:: Posers ::

I was given my first digital camera for Christmas in 2004. Little did my parents know that by giving me a camera they would create some sort of a photography monster. From that day on every second became a photo opportunity and every moment was captured. In the beginning many of my friends and family members would (ever so kindly) give me the finger or cover their face, but as the years went by they have all become used to having a camera shoved in their face every time we get together (I would like to say they have grown fond of it, but I think that may be pushing it a little).

Many of us now have signature poses and facial expressions we pull whenever we know there is a camera around. Some of these include:

The 'Peace Sign':

As you can see, the peace sign even made it into my sister's wedding photos. It is now a tradition to do this with every wedding we're a part of. We posed like this for my brother and sister-in-law's wedding and we will be doing it for mine :)

The photo of my Dad and his friends in the bottom right-hand corner cracks me up.

The PhotoShopped 'Self-Portrait':

Extra bonus points for this one it you incorporate some sort of Olsen-esque pout, an eyebrow raise or pretend you don't know the photo is being taken ... even though you took it yourself, ha!

'MySpace':

Much like the self-portrait, this style of photo includes documenting everything that you do. But, you have to make sure you're in every photo - even if it means risking the safety of your eyes while posing with a cranky emu (the kangeroo wasn't as cranky, luckily! He just didn't want his photo taken).

The 'Pout'/Raised Eyebrow(s)/Mirror Shots/Emo Fringes:

These are the photos we get paid out for the most by our parents.

Posing with statues:
I have been going through all my old photos lately, and so many of them bought back great memories (the most recent photo from the ones above was taken at the end of last year). The one downside of digital cameras is that people rarely print out photos for photo albums anymore. My photo album stops around the end of 2004. If I want to show anyone a photo from after then, I have to bring out my computer. That said, I have purchased some new photo albums and I will be updating mine soon.

Do you have any signature poses? Are they as lame as ours? :)

:: Melbourne ::

I'm back! We had such a fantastic time in Melbourne. We made sure we packed as many sites (and shops!) into our days as possible. After some initial spending hesitation I happily spent my saved money on some fabulous finds! Isn't it funny how you can get into such a saving frame of mind that even when the event you've been saving for comes around you can still rationalise that you should really still save instead of spend?

I was delighted to discover that Melbourne is filled with amazing stationery stores. I was in stationery Heaven all weekend! I found so many things that I have never seen in Brisbane, and of course, the stores are only in Melbourne - but, this is all the more reason for me to go back soon! Everyone I talk to raves about the food and shopping in Melbourne, and I definitely agree! But, I have to say my favourite part of Melbourne is the architecture.

I'm fascinated by old buildings, and whenever I visit somewhere you can guarantee that the majority of my photos will be of buildings. We don't have a lot of old buildings in Brisbane, thanks to a company called Deen Brothers. The story I've been told is that they were employed to demolish old historical buildings during the night to make way for 'new' buildings (Their company motto is, "All we leave behind are the memories" which is pretty sad if you ask me). Melbourne, on the other hand, is full of old buildings and tiny laneways full of incredible cafes and grafitti art.

It was nice to have some real Winter days - a maximum of 14-16 degrees (Celcius). Back home we still have maximums of 25 degrees. Unfortunately, I now have a cold and sound like Marge's older sisters from the Simpsons, haha. Hot.

I will leave you with some captured memories of our trip.

Beetroot base (gluten free) pizza. Seriously delicious!

This is a Heritage listed lead pipe and shot factory tower. Melbourne Central shopping centre is built around it and a glass dome encases the tower, it's pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to catching up on all of your blogs :)

:: An Award and Travel Plans! ::

I was given this award by the lovely Jess and the amazing Gracie. Thank you both! If you haven't read their blogs before, I suggest you check them out asap!

1. What do you do when you're bored?
I generally tend to surf the Internet, read ... or complain about how bored I am.

2. Are you an autumn or spring?
I prefer Spring. I like the fact that the weather's warming up and the days seem longer because the sun goes down later. In terms of what colours I can wear though, I'm an Autumn - muted colours, neutrals, greens, browns etc.

3. Quick! Your stuck at an airport for hours and the only options are crossword puzzles or an old novel that nobody's heard of. Which one do you pick?
The old novel. Who knows, I may have stumbled across a literary gold mine!

4. Jane Austen or Emily Bronte?
Oh dear, I'm about to out myself as uncultured. I think I must be the only person to make it through a Bachelor of English Literature without reading anything by Jane Austen. I had to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte for one of my subjects but I couldn't finish it. I really should read some more of their works now that my lecturers aren't trying to force them down my throat!

5. Do you feel prepared for the five other questions coming your way?
Ready as I'll ever be.

6. Who's your hero?
My parents and my grandparents.

7. Favourite word?
I don't believe I have a favourite word.

8. Are you one of those "checklist" people or are you a "wing it and hope everything goes well" sort of person?
I am definitely a checklist kind of person. Even if I was to make a spontaneous decision to fly across the country tonight, you can bet that within 10 minutes of booking the flights I will have started a list of all the things I'll need. I'm a hopeless case!

9. What phrase has stuck with you in your life?
I don't have a particular phrase that's stuck with me through my life.

10. If you were to choose between coffee and tea, which would you go with?
Tea, definitely. Since graduating from Uni, coffee and I are no longer friends.

I pass this award (and the questions) on to:
Cat at Bride Blu

Rachael at ...It's Simple Love...
Paula at two ellie

This weekend is another long weekend! Mr LG and I are going to Melbourne (Victoria) for three days! We're so excited. Mr LG lived in Melbourne for a few years, so he is keen to show me all his favourite places. I have only been once before, around this time last year, and I love it. I'm excited to experience all the culture Melbourne has to offer, and not to mention some real cold weather! The above photo is the view of Melbourne from my hotel room during my last visit.

I'll be sure to take lots of photos to share with you all.

:: Lost! ::

Ever since the second season of Lost a few of my friends and I made a deal to watch the episodes together. Sometimes a few of us could not be there because of Uni/work commitments, or because of travel constraints but on a whole at least four of us made it every week. Needless to say we were pretty psyched for the finale! We decided to have a dress-up party to celebrate the final episode of our favourite TV show. In the end, 12 of us made it to the party and oh my gosh, the ending was amazing. I felt it wrapped the show up perfectly.

Now, I won't spoil anything for those of you who haven't seen it yet. Instead I will show you some of the hilarious costumes my family and friends came up with.

Jack:

Ricardo:

Hurley (this one made us laugh because he used to have long curly hair a few years ago):Ana Lucia:
Kate:

The Black Smoke (LOL):

Charlie (AKA Mr LG):

Running from the random polar bear:

Running from the Black Smoke:

I am trying to fill my Lost void with other TV series. I have started Supernatural and Gossip Girl, both of which I really like so far!

Did any of you watch the Lost finale? What did you think? What is your favourite TV series? I'm looking for suggestions!

:: A Tag and an Award ::

A couple of days ago I was received this award from the beautiful Gracie. If you haven't been over to Gracie's blog you really should, it's one of my favourite reads! Thank you, Gracie! Along with this award is 10 questions I must answer, and then I need to pass the award on to someone else.

1. Who is your style icon?

I don't have a style icon. I don't think I have fully developed my own style yet, and I'm not sure what look I like or what message I am trying to convey through my clothing choice, and as such I don't look to anyone for inspiration. It's fair to say I am in a clothing funk.

2. Which is your favourite socialite book?

I've never read a socialite book beore. Can anyone suggest one? I love reading new books.

3. Favourite party theme?

In my opinion, any theme is a good theme! I have been to many dress up parties: Super Hero (I went as Bat Girl), Nintendo (I went as Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls), Stereotypes (Cheerleader for one, Goth Punk for another), French ... the list is huge! I love a good dress up party. Here are some photos from some of the parties I've been too.

This is me with my two younger sisters.

My friend, brother-in-law and younger brother at the same Nintndo party.

Younger brother, younger sister and friend at the French party.
I went to a themed party last night, which I will tell you all about in a separate post very soon!

4. Go to Halloween costume?
I have never celebrated Halloween. If we did, I would probably go as an Emo, haha.

5. Extravagance you cannot live without?
My DSLR. I love, love, love my camera (even though I'm still trying to figure it out!).

6. Living person you admire.
My Mum. She devoted her life to raising us and she did so without any selfish intention or regret. She is a strong, kind woman whom I admire greatly.

7. Greatest fear(s).
I have a few silly fears, like jelly fish. I cannot stand to be anywhere near jellyfish, they freak me out. But then I also have fears, like the fear of people not liking me and the fear of failure that sometimes means I end up putting everyone else first and don't allow myself to grow as an individual because I'm afraid of what might happen if I do something "wrong".

8. Traits you deplore in yourself.
See above, ha!

9. Which talent would you most love to have?

I wish I had a better singing voice.

10. Greatest Achievement?
Getting to where I am right now, with all the experiences I have under my belt.

I pass this award on to:

Amy from Junghwa by Amy Stewart

Chloe from Chloe in Reality
K from The Body Electric

I was also tagged by Gracie (thank you, again!) to answer eight questions she has thought of. It is then my turn to think of eight questions and pass them on.

1. What's your favourite fairytale?

Probably 'Beauty and the Beast' or 'The Ugly Duckling'.

2. Do you prefer Mac or PC?

PC! This is a frequent topic of discussion in our house, as I am marrying a Mac supporter.

3. How would you describe yourself in 5 words?

Family, nice (that sounds very bland, doesn't it?), happy, loyal, caring.

4. Heels or flats?

Definitely flats. I hurt my foot almost two years ago and it's still sore. Wearing heels is out of the question!

5. What's your biggest dream?

To be happy and content, and to be able to look back on my life and know that I did the best I could.

6. Your favourite book character?

I don't believe I have one!

7. Are you the type of person who keeps their feelings inside or lets it out?

Inside. I'm a bottler with random explosions every now and then, haha.

8. Who is your role model?

My Mum, for the reasons listed above and many, many more. To be told, "You're just like your mother" is the greatest compliment.

I pass this on to:

Amy from Junghwa by Amy Stewart

Becky from Same Page Notion

Chloe from Chloe in Reality

My questions for you are:

1. If you could have any super power, what would you choose and why?

2. Would you rather forget all the memories you have, or never be able to make any more?

3. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we so afraid to make them?

4. What is your favourite comfort food?

5. Tea or coffee?

6. Where is your favourite place to visit?

7. What is your favourite store and what is your favourite item in that store?

8. What is your favourite item of clothing?

:: Our Kitchen ::

Despite the fact that our kitchen looks a little '90s country cottage' it is currently my favourite room in our house. Most people will spend a fair portion of their day doing something in their kitchen - whether they're whipping up an amazing meal, or boiling water for a much needed cup of coffee. Mr LG and are lucky enough to have a fairly large kitchen, especially considering the age of our house, as most old houses in our area have small galley-style kitchens.

We are currently using the 'normal' white oven seen in the right-hand side of the picture above. Eventually we will use the beautiful green oven seen on the left. The green oven was given to us by my parents when they redid their kitchen. It is one of the oldest working ovens in my state. Everything takes twice as long to cook in it, but I am absolutely in love with it.

The previous owners has this oven area converted in a cupboard for storage space. We used the cupboard for a few months before we decided to pull it apart and use the space for it's original purpose.

Mmm ... pancakes ... Can you tell I like the colour green?

We have a lot of plans for our kitchen. The entrance to the kitchen is currently the size of a normal doorway. We would like to open the wall up with an arch to create more airflow, light and openness to the room. The walls are in need of a good paint and all the door handles need to be replaced. We would also like to get a nice big island in the middle of the room. I have seen a lot of kitchens that have white cupboards lately and I really like that look. I'm not sure if it will suit our kitchen though. What do you think?

Thank you all for the decor inspiration ideas you gave me in my last post! I now have some great eye candy material.

Have a great weekend!

:: House Inspiration ::

About six months ago Mr LG and I bought a house together. Our house is an adorable two-bedroom "Queenslander". This means that it is made completely from wood, has VJ (vertical join) walls (I think some places call this beadboard walls?), polished wooden floorboards, and is raised on stilts. It was built around 1910 but the current wall colours, kitchen and bathroom all scream of a dodgy 90s home reno job :/

We have been scouring realestate.com.au, home renovation magazines and blogs for inspiration on the best way to slowly mould our house into our home. Right from the word go, we have found the best inspiration has come from my parents house. In my opinion, my parents have amazing taste.

Below are some pictures of my parents place. This is the first room you see as you walk in the front door. I would love a chandelier one day. They can brighten even the dullest of rooms! You can just see my darling earless cat sitting in her bed on the couch.

This is the same room, looking back towards the front door.

My absolute favourite room in my parents house is their main bathroom. My love for this bathroom makes me a little sad every time I enter our little bathroom.

I also love their kitchen. I love the random stained-glass windows that dot the walls and act as art as well as a source of light.
As you can see, I am a huge fan of antiques and anything "old fashioned" and "quaint". I appreciate that this style is not for everyone, I'm lucky to have found someone who likes the same things I do!

Where/who do you look to for decorating inspiration?