Day 5 - Something You Wore

I haven't actually worn this yet but I will be tonight when we go out for dinner for my father-in-law's birthday.  I love this dress! I just bought it on our holidays from a little shop in Terrigal.

A Photo A Day

To kick start the year and to help me get my head around the new camera I got for my birthday I have decided to take part in Fat Mum Slim's January Photo A Day Challenge.  Here are my first four days prompts.

Day 1: You

 

Day 2: Breakfast

Day 3: Something You Adore

Day 4: Letterbox

Okay, confession time.  My day 1 photo was taken on day 2. My day 2 photo was taken on day 3 and my day 3 photo was taken on 31st December. But my day 4 photo was taken on day 4.  Now, from this point onwards hopefully my photos will get taken on the right days but either way at least they are prompting me to take more photos.

2012 Resolutions

Source: flickr.com via Barbara on Pinterest

I am a list person so it is within my nature to want to write a list of new years resolutions. Lists help me to have something to work towards and are very helpful in motivating myself.  Today I took a moment out to sit and think of some things I want to achieve this year.  They are nothing major just things that will help me make sure I am using my spare time wisely and being productive throughout the year.  Here goes....

Visit A New Part of Australia 
I realised when we went to Europe how little of my own country I have seen. When you tell people you are from Australia they ask you if you have seen so many places and the majority I say no to.  I would like to play tourist in my own country and visit some places I have never been before.  I would love to visit Perth or Tasmania and also see the Great Ocean Road.

Plan Some Weekends Away
We spend a lot of our weekends at home at complain a lot that we should have made plans.  We talk a lot about going for a weekend away to Byron Bay or the Sunshine Coast but they never happen.  This year I am hoping we can change that. (Melbourne,Noosa,Woolgoogla)

Sew 30 Items
I would like to redo this goal that I set myself in 2011 as I failed last year.  I am hoping this year I can focus a little more on my sewing and get a bit more done.  Fingers crossed this year this goal is a success. (19/30)

Knit 15 Items
I wanted to up the number of knitted projects for 2012 but I am also adding in a goal for crocheted items (see below) so I thought if I up'd the number I might be being a bit too ambitious. (7/15)

Knit A Garment For Myself
I suck at knitting clothes for myself!!! I have made 3 cardigans and all have turned out crap.  The first was because I used the wrong wool so it stretched out, the second I made a garment that wasn't my style at all so I didn't wear it and then the last garment I made I used too small needles and didn't realise till it was finished so again I never wore it.  All I make for myself now are scarves and beanies and I really want to make myself something I will actually wear.  I tend to wing things a bit when I make scarves and beanies and I think I can't do that with garments. All I need to do is be a bit more patient and pay more attention and I should be right.  Hopefully!!!

Crochet 15 Items
In 2011 I taught myself how to crochet and in 2012 I would like to put this skill to a bit more use.  I am aiming to crochet 15 items this year. (14/15)

Read 52 Books
This is another redo of a failed 2011 resolution.  I only managed 40 books in 2011 so I am hoping in 2012 I will be successful in my reading goal.  Corey bought me an ereader for Christmas which I have been carrying with my everywhere.  I think this will encourage me to read more as I will never be without a book if I keep this in my bag. (35/52)

Sew 10 Vintage Patterns.
Last year I wanted to start sewing with vintage patterns which technically I did. But I only made 1 so this year I have set myself a goal of 10 vintage patterns.  I have a few at home I would love to make so all I need to do is get started. (0/10)

Exercise 3 Times A Week
We went really well with our exercise from when we arrived home from Europe to just before the wedding.  Once the wedding finished we had birthdays and Christmas to prepare for and the gym got pushed to the wayside.  I am really hoping that we can get back into the swing of things this year and keep up with our exercise schedule.

Make Our House Feel Like A Home
We have been living in our house for 2 years and I still look at it and hate how it looks and feels.  I think mostly that is because I hate our house but also it is because we haven't really decorated to make our house feel like ours.  We are moving at the end of January and I am really excited to make this home feel a little bit more us.  I already have plans for our bedroom and the guest bedroom and kitchen.  I can't wait to get started!!!

So there you have it my, slightly ambitious, new years resolutions for 2012.  I really hope that I can be successful with my goals this year.  Fingers crossed!

2011 Resolutions

Hello 2012! I am very excited to see what you have in store for us this year. 2011 was a very exciting year for us with trips to Europe, new jobs and our wedding festivities.  2012 is probably going to be a bit more low key but hopefully just as fun.  Last January I made a few resolutions for myself and of course now it is time to see how I went with them all.  They were nothing too major as I am also doing my 101 in 1001 but still gave me a little something to aspire to.

1 - Read More

My aim was to read 52 books this year but unfortunately I did not quite make it.  I am still pretty happy with what I did manage to read.  I hit 40 books in December (yes that means I only read 1 book in December).  This is a major improvement for me though considering all I read in the 3 years previous were text books and magazines. Before uni I read a lot but when uni started I just didn't have the time. When I graduated in 2010 I was in the habit of not reading so it just continued. Having said that I am pretty happy with having read 40 books in 2011.

2 - Introduce more vintage into my wardrobe.
At the end of 2010 I decided that I wanted to start wearing vintage clothes.  I had always admired the vintage style but was never game enough to purchase anything.  I made my first purchase at the end of 2010 when I bought 2 dresses to wear for Christmas.  In 2011 I wanted to expand my vintage wardrobe and I have definitely been successful at this goal.  A trip to London in March saw my vintage wardrobe grow considerably.  Since then there has been many purchases via etsy, ebay and in person at various vintage stores that we have passed in our travels.  I really feel like this year I have come into my own style a bit more and I definitely feel more comfortable about who I am and how I dress.


3 - Start sewing with vintage patterns.
So I didn't give myself an actual number of patterns to sew with so technically I can call this one a success.  I did only sew 1 vintage pattern though.  I used an 80's pattern to sew a pair of high waisted shorts. I do own a few more vintage patterns which I would love to make but as you will see by my next goal my sewing exploits this year were a bit slack.


4 - Sew 30 things in 2011

This goal was an epic fail with only 17 items being sewn this year.  I really wanted to sew more this year but with a month taken out for Europe and October - December being a total write off with birthdays, the wedding and Christmas I just didn't get anywhere near as much as I wanted achieved.  I am happy with what I sewed this year though. They are all items that I love and I am very happy with how they all turned out.


5 - Knit 15 things in 2011

I am so happy with how much I managed to knit this year.  I love to knit but I get a little slack when a project takes too long.  Something I would love to achieve this year is to knit a garment for myself that I actually wear.  I have knit myself a few cardigans in the past but always end up wearing them once and then getting rid of them.  Usually this is because I stuff them up somehow so that they don't fit comfortably or I knit something that isn't really my style anyway.  I am hoping to change that in 2012.


6 - Bake More (at least 30 things).

I love to bake and 2011 was definitely a good baking year for me! One thing I am really happy with is the birthday cakes that I made this year. I have been wanting to make some fun themed cakes for ages and this year I definitely achieved that. My burger cake I made my dad is one of my favourite cakes I have ever made.  I am hoping I can continue to make fun cakes like this again in 2012.

So, how did you all go with your 2011 resolutions? Have you made any resolutions for 2012 yet? I have a few things I would like to achieve much the same as this year but I will be back to post about those later.

On 2011

I spotted this meme over on Rainbowtatt and thought it was a great way to round at the year. I can't believe 2011 is over already. Here is a bit of reflection on my 2011.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
   Got married!!! Traveled to Europe. Climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Went to the gym consistently for more than a month (we went really well from when we got home from Europe till the week before the wedding then slacked off).
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   I made a few resolutions and completed a few and failed a few but I plan on doing a post on that soon. Probably not before the end of the year though.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   We had two new nephews born into the family this year. Two of Corey's sisters gave birth. Krystal gave birth to her fourth in June and Kellie gave birth to her fourth in September. They were named Levi and Braxton.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   No family members but a close friend lost his little sister which was devastating.  
5. What countries/states did you visit?
   Europe - London, Barcelona, Dublin, Rome, Venice, Florence, Munich, Berlin and Paris. Airlie Beach - Queensland for our honeymoon. We are also currently in Copacabana on the Central Coast of New South Wales visiting my aunty and uncle.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
   Time to sew. I didn't get anywhere near as much sewing done this year as I would have liked. Most of my spare time was taken up by wedding preparations. Now that the wedding is over I am hoping 2012 will bring back my sewing mojo.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
   November 12th - our wedding day!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   Getting married to the love of my life!
9. What was your biggest failure?
   Allowing myself to get stressed out over wedding preparations.  I really didn't want to be one of those brides.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    Nothing major.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
    My wedding dress!
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
    All my friends and family who came and help celebrate our wedding day.  Especially all of those who travelled from interstate and overseas to be with us.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
    A certain cousin. That is all I will say on the matter.
14. Where did most of your money go?
    Our wedding and our Europe trip.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    Our wedding and our honeymoon.  The best two weeks of my year.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
    Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO. This had a very entertaining moment at our wedding and now I can't stop singing it.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    a) happier or sadder? happier in some areas and sadder in others.
    b) thinner or fatter? thinner thanks to my gyming efforts.
    c) richer or poorer? richer only because I wasn't working at the end of last year. 
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
    Slowing down and appreciating the things that have happened this year.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
    Stressing.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
    Unwrapping presents with Corey, lunch at Corey's parents house then headed back down to the Coast to see my family. We ended the day curled up on the lounge watching Christmas movies.
21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
    I began the year in love and finished it even more in love!
22. How many one-night stands?
    Wow, what a question! Corey and I have been together 8 years this year so those days are far behind me.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
    Criminal Minds.
24. Did you make a friend with anyone that you didn’t know this time last year?
    Yes, my new friends from work.
25. What was the best book you read?
    I really enjoyed the Hunger Games books.  I also read Minxy Vintage which I got for Christmas and loved it. It has inspired me to start customising some vintage!
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    Imelda May. I heard her just before we went to Europe and bought both her cd's in Dublin and have played them over and over again since coming home.
27. What did you want and get?
    A new house! We were just approved for a new rental property a few days before Christmas. We move at the end of January.
28. What did you want and not get?
    Um, nothing important. I think we have done pretty well this year.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
    Planet of the Apes - I didn't expect to like this movie but I really enjoyed it.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I turned 24 this year. On my actual birthday I went to work and was spoilt rotten by my work friends with a decorated desk and baked goodies and loads of presents.  That night we went to my parents for dinner.  One the weekend before my birthday we went ice skating during the day and then out to teppanyaki for dinner with some family and friends.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Being able to buy a house instead of moving into another rental.  But such is life and we will keep saving and aim for that next year.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
    Have fun and be true to myself. Stop worrying what other people think of what I wear.
33. What kept you sane?
    Corey.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    You can't go past Ryan Gosling.  He was gorgeous in Crazy Stupid Love.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
    Same-sex marriage is a big one for me. Especially having gotten married this year it just seemed a lot more important to me that everyone be able to have the chance to experience the joy that I did on my wedding day.
36. Who did you miss?
    My sister who spent most of the year living in Europe. She came home 10 days before our wedding but is now moving to Melbourne in a matter of days.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
    Sally and Anna my two office mates from work. They are so much fun and keep me motivated and loving my job.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011
    Sometimes there are a people in your life that you are better off without and although it might be hard in the long run you will be better off if you just let them go.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
    Baby it's youYou're the one I loveYou're the one I needYou're the only one I see.Come on baby it's you.
    You're the one that gives your all.You're the one I can always call.When I need you make everything stop. Finally you put my love on top!
    Love On Top by Beyonce

No 78 - Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

It's been a while since I have crossed anything off my 101 in 1001 list which is a bit scary considering my deadline is in August 2012.  Only 8 months to go!!!  Corey has wanted to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge forever so I bought it for him for his birthday (the climb that is not the bridge...lol).  I was a little nervous at first but once you get through the first part where you are climbing on see through walkways it is okay.  The section you climb on is so wide and made of such thick steel that you feel pretty secure.  Here are a few photos we got from the trip.....

Apart from the first one I am pretty impressed with how these photos turned out.  They are actually printed photos that I took photos of with my iphone to be able to load them onto here.  They turned out pretty okay considering!  The originals look great and I am so happy we decided to get them all printed out.  Corey loved his birthday present and I would definitely recommend doing the climb to anyone visiting Sydney.  The view is definitely worth it!!!

Our Wedding - Ceremony

Thanks for the lovely comments on my last wedding post.  We are very happy with how all the photos have turned out.  So I figured the natural progession after the last post would be to show you the photos from the ceremony.  I have chosen a few less than last time.  Here are my favourites...

I love looking at these photos and seeing how happy everyone was. It truly was a magical day and I am so so happy with how it all turned out.  I probably won't get around to posting more photos for a few days as we are off to visit my family on the Central Coast on Boxing Day.  I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas.