Today’s post is all about Christmas decorating on a budget, it’s so much fun finding new ways to make things pretty without spending a fortune ^_^
It’s getting quite close to Christmas now and I still haven’t bought any gifts! I think all the uni and school students are on holidays and the shops are packed!
I’m not huge on Christmas, to be honest if I didn’t have family obligations I probably wouldn’t celebrate it… but it is fun to decorate things and I don’t exactly say no to the presents XD
But the problem this year is that with saving for our own house I am on a super strict budget and decorating isn’t really a part of that.
All of my decorations are packed up, the only thing I could find was my tree…
What to do? What to do? Time to improvise!
Get some fabric scraps…
And cover that ugly plastic base!
Much better 😀
Hmm…
Where can I find supplies? I know! The bathroom! It’s time to raid my jewelery supplies and hair accessories 😀
Perfect for decorating: bracelets, necklaces, hair roses and more pearls!
And a gigantic Angelic Pretty hair bow!
Add the bow to the base…
Take some of your pearls and start clipping them from branch to branch.
Add more and more necklaces and then bracelets to the other branches.
Keep adding until you run out of jewelery!
If you have hair roses, clip them to the ends of the branches so they sit on the ends like they are growing out of the tree ^_^
Almost finished but…
The finishing touch… it needs a star!
Add a hair bow and you’re done!
Didn’t cost a cent and all of the pretty jewelery you’ve been collecting for years is displayed beautifully for the holidays.
Now if you want it to be even more pretty and you have some shiny beads (or a couple of dollars to buy these ones from Borders) then you can add even more…
I love these jewels, I think once Christmas is over I’ll make a bracelet with them!
I also found some pink baubles at a discount store for $2.
After lots of decorating it all comes together in the end…
Voila!
Of course it will look different depending on what kind of jewelery you have but the possibilities are endless 🙂
And it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon, especially if you can do it with someone you love like a very handsome photographer!
Do you all have special holiday traditions?
Happy holidays everyone! Let me know if you have any tips for christmas decorating on a budget!
Ok this doesn’t count as the Day 3 post, I’m going to do that later today (I’m still editing the photos!).
Nuffnang Christmas Party!
But I really wanted to let you all know about the Nuffnang Christmas party because all of your Australian bloggers are invited and you don’t even have to be a Nuffnang member to come!
We are having one in most Australian capital cities so make sure if you’re in Aus you come down to one 😀
They are being held simultaneously on the 17th of December and if you’re in Brisbane you better get down to Bohemia in the city and party with me and James!
The theme of the party is BLUE so if you come make sure you wear something pretty and blue!
The best part is that in the Brisbane party we’re going to have a Nintendo Wii competition on the big screen!!
So you’ve probably all read my post on my Dominos Pizza experience here. A couple of things have happened since that post so I thought I would update you all…
After I made my post I forwarded it to the complaints department at Dominos. They contacted me with the same copy-pasta (pun completely intended) response about how they adhere to safety standards etc that they anonymously commented with in the blog post. After a few emails back and their complaints department said they would forward my complaint to the franchise owner and send me a voucher.
Yesterday this turned up… It’s a voucher for 2 pizzas, garlic bread and a coke delivered free. The fine print says “A charge may apply to Big Taste Pizzas, half ‘n’ half pizzas, additional toppings, indulgent crusts and promotional pizzas. Valid for cash payment internet orders only.” They included a hand written note which says “Enjoy” which I thought was pretty damn funny. I don’t think I’ll be using the voucher but perhaps one of my friends would enjoy it.
Today I got a call from the franchise owner. We spoke for around 20 minutes and he was beyond apologetic. He explained that everyone involved was going to be retrained and they were going to have a staff meeting to discuss what they could do in future. He agreed that the guy who took out phone call should have escalated the call to a manager and I should have been offered a refund on the spot. He then sent a delivery driver out to my house to refund the entire amount we spent that night.He also gave me his personal mobile phone number in case we had any more problems.
This is the service I expected in the first place. And while I totally appreciate that it *might* have taken this long for the owner to actually find out about the situation, it really shouldn’t have.
While I am happy to have my money back, I honestly don’t think that they would have taken any notice of my complaint at all had I not been complaining very loudly on the internet. I know this because of all the stories I heard from you guys with similar complaints that were never settled!
Food for thought and there is the end of my Dominos Pizza tale 😉
Update: Additional details on my problem with Dominos Pizza can now be found here.
Seeing as I’ve been really busy this week with the last of moving and cleaning the old apartment I thought that I’d share an interesting experience with you all. Normally on this blog I talk about stuff that I love but today I want to talk about something that I hate: bad customer service.
People on my Twitter has already heard this story but for the rest of you… last Saturday we had spent the entire day cleaning and packing boxes. James and I were pretty tired and my school friend Milissa was staying with us so we all decided to get Pizza. The decision was to get Dominos and I decided to try out their new Puff Pastry Pasta Bowls.
Sounds delicious right? That’s what I thought too until I got 3 bites in and discovered this in the box…
A squished COCKROACH!!
Up until this point I hadn’t really been paying attention to my meal but on closer inspection the fork that came with the meal had already been used AND had a hair on it. EWWEWWEWWEWW!SO DISGUSTING! I was so horrified with all of this that James had to call Dominos for me *_* The manager didn’t even apologize! WTF?! He just said “You can either get sent another one sometime tonight or get a free pizza next time”. What am I expected to eat this one and get a free pizza next time? How ridiculous!
So 40 minutes later the new one shows up and the delivery guy shoves it through the door and walks off. By the time he got there I was feeling like throwing up more than eating another pasta bowl *_*
Bad customer service makes me so mad and they are really only shooting themselves in the foot. Had they been apologetic about it and offered free garlic bread or refunded my money I wouldn’t be nearly as angry as I am! In fact I probably wouldn’t have made this post or reported them to the health department (anyone know where I can do this in Aus?). Sincere apologies count for a surprising amount.
The lesson: if you own a company bad customer service will always come back to bite you. Guess where I won’t be ordering from again? Oh yes, Dominos Pizza.
So this is a regular old ACEO Friday post but I also have to let you all know that I’ll be without internet for a few days while we move in with James’ parents so I won’t be able to reply to comments until I get my internet connection back.
Everything is a mad house here at the moment! I’m knee deep in boxes and packing tape at the moment which is fun. I’ve got around half of the house done but the rest looks like a bomb has hit it ^_^There is row upon row of bejeweled bits and pieces in piles of “Keep” and “Throw out”. I went through all my hair and make up bits and pieces yesterday… here is a snap shot of the carnage!
So when I see you all next week I’ll be living with James’ parents ^_^ Have a great weekend!
As always click the image to be taken to the ACEO etsy store.
I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in my time and I love exploring new and interesting places but I always try to travel in style.
I try to make my everyday life as beautiful as possible and traveling is no different. You won’t find me in sweat pants and thongs (or flip flops for my American readers), I want to feel as pretty leaving a 7 hour flight as I do going out to dinner!
So with my recent trip to Singapore I thought it was the perfect time to show you all how I travel in style. This is a compilation of tips I’ve picked up on my travels and my “must have” items for along the way.
First thing’s first…
Take something lucky
I’m not a superstitious person by nature but there’s a story behind this one! The day before we went to Singapore James and I were doing some last minute shopping in the city. I was feeling a little light headed so we stopped at McDonalds for some fries. As I was walking away I checked my change and what should be there but a Singaporean 10 cent piece!!
I was so surprised, normally if I get anything foreign in my change it’s New Zealand currency. This seemed so random and fateful that I kept it in a special compartment in my bag the whole trip!
On the plane:
Take some good headphones (and an ipod if you want to listen to *good* music). I hate airplane headphones, they are usually uncomfortable and don’t block outside sounds. Also they aren’t anywhere near as cute as mine! Headphones are super easy to deco, even if you have little ear bud ones a few diamantes will jazz them up nicely!
Keep hair and make up simple but elegant.
If you want to do make up, take a kit with everything you need for touch ups before landing. Keep in mind that you might need to sleep in what you’re wearing. I love false eye lashes because they are hard to mess up even in your sleep! On flights to and from SG I wore little individual lashes on the corners of my eyes for a little punch with no effort (review on the lashes soon). I did my hair in Kitty Rolls which were comfortable, survived sleeping but still looked cute.
Below are some of my travel essentials. Clear zip pouch with make up and liquids, letter writing kit, wet naps, face washer, mini sewing kit and bag tags for checked in luggage.
A cute travel document holder is an essential.
I would be forever loosing my boarding pass or passport if I didn’t have something this bright to remind me! I deco’d this one myself.
And of course a matching passport holder helps too 😉 These are all made of suede so they feel soft enough to be used as a pillow if it’s an emergency!
A sleeping mask
Something overly cute suits best! I want to be adorable even when I’m asleep so I picked the sugariest thing I could possibly find ^_^
A jacket
Take it on the plane with you, seriously. Even if you’re going to a hot destination the plane is always freezing and those little blankets don’t help. Good protection against the rain too.
Things to keep you entertained.
I take pens, note book, DS and games and well as my little UFO hand massager which is awesome for when you just want to relax. I am a very fidgety person so I take as many little things to play with as possible. With this I can continue my Japanese lessons on the DS then practice kanji or sentence structure in my note book.
Candy!
Candy is good to pop your ears in the plane and also tastes great. And they are a good conversation starter if a cute boy is sitting next to you 😉
<
p style=”text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);”>Beating the climate bug
Pick clothes that are appropriate for your situation. Fabrics that don’t wrinkle or require ironing are great for long flights but synthetic fabrics are horrible in hot climates! On the plane to SG I wore a cotton printed cord dress with a lace cardigan over the top.
Fabric choice is important. While in the heat in SG I wore thin stockings, cotton dresses and cardigans. Everyone was sweltering in the heat, even though I was wearing more layers I was cool because I was wearing fabric that could breathe.
Layering is the key to being ready for any weather! Cardigans are awesome, you can dress them up or down, take them off if you’re hot or add a jacket if you’re cold.
Weapons of choice:
A fan
I picked this one up for $0.70 and added bows, diamantes and lace. They are compact and can be invaluable in the heat. They can also be used to hide yawns behind in boring situations, keep your coughs or sneezes to yourself or whisper gossip to a friend 😉 Keep it in your hand bag!
A singlet
Singlets are the ultimate versatile piece of travel clothing. Wear during the day if it’s hot, layer with a cardigan to go out to dinner, use as pajamas or as swimmers if you’re in a pinch. Cute pajamas are surprisingly important, if you have luck like mine you’ll end up outside at 2am for a fire drill chatting to the other hotel patrons so this is probably not the right time to sleep in the nude 😉 Be prepared for anything because holidays are all about going with the flow!
Sun protection eg. a sun hat, sunscreen etc.
The sun is mean and evil, stay away from it! No one likes sun burn, it’s icky. Don’t stop protecting your skin just because you’re on holiday. ‘Nuff said.
Sunglasses
… ok maybe not “‘Nuff said”… These are only half for the sun protection though. The other half is looking damn good! There is nothing classier that popping on some nice sunglasses when you’re not feeling 100%. Hide the bags under your eyes from the 7hr flight and look like a rock star 😉
A handbag sized umbrella.
These fold down so tiny there’s not much of an excuse not to have one. This one has an aluminum frame so it’s super light and is perfect in unpredictable weather or in place of a parasol.
A scarf
I carry a scarf and a face washer with me pretty much all the time. The face washer was a gift from a friend in Japan, the lady’s bathrooms there don’t have hand towels so most girls carry their own but it’s also useful for mopping up spills on nice dresses, fixing make up, using as a small pillow and the list goes on!
The scarf is not only useful but looks damn stylish hanging off a handbag! Did your hair get ruined? Then wear it like a 50’s movie star. Forget the hot rollers? Use it for pin curls. Sudden hay fever attack and not a tissue in sight? Well you get the idea…
Other travel musts:
Gifts for the new friends you meet!
I didn’t get to hand any of these little babies out because we were just so busy but I really wanted to give them to the organizers at Nuffnang. It’s a really great idea to take something from your home country. These little kangaroo and koala toys didn’t cost much but I hand glued a bow and diamante to each to personalize them. That way your friends will have something cute to remember you by 🙂 And you won’t feel awkward if someone gets you something nice because you’ll have something give back!
Slippers
You never know where you’re going to have to walk in your hotel. Whether it’s for that proverbial 2am fire drill or you want to visit a friend down the hall, you never know who’s icky feet have been there before you. Cute little ones like these only cost me $10 and they fold up to practically nothing in your suitcase.
Nail repair kit
I am a big believer in preparing for any situation, James says I should have been a girl scout. That’s why I carry a nail repair kit with spare nails, glue clear polish and anything else you might need.
Bags within bags within bags within bags…
This is important because it keeps everything nice and separate in your suitcase, no searching through the make up bag for a hair band because they have their own bags! Being organized is key to a fantastic wardrobe, if you are well organized you can find all the right accessories at a glance… and there are is always room somewhere in here for more little bits and pieces you buy along the way.
Tiny cute bottles.
These cost $1.50 per pair and they are some of the best things I’ve ever bought. This way you can take all of your usual bathroom liquids with you. You can even get ones with spray lids for things like curl enhancer. Very cleaver.
Business cards:
You never know who you’re going to meet while out and about and if you’ve got a blog or business then it’s a great idea to have a couple of business cards with you. Mine are double layered so there is my blog card on top and by graphic design card on bottom. They stand out because they are fastened with a bow in the top corner ^_^
Foreign currency
Don’t go anywhere without it. Some places don’t accept credit cards etc so make sure you check before you go, it’s always useful to have some foreign currency on hand for taxis etc anyway.
A bag full of cables for your various gadgets.
Definitely important so you can charge your ipod/laptop/phone etc. A power point converter is also a great idea. The most important part of this is the bag, don’t bother going searching through your whole suitcase just grab the bag. On the way home the bag also be used as carry on luggage for all that extra shopping 😉
Luggage:
I hate not being able to find my luggage at the other end. I’m also paranoid because I’ve had luggage stolen before and no matter what compensation you get there are some things which can’t be replaced. So if it can’t be replaced, don’t pack it. I also hate that all luggage pretty much looks the same. Ideally I would have liked one of these babies by Hideo Wakamatsu but as we only discovered how broken our old cases were the day before we left, I didn’t really have time to shop for a new one :(… It’s made my dream list for next time though, in fact I would go as far as to say that this is my dream suitcase! (click the image for the specs)
So in lue of one of those beauties we borrowed plan old suit cases from James’ parents. To make it more memorable I tied some old crappy acrylic lace around it several times. James laughed at me but it worked, we spotted our bags in like 2 seconds at the other end and were out of there!
Super bright bag tags help too if you can’t afford a whole new suitcase.
When you get home…
Unpack everything as quickly as possible otherwise you’ll get lazy and it will never get done! I’ve left a suitcase for weeks before because I was tired when I got home and then got busy at work, don’t fall into the trap! It only took me like half an hour to unpack both of our cases this time.
So hopefully you’ve enjoyed some of my silly tips and they make your next trip even more fun!
Do you have some fun tips to share with me? What are your favorite tips to travel in style?
Illustrator. Strong tea, knitting, watercolours, and making a video game called Moonlight in Garland. Living with her adorable husband Jimmy, fluffy puppy Miss Lottie and Bergamot Bunny in Melbourne, Australia.
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