My Style Diary - A Sunday Afternoon Walk

With the weekend weather in Perth still being decidedly wintery, I've been living in cozy jumpers and jeans, and brightening things up to make them a little more spring appropriate with a colourful/patterned scarf. I'm craving weather that's warm enough for me to crack out my beautiful summer dresses (my favourite thing to wear) but at least I've been able to inject a little splash of spring into my outfits with this floral scarf! 

On the plus side - the cooler weather is perfect for going out and enjoying a relaxing stroll around the neighbourhood. I love this time of year (even if it has been a little too chilly and rainy for my liking) because there are so many beautiful flowers about and just so much colour everywhere! From the gorgeous yellow roses in the photo above, to the stunning purple of the wisteria cascading over fences (take a look at my  

instagram

for that), to the beautiful pinks and whites of the everlastings, there's just so much beauty to be seen everywhere!

Walks are also one of my favourite ways to spend time with Tom - no distractions from technology (except to occasionally snap a few photos or catch a pokemon), just time for a good long chat!

Yup - a nice long walk is definitely one of my favourite ways to spend a few hours on the weekend. 

What's your favourite sunday afternoon tradition?

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

Jumper - Country Road

Jeans - 7 For All Mankind

Shoes - Roxy

Scarf - H&M (I think... I've had it for a long time!)

Necklace - Mimco

PS - The blog's had a little makeover which I'm pretty excited about. What do you think of it? I love how it looks so much sleeker (and just way prettier!) I'm feeling much more inspired now, so hopefully there will be lots more posts coming soon! hehe :p

My Style Diary - Beautiful Blossoms and a Pale Pink Hat

Hello Hello :)

I'm currently sitting on the couch watching Gilmore Girls (my fave show ever), and feeling pretty content with things at the moment, so I figured now would be a good time to share these photos of the beautiful Plum Blossom tree that's right outside our apartment. Just look at those beautiful pink blossoms - seeing them every morning has definitely been brightening up my day. 

We're well into September now, but today was the first day that we've finally started to get some warmer weather and that it's really started to feel like Spring. That feeling of warmth in the air and the promise of warmer days to come makes me feel so much more optimistic about everything! ...My mood is ridiculously weather dependant - I'm lucky I live somewhere that is fairly sunny all year round!

These photos were taken last weekend when it was still pretty chilly though. I haven't featured this jumper in a blog post yet but it has been one of my favourites that I've just been living in all winter. I love the light grey knit fabric and that little crossover detail at the front that just adds a bit of interests (you know I'm all about the little details). I've also been really enjoying wearing this muted pink/blush coloured hat which I picked up on sale in Topshop while on my girls trip to Sydney earlier in the year. I always love seeing people in hats but rarely wear them myself, so I'm happy to say this has ended up being a good purchase for me! The colour adds a nice feminine touch and it goes well with the greys/whites/blacks that make up most of my winter capsule wardrobe. I really need to swap out my clothes and transition to my Spring Capsule soon, but until today things have still been pretty chilly so I just haven't  gotten around to it yet!

Anyway, I think I'll continue watching Gilmore Girls now. I'm starting from season one in preparation for the new reunion season coming out in November. Anyone else excited about that? I can't wait!

Hope you're having a lovely night!

Lauren

xxx

Top - Dotti

Jeans - Country Road

Necklace - Mimco

Hat - Topshop

Bag - Jigsaw

Shoes - Country Road

Thirteen Little Things...

Hello Hello :)

I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to lately, but to be honest, I've been feeling pretty down in the dumps over the past month or so and I just haven't felt up to it. Nothing terribly bad has been happening, but I've just been really stressed at work, dealing with a number of quite negative people that have left me feeling totally drained. 

I'm usually a pretty happy, optimistic person, but being blamed for things that aren't your fault, or questioned about your intentions and skills (when all you are doing is trying your best to help people), really does get you down after a while.

After having a mini breakdown the other day, I decided I just have to move on and not let those negative Nancy's get to me anymore. It's much easier said than done (particularly for someone like myself who takes everything to heart), but I'm slowly getting there.

This blog is my "happy place"  - I want to spread positive vibes and for my little corner of the internet to be a fun, uplifting place to visit, so now that I'm in a better mindset I figured I'd dip my toe back into the "blogging pond" by sharing something that's been helping me to feel a little better, even on a pretty crappy day. 

I think the saying "There's something good in every day" is really true, and so even when I haven't been feeling the positive vibes, I've been trying to look for the little things that make me smile. It might be the tiniest thing that only lasts a few moments, but if you look for it, there's always something good in the day to be grateful for.

So here are just some of the little things, that have made me smile lately...

1. Seeing a rainbow on my drive to work

. I like to think of this as a sign that it's going to be a good day!

2. The beautiful cherry blossom (of is it a plum blossom?) tree that's blooming outside our apartment

. I see it as I head out the door on my way to work and it always brings a smile to my face.

3. The fact that it's just that little bit brighter in the mornings now as I'm waking up

. I'm so excited for Spring - it's always feels like such a fresh start and that everything picks up once September rolls around.

4. A big hug from my Nonna

- she's a little lady but gives the

best

hugs, and on this particular night, I really needed a good hug. It didn't exactly fix the situation that was stressing me out, but it definitely helped me feel a whole lot better about it all.

5. Sipping a hot cup of tea in the morning as I get ready for work

(or even better when Tom brings it to me on the weekend when I'm still in bed). There's something pretty amazing about the power of simple cup of tea.

6. Our little apartment

(okay so I guess this is actually a pretty big thing!)  - it's really coming together now and feels so cozy and homey. I feel so lucky that we have this space to call our own.

7. Snuggling into freshly washed sheets

- one of the best feelings ever!

8. Watching The Bachelor

- I originally only started watching it so I could chat to people at work about it and feel a bit more in the loop, but I've actually really got into it and now I'm hooked. It's nice to be able to just escape reality for a little while and enjoy some light hearted entertainment!

(For the record, I think Nikki will win - she seems like such a sweet, down to earth girl and they seem perfect for each other)

9. Listening to the rain while I'm snuggled up inside

- I don't think this one needs any explanation, the sound of rain is just so relaxing... 

10. The fact that I can now do proper dead lifts at the gym!

 I never thought I'd be into lifting weights, but I actually really enjoy it! It's all down to the fact that I have an awesome personal trainer -

Matt at Smart Fitness

. He's one of my friends from uni so going to the gym just feels like a fun catch up with my friend. If you're in Perth and after an awesome PT you should get in contact with Matt!

11. Watching my orchid that I repotted a couple of months ago growing

. The flowers are just about to blossom (for the third time now) and it's so exciting! Tom says I sound like a proud mother when I'm talking about my orchid... I've never kept a plant alive for this long before, so I guess I am a proud plant mum! ;)

12. Going for a walk in the sunshine

- even if it's only for ten minutes during my lunch break - it can really help to brighten up the day.

13. Picking Tom up from the airport

- my favourite part of the week.

He's coming home tonight and I'm so excited :)

After writing that list I'm feeling pretty good about things right now (the fact that it's Friday night is also probably helping with that!)

They're just simple things, but when you look for them you realise how many good things there are. They don't exactly fix all the other things going on, but when you're feeling grateful it's much easier to deal with the harder stuff (at least it seems that way to me).

What little things have been making you smile lately?

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

My Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016

Heya! :)

Just a quick post today to share my winter capsule wardrobe video here on the blog.

I'm still loving doing this whole "capsule wardrobe thing" and I don't plan on stopping any time soon!

I've had such a change in mindset over the past year that I've been doing a capsule wardrobe, and just trying in general to minimise my possessions and live a little more simply.

In the world of fashion blogs there is definitely a push towards always having something shiny and new and following the latest trends. While there's nothing wrong with that, it's just never really been "me" so I feel so much happier thinking of myself as more of a "capsule wardrobe blogger" rather "fashion blogger".

The idea of quality over quantity and having a smaller collection of really well curated pieces appeals to me so much more than having a wardrobe overflowing with clothes, and I've been enjoying applying this minimalist approach to the rest of my life too.

I've been listening to podcasts, reading blogs and watching videos about minimalism and simple living for a long time now and find them so inspiring, so I'm planning on doing a post about my favourite ones soon :)

Hope you're having a fab day :) I'm soo happy it's finally the weekend!

Lauren

xx

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My Style Diary - Flashback to Sumer in a Strawberry Printed Dress

We're currently in the middle of winter, and I have to say I'm a little tired of the chilly weather. I know I really shouldn't be complaining considering our winter here in Perth is only a little colder than a lot of places in summer (as one of my viewer's from the UK pointed out in a comment on my winter capsule video!), but I'm a summer girl and to me it's been super cold, and that makes me want to just curl up inside all day and drink tea in bed (something I happen to be doing as I write this actually)

 If all days could start off like this Sunday morning I'd be okay with it, but sadly that isn't so! (My main gripe with winter is the cold dark mornings, the rest of it really isn't

that

bad!)

I can't wait until Spring though when I can start pulling out my bright, printed dresses - like this cute strawberry printed one I'm wearing in the photos!

These were actually taken back in December - on Boxing day to be exact! We usually have a relaxed brunch to catch up with some family friends the day after Christmas, and this fun dress was just the perfect thing to wear. After brunch, Tom and I then headed to the shops to have a look at engagement rings for the first time which was so exciting! As I've mentioned in my previous post about our engagement, Tom knew I'd want to choose my ring (he's a clever one), so proposed without one and we went and looked together once we got back from Tassie.

While we didn't find a ring that day (it actually took many trips to a number of different jewellers before we ended up having something made), it was such a fun day and I have great memories of it!

It's funny how something as simple as an outfit post like this can trigger these memories of such a lovely day! It's definitely one my favourite things about having a blog :)

It's also kinda funny how some days I'll have nothing to write about (which is why these photos have sat in my "draft posts" for months) and then I saw them today and thought - yep it's time to share them!

Does anyone else have that happen to them? Some days I'll have no inspiration, while on others the words just flow so easily!

Anyway, I'll leave it at that for now.

If you're a blogger too - what's your fave thing about blogging? I'd love to know!

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

Dress - Princess Highway - Dangerfield

Sandals - Windsor Smith

Bag - Jigsaw