tasteslikelove

Tea For Two

2012-02-15T03:39:00.000-08:00

1. Early morning coffees 2. My sister flipping her hurr

3. Coffee 4. Cucumber sandwiches 5. Gluten free delights

6. A quick selfy before Ash went back to work 7. Driving home

A couple of months ago my sister Ashleigh suggested we go have 'tea for two' at this cute little gluten free patisserie in Newcastle. We've been meaning to do it for ages, and this week we finally went. I've been sleeping through my alarms lately, and because I was driving to Newcastle (which is an hour from where I live) I had to get up a little earlier to get ready. Lucky my sister didn't send me the address of the patisserie, she called me in the morning, about 15 minutes before I should have been leaving. So I frantically started to get ready and because Luke is super lovely he walked to the cafe just around the corner from us to get me a coffee cos I ran out of time.

The little patisserie was so cute. Everything was gluten free and there was a sweet bread loaf with dried fruit that was amazing! Even though it was called 'tea for two', we both got coffees. The cucumber sandwiches were slightly different to the average high tea type sandwich. The cucumber was piled on top of a slice of bread, and it was so delicious. I've been putting cucumber and zucchini in most things lately, so it was just right! And the sweet jelly squares were made with gelatine free jelly. On our way out, I picked Luke up a treat to take home with me, a white chocolate and raspberry macaroon. I didn't actually get to see Luke for valentines day until about 11pm because he was working, so when he got home he had it with a cup of tea. It was a pretty lovely day, and the nice weather held out just long enough for me to do three loads of washing!

Monday Afternoon

2012-02-13T06:03:00.000-08:00

1. Mid afternoon stroll 2. Mid afternoon stroll to the post office

3. Afternoon brunch 4. Luke measuring out ingredients

5. Making banana bread 6. Burrito mix 7. Banana bread & tea

Luke & I had the day together, so we started it off with a big lazy sleep in. And it was a rainy Monday morning, so really what else are you going to do. When the rain suddenly decided to stop and the sun came out we got up and planned our day. We decided to make banana bread, do some banking, pick up our much anticipated passports, go grab some coffees & make some delightful banana bread to have with cups of tea. It started to rain late in the afternoon, so we swung by my parents house for a quick drink while we used their dryer. When we got home, our house smelt like delicious banana bread and honey. While that rested straight from the oven, we made vegetarian burritos and watched 'Revenge'.

It was a pretty lovely way to spend a Monday afternoon, and to finish the evening off with some home made banana, chocolate & walnut bread with some tea & 'Daria'.

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-02-12T23:58:00.000-08:00

Know your stone by Lost Cabin
Tips for a successful blog from The Curious Pug
Dear little Kaleigh from Kaleigh
Hey Girl by The Lovely Hunter
Ten simple smoothies by The Wearwithal
Pixelated pop valentines card by The Glue Gun Girl

I've been really excited to post this weeks 'start your week off with..' post because there are some really great reads. I really loved the 'Dear little Kaleigh' letter that blogger Kaleigh wrote to her younger self, its really funny and sweet and reminded me of a couple of things I used to think when I was little. The Curious Pug shared some really great blogging tips she's gained though her own experience, so if you've just started blogging, this is a great read. Be sure to check them all out!

Custom Portrait

2012-02-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to share my new illustration, which was a custom portrait I did recently for the very lovely Felicity who blogs over at Pursuit Of Felicity.

To read more about this illustration, check out her latest blog post.

It was such a pleasure drawing Felicity & her boyfriend and I'm super happy with the result.

To read more about my custom illustrations, check out my custom page.

You can also see another custom illustration I did for another fine lady, Hannah from A Cup Of Subtle Tea. If you're interested in having a custom illustration drawn for yourself, or for a friend, send me an email, I'd love to hear from you!

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-02-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the revolution by A is for Ampersand
Only the cutest photo, ever by Shaktidove
The sweetest save the date design by Simply Melissa Ashley
The ballad of 'what if' by Casual Bedlam

Its almost mid-week, but I'm sure it'll be okay! If you haven't popped over to 'A is for Ampersand' this month so far, make sure you do. Theres some pretty awesome stuff going on over there. And Amy is also a babe. The cutest photo ever posted by Shaktidove made my little heart do a couple of flips its so cute! And I wanted everybody else to feel the same as well. I know how you lovely bloggers like yourselves some cute cats! I've also included a nice post to read by Casual Bedlam, who posts a lot of good, interesting reads. And lastly, a super neat save the date designed by Simply, Melissa Ashley. That girl is a boss! Have a great week!

Ghost Blogging

2012-02-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Every Monday I like to do a 'start your week off with..' post linking a sweet handful of blog posts that I have liked throughout the week. And when you do a regular post like this, well I find anyway, that I notice more the posts in between. Or lack there of. I've been a little bit of a ghost blogger these past couple of weeks. I've been so busy with work, and drawing and general things that bulk out your week, that Luke & I have barely had much spare time to have any cute little daily adventures. And that is generally what I blog about. I sometimes get a little self conscious about what I put on my blog & what I would like to branch out and put on my blog. But then I think, 'why blog at all if you're so worried about what people think'. Because ultimately I really do love to post about the little things I do and the places I go, and if a handful of people 'in real life' read my blog and wear their judgey bear jumpers over it, it really doesn't need to be my problem. Haters gonna hate.

Things are starting to quiet down around these parts, so I'll have a couple of more days out of my week to do heaps of cool things with. And more time to do some sweet little drawings. I'm really excited about a custom illustration that I'm currently working on and am looking forward to sharing. In the mean time, if you would like a custom drawing of your fine self, check out my custom page!

Aunty Dean Came To Visit

2012-02-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty lovely day.

I used my birthday tea cup for the first time, & tried a green tea + cranberry blend.

My lovely husband gave me his Cotton On voucher to buy a new dress that I clearly needed.

I finally uploaded my copy of CS5 on my new Mac.

And worked on a new custom illustration.

I watched those Shit Fashion Girls Say videos.

And my lovely little friend Dean came to visit me.

I hadn't seen Dean since last year when Luke & I went to Newtown for the weekend for our anniversary. So it was super lovely getting to spend the afternoon with him catching up with coffees, cupcakes & youtube. We flipped our hurr to One Direction. And broke in my photo booth - which is so much more awesome than my antique macbook photo booth!

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-01-31T00:50:00.000-08:00

The French Toast Paradox by Forages & Finds
Lunch Date with Blue Feather Style
Illustrate Your Grocery List with Goodnight Little Spoon
Cat Paintings by Diamond In The Dark
Organizing your fridge by The Organized Housewife

Luke & I went to the movies this morning to watch A Few Best Men, there were so many moments throughout the movie where I felt awkward and embarrassed for the Best Men. Go see it though, it is pretty funny! I also found the perfect computer desk for my new Mac today! Make sure you check out The Organized Housewife blog. My sister texted me the blog last week - thanks Ash!

Have a good little week!

Can We Sit In Your Truck?

2012-01-29T02:41:00.000-08:00

Today at work a couple came in for some afternoon teas and coffees. They own a big old fashioned fire engine truck that they use for parties, events etc. And they were driving it today, and it was parked right in front of the cafe where we could see. The other waitress that was working today, Bridget, asked if we could take photos sitting in their 'fun engine', which they were totally up for! It was a pretty funny way to end the working week.

Luke & I didn't really get up to much this week because we've both been working, and on his days off I worked. Although on Tuesday we had the day together and we went to see The Muppets movie early in the morning which was ah-mazing! The little kids at the cinemas were super duper funny with their reactions to the movie, and their singing! I also had a little date on Friday night with my mum to watch The Descendants.

Luke & I are going to have a couple of drinks to finish our Sunday off and watch the mens final in the Australian Open. Fingers crossed for Novak!

I hope you all had a great little week!

A Customer Sat On My Foot

2012-01-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm not recounting my favourite episode of Jerry Springer. This actually happened.

Thursday at work we were super duper busy being Australia Day & all. I went to take an order from a customer, and stood in the only space I could - behind her chair. When she heard me she stood a little to adjust her chair to look at me directly and sat the chair back down on my foot. I asked her 'could you please get up you're on my foot', completely unfazed and unapologetic she moved her chair. I also moved my foot back and she put her chair down on my shoe AGAIN, and I quickly lifted my foot and my shoe ripped.

It was all kinds of awesome. For the remaining five hours of my shift, my shoe basically had a mouth. It was also a gloomy, wet day so my little toes got wet (and dirty).

My Little Book Club

2012-01-25T04:30:00.000-08:00

I love going to bookstores, buying books, and finding a little nook for them in my lovely bookcase. I love everything about books.

I just never commit to reading them straight away. So, I've made a little pile to start off with on top of my bookcase, and I'm going to read my way through it.

(Don't be fooled by the book mark in 'On The Road', Luke is currently reading that.)

My Sister bought me 'Encyclopedia Of The Exquisite' for my birthday late last year, and I've been itching to read it. It has really delightful illustrations throughout, and its beautifully designed book. I'm a sucker for a good looking book. And Penguin Classics.

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-01-23T02:24:00.000-08:00

Down memory lane with Mermaidens
The many uses of coconut oil by An Organic Wife
Ways to be a fag hag by Cheeky Cheeky
Their rituals by The Beetle Shak
Have a loaf of blueberry bread with All Things Classy
Remember the time I got hit by a cop by Adventures In Mediocrity

For the first time in a couple of months I had a Saturday off, which gave me a little bit more time to blog peruse. This week I came across a quick recipe for blueberry bread. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before to try it, because I like banana bread and such, and blueberries are one of my favourite things. So my next day off I'm defo going to whip this one up! I'm also quite keen on coconuts, and my cousin who is a naturopath has been preaching about coconut oil for years, so this post has finallllllly sold me on the stuff! One of my new favourite blogs, Cheeky Cheeky, provided the world with some amazing advice on making friends with gay men, which is not only genius but really freaking hilarious! I highly recommend you pop on over to her blog and say hello, she's constantly on the hunt for a new bff!

I've never been a Monday hater, infact they have never bothered me. I was more so bothered by Tuesdays for some strange reason. This morning I woke up with a solid eight hours of sleep under my belt and didn't even snooze my alarm when it went off. It was generally a good day today at work, and the day went by at a nice pace. A sweet lady asked me about my Magritte tattoo on the side of my wrist and to my surprise she actually knew what I was talking about! I get asked about it so so so so so much and nobody ever knows who Rene Magritte is, so it really made my day to converse with her. She gave me some helpful tips on pursuing my artistic aspirations, and is quite an accomplished artist herself. I sussed out her website this evening, and her work is fantastic, check it out!

Have a great little week!

Don't Make A Spectacle

2012-01-21T05:42:00.000-08:00

New Glasses!

I've wanted new frames for a while, but wanted to wait until I needed to update my prescription.

While Luke & I were at the shops about 2 weeks ago, we were walking past Spec Savers and I went in to look at new frames and they had a spare appointment so I ended up walking out with new frames! Well I had to wait 8 days for them. I also bought prescription sunglasses, which have proven to be anything but daggy.

They felt to big on my face the first couple of days, but I have been given so many lovely compliments that have eased me into them even more!

Busy Bees

2012-01-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

Luke & I had quite the eventful day together.

We were little busy bees crossing things off our to-do-lists.

I had an 8.30 am appointment this morning, so our day started a little earlier than I would have liked. I defied my alarm for as long as I could, and gave myself little time to get ready. After the appointment, we went to the cafe where I work to have breakfast & coffee. Trying new things is something I'm pushing myself to do, so today I tried blueberry pancakes. And aren't I a fool for putting it off for so long, as I always go for banana. And I also tried some of Luke's French toast. My boss made our coffees and as her & her gf were making them, I could see them huddled over & giggling. Rather than the normal cute little heart in the froth, they'd branched out and tried their hand at doodles! So that was a pretty funny start to the day.

After breakfast we went to the shops to make a quick purchase - my new Mac desktop! I'm so fracking excited! My desk won't get here for a few days, so I won't set it all up until it arrives. Which gives me time to find the perfect decorative desk chair. Working on my new Mac will be so much easier having a bigger screen, 21.5" to be exact! Luke had a voucher for a book store, so while he was looking around I read some of the new children's books which generated an abundance of much needed creative motivation. I also picked up a new floral print dress from Cotton On, and a 'L' scrabble necklace from Diva for $2! I am a bit late to the scrabble jewellery phase, but I got on the wagon cheaply!

Aside from buying a new Mac, buying new mascara was on the top of my to-do-list for Thursday. As we were driving home I realised I had forgot to, so we pulled into the shopping centre which is closer to our house to get it and dinner things. Just to make my day more awesome, Rimmel had a buy 1 get 1 free purchase offer. And while we were close to the post office we finally got out passport photos taken. We've been meaning to get our passports for ages for our Fiji trip in March. And to finish our lovely little day together, Luke is going to make burritos and we're going to watch the tennis!

Guest Post / Brock Paper Scissors

2012-01-18T01:50:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Joanna from over at Brock Paper Scissors.

Lauren asked me to do a guest post answering some questions about myself, so here goes...

I first got into reading blogs a couple of years ago (sewing and cooking, then when I got preggo with Lola, baby blogs), but it wasn't until around June of this year that I decided to start blogging myself. I've never been good about keeping up with baby books, so I thought this would be a good way to document our daily happenings. So far, I've really enjoyed it!

A typical day for me (if Nico has preschool)...

Wake up to my alarm clock or Nico waking me up; whichever comes first

Get the kids and myself dressed and ready for the day

Get everyone fed and out the door by 9:00a.m., so we can make it to preschool on time

Run any errands I need to with Lola, while Nico's at school

Pick Nico up from school at 12:15p.m.

Come home and eat lunch

Nap time (this is the time when I get laundry, blogging and housework done)

After nap time, we all play until it is time to make dinner

Cook dinner and sit down at the table as a family to eat (this is really important to us)

After dinner and dishes, the kiddos get baths (thankfully, the husby does this)

This is followed by story time and bedtime for Nico (Lola stays up with us right now)

Dan and I usually hang out and watch TV for an hour or two

Bed time is around 10 or 11 for us (we act like old fogies)

I have plenty of weird quirks and habits, lol! Probably the one that annoys the Hubs the most, though, is that I have to check the closet and under the bed before I can go to sleep (not even joking). Gotta check for murderers, yo!

The highlight of 2011 has probably been our move from San Diego to Virginia (my husband, Dan, is in the Navy). While I loved the weather in SD, VA just feels more like home (Texas) to me.

This pic is probably one of my favorites! It's of the 3 people I love most in this world!

Thanks for sharing Joanna!

I have a similar quirk, I check my house for uninvited guests when I get home!

Make sure you pop over to her delightful blog and say hello.

5 Things I do Everyday

2012-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

I'm over at Life As Twiggy today sharing 5 things I do everyday.

Come over & say hello!

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-01-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

Love letters by The Parkers Blog
Fun facts by Only A Flight Away
Maroon & Blue by Violet Lulu
My worst habit by Baby In Bulgaria

So, these may be a small, sweet handful of posts to enjoy mid week rather than to start your week off with! Sorry about that. I had a coffee & banana bread date with my Mum today, have been working a lot, and the Australian Open has just started this week. So i've been a little distracted! However, there are some fun facts to start the week off as an intellectual with, some everyday romance, a fantastic outfit post/cute new blog to read, and horrible habit (that I too share!).

This week I've got a cute little guest post to share as well as pictures of my new glasses!

Have a good little week!

Beach Burrito

2012-01-14T03:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Luke & I ventured into the city to have lunch at Beach Burrito in Newtown, and to pick up a (late!) birthday present for Luke from this amazing store called Holy Kitsch which is also in Newtown. Beach Burrito was pretty amazing, Luke had fish tacos and I had vegetarian chilli fries. The menus were the most amazing part though because of their colourful artworks. Afterwards we strolled along King Street and looked at books & all kinds of pretty things before we had some afternoon coffees.

Also earlier this month I got a Secret Santa package from Croatia which I was so excited about! Only A Flight Away hosted a Secret Santa blog swap just before Christmas and you were paired up with a fellow blogger to buy a present. I was paired with Dolly from Unicorns, Heels & American Dreams . Click here to see what I sent her!

floral bow necklace, nail polish, Croatian hanging heart, tea.

Also, during the week my sister & brother in law made a fleeting visit to my parents house before they had a dinner date with friends. They had quick birthday drinks with Luke, and with the top half of a bin my parents repurposed I got the best photo of my brother in law Allan.

And just quietly...

...look how big this banana is!

You could almost make an entire loaf of banana bread out of this single bad boy.

Belated Birthday Boots Illustrated

2012-01-11T04:07:00.000-08:00

New boots.

Last Tuesday I went to Newtown in Sydney by myself for the first time ever. I've never had a solo adventure to the city, so I was a little excited and nervous. I have no sense of direction & whenever I'm in Sydney I rely on whoever I'm with to get about.

My birthday was about a month ago, and because Luke works so much and there aren't any places around the coast that stock Doc Marten's, I only just got my present last Tuesday. New black Doc's.

Here they are, illustrated rather than photographed.

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-01-09T03:39:00.000-08:00

Don't drown in a sea of sadness by Cheeky Cheeky
Button earring DIY by Manzanita
Tuesday tunes by Simply, Melissa Ashley
Pretty bird by We're All A Bunch Of Oxymorons
A desktop calendar by The Glue Gun Girl

I haven't been around lately because I've been so busy working, but I have a mixed bag of posts to share - a simple DIY, a new little feature by one of my favourites, a sweet poem to make you smile, a new year treat for your desktop and a funny post by a blog I came across this week that I am smitten with! Have a good little week!

January Sponsors

2012-01-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

Go say hello!

For more info on button swapping, click here.

Also, the winner of nautical head scarf from the Lost Cabin store is...

Simply, Melissa Ashley!

Woo hoo! I'll be in touch. Thanks girls for entering!

A Monday Picnic

2012-01-02T03:30:00.000-08:00

Today Luke & I went on a little picnic. It was such a lovely, sunny day here on the Coast for a change. Not like the horrible, wet & moody weather lately. We slept in a little later than we would have liked to, quickly did a clean up and some washing, and packed a picnic. Luke made delicious salad rolls with spinach, sun dried tomato, swiss cheese, leek, mushroom & south west sauce, and a cinnamon & honey granola. We also packed some nuts and poppers and went on our way.

Start Your Week Off With..

2012-01-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

Being a real friend by Love, Chelsea Lauren
When pugs sleep by Miss Tallulah Porkchop
Cool gift ideas by All Things Classy
Christmas facts from A Joyful Journal
The most amazing photo ever of A Ghost Waltz

I didn't do this last week because I was at my parents house for Boxing Day, and there was so many lovely Christmas posts floating about I couldn't pick just a handful to share. My favourite post this week was from Love, Chelsea Lauren about her views on being a real friend. And the Christmas card photo from Ghost Waltz. Best photo I've ever seen! I was having the worst afternoon and it instantly cheered me up!

At the end of this week I'm going to announce the winner of an awesome vintage head scarf giveaway from Lost Cabin's lovely Etsy store. Enter away!

Have a great week!

2012

2011-12-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

This time last year Luke & I had packed up everything and moved from Newcastle. Throughout the year I’ve met new people, tried new things, saw some of my favourite bands live, said ‘yes’ more, picked up new habits, rekindled my love for drawing, started blogging again, went to two weddings, and attended a funeral.

There have been a couple of things that have really stood out to me this year and have shifted and shaped my perspective just in time for the new year.

Two days before Christmas I attended a funeral for a girl my age. It really made me realise how fleeting and precious time is and to not take people for granted. And to focus on the things, and more importantly the people that make me happy. A couple of months ago I had a falling out with a friend, over something on my part that was not something to end a friendship over. However, part of growing up and evolving is taking responsibility for things that happen. And I do.

The other stand out thing to happen to me this year was a little bit of advice a very lovely lady passed on to me. She told me, and as simple as it sounds, you can’t make anybody feel a certain way. I didn’t make my friend react the way she did, and only after being given this advice was I able to put things into perspective. People change, and they out grow each other, there is nothing wrong with that. Even though it has been a couple of months since we have spoken as friends, I wish her all the love and happiness conceivable, and hope that one day if opportunities haven’t eluded us, we can hang like home dawgs again.

My 2012 resolution is to focus on the things that make me happy. And to not waste time on things that simply will not matter six months from now.

Happy new year!

Christmas

2011-12-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas has already been and gone, this year has just flown by!

Usually my family goes back to our home town, Gunnedah, for Christmas, but this year we stayed at the Coast for a family Christmas. Saturday morning Luke & I woke up a little later than expected and hurried ourselves to my parents house to open presents and have breakfast before Luke had to go to work (yep :( on Christmas). My parents bought us all a family holiday to Fiji in March next year! It was a pretty amazing present! After we opened presents we had pancakes & fruit for breakfast, then I had to rush Luke off to work.

When I got back to my parents house, we had cups of tea and played cards while my Dad & my brother-in-law Allan made lunch. It was such a lovely, sunny day, totally unlike the last couple of weeks. It really hasn't been a proper summer here this year. I picked Luke up in the late afternoon, and we had drinks, and the neighbours came over for drinks and Christmas dinner. To finish a lovely day off we watched Bridesmaids and drank whiskey.

I hope everybody else had a lovely Christmas.

And a big congratulations to Hannah from A Cup Of Subtle Tea!

Train Ride From Hell

2011-12-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

1. On the train, 2. Pizza for lunch at Twelve in Newtown

3. At the T2 store in Newtown, 4. City dwelling

5. Baby deer button I bought at Beehive Gallery in Newtown

6. Cappuccino's & fries at The Newtown Cafe

7. Playing dress ups in Sportsgirl at the QVB

On Thursday Lara & I ventured to Newtown in Sydney for coffees and last minute Christmas present hunting. I didn't think I would get to see Lara again until the new year, so our little city date was perfect! We looked at so so many stores, I bought some T2 for my friend Holly, and a little baby deer button. I don't normally where pin buttons, but it was way too cute and I think it will go perfectly with a lot of my day dresses.

After spending the majority of the day browsing Newtown's finest, we had cappuccino's and fries at Lara's favorite cafe in Newtown and then made our way to the Queen Victoria Building. We looked around there for a while & I bought some big green circle earring studs from Sportsgirl. We left QVB and headed to Central, only to find we had missed a train by minutes and had to wait around for an hour or so for the next.

Oh how I wish we had of made that train though.

When we first got on the train it was fine, nobody seemed to be hectic and there were transit officers on the train. After about an hour two men boarded the train and seemed to be quite inebriated. They sat in the carriage upstairs, closest to us so we could hear them having drunken quarrels and being generally disruptive. They were escorted by the transit officers to a non seating area of the train to be spoken to, were let off with a warning, and the next stop the transit officers got off. After they got off, the two men were being exceptionally disruptive, which I was fine to listen to as it wasn't directed towards me. However things started to get a little bad when a man, who seemed to be homeless, sat behind Lara & I. Immediately I could smell him, and probably a month's worth of wear on his skin. It was rancid. We stayed put for as long as we could take it and then moved without a fuss.

We had been sitting in an empty carriage for maybe ten minutes before the two men upstairs started to get really loud, it was at this point that Lara contacted the emergency number on the train to have a transit officer ready at the the next big stop. The next minute we heard a super loud thud and we looked around and one of the men had fallen down the stairs flat on his face. And he didn't move afterwards. We kept our distance and watched to see if he was going to get up, and the train came to a stop and other passengers pushed him aside with their feet to get pass. Nobody asked if he was okay, or even showed their concern. His 'friend' came down to try and make him get up, proceeded to kick him square in the face, and then left him laying there. The next big stop was the one I had to get off at, and I saw the transit officers give the train a quick once over and heard them saying it was all good to go. I went over and asked them to go back on the train because I felt so horrible my friend was still on there alone. We went back into the carriage where the unconscious person was still laying flat, and they picked him up and plonked him on the foot path. While this was going on, his 'friend' had got off the train and was standing next to the train yelling at the transit officers. He boarded the train again, walked straight up to Lara and yelled in her face to not mention what she had seen to anybody, and then got off again. And then the train left. And that was it, nothing was done about the apparently hurt man, drunk or not, he is still a person and deserves to be treated like so.

I am truly disgusted nobody did anything, and even more appalled that people pushed him aside with their feet to get through the walk way. What happened to human spirit?

Date Week

2011-12-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

This week has been quite eventful so far. After my work Christmas party on Sunday evening, Luke & I stayed in bed most of the day and left our little bat cave in the early afternoon. Just in time to have afternoon coffees and a late lunch at one of our favourite cafes, which also happens to be a two minute walk from our house! Two Birds Gallery makes the most amazing cappuccino, and these dandy lentil burgers that make any mood a happy one. After our lunch date, we went to the movies to watch the third Twilight movie while it was still showing here. I've only just started to show an interest in the Twilight stories, and I'm still not convinced. Like, they're entertaining and Edward is the biggest babe, but.. I don't know. Its kind of like my interest for Miley Cyrus, fleeting & seasonal. Afterwards we came home and finally got around to unpacking our new bed sides (that arrived Friday). I'd put off unpacking them because I couldn't bare the thought of having them sit next to our bed without any lamps. So after they were unpacked, we quickly ran to the shops and bought some super cute ceramic lamps. I'm going to post pictures later because they're too cute not to!

On Tuesday I wanted to sleep in (again, I know!) and start a new illustration, but my Mum called me and invited me over for a lunch date to make rum balls and have coffee and toasted sandwiches. So, thats what I did on Tuesday! My favourite part about Christmas, besides getting to spend time with my family, is rum balls & my Granny's home made mayo! Girlfriend knows how to make a good sandwich sauce! It's usually this time of the year that the rum balls start rolling in!

I hope everybody is having a great little week!

Featured Sponsor / Giveaway!

2011-12-21T04:16:00.000-08:00

This is my very first give away on this little blog, and I'm so super excited about it!

Lost Cabin is my featured December sponsor, and also happens to be one of my favourite blogs!

Toni runs a super cute Etsy store selling cute vintage clothing and accessories. And I was more than delighted when I saw the scarf that is going to be up for grabs for one lucky reader!

Hello dear readers,

My name is Toni and I blog over at Lost Cabin.

I am simply delighted to be guest posting on Tastes Like Love today. When Lauren asked me what I'd like to do a post on....I must admit, I had a little bit of writers block. The Mr. suggested, "Why not do a giveaway? You have heaps of stuff lying around." (I think he is hinting at me to clean the studio we share). At the moment it's just easier to close the door and ignore it..hee hee.

So I'm going through a bit of a head scarf phase - partially to just deal with the in-between phase my hair is in at the moment. I sorted through my collection and picked out one of my favourites. Now I'm no expert in tying these babies, so I've put together a little inspiration board of some gorgeous belles of yesterday and today.

image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Up for grabs is this gorgeous nautical head scarf that I collected from a little town in Northern NSW a few years ago. It's oversized, so it's perfect for trying out plenty of different tying styles.

To enter all you have to do is:

1. Follow Lost Cabin via GFC

2. Follow Tastes Like Love via GFC

3. Leave me a comment below

Winner will be announced in the first week of 2012

Thank's again for having me Lauren.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and amazing 2012!

Toni xo

Thanks Toni, I want to win this!

But I'll be just as happy to see one of my lovely readers win it!

A Weekend Post On A Wednesday

2011-12-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

I’ve been a little busy this week and haven’t had the chance to post about my weekend that has just passed. It was one of those weekends that I didn’t have a spare second to really do anything.

Saturday I worked all day, and finished a little later than usual.

When I got home I had to get ready to drive to Newcastle, which is about an hours drive from my house, to go to my best friends dinner party. As I was getting ready, I was picking stuff up around my house to take, and my camera had been playing up and I turned it on to see if it was feeling well enough to go out for the evening and it was officially broken. I was a little flustered and annoyed so I drove to the shops, ran in to Dick Smith, picked up another digital camera similar to the one I had (but purple!), paid for it and ran back to my car.

Quickly came home, got the rest of my things and drove to Newcastle. I hadn’t been able to see Lara in a couple of weeks, but it was so lovely getting to see her before Christmas, firstly so we could exchange awesome gifts, and also because the dinner party had a Hanukkah theme to it! It was such a beautiful evening, she had gone to so so much preparation. She cooked a three course meal for like 15 people! I struggle to make to the right portions for Luke & I!

Lara bought me the most amazing birthday/Christmas present, because I hadn’t seen her since my birthday the gift got rolled into one. I was lucky enough to be gifted with a Maxwell & Williams ‘Kimono’ series tea cup that I’ve been wanting for ages, and she picked me out the most perfect one!, babushka measuring spoons, a Playboy cover to cover collection from the 50’s, a copy of Samson & Delilah (so I’ll get into Heaven after catching up on a decade of Playboy), the cutest printed tea towels, hand wipes because I’m addicted to any sort of wet wipe, and some antique souvenir travel tea spoons. It was a bit of a monster gift!

I left Newcastle just before midnight as I had to work the following day. I’m so glad I got home just in time to get enough sleep, because we were so super busy for most of the day, which was good because it made the time just fly by. Sunday evening was our work Christmas party, which was such a great night! We were able to bring along partners, so Luke was my date. My boss is such a lovely lady, she made all of this lovely food, and her girlfriend made killer cocktails throughout the evening. I didn’t take photos at all which I’m now a little team sad about. But I did get one photo, and it’s awesome enough to make up for the fact that I didn’t take any more!

December Sponsors / Part. Two

2011-12-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

This is part two of my December Sponsors!

You may recognize a few of these bloggers from my previous sponsor posts, and if you haven't, then go check them out!

If you're interested in being a part of my next sponsor post and participate in a button swap,

visit my sponsor page for more info!

Welcome to the Lost Cabin.

Home to a Mr, Mrs and one damn cute baby. A cosy place of gathered treasures, things that inspire, and all that makes life rosy. Remember all blog followers get 20% off at the Lost Cabin Etsy store.

Blog / Etsy

My name is Danielle, my guy's name is Wil and we JUST got married on November 11th-my birthday. We dance salsa. We laugh at anything. We eat (a lot). We have tons of fun, go on lots of adventures, take a billion pictures and share them all on Danfredo Rivera.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

Call me Melina.

An Argentinian native living in Los Angeles, California. The girlfriend of an amazing boy called Sebastian. Loving, caring, sweet, honest, funny, and creative. Blow candles on April 20th. Addicted to Oreos. Camara in hand and I'll take a thousand pictures.

Only A Flight Away is my little blog about my personal life, my long distance relationship, my friends, my family, and everything that revolves around me. You will find me having a margarita or baking a cake. Decorating the house or exploring new places.

In three words my blog is MY ONLINE JOURNAL.

Hi, I'm Hannah.

I am a twenty-something girlfriend to a wonderful man, James, finding her way through a new city and making a place we can call home in Virginia. I am a crafter, baker, planner, DIY-er and all around silly pants enjoying life in this new city and spending way to much time inside.

A Cup Of Subtle Tea is my online diary and scrapbook. A place to keep in contact with family and friends back home. A place to share recipes, ideas and my passions. And a place to make new friends because who doesn't love making friends! It is my "life" style blog :)

I'm Melissa -

and I'm the face/creator/writer/photographer behind Simply, Melissa Ashley - a blog about everyday life, my little obsessions, photography + pretty much anything else I care to share! Currently I live in Boone, NC where I attend Appalachian State studying Public Relations with a focus in nonprofit organizations and a minor in Sociology, so it's only natural I like meeting new people, so don't be stranger!

If I'm not blogging, you can find me with my Nikons + Canons, thrifting, buying anything with a bow, "pinteresting," Netflix-ing everything, crafting, writing for Her Campus App State, writing for www.mycollegeroadtrip.com, hosting wine tastings for Shelton Vineyards, serving at Primo's Italian Restaurant and somehow managing to make room to practice graphic design, enjoy diy projects + travel.

Follow me on my journey!

My name is Grace Fleming – insert “Lynne” when needed.

Her Umbrella is just a collection of my life’s little decorations – whether it’s a love for sampling the world, empty candy wrappers, books filled with scribbled ideas or stupid people that keep showing up – they’ve all found a place underneath, adorning everyday with a little more sparkle. I fancy myself a freelance creator, loving all things in the media and loving the work that goes behind it.

Blogging about fashion & motherhood (and everything in between!)

Proud mom of 2 & a wife to a man who has shown me what unconditional love is.

Believes everything is beautiful if your heart is in the right place. Always seeking & learning.

Believes in sharing & giving.

Hi! My name is Betsy.

My blog is a mixture of daily life, photos, crafts, and baking. I love posting about friend's blogs and sharing about what people I love are doing. I love photography, so I try to include pictures in all of my posts and will often describe what I've been up to through photos.

Hi everyone! We are two close friends, Daphne and Gracie.

We live in Athens, Greece that recently started blogging.

So let us introduce ourselves :)

We both love eating, sewing, crafting, shopping, watching movies, cooking, blogging.

We are both students (Daphne is an engineer and Gracie is a journalist) and we are trying to juggle between our university obligations and our hobbies.

We started blogging because one night we were talking about how much we admire some bloggers and youtubers and how inspiring they are to us. We decided we can do this as well! So here we are now on this wonderful blog inviting you over to our place.

Blog / Post

Hi! I'm Amanda. I'm a 23 year old animal loving vegetarian who enjoys photography, vintage, music, reading, crafting, thrifting, and blogging. :) Though I'm a Midwesterner at heart (yay Wisconsin!) I'm currently an East Coaster living in Washington, DC.

I spend most of my time working hard as a Veterinary Technician at a clinic near my house, but when I'm not there, you can usually find me browsing Etsy, sipping chai tea, or hanging out with my amazing boyfriend, Andrew and lovely kitty, Mia.

Originally I intended for my blog to be a mixed bag, but since I've started blogging, I've been doing a lot of traveling, so it sort of turned into a travel blog (which I'm okay with!) but I plan on changing that up a little bit and writing more about the things I listed above. Hopefully you'll stop by and find something that interests you! :)

Blog / Etsy

There you have it! All of my December Sponsors!

If this is your first visit to Tastes Like Love, I did Part. One last week, go check it out!

Do you want to button swap? Yeah?

Check out my sponsor page and send me an email!

Start Your Week Off With..

2011-12-19T06:06:00.000-08:00

Girls love cats by Little Tranquility
The proposal story by Oh, Lovely Day
Some things Emily Is A Secret wants you to know
Table for one for Honest To Blog
Photo holder ornaments by Imprintalish

Make sure your first coffee for the week is in an extra big mug for the things Emily Is A Secret wants you to know!

Afternoon Tea

2011-12-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

My babefox friend Holly came over on Friday afternoon to visit my new flat, and to have cups of tea and much needed catch ups! Holly is one of those effortlessly fashionable ladies. We used to work together at the start of the year & every day her outfits were always perfect, neat & girly. Her boyfriend just lives around the corner as well, so hopefully that means we'll get to see each other more now! I made cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, fresh cherries, and had some biscuits to go with a pot of Russian Caravan tea, and a pot of French Earl Grey. I was also the lucky receiver of these wonderful treats as a Christmas present - a sweet pea & gardenia fragrant candle, hand stitched Rifle Paper Co. floral notebooks & the cutest damn little coin purse I've ever seen! I can't wait to put my pennies in that and take it with me on my travels! Holly is the biggest sweetheart, and I can't wait to have more cups of tea with her in the new year!

The most expensive band aid

2011-12-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if anybody else experiences this problem, but if I don't wear my Doc Marten boots continuously for a year or so they rub when I start to wear them again. I wear my cherry boots everyday, and I've been wearing them to work as well. I wanted to start wearing my purple boots instead so my cherry ones wouldn't get yucky from work. I wore them last week and they rubbed all day and I got a big sexy blister from them. So I went to the shops the other day to buy some bigger material patch band aids. I was in a hurry and quickly grabbed the ones I wanted and some tea, paid for them, threw the receipt in the bin on the way out and went home. I had to work early the next morning, and before I put my stockings on, I went to put band aids on so I could start wearing my purple boots and break them in again. I open the box, and there is only ONE band aid in it! One! I paid $3 for one band aid. And because I had already discarded the receipt, I couldn't even take them back. Things like that should not happen before 7 am.

December Sponsors / Part. One

2011-12-15T04:18:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the month again!

Well, not that time of the month, but sponsor introduction time!

Deciding to get involved with the whole sponsor-button-swappin'-business has been a great opportunity for me to cross paths with a whole bunch of lovely, diverse & creative blogs.

And my favorite part about these swaps is being able to share these lovely, diverse & creative blogs that I've swapped buttons with! I'm especially thrilled to share my December sponsors because they're all so sweet & lovely. And secondly, I have so many of them to share this time round!

There definitely is a blog here for everyone this month, so please pay them a visit!

Hello dear readers of Tastes Like Love! My name is Courtney and I blog over at Femine.Unique.New. Also know as the FUN blog. Those three words describe my personal style, which is ever changing as I journey through life. I love life and get excited about things like traveling, reading good books, drinking tea, eating healthy foods, being active, learning about God, meeting new friends, designing clothes, and being inspired. I hope you'll come say hi and read a bit about me cause I'd love to meet you! Xx

Blog / Facebook / Bloglovin / Twitter / Pinterest

Hi, my name is Amanda. I am psychology student at Western Washington University, and also work part time at a cosmetics counter. When I’m not computing a statistical analysis or finding the right foundation for a customer, I love to spend my free time (the small amount I have!) being creative. My blog, Amanda k. by the bay, is a place to share the beautiful Pacific Northwest, recipes, my style, craft projects and inspiration.

Hi, I'm Jahnavi, I live in Dubai with my lovely husband. I'm a management graduate, lover of photography and fashion. I enjoy traveling, reading and writing. My blog is about the things I love and the things that inspire me. I love to blog about life style. Visit a beautiful feather to know more about me.

Imprintalish is a lifestyle blog with a focus on raising two little guys. It is loaded with photography and pretty finds. I share crafts, tutorials, tales of mommyhood and everything in between. Living with two little men and one big man can be tough and a constant balance struggle, but I wouldn't change a thing! I'd love for you to stop by and join me in my creative quest for balance as a WAHM!

Blog / Etsy / Facebook / Pinterest

Hi! my name is Stina, i'm a catlady crazy for crafting, baking and pretty dresses. You can expect my favourite recipes, projects I'm working on, tutorials, and photos of my cats of course, and more on my blog. I'd love to get to know you so please come by and say hello!

Oh hai! My name is Marlous and I'm the owner of missmarielouise.com. I'm a Dutch, crafty and vintage loving girl and I love to make things with crochet and felt.

I like to blog about lots of things, such as crafty and creative things like my love for crochet and felt, but also about vintage stuff I like, cute DIY's, art, photography, other blogs that I like, cooking and gardening (I have an allotment with one of my friends, where we grow our own fruits and vegetables. Yay!) I've had a pretty busy year with my study, but in 2012 I will start my etsy shop Laloulouise and I'm so excited about it!

I love getting to know other crafty girls from around the world, so if you stop by at my blog , please leave a message so I can say hi back to you :-)

My name is Lauren, and I am an American living and going to art school in Glasgow, Scotland. I live here with my husband and my dog, who are the loves of my life. On my blog you will find loads of thrifted items, art I'm working on, portraits of my dog, and a lot of food.

Twitter / Facebook / Blog

Hello!! I'm Lily, a fashion designer from Colombia living in Miami, FL. I love everything cute, photography, vintage and urban styles. When I'm not working, I spend my days sewing, reading blogs , and taking pictures. I love knitting and embroidery. I am always making something, I love diy !

Blog / Twitter / Facebook

My name is Krystal and I live in Las Vegas with my wonderful family: my husband, stepson, brand new baby and 3 dogs. My blog is my little corner to share bits and pieces of my life, my family and my ever-changing interests.

Visit them & say hello!

Pancakes, groceries & vampires

2011-12-13T06:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday both Luke & I had the day off.

After a good sleep in, Luke made pancakes with pan fried banana, it was the best way to start the day! It was another horrible rainy day, and dvds and cups of tea are good rainy day activities. So we went to the shops and did a grocery shop, perused paper backs, I got some 'every day' perfume, visited the fruit market, purchased our only Christmas decoration and picked up some coffees. On our way home we rented dvds, then came home and had savory pastries and coffee and watched the second Twilight. I never really got into the series or the books, but at the start of the year the first movie was on tv and I watched it and have been meaning to watch the second one all year. Luke & I had every intention to go see the third at the movies this week, but it isn't on tomorrow and that will be the only day we could go together.

After Twilight, Luke made a peanut satay stir fry with rice noodles for dinner, and we watched Luke's choice of movie, Eagle. I didn't really pay attention as I was drawing.

I love these simple, easy going types of mid-week days.

Start Your Week Off With..

2011-12-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

Brown paper packages by Feminine Unique New
For the love of flash mobs with Danfredo Rivera
My boyfriend is too clever by Candy Land
Honest to goodness with Ruthanne With An E
The important things by Simply Simple Me

Some lovely posts that I enjoyed the past week. I loved Candy Land's post about her clever boyfriend, if definitely made me laugh! And I especially loved Simply Simple Me's post about the important things as it gave me a few important things to think about.

I hope you all have a lovely week, according to the news its going to continue to be a 'soggy summer' here in Australia. Is that not the most off putting description or what!!!

The best kind of bowl

2011-12-10T03:37:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about moving is unpacking things you forgot you had.

Like these adorable ice cream bowls!

My sister & I had some of these when we were little, they were pink & purple. I almost fell over when I found these in the shops almost a year ago. They're super cute to eat ice cream out of, its almost a novelty because I feel like I'm five again!

Birthday Treats

2011-12-07T03:34:00.000-08:00

Luke & I haven't been able to find any places that sell Doc Martins around where we live, & that is what Luke wanted to get me for my birthday - a pair of black Docs. So that I wasn't completely gift-less for my birthday, Luke & I went to the shops today & he brought me some until-you-have-Docs birthday treats! These treats were a dress, woodcut letters & a cute calendar from Typo, earrings, a necklace, a book & the new Black Keys album.

Start Your Week Off With..

2011-12-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

Turning a from upside down with Knitted Fox Trot
A baby & a 'stache by Modern Surbanites
The tim tam slam with My Name Is Anna
Repurpose an old dresser into a kitchen island with A Cup Of Subtle Tea
9 - 5 with Sometimes Sweet

I've been so busy with moving, working & drawing that I completely forgot to do this last Monday! Hope you're all having a lovely little week. Its the first week of summer here in Australia and it has just been raining and cold the entire week!

23

2011-12-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

It was my birthday today, I turned 23!

It feel so bizarre to turn another year older, and to sometimes still feel the same way you did as a sixteen year old. I don't really fuss about with birthdays, I just don't get into them the same way as my older sister does. She likes to have herself a 'birthday week'! This year I actually got to spend the day with Luke. I've only spent one of my birthdays with him since we've been together because he has to work all the time. It was such a fantastic day. Because we had dinner plans for my actual birthday, my parents took me out for dinner on Monday evening. We went to a local restaurant & had dinner & drinks. It was a nice little evening.

Luke & I slept in until 10 am, luckily my aunty called me & woke us up, otherwise we probably would have slept through more alarms or snoozed them. I normally can just wake up and be up, but if Luke has the day off, I'm the opposite. After we woke up, we had blueberry bagels & coffee & I spoke to my friend Lara. After breakfast we got ready for the day, and made a little drive out to Terrigal and had lunch at Bellyfish, this cute little beach side cafe that I had been told had killer coffee. So we went for lunch. I had a spiced lentil & chickpea burger, & Luke had salmon. After lunch we went to the movies & saw 'Jack & Jill'. Luke gave it 0.5/5, and I would probably rate it 1.5/5, only because there was a handful of actual funny scenes & Katie Holmes is a babe! After the movie finished we went to my parents house after they finished work and had cups of tea with them. My mum had a bucket filled with different types of tea & chocolates with a gift card for Myer. So I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!

We left my parents house around 6 pm to get ready for our dinner date at The Cowrie. The person who owns the restaurant Luke works at, also has a couple of other really nice restaurants. One of them is The Cowrie, which is a fine dining & ala cart restaurant. It was such a fantastic birthday meal! I had a vegetable & cheese entree, it came out so neatly presented & looked really colourful. And for my main I had a marinated goats cheese tarts with persian figs. And for dessert, Luke & I shared an indulgence dessert plate for two & I chased it down with a cappuccino. When we came home, we made some whiskey drinks & watched a couple episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 the original series. So all in all, it was a pretty fantastic birthday indeed! I got to do all the things I wanted to do, and do them all with my best friend!

Friday Afternoon

2011-12-02T04:02:00.000-08:00

I decided this afternoon at 4.30 pm that I wanted some new earrings to wear to work tomorrow, which was a brilliant time to make this decision as the shops close at 5 pm. Luckily I'm only a five minute drive from a shopping center. I found some cute earrings at Diva for $4, and picked up three Rimmel nail polishes all marked down to $1.75 each! Although it doesn't look it because of my awesome phone camera, the third polish is bright 'triple decker' red.

Surprise Birthday Party

2011-12-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was my Mum's surprise 50th birthday party. Sometimes people usually can pick up on something going on, but my Mum had no idea at all! I finished work around 4, and made a frantic dash to my parents house thinking I was going to miss her being surprised as my dad asked everyone to arrive at 4 ish. When I arrived I was greeted by some of my cousins in leotards with balloon chests & some were wearing wigs. The theme was to come dressed as Ju. My sister had taken her to my aunty's holiday house to have some afternoon drinks, while everything was being set up. We all gathered in the back yard and when my mum & sister arrived, Ju (my mum) walked out into the shed to put some drinks in the back fridge and she opened the door to see almost 50 faces shouting 'surprissseeee!!!'. I don't think I've ever been to a surprise party before, so it was pretty exciting, especially because it was for my mum as well.

However, it almost didn't go so smoothly. Earlier in the day I was working and my mum, sister, and some family friends came in for coffee, which they had said the night before that they would. I had just started my shift, and was in the outside dining area & I saw my uncle John walk past. I yelled out to him & said hello and he was going to come in for breakfast, so we walked back into the cafe so I could seat him. We were towards the back of the cafe, and my uncle John starts to wig out because he sees my mum start to walk in. So I quickly walked towards them and hurried them outside, my mum got a little upset because she thought I didn't want them to come into my work. Aww, poor Ju! As they were sitting down, my uncle John made a swift exit. On his way out, Jamie, one of the friends my mum was with saw him leave, he knew about the party though. And about ten minutes later, Jamie saw more of my family when he went to the bathroom! Throughout the day I saw heaps more of my family walking past my work.

It was such a lovely evening getting to see all my family again, the last time I got to see them all was my sister's wedding back in August. My dad organized pretty much everything, and he invited some family friends we hadn't seen in almost 8 years! When Ju saw them she almost had a heart attack! The worst thing about these sort of events is how fast they go. The whole night flew by! I was talking to some of my cousins and they were asking what time Luke would be coming as he had to work and wouldn't finish until after 10 pm, and I was thinking it was 9 ish, and then he appeared!

So after many, many wines & whiskeys later we caught a taxi home around 12.30 am as Luke & I both had to work the next day. I took my work clothes to my parents house to wash and dry while I was there, and I even remembered to bring them home with me, which even I was surprised about. As I was getting out of the taxi I had my washing basket in my arms and it pulled on my necklace I was wearing and broke it, and I dropped my basket. I picked up the few things I dropped and came inside and made myself an asprin drink. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't find my work shirt, so I found another shirt to wear instead, as I walked to my car I found some of my clothes out the front of my house on the road!

Awkward Family Photo

Ju & my aunties

Chris, my aunty Sharon, Me

The last photo I took of the evening.

Enough said.

First Guest Post

2011-11-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you all know I did my first ever guest post this week over at Lost Cabin. So if you're looking for dinner ideas this week, go check it out!

I was also lucky enough to be the Feature Sponsor over on A Cup Of Subtle Tea for November, and was featured today! If you want to know a little bit more about my illustrations, go check it out! Also, Hannah was my very first guest poster on this here little blog, giving a little peak into how she spends her day!

Hope you're all having a lovely little week!

Spend the day with A Cup Of Subtle Tea!

2011-11-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Tastes Like Love readers! I am so excited to have been the Feature
Sponsor for Lauren this month. I absolutely love her site, her
illustrations and of course, her!

I am popping in to share with you guys a peak at my day-to-day life. Since
I don't currently work it leaves my days open to a million possibilities. I
do my absolute best to keep busy so that the house stays clean and I don't
turn into a complete vegetable. When James travels for work my days vary
greatly but luckily he was home for almost two weeks during this holiday so
I can show you a little bit of what our day consists of.

My days usually start not wanting to get out of bed. It's unstoppable. I
will continually fight my night-owl-ness because I dream of being a morning
person. I always feel more productive and successful. Someday, it may
work.

Random Fact # 1: I feel so lazy and unproductive when I'm a night owl
that I will probably spend the rest of my life continually fighting until I
can be a morning person for more than a week at a time.

Once I finally get up I get ready (this week
meant I could finally wear Christmas jammy pants!) and then I go open up
the blinds and windows. Rain or shine, I love having them open. This is
one of my favorite parts of Virginia.

Random Fact # 2: The whole front of my house is floor to ceiling
windows. This is both awesome (for light and fresh air) and awful (for
furniture placement and wall decorations.

Then I get up and make breakfast. Check out the recipe for these waffles here!
I am a huge advocate of breakfast. I know that everyone says it is the most
important meal of the day but coming from someone who ALWAYS skipped
breakfast in her teens... It really is the best thing I could have done for
myself. I couldn't have lost so much weight without breakfast.

After breakfast I usually assess my to-do list and see what needs to get
done for the day. This can be anything from laundry, dishes, sewing,
blogging, web design, lawn work, decorating or catching up on tv shows.
This week has been spent decorating the house now that all the paint work
has been completed. These adorable fall frames will be on the blog soon as
part of an "interchangeable" wall decor post!

Up next is lunch. Lunch = tv break. It's true, James and I are serious
homebodies. We love "our shows" and making lunch or dinner to eat while we
catch up is always my favorite part of the day. We have been on a serious
grilled cheese and tomato soup kick lately. We make several variations and
we haven't come up with a bad one yet!

Random Fact # 3: Even when we first started dating, James and I had "our
shows" that we weren't allowed to watch without each other. No matter what,
whether his schedule is busy or mine, we always make time to sit down and
cuddle while catching up on our favorite shows.

After lunch is straight back to my to-do list. James has been watching
college basketball and some NFL games this week so I can plug my headphones
in and bang out posts for myself but also guest posts like this one!
Occasionally we will head out to see a movie or go run some errands. Over
the weekend we went to see The Muppets and it was FANTASTIC!

Random Fact # 4: I used to think that a "sports" guy was a dealbreaker.
Thank goodness James came around and proved me wrong. He is the best thing
to ever happen to me.

The ends of my days are usually followed by dinner and baking. Unless of
course we go to the gym. Since it's a holiday weekend, we are taking a
breather so we can get all of our handmade Christmas decorations finished.
(By we, I mean mostly me. lol) This is the remnants of the mini apple pies
made for our Thanksgiving feast . Check out an apple cinnamon recipe here

to use up leftover apple pie filling!

The night usually comes to a close with sewing in bed, cuddling and
Supernatural. James has gotten me absolutely hooked on this show. It is a
miracle I don't have nightmares everyday because I really don't do well
with spooky things, nonetheless before bed. This is one of "our shows" so
at least I don't have to watch it alone.

Random Fact #5: I have a really bad habit of sticking my needles in the
bed, when I move around or get more thread, so I don't lose them. When I
start looking for them again I, almost always, can't find them anywhere.
This usually gives James a heart attack because he wont sleep until I find
it. I haven't been banned from it just yet.

* * * * *

A huge thank you to Lauren for having me as her Featured Sponsor for
November!

December Sponsorship! UPDATED

2011-11-27T23:49:00.000-08:00

I've got such a lovely bunch of bloggers already for December & I have a couple of spots left if anybody else would like to sponsor Tastes Like Love for December. If you're interested in free sponsorship, check out my sponsor page and send me an email!

All my December spots have been taken! Email me if you're keen for January!

Meet My November Sponsors / pt.2

2011-11-24T00:19:00.000-08:00

The best part about participating in these sponsor/button swaps is sharing different bloggers, and coming across new blogs. I've found some of my favourite blogs through sponsorship, and button swapping, & I hope you all visit these lovely ladies and say hello!

* * * * *

My name is Janee Lookerse. I'm an LA based artist who loves to make just about anything. I have my BFA in Art with an emphasis in Dark Room Photography. Recently, I've been focusing more on my blog and craft business making decorative garlands, kids toys and much more. Yellow Bird, Yellow Beard is an accumulation of all the thoughts, ideas, inspiration and projects that find their way through the tangled mess in my brain.

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My name is Gentri and I blog over at Gentri Lee. I consider myself a lifestyle blogger and usually post about my adventures, fashion, and silliness. I would love for you to stop by and say hi sometime.

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My name is Grace Fleming – insert “Lynne” when needed. Once Her Umbrella is just a collection of my life’s little decorations – whether it’s a love for sampling the world, empty candy wrappers, books filled with scribbled ideas or stupid people that keep showing up – they’ve all found a place underneath, adorning everyday with a little more sparkle. I fancy myself a freelance creator, loving all things in the media and loving the work that goes behind it.

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Howdy! I'm Sara. I am a 20 something believer, wife, mom, knitter and all around craftaholic. Prairie Hen is my little corner of the internet where I share my thoughts on Motherhood and my current projects. I love my girl, tattoos, thrifting, my pup and blogging (duh). I sell my toys and knits on etsy. You can check out my shop here or email me with questions about custom orders.

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Hi friends! My name is Tara and I'm the lady behind Deer in a Bottle which documents my travels, daily adventures in art making and overall exploration of design and beautiful things. I also run a small jewelry shop selling handmade gemstone/crystal necklaces and also vintage inspired jewelry.

Etsy / Facebook / Twitter

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Hi! my name is Stina, i'm a catlady crazy for crafting, baking and pretty dresses. You can expect my favourite recipes, projects i'm working on, tutorials, and photos of my cats of course, and more on my blog . i'd love to get to know you so please come by and say hello!

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If you haven't already checked out their blogs, make sure you do! They are such a bunch of talented, lovely sweethearts! If you would like to sponsor Tastes Like Love for December, send me an email laurenemily [at] y7mail [dot] com

Unpacked

2011-11-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

As I previously posted last week, Luke & I moved house. We've have the majority of our things packed up for a year now, so unpacking these last couple of days has been pretty exciting. I've found some things, books, & home wares I had forgotten I owned. And have been able to unpack some lovely gifts from last years birthday & Christmas such as the babushka doll stack coffee mugs & red polka dot tea cups. They were my two favourite things to unpack so far! Last year Luke & I lived in an interesting house that had a shed packed with previous tenants discarded belongings and amongst them was a triangular A-frame bookcase that was painted a horrible shade of green with black patches all over it. I really like the shape of the bookcase, and thought it would look better painted red. So we held onto it for a couple of years with the hopes of a colour change, and when we found our new flat that had recently been painted all white inside, we thought it would suit the space painted white. So while I was a work last week, my Dad painted it for us all white & snappy ready for our new flat.

The first things we unpacked were our books, and let me tell you Luke & I have a lot of books. We couldn't open a library or anything, but we are definitely not in any shortage of them! There are a couple of things that I own way too many of and they are Jackie Collins' books, tea cups, coffee mugs & dust collectors. Our flat isn't a very big space, so its been interesting trying to fit everything in and arrange it so it doesn't look like a storage room. The most exciting thing of all was having a new lounge delivered yesterday! It is super comfortable, while I was waiting for Luke to have a shower so we could do more jobs I fell asleep on it & woke up a few hours later! Once our bed side tables arrive and we've fully unpacked and arranged everything, I'll post some more pictures.

Meet My November Sponsors / pt.1

2011-11-22T03:50:00.000-08:00

Here is part one of my lovely November sponsors.

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My name is Kelli and I love to be inspired. So, inspire me! Reader. Writer. Photographer. Learner. Lover. Fighter. Crafter. Collector. Dreamer. Believer. I'm a twenty-one year old student and blogger. Visit OohVelocityGirl to get a sneak peak into my life. I write about ordinary and every day occurrences, rant and rave when I feel like it, share what I wore on certain days and create a 'Tattoo Tuesday' themed post every week. I'm always open to new ideas, so feel free to contact me. Don't be shy, I'd love to hear from you!

Find me at Twitter / Facebook / Flickr <3 oohv

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Welcome to the Lost Cabin. Home to a Mr, Mrs and one damn cute baby. A cosy place of gathered treasures, things that inspire, and all that makes life rosy. Remember all blog followers get 20% off at the Lost Cabin Etsy store.

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I'm Melissa -

Thank you for stopping by my blog :]

It's become my little baby and hopefully it'll grow as a blog.

Follow me on my journey!

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This is my online diary and scrapbook . A place to keep in contact with family and friends back home. A place to share recipes, ideas and my passions. And a place to make new friends because who doesn't love making friends! It is my "life" style blog :)

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Hi! My name is Miranda! I am a Detroit native living in Chicago with my best friends. I am a college sophomore at Columbia College Chicago. I am currently studying fashion and loving it! More than anything my hobby is just creating. Among my favorites are lino-prints, embroidery, and sewing!

My blog started out as a way to archive my work for just me. I felt like I was making things constantly and never had anyone to share them with. My blog more recently has been a way to share my creative ideas, work, and inspiration. Blogs are such a big source of inspiration to me, I love to chat with other bloggers because i finally feel like I am able to share my work!

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Welcome to Only A Flight Away . My little blog about my personal life, my long distance relationship, my friends, my family, and everything that revolves around me. You will find me having a margarita or baking a cake. Decorating the house or exploring new places. In three words my blog is MY ONLINE JOURNAL.

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Hi my name is Samantha and my Blog is Clumsy. I am a very creative person I love having a blog to able to get my thoughts down. I blog about lots of different things but mainly trends, art and crafts and my life. I love trying new things and meeting new people so feel free to drop by my blog and say hello.

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Go check out their blogs and say hello. They're all lovely little ladies!
Look out for part two of my November sponsors as I have more amazing bloggers to share!

Start Your Week Off With..

2011-11-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

Things our kids will never know by A Cup Of Subtle Tea
A love story, sort of by A Sweet Release
Australian slang guide by My Very Own Happy Ending
A Collaboration by Lost Cabin Vintage
One hundred & thirty nine by Caught Up In Cake

Ally McBeal Tuesday

2011-11-16T03:31:00.000-08:00

I had quite an eventful day yesterday. I drove to Newcastle super early to pick Lara up for a 9 am morning adventure that was much like the premise of an Ally Mcbeal episode. It was an interesting way to spend a Tuesday morning. Afterwards we went out for lunch along Darby Street & had risotto balls + salad. I walked Lara back to her house like a gentleman & then went to visit my very talented friend Ally whom I hadn't seen for a couple of months. She answered the door with her ferret Taco, in hand. I have never met a pet ferret or actually seen one in person, so it was interesting! I was a little (a lot) scared to pat Taco, he had these cute little claws and had a hectic mouth full of teeth. They are the strangest little creatures, they're almost like little possum cats or something. I met her other ferret Nougat, and her boyfriend's new pomeranian Keba, and then we went for coffee and had a quick look through an antique store. After I dropped her back to her house I made my way back to the coast, and my mum & I went to visit my aunty & uncle at their holiday house they have on the coast. They were stopping through for the evening in between business trips, so we went over and had some drinks on their deck. It was a lovely way to finish off an eventful day!

Also yesterday I had some post spotlight over on Only A Flight Away's blog, Melina is such a babe so if you haven't already checked her blog out do it now! And while you're feeling adventurous, pop over to AdamAlexMommy and enter her amazing Chanel giveaway . Jas the blogger behind AdamAlexMommy is one stylish lady!

Tomorrow Luke & I get the keys to our new place, we're pretty excited! I went to the shops today to get some last minute things like a broom, drinking glasses, Beverly Hills 90210 season 2 & an orange juicer. I'm working tomorrow so Luke is going to be doing most of the last minute packing. Aside from living in a new place with lots of new things, I'm really excited about getting fast internet! So for the next couple of weeks I won't be blogging as much because I'll be watching Beverly Hills 90210 without internet.

Start Your Week Off With..

2011-11-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

A pumpkin intruder with Sickfeet
Hipster shout out with Half & Half
Something to make you smile with A Lovely Little World
A laugh list with Simply, Melissa Ashley
On my own with Verbal Vomit

I don't usually set out to theme these posts, but I wanted to share some links to start your week off with a smile & some light hearted humor. These are some posts that lifted my mood over the past week, especially Melissa's dads comment!

Harvest Festival

2011-11-13T23:51:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Luke & I went to Harvest Festival at Paramatta. To begin with the day wasn't looking so good as it was quite over cast & hot, there was track work from the Central Coast through to Sydney, and we got a bad pot of organic yogurt for breakfast.

We had to take a coach rather than the train, which turned out to be more enjoyable. It was air conditioned and quiet. We got to Sydney around lunch time & had quick burgers & coffee before we made our way to Paramatta. I had never been to Paramatta before, so it was nice to visit a new place & see my favourite band all on the same day. As we were making our way to the oval where the festival was being held, we were crossing at traffic lights and passed a middle aged man who went to grab me & then realised I wasn't alone & that I was with someone and snapped his hand back up and made a weird 'ohhhooh' noise. Apart from that, the midday walk to the oval was lovely!

I had no idea what to expect going to Harvest, it was the first time the festival had been held & the line up was incredible but usually new festivals always have a couple of hiccups. However, the day was all kinds of amazing. When we first walked in there was a huge 'Harvest' orange letter block sign, performance artists walking around, food spots with coffee vans, and lots of cute signs everywhere. It all looked really dreamy and whimsical. And to get into the festival there was a short walk over a bridge, and along a gravel road that looked like the set of romantic movie or something. All the stages were quite close so you didn't have to dash about all day, and most of the people that went were super chilled and friendly.

The first band we saw was 'The Family Stone', then 'Tv On The Radio', a few songs by 'Bright Eyes', walked around for a bit, ran into an old work friend of Luke's, & then watched a couple of songs by 'Mogwai'. I left their set super early to wait up the front for 'The National' because thats who I really wanted to see & it was so fantastic! It was my first time seeing them, I wish I got tickets to see their side show. They played a lot of their new stuff, and a good mix of their older stuff. They played 'Apartment Story' which is my favourite National song, so that was all that mattered to me! Afterwards 'The Flaming Lips' played and they had the most epic opening which involved walking out of a mystical womb, confetti, streamers coming out of a walking stick, balloons everywhere & the singer in a giant ball rolling around in the crowd. It was crazy!

We left a little earlier so we didn't get to see 'Portishead' so we wouldn't miss a bus home as Luke had to work today. I didn't mind so much because I got to see 'The National' and a whole bunch of other great bands. It was such a bizarre, amazing festival!

1. Coffees on the train 2. Making our way through the oval to the festival

3. Harvest sign 4. Tv On The Radion 5. Rene Magritte love trolls 6. The National

7. The Flaming Lips 8. Late night ice creams and sunburn

A Dream Drawing

2011-11-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

Last week Luke & I bought some dvds and inside one of the cases was an advertisement for a new all girl cast series. Before I went to bed I was writing a to do list on the back of it so it was the last thing I saw before I fell asleep, so I'm guessing that was the reason for my weird dream.

I dreamt I went to this weird, lavish house party & everybody was super dressed up. And I was walking around completely confused and amused all at once, and I walked into a room at the party where girls were sitting in rows with obscure, long polka dotted pink sock type thing on their heads & blank faces. When I woke up the next day and told Luke about it, I thought it could make a quirky illustration. So.. That is how the obscure long polka dotted pink sock type thing on their heads looked like!

Little Lazy Day

2011-11-08T05:08:00.000-08:00

Aside from the heavy heat today, I had a pretty lovely little day. Luke & I stopped by our new flat and measured the space for our new furniture and all that boring kind of stuff. Afterwards he had to go to work, and I had to go to the shops to get a pair of earrings I haven't stopped thinking about all week. I had to get them. And because we're moving, its usually the best time to clean out your clothes cupboard and rid yourself of horrible past purchases. So I decided to buy a couple of new things to replace a whole bunch of old stuff I'll be throwing out. Its fashion maths. I purchased some dark blue jeans cropped shyly around the ankle which I'm super excited about, I basically haven't worn jeans for almost two years. I wear stockings with dresses or skirts every single day. And in keeping with the denim theme I bought a denim skirt (as well as a blue & white striped plain tee). I've been needing some wardrobe basics, so I'm glad I actually stuck to purchasing plans and got them this time. I always go to the shops with basics in mind and leave with a dress I'll wear three times and tire of.

It was such a sunny day I sat on the porch with yogurt & cereal, coffee & Frankie for the better part of the morning. I started to clear out my cupboard & saw a big pile of pictures I'd printed out during my studies that I wanted to put into a inspirational book. So after collecting them for 3 years I cut them all out ready to glue into a book. I spent most of my afternoon drooling over magical forest scenes, felt tea parties, band posters from the 70's, whimsical illustrations & wall paper while watching 'Daria' with green tea and seaweed crackers. Then I picked Luke up for his break & we got slurpees and watched more 'Daria'. So its been a pretty lovely day, and tomorrow will be just as lovely because my friend Lara is coming to visit for coffee.

I hope everybody is having a lovely little week!

Start Your Week Off With..

2011-11-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

A letter for November by Simply, Melissa Ashley
On being an introvert with Love Chelsea Lauren
Read a short story by Desirous Of Everything
Be an explorer with Magical Day Dream
Make a banner with Danfredo Rivera

Elisa & Jono Illustration

2011-11-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post this for a while now, but it was part of a birthday present for my friend Elisa. She has been known to stop by my blog, so I didn't want her to see it!

Elisa had a 'crazy photo booth' at her wedding, and this illustration is based on a photo from the booth. This is my first ever attempt at a male illustration. When Jono (Mr. Elisa) saw it, he didn't complain, so hopefully that was a silent nod of approval! When I gave it to her on the weekend it looked a little different. It had a victorian style background pattern, and was in a frame. I thought it looked pretty neat on its own though.

tasteslikelove

Tea For Two

Monday Afternoon

Start Your Week Off With..

Custom Portrait

Start Your Week Off With..

Ghost Blogging

Aunty Dean Came To Visit

Start Your Week Off With..

Can We Sit In Your Truck?

A Customer Sat On My Foot

My Little Book Club

Start Your Week Off With..

Don't Make A Spectacle

Busy Bees

Guest Post / Brock Paper Scissors

5 Things I do Everyday

Start Your Week Off With..

Beach Burrito

Belated Birthday Boots Illustrated

Start Your Week Off With..

January Sponsors

A Monday Picnic

Start Your Week Off With..

2012

Christmas

Train Ride From Hell

Date Week

Featured Sponsor / Giveaway!

A Weekend Post On A Wednesday

December Sponsors / Part. Two

Start Your Week Off With..

Afternoon Tea

The most expensive band aid

December Sponsors / Part. One

Pancakes, groceries & vampires

Start Your Week Off With..

The best kind of bowl

Birthday Treats

Start Your Week Off With..

23

Friday Afternoon

Surprise Birthday Party

First Guest Post

Spend the day with A Cup Of Subtle Tea!

December Sponsorship! *UPDATED*

Meet My November Sponsors / pt.2

Unpacked

Meet My November Sponsors / pt.1

Start Your Week Off With..

Ally McBeal Tuesday

Start Your Week Off With..

Harvest Festival

A Dream Drawing

Little Lazy Day

Start Your Week Off With..

Elisa & Jono Illustration

December Sponsorship! UPDATED