'OTT Chic', photobombing dogs and it's my birthday!

Hello chic friends!

 

We went to a friend's 50th birthday on the weekend and I loved my outfit! I was feeling an Italian Chic/OTT vibe :)

And the weather turned it on too. After months and months of rain and grey skies we had beautiful spring weather. Hoorah for that!

 

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And then the other night I thought my after-dinner decaf with cream looked so pretty next to the candle that I took a photo.

I was trying to get a good picture (to portrait or not to portrait?) before my coffee got cold, and my husband Paul said 'here, let me take it'.

My photo

You can see his version in this second picture 😂😂😂 Daphne with her eyes trained on me hoping for a duck tender dog treat...

 

Paul's photo

And yes, thankfully my coffee was still hot, and it was delicious. And the biscuit just hit the spot too - gluten-free Arnotts scotch finger! It tastes so shortbready. Yum.

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I was tidying up the photo folders on my computer and came across this early days photo of my writing desk, at our old house in Auckland.

Everything I am using is still the same, except the desk is now my sewing desk. I bought a new writing desk a few years ago.

I am even still drinking out of the same giant mug! My husband Paul bought it for me as my morning writing tea mug because otherwise he would have to make me two cups before he left for work :)

I still love writing my books just as much as I did when I was getting started. Back in those days I would write around my full-time job, but these days I have the luxury of being a stay-at-home happy housewife and pet mum as well as writing my books.

I am beyond grateful that I get to have this lifestyle, and am especially thankful to you, my reader, who trusts me with your money and buys my books.

For my part, I commit to keep on writing and do more of the stuff you enjoy. It really is my happy place, spinning inspiration and excitement onto the pages. The more I write, the more there is to write; that's the secret about where my inspiration comes from. And giving myself a challenge. With my '100 Ways' books, it's fun to keep on going up to one hundred tips.

I have another '100 Ways' book out very soon; do you like this format? Don't worry, I'll mix them up with my other more traditional chapter books too, but there is just something so fun about a big, juicy list, don't you think?

And, it was my birthday on Friday! Happy birthday to me! Another free trip around the sun and now I am 52. Just like that. Time goes so fast, so I am here to remind myself to be present and let it sink in. It makes all the difference.

When I dwell in the past or dream too much of the future (which is fun, just not meant to be a full-time pastime), I miss out on what's happening right now.

I've actually been much better at bringing my mind back to the present lately and it makes a huge difference to how much I enjoy even the little things, my sense of peace and happiness, and relaxation of the nervous system too.

Lots of love to you. Be happy, follow your dreams, and love your life :)

xx Fiona

 

 

 

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)

Walking in the sunshine, and inspiring reading

 

We had a little stroll around Napier with the doggies on Sunday - may I introduce you to our fluffy white boy Micky, the latest family member. He lives with us now that my brother has moved overseas.

The day started out blue skied but chilly so I wore my coat, and then the sun turned it on 😂😂 I was so warm! So we had to have an ice cream, of course we did.

Micky gets on really well with Daphne and Chloe. He is such a gentle and lovely boy. Chloe is very naughty though, she does a tiny wee chuff at home and sets Micky off barking. She isn't even looking at anything when she does it but she knows Micky will take the bait. She is such a little tart!

 

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And here we have the first of the summer roses, and a little light reading 😊

All the items in this photo are thrifted, I just realized! The lamp was $25, the vase a few dollars, and the cabinet around $65 as I recall.

I love decorating with more dash than cash! (Did anyone else read that Vogue book 'More Dash Than Cash' from the 1980s? It was just about my bible. There was an English and a US version, I had the English version.)

And if you'd like to check out my books, you can find them all here on Amazon, in paperback or on Kindle 🤩

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And while we are on the subject of light reading, there is something magical and dreamy about whiling away time with a pretty magazine such as Victoria magazine pictured here. It doesn't even need to be a long time - fifteen minutes flicking through a few pages is enough to elevate your point of view and 'poof' up your mindset a la Marie Antoinette and her fanciful style.

We might not have her fancy French furniture but we can all add a little colour and fancy into our lives, with fresh flowers, a dainty pastel-hued cake, and some decadent laying around time.

I think the anytime is perfect for that, don't you? Wishing you a beautiful, rose-scented day, whatever you are doing!

xx Fiona

 

 

 

 

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)

New spring clothes for moi, and my journal organizing tips

 

Hey everyone! I bought two new spring tops last week and they made me feel so happy and cheerful!

This one is slightly silky and the other is a light weight knit. Something I love about having a wardrobe that is not too big is that I can buy new items without guilt.

I hope you are having fun choosing some new season items whether they are for autumn or spring. Let me know what you’ve got lately!

 

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Obviously I am having ongoing problems with Jessica and my journaling time!! She loves to help 😂
 

A lovely reader wrote to me with her dilemma:

“How do you organize your notes, research, ideas, journal entries, etc? I find that, when I am doing some journal writing, I often get ideas for seasonal projects, or something I want to research, or a product I want to find. All my notes end up in my journal and unorganized. In order to find a note I waste a lot of time digging through journal pages. My favorite method to capture thoughts is in writing, with pen and paper. How do you keep your notes and ideas separate, but organized, and easily retrievable?”

I thought this was such a great question, and I actually have a loose system I use. Keeping different things in only a few places is what works for me. For example, I have:

:: A daily journal that I write in every week. I date the page and write my current inspiration or brainstorm inspiring ways to upgrade an idea of my life that I want to work on.

:: The same kind of document on my computer which I call ‘Fiona’s Journal’. When I am more in the mood to type my inspiration, I use that. I also date each entry here.

Mostly I use the ‘one journal’ system. I don’t have tons of journals because then I really would get into a mess. If I want to look back over my notes, I can generally find what I want. It’s more inspiring for me to have everything in together 😊

Something else I do which is separate to journals, is to save inspiration snippets into folders on Pinterest. Often these are private folders just to house certain topics. You could even photograph notes to put there so everything is saved all together, and you can access it at home or out.

I hope this helps, and if you have any tips on what works well for you, please chime in too!

 

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I took this photo the other day because it was so icy here : 4 deg C (39 F) at breakfast time. Can you see the snow on the distant hills? It was a beautiful day though, it always is with a frost or near-frost.

It's Friday here tomorrow and I often join my mother and aunt in town. They always meet up on Fridays for lunch, and when my grandmother was alive the three of them would - it's a tradition that has lasted decades!

My uncle called it 'the triangle lunch' and if someone else like me went along it became a square.

When it was just my aunt and mother we called it a straight line.

But when I'm there it is a triangle again! I find all the shapes funny and cute, but it's also just part of the family vernacular now.

And I've been writing this week. My next book is shaping up nicely, and I have the cover saved as wallpaper on my computer. It is SUCH a beautiful cover, I love it. I just can't show you yet sorry because I want it to be fresh with the book :)

Whatever your day brings, I trust it will be fabulous. And if it's not, see how you can bring a sparkle into it. You have the power!

 

xx Fiona

 

 

PS. You can find all my books on Amazon here or through the images below 😊

 

 

 

 

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)

My 'Ralph Lauren' living room

 

Hello chic friends!

 

I love our living room style SO much, and call it ‘Ralph Lauren on a budget’.

When we moved in five years ago, the whole interior was painted a soft, warm white, so it was a lovely blank canvas to live with, then we started making some changes…

(You can see how the room is now in these first two photos, and ‘before’ in the last three photos.)

 
Luckily my husband Paul loves the same interior styles as me, and we hired a local interior designer to help us have the guts to bring it to life.

 

Years later, the living room is still our favourite room and we often sit in it with a coffee and marvel at how we get to live in such a place.

 

The before pictures! 

 

 

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I am so proud of this little book (below). It has consistently been a bestseller since it was released more than six months ago, and I have had lovely feedback – and excellent reviews – on it too. It’s all one could ask for as an author!

 

 

Why I think it’s struck such a chord with its readers is that it is not about clipping coupons or cutting back. Rather it encourages you to live large, and to live ‘beyond your means’ by having an abundantly luxurious mindset.

We could all use a little extra feelgood and a chance to live a more inspired life without necessarily changing anything big such as the people we live with or our job.

I always find for myself that when I feel stuck in a certain area, all I need to do is pump my mindset up a bit – it had gone flat momentarily! When I do this, I start to feel better and everything starts to gain more buoyancy again.

That happy, light-hearted feeling is our natural state. Anything else is just a temporary coating that might have just floated over us. Look out from under it and see how beautiful the world is. Even with everything going on, there is still beauty and peace and wonder.

If you have read ‘100 Ways to Live a Luxurious Life on a Budget’, please let me know your favourite tip. It’s always fun to hear if a book has made an impact.

And, please share your favourite tip to feel fabulous on a normal day, how you lift yourself up, or how you feel ‘rich’ without spending any money.

You already know all of mine, they’re in this book! I was going to add a tip of my own to start off, but each one I thought of I thought, Nah, it’s already in the book 😂😂

You can find it here on Amazon.

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It’s been so rainy and cold here so I've been cozy indoors, with brief breakouts for dog walks.

I got some writing done too. I am in love with my next book! I had left it for a month and when I went back to it it was so inspiring, lol. Phew! I can’t wait for you to see it, soon(ish). Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week, remember to keep your vibration high by doing things you enjoy and that build you up, and amazing things can happen.

xx Fiona

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)