You're Where?????

On a very cold Melbourne evening this born and bred AFL gal did a very strange thing......she went to the soccer. Yep I was lucky enough to be taken to the coolest pre-season match in melbourne (according to the guys I went with) the Melbourne Victory Vs Celtic game.

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So armed with my own soccer info team of boys (Twist, Doby and Mike) we headed into the city. I can tell you now I still have no idea what 'off side' is, but at least they told me which were good players. The best part of this evening was being introduced to a sport I've had very little exposure to. Plus going with some fans of the Melbourne Victory team made it better as they taught me some chants to apparently 'help encourage the players'

My only advice is if your going to AAMI stadium on a wet Melbourne winters night, rug up warm. Hence the photo above is of me in a very heavy jacket, scarf and gloves. Oh and don't be surprised if your fantastic cheerleader hair style get ruined with the wind and the rain. (I will try and redo so you can see a photo less 'windswept')

Oh and learn where the hot chocolate bar is as soon as you appear, because after 77 minutes in the cold you start to loose feeling in your hands and a hot chocolate will help you reach full time.
Overall a great night and thanks Twist, Doby and Mike for taking me.

It all ends July 13

Nope I'm not talking about the Australian release of Harry Potter, I'm actually talking about something very close to my heart. I'm actually talking about the final closures of the Borders and Angus&Robertson bookstores.

Now regardless on what your personal opinions are on these brands my main reasons for mourning this day is the following
- the loss of places to buy books
- the loss of 1000's of jobs
- the harsh behaviour many of the staff received from people they didn't know

It is with a heavy heart that many staff will close their doors for the final time today. Saying goodbye to knowledge, loyal customers, co-workers and for many their income. My heart goes out to all the staff who were spat at, threatened and abused just for turning up to work. To all of you I wish you all the best in the future.

What also concerns me is the lack of places the Australian community will have to buy books. Sure many people will say 'go online' but what about those that can't or don't have access to the internet. Others will say 'go to readings or another book store'; sure go to another book store if you can find them. However remember that no store is safe and without our trade they will not exist.

So please put down that magazine and read a book. Remember that every dollar we choose to spend in a physical store keeps people in jobs, and please remember that the reason why store prices are higher than online are for reasons such as paying staff, electricity, stock, rent and a thousand and one other things most people don't consider when looking at a price tag.

They often say we don't know what we've got till its gone, so please think about the places and way you shop. And most of all remember that there are people with real feelings behind that counter. Hearing the questions "when are you closing?", "have you lost your job?" are doing nothing but upsetting staff. To be honest its none of your business about their payouts, closing dates, job status. If you want to help give the staff a box of chocolates when their closing or just a simple Thank you.

Ok so I've had my rant but I thought I would leave you with a poem which was read at the closing of one of the borders stores, which brings me to tears to think about the family that many stores created with their staff and have now lost.

"I sing to you for the final time
I send you my love via this terrible rhyme
How far we have come, its been a blast
Our time at Borders has just gone really fast
Be still for a second and look around
At the shelves, at the tree
At the friends we have found
Thank you all for being so amazing
For the good times, for the bad times
For the slacking and the slaving
I'm sure we appreciate just how lucky we have been
To experience a job like this
For the things we've done and seen
So my lovely lovelies its time for us to go
lets lock the doors for the last time
try not to feel too low
thank you for your hard work
thank you very much
Good luck, Farewell and all the very best
And try and keep in touch"

Hello Sailor Vintage Fair

Right so this month is going to be expensive but.... if your not able to make it to the Way we Wear fair you might be able to make it to this months Hello Sailor Vintage Fair being held at the hub of State Of Design Festival, Melbourne Central Shot Tower on Fri 22nd, 10am-10pm, Sat 23rd, 10-6pm and Sun 24th July 10-6pm.

Hello Sailor offers quality vintage items and recycled designer stock in good condition, at reasonable prices. This Event will specialise in 1950's - 1980's wares. The event will have 25 stalls over 3 levels.

Half of the stall holders will be selling vinyl and the other half vintage wares.

We have some of Melbourne's best vinyl collectors selling:

Blue Grass, Doo Wop, 60's Surf Garage , Soul Blues, Swamp Blues, Rhythm' n 'Blues, 60's French Pop, Tropicalia, Kraut Rock, 60's - 70's Hard Psych, Psyched Funk, Hard Rock, Glam Rock, Disco, Latin Jazz, Mariachi, Psychobilly, Punk Rock, New Wave, Post Punk, Folk Rock, Country, Industrial, Noise, Experimental, Hardcore, Doom core, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Sludge Metal, Black Metal and more

The White Wedding Dress

Sure its not quiet August yet but already I'm planning a road trip to Bendigo to the Bendigo Art Gallery for the White Wedding Dress exhibition.

"Wedding dresses also unlock memories and awaken emotions. Lovingly preserved, sometimes by several generations, their fabric and form conjure up the physical presence of the bride on one of the most momentous days of her life and form a tangible link between past and present. This exhibition highlights the histories of the dresses, revealing fascinating details about the lives of the wearers and offering an insight into their circumstances and fashion choices." from Bendigo Art Gallery

According to the website the exhibition comprises over more than 40 wedding outfits, including those of bridegrooms, alongside a selection of accessories including wreaths, veils, hats, shoes, corsetry and lingerie. Reproductions of contextual material, such as wedding photographs, will be shown alongside exhibits to assist in telling the story of the wearer. Also on display in the exhibition will be gowns by celebrated designers, including Vera Wang, Norman Hartnell, Christian Dior, Zandra Rhodes, Lanvin and Lacroix. Also included are sumptuous wedding dresses worn by celebrities Dita Von Teese and Gwen Stefani.

And we all know I'm a sucker for a vintage wedding dress but this exhibition will be well worth the 2 hour drive from my little house in Melbourne. Not to mention I will have attended the stunning The Way We Wear Fair the weekend prior and will still be floating on a dream of lace and taffeta.

Hopefully I can also help organize a group tour; probably with the VVLCG (Victorian Vintage Lingerie and Clothing Group) I'm part of, so if your interested please let me know and we can make a day of it all you vintage lovers.

Admission fees apply for this exhibition

Pedicure Mash Up

Ok so a Katey Perry and Pirates of the Caribbean are not to concepts that usually end up together in a mash up. Before you stress this isn't what you think.

As I am a massive OPI fan I recently indulged in a couple of colours from their 2011 collections. Firstly the cute pink of "Sparrow me the drama" from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection and then the stunning sparkles of "teenage dreams" from the Katey Perry collection.

Needless to say I was having an ultra cute 'barbie' inspired moment. So whats a girl to do when she has to super cute polishes at home and can't figure which to wear first. Yep that's right she wears both. So here's the result of using the both.

Basically VERY PINK and VERY SPARKLY, which was PERFECT for the mood I was in. So if your up for some sparkles and want to indulge your cute side go grab a bottle.

Lots of LuV from sparkle city

The Way We Wear

Its time to check the bank account, dress up in your favorite winter vintage garb and head to the 11^th Melbourne ‘The Way We Wear Fair’; which looks like the biggest ever. Not sure what your going to find well here’s a hint with dealers from all over Australia you’ll find vintage, designer and retro clothing for sale plus fashion accessories, jewellery, buttons and bows and linen and lace, fashion ephemera such as patterns and women’s magazine PLUS for the first time they are including retro and vintage home wares from the 1940’s to 1980’s.

Plus, as with each of these amazing fairs these a theme, this year Fairgoers will enter the foyer of the Town Hall to see the first part of the ‘Dressed for the Voyage’ Exhibition with original ‘Titanic’ era costume and the ‘stories’ that go with each of the costumes. On the stage, there will be the second part of the exhibition.

If that wasn’t enough at approximately 2pm on Saturday and Sunday there will be the ‘Dressed for the Voyage’ FASHION PARADE with original costume be modelled and the story about who would have worn the outfit aboard the ‘Titanic’.

Want to know more - then visit:

www.dressedforthevoyage.co & www.titaniccentenarydinneraustralia.com

SATURDAY 23 & SUNDAY 24 JULY 2011 See you there!!!!!

so your total is.....

A few days ago I decided to set myself a challenge to update my winter look with a $50 limit. Now as well all know I like value for my money and a few different colours so I can change the look to suit various outfits, so I headed off for my local shopping center. Normally when going on a make up makeover I would head to some of my favorite brands like MAC, Benefit and Napoleon Perdis however in interest of writing a piece about revamping on a budget I headed for a little store called Gloss.

Gloss is great and stocks many different brands including ChiChi, Revlon and MaxFactor. However on this trip I headed straight for another fav brand of mine BYS. Why do I like BYS??? Simple great colours, quality make up and at a sensible price. So this is what I got....

All of the items pictured came in under my budget, in total all of this cost me $48.10 but what did I get, well lets get up close and personal with the items

1 x Eyeshadow 5 Piece Horizontal Purples & Black - Smokey Purples
1 x Eyeshadow 5 Piece Horizontal Pinks/Purples - Spring Bouquet
1 x Eyeshadow 5 Piece Horizontal High Shine - Galaxy

1 x Shimmer Powder White Wonder 1 x Eyeliner Liquid Glitter Purple

Lipliner Pencil First Kiss (left)
Lipliner Pencil Red (middle)
Lipgloss Diamond Shine In The Rough (right)

Lipstick Long Life Lip Service (left)
Lipstick Matte Rumba (middle)
Lipstick Matte Tango (right)

So needless to say I am very happy in my finds, now I just need to try my new looks for you all see you soon!!!