Baby You're the Best

Look at #2 Son looking all flash and cool for his Year 12 formal.
We all know how many hundreds of dollars parents lay out for their daughters to look special on their big night out.
It's mind boggling how much cash and energy is spent on looking super-spesh.
But you know, I think it's way cooler how my son looked at his watch at 3pm and announced it was time for a shower, had a shave, got dressed and stepped out the door smelling amazing and looking a million bucks.
Later he told me all the girls were falling asleep by 8pm because they were exhausted ... gosh all that spray-tanning, hair-do's, makeup, nails, blah blah blah ... it takes it out of a girl.
All the boys looked fresh, cool, and proud to be looking good.
Mama was proud too.
So she wore a 1930s silk nightie.

Besties since preschool.  That's 13 out of 17 years folks, almost a lifetime.

It was treat time on Sunday and Advanced Style was a treat for the eyes and the soul.
We laughed, we cried.
It was wonderful.

On Monday, it was all business in the courtroom.
And in the bathroom.
And waiting for hours outside.

Hold your precious ones close my friends.
Love Desiree xoxo

It's So Easy ... Sometimes

Wonderful, drenching rain means tea, crusty old movies, hot scones and sewing.
Thankfully we've had plenty of it all here so I'm feeling rather smug and happy.
And bloated.

This is one of the three-skirt bargains I picked up from the Red Cross op-shop last week where I bought three skirts for $10.
The waistband on this one was too small so I unpicked it, added some fabric to the waistband, re-did the gathering to fit my waist, then sewed it back on.
The next day I got a blood-bomb and my waist shrunk a couple of inches. 
WTF is that about?
So I unpicked the sodding thing, re-made the waistband, re-gathered the skirt and sewed the fucker back together.
This skirt is lucky I love it, despite it reminding me of the 80s when I didn't have a pre-menstrual waistline like saggy elastic.

These two don't have to worry about such news-dominating issues.

1970s Coffey movie t-shirt - Creative Markets
1950s tapestry handbag - gift from my beautiful sister, Merilyn

Fishnet t-shirt - online sale

Skirt - Red Cross

Shoes - vintage market

Jewellery - Camberwell Market and op shops

Tights - both from Sock Dreams

Getting as much wear out of this wee dear until my waistline explodes again.

Some skirts are kinder than others and there's really nothing more comfortable than a Franken-Skirt.

It's a t-shirt in a skirt and if you need to rustle one up in a flash, here's how:

Grab a guy's t-shirt (bloke's t-shirts are WAY cooler than chick's ones).

Cut the sleeves off.

Slice the top off.

Sew up what's left of the armholes.

Grab some stretch fabric and cut a rectangle that will fit around your waist and stretch over your hips.

Sew the ends together to make a circle.

Fold the circle in two, wrong sides together.

Zig-zag the waistband to the top of the t-shirt, stretching the band to fit the skirt.

Put the skirt on.

Do a dance.

Here's some music.

Sequin top, Marvel t-shirt - op shops

Gold lion necklace - gift from lovely Miss Ada

Boots - second hand from local boot maker

Leggings - Black Milk

You're welcome.

Love Desiree xox

Linking to Patti's Visible Monday.

Why Yes I Did Cut My Own Hair!

I can't even admit to having pondered over cutting my fringe.

It was more of a reflex action when I decided my crooked hair could do with a tidy up.

Oh dear.

But look at my frock.  Look, look, look the frock!

I pounced on it in the Salvos yesterday, eight bucks with original tags and it's the most delicious pure silk.

I can only guess at the text accompanying the lovely teapots, yet the dress makes me feel very early-30s film star.

Mmmmmmm ... I've almost forgotten about my accident with the scissors.

 

Lily gets all frisky and playful whenever we're outside.

We're on her patch and she's showing us around.

And she doesn't get too judge-y when I make poor hair decisions.  BFF.

Yup, I'm having a super bad hair day and I ventured out sans paper bag.
Points for trying.

Silk frock - Salvos

All jewellery and 1960s beauty case - assorted op shops

Tights - Sock Dreams

Shoes - some online sale

 

Friends, thank you for your kind comments on my last post.
Actually, thank you for even popping over here!
I'm so very grateful and chuffed with your visits and I love to read your thoughts and visit you as often as possible.
Are your buns burning?  
That's coz I just gave you a MASSIVE arse-squeeze.
Baci,
Desiree x

Un-Package Holidays

The best things in life aren't always free.
Usually they're just really, really cheap.
Like our spur-of-the-moment holiday.
I can't even begin to explain how much we needed a break, living with serious illness is incredibly draining and we all desperately needed to get away.
With four days to go before Bella's return to school for term three, Anto and I scoured the web for motel bargains on the Gold Coast.
We settled for a cheap-but-clean place at Coolangatta at $79 a room per night, compared to the average price of $200 a night for a place we'd only be sleeping in.
I'm not precious when it comes to holidays.
I feel so incredibly lucky to get out of the house, that a holiday motel room is simply a place to shower, flop and sleep.
All the fun stuff is found exploring my surroundings, not slumping in some hotel pool bar that serves $7 cola.

 Taken the day we set off I didn't have time to plan outfits, I shoved three pairs of leggings into a bag with a couple of short and long-sleeved t-shirts to layer on cold days.
Lucky I did, we had some of our coldest mornings in more than 100 years on our trip away.

 This is Point Danger on the Queensland-NSW state border, a place Bella and I adore in summer and now, winter.
Yes, this is our winter.
Sickening isn't it?
There's a special place in my heart for beaches in winter, born from many hours spent on New Zealand's wild beaches pretending I was a windswept wench waiting for Harvey Keitel to return my piano keys.

After three days on the coast, we headed for the hills bound for O'Reilly's Retreat at Lamington National Park.
We arrived rather late on Saturday afternoon, just in time to take in the tree-top rainforest walk, learn more about the history of this beautiful, remote spot and slumping in leather chairs in front of a crackling fire.

 This is a replica of the Stinson that crashed in the remote, dense rainforest several kilometres from the mountain-top home of the O'Reilly family in February 1937.
There were only two survivors who were found and rescued by a party organised by the O'Reilly's, 10 days after the plane was lost in low cloud and authorities had given up the search over incredibly hazardous terrain.
The original newspaper reports have been preserved by the family, plus the replica and a 12-hour walk to the crash site are among the tributes to that time when people relied on word-of-mouth to get their news.
The O'Reilly home site is now a low-key resort with many of the original rooms still in use by guests.

Anto told Bella the names on wooden planks on the swinging tree-top walk were of the people who'd fallen off. Haaa!

 Poncho time!
It was nearly dark when we explored the mountain garden and boardwalk, it was easy to imagine those lost, injured passengers struggling to survive the extremes each night.

Back down the mountain in the dark, we decided it was too late to make the hike back to Brisbane so we stayed at The Canungra Hotel, a gorgeous old place filled with charm (and more crackling fires!)
At $65 a night, we couldn't resist staying two nights, exploring the lovely wee town, picking up op shop bargains and marvelling at the peace.

 The original hotel built in the 1930s, where all the guest rooms are still intact, spotless and beautiful.

 I'm waiting for a ghost.

She's waiting for her horse-drawn carriage to arrive.

This is the sort of thing I love to see on holiday: cute cottages with rusty roofs, a thriving vege garden and probably a lot of possum visitors at night.
What's your ideal break?
Love D xo