Etsy print

Lady loves…

* Crisp, sunny Canberra mornings… that stay that way all day. Unlike the Melbourne ones. 

* Returning home from my month in Canberra to find a welcome home note and a pile of lollies on my bed from Roomy Smaggle. Bless face. 

* Naturally Sadie. I’m seriously addicted. I actually shushed Mr Smaggle during this show. I never shush people for T.V.

* My delightful weekend plans including high tea, several parties and lots of hand holding with the mister. 

* Cute Melbourne girls and their scarves and boots. And being all gorgeous on bikes. They are truly unique down here. 

* My apartment and all the jolly visitors we receive. 

* Being ALMOST certain that I have my shit together. 

* Being featured in my first classroom note at a school that I taught at. I didn’t quite see it before the kid ripped it up but I THINK it was a picture of me being done from behind. Golden. 

* That this year is half over… and also that there is still another half to go. 

Lady loathes…

* Winter. Can. Not. Feel. My. Fingers. I’m also fairly certain that I lost the tip of my nose to hypothermia this afternoon watching a film shoot in a canal. Why shoot a film in a canal? Why?

* Bad TV reception. 

* The stupid kid that I was sharing a lane with at the pool yesterday. Absolutely no concept of the ‘circle’ motion of swimming. He just swam where ever the hell he liked, most often making a Jaws like beeline for me and then giving me underwater greasies for getting in his way. Dude. Sense the correct flow of movement here and adapt. 

* My internet. It’s like a petulant teenager, only working how and when it pleases. 

* Calories in wine. I just think it’s cruel. 

What about you chicken? What’s ticklin’ your pickle this week?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Back soon…

Love Loathing Lady Smaggle

xxx

Lovely weekend – baby shower, drinks with my girlfriends and a Sunday afternoon tea date then out for dinner with Mr Smaggle and a few of our friends…

* Jeans from Jag in Canberra

* Dress from Tree of Life in Canberra

* Scarf from Dotti in Melbourne

* Tuxedo jacket thrifted in Canberra

* Shoes Doc Martens from DFO in Melbourne

* Bangles from everywhere

* Earrings from Bijoux in Manuka

Must fly angels… my historical techniques in jewellery design assignment won’t write itself!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Experiment with the proportions of your outfit. Wear your shirt a little longer or your pants a little shorter.

Don’t be afraid of patterns and bold prints.

Try unusual silhouettes in your ensembles.

Embrace statement hair. There is nothing sexier than a young man rocking a quiff or funky mohawk.

Theme dressing? Girls do it all the time. Why not be appropriately dressed for every different situation?

Okay I’m not seriously suggesting that you try this look. There is no way that you’re cool enough. But do try to inject some colour into your wardrobe. Black, navy and bottle green are starting to haunt me on the streets of Melbourne.

Try wearing jewellery. And not just a plain silver chain or ring. I love a man who wears statement accessories.

I don’t care how old you are. Wear a god damn suit and smoke a cigar. And then take me for a ride on your yacht.

Be yourself. If you want to wear a fabulous jacket covered in antique fruit print, do it.

I heard recently that Einstein wore the same thing every single day so he didn’t have to waste the thought on what to wear, but he theorised relativity. What’s your excuse?

And don’t be telling me these tips are ‘gay’ – they are no gayer than those hideous, skinny, long shorts and feral lace-less 80’s sand shoes that seem permanently attached to every Australian male under the age of twenty. Plus I’m a girl. I know what tingles the poonani…

Photos from Facehunter and The Sartorialist.?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Spent the day at the library researching African jewellery, ate fresh carrots and sundried tomato gluten free toast for lunch, just about to head to the gym and then off to have coffee with a friend. I then plan on drinking wine and having dinner with the Smaggles! 

* Dress from DFO in Canberra

* Cardigan from Valley Girl in Canberra

* Obi belt thrifted from Salvos in Canberra

* Tights from Big W in Canberra

* Boots from Joanne Mercer in Canberra (I bought these yesterday and I love love love them!)

How is your Monday going angel?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

A big massive thank you to all who entered the armwarmer giveaway. Your answers were gorgeous and Captian Apricot and myself had a hard time coming up with the winner. 

BUT… we both loved Scribbles and her love notes so congratulations love! The armwarmers are yours. Just email me at lady(at)smagglestyle.com and I’ll pass your deets along to the Captain!

Again, thanks for entering! I love you all. And thanks Captain Apricot for sponsoring the first Smaggle giveaway!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

It’s the end of the weekend and I’m utterly exhausted. The weekend was spent spoiling the shit out of Mr Smaggle for his birthday. I also slept for an obscene amount of time. 

* Hammer pants from DFO in Melbourne

* Singlet top from Country Road in Melbourne

* Cardigan from Valley Girl in Canberra

* Earrings from Bijoux in Canberra

* Shoes Doc Martens from DFO in Melbourne

* Singlet by Metalicus 

* Brooch Smaggle Made (It’s a black chip board square with a diamante ‘MJ’ design on it. I’m going to wear it for thirty days to mourn for my beloved Michael Jackson who I’ve been listening to non-stop for the past few days.)

This evening I’m going for a chilly jog around the lake, cooking an old fashioned meat and veg dinner for Mr Smaggle and getting ready for a busy week. 

What are you up to my love?

Love Lady Smaggle

P.S The winner of the armwarmer competition will be announced tomorrow! Good luck! 

A wee little while ago I received an email from a super gorgeous gal who has an Etsy store called Captain Apricot and she sells hand made armwarmers. She very kindly sent me a pair to road test and I have to say I’m literally in love. These babies have been with me since the day I received them. Last week I thought that I lost them and I was literally devastated. They are so warm and they scrunch beautifully around the wrist when worn. It makes SUCH a difference that they are made from wool. My arms have never been toastier! And I can easily hold a glass of Merlot without it slipping through my fingers. Absolute genius design.

AND to top it all off the gorgeous Captain Apricot is giving all Smaggle readers the chance to win a pair of super awesome armwarmers! Holy crap! 

All you have to do to win is visit her store, mosey on over to the armwarmers section, pick which ones are your favourite (personally I’m all over the champagne shorties) and leave me a comment. Not just any comment. I want to know your favourite thing about Winter. And if ANYONE says ‘Hot chocolate in front of the fire place’ NO ARMWARMERS FOR YOU! Be creative people. Impress us! Don’t forget to tell us which armwarmers are your fave! 

So…

1. Visit the store

2. Pick your favourite armwarmers

3. Make a comment on Smaggle saying what your favourite thing is about Winter

It’s that easy!

You have until Wednesday at midnight to leave your comment. The Captain and the Lady will then decide the winner and it will be announced later this week. 

Oh the excitement! 

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

This weekend was utterly blissful. Highlights include a trip to the farmers markets, the most decadent afternoon sleep I’ve ever experienced, yum cha for Mamma Smaggle’s birthday and a Mario Kart tournament with my man. Sigh! 

* Dress thrifted in New Zealand

* Obi belt from DFO in Melbourne

* Necklace gift from Mr Smaggle

* Scrunchy tights from Itrip Iskip

* Sunglasses Le Specs from Itrip Iskip (I bought these yesterday and they are rocking my world)

* Shoes Doc Martens from DFO Melbourne

How was your weekend poppet pie?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

You’ve all heard me talk shit about body image and self confidence in the past and if you’re a regular reader you’ll know that I promote body maintenance above anything when it comes to loving yourself. I’m a Virgo so I like to sit around a lot and think about how perfect I am so naturally it comes as quite a shock when it’s pointed out to me that in fact, I’m not perfect. Oh my god it even hurts to write that. I was having a brag to Mr Smaggle the other day about how you can’t fault my diet and he said ‘Yeah except for all the chocolate’. Naturally I was a little affronted. ‘Bitch please. Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? You MUST be referring to your other girlfriend’*. He then pointed out that despite the fact that I eat a protein shake for breakfast, two pieces of fruit, salad-like lunch and healthy dinner it appears that I lose the fucking plot after dinner and consume chocolate as if I am dying. Right. Thanks for this info. This got me thinking that although I do exercise and eat right there was a time in my life that I would rather have eaten wallpaper than gone near calorie-laden chocolate EVER let alone every day. So I thought I would compile a list of health tips to get me back on the right track to health… or get me out of the cocoa fields and steer me back to the straight and narrow. Here’s what I came up with…

Write down everything you eat

Okay I know this sounds like eating disorder territory but trust me it works. Use an online service to figure out how many calories you should be consuming in a day (based on your weight and activity levels) and start adding up what you are eating. Including wine. I mean it. Calorie King is awesome for Australians because it has all our food brands and you can look up something like ‘apples’ without having to scroll through ten thousand kinds of apple pie/treat/snack/candy unlike some other online services in other unnamed countries**. I did this everyday for two years and I could very easily eat exactly what my body needed in a day without calculating it and a few months ago I stopped doing this. I started again this week and it’s amazing that my brain forgot how many calories there are in some kinds of foods. It’s a great little reminder about ’sometimes’ foods and also about the portions that you should be eating. 

Rock out when you work out 

Get yourself some awesome songs on your Ipod (personally I’m all about show tunes and Cher) and zone out while you work out. It makes SUCH a difference. I look at people who exercise without music and they look like they are going to cry. So sad. 

Mix it up 

Don’t just stick to the gym. Get out into the fresh air and go for a run. Even though I hate outdoors (this is true I just really don’t like sun in my face, or bugs or flys, loud cars, windy days – ugh! Outside is SO temperamental) I do love jogging in quiet areas and singing really loudly with my Ipod and pretending that I’m Britney. Seriously try it. Sometimes this actually makes me look forward to exercise. 

Dress like Lara Croft or one of Charlie’s Angels

I wear a lot of black when I exercise. Not because it’s flattering but because it’s tough. Would Angelina wear baggy grey tracksuit pants and a Nirvana t-shirt? I don’t think so. It’s all about black Lycra. The tighter the better. And do pretend that your training for the invasion of an ancient Egyptian tomb. Imagine your whole workout as a movie montage. It will make the time fly by. I promise. 

Get over it 

Obviously there is no way that you can never eat chocolate or bread again. That’s just stupid. All I’m asking is that you own it. If you eat a whole block of chocolate (we’ve all done it!) just deal with it and eat well for the next week. Also exercise hurts. And it’s boring. Deal with it. It’s like 45mins out of your WHOLE DAY and it makes you look and feel amazing. I understand the issues that people have (believe me, I have them too) but just do it. Like cleaning the bathroom. Or paying your car insurance. 

But also relax…

Honestly it’s SO BORING watching your weight all the time. Be realistic and flexible. Eat well most of the time and track it in your diary but if your man brings you home an ice cream treat for the pair of you to share just enjoy it love! If you’re going to indulge in a cheeky wine night with your ladies savour every mouthful and maybe skip dessert. As one of my students said to me the other day ‘Just kick back Miss. Chillax!’. Indeed.

And to prove that I actually follow my own advice I had cereal and yogurt for breakfast, tuna and crackers for lunch and I went to the gym so now I’m going to Browny’s house for dinner and wine! 

Be balanced! 

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

*He doesn’t actually have another girlfriend. I don’t share. And in my defence the only reason why I eat chocolate is because Mr Smaggle’s brother, Mr Squiggle has several opened blocks of different kinds of chocolate in the fridge ALL THE TIME. It’s hell. I’m a peer pressure chocolate eater. I don’t even like it that much. 

** Yes USA. I’m talking about you.