Patagonia Chocolates

Before we booked my 21st birthday trip to Queenstown, I spent the evenings I couldn't sleep researching the must visit places. While curating the perfect list, Patagonia Chocolates was placed up there within the top 10 places I wanted to visit.

As the name may suggest, they sell chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. That's a lot of chocolate, chocolate mixed with local ingredients (fruit, nuts etc.), hot chocolate, ice-cream and delicious chocolate desserts (hello croissants and churros!). I actually had my birthday brunch there before heading off shopping and on the gondola, and the croissants and churros were in no way a let down.

They're located by the waterfront in Queenstown, between the town and the wharf so they were perfect placed to enjoy an ice-cream in the sunshine!  We tried a few ice cream flavours over our stay and my favourite was definitely the Tramontana. I mean look how delicious it looks wrapped in a waffle cone, quite sweet but definitely worth the sugar overload!

As we were quite a decent sized group (9 in total), their window seats that wrapped around a table overlooking the water were the perfect spot for us to not only enjoy my birthday brunch, but unwind and chat about our adventures with a sweet treat in the chilly evenings. I would definitely recommend you add it to your list if you're planning on visiting Queenstown in the future, don't miss out!

november inspo.

A few of my favourite items, flowers and photos heading into the month of November ♡

I don't know about you, but a perfect photo can inspire me to do pretty much anything, so heres to November. 

LAUNCHED: The Love Crush Studio

It's here and the day has come, The Love Crush Studio is now live! After being 95% finished for a wee while now, I finally took a plunge and launched it to the public. Please check it out if you have the time and let me know what you think ♡

I appreciate all the love and support everyone has shown me on this project so far! It really means a lot.

Coffee Talk

Or should this post be shared over something a little stronger, passionfruit vodka anyone? But since it's only mid-afternoon I think I'l settle on one of those chocolate chip cookie dough latte's (with caramel sauce for the hell of it). So many ideas and possibilities swimming around in my head. I haven't posted a post like this in a long while and it's long overdue that I spilled what's happening in my brain onto a page, a web page albeit. In all honesty I think I'm having a bout of realism that I'm 21 and a little undecided about what direction I want to take my life in (and lets be real, I don't think an 18 year old, even an 18 year old with her head screwed on, is in the position to make such big choices towards in high school).

I finished studying Interior Design in July (which literally feels like yesterday) and I've been having trouble finding a job centred around one of my biggest passions. I feel like I have the skills to go out and practice but living in a smallish city a vast majority of the Interior Designers are independent. Which sucks for someone wanting that all important experience and confidence. Don't get me wrong I don't think studying something quite niche was a bad thing, but probably one of my most bold and passionate moves, but I currently don't feel confident enough to go out on a limb in the Interior Design field. Cue my splash into web / graphic design.

So my little Etsy shop The Love Crush Studio surprised me in one of the best ways, clients! In all honesty I opened it on a whim back on the 26th January and didn't expect anything to come of it. I've been lucky enough to sell not only pre made designs but go out and custom design for some fantastic ladies. I never thought I'd sell or design any custom work, but getting to work with clients on multiple projects has given me the confidence boost that I think I needed. I'm 90% self taught, and getting to a level where other people would hire you to design is mind blowing enough to the girl who taught herself HTML and CSS on Tumblr while procrastinating for her 5th form NCEA exams, but mind blowing to my 21 year old self.  Launching an online shop and designing from my bedroom in the New Zealand country side was an unexpected decision and one I'm so proud of and grateful for.

So where to now? I've been thinking and as much as I don't want to add another $18,000 + to my current student loan, I think I'm in the right place to go back and study towards either a Diploma or Bachelors in web / graphic design. The idea of having an even bigger student loan is frightening, but learning about something I'm so passionate about makes it so worth it. To have a career in the design field is my goal, be it interior, web or graphic and studying further will put me in a much better position to get there.

I'm terrified of being perceived as someone who doesn't know what they want, but choosing to go back and learn more about something I'm passionate seems like the right choice to me right now.

Turning 21 in Queenstown!

This post is so late, but better late than never right?! We actually got back home from Queenstown almost a month ago, and I only just finished unpacking the last of the bits and bobs in my suitcase today. Oops. We had such a fantastic time, and I'm excited to share some of the photos from my 21st Birthday trip to Queenstown! We flew out the day before my birthday and direct from Wellington to Queenstown. It was perfect not having to connect to a different flight, and being able to sit back and enjoy the flight. 

We stayed at the beautiful Heritage Queenstown, not only where the grounds pretty but our lakeview suite provided uninterrupted views of Lake Wakatipu. I've wanted to stay at a Heritage hotel since we were in Hanmer Springs a couple of years back, so what better excuse than for your birthday escape. It was worth every penny to get a Lakeview 2 Bedroom Suite!

I'd wanted to visit Queenstown for a while now, so that's how I settled on choosing where to go for my 21th birthday. I'm not a huge partying / clubbing girl, but there's no doubt I love a drink with the ones I love, so I would much rather travel and explore the world than waste it on getting drunk and waking up feeling horrible the next day. 

All the blossom was out throughout the hotel grounds and the town. The little park in the middle of town was full of the most beautiful blossom trees which was perfect to sit and sip of an iced caramel macchiato after a day of exploring.

I have way too many photos to share in one post so I've tried to keep this post brief on the text front and show the beauty of Queenstown. Make sure to keep an eye out for my next posts, as there will probably be a handful more!

Reading Nook Layout

When it comes to a certain corner in my bedroom, I've been stuck for ideas for what feels like way too long. I mean it looks fine and dandy at the moment, but not exactly the look I'm going for. But the  other day a little reading nook dawned on me, and I've been thinking about it since.

So I conjured up a solution last night and collaged to my hearts content to get the perfect look. I currently have my dress mirror on the wall behind my black ottoman so I'm going to keep it in the same position but fill the corner with an armchair and position my dress mannequin on the other side. I've chosen to go with a teal / aqua cushion and indigo and white wood block cushion to inject a little colour, a cute print about my favourite season, a flowering pot plant and a round basket to store all my home & fashion magazines within easy reach.

I love putting together collage solutions to awkward areas, and showing styling suggestions like this. So if you have an awkward area you don't know what to do, let me know I'd be happy to help ♡

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Spring Inspiration & Reminiscence

All I have to do is scroll through instagram or twitter to see that everybody (well it sure seems like everybody) in the Northern Hemisphere is excited that it's Autumn. But down here in the Southern Hemisphere I'm more excited that it's Spring. The season of my birthday and my favourite season! This morning I stumbled across a blog post I wrote exactly two years ago. It was enough to spark a little inspiration and land me here with an inspiring mood board for my favourite season. 

Lately I've been thinking about how much I've grown over these past 2/3 years. Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up and in a momentary downward spiral, but like I said, it's only momentary. A walk down memory lane through unprinted photos and unwritten memories makes me think about how precious yet life is and how silly it is to dwell on the small negative details. Maybe it's the Winter blues, I'm not sure but I do know that Spring always puts a spring in my step.

Free Coffee Quote Wallpaper

I've started broadening my Adobe Suite knowledge, which means going from predominantly using Photoshop to incorporating Illustrator and Dreamweaver into the lineup as well. My finished product while playing around with Illustrator this morning was this cute little quote wallpaper. What's almost better than coffee? A free wallpaper of course, so enjoy this one on me!

Click here to download

Life via my iPhone

A little collection of photos directly from my iPhone. I take 90% of my photos with it since it's on me everywhere I go. If you haven't picked up on it already, I'm loving green lately so brace yourself for a splash. To me green is that perfect fresh and luscious colour.

And that 9 year old 2GB iPod Nano is still going as perfectly as the day it was brought (minus the black corner of the screen of course). Because listening to music on a 'antique' iPod is way better than through a new iPhone.

My Creative Space

I've wanted to share my creative space on my blog for a while now but I hadn't got around to it. Then I read Sylvia's post on her room which included her desk, and decided it was probably time I shared mine. This area hasn't always looked how it does now, I've changed it around plenty over the years as it never looked exactly how I wanted (partially because I'm pretty indecisive) but it's pretty close to being perfect.

I changed over from using a cork board to using a linen memory board (which a made myself) as I hated the colour of the yellow/orange cork and the fact I could slot photos under the ribbon and be done. It's currently a place for souvenirs, interior inspiration, magazine clippings and miscellaneous pretty things. Lately the addition of fresh flowers (from our garden 90% of the time) have made it much more inviting.

All throughout my tertiary study I hardly ever sat at my desk to work, leaving it only to when I had a heap of writing to do. Whereas I use it a stack more now, whether it's drafting up ideas, coding designs, emailing clients or just browsing the web. I feel so much more inspired here, like my head is clear and my imagination runs wild.

I hope you enjoyed having a peak into my creative space / work area. It's only a portion of my bedroom which I hope to share more of in the future. If you're wondering where anything in my set up is from, I've created a collage with the items that are still available and alternatives to get a similar look. But I'm saving it for another day so keep your eyes peeled.

The Master Bedroom

I've been thinking about my dream home lately, you know imagining how I would decorate my own home. So I'm thinking of starting a series on my blog with posts coordinating to the rooms in my dream house, starting with the master bedroom. I really like a rustic country feel with a touch of old school glamour, and plenty of greenery, so this is what my dream master bedroom would look like. What would yours look like?

Key features: Fur, cream flowers, an upholstered headboard, stripes, and reclaimed wood! 

The Structured 'Boston' Bag

I've been on the hunt for a full on black bag for a while now. And to cut a long story short, I'm pretty picky when it comes to buying bags. After searching high and low in stores to no avail I took the plunge and brought this one online, hoping it would be in my favour. I normally like to see the bag to feel the fabric and make sure it's the right size in person, but I made an exception and placed an order on The Iconic on Monday.

The bag is called the Structured Boston Bag, and is by the label Zalora which I believe is The Iconic's own private label. It arrived this morning and it's so much more beautiful in person, especially the gold hardware against the black. As I've mentioned before, I'm going on holiday for my 21st this month so I'm excited that this is the perfect size for stashing away my iPad, DSLR and a couple magazines for the flight. I'm in love with the geometric shape and really into the fact that it's structured so it won't fall over when I set it down. And the cross body strap will be perfect when my hands are full or I'm taking photos of the beautiful scenery.

This little pocket has turned out to be an unexpected favourite thing about this bag. I like having quick and easy access to my iPhone (banking, shopping lists, taking photos of things I like), so not having to fully unzip my bag to get my iPhone out is a lovely bonus. It's also pretty deep so I don't have to worry about my iPhone making its own way out when unzipped.

When I looked into my current bag to switch things over, I didn't realise I had so many items with gold hardware. I generally buy silver to match my jewellery, but I guess I'm a little bit of a sucker when it comes to black and white with a touch of gold! My iPhone case is from the Etsy store Case Cavern and is in the colour beige. I brought it the same day I brought my iPhone 5S and is the only case my phone lives in (this is big coming from the girl that had 12+ iPhone 4S cases). The striped bag with gold tassel is the Helga Purse from Citta Design and is perfect for holding lip balm, mints, pens, and my FLO perfume atomiser. And I snagged that cute little panda coin purse on ASOS a wee while back for only a couple of pounds!

I'm looking for a bright new wallet for Spring so that's next on my current to-buy list! If only Kate Spade wallets were available here, because those few displayed below would definitely be contenders. I'm hoping to find something similar available here in the near future :)

Shop my Picks

Karen Walker Dainty Rings

My 21st birthday is quickly approaching and I've decided that I'm going to spoil myself and buy myself a Karen Walker ring or two. I really love how dainty, simple and gorgeous they are when they're layered. I'm leaning towards the daisy and bow but obviously I wouldn't mind one of the animals as well (perhaps the bear or rabbit).

And can we just stop and appreciate how gorgeous they look with a red manicure?!
This might be a look I'll sport on my birthday while on holiday.

My Picks

Copycat Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

It's not Summer yet, heck it's not even Spring but iced coffee has been calling my name. Iced coffee is one of my favourites in the summer and since it's been so sunny lately it's put me in a summer groove. So naturally I whipped up a copycat Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, and let's just say I'll be making a few of these once summer actually rolls around.

Ingredients

Putting it Together

- 2 shots of espresso (I brewed Bach 'For the Working Bee' strong roast in our espresso machine) - Caramel syrup (I used syrup by the brand Shott) - Caramel sauce (any caramel sauce should do) - Ice cubes, plenty - 200ml milk

1. Add 15ml caramel syrup (this quantity may depend on how strong your syrup is) and about 1 teaspoon of caramel sauce to the bottom of your glass / tumbler. 2. Add milk and ice cubes, gently mix with a spoon until syrup and sauce is well mixed. 3. Brew 2 shots of espresso and gently pour over the milk mixture in your glass / tumbler. 4. Drizzle caramel sauce on top. 5. Drink up and enjoy :)

PS. this is a copycat recipe as it doesn't use the same ingredients as Starbucks and may not taste exactly 
the same depending on the ingredients used. But it's pretty damn close!

Wildflower

I’d much rather be a wildflower anyway.

August via my DSLR

The last month has been filled with two trips to the capital city, Wellington, attempting to organise my life and plenty of laughter and fun. The first Wellington trip was with my cousins to go and see Disney on Ice and included a night in the city. Starbucks was present, cue a shot of lunch, shopping was done and memories were made. I thoroughly enjoyed our weekend getaway. 

Toffee bon bons because no trip to Wellington is complete without stopping by Kirkcaldie and Stains to buy some of these sweet things. Definitely worth the price and wait!

Oh and I had to have another Iced Shaken Passion Tea with Lemonade because it is the bomb diggity, even in winter!  I didn't take my DSLR to the show as I don't have a lens greater than 55mm so I opted for my dad's 'bridge' camera with a massive zoom and recorded bits and pieces of the show. Taking photos with the crazy spotlights wasn't ideal and somehow recording did a better job of working with the ever changing lighting.

Trip #2 was a little road trip of sorts with my sister. She wanted to go to an open night for the path of study she wants to embark on so I joined her for the trip. We stopped for lunch along the way and did a touch of shopping to make it worthwhile. One of my purchases happened to be this pretty trench coat in navy blue which I'm in love with. 

The road to between Paramata and Whitby is so pretty with the sparkling blue water lapping up against the road in places. It was a touch windy so staring at my camera while driving through this wasn't my smartest idea, but I love this photo!

Red and white flowers for my bedroom fresh from the garden, Oscar being the cheeky little cat he is. August has been a great month, but my birthday month should bring even more excitement! Bring on September!

As of late: Making Memories

A quick post about the things I've been loving:

- Our espresso machine ( caramel lattes 24/7 )
- Chilly nights & crisp mornings
- My camera and bundles of fresh photos
- Travelling, with one trip down and an even more exciting one coming up
- Scrapbooking and actual photos to hold in my hands
- Season 5 of Pretty Little Liars
- Road tripping with my sister
- Homemade pizza
- New Lululemon clothing
- Time with family
- Trench coats and riding boots
- Making memories
- Tumblr
- Expressing who I truly am

Image via. 

Sophisticated Home

I've really been loving the whole neutral and simple with a pop of colour for a while now, so I thought I'd try it out with a more sophisticated look. I've also been a fan of sophisticated interiors for like ever, so the two kind of fell together in a happy harmony. I kept the palette really neutral with a hint of navvy thrown in in the form of a cushion. I keep imagining this room with plush charcoal carpets or polished wooden floors, so lush. And since I love greenery and plants I added in a pot plant that I think it adds the right amount of spark to the room. Almost like the cherry on top.

I love extra lighting, recessed down lights are common in new homes, so adding decoration and functionality with a pretty lamp like the one above is perfect. Glass + silver = perfect match! It's been such a chilly day today with a high of only 9 degrees.
So sitting by the fire + interior design + blogging has been perfect.

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Life Lately

It's been quite a while since I've posted here, but to be honest I was at a loss of what to post. It feels like summer holidays, apart from the obvious difference in weather haha, but it's so nice having a break from studying and working. I'm currently looking for a job that leads on from my study in interior design. I'm hoping to find something in fabric or furniture as that's something I've always been interested in, and I'd love to work with. But long term, I'd love to be an independent interior designer and that's something I've wanted to do since I was a young girl.

The last couple of weeks have comprised of a few trips to the beach (yes I'm aware it's winter haha), shopping trips with my mum and sister, sipping on hazelnut latte's and designing more for my Etsy store. I'm working on it more now that I have free time and I hope it can continue to grow more and more. I also have a couple exciting trips coming up in the future, more on that soon, and I can't wait to embark on them. Cheers to the future!

End Of A Chapter

It's official I've finished studying and I'm going to be graduating next March! I'm so excited to be done and to have another chapter in the story of life done and dusted. I'll post more about my journey and how I went in another post but I'm so happy to have more free time and to be able to do the things I love without feeling like I should be studying.

In other news, my sister and I made a spontaneous trip to New World on Monday evening while taking our brother to smallbore rifle shooting. We went to get snacks (RJ's white chocolate strawberry liquorice to be exact) and of course we had to look at the gorgeous flowers on offer. My favourite on the night were the pretty spring daffodils, but they always have a gorgeous range that never seems to disappoints. You'll most likely see more of me on my blog now that I have the free time haha, so look out for more posts.

New Favourite iPad App

I happened to be scrolling through Instagram and found this app via misslizxo called Neybers. I love moving furniture around in a room and seeing how things work together so this app is right up my alley. I have another couple of home decor apps and this is definitely my new favourite one! I also finished my last day of class today (eek) so I can't wait to have a bunch of free time to play around with this one.

This is such a weird post haha, but I wanted to share my pretty rooms! And I spot a minty green trend haha. And now that I have more free time it's finally time to makeover a chest of drawers. I've acquired a pretty and old dresser that I want to makeover, so tomorrows job, sanding it back down.