#DAREcember - Week 2

I came to realise this week that this challenge is contributing to my mental health. Funny to think that a style challenge could do that, but for me, it's working two-fold. Firstly, I'm being mindful; I'm really being present when I'm getting dressed, adding accessories etc. And recently some fellow counsellor friends asked me what I'm doing for self-care. As well as the usual getting enough sleep, doing some girlie pampering, etc, I realised that I'm doing this challenge for me. Not for my clients, colleagues, Pickle, BigTed or anyone else, just for me. So this is how Week 2 panned out...

Day 8 was In the Wild, slim pickings here, it was either going to be my cow print sneakers or my leopard print scarf. The day came around and it was way too hot to consider having the scarf around my neck, so I wore it as a belt. Pickle chose my earrings and the colour of my hair clip, so I chose the green top to coordinate. Of course, trying to capture this resulted in my second "awkward bathroom selfie", the first being here. I love that this constitutes a work outfit these days!

All Black for Day 9 was really out of my comfort zone. I never wear all black and I struggled not slip on a bright pair of shoes... I couldn't resist adding a splash of colour with some bright red heart earrings a friend gave me. As it was a work day, I'd initially selected a sensible pair of ballet pumps... Then saw these heels sitting next to them and it was a no-brainer. I love these shoes and they are surprisingly comfortable.


Pinned On for Day 10 gave me a good excuse to dig out the vintage brooches I've been collecting. I love how the prettiness contrasts with the utility of the denim vest, so think I'll keep one on the collar from now on. Pickle chose my earrings again today, he's becoming my regular stylist!  I love "twin" earrings, though they're hard to come by - not a matching pair, but part of a set.

Day 11 for His, saw me doning the only shirt of BigTed's that was at my house. Good thing I like it... I nipped it in with a belt "borrowed" some years ago from a former boyfriend. This was perfect for a day of Christmas shopping in 32°C.

Brightest for Day 12 was much more in my comfort zone. I *love* colour. Today was my work Christmas lunch, so I got glammed up to hang with the girls. I had a divine pasta, glass of wine and indulgent dessert at Café Cavour, which I highly recommend, not only for the piquant food, but for the top notch customer service. My brightest day dress was a relatively new purchase, but with cost-per-use, I'll soon be in single figures... Pickle again chose my earrings, a green flower drop; hot pink shoes and red lip tar complete the outfit. Hair up in my latest favourite look, red glitter and gold nails, and I was ready to go. Do you think I'm bright enough?!

I cheated a little for Day 13's Killer Heels, as the actual day started out at kindergym and on general Mummy duties... Not really Killer Heel appropriate! However, I was heading out on Day 12 for dinner with a couple of the girls and our men for a glamorous Christmas get together that evening... And it went late, so technically I started Day 13 wearing this outfit (artistic license and all that). I kept the dress bright - I purchased this dress years ago in Paris (sorry, had to drop that in there), with one of my favourite people in the world (Chaz, do you remember?). Adding in my rose gold shoes and vintage accessories, I was ready to head to Coast, by far the swishest restaurant in the region. It deserves it's own blogpost, which will feature soon.

Backless for Day 14 is a little out of my comfort zone these days. I actually used to wear this top as a dress(!), and have been thinking of donating it, as it so rarely gets an outing. I dressed it down with white jeans to take Pickle to see Paddington the movie today,  and added a pop of colour to the monochrome with my favourite red Converses and the red heart earrings again. The movie was great btw, but watching Pickle's expression was the best bit. 

Tune in for more next week... vintage, ring bling, mixed prints, curves, cats eyes, rock out, and product free... definitely some there well out of my comfort zone!

Was there anything that caught your eye this week? 

Cheers, KangaRue :) 

Retro Toys (19/365)

A friend of a friend was moving home and I managed to buy up a few items that her boys had outgrown.  One of Pickle's favourites items has been this Etch-a-Sketch.  I loved these as a kid, but never had one myself, so I'm living vicariously!  (He told me he drew a cat by the way.)

19 January 2013

I love a Slinky too - can't wait to introduce him to one of those down the track!

What are some of your favourite retro toys?  

Cheers, Kanga_Rue

PS. No I haven't forgotten 18/365, but I've been slack posting photos on the blog, so am doing a #toadgate compilation!

157/366 - Jubilympic Cocktail

I've loads of both Project 365 and blog posts to catch up on, but will have to do those out of order... the reason for my blogging break will likely become obvious in due course (the usual excuses of course apply - being a Mummy and studying a degree are certainly not the least of the reasons!).

It's funny, in Australia I'd consider myself a "republican" (but certainly not in the US sense!) - I don't understand the necessity of having the Queen as our head of state; especially as she can remove an elected leadership, which has happened in my lifetime.

However, I like the Royal family in the UK, they're a great tourist attraction and I've been really looking forward to the Jubilee.  I even hung some Union Jack bunting outside our house, and Pickle has been having a great time waving his flag (which should also come in handy for the Olympic torch arriving in the local square).  Pickle is English after all, even if he is now also officially an Aussie.

So for my lovely friend, Caroline's, Jubilee BBQ, I decided we needed an appropriately patriotic beverage.  There is nothing more English than tea, so gathering inspiration from a cocktail I'd tried some time ago, I infused some vodka with Earl Grey tea (full recipe below); using good quality ingredients really does make all the difference, so I'd recommend using the best of these you can afford.  The traditional accompaniment of lemon, topped with lemonade completed the cocktail.  They were definitely a hit, and I'll be doing the infusion again, and trying some alternate mixes.  This was served in short glasses yesterday, but today I used my  vintage tea cups, though martini (marTEAni) glasses could also work.
 
Vodka infusion
500ml vodka
6 teaspoons or teabags of Earl Grey tea (if you use tagged teabags remove the tags before submersion)

Infuse the vodka with the tea for half an hour.  Shake, then leave for another half an hour.  Strain or remove the teabags.  The vodka can then be kept in the fridge or freezer.


Jubilympic Cocktail
2 medium unwaxed lemons, squeezed
Lemonade
Ice

Per glass:
Pour in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and coat the glass.
Add 50ml vodka 
A few ice cubes 
Top with lemonade
Garnish with a peel of lemon

Enjoy!

Cheers, KangaRue :)

15/366 - Home Fire Burning

I'm currently running a day late posting my photos.  While I was expecting to have a photo of Pickle having his first swim yesterday, the day ended up a bit of a comedy of errors.  So this photo of our recently installed fire-place, with a well-stoked fire burning and my birthday cards on the mantle is my photo of the day.

15/366

Cheers, KangaRue :)

Lots of projects on the go

Well, I've been working on this cork table for months, and though it's a little bit further on from this photo, it's still not finished!  A lot of the wine we've had recently has been screw-topped which is not helping...  Once the top is covered I'm also going to go around the edge too.

I've also been working on decoupaging a pair of shoes and a canvas... I'm collecting vintage pin-up and burlesque pics, and I'm cutting around them, but waiting until I'm sure I've enough before I start glueing.

The two pairs leg-warmers and snoods I made from a couple of old jumpers have added to my holiday deeds.  Oh, and I joined http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/KangaRue-SL - so once I get the boxes down out of the attic I'll be leaving "deposits" all over town!

Cheers, KangaRue