Inspired by.............................Melbourne

Ever wonder how I get inspired? Now you can find out! In my country there are so many wonderful places and becuase of that there is so much to get inspired by. In Inspired by..... you will see exactly how I get inspired. You will see the Inspiration and then at the bottom of the post you will see the articles. It's quite lucky because instead of just getting one article (post) you get two or three. I've made sure all the articles are utterly FAB! 


It's so great to come on holidays. Just to have a break from routine and everyday life. I especially love coming to Melbourne. Melbourne is a place that really buzzes. The shopping is divine, the food and restaurants are smashingly good and the scencery is magnificent. I'm sure you can tell by my choice of adjectives that Melbourne is a simply terrific place.   

Someone knitted a case for a bike rack

MASSIVE house in Albert Park

Fruit at the Queen Victoria
Markets

The restaurants in Melbourne are smashingly good. The food is great and I've realised that in Melbourne restaurants they really make an effort with design. The way all of the restaurants look is superb. 


The first restaurant I went to when we arrived was called The Milkswyn. It really gave me a taste of what Melbourne was about. The design impressed me most. Inside the look is Nordic-inspired chic and outside it's just like a European cafe. The food was delicious as well. 

Other restaurants I went to included. The Commoner, they had an option where you could just say 'feed me' and they would choose the food for you. It was fantastic having that element of surprise. I also went to The Press Club, Bar Lourinha and The Town Hall. Just to name a few. 


It really got me thinking. I live in a country full of excellent food and I know so many places where you can get amazing food. It's time for me to share those places. So, my first article is all about the restaurants in Sydnay and Melbourne that I love. So, if any of my readers live in Australia or plan on visting it then they will have a few restaurants they can visit. You can find the article at the bottom of this post. 


Moving on to the AMAZING shopping in Melbourne. I went to Retro Star, the largest vintage store in Australia and bought a lovely spotty vintage dress and pair of fabulous geometric patterned sunnies. 

Retro Star

 I also went into a little design store and bought the most fabulous necklace ever. It is a little jar with a cork in the top. Inside the jar is a little bunch of flowers.   




I was totally inspired by all the little funky shops in Melbourne. It made me think about making my personal style a bit more quirky. Quirkyness makes you stand out and makes you look a bit different. And becuase of this I've set it as one of my new year's resolutions. I know exactly how I'm going to do it and I will share how in an article at the bottom of this post. 


The street style in Melbourne was the best I'd ever seen. People looked fantastic. Unique and retro. I saw one girl who had a denium patchwork top. The fashion made me think about YOU! My readers. And if you were looking for style inspiration. I've definitly had my dose of style inspiration. So I thought I'd share some various outfits to inspire YOU. Just like I have been inspired in Melbourne! 






The articles are below.  


Best Restaurants in Australia 
Australia has some really great restaurants. We're known for the multi-cultralism and diversity in our food. I am lucky enough to dine at amazing restaurants and for that I am truly thankful. For the sake of fellow Australians and for tourists coming to Australia I will share some of my absolute favourite restaurants. 


Sydney  


Billy Kwong  
A fabulous high-end Chinese restaurant.


Bird Cow Fish 
Great modern Australian.

Din Tai Fung 
Amazing dumplings and Chinese food. 

Mamak 
Mouth-watering satay and roti.  


Ms G's  
Funky, modern, unique Asian restaurant


Lotus  
Terrific modern Australian. 


North Bondi Italian 
A modern spin on Italian.

Fretelli Paridiso  
Delicious Italian in a stylish restaurant.


Cafe Sopra  
Amazing Italian in a grocery store. 


Porteno  
Magnificent Argentinian food. Beware it's VERY popular and therefore EXTREMLY hard to get in.  




Melbourne (There's not as many as I don't live in Melbourne 


Movida  
Incredible Spanish food in a lovely environment. 
The Press Club  
Modern Australian inspired Greek food. Very expensive. 
The Milkswyn 
Modern Australian food in an amazingly comfortable room.  
The Commoner  
Modern Australian with a hint of surprise. 
Bar Lourinha  
Medertarainien food in a bar-like space. 
Il Solito Posto 
Italian in a chic restaurant   
Flower Drum  
Amazing Cantonese (Chinese). Very popular so quite hard to get in. 




Quirkifing Your Look 
As I said before this is one of my NY resolutions. I've got a plan and I'm pretty sure it will work. So, if anyone wants to take the jump with me then read on. Go on, I dare you to. 


Being quirky means looking completely different to others. Having a COMPLETELY unique style. In Melbourne almost every second person had a quirky look. It's fab. So I think there are three steps to Quirkifiying your look. 


Buy Quirky Accessories  
Having quirky accesories is great. It allows you to ease into quirkyness. So if you start by just adding quirky accesories to your normal look if should work well. 


Experiment  
You can use the clothes you already have to make your look a bit different. It's about experimenting and doing things you wouldn't normally do. 


Buy Quirky Clothes 
Once you have eased yourself into the quirkiness you can start buying some quirky clothes. Then you should be a quirky fashionista. Congrats! 


Places to buy quirky clothes and accessories. 
-Vintage stores
-Charity stores 
-Little design store 

Street style 
Need some outfits for clothes inspiration. Here are some of my favourites  
All photos from http://www.sydneystreetstyle.com/ 

Thanks for reading 
Hope you enjoyed 
Xoxoxoxo 
Isabella

Inspired by...................Paddington

Ever wonder how I get inspired? Now you can find out! Each week I will go to a different destination and get article inspiration. You will see the Inspiration and then at the bottom of the post you will see the articles. I've made sure they are al utterly FAB! 

Paddington

Paddington is a suburb buzzing with culture. You see a huge mix of people; each one individual in their own way. Sometimes you'll see a 20-year-old lady with fire red hair and unique clothes and sometimes you'll see a 80-year old lady who looks straight out of the 50's. Either way I loved going there for my Inspired by post this week. I saw a huge mix of shops and I'll share a few with you. 


Firstly. The Society Inc.  

A place with the weiredest things ever. Horse shoes, old postcards, ribbon and things you just feel like you want to buy even if it proabably won't help you. For those who live in Sydney you can find it at 18 Stewart Street, Paddington.

How fab are these?
Very Fab!!!

    

Old Fashioned Milk Bottles,
I wish people still
used these.

  








































Then we OPUS. A similar store, it seems a bit more modern though.  
Pictures....

Britan O'clock!

Too bad I don't have an Iphone

That's one of the things I love this month. Little things you don't need at all but feel compelled to buy. I know, I'm such a consumer. But I find pointless things highly entertaining. See other things I find entertaining with 10 Things I love this month which you can find at the bottom of this post. 

William Street next. William street is a street filled with only small bussinesses. I'd say it's my favourite street in Paddington.    Second-hand, vintage and general awesomeness. I went into I Like Birds, a vintage homeware store, Alimentari a fantastic deli and browsed clothes as I walked along. I was Inspired to tell you that it is my firm belief that....... One, Delis are great, Vintage is phenomenal. You can find more about this at the bottom of this post.   

Here are some photo's from William Street. 

Chocolate. 

Twine interests me. I don't know why.

I Like Birds is 14 William St Paddington. 

And then I went and spent 10 minutes looking at Jacaranda trees and a nice palm. Jacaranda trees are on my 10 things I love this month list. 


Delight in the articles. Here they are! 


10 Things I L.O.V.E this month 

10. Love on Top by Beyonce 
I love alternative but I also like commercial Pop and at the moment I love this song. Catchy but not catchy enough to be annoying.   

Photo from http://cdn.urbanislandz.com/wp-content
/uploads/2011/10/beyonce-love-on-top1.jpg

9. Sportsgirl 
Vintage is awesome but I don't always have to wear it. It follows the trends. The clothes are unique and fresh. Love it. 

Photo from http://www.thecolonnade.com.au
/Portals/2/images/Sportsgirl.jpg

8. Chocolate. 
It's childish, it's silly, it's unhealthy but this month I'm loving chocolate.   

Photo from http://fsb.zedge.net/content/
7/8/7/4/1-3513764-7874-t.jpg

   
7. Googleing Retro Photography. 
You see the most beautiful photos. It makes me want to get a much better camera (I take all my photos on my phone.)   

Photo from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a69fUmybQVM/SsIpzwWCIwI
/AAAAAAAABJI/AiLE2H0tKQY/s400/bethretrophotography.jpg

6. Writing stuff down. 
Lists. My day. My feelings. My views on the world. Everything. 

Photo from http://www.cartoonmuseumshop.org/images
/_lib/mini-marvel-notebook-3054-150-1317313609000.jpg

5. Objects that are pointless or stupid 
Magnets shaped like apps. Comic book wallets. Gizmos. I ADORE THEM. 

My own photo. 

  
4. Thinking about Christmas 
I know it's early but I'm obsessed with Christmas. I. CAN'T.STOP.THINKING.ABOUT.IT.  

Photo from http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/blue_yarn_ornament_wwwsplityarncom.jpg

   


3. Paris. 
I've never been there but I'm constantly looking at it on the internet. I'm going there next year. Y to the ay.  

Photo from http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199
/6033069809_d469d2fef9.jpg

2. My Handbag 
I keep everything in there. Perfect for me, being so orgnaised.  

Photo from http://ffffound.com/image/2324ac
199cdbb9e33c86a31646555d5bcfd1feaf

1. Jacarandas 
This is the only time of the year they're here. They're so incredibly beautiful. Ahhhhh. 

Photo from http://www.clarencetourism.com/media/images/content
/detail/jacarandafestival_2-text782.jpg

  
Best Vintage Online Shopping 


1. Garry Pepper Vintage  


2. Etsy 


3. Mousevox Vintage  




Why I love delis 


-They're food is fresh 


-They are great for picking up quick meals on the go 


-They make you feel welcome 


-The people there (in my experience) are always nice 


-It smells nice. 


-They have a wide variety 


-It's all healthy 


I could go on forever.  




I hope you enjoyed 


Feedback, comments, any would be appriciated. 


Xoxoxoxox 
Isabella. 

Inspired by....................Sydney CBD

So, this week for my Inspired By I went to the CENTRE of Sydney. And I realised that there is way too much great STUFF in the CBD for me to see all of it in two hours.  

I actually spent almost all the time in David Jones which is (for those who don't know) a big department store that is incredibly elegant, sophisticated. For the last 20 years it has been the leading shopping destination in the CBD but THEN a huge, literally huge Westfield opened. Westfield is a type of mall for those who don't know. The Westfield is totally AMAZING TOWN, in my opinion. Then again, David Jones is a lot calmer. 

So, I took the bus into the CBD and went straight to David Jones. 


I went for a bit of a wonder and I don't need to go into any details because it was a bit.......well.......boring. 


Then, I went to the food court which is utterly superb. 

I saw a wall of tea. I absolutely love tea. I like unique tea. Orange, chocolate not just your average English Breakfast. Find unique tea recipes at the bottom of this post.  

I thought about guilty pleasures. I'll tell you why, I went to the lolly part. Sad thing was I had already spent most of my $7 budget (pretty pathetic, I know) on an 'organic' lemon lime and bitters (gross). So I had 50 cents which I spent on strawberries and cream and liquorice bullets (my favourite lollies). My guilty pleasures are lollies (childish I know) and SHOPPING. What are yours? (Feel free to answer in the comments)

At that moment I was thinking one thing
'I wish I had more money'.

  

Mmmmmmmmm.

Homewares level. Hey guess what. I love homewares.  

I love when mixers get
stylish

That's a lot of plates

How beautiful are these?
Who doesn't adore candles?
NO ONE!

This level reminded me of domesticness (yes, I like that word despite the fact it doesn't exist). I know for a fact that it can be very hard to be domestic and stylish at the same time. BUT I assure you it is possible. At the bottom of this post you can find an article about being domestic and obtaining stylishness and sophistication. 


Time was running out, I could only do one more thing. I had a quick look around Westfield. I saw some super cute, super cool and super stylish things. I also saw some SUPER UGLY things. 
Some ugly  enough to make you want to gag over the side of the elevator. Ok that might me a bit too much information.  

Pretty HORRIBLE

I find that sometimes, the problem isn't that the garments are ugly, it's the way they are paired with other things. They can just look HORRIBLE.  Do you know the do's and don'ts of pairing garments? At the bottom of this post you can find an article on pairing garments. 




















So here are the promised articles. Hope you enjoy! 


Unique Tea  

I'm all for trying new things. I'm a big supporter of uniqueness. You know, standing out from the crowd. So, as much I as I love the classic English Breakfasts and Earl Greys, I also am a huge fan of  more original tea. T2 has the most interesting teas ever, Turkish Apple, Chocolate, Turkish Delight!!! Where else do you see them? 


Chocolate Tea 
From http://blog.teadog.com/2008/03/20/make-your-own-chocolate-tea/ 

3 teaspoons of cocoa
3 cups of milk
3 cups of English Breakfast tea
6 sugar lumps

First, set aside about 1 cup of cold milk and heat the rest of the milk. Gradually blend the cocoa into the cold milk and add to the boiling milk. Next, beat the mixture with a whisk. Then, make the english breakfast tea, sweeten, leave to cool. Finally, mix the two preparations together and serve with ice cubes. Recipes makes 6 cups of chocolate tea. 

Turkish Apple Tea 

From http://www.turkishcookbook.com/2010/02/turkish-apple-tea.php 

2 red apples, do not peel and do not remove the seeds, cut in 4 or 6
1 orange, do not peel, cut in 4 or 6
1 stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
4 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the fruits are tender. Strain into the bowl pushing gently with the back of the spoon to remove all the liquid. Then pour into the tea glasses.

If you like you may sweeten with honey 

ICE TEA 

1 large (300g) orange
½ cup (125ml) water
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
1.25 litres (5 cups) boiling water
3 black tea bags
3 peach-flavoured herbal infusion bags
1 2/3 cups (400ml) peach nectar
¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves
ice cubes, for serving

NOTE: This recipe can be made several hours ahead; add ice cubes just before serving.

METHOD

Peel the rind thinly from half the orange, avoiding white pith. Peel off pith, cut orange into thin slices.

Place water and sugar in a small pan; stir over a low heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved; add the orange rind. Simmer, uncovered, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly; remove the rind. Cool, then refrigerate.

Place boiling water in a jug; add the tea and herbal infusion bags. Infuse for 5 minutes; remove tea bags. Cool, then refrigerate.

Place sugar syrup, tea, orange slices, nectar and mint in a large jug; stir to combine. Just before serving, add ice cubes.

Suitable to freeze without orange and mint. Suitable to microwave  

How to be stylish and domestic AT THE SAME TIME  

Being permanently stylish and sophisticated really boosts your self-esteem,to be permanently looking great makes you feel just over the moon. This includes at the home. Here are some tips to keeping your self and your kitchen completely sophisticated.

1.Wear a nice apron.  

I am obsessed with my apron, I'm constantly wishing it is a dress so I can wear it out. Even if there's a catastrophe in the kitchen at least I know I look great in my APRON.  
This site has a range of stylish apron's 
http://www.jessiesteele.com/kitchen/kitchen-aprons.html  

2. Keep a nice soap near the kitchen sink 

LOTS, of things get on your hands when you cook. LOTS, sometimes your handling raw meat and then you have to go straight to carrots. It's good to keep your hands smelling nice. Wash your hands frequently while cooking by keeping a hand soap next to your kitchen sink.  

3. Create an atmosphere 

Keep your kitchen and dining area looking beautiful. Have flowers in a vase or incense and candles burning. Be original! This makes it more enjoyable to cook and to eat. 

4. Keep everything SUPER neat 

Have your spice rack all laid out with labeled jars. Your herbs neatly together. It's much easier to cook in a neat space. Plus, it makes your kitchen look professional and nice. 

5. Have two essentials on hand 

Everything gets messy in the kitchen so it helps to always have a cleaning spray, this way you can clean up as you go. Also have a little pot of lip balm (I use Lucas's Papaya Balm) for applying when your lips get chapped.  




SO, the final article  


7 Fashion Pairing Mistakes That Don't Look Good on Anyone 

  
Sometimes you see someone and you think. 'Why would they do that'. The thing is, some outfits look ok in the darkness of your bedroom  or feel good because they're comfy but look shocking in the full light of day. Here are 7 mistakes you NEVER want to make. 


1. Sneakers and Jeans 
My least favourite fashion pairing mistake. EVER. Ok, converse don't count but your running shoes. Egggghhhhhhh. It looks so awkward and well, just plain awful. You may as well write 'I DON"T CARE ABOUT FASHION' on your forehead. 


2. Ugg Boots and Skirts (or even worse Dresses) 
I don't really like Ugg Boots at all but they can look ok with jeans. With a skirt they are just hideous. 


3. Socks (especially white ones) with sandals or thongs
If there is something that screams OLD it's this. Even if you were wearing the prettiest top and the best jeans the outfit would still be unbearable to look at if you wore sandals and socks. 


4. Leather Boots and shorts  
Boots are for winter, shorts are for summer. Pairing them doesn't make sense. Don't do it! 


5. Spots and thick stripes 
Print vomit. Colour vomit. It makes me want to vomit. Way too much (thin subtle stripes can look ok).

6. Hoodies and Dresses
A combination of formal and casual can look really good and REALLY BAD. This is an instance were it looks REALLY BAD.

7. Heels and trackies
That just completely stupid, why did I even list that?







Thanks for reading.


Bibliography
Ice Tea
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP52SLkbyI1KszR82WgmUk5WFWOBeqIpdDQSIZchIvHBoyf5CKnHqxdno0vPNX8atDIZ9IPjjG2V-6avaU1X1bgZHO1QkS0GKjF1kSdPUX2f-FhVf-CesJxpXOfkhy8V0wft3yxoGiR99F/s1600/lemon-tea-ck-1065493-x.jpg

50's Domestic
http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lozqic4ODR1qij82jo1_500.jpg


Sneakers and Jeans Picture
http://ssjustice.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/41786_2235901754_1606_n.jpg