Mum’s Night Out

/ Lifestyle / 22 Comments

I get excited when a girls night out is organized and I get to go out for dinner.

On Saturday night, I got to meet up with some of the Prep mums from Esther’s school… who ironically, don’t have any kids in my daughter’s classroom.

I have been friendly with one of the mums who walks from school and literally lives around the corner from our house. Her son is in a different Prep class, but it’s been lovely to chat and smile to mums, recognising faces and names when doing drop offs and pick-ups. I was added to a Facebook post where the mums were organizing a mum’s night out and suddenly the date was picked and the table was booked at our local Vietnamese restaurant.

Even though there was only going to be a small group of us and it was going to be a casual night out for dinner, I was eager to get a little dressed up.

I put a treatment in my hair, washed it out and dried and straightened it close to salon perfection.

makeup and hair tools

I put on makeup and realized I am in DESPERATE need for new makeup. Why is it Ionly notice these things when I actually need them?

I downgraded my bag from the weekender Mary Poppins bag to a smaller handbag, discarding all the kids’ stuff. Kept the baby wipes because I just never know when I’ll need those.

downgrading handbags

I decided against wearing jeans because that is pretty much my mummy day uniform. I put on a black dress and dressed it up with a vest and boots with heels.

mums night out

As I was organizing my handbag, I had the usual sad face from Esther, who doesn’t like me going out at night. It means I can’t sing to her when she’s in bed.

esther in tears

Once the crocodile tears were on I knew it was my time to walk out that door.

out the door to mums night out

It was a great night.

I was overdressed.

But I didn’t care because I was out for dinner and talking to mums who know exactly what it’s like to raise young kids.

No topic was untouched. From gastro to sensitivity issues with kids to sharing birth stories and miraculous conceptions (my Phoebe). We laughed and laughed and pretty much talked the whole time.

It was good. So good.

And I can’t wait to do it again.

When was the last time you went out for dinner with new friends? Or even old girlfriends? Do you ever overdress… just because?

I’m linking with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

Rock This Winter With Empress Eleven

/ Fashion / 20 Comments

When I headed out to pick Esther up from Prep on the Thursday afternoon before Mother’s Day, a Couriers Please van stopped me on my street to give me a parcel I had to sign for. I wasn’t expecting any parcels as I hadn’t ordered anything online. I quickly placed the parcel in my garage and reminded myself to open it when I got home.

When I opened the package, I was excited to receive some winter clothes from Empress Eleven.

Too bad the weather in Brisbane hasn’t followed with the seasons! It’s been too hot to wear long sleeves. But last Thursday changed that when we had our coldest morning and I was able to trot out these new threads.

Empress Eleven is a plus size brand that caters for women sizes 14 to 24. I’m a big fan of their jeggings which I wear on a weekly basis and I was unexpectedly gifted another pair to keep them in my wardrobe cycle.

I’m a fan of the prices that Empress Eleven offer. The pieces are affordable and wearable for everyday or going out.

I decided to share three of the pieces I was gifted to show you how to rock this winter with Empress Eleven.

I’m going to start with my favourite. The Charlie Rose Cardi. I love the waterfall drape, shoulder details and the softness of the fabric. It looks great with tan boots and I got plenty of compliments when I wore this last Thursday.

Empress Eleven Charlie Rose CardiI was surprised how flattering this Cross My Heart Top looked on me. I prefer to have a longer hem on my tops because I have a bit of a belly and I don’t like to emphasize it with shorter torso tops or croppped tops. Wearing all back underneath, this top looked lovely and I added a bit of rock glamour with an embellished necklace.

Empress Eleven Cross My Heart top

A side on view to see the back hem

The last top I wanted to share with you, wasn’t one of my farourites. I feel like my boobs look droopy in this top and I think it may have to do with the high neckline and shoulder pads. I tried to counteract the neckline with a V-neck shaped necklace but I still wasn’t quite happy with how it looked on. Nevertheless, I wanted to show you what it looked like. It’s the type of tunic top I’d wear with skinny jeans. The material is soft and the shoulder details are striking and give the top a rock style edge.

I’m looking forward to getting more wear out of these items as the weather starts to cool in Brisbane. They will be perfect to wear when the day stays coolish all day as opposed to Summer temperatures by midday.

Has the weather turned cold where you are? Have you got a bit of animal print in your wardrobe this winter?

Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

Disclaimer: I was gifted these items for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own.

Polka Dots & Spots AW16

/ Fashion / 16 Comments

A month or so after I bought my black jeans from Sussan, that random scan on my VIP card reactivated promotional material sent to my letter box.

I flipped through the AW16 Sussan brochure and loved this black and white polka dot shirt. I have been looking for a black and white polka dot tee – as another pattern to break up with my love of striped tees. I had never considered buying a polka dot shirt, and here it was styled so beautifully with blush pink and denim.

Sussan Shirt

Sussan Spot Shirt

 

Sussan Spot Shirt

Sussan spot shirt with pink jacket

I visualized what I could wear with the shirt during autumn and winter and told myself I had to have it.

Then I looked at the price tag and thought… maybe I don’t need to have it after all.

At $99.95, I would have bought the shirt if I had a spare $100 to part with. I didn’t. And I forgot about it for a couple of weeks.

And then my wedding anniversary came up and Jacob didn’t know what to buy me and so I said he could buy me something at Mount Tamborine, but nothing took my fancy so we didn’t buy anything.

While I was researching some fashion pieces for a new blog post, I went onto the Sussan website and it said that there would be a VIP sale. I decided that that polka dot shirt would be my anniversary/mother’s day present.

I waited for the sale and headed online to see that the shirt had pretty much sold out online. Not to be deterred, I headed to my local Sussan store, hoping there would be some sizes left.

There were!

I quickly grabbed a size 16 and as I passed by there was a sale on blazers that were already reduced in price. I found a size 14 blazer and headed to the change rooms, with the pram and whiny kids in tow.

After settling my girls into the pram with some snacks, I quickly whipped the shirt on to check for size. I don’t like shirts that gape near the boobs. So the size is really important. The 16 fit and I was happy as. I put on the blazer and that fit too. Happy Days.

As I made my way to the counter, the shirt was reduced to $69.95 and the blazer was reduced down to under $20. The blazer was originally $149.95!

My total spend was around $88 which meant I basically got the blazer for free had I spent full price on the shirt. Sometimes, waiting can work in your favour as it did for me.

Bec wearing sussan spot shirt

It seems any type of polk dots or spots seem to sell out as soon as they hit the stores. I found it hard to find a selection of spots and polka dot style pieces available in all sizes online. But if you’re keen to add this to your wardrobe, here is what I found.

polka dots and spots AW16

The blazer for me was a great find and I will share it with you in another post. At present it’s just too hot for a jacket during the day.

I wore my new shirt on Mother’s Day and Esther decided to match me with her black spot tunic that I bought at Easter time from Kmart.

Mother and daughter fashion

 

mother and daughter in spots

Esther in spots

Esther poses so well. I wonder where she learned that from?

When was the last time you got a bargain? Ever waited for a piece of clothing you couldn’t afford, go on sale?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase something, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Pockets of my Home

/ Interiors / 0 comment

In the last month or so, I have spent quite a bit of time at home with the girls. Even when Esther was on school holidays, we spent a bit of time at home playing, watching movies and trying to enjoy each other’s company.

After spending so much time at home since having kids, I’ve often been quite critical about how I style my home. I don’t like having random stuff around the house. I have a hutch that I place all breakables and antique vases in, so they are away from the kids. But the items I do keep out are pieces that have been purchased on a budget from department stores, which I don’t necessarily mind if they get broken accidentally.

Thankfully my girls have avoided touching these pieces even though they are within reach.

At the beginning of the year, I shared a post on 40 ways you can change the interior of your home and it’s a great post to go to if you haven’t got much spare cash and need to change the look of a room.

I’ve made a few subtle changes to our living, dining and main bedroom and thought I’d share them with you if you’re feeling like making a change to your living space.

Our TV cabinet is the hardest surface to style. My girls climb on top of it, so the back corners are the safest place to put a pile of books and terrarium or a tray with a mix of different things.

how to style a tv cabinet

Yes, there is dust and possibly biscuit crumbs in this picture.

 

how to style a round tray

First time putting some items together for a round tray.

I love my $6 Kmart plastic tablecloth, although if cleaned vigorously, the spots will rub off. I put our Peace Lilly in the middle of the table on top of a round table mat. I’m still surprised how well our Peace Lilly is growing.

peace lilly dining table

In our bedroom, over Christmas and the new year, I had a mix of grey and gold cushions on the bed. To change it, I added in more black cushions and a purple throw and matching cushion, still keeping a little of the gold and grey. No need for a fur rug on the bed when our dog Bentley likes to jump on and sleep at our feet during the night.

bedroom style for new years

From this

 

bedroom styling

To this

 

bed style with dog

Bentley is not impressed he made it into the picture

For my mind’s sake, if the beds are made and the TV cabinet and dining table is clear of mess, I don’t get overwhelmed by the mess in the rest of the house. Often a trail of toys and little bits and pieces can be found from my girls’ rooms into the living room and into our bedroom.

I try and remind myself that I don’t live in a display house, I live in a family home and everyday there will be mess.

All I can do is control the areas I can and remember to be grateful to have a family to provide a shelter for.

Have you made any subtle changes to your home now that Autumn is here? How do you put your mind at ease over the mess your kids create in your home?

Three Quarter Sleeve Tops – The Perfect Arm Length For A Warm Autumn 16

/ Fashion / 17 Comments

Three quarter sleeve tops are my go to tops for Autumn and Winter.

The cooler weather in Brisbane tends to be quite mild so I find the length of a ¾ sleeve top just right for in between seasons.

I find that these tops tend to sell out quite quickly and will purchase a few different colours when I see them available.

Which is what I did a couple of weeks ago.

I should mention, our budget has been stretched these last couple of months with the knock on effect of paying some big bills at the beginning of the year and not getting money through to replenish the savings to keep us afloat.

There hasn’t been a lot of money spare to buy new clothes and so I’ve been creative with my well stocked wardrobe and did an edit recently on my Autumn Winter needs. ¾ sleeve tops were in short supply.

As I was shopping with my younger two girls to get groceries, I walked past Suzanne Grae and saw these off the shoulder ¾ sleeve tops and saw they were only $29.95. I tried on the red and loved it. I opted to go to the XL as the material is a little clingy.

three quarter sleeve top suzanne grae

I got plenty of comments when I wore it recently. Red has always been my colour and whether it’s in season or not, I love to wear it.

three quarter sleeve top with stripe pants

Depending on where you live in Australia, the three quarter sleeve top arm length may be perfect for you as the weather is still quite warm for Autumn. I also find these tops work well in Spring when the weather starts to warm up. The extra coverage also hides any dry elbows.

There aren’t many sizes left of this Bardot top from Suzanne Grae. I’ve put a selection of tops that are available online, but be quick to get these as they won’t last long. Already after putting this post together there is only 1 size left with the red and striped tops.

three quarter sleeve tops AW16

1. Surafina Geo Cream Pullover $69

2. Katies 3/4 Roll Sleeve Tunic $49.95

3. Suzanne Grae Fold Back Bardot Top $29.95

4. Freez Zippered Top $49

5. Atmos and Here Saint Moss Top $49.95

6. Millers Layering Basic 3/4 Sleeve Top $15

7. ASOS Pimkie Check Woven Top $40

8. Suzanne Grae Fold Back Bardot Top Stripe $29.95

Are you a fan of the three quarter sleeve?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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