Gym Funky

Facebook's advertising scheme is clever. Clearly their filters or whatever technology they use have determined I'm some sort of gym freak, hence I came across a website for a cool company that sells funky gym clothes.

Gym Funky - www.gymfunky.com.au

They're based in QLD. The only downside for me is, well, I like to actually try on clothes to see how they look and fit before buying.

If you get any cool gym clothing from them, let me know!

My New Favourite Shopping Street

Smith Street, Fitzroy.

Home of the sports outlet stores. James, Ash & I spent a couple of hours there yesterday. The Nike outlet store... I love it! I love Nike's running attire. I wanted a Nike running jacket. Not only did I find myself a spunky jacket but it is rain-proof and from the Nike+ range, which means it's got a cool hidden sleeve for my iPod and protects it from a downpour! It also has little elastic hooks that travel up one arm towards my ears, especially made for the headphones.

The jacket was outlet-priced AND had an additional 30% off because of a store-wide sale. I just love a bargain.

New Purchases

I haven't been shopping in ages! But today I made a few purchases that I am particularly excited about:

• My first pair of proper running leggings. I tested them out today too, because didn't want to wear them for the first time on race day next week. Went for a 12km run with Katie - you can read about it in TRAINING bLOG.

• Two books entitled "Exercise Analysis Made Simple" and "The Exercise Guide to Resistance Training". One of my tasks before this coming Friday is to learn all the names, actions, origins and insertions of the muscles in the human body. These two books will prove not only helpful in my study, but useful in future as I begin learning to write programs for people.

Now on my wish list: a pair of Skins (size: XS, style: 3/4 length leggings). Skins are a brand of compression garment. In laymen's terms... they are really tight! I tried a pair on today - they felt really good. You would have laughed to see me testing them out by jogging on the spot in the change room.

According to scientific research, one of the benefits of compression garments is that the support reduces the amount of muscle movement (or "wobble") which therefore reduces muscle damage due to prolonged exercise.

So, yes, I would LOVE to have a pair of Skins! But not right now I guess... they're $140 a pair! Too much of a chunk out of my purse for now.

Boxing Day Bargains

I am a happy chappy, I've done it all this year. Christmas Eve carols, Christmas Day lunch, and now Boxing Day shopping! And it doesn't end there... we've still got New Year's celebrations to come, yay!

And so the Christmas Season Saga continues...

I wake up on Boxing Day morning excited to hit the stores. My December allowance has barely been spent because I have been too busy with Christmas shopping and card writing. There is no better day to spend it ~ a day when all the stores are having sales, a day when my $$ is going to go further than any other day!

So I arrive at Knox with an agenda in mind ~ I am ready to hit the stores in search for a denim skirt. I've been looking for one for over a year now. Something about going shopping with my husband James makes me less likely to wander through clothes racks aimlessly looking for any random item of clothing that I might like, so of course we find a denim skirt (chosen by him out of the selection I've tried on) in the first store that we visit, which happens to also be one of my favourite clothing stores.

I go on to purchase two other tops... not long after purchasing these three items, I re-evaluate my position, only to realize that not a single one was a sale item! Such is the hype of Boxing Day shopping. Lots of stuff may be on sale, but there also appears to be an underlying ploy to get aspiring sale-hunters into the stores ~ because once there, these shoppers will madly buy other goods that they see too without realizing they aren't even on sale!

This means that I have to find proof that a good bargain can be picked up. Where do I head for such proof? To Australia's Biggest Stocktake Sale, of course! So James and I head to Myer to check out their wares and see if their sale really is as big as they claim it to be. Are all the stories I've heard over the years about fantastic bargains and $1 fridges true? Is there really a good reason to line up 7 hours prior to opening time in order to get a prime entry spot into the store and grab the best deals?

The lines at Myer are so long, both at the registers and the changing rooms. But I decide to brave the changing room line in the women's wear section... for a total of about 10 minutes. Every woman in line has 4 to 6 items to try on, and in the space of 10 minutes two women have entered the change rooms. There are still 6 more ahead of me. Based on my calculations, that means an additional 30 minutes of waiting (not including the line for the register) so I give up, return my items to their racks and leave.

Not ready to be defeated, I head out of Myer in search of a store containing a bargain worth the crowds of Boxing Day. I find it at BnT! This is, of course, another of my favourite stores. The lines for changing rooms and registers are equally as long as the lines in Myer, mainly due to my impeccable timing ~ whilst waiting in the long line for the changing rooms there are only two people waiting for the register, and by the time I am ready to line up at the register it is the longest line I have seen in the entire 1 1/2 hours I have been in BnT. But it is worth the wait. Myer was boasting 30% of marked items, and in BnT I have received a discount of just over 50% on my purchase, a fi-nominal deal for items which in my (and James!) opinion are prettier than Myer's wares.

And of course, finally, I stop in briefly at another favourite, Diva. About half their already well-priced goods are 50% off including a gorgeous pink necklace that I've had my eyes on for months. I have a gift voucher with which to purchase said necklace, and so don't even spend any money on it - double bonus!

All in all, my nomination for Best Boxing Day Sale Store goes to BnT. Valleygirl and TEMT didn't fare so well ~ they had no sales in addition to their usual any-other-time-of-year sales ~ but their prices are always so reasonable anyway that I have no complaints and they still remain on my list of favourite shopping stores. As for Myer and David Jones, well if you can bear with the lone lines I've overheard plenty of conversations that commend their stocktake sales greatly ~ maybe when I'm a little more grown up and buying for my household, these department stores will hold greater value for me.

The Ultimate Jewellery Stand

I made a fabulous purchase today: The Ultimate in jewellery stands.

Yes, of course I have a photo to show you! But before I proudly display it for you, please allow me to introduce you to my space ~ not MySpace, but rather, my real-life you-can-actually-touch-it space, located in a corner of our bedroom:

I love my special space, it is like a haven to me.

It took me much thought, arranging, rearranging and more rearranging to get it just how I wanted it.

As a result, it comes complete with any girl's basic desires, including a mirror (of course ~ two actually!), ample shelving and storage space for makeup brushes, makeup, various other facial and beauty products, fragrances, and even some decorative ornaments to add a little touch of personality.

One particular thing to note about my special space is that I have several storage spots for my jewellery:


An earring stand I bought several years ago.

The ladies will appreciate how handy something like this can be - because I no longer have all my earrings just stuffed together in a box, tangled about and difficult to sort through, I don't have trouble finding a matching pair of earrings anymore.

An acrylic jewellery box my mother bought for me many years ago in Hong Kong. This handy little thing is not only able to store both hanging and stud earrings, but has a little drawer at the bottom where I can keep my rings.

And finally - one of the best buys I have ever made.

People often ask me were I got this little baby, saying that it is such a great idea to hang necklaces because it prevents them getting tangled or becoming bent out of shape from poor storage inside a box.

This wonderful item cost me only $8 because it is not a jewellery stand, it is a mug tree! How's that for a great jewellery storage idea for all you out there looking for a better, yet cost-efficient alternative to shoe boxes?



Now that you have seen my jewellery storage techniques, here is my exciting story.

About three months ago, my brother told me about a purchase his girlfriend Carina made at the St Kilda Esplanade Market - a really awesome jewellery stand. Being male, if he says it's awesome then it really must be something! Well, he sent me a photo of this item and ever since I've been thinking about heading to the market to find one for myself.

Today, I got my opportunity to go to the Esplanade market. It was not long before I found the stall I was after, admired the items on display (a variety of types and sizes of handcrafted, metal jewellery stands) and purchased myself a jewellery stand very similar to and possibly the same as Carina's.

I know, I know, you want to see what is so good about this jewellery stand. Words just cannot describe this amazing piece of handiwork, so here it is ~ drum roll....

If this amazing display causes you to want to head out to the Esplanade Market in search of your own ultimate jewellry stand, some things to note:

***This particular stand was the biggest one for sale. As you can see I had no trouble filling it up with jewellery because over the years I have gathered quite a collection. Be not alarmed - there are also smaller ones available. This large size was great for me ~ everything from my mug tree, acrylic box and round earring stand and more are now located on to this one, beautiful stand.

***The metal look is quite simple, and when you first look at the stands you may think they aren't very nice looking, especially compated to the array of beautiful-looking doll-like stands now available at places such as Bevilles Jewellers. When I first look at the stand at home, I had some doubts because the metal finish didn't even look that nice. But noe that my jewellery is on the stand, it looks pretty darn amazing. Simplicity is the way to go because the attention is then focussed on the jewellry rather than the stand.

And finally, a picture of my now updated special space:



Isn't it just lovely?

*sigh!*







P.S. the cost of this stand was $50 ~ in my opinion, a good bargain, especially compared to those doll-like stands at Bevilles which cost $30-$40 and don't hold even half as much as this baby! Smaller stands from this stall started at $20