1st wedding anniversary

Photos by Marianne Taylor

This Sunday is our first wedding anniversary. I have read somewhere that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Don't get me wrong this year has been a challenge as we moved our whole lives to set up in Australia. However we have had such a fun year and its a year that we will always cherish. One thing we did which I am happy about is, that cherished who we are as a couple. We decided to focus on our relationship without the stress of children (they will come when the time is right). We have had to deal with other big life stresses that test us as a couple, and moving to the other side of the world was a biggie and still is. We have had many people questioning us when we will start a family, and we just reply 'sometime in the future' as we know it will happen then.

You would think after being with someone for 8.5 years, that you would know that person inside out. How wrong could I be. I have learnt so much about Alex this year. He is more amazing than I thought... and trust me I didn't think that was possible. Alex is my rock. This year I have learnt that no matter what life throws at us, we will be ok as we have each other and this is the main thing. It comes down to still being excited to see Alex every day, and being able to make each other laugh every day. The saddest thing is, it feels like our wedding was so long ago as so much has happened this year. The memories of our wedding day gradually fade over time, but what we are left with is an amazing relationship & friendship. We're off to celebrate in Sydney this weekend. I am excited as I have never been before. Have a great weekend everyone :)

p.s you can view more videos from our wedding here

Blue Days

Photos: Alex May

I remember when we were coming to live in Victoria, Australia. We were told and read everywhere that you could experience 4 seasons in a day. I didn't believe this as I couldnt understand how it could happen, until we got here. Last winter I carried a wooly hat, sunglasses and an umbrella to cover all bases.

We were blessed with an amazing summer where it was pretty much over 30 degrees every day pretty much reaching 40 (gross!). Now it is officially Autumn and we are back to the inconsistent days. As I am typing this, it is a chilly grey 20 degree day. However yesterday (as you can tell from the photos) it was a gorgeous sunny (& windy) 27 degree day! This weather plays with your head, and I know its only going to get worse. It makes getting dressed in the morning pretty confusing. Hence why I had a cardigan with me when I left the house which quickly came off.

I am in love with chambray denim dresses at the moment. This one is from Glassons, and was an absolute bargain of $20 in the sale! I love a bargain. My boots are from Topshop. I am not sure if I like them... I am hoping by wearing them I will bond with them.

Twinings - The Everyday Tea range

We all know, that I love tea. I drink a cup of a tea (and more) each day. A day without tea is not complete. So as you can tell I am mad about tea. I was contacted by a PR company to see if I wanted to review some of the Twinings Tea. This was a dream email for me, so I was very happy to oblige.

They sent me 5 types of tea to try out. I love English breakfast tea, but I am always a bit sceptical about herbal tea. Am I the only one that thinks it smells nicer than it tastes?! So when Twinings sent me some of their tea from 'The Everyday Tea' range I was intrigued to see whether or not I would like it.

I was surprised at how nice this tea was. It was like a beautiful blend of English breakfast with the herbal blend, and I really enjoyed it! It was subtle in taste but you could still get the taste. My favourite tea was the Echinacea blend. Alex's was the green tea! My least favourite has to be the Redbush blend... but then again I am not a huge fan of this tea in the first place!

These teas are perfect if you just have not got the taste for herbal teas just yet, or you just want an everyday tea with a subtle blend. I will be buying more of these when they run out...!

Dove Real Beauty Campaign

I think all women can relate to this American Dove Ad campaign.

Seasalt Cornwall | Yellow or Navy?!

Source: Seasalt Cornwall

It is Autumn here in Australia, which means you can fill a chill in the air. My British blood has thinned out completely, as its 18 degrees here, and I am putting on a jacket!  Eek....What has happened to me?!

I have been looking for a nice light jacket to wear, to shield me from the wind and rain that is unfortunately coming my way.  Luckily I went on Seasalt Cornwall's website, and found this beauty. As you all know I love a good stripe t-shirt. I feel it is such a classic item, and Seasalt has plenty of these to choose from, which is unfortunate for my bank account.

If you happen to come across a Seasalt Cornwall shop, please stop and have a look at their windows! Each window is unique to each shop, so I have spent many a minutes looking in them. It is worth a look!

However I fell in love with the Seafolly Jacket. I absolutely love the styling, and I can picture myself  in the Cornish landscape wearing this beauty. I will have to make do with the Australian coast for now though! I love how its made out of organic cotton (always a plus for me!) and how water resistant it is!

My only issue now is, which colour?! I love how the yellow jacket makes such a bold statement, however I know that the navy will go with so much more in my wardrobe.... what do you think?

Finders Keepers | Melbourne

Happy Weekend :) Its early Sunday morning...god knows why I am up SO early as I had such a busy yet fun day yesterday.

During the week, my husband won tickets to go and see Ben Howard play live in Melbourne. Unfortunately an hour before the gig, I checked facebook and saw that it had been cancelled due to him losing his voice! (boo!!) However its not to bad, as the gig has been moved to Monday. For those of you who don't know, Ben Howard 'Only Love' was our first dance song back in May last year and we love him!

Because we were going to see him, we thought we would head up to Melbourne and make a day of it. The sun was shining and I found out that the 'Finders Keepers' market was on! I have been meaning to go to this market since we moved to Australia. I dragged the husband along, and he ended up loving it more than I did. I have to give it to the Australians, they truly embrace uniquely designed goods, more than the Brits. I don't know why, but they seem to do it in a less tacky way!

I brought myself some lovely bits & pieces. I had to hold myself back as I could of spent a fortune. However I grabbed the business cards of the companies I want to remember. It was so nice to speak to some of the stall holders about there goods.

One of my favourites was 'Herbert & Friends'. I fell in love with their characters!! Whilst Alex fell in love with 'Junkcase' such a clever idea for a music lover!

We then went for a beautiful meal at the end of the day where we were left feeling stuffs and with drinks on the roof top bar, which ended the day perfectly for us!

Illustration: floral crown

© Cathryn Nicholson

As you all know... I love weddings. Since getting married last year, you would think I would stop looking at wedding blogs. Uhhhh....no! If anything I look at them more. However, one of my favourite photographers has to be Ciara Richardson. I have been a follower of her blog for a while and when I saw this shoot that she did. I let out a small scream! (God knows, how my husband puts up with me!!) 

I ended up falling in love with ALL of the photos from this series. I have vowed to myself as well, if we ever find ourselves in the same area that Ciara Richardson is based... I want to do a shoot with her. Her couple shoots are so beautiful!!

Element Eden Autumn Winter Lookbook

The people that know me in real life, know that I love to mix surf/street brands with high street brands. I love the uniqueness that the street brands bring compared to high street. 

One brand that I love and have been wearing for god knows how many years is Eden Element. It is a dream to work as a designer for a brand like Element Eden. I am absolutely loving the Autumn/Winter collection that Element Eden Australia has brought out. I am a sucker for polka dots, and it feels like this collection has been created just for little old me (a girl can dream right?!). I fell in love with their lookbook instantly, the images are just stunning. You can view more of there collection here.

My favourite pieces have to be the polka dot jeans, and the printed shift dress which could be teamed back with the gorgeous knitwear they have. 

A collection like this makes me look forward to Winter...!

p.s If you like to knit, Element Eden Australia are running a competition called the 'Element Eden Knit Off' where you can win a years supply of Australian Country Spinners yarn and a $1000 Element Eden AU wardrobe. (If you don't know how to knit, don't fret they are doing knitting tutorials!)

Anzac Biscuits

Never tried Anzac biscuits? Then you my loves, are missing out! You guys know I love to bake. I get it from my Mum. However I am yet to beat her skills in the kitchen.... as my husband tells me!! These Anzac biscuits are so tasty and SOOO easy to make and they take no time at all.

I found this amazing site called 'Baking Mad' which is a UK recipe site. The reason I say this like it is a bonus, is because it is a bonus! Many recipes that I find are American so the measurements are always in 'cups' etc which is always a pain trying to convert the measurements! However don't fret my American friends, there is a measurement converter.

I decided to make the Anzac biscuits as they are a true Australian delicacy, which needs to be introduced to everyones palette. The funny thing is, Alex's Gran made us some where we were home earlier in the year, and we have had a taste for them ever since. When I looking up on the Baking Mad, I was really impressed with the amount of Easter recipes there were and the fact that there were Gluten free recipes... which is always so hard to find. One of my favourite things to bake which I have not done in a while is 'scones' (a Cornish Cream Tea!) to remind us of home, and look at the detail that it goes into, to make sure you make the perfect scone! I really have no excuse next time to nail the perfect 'scone'. I am so glad I found this site!

You can find the recipe for the Anzac biscuits here. 

p.s I just finished the last two biscuits whilst writing this post, and now I am thinking of making the next batch....uh oh!

Motel Rocks Illustration Competition Entry

© Cathryn Nicholson

This is my illustration entry for the 'Motel Rocks' illustration competition. I absolutely love the Penny Babydoll dress, in the striking black and white stripe that seems to be everywhere at the moment. I thought I would play around with the accessories in this illustration as well.

What do you think?