more than shelter

Perhaps I'm overly-sentimental, but some of my clothes contain such potent memories. I remember how I felt on the days I wore it, what people said, the way the fabric fluttered around me as I danced. I sometimes look at a dress and a tidal wave of memories wash over me based on everything that happened the one night I wore it. For this reason, I've had some items of clothing since I was 12 or 13. Because, contrary to what others might say, clothes are more than just things which shelter us from the elements - clothes are part of our lives, they're precious and they mean so much.

P.S. I'm wearing Marie's heart locket which features Marie's very own photo. It was love at first sight when I saw it. Visit Marie's etsy shop The Blue Balloon for photos, necklaces, notecards, and gift tags.

P.P.S I'm still listing clothes on Trademe here. Take a look!

♥ Dress from Valleygirl ♥ Heart Locket from Marie! ♥ Location: Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Wellington Botanic Gardens ♥

don't worry about a thing....

...transmission has been delayed. Stay tuned! I will be back shortly. In the meantime, watch Zombieland and browse my Trademe store. Great new listings tomorrow, including some fab two-toned Topshop heels and a gorgeous Trelise Cooper top! You'll have fun. Promise.

xoxo

ana b.

♥ Location: Petone, Wellington, New Zealand. November 2009 ♥

6,768 Miles Apart

Dear Diana,

I know its Thanksgiving where you are. Your email means everything to me. You are one of the most inspiring women I know, and at the same time, don't know. Thanks for you.

♥ ana b.

My pictures on the left, hers on the right.
6,768 Miles Apart appears every fortnight.
Our pictures are no longer limited to the morning.
But our focus remains the same.
Read how it started here.
Look at the archives here and here.
We were featured here.
We also love Naomi and Marie from the transatlantic lens project &
Adeline and Astrid from Her - Der

fairweather friends

Friendships are often portrayed with reference only to the good - laughter, support, cooperation, altruism. But like everything else, it has its dark side - envy, bitterness, manipulation. Diana, Andrea, and I were talking on Twitter about the rifts that personal success can bring to what you thought were long-held friendships. You expect your friends to celebrate and support your success and when they don't, it leaves you bewildered, angry and confused. I don't believe that this is because they aren't really your friends at all - friendships, just like romantic relationships, aren't all about the good. So this leaves me to thinking - how do we navigate the negatives of friendship? Are you friends only with those who you think are equal with you? And when this balance starts to change, is the friendship in trouble?

P.S. Sorry to lower the tone but I have plenty of clothes, accessories and shoes still up and ready to find its way to you on Trademe here. Icon on the sidebar too!

♥Blue cardigan from Valleygirl ♥ Black top from Glassons ♥ Floral tights from Cotton On ♥ Flats from Topshop ♥ Bag from Equip ♥

Wheeling and Dealing on Trademe

Hi folks!

My New Zealand readers will be familiar with Trademe. For those overseas, Trademe is New Zealand's version of Ebay. Visit my Trademe store by clicking here or the collage below and have a look at the unloved things sitting in my wardrobe waiting for you to cherish them and shower them with love and affection. New listings every day until The Patient Photographer finally gets the space in that wardrobe that he so desperately needs ;) And BTW, there's a super sweet Karen Walker strapless dress you folks might just like here.

FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS WITHOUT TRADEME ACCOUNTS: Please send me an email at ondressingup@gmail.com with the item/s you are interested in and how much you are willing to pay in your local currency. We might be able to work something out.

self-help shame

UPDATE: 6,768 Miles Apart - Diana and I's photographic collaboration - is being hosted by Diana this fortnight. Click on the picture below to be taken there!

My workmates and I were forced to attend a seminar about Marcus Buckingham's book "Strengths Finder". We spent thirty minutes answering a timed questionnaire with delicious questions like "When given a choice would you rather clean or rest?" and "Are tears a part of your life?". This recent brush with the self-help/self-improvement genre reminded me of a couple of years back when I braved embarassment at the public library by checking out a self-help book entitled "Why You're Still Single". If you're thinking of reading this book, I'll tell you the answer now - you're still single because you're reading this book rather than throwing back those cocktails, shimmying into your Freakum Dress, and showing those folks all the goodies you've got to share. Trust! Go on...share your self-help book shame.

♥ Blouse and clutch are thrifted ♥ Skirt from Glassons ♥ Pearl bracelet and ring gifted from mother ♥ Chain & leather bracelet from Diva ♥ Sunglasses from Cotton On ♥

fan girl

I made a complete fool of myself in front of Sarah Blasko. At a gig where she was opening for The Brunettes, I spotted her weaving her way from the bar to stand near the stage. Drunk on good music and vodka, I couldn't resist barelling over to her and blurting all sorts of fan-girlish things like how she was *SOCOOL* and how I *LOVEDHERDRESS* and especially *HOWMUCHBETTERSHEISTHANTHEBRUNETTES*. Was it my imagination or did she actually take a step back from me, grinning with a combination of confusion, terror and alarm? I choose not to remember.

♥ Cardigan and Dress from Valley Girl ♥ Shoes from Max ♥ Hairpin is thrifted ♥ Necklace and Earrings from Diva ♥

consumer magpies

I missed out on going to The Big Schwop this weekend. If you want to know how it went, visit Natelle here who walked away with some fabulous things. I didn't completely miss out however as I recently did a fun dress swap with with Vicci. I think this is a great idea, especially if you're concerned about the sustainability of clothing. First and foremost, the fashion industry is about profit. Where before designers only had to put out two seasons (fall/winter and spring/summer) some quick-minded marketing nut decided there was more money to be bled out of consumers and so resort and pre-fall as "seasons" were born. It's not all the higher-ups fault, however. We, as consumers, lap it up. More clothes, more trends, and ever shorter attention spans. We're like magpies converging on the latest, shiniest thing that catches our eye, swooping away without a care as soon as something sparkly and new comes into vision.

♥ Dress was swapped with Vicci ♥ Belt from Portmans ♥ Wedges from The Warehouse ♥ Bag from Farmers ♥ Bangle from Equip ♥ Location: Petone Foreshore ♥

6,768 Miles Apart

Diana and I can now point our camera lens and be struck with the feeling that this photo isn't just about us - these photos are also about each other. Creatives talk about their influences. Usually these people are dead or entirely inaccessible to us by virtue of their immense fame and power. But how amazing is it to be guided by someone who is only 6,768 Miles Apart?

My pictures on the left, hers on the right.
6,768 Miles Apart appears every fortnight.
Our pictures are no longer limited to the morning.
But our focus remains the same.
Read how it started here.
Look at the archives here and here.
We were featured here.
We also love Naomi and Marie from the transatlantic lens project &
Adeline and Astrid from Her - Der

concrete shoes

Lemon the canary got very sick. The vet took one look at her and prepared us for the worst, telling us there was a chance she wouldn't pull through. I burst into tears. A couple of hours later, the vet called to tell us Lemon was on antibiotics and perfectly happy. If I felt like this for my pet bird, how would I feel if it was my child? Or my family? Or my friend? So many of my thoughts are occupied with time - the keeping of it, the passing of it, the wasting of it. I look into the future and realise there's a lot of pain in store for us which we won't be able to avoid. But I shake my head and force myself to read a book, watch a movie, pick my clothes from the floor. If we all lived thinking about how we die, I think we'd freeze to the spot, paralysed. We'd sink into the depths like we had concrete blocks attached to our feet. So we move on. We have to.

♥ Cardigan and dress are thrifted ♥ Brooch a gift from Emily ♥ Belt from Portmans ♥