[com]mission cuteness

Sharing is caring and for my entrance  back into the blogging world I thought I'd let you in on what I've been up to - getting paint in my nails has been one of these beautiful time-fillers.

I was commissioned to do something cute, and cute I did (I reckon). [com]mission cuteness is one of my works in the making. This cutie pie will soon be a part of a series of four framed watercolour pieces for my dear friend and her tiny tot's nursery.

m xo

Hello?

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Hello,
Are you there?
It's been some time since I've been around this wonderful blog world. Sorry for my absence, but between you and I, I was feeling paralysed at the fact that I couldn't contribute something that I knew was wholeheartedly, genuinely meaningful. I missed it terribly - I missed the inspiration from the blogs around me and I missed writing. This time I took, though, was a blessing in disguise. It's given me time to reassess, experience, trial, succeed, fall and naturally find the flow my focus should follow - I can't wait to get back into sharing some wonderful things with you.
I hope you're out there, readers.
See you soon.
Maria. x

A thing called time

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Hey blog-readers, if you're out there? I've been missing in action, I know. I've been busy with life. I've not been following a single blog - I have been thinking about them though. It's been tough to split my energy between my going-ons and posting something I feel could be half interesting. I'm apologising. I'm also saying that I'll be back at some point, soon. I'm also hoping you'll stick around and have a little snoop at the few words and links I leave around this space...when I get back to it. Until then, I'll be laying low-ish on the blog radar to keep up with the good stuff happening in my days; as much as I'm missing my blog and the wonderful people around it, I'm finding it a little more important to be even more present in my happenings than ever before.

Found

It's Friday and I've found a bunch of stuff! Look!

1. The secret to long life? According to this 100yo it's cigarettes and whiskey 
2. Harvard students aren't good at everything. Like keeping bathrooms tidy. They're cr*p at that!
3. That sickening display of that silly Kim Kardashian girl doing what she does best
4. This made me dream
5. Fendi s/s 2014. Wipe your drool!

Enjoy the times ahead with good people only, doing wonderful stuff and with only the biggest grins available! I'll be:

1. Meeting with my two loveliest ladies to be covered in their babies! They're first time mums and I'm thrilled to bits for them and their hubbies - their rugrats are extra cute which always makes things easier
2. Other stuff is happening. Stuff that's good for me - with darn good folk to boot.

Wednesday Wellness / Sinless

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Eat well, keep active and enjoy something that's not on your usual healthy eating list once in a while. Depriving yourself is not the way to go, we all know that. If you deprive yourself consistently you will inevitably binge and that's horrible for anyone's metabolism. So now and then spoil yourself.  Sweet treats don't have to be loaded with "bad stuff" either, like this healthy indulgence.
These treats are heavenly in every way - sin free and delicious - from Jenna Zoe's decadently healthy cookbook, Super Healthy Snacks and Treats.

Chocolate Caramels

Makes about 6

200g/1 cup of dates, stoned
1 tablespoon of smooth peanut butter (look for unsweetened, made without any hydrogenated oils)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 pinch of salt
250g/9oz. dark/bittersweet chocolate (preferably sweetened with unrefined sugar, or unsweetened if you can't have sugar)
1 chopped freezer-proof baking sheet or plate, lined with clingfilm/plastic wrap

How to make

1. Put the dates in a bowl of room-temperature water and allow them to soak for a few hours. They will soften and absorb some of the water, which will help when making the caramel.
2. Rinse the dates and put them in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, scraping down the edges of the bowl as you go.
3. Once the dates have started to form a paste, add the peanut butter and continue to pulse.
4. Lastly, add the coconut oil for texture and the salt to bring out the flavour.
5. Process again until the mixture naturally forms a large ball.
6. Pull off bite-size pieces of the mixture with your fingers and roll them into neat balls. Lay them out on the prepared baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Leave until melted and completely smooth.
8. Remove the chilled caramel balls from the freezer. Place 1 caramel on a spoon and dip it into the melted chocolate so that it is completely and evenly coated. Return the ball to the prepared baking sheet. You can use 2 teaspoons to help shape the chocolate coating if that helps.
9. Repeat with the remaining caramel balls, then freeze for at least 20 minutes to give the chocolate and caramel layers enough time to harden properly. Once they've frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag.
10. Remove the caramels from the freezer just before serving. Store them in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe: Overnight Oats

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Sugar free, bake free, fuss free, dairy free and packed with nutrients. Here's how to make a time-saving, power-packed brekky.  And yes, you guessed it - it's Vegan!

Overnight Oats

Dry mix:
Organic, raw oats
Chia seeds
A handful or 2 of Sunflower seeds
2 or 3 handfuls Psyllium husk
2 or 3 handfuls Linseed
Ground cinnamon to taste

Combine all dry ingredients into an airtight container to be ready when you are.

Serves 1:
1/3 cup dry oat mix
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
frozen mixed berries
Organic coconut flakes (if you like)

In a small container combine oats and unsweetened almond milk. You can place the berries in now or first thing in the morning - I like to place them in overnight, that way their juice sweetens the oats. Cover your container and place in the fridge - allow oats to set overnight. To serve, sprinkle some organic coconut flakes (and your berries if you hadn't put them in overnight) and you're good to go.
 

Found

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Yoohoo! It's Friday! See below for some nifty time-nibblers.

1. Speaking of nibbles, get your peepers over Jamie Oliver's Chorizo and tomato salad. Yum
2. THE BEST BUB CHAIR YOU WILL SEE...not to mention the branding
3. Spoiler alert! Get straight to the point of a movie with these 5-second-graphics
4. Contemporary art seems totally devoid of smiles. Why you no say cheese?
5. Double helix ring by Vale

 Hope those few finds get you onto the best possible start for a weekend of good stuff. I'll be:

1. Teaching a bunch of amazing girls how to samba, stretch and weave their way through some Afro-contemporary. Itching to get into my dance shoes.
2. Staying off sugar. That's right. I've kicked ol' sugar in the butt. More on that on Wednesday Wellness, soon.
3. Did someone say grapes? Heading up to Adelaide's Robert Johnson winery for a girls Sunday "long lunch" and wine sipping. More on that in Sweet Nothings soon.

Whole30 Wednesday / bare basics

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 Happy Whole30-day-14 (to me). It's day 14 and I'm....waiting for day 16 when they say you get the amazing energy boost injected throughout your body. Until I get my new found bounce, here's how the journey has gone so far:

- I feel like rat-droppings, let's be honest - but my clothes are fitting better
- Eating clean and fresh isn't a chore; it's great. I'd just prefer to have a latte (full fat and full stick-my-finger-up-at-no-dairy-clenses) every morning
- My energy isn't crash hot but I put this down to 9-5pm work commitments being more than just 9-5pm hours, plus the stress-pest that follows me home from my office desk
- I've noticed a shift in my body composition. It's been a slower process than I hoped but I'm shuffling the annoying pinchable skin off bit by bit

The thing with Whole30 is you've just got to stick to it. I'm feeling that more on day 14 than ever. Just bloody stick to clean, basic food!

My motivation?
- Kick the tired, cranky, crampy, bloated horribles away
- I need to be in a white leotard in 4 weeks. If that's not motivation to feel like a lean, clean pirouetting machine, I don't know what is

Thoughts for the day

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I fleetingly thought about life today. I thought, if I'd put it to a dance move, it'd look something like this; free, ruffled, bold and rustically-well-styled. 

Found

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Some days I'm willing to let you judge me exactly by my irresponsibly obvious attitude - see above. Here's some other stuff to avoid everything on Friday...until 5pm, of course.

1) Airy. Earthy. Understated. NAMOI, thank you for taking my wardrobe in your talented hands, rejuvenating it with my own mini collection of NaMoi originals. *My credit card has officially got itself into trouble. It whipped itself into the hands of this wonder woman - crazy, I know - and purchased a bag full of well-styled goodies. Tsk tsk. Mind of it's own - but good taste. 
2) More understated fashion-goodness from Kieley Kimmel
3) Art by Andy Denzler. Smudged abstract. Pretty damn good.
4) A ballsy kitchen rug. You'll see what I mean.

Izzy Bizu

Need a voice to listen to? Try Izzy Bizu's. Warning, you'll be hooked.

Whole30 Wednesday / Lemon tonic

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Week 2 of Whole30 has been going OK, thanks. Here's the deal with week 2:

- I haven't been fighting huge huger or sugar cravings
- I'm waiting for day 16 where the energy-bug kicks in
- I've been sleeping like a log (but feeling like I need more than I'm getting). I can't keep my eyes open past 10pm
- I admit I have 1 day off of Whole30 per week (tsk-tsk me, go on) but I still see and feel results
- Speaking of results, something is happening - my stomach is getting flatter(ish) slowly
- I do feel an emotional wreck, I admit. Those around me would be nodding their noggins off, reading this. I'm a little tired, drained, unsure of my progress and over-thinking everything. Fear not, I'm not giving up
- Skin is in its detoxifying stage (which isn't so pretty), my eyes are looking a little brighter and my complexion is showing signs of a glow peeking through the dull patches
- Training is beginning to feel better. Balancing up en pointe (ballet point) is feeling easier as I'm staring to feel less groggy, achy and "full"
- I'm feeling healthy and light, even if I'm not quite looking it yet

Tip!
Adding lemon to water is also a perfect habit to get into whilst on Whole30. I try to keep a lemon at my desk to squeeze into a cup of hot water throughout the day - makes you feel like you've stepped into a spa retreat, not to mention the health benefits going on.

What I've been up to

Totally blissed to our eyeballs, smooches and all, we've just stepped out of some wickedly-sweet happenings (daylight and post-sunset). This time, my list of happenings is doubling as a list of gratitude:

1. Date night dinners all weekend with my cute-as-pie guy.
2. Wine-sipping and cheese-plate-nibbling at our newly-stamped-haunt
3. Slowing down 
4. I did say all-weekend-date-nights? Chopsticking at the brilliant nosh from Golden Boy was part of the deal; swooned off my tush by their new fit out! 
5. Bikram yoga. I told you about how good this stuff is, right.
6. Under a clear midnight sky we listened to this man
7. Beach running in deliciously sweet rays
8. Eating blueberries
9. Taking paint to canvas with etudes in the air
10. Separating (slowly) the glue between my digits and my iPhone

Hope you've had some sweet things fill your days. Write them down - does your soul a tonne of good. Maria x

Found

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 It's Friday. There are finds to be shared! Enjoy.

1. These two will put you under their spell - a stunning display of raw balletic artistry and power.
2. Did you know you can activate your own nuts and seeds (skip spending half a fortune in the health food store).
3. Your design bones are set to shake with this work from Commodity + Ferroconcrete.
4. Lexus has transformed driving to art. Literally. Your car can paint your portrait and colours it depending on your lead-foot or Sunday-snooze-pace.
   
   
   Plus...drum roll...
5. Adelaide (my hometown, often overshadowed by its bossy neighbours Sydney and Melbourne) has been listed top 9 cities to visit in the world. Did you hear? New York Travel has even boosted our egos! As an Adelaidian, I am so bloody excited to have this little city peek above the haze of stale, production-line cafes, old architecture and foot-stomping-protests against change! We've actually done it and seen the light! A few ease-ups on business and architecture regulations have seen the city blossom overnight with developments, tucked away bars, restaurants and specialty-coffee-making-hide-outs (just waiting for their chance to pounce). High five Adelaide.

Damn good Market Lane filtered coffee from Exchange - specialty coffee guys here in...yep, little old Adelaide.

So the weekend is inching its way closer. Hope it's filled with the brightest stuff you could possibly want. I'm ready to dive head first into date-night-dinners at new CBD eats with my partner in crime (15 years on and my guy still gives me giggly-girl butterflies); I'll be taking plenty of time to chat over Market Lane coffees (remembering how I'd knock back cups of the stuff in my Melbourne-based days); and do good stuff with good people that send good vibes through my soul. Simple.

You've changed

That's right. Things are shiny, sweet and new at this web space. For those that read it, thanks a bunch! For those that don't, I hope you will. Either way, welcome to shade of whim's face lift, rolling through the days to come as "His Lady, Her Blog"; something a little more relevant to me and where I'm at these days. Oh yeah, plus my fun piece of branding - considering I'm indecisive on these types of things, expect to see a few tweaks, tugs and shoves of a logo toward the right direction.

Whole30 Wednesday / This too shall pass

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 Who knew changing your life wouldn't be all sunshine, roses and ponies? Currently, firmly settled in Day 3 of the Whole30 challenge, I'm experiencing a willingness to eat copious amounts of dairy and sit on my backside doing nothing much more than aggressively drag paint across a canvas. What I will do, however, is get a grip and realise that this too shall pass! Oh how wise we become when sugar is no longer the happiness-generator.

So if you're keen to know why Day 3 is a killer, here are the Whole30 rules - you must agree to these ugly terms and conditions (with a silent nod to yourself) if you want to get to the promised sunshine and rainbows on day 30.

Why it's good for you:

1. Whole30 strips all gut-disrupting, inflammatory, insulin-spiking, calorie-dense foods for a full 30 days.
2. Allows your body to heal and recover from any foods provoking all the ugly stuff like bloating, allergies, inflammation, etc.
3. Pushes the "reset" button on your metabolism

The rules:

1. Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial
2. Do not eat processed foods
3. Do not drink alcohol
4. Do not eat grains
5. Do not eat legumes
6. Do not eat dairy
7. Do not eat white potatoes
8. No “Paleo-fying” less-than-healthy recipes – no “Paleo” pancakes, “Paleo” pizza, “Paleo” fudge or “Paleo” ice cream      

 It's pretty simple, really. Have fun and let me know if you're giving it a bash! My pinterest board is loaded with meal ideas and blogs of inspiration.

Toot your horn

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Nothing like a positive affirmation to get your ego set to a**hole on a Tuesday.  While I'm at it, I thought I'd hop on the Whole30 wagon...again. You know what this means? Whole30 Wednesdays are on - you can't wait, I know.

ps. Krystal from Village is a WholeBunch of Whole30 (clever, right) inspiration. If you're reading this, Krystal, you're a champ.

Wednesday Wellness / STRIKE A POSE

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Sun salutations to you all!

I've kicked myself into the next gear, ditched the mouse-wheele-esque gym sessions and revamped my exercise routine with Bikram Yoga. Not only does it sit sweetly alongside my ballet training, there's a tonne of health and wellness benefits that I'm already noticing.

1. Flexibility - a biggie in my books. Get your limbs more flexible and they'll appear longer and leaner. Cherry on the cake is my arabesque height inched a few degrees closer to my ear.
2. Metabolism booster - the heat helps break down fatty acids and glucose.
3. You'll sleep better.
4. Core and spinal strengthening - another big one! I literally felt aligned and rock-like stable. My first ballet class after a Bikram session was proof; I triple pirouetted like never before, not to mention the kick of strength from my back and core - I even had to look twice at myself - my body was doing amazing things.
5. Serenity now - Bikram (for me) has amazing healing powers for mind and body. 90 minutes of nothing else but focusing on my body, breath, my discipline and commitment to the pose - bliss.
6. Skin - toxins are flushed from your body leaving your skin glowing.

Here are the 26 poses and why they're gold.

Who's tried it? Did you like it?

Eggs for Two

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If you had to swoon me, seat me in the sunshine where the scent of a fresh coffee weaves itself around our breakfast for two.


Recipe: The Summer Egg

Ingredients 2 eggs
Asparagus, handful
Dandelion greens, handful
Olive oil, drizzle
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Method Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Break off the ends of the asparagus stalks, drizzle with olive, and toss with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, or until tender, but with a slight crunch. While the asparagus is cooking, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Place eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove from the water, cut off the tops, and serve over lightly dressed dandelion greens. Place one stalk of asparagus in each egg and season to taste.

Serves 2
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Things that make you go...

Just a bunch of frou-frou stuff that made Friday swing by a little smoother. Enjoy! I'm off to the weekend. Make yours a goody. Maria x

all images via