One

This meme has been doing the rounds and I thought for once that it was worth doing. Choose one picture, one poem, one song, one quote, one item of clothing, one place and one disney princess.

Picture

Poem (or not in this case, but I love this prayer)

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life

Song

Quote

There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, the make a second better: we find comfort somewhere. - Jane Austen (Mansfield Park)

Clothing

JCrew

Place

Nax in Switzerland

Disney Princess

Happy Weekend

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, we had a busy but fun one. On Saturday we went into Fremantle for the morning, I ended up having a ham cheese and mushroom crepe again and found the new Interwaeve Knits Spring 09 which has some great patterns in it. The Archaeologist and I agreed that the 1 male pattern in there wasn't anything special and would need some mods to make it look less blah.

Yesterday we went to check out wedding locations in Kings Park. I wore shoes for the first time in months and I advise people not to wear flip flops for 4 months solid, my feet still hurt from the shoes! We walked around and took loads of pictures. The Archaeologist was really involved and full of ideas which was great. I had thought that talking wedding stuff would bore him and he wouldn't be interested, but he pointed out that he also wanted a day which he would remember and could be involved in.

It was a Sunday so the Park was quite busy and I will be going back there on Thrusday at the time we think the ceremony will be at to see how many busy it is on a weekday. Out of the 10 locations there were really only 3 that we really liked:

Rotunda 2

Water Garden Pavillion

Beedawong Meeting Place

Looking through the photos you can tell we really liked the Beedawong Meeting Place:

We loved the 'old' feel about it, it wasn't anywhere near Fraser's Avenue (which has cars on it), there is only one path to and from it, we would buy some seat cushions from Ikea or even Bunnings for people to sit on, and it's shaded. We still need to look at some other locations, one near Cottesloe and some others around Fremantle but so far this is the fave.

Kings Park also has a great Restaurant that has function rooms and a private dining room for groups of 32 people or under. They have a functions package that looked great (food and price wise) but they have a different one for the private dining room that I will have to ask for.

Tagine cooking

The Archaeologist and I received an engagement gift card and decided to get ourselves a tagine last month (something we've been wanting since going to Morocco) and when we first got here we found a fantastic Moroccan cookbook on sale at K-Mart. He's been wanting to cook with it for ages and last night got the chance to cook a dish that we both loved, Kafta aux Oeufs (kaftas with eggs) It turned out really well and tasted as good as the original, I got a break from cooking too!

180

On Monday evening I had just finished talking to my mum on Skype when there was a loud knock on the door, which freaked me out as the post man had already come in the morning, so I ran to the door and checked the peep hole. Standing there was the Archaeologist! He was back a day early as the people he works with had to leave a day early dues to an emergency and they can't work without them. Was so shocked and happy!

He had the day off yesterday and we got to discuss some wedding stuff. I showed him some other invites that I made thanks to iDiy and he likes them a lot more than the red swirly ones (hence the title 180 - opposite direction!). I won't show them until after they are finalised and sent out (which will be in November, hahaha!) We also looked at suits in some magazines I have and we settled on a 'sort of ' style that we both like and think would look great on him. I browsed online to find some examples:

Suits from Banana Republic and J Crew

We think that getting a nice suit that fits really well (even if it needs alterations) is a good investment, not only for the wedding but in the future. He does work outside and has little need for suits at the moment, but you never know in the future. We both also vetoed the 'monkey suit' option, we would have to rent one and the rented ones are often ill fitting and the material could look shiny.

We also went to the library yesterday and I got out a Photoshop book, Jamie's Italy cookbook and the financial freedom book that the Archaeologist has been reading for 6 weeks. I love going to the library and because of the turnaround, there are often books there that I hadn't seen before. Going there is often better than going to a bookstore. Which is something that we both used to do in the UK, spending an hour or so in Borders on a Saturday just browsing and not buying anything, then having a hot cornish pastie for lunch (even in the summer!). It never got old.

On the knitting front I almost finished the Talia vest, I have done the edging of the two armholes but found out I bound off too tightly so it needs re-doing. :( Cobblestone will be picked up again when the Archaeologist goes away again and it's getting cooler so it's easier to have on my lap.

Resources

There are so many places online resource DIY and free downloads for art and craft related paraphernalia. I found one that I had never heard of today and accessed some fantastic fonts and invitation templates. iDiY has mostly wedding related inspiration on it but I think that a lot of the things on there can be used in other instances.

Another craft place I go to for some (free!) inspiration is the Craftzine Blog, full of new and funky ideas, March has been repair month there and they had some great ideas for repairing your stuff instead of chucking it away (courtesy of the recession!)

If you are looking for some inspiration, looking at your favourite blogger's links list is often a great place to start, you will often find something that you were looking for through Google but with no success, or even find a new blog to add to your reading list!

Some of you will remember the iconic Obama protrait done of him in Blue, Red and Cream with Hope written underneath? Well now you can Obami-fy your own pictures! Here's one I did for fun of me and the Archaeologist as a mock 'Save the Date'

Obama on Jay Leno

Etsy Love

I always marvel at all the brilliant crafty things that people make, and there is no better showcase than Etsy! There's a lot of good reasons to shop for something on there, you know that it will have been made by hand or at least have had a lot of thought put into it, and it will be something unique.

Recently I have seen a lot of people showcasing ties that they have found/bought from there. And one of the best is Cyberoptix Tie Lab 'Ties that don't suck'. I love these ship ones that would be great for my dad (though not sure that it's his 'style'...?)

For the Ecologically conscious Archaeologist this Oak tree tie or Wind Turbine tie would make him laugh.

Picture Sources: Ship tie, Oak Tie, Wind Turbine Tie

Hair

I'm not one of those people who knows what to do with their hair. Ponytail or down is all I know how to do really. You can give me a curling iron and I'll curl but after that I have no clue.


Being so simple in the hair department I don't want to go the total opposite on 'the day' and not look like myself. No tiaras, curly princess updo's for me (think blonde bridezilla) Here's a few that I thought were me.








Which do you prefer?

Rawwr Bridezilla!

A show called Bridezillas was on last night and I couldn't help myself, I had to watch it! The clip below isn't what I watched but it's so funny I had to post it!

Afternoon craft

Productivity is high today.

The view...

...of the city. Taken yesterday while walking along the highway. That's the Swan River there, and on the left of the city it looks like there is a hill... that's Kings Park. Perth city itself is quite small, it just has a lot of surrounding suburbs.

It's cooler today and raining, thankfully I only got caught in it for 2 mins when I walked home from the veg shop. The cooler breeze coming through the flat is really nice and refreshing. I joined Twitter the other day and I am following Martha Stewart (who actually posts loads of pics of her and what's she's doing) Ellen DeGeneres (who doesn't) some knitterly folk and people I know in real life. I don't think I will become one of those people who posts from their cell phone (how much would that cost me??) but it is fun and you find out a lot about people, for example Martha is eating Moroccan food. I know... how fascinating! Hahaha!

Progressing on the vest and I noticed how scribbly I am:

Photo post!

I realised that my last few posts have been photo-less (how boring of me) and I know from reading other blogs that I don't tend to pay much attention when there aren't photos!

Currently:

Wedding planning with coffee (I made the full amount in our coffee machine, that's 10 cups. I don't know if that was a good or bad idea!). That is my wedding planner folder and one of our 'engagement mugs' (we bought 2 in Margaret River on the day the Archaeologist proposed, I love them and use them all the time)

Here's the inside, I put our colours on the front page. I did go to the Spotlight sale (BUSY) and managed to score the loot below for only $25. I already had the white and red fabric (I put it in there for those interested) I bought 1 m of the blue fabric ($3), some flower arranging wire stuff and a pinking rotary cutter. I'm going to use these for the fabric flowers.

Close up:

On a different yet exciting note I found this today:

If you can't read the label that's Fontina cheese (I have never seen it with a wax but maybe they do that when shipping it) I might use it in a risotto or in a lunchtime quesadilla with pastrami (yes I have weird taste in lunch meats! I also like corned beef and once ate a pack of 10 slices on it's own)

I was out by 10 degrees

I half listened to the news last night and thought it was going to be 22 today, it was 32.

I had to treck to our estate agents to pay the rent. They decided to close down their bank account and insted use an online Priority Card that will cost us $3 a month to use. Hmmm... we aren't so happy (the Archaeologist is going to write a letter) but we need to pay today and as the card didn't come through in time I had to get there. Apparently they are on a stretch of the Canning Highway that is bad to get to by bus. I got two buses which took nearly and hour and walked for 20 mins to get there and my body decided to remain sweat free right until I got to the office where I proceeded to 'glow' and look a mess. The receptionist remembered me (do I always look a mess?) all it took was 3 mins to pay and get out of there. Harrumph!

I caught a bus into the city afterwards and had sushi for lunch, I also got something which I claimed in a previous post I wouldn't get. A wedding planner folder. In my defense it only cost $26 and has lots of paper and pastic envelope sheets to put cut outs in. The table was getting messy with stuff so this will keep me organised. And don't look at me like that.... the explanation above totally justifies the buy. I can also empty it and pass it onto anyone else who needs it. I will probably also need to organise one of the boxes in the spare room to house all the Wedding diy I'm accumulating. Lastest of which is stuff to do this for my bouquet with, not that they take up much room, I just need it all to be in one place.

Before I left this morning I went bookmarking crazy after I found a great listings site for WA. I bookmarked photographers, celebrants, hair and make up people and a few parks for back up. One I found is the Cottesloe Civic Centre that has beautiful views of the ocean.

Listening to RHCP to relax (song starts from 1:24)

White or white

It kind of bugs me that the traditional wedding shoes is white, satin, and in a grandma style. If you wear and love fun and colourful shoes, why not wear some on your wedding day?

Here are some of the ones that I have been saving for inspiration.

I found all the shoes on Zappos.com.

Isn't it amazing?

Out of plain curiosity I put a site meter on this blog. The information you get out of it is incredible! So welcome to to the people in the following countires:

Australia
USA
France
UK
India
South Africa
Hong Kong
Canada
Vietnam
Japan
Argentina
Malaysia

Woo! Also the person from Scunthorpe in North Lincs, very random but made me laugh. A lot of Unknowns, but I figure that would be me on our mobile connection editing all the paragraphs in my posts. Feel free to leave comments just to say hi.

Bad Knitter

I did it... I cast one for something. I now have 5 WIP's on the needles, one of which is 5 mins away from being finished (!!) Another which needs to be sent out next week and is only 60% done.

The new project is the Knitty Talia vest from Spring 08 issue. I mainly wanted to do this one as it looks flattering on every single person who has knit it. I think I did one row of the lace pattern and decided that I wanted a quick knit and have just continued in Stockinette stich, I will be putting in the garter waist row just to give it some structure. I'm using Naturally Harmony in the dark brown. I bought 2 skeins ages ago and when I realised that it was the correct ply for the vest I went and bought some more. I'm knitting it on 5.5mm needles and knitting the S size, fingers crossed as I didn't do a guage swatch (I will only slap my hand if it turns out the wrong size, untill then I am soldiering forward in the blind belief that all will be ok)

Normal Sunday morning here, drinking coffee, watching a Coldplay special on Video Hits, and idly looking at wedding stuff. I was going to go to the beach today as it was predicted to be 37 degrees here today but it's 22 at the momnet and cloudy so will stay in and get through the WIP that is only at 60% (if I can put the Talia vest down)

Missing the Archaeologist, especially in the evenings. I didn't even change the channel when the sports came on out of habit.

Shopaholic

Went to see 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' today. Funny, sweet and reminds you that your parents will love you no matter what.

The cinema was unfortunately full of overly-developed pre-teens who pushed to get in, wouldn't shut up and clapped at the end. Made me feel old and grumpy but not in a bad way, in a 'I guess I'm an adult now and know how to behave in public' HAHA!!

One resulting thing from the movie was the feeling that I would love to go and find an amazing maxi dress (something I have been looking for for a while) so while the film may not make you debate shares and tax, it might just stimulate the economy from women coming out after watching it. The urge to shop from this movie might just save the world!

I went and bought a $10 bracelet instead. Dresses cost too much for me at the moment.

Morning in Freo

I had a great morning, I just got back from Fremantle. I had to take in my labrary books and pay some bills. I got out a fantastic Risotto cookbook that I will have to try out sometime this week and then save some recipes that the Archaeologist will like when he gets back. I also got out P&P which I want to re-read thanks to 'Lost in Austen' which is on ABC 1 on Sunday nights. Episode 2 will be on this Sunday and I'm looking forward to it. (The birth debate show is on again now so am catching the start of the programme which I missed)

I also spent loads of time in the Freo Markets, I had a really yummy ham, cheese and mushroom crepe, an organic iced coffee, a Sri Lankan vegetable patty, and bought some gift fillers for 'someones' birthday which is coming up soon. I know that when people come to visit they will spend a lot of time (and money) there.

On my way back I had to go to our local veggie place and get some salad for my dinner, I managed to score a genuine 750ml Perrier with lemon for only $3!! Am siting on the couch drinking it from the bottle (which we can keep to put water in to take away with us) Reminds me of France.

Wedding DIY of the week

I've been loving these DIY ring pillows by Llubav. They have already been featured in many places online as well as in Martha Stewart Wedding Winter 09. Unfortunately for the designer though the bride claimed it as her own :(

Yarny goodness

Last month I went and bought 6 balls of Grignasco Tango in a lovely tweedy red colour. The buzz on this yarn is that it is made in the same factory as Rowan Felted Tweed and is made up of the same components, but is about half the price. This would annoy me if all I could get was the Rowan but as I can get the Grignasco, I'm not so annoyed in fact I'm a happy bunny!

The new Spring Knitty came out today and I found some great patterns, including a great halter vest that is knit with cornes then one side is sewn. The new issue also has loads of socks and some great lace patterns.

Folky goodness

Invitations Inspiration

I thought I should show you the inspiration for my diy wedding invitations. I can't remember where I saw it but here are the pictures of what inspired me:

Little things

A lot of random little things going on here. The Archaeologist left this morning for another two weeks. Not too bad as at least it's only for two weeks not three this time.

We watched Insight on SBS last night. The debate was about the rights women have when giving birth here and comparing them to the rights in New Zealand. I think the overall point was that Midwives have more say in NZ whereas in Australia they are rarely used. Home birthing was also discussed (as well as cesareans) It costs $4,000 to have a home birth but only $20 to go to the hospital and have a Cesarean even if you don't need one. This doesn't seem fair to me. We also talked about why midwives are used to much in NZ and a friend of ours who recently had a 44 hour labour, apparently this was because a midwife doesn't get paid for anything unless she is there doing her thing when the baby gives birth. Our friend could have had an easier birth but because the midwife wouldn't get paid she wouldn't let them consult a doctor, telling them everything was going OK. Needless to say the next time they have a child they are coming over here to have it!

I bought myself a rotary cutter and mat to use with fabric and paper today. It will end up being really useful when making the wedding invitations and also in the future with fabric and any sewing I do. I will be spending the evening cutting out pictures and recipes from Magazines with it, making space on the bookshelves when we do a small clean up of the accumulated junk when he gets back in a few weeks.

We have also just heard that we will be getting our UK tax back. It will actually pay off our entire Credit Card bill! Hooray!! Add onto this the Tax that the Archaeologist will be getting back this year and that will pay for half my new Visa! Things are looking a lot better than we thought!

Edited to add: We had agreed that I could get a new iPod for my birthday (I have lost my first one) but we struck a deal that if I keep using his Mp3 player when my cell phone contract ends next year (2010) I can get myself an iPhone (as it has a phone and iPod player all in one)

Beaching it up

Before leaving to go to the mines, the Archaeologist always gets the day before off. We always try to do something relaxed and fun. Today we decided to head to Cottesloe beach to look at the sculpture art that is taking place at the moment and to swim in the cooler water (it was 37 degrees today)

A lot of the sculptres were not really our thing, but the water was cool, there were few people and the sea was crystal clear and refreshing.

Dresses!

I've been going round the internet and saving dresses that I like and even dresses that have one aspect that I like. I originally thought that a tea or knee length dress would be a good idea. Lately though I have been seeing a lot of casual real weddings that feature longer more casual dresses (I'm not a pouffy meringue dress girl)

One of those real weddings:

I love that she's wearing flat leather sandals, her look is simple yet chic.

Here are some of the shorter dresses I liked:

Another one is here Blogger won't let me upload the picture, and speaking about Blogger is it just me who has to edit posts at least 5 times before the paragraphs line up and aren't squashed against pictures? It really, really bothers me!

Some of the longer dresses I've been looking at are all on JCrew!


I think we can safetly say that I like the swetheart neckline, a nice clean silhuette and nothing lacy or beady.

Picture sources: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3, Picture 4, Picture 5, Picture 6, Picture 7