Hey, tiger

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Found

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Kick your heels up! It's Friday. Here are the best time-wasters I could get my hands on..get clicking through S.O.W's new link-love-series, Found.

Link #4. Handmade beauties.

1. If corporate logos were honest they'd look more like this.

2. Now here's a good one to kill a few Friday minutes. Crazy, moving optical illusions.

3. Hear, Hear! H&M is finally online. Check it out via wit&delight!
4. Do you like these handmade prints from Oh My Deer etsy store?

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Aside from links, I also found some sense in amongst this week's twists - a simple but big-punching realisation.

Nothing is as important as your sanity.
No, not even the never-ending pile of work sitting at your desk that's due...yesterday!

Nothing quite knocks the "SLOW DOWN and stop to smell the roses" concept into me like realising I'm off to spend hours this weekend teaching ballet to little ones (pure gold); Cutest thing ever...and they call it work. Pfft! Topping that off with some hours by my guy's side, things suddenly look pretty darn rosy.

Whether you're up to all sorts or just kicking back to nothing much at all, make sure to enjoy this weekend! 

Thanks for your comments and blog love through the week. Maria xo

Friday's Finds

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 What a bumper week! Bring on the links!

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1. On the wants list...Nike's new Knitted Shoes; 'coz I've started running again.
This time I'm actually running. Properly. Distance kinda stuff, you know? Not just 5 minutes.
More to come on this but before I move on I've got to say,
I'm feeling the addiction sink into my bones!

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 2. Some beautiful accessories. Treat yourself for doing a good job of getting through the week.

3. Twitter hotel. For the social media junkie. 

Pack your weekend with a bunch of good people and have yourself a seriously good time. 

I'm off to a 10 year school reunion (not sure how I feel about this), coffee & cake catch ups with lovely ladies and I'm kicking off the process of getting my Ballet Associate quals - that means,
 I'll be a teacher - inspiring the artistry and discipline in the rugrats from my corner of this world.
Super chuffed to say the least!
Maria x

Found

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If my day were to be a little brighter, it'd be because of a Tom Dixon candle, calf leather in my hand and Philip Lim carrying me. What do you think?

p.s. I know I've been missing from this blog (and visiting yours) the past little while (sorry about that). Things are sure to change...soon.

What I wore // the things I did

"I should stop talking," is what this photo tells me...

  

I don't usually do the "what I wore" kinda post, but this time I was a little inspired (and unprepared) after coming across a run down white wall. My outfit is nothing groundbreaking (I know), but it was the perfect addition to a slow-paced public holiday (and that white-wall canvas I fell in love with).

The day was as good as they get. My morning hours were spent brunching over strong coffee followed by the sweetest walk through autumn leaf-lined streets. Yeah, there was some penny-spending (again...ehm) that took place at this store I told you about in this post (also where I got my buttery soft leather!). The best bit was when these threads took me through to the evening hours. My boy and I got the chance to break our commitments and escape to the basics - good food, good laughs and red wine at a tucked away bar in the Adelaide Hills.

The only threads to stand up to all that relaxation and sudden inspiration was my silky soft leather teamed with comfortable navy stripes. What's your outfit option for a day of relaxing walks, laughs and good food?

 

Friday's Finds

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It's Friday and I have more stuff for you to kick back to. Enjoy!

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1. These James Perse Pacific Stripes!
I snapped up the maxi-skirt version from this all-time-favourite store (I cannot walk into without buying some kind of beautiful threads, leather or homeware!).
It's a summer staple, but I'm hanging to team it with boots and a knit in these cooler days.

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2. DIY Burt's Bees Lip Balm. The recipe has been tested by this lady.
Now we can make our own, natural lip balm. Worth it!

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3. Momo Suzuki is the elegantly styled lady behind the perfectly pared down line, Black Crane - perfection in my eyes (like magnets for minimal, simple, clean lines).
Her closet is just as amazing. Take a snoop!



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Can I just take a sec to say "Thank you" and "I'm so appreciative of my lovely bunch of wonderful readers (you) that stop by, follow this little blog of mine and leave wonderfully thoughtful comments. Means so much!" xo

I hope you're all set for a great weekend ahead! I'm looking forward to getting into another
less-planned, less-scheduled couple of days that I'm keen to fill with starting to paint my new canvas (procrastination is over!) and getting my toes through a few hours of ballet.
You?

Friday's Finds

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Are you smiling? It's Friday! Plus, I found more stuff!!! Smile!

 

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1. I'm not a great fibber - the words don't flow and I blow my cover with a smirk. That's not a bad thing, right? Thing is, when I go for the honest, emotional spill, I can't get the words out either; my mind races 10 (overly emotional) paces ahead before my mouth can keep up. Good news for anyone suffering the same is that Daily Odd Compliment puts it all in writing. Problem solved.

 

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2. Scarves (my weakness). I found really, really beautiful ones from the talented Emily Green.

 

 

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3.  We're all guilty of taking those ridiculous shots of the food we didn't cook. Now we're taking shots of the hipsters taking pictures of food.

 

Thanks for reading, wonderful readers. What are your plans for these next couple of days off?

Maria

Friday's Finds

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Look what I found!

 

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1. My pay cheque is eyeing off Elk's winter range - online! As the seasons roll on, my wardrobe has become more elk-spotted than ever. Natural fibres, clean, simple lines; beautiful leathers; natural accessories.

 

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2. Stuff to feed your design-bones - Micha Weidmann studio's recent projects special.

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3. F***ing great idea! Folklore design agency's self promotion.

 

Thanks for reading! Who's ready for the weekend?

p.s.  See those gorgeous polka-dot pants? Am I the only one that's inspired to DIY-polka-paint some slacks? Stay tuned...I'll be posting about it next week. xx

 

Friday's Finds



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It's Friday! It's Friday! It's Friday! And here are my finds...

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1. Salty-sweet-lemon-biscuits! If you try them, let me know.

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2. Portfolio envy: Jason Booher's conceptually fantastic work.

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3. Have you seen Jac & Jack's a/w13 collection? This duo has done it again. Their new threads for 2013 have been hitting my browser all week - put effortless, simple lines with just enough femininity to balance out the masculine and I'm all over it. I feel a wardrobe update coming on...

 

Hope everyone's weekend is spent doing all sorts of wonderful things! Maria x

Giampaolo Sgura for Dolce & Gabbana fw12.13



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It's been a while since a Dolce and Gabbana campaign has hit my browser history, let alone caught my eye. Their style has always been a tad too glammed for my drapey/relaxed style incination. But when Giampaolo Sgura's lense snaps up the likes of Monica Bellucci, Bianca Balti and Bianca Brandolini (yes, all three) donned in d&g's baroque fantasy inspired collection, I'm finding myself screaming praises from rooftops. What's not to love about this campaign? With all those "familiar" (aka normal people) faces about, the campaign seems less posed and more of a backyard, true Sicilan affair.
In fact, this reminds me of what our family gatherings are all about. Loud, dramatic outbursts tangled amongst  the gut-aching laughs, good food and family. This is the strongest campaign I've seen in a while, not to mention the spectacular fall/winter designs. The more I look over the images, the heavier I fall for this shoot. Enjoy x

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

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Cross the model world's list-topping beauty, Dasha Z with Nikolay Biryukov's lens and you'll get one solid nod to the haunting, classic black and whites of days gone by. Biryukov's talent worked on overdrive for Fashion Gone Rogue's latest exclusive, Mirror Mirror. Dasha put in a solid days work too, sporting a wardrobe of La Perla and Prada threads. My write up and more images are here.

Tutu Couture

Moschino

Roksanda Ilicnic

House of Worth

Agent Provocateur
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Ten of the fashion industry's top designers limbered up and sewed their trademarks into one off couture tutus for The English National Ballet's auction - Louboutin contributing a set of stiletto pointe shoes of course.

With only a few hours to see me out to the weekend and into a new job adventure next week, I'm doing a little happy dance of my very own. If you're wondering, I've been lucky enough to score a writing gig (finally!). Not only is it the one thing I've been wanting to pull up my sleeves and dive into, but it's happened in my home-town which I originally moved away from to pursue this career possibility. Anything is possible...

Have a wonderful weekend and welcome to my new bunch of followers I met this week! Thanks for the support ladies x

Hop, skip & a jump

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Was it just me or was that a whirl of a week? Dunno 'bout you, but I'm limbering up and prepping a sprinters start to bolt off into a couple of days to recoup. Nothing sounds better than settling down to weekend-morning-hours with a strong caffeine hit at a new haunt and launching myself into a new read! But before I can get to the good stuff, there's a few hours between me and Friday's finish line. To help me (and you) along the way, here's a couple of finds to click...

1. Manning Cartell's ss2012 collection is a breath of fresh air and has me wishing these wintry days could move on a little quicker!

2. Wondering where the top nosh is at these days? San Pellegrino has released its top 100 list of the Best restaurants in the world...and four of them are here in Australia! 

Have a lovely weekend! x

Nique

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Got my brat pants on again. Hear me out though. At risk of sounding impressively lame, a few quiet moments saw me sitting here in a dejected state of "poor me's" thinking about all the beautiful Melbourne retail finds missing from my life. I really thought I'd sourced all the online stores I would need to distract me from the absense of the real-deals...but apparently not! Today I caught a few whispers about a label I'd grown pretty fond of and realised that I'd completely missed bookmarking Nique's online store! I felt like I was leaving the memory of a loved one behind in the blur of the past! Seems I need not sob away much longer. Word is, Nique has spread its threads with their pop-up store brightening up the streets 'round Adelaide way...and my mood. Nice of the guys.

For those of you who don't know, Nique took its first baby steps in Melbourne as a design studio that pursued an interest in fashion on the side with their first windcheaters stitched back in 1998. Since then, the Nique aesthetic caught on literally overnight and with 180 outlets stocking their label around this world, it's pretty clear their on to a good thing.