A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view - Sophia Loren

This will come as no surprise to you but there are a few things I really love in life:

Sewing

Eating great food

Drinking bucket loads of good coffee

Talking shit with friends

Getting all gussied up

When I haven't done these things in a while I don't wait for the universe to bring me an opportunity I create my own destiny and go all Oprah 'n' shit and whack together a Facebook event to give me an excuse to do all these things.

My latest I named La Dolce Vita and the theme was LITTLE BLACK DRESS.

After a long discussion over coffee and cake my gorgeous Italian descended diva friends Mz Anna, Mz Carmel and Mz Marianna suggested having the next get together at ANFE Italian Club.  

LO ARDORO !!!! SHOW ME THE CARBS BABY!!!

What can I say?  It was favoloso.

30 of my closest horn- bag vintage loving fashionista dames all sashayed into the restaurant in Newstead looking like something out of a 1950s mafia movie.  

Some of the older male patrons who were playing the Italian card game Scopa on the other side of the room mentioned it looked like a funeral wake of incredibly stylish widows.

The food was DIVINE and I'm happy to say that even though we all LOOKED wonderful we all REEKED of garlic........ and it was AMAZING.

I had the mushroom arancini for entree (I could have eaten about 10 of them they were so good). 

For my main I had the Spaghetti AOP. I still have no idea what AOP means but the meal was SO  good. Filled with garlic and chilli.   I gave up trying to look refined and resorted to just shoveling the pasta in my mouth like ravenous albino hyena flicking olive oil and chilli flakes everywhere.

For dessert I had the pannacotta and fruits. It was delicious and I wanted to lick the glass clean but I'm not a savage so I just stuck my finger into the glass to get every last drop..... like a lady.

I discovered San Pellegrino chinotto which is like a sweet cola drink but it is bitter like it has lemon rind in it. I loved it.  I also had the most delicious affogato with strong espresso coffee with hazelnut gelato. SO GOOD.

Everyone is just so busy with LIFE that time gets away from you so it's just wonderful to get together and have a good old chin-wag and vent. This venue was PERFECT for that as there wasn't a lot of noise so you could hear each other speak.

I am so blessed to have these wonderful supportive and down right sexy broads in my life. 

In my little self indulgent speech I gave I said that even though it might be months between get togethers, it does seem like it was just last week and that even though we may not get to see each other physically, we are always there for each other due to the miracles of modern technology.

Thank you to Maria and all the beautiful staff of the ANFE for the great service and delicious food.

GRAZIE MILLE

http://anfe.com.au/

10 Wyandra Street, Newstead

Ph:  3252 2387

PLAID IN THE SHADE LUNCHEON

I LOVE SEWING ..... I LOVE CAKE..... I LOVE COFFEE

How can I combine these things?

I know! 

I'll create an event that involves cake & coffee but with a THEME so I have to buy fabric and make something special for it!!!

FRICKING GENIUS

I LOVE PLAID. You can NEVER own too many Pendleton 49er jackets in my opinion.

Plaid, Tweed, Tartan, Checks... love it.

So, stuff it....

 I organised a lunch date for me & about 20 of my lady loves with the theme being 

PLAID IN THE SHADE.

I was fangin to sew up Simplicity pattern 8251.  

THOSE POCKETS!!!!! (shoplifting pockets I call them)

Remind me never to sew this pattern in checks/plaid again. 

I just could NOT get the checks to line up. DROVE ME NUTS!!!

I also changed the skirt so the buttons didn't go into it and were only in the blouse.  

I made it out of el-cheapo flannel fabric from Spotlight.

I booked us into Eclectea at Brighton. 

I had been there for coffee before and it is so cute.

It is a coffee shop/ cafe / vintage antique bric-a-brac shop... EVERYTHING I LOVE!!!

One by one the dames rocked up and all had embraced the theme and looked freaking amazing and beautiful. But when so they not?

(Special shout out to Kimmy-Dee in her INCREDIBLE Ralph Lauren jacket. SWOON)

Well, the food was delicious. Even though it was 11 o'clock a lot of us opted for the all-day brekkie menu because... HALOUMI AND POACHED EGGS ON SOUR DOUGH !!  

And of course, I had to have the slice of lemon meringue pie (my favourite!) that was as big as my head and so so good.

pie, coffee and the bag I bought in the shop there

The food turnaround was pretty good considering they had a mass order all at once and the staff (especially Troy and the owner Ginny) were just so lovely and friendly.  The place has the perfect atmosphere for a catch up and it was a glorious day outside too.  

AND I BOUGHT THINGS (of course you did Vicki, of course you did)

I was also stoked to find that the big salon type window offered the PERFECT frame & lighting for photos of our damn super model stunning gal friends!

All in all it was a wonderful day.  Everyone is so busy, working and stupid adulting that it's hard to find time to stop and chillax and have a natter. So I like organising things that allow everyone to catch up at once. (and an excuse to get frocked up of course!)

These gals just fill my heart up with so much love and laughter and they are better than ANY medicine in Terry White.

Daisy the Dachshund was a huge hit too.

I highly recommend Electea for brekkie or lunch or coffee and cake.  If it is a sun shiney day sitting outside is just beautiful. And on Sundays from about 3 they have an open mic for singers and guitar players.  Awesome!!

https://www.facebook.com/EclecTea/

15 Gladstone Street Brighton QLD

Originally the post office and corner store -our shop is full of gorgeous things to buy and admire, whilst enjoying organic coffee and specialty tea's, local, GF & organic, cruelty free and free range, breakfast lunch and some dinners. It's a place that takes you back in time, where you can relax and enjoy a cuppa in real china with real tea pots - all whilst taking in the view to beautiful Bramble Bay.

I am a Lady. I press Flowers and stroke Kittens and Swim in Rivers wearing Dresses and Hats and shit - Emily Howard

Because I am a lady and I do lady things, there's nothing I like more than gathering a bunch of ladies together to do lady things as a lady group.

Actually, it more like I really like whacking on a frock with a flower and some red lippy, eating a shit load of calorie laden food and talking about all the important topics with gals. 

(like who would you rather give you a foot massage Tom Hardy or Jason Momoa)

I decided that because life is too short not to eat all the cake that I should have a ladies luncheon.

Life for me has been a wee bit ..... well..... black dogish lately  and I desperately needed a big hit of estrogen pheromone combined with loads of hugs, cheek kisses and filthy filthy smut talk.

http://paddingtondeli.com.au/

The Paddington Deli came highly recommended by the tres chic Mz Billie and Mrs Kelisha and those dames know their shit....so I locked it in.  

Where do I start?

Firstly, I HAD to sew myself a new frock to wear of course.  

I chose Butterick B5951 in a noice brown & cream florally cotton.  It was a real mongrel to sew the weird high gathered neckline and I threw it into the corner a couple of times in frustration and called it some very unladylike names. 

I finally finished it and it turned out pretty good in the end. Winning.

On to the luncheon..................

From the moment we all arrived, Annie the owner/manager could NOT do enough for our rambunctious group of dames and I think some of the other diners were wondering who the heck this bunch of dolled up dolls were.

ANNIE

We were taking advantage of their lunch special which was $25 for a set menu of either entree & main or main & dessert WITH a glass of wine.

I had the herb/garlic bread for entree and the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon for main.  Luckily for me Mrs Simone is on a diet and I was donated her dessert of lemon meringue (MY FAV).

The food was AMAZING and for my friends with funky guts they had a great range of gluten free.

So fresh and tasty and the sizes were huge. TWENTY FIVE BUCKS!!!

We hardly had to wait at all for the food and drinks and the tables were constantly cleared so we didn't knock over the glassware while gesticulating wildly while describing our latest news events.

The beautiful young lasses who work there were just so friendly and professional.

The restaurant itself is so lovely with lots of brickwork, chandeliers and fabulous artwork. .... 

AND it's right next door to the Paddington Antique Centre.

How convenient !!!!

After gorging ourselves silly most of us then went next door to the Antique Centre for a quick *cough* "look". It has been a few years since I've been and I must admit I didn't see too much of interest to me. A lot of  ye ole antique things but not much mid century and alas, no squeekie toys.  (The exception being the gorgeous Mrs Anna's store Mrs Duchess Vintage.... 

I want ALL THE HATS).  

I naturally was drawn to The Button Shop which sells a lot of ........... well.... buttons.  

Even though I wanted to buy everything I ended up only buying 3 belt buckles. I was surprisingly restrained.  Oh I could have spends thousands on glorious marcasite brooches too. Sigh.

Everyone had a lovely time of it catching up and having a laugh.  

I think there is a few of us who really needed a relaxing lunch with other chicks that we can relax and cack ourselves with and not to mention we all LURVE an excuse to pull a fabulous frock out of the cupboard and get tarted up to go out for some good company.

I am very very blessed to know a stack of incredible, talented caring wonderful ladies who support each other.  They make my heart all warm and gooey like a Cadbury cream egg left on the dash of your car.

I am still smiling like a Rottnest Island Quokka taking a selfie.

xoxoxooxox