Photo Apps

I love Instagram! And photo apps like Pixlr-o-matic and Camera 360 :)

Instagram:

Camera 360:

Pixlr-o-matic:

Congrats Gotye!

Congrats to our very own Gotye for winning 3 Aria awards! Well done mate!!

Xmas Gifts (aka - love post for Etsy!) Part 1!

(Previous Xmas post got deleted, it was having a bad blog day!)

I really tried to get in early for Xmas presents this year. I hate last minute scrambles! If we're (Aussies) ordering stuff from overseas, it can take up to six weeks so we gotta get in quick! So I ordered a lovely engraved necklace for my Nana from Etsy from here. Love!

I also reckon something like this vintage camera would be a perfect gift for someone who's into photography (like me!). Check it! 

I was thinking of getting something like this for a friend of mine who's getting married again (vowel renewal).

Cute huh?

General Pants Co and Sportsgirl have some really cute little gifts, like funky mugs, teapots, cushions, vintage accessories - the list goes on!

Happy shopping!!

Oreo Cupcakes

Ok so I made these freakin amazing Oreo Cupcakes for John on the weekend. So yum.

This is where I got the recipe from, although I made a few tweaks of my own. http://helpfuldaddy.blogspot.com/2011/07/cookies-cream-cupcakes.html
For example, I used 1 cup of buttermilk instead of normal milk. I also added choc chips. And I made my own frosting:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup cream cheese

Mix!

Floral Arrangements

Wow what a fantastic weekend. Family dinner on Saturday night was an absolute hit. Dinner was fantastic (why didn't I take a pic of it? Damn!), mum put the coconut curry on banana leaves, it was soo good. It made it look really thai and summery. Plus we bought this cute table runner from Go-Lo, which was has turquoise, brown, red and yellow striped. So nice. Plus, it was $2. Score!

We also bought bouquets of white and purple orchids, and yellow roses. We arranged them like this... 

Family Dinner

So this weekend I have my boyfriend's parents and his siblings coming over for dinner! Mum will be making this amazing chicken coconut curry - which is freakin delish.

And then for dessert, I'm thinking a red velvet cake... Amazing huh? Recipe's below!

http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake/

It's currently raining in Sydney though, and it looks like it'll be raining all weekend! So I'm planning on decorating our loungeroom all extra pretty (coz outside would have been a great dinner spot) maybe with some of these flower arrangements? (pic from abeautifulmess.typepad.com)

Chocolate Covered Katie

Wow, this girl has got the healthy-but-delicious thing down pat! I mean, check out these recipes!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/02/24/raw-mint-chocolate-chip-milkshake/

Holy moly. I NEED to make this. I'm a chocolate fanatic, but I prefer a healthier version.

And THIS. WOW. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/03/09/healthy-cake-batter-milkshake/

And there's more....!!!  http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/12/giant-cookie-cake-a-healthy-recipe-makeover/

Ha! I think I might make this with my red velvet cake for a family dinner this weekend....
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/16/vegan-cool-whip/

But I should taste test it first, right? RIGHT?!!!

Pic courtesy of piccsy.com

5 Things I Like About Work

Ok, so today I'm at work (with no shoes on - damn rain!) and I thought rather than getting frustrated with work, I'd try and find some things I like about it (work, not frustration).

So here goes.

1. It's something to do (yeah, I know that's lame)
2. I'm earning money (yay!)
3. It makes the time pass fairly quickly, so I can look forward to nights where I can do whatever I want

4. Sometimes we can bring our animals in (while the boss is away, we play!)
5. Sometimes I get to talk to cool people

Well I feel a bit better about work. Why don't you try it? Find five things you like about something you don't usually enjoy :)

Hair Problems and Solutions

So I'm no professional, but my experience with dry and damaged hair has taught me a little. I have always had fairly thick wavy hair, until I put two weaves in it last December. BAD IDEA. TURN AROUND. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT $100. Yeah, so you get the idea. As much as I loved having long hair (it flowed over my boobs quite nicely!), the extensions ruined it for months. When my friend and hair dresser cut them out, she couldn't believe how thin it had gotten. It was falling out in clumps and I was worried I'd wake up bald. So I took hair, skin and nails vitamins and got regular trims. But it was still falling out (but not as much).

So I started adding extra virgin coconut oil and coconut milk to my diet. I'd coat my hair in coconut oil and leave it in for a few hours, massaging it every half hour or so. The properties in coconut oil really made a difference to my hair, it was shinier and got so much healthier in a short amount of time. Yay! And now recently I've been reading about the benefits of B vitamins - healthy hair, skin and nails! So I've started taking a multi with B in it, and so now, almost 11 months after getting my extensions, it has come back to normal!

Be careful with coconut oil though, it's very good for you (or so I've read/experienced) but it is high in saturated fats, so in moderation, yeah?

Christmas is coming!

I am SUPER excited about the Christmas Holidays, I'm off work from the 16th December and back to work on January 10th. It'll be the longest holiday I've had in years! I'm taking my boyfriend of 10 months (John) over to Perth (Western Australia) to meet my other side of the family. Plus he hasn't been to Perth before, so I'm excited to show him around. We'll be hitting up Rottnest Island (pic below), and hanging out with the Quokkas (pic below). I know, they're weird right? Like crossed between a kangaroo and a rat. Yeah. Oh and swimming, lots of swimming, but I would like to fit into that swim suit at Christmas... that's another post though!

Mr Kate

If you haven't already, check out mrkate.com. She has some really excellent posts and she makes some gorgeous jewelry. I personally like the Rose Mr Kate Logo Rosary, and the bow ear cuffs.

I heart these places



Blue Mountains, NSW




Bradleys Head, NSW



So above are two pics from some of my favourite places. The first is in the Blue Mountains, which is atop these hills, you can see for miles around. It's so relaxing. I have some very fond memories from here!

The second one was taken on the weekend at Bradleys Head in NSW. We found a little beach and picnic spot at sunset, it was beautiful! 

Vegan Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies (no seriously, amazing)

So I started reading ohsheglows.com a few months ago and, wowzers, she has some amazing recipes! One of my favourites is the vegan and gluten free chocolate chip cookies! So I've posted the link here: http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6003933. Check it! And read about her weight-loss/health journey - it's inspiring! :)

I am Me and this is my blog.

So, first post. No pressure. I'll probably look back on this in a few years and go "I seriously wrote that?"

Anyway. I started this blog because I think it's a great way to keep track of things; photos, things to remember, things to be grateful for, recipes and books to read. I have lots of things to keep track of. Mostly, I get bored sort of easily so I like to have lots of things to occupy my attention :)

Oh, and just in case, I probably should introduce myself. My name is Truan and I'm currently an office worker, who aspires to be many things (see above comment on my short attention span). I love reading, taking pictures, walking my dog, baking (I made some Red Velvet Cupcakes last week that were a-freakin-mazing), reading DIY/Fashion/Lifestyle blogs and I just started Ballet... which I would like to continue but it's hard and I feel like a dork with two left feet.

I live in Australia "I come from the land down under..." yeah, anyway. It's pretty sweet here. The weather is pretty mild and it's kind of nice. Except if we want to fly anywhere, it takes ages. Ok I'm getting distracted, I'm writing this while trying to do work (sshhh....) so this intro is a bit disjointed.  

So, my posting begins!