MOTO NGANTOK BLOG

If you happen to be in Paris, remember to pop in to Diptyque in St-Germain! Im a sucker for scented candles and Diptyque are my favourites..

God, did you make it through all 127 hours of the Oscars telecast? Did anyone find James Franco’s personality? Or, better yet, could he have just shared whatever he was smoking with all of us. That way it would have been a much more enjoyable experience for all parties involved. Though, despite the show falling in its desperate attempt to be young and breaking its hipness, there were still some quality Straight Gals Acting Like Gay Gals moments. I mean, the show’s one conscious host Anne Hathaway herself called it “a great year for lesbians.”

OK, Anne Hathaway, you were right. It was a great year for lesbians, or at least lesbian behavior.

p.s. Check out my full Oscar recap over at AfterEllen.

So, today is a big day for Archie The Goat and myself - the fabulous new Oxfam Weddings website has launched and I am very very proud to be involved with this.

You can follow Archie The Goat on Twitter - @ArchieTheGoat

Don't forget to smile! :)
-XOXO-

So many of you know that me and anaih are best friends forever, and that she abandoned me, to move to Sin city lol. This march i will be going out there to visit 
her again, and this time i will be joining Bertha and Nena for the trip. I've never 
driven with them any were other than the club, the mall or a restaurant, so I'm really 
excited for our adventure!


Me and Anaih had taken Vegas trips since before we were 21 and had amazing times 
with our good friends, we loved going for our birthdays but for the past couple years we've been going for Vegas Shakedown, so this march were doing it again, only it will Bertha, Nena and Me that are in for the adventurous drive and excitement to see our
love Anaih and to attend the battle, I'm super excited i cant contain myself! here are some pictures of me and anaih in Vegas, and i cant wait to post and share the ones of our next adventure to come! Vegas is the place to really let loose and have a good time
so i cant waiiit to see my buddie and finally have some quality time with the "boys" ;)

I mean, just look at some of these fabulous colour combinations - rich colours, fresh colours, warm colours. All kinds of colours, shades and tones and what's the best bit - they're all in one place! You can take the colour sample charts home and play around with the different types of pinks, blues, purples, reds, greens, yellows and neurals until you find your perfect set of wedding colours. No hunting for pics on-line, no seeing a colour you like on a billboard as you pass in the car and no running around the bed linen department in John Lewis holding different colour sheets next to each other (No-one else done that? No? Ahhh, just me then).

You've then got your wedding swatch set to carry around with you, to give the sets of the colour cards to your florist, your dressmaker, your cakemaker, your wedding planner, your stationer, anyone really. It's a perfect way to show everyone what they need to know.

And another 'best bit' is that the cards show a range of tones around the same colour - including a range of tones in floral arrangements and bouquets gives a real sense of depth to the finished items, there's no blandness and just lots of fabulousness.

So there you have it - who would have thought that a dull old DIY store could be the answer to one of the most common wedding dilemmas? But it most certainly can be so the next soggy Sunday that we have, ask your beloved if he'd like to look at drills and head off for a hot date at Do It All!

Son & I spent a happy hour today playing with colour cards and he has chosen the above as our 'dream scheme' - "pink for you and blue for me". That's my boy!

Jil Sander had their models wearing red lips, slicked back hair and outfits inspired by 50s ski-wear and Diane Arbus. Sleek and stylish.

In the Japanese cute style's it is very popular to make your own accessories
to match your outfits.

From hats, nail art to jewelry.


A few days ago I had a day free and decided to try out working with fimo clay.
I made a pony to match my skirt.
It took me 5 hours to finish! Next time I guess I'll make smaller items.

Now I also need to find a cute necklace to wear it on.

Marc Jacobs seems to know the way to my heart. Season after season he seems to be digging deeper into my soul. all my little girl fantasies of what i only aspire to wear are always on his runway. i love this collection! i love the colors and the way the fabric is placed, the hair and makeup...all of it is purely sensational...

For the first in my new series of interviews with wedding suppliers, I'm talking to the lovely Claire Baggott of Brown Box Photography...

Have you got any great wedding tips you’d like to share?
A little bit of forward planning goes a long way to make your day run smoothly. In terms of your photography, always provide your photographer a list of the formal group shots you would like ahead of your wedding day so that no one is missed. Think about timing; if you have a tight schedule, try to prioritise the shots that you want. After all, this is your day to enjoy, you don't want to be rushing around trying to squeeze in a huge number of group shots into a ten minute window. Even if you do have plenty of time, it is still important to prioritise what shots you want, as you don't want to be having your photo taken for too long and miss out on mingling with your lovely guests. Plus, the time you spend having a nice glass of bubbly and chatting to your friends and family is perfect for some wonderful reportage shots.
I am finding more and more couples enquiring about having engagement or pre-wedding shoots. Not only is it a fantastic way to get some photographs of the two of you together (so many couples tell me that they have hardly any nice pictures of just the two of them), but it is perfect for those couples who don't feel at ease in front of the camera – it's like a practice run and does wonders to boost your confidence and helps you to relax on your big day.

What makes a wedding really fabulous?
The most fabulous weddings I have photographed are the ones that are a true expression of the couple and their affection for one another. And the great thing about this, is that it doesn't matter if you are on a shoestring budget, or have all the money in the world. As soppy as it sounds, a really fabulous wedding is one that is all about love, and this always comes across in your photographs. Also, the finer details also make a wedding day what it is. Whether it is the flowers, the table decorations, the shoes...all those little touches that are the result of so much time and effort are a real favourite for me when it comes to photographs.

Have you seen anything really unusual or unique at a wedding recently?
I photographed a wedding last summer that was really unique, and was a great reflection of the bride and groom's personalities. The marriage ceremony was an intimate affair in a gorgeous town hall, and then everyone continued on to a 'festival' themed reception. The groom's parents had a paddock to the side of their home, and it was there that the bride and groom hosted their guests in a brightly coloured marquee filled with sunflowers and bails of hay. As well as a dance floor, there was also a corner with huge scatter cushions for sitting and relaxing... I can still picture the bride sitting on the floor with her two bridesmaids with a glass of bubbly, it really was lovely.

How do you prepare for a wedding?
Photographing a couple's wedding is a very big responsibility, and so preparation is really important. For me, the preparation starts from the first time I meet with a couple. Getting a good understanding of what a bride and groom are looking for from their photography, means that from that point on – everything is tailored to their needs and expectations. I will always go to the wedding venue a few weeks before the wedding to have a look around, and if the couple can join me that's even better. The day before a wedding all my equipment is prepared, packed, triple-checked and ready to go for the following day. I then make sure I have my schedule for the day, as well as the list of photographs from the bride and groom printed out to bring with me. I also have a fantastic little SOS pack in my bag for the bride – tissues, wet wipes, safety pins, lip gloss... perfect!

Image courtesy of Dorset Wedding Photographer - Courtenay Photographic Ltd.

* Try to keep the space as ‘open’ as possible. Taller, more solid decorations are best placed around the edges of a room so that the central areas feel spacious. Remember that although things might look empty when you’re planning can look crowded when you add guests, waiters and waitresses and other suppliers.

* Vary the eye line – a mix of low and tall table centres will provide more visual interest, particularly if you’re having a more relaxed look. Ranks of identical arrangements suit a more modern style.

* Keep things in proportion. If your rooms have high ceilings, small, low table centres will be lost whilst taller arrangements will appear more enclosed venue.

* First impressions count so think what guests will see first when they enter. Something that makes them go ‘wow’ straight away is a great idea. This could even be a flower arrangement that is then moved to another location once everyone has arrived.

* Limit what guests have to notice. That probably sounds like the maddest comment but it’s better to place one great detail at each point (on entry to the venue, by the entrance to the dinner room, on the table etc) than cram loads of items onto your table. You might have spent hours tying ribbons and tags onto lovely favour boxes but that detail will be lost if you then throw in table confetti, candles, petals, and all the other essentials such as glasses, cutlery, crockery, salt, pepper, butter, waters, wines…

Image courtesy of Dorset Wedding Photographer - Courtenay Photographic Ltd.

* Look at unusual ways to present the usual. Bulky favours can stand out glaringly on tables that would look absolutely stunning without them. Think about combining them with seating cards on a table outside of dining area to keep tables clear and uncluttered. Be creative and enjoy it!


Thank you very much for the fabulous Dorset Wedding Photographer – Courtenay Photographic Ltd (who's also on Twitter @courtenayphoto if you'd like to follow!).
All images remain Copyright Courtenay Photographic Ltd.

The natural hair and makeup

looked great at Prada's AW11/12 show!

Loving the chic 60s silhouette..

I didn’t start watching “Pretty Little Liars” until this season. I’d shied away because a) it’s on ABC Family and b) it’s about teens and c) I am an adult and already watch way too many shows about teens. But its lesbian storyline and the consistent insistence by friends that it was great, goofy fun convinced me to give it a try. And it is fun, like a live-action episode of Scooby Doo each week without the stoner comedy. I can’t say I’m an ardent devotee. I mean I watch it weekly, but sometimes I wonder if I wouldn’t have just as much fun watching a rerun of Scooby and the gang zoinks it up on some haunted island. Also, the Aria-Ezra/student-teacher thing kind of weirds me out. There, I said it. Go ahead and call me a prude on this one.



But, then I get my own May-December (OK, not really December, more like May-July to Augustish) feelings about Shay Mitchell. That girl is ridiculously pretty. Like not normal, possibly from another planet, definitely not like anyone I went to high school with pretty. Wow, is she pretty. And I know she is 23, which is perfectly legal and not entirely out of the sphere of age appropriateness for me (and probably smack dab in many of your wheelhouses), but whenever I look at her I feel like a skeazy mouth-breathing old lady. I think it’s her skin, that delicious, delicious olive. And her hair, that shiny, shiny black. Also, she kisses girls on the show. I can’t help myself. She makes me think very good, very bad things. I should probably just watch more grown-up shows so I don’t have keep having these fictional moral conundrums with tiny Chris Hansens on my shoulder. So to summarize, “Pretty Little Liars” is pretty fun, Shay Mitchell is insanely pretty and it all makes me feel pretty pervy. But, mostly, in a good way. Happy weekend, all.