To you and yours,

Merry Christmas bloggersphere!

May your champagne flutes overflow with bubbles and plenty of kisses be found under the mistletoe.

xx

image via here

Girl crush...

So there is one lady that LB and I both agree is absolutely smokin'!

Julianne Moore is an outright stunner. She has shown that beauty ages gracefully, and boy is she a beauty! Moore oozes effortless class, with those red locks and porcelain skin. While LB thought she was a hotty in her hay days, I think she has reached her peak now: 50 and fabulous!

After seeing this hot-to-trot pic over at Dustjacket Attic, I couldn't help but do a little more googling....yep, I think I have a girl crush!

via Dustjacket Attic

Images via random googling

Baby's first Christmas

Becoming an Aunty has sure brought out a touch of creativity in time for Christmas! Inspired by Emma of Cinderella at Brindabella's baby creations, I thought I'd try my hand at making little baby Jessica's Christmas presents over the weekend.

With Nanna's sewing machine still stuck firmly in reverse, I gave it my all - determined not to let that slinky minky blanket slip from my grip!

Excuse the photos, they were quick shots on my iphone before they were quickly wrapped to store under the tree :) I can't wait to visit the little love over the Christmas weekend and smother her with lots of cuddles and kisses!

love at first sight

Delighted to announce that over the weekend I became an Aunty!

My big bro and his lovely wife gave birth to beautiful Jessica Rose on 11 December. Mumma bear and baby bear are doing well, Papa bear is chuffed!

I met baby Jessica last night, it was love at first sight. A precious little doll for us to treasure.

Little Jessica, I cannot wait for all the fun times we have ahead!

What's up, Doc!

Today is an exciting day! One of my best and dearest friends Stephanie has graduated from her medical degree! Tonight will be filled with celebratory champagne, plenty of dancing and general tomfoolery!

Stephie is one of those friends. The type who's always there when needed; or only a phone call away. She has been a constant support over the years and her friendship is one I could not do without.

Her road to doctor-hood hasn't always been easy, and today I couldn't be more proud of her.

Well done Dr. Alexander, you ROCK!

Wish(ful thinking) list!

So with all the hype around blogersphere about the joyful Christmas season, I thought I'd join in with my wish list for the silly season!!

Isn't it just divine?!?!

It's a lovely swarovski ring!! Eeeep! I can't handle it's beauty!!!

Cute TILKAH purse!!

Classy TILKAH swarovski earings!

Stunning THOMAS SABO ring (gush!)

Who doesn't wish they were one of the SATC girls?! My own Beth necklace = adorable! (thanks Sare for the link!)

BREVILLE bread maker

BREVILLE coffee machine

TILKAH bangles!

Christmas is the BEST time of year! Everyone's happy and jolly and there's always plenty of champagne flowing - my favourite!! Of course it's fun to have wish lists, but it's not the gifts that make Christmas special, it's the time spent with loved ones that really makes it the best...gush for Christmas!! And this year we're going to have a new baby in the family to smother with Christmas joy!! My little nei-phew is due next week!

sew, la, ti, d'oh!!

I recently inherited the use of my late grandmother's Janome sewing machine. Well, to be honest - it was more like I finally found the courage to ask my grandpa if I could borrow it from the room where it was collecting dust...

After a long, incredibly uncomfortable silence, he said "well, I guess you can borrow it for a while". Then, after I said my million thank yous, he said with a wry smile "if I kick the bucket tonight you can keep it".

His sense of humour sure has withstood the time!

(not the real Lady Sew-So, but a not to distant relative...)

So after a good scrub my Lady Sew-So is ready to go! Over the weekend I hunted through my fabric box for a pretty pink piece which I decided to make some cushions from. Once the bobbin was thread (I forgot how much I hated doing that in year 8 textiles!) I took her for a spin - only to find that Lady Sew-So was stuck in reverse! D'oh! I think I'll need to get her serviced...she is from the late 80's afterall, a tune up should do the trick!

Then I'll be ready for my next project: hellllllo adorable patchwork quilt!!! I spotted this one on Urban Outfitters the other day and thought 'hey, I could do that!'. Time to hunt down a copy of Quilt Making for Dummies methinks!

wedding getup!

Blogging? What's that again? Yes, lately I have been rather neglectful of foxy...

But with one of my high school besties getting married on the weekend I thought what better way to get back into the swing of things than by sharing the cute little outfit I have planned.

When I was overseas I was really conscious about not spending too much money in the first few weeks for fear of running out before it was time to come home. Then by the time we were spending our last few days in London I found I had plenty of money left over - but couldn't find anything that I liked to buy!

That was until I stumbled upon this pretty pale pink dress from Oasis - on sale for 100 pounds - and thought it would make for a pretty addition to my wardrobe back home!

Unfortunately Oasis doesn't ship to Australia - yet - although for any interested lassies, ASOS stocks a lot of their products and ships them straight to your doorstep!

With the dress sorted, I made my way to the shops over the weekend to find a suitable 'wow-factor' shoe to accompany the somewhat simple, but elegant, dress. Check out these Siren babies!

I will no doubt break an ankle or be nursing blister wounds for weeks to come, but the beading is sooo pretty and detailed that I just had to have them!

A few new toys from MAC (the best makeup brand - ever - ) and I think I'm ready for my friend's big day!

    

Love a good wedding!

xx

Something so beautiful, something so fragile,

How could I have pushed it so close to the edge?

To be so confused, but now so sure. Only perhaps too late.

Hopeful. L'amour triomphe de tout.



Storage woes...

So our place is small, and I like to hoard.

Not the greatest marriage.

Our living area is home to a number of mismatched items: a dark brown really big couch; a pine wood tv stand; a dark brown/walnut coffee table; a dark brown wooden table...you get the picture.

With our small bookshelf overcrowding and my collection of junk ever-growing, I've been looking at the Ikea expdit series to help solve some of our storage woes. The only problem is - which colour do I go?

In my ideal world our whole house would be white with light/natural/taupe pieces of furniture (like my obsession with these couches which are popping up more and more). But our rented walls are green and the furniture that we have is dark...so I should go with the dark option, right? Keeping everything same same and possibly making the room look even smaller with all the dark heavy pieces?

Or do I throw caution to the wind and start my collection of white pieces - so that gradually I can start changing things over to how I really want the place to be. I've always wanted to get my DIY-hat on and paint the table white, after seeing too many cool examples in Real Living over the years, and I could easily paint the TV stand white. Or is that just a lot of unnecessary work?

But look at how pretty the white shelves can look:

But then the dark are not too bad either:

Oh decisions, decisions. I seem awfully incapable of making them these days!

Paris; she stole my heart...

I could have stayed forever...with my love, in the city of love...bliss!

But now I'm back, after seven glorious weeks exploring all that Europe had to offer. So many highlights, so many surprises, so much fun. I'll be sure to share some more...

I've decided to put together a scrapbook of my Europe travels, so plenty of research to be done - I've never scrapbooked before! I want to make a beautiful collection of the best photos and memorabilia that I collected along the way - a fun little project to keep my mind from the 'post travel blues' !!

Are you a scrapbook pro? Any hints or tips to get me started?!

(Ali I think I'll be stalking your blog for the next little while...!!)

Roma, roma, roma!

Last day of work today! Three more sleeps and I'm out of here! Shame my travelling wardrobe won't be filled with this kind of Italian glamour!

Ahhh, Italy! 30 degrees at the moment in Rome - perfecto!

images via here.

a week in time..

I'm starting to fret - it's only a week until I leave! So much to do, so little time...



Image via here.

Saying no to the french pastries...

That time of the week again - Diminishing Lucy's Fat to Fit blog hop! Oh, I wish I had stories of greatness to report! But after a weekend of over indulgence with my parents in town things aren't looking the best.

And I'm about to go into damage control: EUROPE HOLIDAY!

How does a girl survive 7 weeks touring Europe - with the most amazing of food cultures - and not put weight on? I know I'll be doing heaps of walking, but how do I avoid the amazing pastries in France or churros in Spain!?!

Some advice from the handy team at Weight Watchers below!

How to keep healthy on holiday

1. Keep it simple
For starters, instead of aiming to lose weight on holiday simply focus on not gaining instead.

2. Beware the breakfast buffet
If you're staying somewhere that offers breakfast, remember you don't have to eat everything on the buffet. Go for wholegrain breads over pastries; boiled or scrambled eggs instead of cheeses and meats; and take advantage of seasonal fruits and low-fat yoghurt. As long as you make smart choices, you can still enjoy a filling, healthy breakfast.

3. Keep moving
Regular exercise can actually be easier when you're away from the constrictions of everyday life. Many resorts have an on-site gym and/or swimming pool, perfect for an early morning workout.
If it's a beach holiday, take advantage of the ocean. Go for a swim or a brisk walk along the sand - both are great ways to get your heart-rate up.

4. Get around on foot
Rather than taking taxis or public transport, do as much walking as you can. Plot a map of the sites and attractions you want to see each day and walk to the furthest, then work your way back to the hotel. You'll experience more of the local culture and probably discover things that aren't even on the map! Remember to pack good walking shoes.

5. Eat out
Don't avoid lovely restaurants but do dine out creatively. Instead of a giant main, have two starters or a starter and a salad. Also, ask that dressings and sauces are served on the side.

6. Drink and snack wisely
Skip the false economy of a bargain-basement carafe. Order a great wine by the glass and savour it. Avoid creamy cocktails if you can.

If snacking before dinner, opt for fresh produce (in small doses) over chips and salted nuts. It's a great way to taste the local delicacies and experience new flavours.

And finally...
Don't stress if you have an ice-cream by the pool or an extra glass of wine. Just don't overdo it and try to keep track of what you've eaten throughout the day. Most important of all, have a wonderful time!

image via here.