The 12 Shirts of Christmas

I own a lot of Western shirts.  And when I say a lot I mean 12.  Exactly.  So to be particularly festive I thought I would show them to you, so you could laugh at my excessive amount of check shirts and give you a bit of Christmas cheer.  I also thought that since I own a total of 12 it would make a great count down to the big day.

So my First Shirt of Christmas is this short sleeved pale blue one, which is by the brand Twenty X, at least I think that is what it says...the label is pretty faded.  It also says Oceanside Cowgirl on the collar, which is quite fitting as this is a really nice summery shirt.  The colours in it include turquoise, French navy, beige and chocolate brown.  I love how checked shirts are made up of so many colours, which you can only see when you get up close.

My Second Shirt of Christmas is this pretty pale orange one by R.M. Williams, the iconic Australian brand.  I have so many R.M. Williams clothes.  Actually I haven't introduced you to my R.M. Williams boots yet.  I must do that in the New Year.  Anyway, back on topic.  This one is semi-fitted and has a few fine pleats in the front.  The colours are apricot, pink, pale brown and white.

The Third Shirt of Christmas brings us this 'Steppin' Out Shirt'.  It's a bit flash.  It's a Wrangler shirt and is brighter than my usual pickings.  It is a mix of hot pink, turquoise, aqua green, a burnt sienna and white.  It also has lines of silver thread through it to give it a little sparkle and some turquoise stitching to highlight the pockets and lapel. 

The Fourth Shirt of Christmas seems to make me very grumpy for some reason.  Another Wrangler shirt it has pink (obviously), white and a bit of yellow in there.  The buttons are cute too.  They are those stud kind (which means you can rip off your shirt in a hurry in case you need to) and they have little pink horse shoes on them.

The Fifth Shirt of Christmas is an Australian brand called Bull Rush.  It's even made in Australia, which unfortunately is a rare thing nowadays.  This shirt has more of a linen feel to it and has their logo embroidered on the pocket, which is a cowboy on a bucking bull.  It's pretty cool.  The colours included are three various shades of green and a bright blue.

The Sixth Shirt of Christmas is another Wrangler shirt.  This is a little different in that the checks are diagonal.  It also has diamond shaped pearl coloured buttons.  This one is actually a size 8 and I don't think I've ever been able to do it up, but I like wearing it open over a singlet.  Colours found in this one are light blue, navy, yellow and white.

The Seventh Shirt of Christmas is another by R.M. Williams.  I really like this one.  It has their logo on the yoke of the shirt at the back, which is a the head of a longhorn cow.  The buttons are the snappy kind and are a pretty pearl.  Colours in the shirt include pink, a sort of burgundy brown, white and a little bit of bright turquoise green!

The Eighth Shirt of Christmas is my most festive, I think.  It's by Wrangler and very Christmasy with all the red.  I like the contrast with the navy and white too.

For the Ninth Shirt of Christmas I found this nice rusty old gate and stood against it.  I'm looking in the direction of where my town is.  How nice are the hills in the background?!  This shirt is by Wrangler and is full of pretty colours like pink, orange, brown, white and a hint of green.

For the Tenth Shirt of Christmas I couldn't choose between which photo I liked the best.  I'm sorry, but my daughter got in there too and they were all so cute.  Of her, not me.  My final R.M. Williams shirt is a semi fitted one like the orange one and has the little pleats in the front.  It's got a few shades of mauve running through it, white and navy.

The Eleventh Shirt of Christmas made my little girl cry.  Actually it wasn't the shirt, it was the fact that I got on the swings without her.  This one is made by Thomas Cook, an Australian family owned company.  I remember wearing this at The Royal Melbourne Show one year, after the cattle judging when I went to the Cattleman's Bar.  Let's just say it didn't end well and I don't remember most of it.  It has burgundy, various shades of red, beige, salmon and cream.  It's quite pretty actually.

For the Twelfth Shirt of Christmas I have one of my favourites because it is super comfortable.  It's by Wrangler and has that lovely soft feeling of being washed dozens of times.  It's cream with a bit of beige, burgundy and pink.  It also has three quarter sleeves and I've had lots of good times in this shirt.  In fact I've had lots of good times in all my shirts!

 

Merry Christmas to you and all your Western shirts! xo





 



 

 



 

























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Too Faced Sweethearts

I went away on the weekend as my husband had to go 'up north' shearing, so this time he decided to take me and the kids, which was lovely as it was great to get away, and I got to visit my sister in-law and three nephews.

 

Then a travesty occurred.

 

Somehow in transit my blush exploded and ended up in a big fragmented mess all over the bathroom floor.  I was suitably sad and gave my Natio Mineral Blush in 'Pink Apples' a fitting burial of sorts, (dumped it in the bin) and quickly realised I would have to purchase a replacement. (*clap hands in glee)

 

So jumping on my favourite online makeup and beauty store Mecca I decided that I just had to have this one...

...the 'Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow' by Too Faced.  I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, and I always figure if you are going to buy a product you might as well get something that is fun and lovely to look at.  I mean...why not!

Encased in this cute cardboard heart shaped box it is a soft pink blush with a trio of shades that blend to create a light pink flush which can suit any skin tone all year round.  Purchasing this online, this was the safest shade to go for as I wasn't able to try it out.

Liking a more natural look this shade of 'Candy Glow' is perfect for me.

What is your favourite brand of blush?













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Cowgirl Relics Designs

One of the things I love about reading other blogs is discovering new fashion, beauty products, accessories and jewellery.  As I follow along with the blog Horses and Heels I was struck dumb with ooos and ahhs at the beautiful wrist cuff that Raquel reviewed from Cowgirl Relics.  Heading straight on over to Lindy's site I found oodles of gorgeous necklaces, earrings, cuffs and other western style trinkets.  Not being able to help myself I just had to have this 'Sierra Western Extra Long Necklace with Leather Fringe'.  Priced at only $40 how could I not?



It is a bohemian-style western necklace that has white round magnesite stones, tiger's eye chips and round turquoise magnesite stones, with an upcycled vintage silver-tone, concho style connector that gives it a lovely south western flair.  The leather tassel is handcrafted deerskin that also has a turquoise magnesite talon shaped stone. 



The style of jewellery at Cowgirl Relics is a mixture of rustic and feminine, ideal for the "cowgirl in each of us", which I absolutely love as this is what my space here stands for too!  The pieces are all hand crafted, with owner/designer Lindy, paying special attention to detail.  Her goal is to bring out your cowgirl spirit!

For Lindy her love of horses, antiques, Texas country music and the great outdoors inspire her pieces, which I feel is truly reflected in this necklace.

I love that she also strongly believes in women's inner feminine strength and that inside us all lies a cowgirl - someone full of "grit and grace".

I have also bought a gorgeous pair of earrings from Cowgirl Relics, which I will showcase in another post!

Fashion today.... my shirt is from RB Sellars, my jeans are Wrangler's Booty Up jeans, (which make your butt look awesome!!) and there are those Ariat boots again.

And this photo is me looking more like my daggy self (true personality shot this one)..instead of a 'try-hard' model.

Note:  All the photos of me in my OOTD posts, including this one, are taken by my 11 year old son, who I think is becoming quite the little fashion photographer!







 





 

 







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OOTD - Round Up

This photo shoot was done on Melbourne Cup Day, which, as strange as it might seem, is a day where a public holiday is held because of a horse race.  The "race that stops a nation" is not only an exciting race, but also gives you a perfect excuse to bum around at home. 

Ok, so this Cup Day I didn't just hang out at home, I dragged my 11 year old out and we snapped a few OOTD's, which I shall reveal over a few coming posts.  For this shoot I found this little nifty top for the fantastic price of $3 at a bigger op shop in Warragul.

It has a bit of a western feel to it, plus it is great for hiding a tummy!

It works well on or off the shoulder and would also look nice with jeans or pants.  This skirt is my R.M. Williams grey/black denim skirt which has a bit of crochet lace on the hem.  It's really cute!

This is my trusty Akubra hat, an iconic Australian brand.  This particular hat is called the 'Rough Rider'.  My husband has one exactly the same, only one size bigger (he has a small head for someone so tall....or perhaps I just have a big head!), but his hat is decidedly much dirtier.

This herd of overly curious steers belong to my Dad. 

I think they thought I was slightly insane.  Or perhaps they were snickering quietly to themselves about my pasty white legs that haven't seen the light of day since last Summer.

Cows are so lovely and friendly.

See?!

I'm wearing my Ariat boots as usual.  I promise, I will wear something different on my feet at some point!

But for now I'll just sport my 'serious cowgirl' look.....

























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Montana West Handbag

I've been loving my new handbag.  But then who doesn't love a new handbag?!  I haven't had a new one in a while, although I'm not counting the gi-normous nappy bag I got for my birthday at the start of last year....which just isn't the same...something that is going to hold mountains of wipes and nappies and bottles and random toys is hardly glamorous.

 

This bag is very glamorous. 

 

I had no intention of buying it actually, and I wasn't sure about the whole fringe thing, but then it really grew on me.  I had wandered into my favourite country clothing store, Gippsland Country Outfitters, and there was this gorgeous bag plus another one that was way more 'blingy'.   Wandering around the store, admiring all the shirts and trying on a few gorgeous Wrangler jeans, I still kept being drawn back to these bags. 

 

I'm sorry...but I just couldn't help myself!  I ummed and ahhed between the two but decided that the 'bling' was just too much 'bling' for me (since I'm not very 'blingy' at all), and even though it was beautiful, I went the safer option and chose this one.  My logic was that I might end up being too scared to use the one with the 'bling' and it would live it's days out 'blinging' away quietly to itself in my wardrobe.  Can I say 'bling' one more time??  .....'bling'.

 

So, giving my new bag, and my new camera a run, I went out and took some shots....(and learned how to use the timer on my camera).

Why am I always so serious in selfies??

 

I think probably because I feel a little ridiculous taking photos of myself....

 

Hmmm...anyway...

These are a pair of favourite jeans by Ariat by the way.  I love the red, cream and yellow stitching detail on the back pockets.  My shirt is one I've had for years and is by Wrangler.  I'm wearing it open over a white singlet I picked up for $3 from Kmart.  My cowboy boots are Ariats.  I love my boots and wear them almost every day. 

I think here I was checking that the kids hadn't run away.

I really like the silver details on the bag.  On the reverse it also has a handy zip pocket, plus it has a smaller pocket to fit your mobile phone.  This doesn't have a zip, but you want quick access to your phone anyway.  I know I do because I'm clumsy and have trouble answering a touch screen.  I'm such a doofus. 



You can visit Montana West here and drool over their range of gorgeous bags, wallets, accessories, home décor and apparel.  What a pity (for my husband) that I discovered this website......

 

Any hoo...  here is a close up of my makeup if you are interested..

Oooo...I look so grumpy!  I think I might have had to yell at the kids just before I took this one.  They were throwing their toys out the car window.  My eye shadow is from my lovely Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette that I have already mentioned in a previous post and my lipstick is by Cowgirl Dirt and is the colour 'Tea Rose'.



 

I took these photos just south of my town.  We took a drive around a few back roads to find a nice secluded quiet spot.  On the way home I took this shot.

This is the view North and the hazy mountains in the background are the Baw Baw's.  The town nestled in the groove there is where I live!  Pretty sweet hey?!

















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