WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND NOT SO WISE

Oh hey remember me !
I was down in Melbourne recently to watch my beautiful little sister get married. I caught up with my darling friend Mel while I was down there and being the incredibly generous friend she is she gave me this dress and a few other gorgeous vintage pieces from her label Lena Loves Vintage. You can check out Lena Loves Vintage on instagram  or drop her a dm to find out when she is going to be at a market near you. I felt like this dress was the perfect outfit because it exudes mum vibes, more like a late 80's, early 90's mum vibes as appose to a current one. I could almost picture my own mum wearing this when I was younger, although I'd say it wouldn't be in this shade. 

And I'll dive straight into new years resolutions, one of mine this year is to commit to outfit blogging once a month.   I think one of the crucial things with new years resolutions is you need to set realistic goals. Once a month is a pretty realistic goal for me at the moment. I got to the end of last year and realised I didn't have a lot of photos of myself which I think that is a pretty common theme for mums. You always end up behind the camera or you just feel ratty looking and not camera worthy.

I have a bad habit of not keeping up with blogging because - a) life gets busy and b) I overthink it.  I think sometimes when you are blogging you can start to feel like a person standing in a room talking to yourself because you don't really get much feedback about whether people give a shit. I was at a family do recently and one of my gorgeous cousins commented on how much she had enjoyed my blog growing up and then really made me chuffed and I guess the lit the fire underneath me again.

So moving forward I am going to try to avoid over thinking it. My posts are probably going to look different from how they use to as the photos (like these) will most likely be a rush job in between putting Milo to sleep, boobing him, playing with stacking cups etc.

Ok well here's to keeping new years resolutions and I will see you next month. Please feel free to let me know by commenting below if there is anything you want to see/me to write about xx

How cute is the back detail on this dress!!

Lazy Oaf Quilted Metallic Heart Bag - ASOS

Gold mermaid shell belt - this is vintage and I think I thrifted it somewhere in Melbourne 100 years ago 

Black and white gingham frill socks - Cotton on body 

Lazy Oaf x Vans - Ok so you wont be able to get these anymore they sold out super quick. Your only hope of getting these is to start trawling for someone getting rid of a second hand pair. These would have to be up there as one of my most favourite pairs of shoes of all time. You can probably tell by how worn they are. 

And of course a mum bun xx 

WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL IN OLYMPIA

I've woken up after my final exam, with a day off work and no specific plans. It's such a wonderful feeling to not have the shadow of the looming guilt of " you should be doing uni work". I have thoroughly enjoyed studying this year but at times it has been pretty overwhelming. 

I fell off the map with the blogging for a while so I will catch you up a bit on what I have been doing. I was working in retail, managing a sneaker store after moving up from Melbourne. It was a great company to work for and the product was amazing but I didn't feel satisfied. I hadn't worked in retail for quite a while and during my time in Melbourne I had worked my way into head office roles in the fashion industry. I guess it felt like I was taking a step backwards in my career and wasn't utilising my skill set to its fullest. I knew moving up to Newcastle that the fashion industry didn't exist, i accepted that and made my choice. The reality of it was a bit harder to swallow.

I made the decision to resign from my role as a store manager... with no job to go to. The ultimate thing you are always told not to do, I did it. It was pretty terrifying but I had always found work quickly and easily in the past so this would be fine. I had an upcoming trip to Japan and my plan was when I got back I would find a part time role and focus on a baby/kids clothing label. If there was no industry here, I would make one for my own. This is where I hit a snag, finding a part time role proved to be a lot more difficult than I expected. I needed to be investing money into my baby/kids label to get it really happening, but I was living off of my savings and had no idea when my next pay check would come in. I was starting to feel really lost

Sometimes feeling lost can lead to good things, emotionally awful at the time but sometimes you need that to dig deep enough to find clarity. I've always wanted to study psychology, it was one of those things that I always said one day... I loved working in the fashion industry so it was always a good excuse to put off studying but I knew that one day working in fashion wouldn't fulfill me. I had studied fashion at tafe and I found it to be a really mentally draining process and that made me fearful. There was also the the issue of having to go back to being broke, limiting shopping (arggghh). So here was my situation I was already broke, I couldn't get a job in fashion (if i stayed in Newcastle) so maybe now was the time to study. I didn't finish year 12, in fact I finished school towards the end of year 9,  for reason I am not interested in going into on this space. It  is a debate I have had many times with people that just because a person lives in Australia and has access to education does not mean that their situation affords them access to that education. My completed level of education isn't generally information I am forthcoming with as people can be super judgmental. The result is that it is something I am pretty self conscious about, I have always been a reader which helped in self education but there are holes. I have never been taught how to write essay, I often go red with embarrassment just writing this blog haha. My maths level sat at about a year 9 level. When I was at school I actually did quite well but in maths in particular when I completed my work I was told to sit and wait for everyone else to finish, it didn't provide a lot of incentive to try. 

I could have potential applied directly for psychology using my certificate in fashion but the maths level and missing essay writing ability would have presented pretty significant problems. I am lucky enough that the university near me offers a program called Open Foundation, it is a free program for people over 20 that helps to develop the skills to study at Uni and provides an entry score to get into a degree. You study 40 units in total, 20 of each subject and there is quite a wide variety of subjects available.  I decided to do intermediate maths and philosophy, my choice for maths was to avoid drowning in stats if I got into a psychology degree and I felt philosophy would help me to develop my essay writing skills. I had tossed up between doing philosophy and social inquiry as both interested me, but settled on philosophy as one of the men I admire most is Peter Singer who is an Australian moral philosopher.  

It has been a challenging year, there were many tears, many moments of wanting to give up. I was fortunate enough to end up with possibly the greatest teacher in existence as my maths teacher. I have no doubt that had she not been my teacher, there is  strong possibility that I may have given up. She was so supportive and wonderful and helped me to build my confidence, which really was such a key issue for me. I wish that all teachers could be like her, not only did she take me from 9th grade level maths through to the hardest level of year 12 maths and onto probability and stat in less than a year, she also inspired me with her continuous positive attitude and passion towards what she did. I have worked my absolute butt of this year, where other people had to do an hour of study I had to do 5, I was always playing catch up. Now it is over, the never ending year has ended, I am sitting on a high distinction in maths and last night I sat a philosophy exam where I wrote 4 essays in 2 hours. This time last I wasn't capable of sitting an exam without having a severe panic attack and I am blown away by how far I have come. 

Now for the waiting game, on the 9th I get my final results back and on the 15th offers start going out and I will find out if next year I get to start my degree in psychology. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me! As I write this there are a lot of really horrible and really sad things going on in the world. There are a lot of people who are writing about these things who have a better authority and a more informed opinion to be writing about these things and I will leave that to them. What I will say is how important I think education is, accessible education for those who can't afford it. Not only accessible education but providing people with access to the tools of how to access education and the support to get them through it.  xx

Feminist Tee - Its Me and You 

Pastel rosary necklace - Bubbles Tokyo 

Pink Gingham Midi Skirt - Asos

Valentines Brooch - Nile Perch

New Balance 574 - Hype DC

Lips Stance Socks - Platypus 

IF ONLY WE LIVED IN A POSTAPOCALYPTIC WORLD RUN BY WOMEN

If this is what a Post-Apocalyptic world is going to look like, bring it on I say! 

This most recent shoot featured on Vice has me swooning and wanting to start my very own pastel girl gang.

I love the style of tough women but it is a look that I feel I've never quite been able to master. The women I adored in my early teens like Kat Bjelland and Courtney Love seemed to be able to do that babydoll femme look while still maintaining their punk rock edge. 

I have often figured that my pastel wardrobe is often the killer of any chance of looking tough but this photo shoot proves my theory completely wrong... 

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX DE MORA
STYLIST: BRIDI FODEN
Makeup: Amy Conley using MAC
Hair: David Noble
Props: GLITTERGUN$ LDN
Models: Maddie Seisay and Ella Bernie at Elite Models, Emily at M+P, Jasmine Lia at Models 1, Alexandra Dell Anno at FM Models, Emily Bador at NEVS

GET THE LOOK - TROPI-COOL ACCESSORIES

Tropi-cool Accessories by hipbonesandheartbreak featuring aqua home decor

THIS PRETTY KITTY - WISHLIST

Love Cats Tee

UNIF - So Catty Socks

t Lazy Oaf X Garfield Pharoah Enough Shirt

ASOS Jumper Cat Patch and Collar

Cat Head Shoulder Bag

Valfre Cat Love Journal Book

Vintage Pink Gingham Blouse with Embroidered Cat

Nikki Lipstick Boys Whatever, Cats Forever Cropped Tee

Lady Cat Ring

Vintage Cat Print Full Midi Skirt

COOL FOR CATS / TONERPALOOZA

Monki Meddow Meow Earrings - ASOS

Chunky Neon Pink Chain - Present from New York from my Bestie

Kitty Boom Boom Bomber Jacket - Lazy Oaf

Vintage Silver Scarf Ring that belonged to my darling Granny

Pamela Mann Kitty Tights - Present from Paris

Converse Fluro Platforms - Authentics

 Kitty Tee - H&M

Pastel Pink Velvet Skirt - DIY - Now that I have finally made a pattern for this skirt you can expect a lot more DIY tube skirts on the horizon :)

I ventured into the State Library of Victoria to check out Tonerpalooza: a festival of the zines. My brother in law had flown down from New South Wales  to share and exhibit his work and I had been meaning to get my hands on a copy of his book, Electric Dreams. 

This was my first attendance at a zine festival and I was unsure of what to expect. One thing I always figure going into a creative space is that I will feel comfortable. In all honesty I felt a bit awkward in the space and I think a big part of that was because I received a lot of comments on my outfit. I often have random people express their opinions on my outfits and majority of the time it is really lovely but I get thrown off guard and am at a bit of a loss for words when I receive outfit observations. I am sure you have experienced the observation comment, it's when someone doesn't compliment you and they may not be putting you down, they simply express a fact. In this case it was "You must really like pink" and "You must really like cats." Both of these things are correct but on the numerous occasions they were said, it was with an almost condescending tone. This played into my insecurity about not being taken seriously in some environments because I am visually very femme and cutesy. This isn't a new experience for me and I think there is a part of me that likes dressing like this to fuck with people’s perceptions but it doesn't ease the discomfort in the moment.

I did end up getting my copy of Electric Dreams and a few zines from the incredibly talented Gemma Flack who I have admired long term via Instagram.

 I also picked up a few bits and pieces from various cuties; I don't have everyone’s names but if anyone reading does recognise someone and can provide names or links in a comment that would be wonderful!

 I would have loved more sugar sweet girly zines and since the fair I have been thinking that maybe I need to create my own. I'd really love to do something themed, filled with happy memories and cute things that make me smile when I am feeling sad. I'd really like it to be a contribution with a bunch of the cool women I know.

And of course I had a favourite outfit of the day, this magical babe in her head to toe leopard print and divine heart belt had me seriously style crushing. xo