My current crushes

[ New hair - finally love the colour & length. My amazing hairdresser put some permanent extensions in for something different & I went dark ]

What a weekend just gone I tell you. I managed to successfully pull off 2 hens parties in one day - no mean feat considering the one during the day was a wine tour in the beautiful Swan Valley which meant drinking too much a lot of wine in the sun. I have to say though, considering I had never been to hens parties before I couldn't get over how beautiful and excited the brides to be looked. They say you have a glow on your wedding day, but both girls had their own pre wedding glow about them and I loved that you couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces. I wanted to share with you on this warm sunny Monday however a few snaps from the weekend, and a few extra things I'm crushing' - psst I am attending 'the race that stops a nation tomorrow' - Melbourne Cup! Not in Melbourne however, I'll be at Ascot racecourse in Perth, but am looking forward to bringing you all the fashion and fun from that - think gorgeous dresses, stunning fascinators and guys & girls dolled up to the nines.

[ Wine tour'ing with Nikki (left) & Dee (right), such a fun day ]

[ My beautiful niece just turned 4 months old - she is getting more gorgeous by the day, she'll always be on my favourite things lists ]

[ My new ring for the races Tuesday - a fun little statement piece to add to my all black ensemble ]

[ My little man Tarzan ... he was being particularly cute on the weekend coming to hang out with me whilst I read a magazine in the sunshine in the yard. This is the result ]

4 tips on becoming more Approachable

So by now you know my other little 'job' which I started recently is a Free dating website in Australia for 18 to 30 year olds (mentioned here, here, here and here) which I have been loving learning from and watching grow daily now which excites me to no end. On it however I don't just have lovely singles, I have date ideas - think restaurant reviews and events around capital cities, but what I also have is dating advice, which has fast become a passion writing on. I'm no expert. I don't claim to be. To be honest, I don't think anyone can claim expert advice when it comes to anything on love or life, at the end of the day it really just comes down to life experience and personal opinion and like anything in life, you only need to take anything on board you want too. In light of that, today I wanted to share an article I wrote the other day for Possibly Maybe (you can find the original here) on being approachable.

Are you Approachable?

Chances are you're not...

Over the weekend I spent some time with a good friend of mine who is (dare I say the S word?) ... Single, and, for the purposes of this article, we will aptly name him Mr S.

Now big deal you might say. I'm single, I have heaps of single friends, it's fine to be single & there's probably a good reason as to why he is single anyway - to which I simply & honestly reply, I agree with you!! BUT there is more to it for Mr S & I'm sure most people can relate. To give everyone more of a background on the kind of guy my Mr S is I draw your attention to the following dot points:

• He is, by all standards very good looking.
• He owns property.
• Is financially secure.
• Has a healthy appetite for independence & hobbies.
• Loves healthy eating & exercising (& this shows physically if you are following ..)
• Loves his family, friends & is an all round great guy.

But this is where the crux of it is. Mr S has dated, is dating, does date but always has the same thing to say: "it's so hard meeting nice girls because they're all just so unapproachable"

How many Mr & Miss "S"s are you letting pass by because you have an un approachable demeanour & attitude when you're out - probably a lot.
Let's think a little crazy here (hold on to your hats boys & girls) and assume for a moment that not ALL guys or girls want to hit on you when they do say a cheeky hello (or possibly a lame pick up line) - maybeeeee they just want to see if you both hit it off.

Tips on Becoming More Approachable

• Smile More
• Don't be rude to everyone that approaches you
• Utilise your eye contact better
• Be yourself

And who knows, you could meet your very own Mr or Mrs S!

Photo sources here and here

A little thank you

Sometimes in life, you might be young or old, you are blessed enough to find the person who is the ying to your yang - or the fizz to your coke as I like to say. My ying goes by the name of Morgan - or morgs, moose, mulgan, ... anyway. I don't want to turn this in to a little love note, the title does after all say its a little thank you so allow me to get to the point. I was incredibly sick the past few days, & I mean s.i.c.k and as he always just seems to do, Morgan (or as I refer to him in blogland, Mr M) stepped in and became Mr Knight in Shining armour. It doesn't matter how loud I moaned, whimpered in pain, left snotty tissues everywhere, got grumpy at him because he was the only person to take anything out on, he was there for me for all of it. That's the thing about Morgan though, he always is. Even when I had major (m.a.j.o.r) corrective jaw surgery he was the one I woke up to holding my hand in intensive care, and was the one who for days, weeks and months after when I couldn't eat properly, talk properly or be a normal human being, let alone great girlfriend - loved me unconditionally.

So even though he knows exactly how grateful I am and how much I love him after four and a half years, and even though Morgan is Morgan so he probably won't even read this it's here to say Thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick - but most of all thank you for being a man of honour, respect, and for loving me with all of my imperfections.

Who are you thankful for in your life?

p.s I never rarely share personal photos but realised today that life is here to be shared and all of my favourite blogs are the ones where they're the most personal so I thought I would share with you in honour of this post some of our favourite shots.

Summer Lovin'

Deep down I think my favourite Season is Autumn. What with the cooler weather allowing you to start your transition in to your warmer clothes and the beautiful colours of the changing leaves, but everytime the cooler weather is leaving my city and the sun starts to make an appearance I get so excited and happy. There really is just something about Summer that makes me a more carefree person, it could be because of my love for long days at the beach, followed by casual balmy nights that seem to go on forever. Or that the sun sets a little later and rises a little earlier. I just love the cute little outfits and the more relaxed feel ... my spirit seems to come alive in Summer. Today is our first day of 30 degrees here in Perth and although I’m incredibly sick with a cold (oh the irony right?) the smile can’t be wiped off my face.

So here’s to bright coloured bikini’s, warm nights, exciting days and carefree spirits.  

What do you love about Summer?

psst - heres some gorgeous Summer inspiration I found on Pinterest (don't you just adore that site?)

Photos found here, here, here & here

Photography 101

One thing I always admire on so many girls blogs is their incredible photos. Whether it’s lazy weekends spent around the house, gorgeous new outfits or delicious food that you girls are sharing, the photos always tell a story and they all look so professional. I have learnt two things from this. 1. You’re all talented human beings. 2. I really need to start paying more attention when I’m snapping away.

I think taking less photos but better quality ones is the way to go and so wanting to not just complain I’m a terrible photographer I thought I should start to learn. Mr M had actually suggested taking a beginners photography course before we go to Europe next year to capture our trip well but I think self taught can be much more fun. For those who are in my boat I wanted to share with you some of the best tips I’ve learnt so far. They’re simple and achievable so here goes.

1.       Read the camera’s manual and learn what each control, switch, button and menu item does (really I think this alone will set you on the right path to photography domination).

2.       Set the camera’s resolution to take high quality photos at the highest resolution possible.

3.       Take your camera everywhere. You just never know.

4.       Compose your shot thoughtfully.

5.       Try an interesting angle.

6.       Get down on the subjects level.

7.       Sometimes it’s better to use a plain background

8.       Use flash outdoors

9.       Move in close (don’t be afraid to fill the frame)

10.   Move the subject from the middle (sometimes having something off to the left or right can add to the photo).

And here are some photos that I am loving right now - photography really can capture memories and moments forever and THAT is what I love so much about it.

Spring Wardrobe

I don't think it's any secret that I am a addict fan of online shopping. I actually had to spend some time one weekend swapping all my online account details from my home address to my work address as Mr M started brandishing comments around about a shopping intervention when packages were arriving almost daily. You'll be happy to know that problem is now fixed as all packages arrive to me safely at work. You can therefore all imagine how excited I was when I stumbled across an online clothes boutique that was incredibly priced, stocked my favourite designer - Maurie & Eve, among a tonne of other amazing labels, PLUS had a huge variety of options for me to lust over. Never one to not share fantastic finds I wanted to clue you girls on to the site; it's http://www.shugah.com.au/ I have found some incredible Spring outfits, wedding outfits and just casual weekend wear so hope you find your own treasures. Not that I need any more online shopping places to visit but if you have any websites you love make sure you share them in the comments section.

To give you an idea of some of their gorgeous pieces the below pictures are all current outfits off the website p.s I may or may not have a girl crush on the model too - isn't she gorgeous!

[ Bariano Cocktail Gown - $269.95 ]

[ Fusion Kaftan - $169.95 ]

[ Kalista Maxi - $159 ]

[ In the Middle Dress - $69 ]

[ Heart of Gold Dress - $159 ]

[ Maurie & Eve Shadow Dress - $165 ]

[ Loving Things Dress - $69 ]

[ Shake ya Tail Feather Dress - $279 ]

[ Sweet Innocence Dress - $169.95 ]

[ Tulip Dress - $69 ]

The right hair colour for you

I am so guilty of having bad hair colour in my short 23 year lifetime. In fact, even when I am loving my current hair colour, I always want to switch it up. When I'm Blonde, I think about going back to Brunette, and when I'm Brunette I constantly wonder should I go back light. Labelling me massively indecisive wouldn't be a lie is all I'm saying.

I happen to have a hair appointment tomorrow which got me thinking today surprise surprise - what do I want to do with my hair? It then dawned on me. Why not consult the experts a la the big wide web and do some research on what hair colours actually suit my skin tone? After some thorough investigation, I learnt a tonne and want to share this advice with you as think every girl should know it.

Before we begin though, you have to work out which skin tone you are. Warm or Cool. How do I work out my skin tone? Well I'm glad you asked. It's simple - as I found out today!

How to Choose Your Skin Tone

The quickest way to work out if you're warm or cool, is to take a look at the veins in your arms while in natural light - get out there in the sunshine ladies.

• If the colour of your veins looks green - then you are warm skin toned.
• If the colour of your veins looks blue - then you are cool skin toned.

So how does this relate to the colour of your hair? It has a massive impact as I also learnt today.

Cool Skin Tones

Avoid too much Yellow in your hair as your hair and skin will begin to blend. Colours that work for you are:

• Light Ash Blondes
• Coffee and Cendre/Fawn mid level Blondes
• Flat Browns
• Wine, Mahogony and Burgandy reds
• Aubergine/eggplant and blue/green dark browns and blacks

Warm Skin Tones

Avoid too much Ash in your hair colour as this can make you appear pale and drawn. These colours can work for you.

• Honey light Blondes
• Strawberry and golden mid level blondes
• Warm Chocolate Browns
• Ginger or Orange based Reds.
• Dark Browns with a hint of rust.

I wanted to use mostly celebreties as an example of the hair colours for your skin tone as their photos are SO easy to find, so if you are wanting to do a bit more research, it should be easier for you to find photos of colours you like.

Travel Adventures

It's well known amongst my friends and family how much of a desire I have to travel to Europe with Mr M and see this big awe inspiring world we live in. I set the goal years ago whilst starting out in my degree and always knew (not hoped) that I would get there eventually. This past Saturday night Mr M & I spent it at home, with a bottle of red and a big ole' map of Europe plotting our great big adventure for 2012 - & I could not be more excited.

The adventure begins in August 2012 and will see us off to Europe (& the UK) for a total of 4 months. I have questions at the end of the post for those of you who have travelled before so I wanted to share so far the list of countries we've compiled to explore.

England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Netherlands
Belgium
France
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Austria
Hungary
Croatia
Greece
Switzerland
Germany

[ Saturday night in with the map & laptop working out a semi efficient route around massive Europe ]

We don't know everything about the trip yet or exactly where we want to visit in each country but what we do know so far is this.

We want to take in as many sights as we want, not that we can. We want to soak in all of countries we're visitings beautiful culture. We want to taste and drink things we've never tried before. We want to really see and explore all the places we visit, not rush through cities for the sake of saying we've been to another new country. We want to kiss under the Eiffel tower. We want to find a little cafe in the heart of an old Italian city and eat traditional pizza and pasta and drink authentic Italian wine. We want to swim in oceans we've been dreaming about.

We want to be free souls roaming our big beautiful planet. And that's exactly what we will be doing.

What I want to know though is what are some of your favourite places you've travelled? What are some of your best holiday memories and if you have any travel tips for Mr M & I as we busily plan our own adventure please let me know! Have I left a country off that you have visited and highly recommend? I want to hear it all!

[ Little miss excited plotting our way - Mr M & I documenting our whole process for memories ] 

[ p.s Yes, the Simpsons Movie was on in the background that night ]

[ p.p.s Excuse the tragic state of me, but this is the attire for a cosy Sat night in ]

Photo sources from Pinterest found here, here, here, here & here.

M is for Mentors

[ First I wanted to be this ] ...

[ Then I dreamed I'd be the most amazing ballerina the world had seen ]

“What do you want to be when you grow up Anna” – was a question I got continually when I was younger, especially years 6,7, and 8. “I’m going to own a hotel” was always my response and I truly wanted that and believed with my whole heart that that is what I was going to do and was able to do. “oh, don’t be silly, you can’t OWN a hotel, wherever did you think of that” was the normal response. “Just watch me” I replied.

I believe this was the start of my entrepreneurial passion and the birth of my un shakable love for anything business. My mum was always my biggest believer and supporter and used to say I could be whatever I wanted to be. When I was very little I wanted to be a fireman, a policeman and then a ballerina and I still remember mum saying to anything I wanted to be that I could do it, and be the best at it.

Today. I want to entrepreneur. It’s my love, my passion and my drive. If you asked exactly what entrepreneuring is. I couldn’t give you a straight answer. I just know I am always searching for new business ideas that excite and inspire me.

As I’ve gotten older I saw the importance of having daily mentors (leading business people in fields I love) and then bigger mentors who you might not ever meet, but who’s words you sought after and advice you held dear like they’d said it just for you.

I have a long list of both aforementioned mentors to date but I sadly lost one of those mentors today (one who I used for inspiration & insight) …

Steve Jobs.

Sure he hadn’t invented a cure for cancer or come up with a new theory on Mc=2 but he was a hero in my eyes for his accomplishments, drive and perseverance from a very young age and for making his mark in the biggest way as an entrepreneur. I will miss his future advice but his legacy will live on.

I thought it apt to share with you a quote of his that I loved when I stumbled across it at uni a year ago when our entrepreneurship lecturer made us watch his Stanford commencement speech he did in 2005.

It inspires me to continue chasing my dreams and always love what I do. And to this day, I have and looking forward to the future, I always will.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."


RIP Steve.

Photo sources here and here

Dalai Lama's 18 rules of living

Sometimes I am lucky enough to stumble across articles with words and advice that inspire me impossibly and turns in to love at first read. If I'm really lucky, I read them on a day when I'm already in a fantastic mood and the advice just seems to stick a little harder and the words seem to resonate and sink in a little more. This occurred this past Monday morning when I stumbled across this article on the Dalai Lama's 18 rules of living. So here I am now passing on the gift of insight from this incredible man. Love to know if any one of these eighteen pieces of advice was your favourite. I couldn't pick just one but I did adore this one as I found it particularly relevant - "Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.".

What's your ? xx

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three Rs:
- Respect for self
- Respect for others
- Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

photo source