Life of late

Here's some glimpses of my life lately...

Loving the cooler weather in Brisbane at the moment. I have so many jackets, blazers, cardi's etc and yet I still continue to buy more! I scored this stripey number from Ezibuy for a steal ($18). Wearing it with dark denim jeans, pink top and Red Phoenix Emporium jewels. I'm loving the RPE girls and their range. They are locals and so so talented!

We dragged out the flannelette this week. Flanny pj's and sheets are the business. Even Miss L's pj's match our sheets!

I whipped up a baked cheesecake with a blueberry topping on Sunday arvo. We are still ploughing our way through it. Its super delicious, especially with the chocolate icecream we have stashed in the freezer.

Miss L has been on a rollercoaster ride of sickness of late... Ear infection, cold and mouth ulcers all in the matter of a few weeks. She has one illness, we have a week of happy, healthy Miss L, and then it starts all over again. Sigh. Day care is taking its toll on all of us! But at least we're building up that little immune system.

Miss L's favourite 'toy' at the moment is a balloon or 'bubble' as she calls it. Its so adorable. And cheap! But is hard to control when we're out and about - some shops have balloons set up as part of their display and Miss L is always very insistent on obtaining one. She knows what she wants and she will not stop until she gets it.

She's also into climbing. On everything. Dishwasher included.

This was when she had her ear infection. She just lay on her pillow watching her favourite show - Small Potatoes. Poor little love.

 And her hair is long enough to rock a little pony tail now. She is growing up so fast. I'm trying to slow down and soak up all of her during this tiny person phase... She's not walking yet, but that's ok with me. I've still got my baby for a bit longer.

C xo

Fashion is my Food

So, tonight I treated myself to a spot of 'late night shopping' at the local Westfield. There is a definite difference between the late night shoppers and the middle of the day shoppers. Its fun to suss out the key differences. There's lots of teenagers and DINK's (Double Income No Kids), but I was surprised to still see quite a few mothers with children under the age of 1. I guess I never noticed before when I used to shop on a Thursday night (before I was a mother, before I had a child of my own). I wonder how they do it? How do they keep their baby up after 7pm? Not in a 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe they are keeping their baby up, that's so irresponsible' kind of way, more in a 'How do they physically keep them awake for that long?' kind of way. Hmmmm ok, both sound bad and judgey wudgey, but hear me out! 

We'll stay out late every once in a while, but Miss L is almost always in bed at 7pm. Mostly because she is just zonked by that time, and partly because lately she has been cutting out her day sleeps, but also because I was hardcore into establishing her bedtime routine right from the start. Dinner at 5pm, bath at 6pm, bottle at 6:30pm, play, then bed. It works for us, but can also be limiting. Miss L doesn't sleep well at the best of times so if she's in bed at 7pm and wakes up at 5:30am, I can deal with that. I know she's had a decent enough sleep and the strict bedtime is the one part of her sleep routine that I can control now that she refuses her day sleeps and wakes up whenever the hell she wants to during the night. Even when we put her to bed later, she still wakes up at some ridiculously early hour. Uggh. The sleep issue will always be there I guess and I know I just have to ride it out. A good friend said to me once that there are two types of baby in this world - the ones that sleep, and the ones that don't. So true. Miss L's sleep (or lack thereof) consumes me and its all I can think about. Will she sleep through tonight? How many times will I have to get up to her? Should I put her down for a day sleep or will it just make her cranky? Do I ignore her cries when I'm trying to get her to have a day sleep? Or do I stay in there with her and try and pat her to sleep? Should I just go for a drive and hope that she falls asleep in the car? So many questions and thoughts running through my head I know that this too will pass, but it could be years away. I guess we just need to take each day as it comes. And I need to stop being so obsessy over it all.

Anyway, I digress, so I went shopping last night and Mr B requested I pick up some delicious Mexican takeaway dinner for him, which I did as the dutiful wife I am. I was wondering what I was going to get for myself, when I stumbled upon this scarf at Sussan

Reduced to $19.95, with a further 30% off that... that's $13.95... I could spend that $13.95 on dinner OR even better, I could spend  that $13.95 on this fancy new blue scarf and just make myself something at home? Brain, you are so clever. Fashion is my food you see, I don't need no takeaway meal, just a bright new scarf to take the hunger pangs away.

This is how my brain works. Is that scary? Maybe. Probably. Definitely.

In other news I've decided that this year is my year of getting rid of a credit card. I say 'a' credit card, because I have two. Yes, two. Two credit cards for one Cath is not good. Don't ask me how I ended up with two. It may have been a failed attempt to transfer some debt to a new card to take advantage of a 0% interest rate for 6 months and pay off my credit card, but in my naivety I just started adding purchases to said credit card. Massive FAIL. Now i'm dealing with two credit card debts which is just ridiculous. I finally fessed up to Mr B about it all. He was not impressed to say the least. So now, Operation Pay Off The Credit Card is in full swing. My goal is to have one paid off before the end of this year, and the other significantly reduced.

With that in mind... did you all know that J.Crew is now shipping to Australia?!!! It is very exciting, especially since they are celebrating this fact with Free Shipping and Free Returns until the end of April. Arggghhh!!! Go forth and shop my dear friends! I loved J.Crew when I was in the States in 2010, and a few of my fave fashion bloggers rave about J.Crews tailored cropped pants, cashmere sweaters and gingham shirts. Le sigh. Pity now I'm in the midst of Operation Pay Off The Credit Card - I have to be able to justify all purchases to Mr B as he will see them on our joint account. 'It was on sale... think of the savings!' isn't going to cut it!

Which reminds me... I may have bought Miss L this divine Missoni cardi that was heavily discounted on Ozsale. Its super cute. We sure do love the laaabels darling. Can't wait to see her in it.

C xo

Budget fashionista

Have you noticed that it suddenly seems cool to be a budget fashionista?

I think this has been spurred on (in part) by big budget chain stores dishing out fashionable pieces at (very) affordable prices. The Mix Apparel range at Coles, the Emerson range at Big W, the increasingly more fashionable KMart range and the always on-trend Target.

via Big W

I remember when I was about 20 my hairdresser at the time (whom I thought was quite fashionable) proclaimed that she would never, ever buy any clothes from Big W because they were just so ugly. I hung my head in shame - I had always bought clothes (and shoes - gasp!) from Big W, because they were cheap and looked good, but mostly because I was a check-out chick at Big W and loved taking advantage of my 10% staff discount (cheap skate much?!!). I wonder what she would say now about the cool Emerson range with its preppy stripes, covetable coloured jeans, and cute shoe range?

via Big W

I for one am embracing the budget fashion chains, and always have. Its great to be able to pick up a cheap and cheerful piece that you know you will only wear for a couple of seasons.  In saying that though, I have plenty of chain store finds that I wear over and over again and I will never grow sick of them.

via Big W

I've currently got my eye on some cobalt blue loafers from Big W and an oversized knit top from Mix. I think they'd be the perfect additions to my autumn wardrobe.

Do you embrace the budget fashion brands?

C xo

Imaginary Cyber Shopping

This Cat(h) loves to cyber shop

I don't know about you, but I like to shop. Especially 'imaginary' cyber shopping. Its so much fun. I trawl through the online shops and put things into my shopping cart... I imagine all of the nice things I could buy and pick out items that would go well with my existing wardrobe plus those that don't! And then... I close the browser down and walk away. Cyber shopping satisfies a little bit of my shopping hunger. And sometimes it gets me thinking about a certain item, so much so that I might eventually buy it.

Do you like to do imaginary cyber shopping on the internets? Or am I just a crazy shopaholic?

C xo

Thankful

Today I am very thankful for my gorgeous sisters and Mum who very generously baby sat Lucy so that I could have the afternoon off. I 'if'd' and but'd' about it, but in the end, I didn't have a choice in the matter. I don't know why, but I feel guilty when I have 'me' time, like I'm letting Miss L down, or burdening the babysitter in some way. But I know its silly, and I know its good for my soul, to recharge, to have a little breather every now and again.

I wracked my brain trying to think of something I wanted to do by myself, something that would make the best use of my 'me' time. At first I thought it would be good just to be at home by myself to clean and tidy the house, but then a big light bulb went off in my head... Lunch with Mr B in the city would be perfect. No pram. No nappy bag. No baby. Just us. Like back in the day. And it was good.

I caught the bus. I know. So glamorous!

Waiting for Mr B outside of his office building

We went to Pescatore Wine Bar on the corner of Margaret Street and Felix Street in the city. Yummy wood fired pizzas and a glass of wine for lunch. So lovely. Mr B had to get back to work, so off I trotted to Queens Plaza to finish my Christmas shopping. And I shopped in peace. No pram. No stress. No worrying if Miss L was happy or if she was sleeping or if she was hungry. But it seems I was on high alert for babies today. I heard them crying everywhere. And I felt for the Mum's because I know the feeling well. A sad baby after a long day of shopping does not make for a very good combo.

I had a Quattro Formaggi  pizza. I ate the whole thing. All of it. So good!

And I smiled to myself and thought 'Thank God for sisters and Mums who look after my baby so I can have some me time'. I am very lucky. And I owe them big time. I just wish my sisters lived closer. I'm going to miss them when they're gone.

C xo

Westfield Carindale, you have failed me

Little Miss L and I pounded the... carpet (?) today at our suburban shopping mecca aka Westfield Carindale. I love that place, but today I feel that it failed me.

Car parking was scarce; I couldn't find what I was looking for in the menswear departments of Myer OR David; the pram friendly options to get up and/or down the centre were few and far apart; the parents room was like a circus... Sigh.

But we soldiered on. I channeled Betty Draper in this frock.

Has anyone been into Metalicus lately? We popped in there for a squiz. Some awesome bright colours and prints going on in there. I love love love this jacket. I was tempted by the shopping Gods today with a $30 voucher to spend at Metalicus, but I did not cave.

One of the lovely girls at Myer told me about an awesome website called HopShopGo. OMG. I can't believe I didn't know about this website already. My credit card balance probably thanks me. But you can shop online at any US store and it ships your items to your assigned US address, and then they ship it to you wherever you may be! Brilliant!

We may have made a little purchase online for Mr B's Christmas present this afternoon! Hopefully it gets here in time.

C xo

Retail Snobbery

Lately I've been thinking about how I have evolved as a shopper and lover of retail over the years... My preference for certain shops has evolved with the amount of money I earn, and now I think I'm coming full circle... Here me out.

When I was a teenager and living in a regional town, there weren't many options for shopping. Only your big chain stores (Target, Big W, Kmart, etc) and smaller clothing chains such as Crossroads and Rockmans were available, in addition to the local surf shop. I remember well when Supre came to town. My sisters and I were so so excited (oh, the shame!). We'd save up our dollars to buy some dodgily made cotton t-shirt or polyester skirt, but we felt so cool to be wearing clothes from the newest, hippest store in town.

And then as we got older, we discovered op shopping. We'd spend our Saturday mornings rummaging through the second hand stores finding lots of bargains and handing over our small change to the little old ladies who were volunteering at the store.

But then I moved to Brisbane for uni and had access to a wider variety of shops - the ones I only dreamed about being close to when I lived in the regional town - Sportsgirl, Witchery, Nine West... the list could go on!. Only problem was I didn't have the money to buy anything from them! I remember I used to survive week by week on only a small amount of money. We'd set aside money for rent, bills, food, drinking and whatever was left I could spend on shopping. We'd hit the outlet shops and also head straight for the sale sections within our favourite stores.

When I had finished uni and found my first job, my shopping/spending habits didn't change too much, but as my income grew, so too did my love of higher end retail... Hello David (Jones), my new lover. I had a full on love affair with David. He and I got along so well. I even agreed to sign up to his store card. Oh heaven! He really knew how to push my buttons. I used to love walking into David - the smell of clean white floors, crisp new shirts, new leather shoes and spritz's of perfume... Ahhhhhhh... And this is how my retail snobbery began. For years I'd snob all of those other retail stores I grew up with and only shop at David or Country Road or Witchery or other David Jones affiliated stores and I'd ignore your Target's and Temt's and Barkins and Portmans thinking I was much better than them.

But lately I have been appreciating these stores a whole lot more, and its definitely as a result of the shopping ban - less money equals looking for budget fashions. You can look good on a budget - I know a lot of lovely ladies in my life that don't spend a lot on clothes, but they always look fantastic. So I have realised that I shouldn't ignore these budget chains at all. Often hiding inside them are little gems!

I am loving this dress from Barkins. Its $59.95 and would be great for the Christmas party season.

And Katies isn't as 'Nanna' as you think... I'm also loving this animal print shirred waist dress. Also $59.95

And this polka dot trilby hat from Portmans - only $24.95. Love!

And Kmart and Big W - who knew?!! They are surprisingly good for the everyday basics, and I love the range of Bonds on hand at Big W.

My friend A fully rates Target jeans. She says they are awesome and have a really great fit. In fact, the $8.50 pair of jeans I bought from Lifeline the other day are Target jeans and she was right - they fit quite well (except for the length but I often have that problem in any pair of pants).

So, all i'm saying is that yes, your taste in retail will change in line with what's happening in your life at the time, but don't forget your previous loves - they still have feelings and will surprise you when you go to visit them again.

C xo

Birkdale + Wellington Point + Shopping Ban Undoing. Oops!

Yesterday was such a good day. Mum came over mid morning as she usually does on a Monday, and she suggested we take a drive out to Birkdale and Wellington Point so she could show Little Miss L and I where her grandparents used to live.

It was great to see her reminiscing about her childhood and showing us the old house that is still standing there amongst the suburb that once used to be my great grandfathers muscat grape farm. He owned a massive area of land that went for what seemed like a mile... and it went right down to the waters edge of Moreton Bay.

We then went for a drive down to Wellington Point and went to a little picnic spot right on the water. Mum remembered going down there when she was 13 with her brother and sisters and splashing around in the ocean. She said there used to be a big slippery dip that went straight out into the water. How awesome is that?!! Sadly, it was no longer there, but there was a fantastic looking playground that I will have to remember to visit when Little Miss L is old enough to run amok.

We ordered fish and chips from the kiosk and sat under an old Moreton Bay Fig tree, basking in the dappled sunlight and sea breezes. There was a general feeling of  being on holidays in the air - everyone else down there was chilling out, fishing, wearing thongs and boardies, and just taking it easy. I loved every minute of it.

We then went and checked out the main strip of Wellington Point... and this is where the shopping ban had its undoing... although I don't think it was too bad because I only spent $25 at... wait for it... Lifeline! So, I figure its not that bad because I'm buying second hand AND helping a charity! Yeah, that counts doesn't it? Surely? Come on, I need to justify this some how because I tell you what, I felt super guilty at the time of making the purchase, and Mum kept saying 'I'll buy it for you Catherine' but I couldn't let her do that... Oh well.

Anyway, this is what I bought:

• Cute polka dot cookie jar - $3.50 
• Vintage white embroidered pillow case - $1.00
• Dark denim jeans - $8.50 (they are a weird length, hitting just above my ankle, so I'm going to make cut off denim shorts with them, which is good because I need shorts for summer!)
• Chevron strip maxi dress - $12 this dress seems to skim and hug in all the right places. Its just a Target dress, but I couldn't pass it up. I'm thinking this will be my Christmas day dress
• And the lady threw in a cute pair of sterling silver bow stud earrings for free. Now I've got to sterilise them. Anyone know how I'd do that?

So, am I forgiven for shopping? In reality, only the jeans and the dress qualify as breaking the shopping ban, and well, I NEED shorts and I wanted needed a dress for Christmas day, so therefore they do meet the rules of the shopping ban. Yep, I'm going with that.

C xo

Birthday Bounty

After visiting my cousin and his gorgeous little family yesterday, Little Miss L and I decided to take advantage of our rare visit to the north side of Brisbane and pop in to my shopping mecca, aka Westfield Chermside.

Wow.

That place is huge and has a massive selection of shops, PLUS all of your big anchors like David Jones, Myer, Target, Big W etc. I hadn't been there in years so a lot had changed, including the car parking. You now have to pay for parking if you stay for longer than 3 hours, but I knew there was no chance of that happening with a 9 month old in tow.

So I had no plans to spend my birthday money there... I was happy to browse, but then everything just fell into place and look at that, there goes all of my birthday money! I'm so happy with my purchases though. This is what I got:

• Urban Soul nude wedges. They are super comfy and I can wear them with heaps and they were on sale - all full price Urban Soul shoes are $99 at Myer until Sunday. Bargain in my opinion. They are all leather, even the sole. Reduced from $179.95;
• Navy blue and white polka dot Sunny Girl dress (my first polka dot dress!) and green cropped blazer from Melrose Ave (can't wait to wear this jacket with jeans or a black skirt or colour block up a storm in a cobalt blue dress);
• Multi coloured summer scarf from Tree of Life - this will be such a great item to spruce (who says spruce anymore?) up my basic summer outfits - white shirt & denim shorts, black jersey dress;
• Sexy undies from La Senza.

And so I have about $9 left... I'm going to hit Sportsgirl today I think - they're having 15% off everything and I'd love to get a bright coloured belt - yellow or cobalt blue.

Yay!

C xo

My Pseudo Birthday

I shopped. And it was good but slightly stressful. And it was all within the rules of my shopping ban.

All week Mr B has been talking about taking Little Miss L and I to pancakes for breakfast in the city. Which is strange because Mr B never wants to do anything on the weekend. He loves his couch time, and NEEDS his couch time and I respect that.

Anyway, so on Friday Mr B came home and he and Little Miss L handed me a very heavy envelope. In it was a card saying 'Terrific 30' and a beautiful message from my husband and my daughter saying how much they loved me, how proud they were of me, how they think I am a good Mum, and how 36 weeks ago Little Miss L came into our lives and stole focus from my 30th birthday (which was the 10th February).

On the day of my 30th birthday I spent my last day of a total 10 days in hospital after giving birth to my daughter on the 1st February and having a significant operation that saw me lose my reproductive system because of the dreaded c word. Cancer. On the 10th, I didn't open any big presents or have a big party with my friends and family like I always imagined I would. But I had my health, I had my husband, and I had my daughter, who blessed my life by assisting the Doctors in finding my cancer at my first ultrasound. And I was so so so happy with that and didn't want anything more. And IT was gone. The c word was no longer there. And I was happy. I AM happy.

That seems like a lifetime ago. But in fact it was only 9 months ago. 9 months ago I was being wheeled into surgery without knowing what the outcome of the operation would be, who this little person was, what she would be like, if I would ever get to see her grow up. But here I am. Everything turned out so well. Even better than we could have imagined.

So, back to the card.

Inside the card was 36 $10 'gift vouchers' made especially for me by Mr B. He explained that the number 36 had significance because of two reasons. 1) because it was 36 weeks since Little Miss L came into our lives, and 2) because it was to celebrate 30 years of my life and 6 months of my shopping ban.

I was so shocked and surprised and felt so loved and special. Mr B doesn't often do big romantic gestures and in fact only usually does them every 4 years. Don't ask my why, I don't even know why, he just does. It always falls in the same year as the Olympics.

My initial reaction was 'No! I don't want this! I don't need to go shopping. I don't want to go shopping'. See what this shopping ban has done to me. Its conditioned me to not like shopping. I know. Crazy.

Anyway, after I'd had some time to think about it and Mr B assured me that it was ok to shop, and I was only allowed to spend it on myself, I started planning my purchases. And this is where the STRESS started. What to get? I've got $360 to spend on whatever I want. But its my 30th birthday money so I don't just want to buy everyday ho hum items, I want to get something grand and keepsake so I will always look at it and say 'That was my 30th birthday present', but I actually need to get some basic things for summer - a hat, shorts, togs, etc. But that's BORING. Ugghhh.

So, I've bought two things so far - a Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Whoppin' Watermelon. I love it. Its so soft and the hint of colour is just gorgeous, plus the cool chubby twist up stick is pretty awesome too. Ok, I know this is not a grand 30th birthday type present, but I've wanted one for a while now, and well, its my pseudo birthday and I'll buy a lip balm if I want to.

And then I also bought a beautiful big glass vase by Georg Jensen. It was on special from David (Jones, that is) and was tall with a narrow opening, which is what I've been looking for in a vase for a loooong time because all of the other vases I own (cheap ones) have a wide opening and my flowers just flop out and look silly, but this vase, it makes a cheap $9 bunch of roses from Woolies look spectacular.

And so now I've got $230 left to spend, and I feel like I can call my vase my 'big keepsake 30th birthday purchase' and now just buy stuff that I want/need. Now I've just got to figure out how best to do that in the most bang-for-your-buck kind of way! Stay tuned.

And, if you're still reading this - well done you! I think this is my longest blog post ever in the history of my blog!

C xo

The dreaded shopping

So, we all know that I love shopping, but there's a few things that I absolutely dread shopping for... togs and jeans. Uggh. Even just thinking about it makes me shudder.

When October (Buy Nothing New Month) is up, I am granting myself a leave pass to buy a pair of togs using my DJ's gift card that I have been holding on to.

When I had Little Miss L, I also had a big operation at the same time which left me with a large unsightly scar running vertically up my tummy. So my numerous bikinis and tankinis are no longer a valid swimwear choice, hence the need to hit the shops and do that one piece swimwear shopping that I so dread.

I have started doing a bit of browsing online to see what's around. I want a style that is classic but a little bit sexy; flattering and able to magically transform me into Miranda Kerr (haha). At first I thought I'd go for a black pair of togs, but these are really catching my eye:

Jets 50's style halter in indigo and white

Seafolly one piece with ruching and optional straps

Jets spot boy leg one piece

I like them all for their tummy hiding capabilities (patterns, ruching, etc). I love the spotty ones but I am such a shorty, I think the boy leg would only make me look shorter.

Which ones do you like?

C xo

Update - No Shopping. No Buying Anything New.

Right. Mr B is out at a work function, Little Miss L is tucked up in bed, so I thought what better opportunity do I have to update you all on my shopping ban and my participation in Buy Nothing New Month.

First of all, the shopping ban. I've survived a month of zero, zilch, nada shopping for myself. A WHOLE month. Let me tell you, I am a bit proud of myself. When I told my out-laws that I was on a shopping ban, they laughed in my face! They don't think I'll be able to do it. But let me tell you, the doubt of others only makes me stronger. Even Mr B said to me the other night that he thinks I will just revert to my old shopping obsessed self when the 6 months is up, but I don't think I will. Even a month of not shopping for myself has made me realise that I was obviously doing it to fill a void, and I was buying things that I don't need. The shopping ban has already taught me to really think about what I have in my wardrobe and to figure out what I really need. I am embarrassed to say that the three outfit options below have never ever been worn before. I have three beautiful dresses just sitting there, unworn. What a waste! That's why this shopping ban is so so so good for me. I am cutting down on the unnecessary buying and 'shopping my wardrobe'. Man, it feels good. I've even found myself being really really careful about how I spend my gift vouchers I have sitting in my wallet since Christmas and my birthday. I value these gift vouchers so much and want to make sure I make the best use of them. I have come a long way people, a long way. I wonder what five more months will do?!!

And Buy Nothing New Month. Holy moly its hard. I have to really make a conscious effort not to buy brand new things (apart from groceries, hygiene products, medicine, etc). I want to take Little Miss L swimming, but alas, we have no togs for her. I can buy second hand, but didn't know if that was a bit gross for baby swimmers??? Who knows what the previous owner did in those togs?!! I guess we'll have to wait until November to go swimming. And Little Miss L is growing so fast... she's nearly out of her 00 clothes so we might have to hit the op shops for some size 0 outfits this month.

So there you have it. The update. Now, I might go and wash my hair, put a face mask on, and tuck in to a bowl of Peters Light & Creamy raspberry ripple icecream with a dark chocolate TimTam mushed into it. Yum!

C xo

All That Glitters

If I wasn't on a shopping ban, I'd be buying these pretty glittery things:

Kida Flats from Wittner

Talk of the Town clutch by Alannah Hill

Stila Glitter Eye Liner in Silver Lilac

p.s. Shopping ban is still going well 3 weeks in. When people doubt me it only makes me stronger. I think that my shopping bug is being satisfied by shopping for Little Miss L instead! Although I'm only buying things she needs and not going overboard. How responsible am I?

C xo

Weekend Visitors + Shopping Ban Update (Day 7)

We had lots of lovely visitors over the weekend. I love entertaining and especially baking for my guests. Friday night saw Mr B entertaining the boys with footy, pizza and scotch and I made a pear and apple crumble for dessert. Saturday we had plans to go to our friends K & M's place for a celebratory birthday dinner for K, but with the Antarctic winds blowing a gale on Saturday, they offered to come to ours and bring all of the food so we wouldn't have to get Little Miss L out in the cold. And Sunday saw the arrival of an awesome father and daughter combo all the way from Norway, and a cowboy from Dalby. These two boys were my best buddies at work and when I lived on the Gold Coast back in the day - we have all gone our separate ways now, but we still manage to keep in contact and when we all get back together we just pick up where we left off. Don't you love friends like that?

I baked this yummy Strawberry Summer cake that I found on Smitten Kitchen for Sunday afternoon tea. You can find the recipe here. It was so delicious - the sweetness of the cake and the tartness of the strawberries went perfectly together.

After afternoon tea we headed down to Southbank so the Little Norwegian could have a splash around - she loved it 11/10. It was so nice to be in the warm sunshine - we even got chocolate paddle pops and I had to take my cardi off - it felt like summer.

Right, I know you've all been waiting for a shopping ban update, so here it is. I have been on the shopping ban for a week so far and I have survived a few good sales and numerous trips to the shops without being tempted to buy something for myself. Ok, I lie, I have been tempted as there are so many pretty new season things out at the moment, but still, I have resisted purchasing by chanting in my head 'I must succeed on the shopping ban'.

I am starting to think more about my wardrobe and what I have in it and how I can maximise the use of the items I already own. In my dreams I own a computerised wardrobe ala Cher from Clueless, however in reality my plan is to take photos of my outfits and file them in a cute folder. I often forget about items that I own and if I can organise some photos of outfits then it might spark me to wear more of my wardrobe instead of the 20% that I wear 80% of the time.

So, all in all, a successful first week and I am very keen to continue on this no shopping journey.

C xo

Shopping Ban Update: Day 3

Time for an update on the shopping ban. 

via Pinterest

Its Day 3 and I have managed to unsubscribe myself from a few retailers email send-outs AND reject a shoe sale 'heads up' from a dear friend. I am so strong.

On Day 2, I did however buy Miss L a top to wear to an upcoming wedding (which she needed), and buy myself a leopard print belt that I've had my eye on with my Forever New gift card - both within the rules of my shopping ban, so its totally OK.

It does concern me slightly that I went shopping on the second day of the ban though.

C xo

My Shopping Detox

My name is Catherine, and I like to shop. I love dresses and shoes, earrings and tops, necklaces, jackets, skirts, belts and headbands. I love shopping. I love the thrill of it, of buying something new, the rush you get when you walk out of the store with your new purchase in a pretty paper bag. What I don't like is the amount of money I spend on new things when I know I have enough in my wardrobe already (and also the resultant damage this does to my credit cards!).

via Pinterest

Lately I have been tossing up the idea of a shopping ban. I know there a lot of women out there in the blogosphere who have documented their shopping ban - some people are even doing it for a whole year! They are almighty strong. Me, I am thinking a 6 month ban will be a good goal to start with, and then I can re-evaluate at that point.

I want to do this shopping ban and be serious about it. Hence, why I am blogging about it. So many times I have said to myself, 'No more shopping', but who do I have to answer to? You will keep me honest lovely blog readers.

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Now, I need to evaluate why I am doing this shopping ban. There are a number of reasons, firstly, because I am currently on maternity leave and we need to save as much money as we can until I return to work next year, but even then I will only be returning to work part time and the saving will need to continue.

Secondly, I think that I use shopping as a bit of a hobby, and I find that I only seem to value items when they are brand new, which is ridiculous I know, but for example - I have had a lovely Leona Edmiston dress in my wardrobe for over 2 years now and I have NEVER worn it. I am whipping it out for my brother in laws wedding in a few weeks though. And Mr B's biggest gripe is that I have several pairs of shoes in my closet that I also have never worn. Oh dear, - I am a shopaholic!

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So, what are the rules?

1. I cannot buy anything I can wear (however I can spend gift vouchers that I currently have sitting in my wallet since Christmas and my birthday, and I can accept gifts of clothing, jewellery etc);
2. I can make clothes and jewellery for myself and any supplies I need for these ventures;
3. I can buy essential items only when needed (e.g. undies, etc)

My aim for this shopping ban is to make the best use of my existing wardrobe, to realise the potential I have within it, and to also see how it will affect me - what will I learn about myself during this time?

I hope you will support me during this time. As of today, Monday the 5th September I am officially on a shopping ban until 5th March 2012. And I will be doing a lot of window shopping in the meantime...

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C xo

Shopping Envy

So, we have yet ANOTHER reason to envy our American friends - not only do they get cheap cosmetics and awesome clothing stores, now they get amazing Target collaborations with high end designers. Last year saw a collaboration with Liberty of London... this year - Missoni! Check out this gorgeousness:

Sourse: inStyle

So so so jealous! A Missoni for Target collaboration would be the only way I'd ever be able to own anything remotely resembling a Missoni product. Its one of my most lusted after high end designer "wants". Love the bold use of colour, print and stripes... and chevron stripes - my fave!

C xo