My life in pictures

Just a few pictures from recent times:
1. My new Ruby Red Lips turband from Hunter Gatherer
2. New John Lennon meets Mary Kate and Ashley sunglasses I scored off ebay for $5.95 (thanks to Rouge Fox for pointing me in the right direction)
3. Looking at brochures for Thailand. Tossing up between Koh Samui or Chiang Mai- any suggestions?
4. Lots and lots of hot coffees at work to warm my bones during this cold Autumn weather 

Birthday Wishes

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a cat-lady. I love my little kitties, I love other peoples kitties, I read Cat vs Human and LOLcats religiously, youtube videos of cats actually cheer me up if I've had a bad day and Dreamcats is my favourite tumblr. So when I saw Leah Goren's shop on etsy I did a little happy dance. Cat print clothing?? I WANT! And my birthday is coming up (dear husband, are you reading this?), just saying. 

The lovely Erin from Calivintage has already got her hands on one and it looks so cute don't you think? You can check out the rest of her post with this dress HERE. My fingers are crossed! 

On my mind

(credit)

I apologise if this post is more word-heavy than you are used to, but I have a few things I'd like to get off my chest so I hope you bear with me :)

As some of you who have been reading my blog a little longer may have noticed, things around here have changed a little bit. In the past, 95% of my posts were about the work of others- their photography, their art, their blogs and projects. And I know that's the reason a lot of you started coming here and following along- because you enjoyed the things I would find and share.

As time has gone on the content on here has changed a little and there have been a few (not so polite) mumblings and groanings about it, but also a lot of really positive feedback too. This blog is my little corner of the internet and I don't need to justify to anyone about what I put on here, but I do want to explain myself a little bit because I really do appreciate all the people that visit here and support this blog.

Most of the blogs I read are personal blogs. I read blogs about young married couples, blogs about stylish girls in love with vintage and analog culture, blogs written by smart and sassy young things with a voice and an opinion. It's what I enjoy. And after awhile, the things you are absorbing, also start to come out of you. So yes, I have made a bit more effort to document fun things Jeremy and I get up to and little snippets of my life. But! I am not trying to turn this into a fashion blog and I'm not trying to pretend to be someone that I'm not. But I'm enjoying blogging these kinds of things, and what is blogging if it's not fun to create?

So I just want to say, I'm sorry if it feels like this blog is in a state of limbo. I don't want to alienate my older readers or confuse any of my new ones. I'm still figuring out my voice and direction. But I can promise you I will keep this up and will continue to share the most inspiring photography I can find, the greatest creative projects I can find and maybe a few little snippets of my own life here and there too.

I hope you'll stay and enjoy this journey with me :)

Fuji Instax Fun!

We have the Instax mini and Instax 210 Wide Format and use them a LOT but it always takes me awhile to sit down with the scanner and put them on my computer. I recently got on top of it and scanned some recent images in so I thought I'd share them with you.

We love instant and definitely recommend either of these cameras if you're looking to purchase one yourself. It's fun to take little snapshots of moments in time and in less than a year we have already collected a shoebox full of memories!

Lastly, I have opened up a poll about the kinds of things you'd like to see more of on here. It's over on my facebook page and if you have a spare moment I'd love it if you could pick an answer. Thank you :)

Wishlist

Kings of Carnaby via Gary Pepper Vintage

Vintage (left) and TBA (right) via Silent Sundays

ASOS

If you've been reading my blog for awhile or if you follow me on twitter (which by the way, come join me if we aren't connected on there already!), you'll know that I have a little bit of an online shopping addiction. The above dresses are just a few I have my heart set on at the moment, and as you can see I have a bit of a thing for collars right now! I love them worn as is or layered with a knit jersey or ladies knitwear. And since my birthday is almost here (hint to my husband) I thought what better time to share a wishlist post than now?!

Smile :)

Some mid week visual inspiration: One, Two, Three, Four

Accompanied by a little food for thought: Don't compare yourself to others. Who you are is awesome. 

Doppelgangers

Me: Mink Pink Craft dress & Barry Bowler hat c/o Market HQ, Neverland amethyst necklace

Ilana: Glassons shirt & skirt, vintage belt, Wild Pair shoes

Ilana from See Me Everywhere is one of my closest friends and also pretty much my doppelganger. We often get mistaken for each other which is particularly entertaining because we work together. So many times a customer will have a conversation in the morning with Ilana, then come back in the afternoon while I'm working and pick the conversation backup and they'll get very confused that I don't know what they're talking about, haha! I think it's the being of similar height and both having fringes and long brown hair that gets most people. 

Lastly, I've been waiting for more film to arrive for my Instax 210 and yesterday it did! So to celebrate we took a few instant snaps as well. I've finally gotten around to scanning in some snaps from the last few months so I'll try share them this week as well :) 

In my makeup bag

I thought I would share with you guys what beauty products I use. But firstly, a little disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and no one gifted me any of these items. I have paid for them all myself and am sharing them with you guys because they are genuinely products I believe in. Secondly, I know there might be technically "better" products on the market, these are just what work for me and my budget. So here we go:

Revlon Colorstay foundation, Revlon Grow Luscious mascara, Revlon Colorstay liquid liner blackest black

These three are my absolute essentials and as you can see they're all Revlon. I find Revlon to be the best value for money out of the lower priced brands. The foundation gives the best coverage and lasts all day, the mascara gives me the thickest, fullest and longest looking lashes and I find the liquid liner the easiest to apply.

Maybelline Berry Sorbet blush, Loreal Wear Infinite eyeshadow

When it comes to blush and eyeshadow I don't mind too much what brand I'm using, it's usually just finding the right colour. I prefer peaches and pinks to browns because it always feels like they "brighten" my skin a bit. A little bit of eyeshadow always helps my liquid line go on smoother and stops it from smudging so easily as well. 

GHD Miracle Mist conditioning spray, GHD polishing serum

My hair is naturally pretty wavy so it needs a bit of help to stay smooth and in control. I find these work the best to stop the fly-aways but I also use Garnier Fructus smoothing serum from time to time as well. Edit: My husband just reminded me that these actually were gifted to me, but it was a long time ago. I actually would buy these myself and when they run out I intend on replacing them. Just wanted to be honest! 

Nina Ricci perfume, Body Shop Vanilla body mist

My two signature smells! Floral and vanilla. I change which I'm wearing all the time but you can guarantee it's always one of these. I'm a little more precious about using the perfume because it cost more, but the vanilla spray is a great day to day smell. 

Body Shop strawberry body butter

And body butter to keep my skin smooth. 

Those are basically all the products I use on a regular basis although I don't wear them all everyday. I definitely recommend each one of these though! Like I say, I don't spend a fortune on makeup but I have found that these are the items that work best for me with my budget. 

Giveaway: Win a $50 Wanderlust + Co voucher - CLOSED-

My giveaway today is sponsored by Wanderlust + Co, a great online store for fashion and costume jewellery. One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 gift voucher to spend instore!

To be in to win just leave a comment on this post. For additional entries follow them on Facebook and Twitter and leave an extra comment to say you have done so.

Open to all readers international included. Closes Sunday 29 May 7pm GMT. If you don't have a blogger account please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Good luck :)

Edit: Giveaway now closed. Congrats to comment #137! I will be in touch to get your details :)

Misty Mornings

(Shirt, Mink Pink from Market HQ, skirt American Apparel, Ring black onyx Devil in a Skirt from Rox)

As I've mentioned before, I love Fridays. The husband both have it off and we always enjoy the time spent together. Yesterday it was a hazy, foggy Autumn morning and we snapped a few pictures before we set out to get dvds and food for a day at home. We took these on Dinsdale hill which is a pretty park where you can see the whole city beneath you and it's especially pretty on misty mornings like these. Was a good excuse to use our Fuji Instax as well! We just ordered some more film for it so when it arrives I'm sure we'll be going snap-crazy. Happy weekend x

Introduce yourself

Images by Katie Silvester, Dorking, United Kingdom

Every now and then I like to give you guys a chance to tell me who you are so I can learn more about you and also come visit your blogs! Strangely enough as I decided to do this again I had a look through my archives and noticed it's been exactly one year (to the day) since I last did one of these posts. Crazy! Anyway I have had so many new readers over that time so don't be shy, I'd love to know more about you!

If you want to play along just copy and paste this mini survey into the comments section and replace my answers with yours. If you read my blog but don't have a blogger account you can still comment anonymously and just tell me your name in your answers. I'm excited to find out more about who you guys are! Here are my answers:

1. How old are you?
23 (almost my birthday though!)
2. Where are you from?
New Zealand
3. What are your favourite websites?
Daydream Lily will be number one forever and always
4. What are your favourite TV shows?
All time favourites would be Gilmore Girls and The Wire (about as different as you can get, I know), I also really like How I Met Your Mother and a recent guilty pleasure would be Gossip Girl.
5. Where do you want to travel to?
So many places! The ones i think about the most are exploring all through Asia, New York and London!