I want you!

When money is tight I always yearn to buy non-essentials item, like cosmetics and seasonal fashion pieces, and ignoring the lure of a sale requires more restraint than usual.

Working five days a week at Melbourne's fashion capital - also known as the biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere - is like torture for someone who's trying to tighten thier purse strings, not that my purse has strings, but you get the picture. Even a trip to the food court is an excercise in self-restraint as stocktake sales beckon to me from every angle. They say things like, "buy this black wool biker jacket with shiny gold zippers, it will complete your winter wardrobe - AND it's half price!." Such a convincing sales pitch, so enticing...so completely unnecessary and indulgent. I want it!

Witchery biker jacket

Gossip magazines provide moments of affordable indulgence in times of closely monitored spending but somehow they always make me want to buy more things - particularly makeup. A picture of one of my idols, the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale, with glowing coral cheeks, gold rimmed eyes and juicy pink lips made me want to overhaul my entire makeup kit. But then I remembered that not only do I not need any new makeup, I also can't afford any new makeup.

Because I want want want but won't allow myself to buy, I've developed a game that provides some satisfaction in desperate times- it's called Fantasy Bags. All you do is go to website that you love to buy things on, fill up your shopping bag with everything you want, head to the checkout, then close the webpage before entering any payment details. Although your coveted items won't arrive in the post, there is some satisfaction in compiling them. Some sites will keep your items in the shopping bag for a week or so, and often I find that the products I was desperate for last week don't seem so important this week.

This week's fantasy bag included:

Becca soft touch blush in Songbird

Becca line+illuminate in Ibiza

Becca glossy lip tint in Rosita

She's a Crafty One

Earlier this week, I accompanied my baby sis to her first day at "film school" (WOW!), which is conveniently located two minutes on foot from the uber fashionable Chapel St, Prahran. As the "O" week food stalls etc were yet to be set up, we decided to stroll down Chapel St for a browse and a bite.

We encountered some teeny weeny turtles at the pet store, but this was surprisingly not the highlight of our journey...for me at least! We ventured into a fabulously quirky boutique, choc-full of handmade, vintage-esque and imported dresses, tees, cardis and accessories. If I wasn't currently (GULP) unemployed I would have bought several pieces.

Although I wasn't able to walk out of the store swinging a bag or two full of enviable goodies, I did leave feeling inspired. As my sister nudged me out the door, a flash of vivid colour caught my eye and I flicked open the rack of clothes to see a reddish-coral tee in a sheer cotton fabric with an intricate black applique of beads and tulle(?)on the neckline. After we left, I started thinking about how easy it would be to make something similar with haberdashery store finds like buttons, beads and fabric swatches, but put pins on the back so you can attach them to whatever top/ jacket/ bag you like.

I headed to Spotlight today and was overwhelmed by the enormous selection of beads, buttons and fabrics on offer. I came home with a small assortment of bits & pieces and a couple of ideas in mind (below).



This is my palette for a pretty, girly, vintage themed applique brooch. Pink, tiny polka dots, floral, buttons.



This selection is my palette for a darker more glamorous evening brooch. Black, metals, beads (need some black tulle).



To be continued...