Oh Christmas Tree

Every year I have a Christmas tradition when it comes to buying my Christmas tree. Its pretty simple but I get up nice and early on a sunday morning early in December and head to the Oakleigh Centre in Melbourne. Why you may be asking? Well... my family and I have been buying Christmas trees from there my whole life. Tradition is not the only reason, more important reason is the money raised from the selling of Christmas trees directly goes to the Oakleigh Centre who's mission is to provide a range of specialised and innovative support services which enhance the quality of life for people with primarily an intellectual disability and their families. This amazing place has been helping people in the community since the 1950's and continues to help with the on going support of the locals.

So when you head out to pick your Christmas tree why not grab one from your local community groups instead of the supermarket.

Trim that tree

Ok so the countdown is on to my favourite day of Christmas....TREE DAY!!!

The only question remains what style should I go for this year. Thanks to the many blogs that I read I am torn between my normal retro/traditional theme or maybe ultra cute.

I admit I already have a heap of retro decorations which would setting up the tree nice and easy but I do like the idea of a totally girl cute hello kitty inspired tree. I'm sure the Martha Stewart vibe will kick in and I'll know what to do.

A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY (Instructional video)

Just a quick movie to make you smile during these holiday times. ROFL

Merry Christmas to all and to all watch out for Zombies

Von Follies by Dita Von Teese

The other day I found out some blissful news to start my 2012 off with a big smile. Target Australia was announced as the exclusive Australian retailer of the upcoming lingerie collection designed by international style icon, Dita Von Teese. *SWOON*

I'm still yet to see any of the designs from the collection which will be in Target stores across Australia from early February 2012 but no doubt with a name like "Von Follies" by Dita Von Teese I am sure they will be amazing. The collection claims to "encapsulates an iconic vintage feel" which includes overwire bras, high waisted briefs, garter belts and lovely corsolettes. Not to mention the range claims to be available up to an E-cup and briefs up to size 20, and prices starting around the $80 mark. Needless to say I am waiting with baited breath and saving my pennies for some major lingerie shopping in the new year. And I promise as soon as I hear or see anymore news I will pass it on to you my dear readers.

Time to Frock Up

Just in case your not sure what to do with your sunday and your in Melbourne then I suggest you make your way to sunny Doncaster in melbourne for the Rod&Kustom Pile Up #4.

Aces of Suede CC presents the Rod & Kustom Pile Up #4. will be held at Andersons Park, Andersons Creek Road, Doncaster East. Strictly pre 1969 hot rods, kustoms and classics only. ASRF Sanctioned, Live bands including Firebird and more. So ladies its time to celebrate the start of summer and break out your best rockabilly,pinup & vintage glam. 30+ Vintage, Kustom Kulture and Automotive trade stalls. NEW for 2011 Miss Kustom Kulture Pin Up competition, hosted by the one and only MISS ROCKWELL DE VIL international pinup, make up artist and burlesque star from USA.

$20 per car entry $3 walk in, kids under 12 free.
Enquiries, Adam: adam@acesofsuede.com , 0418 317 622.
Vendor Enquiries, Sandra: sandra@acesofsuede.com 0450 782 124

Some times you just gotta ask.......

Some times you just have to ask yourself WWSD? In other words "what would Sheldon do?". Its no secret that I just adore "the big bang theory" and mostly Dr Sheldon Cooper played by Jim Parsons just because he is such a great comedic actor. Plus working in a very 'geeky' job its nice to see alot of the humor I laugh at each day on tv. Which got me thinking about how I deal with all the odd tech questions I get each day. Now when I get asked something that makes me want to sigh I will just ask "what would Sheldon do?"; ok so the answer isn't always going to work but at least the question makes me laugh and I regain my strength to deal with the questions. So next time you have a tech freak out just ask yourself WWSD LOL

More Books

The other weekend while browsing through various comic book stores I came across this book "The Graveyard Book". Now it wasn't the title that caught my eye, rather it was the name of the author Neil Gaiman. I've read a couple of his books when I worked in a bookstore and really enjoyed them So I figured I'd give this one a try. For those of you who don't know Neil is also the author of Coreline which was also made into a feature film a few years ago. He is also married to one of my favourite musicians Amanda Palmer.

Now I'm not going to tell you what happens but here is the synopsis if your interested in reading it. Needless to say its a great dark read and I loved it.

"It takes a graveyard to raise a child. Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family."

Shopping with my boys

Ok it was just a matter of time before Mikii, Vustoxn and I ended up at Chapel st bazzar on their last trip down. Not to mention the fact that I'm hunting for inspiration for my guest bedroom, as I said in earlier posts I'm tossing up between "marie antoinette" and "burlesque pinup boudoir". Funnily enough the boys like the pinup better and since their my mine guests I will take that in mind.

What was cool was while looking for a new piece or two for our collections we found some great inspiration for a combination of both styles. Which made me figure I'd share a couple of snaps. Now just to figure how to get this all back into the house????

Christmas = YUM

Sure when most people think of christmas food they think of turkey, roast veg and egg nog. Well for me its all about the sweet treats and since and Australian Christmas is hot its not surprise I head for cool treats. So in order to get into the Christmas spirit I headed to my local cupcake bakery. Ok we all know I was also craving cupcakes, but you can blame me.

Anywhoo I figured I'd show you a few snaps of the yummy treats and what may end up on my christmas table this year.

Yep thats a GIANT CUPCAKE!!!!!!

ARIA Awards 2011

I just wanted to say a big congratulations to one of my favourite Australia artists Gotye aka Wally De Baker. I was so pleased to see that he achieved what some might say is 'the holy grail of ARIA results" taking out top spot on both the singles and album chart as Making Mirrors debuts at #1.

With Making Mirrors already certified Gold sales status, it is also the first album to sell more than 35,000 copies in a week this year. The Melbourne singer/songwriter continues to grow in stature with each week, his single “Somebody That You Used To Know” featuring Kimbra having now achieved three consecutive weeks at number one.

So in honor of this wonderful achievement I thought I would share Gotye and Kimbra's performance at the ARIA awards on sunday night. Sit back, raise a glass to great aussie artists and drink a toast to the truly amazing talent we have here in Melbourne.

I'm reading....

With the demise of good bookstores like borders and angus & robertson I've found it hard to actually get my hands on books I like, so I was excited to find a copy of Gok Wan's autobiography in discount book store. Hey books for $5, I was bound to look and to my surprise I actually found a few.

If you don't who I'm talking about Gok Wan is a British fashion consultant, author and television presenter. His television series include How to Look Good Naked, Gok Wan's Clothes Roadshow, and Miss Naked Beauty. Wan has published three bestselling style guides to go with them, including How to Dress: Your Complete Style Guide for Every Occasion. This book however is not about how to look good its his own story about his life where he reveals all about his life changing period. The lessons Gok learned during this time helped him bounce back from a difficult childhood to become a stylist to the stars, every woman’s best friend, and a national treasure. In this intimate memoir Gok tells his full story in his own words. Whether he’s recounting the horrors of childhood bullying or riotous anecdotes about his loving family, behind the scenes in the fashion world or TV shows, Gok’s voice jumps off the page with all the honesty, wit, and warmth for which he is known and loved.

I'm only a quarter of the way in but I'm loving it, so if you can get your hands on a copy I do suggest you have a read.

Yummy

I'm not a massive food photographer but I thought I'd give you a couple of my first attempts of food pics and also show you a couple of yummy treats from around Melbourne.

1. A beautiful double shot latte from Yellowbird on Chapel St

2. My Fav dinner of "grand young tofu" from The Grand Tofu in Glen Waverly. This is a great dish for under $10 where you get to choose your soup (curry or broth), choose your noodles and then 6 yummy extras. I usually go for a variety of wontons, dumplings and spring roll style wraps. This is one of Mikii, Vustoxn, Phate and my favourite Melbourne treats.

3. Pho from I love Pho in richmond. Another great dish for under $10 where you get meat and noodles in a broth, a plate of various green veg and bean shoots to add to your taste and then choose your spice level with various chillis and sauces you get to add. Great thing is everyone at your table can order the same dish but depending on what you add and your tastebuds each dish will be different. A yummy treat for Belatrix, Ms Mel and myself on our girls catchup nights.

new office

So the panda ipod dock got me dreaming about a new office; and a quick trip to Ikea for tealights may have got me inspired. Shame by bank account won't fund a whole new look office. Hey a girl can dream though. Which is why I thought I'd post some pick of my new dream office. Basically it would include a cool funky new desk, file cabinet and just cause its a dream a day bed for those times I don't feel like sitting at desk. Not sure if I'd copy this room and go with pink, but its a good starting base.

All this dreaming of new offices got me to also daydreaming for the other rooms in my house as right now they are all a bit bland and don't really have a vibe. The joys of working as much as I do and not really having the budget to do a makeover in the little time I have to myself.

So far themes that have attracted me are "marie antoinette" and "burlesque pinup boudoir". Not sure how my guests would feel sleeping in these rooms, but hey each to their own. Every girl has to dream I guess.

Hello Panda

Its no secret that I have a geeky side, probably doesn't help that I work in a very geeky work place 5 days a week. However everynow and the something really makes me smile in the tech world, and this week its a new Ipod dock that I found. Yep its an ipod dock in the shape of a panda!!!!

Sure I already have an ipod dock in my study that works perfectly well but....it doesn't look like a panda. I'm still yet to test out the sound on this cutie but I have a feeling it may be coming home anyway and my dull ipod dock can go live in the guest room. Surely that's enough justification????? Hey if your going to have a house full of technology it might as well make you smile as well as be practical.

Shopping on Chapel Street

This weekend I ventured out on the one sunny day that Melbourne has recently offered and braved the crowds with same idea on Chapel Street. Sure I was hunting for some specific stuff but it didn't stop me spending a few extra moments in some of my fave stores, which meant more tempting. I came across these stunning dresses at Chapel St Bazaar and had to resist for going shopping crazy. Why is it whenever you are looking for one thing you find another???

Lest We Forget

Please take a moment out today at 11am to remember all our fallen
service men and women,
as all of those who serve to protect the rest of us.

Preparing for EA

One of the 'duties' of my friends is to help me discover new music and my dear friend Vustoxn in Sydney I have been introduced to the amazing Emilie Autumn. Add to the fact that Vustoxn is flying down for one night to take me to Emilie Autumn's show on Tuesday night; I can say that its been a quick love affair with Ms Autumn and her works.

If you don't know about Emilie she is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and violinist. Autumn draws influence for her music—the style of which she has alternatively labeled as "Victoriandustrial". Her shows incorporate elements of classical music, cabaret, electronica, and glam rock with theatrics, burlesque and "flamboyant" outfits. So in other words this is more and theatrical production than just an other concert.


If you have been reading my twitter you will see that I have been listening to her music for most of this week, which means I've had her songs stuck in my head for a better part of the week. All in all I'm loving her work as there is a sweet yet dark element to it which works well for me. So far I'm addicted to "Thank God I'm Pretty" and "Marry Me" which are two songs that have a "marie antoinette" quality to them.

Well I'm off to have a fashion crisis over what I'm going to wear on Tuesday night....wish me luck

Vintage Vixens Hair Workshop by Sideshow Annie

Have you ever fancied looking like Betty Grable or Betty Page well if your in melbourne I may have just the thing for you. The Amazing Sideshow Annie's Costume parlour is holding a Vintage Vixens Hair Workshop on Sunday November 27th from 10am till 1pm.

To help you get inspired I have listed some information for you so you can let your inner bombshell out.

"Come and enjoy some vintage tunes, meet new people and learn the difference between pin curls, victory rolls, pompadours and bee hives whilst surrounded by the gorgeous costumes and vintage accessories at Sideshow Annie Costume Parlour! You will need to bring with you some bobby pins, a rat tail comb and hairspray.

Sideshow Annie Costume Parlour
735 Nicholson Street, Carlton North, VIC 3054

Cost: $50 per person
Deposit required upon booking of $25

Only 12 places available.
Email sideshowannie@gmail.com to book,
or call on (03) 9380 5889 during our opening hours to book your place

details from Sideshow Annie website

Outré Gallery

Its no secret that my all time gallery in melbourne is Outré Gallery in the CBD. So when I got invited to the launch of the new book Tattoo Parlour being published by Outré Gallery Press there was no question I was going. Ok so its not till next week but I am super excited about going as I hear that the lovely Angelique Houtkamp will be out from Amsterdam to add some excitement and sparkle to proceedings!

Tattoo Parlour is a showcase of artworks made by artisans who also make tattoos. These are tattoo artists in the broadest and best sense of the term. From skin to canvas to laser cut dollar bills these are artists who are at once immersed in tattoo culture but also their own creative practice. So if your interested in having a look or trying to get to one of the three city launches you need to keep the following dates free.

Three City Book Launch
Friday 11 November - Melbourne
Friday 18 November - Sydney
Friday 25 November - Perth

So watch this space to see how it all went.

Movember

Now that Halloween and the races are behind us gals its time to support the Men of Australia (and the world). If you start to see many guys around you wearing very odd facial hair - ala the bad teenage moustache you might be seeing signs of Movember. Not sure what I'm talking about well the aim of Movember is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. From Movember 1st, guys start with a clean-shaven face and then for the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo growing efforts. Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.


So I urge you all to support this cause because we all have brothers, fathers, uncles and great guys in our life who may need our support. So jump online to donate to Movember or donate when you see the fundraisers around.

Dreaming of Alannah Hill

With the biggest horse race of the year a few hours away I turn to Alannah Hill for some last minute inspiration. This classic pieces are both perfect for race day as well as being great additions to your wardrobe for any party. Especially with the party season drawing near its a fantastic idea to have a few 'go-to' dresses in the wardrobe. So jump online or into your nearest store for some ultra cute designs.

happy halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!!! Its that great night where I can indulge my love of the dark side of life....plus eat a lot of candy. If your after a great site for Halloween chocolate joy check out the amazing designs from British based chocolate store Choccywoccydoodah. I just adore their chocolate skulls as they feature designs inspired from the day of the dead celebrations.

So tonight I will be watching a combination of scary movies and a bit of film noir. The triple feature will be Cabin Fever, Blood Rayne and The Black Dahlia. So I'm now off to the shops for more candy!!!! Happy Halloween!

Inspiration Costumes

Its no secret that I adore the show The Big Bang Theory and with Halloween on the horizon I figured I'd look at them for a bit of geek costume inspiration.

The picture above is from one of their Halloween episodes which always makes me laugh as they are dressed as follows. L-R Howard as Robin Hood, Raj as Thor, Leonard as Frodo and Sheldon as the doppler effect. Ok so maybe I won't get dressed as these characters but at least its a starting point.

Maybe I could do a medieval theme like this????

Or just stick with the classic superheros? LOL

A bit more football

As I said a while ago I have recently been going to a few Melbourne Victory games. Ok so I still don't have a huge idea whats going but its still fun to head out with friends and enjoy the atmosphere. So I thought I'd share a few more photos of my adventures with you.

This is me on the way to the game while the boys try yet again to explain the "off side" rule. I must say I am actually enjoying going to the football, if for no other reason its a great night out with buddies.