nah-na nah-na nah-na they say it's your birthday!

I am having a lovely birthday.

I have been so spoilt.

I got this precious drawing from Elton and Audrey. That is how they see me. I love the big smile. I put it in a frame to keep forever.

They gave me Julia. Oh Julia. I am so excited to start reading this tonight. I am going to read it like a book.

This gorgeous handbag from Shag.

A beautiful and delicate 50's dress from Swift. It is so special.

We went to the new Daiso store (a Japanese 100 yen shop) but that deserves it's own post later on this week. I am trying something new with Elton and his food troubles and Daiso just might be the solution.

Tonight we have cheese and a french stick and movie. A perfect day.

Thank you Ben, Elton and Audrey.
I love you to the moon and back.

day 31 frocktober finale

22 Dresses

9 Skirts

Bags, Shoes, Belts, Pendants, Scarves and Brooches......

and I'm done!

31 days of Frocktober!

Thank you.

I had a wonderful time.

70's Vintage Dress - Pineapple Mint

Belt - Target

Cardi - Cocolatte

Brooch - DIY

Pendant - Camberwell Markets

day 30 we love our city

We love going into the city. It is like the opposite of where we live but rather then be in shock at the transition, I feel that the opposites of our city attract.

It's a fantastic city. I love the old buildings and the tiny lane ways. I love that cafe chairs are crammed onto footpaths and a restaurant in a lane is full with 10 people in it. I love the trams, the cobbles on the street and the muddy yellow roof of the train station. I love the graffiti and the smell. Many times I turn to Ben and say "that smelt like France!".....but in the best possible way.

We caught the train in. It's a great ride (about 1 hour) and Elton loves the train. He was so excited this morning. He collects train tickets and he was giving us one each from his stash and pretending to punch it like a conductor.

Our favourite lanes are Degraves and Centerway Arcade.

The beautiful ceiling at The Block Arcade.

Stopping at The Lindt Cafe is a must.

The mosaic floor of The Block Arcade. It's so lovely.

The new trams. I prefer the old ones myself.

George at the Nespresso Club. We stocked up on coffee and I like to hang out with him and catch up on the news.

Heading into Degraves.

Audrey on the train....

and little man. He's holding his new train we picked up at Tokuya. A 100 yen shop that sells lots of cute things.

Audrey trying a new smile today.

Ben went into Shag - a fantastic vintage shop selling the most amazing clothes and accessories. He had a big bag with him and I can see what's inside tomorrow. *both of the photos are from Shag's website.

So what did I wear for day 30 of Frocktober to traipse around the city?

This dress from Target. It's all in one, although it looks like a skirt and top. It's floral on the bottom with white and black stripes on the top. With tights and shoes from Kmart and a cardi from Cocolatte, all tied together with my pendant from Olinda.

There are lovely cooking smells coming from the kitchen. Ben is making curry and we have some fresh roti and we will have a movie night because it is pouring rain. We just missed it all. Apparently we are expecting 50mls in just one single day and going by what's going on out the window, I think that might be right.

Happy Saturday!!

Tomorrow it's my birthday!!

shutdown for autism

Communication Shutdown for Autism 1st November 2010

day 29 Erin

The following entry is from the Ovarian Cancer Australia website - Erin's Story

On May 12 at 4am I rushed my 27 year old daughter Erin to hospital with excruciating back pain. She had previously been diagnosed with pneumonia which was persistent and we assumed it was connected with this. This was the fifth visit to the emergency room with the pneumonia and back pain and so the doctor ordered a complete body CT scan. The result was the pain in her back was caused by lesions the full length of her spine from neck to tail bone, through her hips and shoulders and in various isolated spots on her ribs, arms and legs. Her pneumonia was lymphangitis carcinomatosis; she was in fourth stage cancer and was dying.

A number of tests later we were told that the primary cancer was ovarian cancer and that she was terminal. The wonderful pain management team soon had her up and about feeling better than she had for a long time and she was able to come home to me. Appointments were made for oncology with the hope of buying her some time. Two weeks later she had a major stroke and we were back in hospital with her. Erin never really rallied after that and slowly deteriorated with only one day of feeling well enough to leave her room. seven days later she had yet another major stroke robbing her of her ability to talk. I was blessed to have a very touching moment with her on the Tuesday night and it was the last time we had any communication as she deteriorated drastically during the night. In the morning she was placed into a coma and my beautiful daughter died in the early hours of Thursday morning on the 18th of June. Only five weeks after being diagnosed.

The photo I have uploaded was taken the day before she had the first major stroke and 10 days before she died. Erin's death has sparked a desire in my sisters and I to become vocal and look at becoming active in bringing an awareness to people about this silent killer.


Erin's story and others are on Ovarian Cancer Australia.

If you can, please donate to Frocktober.

Dress - Kmart

Long Sleeve T - Target

Shoes - Kmart

Pendant - Magnolia Square Markets

day 28 the end is near

Day 28 of the Frocktober challenge and it is nearly at an end. I thought it was important to review why this started in the first place. It's for ovarian cancer.

I was looking on the Ovarian Cancer Australia website for symptoms.

The website has a diary you can download to record your and monitor your symptoms.

The website says -

"But when these symptoms are new for you, have persisted for two weeks or more, and you have them on all or most days, then it's definitely time to see your doctor:

•Increased abdominal size or persistent bloating

•Unexplained abdominal or pelvic pain

•Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly

•Needing to urinate often or urgently or a change in bowel habits

Also let your doctor know if you have any other symptoms that are not usual for you. These may include:

•Unexplained weight gain or loss

•Vaginal bleeding

•Back pain

•Indigestion or nausea

•Excessive fatigue

It is important to remember that most women with these symptoms will not have ovarian cancer."

It is very important to go and see a doctor straight away. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Go straight away.

You are very important.

Dress - Savers

Cardi - Cocolatte

Cardi Clip - Lovely Amy of SweetnSalty

Belt - City Chic

Shoes - Kmart

one year dottie challenge

On the 1st November my one year Dottie challenge will come to an end. But maybe not.

They (the mysterious THEY people - ancient tribe of smart cookies and know it all's) say it takes 6 weeks of learning a new routine or trying a new way of thinking and action for it to become a habit.

Last year I wrote -

"dottie 365 challenge



I love Dottie Angel. It is one of my favourite blogs and Tif the lovely lady that is behind the blog has certainly inspired me, especially where thrifting and recycling for secondhand goods is concerned.

Tif just had a birthday (Happy Birthday!) and has set herself a challenge that will last for one year and it is to only buy handmade or secondhand goods for her home or wardrobe.

Tif has added some clauses to her list -


New Undies/Tights - very hard to find secondhand and kind of makes sense to buy new for your "bits". I won't go any further. :)


Gifts Received - birthdays and christmas presents can be received and lovingly so.

I am going to do this challenge also and I am going to start on my birthday (October 31), so here is my vow -

My name is Toni and for one year I have challenged myself to only buy handcrafted or secondhand goods for my home and for my closet.

I have also added Tif's clauses to my own which include -

A whitegood breaks - if I can't find a decent secondhand white good, I will have to buy a new one. If Ben goes to the store and comes home with a white good, I will class this as a "gift".

Groceries - Will be purchased from the store, but will buy as much fresh items from the local farmers market as possible.

Beauty - makeup/haircuts "see gifts" because it's nice to feel good and this challenge is not about walking around looking like a bag lady, it's about want and need and can I make this and lets jazz up this old top and you should be able to do that with good hair.

Family - this challenge is just for me. Yes, I am in charge of home decorating, and at the moment nobody is complaining. When Elton and Audrey have birthdays/christmas or need new things, they will get it, but I will also be making my usual quilts or bags so that the present is 50/50 - handmade/new.

Items for craft - a toughy. I need thread, stuffing and quilt batting and have not found any secondhand. I live very close to a craft store and it is cheap and not far petrol wise so I think that will be ok. Yarn I can purchase from the Camberwell Markets.

Go easy on yourself - it's supposed to be fun and not stressful and it's just about looking at things in a different way."


So how did I go?

New Undies/Tights - Still a tough one. I can't bring myself to buy secondhand. I think most people would share this problem. It's just something I'm not comfortable with.

All of my bra and undie purchases came from sales and from the lower end department stores.

Whitegoods - We had one white good break - our clothes dryer. We purchased a new one but have since saved money with our bills finding one with a higher star rating for the environment and more efficient with drying the clothes.

I also received a present - a smaller appliance - my patisserie mixer.

Groceries - We are so happy to say that we haven't shopped at Woolworths for close to a year now. Our shopping day is longer but we are 100% supporting markets and independent grocery stores and we worked out we are saving for a family of 4 about $100 a week.

Clothes - I am happy to say that the vast majority of my clothes have come from Savers, Upwey Beggars Bazaar, Markets and Etsy this year.

I have tried to pick things up and ask myself the question "do you really need this and can you find the same sort of things at Savers?" Most of the time, I have put down the clothes, but yes I have made slip-ups.

Beauty - I get all my makeup from Aldi. The foundation/powder and lipstick is fantastic quality and I haven't missed my more expensive makeup at all. It's very good and the brand is Lacura.

I don't really use any creams and things. I use soap and water and some cheapy sorbolene that you buy in those enormous pump packs. Although I did splash out and by a L'Oreal Anti-Aging cream because I thought my skin might get mad at me later on. Will it make a difference? I have no idea.

Hair things are the cheap shampoo/conditioner from Aldi which are fine and I have been getting my hair cuts in my suburb from a lovely little shop that only takes cash and they charge me $15.

Family - Elton and Audrey love coming with me to Savers and other secondhand stores and love finding things they like. They have found clothes and toys and books and have no problem with things being a bit used looking.

Items for Crafts - I haven't had a problem in this area. All my material comes from Savers, Etsy or markets because I love the look of the material and the beautiful colours.

Decorating and things for Home - Also not a problem. I love our home and I also appreciate that it's not everyone's cup of tea. I think that's what I love about it the most. I love that you can walk in and you won't find something in our house, in everybody else's.

We purchased a car this year. But it's one of the smallest and fuel efficient cars on the market and even though we live in the hills and it's more a city car, it's marvellous and I love it.

Have I had fun this past year?

YES!

It changed me to take a look at routine and going about my everyday life with my mind on autopilot...just guiding the car to shops I went to without ever questioning why I wanted to shop there. 

The challenge made me stop and take a look at all areas of my life and would it alter it very much if I took a little more time and shopped at places I never gave a thought to in the past.

I have become very savvy in the second hand stores and I love the challenge of finding something unloved or passed over and fixing it up. I love giving gifts that have been hand made and I also love that my cooking has improved 100%. Just buying fresh and trying new things. Also making things from scratch when I could have purchased it made already. 

Thank you Tif (Dottie). There is no going back. This is my new life.

day 27 flowers flowers everywhere!

Another lovely find from Savers. This dress cost $3!

I'm pretty certain it's handmade and whoever made it has done a great job.

Day 27 of Frocktober and we are off to kindy now.

Happy Hump Day!

Dress - Savers

Belt - Target

Shoes - Kmart

Pendant - Dangerfield

day 26 tangerine-tinted buffoon

"Apparently, she and this tangerine-tinted buffoon...are suddenly an item."

I love Bridget Jones's Diary (I think I have read the books about 50 times each) and the first thing I thought of when I saw this dress at Savers on Sunday was that line from the movie. It's a wonderful bright happy colour!

This empire t-shirt dress in bright tangerine was $3.99 at Savers and I snapped it up. Someone had already taken it up for me and did a fine job.

I love empire line, especially when it comes in t-shirt material. It falls beautifully but I sometimes have to be a bit careful when I add the belt because it can make my boobs look even more out there.

I added the cardi to make a panel on my front and draw the eye down. When it's hot I can replace it with a short sleeve cardi or a long chunky necklace so that I'm not so booby.

I learnt that from Trinny and Susannah. They really taught me excellent fashion tips and it has added so much confidence to the way I dress. It doesn't matter about what others think of the way I dress, it's how I feel. I wish I could thank them in person.

The beautiful cardi clip (a la Emma Pillsbury) is from the wonderful Amy at Sweet-n-Salty. I saw this in her shop and I snapped it up. It's wonderful! Thank you Amy.

Day 26 of Frocktober! Not long to go now. I have enjoyed this challenge so very much. Thank you for reading along. :)

Tangerine-Tinted Buffon Dress - Savers

Shoes - Kmart

Belt - Target

Coffee coloured cardi - Cocolatte

Cardi Clip or Sweater Guard - Sweet-n-Salty

treasure treasure everywhere!

Yesterday we went to Dandenong because we love the oodles of spices stores over in the village and we wanted to get some curry powders and things.

Savers is in Dandenong and we arrived at opening time and I found a dress.  What a find!

It's a jacquard silk cocktail dress from the 50's. The label is Nettie Rosenstein and after searching her name on google gave me the information that she was "an acclaimed jewish-american fashion designer and was renowned for her little black dresses."

The dress is in perfect condition. It had a slight pull on the edging (it's edged in lace on the neck and the sleeves) on the neck but I tidied it up and it's nothing anyone would notice.

It cost $4.99!

It's a little roomy but nothing a belt can't fix and when I put the dress on the style reminded me of a dress. After thinking about it for the afternoon, I realised that the dress reminds me of Andie's from Pretty in Pink when she goes to the prom with Duckie.

The same batwing sleeve dress that tapers down towards the knee, only without the shoulder cutouts.

When this movie came out I remember that not many people liked her dress but I think I was in the small minority that did. I loved it!

Now I have my own duckie dress that cost $4.99 and it makes me want to wear it and go someplace fancy and drink cocktails with Ben. We might have to do this at home. I will have to find Ben and outfit at Savers that resembles Duckie's.

I think I was also in the small group of people wishing she went with Duckie instead of Blaine.

day 25 going dotty!

A beautiful sunny day in ye olde Melbourne and I have pulled on my other dress I found at The Treasure Shop on Saturday.

This dress cost $2. It's in perfect condition. Not a pull or a stain or a gather. $2!

It's got red and grey spots with smaller green spots behind it. I could wear this on Christmas because it's quite festive.

Only a few more days to go for Frocktober and at last count yesterday I have 40 (I found the best frocks at Savers yesterday!) dresses. I could keep going really.....I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. But then if I can find great dresses for $2 I should really keep going. Buying them that is.....

$2 Dress - The Treasure Shop

Shoes - Payless

Belt - Best and Less

Cardigan - Cocolatte

Pin Brooch - The Black Apple

day 24 sunny road

I have been after a yellow dress for ages and yesterday I went and took a look at The Treasure Shop in Upwey and found two dresses for $6.

This yellow dress was $4 and it was a long dress to the floor and it was straight across in the front - a high neckline.

I shortened it, am wearing it backwards and added the large doily to the front because I saw some dresses in the store this week at Target and they were exactly like this dress in blue and had a doily on the front but cost $29. 

The doily was thrifted (10 for $1) so with some thread for taking it up and the doily, this dress cost about $4.20 and I love it!

Frugal Frocktober!

I like it!

Dress - The Treasure Shop

Shoes - Kmart

Belt - Target

Cadigan - Cocolatte

Cameo locket - Dangerfield

day 23 date night!

Tonight it's date night and my man (he can't give me a normal face in a photo...or maybe that is his normal face?) and I are going out for dinner. I am not on a diet tonight. I am going to have bread and entree and main and dessert with wine and port and coffee. I can't wait!!!

Today I recycled my outfit from Thursday for Frocktober (because I was saving this dress for date night) and we went to the Magnolia Square Market. It was lovely. Maybe a little expensive, but it was nice to look at all the beautiful things and the town hall that the market is in is absolutely beautiful. So nice I forgot to take any pictures. Sometimes I can't seem to capture what I see, so I don't even try.

On the way home we were getting Elton and Audrey some lunch and I poked my head into a little secondhand store and I found two dresses for $6! I spent the afternoon giving them a revamp and I will show you those in the coming days.

Well I am off to dinner with my tall drink of water. Our 3rd date night in two and a half years! We do get quite excited when we can hold hands without any small people in the middle. I love the dress I am wearing. A bit school mistress maybe? But I do love the ascot bow on the neckline. It's from the 70's and I got it from a lovely girl called Kelly at Vintage Strings for $20!

Yay! Happy Date night to you if you are enjoying one, and if not, happy night to you!

Dress - Vintage Strings

Shoes - Rivers

Belt - City Chic

the fox and the child

Elton, Audrey and I just watched this beautiful movie -The Fox and The Child.

It was wonderful.

I have never seen my little boy moved to tears but he said to me at the end "I just have to go and wipe my eyes."

day 22 aztec woman

My Mum came to visit last year at the beginning of October and she gave me this dress for my Birthday. We got it at Kmart and we both liked the hot pink and red Aztec print.

It's a nice, flowing dress to wear with little puffy sleeves that have a crocheted border which is also at the bottom of the dress. I really love it.

Also because Mum gave it to me. I haven't seen Mum now for over a year and when we go back to Perth for Christmas it will be 14 months. I am so looking forward to seeing everyone for 3 weeks.

But until then I have memories in my "things"...like my Aztec dress.

Dress - Kmart

Shoes - Kmart

Belt - Target

Pendant - Camberwell Markets

Day 22 of Frocktober Friday!
Happy Weekend to you!
xx