Outfit Post // My Grandmas Garden

Lately I’ve been in a bit of a rut when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. As in I just haven’t been getting dressed. Yep, workin’ in my pj’s all day! It really wasn’t helping my motivation levels and I was feeling a bit down.

 Purple Dress - Recycle Boutique, Black Camisole - Stolen from Mum, 

 Girl Guides Belt - Shop on Taieri,  Black & silver Glitter Heels - Warehouse, but glitter DIY'd by me!

So when I headed to Dunedin the other weekend I made a quick visit to Recycle Boutique which has moved around the corner from its old location. I did a quick survey of the specials rack and found this dress for $4.50! Its amazing how a small purchase like that can lift your spirits.

I’ve worn it a few different ways since I got it – with tights & boots, by itself with a camisole underneath & sandals and with a lace body suit peaking out and a cardigan. I love the little coloured flowers – they remind me of my Grandmas garden in spring. Thankfully this little dress has kick-started my love affair with my wardrobe again!

Oh - I can't forget the shoes. These used to be $60 at the Warehouse a few months ago. I held out for soooo long - and the other week they were marked down to $7.50!!!! They had a wood-grain bottom part on them, which I couldn't decide if I liked it or not, so I decided to glitter DIY (see my tutorial here!) them instead. They are my new favourite shoes - They're so easy to walk in with the super chunky heel! I can't wait to wear them out, but for the moment I'll just have to keep doing my housework while wearing them...

I hope you have all had a good week. We had a long weekend here with Waitangi Day, so I went to visit some friends and their new chocolate lab puppy called Gus – Hershey and him spent all afternoon playing together while us humans ate blueberries and had a BBQ on the deck. My Mum and Sister also came down from Dunedin for a visit and brought my little nephew with them, so we had a look around the shops and had a coffee date at a local pub. It was a nice weekend!

What have you been up to lately? Has it been sunny and warm where you are or have you been playing in the snow? I kinda hope we’ll get a decent dump of snow here this winter!

6th Day of Christmas // DIY Dog Pull Toy

You can’t forget the family dog at Christmas!! I have a Chocolate Labrador called Hershey, she was born on the 4^th of July (cool huh?) last year so she’s about 16 months old. While I love her to bits, I don’t love her amazing ability to destroy any toy we give her!! (Or shoe, or cushion, or sock...)

When we took her to obedience training a while ago one of the women there had a plaited bunch of sheets as a reward toy for her collie. So instead of wasting money on a toy from a store, I’m going to make her these from now on. 

While I could have kept it for Christmas, I love her reaction when I give her a new toy so I couldn’t help giving it to her straight away. She galloped around the house with it, slobbered all over it and dropped it in my lap for me to throw for her. Too cute! (Also, it’s still in one piece so far!)

Just follow this tutorial to make your dog a special pull toy for Christmas out of old sheets or material you have lying around!

You will need;

Old Sheets or material scraps

Fabric Scissors

1. Make a snip in your material about 2.5cm (1 inch) from the edge. (I made the snips in the long edge of my sheet, meaning the short edge was the length of my strips)

2. Rip material strip off main piece of material.

3. Cut the strip in half.

4. Repeat process until you’ve ripped 9 long strips, making 18 half-strips

5. Divide the strips into 3 groups of 6. (I had one all pink, one all patterned and 1 a mixture)

6. Place all strips together and tie a knot at one end and pull it tight.

7. Plait the 3 groups of strips together.

8. Tie another knot at the other end, pull it tight and trim ends to make them even. 

Easy as! You could make one with less strips for a smaller dog, or keep the pieces the full length to make one for a big dog. Hershey is pretty small for a Labrador so this was a perfect size for her. She certainly enjoys playing with it!

Like all of my '12 Days of Christmas' DIY tutorials, there is a PDF version of this blog post here. Simpy click on the link, print out the tutorial and get to work. Easy as that. Feedback appreciated!

Make sure to check out the rest of my “12Days of Christmas” posts for more awesome decorating ideas, recipes, and gift ideas!

My 4th of July - Hershey's First Birthday!

 Hershey - 8 weeks

Hershey - 1 Year

Hi friends! Introducing you to my gorgeous puppy, Hershey. Today is her 1st Birthday, so of course a mini celebration was in order involving cake like things...unfortunately Hersh has a food allergy meaning she isn't supposed to eat anything except her dog biscuits, but she got a new toy to mark the day instead.

I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing, topped with a gingerbread dog bone covered in purple fondant to match her name tag she wears on her collar. 

I can't believe its been a year since I got her! There's been ups and downs, the time she ate the tv remote, the bf's playstation controller, ALL of our couch cushions, but of course there are always good times too! Plenty of cuddles, tug of war and exciting car trips where she "talks" the whole way because she is so excited...

I hope all my readers over in the USA have a great 4th of July!!

Do you guys have pets? What are their names? Are they well behaved?