the sunday session 18 - what a scrubber

here we are into the fifth month of 2016.  can you believe it.  they say time flies when you are having fun right! and i am having fun.  it's really exciting to be on this journey of self discovery, growth and this thing called life and being mighty fashionable along the way.

so out of my looks this week, i think the poncho hat combo was the winner. i now officially own 4 ponchos, but they each have their own place in my wardrobe.  the one in my pic was a vintage find on saturday at the brotherhood of st laurence in melbourne city - i didn't even have to pay extra for the collar.   my hat was a vintage find in brisbane many many years ago, my jeans are boyfriend jeans from target and my boots are merrell suede boots i picked up in NYC, way back in 2005.  overall, the combo is sweet.

so i have a couple of things to cover off this week.

1. on monday when we had the public holiday, i was wandering in the city and as i walked home, i stopped by the yarra.  i cant even begin to explain what i was feeling, except that it was energy - i have travelled to so many wonderful places - italy, spain, rio, india, sri lanka, canberra..... but the energy that was flowing in this amazing city was incredible. what was that.  I want more of that. maybe this is why melbourne is the most livable city in the world?  janergy is getting a run for its money. sorry brissy, but you never showed this to me in all the years i lived there. it was intoxicating.

2. i want to share a recipe of the non food kind - a recipe suitable for a scrubber.

so my lovely sister in fiji suggested we try some homemade facial scrubs she found online and i was so on board.  i love a face scrub and one that is not a little sissy scrub, but one that actually feels like it is digging deeper than doctor pimple popper and this one hit the mark. not only was it environmentally friendly, but it  has 2 ingredients and leaves your skin feeling amazing. welcome to the homemade coffee scrub.

so if you are like me, then you love coffee - good coffee - and accordingly to legend it has many uses. some people drink it, some people like to use it as an internal cleanser (thank you my strange addiction coffee enema episode for showing me things that can never been unseen). i will not be going to bunnings anytime soon to buy some plastic tubing! some like to bathe in it (haven't tried that, but i hear it's good) and someone (aka me) likes to use it as a face scrub.

wowsers this was good and here's what i did.

i have an espresso machine, so i have grounds at the ready, but if you are keen to try this scrub, then ask your barista for the leftovers from your recent coffee hit. 

i mixed my coffee grounds with some olive oil.  i have no mathematics for this but about a couple of tablespoons of coffee mixed with some oil to make a soft pliable paste is what you do.  i then stored it in a jar and kept it in the fridge.  as it has no preservatives, it ain't gonna last as long as a McDonalds burger, but long enough to be used, or to grow mould when at which time, it can be disposed off.  trick is to not make too much, i guess. 

so yes, here's a bathroom selfie - there is no pretty candlelit picture of me holding a glass of bubbly while flashing my perfectly waxed legs and manicured toes, but rather me, with a face full of homemade coffee scrub, which i'd like to add felt at first strangely uncomfortable and tingly as let i work its magic, but then, as i washed the brown muck off my nearly 50 year old face was then overcome with an incredibly fresh, soft, highly energised face.  i liked it, but guess coffee is a great  perk-er-upper-er!

well, i have a pretty lackluster beauty routine. i'm vegetarian (that seems to work a treat for me), love a splattering coconut oil on my face and sure i love putting on the mascara and lippy, but i can't be arsed taking any of it off before go to bed. i always was a rule breaker though....but my beauty routine is super simple - i've never even plucked my eyebrows -- that's how lazy i am.

so i have another scrub to try at some point, but i cant imagine anything living up to the beautiful simplicity of this homemade wonder, which is now gradually being used as an all over scrub, but will never be used as the other kind of strange addiction involving a piece of plastic tubing from bunnings.

and in the words of my fave ever brissy coffee shop - please don't ask for decaf, as refusal may offend and i suggest sticking to full strength if you plan of giving this a go, cause decaf will never cut he mustard in life, on your face and probably not even in a coffee enema.  

the what i wore project - week 39 - it was birthday week

this week i delved into my bag of tricks and had to manage the weather which was nice then cold, then cold, then cold, then nice then nice then nice.  Every weekend has been pretty amazing though in the weather stakes and that is making the melbourne train all the more fun to ride.

i was reminded this week when i went to get summer shoes out of my wardrobe, that all of my summer shoes are still in my taxi box in brisbane - apart from a pair of birkenstocks (not work wear) and one brown wedge sandal - yep, there is only one..... and with the weather warming up so rapidly, this will be problematic soon, so i will be happy to take donations to help relocate these so i can feel the freedom of the toe wriggle of sandals. but until that happens it's boots, day in and day out,which is fine, cause the weather can turn in an instant so it pays to be dressed for all eventualities.

monday it was short sleeves for me.  this dress is from one of my fave places in suva fiji and i teamed it with a bold necklace from fijian designer robert kennedy. i am not afraid to put things together that you wouldn't normally think would work and that's half the fun of expressing my individuality.

tuesday it was long sleeves - the weather was cold and it required a little something to brighten the dark skies.  i went with basic black, leopard and some red contrasts to bring the look to life.

wednesday was my 49th birthday.  i can hardly believe it - 49 - i love to keep a really youthful outlook and i think that my love of fashion and its endless possibilities has a lot to do with it (and the desire to never be an old fart) i like to keep a mindset of being open to change and this keeps me from becoming locked into a path of same same.

the skirt and belt was made by me, boots now 10 years old and top comes from Dream Diva.

i often get told that i don't look my age and what is age supposed to look like anyway?  but i will thank resilience when times are tough, being humble and grateful, coconut oil, when the skin feels dry, water and white wine, laughing and smiling, a vegetarian lifestyle for nearly 20 years and a positive outlook on life, regardless, living in the moment.....and bright lipstick.

on thursday i wanted to wear my target vinyl skirt and the weather was also nice enough to just wear this great poncho. someone at work commented that it was what is known as plastic silk in india.  i think she's right.  

the poncho comes from our label huudaverti (which i am excited to announce) will be showcasing at LA Fashion Week in October, as part of the Fiji Fashion Week showcase.

ahhh casual friday and again it was lovely, jeans and a short sleeve T were the order of the day. I did a rolling updo and added my fave flowers to my hair.  These flowers are a big hit in the office and perfect for an environment where plenty of people have bad allergies.  they can look, but don't need to sniff.

the top was made by me, jeans are from target, boots from jo mercer and flowers from sportsgirl.

so i love it when the weekend comes round, cause i get to go exploring and find different places to take my ootd photo.  there are some routines that i am missing - one is not having a coffee place that i can go and start the day at - and i am so over bonsoy and two is not having a lot of choices for backdrops during the weekday, without carrying my little tripod round with me all day.

this great dress is from huudavert and it's actully split from the underarms to the hips.  i teamed it with my 10 year old boots, sequin belt made by me, t-shirt from suzanne grae and necklaces.  round beads are from and op shop and the flower is from Fiji.

speaking of photos, i did my second PHOTOH group class as well. it's a slow burn getting to build a network in this new city, but one step at a time.

sunday i was a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. i donned denim, sequins and western boots all in the name of styling it my way.  i know that double denim can be a sin, but what's the verdict on newly faded denim....

i also took the opportunity on sunday to do 2 other good things.
number one - was have scones for breakfast. they were good, but not as good as mine and i don't think it will be long till i begin some baking.  people, don't skimp on the cream or the jam FFS.

number two - was getting a hair cut.  i have had a great hairdresser for the past 4 years and my challenge was to find another one - but bingo, i have, at the south melbourne markets and it only cost me 29 bucks and having some of that old hair energy cut off feels brilliant.

my skirt is from Dream Diva, boots are from the wrangler store at DFO Brissy, my vest is by Lee, and bought at Big W, but sequined by me.

and since declaring that on sunday i was a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll, it seems only fitting that i end my post with donny and marie osmond....there is plenty to love here.

the what i wore project - week 27

oh my wasn't it cold in brissy this week and that means that we get to rug up and dress like it's a real winter for about a week (hoping it will still be the same this week) but usually by the middle of the day it gets warm enough to venture out without a coat or a jumper, so you are then left wondering why the hell you put so many warm clothes on in the first place.  it catches me out every year!

i woke today after spending my first night alone as a single woman since ending my marriage last november.  we have had to share a house during that time and that has worked, but it was time for the actual living arrangements to change. it's began as a beautiful romance with many adventures along the way, but sadly life sometimes throws challenges that can require hard decisions in order for everyone to be happy.  i instigated the change, but it never feels nice to think you have hurt someone who loves you and it feels the same for me, to be hurt by someone who loves me wasn't nice either, so i stepped out of my comfort zone and now with that a whole new chapter has actually begun.  i even expressed to him my desire to start dating again and that wasn't met with any bad reaction, but the reality is that i don't even know how to date.....what do i do, how do i start, the only thing i do know is what i would probably wear. i am good at deciding that.

here's the looks of last week taken firstly with my old iphone on monday and then with my new samsung galaxy (i even broke up with iphone) and my relationship with the new galaxy is still in the early stages.

monday i wore an outfit i made a couple of years ago. i do love to keep my pieces and i think it's because when you make your own clothes, you know that no body else is likely to have that exact same thing.  they may have the same fabric, but chances are it will be a different look. 

this was a mustard velvet skirt (am seeing mustard everywhere at present) and a floral chiffon overtop that is split at the side.  i teamed it with my jo mercer boots, a jumper and a sequined belt.

tuesday i wore tweed buckle pants from huudaverti, woollen jumper from uniqlo, my snake skin boots from maryons, hat from an op shop and hoops.

wednesday i wore a bit of a pattern clash.  these checked pants are from target, the jumper is from harris scarfe, scarf made by my mum, red men's shoes from stone, earrings from fiji and my jacket was gifted to me by my sister when she lived in sri lanka. it is so toasty. 

thursday i wore an outfit that would make anyone feel warm and cosy. it was my huudaverti animal print tube skirt, black jumper from coles,  jo mercer boots, scarf made by my mum and a corduroy jacket i purchased when i moved to canberra in 2003. my sister said i would need a jacket cause it gets cold. this will be perfect i thought.  it's corduroy and lined and it will do the trick. WRONG! 

this mo fo did the trick.  my sister picked it up in new york and thought it would be more suitable for the canberra weather. rated to -27 (not that canberra ever gets to that) but it came in very handy as i lived in very cold canberra for a year and when i went on a trip to very cold europe.  this pic was taken in bratislava in 2006.  what was funny about bratislava, was that i had never heard of it before, but slap bang in the middle of the shopping precinct was a store that sold crumpler. go figure! and fuck, was it cold.

NB: hat and scarf are still kicking on 10 years later, as is the jacket.

friday i wore that same hat from the photo above, my target skinny jeans, black turtle neck jumper from uniqlo, red shoes from stone, and that toasty warm jacket.

saturday i wore jeans from target, old boots from jo mercer, probably the same ones i wore in the pink puffer photo, black hat from an oppy and turtle neck jumper from unknown.  i also scoffed down a vegan dagwood dog from the davies park markets that i just had to drown in tomato sauce. soooooo good!

sunday i wore my new found life and dressed it in target skinny jeans, black jo mercer boots, red jumper from uniqlo, pink puffer vest from millers (that was a find last week), earrings from odel in sri lanka and rings from india.

wow what a week and there's plenty more to come in both the life and the fashion stakes.

it's been a tough year for me, but i have come through it knowing that i have incredible resilience to be able to duck and weave through every challenge that has been thrown at me and i feel really proud to have done it in a way that has left me feeling good about myself and some of the choices i have made, or have been made for me.

i know it's really hard to be faced with life when it isn't going as you hoped, but that's when you need to look at it as a positive opportunity, not a reason to give up.

and, what's with all the face pics - well i can't for the life of me work out where to look in the samsung, so i just figured i'd share the randomness of them.  enjoy your week.

the what i wore project - week 19

this week, i am confused.  and i am confused about the weather.  i want to pack all my summer stuff away, but it just isn't getting cold enough yet.  I head off to fiji for fiji fashion week on friday. I have a week there before the shows, and then following that, i have another week, where i hope i will be able to have some much needed r&r and go to the beach, do some snokelling, drink some cocktails and just do NOTHING!

leading up to my departure this friday, i have had so much to do, that this week has been all about work and i didn't really think too much about what i would wear, as it wasn't top of mind. apart from my new western boots - i really just wanted wear one of each every day though, cause i love them so much. but that might have been a bit too weird.

what was great this week, was reading a blog from sugercoatit about the little moments app review and the photo a day challenges.

back in 2010, when i started blogging, i decided to take a photo of myself everyday for a year and it kind of grew from a little challenge i set myself to something where i began to write about things happening in my life that were personally challenging or fun, while sharing fashion, food and stories over the year. here i am on the first day and the last day of my year of taking a photo.

 

doing a photo challenge is a really great way of exploring creativity and feeling like you may be going beyond your day to day routine. the reason i say this is because when i reflect on all the great things in my life, i have pursued the things i love or thought i might like to try and that has given me contentment.  this is one way that i discovered a lot about myself and began to explore other creative parts of me that i never knew existed. instead of saying i wish i could do something, i actually did it and now it brings me a great deal of personal satisfaction, regardless of what may be going on around me. if you are looking for a simple way to start to explore other aspects of your life, then a photo challenge is an easy way to start.  what are you waiting for.

so onto the week that was.

monday - well it wasn't cold that's for sure.

i wore a chevron a-line skirt and seersucker top made by me.  belt from the $2 shop, shoes from jo mercer and heart earrings.

tuesday i had the day off work as i had some personal appointments and i hitched up my wagon and headed out.

i wore white dress from tree of life, boots that i got at the wrangler store at dfo and hoop earrings.  so, i had wandered into the wrangler store many times on trips to dfo and to me it was just a bit daggy. last sunday however, there were boots, boots and more boots and i ended up buying 2 pairs for much much cheaper then one full price pair would ever be. so if you are looking out for some western gear, then it's worth a trip and they go up to larger sizes as well, which was a bonus.

wednesday i just grabbed a couple of things from the cupboard and threw them on, making sure i matched the carpet with the curtains so to speak - animal print top and animal print shoes.

i wore satin pants made by me, leopard top from new york that my sister gave me, shoes from novo and peacock earrings that i picked up at target a few years back.

thursday at work we were doing a bit of a team building exercise, so i dressed for a potential physical activity.  glad i did, cause we ended up outside on the wet grass and all got covered in dirt.  brilliant.

i wore orange pants from sportscraft dfo, top from tree of life, shoes from jo mercer and earrings from fiji.

friday was the outing of my second pair of boots and a very bejewelled belt.  these boots are super comfy and as it was a little chilly, decided to bring out the long sleeves.

i wore skinny jeans and top dolman top from target, boots and belt from wrangler at airport dfo.

saturday i underestimated the chill in the air and threw on this outfit for my weekly market trip.  i was bloody freezing, but thankfully, the gates to the volleyball court were open and i snuck through and put my feet on the warm sand and imagined i was in fiji.  not long to go now.

i wore jeans from target, havaianas from byron bay, spotted raglan top made by me, scarf knitted by my mum and borrowed sunnies, as i left mine at home.

sunday i wasn't taking any chances on the weather front and i dressed for the cold and by 10am, i was freaking boiling.  hat, jumper, vest, closed in shoes - it was tooooooo much.

i wore boyfriend jeans from target, jumper from coles, fur zip up vest from suzanne grae that i got about 4 years ago and pink converse. the cap came from some random shop in the city.

a few weeks ago i got my son to give me a haircut. he had no choice really, as i insisted. it was good, i worked on a bit more after the initial scissor hands, but this weekend i decided to check in with my hairdresser sunny from FGdolls at west end and i alerted him to my own hair cutting adventures. it wasn't the first time. i think i gave myself my first hair cut around age 6 and have been happy to chop when needed ever since.  he said that my "accident" wasn't too bad and gave me a tidy up that is runway ready.

today was also mothers day and i got to catch up with my son, his girlfriend and her parent's last night for tea.  we went to the loving hut in mt gravatt - mummas choice and enjoyed a buffet of vegan delights.   we had a swell time and i got a card with glitter.  awesome.

 

and also today, i made scones.  how can i say no to such tasty little floury, jammy, creamy bundles of joy.  i can't. scones are the best and i have a confirmed appointment to give my son's girlfriend a lesson on my return from fiji.  i will probably also make some when i get to fiji, as i didn't spend mothers day's with my mum and i know that i, i mean she will love to eat them.

and also today, my lovely friend aileen dropped around and bought me a gift to take away. i actually went to officeworks today to find a book to take with me so i can make notes about stuff and i didn't see anything i fancied and voila - she dropped by with the perfect one.  how great is she. thoughts and ideas are coming my way.

well, next post is from fiji, and i can't wait. glad i didn't pack away my summer digs, cause i think the weather will still be totally tropical. it better be!

have a great week and get ready to go on vacay with me.  fiji here we come. it's fashion week time and there will be plenty of glamour to blog about.

the what i wore project - week 14 or is it week 2?

it's technically week 2 of my what i wear/wore project, but it's actually 14 weeks in to the year, so figured, i would count along with the calendar, rather then when i began, which was week one, or really week 13, just to add some numerical confusion.  holy moly better have some more chocolate, cause that is bound to help me think clearer.

this is how my week looked,  plenty of colour - of course - and a few pairs of shorts.  given we are in public holiday mode this week,  the opportunity to wear stuff that is NSFW (not safe for work) is always a plus.

 

monday's look is an easy start to the week and one that is fun and comfy.

the spots are kind of crazy which adds to my sense of appeal as i like to describe myself as a squiqqle, rather then a straight line, so if something is a bit quirky, it will certainly grab my attention.

i wore spotted pants and pom pom necklaces made by me, top from suzanne grae and shoes from betts

 

tuesday i grabbed this dress out of the cupboard.  hadn't worn it for ages, but it is really cute - as everyone said throughout the day.  I put it on to do a few mirror moves in and then gave it the thumbs up.  it needs a slip underneath or it's NSFW, so instead of bothering to take it off and add said slip, i just put a pair of loose pants underneath, added a belt and the beads and declared it a fashion win.

i wore dress made by me, pants from katies, shoes from novo, belt gifted to me and beads from st vinnies at annerley. 

 

wednesday - april fools day - and i did manage to pull off a prank at my local coffee shop ugees.  i am a soy drinker and my usual coffee was delivered by Belinda and i took a sip and as usual it was lovely. i waited a while till i had another sip (so it looked like something was wrong) and when another coffee was brought out for someone else, i picked mine up and held it out to hand back saying that i think there was a mistake as my coffee was made on dairy.  Belinda was genuinely shocked and surprised and said really.  Nope, i said, april fools. i did manage to fool her with my poker face.

this was probably my favourite outfit of the week. i got this dress at SWOP, a clothing exchange store in west end.  it is really cute and i did make the effort to put on a slip underneath.  it was also a popular piece and with floral sparkle how could it not be.

i wore dress from swop, shoes from whittner, belt gifted to me and it didn't really need much else.

 

thursday was the new friday and that meant dress casual in the office day. jeans, jeans, jeans was the chant of the morning and hearts was to show my respect for the upcoming four day break.

i wore top made by me, skinny jeans from target, shoes from mollini and necklace from robert kennedy fiji.

as i write my post today, i have flicked back and forth to facebook to see that sadly Tess Holliday is being trolled and bullied online through fat shaming people and groups and she has posted a message which has received 45,000 likes, about 700 shares and numerous comments on people standing up against bullying.

HER POST: Just so you trolls are aware, I'm in contact with Instagram and Reddit and your fat hate pages won't be around much longer. So instead of bullying others you might actually have time to work on yourselves and try to be happy instead of projecting your problems on others. If I can defy the odds in my industry and be the first model to be signed to an agency, you best believe I will shut you all down and change the laws against this kind of bullying and vile behavior.

go Tess. it just blows my mind to think that there are so many people out there who can only find joy from taunting others and making themself feel better by making others feel bad.

 

we are often so hard on ourselves and when you have other people shaming you, how hard must it be to even begin to feel good inside. I guess the #effyourbeautystandards is a start and for me, it's acknowledging that i am so much more that just a body and that's why i swapped out the original picture i had above and put this one in showing me jumping - happy, having fun and showing what's really underneath that fabulous flamingo top and not really giving an EFF about it.

i've seen a few posts this week about people not wanting to show their body in public, or being shamed for showing their body in public.  be true to yourself and have the courage to pave the way.

friday - i wore shorts and top made by me, havianas and a body that has given my 48 years of a fabulous life.

 

saturday and it's my usual trip to the markets. feeling a bit upmarket if i say so myself.

i wore top from huudaverti, brocade shorts and belt by me and sandals from nine west.

 

and sunday, the day where i ate myself stupid with chocolate and also went for my weekly thai massage. well, this massage was a bit different, because as i took off my thongs to enter the place, i just happened to step on the only bee that was in a hundred metre radius and it stung me right on the little toe.  OUCH! the bee sting hurt, but not as much as the thai massage. same time next sunday, but without the bee.

my outfit was pretty fun and the highlight of this was my denim vest, that i purchased from Big W and then sewed the heart sequin motif on the back.  you can't buy that motif, cause each individual sequin has been sewn on lovingly by me.

i wore velvet shorts from huudaverti - there are still some available - old tshirt from valley girl, vest embellished by me, belt i made myself, havaianas and necklaces that i have had for many many years.

the fashion highlight doesn't stop there, because there is a real community where i go for my daily coffee in west end.  and one of our newer members is Miss Harper. I say she is a new, because she is only 3 (i think) and has been a regular since birth and probably before.

she greeted me at the door with some easter eggs (more chocolate) and then went about her business of drinking a milkshake, helping out in the store, patting dogs, and being a cute as a button.

 

she was pretty chuffed when i told her i had something to put in her fantastic bronze vinyl pocket. and apparently, i am a nice lady, who wears sparkles and gives out chocolate.  i sound like a fairy god mother....

i am not sure where her outfit came from, but it all works and it may just well reignite a love of pockets for which i usually am very vocal about not liking.  i look forward to seeing Harper and her fashion as she has got it all happening. maybe we can collaborate.

well that was a busy week as i have pretty much worked since i finished my real job on thursday arvo to now and this long weekend is just about done. but i will be sharing what i have been working on soon.

so i have seen and heard some good and some not so good things to do with body image this week and i hope that those who are strong, stay strong and those who are struggling take small steps towards living the life they deserve. be kind to yourself and others.