Thursday, November 29, 2012

Weather report

Melbourne is known for its ever-changing weather. You walk out of your house with a tank top and the by the end of the day you need rain boots and an umbrella. My tip for anyone coming to this city is bring one of everything and you'll be alright.
I usually have a cardigan everywhere I go, just in case.
With summer approaching, we have days like today...it was 95 degrees, with blue skies and we even made it down to the beach to cool down. Then believe it or not, tomorrow we are expecting a thunderstorm!
Oh Melbourne, you know how to keep it interesting! X.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Aussie Thanksgiving

When the holidays roll around I always have mixed emotions. I am so far away from my American friends and family, and I have a great people here in Aus too! But no matter the holiday, I always try to make the most of it.
Thanksgiving is strictly an American/Canadian holiday and unlike Halloween no one here celebrates
it unless u are roped in by a North American. This year was my 3rd and most successful aussie Thanksgiving. 
We had an abundance of help, with my bf and his sisters helping with the food and decorations, his oldest sis even made custom place settings to go over the silverware (shown below). We had a big dinner of 11 people. And it went perfect!!

I have to say it is always a weird feeling having Fall traditions, when it is spring time here.

If you are curious our menu was:
•Turkey
•Stuffing
•Mashed potatoes
•Green beans with bacon, cranberries and feta ( these were a hit, I got the recipe HERE)
•Salad
•Yams
And Always....Deviled eggs!
Then for dessert......of course Pumpkin pie and apple cider!



Monday, November 19, 2012

Melbourne Bike Share

For the most part you can get around Melbourne without a car, by using the awesome train and tram system they have here. It is also pretty reasonable in price at around $7 a day. I use it everyday for work.
But recently I have been seeing more and more of these Bike Share stations all around Melbourne, I think they are a great idea. You can ride from one part of the city and to the other and drop your bike off at any station. Helmets are rented from certain 7eleven stores, and you can enjoy the bike for 2.60 a day!
It is wonderful to live in a city that is so accessible. Also not to mention bikes are great for fitness, clean air, and for traveling on a budget.
Just keep pedaling...





Friday, November 9, 2012

Hard Rubbish DIY

Ive never been one to pass up a DIY project. And in Australia, they have a thing called "hard rubbish day". Basically everyone puts their unwanted large items like, mattresses, couches, tables, tv's, out on the curb and the trash people come around and dispose of it for you. Most of it is really well, rubbish. But sometimes there are little gems just waiting to be made pretty again! So i found this beautiful piece sitting out on the curb near my house and I saw the potential. All up the whole project cost me about 50 bucks.

Supplies:
2 cans of black spray paint
1 can of primer
1 small can of gloss black paint
1 small can of "tacoma teal" paint
1 plastic drop sheet
Wood filler
Masking tape
Paint brushes
Turpentine


1: mixed a new paint color with paint i already had.
2. I gave the whole dresser a big wash and sanded every inch. Sanding helps to take the previous finish off to help the new paint stick.
3. I bought a wood filler at a hardware store and filled in the small cracks and chips. Let that dry for a few hours.
4. Primer that baby! I bought a white primer spray paint and coated all of it. Let dry.
5. Spray painted all of the base with a satin black spray paint.
6. Hand painted the drawers with my pre-mixed color I named "tacoma teal" and the handles with a gloss black.
7. Gave the whole dresser a second coat once it was dry the next day.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

New Melbourne

I headed into the city early before work the other day, and the train stopped at a different platform then usual. So I decided to go with it and take a new path through the underground walkway at Flinders Street Station headed towards Degraves street, and to my surprise I discovered some sights I'd never seen. It really made me happy to see the city through new eyes again! And I spotted some New York influences!