petal

 Dress c/o Oasap, Target platforms, Forever new belt, Lovisa ring, Sportsgirl hat

I think that if you've been reading Avenue Maria from the start, you'll be aware that I sorta kinda ....maybe... (really) like pink. Oh okay, I'm lying to myself. I love pink! Pink is the equivalent to waffles and maple syrup on a Sunday morning, Ryan Gosling singing in Blue Valentine and the smell of old books. So, as you can imagine, I was delighted to unwrap this beautiful frock from Oasap this afternoon. I feel like an an absolute princess in it and it's simply perfect for Spring. I took advantage of the pretty afternoon light and aside from nearly breaking both of my ankles (note: these shoes are not ideal for the countryside), it was a lovely time. It's lucky my photographer is a good sport. *high fives the little sister*

Aside from the usual excuse for my blogging absences - wallowing in school work, horrendous time management skills etcetera - this time around, I have to admit, I've been so unmotivated! School isn't even that busy! I've had many opportunities to do blog things... catch up on emails, return comments, take pictures and put together posts but I simply haven't found the energy! Now, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has hit rock bottom when it comes to lack of inspiration (and I don't want to keep digging), so help! How have you dealt with lapses in inspiration? I would love to know because this blog is supposed to keep me relatively sane and I don't want it to turn into a 'once a week' kinda thing. 

I hope you've all had a wonderful start to the week. I'm off to bed... my eyes are starting to close on me... that's a sign that I'm tired right?! Good night! xo

english rose

 Dress c/o BeBop clothing, gifted boater hat, Kmart platforms, bag c/o Chicnova, Max Factor lipstick in 'English Rose'

Happy Monday everyone! Hopefully the start to your week was excellent! Today I decided to style up this dress from BeBop with this gorgeous, vintage kiss-lock bag from ChicNova. I was really surprised with the quality of the bag as many of the bags I have received from similar online stores are pretty but aren't the most wonderful quality. This one, however, is an exception! The leather is really soft and it's the perfect size for shopping or taking to school during exam time when I don't need anything too big. This dress has also been a great addition to my wardrobe. It's light, very cute and girlie and will be perfect for the summer time. I think it's still available here if you'd like to take a closer peek. :)

Can you notice the colour in the photos?! Oh my gosh, I feel like Spring is already upon us! The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately - I'm not a beach person and I have been dying to go have a swim. I'm so excited for the warm change, I've had enough of winter and I think my skin has too (ugh, does anyone else deal with annoying dry patches?!). 

I hope you have a great week and I'll talk to you all soon! Lots of love xo

sunstripes

 Dress c/o BeBop clothing, bag c/o Oasap, Rubi shoes, Australis lipstick in 'Cha Cha', Forever New pearl bracelets

There's nothing more versatile than a striped dress for all year 'round. This one in particular was sent to me by the ladies at BeBop Clothing (I was offered the opportunity to review two dresses from their brand and I jumped at the chance) and I am so excited about it! It's light, comfortable and really well made. The packaging they sent it to me in was really adorable too - both dresses came quickly and in a gorgeous canvas bag with the a pretty drawing on the front. Score! New bag for library stops! Speaking of library stops, I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series and I'm addicted. This series is genius and I love it.

I hope you're all having a great week so far. Tomorrow is my school's annual dress-up day and (big surprise!) I'm going as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz... one of my favourite fictional characters. I'll take lots of pictures so you guys can see. Lots of love xo
P.S: I really appreciate all of you. Each and every person who reads my blog is a good friend in my eyes and I hope you realise that. Without you, Avenue M wouldn't be what it is today so, thank you. 

dear darlin'

 Lace top from Mum's closet, Tulio dress (worn as skirt), Tempt belt, Kmart shoes, gifted hat, Oasap bag and sunglasses

Revisiting my fave photo location ever for these pictures... today was such a lovely day and despite the angry grey clouds looming as I type this, we've had really pleasant spring-like weather lately. Yesterday, I was actually wearing a mini skirt and a sleeveless top... and wasn't cold at all! Speaking of yesterday, I got half my hair lopped off! I haven't had hair this short (and manageable!) since I was about nine or ten years old. It feels really healthy and light too! I'm not used to such a length though so any hairstyle tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :)

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know what I've filmed a video all about how my Roaccutane experience is going! In it, I talk about my favourite products for dealing with acne and acne-prone skin and a few other things that you might be interested in. It's here, if you'd like to have a look (and don't mind my bomb-site bedroom, I couldn't decide what to wear that morning and basically my entire wardrobe was on my bed!).

I hope you're all having a beautiful day and enjoy the week ahead, not sure how much I'll be blogging this week (it's going to be crazy!) but bear with me xo

           

serendipity

Emerson polka dot dress (best spent $19 ever!), Oasap bag, Rubi flats, Forever New belt, Sportsgirl hat and handmade flower wreath

Yesterday afternoon was glorious photo-taking weather so I made the most of it by wearing a very colourful outfit! I'm so in love with Autumn; warm pyjamas, hot chocolate with marshmallows, scarves, berets and gloves, hot water bottles and cozy nights in. This winter is going to be beautiful, I just know it! Lots of good things have been happening this week (wonderful things that happen unexpectedly) like getting an extension on my three thousand word assignment religion assignment, an old man calling me 'sweet Maria' as he drove off after I took his lunch order, pretty stationery packages coming in the mail and (yippee!) the arrival of a long-awaited queen bed on Friday! Even better, it didn't cost me a cent. Friends of ours were cleaning out their spare bedroom and it just so happened they thought of me (updated room tour coming soon). I'm also going away on an Art camp with Izzy on Friday and we're going to have a blast.

I've been really trying to live by this quote: "Everyday may not be good, but there's something good in everyday". It's been helping me a lot, especially because my acne medication has been giving me grief. It's good to focus on the positive!
I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far! What do you think of my new blog design? I love it and am so pleased with how it turned out! It's still getting updated so just bear with me for now! :)

fairy

This is the dress. You know? The one I ranted on an on about late last year in lead up to the dance? I took these pictures at summer's peak (mid January) and completely forgot about them. It was quite lucky to find them on my old memory card because the weather has been completely ridiculous here lately and I've been drowning in homework which means no chance of outfit pictures. I'm really excited though because I turn the big 1 - 6 (OK, fine, it's not that old) in five days! I don't know what it is about being 16, but it's just such an important age of me. :)
Anyway, doesn't it look so summery and lovely in these pictures?! It's completely different right now though; very chilly (I'm even wearing a sweater!) and perfect tea and movie watching weather. I've also been looking at a few online stores recently too in search of wintery things for my wardrobe. I really like the collection of Ugg Australia they have at Number Eight Clothing... especially these gorgeous gloves. They would look so fancy with a trench and some red lipstick! Hope you're all having a great week so far, I'm off to relax after a homework filled afternoon and watch the latest episode of the Carrie Diaries. Bliss. xo

polka dot frock

 (Forever New sundress available here, Diva pocket watch necklace, Target wedges, Grandma's bracelet, gifted boater hat)

I got this sweet dress for Christmas from my style savvy Mum. She always picks out the cutest things! I love the whole 50's vintage feel and the skirt is so fun to twirl in. Thanks Mum! ♥ Anyway, I wore this outfit out to breakfast with my family to celebrate her birthday a few days ago. After that we went for a swim at the beach and there wasn't any waves! Good. I don't like waves much, I prefer to drift and relax in calm, still water. It was a very nice day out. Apart from that, nothing much has been happening here. I did go shopping with Emma on Thursday which was lovely. We discussed the importance of fashion over a mango smoothie and a hot chocolate then went to go sniff some perfumes... (I think that's my favourite part of shopping!)

I hope you're all doing well. And, I just realised; this is my last post for 2011! Hope your New Year's celebrations are wonderful! I also forgot to mention that this dress has a lovely open back heart detail that I forgot to photograph (silly me). You can view the dress on the website though and see it in its shop glory.
P.S: The second last picture made me laugh! While me and Jo were taking these photos it was just so windy and I was trying to keep a straight face but my hair was going everywhere. Haha! ♥

magical world

With fairy-like complexions, pastels dresses, tiaras fit for a princess and twinkling lights illuminating the room, the models for Louis Vuitton S/S 2012 emerged. The carousel started to turn; the placid, white horses, seeming almost like a scene from a fantasy tale.

I haven't always been an ecstatic fan of Louis Vuitton. I'm not entirely into bold geometric prints and repetitive brand symbols but I really liked the S/S 2012 collection. It was just so beautiful. The carousel, pastel coloured frocks and twinkling fairy lights instantly won me over. Floaty dresses in shades of sky blue, snow white and buttery yellow were accompanied by tiaras, strappy shoes and classic make-up. I guess the fact that I’m a fairy-tale loving, floral-wearing and all-things-girly type, the love for this collection was a given. You can look at the full collection via Style Bistro. I just love these pictures of this carousel!

The weekend has started off quite nicely and although I'm exhausted from a hectic week, I feel relaxed. I'm reading Tuck Everlasting at the moment. A lovely story written by Natalie Babbit. In a nutshell, it is a beautifully written tale of the Tuck's, a family who unknowingly drink from a spring that provides them with eternal life. Determined to keep this water a secret because of the dangers and disruption to the cycle of life it would cause, they live a life of secrecy. This is until Winnie Foster, a young girl stumbles across the spring and is curious to know why she isn't allowed to drink it. The Tucks' secret is eventually told and it is up to Winnie to protect it. One of my favourite stories of all time!