choosing songs...

i have got a mind to take you away

to some white sand and a palm tree parade

i have got a mind to take you away

i have got a mind to go

i have got a smile that's only for you

exchanged in secret, the way lovers do

i have got a smile that's only for you

baby, i have got a smile

morning sneaks up on us

shines on our sheets

waking me into my favourite dream

my best imagining never implied

that you'd be the dawning that ended my night

i have got the will to love you always

through the chilliest winter

the hot summer haze

i have got the will to love you always

i have got the will to love

honey, i know it won't always be sweet

loving a person is not a small feat

don't give up on me and i won't on you

pack your bags baby, cos i'm taking you...

brooke fraser - may waltz

image via weheartit

*****FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!!!!!*****

One of my all time favourites Little Jane St has given me a gorgeous little pack of goodies to be given away to one of our lucky readers!!! Now. I did have to refrain from keeping it to myself because it's just that good, but I gave myself a good talking to (not in public, I would have looked crazy), and so here we are! Much like a Keno night at the local RSL. Except not really at all.

And all YOU have to do my lovely reader is tell me in 25 words or less who you would send one of the delicious cards in your pack to should you win! Easy peasy!

The winner will be announced next Friday morning...so get cracking!

ps - Don't forget to pop over the the Little Jane St store and stock up on paper treats!

pps - This weather situation is getting quit ridiculo-so.

ppps - I had a mango for breaky this morning. They're getting less sour. Excellent!

Summer time!!! Finally!!!

So I know this would keep me in the throes of a wardrobe malfunction every second of the day, and, you know, I'm not a size 2, but still. Oh I do love Summer! And wearing dresses! With little orange belts! I wonder if I spray painted my little black belt orange, if that would work? Hmm. Perhaps not.

i want to dress like her.

And I know, I know...she wouldn't normally be jumping on a very expensive bed in a very expensive dress with a very expensive light fitting behind her, and it's a magazine shoot blah blah blah...but my gosh she looks lovely doing it! Also. I like her shoes. And her hair. It's just a bit of a crush really...

engagement party planning!

It occurs to me I have to organise an engagement party in two weeks, before the boy flies home! This is most exciting, and I have a brilliant maid of honour who has already gifted me with a lovely wedding planner book. I feel super duper organised. Nothing is actually organised, but boy does it look pretty!

I'm thinking roses. BUCKET loads of roses!

once upon a time...part four

It started a little while ago, in the blustery cold of a Scottish winter, when the boy and the girl met. I think it's safe to say it was quite a surprise for both of them, but most definitely a pleasant surprise. The boy followed the girl around the country, and then to her home town for some meeting, greeting and haggis trash talk. The girl was just a little bit smitten, and so followed the boy back to the land of heather and tinned pies in the height of the Scottish summer - a balmy 14 degrees - followed by some vegemite trash talk and an accidental haggis tasting which was quite horrific. The boy then decided to come out to the girls little home town again, despite the bagging of his national food, and spend some time in the sun. We are not too impressed with the sun.

But one night, only a few nights ago, this boy and this girl went out to dinner, and then took a walk down to the girls favourite spot in the bush, which overlooks the valley. And as the sun set, the boy got down on one knee and asked the girl to be his forever. And she said yes!

And so our once upon a time is ending (and starting!) happily ever after! Cake and champagne for all!! If you have it nearby...because I don't have any. And with the first important question been asked (inciting much high pitched confirmation of the fact that we're getting married), the second must now be voiced. What kind of flowers do I choose??? I think I just might have them all...

Am I allowed to put a smiley face at the end of this post?? I think I just might :) We're getting married!!!! :D xx

Friday (because i's almost the weekend) beauty post!

Do something crazy. This is your mission. Go forth, and ... do!

Winner!

And the winner of a pack of very sweet Eiffel Tower cupcake wrappers from The Cupcake Wrapper Co is the very lucky Amber! If you could please email your mailing address to nicola@rubyandjoy.com.au I'll get them in the post quick smart!

It will be like you're making your favourite chocolate chip cupcakes from HERE! Except probably not exactly, as this photo was taken on top of the Arc de Triomphe, and I don't think they'd let you bake up there. Getting an over up would be difficult, for one thing. And imagine if you forgot the butter! Disaster.

Thanks to all you lovely ladies you entered as well, there'll be another brilliant giveaway in a week so I do hope I'll see you back here then! In the meantime, enjoy your weekend, and get out in the sunshine! Summer's coming! Yay!

xx

make a path...

do not go where the path may lead

go instead where there is no path

and leave a trail

ralph waldo emerson

What does Summer mean to you?

For me, it's mostly all about the food*...

mangos by the boxful

fish and chips by the ocean

yummy chicken salads

bbq's in the warm Summer evenings

tasty lamb

cherries!

and pineapples!

and most important...Christmas cake!

yummo.

Check out King of Fruits site for some excellent-o recipes and a chance to win Pineapples for year. Imagine! It'd be like Summer, ALL YEAR ROUND! Now if we could please just do something about the weather...please? My gosh.

*I think it would be safe to say, for me, it's always about food...

A spectacularly wonderful wedding!

So. It's always just a bit exciting when you get to be a part of a wedding that's as exciting and love filled as this one here. And then it's even more exciting when you're working with a photographer like Milena at i love wednesdays who is not only super talented, but also super lovely. So when I saw some pictures on her site I knew straight away I had to share them! Much like whenever I see chocolate I know I have to eat it. Which will be somewhat to my detriment when it finally gets hot. But until then, I shall keep eating chocolate and sharing beautiful photos! So enjoy!

And happy hump day! Possibly the most ridiculous term ever coined.

Pop over to i love wednesdays, I promise you'll love it!

Part two...

And part two of this beautiful wedding! Just lovely!

All images by the incredibly talented Milena at i love wednesdays , pop over and say hello!

ps - I am eating a sour mango. I keep trying to convince myself it's wonderful, but really, it's just quite sour.

Romance is grand...

I'm preeetty sure this is the photo that begins that girlies adventure in Letter's to Juliet (which just by the by is a brilliant movie, although ending with a terrible, TERRIBLE last line...shame on you movie writers!), but it's also one that had been on my wall for a good long time until it just went missing one day. I know. I should have called the police. But last time I called they said they 'didn't deal with this kind of nonsense', and I was quite hurt. So when I came across it on my web wanderings, I thought it only right that I share. Obviously most of you will have seen it, it's kind of like me showing the Mona Lisa and saying 'surprise!!' (which would be a bit daft and embarrassing for us all), but it's just such a lovely image I couldn't resist.
So enjoy, my lovely readers! And I do hope you have some romance on your stupidly chilly Tuesday afternoon x

Lists are always helpful...

Sounds fair enough!

Birthday cake!

It was my Mum's birthday on Saturday! We celebrated with scrummy carrot cake (made by moi!) and a picnic by the sea! Which was on Sunday not Saturday, thank goodness. So here's a little special blog post to say Happy Birthday to my Mum! For Saturday. Hi Mum!

xx

*****FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!!!!!*****

Hello my sweets (geddit?)! Today we have a delicious giveaway from the lovely ladies at The Cupcake Wrapper Co of a pack of gorgeous little Eiffel Tower cupcake wrappers! Not only are they sweet additions to any lovely tea party or an extra special afternoon snack, they're reusuable! Pretty AND environmentally friendly. Genius!

All you have to do, my dear reader, to enter this beautiful giveaway, is leave a little comment with your name (and perhaps a hello!) and I shall be drawing the lucky winner next Friday morning. It's be like Christmas*! But with less carols and more cake!

I hope you all have a cake filled weekend, and don't forget to pop over to The Cupcake Wrapper Co and have a look-see at all their other sweet (this does not get old) wrappers, or take a peek at their beautiful blog here. Lovely!

xx

*Which is only 10 weeks away! Yay!

pretty picture no 3!

image via weheartit

pretty picture no 2!

Next time I am at the beach, I shall bring balloons. Yes indeedy.

image via weheartit

pretty picture no 1!

holidays!

Terribly sorry for my tardiness my dear readers! On something of a whim, and after once heck of a huge (and stunning - photos to come) wedding, I am off and shall be back on Friday, blogging happily away! Until then you will be graced will very pretty pictures to cheer you up wherever you may be. Enjoy!

And if anyone has a good cure for sunburn, please do tell. It hurts.

ps - this is not me in my bikini. Ha! Gosh no.

image via weheartit

*****FRIDAY GIVEAWAY WINNER*****

Cripes ladies. You made this one difficult! And I'm so happy to hear the written note is still alive and well! So if you will let me introduce the lucky winner of a gorgeous 'Kisses Darling' stationery set from French Navy (drum roll please!)...it's LucyGoosey! Congratulations dear reader, please do email through your mailing address to nicola@rubyandjoy.com.au and I shall pop your treats in the mail pronto!
To Renee Emery, Beach Tropic, The Princess and the Pea, and Rebecca Blogwell, you are all very lucky ladies! And to Stella and Jillian, it sounds like you both deserve medals! And to everyone else who entered, thank you for your wonderful entries, and here's to many more lovely notes and a sunny weekend!
ps - Don't forget to check out the rest of French Navy's beautiful stock over here. Say hi for me!

image via the notebook doodles

Friday (because it's almost the weekend) beauty post!

I like this idea. Eyeliner underneath the eye. Apparently it actually reduces the appearance of the lovely little baggies that like to hang around. I'm skeptical. I feel a little like people would judge me for putting my makeup on upside down, or 'misunderstanding the concept'. But heck! I've always been a rule breaker. Once I even went swimming within an hour after eating. AND lived to tell the tale.

My problem, as discussed previously, is that when I try smoodgy eyeliner, I tend to look like I've been agressively punched in both eyes. This is not preferable. Tolerable, sure. But not preferable. But this isn't so smoodgy! It's less 'I have sexy bed eyes' (which let me assure you mine never look like when I don't take off my eye makeup before going to bed, no siree) and more 'I am groomed and have an awesome eye pencil and have applied it with a steady hand'. And if you go with white, it could even be 'I am groomed and have an awesome eye pencil and have applied it with a steady hand and reside someplace near Santa's cave'. Genius!

Why not, eh? Go nuts on Saturday night with upside down eyeliner. Just be careful. This could lead to all kind of crazy behaviour.

Enjoy the weekend! xx

images via style.com from Giambattista Valli Spring 2011RTW

Little Jane St store opens!

So I know I'm a little behind the times here, as this gorgeous little store opened on the 8th September. But being one of their biggest fans, I couldn't help but put up some snap shots of the beautiful opening, no matter how late! Little Jane St's flagship store (fancy!) is now open and bursting full of paper beauties and other hand made treats. If you're in the Brisbane area, pop in, have a long browse through their lovely shelves, and see if you can resist purchasing yourself a little something. I dare you! And if we're lucky, those origami clouds will hang around for a good long while.

If you're not in Brissy, have a look at the online store, it's just about as good (but no origami paper clouds, and you don't get to touch all the pretty things)!

Congratulations to the super talented Little Jane St! A store to call their very own x

image credits - Hailey Bartholomew

Hot off the press!

Gorgeous new piccies straight through from the lovely Steph at Fletcher and Grace! Beautiful 50's inspired pieces that will look absolutely stunning for your wedding, or perhaps even a brisk walk around to the shops for some milk. They're just that good. Check out all Fletcher and Grace have to offer in their lovely online store! It's good to spoil yourself, right? Right.

ps - where has the sunshine gone?


image credit - Thomas Gallane

Happy Tuesday morning!

pic via weheartit