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Category Archives: Christmas Wishlist

8 under $80 – Christmas Party dresses

11 / 8 / 17

It’s that time of year again – Christmas Party season!

Every year, November brings with it the search for the perfect affordable and stylish dress to wear to work and social occasions.

These are some of my favorite dresses under $80 (some even under $60!), with key trends covered like off-the-shoulder (OTS isn’t going anywhere this Summer), ruffle sleeve and quirky prints. And I’m amazed, there’s not a stripe amongst them!

Hummingbird dress in red floral, $59.90 St Frock; Poppie dress in green ricrac, $79.99 Adrift; Amy pink pineapple shift dress, $79.99 Style Me Over

B Collection Broderie Bell Sleeve dress, $35 Big W; Mandy Christmas Flamingo Wrap dress, $59.95 Little Party Dress; Arabian Goddess Boho Maxi, $79.99 Erin Louise 

Spencer dress, $60 (on sale) Dressy Bessy; Ruffle Sleeve Pattern dress, $59 Chasing Case

The navy B Collection Broderie dress from Big W is the perfect budget option for a work Christmas party, while I love the floaty boho style of the Erin Louise maxi and Chasing Case pattern dress for casual family barbeques by the water. And the quirky Santa-hat-wearing flamingos of the Mandy Little Party Dress are fabulous for ANY festive celebration!

Which is your favorite? I don’t think I can go past the flamingo LPD, or the Amy Pineapple shift! (Predictable, I know!)

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Festive Day Out: visit the Southbank Christmas Markets in Brisbane

12 / 18 / 15

I am finally feeling the festive spirit, after visiting the Southbank Christmas Markets with Brooke of Blonde Ambition during the week. Working in retail always casts a little bit of shade on the Christmas season, but not working full-time during this Summer is an absolute delight – it means I get to do all the Christmassy things!

The Southbank Christmas Markets are based on the traditional, charming Christkindlmarkts that spring up in Germany, Austria and other countries during the Advent season, and just like their European counterparts, you can shop for unique, handmade holiday gifts and decorations from local vendors, drink Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) flavoured iced tea, and taste European inspired food and delicacies during December – all without rugging up and braving the northern Winter chill.

Before hitting the Christmas markets, why not stop by the Southbank beach for some peoplewatching, swimming, and getting some sand in your cityslicker toes? Southbank’s beach is as popular as ever, and with lifesavers on duty all school holidays, it’s a fantastic day out!
Arriving to the sounds of traditional carols played by a brass ensemble puts you in a festive mood straight away!

One of my favourite stalls, Fox and Fallow, where you can shop for super-adorable chalkboards, cards and stationery. Owner/designer Janet was painting this lovely Christmas message and chatting with market shoppers at the same time, and I loved pretty much everything in her stall.
I mean, how gorgeous and special is this Fox and Fallow Christmas card? You can’t blame me for stocking up for next year, can you?

More sweet cards… you can guess which one was my favourite, can’t you?

I”m so predictable.

After a little Christmas shopping, I highly recommend stopping by the Nitrogenie stall to get a little energy kick; and if you’ve got kids, they’ll love watching the magic icecream being made.

Brooke and I each enjoyed a Christmas donut topped with condensed milk and custard icrecream, with a generous serve of gingerbread crumble on top. That icecream = amazing!

While you let that condensed milk goodness course through your veins (or block your arteries, whatevs), take a seat in the market square and watch the entertainment. These little angels were cute enough to wrap up and give on Christmas Day, but I’m sure there are laws against that kinda thing. On the upside, I walked around humming acapella versions of Silent Night and Jingle Bells for the rest of the evening.

Iced tea. This is where it’s at, folks. I tried the Glühwein-flavoured version, and it was DELICIOUS! Think a slightly tropical and chilled version of mulled wine, and you’ve got the right idea. So refreshing for a Summer night in Brisbane.

As the sun dropped in the sky, the lights scattered throughout the precinct started to show.

Some of the lights are interactive too – it you cycle fast enough on the elf-bikes stationed at the large tree, the lights shine even brighter. Perfect for working off your donut, or churros, or Christmas ham and gravy roll, or German kransky, or chocolate brownies… yep, there’s plenty of food here to try!

Can you imagine anything prettier?

When all your presents have been bought, you can pop over to the lovelies at Santa’s Wrap Bar, where elves will wrap your gifts in the sweetest scandi-print wrap for a gold-coin donation to Youngcare and Hummingbird House. Good looking gifts = good karma vibes, y’all.
I kept my outfit simple and Summery with a festive twist. Muui off-shoulder ruffle chambray dress and Harris Scarfe sandals, with my market-staple giant green Louenhide bag and a sentimental favourite coral, jade and silver necklace from our engagement holiday in Port Douglas to add a little merry red and green.
 
Thank you to Brisbane Marketing who spoiled me with a collection of great goodies from vendors including Fox and Fallow, The Design Farm (their ontrend pieces can be found locally at Lamington on Hastings St), Curly Jo Design, and The Cocoa Elf. It’s so great to see small businesses given the opportunity to have a lot of foot traffic at markets like these, particularly when the shopping centres have such a large portion of the gift-giving market wrapped up (see what I did there). I’ll take a day at the markets over a day at a Westfield any time!

I had a great time at Southbank, and would really love to make visiting the Christmas markets an annual festive tradition – not least because it’s perfect for picking up some unique and handmade last-minute gifts! The markets are on from 11am-8pm daily through to Wednesday 23 December, except 17-21 December when they will be open until 9pm – so make a night of it and chefck out the Christmas movies showing, as well as the fireworks displays! (Hot tip, while most people are still at work at the start of this week, head to the markets on Monday or Tuesday to avoid the weekend crowds and get the chance to chat to the vendors – quieter days at markets are always my favourite.)

If you’re not local, Mantra on the Quay has a great accommodation deal this Summer if you’re planning on visiting Brisbane to enjoy all the free events in the city:

Stay 3 nights and save up to 10% – rates start from $158 per night for 1 bedroom apartment
Stay 5 nights and save 20% – rates start from $140 per night for 1 bedroom apartment
(Offer is valid for booking and travel until 29 February 2016, subject to availability, minimum 3 night stay & 5 night stay respectively, conditions apply. Visitwww.mantra.com.au for bookings.)


Where have you purchased the bulk of your Christmas gifts from this year? Small businesses and market vendors, or larger stores? Why not experience the wonder of a traditional Christmas Market with a Brisbane twist?

Want to win a Glasshouse Candle? Sure you do, sign up to get Katy Potaty via email and go into my December subscriber draw to win a Glasshouse Christmas Cheer candle!

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Wardrobe favourites: kaftan love

12 / 15 / 15

In the 60s, former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland called the kaftan (recently adopted from African culture to being resortwear) ‘the most becoming fashion ever invented.’ Ah yes, Diana. You weren’t wrong. I am now firmly a member of the kaftan-wearing society, and I think most Australian women get the chance to wear this super-comfy style at least a few times every year.

A friend sent me a text yesterday, asking for some kaftan inspiration to add a little glamour to an Aussie Summer, and I figured that since I was going to be curating a little collection of my faves for her, I could share it here and you might just find something you love!
I love that there’s never the need for spanxy-situations wearing kaftans, and they really do hide all manner of sins. Something to keep in mind when kaftan-shopping however, is length. I’m 165cm, and wear heels only to weddings and funerals, and really need kaftans to hit on or above my knee, or right on my ankle to avoid that ‘I’m just wearing a bedsheet’ look; and my shorter BFF Peta always looks out for styles that have a petite option. That said, the flowy fabric of a kaftan can easily be tied up a little to customise it to your height. 

iAllure
iAllure kaftan* (2013 collection)
Now, I’ve taken iAllure kaftans on every Summer holiday since I got engaged in Port Douglas, and there’s one good reason: easy peasy lemon squeezy. There’s something so right about iAllure kaftans, they’re crush-free, the regular length is perfect for my height (plus they do offer petite versions), and the sleeves don’t get in your way when you’re eating (and I’m always eating on holidays). Oh, and they all look way more expensive than they are!
Peta looking babin’ in her iAllure Painters Palette kaftan in grey
(gorgeous image from Styling You’s 2015 Summer shop)

iAllure Vibrance kaftan in sea green (and if you like the colours in this, you’ll fall deeply in love with the Painters Palette style in turquoise – check it out, it’s on sale too!)

Anannasa
 
Anannasa Paris Blue kaftan*

This glamorous Anannasa kaftan (I blogged about it here) with its smattering of sequins and beads is perfect for weekend entertaining, or wearing out to dinner on stinkin’ hot evenings – it’s a more opaque georgette and a respectable length, so there’s no danger of having to remember to pack the right undies!

The print of this Anannasa Cat kaftan paired with the mega-bling going on around the neckline is super-whimsical, I love it! In fact, I’m wearing it as I type this – it makes me smile so much!

Bella Lido


Bella Lido Beach kaftan in pink/red coconut palm print
I’ve known local designer Claire of Bella Lido for a few years now, and love her super-simple and flattering styles, the lightweight and oh-so-breathable rayon voile she uses, and her fresh prints *insert Will Smith Bel Air joke here, haha*!
Kaftans and sundresses and Summer homewares, oh my!
Most school holidays, Claire opens a lovely pop-up shop with a few other designers in Mooloolaba for a few weeks, but this Summer she’s gone it alone, and the result is a Summer-lover’s dream! Bella Lido is stocked in lovely boutiques in QLD, NSW and WA, and the online store is full of beautiful styles.
Claire’s fun prints are so great for dressing up or down, I’ll be sharing a few ways I wear mine on the blog very soon!

Isle of Mine
Isle of Mine Lourdes kaftan in white (available from Sequins and Sand)
Confession: I don’t own any Isle of Mine kaftans… yet. I have quite a few of their loose flowy shirts from Sequins and Sand, but I’m chomping at the bit to get a kaftan version. Why? Simply put, the soft breathable rayon fabric is exactly what I want to wear from now until eternity. The white kaftan above fulfills everything I’m searching for in a Christmas-Day-by-the-pool outfit – white, light and breezy.

Camilla
Camilla Gaudi round-neck kaftan.
Full-length (model has it tucked up in the above image), swoon-worthy perfection. Le sigh.
Now, it wouldn’t be an Australian round-up of kaftans without including a Camillla – because we’ve all got a lazy $600 to spend on a kaftan. (No. No we don’t. If I had $600 just laying around, it’s unlikely I’d spend it on a beach dress to wear to cocktails, when I could spend it on a beach holiday AND cocktails.)
That said… Camilla prints are everything. And I firmly believe every woman should own something fantastically expensive and frou-frou at least once in her life. Perhaps a Camilla (or three) would be mine?

I hope this helps my friend out, and perhaps you’ll find a new Summer staple here too!

Are you open to kaftans? Do you think they should stay poolside, or do you wear yours out and about?

Want to win a Glasshouse Candle? Sure you do, sign up to get Katy Potaty via email and go into my December subscriber draw to win a Glasshouse Christmas Cheer candle!

*gifted items

I’m joining in today with Kimba of Kimba Likes for Wardrobe Wednesday. Can’t promise that I’ll do it regularly, but I try!

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Christmas wishlist – Sea Candy jewellery collection

11 / 30 / 14
I’ve got a lot of lovely friends on Instagram. Not just the random people I follow, but good ol’ proper friends, who remember my birthday and are warm and kind and real.
One of them is Sadie. Firstly, she’s the only person I’ve ever met named Sadie, and I adore her for it. She’s Welsh, and moved from one cold country to another… New Zealand. She’s is sassy and stylish, and I don’t think a fabric print has ever been designed that she couldn’t completely rock.
Sadie is a jewellery designer who actually handmakes her own pieces (instead of farming off to other skilled folk), and she does some incredible bespoke styles, so if you need something showstopping for a particular occasion, she’s your gal.

Sea Candy necklace
The latest collection is called Sea Candy, which makes me giggle and think of mermaids illicitly eating the sailor’s sweets. Love it. The signature piece of the collection is the Sea Candy necklace, each one is handbeaded, with over 14 hours of beading per necklace. (What the hey-ho? Who even has that kind of patience?) The Sea Candy collection also contains luxurious crystal quartz, candy coloured beads, shimmering seashells and high quality gemstones.

Shh by Sadie is stocked in selected boutiques in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, UK, Portugal and the USA. To see more of Sadie’s unique designs, visit Shhbysadie.com. Prices range from $85 – $225.

*Not a sponsored post, nor are there any affliated links. I just adore Sadie’s work and hope that some of it finds its way under your Christmas tree.

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Hi there!

Hey! I'm Katy, Sunshine Coast & Brisbane life and style blogger.
Currently isolating
(although aren't we all).
I love colour, coffee, craft beer, food and fitness.
Ambassador - F45 Bli Bli, Mia Bella Beauty Salon, Ms Monaco Hair Society

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