Give-away

Pretty sure all of you are friends with me on either Flickr or Facebook, but I thought I'd post this here too. (Sorry if you're over hearing about it!)

I'm having a wee giveaway.
If you would like to win this lovely little flower brooch, all you have to do is head to my facebook page and comment on the giveaway post (extra points for sharing/blogging/twittering). I'll pull a name out of a hat/number generator on Sunday and pop the brooch in the post (anywhere in the world!).
Go forth, comment and spread the word. Love!

Croutons.

I've been making stuff.

A lot of these things went over to the ever-lovely, local store Ruby Dunes. But I managed to add a few of the necklaces to my Felt store (and relist a few older items at a discounted price). I do hope you'll head on over and have a nosey.

There is plenty more to come in the next few weeks, heck I have FIFTY flower brooches on the go as I type! Madness!

Boy style/ Frugal fashion Friday.

Seeing as I missed Wardrobe Wednesday this week, We'll just have a Friday catch up. This is what I wore yesterday:

(Is anyone else having trouble getting their images to look half decent in Blogger? I had to load these in Flickr first and they still don't look great?)

The dress is one that I picked up while visiting my Father-in-law in Te Puke. They have the most fabulous op shop that is so full you can hardly move. Everything is piled sky-high and you really have to rummage to find anything. This isn't always ideal, and it would be nice if the price reflected it more often, but it just makes the hunting so much more enjoyable. And, for some strange reason, they always have amazing dresses. This one was $3.50.
The tights were a nifty $12 at Kmart. They're a bit baggy in the knees, but oh-so comfy. The shoes are the same old style, from The Warehouse for $10. The belt is thrifted, and the brooch is Croutons, of course.

I have no idea what I'm doing with my hair. I wish it would grow faster.

Today is cold, wet and miserable. Otto has been up since the crack of dawn, like usual, and put all of our days plans out by going back to bed at 7:30. So I have both boys at home today, just blobbing. Oh, and making comics and sock puppets. Here's a glimpse at the boys in there trackie-dackie home gears.

Piles and piles.

I have intended to write about 5 different posts this week. I've written them in my head, taken the photos, even started drafts for some of them.. it just hasn't happened for me.
The main reason I haven't blogged is because my life has been taken over by piles. Not the nasty ones that seem to prey on pregnant women, but the ones that seem occupy most of my waking hours.
Some of the towers are plesant ones, the op shopped treasures, and the sewing projects I've managed to actually finish. But other, especially the washing, just seem to keep growing and growing. It's so much easier to just blob on the laptop, procrastinating and 'pinning' pretty things, than deal with the NINE loads of washing that are either dirty or wet right now.

But I'm getting this shit under control now. Okay? So to make up for the posts I didn't make this week, I'm just going to make three posts today. This is number one.

Wardrobe Wednesday.

I'm not sure entirely what is going on with the lighting in my house today. It would appear I have forgotten exactly how hard it is to take a decently lit photo in Winter. And well, it is the first day of Winter today.

I have also forgotten my self inflicted rule of not wearing leggings. It would appear that this Winter is going to be the Winter of leggings. I just need to find and invest in some more really cute patterned ones, because I'm not feeling the plain black ones.

Mustard cowl : knitted by me. ($5 worth of wool on TM)
Black dress: Pumpkin patch maternity section. Shame-o. I didn't even buy it when I was pregnant, I just got it because it is ridiculously comfy, and plain black dresses are so hard to come by. ($5 on sale)
Geo print leggings : Kmart ($5)
Grey ruffly shoes : The Warehouse ($15)

I'm on a mission to get some sewing done this week. So, fingers crossed, I'll back back tomorrow with some craftiness.

Boy style Friday - fashionably late.

Otto wears:
Stripy hoodie - Farmers
Thermal top (underneath)- Farmers
Pants - Me
Crocs - The Warehouse (I firmly dislike crocs, but for some reason they look okay on people under the age of about four.)

Aesop wears:
Swandri hunting hat - Salvation Army
Hip kid shirt - Farmers
Skinnyish jeans - Pumpkin Patch.

 And, as a bonus, here is another outfit Otto wore this week.
Stripy top - Croutons
Monster pants - Farmers
Slippers - MEandREEKIE on Etsy. Best slippers EVER.
Teeth - $2 shop.. or being bitten by a vampire?

See more cute kiddies HERE.

Wardrobe Wednesday.

The presentation of this weeks outfit is a little like the wearer of the outfit feels: not super enthusiastic.
It is nearly midday, and I have only been dresses about half an hour. My throat is raspy, and my 'let's get dressed and look amazing' levels are fairly low. It's one of those days where I wish I had remembered to photograph an outfit earlier in the week. But I'm not going to let that stop me.

Dress: bought from a friend who sells on Trademe  ($15)
Tights: Farmers (about $15)
Shoes: Willowshoes.co.nz ($140)

So yeah, fairly basic (yet somehow expensive?) outfit today. But there's a bit of a story behind the dress.
My friend Cara and I, went to Bayfair (a mall..) on Saturday. We had money burning holes in our pockets, a day without menfolk and children and a need for lovely new clothes.
We searched high and low, only to find that fashion seems to have reverted back to the 90's, and not in a good way. Everything is grunge-tastic (think long skirts, thick knit jumpers and doc boots. Oh, and velvet. So much velvet.) and definitely not something I can work with. I came away with one brooch, a plain striped top, a pair of super cheap boots and a onesie for a small baby that I don't have. AWESOME.
I was feeling very bummed.
But yesterday, as I was picking up the mannequin from my friend Amanda, I spied her 'to sell on TradeMe' rack, and noseyed through it. Within just a few moments, I had two very wonderful dresses in my arms and a huge smile on my face.
Moral of the story? I need to stop trying to convince myself that modern fashion is going to get better, and face the fact that it is worth it to spend a little extra on 'retro' stuff. It's bad luck that I didn't find these dresses for $5 at the oppies, but even at $15 they are cheaper than the most of the ugly stuff I tried on at the shops. And probably better made too..
/ end rant.