On the weekend, I got myself down to Little.City in Prospect for the Little Blog Big workshop, presented by Carly Jacobs of Smaggle and Christina Butcher of Hair Romance.

I had an amazing day and am so very glad I took the plunge and booked in. As an introvert, these kind of events can be stressful and/or hard work but I read a couple of good blog posts, including this one from Flying Solo and this one at Agent Mystery Case, so I was well prepared.



As the graphic above suggests, here are five reasons why you should totally attend a Little Blog Big workshop if they come to your 'hood (or within reasonable travelling distance). See, "I'm learnding!" . . .  which brings me to the first point:

You Totally Learn Stuff

Carly casually owning life in general

You get proper worksheets aligned to four informative sessions relevant to people who want to grow their blog, use social media effectively for their blog or business and learn simple yet effective strategies that you can implement THEN AND THERE. I literally changed my Instagram user handle to claim @almostposh at the lunch break. 

You Get Inspo For Reals

The sky's the limit!

Being sat in this funky, light-filled space contributed to the creative vibes. Little City hasn't opened to the public yet but will be a collaborative workspace in the near future which I can totally imagine being a great success. I want to work here on the daily. When I finally tore myself away from the space and got home, I was buzzing with inspo. I wanted to rewrite all my headlines of every post and reshare them on social media with new scheduling apps then write a list of blog ideas then tweak my media kit and update my Facebook cover photo. (I settled for Hungry Jack's and an early night).

You Get Really Well Fed

A2 milk, yes GAWD!

Catering was by Food Man Chew (I. KNOW!) who provided a delicious lunch, there was ample fresh fruit, we had ice creams from Golden North (who are totally from my hood, the Mid North of South Australia - recognise!) and wines to round it off from Lou Miranda Estate and Dell'uva Wines. So. Good. There were even Red Rock Deli Sea Salt chips which are totes my fave. How did they know??

You Get To Meet Peeps

Note to self: next time, grab hold of a balloon, you chump

With Sonia of Sonia Styling!  I have been following Sonia's blog since I started myself so it was a buzz to meet her in person.

Carly and Christina don't retreat like rock stars to their trailer to snort gold glitter and drink champagne made from the tears of angels during the breaks. They totally hang with everyone, mix and mingle throughout the day and are happy to pose for fan girl photos. They keep it real and relevant while being funny as. You may end up in a Simpsons quote-off. Be prepared.

With the extremely rad Christina of Hair Romance

Anelis The Lunch Lady, Sarah Jensen, LouisaG, Lee from @MrGallivant

Importantly, you get to connect with fellow local bloggers which is fantastic! Whether you blog about fashion, fitness, lifestyle, wellness, food, travel, whether you have a brand or business or whether you haven't started yet and aren't even sure what you're going to blog about - you will find some cool people to chat with and add to your social media circles. Even an introvert like me didn't stand around like a dipstick for too long at a time.  

You Get A Cool Goodie Bag and - if you're lucky - a BALLOON

Some serious swag from companies like Evo, L'Oreal, Lady Jayne and Garnier plus a lovely limited edition print from Emma Kate Co. How. Rad.

I also got to gank the L balloon for my daughter Miss L, who loved it. With a capital L, if you'll pardon the pun.

They all float down here

Google's Auto-Awesome feature rules

I have recently signed up to be a Little Blog Big affiliate, so do both of us a favour, click here and register yourself today! 

My Mum and I love a bargain. LOVE. There has been many a squealing of brakes and sharp turns upon the spotting of an A-frame sign and the frantic call from the passenger . . . "OP SHOPPPP!!!!" 

Taking a break in Freeling, which you may recognise as the setting for McLeod's Daughters Wearing my new Rachel Zoe cardigan from Costco, Kmart top, ASOS jeggings and Target boots Eating a Balfours custard tart. Why wouldn't you?

Now you know how I love Savers (the Recycle Superstore) - more on that later - but quite often the best ones to hit up for the real bargains are the country/rural (often church-run) shops that are far enough away from the city to avoid the antique dealers and vintage re-sellers out looking for stock, with hardly anything priced over $5 and usually housed in church halls or converted homes. Getting in among the racks and shelves usually nets some awesome vintage finds at a low low price.

Our most recent trip netted:

Every month, Jo at iCurvy hosts a "SPIN the PIN" link-up, posting an image from Pinterest for readers to take inspiration from and put their own Spin on said Pin.

This is the pin for June:

In My Joi [original source here]

Tee - Kmart Cardigan - Cotton On (via Mum) Jeans - Best & Less Shoes - Zara Basics (via Savers) UltraMesh Clutch - (via Salvos)  Earrings - Valleygirl

Vintage Ultramesh clutch in perfect condition for $4 at the Salvos, Port Augusta.

It's Throwback Thursday time!

I bought this dress in 2001 from a Chinese silk shop on Swanston Street, Melbourne for a number of special occasions I had on the go.

My first ever Facebook profile photo, 2007

Oh hai, winter. I've been expecting you. Probably because you showed up early about two months ago and cramped autumn's style until it was your turn.

The change of seasons always makes me cast a speculative eye over my wardrobe and decide I need new everything to get me through the season. Although I like winter fashion, things seem to mysteriously shab up in the wardrobe so when I go to pull things out, they look all beaten up and not in a shabby chic vintage patina way.

My boot selection definitely needs a refresh. The toe of my black slouch boots is wearing away (trashy), my suede wedge booties are breaking away at the sole (dangerous) and my camel boots are apparently no longer watertight (unacceptable). 

Spendless have rather a good selection this season. I walk past one on my way to and from work and I have been eyeing off ALL of these . . .

L-R: Apollo, Agent, Anthem and Estate - all $59.99

I missed the TWO recent sales which is unfortunate. Although 60 rods is usually more than I'd expect to pay at Spendless, these look decent and will be worth a try-on.

Also quite taken with this dress from St Frock:

Chasing Kate "Elizabeth" Mid Length Dress - $79.90

I do love a sleeved dress in the cooler months and I think this would rock with a decent pair of boots (see above) and some lovely luxe tights as well as the transeasonal look shown in the pic.

Also from St Frock, this jumper that I've been seeing everywhere in the blogosphere of late, in both colourways, please and thank you.

Illuminate Sequin Knit - $59.90

And continuing my love of rose gold, I have been eyeing off this from Blush & Co for the longest time:

"Blush of Simplicity" 70cms - $32

Inspired by Mica at Away From The Blue, I have added a bright pop of colour to my handbag wardrobe with this random late night eBay bid (always dangerous). This bad boy is winging its way to me for the low price of $50 plus postage. A good way to try out the Mimco Turnlock mini before committing more serious coin to a pre-loved version of my ultimate want and also to brighten up a grey winter day. I don't think I've owned anything this yellow since my first ever school bag.