Friday's Fancies

Happy friday everyone! After all my cake baking, decorating and cleaning this week I am ready to kick up my feet and relax this weekend. Do you have anything exciting planned?

Before I forget again, congratulations to Angela Nash for winning the SkinCareRX giveaway. For those of you who didn't win this time, not to worry I will have other fantastic giveaways in the future so keep on visiting {camo meets couture}.

Here's a few things on my mind today. Enjoy! xx

I almost couldn't believe my eyes today when the thermostat in the car read 105 degrees! Came home to check my trusty Swackett to find out there's a heat advisory all weekend. Boo

I was just seconds away from publishing this post when UPS knocked on my door to deliver this dress from Alice + Olivia. This is by far the most excited I've been about a purchase in a long time. Can you tell that I'm in love? haha 

This week my kids discovered their power wheels and have been crashing all over the house. They have yet to master turning and reversing so for now it's just full steam ahead and in the words of Jeremy Clarkson, "power!". On an unrelated note, I love that my baby girl is now old enough for me to dress her up in the same outfit as her older sister. Twinsies! 

Nothing beats a lazy day spent gazing up at the world from a bed of crystal clear water. Hubs took this photo from our hotel balcony the last time we were away from the kids. I need a vacation. 

Okay, these Chip'ins are seriously addictive, and I mean seriously. I bought them for my kids but ended up eating the entire bag! If you have not tried these yet, then I highly recommend you do so with an air of self control. Obviously I have none which is why I don't buy them anymore. 

White Canvas Cake and Pink Lemonade

This week we celebrated our older daughter's second birthday. Before you begin I must warn you that this is a lengthy post. Now, back to what I was saying... I still cannot believe my little girl is two years old! It seems like only yesterday when I was rushed to the hospital only to endure the longest labour in the world (or so it seemed) and then be greeted by a new life staring back at me.

Instead of throwing her a party this year I decided to keep things small and intimate. It's easy for a child to be overwhelmed and honestly at this age, everyone who attends are more likely to be my friends than hers anyway. The night before her birthday, I turned one of our spare rooms into an explosion of balloons and pink and yellow. For those of you on my instagram you're probably sick of seeing pictures of the decor by now. But if you stick around, I promise there's something different towards the end of the post.

 

 

 

While browsing cake inspiration online, I stumbled across the idea of a paintable cake. The genius behind the gorgeous baking blog Sweetapolita created a birthday cake covered in white fondant so her kids could decorate and paint themselves. As soon as I saw it I knew I had a winner. The idea for a cake canvas was just too charming to pass up. I used strawberry box cake mix with vanilla meringue buttercream and store bought fondant.

This was the first time I've used meringue buttercream and it made a huge difference to the cake. The meringue component made for a light and icecream like icing. It won't be easy going back to regular buttercream after this. Thank you to Sweetapolita for the wonderful recipe and inspiration.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
5 sticks unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Method
1. Rub small amount of lemon juice or vinegar in bowl and mixer to remove any trace of grease.
2. Add egg whites and sugar and simmer over a pot of water till sugar has dissolved, whisk gently.
3. With mixer, whisk egg white until mixture is thick and glossy.
4. Add one butter cube at a time mix over low speed until a thick, silky smooth texture is achieved.
5. Add vanilla and salt, mix well. Use immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a look at my daughter's first birthday party from last year. We were in Australia at the time so I was fortunate to have my mum and sister around to help out. Actually, my talented sister was the one who made the three-tiered birthday cake. Being winter at the time (Southern Hemisphere) I wanted to inject colour and vibrancy into the day so I themed the party around a spring garden. There were pompoms galore, grassy cupcakes, toffee apples, fairy floss machine, chocolate fountain, and an explosion of pink and green. I'm embarrassed to say there were more people at my daughter's first birthday than there were at my own wedding.

Wardrobe Diaries: The Gingham Tourist

I'm such a sucker for a nice pencil dress (aka wiggle dress) so when I saw this gingham number at Asos, I knew I had to have it. This dress is the perfect addition to my summer wardrobe- sultry, sweet and ladylike. I love the gingham and combined with the midi length and pencil cut conjures up images from the 1950's. I can imagine this dress worn in an old movie where the heroine takes a road trip across America with a set of matching luggage poking out from her cream Cadillac convertible. To modernise the dress, I threw on a cable knit sweater and some chunky gold bracelets.

Speaking of the 1950's, my husband bought me a copy of The Good Wife's Guide circa 1955. It was meant to be a joke, but when I started flipping through, some of the rules I found were quite lovely. I know, I know, being a woman of today means I should shun any form of gender stereotyping and be all for equality and female empowerment. But the more I think about our love affair with all things vintage, I can't help but wonder if this is because life has become so complicated that we yearn for a simpler time? One where men were men and women were women. My favourite rule in the book is: Be happy to see him. So simple yet so easy to forget.

Thank you to the lovely ladies at Invitation to Inspiration for the Blogger Appreciation Award. These ladies are masters at creating posts full of insight and inspiration. Check out my favourite post, Under Audrey's Hat.

{ asos dress . j.crew sweater . kate spade bag similar here . nine west pumps . bracelets by j.crew, dillards, nordstrom, j.good, a necklace by jennifer zuener, gorjana . target circle sunnies . longines watch . nail colour mink muffs by essie }

* * * Last chance to enter my gift card GIVEAWAY, ends Tuesday 10pm EST

Agenda: The 12 Weeks of Summer

Happy friday everyone! So you may have noticed, no Friday's Fancies today. Instead, since this week is the official start of summer I thought I'd share with you my to-do list over the next 12 weeks. Some of the items are on my list each year eg. July 4th fireworks, while others are new additions. What do you have planned for the summer season? I would love to know if you have any summer traditions.

one//two//three//four//five//six

{week 1}  First and foremost, buy a proper grill! This has been on my summer to-do list for the past three years now. Maybe this is the year that I can finally cross this off my list.

{week 2}  Celebrate my daughter's upcoming 2nd birthday with friends at the Food Truck Park. Must remember to bring a kite, bocce, bubbles and sunscreen. 

{week 3}  Watch July 4th fireworks on our Army base and leave mid-way to avoid the horrendous traffic jam. 

{week 4}  Homemade popsicles, need I say more?

{week 5}  Treat myself to a manipedi, duh!

{week 6} Invite the ladies over for Pimms on the porch. Actually a mint julep will be much more fitting for where I live.



seven//eight//nine//ten//eleven//twelve

{week 7} Take the kids to the splashpark. Bring a picnic of antipasti, fruit, cheese, baguette and cold fried chicken.

{week 8} Overindulge in summer fruits. I'm thinking berries for breakfast followed by a light lunch and then finish the day off with a dinner of watermelon eaten with a spoon of course. 

{week 9} Fill the house with flowers in little mismatched glass jars and string up some candles in mason jars for the deck. 

{week 10} Splurge on a new coat for fall. I have been wanting a long red coat  for a while now, this Michael Kors would be the perfect addition. 

{week 11}  Plan a beach themed staycation. The closest beach to where I live is a good 10 hours away.  This means no fresh seafood, no skinny dipping, no impromptu walks along the sand, no shells, no beach hair... *tears

{week 12} Farewell summer by paring my swimsuit and maxi on a grocery run.


* * * Don't forget to enter my gift card GIVEAWAY

Wardrobe Diaries: Pleats, Collars and a Haiku

I cannot believe summer only officially began today. Is it just me or does summer feel particularly long this year? Perhaps it has something to do with the constant 90+ degree weather we've been having for the past month. The best thing about summer in Tennessee are the fireflies that come out at dusk. Before I moved here I only ever read about them in children's books. They really are as enchanting as how I had imagined them to be.

Since I've been wearing my summer wardrobe for the past two months I'm definitely beginning to feel the fashion fatigue. Do you ever experience that? Where everything in stores start to blur together and look the same. Nothing feels inspiring or exciting anymore. So instead of dressing in my usual summery garb I decided to take a break from all the florals and pastels and maxis and opted for a beige and black ensemble.

How did you like my haiku in the photo above? It's a little hobby of mine, one day I will master the art and speak only in haiku all day.

{ nasty gal crop top . jason wu for target skirt . kate spade satchel similar here also loving this colour option. target pumps . 3.1 phillip lim sunglasses . omega watch }

* * * Don't forget to enter my gift card GIVEAWAY

The Not-So Terrible Tuesday and a GIVEAWAY

Hi everyone, how is your week treating you?

It's only tuesday and I already have so much exciting news to share with you all. First off, I'm pleased to announce that {camo meets couture} has joined the Lucky family! I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be presented alongside star blogs such as Atlantic-Pacific, Sterling Style etc.  Click here to check out other great blogs on LSC and while you're at it, stop by mine too :P

Aside from Lucky, I have also recently teamed up with SkinCareRX and in celebration they have kindly given me a $20 gift card (redeemable at SkinCareRX, Apothica or SkinBotanica) to help "spread the cheer" to one of my readers.

SkinCareRX is an online retailer for clinical skincare, make-up, perfume and haircare products.  They carry almost every brand imaginable. The good news for beauty junkies is SkinCareRX also offers the Clarisonic Mia at best price (as seen in Glamour Magazine). Some of my other favourites include Essie, Stila, Smashbox, Boscia, Jurlique, Dr Hauschka and my all time favourite- Bobbi Brown.


GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Now onto the exciting part, entering to win:
1.     Follow my blog on GFC or Bloglovin'
2.     Visit SkinCareRX.com or Apothica.com and paste the link of your favourite item.
* It is very important you paste the link and not just the product name.

And if you're really keen, here are some ways to increase your chances:
3.     Follow me on Twitter or Facebook
4.     Follow SkinCareRX on Twitter
* make sure you mention this in a separate post.

The winner will be announced on June 26th via random.org.

So come and join in on my very first giveaway. Good luck! xx

UPDATE***
To make life a little easier, you can now enter with this nifty widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wardrobe Diaries: Classic Weekender

If you've been following my blog for a while then you'll probably know by now that I'm not the most fashionable person in the world. Most of my wardrobe is filled with classic pieces in beautiful fabrics or unique one off garments I find at boutique stores. Every now and then I do add the occasional on-trend item but never for the reason of being trendy. While I appreciate other bloggers abilities to pull off trendy items, you'll never catch me wearing mullet skirts or neons or dye my hair ombre (and if I do, please kindly remind me with a big fat WTF).
Ever since as far as I can remember I have always been attracted to the Classics. My favourite film from youth was Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times and favourite book was The Secret Garden. Not much has changed today. I prefer classic literature, b&w cinema, modernist architecture and classic tailoring.

When I saw this shirt dress I immediately fell in love with it. The luxurious pinstripe poplin contrasted by the plain white banding make it an instant classic. The best thing is, when I wear it, I feel like I'm wearing a men's shirt without the frumpishness. To keep things looking casual, I paired it with some gold accessories and aviators. The yellow pumps and clutch (which I'm sure you're sick of seeing) have become my go-to shoe and bag of choice whenever I don a blue outfit. Unfortunately my husband doesn't share the same view as me. His comment was that it looked like I was wearing a nurses uniform ha! What do you think, is this a keeper or do I need to bury it in my box of shame?

{ thml shirtdress also loving this one and this one . dooney & burke bag unavailable in yellow . nine west pumps unavailable in yellow . tom ford aviators . bracelets by j.crew, dillards, nordstrom unavailable in gold . nail colour off the shoulder by essie }

Friday's Fancies: Father's Day Edition

In celebration of Father's Day this upcoming weekend I thought I'd dedicate this week's Friday's Fancies to my wonderful husband who works 12 hour days yet still comes home to play with the kids, wash the dishes and spend time with me.

This photo was taken a few hours after the birth of our second child. At 4 hours old, my little freak of nature was already propping herself up on her elbows and curiously  examining the world around her. 

Just another ordinary day in Armytown. Watching them fall from the sky is a bit like watching dandelion seeds fly through the air. Yes, that's my husband up there, yes he jumps out of planes for a living.

I knew I had myself a winner when I found out my husband loved shoes as much as me. I swear he has more pairs than I do. Here's a partial look at his boot collection. 

Excluding our honeymoon, this was the last vacation we took as a couple. Just 18 more years till the kids are off to college, then we'll be able to pick up right where we left off and continue traveling the world. 

There's nothing hotter than watching grown men goofing off with the kids. After typing that last sentence all I can think of now is Ryan Gosling. I bet he'd make a great dad too.