Wedding Streamers

First off, I have to apologise for being MIA.  I've been a bit hectic and took an unexpected break. But I'm back, and ready to share what's been happening. 

As you can imagine, wedding planning has been up and down, but we are all on the up now with only 3 WEEKS TO GO!

Today I want to share my DIY day, where lots of lovely ladies (and one special man) helped make pretty streamer flags.

 

We had an amazing day at Andy's Mums house, drinking wedding tea (yes there is such a thing), eating cupcakes and making ribbon flags.  It was amazing what we acheived with a production line and a lot of love. I can't say thank you enough for all the support ladies!

 If you want to know how to make some yourself, check out this tutorial from Offbeat bride.

A bit of time away

Last week was fantastic. We had our annual conference, where we went away for two nights up at Matakana.  We stayed at the stunning Riverside in amazing little stand alone apartments with warm and friendly hosts, Michael and Michael looking after us.

After one day of presentations and ideas, the team got out and about with a day of activities. We did  Archery, Axe throwing, an Assault course and then Surfing lessons at Omaha. But with my ankle, I  took the role of observer, and managed to  spend most of the day relaxing, while my collegues were hurting over the mammoth 50 min non-stop effort of the assault course, and the bruises to match.

Oh no, poor me :P

Moon Boot Style

What do you wear when you're stuck in a moon boot? Well, the first week it was a lot of PJ Pants and t-shirts to honest... But I'm back at work again, and have upgraded to dresses. Lots of dresses. 

On Thursday it was sunny, I had client meetings and I had Book Lending Club in the evening.  So I went for my favourite little black dress and combined it with a adorable straw hat. Oh, and of course my book bag.  It was pretty full after all the reading I did over Christmas. Look at all the books I got through in 8 weeks.

I've also just got into Instagram this week, I'm trying to post a pic a day! It's like my own little visual diary. Love it!

Have your read any of these books? 

A bit of a refresh

A bit of Caroline Red: Me at my engagement photoshoot; my couch, my red 50's dress, my dining room, my favourite top

It's amazing how blogs involve and change over time.

I did tell you started off as a review blog back in May 2011, and this was my first post.  It didn't take me long to realise that I was talking about what was happening, not what I loved.  So, inspired by some of my fav blogs, I started my fashion and baking posts. I then upgraded from my cellphone to a tripod and camera for better outfit photos.  And these days there's lots of wedding and inspiration posts as well.

I want to keep sharing more about my style, and now the blog looks more ME.  I've used a colour that's known to my family as Caroline Red.  I've also cleaned everything up, to make it more elegant, classic, and a little bit modern, just like me.

Do you like it?

Antler Wedding mood board

Stationary available from Wedding Chicks, Wedding Mini Hat available on Etsy, NZ Wedding shoot by Jel Photography, Lex and Loren's real wedding photos from Green Wedding Shoes,  Suzanne and Arriz's real wedding from Style Me Pretty

I love Antlers.  I have no idea why, as I wasn't brought up with hunting, but I do.  And when I saw this Antler wedding headpiece, I got inspired to put an Antler Mood Board together for you to enjoy!

My long weekend

It's a long weekend for us in Auckland, with no Monday at work! YAY! I started it off by spraining my ankle, spending hours in the A&E, and now I'm in a moon boot for an undetermined period of time. Less YAY, much less YAY.

So I'm stuck on the couch, watching TV shows, playing Sims3 pets, and looking at cute animal pictures to cheer me up. Hope these little cuties make you smile too!

Bluebells Cakery

Over the holidays, I got focused on the wedding.  One of the most exciting things was finally tasting  Bluebells Cakery's cakes.  I've been rather obsessed since I saw her rosette and ruffle cakes on Kiwi blog, The Moving Picture.  All other wedding cake plans went out the window, but I had no idea if they would taste as great as they looked?

I drove out to Hillsborough, ordered myself a lemon cupcake and iced coffee, and sat with the pictures and menu of cakes. It was so peaceful being surrounded by cute baking, fresh flowers and vintage home baking chic. Then I took the first bite, and I knew.  Soft, fluffy with zesty lemon cream cheese icing - it was pure perfection.

Karla was so lovely, taking time from her very busy kitchen to talk to me about cake options (and let me take lots of photos). Thank you again Karla for a lovely afternoon in your little slice of heaven.

Head over to the Bluebells Cakery Facebook for lots of pretty cake pictures.

As for the rest of the wedding update - I've bought my wedding shoes, had my 1st dress fitting, found our wedding rings, Mum's currently making the Bridesmaid dresses, booked the entertainment, and we've started planning meetings with our venue.

It's getting into the real details now, which is getting both scary and very VERY exciting.

My Style Sunday - Some new things

I got spoilt with Christmas and my birthday (I also spoil myself a little with holiday sales). So I thought I would show you a bit of a collection I wore out for some laid back drinks in town during the break.

Details:
New Sunglasses from Trademe
New Origami crane necklace
Soft grey cotton shirt
Black Jeans
New Nails Inc London - Trafalgar Square Magnetic polish
New Bare Essentials - Bavarian Creme
New Sookie Wedge from No 1 Shoes

And we're back!



It's 2013! YAY! I am really excited about this year. I'm getting married and going to Europe for the first time.  If that wasn't enough, I'm enjoying my job more than ever, and I have these resolutions to make sure that I make the most of it all.

What is your focus for this year? I would love to know what plans you have in store.

Have a happy Holiday

Christmas is such a wonderful time to spend with friends and family, which I have already started doing, and planning to do lots more of!  I'll be back to full time blogging from the 14th Jan.  Until then, there will be some more updates of my break via my Facebook page.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas.  See you in the New Year!

Bond, James Bond

Last Friday we had our work Christmas party.  The theme was Casino Royale/Jame Bond, so I decided to dress up as a Russian Spy.  Dark eyes, dark lips, and a dark dress for a real bit of drama.

We had an amazing time with a stretch Hummer picking us up from the office, taking us to a 3 course meal, followed by custom set up Casino with photo booth.  We also had a great time dancing the night away, where I won the dance battle, taking home the title of Dancing Queen. Pity that I took out my ankle in the process...

Don't forget to link up to My Style Sunday - It's open all week for any post that shows off your personal style in fashion, food, design, crafting or anything really!

My Style Sunday: Christmas Baking

Sorry for the super late post! I had difficulty getting images off my friends camera, so we're blogging on the fly.

Instead of what I wore to the Christmas Party, here are some truffles that Mum and I had fun making for my clients over the weekend.   We also made Maple Biscuits, (which I still haven't received permission to share the recipe for), and Orange biscuits.   Like us on Facebook for more photos, and maybe a recipe or two coming soon.

What fun Christmassy things have you been doing or making?

Merry Christmas to Andy!

My favourite thing about Christmas is the thrill of finding the right present for my loved ones.  But Andy happens to be very difficult to find presents for.  So this year, I came up with a "12 Days of Christmas" Advent calender!  Each box is filled with a different present, leading up to Christmas.  I'm so excited to see what he thinks of these 12 little reminders of how great I think he is.

My Style Sunday - Save the Dates

I wasn't planning on two wedding updates in a row, but there have been some exciting things going on that I can't wait to share!

We've started sending out our Save the Dates, designed by my future-sister-in-law Lucy Olive.  She captured exactly what I wanted for both the invites, and the whole wedding theme. She said it perfectly "Classic, clean, elegant, saluting the old but looking like new".

Thank you so much Lucy, you beautiful thing, you!


Now onto what you've been upto this week:

Christmas Time!

This weekend was full of Christmas joy as I decorated the Tree and did a touch of shopping as well.  And this week has been the start of the Xmas season with lots of work and Christmas parties, so sorry about being a tad absent this week.  Hope you are all having lots of fun and joy with your Christmas season too. 

My Style Sunday: The Bridal Party

One of the most exciting parts of wedding planning so far happened this week! Andy and I officially asked our bridal party to join us.  

You might remember me saying that my Fiance is Robotics Engineer.  He does projects at home, and has just got a 3D Printer, which prints objects out of plastic. We thought this would be perfect for creating personalised gifts for these super special people.

Andy helped me with designing the Magnolia flower and printing them out for me. I then wrote personalised message to the girls, asking them to be with me along the way.  He then made these awesome LED light up boxes for the boys, with a cheeky little message as well.

Baking Bonaza!

Strawberry Crumb Bars, Dulce de Leche Sandwich cookies,
Caramel Brulee slice, Nutella Cookies, Midnight cookies

As with the Ginger Crunch I made the other week, I've baking for my clients to thank them for larger orders, and it's a great chance to spoil them a little for being great people to work with.   Well, it's really taken off, and I have been doing LOTS of baking to make sure I keep up all my promises.

Here are all the things I have made in the last month or so.  A couple of the pictures aren't mine, as I forgot to take them before giving them to their rightful owners. Just click on names above to get the full recipes from the wonderful blogs I found them on. A super special mention to Baking Makes Things Better for 3 out of 6 recipes.

If you want to follow my baking, and other little things I'm sharing in between blog posts, come and follow the Facebook page.

My Style Sunday: The Civic

The other night, my freind Kate invited me to go and see Mary Poppins at The Civic.  It was a fantastic, so go see it if you get the chance.  But what was even more special was going to The Civic itself.  It's one of my favourite places in Auckland. Completely over the top, which is the original athestic, it always makes the Theatre an event worth dressing up for.

This was the perfect outfit, as I needed something that would carry through from my work day to a dazzling night.

The Details:
Teal blue dress (Also seen here)
Navy blue coat (Also seen here)
Teal blue shoes (Also seen here and here)

In other news, this is my very first "My Style Sunday"! Please link up and show off!

Leluxe Luxury

Leluxe: The Charleston

Sorry this isn't a weekly wardrobe post, lovely readers. I didn't get any good pictures this week. SO instead I'm going to introduce you to Leluxe who make these incredible 1920's dresses.

You might recognise some of them from the Artist, Gossip Girls, or American Horror Story as they are fast becoming the go-to place for authentic Art Deco style.

I love almost anything Art Deco, as you might have guessed from my Vintage car dress up, but these are very special and rather attainable with prices around $350 USD.  Mum has the Chervon tabard, but I'm still deciding which dress I would like, and what for.

P.S. This post isn't sponsored at all, I'm just sharing with you something I found that I like.

Leluxe dresses: The Millie, The Chevron Tabard, the Vamp , the Flame

A busy week of wedding details

Pinterest Palette: Robin egg blue, White, Tangerine and Coral

With being in the 6 month countdown, there are lots of details that are starting to need attention. It's made me very wedding focused this weekend with:

• Finalising our Save the Date cards which are ready for printing
• Confirming my make-up and hair artist
• Hunting for Bridesmaid dress fabric
• Starting to buy decorations
• And most daunting, giving my engagement ring to the jeweller so my matching band can be made.

I can't wait to be able to show you more, but as it's all top secret atm,  I wanted to share this wonderfully pretty wedding colour palette I found on Pinterest.  It's romantic, bright and cheerful all at the same time.  Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Bright day with a Solar Eclipse

We had a partial solar eclipse today in Auckland, so everyone was looking up at the sun, and getting a lot of black dots in front of their eyes.  I might had added to that a little, with today's colour combo of blue and pink.

Some of my collegues looked outside with multiple pairs of sunglasses on to see what they could, but the combo of the cloud cover and the brightness did make it a bit tough. The daylight was strange, and it felt like my body clock was out of whack.  Have you even been in a solar eclipse?

Details:
Blue shirt
Pink and black stripe skirt (Also worn here)
Black cardi
Blue shoes (Also worn here)

Ginger Crunch

Last weekend I teased my Facebook fans saying I had made some New Zealand classic Edmond's Ginger Crunch.  This is one of my favourite memories of what Mum used to make us when my brother and I were kids!

I'm sure those memories are the reason I love baking,  but I don't often have anywhere to put my baking energy into.  So I started baking goodies for my clients when they place large orders (If you're wondering, I work in online advertising sales). It's been a great way to try different recipes, and to say thanks to the great people I work with.

Recipe: Ginger Crunch

Base
Cream together:
4 oz (113g) Butter
4 oz (113g) Sugar
7 oz (198g) Flour
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Baking Powder
Knead together and then press into a greased (or papered) shallow tin.
Bake for 20-25 mins at 375f / 190c

Icing (I make a double Icing mixture)
Melt:

2 Tbsp Butter
4 Tbsp Icing Sugar
2 tsp Golden Syrup
1 tsp Ground Ginger

Pour over cake and cut while warm.
Enjoy!

Magnolia Pink

A little while ago, I got the chance to take some photos of this beautiful Magnolia tree in the sunshine.  I was planning of saving these photos to use in another post, but I feel like sharing them as they are - beautiful.

Mexican Fiesta!

On Saturday night, my amazing friend Justina has a Mexican themed Guy Fawkes party.  It was so fun raiding my wardrobe to find my costume.  I chose a large peasant skirt, my black wrap, and a red shawl that I think might have come from my childhood dress up box.  I also happened to have the flowers from various dress ups (you might recognise some of them from Lucy's Hen's Party)

It was such a great night! We drank Sangria, chatted and watched explosions in the sky.

The Wedding update - My Venue

Pinterest inspiration: A cocktail party, lit up parachute ceiling, character house decor

We only have 6 months now to the wedding, so I am back into planning and thinking about it pretty much all the time.  I want share how things are going, but first I need to go back a bit to how we made some of the big decisions.  For us, our venue was the biggest decision to make by far.

I was taken with the idea of an elegant relaxed affair, so we needed somewhere special that could do three, rather different things.
  1) Create a stunning atmosphere
  2) Be able to host both the ceremony and reception so we could spend more time with guests
  3) Have amazing food that could be served in a more cocktail setting.

I literally visited 16 different venues. Yes, I have been told that I was crazy. I entered them all into a magical excel spreadsheet which made all the different pricing options 100% comparable, removing a lot of confusion. It worked by taking all the different elements we would need for each venue, and breaking it down to a per head cost.

The venue hunt helped shaped the kind of wedding we wanted. I thought I wanted something like an old character house, but we've decided on a really elegant modern venue that specialises in events.  Because of this,m we now have a different stylistic theme and most importantly we know really want from the day, which is spending as much time with our wonderful friends and family.

New Coat and Handbag

I went shopping with Mum during the weekend for wedding shoes.  No luck there but I did find this fantastic Navy Blue trench at Stax and a new throw about handbag from Strandbags.

Whenever I get home from work, Xammie always stretches up my leg for a big welcome home pat. It's a part of our routine, but he didn't want it to stop on Monday. 

See my Facebook page for some more photos that Xam couldn't help but crash.

Details:

New Blue Trench

White and Black patterned blouse

Dark Blue Jeans

Navy ans White shoes (Also worn here)

New white and tan handbag

Halloween Ideas

Spider Wreath, Wall Ghost, Skeleton Makeup, Stabbed Cupcakes, Head on a tray, Scary Martini

 I LOVE Halloween, and not the kid-friendly kind. I love that for one day you can create a scary, weird world and everyone can join in by dressing up.

We normally have a Halloween party every year, but because of Fiance's work, we've had to skip this year.  So I thought I would share some of the things I've found or done in the past. To start, here is my Holiday Pinterest board, with some more great Halloween Ideas.

And here are some great costumes I've worn in the past that I shared last year.  I'm not into 'Sexy' Halloween costumes, so I leave you with this Youtube video. Watch out for the Fake Tim Gunn appearance.


Linking up to the Halloween Link-up Party.

Black and Yellow

It's still crisp weather, but with Daylights saving in affect, taking photos during my work week is so much easier now!  There was enough light to take these photos after work on Monday, and Xammie was very snugly when I got home, as usual.   This outfit came about by throwing together some faithfuls together to make something completely new.

Details:
Black wrap (Also worn here and here)
Black and Cream dress
Yellow stockings
Black boots (Also worn here and here and here)