This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

Ever have one of those days where you need to buy very mundane objects, and come home with a small loot of your favourite things? 

Me too.

All I needed to buy was felt to make a felt board rainbow, a cookie tray for a game for the kinders, and a concealer...and just look what happened!!

I went to buy my sister a candle since she has been lusting over my collection recently, and they had half price yankee candles! Half price! Throw in that it is my favourite discontinued scent (Natures Paintbrush) and I had to grab all the remaining jars (luckily for my bank account there were only two). 

Then I went to buy concealer, which I did. But of course they have to put the Essie stand at the front of the shop, which is how Fishnet Stockings ended up in my cart.

Then I went to Kmart for the cookie tray. Obviously when one is in Kmart one has to wander around, and stumble across a favourite childhood movie, and then this adorable notebook set (those are gold foil hearts) reduced to only $3 left over from mothers day, and then on the way out discover that my local store now stocks elf cosmetics (blush in twinkle pink, and matte lip colour in tea rose, both $8). 

Yeah, this wasn't supposed to happen.

x Stacey

Fall Haul (Y'all)

Sorry about the title, I just couldn't help myself. Recently I have been doing a lot of shopping (I know I know, bad Stacey), and that means I can share with all of you. I know hauls garner mixed opinions, I personally love reading and watching them, but if you do not please just click away now (I promise not to be offended). 

I will split this haul into two categories; clothing, and pretty smelling things. First up clothing. 

boohoo.com recently had a huge sale, and then on top of that offered a further 20% off sale items. I took advantage of this to stock up on some new knitwear for the cooler months ahead.

I love pastel colours all year around, and apparently they are a big thing for autumn which means win win for me. This is the Lola Cable Knit Jumper in mint green. It's a super chunky cable knit jumper, that somehow still manages to be flattering. That is saying a lot since I'm quite curvy and have large hips so chunky jumpers sometimes don't look all that good on me.

Another Pastel! This is the Kadie Fisherman Knit Jumper Dress in Blush. It's a thinnish knit 'jumper dress'. I use the term loosely because it's pretty short and I will have to wear jeans, not leggings with it because it barely covers my tooshie. Shortness aside it's a pretty colour, and the thinner knit will allow me to wear it earlier on than the mint jumper which is quite thick.

This is the Daisy Cable Boyfriend Cardigan in black. Its a great boyfriend size cardigan that's not so oversized that it's like a dress, but not so small that it looks like a fitted cardigan. It has a cute cable knit down the sides, two pockets, and cute little contrast buttons. Overall it's a great casual cardigan.

I have wanted a nice green tartan shirt for ages and I think I finally found one. This is the Harriett Brushed Checked Shirt in green. Unfortunately I can't provide a link since I bought the last one. Also since I bought the last one it's slightly larger than I would like as I had to go up a size. It's quite a cozy lightly brushed cotton shirt however it's by no means flannel. I also like that the sleeves are roomier which allows me to roll them up comfortably.

If you recall my tartan post you will remember my mention of this dress. I absolutely love it! It's the Jen Tartan Print Collar Smock Dress in green. Smock dresses are a huge trend at the moment and a super comfortable one at that. If I want the dress to look more tailored it's easily cinched at the waist with an elastic belt and you would never know it was a smock...talk about versatility. 

Now for the pretty smelling part.

I have always loved scented candles and autumn is the perfect time for burning them as autumn has so many lovely smells. Recently Spotlight (a craft store) started stocking Yankee Candles in a variety of different scents...naturally I had to start stocking up. 

What is more autumn than pumpkins! I love pumpkin anything; food, beverage, shower gel or candle. The combination of sweetness and warmth in the scent and taste always has me coming back for more. Due to my love of pumpkins Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin is a perfect match up for the season. Yankee describes this as 'Pumpkins baked in simmering spices of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and sweetened with brown sugar' does that sound yummy or what!

Yankee Candle Red Apple Wreath is technically a festive scent for the Christmas/Holiday season. The Christmas season in Australia is in the middle of summer so this candle is probably a bit too heavy for it. However the sweet crispness of apples combined with cinnamon, walnut and maple create a wonderful autumn/winter scent. 

Nature's Paintbrush is a discontinued Yankee scent that I was lucky enough to stumble across in a gift shop one day. It is described as 'a perfect autumn day captured in radiet, aromatic strokes of brisk air, spicy woods, and warm musks'. Unlike all my other candles this is quite a masculine scent and reminds me of aftershave and my boy (in the best possible way). It's definitely not sweet and not for those who like their rooms to smell like a bakery, but it's comforting (most likely because it reminds me of the one I love) and perfect for staying in and reading on a rainy day. While it is discontinued you can still find this scent floating around on ebay.

We don't have Bath and Body Works in Australia (I'll pause for a collective sigh of disappointment). However there is an amazing seller on eBay called 88claudiamurray who sells Bath and Body Works products (as well as Yankee products and many other lovely things). As mentioned above I love pumpkin for autumn so I was delighted when I found she had both the shower gel and lotion for Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is described as 'a cozy blend of New England pumpkin, crisp apple and ginger kissed with spiced vanilla and a hint of rum'. It's quite a light smelling fragrance for something that is as heavy as pumpkin, the apple and vanilla notes are definitely not taking a backseat here. While not a true pumpkin scent it's still pretty, and light, and feminine and I can't wait to use it.

Also from 88claudiamurray come these wonderful Yankee Candle vent sticks. I purchased Spiced Pumpkin to match my candle, so my car can smell like autumn too (and how cute are the little pumpkins on them!). I have purchased these from her before, but in Christmas scents, and have found they don't work as well with air conditioning as they do with heaters. Due to this I'll be saving them until it gets cold enough to use the heater in my car so I can actually smell it. 

So there you have it, an autumn haul from a self confessed autumn addict. Are there any products you love for this time of year? Let me know in the comments below and I'll see if I can give them a try. Also I'm pretty sure I'll be doing a autumn Favourites further into the season so if you love this season as much as I do be sure to check back for that.

x Stacey

DIY: Painted Jars

If you have spent any time on pinterest ever you will definitely have noticed the massive trend of mason jars for every imaginable purpose. I love the look of jars (my cousin had them everywhere at her wedding and it was oh so romantic) however the price tag of mason jars here in Australia is not so loveable. 

While cleaning out my wardrobe I found a stack of empty candle jars (because apparently I'm a huge hoarder) and decided to put one of them to use for my very own jar project. May I present my very new bedside bouquet in an old yankee candle jar

Instagram makes everything pretty

If you would like to create your own I have included instructions below.

Firstly you will need to gather your supplies.

• Old jar (I used a yankee candle jar because I like the unique shape they have, but I'm sure anything from a pasta sauce jar to an actual mason jar would work)
• Acrylic Paint (I used 'Antique White' by Semco)
• Glitter (super fine is best)
• Glue (I used Martha Stewarts Glittering Glue)
• Sponge brushes
• Faux Flowers (Mine are peonies from the ever fabulous Ikea)

If you used a candle jar you will need to get the excess wax out before you start. I took photos of all the steps but to make this post less picture intensive you can find instructions HERE.

Once your wax is removed you can get onto painting the jars. I know some people paint the outside of their jars but I love the glossy look of the paint inside the jars, and I kid you not it is the simplest thing ever!

Sorry about the busy newspaper underneath

Pour/squirt some paint into the bottom of the jar

Begin to twirl it so it covers the entire bottom of the jar, then begin to swirl it around the sides. You may have to add more paint into the jar as you go (for this reason paint in a tube is easier to use). If needed squirt new paint onto the inner sides of the jar.

Continue swirling, adding paint, and swirling again until all of the jar is covered with paint. Leave it to dry on newspaper. Initially upside down, however after a few hours/when the paint is almost set turn the jar right side up to allow the jar to completely dry.

Using a sponge brush add a thin layer of glue around the top rim of the jar.

Sprinkle glitter onto the glue and leave to dry.

All dry and ready for flowers

Once the jar is dry you can begin to arrange your flowers in it. Side note: I found my flowers were scratching the paint off the jar because they had rough wire stems once I cut them down. To combat this I filled the jar with cotton balls (cotton stuffing would work too) and cut the flowers very short.

Place arrangement where you will see it and admire your work daily.

Well there you have it, how to create your very own arrangement of cuteness.

If you create your own I'd love to know so let me know in the comments below.

x Stacey