Purchases

I was looking through my recent Etsy purchases and thought I might show you. Because, you know, they are all gorgeous and much loved pieces in my life now. And maybe you will like them too.

A lovely card case from PlusOneDesign. I will use this for when I go to the pool.
The most divine custom made silver ring from Finchbird. I absolutely love it.
Grenadine Cocktail Earrings from Planettreasures. They remind me of Chambord!
Some lovely baker's twine from PercivalRoad, who also makes the most gorgeous cards.
A darling embroidered brooch by RubyJo. I wear it on my winter coat.
My red Lyptis dress. Bright and warm.
I ordered a set of Harry and Snape puppets from Kazzalblue for my best friend, a Potter addict.
These gorgeous elegant earrings were actually a thoughtful gift from RealisationCreations.


All these purchases are from ladies of the DUST team. Did you know we are having a huge Christmas in July promotion? There are giveaways, sales, and much more through all our stores. You can sign up for our mailing list and be first to know about the best bargains! Sign up here.

What day is it?

All about stripes this week: I have been drawn to lovely crisp lines and colours!

Lady Grunge 1960s Yellow Mod Dress from LadyGrungeVintique
Sailor Tote... in red by BayanHippo
Trianon Striped Bow by HopelesslyDevoted

Multicolour Rainbow Stripe Dress by yystudio

Fabric Bonanza!

At the Craft and Quilt show a couple of weeks back, I invested in some gorgeous cotton prints to use in my next lot of creations. These fabrics give me so many ideas!

A-Z

...of my most-visited websites. I saw this on Heidi&Seek and was inspired to go and look at several of her listed sites. Hopefully you will find something you like here to give you some weekend diversion!

• A - Australia Post. Not highly recommended at the moment, I must say, but I go to check international postage prices.
• B - Birdsnest. This fantastic online shop is full of lovely girly fashion and is where I bought my wallet.
• C - Craftopolis. I admit I visit nearly every day to check treasury appearances!
• D - Dust Team. I log on to chat in the forums here often! The Down Under Street Team is an awesome group of crafty ladies.
• E - EtsyHacks. These have saved me sooo much time whilst using Etsy.
• F - Flickr. I love checking in to see the latest shots from my favourite groups - EtsyGardening101, VintageChildren'sBooks and SailorChic are my favourites!
• G - GoGet. Since crashing our little car, we have joined a carshare service. It's great!
• H - Heart Of Business. I found this blog post about being "lazy" very interesting and helpful when I was in a bit of a rut a little while ago.
• I - InnerEarthSoaps. I always keep an eye on Erin as she does fabulous giveaways.
• J - Juntei. I was checking out some of her lovely gift tags for a Wishlist Wednesday post.
• K - Kelly Neidig. I spotted this awesome artist on Design Sponge and love her landscapes.
• L - Lifestyle Food. I have been voting for my favourite restaurants to win the I Love Food Awards!
• M - MadeIt.
• N - NeverEver. Yes, I spend a LOT of time on here!
• O - OneHundredYears. She hasn't had an active shop for a while, but I'm dying to buy a Hustle and Bustle Dress so I keep checking back.
• P - PayPal. Unavoidable.
• Q - Qantas. I haven't for ages, but every now and then I have a look at how far my Frequent Flyers will get me.
• R - Rude Health. This great bricks and mortar store in Melbourne stocks a range of my items!
• S - Spotlight. Sadly, yes, I still check opening hours.
• T - Tinna Fashion. I just bought a fabulous Dressmaker's Dummy from this company.
• U - I got nothin'!
• V - Viva La Moda. This is a lovely online magazine who featured my Anchor's Away Bib.
• W - Wotif. A very helpful website for cheap hotels!
• X - Xe.com. Watching the US dollar has never been more entertaining!
• Y - YouTube. For some fun away from business!
• Z - Zedge - I nerdily just downloaded the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" as my ringtone. :)
  

An Early Morning Visitor

This morning, I sat down at my sewing machine to make a dent in my sewing pile before I got online. No sooner had I opened the blinds when this little fellow joined me for about 20 minutes. I think he thought I had some friends of his - I was sewing up Pancho the Horse, who has remarkably similar colours!

You'll notice the photo I have sitting on my window sill. It is of my Mum, me, and my Grandma. It is one of my favourite photos - just the girls. Both my Mum and I have 2 brothers, so it is rare to see a family shot without a man! It would have been taken about 1983. I think it explains why I have such a love for denim overalls with red!

I want, I want, I want!

Is it lame to wish for a quicker internet? My poor capped situation is driving me up the wall. So, this week, my biggest wish is for Telstra to lift their game, and then, I have two lovelies that have cheered me up this week.

Melbourne Greeting Card by ableandgame
Soar - bracelet by thingomatic

When it's cold outside, and you're feeling low, you need...

Flowers and cake.

Top: A posy my Mum brought me from her garden. Next: A Sponge Cake with Rasperry Jam, baked so the oven would warm the house up. Then: Poppies for my dinner party. And lastly: Sweet Williams to cheer up the house.

Sydney Night Lights

On Monday night we braved the crisp, cold, snappy Sydney winter weather to do a little walk around town and see a series of installations. Called the Smart Light Sydney Walk, there were 25 different stations with art involving light and colour. Obviously you can only do it at night and it really was a sight to behold. Here are some of the highlights:

The MCA lit up in different colours and patterns every 30 seconds

The Opera House close up - the colours shifted gradually, so you didn't notice orange turning to blue until orange was blue.

A giant vase of flowers

A wall of rainbow people

And on our walk home across the bridge, a stunning final colour show on the Opera House.

Ladies and Gents, it's time for...

Such a lovely bunch this week! And reasonably priced too... and even in my initials! What more can a girl ask for?Joyce Decorative Wood Candle Holder by Jeanpelle
Custom Cross Stitch and Resin Initial Brooch by Hokey
Veggie Print by Stockton
Set of 6 vintage Jelly Jars by Vintage73

Moroccan Dinner Party

On Friday night we had friends around for dinner. Of course, being the culinary whizz that I am, I decided to make 3 dishes that I had never attempted before. Yes, I know this is a cardinal sin of dinner parties, and that you should always cook something that you know turns out well. Ok. But I saw these yummy Moroccan recipes, and I got a bit excited. So here's the menu:

Entree
Baby Spinach and Haloumi salad with Asparagus and Avocado

Main
Bisteeya (Moroccan Chicken and Almond Filo Pie)
Spiced Honey and Lemon Carrots with fresh herbs

Dessert
Golden Syrup Dumplings with Vanilla Bean Icecream

I admit, I cheated with the Golden Syrup Dumplings. They are an old family classic and sooo easy to make. But the other dishes were all new! And I was so pleased with how they turned out. But I think the Bisteeya was the highlight of the night. Chicken, red onions, coriander, ginger, garlic, saffron, cinnamon stick, chilli and stock all cooked slowly on the stove - and then baked in a filo casing with almonds, cinnamon and icing sugar between the layers. Delicious.

Roll up, roll up, it's...

This week, I've gone with classic white, black and red. I absolutely adore this swimsuit, it took me half an hour to choose which plates to put on here, I'm in love with these cute bird notecards and I REALLY need a new pair of red shoes after ruining my pair of patent leather mary janes on the weekend (whilst dancing at The Presets, thanks for asking.)


Maillot One Piece Swimsuit with Chevron Stripes by LaDramaQueen
Raspberry Serenade set of 6 plates from AtelierBB
Hello Ladies Signed Fine Art Photograph by AliciaBock
A Little Bird Told Me... notecard set from JHelene