, there's my partay which still has me very confused but I'll get to that in another post down the track.

Then there's also plans for an exciting US of A adventure with Emma!

First of all, I'm hitting up NYC with my parents (did someone say Bridget Jones?) but then Em and I are setting off a preppy tour of the States.

But we're kind of stumped, so much to fit in in so little time! We're starting on the East Coast and then want to spend time in the South before ending up in San Fran, Vegas and LA.

Any must sees, people?

We're thinking of hiring a car and want to hit up Palm Springs, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland etc. 

We really need a 'Preppy Guide to the US' - surely there's one out there! No doubt penned by Sarah Vickers or Devon Baer or someone equally as fabulous!

And there are so many hot spots we want to fit in including shops made famous by blogs - take Furbish Studio for example. I adore isuwanee. Can you imagine seeing this place in the flesh!?

So, any suggestions dear readers!?

Pop goes the weasel

Have you heard?

It's so exciting!

Brown Button Trading is going 'real life'!

The gorgeous Kimberlee is holding a Pop Up Shop in a few weeks' time, perfect lead up to Christmas.

She'll have all the BBT goodies we know and love, pre-wrapped to make your life easier.

And did I mention there'll be bubbles!? Perfect.

If you're in the Adelaide hood, drop Kimbo an email and she'll send you through all the deets so you can head along.

A touch of pink

Look at these pretties that Miss Hunter from navy & orange found over at dustjacket attic.

I love what she had to say about needing a girly bachelorette pad before moving in with a boyfriend.

I've definitely got the girly down pat! Just need to work on the boy . . .

With compliments

Look at this totally delicious living room that Sally just sent me through.

She said it reminds her of my place. Biggest compliment EVAH!

I've got a long way to go but this is total inspiration from none other than Rita Konig.

If only I had a magic wand and could wave it over my shoebox of a unit to transform it into this beauty . . .

Oscar de la Wow

If I could choose one designer to design my wedding dress, it would be Oscar de la Renta.

His work is ah-mazing.

Remember the pink Oscar the Russian gives Carrie?

I've had two bridesmaid dresses based on one of his wedding dress designs.

And then Lady Chatterley herself introduced me via Pinterest to the most FABULOUS dress ever. I don't think I've ever seen a dress that's more 'me'.

Check. It. Out.

Hello lover.

There are so many more pretties in his RTW Spring 2013 Collection. Take a peek . . .

Sweet tooth fairy

I love a food blog as much as I love Wednesday nights on the couch with Farmer Wants a Wife on telly. Possibly even more.

On my usual Pinterest stalking adventures the other night, I came across a fabulous Pin by Miss Brown Button herself . . . an iced vovo cake.

I followed the links through and found myself at what only could be described as Heaven.

Raspberri Cupcakes is my new favourite blog. I have an unhealthy obsession with it. The strange bit is that I'm not much of a sweet tooth, yet the pics of these masterpieces have been drooling on my keyboard.

Stephanie's very clever recreations of chocolate bar and biscuit classics have me most impressed. Whether it's the Tim Tam cake or Rolo cake, she manages to reinvent a family favourite for the fussiest of cake lovers.

I think I'd like to put in an order for that trifle next year. The only one I know who'd be up to it is Anna.

Do you accept the challenge, Miss P?

xo

Pics from here