Monday, 27 February 2012

2 days till my birthday!

Howdy doodly all, how was your weekend? We had a lot of sunshine here in Wellington so I made the most of it! And also had a mani / pedi too which was very relaxing. Well I went to upload some of my Paris pics from my camera and it's out of batteries - so while I wait for it to charge, I will share some news with you. 

It's my birthday this week!! YAY! I am not one of those people who shy away from birthdays in the fear of getting older - I LOVE them! 
Here's what I did last year...
I woke up to the most amazing bird balloons ever (you all know my love of birds!) and presents arranged by the bf :)

Opened them all in bed
The bf bought me a Peter Alexander sleep mask - I'm one of those people who CAN'T sleep without one! So annoying!
This sneakster had also arranged a surprise afternoon of croquet and a bbq!
And a fancy bday cake :)
Then we all dashed off home to beautify ourselves for a night on the town!
 

I was encouraged to do shots....
And felt like this for a while afterwards!! Hahahahaha

So on Thursday I turn 29! Now you know my age, how old will you be this year? :)

Friday, 24 February 2012

My article in Toffee Magazine

Howdy m'ladies! I don't know if you know that I occasionally write freelance for magazines and websites. Well now you do! I was very excited to write an article for Toffee Magazine, which was published last week. Toffee is a super-cool Indie-craft style mag, and it's design and photos are always really pretty.
Anywho, I wrote a wee article discussing vintage and recycling fashion - why it's so popular and how to go about it. And I am pleased as punch with how it looks in the mag!


Spot anyone you recognise? :)



Have you ever read Toffee magazine?

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Share my journey!

Hello, and thanks for bearing with me as I update you on my last moments in the UK. I'm always sad to say goodbye to my home and my family, especially after spending so long there this time. I'm still missing home right now. Sniff sniff.

Something that lessened the sadness was the panic of fitting a million new beads and crafty bits into my (very generous) luggage allowance of three suitcases! My parents are horrified at how much I compulsively bought! But I couldn't resist as these things are hard to come by in NZ! (That was my justification anyway!)

I managed it (just about!) and had to leave a few things behind (for next time)...

Me and my three suitcases and three pieces of cabin baggage - and the hat I had to wear cos I couldn't pack it! hahaha!

Bye UK!! :(

The journey was eased by a wee upgrade to business class to Hong Kong - so sipping bubbly wine whilst waiting to take off was quite nice :)

Hong Kong - 13 hours in and a quick stop to refuel, strectch my legs and brush my teeth!!

And then eventually I was back at home with tonnes of this to unpack!!

And I have to figure out where to store all of these beads and crafty bits. (This about half of what I brought back!!!!) Yes I am mad. Bead-mad.
Have you ever been away on an extended vacation? How did you find settling back in? :)

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Last 10 days in Instagram Part 2

Ooh, so you came back for part two? I'm impressed! Well here goes..... 

Valentine's Day was a quiet affair at my parents' house - the bf came back from London that evening so that we could have dinner together. Sweet :)
He bought me these cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery - the packaging was SO cute!

I bought him this chocolate lollipop :)
I lurrrve flamingos and so the bf endeavours to get me a flamingo card as often as he can! This is one of my favs for Valentine's this year.

I had a pink rose from him which I added to the bunch of flowers he'd bought me for our four year anniversary a week before.
I struggled to fit three months worth of shopping into three suitcases......

And let's not even get started on the amount of jewellery I had to pack!
I made this little cupcake bracelet for one of my besties and sent it to her for a belated bday gift

I experimented with my new Accessorize nail polishes (they're good, I recommend them!)

And I squeezed in a game of Lego with my niece on my last evening home!
 OKAY so I lied - there are a few more pics that I will add for part THREE tomorrow. Just a COUPLE I promise :)

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Back in "summer" down under!


Hi all!! So sorry it’s been such a long time since I last blogged  - with the best of intentions, I got wrapped up in my last ten days in the UK, popping here there and everywhere to catch up with people before I left.

And then after a three hour car drive, 26 hour flight, 45 minute domestic flight and a fifteen minute taxi, I was back where I started three months ago!

So FAR so GOOD with the jetlag – the bf and I have been sleeping and waking at relatively normal hours – hurrah. And I went straight back to work 12 hours after arriving! EEK!

So here’s a peek at what I have been up to the last week or so via Instagram (my new addiction). Now that I’m unpacked and settled back into my freshly cleaned house (I had a polishing frenzy last night! I think my house has wood for every surface imaginable so it was a big job!), I can resume normal blogging entries :)

My last 10 days part one - due to my obsession with Instagram I will split this into two parts - aren't I kind!?

On the Friday I went for a lovely 'posh' dinner to bid adieu to one of my besties

And wore my new hot pink trousers! Brave!
How do you feel about bright trousers?
EXCUSE this horrrrrrrrrrendous photo of myself! :)
On the Saturday evening I cooked a three course meal for my parents and grandparents. You may remember that a few months ago my Grancha was reeeeally ill, so it was lovely to spend some time with him and my fabulous Nanny Mac :) Nan said it was their first ever full vegetarian meal! Cute!

The next morning I was up at 6am to travel to London to spend 24 hours with my youngest sister. We met in the centre to visit Spitalfields Market (it was MUCH bigger than the last time I went!! AMAZING!)
Funky street art in Spitalfields

We had lunch at Covent Garden and spotted where they were setting up for the BAFTAS that evening! Oooh!

And paid 13 pounds for the most ridiculous nail art EVER!!!! We HAD to laugh at how bad it was - otherwise we'd have cried!!!

I bought my new skull ring at Spitalfields and have become firm friends with him since ;)

And finally got around to sending this postcard to my colleagues in NZ - i'm back at work now and it still hasn't arrived yet - whoops!! ;)
What have you been up to? :)

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

A crafty quickie!

Hey all, are you surviving the cold weather that seems to be taking over the world!?!? Brrr!!

I'm back in Wales after my trip to Paris and have tonnes of pics to share with you! But as I'm lazy and haven't downloaded them yet, here's couple of pics of my FABULOUS beads I bought in the most amazing Parisian bead shop! (Yes I'm a geek!) And a couple of other crafty bits I've been buying on my travels.

How the hell I'm going to get it all back to NZ is beyond me!!! EEK!


This is one of two loads of beads I chose from the shop, it was SO much fun!!!!

The ONLY place i've found metal skulls in this shape!! They weren't cheap though so I only bought four. (And have already used one!!)

Loooovely crystal beads :)

Some other little bits I've bought

Here's one of the skull necklaces I made this evening <3
Little Lion charm necklace

Skull necklace number two I made tonight!

They will be added to my Etsy shop when I get a spare moment - Dad had me rummaging around in the cellar today sorting through tonnes of my old stuff (some of it was quite entertaining - old photos and letters, where does the time go?!?!) and the best bit was finding a bag of vintage beads! I've washed them and look forward to fiddling with them tomorrow :)
Yep, I'm loving Instagram at the moment, as you can tell from my frames! You can find me on there at @sadiesadiesadie :)

Monday, 6 February 2012

Shh By Sadie Featured!

Hi all, yes I am still on holidays but I wanted to share with you this fabulous fashion blog that featured a pair of my Shh By Sadie earrings. Catherine wears wonderful clothes and her blog Not Dressed As Lamb is always worth a peek for inspiration when you're looking to jazz up an outfit. I am a huge fan of colourful clothes myself so perhaps I am a little bit biased, but she has great style.

So here's Catherine wearing the earrings she bought from my Etsy shop - and click HERE to view the whole outfit post :)

Photo: Not Dressed As Lamb

Photo: Not Dressed As Lamb
I am working on a new section of my blog for other places me, my jewellery and my writing has been featured - just so you can have a peek if interested!
I am back from Paris this evening so look forward to catching up on your blogs very soon!
Sadie x

Saturday, 4 February 2012

Simple & Healthy Recipe: beetroot and feta quinoa

Hey all, as you know, I'm currently in Paris. However I have been super organised (if this indeed works) and set up my first (low-fat, vegetarian) recipe post EVER to publish whilst I'm away!


After so many holidays lately I've been making a conscious effort to watch what I eat...I have a fair few pounds to shed unfortunately! Being vegetarian I am also always keen to try new foods that provide vitamins and minerals that can be difficult to consume for us leaf-eaters. 
Quinoa is often called a 'supergrain' and is like a cross between brown rice and couscous texture-wise. For those of you who would like to know more about the benefits of quinoa, take a look here.

So here's the recipe - I made it up myself based on quinoa I have bought from a delicatessen in New Zealand.  
It's super quick and easy, and sounds fancy enought to impress your friends!

Ingredients:
Dried quinoa
Stock cube (I used vegetable Oxo)
Feta cheese (I used low fat)
Beetroot
Peppers
Cucumber
Tomato
Olive Oil
Cracked black pepper
Balsamic vinegar to serve (optional)


1. Using the portion guide on the packet of quinoa, add the desired amound into a saucepan (I just guess usually!)
Cover with water, crumble in a stock cube and bring to the boil.
I bought this quinoa from Asda
 
2. Whilst the quinoa is boiling, chop up the peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and beetroot. Quantitiy-wise, use whichever you prefer. I like a chunky salad so use approx half a red pepper, half a yellow pepper, one large tomato and one beetroot.

Let's have a wee peek at my new pink Kuhn Rikon chopping knife! I had it for Christmas from the bf and it is so sharp and wonderously choppy! ;)
3. When the germ is separated from the grain, as seen in the first pic, the quinoa is cooked.
Drain the quinoa, tip into a large mixing bowl and add a splash of olive oil.


4. Stir in the salad vegetables and crumble in a portion of feta. Season with cracked black pepper.
5. Once everything is mixed together, serve in a dish, or pack in a container for a healthy lunch. I like a splash of balsamic vinegar with mine, but that's just because I am slightly obsessed with balsamic vinegar ;)


Enjoy!

Have you ever tried quinoa before?