Thoughts on Body Image

I watched this video the other day and it got me thinking about body image. The following video was posted on Youtube by advocacy group Pro Infirmis. It features mannequins that were modeled off persons with disabilities. I think it is a refreshing break from the unrealistic barbie-like mannequins that saturate our department store windows. It is also a bit of food for thought about our society that constantly chases after an ideal when really no such thing exists.


Video courtesy of Pro Infirmis via Youtube

Seeing this  really makes me appreciate the body I have & what it can do for me. Hey, I can't even do one push up, but I am able to if I wanted to. My body lets me walk, it allows me to travel & see the world. I can climb to the top of a staircase all on my own. I can run (although I don't often), I can skip for joy and I can dance around my living room like a lunatic-I appreciate this so much.

The bodies in this video aren't perfect, but neither am I.
This video got me thinking how, as a society, we get so caught up with perfecting our already fabulous, capable and fit bodies that we forget how lucky we truly are. Sometimes us girls get so caught up on looking 'perfect', but what is perfect? I truly believe that there is no such thing.

Over the past 6 months I have received some interesting comments on my own body.
There was a time in my life that I got so caught up with pleasing others and looking 'perfect' that I lost myself a little bit along the way. In the course of a year I have gone from a size AU 6 to a size 10 (which in my opinion is still small). I am happy & mostly healthy (I do enjoy chips a bit too often), but you know what? I don't care. Nor should others. I was told constantly when I was a size 6 that I was 'too thin' when in reality I was trying so hard to gain weight. Now that I'm a size 10 I have received  negative comments from 'friends' about my weight gain, comments such as "You have really let yourself go," or "You used to be so tiny & cute," or "What a shame that you don't fit into all your pretty dresses anymore." Well you know what? They make pretty dresses in a size 10 too, as well as a 14 & also a 20.

It's a sad state in our society when young women feel the pressure to confirm to a certain size. We put this pressure on ourselves. As women, the majority of us are constantly comparing ourselves to others, competing with each other and obsessing over a size tag on our clothes. This seems like an awful waste of time & energy. Sadly enough, by gaining weight I have realised who my true friends are (those who love me no matter what size I am) and who my fake friends were (those who only liked me for the way I looked).
I'll let you in on a little secret: men don't care! The majority of them can't tell what size clothing you wear by looking at you, nor do they care about what the size tag says. If you are that concerned about the size-then cut the label off.  I'm wearing my size 10 with pride as I know that it's a healthy size for my height (170cms) & my body type. I don't wear my clothes to impress men, I don't wear them to impress my friends-these days I dress to impress me & I am very impressed in my new size 10 dress!

Whether you are a size 6 or a size 16-or any size, if you feel happy, healthy & content with your weight you should celebrate it! Only buy clothes that make you feel like the fabulous goddess that you are, say yes to the next pool party invitation & always wear your swimsuit with a smile on your face-nothing is sexier than a woman with confidence!

Too many people waste time being unhappy with their bodies & missing out on experiences because of this. I'll be honest with you-I was guilty of this too. I haven't swum at the beach for 2 years & I live on the beautiful Gold Coast! Sounds crazy doesn't it? I was missing out on living life because I was paranoid about the size of my thighs. When in reality some girls would kill to be a size 10, some girls would kill to be able to walk on both legs, some girls would kill to have a body that can function normally, to walk into a store & by clothes off the rack.

We should enjoy our lives and celebrate our bodies NOW, cause when we are 50 years old, we will be wishing we lived in a bikini at 28.

Bottom line is: some girls are naturally curvy, others are naturally thin-we are all different and we are all beautiful. Instead of comparing ourselves to one another and hating our bodies, how about we celebrate them? If you are lucky enough to have both working legs-appreciate this. Rather than hating your body, appreciate what it can do for you :-)

miss_tash x

Snippets From the Past Few Weeks

Hello,

To say that life has been busy lately would be an understatement. This year is shaping up to be much bigger than Mr. B & I could have ever imagined (two 30th birthdays, a 21st, a trip to France, a 60th birthday, our wedding, honeymoon in Fiji, and much more!)
In our world March/April/May are big birthday months, particularly April with 2-3 birthdays per week between our friends & family. Hence the lack of posts: my weekends are filled with birthdays, the odd spot of wedding planning & last minute-is-it-too-late-to-book-our-train? holiday planning (we fly away to France next month-eepp!)

Mr. B & I have decided to create creative & make our own wedding invitations (sorry no pics until after the big day) which seemed like a sane idea at the time & we did have fun picking out the various different papers & card stock, however we are now onto the design stage which is a bit more difficult-so we'll see how that goes...Having said that, I still think there is something charming about receiving an invite that has been hand made with love.

I have also decided to be brave & make my own bridal bracelet! After searching endlessly for something beautiful & unique that would suit my dress the only items I could find were around the $300 mark, which unfortunately is not within my price range. So I'm using a couple of old jewelry pieces I've got already at home & creating my own :-) (sorry, but pics for this will also have to wait until after the big day-I'm such a tease, aren't I?)

Mr. B & I have been hot on the search for vintage items that will make our wedding more 'us' we have found a few very nice pieces including a chaise lounge, a antique mirror & even something we had imported all  the way from Sweeden! But, as to not spoil the decor for the guests that will all have to wait until after the big day ;-)

Here are a few snippets from the past few weeks:

I'm so excited about my new water bottle! With stressful, long days at the office I really do wish it was filled with vodka ;-) I got this printed via Cafepress (super easy-you just type what text you want & upload your image & viola!)

As many of my friends know I am obsessed with bunnies, so you can imagine my excitement when I found these little fellas! Perfect for the upcoming colder months:

10 of the most gorgeous vintage cups & saucers (all made in England) that I am going to use as part of the wedding decor. Mr B helped to find some of these too-the man is so sweet going to great lengths to help with the wedding :-)

After months of waiting my Alice in Wonderland book finally arrived from Barnes & Noble! It had been so long that I had forgotten I'd ordered it. Don't you just love surprise packages in the mail? You can't see from the pics, but the page edges have gold gilt edges.

On Dad's birthday were were looking through some old family photos & I finally got around to starting my own little family album. This gorgeous album was only $30 on sale at Target:


Doesn't my Mum look beautiful in her wedding photos? I hope I can look half as beautiful as her on my big day :-)

Have a lovely weekend!
miss_tash x

Oh Year!

2013-One of the Best Years of My Life!

Here's just a few snippets why:

-A surprise proposal turned getting flooded in Toowoomba into a most memorable weekend:

-Saw Bruce Springsteen live in Brisbane:

It was the year I turned my dreams into plans:

I went on my 1st big overseas adventure: I traveled to 11 different countries-saw most of Western Europe & then explored England, Scottland & Ireland with Mr. B.

-I made my childhood dream to visit Neuschwanstein castle (the 'Disney' castle) come true:

-Saw snow for the first time (in Switzerland):

-Conquered my fear of heights on the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Ireland:

-Tossed a coin over our shoulder at the Trevi Fountain in Rome:

-Saw the Colosseum:

-Feel in love with the Palace of Versailles in France:


-Stood in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles:

-Jumped the fence & barriers to get this shot in Paris:

-Shopped at the first ever Chanel store at 31 rue Cambon:

hehe, ignore the poorly positioned pole....

-Tasted my 1st ever Laduree Macaroon in Paris-nothing is as sweet:

 And generally had a blast around Europe (too many pics to show, here's just a few):

 Stood on the edge of the land...

and the edge of a cliff in Ireland:

-I broadened my baking skills:

-This year I achieved my goal of learning how to sew & I took up knitting also :-)

-I seized every opportunity that came my way:
I got a promotion at work, followed by another promotion 5 months later :-)

This year I learnt how short life really is & that if you truly want something you can make it happen-no matter how much money you make & no matter how much people doubt you.

I have so much to be thankful for in 2013, it's almost overwhelming how fantastic this year has been. I am ridiculously happy & there is much more to be happy about in 2014: Exploring France with Mr. B, my sister & Mr. B both turning the big 30, our spring wedding and of course our amazing honeymoon :-)

Happy New Year Everyone, may all your dreams come true!

miss_tash x

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Learning to Sew-2013 Goal

Hello Everyone,

I know it's been a while since my last post, but life has been so busy with wedding planning, full time work & the silly season (Christmas).

I'm so proud to share with you that I have achieved my goal for 2013-to learn to sew!

I was gifted a sewing machine way back in 2009, which had been sitting in the cupboard until July this year when I finally made the time to learn to sew.

I began my sewing journey with a Beginners Sewing Course with the lovely Sonja at Gold Coast Sewing Classes. Before I began the course I didn't even know how to thread a machine or sew a straight line. During this course I successfully made a straight skirt in a teal coloured fabric-perfect for work at the office.

Sonja teaches to a industry standard, so my skirt included a double waistband, invisible zipper, darts, a back pleat, a hem and overlocking for a professional finish:

After completing the Beginners Course I was keen for more-a seed had been planted & my love of sewing had begun!

Next I did a Pajama Pants Class-complete with side pockets, elastic waist and a ribbon tie. How adorable is this kitten print cotton?!

I still have the hem & pink ribbon waist to complete on these-they are a work in progress :P

I then completed a cushion cover class, complete with invisible zipper. I made this cushion out of embroidered bridal fabric:

 I then made this cushion at home. It gets bunny's tick of approval:

I have recently completed an Intermediate Sewing Course with Sonja. I decided to be a bit adventurous and experiment with different fabrics so I am made my dress out of floral black lace from Singapore :-)

It is double lined with poly cotton, which will be cooler in summer than most conventional linings. Working with lace meant double the work & it was definitely different to cut & sew, but the final product was worth the extra effort:

I am loving sewing so much & I know that I would not have got this far so quickly without the patience of my wonderful sewing teacher, Sonja. If any of my lovely readers are interested in sewing-no matter what skill level you are, be sure to check out goldcoastsewingclasses.com
Sonja keeps class sizes at a maximum of 5 people, so everyone gets the assistance that they need. When I started the Beginners Course I didn't even know how to thread a machine, now 6 months later I can make a dress-all thanks to Sonja's patience & guidance :-)

I am so excited about my next project that I'm making over the Christmas break: a 1950s style dress. Stay tuned for that one!

Wishing all my lovely friends & readers a safe & merry Christmas & an amazing new year!

xo miss_tash

Whale Watching

Spring is whale watching season here on the Gold Coast.

As a Father's Day gift my sister took my Dad, herself & I on a whale watching trip with Coolangatta Whale Watch.

I'd never been whale watching before, so I was hoping to see a few tails and maybe a wave of a fin or two & to (hopefully) not get sea sick!

Image courtesy of photographer Steven Triance

About to leave Tweed Heads....

Once we were far out in the ocean, my sister, dad & I went up to the outside deck and waited for our first glimpse of the magnificent humpback whale...It wasn't long before we saw a some water blown from a spout nearby & then everyone got really excited with the waving of a fin!

We saw lots more fins and tails, it was amazing to see these beautiful whales in their natural habitat.

Just as we were about to head back after 3 hours of beautiful sights something truly amazing happened: I was leaning on the railings at the front of the boat and the two whales that we had seen around 20 minutes before emerged right in front of the boat, only a few metres in front of me!

This rocked the boat suddenly and yes, I did take a very ungraceful stumble, but I got a hold of the railings to witness the two whales' backs emerging from the water and a huge whale jump out of the water right next to the boat! I got to see the amazing humpback's belly, fins and head...

Images courtesy of photographer Steven Triance

then a big splash as the whale thrashed it's tail against the water.

Image courtesy of photographer Steven Triance

Image courtesy of photographer Steven Triance
Image courtesy of photographer Steven Triance

Talk about being in the right place at just the right time! It was a wonderful experience seeing two huge whales only metres from me and something I will never forget.

It was a great day and was nice to spend time with my sister and dad. And in case you are wondering, yes I did feel nauseous, but didn't get sick. I spent most of the time focusing when and where the next whale would  pop up :-)

Me up the front of the boat.
And yes readers, this is a rare glimpse of me not wearing a dress! Not very appropriate for whale watching on windy day ;-)

My Dad

Bye until next time!

miss_tash x