Simply The Best

Today is my husband's birthday! So I want to share not only why he is special today but everyday. If you knew Brett, and got to spend time with him you'd become addicted. A good addiction, like high quality chocolate. His smile, goes all the way to his gorgeous blue eyes, sparkly like the the ocean. His actions in life, motivated by love. His intensity, passion, perception and determination.
His sharp and logical mind. His ability to dig deep and come up with treasures. His warmth and affection. His value for “down time” and privacy. His voice, words and lyrics carefully thought out and inspiring. His humour, clever, sarcastic, real, unlike anybody else I know. His love and hope for life. His adoration for children. His contentedness with our life together. His big appetite and joy for food. His loyalty to his good friends. His hair (always a topic of conversation), blonde and stylish. His style, unmistakenly his own.   His sweet tooth! and on that note, here's to another piece of delicious birthday cake to you Brett. All my love, your biggest fan, your wife, and best friend for life. xx Lora

So fresh and So clean

I've always had a thing for soap bars. I find them romantic and somewhat nostalgic. They remind me of nature's beauty, luxurious hotels, Victorian homes and old fashion cleanliness. And they make great gifts too!

I love having a collection of them for display and of course for the shower and bath...as I go through my soaps I discover all the different ones I've collected over the past few months, from bath & body shops, boutiques, arts & crafts markets, galleries and local shops & fairs.

Fall Fairs are especially a good time to check out what's available, for those lovely bath times to warm up from the chilly weather! The Sunshine Coast in particular is home to many wonderful artists that hand make beautiful all natural soaps that are available to the locals all year round. With a variety of scents, shapes, sizes, ingredients, and quality.

Here are just a few of my favorites. Tried and Tested!

My current obsession. Leaves my skin feeling milky & smooth.

Local handmade bars. Delicious fruit scents!

Pretty Packaging

Luxurious Mini Soap Samples. Perfect for the Guest Bathroom.

Classic all time favorite.  Reminds me of home.

Boots Boots and Boots!

Just when I thought I had all the boots I needed (for at least another year); knee high, tall, flat, mid-calf, cozy, sleek, leather, rubber...you name it, I am suddenly obsessed with them again and feel like I couldn't have enough. Of course I am aiming towards flat ones due to the fact that I am extra clumsy in my pregnant body. I am loving the masculine, rugged look, reminiscent of the old Doc Martens, absolutely perfect paired with wool tights and a comfortable wear for the everchanging fall weather. I am really impressed with ALDO Shoes selection (and affordable prices) right now. There is no chance I am not stopping by the store when I'm in the city next. I can hardly wait to try these particular ones on!

"eisinger"


"elfering"


"katan"


"popat"


"prestea"


"wasson"


"patanella"


I'm going to have to try really hard to chose just one!

xx

"Maternity" Fashion

Ok so a lot has happened since my last post. Well not actually a lot, just one BIG thing. I'm having a baby! Pregnant! On my way to being a Mommy!

I've been contemplating weather I should change my blog title, to be better reflect topics of "pregnancy" and "parenthood" but decided against it since bite size confessions can really cover anything, and most of all, it actually works well with food topics, since that is currently my bigger interest. Of course fashion is still up there, and I've had to learn to be quite creative with my wardrobe since my belly (and other areas) have been growing...and growing...

I have not yet purchased any official "maternity" clothing. I tried, thought I was ready and found myself turned off by the choices. Lucky for me, my (large) wardrobe had already consisted of oversized flowy items that's worked quite well. And my tub of "too big" items have resurfaced and been made useful in the last few weeks. And have you noticed that this season's fall fashion is all about tunics, flowy tops, sweater dresses and tights! hello!!! how perfect!

Here's a few of my fav "maternity" pieces, office and weekend appropriate.



Loving this whole look!



xx

Adat Bali

Traditional fashion for Balinese women and men have always paired textiles and patterns beautifully. My parents custom tailored my first Kebaya* at 3 years old. Back then I probably complained that the lace was itchy and hot, and my sarong was to tight, not to mention the headache from the heavy gold head-dress. But I hold nothing but love for them now! When I'm back at home in Bali I look forward to the opportunity to dress up in one of my many many choices of Kebayas and Sarongs. The best sarongs I find are always kept in my Dad's closet... beautiful, high quality, worn, soft, smells of frangipani flowers, jasmine incense and holds years of memories of the Holy Temples of Bali.

*a traditional blouse dress combination made from sheer material, worn with a sarong, batik or woven garments such as ikat or songket with a colorful motif

Wedding day in custom white lace off the shoulder Kebaya, Brett in batik head-dress

Balinese girls in Hindu ceremony in colorful kebayas/silk batik sarongs

Javanese girls in traditional Java cotton kebayas/batik sarongs

Me and my sister in Adat (costume) Bali, gold embelished songkets and head-dress

*Batik, a cloth/fabric which traditionally uses manual wax resist dyeing technique. Silk batik is especially popular

*Ikat, means "to tie" or "bind", a style of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design.

*Songket, means "to hook", a fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles. Hand woven in silk/cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads for shimmering effect.

* Wikipedia