Pier Pressure

For me, summer means quirky patterned string bikinis, long days by the sea and greasy buckets of fish and chips. It means sticky sunscreen legs, strappy lace up sandals and awkwardly shaped tan lines. The sea-sun where we bring out the little white dresses that we have been saving since EOFYS sales.

Tomorrow is Australia day which means that it will really and truly be time to get back into the daily grind come Wednesday. Luckily, I still have around 3 more weeks until I start working. They say it takes 21 days to instill a habit. I better find something to stick to and make those days count!

Happy Australia Day Eve! I’m sure a lot of you are on ‘sick leave’ today so I hope its been a delightful long long weekend. I’m excited for some lamb and a pavlova topped with this season’s freshest. What are you plans for the 26^th?

Sheer Lace Dress ($35)

Embellished Sheer Bodice Skater Dress ($21)

Flutter Sleeve Midi Dress ($35)

Overlay Dress ($24)

Sandals / Watch (c/o) / Ring (c/o)

Shelfie

Did you know bookshelves say a lot about a person? Take the bookshelf test here and then share your shelfie with me! I am a bit OCD with my Ikea expedit shelves; I need them to be their aesthetic self but at the same time, I need them to be functional and hold as much junk as possible. Here are my tips!

ONE: Collect a bunch of boxes and magazine holders to store the unattractive bits. You can also buy very cheap binders and decorate them like I have done here a la Kate Spade.

TWO: Hold onto those champagne bottles, glass candles and jars and fill them with fresh, dead or fake flowers.

THREE: Display your favourite accessories that you never seem to get to use. For me, these are my quirky clutches and my cat flats which have died a bit.

FOUR: Let it go. Its basically impossible for your shelf to resemble a Pinterest shelf so don’t worry too much. Have fun, switch it out regularly and inject as much personality into your bookcase as possible. Magazines, gift bags, candles, travel memorabilia and picture frames are all great space fillers. Try stacking stuff sideways and if all else fails, shove it in a storage bin and try again tomorrow!

Blaze of Glory

I am really uncool. Like watch The Big Bang Theory on Friday nights (GUYS SHAMY!), crack dad jokes and prone to flushing from any kind of alcohol consumption kind of uncool. But these shades make me feel hella cool and when I leave my house I imagine I’m off to my warehouse converted to office sharespace where I lounge around in curvy chairs and think of fresh ideas to make the world more yeezus. In reality, I’m just off for the daily commute where I spend 40 minutes reading about influential people in The Collective and Times but let me do me, kay?

The outfit unpicked:

Plaid on plaid, yes on yes. Miss Shop Coat (similar) and Old Button Down (similar)

Shadiest Shades from Ray-Ban

The best tee ever which I have worn here and here from Lil Muse Clothing (c/o)

Leggings for speed walking across campus from Dotti get them in store for 60% off

Fresh new Converse for ruining from Urban Outfitters 

Handy Dandy Rings

Dandelions remind me of cacti up close which is funny because they’re so soft and delicate and cacti are prickly and hard. The word actually hails from the French word dent-de-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth”. Oh the irony! Today I’m collaborating with Elyia which is an Australian owned, Melbourne based silver jewellery company. So on Monday you got a Melbourne blogger and today you get a Melbourne brand!

I think the word ‘Elyia’ is so beautiful and the meaning behind it is too. It actually originates from the Tamil word meaning ‘simple’ and that is what Elyia revolves around; simple, beautiful and affordable pieces you can wear everyday. They also come in the cutest little tin boxes that are perfect for presents! My personal favourite in their collection is the one I’m wearing today. It’s called the Bar Ring in Rose Gold and the definition of understated jewellery. This is the ring equivalent of the very popular bar necklaces and would look lovely stacked or by itself. I am like a bee to honey when it comes to rose gold but this ring also comes in classics like silver and gold if that’s more your style!

I decided to pair my Bar Ring in Rose Gold with my also rose gold arrow bracelet and chevron and butterfly fit and flare dress. Oh and guess what!?!? I have finally learnt the secret to achieving these curls that I’ve been seeing on Southern Curls & Pearls for so so long. A lot of tutorials usually recommend brushing your hair out to get that bouncy feel but if I did that on my thickass hair, it would just be an explosion! So now I just use a one inch iron and wrap it around a tong without using the clamp as if it was clamp-less.

Bar Ring (c/o) // Tie The Knot Ring // Diamond Ring 

Prep To The Top

If you can’t beat them, prep, prep, prep to the top! Now that you’re all inspired by last week’s post, its time to start preparation. I’m  a big fan of planners because without them I would literally be hopping from foot to foot trying to decipher the jumbled find a word that is my brain. I think Kikki K slays when it comes to planners and diaries and I’ve used their ‘cute’ range two years in a row but for 2015 I decided to upgrade to a planner. Kikki K also greatly dictates what my power colours are for the new year and this year I’m definitely getting my strength from lilacs and champagne pinks.

There are some really beautiful blogs out there that are solely dedicated to planner decoration which involves layers of washi tape, stickers and quote cards but as much as I strive for that aesthetic, its simply a bit unpractical. Instead, I stick to the two most important basics that you’ll need: sticky notes and colourful pens.

I use colour pens to colour code my schedule for example pink pen = social events, light blue pen = blogging and green pen = exercise. Throughout the week, as new appointments, fees, etc. come into my life, I’ll put them down on the day they’re due. Then, on the Sunday of each week I’ll take a to-do list sticky note and write down things I need to do for Monday in order of priority. I usually write a big list that is never finished in 24 hours so by Tuesday I can move the sticky note down and continue checking off my items. However, if something bigger comes up the next day, I’ll layer another sticky note on top, complete those ones first and then go back to my original list.

When you have an empty day, planners seem redundant but when you want to make the most of every minute, this is how to do it! Don’t believe me? Try How To Become a Straight A Student by Cal Newport and 168 Hours You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam for case studies, statistics and activities that will make you feel like an incompetent sloth. Kidding! However, if you do want to see how sloth like you are, create a 24 hour graph and record how much time you spend doing things like a) scrolling through buzzfeed before you get out of bed b) waiting for someone to snapchat you back c) standing in line for free ice-cream taste testing.*

* Kidding Kidding, there is always time for ice cream taste testing!

A Little Tulle Late

I have a really strange fascination with tulle and big poofy skirts like this. The strange part of this fascination is that it didn’t start when I was a young un and watching Angelina Ballerina … it started when I was about 14! What I like best about this tulle skirt is that its layered instead of just flouncing out at one length. This means that it is a lot of fun to twirl in to make for some great action shots.

I know I’ve been referring to it as a skirt but I’ll let you in a sneaky secret: the tulle skirt is actually my prom dress from year 10! I’m happy to say its not something i would cringe at all these years later but it makes me sad that I never wear it which is why I popped it on, Christmas day. Then I decided to dress it down with a plaid shirt cinched at the waist, popped at the collar and rolled at the arms so I could give my outfit some silhouette. To finish off the ballet vibes, I went with a big poof on my head and some bow heels that shouldn’t be leaped around in!

JAC

I flung loosely / into that world / I stayed heavily / I’ll be a Jacaranda Tree – Josh Garrels ‘Jacaranda Tree’

If you live in Sydney, I am sure you’re familiar with my new bf. I have a sickly adorable pet name for him and it’s Jac. Maybe you know him as Jacaranda? He’s native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Bahama so you know he’s really really smoking’ hot and foreign. Mmm.

I’m totally smitten and on warm spring days I like to deck out in my favourite kind of bow backed summer dress for our dates. In a lilac of course, to complement his colour palette. He’s a tough one to impress, causing people of all ages to swoon and take pictures. No worries though, I’m not the jealous type 😉 Have a lovely weekend!

All From Sheinside: Black Criss Cross Back Bowknot Pleated Dress // Blue Criss Cross Backless Bow Pleated Dress // Mint Green Spaghetti Strap Backless Bow Dress //  Purple Short Sleeve Hollow Floral Crochet Pleated Dress