tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81006640066112022182024-03-19T01:50:00.702-07:00BlossBlosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-22861369072949767362013-08-15T07:13:00.001-07:002013-08-15T07:13:10.544-07:00Geek Chic<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div style='width:400px;margin:0 auto'><div style='position:relative;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/geek_chic/set?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=93911341' target='_blank'><img force='1' border='0' height='754' title='Geek Chic' src='http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/DLNSMibutHS04TYA2Mk7hg/cid/93911341/id/jLWdfvSERq_zmGpIaJf2Ow/size/c400x754.jpg' alt='Geek Chic' width='400'/></a></div></div><br/><div style='text-align:center'><small><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/geek_chic/set?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=93911341' target='_blank'>Geek Chic</a> by <a href='http://ronniebear.polyvore.com/?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger' target='_blank'>ronniebear</a> featuring a <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/mango_cardigan/shop?query=mango+cardigan' target='_blank'>mango cardigan</a></small></div><div style='width:400px;margin:0 auto'><small><div style='padding-top:16px'><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=90047791' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/90047791.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=90047791' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Mango cardigan</a><br/>$54 - johnlewis.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=84322957' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/84322957.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=84322957' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Black sweater</a><br/>$17 - thehut.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=84239439' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/84239439.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=84239439' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Influence full length skirt</a><br/>$15 - thehut.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=88018790' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/88018790.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=88018790' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>H&M shining boots</a><br/>$46 - hm.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=89375393' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/89375393.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=89375393' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Vintage black sunglasses</a><br/>glassesusa.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=85976578' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/85976578.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=85976578' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Miss selfridge</a><br/>missselfridge.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p></div></small></div></div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-24021838561458829602013-08-15T07:06:00.001-07:002013-08-15T07:06:24.768-07:00Combat Boots<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div style='width:400px;margin:0 auto'><div style='position:relative;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/combat_boots/set?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=93910805' target='_blank'><img force='1' border='0' height='788' title='Combat Boots' src='http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/uVu6UX4jQAvXthlmfKZAQ/cid/93910805/id/84MkBo93Q_C6AUQNBBfRnA/size/c400x788.jpg' alt='Combat Boots' width='400'/></a></div></div><br/><div style='text-align:center'><small><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/combat_boots/set?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=93910805' target='_blank'>Combat Boots</a> by <a href='http://ronniebear.polyvore.com/?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger' target='_blank'>ronniebear</a> featuring <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/black_leather_ankle_booties/shop?query=black+leather+ankle+booties' target='_blank'>black leather ankle booties</a></small></div><div style='width:400px;margin:0 auto'><small><div style='padding-top:16px'><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=89965334' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/89965334.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=89965334' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Valentino brown cardigan</a><br/>$600 - theoutnet.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=90193462' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/90193462.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=90193462' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Topshop highwaisted skinny jeans</a><br/>topshop.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=89182908' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/89182908.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=89182908' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Ann Demeulemeester black leather ankle booties</a><br/>monamoore.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=88837169' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/88837169.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=88837169' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Flap messenger bag</a><br/>aeropostale.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p><p style='clear:both;margin:0em;padding:0px'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=88043002' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><img force='1' height='50' style='border:1px solid #cccccc;margin:0 8px 8px 0;padding:2px;background-color:#ffffff;' src='http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/88043002.jpg' hspace='4' align='left' width='50'/></a><div style='margin-bottom:8px;text-align:left;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=1553565&.svc=blogger&id=88043002' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>H M black infinity scarf</a><br/>$12 - hm.com<br/><br style='display:none'/></div></p></div></small></div></div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-70972923450746968122011-08-24T07:39:00.000-07:002011-08-24T07:39:47.849-07:00Bursts of Colour<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spring is almost here, and I for one can't wait!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had a b!tch of a year, and spring heralds the coming of the end!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've noticed a great look around the blogging traps recently.. bright splashes of colour with charcoals, blacks and navy..</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the spirit of spring colour bursts, I "invested" (:D as if my hubby will buy that!) in a bright yellow leather satchel -down to $29 from asos, with an extra 20% off</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEEK8LQkUwXb_R13zdh0V-Uhm-wznUTHqN4xP0iKHpIeqoPeV_6w5IWXGKyU7FGkPVCy_cAfja1VEHRdqJBzSy3fwI7kigmjWgEStM4dcFUGpK9ZCfDFLttNLbOWaW2o1tT8Y1PyJvRNI/s1600/asos+wearer+satchel+yellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEEK8LQkUwXb_R13zdh0V-Uhm-wznUTHqN4xP0iKHpIeqoPeV_6w5IWXGKyU7FGkPVCy_cAfja1VEHRdqJBzSy3fwI7kigmjWgEStM4dcFUGpK9ZCfDFLttNLbOWaW2o1tT8Y1PyJvRNI/s320/asos+wearer+satchel+yellow.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My New Cute ASOS Yellow leather Satchel </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best thing about this particular satchel, is I can probably remove the strap and use it as a bright clutch :)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't wait for it to arrive </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-55801726579005219522011-08-06T01:24:00.000-07:002011-08-06T01:24:03.020-07:00Martha Stewart Tissue Paper Pom-Poms<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our lounge room is great {I promise I'll do a renovation special soon} </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We renovated a 1950s apartment that had been relatively untouched since the early 60s - the apartment resembled the inside of a caravan with faux wood panelling and concertina doors.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhoo, there was just something missing above the dining table. There isn't really provisions to put a pendant light over it, and I wouldn't want to in case we want to move the table one day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like the look of <a href="http://www.mattblatt.com.au/Pendants/Replica-Britt-Kornum-Norm-03-Pendant-Lamp-Large.aspx?p2968c4">this</a> and due to the reason outlined above, thought I would make Martha Stewart's <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to#slide_0">Tissue Paper Pom-Poms</a> and attach one with transparent thread to the ceiling as we have clever white wood panels embedded with down lights on our ceiling.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I purchased transparent thread ($3), white tissue paper ($1) and got to work.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the finished look, unfortunately Hubby doesn't love it, so, it probably won't last long, but it was fun and at least I know I can make this sort of thing for parties and the like in future :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check it out!! </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqHaaF21IdE8ua-dDXf_ZWvYX653ZrzvzlmmxYsxDu1EvHXICDR4YIrIrOSLcnjfvaO7zFFM1OuU2qBJF1AXlUcBmAU1OF1odzpeNn-3ZOOpSpWKX3t4eA57aw2gD6GsRbGnnq13Py77o/s1600/blog+070711+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqHaaF21IdE8ua-dDXf_ZWvYX653ZrzvzlmmxYsxDu1EvHXICDR4YIrIrOSLcnjfvaO7zFFM1OuU2qBJF1AXlUcBmAU1OF1odzpeNn-3ZOOpSpWKX3t4eA57aw2gD6GsRbGnnq13Py77o/s320/blog+070711+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close Up White Tissue Paper Pom-Pom</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzdO_Six-O51IDQXCqG9dDUxyFI5fD1j2vkwvOYTW9tAiXOirJ2zShd1OblbfwFDfWH6bYzPH4c8eZ6jSmaBGEy4FSQV2tj3UWJfV1MH0y3ve0qHGd6trFdUYt3NwuGJ9LsBz34ITfp8W/s1600/blog+070711+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzdO_Six-O51IDQXCqG9dDUxyFI5fD1j2vkwvOYTW9tAiXOirJ2zShd1OblbfwFDfWH6bYzPH4c8eZ6jSmaBGEy4FSQV2tj3UWJfV1MH0y3ve0qHGd6trFdUYt3NwuGJ9LsBz34ITfp8W/s320/blog+070711+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hanging over the Dining Table</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-38424296062231454952011-08-04T15:57:00.000-07:002011-08-04T15:57:00.254-07:00Red Lips... revisited<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlevx4gmLMoZ-yz6PdfMDs4yqa151CkKLcGZjOu3NKfCnkcmRVm7u0aHnGl1edLk2DbR2iXP2zix1iFEyLOQWtHd3Ebq8iNkajkf6TEvdzYqTMqGjJ9tEi1KuP94Wb_DhvjcnbzdPDVby/s1600/blog+070711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlevx4gmLMoZ-yz6PdfMDs4yqa151CkKLcGZjOu3NKfCnkcmRVm7u0aHnGl1edLk2DbR2iXP2zix1iFEyLOQWtHd3Ebq8iNkajkf6TEvdzYqTMqGjJ9tEi1KuP94Wb_DhvjcnbzdPDVby/s320/blog+070711.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>From Left to Right:</b> Revlon ColorStay Lipstick #345 Red Velvet, Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain in "Gothic", L'Oreal Colour Riche lip liner in "Always Red"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Awhile ago I was musing over red lips and whether they were for me..</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After numerous gorgeous photos of girls on their style blogs with "popping" red lips, and trying a few things, I've found a couple of products that I love.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in "Gothic"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lovely lip stain.. covered with a lip balm layer - great colour, pretty good coverage, but I found it does need reapplication after eating/drinking.. I found it on eBay for around $10 including postage.. bargain!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Revlon ColorStay - #345 Red Velvet - I LOOVE this range, and this colour is exactly what I was looking for in a red lippy - it's just the right shade not too orange, not too dark.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And</i> I found it at a clearance outlet for $10 Along with a L'Oreal Colour Riche lip liner in "Always Red" for $7</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKayWR5Y-nsAzkz2XZzJzLBtLgNliNiMgUyWgMZSF6_JX8QbBU0l7Sc7oiLIgTjGwKgOr94UFsTpUtZHQKhVXLxwxyWwplNP-E2Pvx3kDyc0w7Fjjj0QeMCg7m4R2r1vqzXrohyssHS064/s1600/Blog+050711+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKayWR5Y-nsAzkz2XZzJzLBtLgNliNiMgUyWgMZSF6_JX8QbBU0l7Sc7oiLIgTjGwKgOr94UFsTpUtZHQKhVXLxwxyWwplNP-E2Pvx3kDyc0w7Fjjj0QeMCg7m4R2r1vqzXrohyssHS064/s320/Blog+050711+008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-70721268281011987492011-08-03T19:22:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:22:00.506-07:00Checking In<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love gingham.. it looks so kitsch, and so when I saw Kendi wearing <a href="http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/2011/04/checks-please.html">this</a> outfit on her blog, I "needed" a similar shirt... desperately!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But where to find one?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I searched eBay Australia to no avail, then found a couple of J Crew Check shirts in the US, but shipping was prohibitively expensive.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then one happy day, while walking around BigW, I looked in the menswear section to see if they had any checked shirts there... and to my surprise, there was a check shirt - large navy gingham checked, just like I had wanted for $19!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Needless to say, I didn't waste any time thinking about it.. I bought it straight away :D</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevp0Q77BNFXDZE2BZEKkgghYzNYsvPn7Zbwt6AXpdco63LpyxM_ePS9vm6271jDx_wU9nzGC1T6gj4TovP_53QoN2yYHMMkIvPQCsiGwStounBYoj8sAUfqlpnx7tdK5cxVdXrDEhE85q/s1600/blog+060711+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevp0Q77BNFXDZE2BZEKkgghYzNYsvPn7Zbwt6AXpdco63LpyxM_ePS9vm6271jDx_wU9nzGC1T6gj4TovP_53QoN2yYHMMkIvPQCsiGwStounBYoj8sAUfqlpnx7tdK5cxVdXrDEhE85q/s320/blog+060711+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Very Own "Kendi" style Check Shirt!</span></td></tr>
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</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-89406862362241965152011-08-01T18:55:00.000-07:002011-08-01T18:55:00.129-07:00Swimsuit Review: I heart 2 Chillies(<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not paid or perked for this, but just wanted to share a couple of my fave swimsuits)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you might know, I LOOOOOVE reading fashion/style blogs.. and seeing as a few of my faves are in the US, I'm always thinking about summer when it's winter here in Australia; and thinking about winter when it's summer here in Australia.. gaaah!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess an upside to this situation is that I have a few bits and pieces ready to go for the upcoming season because I've lusted after them after seeing them on someone else's blog in the US.. anyhoo, I digress...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just wanted to share a couple of my favourite swimsuits in the interest of me dwelling on warmer weather during the chilly winter day we're having right now in Melbourne town.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the swimwear label 2 Chillies a couple of years ago quite by accident. I was looking for a new swimsuit and the usual suspects like Seafolly were over $100 which was a bit too much for me on a student budget.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Chillies is an Australian Brand and RRP is usually around $60-70 for a one piece.. but there's a twist.. They make cute, colourful one pieces that look like a 2 piece from the back.. So there's tummy coverage if you're not comfy enough to wear a bikini, but they're just a little out of the ordinary so you don't feel as though you're wearing the same as everyone else.. and because of the bright colours I don't feel like I'm wearing the "I don't know what else to buy so I'll wear a black or navy swimsuit" uniform.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, if you prefer bikinis, you can find them by 2 Chillies too.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few of my faves.. {some of them you may still be able to find on <a href="http://www.zodee.com.au/">Zodee</a> or <a href="http://www.trixanbody.com.au/">Trixan Body</a>}</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsA1MIUJXnuded3ql-Na1idOgIwu_cD3kjp5K66D15raAcm1pxfhy9Qpo6K3gs_bsRe07uFXuegAdpf3sBXx2qSeKG2G3-vmsmVUMT1Qa__UktjNUFnSqkdplmyhNL0UzTte8tc6s-Vvs/s1600/Blog+050711+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsA1MIUJXnuded3ql-Na1idOgIwu_cD3kjp5K66D15raAcm1pxfhy9Qpo6K3gs_bsRe07uFXuegAdpf3sBXx2qSeKG2G3-vmsmVUMT1Qa__UktjNUFnSqkdplmyhNL0UzTte8tc6s-Vvs/s320/Blog+050711+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Chillies Rosetta One Piece</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2sXOvwIurkihg_hwBt0PFCGd1dg09iUvIDLF8u74hDxFBvMYPVtBxYmT0JpECeFdnekQJjRKFjBUE7cGksCvHa5xaUrD75l9fWxqJJOytLtqxqJ1VYbX4cZt5mmYymCHxQtiaRNQ7Fnv/s1600/Blog+050711+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2sXOvwIurkihg_hwBt0PFCGd1dg09iUvIDLF8u74hDxFBvMYPVtBxYmT0JpECeFdnekQJjRKFjBUE7cGksCvHa5xaUrD75l9fWxqJJOytLtqxqJ1VYbX4cZt5mmYymCHxQtiaRNQ7Fnv/s320/Blog+050711+025.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Chillies Sierra One Piece</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've worn both of these a few times and feel secure, the fabric is good enough quality that it isn't transparent when wet and they feel GREAT on. The Sierra one piece does also come in white with the same floral design, but I don't know how this would fare with regard to transparency when wet after swimming.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Chillies - my fave swimwear label - Go Aussie!</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-61869219128857848012011-07-29T03:35:00.000-07:002011-07-29T03:35:00.283-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 10: The Cake<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV6BEnNub40SMeqSLeUfRFjYSNhrZPRGIFbt3w5-Ycf3dW2oOzH7pLGP3S-oPcCZnhC9pCoIHv1OZRY01pCUwbGDwZfRi76lDzJBbBjxXxFrZLbqey-pBsV-cdpegnkEw89_r7auggp9b/s1600/Wedding+050711+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV6BEnNub40SMeqSLeUfRFjYSNhrZPRGIFbt3w5-Ycf3dW2oOzH7pLGP3S-oPcCZnhC9pCoIHv1OZRY01pCUwbGDwZfRi76lDzJBbBjxXxFrZLbqey-pBsV-cdpegnkEw89_r7auggp9b/s320/Wedding+050711+030.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our chocolate mud Cupcakes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding Cake</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were incredibly lucky that my sister in law made our cake for us as a wedding gift.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have someone in your life who is talented with baking, this is a great way to save some $ on the wedding budget, and you can ask them to make it as a wedding gift, which will likely make them feel very special (or nervous! :D)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We decided we would like a cupcake tower as opposed to a traditional wedding cake, and my sister in law made our cupcakes from chocolate mud cake {apparently at the time of baking, her house smelt like Willy Wonka farted!}</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each cupcake was wrapped in dark red ribbon and the entire thing placed on a specially made tiered cake tower. She did a beautiful job and we really loved it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To save even more, we used our beautiful cake as dessert, and for $1 per head, Ballara Receptions plated each guest's cupcake individually with some cream and berry coulis.. just gorgeous! This meant we paid a lot less per head, as dessert was supplied by us.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the final in the series of 10 posts about our wedding savings.. I hope that some of the things I learned along the way are helpful and can minimise some stress and help a few couples start off married life without a whole big mess of debt hanging over their heads.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations to all of you getting married - I hope you thoroughly enjoy the ride!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>**Please do let me know if you have any specific questions that I can attempt to answer**</i></span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-88105849994465247242011-07-27T03:34:00.000-07:002011-07-27T03:34:01.085-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 9: Transportation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvJZT-Qdt3FXEZnaIAWlZ4OU5sojwWwqEKB8VxJGYRO2bufkuboHXBhJBo97t9L1-Ipres8lcxTW6JfOkVsib0jdmA8prXpnBkPbxf6CbJFgseert8y2PHNP9qmJdKboWjp52oCsd7Mof/s1600/Wedding+050711+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvJZT-Qdt3FXEZnaIAWlZ4OU5sojwWwqEKB8VxJGYRO2bufkuboHXBhJBo97t9L1-Ipres8lcxTW6JfOkVsib0jdmA8prXpnBkPbxf6CbJFgseert8y2PHNP9qmJdKboWjp52oCsd7Mof/s320/Wedding+050711+029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Wedding Car - it rained on our wedding day which made for Gorgeous photos</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As with the theme you're probably noticing in these wedding posts, we wanted something that looked gorgeous and classy, but really didn't want to spend big $ on hiring a guy to drive us in a car then wait around for hours for us.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I looked into the option of hiring a luxury car, and getting family members to drive us to the wedding.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We ended up hiring a couple of Audis from <a href="http://www.europcar.com.au/">Europcar</a> which was great, because I could book them online, we didn't need to pay any deposit (cash flow when organising a wedding can become problematic when you're constantly paying deposits all over the place) - we just had to pay when we picked up both cars.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We picked up the cars the day before the wedding and organised for an uncle to drive the bridesmaids, and my brother to drive my dad and myself. The bridal car was hired for 2 days so we could drive away in it after the reception to our wedding night accommodation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It ended up costing us a few hundred dollars for 2 luxury cars that looked smashing with the white wedding ribbon attached on the day!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>**Please note, some car hire companies don't hire their cars for weddings due to past damage in similar circumstances, and at the time we hired from Europcar we disclosed to them they were for a wedding which was ok, but their policy may not be the same now.. please check before you hire**</i></span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-54208482059766038622011-07-25T03:34:00.000-07:002011-07-25T03:34:00.229-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 8: Invitations<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding Invitations - things I've learned..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to town with our invites.. I had a ball! We had an 18 month engagement, and it was a great distractor from my studies.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watching my sister and other girlfriends go through the DIY route of making wedding invitations made me realise that it really depends on you as to whether the potential savings are worth it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you enjoy DIY, go for it. But if you're time poor, and DIY is frustrating, I really think it's worth paying to get your invitations professionally made.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made a layered look cardboard invite, and paid a lot of money only for a few sheets of beautiful printed paper, securing it to the cheaper office grade ivory card I found at Officeworks.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I printed the invitation details on tracing paper - as it was a lot cheaper for a pad of tracing paper than the "vellum" that is used usually.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to gift box our invites, but couldnt afford boxes at $2-3 each, so I found a template online for boxes and set about making my own with cardboard, a guillotine and a hot glue gun.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of our invitations were hand delivered, so postage wasn't really a hassle for the few that needed to be posted in this box.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o64UHAD2tlLDJT_eVj7LsY8SrJgwxhFoytbzCHNYIgzSh6gqY_NMdzg9ZE6YdBVEMDF-zMebeorZwLhE1dx98CSOf6WNW8V7bRRe8KPpf8MGF2ezeTKjjAhathPRz_xhCWQ8_TN0iUWt/s1600/RP092a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o64UHAD2tlLDJT_eVj7LsY8SrJgwxhFoytbzCHNYIgzSh6gqY_NMdzg9ZE6YdBVEMDF-zMebeorZwLhE1dx98CSOf6WNW8V7bRRe8KPpf8MGF2ezeTKjjAhathPRz_xhCWQ8_TN0iUWt/s320/RP092a.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to flip this up the right way! And it looks a bit butchered when removing the addressee's details - never mind: at least you can get some idea of how it looked</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3vZz5TcCiPG4ltmHR5l_LbO446KJKRQGUm9XgdtlqSP8iQOP3snewb46qcUDRvI2vEDI1vy5rNUhAoFVdzCiSHVH2clbyq7IVG1Vomy1KmxMWb4NH-vyqVce8D4hJknGajqNL-RZFBhs/s1600/RP089a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3vZz5TcCiPG4ltmHR5l_LbO446KJKRQGUm9XgdtlqSP8iQOP3snewb46qcUDRvI2vEDI1vy5rNUhAoFVdzCiSHVH2clbyq7IVG1Vomy1KmxMWb4NH-vyqVce8D4hJknGajqNL-RZFBhs/s320/RP089a.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The box our invitations came in, wrapped with vintage style lace and ribbon, with the Addressee's name on a cute handmade tag.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Important bits and pieces to help you DIY:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. Font: I loved the look of Copperplate Gothic Light in capitals mixed with Edwardian Script -both from Microsoft Word</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2. Inexpensive Ribbon: I found cheap ribbon on eBay in bulk from <a href="http://stores.ebay.com.au/DEclipse-Craft-Garden?_rdc=1">DEclipse-Craft-Garden</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. Card stock, tracing paper, brads (pins to secure paper together) from Officeworks</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4. Hot glue gun and glue sticks: from Spotlight or Lincraft</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-37040088941209124632011-07-23T03:12:00.000-07:002011-07-23T03:12:00.929-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 7: Flowers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSfgfwDu6XntC1ZIWyWS7KScawXUca-pghuLurOPmCcZJnhVO_KrODN11GocsJlOEyJj6wJgkDa6qvebUo2mJuTvo-3Zm6q_YAGIMztyLf_7kS2tAEfPU33QMTeuOfNVh5zlnOdPx5Oyy/s1600/Wedding+050711+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSfgfwDu6XntC1ZIWyWS7KScawXUca-pghuLurOPmCcZJnhVO_KrODN11GocsJlOEyJj6wJgkDa6qvebUo2mJuTvo-3Zm6q_YAGIMztyLf_7kS2tAEfPU33QMTeuOfNVh5zlnOdPx5Oyy/s320/Wedding+050711+028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bridal Bouquet</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding Flowers</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love fresh flowers.. but back when we were planning our wedding, it was more important to me to minimise stress and maximise value for money, and we were getting married in summer and I just thought of hundreds of dollars of wilted flowers!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had always loved Calla lillies (aka Arum lillies) and was intrigued by the idea of using good quality faux flowers as some of the girls on <a href="http://www.i-do.com.au/">I-Do</a> had mentioned in their posts on the wedding forum. These lillies were out of season in summer when our wedding date was set.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found some lovely latex calla lillies (I can't recall where now) which looked and felt more like the real thing than the fabric/silk ones. I purchased some cream ones for myself, and bright red ones for my bridesmaids.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I then googled floral arrangements and wedding bouquets and armed myself with floral wire, floral tape and began to play with faux flowers, and arranging them.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I learned from reading on the net how to make the ends of the bouquet look professionally made by wrapping them with ribbon, then securing with pearl-head pins.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNfJ_TGPp-yobJ3-uwHge2WokSnwJtL_skxHWBrjkKHD82IUkcj6dP9qEsSrv5k46U4G-ukKxoKLBvskhDAGamtB8tYU1wxHqgTCAJBo7VW7xg-J4XnxQUrWkVjRHgeVdwp9RFW9norMt/s1600/Wedding+050711+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNfJ_TGPp-yobJ3-uwHge2WokSnwJtL_skxHWBrjkKHD82IUkcj6dP9qEsSrv5k46U4G-ukKxoKLBvskhDAGamtB8tYU1wxHqgTCAJBo7VW7xg-J4XnxQUrWkVjRHgeVdwp9RFW9norMt/s320/Wedding+050711+026.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stems of my bouquet wrapped with ribbon and beautiful vintage-style lace, hand sewn pearls and Pearl Head Pins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I researched how to make buttonholes for the guys and wrist corsages for the mums, and a little bit of googling was all that was needed to figure out "How To" for these.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The eve of the wedding</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did buy a $40 deal from a local flower grower which included 6 ivory roses, 6 red roses and a bunch of ivory Lisianthus delivered to my parents house the day before the wedding. I made the buttonholes, wrist corsages and added a few fresh flowers to the faux flower bouquets the day prior. I sourced twigs and greenery from the gardens around my house and added these too.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Research on the net indicated that it's never a good idea to put flowers in a regular fridge (apparently florists have special fridges) as they'll look much worse, so being a 40 degree summer day I put them in the garage which was the coolest place in the house.. they did fairly well considering!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTavnUr5y3BtRKUV9msK67DSq-4nNZa8WCHX-7DQ1OKT5SLgsNJjvC1DXPSH5axm1uNboMQmzbFAEvO0W5PfuxZ0T3vnZniMkoC-tmTgjhk3j-9zNyl1s5YrmCuZOKXvufF7GSaNvuUuH/s1600/Wedding+050711+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTavnUr5y3BtRKUV9msK67DSq-4nNZa8WCHX-7DQ1OKT5SLgsNJjvC1DXPSH5axm1uNboMQmzbFAEvO0W5PfuxZ0T3vnZniMkoC-tmTgjhk3j-9zNyl1s5YrmCuZOKXvufF7GSaNvuUuH/s320/Wedding+050711+044.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Dad's Buttonhole</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3xS4IXEzPJPFKPZGdFgtDP5Joghwl2evXQZ6YhL3zgoO4Q1FpU1R27HFiZZnTucP802TWaa_5Bv3IXb6V6RKb-v3cc1Y4E8e_Ozsz9E9qTOfonFmrsvy7vjGKmhYgsOLESpYLKICNJ9-/s1600/Wedding+050711+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3xS4IXEzPJPFKPZGdFgtDP5Joghwl2evXQZ6YhL3zgoO4Q1FpU1R27HFiZZnTucP802TWaa_5Bv3IXb6V6RKb-v3cc1Y4E8e_Ozsz9E9qTOfonFmrsvy7vjGKmhYgsOLESpYLKICNJ9-/s320/Wedding+050711+034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lisianthus Wrist Corsage</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsm4Zt1EWPUwqMpro64Gc6M__ReMJ55PSzy3vm7Qn3iRUxdNwAxagNo6OGKUJ16n5CkkOESMt4v6QE1YdkMvuD84Ppi9taKdKc57ufXomchcMeuAcooynnIbpyOtvYv1z-ahwqDjqSCCN/s1600/Wedding+050711+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsm4Zt1EWPUwqMpro64Gc6M__ReMJ55PSzy3vm7Qn3iRUxdNwAxagNo6OGKUJ16n5CkkOESMt4v6QE1YdkMvuD84Ppi9taKdKc57ufXomchcMeuAcooynnIbpyOtvYv1z-ahwqDjqSCCN/s320/Wedding+050711+049.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Groom's Buttonhole, Red Groomsmen's Buttonholes</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_wlOLdVbZo1L-q4P4v0rJGExZrLEiPMCA9pz3806DPQHKd1prSb-wG8DGbfCqWrXpUPIdLzg6-DHeOMErnjzndQJljEv37dANWMg6QHwoLeR7HuZ7ZgzXfsCG3H533xxXuPRv6r2Gn8c/s1600/Wedding+050711+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_wlOLdVbZo1L-q4P4v0rJGExZrLEiPMCA9pz3806DPQHKd1prSb-wG8DGbfCqWrXpUPIdLzg6-DHeOMErnjzndQJljEv37dANWMg6QHwoLeR7HuZ7ZgzXfsCG3H533xxXuPRv6r2Gn8c/s320/Wedding+050711+033.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bridesmaid Bouquet</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwIwLa8aAs8ouZLh7PkxAXGQRdS8E4t0_h4etCqpkDG4Hpcsgpp577Qr3UxpfIFZJuSahGmsH32AxKP9V-72-Pe8eWcWfJTSeOIncs1IWy4eWZqsCLbDbSzWXps2hC4m-IQBDo0MeFLD-/s1600/Wedding+050711+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwIwLa8aAs8ouZLh7PkxAXGQRdS8E4t0_h4etCqpkDG4Hpcsgpp577Qr3UxpfIFZJuSahGmsH32AxKP9V-72-Pe8eWcWfJTSeOIncs1IWy4eWZqsCLbDbSzWXps2hC4m-IQBDo0MeFLD-/s320/Wedding+050711+051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stem of Bridal Bouquet</span></td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I managed to source velcro wrist corsage "holders" from the US on eBay for a few dollars each and secured the fresh flowers onto them using green floral tape and then added a sheer chiffon ribbon as a flourish. The mums both loved them and they looked gorgeous with their outfits. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sourcing Faux Flowers:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found a great online source at:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://stores.ebay.com.au/Flower-Land?_rdc=1">eBay Store Flower Land</a> - they sell premade faux flower bouquets and individual stems if you want to have a go yourself</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also found Spotlight and Lincraft to have a good variety of flowers, some better quality than others, but Spotlight was fantastic also for floral tape, floral wire and pins.</span><br />
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</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-75902225024520942752011-07-21T02:58:00.000-07:002011-07-21T02:58:00.260-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 6: Wedding Attire for Bridal Party<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bridal Party Attire</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we got engaged, I hadn't really been in a bridal party, but I had girlfriends who had, and heard about how much energy and $$ went into being a part of someone's wedding.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although there's nothing particularly wrong with this, I felt uncomfortable asking my sister and 2 of my best girlfriends to shell out a lot of money to be in our wedding.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I set about thinking of ways to make it as easy as possible for them.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Girls:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVYah73G3c9M3ybZqPU11lvFOWZ6Pac2Wq8GT8ZYGsA9qyOlSiD5qJQCckPADC0T8ub1LZYK3Z9o810oyREQVovHO8_iWt_Wg09NDL62yfdHvmwgI1IjUfVv8L4cFGEVKGNPO6RO-vskx/s1600/Wedding+050711+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVYah73G3c9M3ybZqPU11lvFOWZ6Pac2Wq8GT8ZYGsA9qyOlSiD5qJQCckPADC0T8ub1LZYK3Z9o810oyREQVovHO8_iWt_Wg09NDL62yfdHvmwgI1IjUfVv8L4cFGEVKGNPO6RO-vskx/s320/Wedding+050711+042.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Gorgeous Bridesmaids</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I gave up early on the notion that we'd make something they could wear again.. does anyone actually wear bridesmaid dresses again?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I asked each one individually how they would feel about wearing something strapless, and they had no concerns or objections, so I found a two piece pattern and we all talked about colours. The only one they hated was pink. After settling on cherry red, we went shopping and found some great looking affordable fabric at Spotlight.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made two of the outfits and one of the girls made her own as she sews too.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sourced cute little belt buckles from eBay and we made faux belts; and I found red chiffon and made wraps for the girls too. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I happened upon 3 pairs of gold sandles for next to nothing and after finding out their sizes nabbed these too. All in all, each of the girls paid $50 for their whole outfit, and I found great little gifts of gorgeous diamante earrings on eBay and gift wrapped them. The necklaces were from a great little bead shop in Melbourne Central and were on sale 3 for $10.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it came to hair and makeup, I had a hair/makeup lady come to the house on the morning of the wedding, but gave the girls the option to use her too, or to do their own, so that they weren't paying lots of $ for this if it wasn't what they wanted to do.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Guys:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhrDOLl-tvHQ6YUF1Q3CTHViqwGRUSIt7NvEFp-RG0qNxhKxDZnZJJe9XEdfW5Umc_u8wEJ6Ple5D1gpQIWBscX341du3Wz0YalRoReaRhJH6E1WRXIiD1LhiaksJoZ32f_939xTKoqIy/s1600/Wedding+050711+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhrDOLl-tvHQ6YUF1Q3CTHViqwGRUSIt7NvEFp-RG0qNxhKxDZnZJJe9XEdfW5Umc_u8wEJ6Ple5D1gpQIWBscX341du3Wz0YalRoReaRhJH6E1WRXIiD1LhiaksJoZ32f_939xTKoqIy/s320/Wedding+050711+043.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Groomsmen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly to the girls, we didn't feel comfortable asking the guys to pay in excess of $300 to hire suits, so just asked them to wear a dark coloured suit they already owned with a white shirt {they weren't even all black, but it didn't matter}.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found great matching ties and cufflink sets on eBay with bright red and orange, and won 3 of them and we gave them to the guys as a gift and to wear on the day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy Peasy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think one of them was wearing a dark green suit, but you wouldn't even know, because when they were wearing the ties, they just looked like they all matched.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-85804041062609642442011-07-19T00:14:00.000-07:002011-07-19T00:14:00.385-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 5: The Wedding Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Wedding Dress</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I had SO much fun choosing a wedding gown. I actually started out with a halter neck gown and then changed my mind and sold it on eBay swapping to the gown I actually ended up wearing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As with the budget theme you've seen so far, I decided that I'd like a ballgown silhouette, a strapless neckline and either pale pink or champagne colour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>{I found a great resource for researching gowns at </em><a href="http://www.theknot.com.au/bridal-fashion/wedding-dress-galleries"><em>The Knot</em></a><em>}</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So I set about researching dresses on eBay and researching the wedding forums for people's experiences with eBay wedding gowns. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There were a mixed bag of experiences that people had, ranging from disastrous, to wonderful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I learned from other people's experience and my own research that when buying online, there are a few tips to stick with to navigate your way through the myriad sellers and dresses:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1. Stick with dresses that are shown in the listing on a dress dummy - as in, not just a picture of a dress on a model. A lot of listings are stock images and then the seller copies them, so you can't be really sure of what the finished product will look like. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you buy a dress that you can see already made in the listing, you at least know to some degree what you will get in the post</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Don't buy one of the dresses from a listing where the dress is cheap (for example $25) and the postage is very expensive (for example $100). The reason I say this, is if you buy one of these dresses, and you're unhappy with it, the seller is only required to refund you the purchase price, not the postage, and you may be out of pocket a significant amount.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. Ask around: check out the wedding forums {I used <a href="http://www.i-do.com.au/">I-Do</a>} and ask around or look up old threads, as there are some tried and true wedding gown sellers on eBay that people have had great success with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Always buy a true size - many of the gowns are "made to measure" -where the seller asks for your measurements and crafts a gown to fit. As english is often a second language for many sellers, a lot can be lost in translation, and in my research I noticed a lot of people having trouble with ill-fitting made to measure gowns for this reason. If you measure yourself according to their description, and then buy the dress that most closely fits your measurements, this is a far safer bet.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">5. If you're unsure whether you can get your dress altered (if you lose weight, of if the dress is slightly too big), ask the seller if they can make it with a lace up back. The worst they can do is say no, and I found the seller I purchased my gown from most obliging - it meant I saved on fittings and alterations closer to the wedding.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My Gown</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I purchased both of my dresses {including the first one that I later sold} from an eBay store called Priceless Bridal Store, which looks like it has since closed as I couldn't find it in several searches *sad face*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I loved my gown.. it cost me around $350 including shipping, in heavy champagne satin. Mum and I took up the hem to fit me, and I modified the neckline from straight to sweetheart and changed the train from flat {I'm not sure of the dressmaking terminology} to more "puffy" and added a french bustle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One day I'll do a post describing how to french bustle a wedding gown {Please remind me if you would like a tutorial on it}.. it was good fun, and though time consuming, was inexpensive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, the fun part.. some pictures of my gown:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhErhSYAHN7dtMuUkRzPyYo1opXZYA86mVXi1y4YXUG9ywyEo9Z60SzmO_z48hVyMMqLVMeqi8AjuCxMWckX6ju07nT2-wsrDOMttrtbDzd6XBZtEpQI-f_1iAREWcGpVpr0noajTzywcu/s1600/Wedding+050711+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhErhSYAHN7dtMuUkRzPyYo1opXZYA86mVXi1y4YXUG9ywyEo9Z60SzmO_z48hVyMMqLVMeqi8AjuCxMWckX6ju07nT2-wsrDOMttrtbDzd6XBZtEpQI-f_1iAREWcGpVpr0noajTzywcu/s320/Wedding+050711+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gown as shown in the eBay Listing {front}</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMlB6iRzIvkcGXA_nVCuawbIYxZxlUtm_pHme8sKDF48Lm73vUMtFKy0CwIVNL28NorLIdRHh_LxioZT3_Y8jyP-YekWUBZCRZsrtELcFRdJ5ihyphenhyphenopQtg6XD3baw-SSSt3pJYP8ECwMb8/s1600/Wedding+050711+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMlB6iRzIvkcGXA_nVCuawbIYxZxlUtm_pHme8sKDF48Lm73vUMtFKy0CwIVNL28NorLIdRHh_LxioZT3_Y8jyP-YekWUBZCRZsrtELcFRdJ5ihyphenhyphenopQtg6XD3baw-SSSt3pJYP8ECwMb8/s320/Wedding+050711+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Side view from the listing which demonstrates the Ballgown Silhouette</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tTKDoEW-csBWmLWHTpyMxz9W5wKAAdYDrcZjF6nMObrhzzLATqPQDsTa1y-EAiKJN8Q54OEjH5eY6MtaUd2cpCGC8BnrkCA6SDgtYZS8gLpEByum8jkNvamlLPcj4s9eB_MYo_D97qIf/s1600/Wedding+050711+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tTKDoEW-csBWmLWHTpyMxz9W5wKAAdYDrcZjF6nMObrhzzLATqPQDsTa1y-EAiKJN8Q54OEjH5eY6MtaUd2cpCGC8BnrkCA6SDgtYZS8gLpEByum8jkNvamlLPcj4s9eB_MYo_D97qIf/s320/Wedding+050711+013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neckline after modification to make it "Sweetheart" and the addition of heart shaped stone and ruffle</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct8rmmQP-vr6_BwZipe9ARMgB8pNrusysGnJNqT_10igUWbK7Qhsutm2HkYADwgBBMKBhhD3s3mDRFtKd3z31yFl_Vn5r9P9_th2qnlWyJOWTgv7cKIJN4kSK_UGkY-f32mYi9uJmj9bw/s1600/Wedding+050711+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct8rmmQP-vr6_BwZipe9ARMgB8pNrusysGnJNqT_10igUWbK7Qhsutm2HkYADwgBBMKBhhD3s3mDRFtKd3z31yFl_Vn5r9P9_th2qnlWyJOWTgv7cKIJN4kSK_UGkY-f32mYi9uJmj9bw/s320/Wedding+050711+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">French Bustled Train</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwK5eeo9BmNd7OlasllDU1MnxgVz-BJtz0Li_L7hJD7oi9g9NIXqiaHAIDlfMzL2LUHh6Tf3ozkZ4AB_5n8T0xiRsLUNMTXSY-yDJJhAvwJhR7T0xurzSBGC9jJnFd5xCBMUKsKiBWVVxk/s1600/Wedding+050711+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwK5eeo9BmNd7OlasllDU1MnxgVz-BJtz0Li_L7hJD7oi9g9NIXqiaHAIDlfMzL2LUHh6Tf3ozkZ4AB_5n8T0xiRsLUNMTXSY-yDJJhAvwJhR7T0xurzSBGC9jJnFd5xCBMUKsKiBWVVxk/s320/Wedding+050711+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close Up of Bodice</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgix_mPuDFfVhEb8inE5xmLGcDkb60bcNePfHTmipXe8Desoi8t6bUwhvs08dLBjfrqZoFKdU4Die3DAFEVLj45Fs7oRcNp9sqRbBNIv05cmrEVG1XsYFNHNFukoj9-k56jJizPIaQosucZ/s1600/Wedding+050711+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgix_mPuDFfVhEb8inE5xmLGcDkb60bcNePfHTmipXe8Desoi8t6bUwhvs08dLBjfrqZoFKdU4Die3DAFEVLj45Fs7oRcNp9sqRbBNIv05cmrEVG1XsYFNHNFukoj9-k56jJizPIaQosucZ/s320/Wedding+050711+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close up of Bodice with Olga Berg Purse I found for $20</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P6y89bON6LF5LvZnb7S9C1F3nH5EFg3yHehRtPQTObtsvtT8DqdMz1lLZabRGbtjo1c-KYVHkuxjP4Y-ZT66W7BtrfycQmUHYqMsxzywaaKwDJFB0XZF3pZxqvvTGRSSgGfvhbSMpBFo/s1600/Wedding+050711+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P6y89bON6LF5LvZnb7S9C1F3nH5EFg3yHehRtPQTObtsvtT8DqdMz1lLZabRGbtjo1c-KYVHkuxjP4Y-ZT66W7BtrfycQmUHYqMsxzywaaKwDJFB0XZF3pZxqvvTGRSSgGfvhbSMpBFo/s320/Wedding+050711+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gorgeous Bracelet I found on eBay - what dress is complete without accessories?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-24221245793716204702011-07-15T23:58:00.000-07:002011-07-15T23:58:00.124-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Part 4 of 10: The Rings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO4PAxxIgwR6yfyosq7pnlSuZhY3SFJ9wGMLygWZoHDDUbDnb6IVLAkhd1Il1-KyJpSOkqcASkiIG6MVwsMDm38LHzsDMbqUZTm35nm16s6vMH29fWl_ZYgVQvPrjYKt_k_t_EYAPN60f/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO4PAxxIgwR6yfyosq7pnlSuZhY3SFJ9wGMLygWZoHDDUbDnb6IVLAkhd1Il1-KyJpSOkqcASkiIG6MVwsMDm38LHzsDMbqUZTm35nm16s6vMH29fWl_ZYgVQvPrjYKt_k_t_EYAPN60f/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My platinum 3mm comfort fit wedding band; Hubby's Tungsten wedding band</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Rings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">These are an investment in our opinion, as we'll be wearing them day and day out and hope to do so for many years to come, so we thought long and hard about what to get.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I went with platinum as with my engagement ring, and you can read about where to purchase platinum rings inexpensively in my post here. You can get a 3mm comfort fit plain wedder in platinum for around $450.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hubby decided he would like something a bit out of the ordinary and we found a tungsten mens wedder on eBay - it's a great gunmetal grey colour and he loves it. Again, on eBay from the US, it was a LOT less than a sturdy alternative metal wedder from Australia. You can pick up a tungsten wedder for around $100, although we can't remember which eBay store we purchased it from!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The only downside to tungsten is that it's so tough and scratchproof that it's claimed you can't resize it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Finding the correct size was easy with the ring sizers I sourced from the US. You can find instructions on purchasing a set for yourself in my post here.</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-17286875293398398542011-07-13T23:49:00.000-07:002011-07-13T23:49:00.658-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - Parts 2 & 3: Photography and Videography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmaASLn-3qxn4h6jmsgXWvouWdKfPmUNYI9pYg1l_Fe0zotN7ACTk2xGK1vCjSyvVj-jA1kyVwSTQC4RJAzxgC1WZcKS0WQGlnJYXOB_KanCmKj0KrmhxyeTohxfqJWp5acn78UyZFNx8/s1600/Wedding+050711+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmaASLn-3qxn4h6jmsgXWvouWdKfPmUNYI9pYg1l_Fe0zotN7ACTk2xGK1vCjSyvVj-jA1kyVwSTQC4RJAzxgC1WZcKS0WQGlnJYXOB_KanCmKj0KrmhxyeTohxfqJWp5acn78UyZFNx8/s320/Wedding+050711+032.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding Photography and Videography</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Wedding photography &/or videography packages that I saw at Wedding expos ranged from around $1000 up to almost $10,000.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I guess it depends on what you're after as to the amount of the budget you allocate to photography/videography. We wanted a basic video of the ceremony, nothing too fancy, and some pics to remember our special day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We got a couple of friends to do both the photos and videos.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our photographer was a friend who is a professional photographer who usually takes photos of kids, but had done a few weddings and was happy to do it for us for $500 including CDs and some prints and photoshopping.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our videographer was also a friend who has plenty of experience in videography, who was happy to do the job and an edited video of the ceremony for a few hundred dollars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This saved us a bundle and means we have memories in picture and movie form to reflect on in the years to come :)</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-10469427148690207602011-07-11T22:55:00.000-07:002011-07-12T00:15:02.060-07:00Budget Wedding Tips - part 1: The Reception<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXD5HNKvxxMeIhGvz2kD0Nb2yeqPF55IiT1d3YfoyYblAd_FxKpvt9GL__R7mXPB0PQBseD1kx7cjBjch8DynAjT-lf2BUTkaaJm-TMZjeu17eiBG4nTq7M45HqIAHJDo1vbr6CoH6IE8/s1600/IMG_4367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXD5HNKvxxMeIhGvz2kD0Nb2yeqPF55IiT1d3YfoyYblAd_FxKpvt9GL__R7mXPB0PQBseD1kx7cjBjch8DynAjT-lf2BUTkaaJm-TMZjeu17eiBG4nTq7M45HqIAHJDo1vbr6CoH6IE8/s320/IMG_4367.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bridal Table Set Up</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Reception:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">from my experience, the most expensive chunk of the wedding budget seems to go to the reception. It makes sense - as soon as the word "wedding" enters a conversation with a vendor, the price seems to increase! That, and you have a list as long as your arm of people who are dear to you that you'd like to have present.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As with most things wedding-related, it really comes down to what you want.. you can make things as simple, or as complex as your heart desires.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I really wanted to have a sit down dinner with our friends and family at our reception, and we chose to keep the numbers low with 44 people including ourselves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1. The Food/Drinks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of my biggest money savers was discovering after a lot of research, that it was less expensive to have a lunchtime wedding reception - almost half the price. We had our ceremony at 10am, then lunch at 12pm - which meant our guests weren't waiting around for hours for us to leave and have photos and return. It also meant that finishing up at 3.30pm, we had the evening to relax after a pretty full on day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The downside is that the photos ended up being a little rushed, but all in all, I think it was probably worth the saving of a few thousand dollars.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We were married at <a href="http://www.ballarareceptions.com.au/">Ballara Receptions</a> who were just gorgeous, very accommodating, and the food and service fantastic.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I guess you could save even further by having a morning tea after your ceremony rather than lunch (for example, at the church where guests bring a plate to share), or by having a cocktail function, where you serve finger food without seating your guests as opposed to a full sit down meal which requires more resources on the part of the function centre.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvm-BE_z4OoiEYUYBT_mMHtvHMfavOMkEQMSFVRbUtTdxsEt20pb030pGgyqoVHkFsOIp-ELJiR5Uxh-l02pQrA-ClcZ6x6z6TrYcG7qrDLiyBfFmx5DeCWcm8xbck2WGIHDrXtZSHy_X/s1600/Wedding+050711+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvm-BE_z4OoiEYUYBT_mMHtvHMfavOMkEQMSFVRbUtTdxsEt20pb030pGgyqoVHkFsOIp-ELJiR5Uxh-l02pQrA-ClcZ6x6z6TrYcG7qrDLiyBfFmx5DeCWcm8xbck2WGIHDrXtZSHy_X/s320/Wedding+050711+050.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Grounds at Ballara Receptions - you can see the chapel in the background on the right</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Ceremony</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A bonus of having both the ceremony and reception at the one venue is that the cost of the ceremony is included in the reception - there is no extra fee for the hire of a church or hall. Of course, I suppose you could save even more by having your ceremony in a park or at the beach for free!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. Music</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It would have been lovely to have a string quartet, but as this was on a tight budget, we chose to go with a DJ. We chose the music we loved, advised them of the few songs we really didn't want to hear, and gave them a copy of our wedding dance song (as it was a little unusual).. we used <a href="http://www.djs-alive.com.au/">DJs Alive</a> who were fabulous, and very reasonably priced.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Table Decoration</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The function centre we used supplied table decorations, which we used on some of the tables, and I made my own floral arrangements as well.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcEyaqpnNHLXi9T3ystZamudDYA7t4Mo_RUCVVMHUvjU8mM6nrPgTtTI0RCcnL-2X2VxDnK6HDDDW9Cv4_3t2Z3SzeG_LvaKbzUaVX8pwWfI8sRIO4e8pjnLo13Mb1LI_1nFywdTQy2Gk/s1600/Wedding+050711+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcEyaqpnNHLXi9T3ystZamudDYA7t4Mo_RUCVVMHUvjU8mM6nrPgTtTI0RCcnL-2X2VxDnK6HDDDW9Cv4_3t2Z3SzeG_LvaKbzUaVX8pwWfI8sRIO4e8pjnLo13Mb1LI_1nFywdTQy2Gk/s320/Wedding+050711+052.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heart Lollypop Bonbonniere</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bonbonnieres can cost an arm and a leg, so I decided to go for something simple and inexpensive and sourced some heart shaped lollypops from a local confectionery warehouse, and sourced cellophane bags and ribbon in bulk from eBay, and attached a little cardboard tag with a love quote to each - this was not too labour intensive, as there weren't too many guests!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUY8hJugkCgcu09iaJMGn1rHYmzq50z041C0iwaqMCFiEorGcVdLP1GiOp4vU8q2v_glNSj1TkC3JEm6QGC0HyPY2YApospuQIP8vcf2-v6qMBGoLrQ4dyqI91Gd5tkLX1jVPdAKMUH1C/s1600/Wedding+050711+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUY8hJugkCgcu09iaJMGn1rHYmzq50z041C0iwaqMCFiEorGcVdLP1GiOp4vU8q2v_glNSj1TkC3JEm6QGC0HyPY2YApospuQIP8vcf2-v6qMBGoLrQ4dyqI91Gd5tkLX1jVPdAKMUH1C/s320/Wedding+050711+053.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DIY Table Centrepieces and Candles</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">The budget didn't stretch too far for the table decorations, as to us the food and entertainment was more important, so I spent about $6 per table and fashioned a box from cardboard, covered it with chocolate coloured fabric and wide lace, trimmed with ivory ribbon. The tea light candles sat inside shot glasses! They were trimmed with faux pearl strings that I attached with a hot glue gun (a DIY bride's best friend!). Our guests took them home after the wedding.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Next: Part 2&3 Photography and Videography</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-89811610843493591742011-07-09T19:50:00.000-07:002011-07-09T19:50:00.259-07:00Furry Sheets<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my student years, for my first degree I rented and lived on Youth Allowance.. skint city..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I had a lot of fun trying to make the most of what little income I had</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I love thinking laterally and trying to find cheaper ways of doing things... it's great fun, and I get a huge buzz when I find an alternate that works even better than the more expensive option.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, one of the things that really chews through the budget is electricity and its the age-old issue in winter of being cosy and saving $$</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Electric blankets, although they probably don't use a whole lot of electricity compared to appliances like blow heaters, still made me feel a bit funny when I'd forget to turn it off before falling asleep, and I'd wake up in a bit of a sweat, overheated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But flannelette sheets were the only other known option to keep snuggly in bed.. but when you jump in bed, they're COLD!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Someone on my favourite savings forum <a href="http://www.simplesavings.com.au/">Simple Savings</a> mentioned that you can use polar fleece blankets as sheets for winter.. and because they're synthetic, they're warm on contact - as soon as you jump into bed, they're toasty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I toddled off to the shops to find some polar fleece blankets, and in Safeway found gorgeous luxurious chocolate brown queen sized minky blankets for $20 each.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The current blankets have been in use for almost 5 years now, and I've not looked back.. no more electric blankets here! </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Instructions for use: to convert a queen sized flat blanket into a "fitted" sheet, simply tie a knot in each of the 4 corners, and tuck the knots under the mattress.. hey presto! Use the 2nd blanket just like you would a flat sheet.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUXF7qJA0Xbofebq7pfo_A1MaLZC90OL1m7F_8euYLcwKFyqPWNWZFE61qRrDOqyOLNsr2lRLsA5cj59LYBMUU42u1iXhBNSY7YgT5Ix0k_CVeJDOjQXqEcr6uA5LcWsb6xuEmn246yq2/s1600/Blog+050711+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUXF7qJA0Xbofebq7pfo_A1MaLZC90OL1m7F_8euYLcwKFyqPWNWZFE61qRrDOqyOLNsr2lRLsA5cj59LYBMUU42u1iXhBNSY7YgT5Ix0k_CVeJDOjQXqEcr6uA5LcWsb6xuEmn246yq2/s320/Blog+050711+049.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Minky Blanket... furry sheets!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-9764039115302823782011-07-06T21:07:00.000-07:002011-07-06T21:07:20.334-07:00Klever Karats - aka Going Platinum (Part 2)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my last post, I told you all about how we saved a bundle on my engagement ring.. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm a girly girl, and I love pretty sparkly things, but I wanted to start our lives together financially healthy too, and didn't want to shell out mega bucks for something gorgeous and lasting.. so I hope the info helps someone out there to start married life without super mega debt, but some lovely bling on your left hand ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One question that I've been asked several times, second to people asking how I can be sure what I've received buying online is genuine, is how on earth do you manage to find the right ring size? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Australian ring sizes are in letters (A, B, C etc) and US ring sizes are numbered with half and quarter sizes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I bought a ring sizer from <a href="http://www.e-weddingbands.com/store/sizing-n.html">e-weddingbands</a> which in itself was free, they just asked for USD$5 for international postage. This meant I could buy online from the US with confidence.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVFIVyhCIBmrklxloI9X7XHRbBVgn2y0Bwprz08LBEcfH9_nQ1NX_ex29T24MpNifBocnQ_q8HB3MAP7cmvl10llXi9doEegHxfPopy9Q9O7I9tIA6KAWG37N6q7WTWE1U8FgU4y6-BBe/s1600/Blog+050711+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVFIVyhCIBmrklxloI9X7XHRbBVgn2y0Bwprz08LBEcfH9_nQ1NX_ex29T24MpNifBocnQ_q8HB3MAP7cmvl10llXi9doEegHxfPopy9Q9O7I9tIA6KAWG37N6q7WTWE1U8FgU4y6-BBe/s320/Blog+050711+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing to do with wedding or engagement rings, just some beautiful flowers a dear friend bought for me!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-10522184504488352522011-07-05T20:45:00.000-07:002011-07-05T20:45:00.232-07:00Cape Weather<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXJzzRyc_ztYGv5RnOHcRRpmPH-DVH5bkIZ7I-HSefebq4cK5QlBy_QUhpcYlmHlGVu3-fQWN5oDg-IT-s6JS5V8RMD57T8FNjSUeWDVVgOb6iZ7CZQ6rIChp_TFR1bxhHL5Zy15xqPxx/s1600/Blog+050711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXJzzRyc_ztYGv5RnOHcRRpmPH-DVH5bkIZ7I-HSefebq4cK5QlBy_QUhpcYlmHlGVu3-fQWN5oDg-IT-s6JS5V8RMD57T8FNjSUeWDVVgOb6iZ7CZQ6rIChp_TFR1bxhHL5Zy15xqPxx/s320/Blog+050711.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teddy taking in the Wintry Weather with his Window View</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chilly Melbourne.. it's a typical winters day.. wonderful for chunky knits and warm wooly coats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I had made a bit of a win on the weekend, or so I thought, ordering a gorgeous camel coloured, hooded asos wool blend cape for only $37. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Today I got an email saying it was out of stock and they had refunded my money. sad face :(</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Only moments prior I had been silently congratulating myself for finding such a great item at such a great price.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The item on sale had been in their petites range, and it was my size, but probably just a little shorter. The main size range was still for sale, but at $61.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, I bit the bullet.. $61 later, I've now ordered the same item from the main range (not petites)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hope it comes!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EN0nn4w27X2Xqt0ejCXJ8AytoZWevqnICyf7d7OObrCTZEhyphenhyphentMGJZ7LBMyCKK9nWqyjUeVr23N3ssh0-fqWHQ4YmygYenhAbmLQogFR2eaGRh9MlClb6k_7ssm5tixAc6mM659iiqJpB/s1600/Blog+050711+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EN0nn4w27X2Xqt0ejCXJ8AytoZWevqnICyf7d7OObrCTZEhyphenhyphentMGJZ7LBMyCKK9nWqyjUeVr23N3ssh0-fqWHQ4YmygYenhAbmLQogFR2eaGRh9MlClb6k_7ssm5tixAc6mM659iiqJpB/s320/Blog+050711+050.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ASOS Hooded Military Cape</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-44123472576983900192011-07-05T16:32:00.000-07:002011-07-05T16:36:01.163-07:00Klever Karats.. aka Going Platinum (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFh2SaPb5ZyLCiZK3V_-D3OpNioyLteFmx5R_158wNoF_3nuryoNcbbNMXftg3VowB11gbVs7YUegWQlVU-VOreSXrbZ8JTn4EfVdtjF0eCBByCGRpMgVARSzl2AiBMOsXQmvp6vWS-5i/s1600/Blog+050711+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFh2SaPb5ZyLCiZK3V_-D3OpNioyLteFmx5R_158wNoF_3nuryoNcbbNMXftg3VowB11gbVs7YUegWQlVU-VOreSXrbZ8JTn4EfVdtjF0eCBByCGRpMgVARSzl2AiBMOsXQmvp6vWS-5i/s320/Blog+050711+019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we got engaged a few years ago, I had well and truly done my research about engagement rings (enthusiastic much?).. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I knew I didn't want yellow gold, and that white/silver tones suited my colouring better, but in my research found that the 14K white gold in Australia is a kinda gunmetal grey colour, and gets it's shine from being Rhodium plated, which gradually wears away and needs to be re-done every 12-18 months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I was chatting to a jeweller, she seemed awfully surprised that I knew about this, and offered me a job! I laughed, and she said "no, I'm serious.. would you like a job here?".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sigh - can you imagine working with sparkly things all day? :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, when I realised that platinum is almost 100% pure and didn't require plating, just perhaps the odd polish to buff out those little wear and tear scratches, I thought that was for us. Only one snag.. in Australia, you're looking at about 4-5x the price of white gold, for platinum.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I got a quote for a 2mm wide rounded band engagement ring setting with 6 claws (Tiffany-style) -not including the stone, and in 2007 it was >$2000.. whaaaat?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After a bit of research, I discovered that platinum is common-place for engagement and wedding rings in the US, and as such, rings are made en-masse in moulds. This appeared to be the point of difference.. I spoke to a trusted jeweler, who explained that the reason they were so expensive here is because it isn't as commonly used, so when it is requested, the ring is hand made, hence you're paying for the jeweler's time and expertise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A-ha!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I researched and researched, and in the end found a platinum setting from eBay seller <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Pompeii3-Jewelry?_rdc=1">Pompeii3 Jewelry</a> for around AUD$450 including shipping. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There was always a chance that it wouldn't be genuine, but as it needed to be modified slightly to fit our stone, the jeweler could verify whether it was genuine for me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The jeweler put our stone in the setting, and had to melt a little of it to do so, so could definitely verify that it was indeed platinum, win!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So... a beautiful, durable, quality engagement ring was born... for a LOT less.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was baffling.. I thought getting a ring made would definitely cost more than one already made sitting in a store window, but it was a much more affordable option.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">.. <em>How to buy the correct ring size from the US on eBay in my next post</em>..</span>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-50034096887720836472011-07-05T04:27:00.000-07:002011-07-05T04:38:32.734-07:00Budget Wedding Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg4ZM-J_ovDbxR1sw_fZglQWbaN9tsxdXgTjoYMMbhFlK4jzKNSGijUvypZJBYY-aZwaO3iP7vm0Rz5KKFxZMTlEsuJN93hhUq_PHCqRF_TtcImyJQRGQB_2tcxC-RaEssZsg3IHiJjVb/s1600/Wedding+050711+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg4ZM-J_ovDbxR1sw_fZglQWbaN9tsxdXgTjoYMMbhFlK4jzKNSGijUvypZJBYY-aZwaO3iP7vm0Rz5KKFxZMTlEsuJN93hhUq_PHCqRF_TtcImyJQRGQB_2tcxC-RaEssZsg3IHiJjVb/s320/Wedding+050711+031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding Planning. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">It's an exciting time, but I also found it daunting and at times stressful.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not only do you have the financial burden of throwing this huge party, but you have the psychological transition of going from someone's girlfriend/boyfriend to someone's wife/husband and becoming your own new family.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Starting out without a huge debt from the wedding sounded like a really happy healthy thing to aim for when we were getting married a few years ago, and I thought I'd jot down a few things I learned in case it can help save others from some $-related stress :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>When it comes to weddings, big ticket items (in no particular order) include:</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>1. Reception</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>2. Photography</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>3. Videography</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>4. Rings</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>5. Wedding Dress</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>6. Wedding Attire for Bridal Party</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>7. Flowers</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>8. Invitations</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>9. Transportation</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;">10. Cake</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;">Over the next posts I'll go through what we did to save $ in each area and still get the result that we wanted for our special day.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-89130812360104904802011-07-04T16:50:00.000-07:002011-07-05T16:33:14.047-07:00Wedges!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mmmmm wedges.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nope, not the potato variety - shoes!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I have to remember to close my gaping mouth, and wipe the away the dribble when I pass the Santini store window - if I'm walking with my hubby, he has to pull on my arm a little to get me to keep walking.. I LOOOOOVE shoes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I can't really explain it.. I'm mostly quite a practical person, I don't like to waste, part of me likes being frugal (I've been a member of <a href="http://www.simplesavings.com.au/">Simple Savings</a> since 2005!).. but there is something about shoes that calls to me.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfV4qFLc_FMUgtG7hA5q3yHIBkuM4sSdzdyCUhbcZD32Z3fpjh4i63LVpyTSyomwBVzTItfY6xLf2SlDZaB9trwHP0z0S6rPPRx8wl500UvkIBP4OnIPL2lT7TqWHQqXsFqub_vxiswipK/s1600/Blog+050711+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfV4qFLc_FMUgtG7hA5q3yHIBkuM4sSdzdyCUhbcZD32Z3fpjh4i63LVpyTSyomwBVzTItfY6xLf2SlDZaB9trwHP0z0S6rPPRx8wl500UvkIBP4OnIPL2lT7TqWHQqXsFqub_vxiswipK/s320/Blog+050711+042.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shoe Hooks</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm only supposed to have as many shoes as I can fit on the hooks on the side of our wardrobe (hubby's rule).. but it's no secret that I have them stashed all through my wardrobe, under the bed, as well as on the hooks.. and these past couple of years I've been lusting after some nude wedges but being a student up until this year couldn't afford the $200-ish price tag for a good quality pair.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Also after being a student for almost a decade, I learned (the hard way!) that it's (generally) better to wait and buy one pair of great quality shoes than to get a crappy cheap pair that lose their shape/don't fit quite right/hurt! sooner.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So it's probably a good thing that I only discovered <a href="http://www.asos.com/">asos</a> last year! Because we are in "opposite" seasons to the UK, I can buy current season stock for the Australian weather on sale.. and their shipping is free with no minimum spend... but I read a lot of blogs from the US, so find myself lusting after summer gear in my Aussie winter and winter gear in my Aussie summer.. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I found these beauties -nude leather wedges, for AUD$32 with free shipping.. I couldn't believe it! </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4PuZAFTI4PcgieEXv9lzPDkUfEbYWBIe_htNT24x-iMjyVmRgCfURyb5G93qLvYoSQBTktfweISEzZuGo0JVTPaCYNsmP9emBFqJ-ONOpyYbCRkJywp2rbzGj_kMmm-oSVw-k6H8mOAv/s1600/Blog+050711+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4PuZAFTI4PcgieEXv9lzPDkUfEbYWBIe_htNT24x-iMjyVmRgCfURyb5G93qLvYoSQBTktfweISEzZuGo0JVTPaCYNsmP9emBFqJ-ONOpyYbCRkJywp2rbzGj_kMmm-oSVw-k6H8mOAv/s320/Blog+050711+044.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ASOS Harrison Cross Front Wedge Sandal</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I just need the weather to warm up.. or I could get brave and just wear them now I suppose </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:D</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-25664277643428273622011-07-04T03:52:00.000-07:002011-07-05T02:00:18.892-07:00A Fresh Start<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to an inspired post by Chantelle from <a href="http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/">Fat Mum Slim</a> I feel as though Bloss has a new lease on life.. I have plenty to say, and love blogging, but the blog felt a bit lacklustre..</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now I've figured out how to make my own photos pop, I can post much more pictorally of the things I love!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Without further ado..</span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uRocUeQQlnyAGbFYmkysAgtQG5bG47HPQ1as_GP9CCd7PA_ZNMtACHGqIxQkdGwzAw2q83FYz75BnFQMhIQLHg6BI5V0gEwi8syYwdlkkmpTN4S1tz_-1oQ3Lc62Ls_xHJU03OM7W9mi/s1600/Wedding+050711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uRocUeQQlnyAGbFYmkysAgtQG5bG47HPQ1as_GP9CCd7PA_ZNMtACHGqIxQkdGwzAw2q83FYz75BnFQMhIQLHg6BI5V0gEwi8syYwdlkkmpTN4S1tz_-1oQ3Lc62Ls_xHJU03OM7W9mi/s320/Wedding+050711.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Fave Kitty {his name is Teddy}, My Fave Monthly Mag {Real Living}, My Fave Handbag {Zoe Wittner Bag $4 from Salvos Op Shop} and My 2 Fave Remotes {heater and TV!!}</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-9089159065266268712011-05-20T04:20:00.000-07:002011-07-05T18:53:06.057-07:00I need a whole life makeover!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever look at your life and feel as though you need a makeover? Me, I need one. Yup.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I worked for almost 10 years at uni to get my qualification at uni, and put a lot of things on hold.. and this year, my graduate year has been a melting pot of exciting anticipation, exhaustion and heartbreaking lows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This year (without going into too much detail as I'm still a bit shy about sharing some things on my blog ) is one of those years you just have to survive to get to be able to then do what you want afterwards.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, 20 weeks down, only 32 to go! I know, I know, I'm not even halfway, but even this feels like a MAJOR achievement.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But, now I'm focussing on the future.. it's getting so close I can almost taste it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm applying for a job that I think I'll really really love, my application is in and I have confimation that they've received it, so now I just need to wait and see.. I'm very well qualified for it, so I'm quietly optomistic, but as always, I can't count my chickens until they're hatched.. so will wait and find out if I get into the program before I get too excited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This particular job involves lots of study in a field I really love, work that means I can wear nailpolish (when you can't wear it, you realise how much you enjoy wearing it!), I can wear pretty things without worrying that they'll get ruined, and I won't have to work shift work.. ahhh heaven!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The other exciting thing is that next year we can look into starting a family.. which is also very exciting!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I don't usually believe it wishing away your life, but this year has already been so incredibly painful at times, I'm very excited about the prospect of finishing it! On the other hand, I've endured a great deal and grown a great deal.. those two things seem to always go together dammit! As my mum says "It's character building - but how much character do you really need?"</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Until next time.. here is a picture of a wool-rich dress I snagged from <a href="http://www.asos.com/">http://www.asos.com/</a> for AUD$25 including shipping (shipping is now free all the time on asos which is fan-tabulous) :)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46YqfxqhTE673h-ZUVmI4HCWNSXbLK4QzUYwB1EW5_7KiM9Yk2ZUQTiYQpfEM0KUoovdmfgM2iKK7mvOTuV3L7oDto0OrZbrSsB_XV5AsmxorAMTiknNYJ5RsmesOs_vu-9X2VLZfElmk/s1600/asos+wool+rich+twist+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46YqfxqhTE673h-ZUVmI4HCWNSXbLK4QzUYwB1EW5_7KiM9Yk2ZUQTiYQpfEM0KUoovdmfgM2iKK7mvOTuV3L7oDto0OrZbrSsB_XV5AsmxorAMTiknNYJ5RsmesOs_vu-9X2VLZfElmk/s320/asos+wool+rich+twist+dress.jpg" width="250px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ASOS wool-rich knitted dress</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100664006611202218.post-86429654377018206382011-04-27T03:50:00.000-07:002011-04-27T03:50:03.667-07:00What do you do when you can't decide?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you do when you can't decide which gorgeous pieces to put in your Polyvore set?...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">...you put them ALL in!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I loved the bright cheerful skirts, and the sheen on the black silky satin top.. but couldn't tear myself away from the combination of steely sequins and soft draping nude silk chiffon... mmmm delicious!</span><br />
<div><div style="height: 400px; position: relative; width: 400px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cant_decide/set?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed&id=30888680"><img alt="I Can't Decide!" border="0" force="1" height="400px" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFjVob2ZwTHR3NEJHcWR3OUpYOGJrYkEAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="I Can't Decide!" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cant_decide/set?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed&id=30888680">I Can't Decide!</a> by <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed&id=1553565">Ronniebear</a> featuring <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/platform_wedge_sandals/shop?query=platform+wedge+sandals">platform wedge sandals</a></small></div><div style="font-size: 0.75em; padding-top: 16px;"><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33604384" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf2.polyvoreimg.com/thing.33604384.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33604384" rel="nofollow">3 1 Phillip Lim satin blouse</a><br />
510 GBP - net-a-porter.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33205303" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf2.polyvoreimg.com/thing.33205303.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33205303" rel="nofollow">Vince sheer top</a><br />
$295 - net-a-porter.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33339518" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf2.polyvoreimg.com/thing.33339518.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33339518" rel="nofollow">Ralph Lauren silk skirt</a><br />
925 EUR - stylebop.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33918662" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf1.polyvoreimg.com/thing.33918662.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33918662" rel="nofollow">Azzedine Alaia embroidered skirt</a><br />
2.250 EUR - colette.fr<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33170110" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf1.polyvoreimg.com/thing.33170110.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=33170110" rel="nofollow">FAIR true zebra print skirt</a><br />
39 GBP - fashion-conscience.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=32975551" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf2.polyvoreimg.com/thing.32975551.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=32975551" rel="nofollow">BC Footwear floral flat</a><br />
$45 - zappos.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=31909455" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf1.polyvoreimg.com/thing.31909455.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=31909455" rel="nofollow">Sam Edelman platform wedge sandal</a><br />
235 EUR - my-wardrobe.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=28625118" rel="nofollow"><img align="left" force="1" height="50px" hspace="4" src="http://cf2.polyvoreimg.com/thing.28625118.s.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: #cccccc 1px solid; border-left: #cccccc 1px solid; border-right: #cccccc 1px solid; border-top: #cccccc 1px solid; margin: 0px 8px 8px 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50px" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1553565&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=28625118" rel="nofollow">Opening Ceremony black high heels</a><br />
169 EUR - jades24.com<br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div></div>Blosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17805471235766486076noreply@blogger.com0