Friday Fable

Friday Fable

Friday Fable

Friday Fable

It has been ages since I have posted a Friday Fable. Two things that define you......

Lady Loving: Bellabox

Have you heard of Bellabox? I came across them while reading the latest Womens Fitness magazine. I checked out there site and it is awesome. Why? Everyone loves to get a sample of new beauty products, and Bellabox has a service where you pay a subscription fee and you will receive every month a box of 5-7 sample sized goodies for you to try. 

What was in my May Bellabox delivery

For a monthly fee of $15 (or a yearly subscription of $165 - yes that's one month free) and free delivery you will get a pretty present in the mail! What girl wouldn't want more. What's even better you can review and rate the products to recieve Bella Reward Points to use against your purchases at the Bellabox online store.

It's also a great idea for a gift which I have a special Lady in mind for her upcoming Birthday. Just like a magazine subcription its the gift that keeps on giving!!

We are not talking small tiny sachets either, they are multiple use samples (not full sized but not tini tiny). Notable mention that I have tried so far is the Udderly Smooth cream. Horrible name, but a great moisturiser, especially for my vitamin D difficient winterer skin.

Also loving the Bloom - lip stain in Rhubarb. Goes on easily and is light and doesn't dry out your lips.

So don't hesitate, jump on the Bellabox website and subcribe. I love getting parcels so I have already purchased a yearly subscription.

The Palace gets a Make Over

The Palace hasn't had a mention on the Lady Fable for a while. I have finally finished making it pretty! The final touches were the kitchen. Thanks to King Fable (Dad) it would not have happened, he is the best handyman as he is a perfectionist.

The kitchen is tiny in the palace. So small I can't fit dinner plates in the cupboards normally. Annoying, but this is a good thing as I have no room for unnecessary kitchen gadgets that I would like to have......

BEFORE

Palace Kitchen Before

 White, white, white, blah. As you can see the back wall was boring and flat and not practical. Having plasterboard next to the stove top was a nightmare for food splatter. The kitchen is small and has little storage space.

AFTER

Palace Kitchen After it's mini facelift

White is still here but with the addition of some texture of some tiles. Pretty and practical. Whats even better I got the subway style tiles from a friends reno that was left over (for a reasonalble price) Score!! The long tiles make the kitchen look bigger too!!

After: the Palace Kitchen

I got the floating shelves and ceramic barrels from the ever cool Temple & Webster. Which break up the white and also give the illusion of space.  I am so happy with the kitchen.

Now I need a new project! New house maybe?

Where Have you been lately

It feels like every time I come back to my blog another two months have past. How the hell does time fly by so quickly? Is it because I am having too much fun, or is it as I get older things just fly by in an instant. It has been a whirlwind and it's already June.  My best friend got married, I was promoted at work and I have had a work trip to the states in the past two months. So many milestones and no time to stop and enjoy the moment. For those on Instagram I have been posting on there, so you know what I have been up to. If you don't follow me don't be shy come over and say Hello!!!

My addition to anything vintage continues. I picked this beauty up from Dear Gladys in Northcote. A lolly, licorious allsort colourful number from Germany and a rarity, its cotton!! I tried it on and it was like it was made for me(maybe it is the small amount of German heritage that helped, Ha!). Ring a ding, I bought it.

Dress from Dear Gladys, Bardot Ring Samantha Wills

So to my Best Friend's Wedding...Lady Helen tied the knot and I can only sum up the happiness and love of the day by this candid image I snapped just after the ceremony.

Lady Helen looked absolutely radiant against the beautiful back drop of the winery, surrounded by her family and friends and her new hubby.

An amazing day, that makes me smile every time I think about it!

LEFT:  My grandmother in 1980 RIGHT: Me 2013

The one thing I love about a wedding is the fact you can get dressed up. I had a few options but going on theme and in line with my new "addiction" of Vintage I remembered I had a dress of my grandmothers that she gave to me years ago.

I posted on Instagram my outfit, my Aunt saw this and then sent me the above left image of my grandmother 33 years earlier wearing the same dress. I love vintage!!

 

My Wardrobe Revelation

With Lord Fable away I have been trying to keep myself out of trouble as I mentioned last week. One thing that I have been avoiding for the last month is my wardrobe. It is packed full of clothes to the point that I had forgotten that I had some lovely summer dresses I bought back in August. I only found them two weeks ago.

It was time for an intervention, today was the day. I needed some form of structure or order to my built in wardrobe. My revelation is that I think a have a problem.......a vintage problem. I didn't realise it but I have, in the past 12 months purchased somewhere around the figure of 15 vintage dresses. I just cant stop.

My justification is if I had gone to a retail store and bought the same amount I would be up for a lot more $$ and 1000 other girls would be rocking the same outfit. That's what I love about buying these beauties, no one else will have them.

The ease of purchasing vintage has got some much easier. Gone are the days of rifling through the racks of Savers, St Vinnies or your local Thrift shop. There are some darlings that have run their businesses online and through facebook, so that you can purchase in your PJ's in the comfort of your own couch. A regular for me is Grandma Funk. I have bought about 8 pieces from her in the last 12 months, Mel has a great collection of Japanese vintage and also frequents vintage markets. I recently went to the Mister Mode Night market in conjunction with L'oreal Fashion Week and picked up not one but four (see I do have a problem!!) dresses.

I decided to get Lady Maddie to help me out and take some pics of my new purchases so that I can share with you all.

I am a lover of prints and you can't get this sort of quality of print on a garment in the stores. Unless you are willing to pay and arm and a leg. I got these pretties for $25 each. A bargain in my eyes.

I love the the blue and white dress so elegant and unique, the cane weave print is great. The white stripe on the hem and sleeves is so striking.

I am thinking I may make this a regular post this little Vintage Addiction I have.

So my question is what do you have in your wardrobe that you can't get enough of or you keep on buying. What is your wardrobe addiction?? Do you like vintage fashion? If you do, share your tips and where you get it below........

WTF it's nearly April.....and Fashion Week

The last three months have flown, it has been a busy couple, that is for sure. Even though Lord Fable has been away working in Middle Earth (Mt Isa) and looks like a hairy little hobbit (Hipster beard) and has been away from me for 7 weeks and 4 days (but who's counting), I have kept my self out of trouble, although I have neglected this page.

But on to the fun stuff. It was fashion week this week. An excuse to get frocked up and go out with the girls. I went with the girls from the office.

It was a great night. We saw the new collections from Alice McCall, Ginger & Smart, ksubi, LIFEwithBIRD, Michael Lo Sordo, Tigerlily and YB J'Aime by Yeojin Bae. Powersuits, floral Jumpsuits and  Psychedelic prints were the key trends from the show.

I went to Docklands last night to go to Mister Mode Fashion Night Market (i will post about this later in the week) but we stumbled upon a Sportsgirl projection show outside Central Pier. In conjunction with the Graduate Runway show Sportsgirl in conjunction with the Vanguard and 3 Deep Design put on the most amazing projection show.  All to music, the space was converted to the most amazing light projection show using the space as is.  I only had my iPhone but you get the idea on the impact that it had.

It was a remarkable show and had great impact, people were buzzing around taking pictures, eating pop corn that was handed out and was something I would expect to see in New York not Melbourne. I love it when you get a unexpected surprise.

Anyway lights our for me I hope you have a nice short week. Bring on Easter Break!!

HELLO 2013, (but not without a quick recap of 2012!)

2012 flew past so quickly, a year that had many highlights and a few low-lights. But today is a new day and a new year and with that comes exciting new possibilities and opportunities. Today Lord Fable flies to "Middle Earth" to start a new job. I am totally thrilled that he has the opportunity to do what he wants to do, even though he will be a million miles away and be on a three week on, one week off roster.

Every year I post about my goals for the year. This year I just want to be happy, enjoy life and spend it with my cherished family and my friends. Be healthy and be safe. Be positive and smile. Simple.

In my inconsistant couple years of blogging, this year has been the funnest and most eventful. Here are some of my highlights on Lady Fable for 2012.

L'avion Styling Competition

In February I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in a blogger style competition. I had a complete ball doing my first blogger type comp!


New York

I fell in love with New York, again. Read my love letter to the city here. 

Hot Air balloon across Melbourne

For my 30th Lord Fable got us a voucher for a Hot Air Balloon trip. Amaze!! Definitely recommend it!

Twice a Bag Lady

Is it strange that one can fall in love with a bag. I have fallen for a blue baby and and orange one last year!

Samantha Wills Preview

 I was invited by Bec from SW to view their Wanderlust collection! Was great to see the entire range and have a play with some amazing jewellery. View my post here!

Problogger
The Problogger Conference Probably the best money I had spent all year. Insightful people, content and opened my eyes to the possibility of what Bloggers can do in the big old world. Just need to put it into play....

And Finally..........Kick Arse recipes you need to know!

I became a bit of an experimenter in the kitchen and whipped up some amazing bits and bobs (and some not so amazing!) Here are my published recipes from the blog.

Healthy Muffins

The Best Ever Rice Salad

Sterling & Hyde Road Test : Robin Orange

I love a good handbag and when Sterling & Hyde put the shout out on Facebook a month or so ago for road testers I put my hands up!! We were offered a 50% discount for our honest review.

I posted about Sterling & Hyde some time ago on their custom made bag service and love the look of their bags. Now was my chance to have my own Out of the bags that were up for road testing I went for BIG and BOLD! So I chose the Robin Orange.

Great Shoulder Strap!

The Robin is the perfect bag for work. It fits all my geeky necessities. My DSLR, phone, iPad, notebook, make up etc. I saves me from taking/lugging another bag with bits and bobs in it. The other plus is when I don't have too much to carry this baby still keeps it shape. There is nothing worse than a limp and lifeless bag!

The colour is an amazing orange and every time I have caught up with friends, they seem to gravitate to my newly acquired Robin and as where I got it from

A detachable shoulder strap is great so you can have both hands free to drink coffee on the run or shop like a superstar.

The bag retails for $269.95 and is made from Nappa Leather and has a light coloured lining so it is easy to find what you are looking for. Sterling & Hyde offer free shipping with all there orders.

If you are not wanting a bold blast of orange the Robin also comes in a classic black colourway.

Me with my Robin from Sterling & Hyde | Sunnies - Jimmy Choo | Dress Magali Pascal  - Bali | Wedges Tony Bianco.

Sterling & Hyde also have a pop up  warehouse sale in Melbourne next week if you would like to pick up a bargain or get in early for some Christmas presents.

Sterling & Hyde Pop up Warehouse Sales
3a Glasshouse Road, Collingwood
17-18 November 10am-4pm

Leather Handbags from $60
Jewellery from $5

Bali - Part 3 - Shopping and Eating Guide

 

This is the third post on Bali, I have posted parts one and two in the last couple of days. Now to the fun part....My top spots  where is good to eat and most importantly shop!

I was absolutely blown away by what was on offer in Bali in the way of shopping. We were on foot and covered a lot of ground in a couple of hours. Seminyak is a treasure trove of spectacular wears for both Ladies and Lords. These are the top stores and places that I visited. I am sure that there are many more great places to shop and eat and I will just have to leave that to another Bali trip next year!! (possibly for my Birthday....hint-hint)  

Fashion

Horn Emporium
This was the first store I went into when I got to Seminyak. It is great. Staff were ever so helpful. The store caters for everyone and has a mix of homewares, jewellery, locally designed and made clothes and reworked vintage. The store has a real eclectic feel about it.  Amazing and different silhouettes of dresses and shirts.
100X Jl.Petitenget, Bali

Somewhere
If you want a tee this is the place to go for both the Ladies and the Lords and at reasonable prices.

	Jl.Raya Seminyak 22A, Kerobokan, Kuta 80361

Prisoners of St Petersburg
This store is tiny but is full of pattern and print and is a goldmine of goodness. It was full of unique prints and dresses. I was trying on pieces for about 45 mins. I walked away with two printed dresses and a shirt. Even better everything is reasonably priced.
942 Jl. Laksmana, Seminyak

Deus ex Machina
Lord Fable really loved this store. Printed tee central. Great store fit out too.
Jl. Kayu Aya Number 32B, Oberoi, Bali, Indoneisa

Deus Ex Machina - Seiminyak

Magali Pascal
Great for dresses from casual to more formal, worth a look
65B Jl. Raya Seminyak - Seminyak, Kuta 

177x Jl. Kayu Aya Oberoi - Seminyak

Namu
Great accessories and blocked colour dresses. Definitely worth a visit.
Jl. Petitenget 234X, Petitenget, Bali, Indonesia

Homewares

Kody & Ko
Cute homewares store with gallery situated at the back. Great colourful Budda's. Its like a Bali pop art store with Warhol style prints of mass produced items.
Jl. Kayu Cendana c002 Seminyak

Kody & Ko

Big Buddha - Kody & Ko

Kody & Ko

Kody & Ko

Hobo
Hobo is great. If only I had a bottomless suitcase that could fix lots of homewares and furniture in it. Worth a browse and a purchase and a great place to get inspiration for your own Palace!

Jl. Kayu Cendana No.8B Seminyak

Feather & Find
Cute store of homewares and fashion. Great fluro cushion covers
Jl. Kayu Cendana no2, Oberoi, Seminyak

Feather and Find - How cute are those cushions!!??

Eat

Grocer & Grind
Open all day from breakfast to dinner. Great place to stop off for lunch while shopping. They also to take home packs.

Petitenget
Amazing Bistro open for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I recommend booking for dinner to get a good table.
Jl. Petitenget No.40X Seminyak, Bali. +62 361 4733054.

Corner store
Another great lunch spot and great coffee. It also has a small retail space

Laksmana 10A, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Word of Mouth
Supercool and off the beaten track from most of the other shopping. If you are on a bike I doesn't seem so far away, but we were pounding the pavement. This cool shop/cafe has and great feel and a great mix of fashion and homewares. At night this is a buzzing nightspot
9 Jl. Kunti, Kunti Arcade shop 10, Seminyak

Potato Head Beach Club
If you want to sit with the beautiful people you can lounge on the day beds and take dips in the pool. Note: Potato Head has a strict dress code of no tees/singlets with alcohol advertising, No Bintang!

This is an amazing place with great architecture. Potato Head has three restaurants, an international menu (available for lunch and dinner), French restaurant Tapping Shoes and is Asian resturant, Lilin.  We had lunch and we also had dinner at Lilin. Dinner was amaz-ing. And the Cocktails are also to die for.

Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak Bali, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia 80361

Waiting for lunch at Potato Head

Uber Cool Potato Head

 
So that is my round up of places to shop, drink and eat. Is there something that I missed?  Do you have a favourite shop or restaurant that you love in Bali? If so, share the love and comment below!!
 

BALI - PART 2 - W Resort & Spa Seminyak

I mentioned in yesterday's post of my WOW experience at the W in Semingyak on my recent Bali holiday. Yes, it was a bit of a splurge (around $350AUD a night) but if it is good enough for cool footballers and models, I can stay there too! It was such a great place to stay, there is enough to keep you occupied all day and you wouldn't think for one moment you were in Bali. 

There was so much to do at the W. The Away Spa looked absolutely amazing but time got away from us and we just chilled by the pool.  I was also obsessed with taking pictures of the big "W"'s that were all over the resort.

The Room

We stayed in the cheapest (yet still chic) room which was a garden view room. It was spacious and was packed with all the trimmings. Bliss bathroom products, king size bed and enough bottled water to get you through the day.
 

Pigs might fly frosted on to the glass, Bed, skyligh, bathroom, Ice bucket :)

The bathroom was a room in itself with a freestanding bath and shower (big enough to have a party in!). The stone walls had me at hello. I was picking Lord Fable's brain wanting to know what stone it was so that we could possibly have it our next home. Hint, hint!

As we were on the 4th floor the shower/bathroom had a retracting skylight with a push of a button it would let more light into the room. It was a nice touch.


The Pool
It isn't the rooms that make or break a hotel, it is the Pool. The Wet area at the W was fantastic, enough lounges to accommodate everyone, talent (staff) at your service and a great pool with a view. The hotel is situated right on the beach and you are facing the Indian ocean.

There is something "regal" about the purple towels don't you think?

Food/Drinks

Breakfast was served at the Fire resturant every morning. It was a traditional buffet of local and western foods but you also had a menu to pick from that would be cooked for you at the live cooking stations. Most importantly was real coffee!! I had my double shot skinny latte every morning.

My favourite time of the day however was happy hour at WooBar. From 5-6pm you get 2 for 1 cocktails and get to watch the most amazing sunset while a guest DJ plays some tunes. This was pure bliss and so relaxing.

1. Sunset 2. Another big W image 3. Earl Grey Tea Cocktail (this drink was amazing!) 4. Mexican Iced Tea

For those who like to party all night WooBar has a Dj playing until 4am every night with guest Dj's from all around the globe.

I so didn't want to leave, but all good things must come to an end and we left this beautiful place, full of beautiful people to come home to some horrible Melbourne weather. I am already trying to work out when I can get to Bali again, maybe a birthday trip will be in order.

There were so many things that I didn't get to experience at the W. I highly recommend it for a couple of nights, well worth the price. It definitely was a special treat for us, but it was worth every penny.  If you want to check out their website details are below.

W Spa & Resort Bali
Jl. Petitenget, Kerobokan, Seminyak
Denpasar, Bali, 80361
Indonesia

Bali Holiday

For those who know I have just been on a marvelous nine day holiday in Bali. I have in the past always thought of Bali as a copy watch and Bintang singlet/knock off handbag/get your hair braided sort of holiday spot. I however been completely surprised on the destination.

I am putting together a collections of posts that will cover what we did, where we stayed, ate and shopped and hope that it will help you if you ever step foot in the great holiday destination.

Being a Bali "virgin" I did a heap of research on where to stay, eat and shop. We stayed 6 nights in Legian and 3 nights in Seminyak.  Lets just say I spent at least two weekends reading reviews going to the hotels or villas direct sites and Tripadvisor to see what was good, bad or indifferent. It absolutely drove me crazy, I couldn't choose. Finally I picked the Pullman in Legian that resides between Kuta and Seminyak. Our last three nights we booked the W Spa and Resort in Seminyak for a little treat/splurge.

Both resorts were lovely. The Pullman was clean and fairly new. The rooms were spacious. The most important point was we didn't need to fight for a sun lounge. We had no grand plans to site see, ultimately we were there to relax and pretty much do nothing. I did yoga on the infinity pool deck at 7am as the sun rose or went to the gym for a workout. We had an ocean facing view and watched the sunset each night from our balcony or from the Infinity pool deck (with a drink in hand!).

Pinky Mohjito and a Perfect bali sunset

At dinner I had my iPhone out at all times taking pics of food and cocktails, Lord Fable continually picked on me about taking pics of everything. The amount of pics I have of sunsets and cocktails is nuts. Above is just a few...

The W Spa & Resort in Seminyak was the creme de la creme.  As soon as we arrived it was WOW! I highly recommend this as a place stay. We were only there for 3 nights but we got the most out of the resort. The staff (or as they are formally called at the W, Talent) were amazing! There was always someone there to help and assist for anything.

Come back tomorrow for my complete review on the W!

The Best Rice Salad Ever!!

You have got to love a salad that is yummy and super easy. I have recently jumped on the wild rice band wagon and been experiementing with different ways of using it. I came across Rice Plus on the rush to buy "Whatever I can get my hands on to make the easiest, quickest dinner" supermarket shop after work.

Rice Plus is a mix of eight different grains and seeds. Brown rice, white basmati, Barley max, pearled barley, white quinoa, red basmati, black rice and sesame seeds. Best of all it is super good for you!

The rice comes with a salad suggestion on side of the pack. However, in true Lady Fable style, I modified it to my liking and what I already had in the pantry at home. And I am sharing!!

MODIFIED RICE PLUS SALAD. 

What you need for the salad:
2 cups of Rice Plus - cooked as per the instructions on the packet
1 green capsicum - cored, seeded and chopped
1 red capsicum - cored, seeded and chopped
4 spring onions  - finely chopped
3/4 cup of craisens
3/4 cup of roasted cashews - roughly chopped (after roasting)
1 fresh red chilli  - deseeded and finely chopped
salt to taste

What you need for the dressing:
1/2 cup of olive oil (I used a little less)
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1cm cube of fresh ginger - grated
1 garlic clove - finely chopped or grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps to make this yummy salad:

1. Cook rice in boiling salted water for 25mins, drain, rinse and let the rice cool
2. Once cooled, mix all of the salad ingredients and mix together.
3. To make dressing find a old jam jar (or something with a screw top), add all the dressing ingredients and shake it like a Polaroid picture!!
4. add the dressing just before serving.

Ta Dah! Yummy Salad complete. We ate it for dinner and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day. Tip: Individually dress each portion!

Please see the package below if you would like to find it in your local supermarket. Unfortunately it is only available at Woolies.

 

Friday Fable

I have just returned from a well needed holiday in Bali. It is so important to take time out and relax and get away from the everyday hustle and bustle to clear your head. Nuff said! Have a lovely weekend!

Source: katytemper5.blogspot.com via Patrice on Pinterest

7 Things I Learnt: Problogger Training Event

A week and a half ago, I had the honour of attending the Problogger training event in Melbourne. It was an early start which kicked of with a networking breakfast (dread!) My day started with my brain ticking over with fear and doubt. As I drove in I was dreading walking into the room of 300 bloggers. Bloggers that are established, that already know each other and suddenly I am full of self doubt and completely petrified.

I walk into Etihad stadium to where the Problogger training event is being held and get my name tag from the registration desk. I take a deep breath and walk into the room. There is the buzz of chatter within the room. I grab a coffee to calm my nerves and walk past three lovely ladies and they all give me a smile. I stop and start talking and introduce myself. The fear disappeared in an instant.

Within five minutes we have given a brief description of what we blog about and exchange business cards and twitter handles. Josefa, Sarah and Grace you don't know how much talking to you eased my mind and gave me the courage and confidence I needed. We we stuck together like glue for the two day event. In the end I had nothing to worry about, I was surrounding by like minded people that were all here for the same reason. To meet bloggers, to learn and be inspired.

What I took away from the event...

My head was spinning with ideas after the first day but also I was questioning why I blog and whether or not it was good enough to engage an audience. I was comparing myself to so many bloggers that were in attendance that I admired. I had to give myself a slap across the face ( a virtual one) to snap myself out of that funk.

Here are my top 7 take-aways from the event:

1. Darren started his speech from little things big things grow. It made me look at why I started blogging. I started as outlet for me to express the things that I loved to do. Granted my audience is only my Mum and the girls in the office.

Darren's closing speech.

2. But engaging an audience outside of your Mum and your friends is important to grow. Understanding your target audience and giving them what you want. In the words of the amazing speaker James Tuckerman you want to" rent eyeballs".

The amazing James Tuckerman from Anthill Fame's opening slide "Lubricate your mind.... Or.... How to build a global empire in your underpants."

3. What is your blogs purpose. My number one take from the two days! Find your purpose and stick to it!

4. Take 15mins a day to make your blog better. Darren challenged us to take 15mins a day to do something to improve your blog

5. Consistency - I have never been a consistent blogger. Blog within your means and if you can only post once a week, blog on the same day every week. Your audience will be expecting it!

6. Network more - I need to meet more bloggers and engage more online

7. Stats - I have been blogging for more than 3 years. I have always had statcounter and Feedburner as my guide to where my traffic from. My biggest rookie mistake was not having Google Analytics. This is the tool that PR agencies and brands want you to share with them. As it is the most reliable and resourceful tool. Understanding you stats was also a key point. Look at what posts are getting the most amount of views to understand what people are reading and also look at the ones that are not being read.

The Event was the most valueable two days for me. I met great people, listened to amazing speakers and most of all learnt how to be a better blogger. Now it is time to put it into practice, 15 minutes at a time!