Christmas Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

 

I sure know how to make a mess, don't I? The truth is these Christmas cookies were rather ambitious. I wouldn't call myself a great baker, so I did require quite a bit of help from mum, but, I have to say the result was worth it. I used this recipe, and was quite impressed. I originally, and stupidly, used an American recipe which called for ingredients I didn't have - turns out substituting doesn't really work. Whoops. I bought some cookie cutters from Ikea, so that I could make festive shaped cookies. I love the idea of American Christmas cookies, so I thought I would make Royal Icing and truly re-create them. I used this recipe here, and added different food colouring. It might have been a 4 hour long process, but they were delicious and very 'Christmasey'. 

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Seasonal Snaps

{Best-ever red velvet cupcake from The Cupcake Bakery}

While I sit at home in bed sick, I thought I would cheer myself up by posting some pictures of the week so far - when I was feeling happy and well. With the stresses of Christmas looming closer as each day passes, it is sometimes impossible to stop and enjoy the infectious festive spirit at the moment. Maybe it's just because I'm sick, but I thought it would be perfect to flick through my phone and find some snaps of things or moments that made me happy at one point or another. 

 {Irresistible hot chocolates from The Lindt Cafe}

{My puppy after a long day}

{Our Christmas tree}

Patterned Leather

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It seems that the inspiration I had for my blog vanished into the abyss for a while there. It's back. With the arrival of summer present in Melbourne today, I thought I would share with you my last wintery outfit. I wore this when I attended my friends birthday party last week. I was in a rush, so, inconveniently, I choose the most difficult new piece in my wardrobe to wear. A dark coloured sun dress. The dress is new-ish, but a hard colour pallet to pull off if you're pale like me. I decided that this outfit needed colour, desperately, so my crushed black leather jacket with bright patterned lining was perfect. Then I just added a bright beaded necklace and a cross body bag. Perfection. 

{Marc by Marc Jacobs dress, Windsor Smith black boots, Mink Jewelry necklace, Rachel by Rachel Roy jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs handbag}

Breaking Good

I love me a wedding - even if it is between Vampires (does that even require a capital?) The Twilight series has kind of been my Harry Potter. When J.K Rowling released the first book, I was much too young to truly appreciate it, hence why I was a very late bloomer when it came to my obsession. However, the first Twilight book was released when I was in Year 7, and it seemed the series was perfectly targeted at my age group. I have always loved the movies. At first it was because I thought Edward was hot. I now find it incredibly hard to believe that I once thought this way - hello Jacob?! 


I now seem to be constantly flicking through pages of the tattered paperbacks because of the love story. I think it's cute, and believable. That makes me a big loser doesn't it? I always loved the wedding scene in the books. It felt so real. And to me, that was exciting. It was even more excited to see the way it would be portrayed in the movie. While I was expecting the controversial honeymoon to be the climax of the movie, Kristen Stewart walking down the aisle seemed to be the jaw-dropping moment for me. 


In my opinion, her dress resembled Princess Kate's. (You can read that post here.) It was Carolina Herrera. Enough said right? 


For more pictures - click here.

Fluro Fun

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This week has been surprisingly chaotic. Exams are creeping closer as each day goes by and my time seems to be escaping me. As summer is approaching, I thought I would share with you an outfit that reminds me of summer. I first saw these fluro pink jeans on Paula Joye's website, Lifestyled.com.au. Fabulous site. Fabulous fashion. They are from Target - $49.95. They are the perfect watermelon pink, and a great shape. The cuffs of the jeans roll up to reveal a paler pink. I'm sorry for my lack of blogging, I'll be back on November 24th! See you then.

P.S Photos courtesy of my new favourite app! Instagram. 

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Not so happily ever after

Qantas was able to relax after their two day grounding period today as Twitter broke out with brand new news. Kim K and hubby Kris had lasted only 72 short days. To be honest this news does surprise me. I have always thought of Kim as the traditionalist, so to hear that her Fairy Tale wedding was only going to end in divorce, was quite odd. I cannot call the marriage a publicity stunt. There is no way that the Kardashian family would want to purposely go through this embarrassment of yet another divorce. I feel sad for Kim, but I suppose this outcome is better now, rather than later. 

This is a fashion blog after all, so I felt it necessary to share my opinion of the gowns seen at the wedding. Kim's first gown was beautiful, and very typically Vera Wang. I would never wear something like this to my wedding, but then again, one must remember that this is a Kardashian wedding - nothing is ever going to be normal. I did however, manage to fall in love with the the four bridesmaid dresses. Also by Vera, these gowns were slim line, but morphed into a gorgeous skirt at the knee. Perhaps it's because I like simple, or maybe I just love that Kendall, my fashion idol is wearing it, but either way, these dresses tick all the boxes for me! 

Summer's coming

Well, Spring has finally sprung...and I have the picture to prove it. As much as I loved the interesting knits and fabulous fur vests that were so apparent last season, I am more than ready for some warm weather. And maybe a tan. I would also like to incorporate a colour palette that does not solely consist of grey, black and white into my wardrobe. I went shopping today with my sister, and was practically giddy looking at the bold coloured jeans that honestly look like something out of a Wham video. I bought three pairs. 

*The picture is taken down at Portsea. 

Midweek Surprises

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I turned 16 a couple of weeks back, and was showered with beautiful gifts from all my favourite people. After the hype from my birthday concluded, I was surprised again this by the late arrival of one last gift. It was so worth the wait. My sister got for me the most incredibly cute berry coloured Marc by Marc Jacobs cross body bag. I am beyond in love. 

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Saturday Strolls

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After completing what felt like the longest week ever, it was nice to sneak down to Portsea for the weekend. My Saturday has consisted of all things Saturdays should consist of: a sleep in, coffee in town, Full House re-runs, and my little puppy Harry. Once I started to tire of these wonderful things, I decided to take a trip down to the beach to pass some time...and get some exercise. Melbourne weather is so sporadic at the moment. We had a few days that felt like summer, and a few days that felt like winter. Today we were lucky. It was mild, wind free and overcast. Perfect for a Saturday stroll along the beach. 

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Twinkle Toes

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Spring holidays concluded last week, which meant another full school term from me before the end of the year. Term Four has brought with it not only copious amounts of study, but also the single thing I dread most: school swimming. I know how to swim of course, I live for it during the summer, but there is something really terrible about swimming competitively. I have nightmares about standing up on the block and diving into the cold, chlorinated water. So, to make swimming seem more appealing, I decided to brighten up one of the more attractive parts visible when wearing a one piece. Enter: bright toes. With summer looming closer every day, my sparkly blacks and grey polishes have been replaced with purples and oranges. This week, I opted for two different shades of purple to experiment with, both from Mecca. Maybe I didn't win my race, but I did win for creativity.

{Mecca polishes: Deep Cornflower and Lavinia} 

{Happy toes = Happy swimmer}

Choc Chip Deliciousness

 

As far as I'm concerned, chocolate chip cookies are the easiest and yummiest baked good. I make this recipe all the time, because, when put in the oven for the right amount of time, they come out perfect. They are perfectly crunchy on the outside, but lovely and soft on the inside. I advise that you make your cookies relatively small, only because you use so much chocolate. This, I think, means maximum consumption. I believe these cookies taste the best when served with a glass of milk. Enjoy.

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Birthday Bliss

 

 {A friend made me this delicious red velvet cake} 

Yesterday I turned 16. My day could not have been more perfect. I awoke to a phone full of birthday messages, and a very excited Mum and Dad. Breakfast out with my sister followed this, then lunch with my Mum, then coffees with friends. My day finished nicely with dinner with my family, and gift exchanging. I was completely spoilt once again this year, receiving the most divine Marc by Marc Jacobs black bag from Mum and Dad. Keeping along with a slight trend, my sisters gave me a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses and a berry coloured MJ messenger bag. I was thrilled with this incredibly generous haul of gifts, and can't wait to start using them. I am loving every day of being 16.

{Marc by Marc Jacobs black, leather hobo handbag}

{A gift from my sisters: Free People sundress} 

 

{Marc by Marc Jacobs aviator sunglasses}

{A beautiful gift, from a beautiful friend}