quiet paws.

I love online stores that hold true to a beautiful philosophy such as the diversely stocked Alegorie which is all about ‘the story you tell through the accessories you wear‘. The other really great thing about the best online stores is their ability to transcend the sometimes cold nature of an indirect transaction between seller and customer, instead they display extraordinary attention to detail and provide exceptional customer service.

It was an absolute delight to receive my recent purchases from Alegorie, all perfectly wrapped and presented with style. So just what did these particular packages contain?

Well, firstly I picked up some beautiful paper and envelopes by Poppies for Grace (the Three Little Birds Letter Set and Lovely Day Letter Set) for a certain little writing project I’m hoping to work on in the future.

In the second package was this STUNNING silk gutli necklace by d|lux in the most beautiful coral shade of pink… this will make the perfect contrast against many of my dark coloured clothes and is a lovely versatile piece which can be worn in many different ways… This necklace also comes in black, so please be kind and not buy that one until I save up some more dollars… xx

Last but not least is this elegant yet simple black key necklace by Proverb… I most like wearing this with a jeans and t-shirt ensemble. I think it ‘classes the joint up’ in a most stylish way… Another all-too-easy purchase to commit to!

Perhaps you’re still trying to find Christmas goodies and gifts for yourself and for others? If so, may I suggest wandering through the virtual aisles of Alegorie if you’re hoping for something special delivered with a very large dash of excellent customer service…

Have I told you about Birdmotel before? Apologies if I have, but I feel it’s a story well worth repeating…

Clearly I’m not an expert on the winged variety of creatures, but if I try to think of somewhere that would be the perfect home-away-from-home for one such feathered friend, a clear picture soon emerges. I’d imagine they would want to be somewhere that gives them a perfect vantage point from which to choose the brightest and most beautiful delights which catch their eye.

I may not be able to fly, but I am able to spend time in a wondrous place that brings the best of these bright and beautiful selections together in one place, and it’s all thanks to the lovely Jo from Birdmotel. Who needs wings when such pretty things wing their way to me through the mail?

The most recent pretties to find themselves to me in such a way are pictured above – a pair of Andrea & Joen ballet flats (one of the most awesome shoe designers in Australia) and the stunning multi-chain bracelet from another of my most adored brands, House of Baulch. Aside from the gorgeous items featured at Birdmotel, the ever delightful Jo offers consistently exceptional customer service (and it is probably this, more than any other reason which keeps me returning to her virtual nest again and again).

Well now, time has got away from me and I’m pretty sure I hear the sound of wings flapping noisily against the front door…perhaps room service has arrived?

In other grand adventures recently undertaken at the Brisbane Finders Keepers markets, I found this gorgeous little embroidered tissue cosy by Edward and Lilly (seriously how cute is this sausage dog?). It was really hard to choose which coloured print to go for (as there were many pretty combinations on offer), but for some reason this pinkish-apricot one was my favourite.

I do my best to use fabric handkerchiefs whenever I can, but during some seasons and on some occasions tissues are much more appropriate. Instead of throwing random tissues somewhere into my handbag, I’m now able to keep them very well organised in this lovely little pouch.

Ever since I visited my Aunt’s house as a child and fell in love with her adorable little sausage dog, I wanted one of my one. So in one of those strange quirky twists of fate, now I’ve finally been able to fulfill that childhood dream and carry my little dog with me everywhere. Happy days indeed!

If you’d like to pick yourself up one of these beauties, you could visit Edward and Lilly’s etsy store where you’ll hopefully find some still in stock (if not there are other sausage doggy treats to tempt you!).

There’s something quite appealing about the curve of a line that travels smoothly from start to finish in unbroken fashion, turning away until it meets itself once more. The symmetry of the circle has long captivated human thought, has inspired the contemplation of true perfection, and has served as a fundamental of geometrical studies for countless generations of maths students. I can’t imagine what life was like before I understood the meaning of radius, diameter, circumference and that little number we like to call Pi. And perhaps more importantly, just where would I be if I didn’t know how to cut a round cake into the optimal number of pieces?

At the recent Brisbane Finders-Keepers Markets I picked up all sorts of lovely goodies (which I’ll gradually get around to featuring on the site), amongst which can be found these gorgeous little ceramic-topped magnets from Australian boutique stationery label Little Jane Street. Such an adorable richness of roundish goodness which came packaged in this lovely hand-stitched cotton bag.

Apart from the application of roundness to practical items like magnets, happily the circle also finds its place amongst the best sweet treats of the world.

The range of colours and contrasting textures of macaroons have made these light and chewy goodies a long-standing favourite of mine. So pretty, and just oh so tasty… it’s nice to know that circles are looking after our taste-buds as well. These beautiful macaroons came from Twist n Roll – a local French style catering business based in Brisbane. Yum!

So the next time all the straight lines and hard edges of the world get you down, think of the humble circle and remember that a start will always curve towards its finish regardless of where you begin…

There are so many benefits to shopping at charity opportunity shops. Firstly, of course is being able to contribute direct monetary assistance to the charities and humanitarian organisations that these shops support. Secondly, these stores are the ultimate in fashionable and practicable recycling. All too often we seem to throw away perfectly good items in the rubbish – I think it is much better to pass them on to another potential user – whether that person be someone in need, or someone like me who would happily pay for your unwanted goods at a charity store. Lastly, there are some amazing bargains to be found – you can be lucky enough to pick up something very special, or at the very least pick up something with a bit of character.

I picked up this great pair of black Melissa Stilettos designed by the Campana Brothers with an original retail price of $110 for the bargain price of $15. I know some of you may think, ’secondhand shoes…gross!’ But being plastic designer shoes I figure they wouldn’t have had too much chance to absorb any grossness, and in any case these look just like new. They have turned out to be one of my MOST comfortable pairs of heels.

I always feel badly for orphaned or neglected books, particularly when those books are of a pretty good quality. I sifted my way through the bargain book table and came away with this interesting mix of books (some of which I’ve read before, some of which I’m yet to read). Honestly how could anyone say no to 3 books for $1?

My most expensive recent charity purchase was this privacy screen (an item I’ve been wanting for a very long time) for $75. Most of the three panel screens I’ve seen for retail sale are quite expensive and are of questionable quality. This one has a really interesting design (which you unfortunately can’t see in this photo) and has the added bonus of being four panels. With a change of fabric and a coat of paint I think it will be just perfect.

I can’t wait to see what treasures I’ll uncover at my next visit!

I’ve been in a real ‘organisational’ mode recently in an effort to declutter my life and clear my head of unnecessary distractions. A very big part of this process has been to move my office around, organise my wardrobe and sort my books properly into bookcases. Where better for a girl to turn when she needs organisational help on a grand (and moderately priced) scale than that Swedish mecca of all things furniture and storage, Ikea.

As always one can go to Ikea with the best intentions of buying just one thing. Inevitably though the maze of goodies will have you tempted into making other clever purchases. My intention on this particular day was to purchase picture frames for some of my art purchases (of which I need many, many more), but of course I ended up finding so much more.

Amongst the bounty of goodies that came away with me can be found a new navy blue metal rubbish bin, two wooden shoe racks, two massive clothing boxes to store all my winter woolies, and of course the intended purchase of picture frames. All in all it was a good shopping effort, and it has made a MASSIVE impact to the tidiness of my room.

On one particularly miserable and boring lunchtime in Brisbane (of which I experience many), while trying to kill some time before I had to go back to the office I found myself wandering past one of the Antique / Estate Jewellers. I’m quite partial to estate jewellery as it feels like a wonderful way to recycle not just the piece in question, but the memories and experiences that have been associated with its previous lives. Anyway I digress…

In the crowded front window display I noticed the cutest little silver bear pendant for sale. It seemed so ‘me’ and felt so right, but unfortunately even at its reduced price I didn’t exactly have the money to spare for a jewellery indulgence at that time. And so I returned over the next few days to gaze at his cute little face and wonder whether I should just rack another purchase up on the much-maligned and over-used credit card…I decided that it just wouldn’t be wise.

The next week I returned to the store, and of course the little silver bear pendant was nowhere to be seen, he had obviously gone home with a new owner. I was a little disappointed, but if you don’t have the money, you just don’t have the money, simple as that.

I’ve thought about that little bear off and on, and even returned to the store from time to time to see whether he had been returned to sale for some reason or another…but no, I think he was enjoying his new life.

All this changed though when I once again found myself with some time to kill and my legs seemed to carry me back to the Estate Jewellery store. Who should I find tucked away in the back corner? Well none other than a little silver bear pendant. After a short internal debate, I figured that this was destiny (especially as it completed by trifecta of once lost items) – it would be wrong to turn my back on what fate had once again thrown into my path. He is now mine.

Believe it or not there was a time before eBay was all ‘business’…where it wasn’t so much about making money as it was about providing an environment for buyers and sellers to meet…where people could sell unwanted goods in a safe environment and where people could grab themselves a great deal…Sadly the eBay shopping culture has shifted and those good ol’ days are seriously under threat.

While of course there are still bargains to be found and great people to interact with, the fun and spontaneous environment of eBay is suffering at the hands of some unprincipled buyers and sellers.

With seller fees continuing to increase, the use of automated bidding on the rise and an undercurrent of rogue buyers and sellers, it pays to be vigilant. We need to make a return to a more innocent time of online shopping by focusing on the community values which first made eBay such a great place to shop.

Leaving Feedback – On completion of an eBay transaction, buyers and sellers are able to rate their overall sale experience by leaving feedback on eachother’s performance. Each individual feedback score combines to create a feedback profile for each eBay member.

Each transaction can be graded by a buyer and seller as being ‘positive’, ‘negative’ or ‘neutral’. In support of this overall rating, further detail about a transaction experience can be left in the form of additional comments. Given that eBay buyers and sellers interact with eachother indirectly, they are reliant on this feedback left by other eBay members to trust that transactions will proceed as expected.

Whether an experience has been good, bad or indifferent, eBay members should leave feedback for buyers and sellers they deal with so that the community can be better informed. In times gone by sellers would leave feedback for buyers once payment was received. However after some buyers took advantage of this and failed to reciprocate good feedback, sellers now normally wait until buyers leave feedback before doing the same.

When an item has been received in good order, the buyer should leave positive feedback for the seller. In turn, given this positive feedback the seller should followup with positive feedback for the buyer. Neutral feedback should be left if a purchase experience has been below par, but not devastatingly awful. Negative feedback should only be considered as a last resort as it leaves a lasting bad mark against an eBay member’s profile. Failing to leave feedback altogether is just downright rude.

Leaving feedback is a fundamental courtesy which should be upheld by sellers and buyers to maintain the friendly community environment.

Bidding in Strange Amounts – Once a starting price has been set by a seller, bidders are free to enter the maximum amount they wish to pay for that item. Bidding is then open to all bidders until the auction end time. Until then bidding increases until the bidder who entered the highest maximum bid wins the item.

Entering strange bid amounts such as $5.37 or $9.33, is just a sneaky way to try to win an auction. While bidding in such amounts may win you an item it will do more to frustrate sellers and other bidders than prove how clever you are. Until the day that one cent pieces come back into circulation, buyers should bid confidently in amounts that equate to legal tender.

Bid increments in real amounts simply make logical sense and help to ensure that if you win an item you win on the basis of fair play.