Give more than gifts this Christmas

Christmas is all about giving. It's about watching the delight as your little brother rips open his present grinning like a Cheshire cat and the joy of watching your cousin squeal as she rummages through her santa stocking. Happiness is all about giving (read this if you don't believe me). I have decided to try and make, knit, draw, sew and fold most of my gifts this Christmas and I am honestly having a ball trying to figure out what I'm going to make.

But then I thought it's not just about giving to the ones you love, giving should be widespread it should be about helping those less fortunate too. That's why I felt all warm and fuzzy when I read this brilliant blog post about "not naff" christmas gifts, that are all about spreading the love all over the world. One of the best ways to do this is to visit the Oxfam website. Oxfam is a wonderful, wonderful organisation which is all about giving help and resources to people living in poverty by providing them with the skills and education they need to better their lives. They have a great gift card campaign at the moment, where you can buy a card for a loved one while also supporting a greater cause, be that providing literacy classes to children in Papua New Guinea, clean water for people in Cambodia, pigs for families in Laos or a hip hop microphone for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. Also, if you visit the Oxfam online store there are so many great gifts available handcrafted by people all over the world - what a great way to spread the love this Christmas!    x

Image from here

Who's that girl?

It's Jess!

I am loving Zoey Deschanel's new tv show 'New Girl' at the moment. I've been streaming it online and it is so kooky, offbeat and funny - I'm hooked (which isn't really helping my last-ever-exam study! Oh well...) Zoey is brilliant as usual and her three housemates are such a laugh. Check it out for yourselves and be sure to watch the trailer below. Enjoy!

Wow Wisnieksi

How amazing are these images by Matt Wisniewski? Matt is a super talented web designer from Brooklyn and you can (and should!) check out more of his work here. Definitely worth a squiz, you'll be impressed!   x

Good Stuff Holiday Guide

I'll keep this post short and sweet because you'll wanna skip riiiight over to this website ASAP! Pip from the Meet me at Mikes blog has created an online Christmas magazine. To put simply - it's free and it's fantastic!! So waste not a second more, GO GO GO!!     x

Photo taken from the Meet me at Mike's blog

Happy November!!

It's November! Yup, that's right! The month before the best holiday ever - Christmas! The month I fiiinally finish my journalism degree (which I attribute to my recent blog neglect) and the month where our favourite lads sport a blanket of growth on their upper lip - MOVEMBER! Hoorah!

I must now admit to having a slight obsession with moustaches! Those bristly little buggers are so full of character and charm, and I am taking this month to share with you my favourite moustache memorabilia. How very mousterrific!

1. The moustache pillow - courtesy of freaky fleece

2. The moustache stamp - thanks to the greenteam (they also have moustache necklaces)

3. The moustache ring - from inpapercloud

4. The moustache mug - by modern madness (note: these guys specialise in everything moustache, so check them out!)

5. Moustache moulds - from Flavor tools (which also has an awesome array of other chocolate and lolly moulds - I am a big fan of this website!)

6. Moustache shirt - one of the many available on Etsy from Eden Bella

7. Moustache dummy - one especially for the tikes thanks to One Lovely August

Quiksilver has also released a pretty cool range of Movember shirts that are definitely worth a look! Now I know you are probably suffering from a moverload, but there is also a serious side to it all, so head to the Movember website for male health information and to make a donation. Let's get behind our beloved beardies this November!       x

Totes!

Every gal needs a good tote! Not only do most feature fancy prints but they have a helluva lot more room than your average bag and considering I lug half of my house around with me this is a big plus! Lucky for fellow tote lovers Etsy store depeapa has you covered from shoulder to waist! The shop is run by Verónica de Arriba an illustrator from Spain (very exotic huh!) She is incredibly talented and crafts some terrific totes. Her blog is also worth a visit, be warned it is written in Spanish, so if you are fluent then bueno trabajo, but for the rest of us there are some great pictures and illustrations to look at anyway! She also has some super cute brooches, prints and pocket mirrors for sale, but personally the bearded man tote is my favourite (and on the top of my christmas wish list!) Which tote takes your fancy?    x

All photos taken from the Etsy store

It'll be alright my friend...

If you can't get those five words out of your head either, then bravo on your awesome taste in music. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, you'll be forgiven as soon as you head to Triple J Unearthed, visit Nantes page and download their song 'Fly' for free (aren't you lucky!) The four-piece hailing from Sydney have a distinct indie sound and their debut song 'Fly' is an infectious example of their raw talent. The band describes themselves as similar to The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem and Joy Division, so if that seems like your musical cup of tea then get downloading! I predict big things to come for Nante... Enjoy! x

Photo taken from their Facebook page

Overshare?

A lot of people share waaay too much on Facebook. I never thought I was one of them. My profile is private, I don't update my status often, I don't have my mobile number on Facebook... but after going to this website I feel like deleting Facebook all together! Film maker, Jason Zada has put together a short online film which, by choosing to 'take this lollipop', taps into your Facebook and uses your information in a horror film featuring one creepy, creepy guy! It is set to make you think twice about what information you post on Facebook and boy does it do a good job! Jason Zada has made it very, very clear that he is not storing any personal information he uses for the film, so why not give it a go yourself? I tried it and was rather freaked out. Move over Paranormal Activity 3, this horror film hits a lot closer to home!    

Pop Pop Portraits

Los Angeles artist, Helena is pretty ace at drawing and her portraits, Pop Pop Portraits, are an absolute treat. She has ready-made portraits, badges and stickers available for purchase and you can even make a custom order of your pretty little selves!!  Helena's creations are so quirky and sweet and are sure to make you grin (and want to open up your purse!) Check them out for yourselves over at her blog...    x

Blog love

I have three new blog crushes that I just had to share with you. All three are full of creative, vintage, crafty goodness and I know you'll love them just as much as I do!


Goodnight Little Spoon

This one is my personal favourite and it's for those lovely ladies who are obsessive list makers, love sending letters in the post, adore all things vintage and who enjoy marvelling at great design! Check it out!

All photos taken from the Goodnight Little Spoon blog

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A Beautiful Mess



This blog has everything! Outfit inspiration, beauty products and tips, hair styling ideas, crafty projects and tutorials, recipes, photography, decor and more. Wow! And all jammed pack into one blog - definitely worth a look then, right?

All photos taken from A Beautiful Mess blog

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Here Comes the Sun



Besides having a gorgeous banner (and reminding me how bland mine currently is) this blog is a lot of fun! It features a lot of the same content as the blogs above, super cute photos, designs, craft, food and an array of links to similar websites.

All photos taken from Here Comes the Sun blog

Are there any fabulous blogs that you are loving at the moment? Would love to hear from you all    x

Nirrimi

Signed by a photography agency at 16, she shot Diesel's winter campaign at 17, and now at 18 she is taking on the world... Nirrimi Hakanson - a name you won't forget anytime soon!! She grew up in North Queensland and now spends her time to-ing and fro-ing between Sydney and New York! And holy moly does she have incredible talent. There is such a delicate and haunting beauty in all of her photographs and there is a profound story behind them all. Rich in subject and colour, I think these photographs really speak for themselves... I had so much trouble picking a few images to share on my blog so I urge you all to check out the rest of her work here and visit her blog as well.. I hope you all feel inspired!   x

Ho, Ho, Ho

I know it's only October and everyone is up in arms about christmas decorations already on display in chain stores but I love it. It just makes me giddy with excitement about the festive season, the best dang season of the year! So when I heard the dashing duo She and Him were releasing a Christmas album this year it was double the christmas cheer for me! Working in a music store means that I am bombarded with that many christmas tunes over the holiday period that my ears bleed baubles but I have no doubt this is an album I won't tire! It is available on the 24th of October (you can preorder here). Also their previous albums Volume One and Volume Two are wonderful too if you have an ear for soulful, nostalgic tunes. And here is a sneak peek of M. Ward and the quirky, cool Zooey Deschanel singing christmas classics... A very early Ho, Ho, Ho  to you all    x

Photo taken from here

Woof Woof

I love dogs. Especially my dog, Bear - he is probably without a doubt the best dog that ever barked! Here he is in all his cuteness:

Nawwww. We are regulars at our local dog park, and it is quite funny that I now know, or have invented names for,  all of the dog's that go. We are a crazy bunch I'll admit, there have been punches thrown (I kid you not), dog's bitten (Bear actually, which was a tearful experience for me) but most of the time it's a whole lot of fun! And in the name of my great love of canines I wanted to share with you these paw-tastic photos taken by Carli Davidson of dog's caught in the act of shaking themselves! They are hilarious and you can see the whole lot right here! It's worth a look and I promise they'll cheer you up, which is just what I needed today as I am a sickly, bed-ridden snuffalufagus.  

Flower power

Spring has sprung! Yes, it's that time of year again and in Townsville it means the scorching, face-dripping heat is back! Groannn... That aside, one of my favourite things about spring is the affluence of flowers. Aren't they bloomin' cute? I love the wonderful colours, pretty petals and stopping to smell the roses (I also don't mind a spot of gardening). So it's no wonder I just love The Flower Appreciation Society. They are UK-based and describe themselves as "not your average florists". Their blog is a visual delight, garden-full of vibrant photos of floral arrangements and flower-inspired bits and bobs. Their latest blog post is about, get this: edible flowers! Check it out below, it's actually quite interesting and a perfect idea for decorating your homemade cakes. I couldn't help also including an array of flower photographs from the site, enjoy my little spring-dwellers    x