Tia_Cherie

Hi all. It's been awhile since I've posted here. The unintentional break has been a result of my extremely busy schedule as pretty much all my spare time is been taken up with sport. A typical week lately has involved five swimming training sessions, one night of racing and two runs. Since some of this is in the mornings and I have great difficulty getting to sleep, I often feel like I'm about to fall asleep at work. I seriously wish I could quit work and alternate between sport and sleeping all day. I cannot wait until the Easter break at the end of the week so I can have a rest. I'm taking my first ever annual leave. In saying all this, the benefits I've received from swimming far outweigh the continual tiredness. It's been amazing. I'm made some wonderful friends too. The return to swimming this year has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.

It was my birthday on Wednesday and I'm planning to write a post on the gifts I received. For now, my cardigan is one of the purchases I made for my birthday. The embroidery, the beading and the velvet buttons are very pretty. I love the classy colour scheme too. I'm definitely enjoying wearing it. This outfit reminds me very much of the one I posted here.

Wheels and Dollbaby Dinner With Him Beaded Cardigan
Wittner Reece Heels
Forever 21 Skirt
Swarovski Eminence Long Earrings

My First Ever Car
The most exciting news for me at the moment is buying my first car. I'm picking her up tomorrow morning and I absolutely cannot wait. Even though I was one of the first to get my licence, I'm probably the last to get my own car. I've spent the last 10 years driving other people's cars, doing a lot of walking and getting public transport. I've got by quite well. To be honest, it was the thought of having to walk to and from the pool in the middle of winter that swayed me to finally buy a car. I'll save a few hours a week now I don't have to walk there. I'm hoping my travel time to work will reduce also since I can now drive to the station instead of getting the bus (my travel time in the mornings is starting to get close to two hours and I'm so over it). It's amazing to think how much having a car will change my lifestyle. I've loved the fiat for years and didn't even want to consider another type of car. I've chosen a matching outfit for when I pick her up and plan to take lots of pictures.

Saturday morning Parkrun
Last week I participated in the Parkrun for the first time in three months. For those of you that don't know, for awhile last year, I was a regular at the parkrun but then I got injured and had a long time break from running. I missed it so much and was very annoyed that I never got the chance to focus on running properly. It was a big deal for me to be able to race this again. I still have to be careful with my ankle because I am very susceptible to injury so I don't know if I'll be able to do it every week, at least not for now. I'm noticed a huge improvement in my running times as a result of all the swimming training I've been doing. I've improved my 5km and my 3km in the last few weeks. This Saturday I did a personal best time for the Parkrun of 27:48. It's 11 seconds faster than my previous time for that course. My best ever for a 5km is 26:48 but that was on a flat treadmill. The main benefit I noticed about Saturday's run was that I found the course more comfortable than usual. I wasn't at collapsing mode at the end of the run and could probably go faster next time.

Selfie with the husband
There's no real story behind this one other than I thought it was a nice picture of me and the husband. This was when we were out at lunch for my mum's birthday a few weeks ago. I love how red my hair looks in this picture hahaha.

My Birthday
It was my birthday on 16 March and these are the gifts I received from my husband- the Eminence Swarovski earrings, Cinderella card and the Princess Elsa Swarovski pen. I chose the earrings myself, as we usually do with our birthday presents. However, my husband chose the Swarovski pen from the Disney Princess range and I am very impressed. I didn't know about these pens existed so the husband has done well! I'll also have to show a close up of the earrings soon. I love them so much.

First Ever Annual Leave
I'm on annual leave for the very first time ever as of today. I've been looking forward to it for the last two months and the time has finally come. As it's my first time, and I only became permanent in the middle of last year, I'm still getting used to the concept of being paid while doing nothing- wow! I've been at my current workplace for two and a half years now so definitely feeling the need for some time off. It couldn't come at a better time as I'm exhausted from all the sport I've been doing (I slept for almost the entire day today). 10 more days off work, this will be amazing. It will feel so good going to an early morning swim but then being able to come home and sleep instead of going to work. For now, I'm taking a break from my life near the big city.

Toucan Jacket- Favourite New Addition to Wardrobe
I received this amazing toucan jacket for my birthday from my parents. I love this beautiful and unique toucan jacket. The colour is lovely and vibrant and you certainly don't see too many toucan jackets around. As I've mentioned a few times before, I'm very much into Adidas jackets so definitely happy to add this one to my wardrobe. This one specifically is intended for use to, from and around the pool as it will be getting colder soon.

Most Worn Outfit
This would definitely be the outfit I've worn the most this month as it's a continual go to when I have no idea what to wear. I haven't had the chance to blog it properly yet but here is a preview. It's matching separates from Kitten D'Amour and I love the flexibility of it being a top and a skirt. The shoe and floral print is super adorable too.

What have you been up to lately?

The moment I've been waiting for is here...I am now the proud owner of a beautiful new Fiat 500 Lounge. I'm so incredibly excited; sometimes when I see her in the car park I can't believe she's really mine. I've decided to name her Daisy. I've had the car for two days now and already had so much fun. I love being inside the car and I'm very impressed by the GPS and bluetooth system. This is the prettiest car on the road and the colour and shiny exterior are such a standout. The inside is absolutely amazing with the leather seats and vintage inspired dashboard.

In two days the Fiat has already improved my lifestyle. It's so much more simple being able to go for a swim rather than needing to walk to the pool. I'm also able to attend a few more training sessions for running and swimming which I would have found it hard to go to previously. It's such an amazing concept being able to go anywhere I want at any time of the day. This is actually my first ever car. I've spent the last 10 years driving other people's cars, doing a lot of walking and getting public transport. This makes the experience extra exciting.

Of course I had to dress in red to match Daisy; even the husband was happy to do so. I thought Daisy the Fiat would make an excellent background for my usual outfit photos. This dress is the newest addition to my wardrobe and one of my favourites of all time. I love the colour, the bow detailing and the collar style. It's also a good fit as I usually find collar dresses from Kitten D'Amour too big in the sleeves and especially the bust. It's an interesting material, a very thicker cotton which obviously makes the dress heavier and suited the the upcoming cooler months.

As everyone else is returning to work tomorrow after the Easter break I'll be enjoying an extra week of annual leave. I have an early morning run but will find it ideal coming back home afterwards rather than facing a day at work. We are also going away later in the week for a short getaway which should be fun.

Kitten D'Amour Love Me Tender Collar Dress
B.A.I.T Footwear Sindy Flats in Black

Alannah Hill Falling for You! Coat
I love this time of year when all the winter coats start to come into the shops. I especially adore all the cooler weather shades like burgundy (as you can tell from my post here). This coat is so classy with the detailed buttons and the small fur collar. The Alannah Hill coats are always so warm and beautiful quality. Unfortunately there will have to be a rather significant sale for me to add this coat to my collection as it retails at $529, and I did buy a few too many coats last season. But I will remain hopeful.

Alannah Hill Sweet as Pie Cardi
This beautiful shade of burgundy/rouge noir, maroon, wine etc. (or whatever one wishes to call it) is currently my favourite colour. It is so classy and pretty and I'm constantly drawn to pieces in this shade. There are many pieces in Alannah Hill at the moment in this colour, especially cardigans, and I want them all! I don't purchase as much from Alannah Hill as I used to given that my Kitten D'Amour obsession has taken over but I had a look in AH the other day and it's all coming back to my. I think my next shopping trip will be there instead of Kitten.

B.A.I.T Footwear Robbie Heels in Cream
I'm sure you're all able to understand my love for B.A.I.T Footwear after seeing my post here. Despite having the Robbie style in three colours already, I really want to add the cream version to my collection (also wish I could have the gold pair and the silver pair but there's no way in a million years I'd buy the same pair of shoes in six colours). The cream pair would be extremely versatile and go with so many outfits which I avoid pairing with the black version. They are also patent which is always a preference; some of the newer colours in the Robbie appear to be more matte such as the red pair. Another reason I want these shoes is because they remind me of one of my favourite pairs of shoes which I purchased from Modcloth many years ago. They wore out and, despite my best efforts, I could never find them again to repurchase.

Kitten D'Amour Love Me Tender Cameo Comb
I don't have too many hair accessories from Kitten D'Amour as some of them can be a little OTT, even for me. However, others are very beautiful and this is one is absolutely perfect. The red and cameo is a very classic combination and velvet is my favourite ever material. I especially love how it's on a comb as I don't see this too often and find these types of accessories much easier to use.

Alannah Hill Almost With You Cardigan
Another AH cardigan- see how much I love Alannah Hill right now? I love this one because it combines my favourite colours of pink and purple and the print is very unique. The addition of the black and white makes it even more pretty and classy. I'd like to try some pattern mixing with this lovely cardigan- florals and polka dots would be especially amazing.

Alannah Hill Home Sweet Home Dress
I like the dresses at Alannah Hill more than Kitten D'Amour at the moment (although that may have been because I've already purchased my favourites from Kitten). The AH dresses, at retail price, are well out of my price range which is unfortunate. This particular dress is currently on sale and I've had my eye on it for many months now. The lace detailing is extremely beautiful and the abstract floral design is super lovely. The two in one design, and the non-fit and flare silhouette, are different from my usual choices.

What are your favourites at the moment?

Late last week, the husband and I went to the Blue Mountains for a couple of days. The Blue Mountains is located a couple of hours west of Sydney and is known for rocky terrain, waterfalls, small villages, steep cliffs and dramatic scenery. It's a reasonable distance from home for a short trip and we thought it would be good to use our annual leave for a getaway. At the same time I wanted most of the time at home because I've been so busy lately. Also, I'm very strange and don't like travel in general and get bored easily if I'm not at home. Therefore, I think this length trip was perfect for us. I can't it's been eight years since we went to the Blue Mountains; it was actually the first trip Rydog and I went on shortly after we got together. Since we'd only had the Fiat for a week, it was a great opportunity to take Daisy for a long drive. I love our new car so much. On the first day we visited Echo Point which is one of the main tourist destinations. It is a lookout which provides incredible views of the the mountains, valleys and the iconic three sisters. It is an amazing location for photos but unfortunately it is always extremely busy with tourists- sometimes there's a wait for everyone to move to get a good picture. It was also very sunny so that's why I'm not looking at the camera in many of the pictures.

As I've mentioned a few times, the colour I'm wearing here is my favourite at the moment, especially with the pink undertone. The cardigan is so pretty and also very comfortable to wear. I love the bow detailing, especially how it extends to the back. I also finally purchased lace up flats; I'd been searching for a pair for ages but took awhile to find the right ones. They are so fun to wear and the design is nice and different from the rest of the shoes in my wardrobe. I'm sure I'll get lots of wear from them in the coming months. The pale blue dress is from Kitten D'Amour. It has a subtle polka dot design but my favourite pattern is the embroidery near the collar. It's also part of the One, Two, Buckle My Shoe collection, despite being a different pattern, here I showed here.

Alannah Hill Paint My Pout Cardigan
Kitten D'Amour One, Two Buckle My Shoe Peekaboo Dress
Wittner Shary Lace Up Flats in Cherry

To put this post into context, see my Fitness Goals 2016 post here and my updates for January (here) and February (here). For a third month in a row my life has been entirely about swimming. It was also my first full month back at running after my three month injury break, so I added that into the routine also. I''m very pleased with what I've achieved, particularly in swimming, this year. I've exceeded all my expectations. The goals I set at the beginning of the year now seem so basic. There's so much more I want to achieve now.

104km combined total for swimming and running this month, 29 hours spent at sport, no wonder I was tired all the time and had no time for anything else. But it was completely worth it and I wouldn't have it any other way. The sense of achievement is incredible. I've also made friends which make training a million times more enjoyable and add to my motivation. Sometimes I can't believe I gave up swimming for 12 years prior to this year.

Here are my swimming stats for March:

...and for running

From my list of goals for 2016, I have achieved the following but won't cross them all off because many are ongoing:
-return to running after injury
-return to regular Saturday morning parkruns (completed first one in three months)
-~~run 5km in under 27 minutes~~
-improve personal best times for swimming

Here's what else happened for the month:

-participated in another 5 swim club nights (thirteen in a row now)
-continued with 5.30am swimming training for each Friday of the month
continued working towards the million metres award with Masters Australia. I've completed almost 16% of the total distance required so far.
-participated in Masters NSW Blacktown Swimming Carnival (two firsts and a second in age category)
-won open 100m freestyle race at our Club Championships
-completed first ever 100m butterfly at a long course pool (still not confident to race it yet)
-added extra training into my routine with my swimming friends
-first ever run at an average pace of 4 minutes 59 per kilometre (could only keep up the pace for 3km though!)

What have you achieved for March?
-

Hi everyone. Here are my pictures from the second day of our trip to the Blue Mountains. It feels like so long ago now and I only just remembered I hadn't shared this set of pictures. These were all taken at Wentworth Falls where we went for a bush walk through the mountains and near the waterfalls. I was starting to become a little bored with the mountains prior to our trip to Wentworth Falls so luckily I googled what to do in the mountains and this stunning place came up. It was the highlight of the trip. I was a little overdressed for the bush walk as I didn't expect there to be so much physical activity involved. However, I wouldn't have dressed otherwise as this outfit made for better photos. In general I think red and green is such an underrated colour scheme. It's very beautiful, bright and positive- I'm going to wear it more from now on.

Kitten D'Amour Belted Brooch Dress in Green
Wheels and Dollbaby Birds of Paradise Cardigan
B.A.I.T Footwear Gloria Flats in Red

It looks like I'm back to normal outfit photos after getting through my pictures from the mountains. I wore this outfit to have lunch with my parents on the weekend and I'll probably end up wearing it to work soon also. The skirt must be one of my most worn pieces lately and I'm so pleased I bought it. It's so versatile and I also love wearing it with the matching top so it looks like a dress (see my previous posts here, here and here). It's certainly a go to skirt for when I don't know what to wear. The top is actually from a different store but as soon as I saw it I knew it would pair well with the skirt. I love double lace and the sheer underlay means I can wear it with different coloured under tops. I'm thinking of trying a pale blue undertop next, in the exact same shade as the skirt.

I'm very much looking forward to the long weekend coming up in a few days. I'm taking Friday off work also so I can enjoy a four day weekend. The Friday will be the best because I love the feeling of having a day off while everyone else is at work. I usually like to spend those days completing an early swim, seeing a movie by myself in an empty cinema, having a quick walk around the shops and then being at home. Apart from the demanding (at least for me) sporting routine which involves lots of early mornings, not too much else is happening right now.

Alannah Hill Her Perfect Date Top in Mulberry
Kitten D'Amour Forget Me Not Skirt
Wittner Bow Flats
Kitten D'Amour Bow Belt in Black

I've wanted to complete a photo an hour post for ages now but I've only just got around to it. This is a fairly typical Saturday forme.

7am: I woke up at 7am and got ready for the weekly Saturday morning Parkrun; if I'm free I'll always attend the Parkrun. As it was raining outside I went for my Nike Free Run shoes rather than my usual Nike Flyknit Lunar pair. Yay for colourful shoes!
8am: this is the start time for the run. This week I achieved a personal best time of 26 minutes and 36 seconds. It's the first time I've gone under 27 minutes for the 5km. I'm so happy as I wasn't expecting to reach this goal for a couple more months.

9am: I went to the post office to collect a couple of packages which had been waiting for me for almost a week. Luckily the line wasn't out the door this time. One of the deliveries was my Finding Nemo jumper from JayJays. It's very appropriate given the amount of swimming I'm doing and my goal to reach one million metres.
10am: involved a walk around the shops. Unfortunately no exciting spending as I am still feeling the impact of buying a car (TOTALLY worth it!!) The display at Peter Alexander was very pretty. I couldn't believe the staff were wearing pyjamas as their uniforms- let's all get a job there.

11am: since I'm very involved in sports these days, I love a good walk around Rebel Sport. In addition to my pre-existing addiction to clothes, bags and shoes, I now have to deal with my ever-present desire to buy sports related products. I love being in a sports store and especially like looking at all the pretty colourful Nike shoes.
12am: time for an early lunch at Hog's Breath with the husband. We don't see much of each other during the week so it's good to catch up over a Saturday lunch. I usually have the Mexicana chicken wrap from Hog's Breath.

1pm: had some time at home browsing the Internet and catching up on the online world. An exciting discovery is that B.A.I.T Footwear appear to have released the 'Robbie Heels' in Lavender and Purple shades. This is especially amazing since I often think purple is such an overlooked colour for clothes and shoes. I will wait until next pay day to see if I may be able to add them to my collection.
2pm: decided I should use the afternoon to get in some swimming training. This of course, involves a drive in my pretty little Fiat Daisy.

3pm: completed my swimming training and also used the spa and sauna (which is the reason for going to this particular pool a lot lately). I just wish the sauna wasn't quiet so hot as I have trouble staying in there longer than 10 minutes. A spa, however, is enjoyable for a very long time.
4pm: an afternoon drink seems like a good idea just now.

5pm: I'd better tidy the house a little after all the mess which has accumulated from a standard week. No motivation to do much but putting my clothes away is better than nothing.
6pm: started this blog post and worked on a few others which are coming up in the next couple of weeks. I really need to get back into blogging and commenting more regularly.

7pm: as it's a night in after a busy week, it's time to bring out the heat up toys! On the right we have Gerald who is the original in my collection and a very good friend. Last week we bought unicorn Misty and giraffe Steve.
8pm: just updating my facebook and messaging a couple of friends.

9pm: more time on the computer. As it's coming to the end of the day it's a good chance to examine my fitbit stats. I've had a fitbit for a week now and it's so interesting. I love how motivational it can be tracking all activities and having goals to reach. The sleep section has been the most interesting for me so far.
10pm: packing my bags for a 7am swim in the morning with my friends. It'll also be a relatively early night because of this; hopefully I'll fall asleep in the next hour or so.

What did you do today?

Today I have a different style of "outfit" postwhich involves some of my favourite sportswear. Since sport is such a significant part of my life at the moment I'd like to represent it more on my blog in addition to just the fashion side. Since my main sport is swimming I've built up quite a swimwear collection but there's still a lot of time spent in gym wear style clothes. I used to not really care what I wore when exercising but since it's become part of my lifestyle now my opinion has changed. I really like sports related products and it's now a competing interest with my love for clothes and shoes. I thought I'd show you a few of my favourite outfits in this category. It's starting to become my weekend wear also.

A standard week generally involves the following:
Monday: 5.30am swimming training, 6.30pm bootcamp style training
Tuesday: 6.00am run, 7.30pm swimming training
Wednesday: 7.30pm swimming club race night
Thursday: sometimes a lunchtime run (dependent on injury)
Friday: 5.30am swimming training
Saturday: 8.00am Parkrun, swimming training sometime in the afternoon
Sunday: 7.00am swimming training

Outfit 1
The 'Just Keep Swimming' jumper is a recent purchase from JayJays and I thought it was very appropriate given the amount of swimming I'm doing. One of my goals is to achieve an award with Masters Swimming Australia of swimming one million metres so this jumper represents the fact that every small part counts. The leggings are from Kmart which is undoubtedly my favourite location for gym wear. I can't believe the incredible prices and I also like the quality. Money aside, I would still prefer the leggings in Kmart to those in Adidas or Nike, mainly because they are a tighter fit. My shoes are the 'Nike Free Run.' I usually run in my other Nikes (which are pictured in outfit 2) but sometimes use these for other training and if I need a comfortable pair of shoes for walking around on the weekend. I also wear them for runs in wet weather because the knitwear texture of my other running shoes isn't great for the rain.

Outfit 2
This is an outfit I wear to the Parkrun or to bootcamp style training (although I'd lose the jacket fairly soon into it). I love these leggings because they are my only coloured ones. They come in a matching set and I am wearing the top underneath. The brand is Puma and my sister bought it for me last Christmas. I've had so much use from it especially since I didn't own too much good sportswear at the time. The Nike jacket is from one of my many shopping trips to Rebel sport. I'm often not a huge fan of Nike when it comes to clothes (generally favouring Adidas for clothes and Nike for shoes) because they are overpriced and the jackets are not very warm. However, this jacket seems to be an exception. It's fleece inside and I got it in the buy one get one half price sale. The shoes are the 'Nike Flyknit Lunar' which I purchased a few months ago when I became more serious about sports. I wanted to do everything possible to minimise the chance of injury again which was also a good excuse for new shoes. I've been happy with both my pairs of Nikes so far.

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Outfit 3
I'd typically wear this outfit to and from the pool on a day I have swimming training. Although I have quite a few sports jackets, this Adidas toucan jacket is by far my favourite. It was a gift from my parents for my birthday and I love it. The toucan designis so unique, fun and colourful. I also like the siganture Adidas elements especially since I am a huge fan of jackets by this brand. The Skechers were also a birthday gift intended for use around the pool. It's often hard to know which shoes to wear to swimming since they need to be easy to slip on and off, able to get wet and be warm. This pair certainly fit the criteria and it's a bonus they are pink too. The leggings are another pair from Kmart which also come with a matrching purple and grey top. Finally I only ever wear these sports socks from Reebok. They are very slim lined and don't bulk up the shoe. They come in a few different colours as you can see from all three of my looks here.

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What are your favourite outfits for sports?

When I look back on my fitness goals post which I wrote at the start of the year (here) they all seem so basic. It's only May and I've achieved all but one goal; I didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the year so I set my goals relatively low. I never thought I'd be where I am now but there is still so much I want to achieve. I like that sports are all about personal bests. There is no better feeling than achieving a new best time and I love that there is almost no limit on the goals which can be set and attained. I also like how sport makes me a stronger person; the 5.30am starts, the cold weather, pushing through difficult sections of training, it all makes for a better person overall.

114km combined total for swimming and running this month and just over 30 hours spent at sport. I'm very happy with that. This is the most running I've been able to do for a number of months after injury. I'm still struggling a little with plantar fasciitis which is frustrating but able to run through it within guidelines.

Here are my swimming stats for April:

...and for running:

As I've mentioned a few times, one of my goals is to achieve the Million Metre award with Masters Swimming Australia. I do A LOT of swimming and even that is only enough to reach about 5% of the total distance per month. However, as I'm now over the 200km mark it feels as though I'm finally getting somewhere. It will be so worth it once I get there.

Here's what else happened for the month:

-attended three Saturday morning Parkruns. This is significant because I'd only been to one this year and had three months off due to injury.
-achieved a new personal best time at the Parkrun of 26 minutes and 36 seconds. I am so happy because it is my first time under 27 minutes for the 5km. I didn't think I'd reach this goal for a few more months so I can't believe it.
-participated in another 4 swim club nights (seventeen in a row now. I'm aiming for the 25 consecutive weeks award).
-continued working towards the million metres award with Masters Swimming Australia. I've completed almost 21% of the total distance required so far.

-bought a Fitbit and having so much fun with it!
-added extra training into my routine with my swimming friends
-decided to attempt the Endurance Program with Masters Swimming Australia. This involves 62 long distance swims before the end of the year and so far I've completed 8. I've done the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 400m backstroke, 400m breastroke, 800m breastroke, 400m fly, 400m individual medley and 800m individual medley so far.
-participated in the Masters Swimming NSW State Long Course Championships at Sydney Olympic Park.I won gold medals in the 50m breastroke, 50m backstroke and 200m breastroke, as well as silver medals in the 50m butterfly and 200m backstroke.

What have you achieved in April?

Hi everyone. Today I'm back to another fashion post after the last couple have been sports related. I've worn this outfit a couple of times recently- for Mother's Day on the weekend and to work last week. It's one of my most commented outfits, probably because it's so bright. At the end of last winter/early spring, I got into coloured tights. I didn't like them much before because there wasn't much of a colour range available and they are hard to find over here. However, I came across an amazing range in H &M which were excellent in terms of both quality and price. I quickly purchased red, magenta, cobalt, mustard, green and white. I wore them a few times last year (such as here and here) but unfortunately discovered coloured tights a little late as the warm weather quickly arrived. Now it's getting cold enough to start wearing them again and I know I'll love that. This is my first time wearing coloured tights this year. As for my coat, I cannot believe I've never displayed it on my blog before. I recall taking pictures wearing it once but I don't think they ever made it onto the blog. I've had this coat for a year and half now and it's one of two pieces I purchased when Kitten D'Amour opened its first store in Sydney. It's a very much sought after KDA piece as it sold out quickly. I love how it's bold and makes such a statement. Nautical has always been a favourite trend too. While the coat certainly stands out on its own, I do love pattern mixing so I paired it with my bicycle printed dress (first shown here).

Kitten D'Amour Hello Sailor Coat
Kitten D'Amour Bicycle Print Dress
Alannah Hill I'm A Little Fuss Pot Cardigan
H & M Red Tights
B.A.I.T Footwear Gloria Flats
Kitten D'Amour Love Me Tender Cameo Comb

Linking to: Fashion Should Be Fun,

Hi all. Just a quick post to show you these beautiful pictures from my weekend away at Pearl Beach on the Central Coast. Although I’ve been to the Central Coast many times before, this was my first time specifically at Pearl Beach. I love this place and it’s not too far from Sydney. It’s very peaceful and pretty; in its own secluded area which felt like a temporary escape from reality. The purpose of the weekend was to participate in a swimming meet but we made a whole weekend of it. I had the best time ever.

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Hi everyone. It's been awhile since I last posted an outfit; I've had two incredibly busy weekends and it's always dark when I get home now. I need to get back into it. This dress is the most recent addition to my wardrobe. It's a Kitten D'Amour dress but purchased from eBay. It's from a collection about a year and a half ago and I've regretted not buying it ever since. I'm so pleased to have found it now and at such a discounted price. The print is check close up. I adore the fit and flat silhouette and the detailing. It's incredibly versatile and I can wear pretty much any cardigan with it. The double red is always a good option. For once, I actually haven't bought many new clothes for awhile now. It's been 10 weeks since a Kitten D'Amour purchase which must be a new record for me. I've haven't liked anything in the store for ages; too many of the recent ranges has been "basics" and I only look to Kitten D'Amour for "statement" pieces. In a way that's very satisfying to see how much longer it will be.

Kitten D'Amour Dress
Wheels and Dollbaby Birds of Paradise Cardigan
B.A.I.T Footwear Gloria Flats in Red

Linking to: Fashion Should Be Fun

Wow, what a busy month it was in May! 130km combined total for swimming and running which is the most I've ever done in a month. It was huge progress being able to run 75km for the month without getting injured, finally I'm getting past my long term ankle problems. There is no better feeling than achieving a personal best and I love that there is almost no limit on the goals which can be set and attained. Some of the training is becoming harder given it's now winter (especially the 6am runs and 5.30am swims) but it's lucky we're having a milder season than usual.

Here are my swimming stats for May:

...and for running:

In terms of my goal to achieve the Million Metre award with Masters Swimming Australia, I'm now 27% of the way there. It's taking an incredibly long time but will be completely worth it once complete.

Here's what else happened for the month:

-achieved a new personal best time at the Parkrun of 25 minutes and 44 seconds for 5km. I am so incredibly happy and surprised. My goal for this year was under 27, so under 26 was never even a consideration. Running has never been serious for me, just something I've done from time to time when having fitness from another sport...but now I am very motivated and interested to see where this could lead. I'm wondering if I can crack the 25 minute barrier by the end of the year.
-attended two Parkruns this month and volunteered for the first time. I would have liked to go to all four for May but couldn't because of conflicting commitments with swimming. I'm enjoying the Parkrun more than ever right now.
-participated in another 4 swim club nights so getting closer to the 25 consecutive weeks award.
-continued working towards the million metres award with Masters Swimming Australia. I've completed almost 27% of the total distance required so far.
-kept up with the routine of training 10 times a week (5 swimming training, 1 racing swimming, 1 bootcamp, 3 runs).
-continued working on the Endurance Program with Masters Swimming Australia which involves 62 long distance swims over the course of the year. By the end of May I'd completed 16/62. This is a tough program- especially the 400m fly, 800 individual medley and the 800 fly (haven't even attempted that one yet).
-participated in two swim meets with Masters Swimming NSW- many personal best times.

The highlight of the month was our club presentation for the summer season where I won two trophies. Not bad for my first half season in the club- so happy!!

What have you achieved in May?

Here are my latest pictures from Instagram. I've included pictures from the last couple of months minus my outfit pictures as they've already made an appearance on the blog.

L-R: my current best time from the Parkrun. 2. last Saturday Rydog agreed to come to the Parkrun with me for the first time. 3. my birthday cake at work (even though it was back in March). 4. just hanging out with my giraffe. 5 and 6. an afternoon in Sydney city, was there for a work conference. 7. from my weekend at the Central Coast (looking like a mermaid). 8. 10km run in May with the Runkeeper challenge 9. Rydog agreed to come to the Parkrun with me for the first time yesterday 10. another running picture 11. pretty lights in a tree 12. an afternoon at the pool.

Follow me on Instagram as chelsea_miracle

This is a new outfit I came up with during the week, from existing pieces in my wardrobe. I've had both the cardigan and the dress for awhile now but never thought to pair them together. It randomly came together in a rush before work during the week; don't you love it when that happens? It's one of my favourite outfits at the moment. The dress is one of two pieces I bought when Kitten D'Amour first came to Sydney which was a couple of years ago now. It's also what I wore when I was admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales back in October 2014 (post here), although the dress looked quite different without the cardigan. I've been in mood for wearing my Dita Cardigans at the moment; this is because of the announcement earlier in the week that it's being released in a lavender colourway. I've already pre-ordered as I've often dreamed of this cardigan coming out in purple but never thought it would happen. It's also particularly exciting given I haven't liked the last two colours of the Dita Cardigan. I'm not usually one to dress in winter colours but this outfit is suiting the vibe of the rainy weekend here.

Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan in Rouge Noir
Kitten D'Amour High Society Opera Dress
Kitten D'Amour Love Me Tender Cameo Comb
B.A.I.T Footwear Sindy Flats in Black

Linking to: Fashion Should Be Fun

Kitten D'Amour Tiffany Coat in Mint and Cream
It's been awhile now since I've liked anything from Kitten D'Amour and almost three months since I've made a purchase. These coats were released a few days ago and finally I can say I love them. I was beginning to think Kitten D'Amour wasn't going to release any coats this year since it's already winter and they are still selling last year's stock. I adore both colours but slightly favour the blue/mint version. However, I already have two pale blue coats so not sure which one I'd go for. Of course it's the collar which draws me to these coats- it's absolutely gorgeous and adds so much to the look. I also like how to buttons are all different. The general vibe reminds me of the movie 'Frozen.'

Alannah Hill The Wild Heart Cardigan
There are quite a few cardigans I love in Alannah Hill (it's completely unrivaled when it comes to cardigans, in my opinion), but this one is definitely my favourite. It's such a unique and pretty shade of blue. I love the collar design which is made up of little pearls. I'm keeping an eye out and hoping this lovely cardigan will come on sale very soon.

Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan in Lavender
I'm a huge fan of the Dita Cardigans from Wheels and Dollbaby but only have two in my collection so far (some of the crazy fans out there have all 22 colourways!) The last two colourways released didn't appeal to me. However, last week it was announced a lavender version of this cardigan will be coming out shortly. I am so excited because I wasn't expecting it, and purple is one of my favourite colours. The shade is absolutely beautiful and I adore the way the black embroidery stands out. I've already pre ordered it.

B.A.I.T Footwear Robbie Heels in Green Starlet and Purple Starlet
As I've mentioned a few times now, I'm totally in love with B.A.I.T Footwear and the Robbie Heels are one of my favourites. See post on my collection here. I now have this exact shoe in four different colours which is rather excessive but I'm sure I'll think of an excuse as to why I need it in six different colours! I was very happy to see it's now also come out in sparkly green and sparkly purple. These shoes would add so much to any outfit; I don't see sparkly shoes too often. I love the vintage design and they are very comfortable too- a perfect shoe!

HydrateM8 Water Bottle
I recently discovered the UK brand HydrateM8 and this range of water bottles. This bottle shows the required level of water consumption in hourly intervals throughout the day. It's such a simple concept yet I think it would be very effective and add a little fun to the day. I'm going to buy one of these.

Alannah Hill Last Day of Magic Cardigan
Once again, Alannah Hill does not fail to disappoint when it comes to cardigans. I want so many from there right now. This is a new release so unfortunately I don't think it will be coming on sale any time soon. I am completely drawn to snowflake. It's so adorable and not something you see on clothes all the time. I have a slight preference for the navy blue version but love them both.

What's on your wishlist?

Green and red is a colour combination which is almost never seen (other than Christmas time, of course) and I believe it's very underrated. I love these colours together and I adore trying combinations which are less conventional; there's way too much sameness out there when it comes to fashion. As with my last outfit post, I'm enjoying wearing my Dita Cardigans at the moment. My shoes are the most recent addition to my wardrobe, they arrived a couple of days ago despite purchasing them over a month ago (I blame DHL and not B.A.I.T Footwear). As I've mentioned many times, I'm a huge fan of B.A.I.T Footwear and the'Robbie' range in particular given it's often released innew colours. See my post here on my B.A.I.T Footwear collection. I couldn't resist even more and purchased the 'Robbie' in sparkly green and sparkly purple! I was very excited when they arrived as I haven't done much shopping in the last couple of months. I shared them on my Facebook and received a very negative comment. It really got me thinking- why is it necessary to bring others down over such trivial things?I don't expect everyone to like my style all the time and I can handle a negative comment because it's not going to change what I do. However, I question what the writer of the comment gets out of it. When it's as trivial as a shoe purchase, it's surely just intended to be hurtful. If you don't like it then why not just take no action and refrain from commenting.There's already so much negativity in the world, let's all just be nice.

How is your weekend going? I will be racing at a swimming meet tomorrow which is actually held at one of the schools where I used to be a student. It will feel weird being back given it's been 13 years since I left and absolutely hated it. I left and went to another school because I had some of the most negative experiences of my life there. On the other hand, some of my more positive experiences at that location were actually at the pool. I skipped swimming training today so I am rested for tomorrow so, after this morning's Parkrun, I had the whole day off. It was so rare and enjoyable to have a relaxing day. Also this week I signed up to the Sydney Harbour 10km run which is held on Sunday 10 July. I'm really looking forward to it because I've never entered a running event before. While I've competed in swimming on countless ocassions, competing in running is much newer. The Parkrun is the most serious race I've been in and that's certainly not serious. I did a practice 10km run the other day and it went quite well!

Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan in Emerald
Kitten D'Amour Castaway Handbag
Kitten D'Amour Bicycle Print Dress
Kitten D'Amour Love Me Tender Hair Comb
B.A.I.T Robbie Heels in Green Starlet

This is a change for me, wearing so much black in an outfit. The incorporation of pale pink, lace, polka dots and bows, made it very much my style despite the overall darker colour scheme. I love this jacket so much; it has to be one of the pieces I've had the most use from out of my entire wardrobe. I like how it's the structure of a jacket but made from light cardigan material. It's my first ever piece from Kitten D'Amour, back in the days before we had stores here in Sydney and I discovered it while on holidays at the Gold Coast. I've shown it a couple of times on my blog now including here. Today I decided to pair the jacket with one of my newer pieces from Kitten D'Amour. I missed out on the dress initially when it came into store but was able to purchase one from the 'Buy, Swap and Sell' group on Facebook recently. Even though the dress was released a number of years after the jacket, they go so well together being in the same style and colours.

I haven't had much time for blogging lately. But now I've got a few posts lined up so check back soon.