Pet Hates.

There are a few small things in this world that annoy me to no end. Not a little. A lot. So much my entire being is coursed with an irritating tickling feeling. The kind of feeling that makes you want to go grrr.

The First. When people use two different coloured pegs when hanging out the washing. Seriously. Come. On. People. It doesn't take that much effort to have all your pegs neat and matching. Then even your washing can look pretty. This may be an insignificant problem for most, but it causes me physical pain on frequent occasions. Some days I go outside and re-arrange my Mothers own 'attempt' at putting the washing out. Some days I get so annoyed I make the whole line the same colour branching from white to red and then blue. Always the same order.

The Second. Has anyone ever gone to an ATM to retrieve less than a whole dollar? For that matter, anything that isn't a combination of multiple twenties or fifties? No. Because you can't. So why, do ATM machines make you put in the cents amount for your withdrawal??! It is so irritating to have to go through the motions deciding whether you want change then being rejected it anyway? If you offer the choice of a cents value you should give change. If not then don't make the poor sap at your machine enter in the cent amount of their withdrawal.

The Third. Petrol Stations. I hate filling my car up with petrol. I know what you are expecting. It's too expensive or I don't have the money. Nope. I simply can't be bothered. It's such a hassle getting out of your car and actually doing it. I know it's lazy. But when I jump in Astrid (my car) I like to head straight to my destination. I don't what the bother of having to actually get out of the car on a pit stop for petrol. I think something should be done about this, an automatic refueling station? Or something economical, a car that doesn't use fuel or anything that need topping up.... Like a magical space car?

Thank-you for persevering with my small rant.

Samantha ox

More Market Extravaganza!!!

Over the next five weeks Cappuccino Girl and Tea Party at Lucy's will be at the Joondalup Night UpMarkets, Oxford St Saturday Markets, Crawley Christmas UpMarkets and the Subiaco Street Markets.

Thank-you to all the wonderful visitors that have come to our moving store! We hope you enjoy your purchases!!

Samantha ox

Markets.

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!!

Markets tomorrow!! Cappuccino Girl will be at the Wembley District Fair! We will have clothes crafts and many cute things.

8am-4pm. Wembley Scout Hall.

Hope to see you all there!

Samantha ox

Cake.

Oh dear! A 'dear' friend sent me this today...

Five Minute Chocolate Cake-
4 Tbs Flour
4 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs Cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tbs Milk
3 Tsp Oil
3 Tbs Choc-chips (optional)
Splash Vanilla Essence
Coffee Mug (Large)

Add all the dry ingredients to a large mug (or two small ones) and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in milk & oil and mix well. Lastly add the chocolate chips and vanilla essence, mix again. Place mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high.

The cake may rise over the mug, but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool and then enjoy!

Thank-you. All that was needed over the next three weeks from hell was for my waistline to expand right before Summer. At least now that I've shared everyone elses might too.
Enjoy!
Samantha ox

Reads.

Rightio Joe.

I love reading. I won't disclose how much time I waste reading because it's quite shameful. I do refer to it as wasteful rather than enlightening or fruitful because of the substandard my life takes on after I pick up a book. That being stated I want to recommend a couple of brilliant and enriching books!

Fashion Babylon- Imogen Edwards-Jones

Set in London, this book follows a 'fictional' fashion designer's life for six months whilst she prepares her next collection and navigates the marvelous merciless world of the fashion industry. Edwards-Jones uses interviews and accounts from real people to create the story and the events, similar to her other best-sellers Hotel Babylon and Air Babylon. It's a super interesting read that shows a very different side to the eluded glamour.

Almost French- Sarah Turnbull

After biting the bullet and taking a year off for travel and related adventures Turnbull finds herself living in France with a gorgeous Frenchman. Out of her depth in a new (and as it turns out rather unfriendly) country Turnbull illustrates the difficulty of her position whilst weaving in the comedic relief of misunderstandings and drastic differences in culture. A cute look into French life and the sophisticated culture explained in an easy to read Australian manner.

Both are super easy reads! Definitely worth re-activating your library card for!! :o)

Warm thought,

Samantha ox

Quotes.

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.

Coco Chanel

As a fashion designer, I was always aware that I was not an artist, because I was creating something that was made to be sold, marketed, used, and ultimately discarded.
Tom Ford

By the way, Marilyn Monroe was a size 14.
Issey Miyake

Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future.
Coco Chanel

Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.
Frank Gehry

Buttons.

Greetings again!

I know two posts in one day! What is the world coming too?!

I just thought I'd put it out there. You never know until you go, ya know?

If anyone (or knows anyone who) has an old/ cute/ vintage secret stash of buttons that they would be happy to give to a new muchly appreciated home please let me know! Good old buttons are very had to find and I would be very happy to pay for some!!

Thank-you!

Samantha ox

Cool Beans.

I have recently been introduced to online shopping. Before you judge, I'll just say- I am not archaic, I am just well aware of my limits. There have been too many times of impulse purchase induced poverty for me to even toy with idea of online shopping. This being said Cappuccino Girl is still in the process of setting up an online store :-) Back to the point. Online shopping is way too appealing and way too convenient. Time passes, money floats away and you still have to wait two weeks in excruciating excitement for your 'much-cheaper-buy' to arrive!

The first site I trawled for four meaningless hours was Esty. Like a hand-made version of Ebay. Definately worth a look. I found personalised pendants, bouqets made of buttons and even wedding cake toppers. Etsy had everything. Quality, choice, bargins and investments.

Around three and a half hours in I found this cute 'shop' located somewhere in the nothingness of cyberspace (but in reality somewhere in the Grand Rapids). The online 'store' is called Beanforest (http://www.etsy.com/people/beanforest) it has a mass of cute pin badges. All are interesting, funny, cute and fairly priced at only one US dollar. I could have spent half of my weekly wage here buying this little innovator out, but I refrained and ended up spending just twenty dollars.

I urge you to check it out. I promise you will fall in love with pins. Be well.
Samantha ox

Cappuccino Girl.

Greetings faithful two followers and all other appreciated readers!

Over the past couple of weeks a few people have expressed interest in buying online. So the devoted team (myself and supportive people around me I can rope into helping me) at Cappuccino Girl are trying to set up a suedo online store through the blog or through a link elsewhere. There will be more details as soon as we can work out some kinks.

Thank-you!

Samantha ox

Shop Front.

Here are some photo's from the UpMarkets yesterday! Thank-you to all who came and visited!! Hope to see you all again in November!

Talk to you soon.

Samantha ox

Here Again.

I-iiiiiiit's market time again!

I am very excited to share that Cappuccino Girl and Tea Party at Lucy's (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Tea-Party-At-Lucys/110949048920690?ref=ts) will again be making grand appearances at the Up-Markets on Sunday. They open at 8am and all are welcome. There are loads of yummy food, art and fashion stalls. There is also a Junior section for all the young tuckers.

Please come down at say hello! It would be much appreciated!!
Samantha ox

Spring.

I sincerely apologise for being away for some time.

One week of Spring has passed by with I am becoming apprehensive about warmer days, lighter mornings and evenings, pleasant feeling inducing weather all round. As this warmer joyous weather approaches, the dark, heavier clothes are ditched in lieu of something that matches and celebrates our old friend Spring.

Even though clogs are everywhere at the moment I am personally not huge on the style, so I love these wooden heeled beauties from Marie Claire shoes (http://www.marieclareshoes.com.au/). The neutral colour means you can style them with anything and the strap makes them super easy to wear! This makes the perfect shoe for early Spring dinners and fun outings with friends. I would personally pair them with a cute print dress and maybe a white cardi if it is chilly!

It is a must to have a pretty sun dress that can be easily glammed-up for a party or dulled down for a classy look at a barbeque. Sportsgirl gear is usually quite well made and it's always good to look for a bargain on their sale rack. Sportgirl's Natasha Maxi is a pretty paisley print maxi-dress that is the perfect addition to any Spring wardrobe (http://www.sportsgirl.com.au/). It's also the perfect investment piece with the Spring carnival coming up!!

If you are buying something that will change dramatically from season to season (like current popular colours or a passing style) it is a good idea to buy the piece from a basic store. People overlook places like Cotton-On, Target or even K-Mart. It is much more economical to purchase that 'super-awesome-fluro-shoulder padded-mini dress-that will never be in again' at one of these places, spend your hard earned cash on key pieces you can keep forever (or at least a few seasons). Cotton-On has the perfect short sleeved coat to cover ones armage. The weather still isn't super warm and crawling out of the cold hibernation winter brought did nothing for the shape of the arms.

This muddy green colour and the 'safari' look is very in this season!!!
Talk to you all soon,
Samantha ox

Sunday.

Thank-you for all our lovely visitors and customers at The Perth Upmarket on Sunday. Cappuccino Girl and Tea Party at Lucy's loved all the kind comments and encouragement! We had an excellent day sitting in the sun at UWA.

We will also be making an appearance at Made on the Left Markets.
Hope to see you again.
Samantha ox

Markets.

I love going to the markets on the weekend! Getting fresh fruit and bread, breakfast maybe. I take great pleasure in checking out cute vintage and handmade stores. One of my favourite designers, Rei Kawakubo, also loves hitting up local markets. It gives her a feel of the city she is visiting and the place she is experiencing.

Although Perth's permanent markets are slightly lacking in their current state, there are a few half yearly and quarterly markets which are goldmines for handmade gems. The Upmarkets being on of the biggest markets every year. This weekend a friend and I are participating in the Perth Upmarkets. Which is a new and supremely exciting experience!

We will have; tops, singlets, skirts, scarves and jewellery.
Hope to see you there!
Samantha ox

Textiles.

I have in the past enthusiastically rambled about Perth's somewhat lacking fabric supplies. I have not overcome this disastrous predicament, however I have stumbled across a little gem. I usually frequent my local Spotlight for their over-priced meterage but the other day I was low on fuel and decided to drop into a Textile Traders.

From the outside it looked a little over-run and out of date. However inside I was pleasantly surprised by their extremely cheap prices! I got some synthetic organza for a third of the price I usually pay! How exciting!!

So if by chance your out there wandering around looking for decent priced fabric, hit up Textile Traders!

Samantha ox

Shady Appearances.

For years I bought cheap sunglasses that I would loose, break and trash. Until one fairly ordinary day. I was strolling past some average, unoriginal shops not finding anything of interest and then I came upon this pair of striking blue Ray-Ban Wayfarers with reflective lenses. I fell in love. Conventional enough to fit in but different enough to stand-out. Perfect. And they were on sale.

Everyone had their opinions. "I used to buy good sunglasses, you only lose them." "They're too expensive" "You'll only break them!" But I wasn't at all phased, they were my partner in crime, no outfit was complete without them. Even on rainy, depressing, overcast days. Well I hate to say. 'They' were right. I think I've lost them. I say think in the optimistic tone of someone who is still hoping to find their long-lost lover. I have in fact misplaced them. I am pretty devastated.

After saying goodbye to my first real pair of sunglasses I have now the extra energy to focus my thoughts on these fabulous Tom Ford glasses. I have liked them for awhile now, but stayed very loyal to my blueys. These amazing sunglasses retail for around $600. I know exactly what you are thinking, how can she entertain the idea of sunglasses that cost that much?! Well I'll tell you what I'm thinking. How can you Sir/Madam not appreciate the beauty of these classic yet modern, strong yet sexy eyepieces?!

I bid you farewell pondering this statement. I shall return later. I am going to spend the afternoon folding washing and thinking of my new lover, pondering the acquisition of these fashion wonders.

Samantha ox

Unachieved

I also didn't hit my 60 sketch quota.... I know I'm disappointed too...

Weekend.

As I was eagerly awaiting for one of my favourite bands to start and another quite original, yet bland, music wonder to finish I became entangled in a few thousand other bodies with the same idea. I was glued to the back of some girl. She looked quite nice I guess, but don't be fooled. She committed what is definitely the worst festival crime known to people at (as a kind new friend puts it) armpit level.

She had a ponytail.

Gohhhd. Everytime she decided to move it would slap me across the face. In all other ways I hold no animosity to this girl with obviously impeccable taste in music. However I do plead that people re-think their practical yet boring hairstyle choices next time you attend a music festival or some other interesting gathering with a large number of people.
Samantha ox

Fantastic Finds.

I feel I should write about a few more interesting things...

Today as I was strolling back to the car after having breakfast with my Grandparents, I found this amazingly stocked (and priced) store on Napoleon St, Cottesloe. It's called Stiller and it stocks women's as well as men's fashion. The guys stuff is pretty neat, cool tees and jumpers. I picked up an amazing shirt for my brother's birthday present. I also got a Blair Waldorf inspired brown number for a mere sixty dollars.

I also had a great find last week whilst out looking for a Mother's day gift. I got these over-the-knee boots. Before any assumptions are made, they are brown and flat and not in any way stripper-like. I have had my eye on them for a while now and when I found them for twenty percent off I had to get them! Definitely this winter's must-have!

After showing my finds off to the girls at work tomorrow night, I am venturing out for a friends birthday and to (hopefully) celebrate my best-friend getting his Commercial Pilots License!
Lets all wish him luck!
Samantha ox

Visual Communication.

Currently I love my course. However I have a huge problem with procrastination and being incredibly lazy... Don't get me wrong, I can work hard when I want/ desperately need to, I have two jobs. At the moment though I feel I should be stepping up my work load.

I am setting myself a goal. I want to fill an entire A3 diary by next Tuesday and 9.30am. Inside this diary I will have approximately 60 drawings and sketches of dresses and/ or garments for class. From these drawings I will create my collection.

Truth be told I am actually pretty excited about this.
Lets hope I make myself get there. Sorry it's a bit of a boring post....
Samantha ox

Fabrication.

The inadequacy of Perth's fabric supplies annoys me on a regular basis. Finding that perfectly blended, pure synthetic/natural fabric is a difficulty I endeavour to overcome every semester when reviews are nearing. After weeks of processing ideas and letting my imagination get away from me, I am yet again grounded by the bland, overpriced, poor quality and range of the fabrics at my local Spotlight.
You will now understand why I am so overjoyed that I just received 25metres of beautiful raw silk at the mere (yet amazing!) price of $4 a metre. I am inundated with thoughts and ideas of how to use this amazingly perfect fabric. For those who don't understand how content this makes me, I will link the feeling to that of when you find that shirt/dress/ pair of shoes you've had your eye on are now fifty percent off, or when your boyfriend actually remembers what your favourite flower is. It is a simple happiness, it immediately brings a smile to your face.

I shall post my creations on later.
Thanks for sharing my loss of blogginity with me.
Samantha ox