My earliest memory

Some of the prompts that Whitney of Love Letters & Lists are really interesting, and have got me thinking. She suggested 'What is your earliest memory?' for today, and I honestly don't know!

Whenever I think back to early childhood, I see photographs in my mind of different people and places, but these are probably just memories of photos I've seen in my Mum's albums.

I do remember attending preschool and reading book after book after book, I enjoyed reading so much that I didn't want to play outside or take naps.

I also remember food. I have memories of cakes that my mother baked for birthday parties for me from the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book. (Did anyone born in the 80's not have cakes baked from this book?) For weeks before my birthday parties - I was an only child until I was 10, so always had a small party - I would pore through the book, always begging Mum to make me a pretty doll cake, you know, the ones with a dolly varden tin and an old Barbie doll stuck in the top, wearing the frilly pink-iced cake as a skirt?

Well, I only ever had one or two Barbies, and Mum was pretty anti-Barbie, and I never ended up with a doll cake. Although on the day of the party, I don't think I was ever upset at Mum's choice of cake for me.

The AWW book has been republished in recent years, but I still love looking through the old version because it reminds me so clearly of my childhood. It's also much less slick than the new versions, from a time before Martha Stewart and all the food bloggers/yummy mummies with way too much time on their hands highjacked children's parties and made them so stylish and tasteful and full of matching lollies on dessert tables. See how wonky those licorice steps are on the swimming pool? That would never cut it in the new editions of the book. The cakes in there are much smoother, brighter and use heaps of fondant icing - bleurgh! Find me someone who likes eating fondant, please. It's just horrid (and that's from me, who possesses the sweetest tooth known to mankind).

The book does show its age in some ways. There are sections 'For Boys' and 'For Girls', which I don't think would be tolerated these days, especially as the choice of cakes is rather un-PC. Boys get Indians Native Americans, helicopters, cars and garbage trucks; while girls are offered a sewing machine, sewing basket, ballerinas, a frilly little gingham-dressed dressing table, and all those dolly varden cakes.

Child of the 80's? Remember this book? Tell me, please... did your Mum ever make you a dolly varden cake?

Spring green

Bright chartreuse green is one of my favorite colours, although I rarely wear it. I have a little of this vibrant colour splashed around the house because it suits the tropical bringing-the-outdoors-in vibe, but I don't have much in my wardrobe.

What better time of year to bring out the green than Spring? This lightweight Sussan cardigan I found in last Summer's sales will probably get some wear this year, but as it's such a statement colour, I fear I'll only pair it with black and white.

Sussan cardigan, Katies skirt (similar here), Metalicus tank (similar here),

Eb&Ive resin bracelet, French Connection sandals

   

Yup, I didn't really make the bed properly before snapping these photos in the bedroom. Probably could've straightened the cushions and fluffed the doona, and tidied the bedside table. But no. That would be too efficient.

I absolutely love this colour and the cardigan is super-comfy to throw on, but I am so unsure what else I'll wear it with. Maybe I could just lay it on my lovely tropical bedspread, that'll work.

I'm joining in with the Spring Fling over at Redcliffe Style and Kimba Likes today, make sure you drop by and say hi!

How else can I wear this cardigan as the weather warms up? Do you also love a colour that you just don't wear often enough?

(All my own pieces. Including and not limited to the messy bedroom.)

Whoa mama. I'm committing.

This is new. New and exciting and possibly unrealistic. But I'm going to blog every day in September. Well, every weekday. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

The lovely Whitney of Love Letters & Lists wrote something that really struck a chord with me the other day: she said that the blog world is really sucking right now.

It's so strange, but I kinda feel the same. I feel like a lot of the blogs that I've loved for a while are no longer ticking the boxes for me, and there are a whole raft of newbies coming in and I want to tell them to play nice*. There are less comments; less excitement because heaps of people are writing about the same products, services, and experiences; and there's less love. 

Whitney set a challenge to fellow bloggers who might be feeling tired, unsure and looking to find their love for blogging again, and I feel like it's exactly what I need right now.

I will follow some of Whitney's prompts when I need a little help getting the words flowing, but other times I'll just write whatever pops into my head.

Wish me luck, eh?

Do you ever need help getting the words started? Any tricks you can share to to beat that mindblank?

*For me, playing nice means giving compliments, sharing the love, and not razzing on others. Don't forget, there's no wrong way to blog, but there are always wrong ways to behave.

Some people are so clever...

Can we please just take a weekday moment to think about the creative geniuses out there?

Last week, I wrote a little Q&A post and nominated a few bloggers that I admire to write their own. Well, Sarah of TOMFO went one better. She didn't just answer my questions, she answered them in old-school fortune teller form. Seriously!

TOMFO Fortune Teller Invites

(you can actually print these babies for yourself and use them for whatever you want. Cool, huh?)

I'd like us all to raise our glass, our morning cuppa, or whatever you have at hand to say Well Done Sarah. Because sometimes people need to know how awesome they are, especially when it's something they take for granted (like their supreme design skillz). 

Head over here to read my original post (there's a tiny little giveaway at the end, I'll be drawing it this weekend... so hurry), and go visit Sarah's fantastic blog here (she's got plenty of delish recipes and cute printables and all sorts of inspiration).

Shades of Grey

I refuse to say that grey is the new black, but I'm really fixated on wearing heaps of grey this Winter. It's softer and more casual during the day than black, and there are some fantastic brands offering really stylish grey pieces right now.

This is the first pair of grey jeans I've owned. I've been obsessed with finding a cute grey pair for a few months now, and after trying on what feels like eleventy billion different styles, I finally found the ones that will come home with me.

Katies Garment Dye Jeans, Katies Animal Print belt, Verily Marl Tee, Big W Peter Morrissey necklace, Big W Emerson flats, Nine West leather clutch (similar here)

Jeez, Katy. How about you crack a smile for the photo?

These Katies jeans have a bit of stretch so they're super-flattering, and after wearing them all day running errands on Monday, I haven't noticed the knees bagging out or stretching at all.

Right now, I'm loving an all-grey outfit. It’s fun to play with texture and throw on a charcoal tee in the softest viscose/elastane, some bling, and tan leather accessories. I would usually wear black with grey, and I'd usually wear black with tan, so it seems like it's worth a try matching grey and tan - two neutral colours in a few different shades.

Help me out here, how would you style grey jeans?

(Nothing gifted, nothing sponsored, all my own pieces and opinions. Although I did earn the tee as part of my pretend-modelling gig with the lovely Leonie of Verily - head over to her Facebook page to see more of my supreme model skillz..!)