Outfit Post // City meets the Forest

 Black Blazer - Jay Jays, Grey Denim Shirt - The Warehouse,  

Silver Leaf Necklace - Pagani, Black Jeans - Melbourne,  

Grey  & Black Leather Shoes - No. 1 Shoe Warehouse

Here are some outfit photos I took the other weekend in Te Anau. My boyfriend was playing in a golf tournament up there so I tagged along as I wanted  to have a look around, I haven't been to Te Anau since I was about 10 so it's changed a bit!

I spent the weekend drinking coffee in a local cafe, sitting down by the lake with a magazine in the sunshine (between rain showers!) and driving to Lake Manapouri for a look.

We had dinner at  a cool Italian restaurant called La Toscana - garlic bread, 2 mains and 2 desserts for $45, pretty good deal!! 

I found a little track at Lake Manapouri and took my camera & tripod with me to take some photos. It's so pretty!! Sunlight was filtering through the leaves and a wood pigeon was flying around the tree tops. Plus there was no one else around, it was so nice and quiet.

I tried to pack light for the weekend, I took my mini suitcase with me and a couple of changes of clothes. Although it's Spring here now it was pretty wintry! There were a few snow and hail showers so I was glad I packed jeans, jerseys and my blazer. This black blazer is my new favourite thing! I love wearing it to work and it was perfect for a weekend away as I could layer it up over things (like the dark denim shirt I'm wearing) and it kept everything looking tidy. 

I've been pretty busy lately, every weekend in November I have something on and December is filling up fast too! I can't believe how close to Christmas it is, are any of you guys getting organised yet??

Instagram Fest // The Week That Was

I realise I have been a little absent lately! Between sorting my internet, trying to get rid of the pile of cardboard boxes that are still littered around my new house and frequent trips to Dunedin in the weekend blogging has been at the bottom of the heap over the last couple of weeks! I have plans to get back onto to it ASAP though, so no worries!!


I went up to Dunedin in the weekend and reviewed the Imperial Russian Ballet Company's 'A Festival of Russian Ballet' which is touring New Zealand at the moment.You can read my review here if you like! also caught up with a couple of friends and had a quiet drink in town which was fun!

So you all know what else I've been up to lately, here are some lovely Instagram pics to fill in the gaps. I love how my phone is always there to capture little moments and entertain me when I'm bored!

 A pretty thrifted playsuit I bought off Trademe, making hot chocolate at home on my espresso machine, a pair of thrifted silver mary janes I plan to do a DIY on, the dress pattern and material I am using at dress making class (middle right!), my old ballet shoes I found when moving and wore while doing plies using my dresser as a barre, the view from my awesome seat before watching the Russian Ballet Company perform (read my review here!), a cheeky cherio lunch yesterday, an awesome vintage tutu I just bought (I've been looking for one for ages!!) can't wait to get it!!

If you have Instagram too look me up sometime - my username is sparkleylining. I'd love to see what you take photos of!!

The rest of this week will involve looking for storage solutions for my sewing/dressing room and cake studio, baking some tasty treats to take to Dunedin this weekend  when I go up to see Sleeping Beauty (yes, more ballet!) beginning to sew my dress at dressmaking class on Thursday and waiting by the phone in case my little nephew decides to make an appearance this week!!

What are your plans for the rest of the week and the weekend?

Thrifty Friday // Scarves and Belts

Brown Leopard Print - Shop on Carrol, Blue - Salavtion Army Tay St,  

Olive Green - Salvation Army Tay St, Red - Salvation Army Tay St,  

Purple Italian Buildings - Shop on Taieri

 Brown leather w. Silver - Shop on Taieri, Navy Blue Skinny - Opshop St Andrew St,  

White Belt - Savemart, Dunedin, Navy and Gold Clasp Belt - Salvation Army Mosgiel,  

Dove Grey Belt - Salvation Army Tay St, Red Skinny - Opshop St Andrew St,  

Brown Leather Girl Guides - Shop on Taieri

Here's a little sneak peak at 2 of my collections that seem to be growing a lot lately - scarves and belts!!

I actually picked up 3 of the scarves the other day from the Salvation Army Store on Tay St, I seem to be finding a lot of bargains there! l Iove how they all have so many different colours in them so they'll go with lots of different outfits!

I usually wear my scarves around my neck, but I think I might try some in my hair for a change. I'll see how it goes! 

I'm so happy its Friday, the sun is shining and its nice and warm for a change. Think I'll make the most of it on my lunch break!!

What awesome things have you bought lately??

 

Cake Day Monday // Baby Shower Cupcakes

 

Red Blazer - Savemart Invercargill, Lace T-Shirt - Salvation Army Mosgiel,  

Black and White Skirt - Kmart, Black Tights - Won from NZgirl and Razzamatazz,  

Black Boots - The Warehouse, White Rose Earrings - The Warehouse

Hello Monday! I spent the weekend up in Dunedin, attending the monthly meeting my cake Decorating Club holds and helping out at my sisters baby shower!

I made these yummy cupcakes on Saturday and then iced them on Sunday morning. I used little blue fondant flowers as decorations as my sister is having a baby boy! It was a bit of a mission as there were about 30 people invited, so I made 32 cupcakes with only one 12 hole muffin tin...about 2 hours later I was finished!! It was worth it though, as most of them were gobbled up and the 20 or so business cards I left nearby had disappeared once it was clean up time. 

The shower was so fun, my sister got some amazing presents - people are so generous!! My little nephew is gonna be the best dressed baby in town! I made her a mobile with sea creatures, a palm tree and a surf board on it (she has a surf board and her favourite movie is Blue Crush) she loved it!

Hope you all had a great weekend! What did you get up to? 

Dreamy Interiors // Dressing Room

One thing I would love in my dream house would be a dressing room especially or me! Now ideally  would love a walk in wardrobe type-thing, but of course thats a bit hard to find in our price range!

So if everything goes to plan I would love a little room where I can have my dresser, a mirror, a clothes rack for my favourite pieces to hang on, a little sewing table with my sewing machine and a few sparkley bits and bobs. I would also include a comfy chair to relax on and a couple of cushions and a throw blanket!

I figured this would go down well with the bf as it would keep the master bedroom so much tidier! Win-win?

What do you think? Do you have a walk-in wardrobe or dressing room?  

 

Outfit Post // A Drop of Blue Rain

 Blue Cardigan - Shop in Mebourne, Lace T-shirt - Mosgiel Salvation Army,  

Floral Skirt - Trademe, Blue Belt - Glassons, Cream Lace Tights - Glassons,  

Black Boots - The Warehouse

As soon as I got this skirt in the mail, I wanted to do an outfit post with it! Unfortunatley the weather wasn't playing nice, so I set my camera up indoors and ventured out with my umbrella. So now I have snow photos and rain photos!! Maybe soon I'll get some sunshine...

I found my collection of belts when I was packing stuff to take to Invercargill, this one amoung them. I matched it with my blue cardy which I hadn't worn in awhile and some pretty lacy cream tights I had forgotten about!

After a disasterous week on the technology front (I blew up my work comp, my brand new printer had a fault and needs fixed and I only just got working internet and a phone going for work today!) This bright outfit brought a little sunshine to a murky day and crappy week!

Another bright point was taking a quick look around a couple of Invercargill op shops. I visited the Salavation Army Store on Tay St, where I picked up a vintage white lace and satin playsuit for $2.50, 3 belts including a pretty dove-grey one and a couple of other goodies! I also checked out the huge Habitat for Humanity Store in Glengarry Cresent which had an awesome supply of glass and crockery and some great furniture!! I almost bought and old school desk and a set of bright purple glass tea cups and saucers, but managed to stop myself before I got too carried away!

I'm back up in Dunedin this weekend to catch up with some friends and make a cake or 2 which should be fun :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

DIY Storage Solutions - Jewellery

I'm always after pretty, cheap ways to store things around my house, and these seemed perfect to store my jewellery. I found them at the Mosgiel Salvation Army a little while ago and they were a bargain at only a couple of dollars each! 

I use the little plate for my little earrings and the sugar bowl (I think that's what it is) for my larger, dangly ones. I keep seeing more of them at the store so I need to think of what else I could keep in them!

How do you store your jewellery? Do you hang up you necklaces, etc?

Outfit Post - Grey Days and Tutu's

 Grey Cardigan - Mosgiel Salvation Army, T-Shirt - Factory,  

Purple and Black Scarf - Unknown, Tulle Tutu Skirt - Recycle Boutique, Tights - Kmart,  

Boots - The Warehouse, 'Love' Ring - Lovisa

I took these photos outside my house last weekend, so they're a little bit old! I love this little house, it's a art deco townhouse. It's very compact which is great when you're trying to heat it and it has character and personality which I think every home needs! This is the view of the house once you emerge from the path through the trees before you get to the front door. It's so nice living hidden in the trees over looking the North End of Dunedin. 

This was my Saturday outfit for running some errands, including a visit to the local bakery for a cream donut, my weakness when it comes to bakeries!

I have had this tulle skirt for a while but haven't got around to photographing it until now. It's quite a fun skirt to wear and I always feel like a bit of a ballerina when I put it on! 

So many outfit posts include these boots. I do wear them all the time, and for the price I paid and the amount of wear they are getting I think they're holding up well!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. The bf made a quick weekend visit (I haven't seen him for 3 weeks) before heading to Invercargill to start his new job. I'll be going down in about 3 weeks, I've told my boss at work I'm leaving so it seems real now! Exciting times ahead!

Outfit Post - Blokes and Blue

Blue Cardigan - Unknown (Melbourne), Lace T-shirt - Mosgiel Salvation Army,

Grey Scarf - Postie Plus, Crochet Flower Pin - Shop on Taieri, Grey Silk Skirt - Shop on Taieri,

Black Boots - The Warehouse

I drove to my usual spot for some outfit shots today, but unfortunately the digger was actually going for once (see it stationary here!) so I headed out on to the country roads to find a new site. After about 15 minutes of driving around I came to the “Tairei Blokes Shed” I had driven past it before and thought it would be great as a background for outfit shots and today it even matched my cardigan!!

While it was a beautiful sunny day with hardly any clouds, there was a crisp wind meaning a bit of layering in the clothes department was needed. I felt like a bit of colour today, hence the cobalt blue cardigan and my matching crochet flower broach I picked up from the Shop on Taieri a while ago. I wore my grey cotton tights under my skirt and a white singlet under my new lace t-shirt (check it out here) to keep nice and warm.

I’m having so much fun layering all my clothes at the moment for warmth! It’s kind of nice to not have to wear a jacket inside at work and instead just wear an extra cardigan. Then I don’t get asked if I’m cold every 5 minutes!

Sorry I haven’t posted for a bit, I have no internet at home anymore so I’m going to stop off at my parents and cue up some posts to last for the next little while!

This weekend I might check out the Moxie Market at the Percolator Cafe on Friday night, followed by a look around the op-shops on Saturday and possibly some casual drinks with friends that night. Should be good!

Do you guys have any good layering tips for me for winter? What is your favourite winter
outfit combination?

What I packed - Queens Birthday Weekend

I got back yesterday from a little road trip over the long weekend. The bf and I had an event to attend in Invercargill then we headed through to Cromwell to check out the new house his parents have just built up there. There was a bit of travelling around and I've spent the last couple of days sniffling away with a cold but I'm gradually getting better thank goodness! 

These are some of the things I took with me this weekend. I needed something dressy for the event I was going to, then comfortable clothes for lounging around in Cromwell and travelling. 

1. Leopard Print Bag - Cotton On. I use this bag as my gym bag usually, but it's the perfect size for a weekend bag. 

2. Studded High Tops - The Warehouse. Perfect for a casual outfit with jeans.

3. Grey Leopard Bag - Strandbags. I used this when going to the event on Saturday night - its great not having to find somewhere to leave my bag as I can just wear it the whole time if need be.

4. Purple Check Shirt - Farmers. Just right for a casual weekend outfit with jeans.

5. Velvet Dress - Shop on Taieri. What I wore to the event on Saturday. You can see it here.

6. Lace Bodysuit - Shop on Taieri. To wear under my velvet dress

7. Grey Leopard Circle Scarf - Trendz. Snugly and warm and could also be worn as a hat.

8. Black Ankle Boots - The Warehouse. My go to boots when I want something dressy but easy to walk in!

9. Grey Merino Jersey - Mosgiel Salvation Army. A perfect layering piece for cold weather. 

10. Purple Leopard Scarf - 1,2,3 Dollar Shop - Adds a pop of colour to mainly grey and black basics

11. "The Girl Who kicked the Hornets Nest" - Borrowed from the bf for the weekend. I loved the movies!

12. Sequin Cardy - Valley Girl - great for layering over a t-shirt and under a jacket. 

I topped up these items with black jeans, my coat seen here and different earrings (dangly ones for night, studs for during the day) It was great for a change to have a whole bunch of items that could create different outfits depending on what the weather was like or what I got up to. I used purple as my accent colour with my shirt and scarf both in this shade. 

It was a pretty fun weekend, meeting new people, watching a couple of pretty entertaining soccer games and relaxing in a brand new house! It was fun checking out where I'll be moving to in a month or so! The bf has a job lined up so I will be following him down to Invercargill soon. I'm glad it's only a couple of hours from Dunedin and not too far to go to catch up with all my family. I'll have to start packing soon!

Hope everyone has enjoyed their weekends. I cant believe we're in June!!

Outfit Post - Lavender Sky Above Me

 Black Jacket - Kmart, Lavender 1 button shirt - Glassons, Lace Bodysuit - Shop on Taieri, 

 Lace Skirt - Shop on Taieri, Black Tights - Kmart, Black Boots - The Warehouse,  

Star Earrings - Lovisa

I wore this outfit last week and I liked it so much I pulled it out again yesterday. I picked up this shirt from Glassons last week - I still have a bit of credit left from my birthday vouchers so I'm using it up slowly! I love how it's all floaty, perfect for layering over a fitted skirt. II'm wearing my lace body suit underneath - just a touch of lace was peaking out, it looked so pretty. I love these photos!! I got so many good ones and it only took about 20 minutes - awesome!

I've worn this jacket over every outfit for about 4 days straight - I wanted something I could use throughout all the seasons and I think this jacket will be perfect! I went up a size so I could layer cardigans and jerseys underneath it for winter. I'm trying to build a capsule wardrobe of pieces that go with everything else, it's hard work but I'm getting there. I know they say spend a bit of money on pieces that will last a few years, but I'm prone to changing my mind and usually the ones I don't spend much money on are the favourites I keep for ages. 

I love the sunrises and sunsets here in winter. Mainly because for once I don't have to drive to work with the sun in my eyes - at the moment it's behind me both ways! It's so nice driving along the motorway and watching the sky change from blue, to lavender and peach out of my window. 

I received exciting news today - I'll be heading down to Invercargill next week to review the Royal NZ Ballet's 'Stravinsky Selection'. I'm looking forward to it! It's been a while since I have done a review, and I'm hearing very good things so far about the show. Plus Karen Walker designed the costumes!

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of their week, I'm looking forward to Queens Birthday weekend this weekend and a 3 day holiday!