the sunday session 24 - jani jam drop

winter is well and truly here and i am loving the clothing challenge but i'm still pretty sure i am going to need some more layering staples to keep me going so my trips to the op shop will only increase till i've got all my bases covered.  the 5 minute walk to work is great, but once i get there it's so hot inside, that i just feel like stripping off till i reach a more reasonable temperature.  of course that would get me fired, so for preservation of my pay packet, i shan't do that!

i feel like i have so much to share today but before i get to my favourite outfit, i want to share how easy it was to make the fringed look in my middle bottom photo.  i bought the fringing from darn cheap fabrics at port melbourne (they have a great online store). I got enough fringing to go around my hips and secured it with 2 safety pins to hold it on.  easy and effective and can be worn over a variety of options.  as my love of salsa dancing heats up, having outfits that are floaty and twirly is also going to be on my radar and this one was fun, fun fun.

my favourite outfit of the week was this gorgeous two piece floral one that i made. i got this fabric a long time back and it survived the hail storm in brissy, thank goodness. i still still still can't believe i am finding glass and debris in some of my sewing stuff.  this fabric has has been very patient just waiting to be bought to life.  it's a stretch sateen from spotlight and i never realised how truly gorgeous the fabric was till it was made into an outfit.

i had quite a lot of it, so decided to make an a-line skit and an open sided tunic.  i figured that this style of top would be far more user friendly in both winter and summer. it's open from under the sleeve to the waist. I sewed a small seam at the waist and left it open again till the bottom.

there is even enough fabric to make an additional piece, so im thinking either a pair of gouchos (so 70's) or another pair of culottes with an elastic hem.  who knows!

I styled this look with a blue top from target, my black jo mercer boots and a vintage woven belt found at an opshop in Prahran.

As i was getting ready, i decided that this look had so much good stuff happening that to make it even better, i would style my hair with the beaded bobby pins i made which made me look as though i was wearing a floral headband.  these were made for a show in Fiji and they are super simple to make but so cute.  you only need some fine wire - from a craft shop, and various seed beads. grab a pair of craft pliers and start twisting. 

so i hope that has inspired you to get crafty.  if not, then i hope this can inspire you to get cooking.

jam drops - or as i love to call then.....JAN Drops!

these are super simple and super yum and here's the recipe.

Jam Drops

2 cups self raising flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup sugar
200g butter - melted
1/2 cup milk
Jam - your choice of flavour or use a combo of flavours.
oven to be moderate - 180 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well

Mix in melted butter and milk.  

You want it to be a little crumbly, but not too dry. Use a little extra milk if the batter is too dry. Somethings were never meant to be dry - okay maybe a martini...

Roll small balls from the mixture.  i used tablespoon size, but even a little smaller would be good. Oh god, imagine if you made a giant ball and made a massive Jam Drop....i might try that next time. the communal jam drop.

use the end of your wooden spoon to put a hole in the top of the ball.  this will squash them a bit.

put some jam in the hole.  when it comes to jam, i like to over jam, instead of under jam.
these do spread, so don't squash them together on the tray.

bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. and then cool on a rack and store.

enjoy the delicious that is the jan-drop.  these are a slightly chewy one, but they were a massive hit in the office with a number of people asking for the recipe.

share the love and the jan-drop i say.

the sunday session 11 - it doesn't always have to be fast

oh man - this week i am gonna let the fashion do the talking, cause i got nothing but 7 looks that i loved - well i guess i wouldn't wear them if i didn't love them - and of course there's only one i will debrief....but which will it be cause it's so hard to choose now that i am not doing the full outfits rundown each week.  can you guess which one?

it's pretty obvious that i make most of my stuff, cause i tell everyone about it on my instagram  or my instajan as i like to call it and having that creative streak provides me with so much clothing joy.

i am the "end to end" of my clothing journey most times. i see fabric, i decide what i want to make, i make it, i style it and i wear it. it's such a fulfilling thing to be able to do and it means i can just do and wear whatever i want, without having to be a slave to fashion so to speak. i never read fashion mags or follow fashion shows or fashion trends - i am really just pulling stuff out of my own head and going with it.  i like that, it keeps me feeling fashion free.

when i do buy stuff, i love to get pieces that are vintage (a preference that has fallen by the wayside), or pieces that have a distinct lack of popularity about them, giving them a sense of longevity.

this week, i am not going to debrief my incredibly talked about homemade leopard skirt and top - as smoking hot as it was and felt, but a purchased look- the lee cooper jeans and the stripy vintage top.

well the jeans i picked up recently from Big W were super long flares.  So much so, that i needed to be at least an extra foot taller just to wear them with pluggers, so i gave them the chop.

And don't you just love it when you walk into a shop and you literally hear a piece calling to you.  me me me, look at me, i 'm waving to you, come and say hi...you know you want to!  that's exactly what that vintage top from OTC on flinders st, melbourne did, but there was a conflict of interest in my mind for some not so flattering reasons.

high neck - accentuates my boobs - i try to avoid
horizontal stripes - an urban myth
sleeveless - hello batwings - yes they are going to jiggle in sleeves, or sleeveless
unnatural fabric - need i say more, but i know it will last - forever
the colour combo - yes yes yes... it far outweighed any of the other negatives and at a bargan price of 10 bucks, it was a no brainer.  i can see a squillion things this top will go with and i am hoping the weather stays warm enough so it can get another outing soon.

so for 10 bucks (on sale) and second hand, i consider it a win for me and for the environment and what i loved about this outfit was that it actually felt balanced, even with some of the not so flattering reasons.

with so much emphasis on fast everything - fashion, love, food, living, i really like to keep a grounded approach as to how i spend my cash on the fash and everything else - and investing 10 dollars on a piece of clothing that has already been around the block, made perfect fashion sense. and yes it was cheap, but it's not new and i can see longevity with it and that's important. there's only somethings i like fast and fashion isn't one of them.

i'm not comfortable knowing that someone has created pieces of clothing and got paid very little for them working in unbearable conditions so they can eventually be discarded when they are are no longer fashionable. i do think about this when i buy clothing.

i also love to re-wear my much loved pieces and over again and finding new ways to bring them to life, it resonates better with my sense of purpose and slower living.

i did get some other pieces on sale from the second hand shop and i know they will be much loved in my wardrobe for a long time and it feels good knowing that my choices are considered and heartfelt.

so for someone who didn't have anything to say, it seemed i had plenty to say - about something. happy styling folks and i'm glad that top called to me across the shop - it's a keeper

the sunday session

oh god - it's sunday and normally i would be sharing all my outfits in great detail and also sharing witty anecdotes to make people laugh and smile. Oh i miss the old days (even if it was just a few days ago).  But welcome to 2016.  I am sure my mother would have something to say numerologically about this year, because according to the numbers - this could be my year to shine shine shine.

apparently, when you add up your birth date it gives you an exclusive number - and one that you should pin all your hopes and dreams on......like what house number you live in, what lotto numbers you should take, what day of the week you should wear your lucky colour, when you should play the pokies etc etc etc and i appear to be a number 9.  so i come to this conclusion by the following.

i was born on the 23 of the 9th 1966.  when you keep adding all those numbers together you eventually end up with one number - and for me it is 9. (i know you are all doing this right now). but it doesn't stop there, cause this year 2016, also adds up to a 9.  and if you add the 9 of my birth number and the 9 of this year it eventually equals N I N E.  it's destiny. this is going to be my year and i won't be able to do anything, unless it has a 9 in it.

i'll have to have 9 glasses of wine a day, eat 9 of everything, start work at 9 on the dot, put 9 outfits on before i decide on the right one. oh god, i am fucked times 9.  it could be OCD at its worst and i don't do OCD.

I still haven't decided on what my ongoing blogging project will be, but i like the idea of the sunday special.  I can probably make it real special.  i am working out how to fit smiling into the mix, cause it seems to be making people smile and smiling is good for the soul.

Being a single woman in a new city does pave the way for anything - even at nearly 50.  I feel my youthful outlook on life bodes well with some adventures.  Even this morning, i had someone message me on a dating site asking if i was horny...quote u horny unquote. i checked in the mirror and couldn't see anything that resembled anything horny - no devil horns, no unicorn or even a rhinoceros, not toot toot, no move to the left - there was nothing.  i was going to delete my account after that, but it's so hilarious and i think some of those idiot guys deserve a bit of payback.  after all, i am probably 9 times smarter than them, thanks to my lucky number.

fuck, how did i end up here, cause i had planned to share some nice pictures of my visit to hosier lane.  i am not the world's greatest photographer, but i love that we can pick up a camera of any sort and capture something that is meaningful to each of us.

i have been following this photo journey called fat mum slim. she has daily photo challenges and i was doing it for a while, until life got in the way.

but for anyone who feels that they want to explore their photographic creativity, then this may be the perfect way to start - I want to do more photography and be part of this so i am about to post day 3 - water....taken at the National Gallery of Victoria today.

well i guess that's my sunday session done.

or is it?

i still want to share my looks and i am going to do so in a much more simplistic way. no more day by day, blow by blow run down of each item, but if there is something here you like or wonder why i have put what with what, then by all means ask. a lot of things i make myself and of course style my way but i am never afraid to look in the mirror and go - hell yeah - that works and i am going to run with it.

i would rather beige remain a colour, than be a way of life.

so that's the sunday session! what do you reckon?

the what i wore project - week 52 and a bit

thank you to everyone who has read my posts over the year.

i just write from the heart and only with the intention of making people smile, laugh, step out of their comfort zone, maybe challenge others, or just to give myself a challenge to see how i grow as a person and a woman who is nearly 50, but has such a zest of all things colour and nonsense.

over the past year, i have been let down by people i love, inspired by people i met, have stepped out of my comfort zone in so many ways, been called fearless, opened my heart to possibility and my eyes to the new, felt incredible sadness and joy and have started again, having travelled to the other end of the country with nothing more than a job to go to, a car, a colourful wardrobe and an attitude that only sees the possible and positive....regardless.

i am watching every cent i have - i'm avoiding things that require me to pay for an uber, or a meal, or shout a round of drinks, or invite people over for dinner, it's been a financial grounding and it has been tough and it's been quite the journey but i am here, happy, and with only this moment right now to enjoy - it's that simple. i can't change anything, but can continue to make every day count.

i also felt that by opening my heart, i may find love again (i left it too long last time) - but no, seems the best i can manage is a compliment like this...... you are an interesting creature, you have good profile pictures and i especially like what you have in the the breast department it appeals to me..  i thought a compliment was about making someone feel good about themself!!!!!  not giving up on love just yet - but won't be letting idiots have their say, that's for sure.

well yep i have boobs that sag, stretch marks, cellulite, tuckshop arms, flubber and blubber, at least 3 chins, and a give a fuck attitude  - it's about what is in my heart that counts - and mumma went out with a bang in 2015.

here it is.

monday i decided to play tourist in my own city and headed off to lygon street carlton to check out all things italian.

i went out all euro chic in black - i got a few stares (boots and shorts - who does that), but it was okay.  shorts made by me, boots from jo mercer, top ages old from temt, belt from 2 dollar shop and glasses from west end market.  coloured necklace from market in new delhi and black glass necklace from venice.

did you know - i spent a few years studying italian - i used to dream in italian but never understood what it meant - mi piace molto la lingua italiana. quest anno, vorrei parlare piu....  i love italian language and this year i want to speak it more.

tuesday i wandered out in flamingo.  the shorts and top were made by me. the amazing earrings were gifted by beck jobson (@howardmoonage) and i teamed it with my silver birkenstocks.

did you know i love flamingos.  if i had to describe myself as a bird, this would be the one.

wednesday i headed off to the city for a coffee and decided to take my pic in hosier lane.  it wasn't too busy, but i was the only one there with a selfe stick on a tripod taking my own ootd picture.

now what about this outfit - the gold denim shorts and net top are made by me.  i tied the net top up with an elastic band to give me some layers.  the gold top comes from crossroads (that's an interesting shop), bag is from suva, fiji and shoes from payless (they were an emergency purchase after a shoe fail when i was out a couple of weeks ago).

did you know that i love to paint - it's all about colour. i can't draw for shit, but i do like to pick up a brush or roller and just wander on a canvas or piece of wood.

thursday was new years eve and the time where we generally make resolutions, say goodbye the old and welcome the new.  i am never going to set myself up for failure, with a list of things that i'll never adhere to - for goodness sake, my name isn't perkins paste - but if it was, i'd probably stick to it....

it was a hot day and i went to the bay to take my pic.  i was wearing dress from tree of life, shoes from payless, hat from 2 dollar shop and glasses from west end market.

did you know that i used to swim - swimming was my life. i would get up and go to training at 5am rain hail or shine, i would love to swim, lap after lap after lap.  i would ride my bike there and watch the mist rise over the half warm pool, as i waited to dive in. i would swim every friday night in the interschool comps, i had trophies and pennants, i broke swimming records and i loved it. swimming was my life, until we moved away, and then it just didn't work any more, but i can still love it for what it was.

thursday was also the dirty ootd double.  i was invited to a party, it was hot and i decided to make an outfit. it's been over 12 months since i sewed anything - due to the storm that ruined my sewing world.  but i have risen again, just like a pheonix and made this sensational number. this will be the first of many outfits i create.  shoes are from converse, hat is from 2 dollar shop, belt and fantastically great jumpsuit was made by me.

did you know that i have always loved to create outfits.  my mother always sewed for us and when i went to live with my nana, she would always make me great clothes.  i think back and can't believe that she would spend so much of her time doing this, when she probably had other stuff she would much rather have been doing - but no, we would go to the fabric shop, pick up some stuff and voila - she would make me look fabulous. week after week after week. Damn you nana for making me want to always have something fabulous to wear.

anyway - that's a little more than i planned to share, but i'm an open book.

not sure what to do next for my blogging project, but it's bound to involve fashion, smiling and maybe living simply.  I am sure that something will come to me, but until then - that's been my outfits and some stories, for the best part of the year.

my takeaway from this year, is this - when we have more, we want more... but for me, having less has showed me actually how much more i have and it's been enough to sustain me and add to my happiness and hopefully the happiness of those around me. i only have what i have and it's how i choose to use it that makes the difference.

happy 2016 everyone.  go forth feeling inspired, awakened and with the world of possibility to be explored.  xx

the what i wore project - week 52

week 52 - hang on - wasn't this supposed to be the last week of the year???  well according to my diary it is, but there is still 4 days left, so my what it wore project isn't quite over yet.

it was a fun week though - and one where i was able to see forward to a window in the year where i could have 10 days off to unwind, relax and enjoy some stillness of body and mind, following this bonkers year.

i think i managed to make it through the week looking tres chic.

monday i donned the jo mercer boots, target pleather skirt, and leopard top gifted from my sister. the belt was from a 2 dollar shop and i was loving this. it was a hip swaying outfit - boom to the left, boom to the right, boom, boom boom.

tuesday, i was challenged for wearing black and being converted to a melbourner.  no no no no no. this wasn't about black, but about the shiny red shoes from jo mercer that just happened to complement this gorgeous dress i made back in about 2012. it is so textured and cute and i copped a lot of feels.

i had the perfect hair - it was just the right height, with the right amount of flick, but i was let down with the bare minerals lipstick fail. lipstick on your collar, tells a tale on you, but lipstick on your teeth - makes you look like a dudey head.

wednesday i went for the tropical twist. it was a fun bula frock from fiji, teamed with belt from 2 dollar shop and shoes from jo mercer.  i posed under a bridge at southbank and bought the fiji islands to the city.

thursday i was determined to wear my bad christmas shirt for the day. i thought it was bad, but people loved it.

but i guess everyone loves elvis - even when he is a christmas bauble. i teamed the shirt with jeans, shoes from jo mercer, my name belt from NYC and i posed with the Chrissy tree in the foyer of my apartment. 

well friday was christmas day - a day that i am not attached to by religion, but by being with family and friends.  this way my first christmas on my own and guess what i wasn't on my own. i had a super time.  i went to fed square to have breakfast with people like me - people who were new to melbourne, displaced, homeless, or just wanted a free brekky....

i then went our for lunch and i wore some great brocade shorts from huudaverti, kaftan top made by me circa 2007, shoes from nine west, and a sprinkling of happy.

this beautiful woman who i met recently included me in her christmas day with her friends and i felt both greatful and privileged to have had such a lovely day with like minded people, who were determined to have a fun day. how awesome are we?

it was one of the funnest christmas days i have had shared with people from Spain, India, Malaysia, Peru, France, Egypt and Australia.  it was truly amazing.

i took this photo as part of my morning ootd shots and i really love it.  i am wondering what to do as my next project - and i know i want it to involve fashion and writing, but i think that smiling should also be part of the picture.  it's amazing how much a smile can make a difference to anyone. 

on saturday, boxing day, i was invited to join the jobson's for brunch.  they are my kind of crazy and i can't thank this family enough for welcoming into their home for the day. i actually didn't want to leave. i wore jeans, birkenstocks, red shirt from an oppy, baubles in my hair and accessorised with a pimms.

when you arrive at someones house, let yourself in to see santa dishing out presents and the kids running wild, then you know it's going to be a great day.

my photographer was the lovely Beck and this is one of those days that i will cherish.

sunday i wore some sparkly pants i made, my birkys and a swan shirt i picked up in brissy yonks ago. i love the street art around melbourne, so this was the perfect place for me to be airborne - like a bird - for about 2 seconds.

well. that's week 52 done and i'll be happy to reflect on my year when i do my last 2015 fashion post, but until then, share a smile - you never know what it will mean to someone else.

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.