Gratitude List: Week ending 24 Nov

This week was filled with all kinds of normality. I worked 6 out of 7 days however I still had plenty of things to be grateful for.

1. NEW BLACK MILK - Crazy Cat Lady leggings and Christmas tress skater dresses OH MY! These delightful items arrived during the week and I'm so happy with these new items. The cat leggings are so perfect I can't imagine what my life was like before owning them (I'm wearing them while I type this). I have a special feature coming soon to the blog so if you love cat items like I do you're sure to love it. 

2. Seeing movies in Gold Class - Gold Class cinemas are basically smaller cinemas with recliner chairs  - luxury cinemas! I love going to Gold Class, things are more expensive but I manage to get free vouchers through work "perk points" and this time we went and saw The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (which I LOVED)

3. Jennifer Lawrence - After watching The Hunger Games I went on an internet search of Jennifer Lawrence. This girl is a seriously inspirational human being. I think the best thing about her is that she's honest and natural. THIS VIDEO just made me want to give her a big hug and tell her she's awesome

4. Reading books from amazing authors - I've started to read again, which has been a great stress relief for me. It helps that the finale for Divergent Series by Veronica Roth came out and the next book in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead came out. I am half way through The Fiery Heart and I love the double perspective we're getting with the book written in the POV of 2 of the characters.

5. Watching old movies with my nieces and nephew - On Saturday when I came home from work I was greeted with a couch-full of kids watching Free Willy. It's really fun watching them react to things I watched when I was their age. Evie stood transfixed by the movie and Bridie kept asking questions to which Evie would tell her "they are trying to save Willy". So cute!!!

What is making you happy this week? I know I've got a few things happening this week that I'm really looking forward to including a local town festival.

 - Brooke

Gratitude List: Week Ending 03 Nov

So it appears I'm not the as good at scheduling posts as I thought I was. I thought I had this ready to post on Monday night, but it appears that didn't happen. Lesson learnt

Here are the things that happened through the week that made me smile



1. I've been so busy and stressed out these past few weeks due to the fact that I was moving stores at the end of the month. Not only was I moving stores but I was opening a brand new store in a totally new location on November 1st. It was a lot of work but I'm so happy with the new store. I'm so happy it's finally open and my thoughts and energy can shift to this new team and new location. It still feels a little surreal right now.

2. Having my Sundays back - with this new store comes 6 day trade, which in turn means I get my Sundays back!!!!! I'm so used to working in a 7 day trade location and working full weekends that I'm not going to know what to do with all this free time on a weekend. It's perfect timing too with summer fast approaching, this means I might actually make it to the beach this year *hooray*



3. Birthdays - we celebrated another 2 birthdays this week. Cute little Seth and Evie both had birthdays during the week (that picture of Seth KILLS me - he was trying to blow out the candles but was just filling his cheeks with air and making the noise, not actually blowing on the candles).

4. I went and saw Thor 2 (or Thor: The Dark World) at Gold Class on Saturday evening and while we didn't get to try the Rocky Road Popcorn (they were sold out which has just peaked our interests even further) it was an amazing experience. There is something about the Thor movies that I just love. It is pure escapism. It was extra nice as the Gold Class cinemas we went to has had a re-furbishment and have super comfy new recliners (except they aren't as long in the legs and I had to curl my legs up on the foot rest).



5. Finding new ways to wear my Black Milk maxi dresses (especially my blue galaxy one) - I CAN WEAR THEM AS MAXI SKIRTS!!! This was a revelation for me this week. I want to wear my maxi dresses as much as possible but I kind of feel like it can be a bit much for day-to-day wear but throw on a casual t-shirt over the top and voila it's more casual. Perfect!

 - Brooke

I'm in love with a French Silent Film star

Last week I went and saw the highly acclaimed award winning silent film "The Artist". I was intruiged. I didn't read any reviews or interviews before going to see this movie because I didn't want to go into this with any pre-concieved ideas (I hadn't even watched the trailer until I looked it up on youtube)

I was shocked and amazed by what I watched transform in front of my eyes on screen. The story was so simple but beautiful, the characters loveable and expressive.

I wasn't sure I could sit through a film with no talking but after about 15 minutes I was transfixed and didn't want it to end. Jean Dujardin had me hooked in a way I haven't felt while watching a movie for a very long time. He was charming, delightful, heartbreaking and somehow extremely cheeky.

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough - if you're a fan of films you HAVE to go see it. It's a wonderful homage to cinema before all the talking came along.

If the trailer doesn't sway you into going, just watch this skit that he cameoed in on SNL a couple of nights ago. I can guarantee you that he dances like this in the movie - actually he dances about a million times better than this in the movie but this will give you a taste of what he's capable of.

*SWOON*

 - Brooke

HUNGER GAMES **EEEP**

Oh man this looks far too ridiculously amazing for words. I'm going to throw my fan-girling into the blogosphere. 

I somehow managed to wait until all three books were released before reading them earlier this year. I stayed up for hours and hours completely absorbed in the story and characters. These movies will replace the gap felt but the lack of LOTR / HP / Twilight.

Peeta looks amazing.
Katniss looks perfect.
Gale looks pretty much exactly how I imagined.
I want to punch Seneca Crane in the face.
I can't wait until we see more of the other tributes.
I'm still not 100% sold on Cinna but I will wait and see.
 HAYMITCH has super pretty hair.

 I have been MIA for over a month - which has been a bit refreshing for me. I was struggling to find the words and stories to share on my little space of the Internet so a break was definitely in order. I'm back and refreshed and ready to share some fun stories and photos again. 

xoxo

 - Brooke

You're strong

FIRST LOOK!!!! Oh man I hope they get this right. PLEASE get it right!

x x x

 - Brooke

While I recover from Jetlag

Oh *swoon*

I'm going to sift through my multitude of photos from Thailand but until then enjoy this super cute video that makes me wish it was July 13th already.

*SQUEEEE*

 - Brooke

Current Obsession: Give in to Me

I'm the kind of person who once I find a song or album that I love, I'll play it to death. I won't get sick of it  just the people around me get tired of it and eventually so sick of hearing it I have to change it. I can usually go for about a week or so before this happens so I figure I'd start to share these songs that hook me in and make me truly obsessed.

This past week I watched the movie Country Strong. It's the story of "a rising young singer-songwriter (Garrett Hedlund) gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star (Gwyneth Paltrow). The pair embark on a career resurrection tour helmed by her husband/manager (Tim McGraw) and featuring a beauty queen-turned-singer (Leighton Meester). Between concert, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all".

*Synopsis taken from the official website for the movie

It was a simply beautiful and surprising movie and the soundtrack was perfect. While a lot of the buzz from this movie surrounds Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester were the real stars of this movie - their ease and grace on screen was something to behold. They scored most of the major moments in the film and were hard to surpass.

After watching the movie my sister looked up the soundtrack and we were surprised to learn that Gwyneth dominated the soundtrack and most of the major songs that Garrett and Leighton sang were for some reason sung by other "real" country music stars (like Faith Hill). To me that seemed like a massive shame so we dug a little deeper and found that they have released two soundtracks - the second had the songs as they were sung in the movie. Ahhh a breath of relief.

Here's the one song that I have had on replay all week - it's a beautiful love song.

It's nice to know that Garrett Hedlund emerged himself into the country music scene to prepare for his role in this film. He auditioned in a karaoke bar then spent four months learning how to play the guitar, took voice lessons and started working with a record producer in Nashville to become a county singer. This helps it feel more real and creates an authenticity in the movie that shines through. This man is a superstar in the making.

I absolutely recommend checking out this movie - and also the "More music from Country Strong" soundtrack. It was shocking, heart wrenching, beautiful and sweet and the music in the soundtrack reflects this.

I sometimes surprise myself in the music and songs that steal my attention - this one certainly took me by surprise, but I'm so glad it did. 

Enjoy the music

 - Brooke

P.S because I couldn't help it

Create your own "undesirable" poster HERE. All the cool kids are doing it.

Glitter Sparks & Happyness

x x x

Brooke

Film Love: Harry Potter

I've said it before, I'll say it again - is it November already?

The new trailer for Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows was released yesterday and OMFG WOW!

To see the trailer in HD go view it on the official website HERE (I've already watched it 6 times).

Otherwise here's the version I found on youtube - I'd recommend you go to the HD version, it's SOO much prettier!

Glitter Love & Sparkles

x x x

Brooke

P.S I've been thinking a lot about Harry Potter since watching this trailer and reminiscing. It's been a part of my life for a long time now and I'm going to try and put it all into words sometime soon :)

Sharing the HP love

OH MY GOODNESS.

This movie cannot come soon enough!!!!! I don't even have words to describe how good this clip makes this movie look - RON, DOBBY, HARRY, VOLDEMORT, THE DRAGON!!! The list goes on.

Enjoy

Glitter Sparks & Happyness

x x x

Brooke

Why I Love: The quintessential villain

You know when you watch a movie and the villain is just so perfect that you love to hate them? I’ve been finding myself more and more obsessed with these characters in movies. They are charming, suave, sarcastic and super cool. They usually pop up in comic book adaptations, blockbusters and sometimes in unexpected places.

I have noticed over the past few years a couple of actors who seem to personify that quintessential villain better than any other in recent times. You usually don’t know their names but once you see their face you’ll have that “light bulb” moment and realise who they are.

Mark Strong is one such actor.

I started to notice Mark Strong after being in London. I saw a little movie called Stardust where he played the evil brother Septimus to absolute perfection that ever since then I’ve been excited to see what villain or character he’s going to play next.

You know him – I know you’ve seen him but you’re thinking that the name doesn’t ring a bell. Well that’s the beauty of these villains – once you notice them and really pay attention, you’ll never forget them.

He was in Sherlock Holmes opposite Robert Downey JR as the evil Lord Blackwood, RocknRolla, Body of Lies with Leonardo DiCaprio and most recently Kick Ass. He’s set to shine as the baddie in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood and I for one am very excited about this. It’s about time people start to remember his name.

You should do yourself a favour and check out some of his back catalogue – familiarise yourself with his work. You won’t be disappointed.

Someone else who I love to see play a villain is Sam Rockwell – I know you all know this name. I’ve just finished watching him as the baddy in Iron Man 2 but I’ll always love him for the way he tricks those darling Charlies Angels in the first movie adaptation with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Lui. Even more so for his sweet sweet moves:

And of course let's not forget the greatest villain on TV - Zachary Quinto as Sylar in Heroes

Who do you love watching play the villain?

I know there's a lot but I've found lately that my favourite villains are the ones with these characteristics - it makes their evil-ness just that bit more evil.

Glitter Sparks & Happynes

x x x

Brooke

Oscars night

I absolutely love this time of the year. All the glitz and glamour - the dresses, the makeup, the hair styles - it's intoxicating.

This year was no different. It was the 82nd Annual Academy Awards and I was once again glued to my TV (this time watching it live during the day - thanks Channel 9). While the pre-awards show was a mess, once the actual production started with Neil Patrick Harris singing I knew it was going to be an entertaining show.

I usually send around an email to my family and a few of my friends with my most favourite outfits of the evening but this year I decided to post it here.

This year it was all about the sparkles and old Hollywood glamour. From the loose curls to the simple cuts it was all beauty.

Here are my top 6 overall looks from the show:

I was very happy to see Kathryn Bigelow take out the top honours for both best film and best director (1st woman ever!!!) as I truly believed that The Hurt Locker had a much better, more original story than Avatar. While I appreciate and acknowledge all that Avatar has done (and completely love the film) it was lovely to see the smaller more eye opening film come up and win one! Plus those boys on stage made watching the entire awards show worth it!!!

It was another very successful Oscars night with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin playing the kooky comedic hosts. There was joy and tears and Sandra Bullock was charming and funny and adorable all mixed into one.

I love the Oscars!

Glitter love & Sparkles

x x x

Brooke

Twilight love

I saw Twilight today.

I didn't expect to love it... But I did.

There was so many things that were done perfectly - the casting, the characters, the sets, the script, the voice-overs & Edward *swoon*.

I really thought I would find lots of things wrong with the movie version because I love the books so much but the only thing that annoyed me was that Mike Newton wasn't good looking enough :) I can live with that...

I am so relieved.

I don't really have the words to describe it right now.

I need to see it again.

I'm off to re-read the books (for the millionth time).

Super love & sparkles & beautiful vampires

x x x

Brooke

Song of the moment = Bellas Lullaby

Film love: Australia

*oh Baz - you did it again *

I've just gotten home from watching one of the most beautiful movies I have seen this year.

No I'm not talking about Twilight (but give me a week and I will be) - I'm talking about Baz Lurhman's Australia.

I'm going to start this off with the fact that I am a Baz Lurhman junkie - I've loved every movie he has made so far - Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet, and ESPECIALLY Moulin Rogue. He is a master of the tragic love stories - the two people from different ends of the world falling in love and being forced apart by circumstances, family, life, beliefs or the world. I believe he is an amazing story-teller and an amazing filmmaker.

I'll be the first to admit that I went into the cinema excited - I was always going to like this movie. Even if the story wasn't great, I would love the way it was shot or if Nicole Kidman annoyed me I'd still love Hugh Jackman :) It didn't matter either way because it exceeded any expectation I held for it.

It starts off as your basic story of a "fish out of water" - English rose travels to Australia to sell her husbands’ cattle station only to be faced with corruption, manipulation, and a little mixed race Aboriginal boy who steals her heart. But then you realise that this movie has it all - it's a western, it's a love story, it's political, it's a war movie, it's a period piece - it has everything you would want in a movie.

It's beautifully shot with sweeping views of northern Australia throughout - the natural beauty of that area is like a bonus character of the movie.

While Hugh Jackman & Nicole Kidman shine in this movie it is the first time actor Brandon Walters who is a scene stealer. He does it with just a look, sometimes a few words, other times with boundless energy that you forget there is other people in the shot.

I won’t mention the story – I don’t want to give anything away. And don't even get me started on David Wenham - he's so brilliant I can't even talk about it.

I laughed, smiled, cried, cringed and cheered. It had Baz Lurhman written all over it and I loved it for that. It’s such a well crafted, well executed film and well timed film that the 2 ½ hours fly by - even without a toilet break :)

I do think that other countries might have a bit of trouble understanding some of the slang that is used in the film – cobber, bloke, sheila – but I think it was these little things that made me love it just that little bit more. I also think that this could be the reason why the reviews overseas have not been too favourable - to some Americans I think this movie may aswell be a foreign language film.

If anyone asks me I’ll tell them to see it – it’s so Australian it makes me smile and squee with happyness.

Have you seen Australia yet? What did you think? Are you going to see it?

Love & Sparkles

x x x

Brooke

Song of the moment = Jack's Mannequin - Doris Day

Film love: Twilight

* so close I can almost taste it *

There is not much I love more in life than a really great book. It's even better when the book gets made into a movie - and is made right. I've felt that way about the first 2 Harry Potter movies - they stuck so well to the book it made me happy (I started to lose faith after the last 2 but I have hopes that the 5th is going to restore my faith in the franchise).

I have been anticipating the release of Twilight since I read about the movie being made when I was still in England. I followed the casting decisions with baited breath and applauded the choice in actors for the characters I grew to love. I watched the MTV short clips each week until it all became too much for me and I had to stop and take a Twilight break :)

I know (!) I've read all the blogs raving about these books like crazy fan-girls but they really are that great.

I have always had a fascination with the legends of Vampires - heck what girl hasn't? I think the attraction between a vampire and a human in books is romantic and tragic and doomed to failure but it intrigues me to no end. Hey I'm a sucker for a beautiful immortal and a tragic love story.

I think this is why Bella and Edwards story appealed to me. I like the idea that some people are just meant to end up together - fate and all that - that their attraction goes beyond the normal conventions of life and love. It's just a nice thought.

I'm so very excited about December 7th - I'm going to eat cake and discuss all things Edward and Bella with my sister and my dear friend Julz. These books helped me starve away boredom on those long lonely train rides across Europe, they helped me keep my imagination alive while I was trying to sleep in that cramped dirty room we called home for 3 months in London. They are beautiful books and I am sure the movie is going to be something special. It's so close I can't stand to think about it. I've been avoiding all things Twilight movie related on the net because I know it's coming out soon in the USA - I don't want to read other peoples opinions on this one - I'm saving that decision for myself alone.

Tomorrow night I am going to see Bloc Party - I am excited. I am actually going to see them on Friday night too. I think I need these shows to be amazing and I know they will be. I haven't listened to their new songs much at all but I've seen what Kele can do onstage (even while sick and going against doctors orders to sing and play) so I have no doubts about the spectacle to come :)

Super love and sparkles

x x x
Brooke

P.S The V Festival has made me so very happy - The Killers & Snow Patrol & Kaiser Chiefs. Summer is going to be filled with happy days :) Now all I need is some Jack's Mannequin sideshows

P.P.S I have to buy Kings of Leon tickets tomorrow - someone asked me if I was going and I laughed. Yes I am a fan, Yes I have been to every show they have played in Melbourne since Big Day Out 2006 so what is going to change there? Just because other people now know who they are doesn't make me the kind of fan to ditch them. I love everything about Kings of Leon - from their crazy pasts to their old albums even to the fact they have new fans - I just don't quite understand how this new album made them so huge (it's not their best album). The thing I love most about Kings of Leon is their live shows - I'm not giving that up because they are playing in bigger stadiums now, not for anything.

Song of the moment = Jack's Mannequin - Caves