Beauty Spot - A Merry OPI Christmas

I asked a few people for some OPI nail polish for Christmas to start up a proper nail polish collection, and I received these pretties....

 

From left to right:

• Miami Beet
• The Show Must Go On!
• Yucatan If V Want
• La Paz-Itively Hot (Matte)
• No Spain No Gain

Pin It

It's the 23rd, so you know what that means....

Happy Festivus!

Good luck with your feats of strength!!

Pin It

Easy Peasy Christmas "baking"

I use the term "baking" loosely for this recipe, because there actually isn't any baking involved, which is great at Christmas time.

Anyway: RUMBALLS!

Christmas just isn't Christmas until you've stuffed yourself with delicious, delicious rumballs. They're a Christmas tradition in our family, and I made up a batch on Sunday to keep us going until December 25th (a day on which I'm already planning to wear something with as little elastic around the waist/stomach area as possible).

The great thing about rumballs is that if you are the kind of person who "can't" cook, you will definitely be able to master these. So, without further ado....

Ingredients
2 x 250 gram packets of Arnott's Marie biscuits (cookies to non-Australian readers - a very plain, sweet cookie)
2 x 395 gram tins of condensed milk
2 1/2 tablespoons of Bourneville cocoa
About three or four cups of desiccated coconut

Total prep and assembly time: about 45 minutes
Pin It

Boredom Abounds By Julia - Giveaway Winner!!

Hey peeps! Remember this book I reviewed a couple of weeks ago?

Well, I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with all of you. So, I'm giving away The Hunger Games Trilogy pack!

 

 

It comes in a handy-dandy slip cover so you can keep them together on your shelf all neat and tidy, and it contains all three books by Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

But how do you enter? It's super easy!

Just head over to the Boredom Abounds By Julia Facebook page and do the following TWO things:

1) Hit the "Like" button on the Boredom Abounds Facebook page to receive all the latest Boredom Abounds blog posts and updates.

2) Go to the "Discussions" tab on the Boredom Abounds Facebook page and reply to the discussion topic I've started by telling me what book YOU haven't been able to put down recently. If you have already "Liked" the facebook page previously, then all you have to do it reply to the discussion topic and your entry in the competition is complete.

Et Voila! Once you've done both of those things, you're eligble to go into the draw to win the books!

T's & C's:

The competition will be open until midnight on Monday, 13th December, 2010 (Melbourne, Australia time). 

The winner will be selected at random and announced on Tuesday, 14th December, 2010. 

I will ship the books to any destination in the world, so no matter where you are, you're eligible to enter (as long as you have a home address or PO box I can send them to, of course!) and if you spread the word amongst your friends, they can head over to the Facebook page and enter as well. It's too easy!

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour!

Please note that these books contain a fair amount of violence amongst adolescents, so that's something to keep in mind if it's not your cup of tea.

EDITED TO ADD: The winner of the competition is Kiki Chaos! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the series!

Pin It

Crafty Lady - Amateur Patchwork Quilting

I am by no means a patchwork quilter. Rather, I know how to use a sewing machine and sew squares together with wadding in between. I made this over the past two months for a good friend who's having a baby girl soon. Since I gave it to her on Saturday, I can finally unveil it to the rest of the world! Pin It

Fashion watch - Kate Middleton

When the royal engagement was announced last week, a reader asked me if I would be doing an entry about Ms. Middleton's style over the past few years. To be honest, it hadn't really crossed my mind, because I am in no way, shape or form an avid "royal watcher."

But then I realised that whenever I've seen photos of Kate Middleton, I've admired her outfit - she's always so elegant and so well put together, so I thought why not?

And here we are. A look at the future Queen's (or whatever her title will be once Williams ascends to the throne) fashion.

First up: Casual chic

 

Cute sundresses, flirty skirts and chic shift dresses, usually accompanied by a cardigan or a jacket and a co-ordinated handbag seem to Kate's fashion go-to for casual events. She's not afraid of colour, but she also knows not to overdo it with heavy patterns or garish shades.

 

Even at a day out at the races, or an RAF event for William, Kate dresses down appropriately to suit the occasion, while still looking feminine. I just love the preppy cowgirl look she's sporting above on the right. The addition of the silver jewelry dresses up the outfit, but she still looks at home meandering across fields. Oh, and the white coat above on the left? To die for. Every girl needs a white coat in her wardrobe for Winter. It's so crisp and clean, and it goes with practically anything. Which reminds me, I do need to get mine dry cleaned...

Although I think this may be my favourite casual chic look. There's something about black and pale blue combos that look so soft, but the beret and the scarf create such a stylish Parisien-chic look. It's a classic Winter look and she does it so effortlessly. Note to self: buy a beret.

Next up: Striking Elegance

 

Obviously as a royal family member, Kate is invited to bucketloads of weddings and official events where the attire is much, MUCH dressier than your average backyard barbecue. She knows what styles suit her body type (pencil skirt suit or flowy tea length gowns), but it's the accessories that really complete her ensembles. A pretty floral coat, like the purple one above, and a statement fascinator tipped at exactly the right angle make her stand out in the crowd, looking dignified and feminine. She's also lucky enough to be one of those girls whoo looks like she just casually threw the outift together half an hour before leaving the house, which is a feat not many of us can carry off. The key to that is to look comfortable in what you're wearing, and Kate never looks anything less than cool, calm and collected, which only adds to her star style factor.

Finally: The real reason we know she's ready to be a royal

 

Girlfriend knows how to rock a hat.

Enough said.

Edited to add: The engagement dress

How could I have forgotten to add this in? My brain, it is elsewhere this week.

I love this dress. LOVE IT. Besides the fact that they co-ordinated with each other and she co-ordinated with her engagement ring, it's just a gorgeous, flattering style. The ruching across the bodice makes her waist seem teeny tiny, while the loose skirt adds an element of relaxed informality to the event. And I love that it's long sleeved. It can be so hard to find formal Winter dresses at the best of times, so I like that she's not wearing a short sleeved gown with a jacket over the top. It's no wonder the Issa London dress sold out in about eighteen seconds right after the press conference aired.

Also, I need her shiny, shiny, perfectly tousled hair. Now. Pin It