Merry Christmas!!

I know it's a tad late, but I hope that you all had a very happy Christmas yesterday!

I spent the day up at my cousins farm which is a couple of hours up the coast from Sydney. We got up there on the 24th and the weather was looking pretty miserable but thank goodness it didn't stay that way! It probably got up to about 30 degrees Celsius, which is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit. We ate outdoors and went swimming with the cousins which was so much fun. I only swam for a bit and sunbaked for the rest of the time and I have the sunburn to prove it! My shoulders are quite red (my left more than the right because it got sunburnt on the drive up. I don't even know how that is possible, but it happened) but my back is probably the worst. It's all red except for the line where my bikini top was and then there is this vertical white patch that goes from my shoulders to just below my waist from where my hair was. 

Personally, I see this sunburn as an indicator of a good christmas. Australian christmases are so different compared to European and North American christmases (except Hawaii) which is why I love them so much. We spend our time outside, usually in a pool rather than indoors around a fire. We also experience heat waves, rather than cold snaps and snow storms around Christmas time. However, as much as I love Christmas here, I really want to have a proper, perfect white Christmas one day. I was in London for Christmas once, but it doesn't count as white as it didn't snow (:

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas with your families and I wish all of you the very best for 2012! 

All my love,

Phoebe xo

It's the most wonderful time of the year

With Christmas just 6 days away, I thought I'd get in the Christmas spirit and share some photos with you guys. I am kind of lacking in Christmas spirit this year; I blame it on the fact that we have no decorations up (we are going up to my cousins' for Christmas and the we go away a few days later so there was kind of no point). I absolutely love Christmas and this weather is confusing me further as it is supposed to be boiling hot!  

So I was at my grandmother's house today with my sister, helping decorate her tree and some of her tree decorations were absolutely gorgeous! I cannot wait to have my own house and decorate my own tree with amazing decorations from all around the world. I snapped a few pics of my favourites so here they are:

I love seeing snowflakes on Christmas trees in Australia, partly because they look totally out of place. For those unaware of a typical Australian Christmas, it is usually spent outdoors in the pool or playing Cricket in the backyard. I also like them as they remind me of white Christmases, something I have always dreamed of having (I came close once in London, but it was rain instead of snow.)

This Bloomingdales Little Brown Bag decoration is so cute! I absolutely love it! I find that having decorations on your tree that you have bought whilst travelling or on holidays gives your tree more of a personal touch. Just looking at the decorations evokes memories and stories. It may be the shopaholic side of me, but I think this bag is the coolest decoration ever and I am thinking of picking up one for myself when I go back to America.

For me, angel decorations are a must on Christmas trees! They are so beautiful and elegant. Of all the angel decorations my grandmother has, and believe me she has so many, I thought that this was the cutest. Handmade decorations are really sweet and they have character. Don't get me wrong, as a self-confessed neat-freak, I love pristine, neat and perfectly made decorations!

This decoration was by far my favourite! It is a handcrafted porcelain ornament from Wedgwood. Although, my judgement of best decoration may be partly clouded by my love of all things Wedgwood, courtesy of Design and Technology. They make such amazing and elegant things, from vases to plates and the fact that everything is handmade is just breath-taking! I love the detail of this ornament and the metallic blue of the painted ribbon is just beautiful. The ribbon reads: On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings. This decoration is part of Wedgwood's 12 days of Christmas ornaments. 

Wherever you may be on the 25th of December, I hope that you have a very merry Christmas! Happy holidays and stay safe Angels! 

Much love, 

Phoebe xo 

The importance of giving back;

From a young age, my parents have always told me that if you are fortunate enough, always give back. I personally believe that it is very important to help out people less fortunate than yourself. Charity work is so fulfilling and I have met so many incredible and inspiring people through it. It is always a positive experience and it makes me realise how truly grateful I am for all the opportunities that I have been blessed with.

Today I was helping out at the Salvation Army's annual Street Kids Picnic with my sister Emma, my dad and three girls, Rose, Jacqui and Sami from my dad's office. It was held at the Oasis Youth Support Network on Crown Street in Surry Hills. The amount of volunteers who turned up to help out was absolutely incredible! It is always great seeing people support such a worthy cause.

I have officially finished Year 10!!

I am now in Year 11 which means I have a bit less than two years left of school! I am about to embark on a new chapter in my life and I am excited, but quite nervous at the same time. These next two years are going to be jam packed with tonnes of schoolwork, studying and exams. I am not the most organised or efficient student around (if procrastinating was an Olympic sport, I'd get the gold every year) so I am going to have to step it up a bit if I want to get better results. 

I can't wait to finish high school and university; then my life will really begin.

Much love,

Phoebe xo

Welcome to my life;

I am a bit of a rookie when it comes to blogging, but I thought I'd give it a shot. This blog will be similar to my tumblr, but it will be more personal.

My posts on this blog will mainly be fashion-orientated but I will also include personal posts about my life, travels, style and endeavours. 

This is a place I can come to vent my feelings and state my opinions and I apologise in advance if I offend anyone. 

I look forward to sharing my story with you all. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy creating it! 

Much love, 

Phoebe xo