Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! It’s been a wonderful year, and I hope the holiday season brings you all joy and happiness. It’s an extra special time for me and my partner, because our daughter celebrates her birthday on Christmas Eve. So happy holidays everyone, and happy 2nd birthday to my little Olivia Rose! Stay safe, stay sane, and remember… It’s just Christmas!
December 15, 2009
Christmas Giveaway Winners…
Congratulations to Sabina, Ian & Saving Diva! Random.org has spoken and you are the winners of the Christmas giveaway. I will be emailing you later today for your postal details. Thankyou to everyone for entering! I will be drawing the Unico giveaway in a few days time (have you entered yet?) and will be announcing yet another giveaway very soon. Stay tuned!
December 12, 2009
Saturday Survey – December 12
01 Mood: Lethargic! We attended our first street party last night, and it was a total blast! I got into the festive spirit and consumed way too much red wine though, and am paying for it this morning.
02 Best thing about this weekend: The weather! Summer has officially kicked in, and it’s going to be 38 degrees celcius today, and 39 tomorrow. W-a-r-m!
03 Last movie I saw: Home Alone. The perfect Christmas movie. I try to watch it every year, as one of my annual Christmas traditions.
04 What I’m watching: At the moment Mad Men is in the DVD player. I received season one as a gift for my birthday and have been watching it on and off since then. It’s such an amazing show, and is definitely living up to the hype!
05 Makeup lust: Nars Sheer Matte Foundation in Mont Blanc. A lovely lady sent me a sample of this and lo and behold it was the perfect colour match for me! I am nearly about to run out of the sample, so I will be purchasing a full size bottle soon.
06 Listening to: Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock.
07 Body Product Lust: Philosophy Cinnamon Buns. I received a gift pack of the shower/shampoo/bath lotion and the body moisturiser from my ‘secret santa’ and now I smell like a delicious cinnamon bun! I can’t stop smelling myself, which is hopefully a good thing…
08 Haircare Lust: Pantene 3 Minute Miracle. These are still amazing, and even handier now that they come in single packs as well as packs of three!
09 Current obsession: Fresh fruit. I have been consuming so much of it lately I’m surprised I haven’t turned into a cherry! I love summer fruits. Strawberries, green grapes, pineapple, cherries & peaches. So yum!
10 Aim for this week: Stop eating so much chocolate!
December 10, 2009
Christmas Bonanza Day ’09
I have decided that every year before Christmas I will take one day off of work to dedicate to Christmas present shopping and gift wrapping. I had today off, and managed to get ALL of my Christmas shopping done. Yeah, you heard me! I am all finished for this year. Now I can dedicate my time to other important things like baking and eating delicious Christmas treats, and watching cheesy movies like Home Alone and Elf. Here is a sneak peek at the goodies, all packaged nicely and sitting under the tree…
I tell you what, after an hour and a half of wrapping presents it gets a little bit tiring!
December 8, 2009
Fantasy Wardrobe – Christmas
If I had endless funds, these would be my dress choices for events I have coming up this festive season…
Work Function
Casual Work Lunch
Dinner With Friends
Work Cocktail Function
Street Party
Christmas Eve Dinner
Christmas Day BBQ Lunch
Boxing Day Breakfast
image source: polyvore
November 29, 2009
Christmas Sugar Cookies
One of my favourite things to do at Christmas time is to bake a selection of delicious treats to share with my family and friends. One tradition I have started is the annual sugar cookie bake, which is the starting point for my Christmas cooking adventures. Today was a lazy sort of Sunday, so I decided to bake the first batch – and they turned out well!
Christmas Sugar Cookies
> Cream together 1 cup of butter, 2/3 cup of sugar
> Beat in 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1/2 tsp salt & 2 1/2 cup sifted plain flour
> Mix until all ingredients are well blended
> (Chill dough for 3-4 hours before rolling)
> Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
> Roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes
> Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until barely coloured
> Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks
Frosting (makes 1/3 cup)
> Melt 1 tb butter & combine with
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 tb milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
- Beat until smooth & add food colouring if desired
- – -
I love these cookies because they are so simple and easy to make. They also good if you have little ones helping you to cook & decorate. My daughter loves brushing the frosting onto the cookies. And of course eating them after!
November 24, 2009
Christmas Cheer Project
For me, Christmas is an amazing time of year. Most of us get to experience the joy of giving and receiving gifts, and are able to spend time with the ones we love. Not everyone is so lucky though, and for many Christmas is a time of hardship and stress. Ms Jenn @ Bits of Beauty has come up with the idea of enlisting bloggers and the online community to spread some Christmas cheer. I will be collecting unwanted makeup/beauty products to be donated to a women’s refuge in Western Australia. Many women arrive at a refuge with nothing but the clothes on their back and often with kids in tow.
I have already called upon the services of the women in my life and they have responded with incredible generosity. The wonderful people at Organic Island have also offered a donation of their beautiful Shell Lip Balms. If you too would like to donate something please contact me via email at thebellelumiere@gmail.com. If you are not comfortable with posting your goodies to me, please look in to a local refuge that you can donate your unwanted products to!
Thankyou, Merry Christmas and feel free to spread the word!
November 23, 2009
Etsy Christmas Ideas
I love Christmas. I probably embrace the idea and the holiday a little more than normal people do, but hey – I love it. I start writing my Christmas shopping list 2 months in advance, budget and start buying and crossing things off in early November. This year I seem to have more gifts to purchase online than ever before! One of my favourite places to shop online is Etsy, so I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the lovely things I’ve found that I thought would make excellent Christmas presents!
I have my very own set of Michelle Brusegaard personalised notecards (3 sets in fact) but the new peony design is too gorgeous to resist! I want them for myself!
Whether you’re enjoying a white Christmas, and layer this piece over a cosy warm outfit, or suffering through a hot Christmas (like me) and pair it with a light summer sundress – it works!
I think this ring is so adorable. But then I have a soft spot for bumble bee inspired things…
I love how happy the illustrated woman seems to be on these cards. “Yes! I baked!”
Okay, so admittedly a lot of the things I happen to find on Etsy are things that I would love to receive as gifts myself. Santa, if you’re reading this… Take note.
November 14, 2009
Saturday Survey – November 14
01 Mood: Hungover. Although, it’s not too bad. I have a mild headache and I feel lethargic but that is about it. I don’t drink very often because I hate this feeling of ‘wasting’ a day!
02 Best thing about this weekend: My birthday! Yesterday was my 25th birthday so I am spending the weekend being the centre of attention and accepting presents and praise for how wonderful I am, ha. I went out with Mr B & friends last night and had a blast (hence the hangover) and tomorrow is family day so we’ll be having a BBQ to celebrate. Hopefully the weather clears up a bit!
03 Last movie I saw: Get Smart. Not as funny as the first time I saw it, unfortunately.
04 What I’m watching: Flash Forward. This show is so addictive, and I’m glad I have something to watch while waiting for season 3 of True Blood to air!
05 Makeup lust: I am focusing on re-stocking my cupboards with tried and tested favourites at the moment, so YSL Touche Eclat is top of my shopping list!
06 Listening to: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance. After Mr B called her ‘a mix between madonna, bjork and alien vs predator’ I watched her Bad Romance film clip (amazing) and fell in love with her! This song is on repeat on my iPod at the moment.
07 Skincare Lust: Ultraceuticals Ultra Moisturiser Cream. This soothes my skin like nothing else at the moment. I’ve been using it in the mornings and Trilogy Rosehip Oil at night.
08 Haircare Lust: I am dying to try the O&M 7 Day Miracle Moisture Mask
09 Current obsession: Writing Christmas lists and planning what I’m going to be buying people for presents!
10 Aim for this week: Start getting into the Christmas spirit!
