Friday, September 30, 2011

Thrifty Friday // Scarves and Belts

Brown Leopard Print - Shop on Carrol, Blue - Salavtion Army Tay St,  
Olive Green - Salvation Army Tay St, Red - Salvation Army Tay St,  
Purple Italian Buildings - Shop on Taieri

 Brown leather w. Silver - Shop on Taieri, Navy Blue Skinny - Opshop St Andrew St,  
White Belt - Savemart, Dunedin, Navy and Gold Clasp Belt - Salvation Army Mosgiel,  
Dove Grey Belt - Salvation Army Tay St, Red Skinny - Opshop St Andrew St,  
Brown Leather Girl Guides - Shop on Taieri

Here's a little sneak peak at 2 of my collections that seem to be growing a lot lately - scarves and belts!!

I actually picked up 3 of the scarves the other day from the Salvation Army Store on Tay St, I seem to be finding a lot of bargains there! l Iove how they all have so many different colours in them so they'll go with lots of different outfits!

I usually wear my scarves around my neck, but I think I might try some in my hair for a change. I'll see how it goes! 

I'm so happy its Friday, the sun is shining and its nice and warm for a change. Think I'll make the most of it on my lunch break!!

What awesome things have you bought lately??

 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Girl About Town // Trees in Wellington


Here's the next town on our little around-New-Zealand adventure - Wellington! Brought to you by the lovely Trees. She posts pictures from around Wellington, crafty things and outfit posts on her blog and I always enjoy checking it out! Take it away Trees!


 Kia Ora my name is Trees and KC has been kind enough to ask me to do a guest post for my beautiful city of Wellington. For those of you who don't know, Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand and also a place for all kinds of artsy happenings. I work as a public servant and enjoy the life style the city offers. My partner and I live in an art deco apartment in the city centre and we don't have to walk too far from our front door to find something interesting whether its a cafe, art house cinema, music venue, play or the Wellington waterfront. My blog Adventures of a girl from the Naki and I blog about craft, fashion, music, movies, art, food and life in Wellington.

There's a saying in Wellington - "You can't beat Wellington on a good day" and its true! On a good day this is quite possibly one of the most beautiful cities in the world (not that I am biased or anything). If you don't believe me, here's some photographic evidence. 




On days like these you just want to eat your food outside and one of the best places to do this is Kreuzberg Summer Cafe. This cafe is fabulous, its based in an old parking lot. Your food will be cooked on a barbecue and it will be delicious. Despite being such a small cafe, they also have vegetarian and vegan meals.




Another favourite place of mine to hang out in Wellington is Expressoholic - this place is pretty iconic in Wellington and it seems that I find myself there at least once a week. It's a great place to meet your friends and chat over a tea or coffee. But they also have the most amazing cabinet food (my favourite is the tortilla stack) and a full menu. My favourite at Expressoholic is a "horchata" which is a Mexican drink. It tastes like warm vanilla melted ice cream - only better!


When it comes to shopping my favourite place in the city is Cuba Street, you can visit great stores like Iko Iko or Madam Fancy Pants. However, I an op shopper at heart so you are more likely to find me in Newtown or Kilbirnie op shopping during the weekends. One of my favourite Wellington op shops is Opportunity for Animals - they have really great prices and the Kilbirnie store has the most amazing selection of shoes!

Another one of my favourite shopping events is less frequent, Craft 2.0 which is an indie craft market which happens four times a year. Usually it takes place in the New Dowse Gallery in Upper Hutt, but the next market is due to happen in Wellington city - Yah! Craft 2.0 usually includes all kinds of crafty and baked goods, as well as a photo booth - everyone loves a photo booth.




Finally - if you're in Wellington where should you visit? Well one of my favourite things to do is to go for walks around the city. This may be a hilly city but it is idea for walking as it is so small and compact. You could get a bus to Lyall Bay and then walk from Lyall Bay to Island Bay - its pretty much all flat. Once you get to Island Bay you can check out the mini aquarium and say hi to an Octopus.




Finally, no trip to Wellington is complete without a visit to the Wellington waterfront, its my favourite place in the city, luckily I only live 10 minutes away. Anything can happen at the waterfront - on Sunday you can buy your fruit and vegetables and attend the food market or you may bump into a friendly seal or see some waka or dragon boats. Last weekend we bought hot chocolate from a double decker bus - there's always something happening in this little city.




Thanks for taking the time to read my post - I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour of Wellington!

Thanks Trees!! So many great photos and places to visit. Looking forward to my next trip to Wellington now! Check out Maria's post on Dunedin and Sarah's post on Christchurch too! 



Monday, September 26, 2011

Cake Day Monday // A Cakey Business

 Photo borrowed from here

Ah, the gateau - the beginning of my cake decorating journey! As a shy 17 year old working at a supermarket part-time during my first year of study, I was offered the opportunity to take up a position as a Shop Assistant at a French Bakery in Dunedin. 

As it was my first foray into the hospitality industry I was completely useless for a start, but after a while I figured it out and began to really enjoy it! I progressed from Shop Assistant, to Saturday Manager and Assistant Cake Decorator, churning out gateau's as fast as I could go on the weekends. I loved that job so much, but after the business changed hands the original staff were pushed out of their positions by the new owners so it was time to leave.

I mention all this as I am considering furthering my own little cake decorating adventure. There are monthly markets down here in Invercargill I'm thinking about signing up for, where I can sell cupcakes and have brochures and information on my cake decorating. I thought I could make some cake toppers and gumpaste flowers to have on my table as examples of what I can make as well.

What do you think? Do you have any advice for me? I've never sold anything at a market before, so what preparation should I do? Any thoughts on advertising, promotion, products to sell??





Saturday, September 24, 2011

Girl About Town // Sarah in Christchurch


Today's 'Girl About Town' post is from the lovely Sarah in Christchurch. She definitely has the hardest city to talk about, but she's done a great job! Off you go Sarah!




Hey everyone My names Sarah I post some pictures and talk some crap over here   come check me out! I grew up at the bottom of New Zealand in Invercargill where Kasey happens to now live. After nearly 20 years I had to leave before I went insane and moved myself to the biggest City in the South Island – Christchurch where I have lived for the last 6 years. As you have probably heard (unless you live under a rock!) Christchurch has suffered 2 devastating earthquakes and thousand of aftershocks. Kasey has asked me to show you some of my favourite places in my city and I jumped at the chance for a challenge – the earthquake has destroyed our central city, a lot of my favourite restaurants and shopping places are now rubble so I had to make the most of what we still have here!

Its hard to pick just one or two favourite places but one place I love to go to is The Flying Burrito Brothers for dinner:


Their Quesadilla's are to die for and you must have a frozen Margarita! Check them out  here
They were in the central city but have thankfully relocated to Papanui right by Northlands Mall.


James (the bf) and I went to a lovely Thai restaurant in the CBD which unfortunately has been bowled, but the second best Thai Ive had was at the Thai Rendezvous on Barrington Street – so many yummy choices! My fav is anything with cashews in it <3


Shopping in Christchurch has also changed after the earthquake, the city centre was a great shopping area with a vast variety of shops, some shops are now operating in the suburbs or even from peoples homes, but I find it easier now to just go to a mall where you have everything. I live about a block away from Riccarton  Mall so I accidentally frequent it a lot. Riccarton is quite a big suburb with everything you need from supermarkets to the mall to plenty of restaurants and bars also. I'm a bit boring with my shopping sorry, If I want to get a bargain or a vintage item I just hope on good ol trademe !

I like to get out and about when I can– especially now that the weather is beginning to warm up. A few of my favourite spots to go are:


Hagley Park. A massive park in the centre of Christchurch that's great for getting some fresh air. You can walk around one of the tracks, play netball at the courts, or other sports on one of the fields or wander a bit further and you will end up at the Botanical Gardens. Luckily for us we are a short walk away from the park.


Being into cars we often like to cruise out to Sumner and park up and sit on the grass and catch up with mates. Its great for a lazy Sunday. There also happens to be a beach and the sea right there which is always nice on a hot day, a massive rock to climb and a few shops and cafes.


Lastly James and I were bored one weekend so went for a drive out of town and ended up at Leithfield a short drive out of Christchurch. Again there is a lovely beach right there that we went for a walk on and we then headed to the pub for a yummy lunch. We played some pool and ate our lunch outside in the sun. Cant wait to go again soon! 


Well that's about it folks, hope you have enjoyed getting to know me and my fair city. I hope to see you around. Thanks again Kasey for the invite!

Sarah x

Thanks Sarah!! Hope you've enjoyed reading about what Christchurch has to offer. Don't forget to check out Maria's post about Dunedin too!! 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Thrifty Friday // Silver Shoes


 Silver Heels - Tay St Salvation Army Store - $4

I found these little gems at the Salvation Army Store on Tay St, Invercargill the other week. It was my first trip there and I managed to pick up about 6 items for $10! Gotta love days like that.

These were only $4 and they look like they might have been worn once or twice, not bad! Now I've just got to get used to walking in heels like these...

I'm so glad it's the weekend tomorrow!! Hopefully my parents are coming down to Invercargill on Saturday so my Dad can check out the house the bf and I have made an offer on (he used to be a builder - very handy!) If he thinks it's all fine, it's all go! I hope so, because I've spent the last week trying to get my money out of my Kiwisaver account and getting the $3,000 from Housing New Zealand - if you are buying your first house you should definitely look into these, they are basically covering the deposit for us!

What thrifty finds have you found lately? Should I include more than one find in this post? I have a whole collection of things I need to photograph!






Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Girl About Town // Maria in Dunedin


I'm so excited to introduce this new little feature series for my blog! As I've mentioned before, the Rugby World Cup is in full swing here in New Zealand and there is currently an influx of rugby-mad supporters travelling around the country in campervans and flag-covered cars. So why not introduce my lovely readers to some of the awesome cities around our little country? Sounds good!!

First up is Maria from Pepper Dee telling us about Dunedin (my home town!!) and some of her favourite places. 

 Can you see the stadium?

Hi! I’m Maria from over at “PepperDee” I was so excited to do this guest post because I love my city and there are so many places in it that are wonderful to visit. Plus I was flattered, because I’m sure Kasey knows Dunedin just as well as I do!

My favourite cafe in Dunedin

It wasn’t difficult to choose which cafe in Dunedin is my absolute favourite. Only a month ago a new cafe and dessert bar opened up on George st, in the central of the main shopping area, right opposite the Meridian mall. It’s called Angus, and has the best food you can possibly imagine! Think anything from burgers and fries to pasta and salad, cheesecakes and gateaux, coffee or alcohol, all for an affordable price.
baileys triple chocolate gateaux, bacon panini, $7 each

It’s a big place, but it’s always packed and has seating from couches, to booths, to regular dining. Their interior decorator is an absolute genius, so if you don’t visit for the food, at least visit to check out the lighting! You can find locations and info here. They also have a bar and restaurant around the corner for evening dining. One of the barmen is famous for making up unique cocktails on request, and they flick around the glasses and bottles to keep people entertained - even though sometimes they drop and smash them!

My favourite shop in Dunedin

It was difficult to decide which shops in Dunedin were my favourite because to be honest, most fashion stores are franchises which are available in any other main city in New Zealand. There is a unique little boutique called modern miss which is also in the middle of town. 

 I love this window display!

They sell beautiful vintage clothing which is a little pricey, but beautiful quality. I’ve been going there to look for a unique and vintage wedding dress that suits me (so far no luck) but if you love vintage pieces, this is definitely the place to go. At the very least, it’s fun for a browse!

And I wish my shoe closet resembled this! I sourced these photos from the Modern Miss facebook page


My favourite place in Dunedin



My favourite place in Dunedin is the peninsula. It's more like a scenic drive than a 'place' but you can spend the day driving along Highcliff Road and then back along the winding road around the harbour, visiting beaches, the albatross colony, old bunkers from the war, and New Zealand's only castle. I honestly believe it is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

via google maps

 What you might see:

The first photograph in this post is taken on the peninsula, so you can see how close it is to town!

Well, that’s it! I hope I’ve inspired you to come and visit us down south. I had heaps of fun putting this post together - now I can’t wait to read about other places in NZ!

Thanks so much Maria!! I can agree that the cake from Angus Cafe is AMAZING and as I was bought up in Portobello on the peninsula it holds a special place in my heart too.
Check back later for more posts from some blogger friends in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, plus I'll post some of my favourite places I have found in Invercargill so far!