Money Diet.

Dreaming of Decorating

One of the things that kills me a little bit each and every day, is having a very small apartment. The Husband says I can decorate it how ever I see fit, but I just don’t feel like there is much point. It is so small that I’m not sure there is any point putting our Christmas Tree up because it means that meter of much needed space will no longer be there.

I seriously lay awake at night dreaming of our next home, a house. We haven’t found it yet, but when we do, you will know about it. Believe me.

We received so many beautiful, beautiful gifts for our Wedding and Engagement but they are in storage because we have no room for them.

I am always squirreling away images of home decoration and what not, just so that when the time comes, I will be ready!

I was reading Australian Home & Gardens on my lunch break today when I came across an item that was from Alfresco Emporium, which I had never heard of before. As soon as I got back to my desk I googled it and have fallen hard. There are so many stunning home items that I must have. When we sell our apartment and move, I know which website I will be perusing the hell out of.

Alfresco Emporium

You can find all of the items in the above images for sale at Alfresco Emporium.   

Here are some decoration pictures that I love.  A girl can dream big, right?!

I'm sorry that I don't have credits for these images. I tend to just right click and save without another thought.

Gingerboy!

Yesterday was just one of those days. The toilets in our office building were not working as there was no water getting through, which also meant that our air conditioners were not working. As it was stifling hot in the office, everyone was thirsty and wanting to drink, but how could we do that if we had no access to the toilets. Having to leave the building and walking 5 minutes is not the best option. The better option is to dehydrate yourself so you don’t need to pee. Terrible.

Anyway, after proclaiming it the ‘Worst Day Ever’ to The Husband, he asked if I wanted to go out to dinner to brighten my day. I’m not silly, I know which option I would take if all I had was a Lite n Easy dinner at home waiting for me.

We decided to just wander aimlessly around the city until we found something suitable and did a full lap from Spring Street to Swanston and then back up Burke where we settled on Gingerboy as neither of us had been there before.

Gingerboy is inspired by street kitchens and hawker style food from Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore. We didn’t have a reservation and it was pretty much a full house but luckily there was a table free. As soon as we walked in, I loved the atmosphere. It is not quite and pretentious, rather lots of laughter and the sounds of patrons genuinely enjoying their meals.

We were given a run down of how Gingerboy food is styled, and a recommendation of how many dishes to get depending on how hungry we were.

 Braised Duck Spring Roll with Spiced Hoi Sin (3 pieces) $15.00.

When the waitress brought out the Spring Rolls there were only 2 on the plate, and then another came over with our plate of 3, but said that we could have the 2 that had previously been set down at no extra cost which was a nice touch.

I am not a big duck fan, but ate one and it tasted fine. S enjoyed them but did mention quite a few times on how salty they were.

Coconut Chicken Salad with Chili, Green beans, Peanuts and Mango $17.00

Okay guys, this was delicious. So good. We will go back time and time again purely so that I can eat this. I am relatively fussy eater when it comes to chicken but this was honesty amazing.

The flavours all worked so well together and it was very refreshing without being too creamy.

The dish was big enough to share, but I could have happily demolished it on my own.

A must eat when you go to Gingerboy, if I say so my self!

Wok Greens $8.50

Our waitress advised us that there are not a lot of greens in the curry, so we ordered the Wok Greens on the side which had Bok Choy, Baby Corn and more. They definitely tasted a little charred, perfection. I’m definitely glad that we ordered them as she was right, the curry was a little lacking in the vegetable department.

Kingfish in Banana Leaf with Bamboo, Ginger and Lemongrass Curry $38.00

The Husband is not so big on curries, but I am so I win every time. I should mention that we waited quite a while for our main after the entrees but it was no big deal. They were very busy and the wait staff apologised for the wait.

The Kingfish melted in my mouth, and the flavours of the curry worked fantastically with it. I would normally steer clear of a fish curry but this was delicious. Served with steamed jasmine rice and mixed in with the Wok Greens, it was the perfect sharing dish.

After our meal was done we were very satisfied and the amount of food that we ordered was perfect for us. At the start of the night neither of us were starving, but we could eat. The waitress determined how much food we would need and she was spot on.

There was no way I could look at the dessert menu though.

I can’t wait to go back.

How gorgeous is this Lucy Folk store. It is opposite Gingerboy on Crossley Street. I had never head of Lucy Folk before, but after seeing the beautiful shop front and looking up her jewellery online, I will certainly be popping in there!

I’m wearing a Totem dress which gets pulled out on balmy nights and my new staple, Windsor Smith wedges.

I want our front door to be just like this.

My body looks seriously weird here. It’s a mix between The Awkward Lean and some other distortion.

The Husband also looks a tad on the dishevelled side of life, I must be rubbing off on him.

I needed a drink last night. Something refreshing, something citrus. This would have fit the bill nicely I believe.

Hi. It's Monday. Erh.

Saturday night was my brother Joseph and his fiance Emma's engagement party. It took us freaking forever to get to Mt.Eliza thanks to the rain. S kept complaining about how far away it was, and all he had to do was kick back and enjoy the rain. Puh-lease.

In case you have not noticed, I have been using my iPhone for blogging photos for a while now. The scratch on my lens is just far too obvious and I need to take the camera back to Canon so my apologies for the iPhone photos. At least the 4S has a pretty good camera!

I decided to not wear the Collette by Collette Dinnigan dress as it was far too summery. Would have looked down right stupid. Instead I wore my Stella McCartney for Target silk dress with my Kate Spade necklace.

Joey with his balloons that were tied to his vest.

I saw Brynne Edelstens car parked in our car park. I can't believe just how bright it really is. I'm sorry but to me this is a crying shame. What a waste of a Bentley! Girlfriend loves the attention, good on her!

Sunday afternoon after we woke up at 12PM we headed out to Puccinos on Bourke Street for the All Day Breakfast which is not actually All Day.

I was quite taken with this glass. I wouldn't mine some for home actually.

I don't know about you, but I like to receive my drink before my meal. I don't drink and eat at the same time usually so when I have to ask half way through my meal for my smoothie, I get bothered.

Luckily the girls at Puccinos have a great smiley disposition so that made up for the wait.

Hard work picking which Cacao macarons to get!

After brunch, S went to work and then on to Geelong so I headed to the local park with my friend Vince Neil and the sunshine.

Cookies and Cream

Jam and Cream Lamington

I still don't understand how Saturday can be pouring with rain, creating floods and generally causing havoc and then Sunday can be such a beautiful day. As The Husband said to me, "You would be pissed off if you got married on Saturday and then woke up to this beautiful weather!".

Freaking Melbourne.

The Iconic - New Online Shopping Website

 Have you heard that there is a new online shopping website in town?

I'm sure you have, but if not, it is called THE ICONIC and I apologise to your bank account in advance.

I have copied this direct from the press release, as you know I am quite lazy when it comes to typing:

THE ICONIC, Australia’s newest and most exciting online destination for fashion and

footwear is ready for launch. Bringing you an Australian lens on global trends, THE ICONIC

will offer the best in men’s and women’s global fashion and footwear.

WHAT MAKES THE ICONIC UNIQUE?

Guided by fashion expert and former Project Runway Australia judge Sarah Gale, THE

ICONIC will feature regular trend reports, style tips and everything you need to know to

create the best looks. “I’m so excited to be part of this new venture. It’s wonderful to be able

to showcase the best Australian talent and international labels on this new platform. Online

retailing is definitely the future within this industry,” Sarah said.

THE ICONIC is committed to providing great customer service and enjoyable

shopping experiences. For the first time in Australian online-fashion,

THE ICONIC will offer an unprecedented 3-hour delivery time on all

purchases within the Sydney metropolitan area.

In addition, THE ICONIC has established a Sydney-based call centre

and offers free express shipping on all purchases. THE ICONIC will

also engage customers via its Blog and Social Media, including Tumblr,

Facebook and Twitter.

With contemporary lines from Ellery, Shakuhachi, Three Over One,

Ginger & Smart, as well as your favourite fashion brands

Minty Meets Munt, Ladakh, Senso and more, style addicts

can indulge in the ultimate fashion fix.

THE ICONIC FUTURE

THE ICONIC will continue to expand its brand portfolio,

scouring the globe for the latest international styles and

must-haves, becoming Australia’s leading fashion and

footwear destination.

Find our website at www.theiconic.com.au,

join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Christmas Party season is rapidly approaching, so these are my picks

Ellery 'Mr Fox' Dress $759

Ladakh 'Nicole' Dress $79.95

May The Lable 'Ramsay' Dress $169 - I would buy this for myself if I was not on a ban!

Therese Rawsthorne 'Strap Accordian' Dress $570

I had to return my Windsor Smith wedges in black, due to a sizing error on my behalf, but this is all okay because The Iconic have them for $84.95 with free shipping!!!

You can buy the wedges here ! I know I will be!

You can also get a $10 voucher if you sign up the website, Ka Ching!

I am curious to know if you still shop in store, or is most of your shopping done online?

 I hear the retailers complaining about lack of sales, but lets be honest, if you want people to shop in store you need to be able to compete with online prices and actually give good service to in store customers.

 I waited 15 minutes at an empty Myer counter, only to be told to go to another counter, who sent me back to the original counter where I again waited 15 minutes to be served. Please, I would prefer to waste my precious time loading items into my online shopping cart and checking out before the guilt kicks in.

Online shopping is more convenient, usually saves money, and also includes the pleasure of receiving a package in the post!