Wardrobe Diaries: Jewel Tones

Taking my wardrobe inspiration today from the beautiful jewel tones littered all over the A/W catwalks and adapting them to casual warm weathered wear. A silky shirt in a loose fit paired with distressed boyfriend jeans was just what I needed for a lazy day in the sun. Add to that a fabulous pair of pumps and a structured ladylike bag to keep from looking too sloppy. When it comes to colour pairings, I'm a big believer in taking cues from nature. After all, when has mother nature ever gotten anything wrong (well, besides the ice age of course and sloths, those creatures are just plain weird). Blue and green is my all-time favourite nature inspired colour combo. The two colours together just scream a sunny day in the park. Don't you agree?

{ j.brand boyfriend jeans . j.crew silk shirt similar here . tory burch mini tote similar here . elk necklace . zizi for florsheim pumps . tom ford aviators }

Friday's Fancies

Happy friday friends! It's been a week of races (horse racing that is) here in this city. You may not know this, but it's kind of a big deal around here. Picture the Kentucky Derby with an Australian accent and it's very own public holiday! You heard me, apparently Australians take sporting so seriously that we've even created public holidays around them. Over here we call it the Melbourne Cup. I never did get around to placing a wager, but that was probably a good thing. Turns out the horse I was going to bet on ran slower this year because he put on a bit of weight. Ha, who knew horses could also commit gluttony. Aside from not attending Melbourne Cup, here's a few snaps from life this week.

An elegant and understated wedding invitation consisting of black ink on kraft paper with coloured twine and succulents. Just the look of this invite alone gets me excited. I love my friend's sense of style and can't wait to see all the details she's planned for her big day.  

My kids get in trouble big time when I catch them vandalising walls at home. I guess taking them around admiring street art probably doesn't help my cause. Maybe if their doodles resembled something like this then I wouldn't mind so much. 

Nothing says 'Australia' like pairing flip-flops (or thongs as we would call them) with everything. I think this photo pretty much sums up our approach to life i.e. relax and take it easy.

Would you prefer 1. green-tea cake with white chocolate ganache or 2. vanilla cake with elderflower icing and fresh strawberries or 3. lemon cake with layers of lemon curd and raspberries? These were just a few cakes my sister recently made for a cake tasting. Since I like to share so much, I'm going to steal her recipes to post on my blog. So tell me, which should I make?

My googly eyed, button nosed baby girl has officially graduated into a toddler. This week she stopped limping around like a zombie on stilts and now walks just like you and I. 

Can't get enough of: Whimsical Hardware

Dear Anthropologie, don't ever change, ever. I mean honestly, where else can I go for brass wall hooks in the shape of animal heads? Your carefully curated household objects leave me wanting to redecorate my home again and again. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, these harvest themed bunny heads seem very appropriate. Right now they're housing pieces of fine jewelry but I bet they would look really good mounted on my front door with a fall inspired wreath dangling off it. Wait, forget what I first said... slashing your prices in half would be super duper nice, but apart from that don't ever change.
Get your bunny heads here.

Wardrobe Diaries: Easy Weekend Wear

Now that the weather's warmed up considerably it means more impromptu getaways and outings are in order. Like this past weekend which consisted of a spontaneous brunch at my favourite eatery in nearby wine country. I packed the kids into the car and off we went zooming through vast country roads flanked by luscious green fields as far as the eye could see while the sun happily shone on uninterrupted.

That's what I love about Melbourne Australia, because of it's relatively compact nature you are never too far from anything. One hour in one direction and you'll find yourself in wine country, one hour the other direction and you're on the coast of the big blue pacific. And if nature isn't your thing, then the hustle and bustle of the city center is always just a quick trip down the freeway. It really is the quintessential ski and surf all in the same day kind of place.

I know I'm going to miss these little trips when I return to Tennessee. The closest ocean is a mere 10 hours away not to mention it will be the height of winter. Suppose I'll just have to make the most of these next two months while I'm down under. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Giant Steps | Innocent Bystander Winery

{ wearing: j.brand khaki skinny jeans . country road chunky open weave sweater similar here . mossman pastel necklace available in skinny version . lucchesi chrome cap toe pumps . tory burch mini satchel similar here . karen walker anytime sunnies . nail colour nice is nice by essie }

Friday's Fancies: Colours

The sun shone a little brighter this week and all of a sudden the city seemed to have broken free from spring's endless showers and oozed sunshine and colour at every turn. People flocked to the green open spaces, women donned their bright floral frocks and suddenly colourful displays in all shades of the rainbow popped up everywhere. Here's a few pictures I managed to snap up before retiring myself into a lazy sun quenched lizard. While writing this post I can't help but think about the trail of destruction left behind by Frankenstorm this week. It breaks my heart to see so many deaths and damages. If you are like me sitting in the comforts of your home feeling helpless about the situation then here are a few ways you can help out.

- The largest organisation of its kind, the Red Cross is accepting donations here or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. They are also looking for volunteers to assist in shelters, more information here.
- Salvation Army is providing food and shelter to victims. Donate online or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
- New York Cares is the city's largest volunteer organisation. Click here to donate or sign up here to volunteer with the relief efforts.
- Global Giving has set up a Sandy relief that includes victims in the Caribbean. Click here to donate.
- The Mayor's Fund for New York is also accepting donations. Click here to donate.

City laneways bursting with overhead lightboxes and colourful signage all competing for a second glance from the bustling crowd. 

A display of the most beautifully made in Italy pinwheels. The sight of them is enough to bring out anyone's inner child. So far this week I have walked past this display twice and now my kids own 4 of these... soon they'll have enough to start a mini wind farm. 

Finally mixed and matched the perfect set of indigo crockery. Don't you think they make fine props for {camo meets couture} baking recipes?   

An oversized scarf has to be the most versatile item that ever existed. Here I'm wearing my leopard scarf as a cover-all for a day at the hot spring. Too bad they don't make kiddie versions.

Another week of friday's fancies and another yellow and blue colour inspiration. The more I look around the more I see this particular combo. I love these glazed blue subway tiles paired with the yellow lacquer. Plus a chalkboard this colourful is just begging for me to pop inside.