What does a Rhino have in common with me?

And if you guessed we can both be cows.......I don't really care if you have a good point or not, turn around and keep walking.

My niece recently went on a school trip to South Africa and she made some very cute videos of the local wildlife.

Here is one of her videos of a Rhino cow and a calf.


 
Rhinos are not only cute and have thick hides, but they also have bad hair, poor eye sight, a great sense of smell and excellent hearing.

And they also eat for a large part of the day.

I read that and watched the video, and it all seemed a little bit too familiar for my own liking.

Particularly right now, after my own recent excursion into the wilds of South Yarra (Melbourne).

I blame my daughter entirely.  Oh yes siree.

She told me she had ordered six 'special' Christmas decorations from a certain design store which she had to pick up on Christmas Eve.

Design store.....Christmas decorations....

I couldn't work out why she had to wait to pick them up, so I thought I would check out the store myself given I was in the neighbourhood.

Talk about a jungle. I had to fight my way to get out of there.

I finally managed to walk out with a waddle that any self respecting Rhino would be extremely proud of.

The store is Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio.

My kind of grazing land.

I finally found the decorations she ordered. Highly coloured baubles.

Highly coloured EDIBLE Christmas baubles to be exact.

Imagine.

They are made from white Belgian chocolate filled with chocolate coated pop rocks (??) and raspberry marshmallows.

Instant Sugar Coma anyone?

This store is like a modern day Willy Wonka Factory.

The open Kitchen looks like part Science Labatory. Amazing works of sweet art (click on picture to enlarge it if you dare)..

You might be surprised to know that I took a risk and tasted quite a few different products. I really had no choice. It would have been incredibly rude to decline the offers of samples would it not?

Now, the only discouraging part about my trip to Sweet Studio is that I now want to totally change my Christmas menu plans.

At this stage, I am thinking of making it much simpler and having - Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate. I mean, you can't really go wrong, can you?

 

And that leaves me with another dilemma - my holiday wardrobe. I have had to entirely rethink that as well.

 

At this stage, I'm thinking Kaftans, Kaftans and more Kaftans. Colourful ones, naturally.

 

 

So what is your favourite food over the holidays? Family favourite? Something new?

 

And no, the store's clever owners are not paying me in money or chocolate to talk about them. Their amazing works of art speak for themselves. They also have an online store so that you can make a total rhino of yourself in private.

 

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The 12 Days of Giveaway ends at Midnight tomorrow night, Australian Eastern Standard time. Please enter if you haven't already. It's not like I'm going to make the winners read all my blog posts for the next five years or anything.... Good Luck everyone. Winners announced late on 1 December 2012.  I will knock at your door with the good news (settle down, I mean via email - you don't need to tidy up the house on my account).

Don’t be afraid to speak out

Waiting...and watching...for the inevitable pounce - photo courtesy of my brother (taken in Vietnam)

When I left school I had a job processing people’s social security entitlements. I came into contact with lots of women who were claiming benefits because they were fleeing domestic violence.  

After hearing story after story, I became quite cynical and would try and guess how many weeks it would take before they were back with their violent partners. I used to shake my head and wonder how women could be so stupid. I mean r-e-a-l-l-y, getting dragged into such an horrific situation was one thing but how hard could it really be to leave someone who was abusing you.

I was all of 18 and clearly didn’t know a damn thing about anything.

Many years later I got the lesson of my life when I found myself in the exact same situation as the women I was so judgemental about.

I was in another country thousands of miles away from family and friends. I finally realised the meaning of the words ‘trapped by circumstance’.  I was so terrified that I became paralysed with fear and incapable of protecting myself. Sometimes getting away from violent situations is not as easy as it would seem.

Yesterday, was the International Stop Violence Against Women Day or White Ribbon Day as it is called in Australia.

And I did not want the day to go past without acknowledging it.

However, rather than discuss the victims or perpetrators of violence I wanted to mention the important role that bystanders to such crimes have.

Simply because most people who see, hear and know that abuse is occurring (the bystanders), often turn away and choose to do nothing.

Do you know that a third of women (and some studies say up to a half) will experience physical or sexual violence by a man at some point in their lives?*  

White Ribbon Day is about encouraging people, particularly those of the male persuasion, to stand up and say enough is enough when it comes to violence against women.

And yes, let's not forget that men are victims of violence too. It is just that women are more likely to experience violence at the hands of men they know and in their own home. Men on the other hand, are more likely to experience violence in public places at the hands of strangers.

Turning a blind eye to any kind of abuse is apparently so common that it is known as the Bystander Effect.  We see it, hear it and yet we turn away because we don't want to get involved.

I've been guilty of it myself. I was on a Qantas plane a few years ago and a woman across from me was verbally abusing and smacking her toddler son. All the passengers literally held their breath, squirmed in their seats, made faces at each other and hoped that someone, the air hostesses or anyone, would come forward and do something. I spoke to one of the air hostesses and asked her if she could have a word to the lady or try and distract the baby. She said they were not allowed to intervene.

What, in abuse of a child?

Doing nothing is condoning what is happening, surely. 

We cannot assume that someone else will do something. We cannot assume that it is a lover's quarrel, teenage prank, innocent play acting, that someone deserves it or it's just none of our business.....

The impact of violence costs this Country billions each year. It is herefore everyone's business. 

If it is dangerous to intervene, then ring the police and report it. Eventually something will come of it even if not on that occasion. At least there is some record of a complaint.

Getting involved is hard I realise. You have to be brave. And very careful.

As a bystander, what would you do in the following situation?

This is a video of a French tourist being abused last week on a bus in Melbourne because she and her friends were singing a French song.
LANGUAGE WARNING: DO NOT PLAY AT WORK OR IN FRONT OF THE KIDS.

Would you have done anything to help, particularly given other passengers seemed to join in the abuse?

I am ashamed it happened in this city. Red necks live everywhere. There are You Tube videos such as this in cities all over the world.



What would I have done?

I think I might have directed my attention to the victim not the abusers. I may have asked her to stop singing and spoken to her and tried to calm it down that way. Or even got off the bus with her to diffuse the situation. I would not have engaged with the abusers though.

The police are apparently following this up given the abusers have now been identified from the video footage.

The bottom line is violence is wrong and we need to stand up and say so. Sometimes it will fall on a bystander to step up and do something. We need to be ready to make a difference.

 

Bridge over troubled waters

Normal transmission resumes.........

I was standing on a balcony of an inner city apartment block in Melbourne yesterday taking some pictures. As you do.

I have looked out on this view many times before but something caught my eye that I've never noticed before....

It wasn't the bridge

 

 

or the traffic

 

but something under the bridge

Mattress, lounge, tables, clothes hanger, makeshift kitchen - someone's home - river view, prime position mmmm

Sometimes we look and look and can't see what's right in front of us.

I'm not sure what to think. Is it a choice? The occupants seem to be resourceful and have made a home for themselves. However, I guess they must think this is safer than living on the streets. It surely is pretty private. I just hope they're not restless sleepers - it wouldn't take much to roll off that mattress and over the edge to the water below.  And that might be an incredibly dumb way to go. 

 

______________________________________



And speaking of dumb ways to go - you so have to watch this....

 



This is not some cute new song but a public service announcement from Victoria's Metro Rail in reponse to the increase in needless deaths on railway tracks and crossings.

It's becoming a You Tube hit.

Will this cute video get through to people?

I can tell you one thing, I haven't stopped humming the song since I played this. Dumb ways to die indeed.

12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAY - DAY 12

It's the final day of the 12 Days of Giveaway.

Thank you to everyone who has joined in the fun so far. Entries to all Giveaways close at Midnight 30 November 2012 AEST.

So, are you wondering what today's prize is? 

I can tell you that the Giveaway is worth $425 for one lucky winner.

I may have misled you slightly when I told you at the start of the Giveaways that the thing I really like above all else is jewellery.

The truth is, that it is not the only thing.

I really like Makeup a whole lot too.

Colour plays a big part in my life and it was no wonder that I studied theatrical makeup as I always loved 'colouring in'. I just moved from paper and walls to faces.

This week I was looking back at some of my early blog posts (cringe…) and I came across one which listed my top beauty products of all time.

And, interestingly enough, I still think much the same. While I like trying lots of new products I still have some firm favourites. Simply because they work.


GIVEAWAY

One person will win 11 of my favourite beauty products which have a value of $425. The products will be fun to use or could be great gifts for others.

And I promise that even though I have joked on this blog many times before about the power of Spac Filla, it did not make the list!

The products are:

1.   AMAZING FACE by Zoe Foster

Yes, this beauty product is a book.  Zoe is a former Cosmopolitan and Harpers BAZAAR beauty director. She shows some clever beauty tricks, reviews various products and gives useful how-to-do-its. This is the next best thing to having your own personal makeup artist on tap. It really is an excellent resource no matter how long you have been wearing makeup and no matter how good you think you are at applying it.

 

 

2. YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch by Yves St Laurent Beauty
 
One of these highlighters is sold every 10 seconds across the World. So either this brand’s marketing is excellent and we are gullible or the product actually works. And after using it for years it really does work. With a few strokes under eyes, around mouth, eyelids, forehead (wherever you like, as there are no real rules) your skin is instantly illuminated, so you look rested and refreshed—even if you’ve been up for hours. One thing most people get very wrong about these illuminators is that they are not concealers. It is applied after your concealer and foundation (if you wear one).

2. CLARINS BEAUTY FLASH BALM


This is Clarins' best-selling product which helps eliminate signs of fatigue in a flash! Instantly moisturizes, brightens and tightens your skin so it looks rested and relaxed. It is perfect to wear alone or it also can prep the skin for perfect make-up application.







3. PALMERS CCOCOA BUTTER NATURAL BRONZE TANNING MOISTURISER for the Face

I prefer using a self tanner on my face rather than using foundation. It has to be one designed specifically for the face though. When your face is tanned, your eyes are brighter, your teeth whiter and you look really healthy. This is a good one to use and is a great price. The other favourite I have which is far more expensive is Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for Face.





4. MAKEUP BRUSHES 

An artist does not usually paint using their fingers so when it comes to makeup I find it best to use a brush to apply foundation, blush, eye liner etc. The difference it can create to your makeup application is worth the effort. This is a set of four of my favourite makeup brushes. One for foundation, one for blush, one for lips and one for eyes.
  





5. BOBBI BROWN LOG-WEAR GEL EYELINER

This is possibly my favourite product of all time and can be used by people of all ages.  The eye liner has the precision of liquid liner and the flexible feel of a gel. It is a water-resistant formula and can go from subtle to bold depending on how it's applied. My personal colour favourite is Caviar Ink, a deep black-brown but there are a fw different colours available.

6.    VASELINE PETROLEUM JELLY

 

No, I am serious. Really. It deserves to be on the list. It is a great beauty product. It can be used on your lips, cheeks, face and even on the driest parts of your body. As you may already know, it is also used by models to prevent lipstick from sticking to their teeth – and it works wonders for that purpose. If you have particularly dry skin on your face, all you need to do is slather a generous amount of Vaseline Pure Petroleum Jelly and its moisture will be restored in no time at all.

7. MASQUE SOIR DE FETE 

This Elle Bache mask is my favourite. If your skin needs a ‘pick me up’ before a special occasion then here’s your mask. It not only reduces any redness or blotchiness but it also smoothes skin and imparts an instant radiant glow, making it ideal for use, before you apply your make-up. It always makes my skin feel wonderful.





8. ALMAY EYE MAKEUP REMOVAL PADS 

These round pads doused in eye makeup remover can decrease your eye-makeup removal time by 600%. Hands up who hates removing their eye makeup? These are convenient and oil-free. They remove eye makeup in one easy step with no mess.








9. MAYBELLINE NY GREAT LASH MASCARA

Most makeup artists I know use Maybelline mascaras.  I like more expensive mascaras like Dior too but I always come back to Maybelline. It creates natural looking lashes. Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara combines waterproof technology with a creamy formula that is quick and easy to apply.





10. CLINIQUE ALMOST LIPSTICK

I have a few favourite colours but Clinique's Luscious Honey is universally flattering. It gives lips a sleek soft finish and it is a glossy, sheer, non-staining lip colour.








11. NARS Orgasm (blush)

So, as it happened I couldn't keep the list to just ten products. This is a gorgeous colour blush (looks very pink here but is not) and it suits most people. It is a long term favourite of mine.

All the products will be given to the winner in a gorgeous white cosmetic bag.

 

TO ENTER

Complete the form below. Tell me your favourite beauty product or your best makeup tip or maybe even your worst makeup disaster? 

Those entrants who 'like' Lilly's Life Blog's Facebook page will also gain a second entry to this giveaway.

Terms & Conditions.

12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAY - DAY 11

Day 11 is all about looking for the silver lining.

And all things silver is what you will find today.  There are two giveaways and prizes for three lucky readers with a total value of $190.

1. The Silver Forge

The Silver Forge is a shop which sells unique and beautiful sterling silver jewellery: earrings, rings, pendants and custom bespoke gemstone jewellery commissions all handcrafted by Ruthie Gray. 

 

Ruthie from Brisbane has been goldsmithing for over four years, and is currently enrolled in a year long intensive goldsmithing training course. All her pieces are made entirely by hand using traditional methods and hand tools in her own studio at home.  She is very happy to take custom orders for any jewellery (in silver or gold) you would like made, and is also happy to work with you to  create a design for your dream piece. 

Ruthie's great-great-great grandfather, her great-great uncle and her great-grandfather were blacksmiths, so she is definitely carrying on the family smithing tradition in her own small way!

GIVEAWAY

TWO vouchers worth $35 - one each for two lucky readers to spend at The Silver Forge online store.

TO ENTER

Visit The Silver Forge and choose what you would buy if you won. Submit your entry using the form below.



2. Koko Lane

This is definitely one of my favourite gift stores in the World. Especially when it is decorated in all of its Christmas glory. Take a look! There is something for every occasion. 

Koko Lane is located in Church St, Richmond, Melbourne. I promise that you will not be able to walk past it without going in for a browse. It is just beautiful.
 

GIVEAWAY

$120 worth of gorgeous silver Christmas decorations for one lucky reader.

TO ENTER

Submit the entry form below and tell me what kind of decorations you like on your Christmas tree.

For an extra entry, 'like' Koko Lane's Facebook page.


Terms and Conditions

 

12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAY - DAY 10

Day 10 Giveaway open to Australian readers only, sorry.


"Are we nearly there yet"? I can hear you all saying.

Nearly. Day 10.

And Friday too - time to unwind.
 
So, how about going out to dinner?

In today's Giveaway I wanted to talk to you about Groupon. And Melbourne Restaurants.

Groupon, is one of the fastest growing companies in the world. It is a deal based website that really is the best way of eliminating the ''FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) which plagues most of us. Well, me anyway.

Let's face it. No matter what city you live in or visit anywhere in the world there are so many options. The choice of what to do and where to go can be overwhelming. Groupon shares deals each day with its members and highlights thrilling experiences that only cost a fraction of what it would cost normally if you went and arranged it yourself. There are savings of up to 70% on attractions and events right across all cities.

I was recently offered a voucher by Groupon to try one of its Melbourne restaurant deals. I love to eat and besides it was an opportunity to try somewhere new and find out how Groupon works. 

Melbourne has thousands of restaurants and eating well is very easy here. However, there are so many options and often I take the easy way out and go somewhere familiar that I've been to many times before.

I signed up to Groupon (easy) and then went to check what Restaurant deals there were today. There were nine and they ranged in price from $19 through to $69 (savings of up to 70%).

 

I decided to try a small Vegetarian Indian Restaurant recently opened in Hawthorne called Only Vegetarian Kitchen which is inspired by India's all vegetarian state Gurjarat.
 
I bought the deal online and immediately was able to access the voucher. It cost $29 for two for a vegetarian feast (seriously - are you worried for me?). It would normally cost $88.90 so that is a saving of $59.90. Two hundred and eleven vouchers had already been bought by others so I figured it must be ok.
 
The process was simple and straightforward although there is a lot of small print to read about the terms and conditions set by the restaurant - so be sure to read it before making a purchase. For example, sometimes you cannot make a reservation on a weekend or a specific time.
 
I rang to make a reservation for tonight and had no problems. I was asked just to text the voucher number and security code (from the voucher) to the restaurant. All too easy.
 
Only Vegetarian Kitchen is within walking distance to Glenferry train station and easy to get to. It's a small place which is brightly decorated and quite homely. We were greeted on arrival by a very friendly waitress. I handed the waitress the voucher and she accepted it without question.

 

The staff seemed friendly througout our meal although they seemed a little tentative about their roles. I guess this is hardly surprising given the restaurant is new.

The restaurant offers a wide variety of vegetarian Indian cuisine. The deal we bought was for an Authentic Vegetarian Indian Feast of entree, unlimited mains, dessert plus lassi. Rather than explain how it would be served the staff seemed to assume we knew. They just bought out the food and we found we had to ask them a lot of questions about what we were eating.

However, the food was very good and it was most definitely authentic. The veggie vindaloo and aloo masala were one of the best I've had. We had two small main dishes but the staff made no mention of any other dishes. We also were not offered a choice of dessert either. The meals were sufficient for us and quite filling but I know that many people may be disappointed that it was not quite the feast they were expecting.

The restaurant also does takeaway and this seemed quite popular with people while we were there. I certainly would get takeaway from them in the future.

It was fun and I will be trying Groupon again to discover more restaurants. My only advice is to make sure that you are very familiar with the contents of the deal and discuss it with the Restaurant staff before the meal is served to make sure everyone knows what is going on.

Overall, I am very happy with my first Groupon experience and will try some more deals.

Now what about you?


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GIVEAWAY

Groupon has given a $100 voucher for one of you to win. Now that is exciting and even more so because you get to spend it on any deal you like in the nearest Australian city you live. Shopping, travel, meals, whatever!


TO ENTER

Go to Groupon and choose your city at the top of the page (or Capital City nearest to you) and tell me what deal you would buy (of course it changes daily so it may not be there when you win on 1 December). Submit your entry below.

12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAY - DAY 9

It's Day 9 of the 12 Days of Giveaway and I hope you have a cup of coffee nearby (or maybe something even stronger perhaps) as there's lots to show you today.

There are four different Giveaways with a total value of $200 for up to EIGHT winners. 

All giveaways close at Midnight on 30 November 2012 ÁEST so you still have lots of time to look around and see what you would like to win. You can enter one giveaway at a time if it's easier.

                                ___________________________________________

1.  SIMPLY CLEAN

I never get excited about cleaning but when some products arrived for me to try from new company, Simply Clean, I got very excited.

I repeat. Cleaning. Products. Excited. Me.

And stranger still, I could not wait to try them out. I know, for all you who know me, miracles can happen.

Just look at them though.

The range is divided into Kitchen, Bathroom and Microfibre Cloths and each product is individually labelled and colour-coded to indicate which area and surface it is to be used for. What a creative yet very practical idea.

This pack contains blue bathroom floor sponge cloth, yellow bathroom scourer, red toilet scourer and yellow bathroom scrubber

This pack contains green kitchen sponge cloth, blue kitchen floor sponge cloth, green kitchen scrubber and green kitchen scourer

This pack contains 30cm x 30cm cloths for stainless steel, dusting, glass and kitchen.

These great products came about when Mum of three, Victoria Fulford, was sick of seeing her family use the cloth she’d used to wipe up the baby’s breakfast mess, to clean the kitchen counter. She decided to do something about it and thus, Simply Clean was born.

A first of its kind in Australia, Simply Clean products are designed to promote safe hygiene practices in the home and office and help protect users from the risks of bacteria (very necessary given that Mythbusters concluded that the kitchen sponge is the number one source of bacteria in the house).

 

These products are sold in Woolworths nation-wide, RRP $6.99 per pack. For more info, go to www.simplyclean.me  And congratulations Victoria, they are really needed. Could you please now do something similar for the hospitality industry at large because they could really do with some help in this area too.

 

GIVEAWAY

 

FIVE lucky readers will each win three packets of the cleaning products shown above (RRP $21).

 

TO ENTER

 

Tell me one of your best cleaning tips (I could do with some ideas). Submit an entry form at the end of this post.

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2. VINYL DESIGN

The next giveaway is from Vinyl Design which sells amazing vinyl products for the home. They have a fantastic range of vinyl wall stickers to decorate any space. You can reinvent and transform your home, office, kid's bedroom or playroom, adding color and style to your interiors. Vinyl Design wall decals are made of matt vinyl, a very flexible material easy to apply and to remove. 

They also sell Vinyl Tees which is their new range of organic men's t-shirt; they're designer and hand printed on ethically made and environmentally friendly t-shirts. They have original graphics, they fit nicely and the light weight cotton is a comfortable to wear. Vinyl Living is their latest projects and includes a range homeware and textile for you and your house: here you will find hand printed canvas bags for your shopping, strong canvas cushions covers and tea towels all designed and produced in Australia!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win the Two Funny Penguins Wall Decal (RRP $35) below from Vinyl Design

 

The decals are very easy to apply and they won't leave any marks on`the wall upon removal. This prize pack contains 2 penguins. Penguins size: 25cm height (9,8 inches); plus how to apply instructions.

And while we are on the subject of penguins I have to show you this little video my niece took on a school trip to South Africa a few weeks ago. You will want to play this over and over again or perhaps go and win yourself your very own penguins from Vinyl Design instead.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 


TO ENTER

Go to Vinyl Design's online store and tell me what product you would like to buy for your home. Submit an entry using the form at the end of this post.

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3.  VINTAGE CHENILLE

The third of today's giveaways comes from Etsy shop Vintage Chenille. The shop owner, Leah, makes the most stunning quilts and adorable soft toys for children.

 

 

Leah discovered the craft of patchwork using vintage chenille and began collecting it to make her baby girl a quilt and now apparently just can't stop!! Lucky us! She also can create something especially for you as 99% of her creations are unique because of the character of the vintage fabric. Mmmm, I wonder if she could make me a penguin?

 

You can visit Leah's shop Vintage Chenille here and her blog Hand Made Bits and Pieces.  

 

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win one of Leah's Christmas themed Scotty Dogs ($19)  (yes we have the animal theme going today!) How adorable is this toy!

TO ENTER

Visit Vintage Chenille and tell me what your favourite item is in the shop and submit your entry at the end of this post.

           ______________________________________________________

4. FORGET ME NOT

The final giveaway is from Etsy shop Forget Me Not. I love the name of the shop and I love the items in it even more. I think we should all be putting pen to paper again rather than doing everything online. You will find some beautiful stationery and accessories in this store.
 

 

 

Forget Me Not has cards, tags, notelets, notebooks and more. I have ordered three different items in the last couple of weeks since I discovered the shop. It is great quality and unique. There are some really gorgeous Christmas cards and tags that are original and one of a kind. These products would make lovely Christmas gifts for me and everyone else.

 

 

GIVEAWAY

 

One reader will win $40 worth of items of their choice from Forget Me Not.

 

TO ENTER

 

Visit Forget Me Not and tell me what you would like to win. You can submit your entry at the end of this post.

 

                   

 

Thank you to Simply Clean, Forget Me Not, Vintage Chenille and Vinyl Wall Art for providing their beautiful products for giveaways. My family thanks Simply Clean for giving me such great products to try and for making me clean the house so thoroughly too.