DIY home bar

I am really excited to be moving to a new place in a few weeks and have a million design ideas for when we're in. I have always wanted to create a little space in my house for a gorgeous home made bar area but have had no reason or capability too before now. With saving hard for Europe on the cards however I figure there will be many a weekend night spent in with friends over for dinner and drinks instead of hitting the town spending up big.

I want to go antique themed almost for all the major items when putting together the bar area so here's what I'm thinking.

Different kind of antique side table to give my Anna twist to a modern day bar.

[BIG mirror to hang above the area to make it look bigger than it really is & to give it that something little extra. I want a gorgeous old antique one (I'll rope mum in to shopping with me for this .. so don't mind the ikea one that is listed above ]



[ Old silver tray exactly like above to sit on top that will hold some modern tumbler glasses & a bowl of fresh limes - that will always be stocked! ]

[ The bowl of said fresh limes to sit on the silver tray ]

[ Mid - High tumblers that will neatly go on the tray - I don't like too big or too small as it gets too much if you're doing whiskey/coke or vodka / soda, so these height are perfect ]

[ The Vodka stash that will sit plentiful a top the 'bar' - Morgan & I almost have this whole collection of flavours ... almost - p.s Pear is DEF my favourite ]

[ My necessity with wine glasses - Bigger the better, that will sit to one side on the wine section of the bar ]



[ The other staple to the bar alcohol wise - Red Wine!! That will sit side by side with the big wine glasses ]

Stay tuned for how the bar turns out! I'll post pictures once I finish it off. The biggest obstacle will be finding the perfect table for it which I'm looking forward to as it just means lots of furniture shopping which is one of my favourite past times.

When I grow up

I am completely aware that at the ripe old age of 23 I should know what I want to be when I "grow up", because, well I am almost grown up after all, but I really couldn't tell you specifically. Since I can remember, when someone has asked what I want to be my simple response is that I just want to own and run businesses (that is easier than saying entrepreneur, but realistically, to be an entrepreneur is what I aim to do). I completed my Bachelor of Commerce degree last year but whilst studying and now after I have been lucky to always have jobs that I love, and that I want to be in and really could quite happily continue in my current job for many years to come. But there is always an itch with me and it has to be scratched....

As I'm getting older, I am starting to think more and more about what I do want to do and how I can utilise my strengths as an individual to turn that in to successful businesses or investments.

It's different for me in that if somebody wants to be a doctor, they study medicine, if they want to be a lawyer, well, they work really hard for years at their degree and then can become a lawyer. To be an entrepreneur you just have to always be aware of opportunities that are out there and be motivated in a different way.

With this in mind I wanted to take the time with this post to list out just a few things that I have learnt so far in my journey of different career choice and what keeps me believing that I can do whatever I set my mind to.

WHAT I'VE LEARNT

• Always think positively
• Believe in yourself - if you don't believe in yourself, why should you expect others to?
• Be aware of your strengths and use them to your advantage
• Don't expect anything in life is easy - you have to work at life constantly & work hard
• Never rely on others for your own happiness
• Surround yourself with positive people that love & support you
• Work on your relationships constantly - be it family, boyfriend, friends. End of the day relationships are all that we have in life at the end of the day.
• Don't ever get disheartened or give up if you fail - remember it's what you learn and how you bounce back from failure that is the real test
• Set goals and work hard at achieving them
• Read books you love and that will teach you new things - since finishing uni I try to read a new book on business or investment or self improvement every fortnight.

Obviously I still have SO much more to learn but the exciting part is, I can't wait to continue learning it.

Travel Bug & Me

I was blessed enough at 18 years old to be given the opportunity to escape to the UK with my best friend to visit her family. Whilst there we pulled pints in the local pub and met some incredible people who will never be forgotten. Bonds were formed, experiences were had and this trip was where I caught my travel bug ...

Although the 'grand' trip is not until July next year, which will see my boyfriend Morgan and I taking off to Europe for 3 to 4 months I have managed to quell some of my travel bug the past 4 years by visiting Thailand twice, Bali twice and Sydney this last January.

I love nothing more than trawling through people's photos and stories from their trips so thought I'd recall some of my fondest memories from my trips with you here.

THAILAND 2007

[ Riding an elephant - my favourite animal - for the first time ]

[ Shooting a gun for the first time - 22 semi automatic ruger ] 

BALI 2009

[ATV'ing through the jungle - getting to meet all the locals on the way ]

[ Getting an amazing experience with a beautiful elephant ]

THAILAND 2010

[ The bonding with my incredible family & friends ]

[ The absolutly crazy drinking & partying time ]

[ The beautiful sunsets & calmness I get when in another country ]

[ Going to the Full Moon party November 2011 - craziest night of my life! ]

SYDNEY 2011

[ Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge - conquering my fear of heights ]

[ The shopping frenzy that pursued & finding amazing restaurants ]

BALI 2011

[ celebrating my 4 year anniversary with my boyfriend ]

[ Creating our own fun, memories & traditions - like afternoon happy hours wherever we are in the world ]

Until my next adventure I will keep dreaming of exotic places & scheming my next holiday ... stay tuned

Motivation for Inspiration

I love to be inspired daily and am constantly seeking out new things that will spark my interest and motivate me.

It could be something as simple as a colour that I love, a dress I have on my wish list, it could be the start of a new season or a beautiful picture of a country I have plans to travel too, it can all easily inspire me impossibly. Wanting something and writing it down (refer back to my previous post here I wrote about goals) keeps my eye on the prize and keeps me working towards HOW I'm going to get what I want. It could mean that I have to save harder, expand my networks, train harder at the gym (fit in a beautiful dress) - whatever it is - it helps to keep a visual of what it is that is inspiring me.

In light of this, and the fact I am doing up my own inspiration room (my glamourous word for a normal persons average study or office) I have decided I am going to do up a beautiful board of inspiration so I can pin everything that is currently keeping me motivated & things I love.

(EXAMPLE OF AN INSPIRATION BOARD)

So here's what I am going to need to get my inspiration board going - a Do It Yourself Anna guide if you will.

 

1. GET CHIP BOARD - a big one.

2. GET PLENTY OF PINS - to hang all my inspirational cut outs

3. HANG ALL MY PRETTY THINGS UP - in a messy, non methodical manner

 

=

GET INSPIRED

Stay tuned for the debut of my started Inspiration board - can't wait!

E is for Exercise

So for a little while now I feel I have finally found my 'groove' at the gym, and can happily say that I am a self confessed exercise enthusiast. How I know this is that at 5:30am every morning when my alarm goes off, I don't mind getting out of bed at that un godly hour to go and do my morning work out and even get excited when I break personal bests on the cross trainer.

My downfall though - is weekends. I eat bad, I drink bad and I give myself a break from the gym. I felt that after 5 days of solid work I managed to successfully un do it all with 2 days of badness (yes, I just made that word up). So I wondered what I could do exercise wise that didn't feel like a work out to make me feel less bad. I found my solution that I now love doing every Saturday (or Sunday!) which gives me some down time, a gorgeous view, and still a little exercise.

The solution? I would do exercise that I loved & to me, that has ended up being doing the Canning Bridge & Mount Henry bridge walk which is at 7km.

So for those that always say 'tomorrow' ill start my exercise or have starting at the gym as a yearly new years goal, I suggest grabbing a friend/boyfriend/sister and giving the bridges a go (or some other nice walking track you've wanted to do for awhile).

You get exercise, a catch up on the person you're doing it withs life & a feeling of accomplishment once you're done.

Winter Warm up - Scarves are my new Black

I really don’t think anyone can go past a good scarf, but I am especially guilty. My purchases of scarves has increased since having to travel back and forth to Canberra for my job, as I don’t like wearing the same scarf twice in one week (that’s just my excuse for extra purchases anyway).

If I am not feeling particularly creative outfit wise & am opting for some jeans and a top, throwing on a patterned scarf always gives a little more za za zoo to what I’m wearing.

Below are 2 scarves I love at different ends of the pricing spectrum. One is from Cotton On and the other from Mimco.

MIMCO (Latino Cable Wrap) - $129

I love the colour with this one, and how warm it would keep you in the heart of Winter.

COTTON ON (Zebra Pattern) - $14.95

I love the animal print on this one and would throw this one on to give my outfit more of a statement.



Spend or Save

Any female would relate when I say one of my daily struggles is stopping myself from online shopping. Although I can proudly say I have some restraint, sometimes all the gorgeous pictures of the available items at just the click of a button get too much and I make a good dent in my bank account.

I am saving hard to get to Europe though so am going to start a new thing on my blog where I debate to "Spend OR Save". I will compare an item I have my online shopping eyes on, & then find a similar item at a fraction of the cost.

Today's Spend or Save is my weakness - High Heels!

SPEND

These gorgeous black heels are $249 & are Peep Toe.

SAVE

And these gorgeous black heels are $69 from Fiebieger.

After purchasing 3 other pairs of heels this week, I have voted, and gone with the $69 Fiebieger's. I'm still going to be getting my perfect 12cm heeled, suede shoes - for $180 less.

Inspiration with a capital I

I had said I wanted to share with you what caught my eye & inspiration and nothing does that more right now than Beyonce, but in particular the video above. I implore you to find 10 minutes of time (I know that's hard & a big ask) to watch the video in it's entirety. 

Maybe you don't want to be a famous artist who is one of the most talented & respected people in that industry - but Beyonce did, that was her dream, and she is living it.

Seeing an incredible video like that where someone is at the top of their profession, respected by their peers & living their dream truly is awe inspiring & pushes me (& hopefully others) to work even harder, & dream even bigger.

Getting Older

I have this theory that I will be the exception to the rule when it comes to accepting age as I get older, as I honestly just love birthdays so much. The odd thing is, I can't necessarily point out amazing memories that have shaped the love I do have for them - it's just that I do. 

If I had to pinpoint it though I my guess is that it probably boils down to me loving to have a good time AND organising events. In light of this, I got thinking about all my previous birthdays and the fun & memories I've had or created. I've gone & fished out a photo from each birthday from the past 4 years to share with you.

(TWENTY THREE)

This was a wine tour I did as a joint birthday with my girlfriend. The theme was sports (did I mention I do love a good dress up) & it really was a day of absolute drinking & mischievous madness!

(TWENTY TWO)

My 22nd happened to fall exactly 32 days after my major jaw reconstruction surgery I had so I was still swollen & couldn't eat solids but neither that, nor the grey sky could stop me from having fun! Turning 22 was certainly a memorable year and I celebrated it down at the South Perth foreshore with a bbq, booze & close friends.

(TWENTY ONE)

The memorable 21st!! I had picked the theme "When I grow up" as this was the year after all I would officially be considered an adult. Friends & family had to come in costumes of what they had said they wanted to be when they grew up when they were a kid. Although admittedly my memory is a little hazy (too much champagne & all) I do remember that it was one of the most fun nights ever.

 (TWENTY)

This particular birthday was celebrated at the infamous Metro's freo - aka the big house. Frequented well before we were legal (um uh I know) Metros was notorious for big, boozy nights and really - what else would I have wanted when I was 20?

[ This photo shows me pre jaw surgery as well ]

So here is too all the memories my friends & family have helped me create the past 23 birthdays (snapshot of them above) & here's to many more to come!

My Poison

Although I am hands down primarily a lover of ALL wines - blame my Aunties - it's in my genetics, I actually found myself a new poison (read alcoholic indulgence) early last year that still is a favourite even as we are entering the cooler months.

Vodka, Lime & Soda.

This simple (& VERY popular) drink revolutionised  my drinking. It is delicious, light & better yet a bottle of vodka is surprisingly cheap so I manage to keep the supply high! If you're weight / health conscious I dare say it is lighter on calories than your normal large glass of Wine (keeping in mind as well Red wine is healthier than White wine).

So next time you're wanting to have a few refreshing beverages without the bloat - you know what to do!

Making me happy

Here are a few things that I'm loving right now.

(My new MAC lipstick - "Snob")

I have been wanting a pink lipstick for awhile now but couldn't find the right colour pink to suit me. Then along came MAC and their amazing lipsticks. "Snob" is the perfect blend of subtle pink whilst still giving my lips a statement look.

(Fresh Flowers)

I absolutely love coming home & seeing a big bunch of fresh flowers in the house. Even after long or bad day I can't help but smile (even if it's on the inside) when I walk in the house and see them on the table. This is the one tradition (read indulgence) my boyfriend has allowed me to keep even though we're saving mad for Europe. Finding places that sell cheap but lovely flowers has become a great pastime too. I have found so far Beaufort street in Mt Lawley to have the best selections for great prices!

(Jamie Oliver's new cookbook)



Now I'm finding I have more time (since finishing my uni degree last November) cooking has been re introduced in to my things I love. This book was ordered online after watching just one of the shows from the same TV series and I've loved (along with my boyfriend who's a fantastic cook!) re creating the meals on a weekend night.

(My beautiful 5 year old cat Tarzan)

I have had Tarzan since he was a tiny kitten but moving around a lot since I was 18 has meant I couldn't always keep him with me. One of my amazing brothers became his adoptive dad and looked after him when I couldn't. I'm just about to move in to a gorgeous new unit though & am allowed to take him with me so am SO excited & emotional I get him back! I imagine he'll feature a bit in my blog - he is honestly like a person trapped in a cat's body. Love him to death xx

Just say yes

I swear I can trace my goal setting attitude right back to my year 6 teacher - Ms Sommers. I'll never forget the first day of year 6 when she told us to put our books away & instead pull out one piece of white paper and write our goals for the term, and then for the year. Admittedly I can't remember my exact goals I wrote but at 11 years old you can safely assume they would have included 'Get good grades' and the ever important 'make nice friends'. Obviously her method sunk in as Twelve years on I am still setting yearly & half yearly goals without fail. It gives me so much satisfaction to look back at my list at the end of the year & tick off which ones I've achieved.

This brings me to my new half yearly goal that I wanted to share with you though as we are fast approaching July!

To say yes to more things and step out of my comfort zone wherever possible.

The first part is easy, the trick with achieving this one will be to better manage my time even more so I can actually fit in whatever it is I am saying Yes too! The hard one is and will be actively making choices that see me pushed beyond my comfort zone & learning new things along with it! I'm excited by the challenge & will no doubt keep you updated on if and how I'm achieving my goal.

2011 is the Year

Welcome to Lifes Shiny Pretty Things!

I had decided awhile ago I wanted to start a blog to share with people a part of my life & things that I love most. Although I am certainly not terribly interesting or much of anything else I do feel blessed with the life I lead so hope some of my stories, opinions and experiences are as fun for you to read as they have been to live. The blog name came about from being an eternal optimistic & truly believing life is a beautiful gift that I’ll be eternally grateful for, I also wanted a space where I could go to & share with others what catches my eye & inspiration - So enjoy reading about all my lifes..shiny, pretty things xx