16.12.11

last day of work until 2012

and its a half day as well! the countdown is finally in single digits and the packing will begin this afternoon.

cant wait to board that plane, first stop singapore for a mini holiday and then the mother land :)

i hope you all have a wonderful festive season, be safe

xx

14.12.11

A-Z of me

A. Age – 23.
B. Bed size – Queen. So much space, not enough pillows
C. Chore that you hate – Washing dishes and mopping floors.
D. Diamonds- yes please!
E. Essential start to your day – My morning coffee. Or Tea. Or Chai latte.
F. Favorite color – Depends on the season. At this time of the year its mostly corals or reds
G. Gold or silver – Both…or can I be fussy and say Platinum?
H. Height – 168cm
I. Instruments you play – None L I always wished to be play the piano though
J. Job title – Employment Coach- Assisting the unemployed to get back into the workforce or into training.
K. Kids – Not yet! Someday :)
L. Live – West Australia
M. Mother’s name – Pearl Rosemary
N. Nicknames – Candy, but that is very rare. Mostly I get called by my full name Candice Leigh
O. Overnight hospital stays – Nope. None yet J
P. Pet peeves – People who constantly say “Oh my God”. Or people that talk in text talk. LOL. No, you aren’t laughing out loud, so please stop.
Q. Quote from a movie – The Notebook, the “Bird” quote. I know, mushy.
R. Right or left handed – Right.
S. Siblings – One younger brother. He is kinda cool
T. Time it takes you to get ready – Week day mornings- about 25 minutes . Going out routine is about an hour and a half.
U. Underwear – bit to personal?
V. Vegetable you hate – Not a fan of eggplant
W. What makes you run late – not being able to read maps. Or driving in an unfamiliar area.
X. X-rays you’ve had – One on my fractured nose @ 5yo and then one on my teeth last week.
Y. Yummy food you make – I love cooking- don’t do it as often as I would like to though. I make awesome guacamole J and I make a pretty good capsicum/ tomato & pepperoni pasta. Yum!
Z. Zoo animal – I adore the meerkats, the lions and the giraffes

7.12.11

MIA

i know, i know, i have been missing in action ofr little while- but i have the best excuse ever- last minute planning for my trip. so many unexpected things have come up, including me freaking out about the weather in south africa that i just have not found the time to take photos or post anything of worth.

hopefully things will settle down for my last week so i can get my packing done. look out for a cool post before i leave :)

xx

22.11.11

Notes from London

Note Two

Hi again! Apologies for the late entry it's been an intense roller coaster week. But to be cheesy...... I'm back on solid grown now with a smile on my face and a little bit more of an understanding of who I am becoming. 
And that is what its all about right? 


Alright, enough of the serious talk. My note from London this week is all about something else that has been happening over the last few weeks and that is... winter.  Yes I know it's always cold in England but this cold is different and it comes and goes with no warning.

I love it. Its crisp, its fresh, its very traditional and cliche and it means I have more of an excuse to buy coffee everyday. However I have no. idea. how. to. dress. for it.  One morning it might be freezing but I'll go out in my ballerinas and a light coat. Then the next day I would have learnt from my under-dressing of the previous day and wear a heavier coat and boots and then turn out to be overdressed because its not as cold!

Assuming English girls don't have this problem I've been trying to play close attention to how they are dressing for winter.. you know learn from the natives.... Now by natives I would like to point out that I mean girls from South West London were I live and work. It's important to note that women's fashion does kind of very from area code to area code. And central London... Well that's another story.


SW London girls are what I would call preppy or traditional for the most part with the odd few who add a bit of Alexa Chung-ish flair to an outfit such as a purple nail polish or a kitch accessory. 


Their secret to Winter dressing is layering and the reason they do it so well is because they understand how to mix colors, patterns and fabrics so the layering seems seamless and light. (Unlike me who today felt like the Michelin man in my 10 thousand layers)

It seems I have a lot of learning (and shopping) to do!






21.11.11

appreciate

quite a self explanatory post that i would like to start including on a regular basis.
working in the industry that i do, i have come across many a sad story and situation. it kind of makes me think to myself- what am i grateful for? what more can i do to be a better version of myself? how can i show appreciation for the good things and people that i have in my life? which brings us to the first "appreciation" post.

1. the boy. he continues to show me how to be better. and cooks for me. come on!

2. mothers. specifically the many mothers i have in my life. i have caught a small glimpse into what being a mum is like, the sacrifices that are made, the lack of sleep and the awe- inspiring love that comes with being a mum. i love the relationship that i have with my mum. we talk about everything and even though sometimes i feel like im the "mum", she still is most definately one the bravest, most selfless woman i have ever known.

3.time out from everyday life. recently went away for a mini break from reality and loved it. it was much needed and i came back refreshed, and in the right frame of mind. even the drive there and back was relaxing, being able to spend a solid few hours leaving the bills and work and responsibilities behind. just spending time away.

4. summer. i miss summer when its gone so much. i love the feel of the sun on my skin, soaking up the vitamin d and trying to get abit of colour happening (safely ofcourse). summer is like a giant hug for me,  filled with exotic fruits, cocktails and sunscreen.

5. coffee. its more than a morning drink. its the way i wake up and get myself prepped for the day. usually  previously i would have 2 or 3 coffee's a day but as i am being "healthy" and "aware" of what i eat and drink, i have reduced myself to a lowly ONE COFFEE A DAY. there are times i question my sanity but beauty is pain right?

who/ what are you appreciating this week?

17.11.11

homeward bound

sipping on champers

bubye marg's...hello cheese


gorgeous bed of colour

rose & cabernet


favourite winery


15.11.11

south bound

passionfruit & vanilla cocktail

angel hair past w blue manna crab

peanut butter

having a titanic moment

<3

this last weekend gone by, the boy and i took a trip down the coast for the wedding of two of our good friends. ofcourse i had to document the trip through instagram. enjoy :)


xx

8.11.11

cross continental blogging

i have had the privilege of knowing and being friends with the lovely Dominik for 5years now. when she told me that she was finally taking the plunge and moving to london town indefinitely, i was a mixture of super excited for her and super sad for me. no more friday night coffee catch up’s or saturday shopping L in the 9 or so months that she has been gone, we have tried to keep in contact often, emailing, whatssapping and facebooking constantly- me always wanting more and more info on the “cool” life of dominik in london town. so, because dominik is quite the awesome person, she came up with the idea for us to do weekly cross continental guest posting on each other’s blogs. i look forward to dominik’s weekly update on all things cool and all things London. i hope to have some cool things to add to her blog on a weekly basis as well, so look out for it J enjoy!

A note from London



Week One


Hello, so we finally got our act together huh? Our first blog entry swap. Suddenly I find myself a little nervous, a little self conscious and without much to say.

I've been thinking about it all weekend actually ... and then I  just realized what better to say in my first Note from London then what I am thinking and going through right now. I mean the whole point of this swap is to bring us closer together in our day to day lives even though we are so far away right?

So here goes.

It's been almost nine months now since I arrived in lodon or is it ten? I loose track.

It's gone incredibly fast and yet it feels like a lifetime with so much happening in what reality is a short time. We've lived in a hostel for six week, on a new friends couch for two months, got jobs and lost jobs, made a family out of flatmates, spent birthdays in Paris and drank steins in Munich.

And now after so much adventure it seems like we've formed a routine and life has kind of slowed down a bit which on one hand means we feel at home in London (trust me if you had told me that in April I wouldnt have believed you) and on the other hand means its a little easier to forget how lucky we are to be in this situation.

So as I've always tried to remember.. You have to look at the little things. So for my first note from London here are the little things that made my weekend, and a little insight into my life here.  As seen through the eyes of our favorite app Instagram.

1. Autumn

2. Sad looking sneakers that have seen the world.

3. A date with the boy.

4. Trying new things.


So there you have it a tiny insight into things going on with me here.  Can't wait to see and hear about your weekend. I'm sure it was lovely and warm (its freezing over here!).  

This weekend I'm on the hunt for new shoes. As you can see mine are looking terribly sad. So Notes from London are heading shoe shopping!

Until then. Thanks for letting me guest blog. 

Miss ya.

x

3.11.11

posh


source

for as long as i can remember i have absolutley adored victoria beckham. or posh spice as she was formerly known as. or rather victoria adams. i was obssessed with her when the spice girls came out, i wanted to be her, i wanted to have her snooty pout, i wanted to have her accent, i wanted to be posh spice. i cant even recall how many times i watched the spice girl movie, and how many times i would belt out their songs, or dress like them. it was all a bit exciting and i still get really excited when there is abit of new gossip that comes out about victoria. when she and david got together and then started having babies, i was like a little fan girl that was even more in love with all things beckham.


in recent years, with her rapid evolution from 'famous soccer wife' to style icon and respected part of the design industry pretty much complete, she has again flawed me with the elegance and grace that she seems to exude. Now that she is a mum of four, and she has a little girl, its easy to see how mrs beckham has changed. it seems that, while she (and david) still command the spotlight wherever they go, there no longer is the obvious push for exposure with regards to paparazzi. she has always seemed to be an attentive mother and now that she has the baby girl (that im sure she has no doubt been longing for) all seems to be in perfect balance on planet beckham.

as a fan girl who has grown up with vicki b, i can honestly say, even when she was soooo skinny with boobs out to here i still adored her. adored that she didnt smile, adored that she was so fashionable and adored that she sat in the stands at david's games and cheered. now i still adore her, for all those reasons, but for so many more as well. i love that she always looks polished and put together when i see photographs of her. i love that she is such a strong, independant woman, who makes bold fashion choices. i love that she seems to constantly reinvent herself (hello hairstyles- which i have proudly copied) and i love that there still seems to be a measure of mystic that surrounds her.

style icon? in my eyes- hell yes.

31.10.11

zombies & leopards & geishas. oh my!


poppy the pumkin

 this past saturday, tanika and i co-hosted our first ever halloween party. it really was such fun. tanika and i had been planning the night for about a month or so, going through what we would need for the party. We made about a million lists and refined our ideas for the food, drinks and decorations from ideas we got online and through some of the blogs that we follow as well. I have to say my favourite part was making up the signature cocktails that we had for the night.

we decided that we would have 2 signature drinks for the night, both with a halloween theme attached. the first cocktail we came up with was the bloody cocktail. it was so simple!


leopard tanika & evil angel

 we threw some ice, strawberries, malibu, midori, canadian club and some lemonade into a blender and whizzed it together and viola- a bloody cocktail :) our second drink was simply champayne with a peach slice and peach syrup. quite sweet, but a good way to start the night.

wrecked
our menu consisted of a lot of finger food, such as home made pizza and sausage rolls. The normal 'party' food was also a must, with crisps and dips in abundance, snake lollies and chocolate pastry also around. We also did a platter with finger vegetables & dip so we could pretend we were being healthy :) Such a fun night, with everyone dressing up and best dressed going to the geisha and woody from toy strory. cant wait for our next one :)

photo backdrop w urkel & a hobo

jasmine & dorothy







  





24.10.11

life acccording to the iphone

sugar rush

cute and uncomfortabe wedges

messy early morning work hair

kinder surprise kids


23.10.11

safari

tanika and i spent yesterday shopping for our jointly hosted halloween party. on our 8 hour journey through 2 shopping centre's, tanika came across one of the little revlon mini packs. such cute little bottles of vibrant colours. she was spoilt for choice and ended up going with a pack that contained a khaki, bright pink and a coral. she was intent on using her new purchase and so, home we went, and the nail prep began. i played beauty therapist to the former beauty therapist, as we talked about my up coming travels, which brings us to the inspiration for this post. tanika has been wanting to find a khaki nail polish for a while now, so i guess she was itching to get that colour on her nails.

for this super simple mani, we used a base coat (so important- we dont want stained nails), chop- sticking to my story by opi (from the shrek collection maybe?) and moss by revlon and some tape. we also wanted to use the nail art pen that i bought, but its came out terrible on the nail, so i painted over it. ill just have to practice a bit more with that one.

i dont even think i need to give instructions for this manicure, its that simple, but basically its as follows.

1. base coat.  **dry time**
2. double coat of chop-sticking to my story. **complete dry time**
3. halve the tape and cover the top half of the nail. or the bottom half, whatever takes your fancy :)
4. double coat the uncovered half with moss. ** complete dry time**
5. remove tape- gently! and only once the second colour is 100% dry!!

it might seem like a silly thing to emphasise, but seriously, only try to remove the tape once the second colour is totally dry. if its even a tiny bit tacky, the polish will rip and the effect will be ruined.

and TA- DA, safari themed nails. kinda :)



x

19.10.11

south of the border

two months to go until the trip of the year!!! i have started making a list of things to pack, getting more and more excited about christmas and nye, trying to make a list of places to go/ things to do/ people to see. it’s all so exciting for me, even more so as it is the first international trip that the boy and i will be taking together. if it can get even more exciting on top of that, its also the first time we will be meeting each other's extended family. exciting. and maybe a little daunting. but mostly exciting :)

so far, i have made a mental list of the things i want to take. from nail polish (perfect holiday manicures are a must) to the two bikinis i have bought (so far) as well as which heels i will be taking. mentally i have been putting outfits together for a while, so i think my packing process is a little refined already. i do tend to physically put outfits together and cull from there so im not too stressed. i think im a pretty organised kinda girl anyways, but when it comes to travel, i become this monster, who has to have a list for everything. and you better believe that im checkin' it twice. maybe even thrice. seriously.

its going to be  super-hot and humid when we are down in africa, so i will most likely be living in shorts, rompers, skirts and maxi's. to go with this type of weather, i will probably be rocking flats,sandles and havaiana's a whole lot. and papaw. alot of lucas' papaw ointment. i use that stuff for everything. it is amazing.

so, pretty much, im in super planning mode. and i love it.

pretty pretty



came across the extremely talented australian illustrator sarah hankinson and i am in love with her fashion illustrations. how gorgeous! head over to her tumblr and browse the beauty :)

xx

11.10.11

beautiful curves ahead

i recently came across a few pictures of the absolutely stunning tara lynn who has had a spread in elle france 2010 (as well as vogue italia, glamour and v magazine) and was completely blown away by her. i trawled the internets and googled her loads and even went as far as saving a few of her pictures to my desktop. she is just so stunning. so, because i am so lovley, i'm sharing the love below :) feel free to fall in love.




Tara Lynn


5.10.11

Se7en

i was inspired a long while ago by Chloe to do this post...so here it is. finally.


Places you would like to visit
o   Paris (specifically the Louvre)
o   Cape Town (the countdown is on)
o   Brazil (Soccer World Cup 2014- yes please!!)
o   London
o   New York
o   Spain
o   Greek Islands
o   Macaroons…I have tried and failed. Dismally.
o   Red velvet cupcakes  like this.
o   Decorative pieces for my home. Mostly paintings or jewelled frames.
o   A patch work quilt in gorgeous pastel colours.
o   My own avocado and olive oil hair masks and face masks. I always say I will…and I never do.
o   Chunky bead/ jewelled neck pieces similar to these.
o   Cheese soufflĂ©…or any soufflĂ© really. 

People you would like to meet- dead or alive
o   My paternal grandfather. He died way before I was even thought of.
o   Angelina Jolie- I adore her. Besides all the Team Aniston/ Jolie drama, a dozen kids and counting and the humanitarian stuff. I just think she is beautiful.
o   Michelle and Barack Obama. I just think they would be cool to hang out with.
o   Coco Chanel. I’d thank her for her wonderful advice. “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off."
o   Leonardo Da Vinci. I am a massive art nerd. I adore the Renaissance period.
o   Jesus.  For obvious reasons.
o   Nelson Mandela. Inspirational.
Things you would like to own
o   A puppy.
o   A Chanel 2.55 handbag
o   A room in my home, filled with all my books.  This room will have a fireplace and a few original Monet’s. Ofcourse.
o   A pool
o   A pair of Charlotte Olympia’s, Brian Atwood’s or Christian Louboutin. Or five. Thanks.
o   A Vera Wang wedding dress. Or Marchesa. Or Monique Lhuiller. I’m not fussy. Really.
o   A baby. I love babies, and toddlers. It’s weird.
Things that annoy you
o   Attention seeking people/ people that constantly try to gain sympathy
o   Having to repeat myself. If you didn’t hear it the first time, you don’t deserve to hear it. Seriously.
o   Girls who wear foundation that is way too light/ dark for them. Ever heard of a mirror? Use it. This applies to fake tanning.
o   This goes a bit further than ‘annoy’- but domestic violence. Or violence in general.
o   Chapped lips and chipped nail polish.
o   Jealousy
o   Two faced people
Films that you love
o   The Notebook
o   The Lion King
o   Bambi
o   Titanic
o   E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
o   Blue Valentine
o   Pretty Woman
Things that delight
o   A warm bubble bath/ hot shower
o   Macaroni and cheese
o   Hugs from the boy/ Mum/ BFFL
o   Trashy reality TV
o   Fashion/ Beauty/ Wedding blogs
o   Speaking to my Ouma in Africa
o   desert
Favourite songs
o   Dream Lover- Mariah Carey
o   September- Earth Wind and Fire
o   Someone Like You- Adele
o   Talking to the Moon- Bruno Mars
o   Billie Jean- Michael Jackson
o   I Will Always Love You- Whitney Houston
o   Make You Feel My Love- Adele
Funny Words
o   Guarantee
o    SoufflĂ©
o   Umpteen
o   Thesaurus
o    Metacarpal
o   Geriatric
o   Adjective

28.9.11

instaweek


mums vanilla, strawberry and cream cake

loving the colour constrast

tanika's photography skills

dinner spread