berry

Barkins dress from my friend Sarah-Jane, Rubi shoes, Target coat, Colette earrings 

This outfit choice was completely unintentional, but I managed to dress appropriately for the 'State of Origin' game that's going on tonight. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, State of Origin is kinda a big deal in Australia; it involves Queensland (the maroon players) and New South Wales (the blue players) going head-to-head in a set of three football games. I'm not exactly the most STATE-triotic girl around because I was completely unaware that it was even happening until I went to school and people were a bit excited... I usually only watch the games because there's so many spunky young men in the teams (Billy Slater is a stunning creature). I did my part though! I wore a maroon/berry coloured dress on my blog! 

Anyway, hi! It's been about five days since my last post. Time really seems to fly when I do stuff and go places. I've been very moody and angry with the world lately. School work (note: school WORK... thank goodness for friends or I would be a mess) has stomped me into the gutter. I've been so unmotivated with it over the last few days... I just can't seem to find the energy to do anything academic and it's not good, especially since this is senior year. I have lots of things on my social agenda to look forward to though and I guess I'll use those as motivation. I did want to update you all on what I did at the weekend! My family and I went down to Brisbane on Saturday and stayed the night to shop a little, see some friends and also to take a tour of the St. Lucia UQ campus. It was really lovely to look at the environment that will probably be my home next year. 

I have to do English homework now... I am a little behind on some of it and I can't write a VHA standard essay on a book I haven't finished (thanks a lot to the rats in my English class that snitched on me - they know who they are!). 

I hope you are all having a nice week so far - Friday is so close! xo

autumn instinct // 4 years blogging!

Lee Cooper denim jacket (only $35! Woohoo for affordable denim jackets!), Kmart skirt, Sussan top, Oasap bag, Rubi shoes, scarf and sunglasses 

Hello! Guess what today is?! On this day in 2010, I started my blog and wrote my first blog post! It's been four years since I started blogging and it's been one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of my life! I just had to share that :)
Isn't the light in these photos simply gorgeous? Aside from the cool change and the beautiful colours in photos, Autumn is one of my favourite seasons because I get to wear scarves, stockings and boot style shoes. It's always nice to get rugged up and cosy and I thought this mustard yellow scarf and the pink bag worked wonderfully together for an Autumnal palette. How have you been embracing the weather where you are? 

This week has been quite good so far; on Monday my friend Anna and I went to a cafe in the afternoon to embrace our ritualistic "ease the sting of the Monday blues" as well as celebrate our awesome English results. I think it's important to celebrate if you get good grades in something you worked really hard for - especially in senior year. Without celebration, it can be hard to stay motivated and continue doing well. I'm really proud of my friends actually, we're all doing really well in our subjects so far this year!

Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely week. I'll be back again soon - I have to finish off my History research task and pack for Year 12 retreat. 

fraser island // photo diary

Sorry for such a long absence! The last week has been incredibly busy and I have a lot to talk about! From Thursday to Saturday, my amazing geography class went on a field trip to the beautiful Fraser Island for our field report assignment and, oh my gosh, it was the most amazing school excursion of my entire life. *That's also an understatement.* It was so much fun and we made so many fantastic memories. Since it's a World Heritage Site, there's plenty of beautiful places to explore and I took lots of pictures to capture the island's unique beauty. Here's a few of the highlights...

Day 1 // The beach

It was incredibly cold and windy when we arrived, but it was so much fun riding the boat and looking out over the island. On the way back home I actually went up to the wheel of the barge and drove it a bit! 

Day 1 // Lake Mackenzie 

As soon as we stepped off the sand path into the entry of Lake Mackenzie, I knew instantly why it's one of the most famous lakes in the world. The sand was bleach white and soft and the water was completely clear. Despite the overcast weather and bite in the air, it was still beautiful to swim in. The low pH in the water also left everyone's hair and skin really soft!

Day 2 // Indian Head 

The view from up here was absolutely breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it. Laura and Anna are in the pictures with me on the side of the cliff face. It was really windy and cold but it was just incredible. I'd love to have stayed longer

Day 2 // Champagne Pools

This reminded my friend Anna of Spain so much. The water was crystal clear and the colours of the rock against the blue of the ocean was so beautiful and picturesque. Despite it being a little nippy, I went for a quick swim before having tea.

 Day 2 // The Sterling Castle Shipwreck 

This shipwreck was really cool to look as, despite us not being allowed to explore it from the inside - it's so deteriorated and rusted, tetanus would've ensued if someone stepped on something sharp! And doesn't my friend Molly look GORGEOUS up against this back drop?! She's quite the beach babe. 

Unfortunately a few of my photos of Lake Wabby (from the third days adventures) got lost yesterday because I bought a new phone and my data was...wiped (dang it!), so I don't have those photos but it was really beautiful as well - especially the dunes and the reflection of the forest against the water. Fraser was honestly the most amazing place and it was even quite nice to be away from the internet for a few days. I had such a fantastic time with my amazing friends and I'm going to remember the trip forever. 

Back soon with an outfit post! xo

NYC

Ally jeans, thrifted NYC tee, Myer scarf, Kmart shoes, thrifted bag 

Today was a lovely (but cold) Autumn day that consisted of a nice outing to Husk and Honey with Abbey (in which we indulged in carrot cake, fruit salad and bitter coffee) after an interesting (and competitive) night of card games with Patty and Jack, lots of geography and maths homework, wearing layers of warm clothing and recovering from the festivities of the last two days. I joined the school gym on Thursday and as out of character as it was for me, I had fun and I think I'll make it a regular thing. Going for walks/ runs around your neighbourhood can get a little mundane after a while. The gym was good, but then the next day we had cross country and man, I'm so sore. I've never done so much physical activity in the space of 24 hours before. I feel great though - my body is just a bit confused... "Maria, what the hell are you doing?!" Cross country was really fun though; the weather was overcast and mild and after our race, we just relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day. 

I hope you're all having a nice weekend... I'm currently in love with this song, this dress, this quote and this collection of home made winter drinks. xo

state of grace

Target dress, Kitten D'Amour hair flower, Oasap bag, Kmart shoes 

Thank goodness for the written word or else I wouldn't have any other way to communicate... my voice is on the verge of defeat and I probably will have lost the ability to speak by tomorrow as I've spent today sounding like a frog, incessantly coughing, talking to elderly people and handing out Easter eggs, and lazing around trying really hard to recover from lack of sleep and this awful illness that took me by surprise on Wednesday. Izzy and I even went thrift shopping on Thursday and it resulted in me having a sneezing attack in the change-room which was incredibly embarrassing. I blame the snap change in the weather! The nights are so much cooler now; hence the wearing of a thick, black dress. 

Tomorrow and the next are my last two days of freedom before I go back to school and in reflection, I've had pretty darn good holidays. The last two weeks have been a flurry of social events with friends and family and relaxing and avoiding anything school related. Tomorrow will be even better too with an Easter lunch with the family, and hopefully they'll be an opportunity for me to squeeze in some English assignment work. But probably not. 

I hope you all have a lovely Easter break (if you celebrate it!). It's always nice to remember how much Jesus sacrificed for us while He was on Earth and sometimes I brush my faith aside, so it's nice having the reminder there. I'll be back soon! xo

metro miss

Thrifted top and skirt, Trade Secret coat, Oasap bag, Kmart shoes 

Autumn is finally upon us Australians and although it may be a little early to bring out the trench, I thought I would anyway because this outfit couldn't be more perfect for a day out in the city during the cold snap. I'm very much looking forward to when I become a "grown-up" and days out in the city shopping, meeting up with friends and running business errands are a regular occurrence. Believe it or not but the top and skirt both costed me under $5 combined (yet another op-shop eureka!) and the trench coat was found on the "clearance" rack in Trade Secret. Sometimes a girl just gets lucky when she needs it most! 

Unfortunately for my bank account my Autumn "essentials" list is creeping up again and I can't help but want a new pair of sunglasses (I've been eyeing off a pair in VOGUE), however the pricing is slightly steep for my student budget so I might flick over to Bonlook, Modcloth or Asos for something a little more affordable. Sunglasses shapes seem to be so fickle! When you finally bight the bullet and buy a super trendy shape - it's out of fashion the week after... 

Anyway, I better cease the babbling on sartorial dilemmas and continue with my English Feature Article. Man, this assignment is driving me crazy. I've re-written it three times now and I'm still not happy with it! Hopefully a tea will help. Have a lovely week xo