Its my Birthday: Celebrating my 30th with a Fiesta!

On Saturday I turned the big 3-0 and whilst I will have a post on how that feels later in the week I wanted to share with you some photos of the night!

It was a huge hit, and most of the guest came dressed according to the invite which was to come dressed in your Mexican best.

A huge thank you to all that helped with the success of the night, including the amazing taco truck who as always did not disappoint with awesome prawn tostadas and fish and chicken tacos. My guests were shocked to see the van in the driveway and even more surprised by the festive decorations which overtook my outdoor space.


I think in total I would have had 80 or so friends and family, and it was so great to see them all and celebrate such a important milestone. As i mentioned in my speech the last year has certainly been challenging for myself and my partner and without the support of my family and friends I certainly wouldn't be in the place I am right now. As such, the party was more of a thank you to them more than anything.

I had ordered Jaritos soft drinks for the kids and a range of alcoholic drinks for the grown up, party punch, tequila, margaritas, and plenty of coronas. I really should have hired a bar man as it was hard to keep up with the drinks, and everyone was having such a good time that we didn't want to stop dancing. It helped that I hired a dj at the eleventh hour, (great idea get onto starlight dj)

It was great to see all the different interpretations of Mexican dress, some did the red lips and roses in the hair and others went all out on hiring costumes, regardless the party was cheerful and full of colour. Special mention to my brother who may have been slightly confused between spanish and mexican, I have to say even with that he may have still won the "Best Dressed Award!"

Later in the evening my brother poured me a shot containing the worm and felt a little pressure to consume, needless to say I instantly regretted and took care of it moments later.

I certainly felt an overwhelming sense of love and joy that evening being surrounded by all the people that love me and more importantly I love dearly. I received some amazing gift including two new charms for my bracelet.

Thank you to all the made the night the best one yet!

Babs

Baby Julia's Christening - 13th of April

On the 13th of April my hubby and I both had the pleasure in christening baby Julia, the orthodox ceremony was held in Geelong and the celebrations followed with a lunch in Barwon Heads. We were  both very thrilled and honoured to be Julia's god parents and be a part of her life

Early in the week I managed to catch a terrible cold (I blame all the outdoor exercise) and spent the week alternating between the couch and bed on antibiotics trying to get better. I wasn't completely myself on the Saturday of the christening but pushed through the church service and the afternoon celebrations and made sure that my hubby kept a close on me to ensure I wouldn't pass out. 

Julia's dress is from a Melbourne designer called Purple Pips and are handmade and made to the child's measurement, which was an extra tick for me, I fell in love with a while back and the other the christening details such as the candle, box and outfit where all purchased from a local christening shop in Sydney road called Evie and Johns Boutique, they have been in business for 30 years and at first glance the store can be a little overwhelming. In saying that if you go in and be specific with Evie you can walk out of there with gorgeous stuff at probably the most reasonable price. I shopped around for baby Julia's christening dress and the price was as high at $800 including the booties and headband and Evie was by far the cheapest of about five different christening shops.

The dress I wore had been planned since the start of the year, and travelled all the way from the US from my favourite designer Diane Von Furstenberg, there is just something about the way the dresses are made which seem to fit me like a glove, I rarely have to try them on, just get my standard size and away we go. I purchased the Navy Zarita dress as I am certain that I will be wearing this dress for years to come.

I have kept the photos to the more of the details of the christening in fear that my family may not want there faces on my blog, I guess by now they know what they are in for when I say cheese with the camera. Also I forgot to mention the amazing shoes which recieved the greatest attention were from Jo Mercer, I have been a little obsessed with this store, they have the best shoes at the most reasonable prices and they also have really good sales on just about all the time. It makes it easier to justify to husband when they are 25% cheaper.

As a thank you, I received this gorgeous Hermes bangle from the family, which i was needless to say very surprised and overwhelmed at such an amazing gift.

Until next time

Babs

I'm back......I promise!!

I was having lunch today with some old work colleagues and i was reminded about my blog and questioned why I hadn't blogged. I know, I haven't blogged for forever, and I really don't have anyone or thing to blame, I kinda have forgotten my online journal and there isn't really a reason for it.

I promise I am back...yes I will probably all bore you with random facts and comments and the odd misspelled word or sentence, (I am mildly dislexic). Forgive me, or move on to another blog. Expect lots of superficial post, about handbags and shoes, parties and outfits, holidays and shopping, but for the moment that is what makes me happy and what I will write/blog/share with you. That's not to say there isn't more important things or issues going on in my life, but this blog for the moment is about lighter topics, trust me you don't want to see me in my dark place, it ain't pretty.

Needless to say, I have had a challenging 12 months and whilst I have gain enough perspective to last me a lifetime I think it's best to deal with those challenges in private. I am however open to ideas about blogs, comment away!!!
This Saturday I'm turning 30 and I have a special post followed by birthday photos of my Mexican Fiesta so subscribe and be sure to see all the fun!

+39...Coldplay....Baking....Beach & KitchenTea party

What another amazing week, I had a great opportunity to catch up with a few girlfriends and share a Nutella sweet pizza from +39. If you haven't tried totally recommend it is full on but 1 piece is enough for me , there goes my sugar free trial!!
A huge congrats to LKG on the arrival of her baby girl Matilda, cutest name ever!

Tuesday I attended the Coldplay concert at Ethihad, whilst I am a fan, I wasn't sure how much I would like it! Let me tell you it was AMAZING! The had these great "xylobands" which glowed to the beat of there music. It was a sea of coloured fairy light, looked amazing and have me chills coupled with their songs. I am so glad we whent we had an awesome night with our cousin and a friend. I guess I should thank him given he organised the seats!

And lastly, I made my way with my cousin to Victoria Market Night Market where you can find the best Sangria!

x Babs

It's a nice day for a white wedding

Congratulation to my friend Angie on her wedding yesterday to Kon. Angie looked gorgeous, and here are a few cheeky pics of us and of-course the bride.

I had planned to launch them yesterday on her wedding day as I was so excited and knew a few people would be keen to see what she wore but instead held tight until after the ceremony, but quickly launched them on Instagram for people that follow me, there aren't that many.

I managed to take a few pictures with my iphone in the morning, which I am sure the bride wont mind me sharing, she had a beautiful Peony arrangement and everything was picture perfect. Her old bedroom recently underwent a make over as she moved out, and it felt rather odd standing in a room with none of her old furniture or nick-nacks (like the pin boards full of earrings and jewellery or the 20 bags hanging behind her door). The new look bedroom was gorgeous, and I know who to call on to make over my spare bedroom which has been sitting rather empty for the last 4 years. Seriously Lamby I want to know where the dressing table is from.

The jewellery

Peonies and Roses

The headpiece that the bride made herself and check out her engagement ring
I nearly freaked that it was just lying there!!!!

The bride wore a gorgeous Pronovias gown with a few additional personal touches and modifications such as the lace sleeves, she also wore these gorgeous Badgdley Mischka bridal shoes, I dont even know why I didn't take a picture of them, (please send me a picture) because they were amazing and I would so wear them if we were the same size. To be honest I don't know how she lasted the hours she did, because those babies where high, I am guessing 12cm (Angie can you confirm?).

I am a huge fan of Pronovias and love just about any wedding dress they make, but I am and always be a lace girl, (it seems timeless and I am all about timeless pieces, note my boring wardrobe) and in fact wore the same lace design as Ms Angie, but I had a cheeky polka dot through mine.

I think the dress looked gorgeous on her and in fact the hair and make up also looked amazing. It was beautiful to see her so happy and smiling all through out the day.

Make up & hair time

finally dressed, that gown was tricky to put on! Doesn't it look great

The Bride, Ms Angie

Okay so here is what I wore for the wedding, always a last minute dilemma on what to wear, my husband seriously runs and hides, I plan it out from days before and do a mini fashion parade and even when he says he loves it I make minor tweaks and changes (its like I don't really value his opinion but I do, its just I want him to tell me what I want to hear).

I bought this dress from a local shopping centre store for $30, yep 3-0 ( i know I shouldn't be telling everyone, but every now and then I dress cheap (dress cheap, not look cheap!). Admittedly I have fallen in love with all things lace and whilst I await for for my DVF Zarita Dress to arrive (ready for the next wedding) this was my substitute/fill in dress. Hair done by the lovely Adriana, who received a few pics the night before and was probably grateful for something simple as it was Spring racing carnival.

And here comes the bride, I recognised that look on her face and reminded me of my day, bundle of nerves, excitement and sheer joy, look how proud her Dad looks.

Here comes the bride!

Here we are, strike a pose! CHEESE!

The wedding reception that  evening was at Peninsula, and was lots of fun! Including the Photo Booth guest book!

Best centrepieces I have seen ever, I want them!!! but I really have no use for them! 

The gorgeous 3 tier Double Barrel cake- Coconut and White ganache.
Is that right? I am guessing

Organic Rose Wine for bonbonierre

I forgot to mention I had an outfit change, not sure why but felt like it, then regretted it afterward

Fun Fun Fun in the photo booth. Who knew it could fit 5 people!

Here is the newlyweds

Hope you enjoyed reading

Babs

A few more on Oaks Day

Just a few more pictures taken on Oaks Day, turned out to be an amazing day which suited the other 2 ladies dresses in weather appropriate clothing, as for me I had to roll up the sleeved come lunch time as the sun was making it very unbearable.

Enjoy

K

My lovely ladies

...and they are off!

Wind is not my friend

Winning a trifecta

How pretty is the finishing line?

Just as a random thought, I have been searching for a good liquid liner for a while, but to be honest I don't have a steady hand, so instead opted for this gel liner by Maybelline, its amazing about $15 and comes with a brush, looks just like liquid but as easy as kohl to apply. Random I know but I like to share the good things I stumble upon.

Its BL...OAKS DAY

Here is a sneak peak of what I looked like today, a far improvement to the leggings and hair up look I was sporting yesterday. A future post will follow with more pictures of the day.

I am heading off shortly for breakfast with my mum and cousin M and then off to Flemington race course.

Learning a few tricks on make up application with Urban Decay - Naked

I am sure that the other ladies will be far more glammed up than me, DIVAS (lol). I am wearing my old DVF dress (which I love) purchased a couple years back from DJs at a great price, I use to wear it to the office when I wanted attention. With me not working I really couldn't justify purchasing another dress for the races so I did what anyone would do and shopped my own closet. So out this lovely lady came, given there is 60% probability of rain, I though it was appropriate for long sleeve on such a day, and wedges are a must when frolicking around on grass. The hat is also an old one which I wore a few years back when were invited to the Joe Black marquee, oh the good times!

DVF Vintage print Dress & black wedge shoes

More pics to come tomorrow or follow me on Instagram Roons83


xxx