Bought by Birdette has received a Liebster Award!

Woohoo! It's a very special post for Bought by Birdette as I have received the Liebster Award from the lovely Madam M of The Beauty Dispensary. For those who may not have heard of these awards before they are given out in the blogging community to up and coming bloggers with less then 200 followers, (so please get cracking and follow me if you haven't already!) Liebster is also German for Dearest, nawww.
So here is how it works:

a. Each nominee must post 11 things about themselves.
b. Answer the 11 questions posed by the blogger who nominated them.
c. Create 11 questions for the 11 bloggers you nonimate.
d. Choose 11 bloggers to give the award to, link to this post and go to their pages to tell them.
e. No tagbacks allowed.

So here goes!

11 things about Birdette

1. Just quietly, I'm kinda nerdy. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, I love Final Fantasy video games, and my favourite is number IX.
2. Born and bred in Country Victoria in an awfully bogan place called Bendigo, I escaped (without children, a rarity for a teenager!) up to Brisbane when I turned 18 and haven't looked back.
3. I have never travelled outside of Australia, I don't even own a passport!
4. On that note, I don't have a driver's license either, and my L plates have actually expired. Oops.
5. Fancies herself as a pretty good cook, I've kept up a new years resolution of cooking something new at least once a week all year, and it's proving to be quite a lot of fun and effective.
6. Is a mad keen crafter, I love to keep my hands busy, but I have a real problem with starting projects and never finishing them!.
7. Loves hats, owns many but I hardly ever wear them. Hoping to change that.
8. I am of Yugoslavian, English and Welsh decent, so creamy skin, dark hair, almost black coloured eyes (no shit, people has trouble seeing my pupils). Cool toned FTW!
9. Incredibly wary of new people and very nervous until I'm comfortable with them. to be honest I've told very few people in my everyday life about this blog in case they don't like it.
10. I've studied "Clothing Construction" and "Multimedia" at TAFE, So I'm not half bad at sewing, and enjoy Photoshopping quite a lot.
11. Lucky last! One day I hope to have a house with a library (at least one wall full of books!) and a secret passage.

Here are the questions posed to me by the lovely Madam M
                               

1.    Are you a morning person or night person? Night, oh god night, birds chirping to bring in the day make me want to own an air rifle.

2.    Gold, silver or platinum? Platinum, but I'll take what I can get ^_^

3.    What was the worst job you have ever had? I worked as a barista at a commonly known cafe chain, this particular one had a very high staff turnover because the franchisee was an utter stresshead asshole. He would yell at his staff all the time and generally be horrible, I used to get nosebleeds from the stress. I ended up leaving for another franchisee's stores, they were much nicer to work for.

4.    Are you allergic to anything? Bees, cheap metal, elastoplast, plus I have year round hayfever, fun times!

5.    Whats on the menu for dinner tonight? While I'm currently typing, it will be crispy chicken tacos with some friends coming over, by the time this goes live however I'm not sure...

6.    Who in your life inspires you the most? Christ, I haven't thought about that, I don't actually think anyone inspires me that much lol. One of my old school friends has the courage to do whatever she wants in life, regardless of what others think and she doesn't hide anything, I quite admire her.

7.    If you had a million dollars to give away to on person anonymously who would it be?
       I think I'd give it to my boyfriend, so he could share it with me lol.

8.    If you could live for one year in another country, where would you go? Ooooh, I haven't travelled outside of Australia, I would love to live in London, I wouldn't have to learn another language, I would have a snowy christmas, and so much cool stuff comes out of there!

9.    If you had to wear one nail polish color for the rest of you life what would it be? GLITTER! oh god, glitterrrrrrr.

10.  If you could have any type of animal as a pet what would you choose? Aww, I really couldn't pass up my gorgeous kitties!

11. What was the last movie you watched ? James Bond Skyfall, and I fricken loved it.

The Questions I now pose to my selected bloggers

1. What is the one store you couldn't live without and why?

2. What is your earliest memory?

3. What colour nail polish are you wearing right now?

4. Black and white or Bright colours?

5. Favourite way to spend the weekend?

6. Favourite place to spend a holiday?

7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

8. Any hobbies?

9. The best thing you can cook?

10. Summer or Winter?

11. Autumn leaves or Spring Flowers?

My chosen bloggers, have fun!

BBBeauty

Vintage Owl Boutique

Dorly Designs

Just Plain Delirious

Beauty Behind the Imperfections

Stylise

Chic Beauty

Brie's Petite World

Peta Petal

Make up and Smell the Coffee

Buy Blog Sparkle

In the spirit of things, go and check out eachothers blogs! Thanks again to Madam M too!

Loving this week - Bargain leather goods and Mecca Maxima

December is here and that means I can officially get all Christmas-y without anyone cracking the sads that I'm getting in too early. Hurray for that! I love this time of the year because the weight of the year starts to lift off everyone's shoulders. Even people on the street seem to smile more.

Of course it also means great deals for shoppers too, so I've been pounding the pavement (or carpet in Westfield Carindale's case!)

Colette is a store I haven't paid much attention to, I noticed when suddenly they appeared in almost every mall overnight but I've been afraid that my allergy would prevent me from wearing the jewellery. However I was walking past the store when I saw new posters up talking up their new leather range, Always keen for a leather handbag I had to check them out.

Nice, simple and clean lines are a great first impression to make on the handbags. However, when you look a little closer the top corners of the bag actually clip together internally and form a new bag shape, and a gorgeous one at that! I'm sorry to say I couldn't find any pictures of the alternate way to wear it, but I think it's worth going to the shops and checking them out, it could just be your brand new handbag (and matching wallet!) It also currently comes in other shades of tan, dark blue, and a pinky coral hue.

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I have waited this long to check out the new Mecca Maxima, or any Mecca Maxima in that case! I've been shy. It's like that feeling you get when you see the security guard on the doors of Louis Vuitton or Chanel, sometimes you don't feel brave enough and run away! But after entering I don't know why I felt that way. I almost squealed out loud at some of the cute stuff I found! Heart shaped foam hair rollers anyone? Don't mind if I do ...

Comes in a pack of six

I also picked up some Soap and Glory goodies that I'll talk about after I've given them a go. The tools section was of course unbelievable but the range of hard to find brands is awesome. I'm really glad to see that someone who has the means to has opened up the world of international niche cosmetics to Australians who would otherwise resort to eBay or overpriced international postage. After leaving the store I'm already plotting my purchases for next time in my head.

Guest Post - The Origins of Fashion

Hi guys, please enjoy this guest post about the origin of various types of shoes! - Birdette

A fashion boot or shoe is one that is worn for reasons other than practicality. Practical? Really?

Mary Jane’s
Mary Jane’s is the trademarked name for a closed toe ladies shoe, with a low heel and one or more strap across the top. The Mary Jane originated in the US. Mary Jane was a character in the very popular comic, Buster Brown. Buster Brown was first published in 1902, in which Mary Jane plays the love interest of Buster Brown. Later, the comic book was sold to 200 companies, including the Brown’s Shoe Company, who trademarked the name Mary Jane and Mary Jane wore Mary Jane’s in the comic strip.

Loafers
Loafer’s originated in Norway in 1930. A Norwegian shoe maker called Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger designed a shoe called the Aurland moccasin which were very popular among Europeans and eventually made its way across the Atlantic to America. The design for the shoe was picked up and replicated by a shoemaker in New Hampshire who changed the name to Loafer. The term Loafer is now the generalised term used in America to describe a slip on shoe. The traditional design of the Loafer which has a leather flap across the top was adapted in Maine by a shoemaker who renamed the shoe the Weejun.

Ballet Flat
The Ballet Flat, which is also known as the Dolly Shoe, consists of a soft shoe with minimal sole, sometimes the appearance of no sole. The Ballet flat was originally worn by men in the 16th Century when they were referred to as Pompes. Audrey Hepburn can be given the recognition for bringing the Ballet Flat to life, when she wore a pair of flats with skinny jeans in the movie Funny Face in 1957. The Ballet Flat has been adapted from its original design in order to suit the current trend, the addition of the rubber sole gives the shoe more durability and versatility and can be seen everywhere these days as one of the most popular shoes of this century so far.

Over the Knee
Over the knee boots, which are also known as cuissardes, are boots that partially or fully cover the knee. Over the knee boots can take many forms including thigh high, hip high and waders. Over the knee boots were originally designed for men, to be worn when riding a horse during the 15th Century. It became popular for men to wear tight when riding horseback in the 15th Century and so
they over the knee boot were designed to give their legs extra protection. The term bootlegging was derived in the 17th Century when men used to hide flasks in their thigh high boots. Over the knee boots were adopted by the fashionistas in the 1960’s when Balenciaga revealed an over the knee boot in their fall collection and the following season Yves Saint Laurent had included the item in his.

Knee High
The knee high boot is a highly recognisable item of clothing these days. The boot raises up to just under the knee and tend to be tight to the leg. The origins of the knee high boot date back to fishermen, stable hands, dairy workers etc., they were worn to protect the works feet from water, slurry, manure etc. The original knee high boots were slip on and were often very difficult to remove. Upon entry into the fashion world, the knee high boot was modified for convenience and zips and buckles were added.

Chelsea Boot
The Chelsea boot, also known as the dealer boot, originated in the Victorian Era and was originally worn for horse riding. Chelsea boots were considered an identifiable element of the 1960’s Mod scene, they faded out of fashion soon after that and in recent years have come back in. They are distinguishable by the thick leather sole and the elastic that runs up the side of the boot.

This Guest Post was written by Vicki Power on behalf of Duo Boots. Duo boots offer Ladies Boots in a variety of width options.

This has been a sponsored post

Gift Guide - Homebody

This is part of a series of gift guides I am putting together and posting up until Christmas. Please be sure to check out the others Here! 

Homebody may be a slightly misleading description of this person, Houseproud might do it better! We all know someone who takes great pride in maintaining their home and filling it with gorgeous little knick knacks and treasures. Perhaps these might suit their style?

I don't feel like a house is truly a home without at least a few books kicking around. I don't care much for the new electronic reader technology, give me the smell of old books over strained eyes and something that feels utterly fake any day! Cute bookends add the finishing touch to any collection, here are a few goodies.

Vinyl Record Bookends from Typo

The End Bookend from Lark

People who love their homes often want to show them off, so why not give them some gorgeous servingware for the next time they're entertaining? (Gives them more reason to invite you over too!) Platters for me are something that are to be used to frame your food. What may perfectly complement a table full of colourful salads and BBQ cooked fare may not work as well for a more classy afternoon tea affair or even a make-your-own taco fiesta.

22 cm Hand drawn Lacey Serving Bowl by Yvonne Ellen

37.5 cm Fiesta Round Platter and 35 cm French Bull Melamine Platter both available at Peter's of Kensington

Another cute idea you won't find everywhere are these unique wire wall art Sculptures. I admit, my eyes may have done their little "dawwwww!" thing and widened when I first spotted the bunny sculpture. Each of them are handmade and differ slightly to others, so like hand blown glass no two are the same.

Owl, Bunny and other designs available from Life on Wire

Loving this week - Giant Freckles & Squishy cats

I've had a massive few days, after going and seeing the latest James Bond Movie, (the boy and I made a real nice date night out of it, Gold Class cinemas, fancy dinner, loved it.) and then the day job's Christmas party last night has made me  feel like I've hardly had any sleep all week. Thank goodness for weekends and lazy Sundays.

I'm currently in the midst of crocheting a massive floor rug out of t-shirt yarn for my house, and no doubt I'll still be making it in the months to come, but look what I found for sale! These awesome rugs are handmade in Nepal and no two are alike, they're also 100% wool, gorgeous quality and would look great in homes with a handmade and cheerful aesthetic.

Little Lamb Freckle Rug available from Lark

I may also have been hunting homewares like it's going out of style, (Pssh! Materialistic? Me?? Never!) There's just so much cute stuff out there. I am also a cat lady, I've never tried denying it and limit myself to my two babies. This minor crazy streak is finally meeting with my odd collection of what I called 'item' cushions, (I have some prior additions here.) In the form of this Squee worthy cushion from the hilariously cute Pusheen Website. I just want to hug it!

Pusheen 20" Plush pillow available here.