Feeling Dotty

I have a lovely friend staying with us this weekend and we did a little wander around the town.  It was so fun to look into a few shops I've admired but haven't been into before, catch a movie, have a coffee (or two) and just generally get caught up.

While we walked around I got inspired to complete two quick DIY projects.  I have a much bigger project in the offing, but these were so quick and easy to do and turned out pretty great!

The first came about because I saw a wee bag of felt rounds in Minerva.  I just glued them to some white craft paper and popped the whole thing into a frame for a bit of colour 'round these parts.

Then we headed down to Swonderful where I spotted some pretty necklaces.  However, the colours weren't for me (brown and green).  The concept was simple though, so I just stopped in at the bead shop on our way back down the street and bought a plain copper chain and some beads, to create this necklace.

In fact, I liked it so much that I grabbed a few extra beads and used a chain I had lying around at home to create a second one.

 

In total this jewellery project cost me $19.  I felt this was a pretty good bargain since the original necklaces were priced at $36 a piece!

Who knows where this spot obsession will take me, but I'm loving the little bits of colour here and there as the days get darker.

Making Progress

Saturday night was the Mt Vic Crew Progressive Dinner.  A progressive dinner involves entrees, mains and desserts (plus drinks) but each course is served at a different house.  Very fun, and a great way to share the stress of a dinner party!

The Doctor and I, as well as A (who lives directly opposite us), hosted entrees.  A and I decided on what we'd make on Friday night - and by that I mean that A, who is a wonderful cook, took pity on me and gave me a recipe on Friday night!  We also decided to host at our house as it is larger and has a dishwasher.

I made spinach balls, which were SO yummy (recipe will follow later this week) and A made blinis with sauteed vegetable toppings.  I ate a lot, so much so that I felt full before the mains.  Whoops!

We also served drinks and I decided we'd keep it simple with some Rekorderlig ciders, fruit to jazz it up, and some fruit juices and mineral water for our teetotal friends.  Total deliciousness!

It rained right before we left for the next house, and the view from our sunporch looked awesome:

Just ignore the UFO, it's my living room lights (dang it).

But in the end the rain held off, and we enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends. Hooray for progressive dinners!

The Natives

I feel bad even claiming this as an arrangement since all I did was buy a bunch of "native flowers" from Moore Wilsons and shove them in this vase (literally...it's a tight fit).

I buy these on repeat when they're available.  The colours and textures are so great and I like to pat the feathery petals on my way past. They also last and last and last and last, and at $14 they are great value.

Sunday Song

When people ask me if I'm "in to music" (which they do with surprising frequency), I usually say that I like music but it's not a particular passion.  However, I do love the way music can affect your mood and attitude - having a down day? Crank out something upbeat!

This song has been a favourite for over half a decade, and is guaranteed to have me dancing in my living room no matter how tiring or grump-inducing my day might have been.

Enjoy!

Casual Friday in Fashion Week

After a hectic day yesterday I didn't quite get to photographing my outfit.  Today, though, I not only dressed for fashion week but also for casual Friday.  It was quite an exercise for the ol' noggin trying to find something fab-but-not-too-fab to wear!

I finally settled on bright colours and this sweeping top.  I got a lot of comments at work but since they were all complimentary I think I got away with it...

Shoes: I Love Paris; Jeans: Zara; Top: Stax; Anorak: Portmans; Jewellery: HRHCollection and Witchery

Odds and Sods

A weekend jaunt around the secondhand shops is more than likely to result in a few bits and pieces making their way back to Capital City with me.  As well as a sensible navy skirt (awaiting a trip to the tailor to be shortened by several inches) and a little wooden dish that is being tarted up, I snaffled up...

This leather belt - I'd been on the hunt for a narrow studded leather belt with a heavy buckle for a while.  This immediately caught my eye and I was delighted to find it's the perfect length for my waist.  The $4 price tag was an additional incentive. 

My obsession with this type of glazed pottery continues and I was more than happy to take every cup off the rack in order to reach this one at the back.  It needed a good clean (the inside was very stained from what must have been hundreds of cups of coffee) but I can't wait to enjoy my first cup of tea from this $1 cup. And perhaps I'll stir in the sugar with this Girl Guiding souvenir teaspoon!

I was inspired when I saw this old sheet music at the Salvation Army and snaffled up a few sheets.  The plan is to frame them and pop them in the sunporch.  However, it is super sunny out there so in order to make sure these don't fade in five minutes, they'll have to be professionally framed with proper protective glass.

And finally, a little bit of gaudy bling.  I loved the use of natural minerals in this bracelet, and  you can see the gilt is wearing off.  I think this was probably a souvenir (it has the level of quality you see in mass-produced souvenir jewellery) but I look forward to layering it or wearing it peeking out from under a cuff.

All in all, a very fruitful trip.  I especially can't wait to frame those pieces of music and get something up on the wall in the sunporch!

At Ruby

Today was my busiest day of WFW, with a private viewing, retail "experience", group show and the Kathryn Wilson show.

Here's a wee snippet of the beautiful treats on display at Ruby...