And I'm floating in the most peculiar way...

In June, we sold our house of sixteen years. This was a pretty triumphant moment. Someone thought our house was cool enough to buy and love and move into. Mum and I are moving so that we can live somewhere that suits us better. We currently live in a lovely, modest house that has served us very well over the years. However, now I'm a grown up living at home so my tiny bedroom right next to Mum's doesn't suit us quite as well anymore. We don't have another house to move into yet, so we're floating, trying to find somewhere nicer than here.

The whole process is making me terribly nostalgic as I wander through the house before we have to move in August. The little bits of graffiti that I've done on walls over the years, including the marking of my height since age five, the marks in the carpet from heavy furniture that we moved long ago, how the light cascades into our house through the lovely big windows... Everything is so much more magical. Our house has been through many changes over the years, we've renovated our kitchen and bathroom, painted walls, moved furniture, gotten new carpets and we've landscaped our garden. It has become such a beautiful place that I've taken pride in calling home. 

Looking for a new house is an emotional process. Things are different. Where will we fit the piano? There's nowhere near as much light in this house. It smells different. The bath looks small... I really like baths, and as a tall person, this can be a legitimate dilemma. It all sounds a bit ridiculous, and yes, I need to be more optimistic and open minded, but it's hard when you're leaving somewhere laced with memories of special moments. Eventually, we will find a house, the right house, but we haven't yet.. or maybe one of the houses we have looked at is going to be the one. This is scary for me. 

We're about to start a new chapter and I'm admittedly pretty nervous. I'd rather be homeless [and by homeless I mean moving in with family members] for a while than move somewhere that feels wrong. Despite a solid sixteen years in this house, I call many places home. As a child and teenager, I've spent many days and nights staying at other people's houses. My mum used to work night shifts when I was younger, so I would stay with various family members a few nights a week. Whichever bed I slept in, wherever I was, I always felt safe and comfortable. I know that home is where the heart is, but I wonder if we could accidentally choose the wrong house, and it isn't right for whatever reason. What if....

Mum and I are adopting an 'everything happens for a reason' type philosophy whilst looking for a house. Some that we like are too expensive or get sold really quickly and we have to look elsewhere and we accept that it wasn't meant to be. We're also really interested in the atmosphere/vibe/spirit of the houses we walk into. Some places have really negative energy and we know that we wouldn't be comfortable there and even though it sounds spacey and a little bit weird, I think it's an important consideration to make. I'm not a religious person, but I do consider myself to be spiritual in this kind of way. 

 Four different views of the sky from the back of our home

So that's where I'm at, anxiously awaiting to move on whilst stubbornly wanting to plant my feet firmly here in my childhood home. We'll see how it goes..

- Isabella

Dear May,

Woah.

You passed by so quickly, I barely found a moment to document you! I didn't take many photos, I wasn't on the internet as much as usual and I didn't really have a moment to spare all month. All of that aside, I was busy doing some wonderful things and I'm kinda proud of what I've accomplished. Now June is almost over, and I've finally found the time to explain what I've been up to.

I'm currently studying a Screen and Media course, it's really challenging and intensive, everything we're doing is so new to me but I'm really enjoying it. In May, we had a majority of our assessments for the first semester. One of our main assessments was to conduct, film, light, record the audio and then edit an interview. We recorded in April and then edited in May. I had the pleasure of interviewing the delightful Minna Gilligan. I contacted Minna, as I'd never met her before, and she very kindly agreed to take part! It was such a terrific experience!

Around all of my assessments I also managed to do a number of other things with my time. I maintained a social life and hung out with my best friends a lot, despite all everyone studying/working in different places. My sister turned 13 and my grandad turned 85. I had a few shifts at my new job. I finally got my license after 140ish hours of driving on my learner's permit. [It took me two and a half years of worrying about stalling, racking up the hours and documenting each one, I'm so pleased to have it] I also helped with the costumes for a production at my university. This sounds relatively minor, but it's my dream job to work on costumes in some capacity one day so to finally get my name in credits for that was really exciting for me! I'm hoping to get more experience in this area so that I can get into my dream costume course at the end of the year. There a few short films, music videos and performances that I might be able to participate in to progress my skills further, I'm pretty excited!

Also in May, there was an addition to our little family, a new puppy called Gus! He is a maltese poodle and a little ball of fluffy, rambunctious cuteness. Yes, there are photos.

I wanted to write this post as an excuse for well over a month of not blogging. I'm aware other people lead far busier and more interesting lives than mine but this was a pretty intense month for me. I've spent June playing with, attempting to train Gus and being bitten by Gus. Perhaps I'll have more thrilling adventures to recount in future, gosh, I hope so!

- Isabella

Modern Day Hieroglyphs

I discovered these incredible images by Nastiya Nudnik through Dazed and Confused, modern takes on classic works of art. We are overrun with emoticons and digital forms of communication but I find it fascinating how expressive they are and how they add or alter meaning to the artwork.

I also became aware of another piece of artwork on the internet this week, 'Ikea Monkey'. I loved this story when it broke on the internet last year, and the jokes it inspired. It was so lovely to be reminded of the hilarity with this beautiful painting. I would love this.

One of my favourite bands Deep Sea Arcade will be supporting Temples, and I hadn't heard their music until this afternoon. I really like them, and their music videos are beautiful. This song is currently my favourite... those sequins.

I saw The Jungle Giants with my friend last weekend and they were terrific. Their support act Shortstraw were fantastic. We talked with them after their set and they were excellent chaps. I bought their album once the show was over, I can't choose a favourite song to link to, just check them out! Here is a photo of me and my friend with Sam, the lead singer of The Jungle Giants.

That's all for now, 
- Isabella

Ramona Flowers Wannabe

Ever since I first saw Scott Pilgrim and later read the comics [I admit I came late to the Bryan Lee O'Malley game] I just wanted to be Ramona Flowers. And Kim Pine. They are both two super cool ladies who are unapologetically themselves. I aspire to be both/either of them. Yes, Ramona is a manic pixie dream girl who lives in Scott's fictional world and I should have more realistic goals but she is awesome and I want to be like her. 

Besides being hilarious, resilient and physically tough, Ramona and Kim also rock amazing outfits. Occasionally I dress similarly and want to go to Toronto where my outfits will be more weather appropriate. 

Ramona's most memorable attribute, besides her subspace bag, is her hair. Constantly moving between different hues and styles, it has a life of its own. Unfortunately I don't own and haven't read any of the colour editions of Scott Pilgrim, so my knowledge of her comic book mane is from internet pictures...

The reason for my Ramona Flowers rant is that I put a pink rinse through my hair and felt a bit like her whilst it lasted. Unsurprisingly, I am about to bombard you with photos...

That's enough gratuitous self portraits for now...

- Isabella

PS: Here are two songs with lyrics that reminds me of Ramona Flowers, perhaps you'll hear it too :)

This is a song by one of my favourite bands, Deep Sea Arcade. 'Saw her in a dream, place I've never been, face just seemed familiar, when she turned she's facing me'... This song is one of my all time favourites and the entire album, 'Outlands' is worth checking out!

The lyrics, 'I know a girl who's a puzzle of a thousand pieces... I know a girl who'll get inside your head and find the creases' just make me think of Ramona.

Metallic Rainbows

This week has been a good one, fewer classes, my assessments are finished for the week and I'm enjoying a day off. I'm also still riding on a positivity wave from my lovely weekend, all is well.

Here is an outfit from last week. I really like how light and bright it is and this metallic skirt always cheers me up. Can we just pretend the first photo is artistic, and that in reality I did not get the framing wrong? I kinda like it in all honesty...

Outfit Details

Shirt - Vintage

Skirt - Asos

Cardigan - Table Eight

Tights - Myer

Boots - Dr Martens, customised

Nail Polish - Scarab, Sally Hansen

I don't know what Blogger is doing to my photos but they're RAW files that become much lower in quality here for some reason, I'll investigate other uploading options. 

Thank you for reading!

- Isabella

My Dream Printed Dr Martens

My Dream Printed Dr Martens by takethreestepsback featuring Dr. Martens

Dr Martens are, without a doubt, my favourite brand of shoes... as you will discover on this blog. They are incredibly comfortable, durable, cute and they stop me from slipping with those incredible soles! 

These are a few printed pairs I have been lusting over for months! They're so cheerful! If only I had the funds to buy a new pair! I already own three pairs of Dr Martens, black mary janes, customised 1460's and tall black 1490 boots, but they are plain in comparison to these colourful beauties! As I am a budget conscious student, I know I can't afford a new pair at the moment, however, that doesn't stop me from perusing the website longingly - it is one of my most visited sites!

I do wish Dr Martens were more widely available in Australia, here they have limited ranges available and some colours aren't even stocked. A huge motivation for me to travel to England is to visit one of their dedicated stores.

Yes, I am a fangirl.

- Isabella

Dr Martens clothing
dmusastore.com

Dr. Martens dr martens boots
dmusastore.com

1461 | Mens Shoes | Mens | The Official Dr Martens Store - UK
dmusastore.com

1461
dmusastore.com

PASCAL
dmusastore.com

The Official Dr. Martens USA Store - JOCELYN
dmusastore.com

Fashion is Danger

The hilarious title of my post is a reference to a song by the wonderful Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords. I haven't documented my everyday dressing style here. I wear band t shirts most days [unless I'm wearing a dress] and then pair it with shorts or a miniskirt. 
I own many band t shirts, it's a compulsion.
I just love proclaiming my music taste on my chest and I also like when people positively comment about the band in question. There is however the 'danger' of someone being a dick about one of my favourite bands. 
This particular outfit is an example of my standard. It's so easy for me to put together, no effort required and not terribly inventive. This is a t shirt I bought at the Flight of the Conchords concert I went to with friends two years ago. I love its sparkles and that it's made of such soft fabric.

Outfit details

Top - Flight of the Conchords

Shorts - Urban Outfitters

Fishnets - eBay

Here is the link to the song 'Fashion is Danger' by the aforementioned musicians, I hope you enjoy it.

Isabella

Fragments

I really liked how the different aspects of this outfit came together when I wore it. This was what I dressed in about a week ago, I just hadn't gotten a chance to put it up here yet. 

My course is crazy in the best possible way. I'm constantly busy in all aspects of my life and, though exhausted at the end of each day, I love the satisfaction from being able to say I achieved something. 

Outfit details:

Dress - Vintage

Purple fishnets - eBay

Necklace - Paua shell on a chain

By the way, I still haven't repeated an outfit yet, resolution upheld so far! 

Isabella

And so it begins...

Three weeks ago I began a new course. It's an intensive course so finding the time to blog will be difficult but I'm up for the challenge.

As I do at the start of each year, I make an effort not to repeat the same outfit. It's a strange resolution I give to myself.
Here is one of the outfits I wore on my first week. It's summer and instead of buying sandals which are far more appropriate, I wear my comfortable Converses despite the heat. The bright colours in this outfit helped lift my spirits despite having to leave so early that morning, don't you love how clothing can have a restorative effect on your mood?

Outfit details

Hoodie - Handmade from a market

Dress - Princess Highway

Necklace - Ishka

Socks - Esprit

Shoes - Converse

Nail polish - 'Carnivale' by Face of Australia