Online Shopping

The perfect way to spend money without having to find parking, brave the crowds and stand in a queue to make your payment.

But what do you do when it comes to clothing shopping? Unless you have the perfect figure where clothes just fit. Then I am not talking to you – don’t bother reading any further.

Claudz sent me this awesome link to a site called Runway Sale – sign up and then go shopping to your hearts’ content.

Huge savings on branded items such as Forever New & Guess. I found an awesome SA brand called Salt & Pepper. Classic pieces at great prices.

Take this beautiful Grey Pencil Skirt – only R79!

I would buy this in a heart beat except for 1 point: I have no idea of this skirt will fit properly. 
And will it look good on a fuller figure?

Clothing companies need to post a photo of a Size 10, 12, 14 & 16 model each wearing the exact same outfit.

This will give us a better indication of what it will actually look like. This gorgeous woman in the photo is nowhere close to me.

However, this doesn’t stop me from buying shoes or make-up … just wait for the next sale to start… 

Go and have a look! 

Thanks for the referral Claudz – my bank account however will not thank you

Copyright – Cocktails & Memories.
Please do not copy/use any of my original photographs or quote text from my blog without listing this site as the source.
Thank you!

Frivolous Dilemmas

http://www.hey-gorgeous.co.za

Besides all the shopping lists that need compiling, I have created my own dilemmas by giving myself too many choices this week.

Dilemma 1: Hey Gorgeous order

It took me 4 days to finally decide what I would like from the amazing range that Hey Gorgeous have to offer. I wanted it all, but that is not going to happen, especially with Christmas on a Budget. I made myself a looong list of all the delicious products and narrowed it down to what I (really) need. And then I justified the fact that I am paying postage, so I might as well make it worth my while and ordered a second product.
These products would also make the perfect Christmas gift.
I cannot wait to get my very first Hey Gorgeous order!
Don’t you just adore their photo styling?

Dilemma 2: Customised Design for phone cover
I came across an awesome South African business: Customised Phone Covers by Tickled Blue for only R275.
I was driving home the other day wondering if I should buy an iPhone so that I can have a cute cover made because there is nothing available for the Samsung S3. That same evening I discovered that S3 covers are available! It’s a sign I tell you.
I designed over 20 case designs, picked my favourite 8 and asked friends/family to choose.

Which one is the winner?

Wait to find out – I will blog all about my new cover as soon as I have received her back!

You are probably asking yourself why I did not go for a One Direction cover? The answer is simple. I want the cover now, by the time I have chosen a suitable image from the million pictures of perfection, I will have a new phone!

Liam Hotness Payne – 1D

Tick Tick Tick… Ho Ho Ho

Source

How cute is the gift tag in the above photo?

 

My Christmas Clock is ticking.
There is so much to get done before the jolly fat man rewards us for being good little boys & girls.

As I posted about my Christmas on a Budget, I start seeing posts everywhere on gift wrapping ideas.  This has made me even more excited to get creative on budget.
I found some really cute gift wrap ideas and posted them to a Pinterest board here

I will be wrapping my gifts in brown paper and brightly coloured ribbon (R10 a roll at the chinese mall) with pretty printed gift tags off the computer.

I will take photos once I have wrapped gifts – let’s hope it turns out well.

I have helped the whole family choose Christmas gifts for each other & even bought on their behalf. Now I have to give serious attention to the gifts I have to buy and make some time to go shopping!

I have to buy a gift for my dad, aka the most difficult man to buy for because he is not phased about getting gifts. We used to be able to make him happy with chocolates, but since being diagnosed as a diabetic, it’s thrown a spanner in the works.

Dad spends most of his spare time working. He travels for work alot. He doesn’t really read. Except the newspaper. He doesn’t need to wear a suit & tie. He likes being in the garden. Walking the dogs. He has a wallet. He has a hat for outside. He has new shoes. He doesn’t feel the cold, so doesn’t need a jersey, scarf or socks.

Previous gifts that we have tried:

•  MP3 player and speaker – he doesn’t have a car radio. He forgets to charge the speaker
• A man-bag to keep all his crap together. He forgets to use it
• Vouchers for clothes. He hates shopping so forgets to use the voucher.

See my dilemma? It’s like Mission Impossible!

I thought I would try my hand at online shopping, but after a while I gave up – I can’t see the products properly on a computer screen, I need to touch the product and make sure it’s right.

What is on your Christmas shopping list this year?

How to eliminate your entire wardrobe in just 1 stupid moment

5 years ago Evan bought me 1 of the nicest, most thoughtful gifts I have ever received for my birthday: A burgundy cashmere pashmina.

Firstly, it was the 1^st 100% cashmere item I had ever owned – luxuriously soft and so pretty and 2ndly, he ordered it overseas and had a pilot friend collect it and bring it back to SA with him.

Christina travels well because she is lightweight, but warm and she folds up small, which makes her easy to travel with.

On my recent trip to Japan, I took Christina for a chilly day. I also packed the only 6 outfits I have that actually still fit me.

In the middle of the week we stayed at a traditional Japanese hotel, requiring only an overnight bag.

I was running late the next morning and somehow left Christina behind at the hotel – 3 hours away from Tokyo.

I thought she was lost to me forever.

The hotel very lovingly wrapped her in bubble wrap and couriered her to me and she was back around my neck the next day.

Upon my return from Japan I literally just tipped my whole bag into the washing machine and pushed Start. I never took into account that the default setting on my new front loader is not the same as my old top-loader (cold wash)

My clothes were all burgundy! I shrugged and thought, ‘oh well, now everything matches’

I wasn’t going to be that lucky… the dye was not consistent!

But that wasn’t the worst of it… Poor Christina was a ratty, squashed string of her former self. The victim of a 2 hour; 60⁰C hot wash.

Now I have no more Christina and no more clothes that fit.

I guess that was the excuse I needed to go shopping…. And shopping I have!

How to eliminate your entire wardrobe in just 1 stupid moment

5 years ago Alex bought me 1 of the nicest, most thoughtful gifts I have ever received for my birthday: A burgundy cashmere pashmina.

Firstly, it was the 1^st 100% cashmere item I had ever owned – luxuriously soft and so pretty and 2ndly, he ordered it overseas and had a pilot friend collect it and bring it back to SA with him.

Christina travels well because she is lightweight, but warm and she folds up small, which makes her easy to travel with.

On my recent trip to Japan, I took Christina for a chilly day. I also packed the only 6 outfits I have that actually still fit me.

In the middle of the week we stayed at a traditional Japanese hotel, requiring only an overnight bag.

I was running late the next morning and somehow left Christina behind at the hotel – 3 hours away from Tokyo.

I thought she was lost to me forever.

The hotel very lovingly wrapped her in bubble wrap and couriered her to me and she was back around my neck the next day.

Upon my return from Japan I literally just tipped my whole bag into the washing machine and pushed Start. I never took into account that the default setting on my new front loader is not the same as my old top-loader (cold wash)

My clothes were all burgundy! I shrugged and thought, ‘oh well, now everything matches’

I wasn’t going to be that lucky… the dye was not consistent!

But that wasn’t the worst of it… Poor Christina was a ratty, squashed string of her former self. The victim of a 2 hour; 60⁰C hot wash.

Now I have no more Christina and no more clothes that fit.

I guess that was the excuse I needed to go shopping…. And shopping I have!

Copyright – Cocktails & Memories.
Please do not copy/use any of my original photographs or quote text from my blog without listing this site as the source.
Thank you!

New Avenues of Pursuit

Recently I have been feeling rather depressed and a teeny bit lonely.

I miss the company of someone to snuggle with in front of the TV, someone to talk to about all sorts and someone to take little weekend getaways with without huge planning. And someone to kiss.

I miss kissing even more than I miss sex at the moment!

Besides the fact that all I do is work, I am not the happiest person at the moment.

I feel bored with life and long for something interesting to come along.Which stands to reason, that even if I do meet somebody now, I am not in the right frame of mind to contemplate anything long term.

I have always believed that you need to make yourself happy, not let somebody else make you happy.

So I need to do something to shake it up a bit…

I have decided on 2 things:

1. Buy myself a fancy camera and take a photography class – this has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember, but the cost of the camera and my doubts of my advanced photographic abilities have always stopped me.
   Seeing as I am single, I can be lucky that my expenses can be manipulated, ie: I can eat toast for dinner in order to afford expensive things like cameras.
   Again, because I AM single, I need to get out there and meet new people. I can do this at photography class
2. Go SpeedDating – I have tried internet dating a few years back, so now I need to try something else. I have heard that there are a few events in my area.

After I have decided on my camera purchase, I will investigate option 2.

My camera purchase has taken up the better part of 4 hours of my day and I have decided on a Canon SLR camera.

I am leaning towards the Canon EOS 600D (TI3i) because it has been getting the best reviews. It is slightly more than I wanted to spend and there it something in my budget – the Canon 1100D. (A third of the price less)

What do you camera fundies out there suggest? Surely if I am going to spend this much money on a camera I should go for the slightly better option?

I invest in a gadget and I keep it for as long as possible – generally until it breaks – so this is a long term investment for me.

Both cameras state that they are perfect for beginners, but the 600D claims that you can grow more into it as your skills develop whereas the 1100D claims you might need to upgrade.

Help me! I need some clarity!

Winter Favourites

I am not a fan of winter, however I am happy that I get to wear different clothes. My summer wardrobe was very limited and this winter I was forced to buy a few new items (I had last bought a winter wardrobe for my job – 4 years ago)

The best 2 items I have bought have to be my 2 shift dresses – perfect for hiding my Gloria fat rolls & a variety of coloured tights.

The 1 thing about countries in cold climates that gets me down is that people tend to wear dull colours – grey, black & brown.

I like colour – so the variety of tights put me in a good mood, even when it is cold!

 

I have black chunky tights, plain grey, pink diamond, plain purple, purple stripes (below)

 

Paired with a skirt and either high heels, flat boots or boots with a heel, your outfits can be versatile… and colourful!

Weekend Recap

This past week has been a very busy one!

On Saturday was our regular book club meeting.

This week the theme was 80s.

I had alot of fun with my hair crimper and blue eyeshadow & wish I had taken a close up photograph.

This was the overall result:

On Sunday the girls & I went to watch Dark Shadows and had sushi for lunch. I do love Johnny Depp in these roles, however I felt that a part of the storyline was so random & a bit over the top, but otherwise it was entertaining enough for a day out.

On Tuesday I went to my friend AC to watch Vampire Diaries, I do so enjoy that series!

On Thursday we had dinner with a supplier at Mythos and I tried a steak topped with feta cheese and olives. Simply delicious.

Friday was a frightfully dreadful day at work, making me happier that I at least sent in my Top Billing audition papers. That night I did some home decorating and put up my new wall art vinyl stickers in my bedroom as well as revamped my fridge:

It was harder than expected, & instead of going to the gym (seeing as I am supposed to get back into it), I curled up on the couch with my kitties and watched quite a few episodes of Secret Circle. I am loving this series too!

Saturday I had breakfast with my friend at Design Quarter and then went on a huge window shopping spree. I didn’t buy anything, but then got home and regretted it.

I even cooked a meal for myself (we should be getting snow) I cooked roast chicken last week and this week was a delicious fish and salad. Who knew I had it in me.

Lately after my body has decided to reject everything I usually eat I am having to become more innovative and it seems cooking from scratch is the way to do it.

Today I went back to the shops and bought a new pillow – I have not slept well these past 2 weeks and I am hoping that apart from stress, that it is because of my pillow.

I also bought a gorgeous photo frame which I can now fill with photos and put up on my wall.

I bought a totally unnecessary mug which says “faking It” My life motto is

If you don’t Feel it, Fake it

So you can understand why  I bought it! 🙂

I also finally invested in a spaghetti spoon, I make too much mess trying to dish spaghetti up with a fork.

That has been my week. What did you get up to?

Birthday Wishlist

My 33rd birthday is coming up at the end of May & I have my eye on a few things:

Taking me from Chants to Marvellous Chants:

Awesome Nespresso Essenza coffee machine from @Home. Only R1799

This awesome wine rack – I want a nice wooden wine rack.

I have already ordered my personalised copy of this:

One Direction Up All Night DVD

And something I have been wanting for ages:

Long Easter Weekend

It was glorious to have some time off in the form of a long weekend, I really needed this time to re-charge the batteries.

I spent the weekend shopping for some clothes & it was a very successful shopping expedition.

I managed to find almost everything I needed and without having the usually depression that follows the trying on of various outfits (The secret behind this is not trying on jeans or pants)

I bought some cute shift dresses that hide the Gloria rolls and I am able to wear cute tights and different tops to change the appearance of the outfit.

I also opted away from my usual long legged boots & bought a cute pair of high ankle boots with Stud detail.

I have said for a while that I would like to dress slightly edgier, so the boots with the colourful tights and funky scarf will help update my image a bit away from the pants and pullover jersey style I usually adopt in winter.

I also bought a really nice jersey that can be layered over long sleeved tops and I am looking forward to wearing that as well.

Easter Sunday was spent with my family and my little nephew. He is just over 1 years old now and I must say I love being able to run after him and tickle him mercilessly as he tries to crawl away. Oh yes, I am THAT aunty!

He has the cutest little giggle and it comes out when I bite his fingers or I hide around corners and go Boo!

When I catch him and tickle him he goes flat and straight and I was laughing so hard because it looks just like he is trying to plank! ha ha ha

I missed my grandparents alot this Easter. Easter weekend used to be a much bigger affair because my Gran would save her pension up and buy us so many goodies; biscuits, sweets and eggs. If I think of how little her pension money was, it shames me because she loved us so much that she saved as much as she could to buy goodies for all 6 of her grandkids and the parents.

I wish I had appreciated them alot more when they were alive and taken the time to hug them thank you instead of diving in to the box of yummy goodies and running off.

I think it is only once we are older and having to pay our own way do we realise how expensive the cost of living really is.

I have been doing really well these past few months by saving money, it is only this past month that I have fallen off the money wagon and spent alot of money on DIY and clothes for winter.

I promised myself last winter that I would buy myself new clothes and I put it off. I went through the whole of winter looking like an orphaned child wearing old clothes, so I really can say that this year was a necessity (besides, since I stopped the regular gym workouts, I have put on weight, so even those old winter clothes wouldn’t fit me anyway)

Copyright – Cocktails & Memories.
Please do not copy/use any of my original photographs or quote text from my blog without listing this site as the source.
Thank you!