Well, as you all know, I’ve been sick this week – and I’ve also been preparing like crazy for the Brisbane Indie Designers Market (tomorrow, eep!).

I woke up this morning and I’d had enough! I felt I needed a mental and physical break from the work I’ve been doing – I am supposed to be on holidays, after all!

I also had been feeling the need for a new pair of boots, as the sole of one of my old pair is being partially held on by blue-tac – great look, I know.

However, before I could set out on my journey, this arrived…

What is it? Well, earlier in the week, as I blogged about, I received my copy of Peppermint in the mail. I read a great article about an eco-friendly small clothes designing business in New South Wales (that’s one of our states here in Australia, for my international readers). Their clothes sounded great, and when I turned over the page, I saw one of their jackets and fell in love with it!

So I e-mailed Kelli, who is the owner of PurePod, and asked if they had any stockists here in Bris. She said she had a jacket there and she could post it up to me to try! How good is that! I also scored it significantly below RRP, as it was a sample jacket.

It is made from a mix of hemp, wool and lyocel, with a hemp/soya bean lining, which was hand-printed in Byron Bay. All their workers are fair wage, the fabrics are grown without pesticides… in short, they’re a fantastic small eco-Aussie business.

Here I am in my new jacket… Nick did take some ’serious’ photos of me, but this random one is much more entertaining…

And a close-up…

So, before I ventured out I had already added to my wardrobe! Oh, if you’re in Bris, PurePod are stocked at Bliss Eco Wear in Paddington.

I then ventured off to the mall. I usually hate going to the mall – crowds and me don’t mix well. Mostly because I’ m a naturally fast walker… and most people, well, aren’t.

I have to say, I spent more money today than I have for a long time! I almost never go out shopping just for me, so I decided to go a bit mad today and treat myself.

I ended up with a lovely dusty pink frilly-ish shirt and grey knitted button-up vest, as well as a simple black cardigan from some cheapy women’s clothing stores. (BTW, do you know how hard it is to find a simple black cardigan?! I had to look in like 10 shops before I found one even remotely suitable!).

I also indulged in a few new pairs of tights to see out the winter – a semi-fishnet set in black, and another set in dusty purple. Oh, and a pair of cute black day-heels, and a new pair of black half-calf boots.

I ventured into Myer, and totally got lucky! One of my favourite brands, Basque, was having a 30% off sale on dresses – and I scored a gorgeous one. You’ll see me in it tomorrow if you’re visiting the market, otherwise I’ll have photos in a day or two!

My most expensive purchase was probably the strangest (for me). You see, I almost never wear makeup – I’m too lazy to bother with it, and I think I’ve always looked reasonably good without it. But my couple-of-years-old bottle of mascara was looking pretty sad, and I had no foundation to speak of, so I decided to venture into the world of mineral makeup. I find most foundations way too icky to wear – but this stuff is actually pretty fine!

The girl at The Body Shop sat me down and did a bit of a make-over on me – and it came out how I like it – basically so you can barely tell I’m wearing anything!

Here is my haul…

So, that should keep me going for at least the next three years

After the shopping spree, I moseyed up to The Full Moon Cafe – a gorgeous cafe/restaraunt/bar over at Sandgate – it’s up on the hill so it overlooks the bay. If you’re in Brissie, I totally recommend it – wonderful food and atmosphere! My friend Liz and I had a coffee and a chat, and then, much relaxed and refreshed, I headed home.

Now I must go and finish my preparations for tomorrow – beginning with cleaning out my car so I can fit everything in!

Wish me luck at the market tomorrow, and make sure you come down if you’re in Brisbane – St Augustine’s Church Hall, Racecourse Rd, Hamilton, from 9 to 2!

**Update – I finally checked the mail about 5, and found that I’d received my prints from Sam! Woot!

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So today I woke up and found that the cold I hoped I didn’t have has come about. What is with getting sick as soon as you go on holiday?

Anyways, I had a lovely surprise today when my latest Peppermint magazine arrived in my mailbox! I had been thinking that I wanted to get the latest Frankie mag to read, so the delivery (and feeling meh) clinched my decision to buy some mags to chill out with.

You have two ways to view this post! I was so excited I did a video blog about it…

Or the more traditional text and photos.. (with some witty and intelligent insights that only came to me after filming the vid.. so you should probably read this too!)

Now, I almost NEVER buy magazines. I see most of the mags on the market as a complete waste of time and money. So how happy am I to have found a few gems that are certainly worth both!

First, as I mentioned, Peppermint. Now this is a magazine produced right here in Brisbane, by the lovely Kelley and Ben (whom I met at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft show, and I’ll be seeing Kelley again this Saturday at our Brisbane Indie Designers Market). I have to admit I subscribed sight-unseen to this one, simply based on the ethic of the mag (eco-fashion, handmade, real people..) and the recommendations of a few online friends.

I love it.

There is a gorgeous blend of little snippets and longer feature articles – the best one in this issue is all about the handmade revolution, and it’s more than well worth a read if you can get your hands on a copy (it’s only sold in Aus as far as I know though – sorry international readers!).

My second choice was Frankie – a well established fashion, art, music,  lifestyle and craft magazine with a definite young indie vibe. I have yet to read this one.. but it looks great!

My last pick was based purely on flicking through it at the newsagent – Corduroy. It is completely gorgeous. It is filled with small and longer features on interesting designers, musicians and actors, and a number of stunning photo essays.

Check out just a snippet of the photo essays…

It’s a seamless blend of art and fashion. What struck me was the gorgeous aesthetic of the mag – and it didn’t strike me until I had read the whole thing why it was so coherent. There were no ads throughout. Only on the inside of the front cover and the last two page. The rest was pure content – almost like a gorgeous coffee-table book.

I definitely recommend picking it up!

So, as my cold settles in for a few days, I will have some awesome reading material to curl up with. (Oh, did I mention that I also bought the latest New Scientist? Yes, I am a science geek as well, but you’re not here to read about that, are you… )

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