Live by the sun - Love by the moon

I love the beautiful and clever moon photography above. Taken over a series of evenings, I'm reminded of lazy nights on the dunes at Mermaid Beach watching the moon come up... and inspired to escape the city lights more often to moon gaze.

(a friend forwarded them to me in an email which I later found here)

Hippie Love

Image credits :: 1. Girl playing guitar 2. Beach picnic 3. B&W 4. John&Yoko 5. Carrington daisies

Crafty + Bright

Today I wanted to share some brightness... I recently came across a gorgeous little book by freelance writer and designer, Kelly Doust, called 'The Crafty Minx'. Kelly's knack for creating hand made crafts from flea markets and vintage finds is very inspiring and as I was reading her book with a cup of hot tea, it dawned on me that I was really needing to make time to unleash my creativity. Here is the sentence in Kelly's book that really resonated with me.


"Things made by hand are special and hold a little bit of you in them...Spending even a small amount of time doing this actually restores the spirit and is much more rewarding than sitting down in front of the television after a hard day's work." Kelly Doust

Kelly's blog, The Crafty Minx, is a sweet mix of craft ideas to warm the heart. I'm also looking forward to grabbing a copy of her new book, Minxy Vintage, due for release in October 2011, which is all about customising vintage clothing.

Beautiful bright accessories
(image found at theBerry)

All it takes to reawaken your inner-creative is to clear away the clutter and surround yourself with positive inspiration. One way to do this is write down your new aspirations and add them to a fun vision board of ideas, quotes and images! I'm planning on getting myself a little sewing machine soon and have already started a collection of treasures such as ribbons, fabric pieces and buttons I can use to make my own original items. I'm also very interested in furniture restoration and plan on dabbling in restoring an antique wardrobe soon.

Have a great weekend and happy creating!

Buttons! (image found here)

A cute sewing table
(image from the dainty squid)

My very exciting news...

There's a very good reason why I haven't written a blog entry over the last few months... my amazing boyfriend proposed to me in Melbourne in May! It's such an exciting and busy time at the moment and really feels like a brand new chapter. We've also moved house and are still unpacking, but I'm really looking forward to setting up our home studio next week and getting back into writing. I've got a lot of new ideas for Gloss Posse and will be sharing some fun wedding planning events, inspiration & ideas over the coming months so make sure you check back soon. Last night I went and saw the new Bridesmaids movie with my own gorgeous bridesmaids and it was such a funny movie - I definately recommend going to see it.

Gorgeous handmade bridemaids cards by Anna of Rifle Design found here

Australia's Sarah Prout! online media socialite / entreprenuer / published author

I first heard about Sarah Prout when I picked up her book at the Brisbane City library titled, 'SPROUT the Life You Love' in 2009. It was such a refreshing read and really resonated with the way I looked at the world. Since then I've checked back onto Sarah's website, read her other books and watched her online empire grow from strength to strength. Now with the release of her latest book, 'The Power of Influence' I wanted to share Sarah's positive energy, success and talents on Gloss Posse...

How do you best describe yourself?

I'm a creative person, a little quirky and always inspired by success principles and metaphysics. In other words, I'm a self-help junkie that loves personal development and vibrant ideas.

 

When did you first discover that you wanted to be a published author and how did you make it happen?

I've always wanted to become a published author. For as long as I can remember I'd have secret fantasies of seeing my books on the bookstore shelves. And then one day it happened!

In 2006, I was invited to contribute to a compilation book called The Path to Success which featured leaders in the field of personal development such as Dr Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. That book was an instant bestseller. And then in 2007, I created a publishing company and self-published my own compilation books that featured amazing A-list female entrepreneurs from around the globe.

And in 2010, I landed a book deal with the largest business publisher in the world (John Wiley and Son). I guess the secret is to keep holding your dream in your awareness and work towards your desired outcome.

Can you share with us some of your favourite experiences as a social media entrepreneur?

I love social media. Some of my favourite experiences include tweeting with Ashton Kutcher and of course meeting the love of my life (Mr. Sean Patrick Simpson). I see social media and the number #1. tool for the new currency of connection online.

Who/what inspires you at the moment?

Gratitude! That's the theme I've really connected with so far in 2011. I've been inspired by gratitude before but I want to take it to a whole new level this year. There's a special power in being grateful that I'm teaching my students in my 8-week Adventures in Manifesting program. Actually, I'm really inspired by my students and my clients - they always amaze me how tuned in an fabulous they are.

Your latest book, 'The Power of Influence', has been flying off the shelves! Can you tell us a little more about this book and its global success?

The book is all about how to create a business you love using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. I'm so thrilled to hear the feedback from people that read and enjoy my book. It's so awesome to get emails from readers in Denmark, Portugal or the USA.

I'm really delighted to announce that it's being translated into German now for European distribution. I think the main appeal of The Power of Influence is that I've written it from an authentic and heartfelt perspective. Lots of people tell me they can read the book in a single day because it's easy to absorb the information. 
 

What are your dreams for the future?

I have some top secret projects going on behind the scenes at the moment which are so exciting! I guess my dreams for the future include the success of one particular project and also to buy my dream home somewhere in the world.

I also want to buy a Maserati.

What advice can you give to people wanting to become a published author?

Keep writing! I would suggest that if you want to be a published author you need to LOVE writing. And if you're truly passionate about what you're doing then keep visualizing your desired outcome. Always stay on the look-out for opportunities and connect with great resources that can give you excellent advice.

Thanks Sarah! You can find out more about Sarah at Sarahprout.com and follow her on Twitter & Facebook. I can't wait to get a copy of The Power of Influence!

Arielle

Summer Love

Summer is a time to be outdoors, relax on the beach, have BBQ's and go to as many festivals as possible! It's also the start of a brand new year which means a lot of us have fun getting a new haircut and culling our wardrobes for a fresh look.

Sometimes it can be a little daunting as to where to start when revamping our wardrobes, so I've recently discovered something that is surprisingly addictive and lots of fun... online shopping! 

Don't get me wrong, I've dabbled in buying and selling on EBay and often buy music and beauty products online, but it's really only in the last month that I've discovered a lot of new designers by surfing the net, and catching onto this trend of online designer shopping! It's a great way to stay on top of the latest styles as well as snag a great sale. 

This blog entry is all about sharing some fantastic designers, online retailers and my favourite fashion styles and accessories for this summer!



May Vanessa Scallop Layer Dress
by May, $79



Kohl Gold Amsterdam Pendant by Polli
$54.95



Miss Rosie (light nude) by Peeptoe
$249



Pratten Eel Skin Wallet, by Birdsnest
$69



Rae Leather Handbag (white)
by Coco Kitten, $259

Ruby Long Sleeve Wilma Blouse,
Maximilla, $96.50

Seduce Making Waves Tunic,
Birsdnest, $119

Swarovski Cocktail Ring - Beautiful Wickedness
Sugared, $125 

Honey & Beau Vivaldi Strapless dress
Gosh Celebrity Fashion, $99

Happy Shopping!

2011... A Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas and a bit of time off to relax and rejuvenate over the New Year. I had the most amazing New Years to date spending 5 days camping with friends down in the beautiful Nimbin hinterland! We managed to escape the torrential rain (the sun seemed to follow our van all the way along our road trip!) and now that I'm back to my creature comforts, it actually feels strange to be typing on my laptop and watching TV. I was without reception on my iPhone for about a week and realised how much I depended on technology. Not that there's anything really wrong with that... but it was so refreshing to catch up with friends around a fire, listen to music all day long, jam on guitars, play endless rounds of uka card games (not nerdy - totally addictive) and creating delicious cocktails on our custom made tiki bar.

We made this fun tiki bar out of a recycled desk which was perfect for lining up our bottles of spirits and shaking up delicious drinks on the top bar. Adorned with fairy lights we all wrote our favourite lyrics and quotes on the bar over the 5 days, such as "Underneath the hollow ground lies a night time sky, only for a desperate eye" and "Chalk outlines will circle the city" along with sketches. A perfect piece of memorabilia, which my boyfriend and I are now using as a shelf for the sun room stereo.

Granny's Farmstay at Nimbin

Making this year count...

So now that I'm back from the simple life in the country to life in the busy city I feel ready and rested to take on all of the exciting, challenging and fun times 2011 holds for me. I am making this year count... That doesn't mean being a workaholic and running myself into the ground! Actually it means making time for all of the areas of my life. Having a healthy balance of play, work and rest. (I prefer them in that order)

A little something I like to do at the start of each month is to write a few lines underneath the title of that month - positive affirmations or goals that I want to achieve by the end of that month. For example, for the month of January 2011 I've written "Fresh new beginnings; music; creativity; career opportunities..." You can be as general or as specific as you like. You'll be surprised how they unfold when you look back.

So whether its learning a new instrument, writing that book, getting on top of your finances or making more time for you, make sure you stay empowered and keep following your dreams!