kitty style {the heartbreak of no pink dress}

Rather than no Kitty style at all I thought I would share with you the heartbreak my poor darling goes through when her favourite pink dress is in the wash. There is sobbing and tears and more sobbing and at least half an hour of drama before she resigns herself to the outfit of the day. Now I am not a totally mean mumma, she is wearing that darn pink dress every second day almost, but it still needs washing. And if she sees it hanging on the line she will insist on putting it on even if it is wet.

Now in the days before the pink dress this orange one was a favourite. I mean its gingham and spins, has lace and a gorgeous collar - what's not to love? It is a million times more gorgeous than the beloved pink and I live in hope that one day Kitty will see the light. Maybe next week in Kitty style I will show you the pink. That post is sure to be full of smiles from Kitty.

kitty wears

vintage dress - potato cake vintage

linking up this week again with our favourite bunch of little kids at small style over here

i like to cheat

I love to bake from scratch but sometimes I like quick and easy even better. I picked up a few lemon cake mix boxes super cheap a few weeks back and even though they are pretty nice just as they are I have found a way to make them extra delicious. First up I bake the cake following the instructions on the box. Once it is cooked I mix the juice of one lemon with about a cup of icing sugar. You can also use the juice of two limes if a lemon lime combo takes your fancy. Then I prick the top of the cake all over with a fork and pour over the lemon syrup. You need to go slowly and use the back of a spoon to make sure it gets all over and starts oozing down those holes. Then I put it in the fridge and forget about it for a few hours (this is the hardest step). Then it's time to frost, serve and eat. I used the frosting mix that came in the packet but I think a cream cheese one would be even nicer. This is super sweet so I like it served with a coffee to cut through all that lemony sugar but my kids liked it served with ice cream. Next box I am going to try adding some coconut to the mix as well. I adore lemony coconut goodies.

dolly style

Kitty is protesting. She won't put on anything that isn't striped or pink. her favourite dress is a nasty pink polyester number with tulle and ruffles. There is lots of screaming and crying when this beloved dress is in the wash. I am doing my best each morning to simply get her dressed so I think expecting her to sit while I take pictures might just push us both over the edge. So that is the reason behind the little hiatus in kitty style at the moment. I am hoping it will pass by next week and I can get her into something worth showing off even if it does take some bribery. In the meantime I thought I would do a dolly style instead.

Betsy and Minnou love a little posing, especially in new dresses. Both of these outfits are from lollipoppet, except for Betsy's red bow which I borrowed from Kitty's collection. Betsy makes me swoon in these colours. Pinks and reds just make her glow. And I am slowly falling more in love with Minnou. I think I will eventually get her customised but in the meantime I am going to have a go at straightening her hair. I love the colour so much but it is a bit choppy and fuzzy at the ends for my liking. Hopefully a little day spa can get that sorted.

betsy and minnou wear

dolly dresses - lollipoppet

a long time between finds

I have all but given up on thrifting these days. It seems as though my local stores are full of trash and that is real trash not the treasure kind, and to top it off the prices have gone crazy. Last time I went there was a kids kmart t-shirt marked at $6. It's crazy I tell you. I could buy that very shirt brand new direct from kmart for the same price or less. Add to that the fact I have to drag around a toddler and it all just gets too hard. I have found such lovely stores on etsy to fulfill my need for vintage clothing but I do miss the homeware vintage goodies. The shipping rules them off my etsy list so I really haven't added anything to my collection for a long time. But when we were away on holidays I did find a bundle of treasures at a little roadside market.

I spotted this framed print when a lady was carrying it around tucked under her arm. I became the crazy stalker lady following her and waiting to see if she bought it. Lucky for me she changed her mind and left it behind. It was in my hot little hand in seconds. The mister and I stayed in Paris right near Notre Dame while we were on our honeymoon so this print is extra special. I won't be hanging it on the wall, I think it will just sit propped on my bedside table for awhile.

These crochet beauties made up the rest of my treasure. the colours are delicious. the top one is only small, and is perfect on Kitty's cot. The bottom one is huge and will easily fit a single bed. I am saving it for one of the kids bedrooms when we reshuffle them later in the year. I think we are going to put the girls in together and finally give William a room of his own. Which reminds me that I really will have to get around to taking photos of Kitty's sweet little nursery bedroom before she moves out. I have to have a keepsake of that space where she spent those first few years all snuggled and precious.

a little bit of sunshine

Lovely miss lizzie over at peach on earth gave me the sunshine award this week. How nice is that! Thank you miss lizzie.

I often debate with myself over what kind of content to put in this little old blog. Whether to stick to the pretty and sunshiny or include the every day mess and drudgery. But by trying to stick to the nicer stuff I find myself actively looking for the sunshine - seeking out the beauty in what is otherwise boring and ordinary. Surely that is a good thing. Of course little bits of ho hum are still here - that is life. But I like to think of this as my happy place, so as far as I am concerned spreading the sunshine is what it is all about.

The award comes with some questions and a pass it on card to five more blogs. Rather than naming five I am going to open it up to anyone who has a sunshine filled blog and would like to share. Why not leave a comment with your blog link so I can pop over and pay you a visit.

freesias from my front lawn

Here go the questions

favourite colour - yellow and aqua or maybe pink and orange - I just can't decide

favourite animal - tigers - just because I have been visting the new tiger cubs at the zoo a lot lately and I am marveling at how fast they are growing. Kitty sleeps with 5 little schleich tigers in her bed each night, so I think they are her favourite too.

favourite non alcoholic drink - coffee or water

facebook or twitter - neither really - I just can't keep up.

favourite number - none in particular although I do like odds more than evens

passion - reading and fostering a love of books in my children

getting or giving presents - well getting is nice but giving is nicer because that way I get to pick and I get to wrap it up too!

favourite pattern - hmmm, florals probably, you can't beat a big messy print of cabbage roses

favourite flower - lots and lots - but freesias are special because they spring up all over my front lawn each spring and announce that summer is on its way.

kitty style

After thinking that I was back in the blogging groove last week my camera battery died and then my charger died, our internet was playing up and I decided it was all too hard so I had the week off. Hopefully things will go smoother this week.

I wanted to share this totally adorable teddy dress. It is from one of my favourite etsy shops,3ringcircus, run by sweet lady Heather. I just purchased a few more goodies there this morning but they will be a little big for Kitty for a while so you may be in for quite a wait before the turn up in Kitty style.

kitty wears

vintage dress - 3ringcircus

sandals - saltwater sweethearts

I am linking up this week with Morgans' small style over at mama loves papa. It's good to be playing again. And next week is 52 weeks of small style! Why not come and join in for the one year celebration.

macaroons and cupcakes

This is what I spent my weekend baking and eating. Delicious, fattening and oh so indulgent. My poor little macaroons are a bit grainy and crackled looking and a little on the fat side but they did taste delicious. I had help by the way. I went to a macaroon baking and cupcake decorating workshop with two lovely friends (including this talented lady) and it was a whole lot of fun. My little macaroons will never be up to this standard but I think they are a pretty good first effort.

{the yellow ones were made by the chef by the way, the crooked pink ones are mine}

Isn't that laduree website magical? I think I need a trip to Paris.

*sigh*