EARTHQUAKE SCARE

As I'm sure many already know, there was a very scary earthquake here in Christchurch at 4:30 this morning. It measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, with aftershocks of around 6 on the Richter scale, and boy was it terrifying. There have been no deaths, but a lot of damage and it has been sad seeing so much of the city in ruins. I woke up bolt up right as soon as the quake started, woke my husband, grabbed Toto, and yelled at my husband to grab Bob and go under the dining room table where we waited for about 40 minutes throughout the very strong aftershocks.
Hoping everyone is ok and glad that the quake is over! Special thoughts to our dear friends Vanessa and Warren who have two gorgeous vintage stores in the area with most damage. Hope you guys don't have too much damage xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

THERE'S NO PLACES LIKE HOME

I found this dress on Friday in my favourite vintage store, Tete a tete, and immediately knew it had to be mine. I absolutely love gingham, and blue is my favourite colour to wear (i also love red, but prefer it in small doses, such as a handbag or shoes). It reminded me so much of Dorothy's dress in the Wizard of Oz (one of my all time favourite things), and it fit me well. Meant to be! As it is still freezing here at the moment, I am looking forward to wearing it while picnicking or riding my cute pink bicycle on hot Summer days.

The dress is so cute it was just screaming out for a bow in my hair, just like Dorothy.

My best friend locket. My dear friend Andrea has a matching one that I gave her for her birthday recently. Made us feel like we were in primary school again!

And no Dorothy is complete without her Toto by her side xxxxxxxxx

EVER AFTER

Our Wedding day was on Friday July 30th, and I couldn't have asked for a smoother, more enjoyable (not to mention surprisingly sunny) day. We got married at The sign of the Takahe (if you live in Christchurch or are visiting and haven't been there, do!!! It is like an enchanted castle, but small and cosy, which was perfect for us as we only had 49 guests). As a girl who grew up loving fairytales, but not really expecting to get married, the day was a lovely mix of emotions, laughter, joy and pure happiness. We decided early on to have a Disney fairytale theme (namely Beauty and the Beast, my favourite fairytale movie), and we incorporated this into our outfits (my dress was altered to look like Belles yellow dress from the Disney movie, but in cream instead, and my beloveds suit was a mix of the Beasts suit, and Patrick Dempsey's suit in the ball scene from Disney's 'Enchanted'). My beloveds very talented Mum made his suit jacket for him, and it turned out beautifully. We also had a Disney seating plan, with castle candle favours, and Disney movie pictures to represent each table. Our wedding rings are also both engraved with 'And They Lived Happily Ever After'. Early on in the process, we made (designed by my beloved) pop up invitations, telling our story as though it were a fairytale. These were a bittersweet production as they took sooooo long to make and were very complex to put together, and we only just got them out in time with the help of our dearest friends. Thanks guys, you know who you are!!! Saying our 'I do's'. My beloved had this aisle strip made in secret with the help of the bridal party, so I didn't know it was there until I was walking down. We had red roses everywhere, again taking from Beauty and the Beast.

My gorgeous flower girl, Emma, keeping Toto occupied while I was getting ready.

Just about to take the pins out of my hair and let the curls out. And enjoying wine!!

Our doggies were a huge part of the ceremony;Toto walked down the aisle with my Mum and me, in a vest that matched my dress, and Bob was waiting with my beloved and the groomsmen, with a matching cravat. They were very funny throughout the whole ceremony, making lots of funny noises and wondering what on earth was happening. As we wrote alot of the ceremony ourselves (again written in fairytale style), we got the celebrant to get the dogs permission (by way of barking/whining) to marry us before he announced us as husband and wife. Toto got particularly excited in this part, and decided to jump up on to my dress for a hug (hence, this photo) Our dear friends, Andrea and David (Andrea was my wonderful Maid of honour, and David was a groomsmen) (technically she was matron of honour, as she and David are married, but I really dislike the word matron!) were also our doggie wranglers, as the dogs absolutely love them both to pieces, and they did a great job of keeping them calm throughout the ceremony. To add to the theme, we had a very talented dancer friend teach us a dance to the song 'So close' from 'Enchanted', for our first dance later on the evening, which we managed to get through with only one wrong step (and yes it was me, I really am uncoordinated when it comes to dancing).

This was taken on a dear friends' iPhone, if you can believe it. I love the castle in the background, it was such a beautiful backdrop.

This was the main room we had the photos in and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the photos, when our lovely photographer Linda, has finished editing them. (The 1st,4th and last photos were done by her) We decided on alot of very stylised shots prior to the day (such as a Cinderella shoe on the step shot, and a Sleeping beauty shot just before the kiss), and Linda really went all out in ensuring she got them all without making them look tacky or fake, and maintaining a romantic feel throughout all of them. By the middle of the day I had perfected my 'Disney eyes' to the camera! It made the photos really fun as well, and I can't wait to see the finished products. We had such a fun and special day, and are very thankful to everyone who was a part of it. It's amazing how much planning goes into a Wedding and then poof! It's over so quickly. The best advice I was given for the day was to treasure every moment and take time out as a couple to just be present with each other enjoying the day, as it flies by so fast, so we made sure to do this as much as possible. xxx

PAPER BAG PRINCESS

Don't you just love high waisted pants? I adore them. If my waist isn't visible in an outfit, it generally doesn't look good on me, so these lovely, soft floppy wide leg pants were a magical find. I have been dressing in quite summery clothes lately (and yes it is freezing outside. After this shoot, I layered up with a cardie, coat, gloves and hat). I'm really not great with cold weather, so I can pretend that Summer is here as long as I'm inside and wearing pastel colours. Right?....

I had my foils redone, so my extensions are looking a lot more blended with the rest of my hair. Feels much better :)

I LOVE this handbag. I have been searching for a straw bag for quite some time, and although they are plentiful in the op shops I shop in, I never quite found the perfect one for me until my friend Andrea and I saw this one in savemart, and it was straw bag love at first sight(although the outer of the bag is actually made from paper! Crazy huh!). I love all the detail on it, the size. and the gorgeous handles. Yummy!

Top: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Pants: Thrifted (originally from Katies)

Bag: From savemart

Shoes: Thrifted


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ANCHOR AWAY

My lovely friend Christina gave me this rather gorgeous sailor dress a few weeks ago, and when she gave it to me it was actually a long jumpsuit. The jumpsuit was beautiful but, as it was a vintage children's one, it was too short for me in the torso area. So I cut away at it and this is how it ended up.

I adore polka dots, and navy is probably the most dominant colour in my wardrobe, so you see, this dress and I were just meant to be. Isn't the collar just perfect? The detail in it is just lovely, and you can see how much work has gone into it originally.

I love it as a dress, and it's alot more practical for me in winter. I'm certainly looking forward to wearing it with sandals and a straw boater in Summer though...Ahhhh daydreams....

Speaking of daydreams, it's now only 1 week until my Wedding day!!I am getting pretty super excited xxxxxxxx

MY HAIR....

I have been growing my hair for over two years now, and have aimed to get it down to my waist. I knew this wouldn't happen in time for the wedding, so I decided many months ago that I was going to get hair extensions and the day finally arrived to get them done!!!! Eeeeee!!!! I was really impresed with how real they look and feel (please excuse my regrowth, I am due at the hairdresser this week), and I can't stop brushing and feeling it!! I feel just as vain as Marcia Brady.

Toto keep popping into the frame while the photos were being taken, so we decided to keep him there, wee cutie.xxxxx

INSPIRATION

With my Wedding coming up in three weeks, there is plenty to organize, so my downtime is vital for keeping me from getting stressed. Enter Mad Men. My friend Andrea has all 3 seasons on DVD and was kind enough to lend me them to watch. I loved the first season, and the second and third just keep getting better and better. And although every cast member has their own unique qualities, I just can't seem to get enough of Betty Draper. Those outfits, those hair styles, and that wonderfully aloof air just make me want to jump into a time machine to be a housewife in the early 1960's. So here are some of my favourite images of the lovely January Jones that are inspiring my wardrobe at the moment.......

Aren't they lovely? xxxxxxxxxxxxx