goblets and pears and lollipops....

I am a huge fan of Trinny and Susannah. I love their books, their shows and their honesty.

I think T&S's concept of dressing for your shape not size works and if you can figure out what body shape you fall under, clothes shopping becomes a breeze.

I am a goblet shape - broad shoulders, big boobs, no bum and narrow hips. Basically top heavy. I know to steer clear of high neck tops because my boobs would look bigger and coming off my chin. I can't wear frills or box square shapes. I need to make a waist so belts, v-necks and pendant jewellery are the key to drawing the eye to my fake waist.

It doesn't take much to work out what shape you are. All you need is a full length photo of yourself, a tape measure and a calculator (for the mathematically challenged).

There are 12 shapes -

HOURGLASS = PROPORTIONATE

1. HOURGLASS – big boobs, small waist, short waist, big hips, generous thighs.
What really defines an hourglass is her tiny waist.

2. CELLO – big boobs, short waist, big hips, big bottom, big thighs, slim lower legs
A cello is an hourglass with a little extra around the middle which pretty much removes the tiny waist.

3. VASE - big boobs, gently curving longer waist, hips equal tits, slim thighs and legs
A vase is sort of stretched out hourglass. A vase is very much defined by her height.

PEAR SHAPE = BIGGER ON BOTTOM

4. BELL – small shoulders, small boobs, small waist, big thighs, big bottom
A bell’s breasts and waist are fairly similar size with all the extra on the bottom.

5. SKITTLE – average boobs, slim waist, ok tummy, big thighs, chunky calves
A skittle has curvaceous thighs and bottom but is smaller on top.

6. PEAR – small boobs, long waist, flat tummy, saddlebags, heavy legs
A pear is characterized by extra weight on the outer thighs.

TRIANGLE – BIGGER ON TOP

7. LOLLIPOP – big boobs, slight waist, slim hips, long legs
The majority of celebrities fall into this category.

8. CORNET – broad shoulders, small boobs, no waist, slim hips, long slim legs
Take away the big breasts and the shape becomes almost boyish.

9. GOBLET – broad shoulders, big boobs, no waist, narrow hips, slim legs
And sometimes you’re just plain bigger on top.

RECTANGLE = EXTRA IN THE MIDDLE

10. APPLE – average boobs, tummy bigger than hips, quiet flat bottom, OK legs
For this shape your stomach dictates how your dress, being the widest part.

11. COLUMN – shoulder width the same as hips, slight waist, longer legs
A column is tall and has no waist rather than extra – like an, um, column.

12. BRICK – Broad shoulders, no waist, average tummy, flat bum, chunky thighs, chunky calves
A shorter and wider version of the column, again with no waist.


To get your accurate body shape - grab your tape measure and:
Measure around your shoulders. Measure around your waist. Measure around your hips, at the widest part.

TRIANGLE: Your shoulders are more than 5% larger than your hips.

PEAR SHAPED: You hips are more than 5% larger than your shoulders.

HOURGLASS: You shoulder and hip measurement are within 5% of each other and your waist is at least 25% less than the larger of the other two.

RECTANGLE: You shoulder and hip measurement are within 5% of each other and you waist is less than 25% less than the larger of the other two.

To calculate the percentage difference take the difference and divide by the largest measurement and multiply by 100.

For instance if your shoulders are 38 inches, waist 30 inches and hips 40 inches then the difference between shoulders and hips is 2, divide by 40 times 100 or 5%. The difference between waist and hips is 10, divided by 40, times 100 equals 25%. Therefore the body shape is hourglass.

Trinny and Susannah have lots of books on Amazon but the Body Shape Bible is a great starter.

You can make a little list of rules to pop into your purse when you go shopping. It will encourage you to try new clothes that maybe you have not looked at before and it will also make you aware of the clothes to avoid.

kings of pastry

Oh this looks so good!!

Kings of Pastry!

Oui Oui!!

thought of the day

Happy Friday to you.

found via vi.sualize.us

hair! part 75

I have been attempting to grow my hair for about 2 years.

Some people grow it over night down to their waist. Either by extensions or some fast growing freaky hair metabolism.

For me it grows at a slow pace and it tends to get to a certain length and decides to just grow any old way it wants to. Not long or lustrous or in shiny waves. More dry, caught in a wind tunnel sort of look.

No matter what the shampoo and conditioner bottle tells me, or the hairdresser, I am yet to find a hair product that makes my hair move the way it does on the model in the commercials I see on the tv.

So I wandered off with my picture of Louise Brooks and went down to the ye olde hair salon with my 5 strands of hair and the kids. My hairdresser took about 7 minutes to cut it and I was out the door.

And guess what? I love it! I have had my bob hairstyle my whole life pre my growing it out stage. You should just stick to what you know. If you are happy with it then just stick with it. And my hair styling has been cut in half. All that new time up my sleeve!

Louise Brooks. A dancer with very long legs.

Toni Brockliss. Not a dancer with short legs.

The resemblance is uncanny............cough.

With a fringe.

And on the side....and that's about it for my look. This is riveting isn't it?

bows bows bows!

I love bows at the moment. I purchased this lovely belt from City Chic with a big patent bow on the front and I love it. You could also use it as a weapon if in danger as the bow is pretty sturdy.

I think the bow love never really dies from when we are young girls with bows in our hair.

I went to my school ball with a big bow stuck to my bottom. It was a black and white polka dot dress with a big black bow sash. I thought it was wonderful. I wish I could find a photo of it. Better yet it's probably a good thing I can't find the photo. It was the 80's after all. I will just trick the mind into believing it was a great dress.

I love this pretty dress from Iviemade.

I have always wanted to try ankle socks with heels. My name would be Ramona and my boyfriend would be called Jimmy and we would go dancing on Friday nights. Jimmy would pick me up in his convertible and his best friend would be called Pottsie. Jimmy would be a great boyfriend but you wouldn't marry him. You would wait until later when you met a boy called Stew. The socks would be long gone by then.

Sweetheart Anklets from Sock Dreams.

This would look so nice with jeans or a black a-line skirt. Just simple and sweet. From modcloth...i think! I can't find my link back.

And this one is lovely. A bow and a cape sleeve! From Forvever 21.

I would wear this dress with flat black sandals. From modcloth.

A pretty bow necklace from modcloth.

and cute yellow flats with bows. I love my flats. These are from modcloth and are called lemon peel. I would love a pair of flats called lemon peel. Shoes in our house are usually called stepped in mud or can you leave those outside please they are a bit on the nose.

:)

oh to have carrie's wardrobe!

We have this clunking wardrobe in our room that we call the porno closet.

It's a two sliding door pest - one side a big white door that you have to shove with all your might to open and the other side a huge glass mirror. I do not like enormous mirrors in bedrooms. You don't need to see yourself from any other angle then straight on. It's like a bad porno movie. If there are any good ones....?

When we honeymooned in Paris we stayed in a lovely little hotel but the room was filled with mirrors. It was like I was on honeymoon with 25 Ben and Toni's. But I digress.

Following on from the post below with my stylebook app, it calculated for me that I own 26 dresses. This means that if I was hosting an awards event I could change numerous times.

I like to hang everything. I like to see what I have and if I fold things it's like the land of the long lost clothes. Things go in the draws and don't come out. I just skim off the top.

This is not good news for porno closet. Between Ben's work shirts and my clothes it's bulging at the seems.

Our room is right next to a long skinny room which used to be the entrance to our home. Perfect for a wardrobe. We are thinking of knocking a doorway from our room into it and turning this into a fancy walk in robe.

All I know is that I would like lots of hanging space and a little seat to sit on while I ponder what to wear and something to sit on to put on my shoes.

But it's a dream for the moment, so I will just have to drool over these pictures. Imagine the ladies that have these closets? They must be positively miserable.

*all images from vi.sualize us

stylebook

Gosh I have been quiet of late. I put it down to Masterchef. I am sorry to say that I have not missed one episode.

I have also found myself a little short of ideas and things to talk about and when I do talk about things it's either about weight loss or clothes.

I put it down to a few things - I love clothes and for the first time in forever I feel that this eating plan is finally working. I also think that I can control my weight and clothes purchases myself. I can control what I eat and what I buy. Which probably explains why I fear flying. I am not the pilot.

I think everything else at the moment is out of my control. Maybe that also explains my blogging gaps. Maybe I think too much.

So to fill my time on the couch with Masterchef I have found this cool app on my iphone called Stylebook. It's cost $5 and for a more pricey app it's worth every penny. It's like your own personal Polyvore but using all your own clothes and accessories.

It took me the best part of a day to photograph every item of clothing and all the accessories I own, but once you have it sorted under all the different headings (tops, dresses, outwear etc) it's marvellous.

Being an organised person (see anal) I know now exactly what I own in my wardrobe so that when I am out and about I have proof that I don't need to buy the 7th pair of jeans and that I have one too many white long sleeved t-shirts.

It can also tell me that I don't own any running shoes or a cocktail outfit.

Viewing the clothes through the lens was also quite different to viewing the clothes when I try them on. I also stick to my winter person colours - bolds in white, red, black, pink and grey and I only own one patterned top.

You can also put together different looks and save them on your app, so that you can just get up and put your clothes on rather than spend time standing in front of your cupboard getting confused.

It's a fun little app that will hopefully make me stop moaning that I have nothing to wear, give me some mix and match ideas and keep me away from impulse buys such as orange tuxedo jackets.

snow play

We went to the snow yesterday and had a lovely day.

It was our first time back to Lake Mountain since the terrible bush fires last year. We drove through Marysville which was all but destroyed and they are rebuilding slowly. They are working out of sea containers - the post office and the lolly shop and many houses have been rebuilt.

We saw empty house pads which was very sad and many cleared blocks of land with caravans perched on top. It's such a waiting game for the people of Marysville who want to get on with their lives. I think they are amazing.

We also looked at the football ground that saved the lives of many residents. You could kick a football almost across the middle and I can't believe that people sheltered on it when fire raged all around them. They are so brave.

The people of Marysville want you to come back. To have a coffee or buy a meal. Just to help rebuild and function as a township once again.

It's also the gateway to Lake Mountain and there was something hauntingly beautiful about the blackened trees with the white snow.

once

I love this movie, Once, so very much.......especially this song.

When the band save up some money to go in the dead of night to record the album, the bloke behind the mixer thingy doesn't give them much thought.

I love the part where he sits up and starts to take notice.

It's an amazing scene and it gives me goosebumps every single time.

lemon butter

We went to our lovely friends house yesterday for afternoon tea which then went into an early dinner.

Tim and Carolyn have gorgeous fruit trees and they sent me home with a bag full of lemons, so today I turned them into lemon butter.

You will need -

200mls (3/4 cup) of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon rind
185g (3/4 cup) of sugar
3 eggs
125g unsalted butter

Throw all the ingredients into a saucepan, and on low heat whisk until the butter is thick enough to hold whisk marks.

Pour your lemon butter into a tightly sealed jar and pop it into the fridge to firm up. Enjoy it smothered on bread or put it into some pastry cups and top with meringue.

Yum!

sometimes you just have to sit down

799 posts down and today for my 800th post my dear friends and I got stunned in the playground.

I have been fortunate to make fantastic friends with the women from Irabina - Elton's Early Intervention Centre that he attends for Autism.

Today my friends and I and their beautiful children who are all autistic met at the play gym up the road for run around and a coffee. We wrangled the table nearest the action because as much as we try to drink the coffee, we all take it in turns to jump up and down and sort out a problem our children are having, just like any parent in the room regardless of learning hurdles or not.

My beautiful friend went up the order a coffee and her boy had some anxiety which caused her to turn around to the lady standing behind her and say "I'm sorry. My son has autism." Looking at the lady like, well she's a mum, she'd understand.

The woman replied, "Congratulations. I don't really give a shit about your child or his autism."

My friend took her child home early and we all felt sad for our friend, sad for ourselves because this happens often, and also pretty sad for that woman. Whatever happened to sisterhood? Or sister-motherhood? When you give birth you go through a change and you are supposed to support one another.

The remaining mum's and I stayed on until the end and tried to ignore the looks. Maybe nobody was looking, but you get a bit paranoid when comments like those shoot out of mouths. It does catch you off guard.

So I came home and took a photo of my outfit. Sitting down. Because sometimes you just have to sit down and take a breath.

Cardigan - Savers

Black singlet - Dotti

Belt - Target

Jeans - City Chic

Shoes - Kmart

Brooch - Can't remember the name of the shop but got it from the French Festival last month

Pendant - Camberwell Markets

Rose Ring - Diva

And if you are that lady that said that dreadful comment and stumble upon this blog, you are very unkind and I hope you get trapped under something heavy.