The Penelope Red Sweetheart Blouse: A new design!

Last week, I finished a new design: The Penelope Red Sweetheart Blouse.

It is based on the same loose waist/hip fit of the Monet Pleated Neck Blouse, and of course, the bust area has been re-designed, into a lovely sweetheart neckline.



I love the bright colours on the print- bright orange, aqua, red, cream, on a brown background. Placing the bright orange fabric around the bust, and keeping the darker print around the waist, creates an even and flattering silhouette- and you don't even need to have a trim waist for it!



This top is great for the warmer months. Wear it with your favourite jeans, shorts or a skirt- a mini could look really cute with this! I have used gold buttons where the shoulder straps attach to the bust area, so dress it up with some chunky gold jewellery.



I plan to create other sizes in this top- each with different contrasting orange fabric prints. Can't wait!



The blouse is a loose fit from the underbust down. Pleats are at the centre front and centre back. An invisible zip is on the side. You can also very easily wear a strapless bra underneath this top (I am wearing one in these photos)- or some bra straps will fit this style as well.

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New Penelope Red Scarf Design: Chinese Flowers

I have posted a new scarf design in my Etsy shop. The Penelope Red Chinese Flowers scarf has been made from various beautiful fabrics, including silk, cotton, and linen blends.


I love mixing colours, textures and prints together, in unusual combinations- my friend's say it is my trademark. Making these scarves gives me the opportunity to play around with this even more.


I usually use one of the fabrics in the scarf to inspire the rest. So, for instance, in this scarf, I used the red Chinese-style printed cotton, to help determine the other fabrics and colours to use. The print has beige, cream and blue included in it.



A few other scarf designs can be seen here.

All Penelope Red scarves are one-of-a-kind. No scarf is exactly the same as the next.



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A Bush Wedding

So, when I posted about my Red Halter Dress, I promised I would post better photos of it- hopefully at my friend's bush wedding... so here they are!

The weather was gorgeous! We couldn't have asked for better, and the scenery was stunning! My friend's parents own a property in the beautiful Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains, Australia. It is 96acres of complete bushland, besides a small clearing near the house and garage.




A friend once said he had never seen so many trees, until he had visited Australia, and seen the Blue Mountains. What our mountains lack in size, they make up for it in untamed beauty.

The above photo is the podium/stand where they had their ceremony. The cliff in the background is typical Blue Mountains bushland- sand stone, and lots of it!





Isn't my friend beautiful in her wedding dress?! She was at least sensible and wore flat shoes- her bridesmaids not so!





The back of my dress... I was so lucky I didn't get sunburnt! Flat strappy shoes was the best option for the day- so many girls wore heels- I am not sure what they were thinking!? For once, I was the girl who went for comfort!



Angela, Me, Sarah, and Peta. I have known Sarah and Peta since we were 8 years old together!



One of the stunning views surrounding their property.



This shot was taken on the way home, while the sun was setting behind us. The sun is reflecting onto the rocks, making them appear bright orange/red. I haven't adjusted the colour on this photo at all, in fact it is a little duller compared to what it was in real life.

I am originally from the Blue Mountains; living there until I was 21. The world and city called to me, and I left and never returned, except to visit. Whenever I go back, I enjoy my time there, but I still feel the city is my home.

I would recommend to anyone visiting Australia, to visit the Blue Mountains. You can reach them within 1 hour from Sydney (2.5hours to get to the Megalong Valley), and it truly is a very different and beautiful experience compared to the city.

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Absynthe Restaurant Review and Dream World!

Last week, my hubbie and I celebrated our Wedding Anniversary in the Gold Coast, Queensland. (You can see pictures of my Wedding Dress here).

We are such big kids at heart! We love to giggle at anything silly (well, I do, Max just encourages me!), and we love our theme parks and rides! So we spent our anniversary screaming and laughing our heads off on all the rides at "Dreamworld", Queensland, Australia.


They also have a section named, "Tiger Island". They have about 5 tigers; 3 of which perform in a show, to help raise money to save them in the wild. Above, they are feeding them milk- how cute!


We went on so many rides, including this one, "The Claw". It acts like a pendulum, gaining momentum with each swing, to go higher and higher. As the pendulum is swinging, the circle (where everyone is sitting) is spinning. It freaked me out!

My favourite rides in the whole park, were the new water rides and slides. I guess with the roller-coasters and other mechanical rides, it is a complete adrenalin rush, and you kind of have to psyche yourself up to go on them. With the water rides, I found them easier to have fun- I giggled the entire time, and just had fun- without being scared at all.

If you have children, there are many kids rides, and there is a "Wiggles World" section which they will love.

Either way, we had loads of fun!

Afterwards, we dined at a beautiful restaurant in Surfers Paradise, "Absynthe".


The atmosphere inside is very intimate and romantic; the service was attentive, but not invasive; the food was beautifully flavoured. You could say that this restaurant adds French influence to a modern Australian menu.



I had an entrée of pumpkin ravioli- very nice with lots of flavours, although for a $30 price tag, I thought it was very small.

For the main, I had steak with an onion jam- it was fantastic! The hubbie had lamb.


I really enjoyed Absynthe. If you are looking for a romantic setting to celebrate something special; if you want fantastic food; if you want good service; then I would recommend Absynthe to you.

Next time I go, I think I will skip the entree, and order a main and dessert- the chocolate fondant sounds divine!



We have had a very busy week, and I will soon be able to post photos from my friend's wedding, which I had the pleasure of going to this past weekend. There is so much to catch up on!

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Our Wedding Anniversary: Photos of my Wedding Dress

My hubbie and I recently celebrated our Wedding Anniversary! What better way to mark the occasion than to share a few photos of my dress from our wedding day...



I love re-looking through our wedding photos. I have recently framed a few, and placed them on our bedroom walls- as soon as I wake up, I see them, and they always make me happy.

My Mum and I made the entire wedding dress. We hand stitched on every single last bead! It took us months to bead it all- but every time I look at my dress, I believe it was worth it!



As soon as we became engaged, I knew exactly the kind of dress I wanted- strapless with a fishtail.

I started off with the basic shape in mind, then the design evolved from there. I wanted beading/embellishment that was obvious- something a little bit Art Deco/Art Noveau to match the gorgeous ring my Husband chose for me.




I found a lace that suited the theme, which featured a fleur-de-lis motif, so I used this to inspire the rest of the design. The shape of the fleur-de-lis is mirrored in the contrasting panelling, as well as the large flower motifs that have been beaded down the side panels.



I decided to have a button back (with the corset inside the dress), and when it came to buttons, I had initially planned fabric covered... then my Mum discovered some buttons that my Grandmother had given her. They were old crystal buttons- that were just gorgeous! There wasn't enough to match, but I didn't care. I thought it would be a nice addition to the dress, and it really would make it special-something no one else would have!



I used silver diamantes and silver glass beads as the main beading, as the engagement ring was made from platinum and diamonds. I knew that I would wear my strand of antique pearls and earrings (another present from my hubbie!) with my dress, so I added pearls to the beading to create a more subtle line between the diamante and silk.




I added the lace to the edge of the train, at the back, as well as one motif each to the centre front and centre back (where the panels join at the knees). Lines of silver beads and tiny pearls were beaded down towards the train hem where the lace sits.




The hat/fascinator I wore on the day, was made by myself- using fabric and beads left over from the dress.


I also made a faux fur stole to go with the look!






We took photos in front of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.


It really is hard to describe and take photos that do the dress justice! I hope you like the few photos I have included from the day.

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My Summer Mini Skirt

The weather is warming up! Time to start wearing all my summer gear...I love the fabric in this skirt, which I made recently. It is a simple cotton/elastane blend- thick enough to not need lining, casual enough to wear during the day, and the colours and bold print make it HOT to wear at night!



The fit of the skirt, is the same fit as the Penelope Red Ikat Gold Mini Skirt- which I added to my Etsy shop today. The style is different though, as I do not have the contrasting side panels. I plan to make more summer skirts, with the contrasting panel like the Ikat Gold Mini!



I am wearing my summer mini skirt with a crochet top, handmade by my Grandmother.

More photos of the Penelope Red Deco Sequinned Top

I recently discovered the timer on my camera! No more having to wait for my husband to help me take photos for the blog! I thought a few more photos of the Penelope Red Deco Sequinned Top would be a good idea... I wanted to show that it looks just as fantastic with a nice pair of jeans, as well as pants. I know how much everyone loves their jeans!





This top is available in the Penelope Red Etsy shop, in a US size 4 (AU sz 8) and a US size 6 (AU sz 10) with more sizes to follow.