New Purchase | Vintage Bike!

I was so excited when I found this vintage ladies leisure bike at my new favourite place - Castle Collectables!  For those of you who live in South Australia and are into thrifting, I suggest you check out them out. My sister had received one from her boyfriend (brand new lucky girl) and I knew I had to have one too. Being the thrifter I am, I decided to see if I could find one much cheaper and possibly do it up. I could not believe it when I saw this bike the next day on the Castle Collectables Facebook page - fate!

The bike is in pretty good condition but could definitely do with some TLC. I will be keeping you updated as I do up this bike (eek what have I got myself into!) I am aiming for something similar to the picture below.

- J x

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Moving out of Home | How to Stay Tidy!

Moving out of home is a very exciting, liberating time for many young people. No longer under their parents watch, they can do what they want, when they want and how they want! Don't want to make the bed? Don't worry about it. Can't be bothered doing the dishes? Who cares! Why did our parents want our rooms so tidy when, lets be honest, nobody sees them during the day anyway?!

When I was at home, I could never understand why my parents kept our house so clean and insisted we make the bed each morning. I was so excited to move out for a number of reasons, but one of them was so that I could leave my house however I wanted without the nagging from my parents.

Having lived out of home for over 2 years now, I have come to realise that Mum and Dad might have been on to something and I find myself getting annoyed when the house is untidy - who would have thought!

Over the years, I have learnt that getting into good routines will mean the house stays tidier and there is less work to do on the weekends! Obviously things don't always go to plan, and there are still some weeks where I just cannot be bothered! But believe me, you will be thankful in the long run.

I wanted to share with you some of the strategies / routines I use at home. You can employ these in your house whether you are living with your partner or especially if you are living with friends!

 

image from pinterest

Do the dishes straight away
Yes - a boring job I know! But wouldn't you rather wash a few dishes at a time rather than having to wash your whole dinner set?

you can find these at Woolworths here

This brush is definitely a must buy. It means you do not need to fill up the sink when you only have a few dishes to do as you put the detergent in to the handle.

image from pinterest

Do the washing every week
Again, you don't want a massive pile of dirty clothes to wash (and iron if you do!) I tend to wash my clothes throughout the week and whilst I am cleaning the house on the weekends, I will wash the towels, sheets etc. I still have no desire to iron, so my pile usually sits there for a week or so while I pick clothes out of there! I never said I was perfect :)

image from pinterest

Tidy the house throughout the week
Keeping the house tidy throughout the week will mean there is less to clean on the weekend! I tend to leave my major cleaning (vacuuming, washing the floors, cleaning the bathrooms etc) to the weekend as I have no time during the week, but if the house is tidy it takes no time on the weekend to complete these jobs.

image from pinterest

Clean every week
I know this is a job that can be put off because it is soooo boring, but if you clean every week it will be easier to keep the house tidy, and it will not take you as long when you do your big clean. I know that if I skip a week of cleaning, the next time I do it, it takes me twice as long and makes me regret not doing it the week before!

I hope this post inspires you to make your own cleaning routines - and has maybe helped you realise your parents might have been on to something!

- J x

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Vision Board | DIY

I purchased this cork board from somewhere like The Reject Shop or Cheap as Chips (for around $2 or $3) a few years ago and have never really used it. I was inspired by Kristina Karlsson's (Founder of Kikki-K) blog post about her vision board and decided the cork board would be perfect for making my own vision board! You can purchase a vision board from Kikki-K, however if you would like to make one much cheaper, keep reading!

This project is really easy. You will need:

- Cork board with frame

- Paint

- Mod Podge (Matt or Gloss depending on your personal preferences. I am using Matt)

- Sponge brush (side note: I am loving these for craft projects at the moment. They spread the product evenly and are so easy to clean!

- Paper to decorate the frame

- Pins 

- The items you would like to put on your board.

Step 1 | (optional) Paint the cork board the colour of your choice. I chose Antique White.

Step 2 | Cut out the paper you will need to decorate the frame (strips of around 5cm wide)

Step 3 | Apply the Mod Podge to the back of the paper and stick it on to the frame

Step 4 | Once you have covered the whole frame, give it a top coat of Mod Podge to seal it.

Step 5 | Decorate your board! (In progress!) 

It really is that simple. The best thing is you can change the images whenever you like!

Do you have a vision board or something similar? 

- J x

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Book Guide | 2014

During my holidays, I actually managed to read a few books! It got me thinking about books and series that I have read recently that I have loved so much I didn't want to put them down.

  

 

 image from pinterest

Based in war time Russia when Hitler is starting his battle towards Leningrad, The Bronze Horseman follows two sisters Tatiana and Dasha who live in a cramped apartment with their parents and brother. The family has their world turned completely upside down by Hitler and his army. Tatiana the younger of the sisters, meets a Red Army soldier named Alexander and they are instantly drawn to one another. However their relationship, should it become public, threatens to tear Tatiana's family apart and expose a secret Alexander has been keeping his whole life.

If you enjoy war time love stories, this book is a must read. I absolutely adored this book and would read it again in a heart beat. It was one of those "I can't put it down" kind of books that had me captivated the whole way through.

This book is actually book one of a three part series (The Bronze Horseman). After enjoying the first book so much, I couldn't wait to get into the second book. However, I have found it very hard to get into as I found it to be quite similar to the first book. I will try to read it again as I know people have enjoyed all three books.

Find more book reviews here.

  image from pinterest

An incident at a family party when Laurel Nicolson was 16 challenges everything she knows about her family especially her mother Dorothy. 50 Years later, Laurel returns to her family home, the scene of the incident so many years ago and finds herself asking questions she has kept hidden for decades. 

I must admit, it took me a while to get in to this book. I started it just before we went on holidays, so I was reading it quite sporadically, but once I got in to it I could not put it down. It does swap between the past and the present and while that can put some people off, it didn't worry me too much (one of my all time favourite authors is Jodi Picoult and all of her books either swap between people or time periods!). I will say there is a bit of a twist during the book that I never saw coming - I love it when that happens in a book especially when you think you have everything all worked out!

You can read more reviews here.

 

image from pinterest

After losing her job, Stephanie Plum offers to catch her high-school crush for her bounty hunter cousin Vinnie. The series follows her as she chases after fugitives, all the while caught up in a steamy love triangle with her high-school crush turned cop Joe Morelli and Ranger, a security enforcer / sometimes bounty hunter.

I have read a few mixed reviews about this series. Personally, I found the books to be light reading, but very addictive. I loved the love triangle (which got quite steamy at times) and could not wait to start each new book. You can read the books out of order, but there are references to past books so I would suggest you read them in order - if you can get through the whole 19 - 20 books in the series!

You can read more reviews here.

 

image from pinterest

Neve Slater has always been a girl who plays by the rules. She meets William, a gorgeous handsome young man and she knows that girls like her do not get men like him. So when he heads of to LA for three years, she spends her time slimming down and re-inventing herself. She also realises she needs some much needed experience in the bedroom so she can suprise William when he returns. Her sister Celia takes her to a work function to meet some men when she meets Max. Definitely not her type, but perfect to try her skills on because she could never fall for him...or could she?

Another light read (sometimes you need these!) but I seriously could not put this book down (which annoyed my Mr just a little!)


You can read more reviews here.


Have you read any good books lately?


- J x

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Esty | Little Miss Lorraine

I just wanted to share a quick little reminder about my Etsy shop Little Miss Lorraine. This year I am planning to add a few homemade items to my little shop, but for now I am still selling some cute vintage items that I would love you to check out!!

- J x

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Product Love | Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

 

I am in love with these lip balm stains from Revlon. I had heard about them from different bloggers around the world but was never really interested in trying them as I wasn't sure they would live up to the hype. However, I was in my local National Pharmacies last week and they had a member special on which meant these babies were only $10 each! I thought I might give them a try and I am so glad I did.

 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Precious" 

I picked up two colours to try, "Precious" which is a perfect nude color and the colour I have been wearing everyday to work since I purchased them, and "Cherish" which is a gorgeous hot pink (I could not resist!)

 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Cherish"

"Precious" and "Cherish" (Sorry for the not so good quality photo)

There are a few things that I really love about these lip stains. First of all, they last ALL day which I absolutely love, especially when I am at work or out on the weekend. Even if I do need to reapply, they are so easy to put on without needing a mirror which is an added bonus. Secondly, because they are a "Balm Stain" they are very moisturising for your lips, and I have definitely been noticing a difference in the softness of my lips!

If you have not heard of these, or like me, have not rushed out to try them, I suggest you do because I absolutely adore these and would definitely purchase them again.

Have you tried these before? Are you as in love with them as I am?

- J x 

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New Years Resolutions | Why I Am Not Making Any!

 

Image from Pinterest

 

Wow 2014 here we are! What a crazy last couple of months with finishing work for the year, Christmas, holidaying in a beautiful place for three and a half weeks including New Years, coming home and catching up on washing etc before finally coming back to work this week. 

I really haven't had a lot of time to think about resolutions, however I did manage to make a decision about them - I'm not going to be making any resolutions this year! Why? Let me tell you.

I cannot remember a time when I have made a New Years resolution and actually kept it. Or I have kept it for a few weeks and the I have slowly slipped back into my bad habits. I am not sure whether it is the pressure of trying to keep the resolutions or the fact that I usually make them when I am on holidays and then reality hits when I am back at work, but I just cannot keep them.

Instead of making New Years resolutions, I am going to slowly start making some changes to both myself and my lifestyle for the better and hopefully by establishing good routines / practices at the beginning of the year, I will actually stick to them.

 

Image from Pinterest

What changes will I be making? A few boring ones such as doing the dishes every night, washing and cleaning regularly and getting up earlier. I will also be making a few changes for myself, including regular yoga (on top of the classes I attend twice a week) more walking, cleaner eating and my biggest aim of this year - being happy and not worrying about things so much!

Are you making resolutions this year? I would love to know if you have been able to stick to them so far! 

- J x

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