the what i wore project - week 51

it's the silly season and probably the season that i will be my least silliest.  why, because it's my first ever christmas away from any family and friends (apart from the new friends i have made), but this is the year of firsts and i'm okay with it, so the silly that i normally relish is just not there, but i will do my best.

this has been the year of being out of my comfort zone that's for sure and there is something quite empowering about stepping outside the usual and seeing not only what you are capable of, but what else is out there to broaden the horizon.

today i read an article in the paper about people who are lucky vs those who are unlucky, and it seems it all comes down to attitude and what you believe. the lucky people believe that if something bad happens, they are lucky it wasn't worse....the unlucky people believe that if something bad happens, then it's expected.  cause they are unlucky.  so i challenge anyone who feels that life is dealing them a dud hand to try their luck....

well now that we are all feeling lucky, let's move on to what i wore this week.

i had a great week. i felt lucky and just love that i am making each moment count.                

monday i went super girly girl with pink and red and i had a colleague say they would never put them together.  well why not!!! it's a no brainer.  I made the dress, the shoes are from jo mercer (managed them all day sans blisters) and topped it off with red flowers in my hair.

tuesday i  wore polyester hearts and it wasn't pretty.  so much static, that i was electrocuting everything.  i made the dress and belt and teamed it with shoes from betts.  i love this dress though and electrocution aside, i won't be deterred from wearing it.

wednesday i whacked on the red palazzo pants that i made a long time ago.  well sort of made.  i half made them and put them back in the sewing box and eventually they screamed "enough already - get me out of this cramped sewing box". they were at least 4 years from then till now.  i always felt they were too wide legged, but that's the thing now. they were right to speak up and they just needed simple accessories, like a giant blue flower belt, 2 necklaces and my shoes from whittner.

thursday i found this dress at the bottom of my unpacked storage box.  and yes it's another that i made in probably about 2010.  i got the fabric on my first trip to fiji.  it is so metallic, yet still looks amazing. i also got the gold shoes from the hardware store in suva - go figure. they cost 15FJ dollars and fell apart as i walked to the city thus requiring me to buy an emergency pair of shoes, as i was no longer well heeled.....

friday was our work christmas drinks so i went less than casual in this gold denim skirt i made, teamed with a leopard top from sportsgirl, shoes from whittner and gifted obi belt. that's the festivites done and dusted. i was home before midnight with no hangover in sight.

saturday the temperature was indiaesque.  and i can say that, cause i have been in india (and brissy) when it has gone over 40. okay so it's another outfit i made in the form of a jumpsuit with a necklace from venice (mi piace), a super old belt from an oppy and silver birkys.  strapless isn't my usual thing, but in this heat it was the only thing.

saturday night i was invited out for drinks with some new friends i have made (i knew that dancing may have been on the cards) so i dressed for the dance floor and for the heat. i get lots of comments about my legs and fuck it, tonight was the night when i had a huge light bulb moment after talking to my friends and not that i give a shit as to whether people think at nearly 50, i dress or act age appropriate, but i just do and wear what makes me happy and the legs are part of the package.  we all should do what makes us happy... regardless. it was a great night - we danced with a group of irish soccer coaches (male and female) who were having their christmas party. we didn't know them, but they included us for limbo, salsa, some dirty dancing and the only expectation was that everyone was having a good time on the dance floor. glad i could keep up. it was great.

sparkle shorts and belt were made by me, shoes from jo mercer, singlet was from target and heart earrings are old old old and riva at elwood was the dancing place of choice.  adding more suburbs to my internal melways.

sunday i woke up early after not enough sleep. it was hot again and i headed out for a warm cool coffee.  i have found a place that does my hotcold.  a glass with ice, then coffee, then hot soy.  perfect for the hot day. thank you magic on ferrars.

today was not only hot, but the wind was insane, so much so, that i was glad to have nice undies on for the numerous unexpected gusts that exposed my unsuspecting gusset area...

this dress is from our huudaverti collection and i teamed it with my silver birkys, necklace from venice (mi piace) and an impromptu belt made from a ribbon i had. i am expecting it to snow any minute!

well that's my week and i have some lessons learned.  life is what you make it and for me, leading into christmas - a time which can be extremely stressful for so many people for so many reasons - it will only be as good or as bad as i make it and with over a week off (starting thursday midday) i am looking forward to taking some time to just be. i think this has been the most difficult year of my life and i feel lucky to have made it to where i am today with my sanity intact.

a friend of mine said this week that i was fearless. that filled me with fear, but on reflection, i think she is right.  i have faced every fear (fashion or otherwise) to get where i am right now and that is feeling extremely peaceful and satisfied with this new life that i have made which in unfolding further everyday.  lucky hey!

happy festivus. and as you share kindness to those around you, remember to serve yourself with kindness first.

Aussie Curves challenge - metallic

I have to share a secret - soooo much of my wardrobe is either sparkly, shiny, or metallic.  i am just one of those people who is drawn to anything that glistens.

After a hectic few weeks, where we were one of the many people affected by the brissy storm, i didn't really feel like going to my work christmas party, but as someone kindly pointed out to me, i could be just feeling meh at home, or feeling meh at a party.  and you know what, the party was just was the doctor ordered.

Since i no longer have any way of sewing new stuff, i resorted to a speed shopping session and came up with an outfit that was metallic enough for me to blog about.

I had been keeping my eye on a little kaftan in west end where i go for my thai massage, and when i decided to go and see if they were still available, i didn't have the choice that i wanted, but she did have a beautiful black one that she sold me for half price cause it had the teeniest tiniest hole in it.

What's great about this dress is that it is long, but has a little button on both the front and back which hooks up inside to the top, thus making it both short and long.  However, when i hooked up the back part, it showed my butt cheeks, so i quickly decided that it wasn't the look for me.

 

So, as for the speed shopping, i went to Mt Ommany with every intention of buying a swimsuit for my upcoming camping trip, but as every good speed shopping woman knows, if there's an opportunity to accessorize, then it must be taken. and with bargains galore to source, i complemented my outfit.

 

After my speed shopping adventure, where i never intended to buy any bangles, or earrings or shoes, or a bag, i came home with a pair of shoes, some great bangles, a small make-up bag that doubled as a purse, some earrings and i was set.

I then went onto more speedy things and grabbed some alfoil and a spray bottle and set about winding strips of foil into my dampened hair in order to create some wild jungle inspired look,  A quick blast with the hair dryer and voila, i was ready to go, after sliding in some home made bobby pins which were wired with bells and beads.

 

dress from I do thai massage west end
shoes from novo
bangles from lovisa (3 bucks each)
gold bag from supre
earrings from dissh
hair accessories made by me

So that's it.... metallic look done.

you dirty dolly

i have posted this blog, but forgot to add a very piece of important information.  On friday night i had a really odd dream.  i was lying down on a couch which had a white sheet on it and out of the corner of my eye, i see a mouse running towards me.  of course that freaks me out in the dream and i do what i can to get away, but the mouse runs up the sheet to my face and i have to grab it and  it was awful and then i wake up.  So when i get up, i check my dream book about mouse and this is what it says......to be frightened by a mouse portends a social embarrassment.
Read on........

so it seems that my blog posts keep getter further and further apart - why, i don't know, as i always seem to have plenty of material on hand to share, so perhaps when all the nonsense of this festive season is over, i may be able to share more.
last night was my work Christmas party and we headed off to an un-named venue and it will remain un-named as i will have to shame them for their atrocious vegetarian options later in my post.
so, i had the frock - you know the one that i couldn't reveal, but could reveal that it matched the Christmas tree......

so this style of dress isn't my usual style, but with this extraordinary pink, i decided to shimmer in pink. Pink  everything in fact, right down to my toenails.

 

 

and off we go, to the un-named venue
first thing i do is notice that we weren't there in time to enjoy the pesto and beetroot dips that were on offer - shame.
second thing i do is scope out the Christmas decorations to see if anything would make it into my very small handbag to bring home.  this may have happened last year, but i can neither confirm or deny.

as we get settled into the evening (i didn't drink, so had no chance of taking any decorations home - even if i did have a plan on how to make them disappear without anyone noticing) i cracked my bon bon and of course, now that i have old lady eyes, i had to take a photo of the joke and enlarge it on my phone so i could read it.

funny hey!
then they start to bring out the meals and i firstly get offered some kind of meat dish which i politely handed back and no sooner did i do that, then a ninja whizzed by and crossed my knife and fork over. WTF - this must be code for she has a special dietary requirement, we'll show her....

and sure enough they did.  i have no photo of these travesties, but it's probably better

entree: a freezing cold tomato sliced into 3 and smothered in the same pesto and beetroot dips that i missed out on enjoying when i arrived. oh delicious

main meal: mushroom risotto - sorry, don't eat mushroom. next best option was sweet potato mash and a piece of that chewy chinese green stuff  - wang chung, or whatever the hell it is and on top of the mash was some drab eggplant rolled up with ricotta

the dessert, or "the best" as they called it: delicious (still not naming them) firstly it was pannacotta (a vegetarian treat) which i handed back and then received delicious  flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sorbet. yummo

so while we are having our dessert they draw all the raffles - no winners at our table, or was there - and then the entertainment arrives

this guy, darren carr and his wooden friend who he keeps in a suitcase take to the stage

not sure what to make of this, i paid full attention and laughed hysterically at his totally PC incorrect jokes and his use of good swear words.

i was loving it, until he moved his attention from some sucker in the audience onto me. maybe it wasn't meant to be me, but i swear that doll was looking right at me, like he wanted me, i suppose i was blinding him with my pink shimmer and my glitter and so yep, it must have been me.

he asked my name - Jan, i said

he was winking at me, ogling me. oh my god, it was a wooden doll

i had to yell out that i was married, but no that didn't stop him

he asked me if i liked wood

he was gyrating, telling me that i wanted him cause he had wood

he just didn't stop and i just didn't stop laughing,

that doll was being totally inappropriate and gesticulating inappropriate things to me. i loved it and so did everyone else it seems.

but when i was asked by that doll if wanted to have sex in the suitcase, he knew he'd gone tooo far
but he did ask again and again - winking and gyrating, he knew i was a catch

oh, if only i wasn't married, i'd be covered in splinters somewhere between here and his next gig.
haaaa, imagine if it was in woodburn....

i can't get enough pink

i've been a busy gal over the last couple of weeks.  it hasn't had much to do with the silly season, but more to do with lots going on at work and a few loose ends to tie up.  now that those loose ends are all sorted, i made it my priority to sew my work christmas party dress today.  this year's extravaganza will be pink and of course only the hottest of hot glittery pinks will do.

 

i can't reveal this fabulous number yet, but making a dress is that is in fact the same colour as our christmas tree is alarming, but not surprising

 

 see what i mean!

 

oh, and the shoes i am wearing just happen to be...................pink

12 hour party people

what a fantastic party day
party 1 - dave's do
venue - watt at powerhouse 10/10
staff attentiveness - 5/10
food - not so great 5/10
view - fantastic 10/10
specialness of other people at the venue - 10/10
dave and jan's outfits - stylin 10/10
highlights - lipstick on my teeth - classed me as one of the special people
lowlights - any more sugar in my dessert and i would have on the fast track to diabetes
highlight/lowlight - dave stopping to buy a lotto ticket and hoping that it's lucky cause mal meninga was in the same newsagent
priceless - the look on dave's face when he realised his entree may have been raw
Overall rating 6/10
i spose they can get another point for providing the sugar hit that got me through till after midnight

on our way

 

dave wishes

this was to help me get through to the next party
the level of sugar in this eton's mess was over the top!

party no 2 - jan's do
venue - victoria park golf club 10/10
staff attentiveness - 7/10 - points taken off for trying to serve me a vegetarian dessert made of jelly and also forgetting to deliver the much needed gin and tonic
food - pretty good 7/10 - would have got a 10, if they had a damn dessert for me
view - very festive 10/10
specialness of other people at the venue - 10/10 - i only need to rate my colleage LM on this one
dave and jan's outfits - stylin 10/10
highlights - dancing to the grease megamix
lowlights - not winning one of the fabulous gifts
priceless - the irony of having to use the disabled toilet which didn't have a light in it - nothing like a good fumble
Overall rating 8/10 

mega losers

winners

after party
venue - lychee lounge - always a favourite 10/10
staff attentiveness - 9/10 - points taken off for telling us we couldn't sit inside, even though we scored a sweet spot near the window
cocktails - get's 9 slurps
view - always spectacular 10/10
specialness of other people at the venue - 10/10 - they weren't in the venue,  they were on the street
dave and jan's outfits - still stylin 10/10
highlights - chrissy and bumping into the A team and jagging a taxi with them
lowlights - none
Overall rating 9/10 

priceless - by that time of night, it could have been anything, even me!

party + party = a big day

today is my work christmas party and that has means one thing - sparkles and lots of them. in my last job, i didn't go to the christmas party cause it was at a steakhouse, and a steakhouse is a vegetarians best friend - NOT!
but before i get to my work party, i have to accompany my husband to his.
2 parties, at 2 fabulous places with my husband who has coordinated his outfits - so we both look fabulous
so by the end of the today i will have eaten 6 courses, a glass of wine, or two, had 2 outfit changes, attempt at one nana nap between events, a couple of coffees to keep me going. oh and don't forget a load of washing or two, taming unruly hair, write a blog about nothing and finish my frock for tonight.  it's 99% there, but the 1% that's not, could mean the difference between the dress holding together, or falling apart as i indulge in some daggy dancing - it better not fall apart during the chicken dance, or the nutbush, cause that would be embarassing.

time to get my sparkle on

with one pair of shoes adorned by moi

a slithery accessory

and a whole lot of sequins