New Blog!

Just letting anyone who might be reading, that I've moved house!

If you follow this blog, please head over and follow my new blog; Cedarwood & Thistle. 

I'll be blogging over there from now on. 

xox 

A long summer. A short Winter.

Summer has reluctantly left our tiny city,  and what exists of winter is ever so slowly moving in. 

I have been putting my heart and my mind through their paces with my studies and a fantastic new job, hence my neglect around here. 

I am thinking over the next 8 weeks that I may make the switch to wordpress, or at the very least, re-design and re-commit to posting here regularly.  

In the meantime,  it is much easier to let the pictures do the talking as to what I've been up to recently. 

Homemaking; fresh cut flowers and macaroons for my 24th birthday. 

Homemaking; on Tuesdays, we roast together. 

Lovemaking; Tim & I took our first big trip together in February, to the south coast of NSW to attend his best friends wedding. I took this photograph of him in his suit.

Wandering; I travelled to Melbourne for work training. This was the view from my room on the 25th floor. 

Learning; Aesop HQ in Melbourne for training. 

Learning; to skate at the very end of a lengthy summer. 

Preparing; for winter skin with some home alchemy. I cut these from Tim's apartment landscaping.

Unwinding; soy candles, essays and a hot bath. 

I'm live! Woo hoo!

It has been a long time between drinks. I've been busy moving into a super cute apartment, but I'm back with exciting news regarding my vintage venture!   

Audrey & Mary vintage is now live! You can check out the store by clicking the banner above, or by clicking here. 

As a special offer to anyone who happens to follow my blog, I'm offering free shipping to all readers! Simply use the code "snippets" when finalising your purchase. 

Furthermore, if you refer a friend or a follower to either my blog or the Audrey & Mary facebook page, you will receive 15% off your next purchase! All you need to do is:

Step 1.

Tell a friend about it, and have them follow 'Snippets' or 'Like' Audrey & Mary on facebook. 

Step 2.

  Leave a comment on this post with your name (or username), your friends name (or username) , and your email address. 

Step 3. 

The 15% discount code will land in your inbox for you to redeem at any time! 

I'm currently stocking a cute range of one-of-a-kind women's wear, childrens wear and rare find knick knacks/collectors items for the home. More items are being added daily. 

I am in the process of sourcing some totally dapper mens wear and in the future, I'm considering branching out into home made & custom scents and perfumes!   So keep an eye on us and spread the love! 

my current favourite item in the store are these lilac high waisted women's shorts. If I had found them in my size I wouldn't be parting with them! 

Little Loves

I am less than a week away from launching my online store, Audrey & Mary vintage, but just had to share todays little victory.

I wandered into a Red Cross store and was drawn to a cupboard in the corner. Inside were the most divine little pieces! Gingham and button ups as far as the eye could see. My ovaries were on fire. I swear, I had to come home and force feed myself the pill.  

I ended up bonding with a fellow childless 20-something working the counter, as we poured over the tiny cuteness and compared iPhone photos of the dear littles in our lives. 

So this is what I left with, and i'll probably go back for more before the week is through. There were some adorable brown leather sandals I had my eye on, and some pieces for little boys too (although I must say, tiny dresses are my favourite). 

Looks like Audrey & Mary will have a Littles section as well. 

I'm so excited! 

Currently Working On (Part 1)

I thought I'd share a little insight as to what I am currently working on.

People often ask me " so, what exactly do you do?" and it is such a hard question to answer.  Work in Arts Administration is so varied , and I also do a lot of creative work which confuses the issue even further.
 I'm going to try and shed a little light on some of  what I do 9 to 5 (and sometimes 10 till 3 am!)

I have two major  projects occurring simultaneously at the moment. The first is a corporate internship with Australia's largest arts company in Sydney, and the second is a costume design gig with an independent ariel artist who is preparing to mount a show at the Perth fringe festival in February. 

I'll start with the internship.

 I've been based  in Sydney for the past month,  working with Opera Australia. From 9 to 5 I am working with the corporate development and special events team to help mount Opera in the Domain. 

Every year around 20, 000 people (nope, I didn't accidentally add an extra zero. Twenty thousand) flock to the domain in the heart of the city to watch a free mini-version of an Opera from the companies repitoire. This year  it is 'The Pearlfishers'. 

Its a beautiful lesser known opera, set in an abandoned hindu temple. 

My job with the company this month has mostly pertained to the design, set up and function of the VIP tent.

That is;  a 20 x 20 marquee erected in the middle of the site that houses all of the important sponsors and patrons of the Australian arts industry that attend the event.  Every year the VIP tent is extravagantly themed to match the set design and main theme of the Opera. From the interior, to the bathrooms, right down to the canapé menu. 

I have driven all over Sydney, sourcing and picking out hand carved balinese furniture as well as jasmine garlands; making sure that what I source is within the confines of the style and colour guides provided to me by the special events managers.   

(colourful part of the job; various garlands I sourced from shops and markets last week) 

I've sat in on meetings with florists to work out floral designs for inside the tent that lend themselves to the theme, but that don't distract from the sponsors placement of products (see, it is corporate work! This is probably the most delicate and important part of the job - you've got to keep your sponsors happy in the arts - money is rare and partnerships are highly valued and need to be mutually beneficial).

Aside from all the fun and pretty aspects associated with designing a VIP event, I've also dealt with the slightly less glamorous side of such a large scale event ; organising volunteer mail outs, packing first aid  and touring kits for site, sorting out access passes.  I've also pulled some hours with the Sydney Opera House company office, attending open dress rehearsals for other shows as well as assisting in running auditions for upcoming productions.

I'll arrive on site at 8 am on the day of the event, and I won't leave until approximately 3 am the following morning. Granted, a few of those hours will be spent drinking champagne  and devouring canapés in the tent I helped create , but mostly they'll be spent helping execute the interior decoration process,  primping and priming the set up throughout the night, escorting camera crews around site  and helping oversee the smooth running of the VIP  and PR activities.

I was going to write about my second project (costume design) in this post, but it took so many words just to explain this job, that I think I will save that for a separate post.
Stay tuned for part  2!

Audrey & Mary Announcement!

Just a quick post with a bit of an announcement!

 I am moving house in less than a month and downsizing. I am going to lose an entire room. At present, my sewing room is over run with pretty vintage finds that don't fit me, but that I couldn't bare to leave behind. It makes sense that these gorgeous garments should have an opportunity to be worn with pride. 

So,  I started an Etsy store. You can find it here. 

I decided to call it Audrey  & Mary, after my respective grandmothers.

I've been spending a lot of time getting to know my paternal grandmother whilst I've been in Sydney on this internship. Her house is full of wonderful pretty handmade things, like these awesome 70's flower print pillowcases that I slept on last night.

I do have a million projects coming out of my proverbials at the moment  so I won't start selling until I'm settled back in Perth in February, but please stay tuned! I'm very excited! 

My paternal grandmothers dressing table. 

The Pros and Cons of being a Gypsy

Travel is a big part of my life. It has been for the past 2 years, and it will be for at least as long into the future, perhaps longer, depending on where life and my heart takes me after I graduate. 

cons: expensive flights. 

pros: frequent flyer points. tiny packets of Pringles. 

Home is a subject that is so important to me. I am a nester. A true sentimentalist. I need to be surrounded by things and people I love to feel inspired. When I moved my life across the country, I spent a lot of time fretting about what I'd left behind; family, friends, memories and perhaps missed opportunities. First kisses, old schoolyards, local haunts, sunday roasts with my Grandmother, that kind of thing.   

cons; sleeping alone each night

pros; sleeping in my Grandmothers super comfortable old wooden bed, like I have since I was a baby.

Naturally, as time forged on,  I started building and collecting these things on the West Coast, and the whims of my heart began to bow and bend the other way. My life in Perth became my constant, my routine, my familiarity.  My sentimental heart stores the smells and sights of any given place like little calling cards that remind me I've always got somewhere to call home.  

I am not sure why it is I feel like I need to be married to one city at a time, but I do. I need a solid home base to feel grounded and secure. For now, I feel like that place is Perth. Funnily enough, it took the creation of some not-so-great memories for me to feel like I could finally call the tiny clean city home. Home isn't about fresh cut flowers and the scent of cinnamon baked cookies , its about having history and roots wherever you are.  Something slightly more tangible that makes you feel established. That is really important to me. 

I am blessed to have memories in two places I have called home. While I am away from one, I am reminded of what I have to be grateful for in the other, and despite sometimes being a little lonely on the road, it always brings me back 'home' with a renewed enthusiasm for what I missed. 

cons; having so much downtime i don't know what to do with myself. 

pros; being able to take the time out to pamper myself.

cons; missing out on my regular pole. lyra and silks classes. 

pros; being able to take classes at Sydney Dance Company in a large studio that overlooks the water. 

cons; not having the boyfriend near by to snuggle up to. 

pros; re-connecting with my best gay boyfriend and snuggling up to watch a lame rom-com on a Wednesday night.

con; having to rely on technology to say 'I love you' 

pro; having someone in my life who is willing to accept all my nuances and philosophies about home, stay on the phone to me for hours with just the right amount patience and wisdom. 

Having something so wonderful to come home to. 

Sunday Snippets, 2012!

Welcome to 2012!
Without further ado I present to you the very first Sunday Snippets for 2012!  
(ok, so its been 2012 for a while now, this post got lost in the archives!)

First off, you have got to head over to this blog.

It is written by Kristin; an American nurse currently working in India. She runs a small food initiative from the tiny kitchen of her apartment, and every week she takes these meals down to the slums and distributes them.  She does so out of her own pocket. Her story, work and attitude are awe inspiring.

I’m putting aside what I can to send her way at the end of the month. It is amazing just how many people she can feed for such a small amount of money. The change you scrape from the bottom of your bag each week, put aside for a month, can feed quite a few people. I know that is something we constantly hear on the TV and in print, but Kristin gives you the from hard proof, right here. 

Peter Alexander for RSPCA 2012 calendar.

12 months worth of ridiculously hot men photographed with ridiculously cute dogs. Get yours here.

This article is well worth a read as we settle into a new year.
I also like these resolutions for 20-somethings that I came across via Sometimes Sweet. 



In 2012, some of my dancing friends and I are sponsoring a bear!

 It’s a pretty hefty amount of money to keep a bear looked after for 6 months, but split between four people it is just a one of contribution of $50 each.

We're still looking for  more people to make this financially realistic. If you can afford a one off $50 donation (it could be less, depending if we get more the 4 people on board, the more the merrier!)  and want to sponsor a stupidly cute bear with us, speak up!

I am coveting this coat from mod cloth. Winter is a million light years away, but I am thinking ahead. The fur is completely vegan friendly! I’m hoping this bad boy will still be on sale at the end of the week where I might just have enough wriggle room in my budget to justify making it mine. 

and finally, if you're not into Laura Marling, check this out.  I just finished voting for my favourite tracks of 2011 in triple J' hottest 100, and this was my number one.

Introductions.

In the spirit of the new year, I thought it might be a good idea to introduce myself.

If this is your first time here, welcome to my little corner of the internet! I am always on the look out for new blogs to follow, so please leave a comment and introduce yourself as well.

Who Am I?
I am a 23 year old  girl woman who lives in Perth, Australia.
I moved here just under two years ago from Sydney, and am madly in love with this tiny peaceful city.

I am also a vegetarian, animal crazy, artsy fartsy theatre geek; and these themes re occur regularly in my blog.


What Do I do?


A lot of things!
First and foremost I am I full time student. I study Arts Management. It is basically an MBA that is specific to arts related business.  I study arts law, marketing, business theory, economics and arts production. This means one day I might be a producer, or the general manager of a theatre company.
I also have dreams of running my own dance studio, but my future is still very much unwritten.

In the meantime, I work on a freelance basis across a range of creative fields. I work as a stage and production manager, a costume designer and a performer.  I’ve worked on producing non-profit film festivals to designing costumes for fringe festival performances. In the past I’ve also performed as a burlesque artist at resort hotels and corporate functions. 


I also recently opened a tiny little online vintage store called Audrey & Mary. 

What Do I blog About?

Anything and everything!  Sometimes I’ll write about my latest professional project, but more often than not I write about things that are relevant to my lifestyle and interests;
- Cooking and recipes. (mostly vego, sometimes vegan!)
- Eco philosophy.
- Fashion. (Vintage galore!)
- The Arts.


- Human Rights.

I also chronicle my adventures in my city, and when I travel (which is fairly often).  My wonderful other half, Tim, is a main character in most of my adventures. He runs his own popular music blog, so if you’re into that kind of thing you should check him out. 

What Do I take Photos With?

My iPhone. Almost all of the photos that accompany my personal posts are taken with my iPhone 4s. I used Instagram or Picture show to edit them.  I know it’s lazy, but it is so easy and I think it looks effective.

Face Lift!

I started this blog over a year ago. I have been meaning to get around to giving it a facelift for months on end, so voila!

I plan on introducing two new features in 2012.
Well, they’re kind of new, anyway!

The first is the return of Sunday snippets; a weekly collection of bits and pieces that have inspired or moved me during the week.

The second is Nosh. I plan to share my tried and tested favourite recipes, as well as a few food experiments.

I am particularly excited about this feature!

I hope that you all had a wonderful christmas and I look forward to sharing 2012 in much more with you!