Happy.....Statement Necklace! The Perfect New Years Party Accessory.

As we all gear up to celebrate the start of the new year, we are consumed with planning every aspect of our night, from where to go, how to get there, who to go with, who will be there and ultimately, what to wear in order to make sure we have the perfect night and see the new year in in style.

By now I am sure you have all purchased your killer party dress. Good job! However, I hope you have time to shop tomorrow because this year no outfit is complete without a statement necklace. Whether your dress is bright, strapless, patterned, maxi, lace, white, fitted, high neck, black, backless or has a plunging neck line, you will be certain to turn heads when teamed with a statement necklace.

As statement necklaces are totes amazing at the moment, there are lots to chose from and I guarantee you will find one to suit your budget. I have my necklaces sorted for my new years eve and new years day events. I wont reveal my whole outfits just yet, but I will share the necklaces I will be wearing.

Mimco $299

Sportsgirl $29.95

Happy new year! I hope you and your stylish accessories have a fantastic weekend! 

Eat, Drink and be Merry.

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I start getting into the spirit in mid November, planning present ideas, choosing a colour scheme for the decorations and wrap and purchasing a couple of new christmas CDs. (Michael Buble and I am embarrassed to admit, Justin Beiber, were amongst my faves this year.)

Being the day after boxing day I have had time to recover from the present high, the turkey bloat and the trifle hangover. While I am lying low before I start gearing up for new years celebrations, I thought I would share some pics of my Christmas Day decorations along with some tips for styling the perfect party.

Always have fresh flowers. They are the perfect centre piece for any table. I put these together in five minutes, with minimum arranging to create an effortless look. 

Use the whole space. Because we have quite high ceilings and our christmas tree is very tall I decided to have hanging decorations in clusters above the table centrepieces. I made the decorations out of white card, feathers and tissue paper.

Take time to create finishing touches. I put these decorations together at the last minute to carry the theme throughout the room. I used recycled jars and leaves from our garden. The feathers and letters continue the theme I created with the table decorations.

The small details add to the overall look. I found these cute retro straws at Store in Mt Lawley. Again I have used the dove shape as the wineglass name tags. 

I went a bit over the top and even made my adorable dog Daisy fit in with the decorations with a tule bow and feather collar.

Here is my cute little cousin Ed with his present. I used the same colours and materials to wrap all the presents this year. The tags are also the same as the name tags for the place settings on the table. 

My gorgeous and talented cousin and best friend Annie-Rose made all the christmas crackers this year. She did such a good job, even tracking down the same paper and tule that I used for my wrapping and place cards, I was so excited!

It was such a great day. Everyone loved the decorations and admired all the small details. I had a ball putting it all together and the overall look was definitely worth it!

Leopard Love.

Stuck at home with a cold today, I have, between napping on the couch, watching daytime t.v and eating soup, been browsing various online shops (inspired by a post written by friend, savvy online shopper and fashionista Ali Sims via her blog Creatures of Commonplace.)

This winter I have gone totes leopard crazy. The scarf (times three), the cardigan, the t-shirt, the dress (times two) and the socks. Don't fret I don't wear them all at once! In the mood for browsing I ended up visiting my favourite online store, and once again Urban Outfitters didn't disappoint! 

If I wasn't so uncoordinated at rollerskating, skateboarding and bike riding when I was younger, (yes I was very accident prone and have broken my arm/s doing each of the above, on separate occasions) I would definitely purchase these. They are too cool not to share. If any of my friends gets these skates, I will be forever jealous, and may even plead them for a go at the high risk of having the not-so-cool accessory of the plaster cast!

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

View Ali's blog at; http://creaturesofcommonplace.wordpress.com/

My Morning at the 'Swappo'.

My first swap meet experience, was a roller coaster of emotion.

I started the morning (at 3.30am!!!) tired and grumpy. When my cousin arrived (at 4.00am) we laughed at how ridiculous it was being up so early (I would usually only ever be up at this time on a Sunday morning if I was on my way home). We arrived at the car park and I was amazed at how many people could be bothered to get up at this hour (The swap meet actually only starts at 6.00am). I got bored and impatient (no offence Annie-Rose, you and your CD made it so much better (I still want a copy!)) waiting to enter the swap meet. 

Rage took over when we had to fight for a parking spot, but were relieved when a kind lady offered us the space next to her. We set up our clothes, (working in retail we both had lots to sell and ashamedly we both still had items with the tags on) and felt excited as customers started to rummage through our racks.

After a little while we got really hungry and my auntie saved the day with hash browns and apple juice. The day continued smoothly until more and more customers come over to our stall. Suddenly it was a frenzy with clothes being tossed on the floor, women bartering with us to drop the price, a lady picking out faults in a silk dress I was asking $8.00 for, others wanting me to give them brand new hats for free, clothes from our stall ending up on the rack of the lady at the next bay and being told we were asking too much for a 'swappo' (apparently the nickname for swap-meet among the regulars).

All the joy and happiness of making some good money from my pre-loved clothes turned to sadness. I couldn't believe I let a woman talk me into selling her two of my Witchery tops for $15.00, I felt bad that I was selling items that had been brought for me by my mum and I was in disbelief that people wouldn't pay more than $3.00 for items that cost me over $150.00 and had, in most cases only been worn once.

In the end Annie-Rose and I made just over $500.00 between us. Not bad for a mornings work, however I still regret some or the pieces I sold. I relate so many outfits to so many good times I've had whilst wearing them. I think I found it hard to sell them for such a small price as my memories held so much more value.

For all its worth, I have agreed to take my left over items, with my cousin, to a car boot sale at an other location (minus some I have decided I would regret if I sold). Ill give it one more chance but after my experience I think id prefer to wonder around a swap-meet rummaging through others peoples goods and just get myself a bigger wardrobe.

The Nail Files.

Whilst reading my masses of magazines (due to my addiction) this month, I have noticed articles and pics here and there of patterned nails. Since I have an obsession with nail polish (and possess almost every colour under the sun) I couldn't wait to find out more about this cool new trend (actually, to be really honest I still cant decide if they are funky and stylish or really tacky).

I went to the local Priceline store (I have to admit my love for Priceline, slightly embarrassing I know!) and hunted down the nail section. Seeing as I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for it took me a while but I eventually found them at the Sally Hansen stand. Amongst the very tacky glitter pink, even more tacky pink camouflage and tackier still flower pattern, I managed to find a few prints I thought could be okay. At $14.95 for a set, why not have some fun. 

Application is really easy, they are actually just like stickers. I made sure my nails were all filed short and the same length (Short is definitely the key to avoid looking like fake, tacky nails). The instructions in the pack are very clear and even my nine year old cousin would be able to follow them. 

On the box it says they should last for about ten days but I have already had a couple chip after three days. They can be taken off with nail polish and the best part is that there is no drying time!

It's Not All About the Label.

While I love the rush of finding an amazing designer item (when I have the cash to buy it), and having people lust over my latest purchase, I also relish in the same feeling when finding a great piece in the most unexpected places. 

With my current working situation I am lucky enough to have Fridays off. This means I spend them shopping with mum. Getting sick of the same shopping spots and seeing the same things we often venture out of our normal circle. 

In the past two weeks we have been to Westfield Innaloo Shopping Centre, Whitfords Shopping Centre and Perth City. I have uploaded some photos below so you can see how well I did for the prices I paid! 

Necklace- On sale at Witchery $9.95

Top- Sportsgirl $14.95

Shoes- Tempt $29.95

Socks (To wear with boots above)- Calvin Klein on sale at David Jones $15.95

Throw Cushion (for my bed) - Kmart $10.00

White t-shirt- Country Road $34.95

Cargo Pants- Kmart $5.00 (yes you read that correctly!)

Scarf- Sportsgirl $7.95

See, who says you need lots of money to have style! 

The Day I Became a Party Stylist.

 A three course lunch, cocktails, twenty girls, marquee, feminine, classy and glamorous. These words sum up the brief I was given two weeks ago when I was asked by a friend to organise and 'style' her twenty first birthday party.

I have always created the 'look' for family birthdays and christmas dinners but I haven't done anything to this scale before. I was so excited for the challenge!

I made the place cards, champagne glass name tags, chose the colour scheme, sewed the table runner, sourced the vases, arranged the flowers, made the pom poms and set up the whole look. 

Below are some photos of the final outcome. I was really happy with how it all came together and really enjoyed the job. I can't wait for another opportunity to be a party stylist!

Thongs are Not Shoes.

After reading my previous posts, it is obvious that I am not the complaining, whinging. pessimistic type. I am enthusiastic, positive and always find myself talking about my new great love, whether it be a necklace, dress, book or fashion label.

I don't hate many things but I feel it has come time to express my number one pet hate of women's dressing. Thongs. No not the underwear type of thong, (I am a firm believer of the benefit of that type of thong when avoiding a VPL (visable panty line)) the rubber kind. Flip flops, double pluggers, havianas, whatever you want to call them.

One of my most favourite past times is (surprise, surprise) shopping and planning outfits. For a day at work, a night on the town, a music festival or a casual dinner, whatever the occasion, thongs are never my footwear of choice. In an effort to avoid sounding like a ranting idiot I have devised a list (in my opinion) of when I would say thongs are, and are definitely not appropriate.

• At the beach- Yes.
• At the pool- Yes.
• At the shops-....it depends. If it is a super quick run in to the supermarket, and I mean super quick, as in, baking a cake, run out of eggs and have to go to the shops before the cake starts to rise prematurely, or you are just about to have a shower when you realise you used the last of the conditioner last time you washed your hair. In which case, a rubber thong and greasy hair complememnt each other perfectly. (Stop me if i'm being too harsh). In all other shopping situations, I don't understand why people dont take the opportunity to enhance their outfits with a cute pair of loafers or a funky sandal?
• To lunch with friends- Leave those thongs at home! Ladies who lunch are not seen around town in a shoe made of rubber. Anything other than the softest leather would not do justice to the goregous dress or nude shorts and silk top combo you are planning.
• To a music festival- I can see both sides of this argument, (gasp, I might be in favour of the thong?) but only because I have (in the very distant past) on occasion, worn thongs to a festival. (If I remember correctly it was Good Vibes '09 and Parklife '08). Festivals are dirty, you can get sand in your shoes, and most festival outfits are casual. However, festivals are also an opportunity to show off your style, mix patterns, wear headbands, scarves, the shortest of shorts and ......a great opportunity to wear biker boots, sandals with lots of buckles or some little sneakers. The boots and the sneakers will even save your tootsies from the moshpit.
• Out to dinner- Hell no!
• To work- Come on, everyone knows you don't wear thongs to work.

Like I tell my sister 'thongs are not shoes'. I can hardly imagine Alexa Chung or Rachel Zoe strutting around in a pair of flimsy flip flops. Remember this next time you are dressing ladies and we will all be better dressed for it.

What is your Favourite Fashion Trend and Why?

Before I get to the (highly-anticipated, very exciting, near impossible to decide..) answer to this question, let me first outline the difference between a trend and a fad. Yes, as every fashionista knows, there is a big difference! A fad is an item, like the tie dye print, most recently in the form of a maxi dress that made a short, (and in my opinion, not very sweet) resurgence this summer. A trend, however is a craze that lasts more than one season. The blazer and the skinny jean are both popular trends we will be seeing a good deal more of as we move into winter.

I can't fail to mention one of my great loves, the statement accessory. I have been a fan for as long as I can remember (always contradicting the phrase 'less is more'). Whether it be the classic strands of pearls, Audrey Hepburn style, the Rachel Zoe inspired cocktail ring, or one of my many self-made necklaces, (see picture) Statement accessories definitely came a very close second to my favourite fashion trend.

However, I can reveal my favourite fashion trend for the moment is my biker boots. I suffer from what I have coined a 'pretty complex'. While I love ruffles, floral prints, lace, beading and everything pretty I feel, more often than not, when worn with a nude heel, sandal or ballet flat they become daggy. My biker boots are the cure! I can wear a ruffled skirt (as pictured), I can dress down a tule and lace dress, I can add a grunge feeling to a rouched, beige tube skirt and I can successfully contradict the glitz of my oversized black diamonte studs. Yes, my black lace-ups are definitely my most favourite fashion trend.

Be the bELLA of the Ball.

It is the start of the school ball season. Yes, I am far too old to be worrying about attending school balls myself but I am kept in the loop as I have a younger brother and sister.

Over the weekend my brother was off to yet another school ball (I think he has been to around 9 in total) and my mum was about to order yet another wrist corsage, when she had a brainwave, 'why don't you make it?' Seeing as I am still in 'Cairo' and am not at work and worked at a florist for most of last year, I jumped at the prospect of a little creative project. Little is a bit of an understatement for how the project ended up.

Mum has been saying for a while....probably since about ball number 3, that it seems all florists are making the same boring white rose or orchid corsages. Why doesn't anyone think of something different? Clashing colours, beads, feathers? Well, well, well, you haven't seen anything yet!

Having been through the whole school ball thing myself, I found myself wondering, would we say to our ball date, 'hey, I have spent weeks, maybe even months trying on countless dresses in the search for the perfect one, matching shoes, bags, hair and make-up, but can you please bring me some accessories to the befores?' Hell no! But why is a corsage any different? I knew my brothers date was wearing a black dress so I went to town on my corsage creation. Her name was Emily so I also attached a sterling silver 'E' charm so she has something she can keep long after the flowers have died. Brilliant, I know!!

I couldn't stop after one corsage and ideas just kept popping into my head. Therefore I also made the following masterpieces (if I do say so myself).

Shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in having a fashionable corsage for your next ball, or pass on my details to your ball date. You can even send me a pic of your gorgeous dress to ensure it matches (or clashes) perfectly! ellagarland@hotmail.com.