:: Floral Friday - Something Romantic ::

 Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred or greed, but I don't see that It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around. - Love, Actually

To me, romance is loving with your whole heart. It's knowing you're not alone.

"Floral Fridays is a monthly photography project with different themes each month. This series is about fun and taking time out to smell the flowers. To play along, please email Trishie (trishie@underlockandkeyblog.com) for next month's theme."

:: Look Book - Friday Night Lights ::

Okay, so the title of this post is a bit of a lie. These photos were taken on a Wednesday night!

A little while ago Brisbane's Royal Show was on. I love going to the Ekka (as it's called, because it's held at the Exhibition Grounds). I love Sideshow Alley, the farm animals, the produce pavilion, the fireworks ... everything! I was excited to go this year and try out my new lens, but the day before we were planning on going I went home from work with bad asthma. So, I made the (sad) responsible choice not to go this year just in case I got sick again.

Instead, Mr LG and I went into the city and had a really nice dinner, then walked around the relatively quiet city enjoying some window shopping. I still got to play with my new lens, with Mr LG as my reluctant subject.

(Even though this photo it kind of blurry, I still really like it)

:: Jacket - Country Road / T-shirt - American Apparel / Jeans - Lee / Shoes - Vanishing Elephant ::

Today was the first day of Spring. I am so excited! I adore warm weather and can't wait to stop wearing so many layers and bring out my cute skirts and tops!

PS. I wanted to call this post 'Hot In The City' after the Billy Idol song, but Mr LG wouldn't let me! :(

:: A Sunday Picnic ::

A little while ago Mr LG and I packed up some yummy food and headed out to our favourite picnic spot! This time we decided to ride across the pedestrian and bus only bridge before settling into our favourite spot and watching the ducks in the lake.

I've written about all the delicious things we ate over at :: Mind Your Crumbs ::

It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Do you ever go on picnics?

:: Blog Award ::

A few months ago (okay, back in October last year :/) the lovely Jess from the beat my heart skips passed on the above award to me. Thank you so much, Jess! With this award I am supposed to share with you ten things that I love. So, in no particular order, here they are!

1. Weddings

What's not to love about weddings? The whole day is full of love, laughter and frivolity!

This photo was from when I was maid-of-honour for my younger sister.

This photo is from when I was a bridesmaid for my sister-in-law.

This photo is, obviously, from our wedding!

2. Stationery

I adore stationery - stickers, pencils, pens, journals, writing sets - you name it, I love it!

This photo was taken at a bookbinding/stationery store in Melbourne. They had journals in every colour of the rainbow - I was in stationery heaven.

3. Photography

Over the past few years I've slowly been getting into photography. I have a long way to go, but I'm loving every second of it.

This photo was taken for a local ballet studio. I have recently found out that my photos will be used for advertising their new studio!

4. Mr LG

When I say I love him, I mean it. Those three words have my life in them.

5. Sunrise

In the sunrise vs sunset debate, I'm definitely a sunrise girl. The serene stillness of the world during a sunrise calms me for the rest of the day.

This photo was taken at Golden Beach, Caloundra overlooking the tip of Bribie Island.

6. Hanson

I am still a huge fan and they are still my favourite band. I'm a lost cause!

This photo was taken in 2004 after their Sydney concert. Everyone in this photo flew down from Brisbane to see them. I'm in the green top on the right, my younger sister is up the back on the left between Zac and Taylor.

7. Messy Curls

My favourite hair style, it looks goods on everyone!

8. Photo booths

Yay, photo booths!

My brother and sister-in-law had a photo booth at their wedding and it was SO much fun! One strip was given to the people having their photos taken, and one strip was put into a guest book that we could write next to! Such a great idea.

9. Collar Popping

I have a soft spot for popped collars. A few years ago I went through a huge popped collar stage, so much so that people I'd met through blogs would start taking photos of themselves with popped collars for me!

Pop it like it's hawt!

10. Random Hearts

I love finding love hearts in random places. As Love, Actually tells us - Love really is all around us.

I'm passing this award on to:

K from The Body Electric

Claire from My Little Life

Karina from Ramblings of a Simple Girl

Happy Monday!

PS. Thank you so much for the positive support for my new gluten free blog :)

:: Wedding Details - The Boys ::

Hello!

I'm back with more wedding photos. After my last wedding post Mr LG asked where the pictures of him were, so I thought I would show you the boys today. I let Mr LG make his own decisions on the boys attire, and I think he chose amazing outfits for his side of the bridal party. My favourite part (apart from their adorable bow ties!) was the pocket squares - Mr LG had white to match my dress and the boys had green to match the girls. The pops of green on their black suits looked amazing!

My brother-in-law was the driver of the boys for the day, so I gave him my camera and told him to take some shots. This one is of Mr LG posing in our front door way.

I love these photos of the boys helping each other get ready!

Here he is at the church, posing for our photographer. This shot was taken by one of my friends.

The boys waiting in the church for everyone to arrive - and on a side note, how cute are the pew decorations? They're a tie-in to my Kitchen Tea decorations.

I hope you all had a fabulous Monday to start your week off!

:: Happy Valentine's Day ::

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating everyone and everything that you love. Valentine's Day is a very special day for me because it is also Mr LG's birthday. We celebrated Mr LG's birthday with my family on Sunday. When I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, his only response was "cake". One particular cake - my Mum's chocolate cake. And so, we celebrated ... with lots of cake! There was chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cupcakes, chocolate choc chip muffins, lemon slice and caramelised pear cake!

My sister-in-law made some decadent flourless chocolate chip cupcakes. They were gorgeously decorated with a Valentine's Day theme. Baking cupcakes for Valentine's Day has become a tradition for her, and it's one that my stomach and I would like to encourage!

Find her recipe here

Mr LG and I celebrated his birthday together on Valentine's Day by cooking lamb roast (one of his favourites) and relaxing at home. We swapped presents and he gave me the most amazing Valentine's Day present!

Mr LG has decided to start his own Valentine's Day tradition - starting this year, every Valentine's Day I will get a Valentine post card (he knows me so well). I was so touched by what he wrote on the back - I almost cried! Accompanying the post card was some cute hair pins, a chef's pencil set, and a pair of incredible 50s 'rock and roll' shoes!

I have wanted a pair of these shoes since I was a teenager and last week I saw a pair in my size at a local antique store, but talked myself out of them because I didn't "need" them. I was so excited when I opened my present to find them nestled inside the box.

 

I hope Valentine's Day started your week off with a smile.

PS. Thank you all so much for your generous and lovely comments on my wedding dress.