... Well, things have been a little quiet this week. I haven't had a chance to do any sewing this weekend, or this week for that matter. I'm now in Grafton, where it's humid, and a bit depressing, and it's a long story with an end that hasn't happened yet.

Last weekend, however, I did some more work on my Vogue 8667 dress. I finished the hemming (or rather, I started the hemming...), and for the first time I used the little hem jiggy on my dress form, which, sadly, was one of the most exciting things that happened. I set the collar, too. I set it and it involved rather a lot of hand-sewing. I set it and it doesn't look the way I'd imagined it would.

I'm going to chop it off. Partly because I didn't realise that the back makes it look as though the collar has been accidentally sewn on backwards, and partly because it is Too Big. As in like.. makes me feel as though I'm being strangled. It's disconcerting to say the least.


I'm kind of pissed because, as I say, I had to hand-sew the damn thing on, plus I spent about 30 minutes pressing it, and now I don't like it.  I don't want to waste the hand stitches though, so I'm going to unpick the back and trim it down to about a centimetre wide, and.. sew it again. Much, much smaller this time.

Live and learn. It's becoming a catch phrase.

Here's the thing...

You cannot go wrong if the plant already has flowers/berries on it at time of purchase!

Two strawberries! Two strawberries I have grown and eaten! This has been my most successful strawberry endeavour yet, and it was so easy because I made sure to buy a plant with two berries already on it.

That really is all there is to it! And now, when the plant dies (by my reckoning, since it's been going ok for about a month, it can surely only have a week left), it won't be a failure because.. you know... the season is almost over...

This is the first thing you need to know...

Succulents. They cannot be killed. I have tried.

It doesn't even matter if you forget to water them, or leave them in the dark, or leave them in the sun so they dry up and shrivel, or leave them in the rain so the shriveled and dry parts go mouldy... they are fool-proof.

All you have to do is steal them from a neighbours garden (by snapping off a piece) and stick them in a pot. The end.

I have come to the conclusion that with some people, like my brother, boyfriend and grandmother, there is generally a high chance of gift dissatisfaction. This is sad for me, because I genuinely like giving gifts, and I absolutely frigging love giftwrapping things, and when I put a lot of thought into a gift, but get it wrong anyway, it stings.

My solution now is to try not to care, but to continue with the thought, and hope that I have landed on vaguely the same wavelength.

If you happen to know one of these people, then my advice is to give them something you like yourself, because then at least you can enjoy giving it. Some examples:

From top left: Beer: A Guide for Enthusiasts $18.00 - 2011 Moleskine Hard Cover Diary $14.00 - Mr Men Mug (your choice of man...) $14.95 - Peter Alexander Men's Penny Sleep Short $39.00 - Pantone Chip Turquoise Cuff Links $79.00 - Skagen Watch $239.95 - Trilogy Smooth Shave Cream $20.00 and After Shave Balm $30.00

I have my fingers crossed for my choices this year. I mean...spandex is still fashionable, right...?

It's that time of year again people. Obviously, I've done all my Christmas shopping, did it online in fact, because I'm retentive like that. But, I thought I'd throw a line to the rest of you poor schmucks who have lives and ergo, are not as organised as me.

Now before you ask, I'm a chick, I like stuff, and I'm cheap, so I'm well qualified to bring you this collection.

From top left: L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Shower Gel $29.95 - French Bull Tapestry Round Platter $39.00 - Autumn Overlook Dress $134.99 USD - Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer $53.00* - Elk Bird on Logs silver pendant $135.00 - Kate Spade canvas Kindle cover $85.00 USD - V&A  Newsam Pink mug $12.50

Coming up: Gifts (mostly) under 100 dollars: guys who say they just like stuff, but are picky about what kind of stuff. Bastards.

*Holy crap, Benefit is so much more expensive in Aus than in the States. Bastards. 

You know you guys, I have goals.

Goals in life, which are best not thought about, as they are amorphous and lacking in direction.

Goals for the day at hand, which currently include "getting out of bed" and "brushing hair". That kind of thing.

Goals for the week ahead, for example "don't eat too much cake" and "stay away from Subway cookies".

Goals for the spending of my tax return. These range from the worthy, "put in to savings"... to the not so worthy, "should I go for the sky blue KitchenAid or the almond cream". The wistful, "some for going on holidays" to the desperate, "man, I'm totally effed up if I don't get as much as I calculated..."

And then there is this, "maybe I will finally get my tattoo". The tattoo I have been thinking about, and planning for, and mulling over, for two or three years now. Maybe I will finally get it.

Here is my inspiration. I shall leave the imagination up to you.

There is grandeur. Do you see it to?

I just feel that one cannot be good at everything. For example, I am unable to use the fax machine at work, despite a number of attempts. I also cannot do push-ups (no upper body strength or will power).

Nor can I garden, despite a number of attempts...

Periodically I start to believe that perhaps..this time it will be different, and my visions of a balcony/bedroom/windowsill garden utopia take over completely. I end up in the garden section of Bunnings and KMart, and things get a little bit out of hand. (Sometimes I also start to think that I really can use a fax machine, but that one remains to be proven.)

In my imaginings, my garden is lush and verdant, and yields daily harvests of plump tomatoes, lettuce leaves, juicy peas, etc etc. In reality, one year I killed, in quick succession, three lavender bushes, a gardenia (who knew they need to be re-potted...?), a tomato, chives, parsley, mint (allegedy unkillable...lies!), and....three cacti.

Let me tell you something though.. I have a feeling deep in my nethers: this time it will be different!



Just you wait!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this super awesome gift under one hundred dollars. I actually can't believe it, because it's so super awesome. Well, it's super awesome if you like that kind of thing.
Chasseur Cast Iron Sky Blue Square Grill 25cm. Its RRP is $159.00, but if you buy it from Victoria's Basement it's only $79.95! CRAZY. GO AND BUY ONE NOW!! Seriously though, there is no better way to cook steak. And it's a beautiful colour, so you should just do it. I said so, and I am Ellie. It is written.


Buy some nommy spice rubs while you're at it, and everyone will be happy.

I know this is a little... you know, late to the game and all... but I have a full time job now, and getting up at 7.45 each morning is a challenge I haven't faced in quite a while. Except for this time last year when I was at CSIRO and I started work at 7.37, but that was different because it was on a farm and I was wearing a lab coat. Or something.

I almost thought I'd stumped myself with the under-50-dollars, but them somehow, it came together quite magnificently in the end. I'd like to make an addendum to the list though, and then we'll talk bundt pan. The first item on my 50 dollar list was a beautiful buttery-soft leather case. The case in itself was $49 AUD, so I thought I'd give you another option, which is a bit more value-added. It's from Kikki-K though. Always is.

Lovely things made from leather are, as I've mentioned previously, oft under-rated. So, to start, obtain a leather pouch, $19.95 AUD, from Kikki-K. Obtain it in yellow, because it's just better. Then place in it two gel pens, $4.95 AUD each. Make one of them Vastkust yellow, and the other Bird yellow. The key to these kinds of presents is to stick to a theme. This theme is yellow. After you have placed the pens in the case, you must also place in it some sticky notes (yellow), $5.95 AUD, and finally add some Jord bulldog clips, $2.48 AUD, and some Vastkust metal page markers, $6.95 AUD. You won't regret any of it. The beauty of this idea as a whole, is that it can also be replicated with red or black if you are so inclined. Go red for your valentine, and pick the heart-shaped sticky notes and the love-heart rubber bands. And maybe the zoo ones for good measure, because rubber bands shaped like animals fill me with glee. Fill the black pouch with whatever you want, I don't care for it.
I feel there is a lot of leeway in this under 100 dollars jive. You can either get one big lovely thing, or a selection of little lovely things. Not that you couldn't do that under 50 dollars, but there's more room for food for thought to breathe when we're dealing with 100 dollars. Or something like that.

So first up, a 12 month subscription to ABC Delicious magazine, $65.00 AUD, paired with a bundt pan, $10.00 AUD and some other little things. Read on. Magazine subscriptions are a bit blah by themselves, so by adding other little things, they become less blah, more ooh ahh. You like what I did with the rhyme there?  I've done my share of foodie magazine reading, and I think Delicious is one of the best. Unlike, say, Gourmet Traveller, which is full of recipes requiring turducken-like amounts of effort and/or a Filipino maid, the recipes in Delicious are approachable and generally don't require overly-gourmet ingredients or the knowledgeable-assistance of a Filipino maid. As for the bundt pan, well..such pans are just hilarious in general. So, you have the magazines, you have the bundt pan; let us add some other little things. I say first a whisk. A blue silicone whisk, $3.95 AUD. And then some spatulas. Some blue silicone spatulas, $5.95 AUD. And probably also some measuring spoons. Blue silicone spoons, $9.95. And then you're pretty much done with that one.
We'll go for a big nice lovely thing. Marc Jacobs Daisy, just do it. In fact, do the 50ml EDT, $63.50 (again from Strawberrynet). If you want to go all out, the 50ml EDP is $100.50. In this case however, purchasing the EDT will allow the addition of a little something something to the mix... Something like these tiny little silver flower earrings from Etsy seller bellabijoujewellery, $24.00 USD. Remember it's all about picking a theme. With shipping from Canada and the USD conversion, these might put us slightly over the whole 100 dollar jive, but what's a few bucks between friends eh?
Sometimes life calls for an afternoon spent in a beanbag. A giant bean bag in a shady nook. A giant beanbag for $49.95. An afternoon spent in a giant beanbag with some food for thought, like a year's worth of Australian Geographic, $49.95. Or, if that sounds a bit too academic, an afternoon spent in a beanbag with some serious drink is probably an even friendlier option (I think so, anyway). Lindeman's Early Harvest semillon sauvignon blanc, $12.99/bottle is 25% lighter in alcohol, which surely means on a hot summer afternoon you can drink 25% more of it, especially if you soak up some of the alcohol. Of course, you'll need to provide some kind of drinking implement, and the Riedel O series is a very good option, no stem to balance precariously on the grass means no unfortunate spillages in the shady nook. Pick a pair of riesling/sauvignon blanc for $38.00 AUD and all that yummy wine will be safe.

I realise that's only three super awesome gifts for under 100 AUD but I am exhausted and I'm having problemos with my internetto, which lessens the joy I usually find in trawling the intertubes for lovely things which are lovely. And I just ate my dinner, so all my energy has gone to my belly and is digesting a chicken breast, stuffed with mushrooms and red onion and thyme, wrapped in bacon. And some stuffed mushrooms. Oh god, I need to lie down...

• I believe that nice things made from leather are under-appreciated. A nice thing made from leather, and well looked after, will last a long time. I am a fan of things that last a long time because I am a big believer in sentimental value, and also I have the hoarding instincts of a squirrel readying for the winter, so I think that a nice thing from leather is the way to go to head up the under-50 super awesome 5. I'm sorry if you are a vegan with ethical objections, but there is nothing lovelier than some buttery-soft leather. Also, cheese is extremely tasty, and dairy cows like making milk, it's what they do. This slim-zip case from Antonini is made in Florence from buttery-soft leather. It's just the right size to carry around some nice pens (soon to be featured in a super awesome list of things quite expensive), and it's just the right price for this list: $49.00 AUD.  I'd go for the green, but that's just how I roll; it comes in lots of colours.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I am a fan of perfume. I am a fan of manfume. I am also a fan of  funny names for everyday objects, which imply their masculine use. For example: mandbag (my italics), mandigan (that's a cardigan for a man), and manfume (it's perfume for men, not cologne, because cologne reminds me of skeezy old men on public transport who rub up against your leg "by accident"). To that end, I love Lancome's Hypnose. I am very sad that the small bottle I had got broken, although it does seem like the perfect reason to try the new version, Senses. There was a point there when Hypnose was over-done (I feel that Gucci Flora, which is beautiful, may be the same at this point). Everyone was wearing it which made it seem a bit cliched, although that may have been related to the timing of its launch and my working in "a Large Department Store" near the cosmetics section. But in a flash of inspiration, I have found a solution, allowing its inclusion in the list.... buy the manfume! In fact, buy it here, for $42.50 AUD, and you'll get a free gift with it (and it's 30% off retail).
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Yesterday I watched Pride and Prejudice. The movie, not the BBC version, which frankly was a mistake; let's face it, Mathew Macfayden is cute and all, but only Colin Firth can do real justice to Mr Darcy. Anyway, here's what I think you should do to remedy this situation (ie. a serious lack of Colin Firth), if you think there's a chance it chould arise for any of your friends. Friends of mine for whom it might happen include Helen, and my mum, just in case you know me in real life and are trying to figure out where this fits in as a super awesome gift idea under 50 dollars. First, you should get the Penguin Pride and Prejudice mug, for $20.00 AUD. Then, you should get the actual Popular Penguin Pride and Prejudice, for $9.95 AUD. Finally, you should get some tea from T2 to go with it. Get one in an orange box, and then all three will be matchy matchy and it will look like you thought about it super hard, instead of blatantly stealing my idea. Oh, and you should probably make it Earl Grey tea, $10.95, just to be twee. By the way, there are some wonderful books in the Popular Penguin series, and it's not often that you can buy a truly good book for $9.95, so another option for this list would be to buy 5 Penguins. Or, you could just change the book/mug combination, there are many other titles available (in the mugs).
  
  
  
  
  
   Oh God this is exhausting, does the 3-in-1 make this list 5 already...
  
  

• Ok, so I know there is also a cute zippered pouch in this super awesome list, but I have another one for you, with slightly more utility. What you're going to do, is get this cute little cosmetics pouch from Witchery, for $19.95 AUD. You can choose the colour, although I'd go silver or feather, because the gold is a bit fuggers. Inside the bag, you're going to put this Clinique eyeshadow quad, $17.00 AUD. It's unboxed, but that's ok because we're going to make it look like you filled the bag with goodies, so it's not supposed to be in the box... and ok, this is going to put us 45 cents over the limit, but seriously, I have searched my heart out for you people and these items are seriously below retail, so fill the rest of the baggie up with some Benefit lip gloss, $13.50 AUD. Again, the colour is up to you, but I think you should choose Streakin' because I am juvenile, and it makes me giggle. Also, because I am good at what I do (being cheap), the quad and the gloss are from Strawberrynet, the world's number one seller of below-cost luxury cosmetics.... and as mentioned in the manfume section above, new Strawberrynet customers get some free stuffs, which you can also put in the baggie, ergo, it will look like you spent a lot more than $50.45, so give me a break about the extra 45 cents.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I feel that what follows is potentially a unisex gift. I try not to discriminate, but obviously it will only work for a man who likes cooking. I've heard that they do exist. Somewhere. Having just waxed lyrical about how wonderful and cheap Popular Penguins are, I need to now make a contradictory generalist statement: sweet Jesus, books are expensive these days. But never mind, stick with me and you'll be able to make this next one work. You're going to need a cookbook, and you're going to need a pan. That is all.  Cookie Magic, $24.95 AUD, has good reviews, and a pretty cover (I am that shallow). Pair it with an Anolon SureGrip cookie sheet, $24.95 AUD. I like Anolon pans (they're usually much more expenso, but like I said, I'm cheap and found you a good price), they're very heavy duty, and the Suregrip ones have a little silicone grip that you can touch ergonomically bare-handed to pull them out of the oven. Fancy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  So there you go. I am quite pleased with myself, and we're only talking about the under 50 bracket, for people whom you quite like but aren't quite prepared to go all out for! There are some super awesome things on that list. Go forth, purchase, and wrap. And stick around, because five super awesome gifts under 100 dollars, for people whom you really like, or for some reason really really need to impress, is coming sooooooon. It involves a bundt pan, and you just can't go wrong with a bundt pan.
  
  
  

What follows are gifts ideal for people to whom you don't feel particularly close, but are obligated to acknowledge. And also people who you like lots, but are too poor generally to be all extravagant and that jazz. I have been accused of populating these lists (I say "lists" because I have a whole series planned out) with items that I like. To which I reply, shut up Rob, I never give things that I don't like myself, so in that sense I'm actually being extremely caring and sharing. Etc.

Let us begin. And yes, most of these are lady presents, because I am a lady, and that's how I roll.

• From Kikki-K the Vastkust 2010 diary, $29.95. Until I got an iPhone and became dependent on iCal, I was addicted to diaries. The thought and planning involved in each year's purchase was serious business and so I don't take this recommendation lightly. But you know, it's blue, which is good. And it's from Kikki-K, which obviously is even better. Plus it's week-to-a-page, which is really the best way to go. I used to be a day-to-a-page person until I realised that when you're dealing with high quality pages and leather binding, day-to-a-page equates to a 3kg brick in your bag each day. Also, it's called Vastkust; that means west coast in Swedish, so for novelty value alone this diary wins in its own right.

• An almost identical option along the same vein is the Cykel photo album, also from Kikki-K, $19.95. It's supposed to be good for the young at heart. That's people like me who are juvenile but somehow manage to keep people fooled. The album isn't really my first preference, I quite like the blue 4x6 cloth brag book, which is also $19.95, but I feel that the cykel has greater present potential because it has some stickers inclued. I'm all about the added extras. I could also launch into a story here about my beloved orange cykel from Sweden, that was a composite constructed from multiple parts of other cykels, but I'll spare you the details. Anyway, the great benefit of this album is its price (same with the brag book I might add), because that means we can add a few extras and still come in under budget. I think the 4-pack of coloured, matching cykel gel pens is just the order, for $9.95.

• Moving away from Kikki-K (it had to be done, although it's probably going to reappear down the line....), the most delicious smelling candle in existence. The sweet pea & jasmine soy wax candle by Ecoya is, I swear to god, the best smelling candle around. Buy the one in the jar, $29.95, because it burns for 50 hours, and then the purty jar will look nice with other purty things in it. I'm not going to lie to you, the other flavours smell nice and all, but sweet pea and jasmine is the best. That is all.

• For someone who likes taking pictures, these tripods are awesomes. You can put them anywhere. Well not like...anywhere... but each to their own. If I were buying for someone with a compact point-and-shoot I'd go for the Monkey Grip Flexi, $19.95, and get them 10 bucks worth of printing too. Not sure of the logistics of this idea exactly, but Big W Photo uses Fuji paper stocks, and their 6x4 prints are only 15 cents each. So that's about 60 prints for 10 dollars, which ain't too shabby. I've printed there before, large sizes too, and the quality was better than some I've had done at a camera store.

• I used to love the smell of all the L'Occitane lemon verbena products, but when I worked at Myer, they used it in the liquid soap dispensers in the bathrooms. As a result, I no longer love the smell of any of the L'Occitane lemon verbena products. In fact, after an unfortunate encounter in Gardemoen Airport duty-free with the eau de toilette of their other fragrance ranges, I discovered not only that I don't particularly care for the smell of any of them, but also that said fragrances are extremely persistent when it comes to my skin and their staying power. That said, I am a fan of lovely things that smell lovely and I don't think you can go past any of the body products in Crabtree & Evelyn's La Source range. A testament to this is the fact that we sold it in another place I worked, and it was the only thing I was ever tempted to shoplift (note that I didn't, since I don't do that kind of shit, but the thought was there...). I think that it would work also for a man of the metro persuasion, since it's not particularly feminine, but obviously one must judge such things on a case-by-case basis. I think the relaxing body lotion, $26.95, is the way to go.

I'm telling you now, it's going to be big.