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

Well Slap My Arse and Call Me Cindy!

Why the happy dance?
Oh, no reason in particular ... just a bit of a Sunday jig.

picture to gif

The Stylist and I went to a flea market an hour before closing to see if we could scrounge some bargains.
We didn't have to go far.

We found a mystery pile of shoes dumped right on our parking bay.
By an absolute freak chance, they were the right sizes for The Stylist and I, so we picked out a few pairs we liked and left the rest for someone else to poke through.
Maybe a vendor dropped them in the early morning darkness?
Buyer regret?
Who knows, who cares?
They were dumped so we grabbed them.
Man I just love free stuff!!

I swear I've been looking for a pair of 1940s-style booties for winter - these are black, suede, free and they fit - bingo!

Sarah Misfit has been spending some well-deserved  down time on The Whore, which reminds me how much I've been neglecting my couch.
I'm rectifying the situation.

1950s cotton blouse and earrings - Etsy

Purple velvet shorts - BOODWAH (which has 20% off during February!)

Pink flower clip - borrowed from The Stylist

Skull clips - craft market

Blue flower ring - ballet shop

Shoes - freeeeeeeeee!!!

Black hair regrowth - by me

I hope you've all had an UTTERLY fabulous weekend darlinks!

See you at Patti's Visible Monday party.

Molti baci,

Desiree xo

Tip-Top Tit-tastic

Does anyone really want to look at a blog post that starts off with shaky phone pics?
Nah didn't think so.
But yesterday I got tarted up especially for the radiology ladies.
And like every medical practitioner I've ever encountered, a bit o' sparkle, some slap and the ol' jingle makes their day.
I consider it my civil duty to keep those guys and gals smiling.
It's not their fault our state government decided to re-route funding for a $16M redevelopment of our local mental health unit in favour of a $9M city helipad.

So I don't complain when I get my BreastScreen letter every two years asking me to get me tatas out for a squish.

I wore my corset t-shirt to remind me why I was there.
Magnificent no?

Sure no worries but first I'm gonna take some blurry selfies. K?

Layered half-slips and a gorgeous vinyl bag I snapped up in a Dandelion Vintage sale.
The seller, lovely Carol, also gifted me the glorious, huge red rose I'm wearing.

Yes well, the hair ... that's post-running-through-a-windy-downpour-with-added-humidity.
I don't think anyone in the waiting room noticed though, they were probably wondering why I was dressed in old half-slips and wearing so much jewellery.
Oh and a sequinned cocktail hat.

Since I was on me tod (alone), I took full advantage of the situation and snuck in some desperately-needed op-shopping to satisfy my  week-long buy-awesome-old-shite cravings.

I discovered enormous lengths of 1970s cottons for just five bucks each!

Bargain books are always welcome in our home.

And cute old teapots?

Well I can find room can't I?

These goodies are for a very special blogger who is unwell, but I'll let the sweetie fill you in when she's good and ready.

Still can't get over this ... just two dollars!
It was worth the trip in the rain.
We've had it all here in Oz this summer ... catastrophic fire storms, now torrential rain and flooding.
Whew!

Cotton vintage sheets always find a home with me too.
Have you seen Loo's amazing king-size patchwork duvet cover she made from gorgeous vintage sheets?
She will inspire you to get patching and convince you the results are constant marvelling and gazing at your handiwork forever.

"Oooh das pwetty," said Lily.

Oh okaaaaaaaaaaaay ... gratuitous giant ring pic for you:).
I hope you're all set for the weekend, may fresh snowfalls powder your lawn, may cooling rains bring relief to a hot summer, may your homes be safe.
Oh and if you're on Instagram, please let me know your IG name in the comments so I can stalk you.
Mine's @desireedares.
Baci,
Desiree xoxo