If you follow me on Facebook you’ll have a pretty good idea of where I disappeared to this last week. As usual, I leave town with all the best intentions of blogging while I’m away, then find myself working and or socialising every minute of the day… and night.  The last week in Port Macquarie was no different, with so much to do that I somehow managed to do a whole week on no more than 3 hours sleep each night! Yes, self inflicted torture but what fun!

Having never been to Port Macquarie I didn’t really know what to expect of the town. In fact I had done so little research that it didn’t even occur to me that it would have a beach… duh. And while the weather was wintery as to be expected at this time of year, the entertainment was so hot that we had an unforgettable time.

Getting to Port Macquarie meant a 5 hour layover in Sydney (my bad planning), so I decided to be conscientious and use the time to answer emails while watching the planes taxi off. So I sat by the window, tapping away furiously on the laptop catching up on emails, when an older chap (not elderly by any stretch of the imagination), came and sat beside me. Concentrating, I kept on working away, typing like a demon until about 45 minutes later he interrupts to say, ” My you’re a busy little beaver. Is that work you’re doing there?” Of course I smile and say, “Yes, I’m catching up while I have a chance.” Imagine the stunned expression on my face when he gives me the look one gives a clever child and says, “Now who would give such a pretty girl so much work to do?” Seriously… WTF?! But the lady in me won out over my inner bitch and closed the conversations politely so I could get back to the task at hand.

Being someone who travels to all manner of places, I’m not much fazed by different locations and having to think on the fly; but one thing I always forget is that people aren’t quite used to me.  So stepping off the small propeller plane onto the tarmac in Port Mac with the locals awaiting their loved ones, faces pressed up against the wire fence; my cashmere, full skirts, sequins, dark glasses and hat boxes were quite the sight! This is when you feel a bit like Moses parting the Red Sea… but it is useful for getting to your luggage quickly!

And how beautiful was the first morning…

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Breakfast in the sunshine with the fabulous Miss Chrissy

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I’d like to tell you that each morning was this leisurely experience kicking back in the sun, but generally we were all working so flat out that not much sun (or rain) was seen.  The beauty of mixing pleasure and business on these trips is working with friends, but it does mean that you don’t really get a chance to see all the cars and performances. We spend all day at different ends of town on our various gigs, so of course when the sun goes down…. all bets are off!

My buddy Scotty Baker and I pose for another “Classic 50′s moment snap shot”, of which there were many.

So after a little healthy pizza parlour action for the crew we were sufficiently fortified to hit the town!

A little from my personal party photo album of the week…..

Casual night for kicking up the heels with a bit of Swing dancing.

The fabulous Catherine and Bonnie from Bonnie Rose Vintage

Tara from Lucky Trix, the suave Scotty Baker and Miss Chrissy.

The incredible Heather from Pretty Things Peep Show and Miss Catherine.

yes… the usual suspects.

The Rockabilly Diva Miss Harry Deluxe entertaining us at the after party.

We might possibly be the most glamorous party animals ever.

If you’d like to see even more of our rabble rousing and secret videos, check out my Candice DeVille Faceboook page. Now that I’ve managed a few good nights sleep I’m back on deck and ready to tackle the next project. Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at the big Wintersun 2011 vintage fashion parade in all it’s finery!

Valentines Day is only really just starting to take off as a ‘holiday’ in Australia. For many years it has passed on my calendar with relative silence as Mr SKM and I like to try and do nice things for each other all through the year, without having to have a special day for it. But the project planner in me also loves any excuse for celebration, decorating and getting dressed up.  So with the upcoming Valentines Day in mind, I sat one evening with a glass of Strawberry wine and planned some Valentines Day outfit inspirations for you.  Just dreamy…

Outfit details here.

A bit of sparkle and frou frou never goes astray, and besides dressing in Diamond hues may just be a good way to provide a subliminal message. Sequins, lace and faux fur all come together in this ensemble to create a look that is all together feminine and fun, yet still sophisticated. A long frothy skirt to swish about as you walk and chuncky heeled boots to balance the lightness of the cropped lace jacket and sequined bustier.  Practical Princess style.

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Outfit details here.

Sleek, sophisticated and drop dead gorgeous. This is the outfit for a woman who wants to take things to the next level. Blush tones and gentle draping hint at a soft romantic nature, while the animal print bag and rose gold jewelled skull ring give a subtle clue to the wild woman inside. This look is less “you complete me” and much more, ” good choice buddy!”

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Outfit details here.

Here she is, our pretty princess. Gentle, smiling and always in good taste. Velvet bows, soft suede heels and ropes of pink pearls; all brought together with a sharp little blazer, impeccably tailored but not forgetting the importance of pink. She smells of orange blossom and brings a hint of sparkle to the evening with a few key accessories. She is our ingenue, our darling bud, our Disney Princess all grown up.

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Outfit details here.

Of course, Valentines Day isn’t all big dates and evenings on the town. Sometimes you just want to sit indoors and snuggle up your par amour. A little soft cashmere and lacy bustier, the cute and comfortable. Frothy tiered lacy skirt over cheeky boy shorts and lace stockings, feet shod in velvet ballet flats. A simple jewelled head band to keep the hair from your eyes, and an intricate sparkly ring that makes sure to catch the light each time you reach for the strawberries. She can curl up on the couch in her beloved’s arms, a stylish sleeping beauty.

What are your plans for Valentines Day? Going out, staying in or treating yourself to an indulgent night alone with all your favourite flicks? I’d love to know how you celebrate!

It would look something like this.

Insert Self Here for Blissful Time.

Last Saturday in honor of the delightful Violet Le Beaux being in town, a group of like minded bloggers (and a pair of well trained partners) got together to enjoy and afternoon tea in true girly style. In a little known corner of Collingwood, Melbourne, is a lovely store that is bringing girly back. Christina Re is well known for her stunning DIY stationery collection that let’s you create customised pieces of correspondence magic on paper, vellum and quilted card to name but a few.  To make the experience of selection and creation much more enjoyable, they have recently launched a small in store cafe to supply tea and cakes to weary crafters.  After popping in for a much needed lemonade the other week, I was overwhelmed by the serenity and light of it all, promptly making a note to bring back a bunch of appreciative friends.  And so we did.

left to right: Aurora Hime, Violet Le Beaux, Jimmy America

left to right: Esme and the Laneway, Fables in Fashion, Petite Valse

Super Kawaii Mama and Esme and the Laneway, doing what bloggers do best. Photo by Jimmy America.

Also in attendence were Kitty’s Drawings and Circa Vintage to help us improve the vintage lover versus princess contingent.  I met the two styles in the middle by wearing a 1960′s pink square dancing dress and vintage blue petticoat!

It was as fun and fancy as it looked, there is no doubt we’ll be doing it again. In fact, I think I shall declare this weekend;

DIY Tea Party Weekend

So have a little tea and a cake or two with me.

In Australia we don’t really “do” Halloween. But with our T.V channels filled with entertainment from the USA, the girls have well and truly developed an expectation of carved pumpkins on every corner.  I had big plans this year and lots of parties to attend, but in the end I opted to help make them some magic at home instead. So we delved into the dress up box and created something for each of us. Yep, that’s right – we can knock together a Halloween outfit with no planning in ten minutes in this family!!

Happy Halloween All!

This weekend was the big day – Miss 5′s birthday party! My own first memories of birthdays past began at my fifth birthday.  I remember mum making a “Dolly Varden” cake from the Women’s Weekly cookbook, complete with faux Barbie inside the cake.  I remember receiving the coolest gifts from my friends and family; my first “lipstick”, a set of fashion plates (which I have since recovered via the magic of eBay) and a special dress with matching hair ribbons.  As I thought about my own fifth birthday, it occurred to me that so much of what happened on that day and the type of gifts I received, have gone a long way to shaping who I am today.  And so it was that I decided that this birthday had to be a cracker for my own daughter,  something that she would remember for the rest of her life as a fabulous pink dream.

All these intentions are well and good, but just how the heck do you pull something like this off without a team of event organisers and caterers at your finger tips? Here are my tips for making your own Unicorn Pony Party.

Pick Your Colour

When you’re a five year old girl, you just can’t go past pink. Sugary sweet it can do your head in, so pick your shade wisely. We decided that “Musk Stick Pink” would be our shade of choice, and then applied that to everything we possibly could.  It helps if you already have a bit of a colour theme to your home decorating and can scam pieces from your own collection to help pump up the ambiance. I brought out every pink table cloth, bowl, picture frame, flower and outfit I possibly could.  Even Mr SKM got in on the act wearing a pink and red shirt!

Carry Your Colour Theme Through to the Food

The easiest way to make your party table look fancy is to carry you colour theme over to the food.  When your catering for kids, this is 100 times easier than trying to come up with adult versions of coloured food! So we had every pink and white lolly we could think of, musk sticks, marshmallows, jelly snakes, white chocolate cover red licorice… enough to make your teeth fall out just looking at it. Savoury food was covered by those ever popular “little boys” also, reddish in colour, and the usual mini quiches, pies etc.. and for desert (as if all those lollies weren’t enough) mini pavlovas with pink whipped cream and raspberries.

Pink Cake Too!

Rather than staying up till midnight the night before, creating some elaborate confection that was way above my culinary skills, I decided to stick to cupcakes again this year.  I still haven’t gotten the hang of that perfect icing yet, and spent much of the previous evening licking strawberry frosting off my elbows as the piping bags continued to burst mid swirl.  They passed the taste test with flying colours though.

Goodie Bags!

Every good party comes with goodie bags, but after such a sugar laden day, I didn’t think that sending people’s children home with yet more sweets would be the best idea. As some of you know first hand, mixing both sugar and red food colouring is akin to baby crack, so sending them home with yet another stash would have probably seen me relegated to parental purgatory.  The goodie bags are a fun, cheap and easy way to win good party points with all your guests. Once again, make sure to stick to your colour theme, but think of things that can be used over again and aren’t simply going to break or end up in land fill.  They needn’t be expensive, but just make them look pretty!

For our stash we put together little pink organza bags containing My Little Pony makeup sized bags, super cute doggie sticky note pads, scented erasers shaped like cookies, and a little Cuppa Chup lolly pop.

The Piece de Resistance

All the best parties have one event that makes them the stuff of legends.  The stuff that shapes memories and imagination.  When I was asked for a Unicorn Pony for her birthday I knew I had a challenge on my hands. But with the magic of the internet, a little saving up, some glue and glitter; I managed to work a miracle.

Behold – The Unicorn Pony!

And now after all that, I plan to retire from partying for at least another month… until Miss One turns Two!