Love & Sequins #10!
[ 28 July 2010, 16:02 ]
“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”
(George Eliot)
Love & Sequins #10: INTERNATIONAL PLAYGIRLS UNLIMITED — Taking to the skies, travelling in style, romance on foreign shores & more! has just been smacked on the booty & released into the world! Hallelujah!
It’s all about one of my absolute favourite subjects: travelling the world, & even better, being well-dressed & having momentous amounts of fun at the same time!
The timing is perfect, because I wrote this at the same time as I was planning a big Californian adventure with some of my best girlfriends!
Is there anything better than packing a bag, making a puckered-up kiss face at yourself in the mirror & catching a cab to the airport? If you’re anything like me, the answer is a loud, resounding NO! To me, travel is one of the very best things you can do with your time. Its merits are multitudinous & bountiful.Firstly, you get to escape your everyday existence, & while hopefully your everyday existence is a pretty happy & satisfying thing, being able to get away from it only amplifies your appreciation for it when you get back. Secondly, it fires up your creative impulses. In an unfamiliar situation, you’re forced to use your brain in new ways, which results in you being more inventive & experimental than ever. Thirdly, it’s an excellent way to get some perspective on your life — & remind yourself that there is a big, big world outside your little bubble!
...But travel can be tricky. How is it possible to transform from a shopping addict (& general stuff-lover) to an Insta-Nomad™? What do you need to take with you? Have they eased up on that farcical “liquids ban” yet? & what is the best way to deal with a crying baby in the back of the plane? (The answer always involves rum!)
Subjects covered include…
Whether travelling with your best friends is the kiss of death!
How to survive — & make the most of — travelling alone
Scoring the best possible price on your flight, hotel or package!
An all-inclusive accommodation guide (from hotels to couch-surfing & everything in between)
International Playgirl travelling must-haves
Travelling in style: what to pack!
How to deal with nerves & anxiousness
Not just surviving, but thriving & even BEAUTIFYING while you fly!
Getting an upgrade… demystified!
How to take AMAZING holiday photos every time
The value of keeping a travel journal
How to cope with crippling homesickness
Making friends in foreign lands!
A huge Q&A from galadarling.com readers
Resources to keep you sane & clued up!
I think this is the meatiest chapter of Love & Sequins so far. Clocking in at a scale-tipping 20,000 words (!!!), it contains all my tips for making your travels as magical & wonderful as possible! Bundled with the writing is an MP3 of me reading it aloud to you, which runs for over an hour! Fun!
The PDF also includes pages (& I do mean pages) of INCREDIBLE travel tips from your fellow nonpareils! Those girls know their stuff!
The whole thing is a wonderful travel bible for women who want to globe-trot in style!
Go on, International Playgirl! Get your filthy little mitts all over it! The chapter is $12, & if I may be so bold, worth every penny! Click click click!
International Playgirls Unlimited! is the tenth chapter in my Love & Sequins series. You know what that means! There are nine other episodes that came beforehand! You can buy the whole lot for $84 by clicking right here!
But if you’d rather pick & choose the ones which interest you most, see below! You can click the hyperlinks to get more information about each chapter, too!
Love & Sequins #1: LEARNING TO LOVE YOURSELF — Self-adoration, manifesting your ideal persona, channelling your inner Marie Antoinette & everything in between!
Love & Sequins #2: THE SMART GIRL’S GUIDE TO BUSINESS — Taking control of your life, finding your passion, loving what you do & making mad bling!
Love & Sequins #3: LOVE, SEX, THE GALAXY & EVERYTHING — From falling in love to co-habitation, & all the beauty & madness contained within!
Love & Sequins #4: A GUIDE TO MANNERS FOR THE MODERN MINX — Etiquette, social graces & charming the pants off total strangers for the uninitiated!
Love & Sequins #5: FINDING HAPPINESS & MAKING IT STAY — Choosing joy, making magic & devoting your life to love, adventure & deliciousness!
Love & Sequins #6: DAINTIER, SMARTER, BETTER DRESSED — A deluxe guide to looking truly fabulous, defining your personal style & being the best-dressed girl at any party!
Love & Sequins #7: BLOGGING 101 — Living & loving online, monetisation in the new world & thinking beyond the 9-5!
Love & Sequins #8: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER — Keeping your friendships fresh, finding platonic soul mates & clearing out the fakes, phonies & meanies!
Love & Sequins #9: MANIFESTING & MAGIC-MAKING — Using imagination & reverie to create a perfect universe!
My sweet tulips, thank you so much for your support of this girl writer. It means more to me than I could ever say! I really appreciate it & am so very grateful!
Love & love & love,
Comment [24] Tags: consumption,
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Daily Outfit: 25th July 2010
[ 27 July 2010, 10:28 ]
Okay, perhaps “Daily Outfit” is a bit of a misnomer, ‘cause I didn’t go out in public like this! (Wait, does climbing around on a fire escape count?) It is something I wore, though!
...But before you scroll down, please know that what follows are multiple pictures of me in my knickers! If that’s not cool with you or your workplace, please, avert thine eyes!
Greetings from Weimar Berlin!
(AKA Molly Crabapple’s den of debauchery!)
On Sunday morning I packed a bag with accessories & showed up at Molly’s door. I did my best to mask my nerves — I marched around talking about Important Virgo Business — but underneath it I was all a-tremble. Why? Because I had to take my clothes off & prance around for three lovely ladies… & A CAMERA!
(Dun dun dunnnnn!)
Unlike many of my friends, I am not, in fact, naked on the internet. Years ago, I considered it, but I never went through with it. Pretty funny, since I don’t even like wearing a bathing suit in public! But somehow, when my friend Gaby from Hopeless Lingerie & I were talking, & I came up with the brilliant idea of trotting around in her wares & putting it up on the internet, I kind of forgot that that would entail me showing… well, you know, most of my body.
At times, I felt like the shoot was cursed. I booked a room in a hotel — a hotel which was once a patron of the arts, which was once my favourite — only to have the man at the front desk refuse to let Bianca Alexis, my photographer, up into the hotel. It would cost us thousands of dollars for production fees, he said. Oh, & did I mention I still had to pay for the room? (RAGE!)
Finally, finally, Bianca & I organised to shoot in Molly’s amazing apartment. I turned up in the morning, plugged in my steamer (My Little Steamer to the rescue again!), & started chatting away as I flattened my frippery. ...Until the power went out. Yes, we had overloaded the circuits. Molly had to call a man so she could fix it. All was going well, & then it happened again. If I hadn’t just had extensions put in, I would have been tearing my hair out!
Thankfully, eventually we sorted it out!
Bianca showed up with an enormous lighting rig & brought Mischa Golebiewski with her to do my hair. I had emailed them both a bunch of reference pictures & we decided to curl my hair. I’d never had my hair curled before, so had no idea what to expect…
I’m wearing…
Hopeless Lingerie Sally silk ruffle bralette
Garter belt by Hopeless Lingerie
Fishnet stockings
Bordello Pleaser platforms
Isn’t this totally what you want to be wearing every evening when your lover gets home from work?!
I’m wearing…
Lace bunny ears (from Hot Topic, if you can believe it!)
Rhinestone collar (borrowed from Molly)
Hopeless Lingerie Ellen silk halter bra
Hopeless Lingerie Ellen silk garter belt
Fishnet stockings
Bordello Pleaser platforms
I also climbed onto the fire escape wearing this! IN THESE HEELS. Trooper!
I was having fun rolling around on the couch, but it wasn’t until I put on this green set — & my trusty new bowler hat — that the pictures really came alive.
Meet my alter-ego, Eyelashes Akimbo!
Eyelashes Akimbo is a tap-dancing sensation & spy. Her performances are often, secretly, Morse code. She enjoys scotch straight from the bottle, tapping her cigar ash on rambunctious men & imported chocolates.
I’m wearing…
Straw bowler hat (from Eye Candy by New York Hat Co. & made right here in the city!)
Hopeless Lingerie Dahlia silk bralette (I love the straps around the waist, they are sooo sexy & flattering)
Our Darling funerary ring by Bloodmilk
Lace-trim cheeky leopard print knickers from Victoria’s Secret (which you really only see a peek of in the following picture!)
Hopeless Lingerie Lily silk garter belt
Fishnet stockings
Bordello Pleaser platforms
Isn’t this such a perfect little corner? You gotta give props for the way that Molly’s aesthetic permeates everything she does. LOVE that girl!
By the way, while we were shooting this, she was sitting at her desk drawing portraits of old jazz masters with a fountain pen, & kept looking up & smiling at me & making me laugh! Hahah. She is a wonder.
Bianca Alexis did an amazing job with the photos & made me feel so comfortable. Not to mention, she had them to me, retouched & ready to go, by Monday evening! (Almost unheard of!) Bianca, I looooove you! (By the way, if you feel like a blast from the past, here are some of the other pictures we’ve made together! Daily Outfit: 10th July 2008 / Daily Outfit: 13th September 2008 / Daily Outfit: 17th September 2008)
Bisoux to Mischa for giving me amazing hair!
Molly Crabapple is a superhero for accommodating us, & was the perfect host. MWAH!
Last but not least, huge thanks to Hopeless Lingerie for making me custom garments & being so wonderful in general! I think the quality of their pieces speak for themselves — they’re gorgeous, hand-made & really flattering. A perfect treat for you or your lady.
You can follow Hopeless Lingerie at their blog, on Twitter & on Facebook!
Eyelashes Akimbo is waiting for you (& your chocolates)! Until then…
Love & love & love,
Comment [109] Tags: daily outfit Follow me on Twitter! Listen to my latest podcast! Love & Sequins 9: Manifesting & magic-making!Love & Sequins Sale Ends In Three Hours!
[ 25 July 2010, 21:01 ]
Bonjour!
Just un petit reminder that if you wanted to pick up a couple of Love & Sequins chapters for half-price — or even go WILD & score an entire subscription for half-price — you only have three hours left!
It’s great for listening to on plane or train rides, as you walk around the neighbourhood or even as a kind of demented lullaby while you’re drifting off to sleep! I’m really proud of it, & I wouldn’t want you to miss out!
Aw! It touches the heart! Click here for the sale!
By the way, Love & Sequins #10: International Playgirls Unlimited will go on sale Monday! Excitement ++!
Enjoy the tail-end of your weekend & I’ll be with you soon!
Love & love & love,
Comment [26] Tags: podcast Follow me on Twitter! Listen to my latest podcast! Love & Sequins 9: Manifesting & magic-making!Cherry On Top
[ 25 July 2010, 07:50 ]
Love & love & love,
Comment [35] Tags: cherry on top Follow me on Twitter! Listen to my latest podcast! Love & Sequins 9: Manifesting & magic-making!Carousel: Week Ending 23rd July 2010
[ 23 July 2010, 11:55 ]
Kylie Minogue by Ellen Von Unwerth.
I have used this photo before, but it’s one of my favourites ever! So there!
Tell your girl to hook link it up!
(If she got a friend, homie, tell your girl to hook it up!)
Here’s my pick of the week’s best content. Enjoy some internet nomadism & have a wander!
These American Thighs is totally great.
1. Eat when you are hungry.
2. Eat sitting down in a calm environment.
3. Eat without distractions.
4. Eat what your body wants.
5. Eat until you’re satisfied.
6. Eat in full view of others.
7. Eat with enjoyment.
10 reasons to stop apologising for your online life from the Harvard Business Review.
The illusion of transparency — people can’t see through you as much as you think they can!
From Wikipedia: History of erotic depictions. My friend emailed me this link, adding, “don’t say i sent it to you!!” Okay, buddy. Your secret is safe for now!
Ever wonder about the history of underwear? Your burning questions, answered!
Sunday Life: In which deep talking has a comeback from (who else?) Sarah Wilson.
Zen Habits still delivers: 20 strategies to defeat the urge to do useless tasks. Wonderful!
Darren Rowse is the man behind Problogger — he knows a thing or two about writing! Here are his top tips for writers!
Ephemeral New York is pretty fascinating!
I love these big city silhouettes!
Oh, Seth Godin. I love you! Is everything perfect? Self-marketing might be the most important kind.
How to motivate the male morale: the persuasive power of the pinup. The Selvedge Yard has the best content, & who could say no to a collection of original pinups?
Healing hands. Could you be a sex surrogate? I know I couldn’t, but I think it’s really important work.
How Manhattan nightlife has become synonymous with its hotels from New York magazine.
“So” — what a tiny word reveals about the scientific endeavor & those who practice it.
Midori wants to know what your orgasm feels like. Sounds like a good writing exercise, doesn’t it?!
Fashematics is HILARIOUS!
How Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha Found Her “Aha” Moment.
Victoria’s Secret is having a Polyvore competition! I love it!
Sir Richard Branson’s thoughts on conjuring up the ‘people factor’. (I adore Richard.)
Sarah wrote stuff I’m not paid to endorse: transcendental meditation & she just about sold me. Now to find a teacher in New York City…
Gratitude: The grass is green where you water it. Lovely.
Gratitude is doubled by appreciation, tripled by wonder & quadrupled by possibility.
So cool (if you have the time to play with it): Pilot Handwriting will make a font from your handwriting!
The Perrier Mansion is like a choose your own adventure movie… starring Dita Von Teese. Yeah, it’s pretty rad!
Golubka is a food blog so impeccably presented that it ALMOST makes me want to learn how to cook!
When Words Attack Bloggers. This is a great piece by Birdie about how women hate on other women, especially online.
What BP could have bought with all the money they’ve lost. Yep.
If you’re in Melbourne, go to Schocolate for me!
This wedding BRINGS THE PINK!
Want to watch random 80s music videos? Me too!
India’s Myth of Fair-Skinned Beauty from the Guardian.
Flipboard for the iPad looks pretty rad! Not that I want an iPad!
Let’s ALL go to the Grease singalong!
On the subject of travel, which is all I’ve been thinking about this week, have a look at this round-up of Ten Strange Places! If that doesn’t get your feet itching, I don’t know WHAT will!
Strange Places People Live is AMAZING too!
Can’t even tell you how much I love this song.
Have a MAGNIFICENT weekend & remember to take advantage of the Love & Sequins half price sale!
Love & love & love,
Comment [26] Tags: carousel Follow me on Twitter! Listen to my latest podcast! Love & Sequins 9: Manifesting & magic-making!
