Early birthday dollars well spent...

Hi Dolls,

How beautiful have the last few days been!? I've even been able to catch up on my gigantic basket of washing. Speaking of washing, I even washed the inside of my washing machine. I have never done that before, and you could tell - Eek! To be honest I didn't even know that it needed cleaning. The thing washes, right? I thought it would just wash itself! Anyway, it's sparkling now!

My husband goes for Carlton in the footy (AFL). I am a Collingwood supporter (match made in heaven right!?). I don't follow the football as much as I used to (possibly because my husband coaches and has a game and two nights of training every single week as well as his AFL team and by the end of the season I am over it!) so our daughter is going to go for the blues too. I figure he loves his footy and he will be the one to take her to the games (very noble of me isn't it!). Her little footy jumper fits her much better now. This was actually the first thing we bought our little munchkin and was how we announced that I was pregnant to our families!

It's my birthday tomorrow and I can't wait to go out for breakie with my husband and little girl, followed by a spot of shopping. We haven't gone out for breakie in ages, so I'm really looking forward to it! I hope I also get a nice card... I'm totally not hinting... I'm also having the family over tomorrow night to celebrate so it should be fun! I got a bit of early birthday shopping money so went off to DFO last night with my husband and Piper. Our first mission was to find my husband a suit for his sister's wedding next week. Only a man would leave it so last minute - obviously my outfit and Piper's outfit were sorted ages ago. We ended up back at good old Fountain Gate in the end and got a suit from Man to Man and I must say he does look pretty spunky. It was quite reasonable too, I just can't justify spending thousands on a suit that is worn rarely. Hopefully I will have some pics soon after the wedding next week. We also strolled past Ruby shoes while we were at DFO and had a little looksie. I got these awesome boots (the picture really doesn't do them justice) and some cute pink flats.The boots were only $20 and the flats were $5! Total bargain, how could I say no? These are still at Cotton On and Ruby shoes stores for full price so I was wrapped! I bet my sister isn't when she reads this because she paid full price the other day! Hehe...

I also picked up a few casual tops from Susanne Gray and a couple of cardies from Katies. I got this cute bag at Katies. It was 25% off the sale price and I ended up only paying $11 for it!

My mother-in-law picked up a couple of super cute Lonsdale jackets for Piper from Rebel Sport. They were originally $50 each but picked them up for $10 each.

I am also loving best & Less at the moment for baby & kids clothing & accessories. Piper has been so spoilt! I got this top and dress for $5 each among numerous other things. I was a bit naughty, but nevermind - I definitely have a well dressed baby.

I took this pic a few nights ago and thought I would share with you. This is from our video monitor. As well as being a total time waster (I could sit there and watch her sleeping all night) it is super handy. Sometimes, she makes noises in her sleep and when you go into her room she can wake up. With the video monitor you can just check it and see if they are unsettled. If they are, you can go in and check on them, but if not you don't have to disturb them. My sister-in-laws got us this and it is great value.

 Until next week, stay safe!

Flashback Friday: Hair Extensions - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.

~ Originally posted at http://www.kirstensstylereport.wordpress.com on 5th August, 2010 ~
Hi Dolls,

Don’t be fooled when you flick through a magazine and look at pictures of celebs with glorious look-at-me hair. They probably have hair extensions. Hair extensions not only add length to your hair, but they also create volume. Love them or loathe them, hair extensions are a great way to create an instant long-haired look.

Bad hair extensions can take you from classy to trashy in an instant. You are better off having no extensions than having bad extensions. Take a look at these celebrities who are guilty of sporting bad hair extensions – even they can get it so wrong. You would think that someone would tell them that their extensions are showing or that they just look plain tacky. Isn’t that why celebrities pay their ‘friends’ the big bucks?

Permanent extensions can damage your natural hair so consider clip in extensions as an alternative.
I personally really like hair extensions, if they’re done right. I am considering some clip in extensions at the moment mainly to add volume and a bit of length. My hairdresser can get high quality hair extensions. They are really expensive but will last forever.

Bardot Junior... what a disapointment!

Hi Dolls,

One of the best things about my blog is that I can tell you about all the amazing and fabulous things I come across. If I don't like something, I tend to not write about it. I don't like to be a negative person, so I don't like to put it here. However, I recently had a very unpleasant experience at Bardot Junior to the point where I actually made a complaint in writing to their head office which I have never done. I wasn't very happy with their response so thought I would publish it here:

I sent this last email on Monday and I have not received a response. This shows me that they don't really care about at all which is why I will no longer shop there again. All I really wanted was an apology and I was really disappointed that I didn't even receive that. Obviously they are acknowledging that they are wrong by offering me a full refund, so why not just apologise? Is it really too much to ask??

To market, to market...

Hi Dolls,

Just wanted to fill you in on what's been happening in my world this week. 

I think we were up to Father's day last time I checked. It was my husbands first Father's day and it really was such a great day. Piper and I made him this cute photo frame and got him a little book as well. We got up early and made him breakfast in bed - Eggs Benedict. Ha, she is so clever isn't she! I have got to be honest though, they were seriously the best poached eggs I have made in my life. Actually, scrap that - it was the best meal I've made in my life. I like to bake, but my husband is generally the cook in our home. Of course, I do the washing up though! 

Piper finally got over her sniffles and we got her 4 month old needles. She was such a little trooper, she cried at the time the nurse poked her, but was her happy little self afterwards. We also visited the health nurse and she is now over 6kgs! She is growing at the pace she is supposed to. It's nice to know she is on the right track and doing what she is supposed to be doing.

 

Our mother's group changed it up a little bit and went to the Caribbean market. On the first Friday of every month, there is a baby and children's market. It's fantastic, possibly a little more fantastic for girls but there was still a few things for the boys there. It was such a beautiful day, after a wonder around the market we sat outside in the beautiful sunshine. I am definitely keen to do this again next month. Piper wore her little dress from seed that I got the other week. Total bargain - was $40, down to $20 with 15% off. I ended up getting it for $15!

My sister-in-law (who is getting married in... 18 days - excited!) had her hen's night the weekend before last. We gate-crashed a bit early and gave her a little something before the wedding day that I had made. They are handkerchiefs with the tag 'happy tears.'

The night was hilarious and we all had a great time. I didn't get home till almost 3am - party animal! As with most hen's nights, there was obviously some entertainment. The entertainment turned out to be life drawing. Has anyone done this before? I haven't, but I must say, it was so much fun! He did four different poses and we each had to try and draw him and his... well you know! Then we had a wonder around the room to check out everyone else had drawn. I have not laughed like that in a while! It was so funny and a bit naughty, but definitely worth the bucket load of cash this guy charged! I got a prize for one of the four drawings. Would it be bad to let Piper play with these maracas...??

Ooo, I forgot to show off my new boots. Yes, another pair and well, they aren't quite new - I got them a month or so ago and forgot to show you! They were from Williams and were $90 down to $55. They even fit right up to my knee!

Sconeday Sunday was yesterday. My sister and I have started making scones (with jam and cream with a Chai Tea Latte on the side) every other Sunday. They are delicious and so easy to make. Why don't you get a couple of girls around and try it too this weekend. You could even make it a bit more fancy and break out the china for a high tea instead!

http://www.seedheritage.com

http://ww.williamstheshoemen.com.au

Jolly Jumper with the sniffles...

Hi Dolls,

There are sniffles in our house again. I was supposed to book Piper in for her needles but had to postpone because my poor little chicken wing went and got herself another cold and gave it to me while she was at it. At least I can't say that she doesn't share!

Piper tried out her jolly jumper for the first time this week. She loves it and could not get enough of bouncing and spinning around! If you have a baby you have to get one of these. They are so much fun - for the both of us!
She has also been using her Bumbo a little more. It's so cute and she looks so grown up sitting up in her Bumbo and bouncing around in her jolly jumper.

                         

 

We also finally got a door gate. We went to put it up and guess what... too big. So we will have to take it back now and get a new one.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Robert Gordon Pottery in Pakenham. That place has the most amazing things. I know that Piper's first birthday isn't until April next year, but I couldn't help myself. I picked up invitations, cupcake patty pans, party hats, lolly bags and heaps of other stuff all in the same theme. They had heaps of different themes you could use for birthdays, parties, hens/kitchen tea, high tea, baby showers... the list goes on. They had beautiful crockery and a huge collection of tea pots. They had these cute ceramic milk bottles that I'm going to get next time I'm there. I thought I could put some balloons with sticks attached in them and place them on the table to decorate the party a bit.

Also on the agenda this week is fathers day - this Sunday. I have Piper's daddy sorted and will be able to reveal all next week. I have been racking my brain for my Dad and my husband's Dad though. I have no idea. What are you getting the Daddy's in your life? More socks? It reminds me of the little father's day stalls at school and the presents we bought for our Dad's that we thought were so good. We just couldn't wait to give them to our Daddies on their special day.

On a sad note, I'd like to send my condolences to Jarrad McVeigh and his family on the loss of their baby girl Luella who was born with heart complications.

http://www.robertgordonaustralia.com/

I've been getting my craft on!

Hi Dolls,

I have been busy busy this week. I got stuck in lincraft (again!). I got a heap of stuff and have been glue-gunning away making cute little headbands for my lil munchkin. It's so much fun being crafty and I have a huge to do list for things in my home - not just baby stuff. I've been scrolling through and watching tutorials on Pinterest.com and have custom made headbands to go with all of Piper's little outfits. Here are a few I made earlier.

I have been putting Piper in headbands pretty much since she was born. Mainly because they are pretty, but also in the hope that when she is older and she is wearing a hat or sunglasses in the summer time she might not feel the need to rip them off - here's hoping! My sister-in-law was making headbands among other things for Piper while I was pregnant. Yep, I couldn't wait to find out what I was having. So, before she was born I had the cutest hand-made cot mobile and pram-tie going around. Everywhere I go, someone comments on how gorgeous it is! Here is a sneaky peak of the cot mobile and our baby girl's nursery. I hung lanterns over her change table. There are white cane baskets with pink gingham inserts under the change table. I put a dandelions decal on the wall. I even hand sewed crystals all over the top of the mosquito net (took me ages!!). My sister-in-law made the canvases hanging on the wall as well using white fabric, pink and white polka-dot ribbon and buttons.

Did I mention that my other sister-in-law is getting married next month? I'm so excited and cannot wait, gosh I love a wedding! We all went Mother-of-the-bride dress shopping last weekend. It's top-secret so I can't say too much. Only it cost a bomb and looks magnificent. We went shopping at the Burke Street Mall. That place is huge! Piper was an absolute nightmare - she slept most of the time and we barely heard a peep out of her, she was the perfect little angel! I behaved myself as well, but did get myself a new pair of Nike runners. I needed them, I swear! I've even used them already (shocked? I know I was!). They actually make me want to exercise. I guess we will see how long that lasts!

Ooo, I also got a dress for the wedding! It is also super top secret... but I will tell you it was from Diana Ferrari and it was $150 discounted to $130 with 50% off. So I ended up getting it for the bargain price of $65!! Absolute bargain, I couldn't pass it up! Gee, bargains make me happy!

I caught up with my girlfriends as well for brunch. We went to Switch at Fountain Gate shopping centre. It was great to catch up. I think sometimes life just gets in the way and you forget how long it's been. I must make the effort to do that more often.

I didn't realise until I started thinking about my week, how much running around I actually do. It seems like I'm never home! We also went and visited Belinda and her brand new 3 week old baby girl, Aleeyah. What an adorable little girl, and such a gorgeous name. I had a cuddle and she felt like she weighed just a breath of air. It made me realise how fast Piper is growing up, she is 4 months old already!

This week, my husband and I also had our first proper date night without Piper! We went for dinner at Outback Jacks. So many people rave about how good the food is here, but I was a little disapointed! My steak wasn't cooked very well and was really fatty, so I don't think we will be going back again anytime soon. We then went to the movies and saw Red Dog. I loved it! Ok, ok, I cried as well, but that's not unusual - I cry in almost every movie! It was an Australian film and it was really good. If you're a dog lover, it is a must-see for sure.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the lovely sunshine. It's such a beautiful day!

OPI: Hawaiian Orchid & I Mainley Eat Lobster

Hi Dolls,

David Jones had a sale I just couldn't resist. Spend $39.90 or more on any OPI products and you receive a free full-sized OPI Rapid-Dry top coat valued at $22.95! OPI is my go to nail polish. It glides on effortlessly and even for me it's easy to keep in between the lines. So I got 2 full size OPI nail polishes at $19.95 each - Hawaiian Orchid & I Mainley Eat Lobster.

How to: Newspaper Nails

Hi Dolls,

For the life of me, I can't remember where I saw this, but thought I would give it a shot anyway.
I think they look super hot. My sister and I had a go yesterday and here's how we did them.

Ingredients:
Bowl
Rubbing alcohol or vodka
Base coat nail polish
Light coloured Nail Polish
Top coat nail polish
Newspaper

Method:
- Pour some rubbing alcohol or vodka into a bowl. Just enough to be able to dip your nails in.
- Grab your newspaper and cut out 10 strips. I chose my horoscope and an article from the style section of the newspaper. You could also use recipes, cartoons or even crosswords.
- Apply base coat.
- Once base coat is dry apply your nail polish.
- Once your nail polish has completely dried, dip one nail into the bowl of rubbing alcohol for about 20 seconds.
- Apply the newspaper onto your nail and press down for another 20 seconds. I found it helped to add more rubbing alcohol on top of the newspaper.
- Carefully peel off the newspaper and the print should have transferred from the newspaper onto your nail.
- Wait for the print to dry then apply your top coat.

Flashback Friday: Parlux 3200 Ceramic & Ionic Edition Hair Dryer

~Originally posted June 29, 2010~

Hi Dolls,

I have just upgraded my hair dryer to the Parlux 3200 Ceramic & Ionic Edition $169.95. This is my first salon quality hair dryer and I have absolutely no idea why I didn’t upgrade sooner!

The Parlux 3200 hair dryer has won awards including InStyle’s best hair dryer and is used by hairdressing professionals all over the world. This dryer not only dries your hair faster, but it also reduces the amount of damage that your hair suffers when using a regular dryer.

The combined effect of ceramics and negative ions radiates heat inside the hair without damaging the hair. Drops of water are broken down into micro-molecules which are absorbed by the hair, leaving it frizz free and healthy. Moisture can then easily penetrate the hair shaft leaving your hair moisturized and looking soft and shiny. The negative ions also reduce static electricity and stress on the hair.

This dryer not only dries my hair super quickly, it also cuts down my drying time in half. It seriously took me less than 3 minutes – trust me, i timed it! My hair is fine and thin and generally lacks body. I find this dryer really good for blow drying and I can create plenty of volume with it. It leaves my hair feeling silky and soft, frizz and static free without drying it out. It feels the same as it does straight out of the salon.

- 1900 watt powerful motor. Life: 2000 hours
- Light weight compact dryer.
- Cold shot button.
- 4 temperatures.
- 2 speeds.
- Ceramic and Ionic technology.
- 3 meter long and strong cable cord.
- 2 unbreakable nozzles – one for a perfect setting and the other for fast drying.
- Weighs less than 500 grams.
- Air flow: 69 cubic meters/hour.
- Matching diffuser is available to purchase separately.
- 12 month warranty.
- Available in:  White, Silver, Chocolate, Pink, Red, Blue, Black, and Choc Cherry.
- Mine also came with a free round brush worth $26.95!
- Made in Italy.

The man chair - do you know it?

Hi Dolls,

This week has been so cold and I've had the heater blasting non-stop. I'm not looking forward to our gas and electricity bills that's for sure.

Our tax money has finally appeared in our account so I can now officially shop - delighted! I went shopping with my husband the other day and it really is a totally different experience when you are shopping with the boys. I don't want to generalise, but most guys, when they shop are on a mission. They know what they want and they just go in and get it. No browsing, no window shopping and no thinking about it. They go in, try a heap of stuff on if your lucky (sometimes they don't try it on and make you take it back another time because it's not right) and spend the big bucks all at once. I end up layering mountains of clothes in my husbands arms with things I think he would like, things I like and things I think would look great but not sure if he would actually go for but am trying to push my luck anyway. They never believe that some things look better on compared to just on the rack. It is actually a bit exciting shopping this way. They don't just pick up a top or a pair of shoes every few weeks, they get the works and get it done once, maybe twice a year. You can tell when they have been dragged along by their partners and are not shopping for themselves. They are sulking and sitting on what I like to call the 'man chair'. You know the one, it's the lone chair just outside the change rooms where the girls leave their shopping companions to sit and wait patiently while they try on a million things and come out for a suitably flattering statement about what they have tried on. Let's face it, we never come out with something that we don't actually like, those things we just call out and say that it just didn't fit right, not the truth where it actually didn't fit at all. God forbid we ask the boys to get us the next size up! So shopping with my husband wasn't too bad after all and he picked up some jeans, a couple of T-shirts, a hoodie and a jacket. He looked very spunky in all his new gear.

I went shopping with my Mum yesterday and we wondered into Williams where I discovered the boots I got last week come in tan! They also had 50% off the second pair of shoes and I could not leave without this other pair as well. The best part was that my Mum shouted them for me as an early birthday present. I know my birthday isn't until the end of September, but they are going on holidays for over a month and won't be here for my birthday so I get to have them now! I love my birthday! The tan pair were $140 and the other pair were $70 discounted to $50 with 50% off. So I ended up getting them for just $25!

                     

During my shopping adventures I obviously had to visit the baby change areas. I have been to quite a few now in the three-and-a-half months Piper has been around. I know the nice ones in each of the shopping centres and which ones to avoid. Unfortunately you can't always avoid the weird people who frequent them. Of course I have met some lovely people there, it's just what you do when you are changing and feeding your baby. You chat to the other Mums, friends, grandparents and siblings. You coo at their babies, ask how old and what their name is and then tell them how adorable they are. You obviously expect this in return! I also see a lot of people with the same pram. I have an apple iCandy. I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone! Whenever this happens we both check out each others pram and and say ooo, do you love it!? The answer is always yes! I have the black one, but you can buy attachments to make it different colours. I reeeealllyyyy want the purple, I hope my husband is reading this and sees how good the purple looks! Hint Hint! There is a LOT of traffic coming in and out of the baby change area. I once saw a line of people wait for the toilet where you can take your pram and the rest of your life in with you for what seemed an age only to discover that it was empty the whole time and it just looked like it was locked. Another time, I saw a women hold her two year old's bottom half under the tap of the sink to wash her. Seriously, I would have given you a wipe if I knew you had run out. Or you could just pay the 2 bucks for a nappy that comes with wipes. I would have been so embarrassed! So note to everyone, best not use the sinks in these places!

We got the new incubus album this week and I have had it playing in the car non-stop. I really like it and can't wait until they come out again. I'm thinking date night with the husband for that one!

I also got stuck  in Lincraft this week. Not literally, but I did spend a lot of time in there sorting through all the fabrics, felts, lace and elastics. I decided to get a bit creative and I made some super cute headbands that go with all of Piper's little outfits. I am really enjoying it too! I will show you what I have been up to in the next few weeks.