:: More Wedding Fun! ::

Last weekend Mr LG and I flew to Perth (on the other side of Australia) to witness two friends join in marriage. I had the pleasure of being a bridesmaid for my beautiful friend.

Just for the record, the bridesmate didn't carry a bouquet, he was holding it while the maid-of-honour signed the registry.

I have been so blessed with wedding joy this year - first my own, then being an MC for a high school friend, and now a bridesmaid for another friend! It was such a fun day full of laughter and love. It felt so surreal to be in Perth (more photos to come) with my friends, especially considering Mr LG and I were only there for 38 hours!

I have decided that weddings are pretty much my favourite kind of event. You are surrounded by so much love and warmth, and everyone has a fantastic time!

What is your favourite part of a wedding? I love seeing the groom's reaction to his future wife walking down the aisle, I love the gorgeous dresses, and I love the pure joy that radiates from the couple getting married.

PS. I completely unrelated news, today is my blog's first birthday! Yay! To celebrate I will be hosting a giveaway very soon!

:: 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?

:: Etsy Love - Easter ::

Every time I go to the shops I find myself surrounded by delicious Easter eggs and yummy smelling Hot Cross Buns! Easter is surely upon us. So far I have resisted the temptation and have not indulged in any Easter foods ... but that resolve won't last much longer! I have let Mr LG know what chocolates I am craving, so I hope he's been listening (I have been about as subtle as a semi-trailer!). In the lead up to Easter my etsy wish list has also become increasingly full of Easter goodness.

[The Melania via TheBannerBoutiqueonEtsy]

[Peter Rabbit Cupcake Toppers via shoptopitoffdesigns]

[Silver Bunny Rabbit Necklace via NextChapter]

[Happy Easter Egg Stamps via lovesprouts]

[Easter Egg Flat Notecards via lettercdesign]

Do you have any special Easter plans? My family has a 'Secret Easter Bunny' (like a Secret Santa) and we will be swapping presents up at the Sunshine Coast. I am hoping for a beautifully sunny beach day!

:: Lavender's Green :: will be having a guest poster very soon, I have been asked to ask you what you would like to read about! They are open to all suggestions!

Much love.

PS. If you have an etsy account let me know so I can make you a part of my circle!

:: Creative Photography ::

I remember when I was given my first digital camera. I went a little nuts, taking photos of everything I could ... including photos of a frangipani in our pool. This was actually one of the very first photos I took.

From there I discovered PhotoShop and went through a stage PhotoShopping every photo I took with poems, quotes and colour splashes.

And then I bought a DSLR and started taking even more photos than I did before (which I didn't think was possible!). I have realised lately that even when I am without my camera I am constantly spotting possible photographic opportunities.

A few weeks ago I went to a friend's wedding and took the above two photos - the driver had no idea I was taking his photo. I think the relaxed air about him really makes the photo. My favourite kind of photos are unposed and unexpected.

The next step is to learn more of my camera's functions. I'd like to take a photography course and then a PhotoShop course so I can get the most out of my photos. Have any of you taken a photography or PhotoShop course? What was it like? Did your photography or editing skills improve?

I'm just about to head off to a three-course dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's house. I can't wait!

If you're in the mood for a delicious recipe, head over to my other blog :: Mind Your Crumbs :: for a fantastic corn cake and tomato relish recipe!

:: 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 :)

:: Mind Your Crumbs ::

About four years I found out I couldn't eat gluten/wheat. I admit, I panicked. I didn't know what to eat and I didn't know anyone else who couldn't eat gluten. I slowly learnt for myself what I can and can't eat, what tastes good ... and what doesn't.

In this light, I've decided to start a gluten free blog. It will be a blog full of recipes, and product and restaurant reviews. I hope that it will help other coeliacs so that they don't panic like I did! I also recommend the recipes to all you lucky people who can eat gluten, they're delicious and you can simply swap the gluten free ingredient with a gluten alternative if you wish!

Mr LG came up with the name 'Mind Your Crumbs' because I am constantly telling people to be careful of their crumbs! I'm pretty sensitive, so residue crumbs in my butter from someone else's piece of toast can make me really ill. Mind your crumbs has now become my mantra!

I have posted my recipe for gluten free vanilla cupcakes that you may remember from Gracie's birthday last month. They're super light and so delicious!

PS. Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my ballet photos!

:: Mimco ::

I love pretty hair clips and one of my favourite brands is Mimco. My sister is obsessed with Mimco hair clips, she owns SO many pretty ones! To be safe we buy her vouchers for her birthday and Christmas, because we have no idea what she owns anymore. A little while ago our sister-in-law told us about a Mimco competition - to take a photo of yourself wearing your favourite Mimco. Naturally, we jumped at the chance. The hard part was choosing her favourite clip to wear!

We decided to take the photos at the Brisbane Powerhouse, which is where Mr LG and I had our professional wedding photos taken. I wanted to create an effortless contrast between the urban background and the femininity of my sister and her hair clip.

In the end we chose the picture below and I had my younger sister's boyfriend edit it to fit recent Mimco photographic trends. We're not expecting to win, but it was a fun experience and now I want to expand my photographic abilities by taking more shots like these.

I borrowed this hair clip to wear to a friend's wedding this weekend just gone. I will share photos of that soon! I was MC and had so much fun!