Insta-addict

Well, as i believe i have mentioned previously... I am a bit of an Instagram addict lately. I generally post at least one photo a day. So I thought perhaps I would share my weeks (or in this case roughly two weeks) photos as a blog post for those of you who don't have Instagram and also so my constant posting can contribute to my blog rather than just my inane social networking on my phone. All going well, I will try and post once a week with the photos from the past week.

gee... thanks mister bird.

freshly picked. freshly squeezed.

my cookie.

Twin Peaks. kitten. bed.

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Sir Rufus

dog walkage is serious business.

queen of hearts dunagrees.

why oh why is this so close to the royal show. i need to win the lotto.

ever feel like you're out of place, even among 'your own kind'?

haha. and that they took photos...

it's oddly comforting that my friends get themselves in situations like this... and rather entertaining that they message me about it.

i know it's daylight but I can't face it. artificial light is much more my type today...

lions and tigers and bears, oh my! A big thanks to the 300 of you lovelies, and a big welcome to number 300 @shameless_originals ^.^

...with a single pillow underneath your single head.

so is this lamp.

this tie is rad.

that was... interesting.

yep.

well... I haven't had a Redbull in over a week (compared to AT LEAST one a day). Turns out I'm less tired when I don't drink it - think I over did it and became immune lol. But, I'm a sucker for my vices and am about to have one. Here's hoping it actually does what it's supposed to for once...

found one more of one of my favourite teas. unless I come across another stray one this is it...

ooooohhhhh. cute socks.

is it bad that looking at your lunch box (and not whats in it) can make you hungry hehe

freddies.

And the silence, it became so very clear that you had long ago disappeared. I cursed myself for being surprised that this didn't play like it did in my mind...

sailor pants.

My brain's repeating... "If you've got an impulse let it out" but they never make it past my mouth.

ah, thanks JB. pity it's not the stuff I ordered on the 8th of June!

Am I the only Adelaidian in their 20 something's who still gets excited about the Royal Show? hehe. Less than a month! Looking forward to sussing out these new rides too: No Limit, Disco O, Sky Trail, Skywalker and Psychodelic.

today's brooch.

swoonage. must have.

i want one of these... right now.

these are not as good as i remember...

Busted! And I can't believe I trusted, implicitly. And I lusted for reality. I got rusted anxiety. Come on. You can tell me. Stop yanking my chain. I know you are hiding everything. Do you know what I mean? Do you know what I know? Yeah you better believe it. Do you see what I see? Do you understand me? Baby, are you feeling me? Tell me. How do you sleep? In your bed of true deceit. Are you hungry? Hungry for me? Or is it just conditioning?

last one. and I bet they don't/stock make this anymore either as with almost every other tea I've decided to like...

tasty :S lol. and yes... of course I feed my cat from a crystal plate.

really.

Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted

First of all, a big up yours to the people who think I don't leave my comfort zone/try anything new. Secondly, a change is NOT as good as holiday. Thirdly, to the other ladies in the lunch room... Carbs will not kill you (contrary to popular belief) and I am not some reject breed of alien because my lunch comes in a cup occasionally.

bad hair day = hat.

you know your'e a cat lady when...

I've had this since I was a kid and remember liking it, considering re-reading it... Its such a beautiful book. anyone read it recently?

 four eyes.

PS. Please excuses the jumbled spacing/poor layout of photographs. Bloggers seems to hate me today and is doing my head in :/

The Sad Trombone List

I came across this post a few years ago on GalaDarling.com and had completely forgotten about it until recently when I dug up an old planner I had kept in my handbag during that time. I had printed out a few pages of this list and stuck them in there, with little check boxes next to each so I could tick them off as I got around to it. Re-reading through it was it strange as I have done a few of them and others I had been planning to do (namely: buy ridiculous slipper) but didn't even realise that this is probably subconsciously the origin of that idea. It even turns out my friend and I going through urban dictionary one night having a giggle (with a bottle of wine) was not an accident.
_
I have read a lot of things lately about what to do and not do when you are "feeling down" but this list probably takes the cake. When I originally found it, it was just some new interesting things to try... but re-reading now after feeling pretty crappy of late really makes me want find things that make me smile.
The ones in italics are ones I am keen to try in the future and the ones in bold are ones I do/have done in the past. If it's both bold and italics, it means I have done so and am likely to contiue.


 The Sad Trombone List
100 Things to do when you're upset...

1. Do something good for someone else, even though you may not want to. Do a favour, help them find something, give them an item which will help them in some way. Start the flow of positive energy.

2. Eat the best chocolate you can get your hands on. In bed. Or in the bath.

3. Turn up music you really love. Play it so loudly that it soaks in through your skin. Dance in your pyjamas. Feel the pain lift.

4. Have a romance in your head.

5. Volunteer.

6. Buy a remote control for your camera & dip your toes into the pool of narcissism.

7. Call a friend & ask them if they want to have a slumber party.

8. Throw yourself head-first into a creative project. Something that you’re excited about but which feels a little too big for you. You’ll be so consumed by it that it will fuel you for ages.

9. Do the splits. Or at least try. (Be gentle though!)

10. Sing. Loudly. Badly. Off-key. Whatever you like. It works. The last time I was on my way somewhere really nerve-wracking, I was in a cab. The radio was playing & I was so anxious that the only way I could distract myself was by singing along. Loudly. The driver probably thought I was a total nut but I didn’t care & it did the trick!

11. Cover your entire body in cocoa butter & fall asleep.

12. Drink 2 litres of fizzy drink (pop, soda, you know) & stay up until sunrise.

13. Write a list of things that you appreciate right now, in the present moment. Focus on each of them & let the love inside you well up. Even when things appear to be going really, really badly, there are always things to be happy about. (That’s one of the reasons why we do Things I Love Thursday — to help bring your attention back to the positive.)

14. Indulge in your “guilty pleasures”, whatever they are. (Old episodes of America’s Next Top Model, ginger ale, chocolate cake, romantic comedies, etc.)

15. Send a text message to one of the most interesting people you know — maybe someone you don’t know that well, just to say hello.

16. Order delivery food, just to bask in the glory of the fact that if you pay people, they will come to your door. With food. Warm, good food. What an age we live in, huh?

17. Look through old photos. With a friend if possible. If it’s an old friend, you can reminisce (“Oh my god, do you remember when we did that?!”), & if it’s a new friend, you can tell grand stories (“Well, let me tell you about this guy…”).

18. Listen to old Motown hits. Come up with dance moves. Wear something sparkly & work it out. (DJ Z-Trip’s Motown Breakdown is an excellent time, too.)

19. Write a gruellingly personal entry for your blog dissecting every aspect of the situation which has upset you so much. Post it, don’t post it, whatever, just get it out of your system.

20. Plan a holiday.

21. Write a ridiculous online dating profile & marvel at the people who come out of the woodwork. (“Oh, a threesome with you & your wife in New Jersey? Sign me up!”)

22. Spend an hour in your variety store of choice, set yourself a budget ($20?) & buy some junk. Lip treatments, candy, maybe an exfoliating scrub… Then go home & play with your new purchases. There’s a reason it’s called retail therapy, you know (though of course, it doesn’t last).

23. Wear a fake moustache all day.

24. Think up nicknames for all your friends, then send them each postcards to alert them.

25. Think back on the last really good sex you had. Think about it for an hour. Then do something else.

26. Go out for a milkshake.

27. Appreciate the dinosaur bones at your favourite museum.

28. Grab a friend, dress up like tourists & go & do all the really schlocky things on offer in your city. Take LOTS of photos, & be sure to flash the peace sign in 70% of them.

29. Stick little crystals on something you use every day. (Wallet, light-switch, key-ring, boots?)

30. Buy a new pair of sunglasses or non-prescription frames. It’s a super-easy (& often relatively cheap) way to evolve your look. Plus sunglasses make for excellent on-the-fly disguises.

31. Go to a yoga class. Surrender & breathe deep.

32. Put on your favourite pair of high heels & walk up & down your bedroom/hallway doing your best Miss J impersonation. Have a friend or neighbour who is willing to humour you offer critique. “Girl, you walk like a busted-down freight-train.”

33. Write multiple lists of everything you want. Material possessions, relationships, work, lifestyle, everything. Pin them up by your door so you see them all the time.

34. Go through Urban Dictionary & find some fun/ridiculous new words to add to your vocabulary.

35. Make yourself the biggest ice-cream sundae you’ve ever seen. Decorate it with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, nonpareils, whatever you like. Take a photo. Give it a name (“Jane’s Orgasmatron Cardiac Arrest Sundae”). Devour. Maybe without using your hands. Take a photo of that too.

36. Get your eyebrows shaped.

37. Spend an hour in a department store sniffing perfume samples. When you find something you like, spray it on a card & drop it in your purse.

38. Try break-dancing.

39. Watch videos of flamboyant, successful people like Elton John or Michael Jackson & marvel.

40. Eat animal crackers.

41. Drink through a straw all day. If you get your hands on a straw which matches your outfit, so much the better.

42. Plan a party with a theme that makes you feel really, really happy.

43. Write a letter to yourself in the future. Then hide it. Maybe in the pocket of a coat you never, ever wear.

44. Leave the house wearing just fabulous lingerie underneath a coat. With heels. (Note: if you are a man you may get accused of being a flasher if you do this. The world is cruel sometimes.)

45. Pull a Kid CuDi & announce your retirement from the world of something. Like cooking, or vocal communication. Announce your unretirement whenever you feel like it.

46. Buy a harmonica & annoy the hell out of everyone while you learn how to play it.

47. Go wig shopping.

48. Choose a festival (SXSW? Burning Man? Coachella? Wave-Gotik-Treffen?) to go to, invite some friends, & start making plans.

49. Add diamantes to your manicure.

50. Hula hoop.

51. Buy some really good art for your walls. Posters, prints, original artwork or other. If you’re feeling impoverished, go to the library, check out some art books, then take huge, great quality photocopies at a copy shop.

52. Listen to Never Better by P.O.S. from start to finish & revel in what a great album it really is.

53. Load up your ipod & go for a walk through your favourite park.

54. Visit a cool toy store & make your friend a surprise package.

55. Reach out to the people who inspire you but who don’t know you exist.

56. Write the birthdays of your personal heroes in your planner & work out a way to honour them on that day.

57. Pie.

58. Colour your hair. (You can always dye it back.)

59. Notice where you hold tension in your body, & let it go.

60. Visit some kind of religious institution & observe a service.

61. Bake heart- or bunny-shaped cookies. Give them away.

62. Be graceful.

63. Be graceless.

64. Make a video diary.

65. Answer questions with questions.

66. Try on a pair of really, really expensive shoes & act like you’ll be back tomorrow, but you’re just going to go home & think about it. (Bonus points: take a photo of you in them. Often you will need to be stealthy about this but it’s worth doing.)

67. Record yourself trying to recite the alphabet while vigorously brushing your teeth.

68. Flirt with entirely inappropriate people.

69. Sing into your friend’s answering machine. (If you’re in the USA & use Slydial, it will take you straight to their voicemail.)

70. Pour pancakes in the shape of your initials. Eat them while watching aerobics on television.

71. Make friends with your neighbours.

72. Think about how great it would be to name a shaggy dog “Toupee”.

73. Go to an audition just for the experience.

74. Tell someone cute, “You’re cute”.

75. Sit in a sauna with a stack of fashion magazines & sweat it out.

76. Find a secret place with a great view. Like a tree, or a rooftop, or a hill.

77. Go & see a musical (or just rent one).

78. Be optimistic.

79. Buy ridiculous slippers.

80. Make a list of the things you want to do to celebrate the upcoming season.

81. Lie down in the sunshine.

82. Pretend to be a dancer in a music video as you perform mundane tasks. Jiggle your way from the bathroom to the kitchen, shake it while you wait for your toast to pop, booty bump while you pick an outfit.

83. Go to an aquarium & take photos of the jellyfish.

84. Watch movies you used to love as a child.

85. Book a karaoke room with friends & sing your heart out.

86. Make a list of practical, actionable ways you can improve your situation.

87. Start keeping a dream journal & write down their supposed meanings, too.

88. See if you can develop an appreciation for a band or a style of music you’ve never liked before.

89. Write a play.

90. Go to vintage stores looking for fabulous old typewriters.

91. Write the stuff you like about your body on your body with a marker.

92. Change your ring-tone to the sound of one of your friends laughing hysterically.

93. Watch videos of Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy.

94. Listen to Divine Harvest by The Mae Shi. Don’t be worried, everything will turn out fine. Don’t be worried, friend just put your hand in mine.

95. Take a nap with your head at the other end of the bed.

96. Walk around a garden centre & buy a colourful plant. Give it a name.

97. Go somewhere that people walk their dogs & make friends with some fluffy creatures.

98. Hug your friends.

99. Tell someone everything.

100. Believe that everything is always getting better.

* 12 - the 'pop' involved may have been redbull, which may have been accompanied by alcohol. 19 - possibly over-done this one. 33 - I sometimes am one of those people who writes lists for everything. 53 - near enough, since I don't actually have a 'favourite park' at this time. 87 - this sure makes for an interesting read, I have had some doozies.
_
I would like to give special mention to number 23 - 'Wear a fake moustache all day'. I think this would be good for a chuckle if it were done in a group (if you are going to go out with mock facial hair I think a support group is in order hehe).

 

 Image from HalloweenCostumes.com

Reading through this did spring to mind a few other things I had mentally listed as things I want to start doing:

1. stop frowning so much, its going to give me wrinkles (FAIL already, I frowned while I typed this). 2. wear my hair up occasionally.

3. buy some cool board games and actually play them (Gloom is a good start).

4. drink more tea - all different types.

5. save some money.

6. wear tights in a colour other than black.

7. read more fiction.

8. break my bad habits, form some good ones.

9. learn to cook something tasty.

Have any of you done anything on the list already? Plan to? Have any other ideas?  

_

Betty Jane Boutique - Photo Shoot

Well, it only took me two months but I finally have some pics to share with you from the Betty Jane Boutique photoshoot I did a while back. As I mentioned in my previous post, we were out in Port Adelaide. Jane had scouted a great industrial area (which you can see). It was a kind of chillly day but I think it went really well despite a few drops of rain. From arriving in style, cowboys and tequila shots in the back of the car on the way, to almost falling over in the little change room tent; it was all just a pretty darn swell way to spend a Sunday if you ask me. Certainly helped that everyone who was there on the day was just lovely and so easy to work with...

Anyhoo, since it took me so long to finally post these I will stop tapping and just put some pictures up for you guys :) I will just say, I now have the Micheline and Heidi dress in my wardrobe I loved them so much. Oh and I have a few more pic heavy posts in store from my birthday outings so stay tuned...

Cherry Skirt by Pinup Girl - Betty Jane Boutique
Doris Top in Black by Pinup Girl - Betty Jane Boutique
Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

Hair and make up - Myself

Micheline Dress By Pinup Girl - Betty Jane Boutique
Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

Hair and make up - Myself 

Heidi Dress: Pinup Couture - Betty Jane Boutique
Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

Hair and make-up - Myself

Currently not in stock - Betty Jane Boutique
Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

Hair and make-up: Myself

Red Sailor Nautical Pinup Dress - Betty Jane Boutique
Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

Hair and make-up: Myself 

Betty Jane Boutique - Photo Shoot

Well, I have been feeling a bit better the last couple of days. I'm not sure what's going on, but something has happened (possibly because I finally had more than 3 hours sleep last night). So, to celebrate my less depressing state I thought I would do a quick post for you.

 _

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of doing another photo shoot for the lovely Jane of Betty Jane Boutique. I had done a shoot for her previously with Paperdoll Pinups, which I don't believe I have had the opportunity to post about yet so I will try and get to that soon too. Anyhoo, that was a blast and so was this one. This time we went out to Port Adelaide and the shoot was outdoors with an old Chevvy. One of Jane's friends was kind enough to not only drive us there in style in the car, but to let us use it in the shoot. I have not yet received all the photos but Jane kindly emailed me a few, which I can share with you until then...  

Heidi Dress: Pinup Couture - Betty Jane Boutique
Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

 

Doris Top in Black by Pinup Girl - Betty Jane Boutique

Cherry Skirt by Pinup Girl - Betty Jane Boutique

Photography - Clark of Festival City Photography

Once I have the disc with all the photos on it I will hopefully share some more. 
_ 
PS I am kind of an Instagram addict of late, hence the filters on the photos...