Ok, so yesterdays post was way too down to leave as my final post before Christmas and possibly for the year. Sorry about that! Feeling a bit better today (only 3 more days til holidays!) so I just wanted to stop in and pick this place up a little bit. Sadly I've been lacking a bit of Christmas spirit this year. Which is very unlike me as I LOVE Christmas and am usually on the countdown from late November (yes, one of THOSE people :P).

 

But between moving house and my new housemates not celebrating Christmas (they're Chinese) there's been no tree, no decorations, no christmas carols and barely even any Christmas shopping. Most of my family want vouchers and envelopes just aren't quite the same as pretty wrapped up presents. I didn't even get to watch Love Actually when it was on TV the other night! And it's like my favourite Christmas movie ever!!!

 

SO.

 

I am making myself be more in the spirit. I'm planning menus and fun things to do. Christmassy outfits. All that jazz. And it's actually helping! I'm feeling much better. You know what else is helping? This! Try and bahumbug this. JUST TRY! Oh Brian, you still make me swoon!

I'm also looking forward to Christmas itself, my big sister's birthday on the 27th, an awesome gig at The Joynt on the 27th as well - some super awesome surf tunes to suit this steamy summer - and Lori Lee's End of Year Rockabilly Party at Morningside on the 29th. It'll be a great chance to catch up with friends and just relax and enjoy some rockin tunes and a few dances. That, and it leaves just enough time to recover before the BIG new year's eve tiki party at The Hills. I can't wait! Going to be SO. MUCH. FUN! A pool with a slide, an adult jumping castle, great friends, good food, no doubt plenty to drink and lots of good times!

Tis the season for what? To be jolly? I've got to be honest and say I'm struggling with that a little. Friday of this week I start 2 weeks holidays and they can't come quick enough. I LOVE Christmas. And I'm really looking forward to spending time with friends and family over the holidays. But for right now, I feel the weight of the world.

 

Last week I thought I had problems. I was anxious, stressed and a little whingey. This week I am feeling for everyone else. It should be a time of happiness, excitment and celebration but all I am seeing is heartbreak. We lost a friend and bearing witness to the suffering of her husband over that loss is so difficult to see. My heart just aches for him.

 

I am watching someone I care deeply about go through one injustice after another. The potential to lose everything they've worked so hard for for so long through no fault of their own is not only compeltely infuriating to me, but the distress I know it is causing them also pains my heart.

 

On the other side of the world, families have lost loved ones, children, just days before Christmas. A senseless tragedy. The pain it has caused, the weight of it, the unimaginable gut wrenching, soul tearing heartbreak these people must be experiencing, it tears at my heart too.

 

I can't wait for next year. This year has been so hard on so many people. I have a really good feeling about next year. I hope it's true. I'm really looking forward to some time off surrounded by those I love and reconnecting with all of the blessings in my life. Soaking them in and truly appreciating them.

 

I am already in wind down mode. You know the one. You already feel like you're on holidays. Your motivation is low. You just want it to be time already. I may not post much more over the next few weeks. I REALLY need this break. If I have something I feel I want to share then I will post but otherwise, I need time to rest. Gain new inspiration, new motivation, see the good and fun and fascinating in things again.

 

Just in case I don't post again until after the holidays, I just want you all to know how much I appreciate your support. This year has been a big year for me and this blog. So much has happened and I've been given so many fantastic opportunities. This place wouldn't be what it is without all of you following along and sharing your stories and kind words on here.

 

♥ So thank you, from the absolute bottom of my heart ♥

 

Enjoy your holidays and make sure you spend time with and treasure those you hold dear.

I've had a bit of a rough week the last week. I'm not gonna go into the whingey details because that's not what this post is about. But it's safe to say I've been VERY stressed and feeling on the verge of throwing up or bursting into tears at any minute. So what's a gal to do? Put on a cute, colourful outfit and a happy face of course!

 

   Collectif Florida Palm Blouse - was $45 now $20 {Your One Stop PinUp Shop}

Collectif Baby Blue Fabienne Trousers - was $60 now $25 {Punkabilly Dolls}

JayJays Pink Lowline Sneakers - was $15 now $5 {JayJays}

Retro White Cateye Sunglasses - $10 {Ebay}

Bad feelings and stress begone! You cannot penetrate through my hawaiian shirt sheild of happiness!

 

Best part about this whole outfit? I got EVERYTHING on sale and saved a bunch on their full price. That means this whole outfit came in at only $60! What's not to smile about huh? I've been lusting after these pants for ages so to get them in time for summer and at such a cheap price, that certainly made me happy.

 

Even though their length is a little longer than what you'd expect from 'summer' pants, they're made from a lightweight linen/cotton blend with a hint of spandex for form fitting yet comfortably stretchy pants. The top is also really lightweight and is made of a soft, silky almost crepe-like material. Perfect for the warmer weather!

 

What do you think of this outfit? I LOVE it! So colourful and such a mood lifter!

Distance can be a good thing. It gives you a new perspective on things. Can help you to appreciate the greatness of something in its entirety. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. I have recently discovered my need for distance. Perhaps need is a strong word, more like want. I find myself wanting some distance between this blog and my personal life.

A hard balance to find when you write a personal blog, don’t you think? It’s a hard concept to explain (I’m sure my family still don’t get it). The need for privacy at the same time as splashing the goings on of your life all over the internet for perfect strangers to see. It’s difficult that’s for sure. But it has come to my attention that my 'online life' is lacking a little bit of personal privacy and this does concern me. After a few little 'issues' with people, I think it's time to protect myself a little bit.

But, just like the redesign of the site added some extra oomph to the blog, I’ve decided my approach to my blogging strategy needs a bit of a redesign too. I want to see this blog grow. The more it grows, the more I can give to it and to you guys in return. And I want to give to you guys so badly. Whether you’re a relatively new follower or have been here from the very beginning, your presence here makes this place what it is.

So, in an effort to be a better blogger for this space and to maintain a level of professionalism and integrity, I have decided there needs to be a more defined separation between my online blog life and my personal, ‘real’ life. Quite a few of you who have followed this blog have since not only become a fan of the Facebook page but have also gone on to add my personal page on Facebook. I’ve decided that unless I actually know you, like know know you, you won’t be making the cut to my personal page.

That’s not to say that I won’t be opening my heart to you on these pages. Quite the opposite in fact. I’ll still be personally replying to all your comments and my email address is listed right here on the blog so if you ever want to contact me directly or privately, you can always just shoot me an email. But to take the blog up to the next level, I want to stop being that ‘lil operation out of the backyard’ and give myself the kick in the pants I need to become someone, something.

I hope this doesn’t offend anyone. Please, PLEASE don’t feel like I’m retreating from you. This is not the case at all. I simply want the perspective to fully appreciate you.

Besides, if you saw what I dork I am on my personal page it would totally ruin the illusion I’ve created here of how cool I am :P

Sunday I went and got my first tattoo from Dave at Sacred Skin in Stones Corner and damn is his work good! Dave is a friend of mine and he did well to put up with my sooking because this one DID hurt! It's not finished yet but I thought it would be fun to document the stages, plus it looks amazing and I'm pretty excited about it so I couldn't wait to share it with you!

 

The image of the sacred heart is a pretty enduring symbol in tattoo culture and although it has religious connotations, that's certainly not the meaning behind this tattoo for me. The roots of the sacred heart are linked back to both early France and Mexico and by the time this piece is finished, it will certainly be looking more Mexican than anything. The Sagrado Corazon stands for sacrifice and devotion and, for me at least, also represents passion and loyalty through the flames and crown.

 

By the time the piece is finished, it will be a symbol for me, of love, sacrifice, devotion, passion, loyalty, light, strength and endurance. It's also a nice little marker of my impending visit to Mexico, somewhere I have wanted to travel to for a very long time. I have been fascinated by the art, culture and symbolism of Mexico since learning about it in school.

Ho. Ly. Crap! What a MASSIVE weekend. Huge. I considered taking the day off work today just to recover and unpack a little but decided against it. Still, I'm feeling completely exhausted from the last 3 days.

 

It began on Friday which was mostly an emotionally exhausting day but also started a bit early. Friday was the day we farewelled our beautiful Vanessa. It was a bittersweet day as we tried to balance our tears and grief with the good humour and vibrant spirit which Ness always had, and would have wanted us to have. It is the best dressed funeral I have ever been to and the wake was nothing short of perfect for our girl. The band played, we drank and sang and danced and cried a little more as we honoured our vivacious V and gave J and Kath all our love and support.

 

Saturday was moving day and that was an epic in itself! You forget how much stuff you have until you have to move it and what I thought would only take a few hours turned into 2 days worth of tooing and froing. Don't even talk about moving the fridge! I thought we were all going to die! It also happened to be 35 degrees. Ugh! Although a BIG thank you must go to The Man, Turtle and Paulie for all their help and heavy lifting!! We moved all day until about 3pm when we had to stop and rush to get ready for Bernie & Kerryn's Luau Tiki Party. Great fun, lots of awesome outfits and we scrubbed up ok considering if I do say so myself. However I wasn't drinking and was pretty beat from the move so it wasn't a particularly late one. Besides, I had a lot going on for Sunday as well!

 

Sunday I got up early and did another load from the old place to the new place before heading to Your One Stop PinUp Shop where I've picked up some shifts to help Bek out during the Christmas rush. I did 4 hours there on Sunday and although my legs and feet were already killing me (did I mention my room at both the old and new places is upstairs??) it was nice to get dressed up, hang out and be surrounded by pretty dresses while helping people. After my shift I headed to Sacred Skin to see my mate Dave (more on that tomorrow, ayyy...ayyy) for a few hours of pain and then did another load/huge clean up at the old place before heading home to the new place and falling into bed.

I've done a few fashion and outfit posts in the history of this blog but most of them have revolved around casual wear or my more flouncy, dressy frocks. However, I know some of these looks can be a little intimidating to try and replicate, especially if it's not really in your regular repertoire. They usually also require an appropriate occasion to wear them to. It seems a lot of you are looking for a look that channels the retro/rockabilly style in a way that you can wear often. A lot of people have also asked me if I dress this way for work and if so, how? Well the answer is yes I do and THIS is how I do it.

Switchblade Stiletto - Black Waist Belt Skirt $65 (size XL)

Collectif - Vera Top $40 (size 12)

Bolero Shrug - Black $15 (one size fits all)

Music Legs - Lace Top Thigh High Fishnet Stockings $10

Lila-Jo Hair Accessory - Black & White Rose $10

Hi Fallutin - Small Chrysanthemum Earrings $10

The skirt size does run a little small but in saying that, once you wear it the fabric relaxes and stretches a little, which makes it one of the comfiest high waisted pencil skirts I've worn. The stretchy belt also cinches in your waist for that perfect hourglass silhouette. The top is simple yet SO stylish and the black and white colour scheme is very classic. The oversized collar brings a modern, high fashion feel to it and the shirred back makes for a comfortable and perfect fit, ensuring the top remains firmly tucked into the skirt, even when moving, bending and sitting. The bolero is really soft and stretchy making it really comfy and unrestrictive and the clingy fit means it stays perfectly in place while you work, meaning you won't have to be tugging and readjusting.

The stockings add a touch of corporate attitude and the hair flower and cutesy earrings add some personality and mean the transition from office wear into a more relaxed atmosphere for after work drinks or socialising is effortless. I. LOVE. THIS. OUTFIT! Everything about it is perfect, it's super comfortable and practical but looks SO awesome! I wish it was my uniform! The top just gets me every time, so funky! Pair the top with a pair of black high waisted capris and you're good to go for casual Friday as well! And those red heels, well they're just a bit of fun aren't they!? Of course you could always go for something a little more low key if your workplace isn't quite ready for that much sex appeal.