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Style
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Vocation
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welcome & Hi The Charley Girl Style Section The Felted Fox The Wicked Ying The Chic Burrow Laura Cibilich Nyk Danu becs Addison Food! Money Saving cocktail Help rosie
Food
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HELLO & WELCOME This is a magazine for you if you’re a babe who enjoys a bit of food, a bit of style, a burst of color (or several), cool graphics, nice décor & a touch of feminine enterprise. I’m writing to you from the beautiful city of Auckland, New Zealand - but I’ve roped in some fabulous bloggers from all over the world to contribute. Isn’t that cool in itself ? And here’s a fun fact: I actually had to give thought to whether I go with UK/English or American spelling for words like: favourite/favorite and colour/color. See if you can pick what system I went with... It thrills me to no end to be creating an online magazine, using content from awesomely, creative women. Yes, “awesomely”! My big hope is to inspire women to get out there and do something they love. A big thank you to you ladies who have taken a chance on this unknown blogger from New Zealand and to you, lovely reader, who has happened to come across this magazine. If you enjoy this and would like to read more free, Rosietepaot magazines, please help a sister out by liking my facebook page & signing up to my email list over at Rosieteapot.com so you know when a new issue comes out. I’m very anti-annoying-emails, so your address is safe with me. Thanks so much! Here’s to the first edition, a drink is appropriate, no?
Rosie 5
EAT, LIVE, BE HAPPY I’ve added this tagline to the cover of this magazine. You may have noticed it, you may not have. This tagline kind of just came to me recently. Sometimes I get myself into a rut due to the conflict of wanting DESPERATELY to follow my dreams and aspirations, but knowing that looking after my children is what I REALLY want to do right now. With all the ideas I have, there simply isn’t enough time in the day to do it all and raise young children in the way I want to. Whatever you’re doing, whatever your life is, you need to remember this:
This is YOUR life. You have ONE life. Life is SHORT. FORGET about the cheesy Pinterest quote-images about happiness & life for a minute and really think about it. We need to ignore all those little daily stresses and annoying voices telling us to get your body into perfect bikini shape, meet those sales quota’s in an unrealistic timeframe, ice that cupcake perfectly – whatever it is. Life’s too short to be Perfect!
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Eat, Live, Be Happy were the words that came to me a few weeks ago and it was only recently I realised I wanted to do this magazine. When I made up a mock-cover, I remembered those words and the content of the magazine unfolded in my mind. You need to Eat - obviously. I’ll do recipes. You need to LIVE – get out there and do stuff. I’ll show other women doing cool things. It’s best to Be Happy – to which there is no one-trick pony. Let’s explore this together. Being Happy doesn’t necessarily mean being cheesy or smiling 24/7. You can be a thoughtful person who hardly ever smiles BUT is contented. You also can’t just tell someone to shut up and BE happy. It’s a worthwhile subject to explore & crucial to living a fulfilling life. So my pretties, what I’m going to do is have a particular focus on a different aspect of being happy, each issue. Everything from being thankful, keeping life simple to loving your wrinkles. My desire is for you to be uplifted & encouraged by the contents of this magazine. I want you to feel better about yourself and excited about life.
EAT LIVE BE HAPPY 7
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at home with...
The Charley Girl Charley Marie Taylor is a highly talented, twenty something native Californian living in San Francisco. She is on a journey to find her creative calling, and fortunately for us, documenting it through her deliciously visual blog: These photos of her home are from last year and she has since moved, but they are just too gorgeous not to share!
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How long have you lived in San FranCISCO?
“Almost two and a half years, we just moved from downtown to the Mission neighborhood earlier this year.�
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What do you love / hate about living in the city?
“I love living in such a big diverse city, there is always something to do in San Francisco, it’s beautiful but I hate how crowded and expensive everything is.”
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If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why? “I love everything about California and after spending long stretches in southern, northern and central California, I know it’s the place for me to spend my life. But I do really want to travel, next on my list is India.”
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Excerpt from Charley's blog: “Sometimes I hate writing, sometimes I have nothing to share and instead of forcing myself to create content without any inspiration I’m just not going to post that day, or that week. I love photography and sometimes I just want to share a photo without a bubbly tagline or coming up with some phony reason... But I’m going to blog again my way, in my voice.”
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Have you always had this unique style or have you developed it?
“Since childhood I’ve been really fascinated and meticulous when it comes to style and I’m not at all shy so it’s pretty natural to just do what I want and trust my gut.”
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When charley's boyfriend accidentally broke this skull, she wrote: “I had a mini panic attack and cried because I cry over everything (literally elderly people and if someone sings really good in a movie can do it) but also because I really loved this thing. This thing that’s just a thing. A thing that’s replaceable and fixable actually, it’s sitting on the coffee table right now in perfect condition after Ian glued it together and it looks like it was never broken.” 20
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Where do you draw your inspiration from?
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“It’s pretty random, I’m constantly getting minor obsessions with things all the time, coming across a certain shade of blue from the tile in taco shop bathroom can inspire me for months. I also just love other women, whether that’s a front woman in a band, a character in a book or the cool girl on the bus all things feminine and strong really inspire me.”
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Charley also enjoys smoothies with almond milk, berries, banana & mango. Yum yum!
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What’s your favorite Diet food?
“I’m always dieting, haha. I love green vegetables, I don’t consider them a ‘diet’ food because they’re so essential but even as a kid I could eat an entire raw head of broccoli.”
Excerpt from Charley's blog: “Every body and lifestyle is different, what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. I naturally love raw vegetables and fruits and never have soda or fast food but I love sweets and cheese and hoppy beer. Maybe all you need to do is cut out soda and eat more veggies, clearly that’s not gonna cut it for me. I experience a huge surge of *traffic every time I pin something weight loss related on Pinterest and I think it’s because so many of us are looking for that secret or quick fix even though we know it doesn’t exist. We need to know our bodies, eat well and exercise, that’s it and that’s how I have been doing it, honestly (16 pounds down since yesterday!) I will admit that I have and will probably try anything if you say it’s healthy for me or will help me lose weight. Let’s try to get out of that way of thinking and focus on what’s best for us as individuals.” (*by “traffic”, Charley is referring to receiving a lot of visitors to her website)
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What do you do when you’re not working or blogging?
“Taking my dog Chunk on walks and exploring the thrift stores and breweries around me.”
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What’s your favorite comfort food? “My mom’s broccoli cheese casserole, pizza is a close second.”
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follow charley for more visual goodness
Website Facebook twitter pinterest tumblr
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Like Charley, female characters inspire me too! This drawing of mine from a few years ago was inspired by Marilyn Monroe. You’ll see more of my drawings throughout the magazine, I’ll attempt to make some memes...
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Women with
Style 31
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Oh, How I love a Lady with Style! To me, style is wearing something that is all yours. Something that makes you feel great. Something that makes other people say: “Oh, I could SO see Rosie wearing that!” for example. The gorgeous heart skirt on the left? My friend Olga surprised me with it for my birthday last year and I wear it all the time. In winter I wear it with black tights & some wedges my friend Peata gave me! My friends know me so well. Style doesn’t have to be something that is universally liked. I’m sure there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing clothes I wear - and that’s fine! I also sport Betty Paige bangs which looks odd to some people. I completely understand this perception. Many people care little for style and there are others who see their fashionista friends and wish they had their own unique look. Perhaps some of the Fashion Bloggers featured here will be able to give you some inspiration.
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Nicole,
The Felted Fox I was so excited to stumble upon Nicole’s blog. It was immediately apparent that I was looking at a woman with style, class and sophistication. This beautiful, talented woman heralds from South Africa, studied in Norway and now resides in Southern California. In saying that, she is currently in Switzerland for a few months and when I wrote to ask for an interview, she told me she would get back to me as soon as she could as she was spending some quality time with her husband - in Paris! Paints a picture of a pretty fabulous person already, don’t you think? Nicole is an all-around designer. She has loved craft since the early days of knitting with her Grandma, and now enjoys sewing, ceramics & carpentry. She describes her design aesthetic as a:
“mash-up of Scandinavian minimalism, Californian modernism, and a little bit of a South African love for colour and all things recycled.” www.thefeltedfox.blogspot.com/
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What Philosophies do you live by? “Don’t be afraid of change, embrace it! Life will always throw new challenges your way, whether it be moving to a new city, a new country, the end of a marriage/relationship or the loss of a job. I’ve been through it all. Although change is tough at first, you will come threw it stronger, happier and wiser.”
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“I
Excerpt from Nicole’s Blog:
converted my husband’s old sweater into a fitted faux leather top. I loved wearing his oversized sweater on wintery days at home. But it turns out that the moths in my closet loved it too. When the sweater became too embarrassing to wear, I decided to reinvent it by keeping the wool sleeves and adding a faux leather body. Now I have a new piece to wear around Europe, which, judging by all the faux leather jackets in Switzerland, is bang on trend.
”
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“I
Excerpt from Nicole’s Blog: [have a] little black dress that had been hanging in my closet for many
years. It’s one of those handy dresses that you can cram into the smallest corner of your suitcase and doesn’t require ironing (I love those!). After unpacking the dress, I decided that it could use some spicing up. A little DIY was in order. With just a bit of ribbon and thread I converted it to a “cage dress”. Now it’s ready for a night out.
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What & who inspires you? Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, I was surrounded by people who in the face of gross inequality and seemingly insurmountable adversity, held fast to their hope of a better future. We’ve come a long way in 20 years‌. but just like with our country, South Africans have the ability to convert trash into something imperfectly beautiful. That tenacious spirit and the sense that everything (whether it be our nation, our lives, our homes, our things) can be reimagined, reinvented, renewed will never leave me.
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Who are your favourite fashion icons? “Solange Knowles is certainly an inspiration… not so much for her kung-fu moves on Jay-Z, but for her ability to mix colours and prints. My friend Saam, of SaAmDesigns. com, is also an inspiration. She is a mother, wife, home executive, accountant, model, and fashion designer. She juggles all these roles effortlessly while still looking fabulous.”
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Fun Fact
Nicole shows you on her website exactly how she altered this Houndstooth Mini-Dress to make an incredibly versatile ensemble.
The Houndstooth Pattern originated in Scotland in the 1800’s. It was woven wool and worn by Shepherds. People often used to call it “Shepherd’s Check” or “Dogs-tooth”. There is still a lot of debate about what to call it but it doesn’t change it’s chic aesthetic. The Upper-class started wearing Houndstooth in the 1930’s. It has since been used by the likes of Christian Dior, Chanel, Emporio Armani & Alexander McQueen, just to name a few.
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What are you favourite colours? “Black is probably my favorite colour. Even our house is painted black. But I really live between two worlds, one that is chromatic and the other a riot of colour. I bought a ton of African fabric when I visited my family recently. I intend to start sewing some summer clothes as soon as I get back home.”
Nicole is not only gifted in the clothing department, but decor as well. If you’re looking for some DIY ideas for your home, The Felted Fox has some ideas for you.
What books or magazines are on your coffee table? “A copy of Swiss Watching by Diccon Bewes, Short-changed? South Africa since Apartheid by Colin Bundy, and a mix of interior and architectural design magazines.”
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What is Happiness to you? “Happiness Is….waking each morning next to the person I love. That might sound totally cheesy, but it’s true.”
What was your worst look? The one that you look back on and go: “What was I thinking??” “Probably the one I have now. In five years I’ll be wondering “What was up with that Jheri curl/afro and all the crazy prints?” 45
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? “I would probably love to be a designer at Vitra. The Vitra Design Campus in Germany has to be the most inspiring place I’ve ever visited. It is a veritable playground of architectural and interior design.”
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WEBSITE Facebook PINTEREST
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Mariel The Wicked Ying The tagline on her website is: “The Wicked Witch you could be Friends With...”. Wicked, yes. Witch? No. (She’s lovely.) And do I want to be friends? YES! INSTANTLY! This enchantress lives in the bustling city of Butuan in the Philippines. She is obviously a fan of bold accents and patterns, often sporting bright red lipstick and killer heels in almost every outfit. Her personality and daily mood is evident in her fashion. One day it’s black short shorts, an eclectic hat and a racy jacket, the next may be a cute dress in pinks with some lady-like heels. I love her on the right here in these Chevron hot pants. She may not be a witch, but she can certainly throw an outfit together like magic.
What is Happiness TO you? “Happiness is... a choice and a state of mind.”
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How did you come up with The Wicked Ying?
I've coined the term "wicked authority" since my high school days. So when we (my boyfriend and I) thought about creating a rather unique name for my blog, Wicked Ying was born. Ying, being my nickname was added for a more personal approach.
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Who are your favorite fashion icons? This would be a long list but for a quick enumeration, I adore the style of famous Lookbooker’s Lina Tesch, Masha Sedgwick, and Jane Dean.
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do you have any Philosophies that you live by? “1. Do what you love to do regardless of what everyone thinks. 2. In this age of information, ignorance is a choice.”
What/who inspires you?
“I draw inspiration from anything or better yet, everything.”
What are youR favorite colors, shapes & patterns?
“When it comes to my favorite color, everyone knows I'm obsessed with purple. My friends and even my blog readers can attest to this! I'm also a big fan of black and white ensembles or whatever catches my fancy. It all depends on my mood, really.”
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What was your worst look? The one that you look back on and go: “What was I thinking??”
“I have quite a few fashion faux pas to be honest! There are times when I would click some of my old outfit posts and ask myself the same thing what was I thinking? I don't mind it though. It's all part of the process of discovering our own sense of style.”
What books or magazines are on your coffee table?
“Candy Magazine's "The Candy Style Guide Global Street Edition". I got lucky enough to be featured in this issue.”
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If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? “I guess any job that involves social media and travel would be nice.�
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Get in touch with mariel
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website Facebook twitter
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Haley & Leslie The chic burrow Southern Belles Haley & Leslie, two sisters, two cities. Haley lives in Austin, Texas, and Leslie lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. The name of their blog, The Chic Burrow, is apt as Chic sums up their style well - these ladies know how to dress like ladies! From hats to belts, sunglasses to purses, they look amazing from head to toe. Besides their show-stopping outfits, what stands out to me is the shear joy on their faces. They obviously enjoy what they do and as we all know, smiles are contagious. It stands to reason that looking at their blog is probably good for your health! (*Rosieteapot logic) Some brands that seem to come up in their outfits are: Zara, JCrew, Kendra Scott, ASOS, Kardashian Collection, ,Nordstrom, Michael Kors, Komono, Target, Anthropologie, Clover Canyon Jacket, Joie, Dior, Alexander Wang I managed to grab a minute of Lovely Leslie’s time for a quick interview.
Who are your favorite fashion icons? “C. Chanel, Alexander Wang”
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Q. How do you find working with your sister? “It is a blast to trade style tips and techniques. Although we like most of the same looks, we each have our own special twist on an outfit.” What/who inspires you? “Art, color, nature, and our amazing friends and family.” What Philosophies do you live by? “Love”
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What was your worst look? The one that you look back on and go: “What was I thinking??” “The peasant top phase is not one that I am proud of during my middle school years.” What books or magazines are on your coffee table? “Southern Living!” If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? “An artist”
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What is Happiness for you? “Being with friends and family.�
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What are “This question is t 70
your favorite colors? too hard! What color do we not like?� 71
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What is the highlight of your blogging career so far? “It has been fun to do what we love and inspire people along the way. We love hearing from our readers and how they have been inspired by some of our looks.�
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Get in touch with haley & leslie
the chic burrow Facebook twitter instagram pinterest
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Just a little graffiti space :-)
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cool ladies with cool
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Laura Cibilich Designstein
Laura is a Powerhouse of Creativity and someone I have admired for a very long time. As a talented designer, she doesn’t just rest on her laurels but continuously pushes herself to create amazing work. One such way was her personal blog for 2012, My Daily Design. The challenge was to come up with a new and creative design for the date, every day. And we’re not just talking about writing it with different fonts. Oh, no. We’re talking about fire, sand, photography, handdrawn typography, toast, watermelon, HAIR... I mean, seriously! The creativity & effort demonstrated in that blog alone is unbelievable. And that’s not even her business! Laura & hubby, Raymond, launched Designstein in 2008 and it has proven to be a fantastic move for them.
interview What inspires you? “I find anything and everything inspiring, it just depends on the way you look at things. I go to a lot of creative events, plus like to get out a bit for a walk or swim each day to get away from the computer which helps keep me inspired too."
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Do you have any fav colour palettes / graphics? “If I’m working on a branding project I generally start in black and white first to get the concept right before moving into colour. At the moment I’m using more bright, fun colours in my work, but it really depends on what I’m working on. I don’t really have any favs, although having said that I do quite like aqua tones (because it reminds me of the sea).”
What is happiness to you? “Relaxing with my hubby and my dog, by or in the pool, or at the beach in summer.”
What’s the hardest thing about having your own business? Being accountable for everything, and the accounts side of business which I still find tough.
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Laura’s Design for the 16th of May, 2012 Dedicated to her animal-loving friend, Lei, who was getting married that day.
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What’s the coolest thing about having your own business? Being able to make decisions about the direction of the business and dealing direct with other business owners which I really enjoy. Choosing my own work hours is great too, although I do tend to be working all the time, but love what I do so it doesn’t really feel like work anyway.
What made you decide to take the plunge into your own business? It was a gradual process as I started while working full-time, gradually taking on more and more projects and work which grew into what Designstein is today. I guess I was getting bored working for someone else and started getting requests and referrals from friends and friends of friends for work.
Who are your fav designers? There are so many amazing designers out there! Some that come to mind are Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, Jessica Hische, Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Michael Bierut... too many to name them all.
What books or magazines are on your coffee table? I love magazines and design books and always have a large pile on my coffee table. Magazines I read regularly include Urbis, Idealog, Extra Curricular and Threaded. I bought a couple of nice design books at Semi-Permanent (a design conference) recently on paper cuts which I’m enjoying working my way through too.
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Some Laur Profes Wo
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Some Laur perso Wo
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e of ra's onal ork
lydesign.com
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designstein Facebook twitter my daily design
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Nyk Danu Real yoga for the rest of us On my quest to find awesome women, I found Nyk through a comment she had left on a website. “Nyk Danu,” I said out aloud, “Hmm, cool name, let’s see what she does...” I clicked through to her website and discovered she was a Yoga Instructor - but not just ANY Yoga Instructor. An antique-loving, Star Trek-watching, red-lipstick-wearing, thrift-shop going, blues & rockabilly-listening, army-boot-wearing - Yoga Instructor! How cool is that? And yes, Nyk certainly does have many interests in sync with what I imagine a yoga lifestyle to be: Green tea, walking along riversides, reading spiritual & lifestyle books in solitude - everything short of levitating really.
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Nyk Danu teaches Yoga in person in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and virtually on the internet. She is a self-professed Yoga geek, environmentalist, adventurer, green tea addict and dark chocolate lover. Find out more about Nyk & sign up for free Yoga videos. www.nykdanu.com
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What were you doing before you decided to make teaching Yoga your fulltime occupation? “Before teaching Yoga full time I was a Hair Colourist Specialist, Hair colour Educator & Platform artist. So, I got to travel around the country doing hair on stage at shows and teaching what was new and cutting edge in the hair colour world.”
Why Is Yoga and Meditation so important to you? “When we practice Yoga and Meditation, we are happier, healthier and more tolerant. That, in turn, affects our loved ones and communities, so that others benefit from our practice as well! It’s really hard to sweat the small stuff after a great Yoga class! I hope to create more peace in the world one student at a time, so they can go out and spread that peace to their world.”
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OK weird Question, you say you wear patchouli & red lipstick - what is patchouli & why do you wear it? “Patchouli is an essential oil. It is stereotyped as a hippy scent because back in the 60’s, the hippies used to wear it to cover up the smell of weed (not why I wear it I just love the smell). Anyway, it is a polar opposite to red lipstick!!”
Who do you look up to? “I look up to Seane Corn, Michael Stone, Paul Grilley, Danielle LaPorte & I have some amazing friends as well”
What books are on your coffee table right now? “Loving Kindness The Revolutionary Art Of Happiness By Sharon Salzberg Indie Spiritualist: A no bullshit exploration of spirituality by Chriss Grosso Wheels of Life: A users guide to the Charka system by Anodea Judith PhD”
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Nyk has created some fantastic free Yoga videos. I watched a few of them and one which resonated with me was her thoughts on Balance vs. Harmony. The Video is called “Why Balance is Bullshit” - it’s no wonder I was intrigued! Her point is we are given this advice all the time about striving for balance, which is essentially on par with striving for perfection. We go through stages in our lives where we need to sleep more, where we need to change our diets depending on what’s going on, where we need to work harder for awhile or play harder. Trying to keep things perfectly balanced in your day-to-day life isn’t necessarily a good thing. It’s working out how to keep your life in harmony, depending on what’s going on at the time. If everything was on an even-keel all the time, we wouldn’t grow. Fantastic food for thought, thanks Nyk!
nykdanu.com Facebook twitter
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Get in touch with nyk
(What I think a lot of women think! -Rosie)
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Becs
Born again creations Meet Becs. In the interests of full disclosure, Becs - Rebecca Addison - of Born Again Creations and The Scientific Cook, is not only an amazing mother of two, freelance writer, part-time blogger and vintage-goods hunter, but she happens to be married to my big brother. I’ve known Becs since I was about 10 years old, and even though we’ve spent most of this time in different cities, I know her pretty well. I know that she has a real gift for thrift, I know she’s incredibly creative yet highly practical, and I know she finds stubbed toes HILARIOUS. I’m not writing about her because she’s my sister-in-law. I’m writing about her because she’s awesome. Anyone who’s read either one of her blogs will know this – I’m not alone in my admiration. There are so many things I see in daily life or hear in conversation, which make me think of her. It’s because she so openly shares of herself. I don’t know anyone else who could get so much out of an old tea towel or a vintage piece of Tupperware. And it’s not only that she is obsessed with these things, it’s that she brings you alongside her and makes you treasure these items too.
She is also one of the few people I know in real life, who can pull off horizontal stripes. If that’s not noteworthy, I don’t know what is!
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Fun Fact
To further prove this is not nepotism and she is adored by people other than myself, I even have a copy of NZ Fashion Quarterly circa 2002 in my magazine collection. Becs was in her early twenties and was the winner of the annual Fashion Designer of the Year award. She was also the only undiscovered designer in history whose design graced the cover. New Zealand have some extremely talented fashion designers, so this was a huge honour. Especially for someone with no official training!
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y passion for fabrics and sewing goes back for as long as I can remember. As a little girl I used to make my own patterns out of newspaper and thanks to mum I always had access to her trusty Husqvarna sewing machine. The first real garment I made was in Form 1 ‘home economics’ class when I was eleven and I was hooked.
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When I think about others who are into retro decor, I see a lot of blogs with cute fondue sets and sixties arm chairs and 50’s housewife aprons – she loves that stuff too of course, but others don’t seem to embrace the 50’s floral bed sheets. and tea-towels. This is a real point of difference for Becs. And she doesn’t just collect these items, but she often transforms - thus the name: Born Again Creations. She created these baby bibs (left) from Fijian Tea-towels for my 2nd baby. My Grandfather was an artist in Fiji years and years ago - he even designed the Fijian Coins still in use today. We grew up with Fijian artwork all around us, so it was a very thoughtful and special gift.
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on raising her kids...
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hen they’re grown I wonder what they’ll remember about these years. Will Jemima remember that her mother made her funny looking dresses out of old tablecloths and doilies? Will they recall the felt soft toys stuffed with the rice that spent the next 6 months escaping through the stitches grain by grain? Will Ben remember his pirate pants, his “yee-ha” cowboy pants, his explorer bag? I wonder if when they’re feeding their own families they’ll follow the food philosophies they’ve been brought up with - or reject them entirely?
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(Pretty likely they’ll look back with fondness on their childhood in my humble opinion...) 107
on frugal living... Tired of feeling trapped into a consumer culture, Becs tried doing a “No Shopping Challenge” at the beginning of last year, for two months. She avoided visiting the thrift stores - this photo was taken at a different time! Her rules were as follows: 1. No clothes shopping, toy buying, book depository shopping (Becs’ weakness), no craft supplies 2. No thrift shopping, no markets, (window shopping is OK) 3. Food, petrol, household expenses are allowed 4. Acceptance of Gift cards is allowed but only up to the limit of the gift 5. Any birthday presents needed during the challenge will be hand made
If you’re ever looking for kids party ideas on a budget, she’s got you covered there too! Head over to Born Again Creations and find the tab, Parties for Pennies.
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When Becs gets into something, she REALLY gets into it. There’s always something interesting going on her world – whether she’s doing that “No Shopping Challenge”, going Vegan for a week, making Kombucha (some kind of fizzyiced-tea-sort-of-thing) or making natural disinfectants, she’s giving it her all. Her “Ouchie Balm”, a herbal ointment for first aid, is one of my personal favourites.
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t’s not really shopping that bothers me. It’s more the culture of shopping. Shopping as a recreation activity, something to do in the weekends instead of being outdoors or hanging out with the kids at home. I dislike it intensely when the kids list “look at toys” as something they’d like to do as a family activity.
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on allergies...
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hen you can’t cook with egg, dairy, gluten or nuts - how do you make anything at all? Living with multiple allergies, intolerances or coeliac disease can seem overwhelming at first - but don’t be afraid!
Becs is also a walking almanac on all things allergies and gluten-free. Her son has allergies galore, including coeliac disease so as the chief cook in the household, she has had to find good G.F recipes that work. Her blog has recipes for cakes, cookies, a “Not Peanut Butter” peanut butter, pancakes & some dinners. You can find these at her other blog, The Scientific Cook.
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aring for a child with food issues can be overwhelming, exhausting, scary and heartbreaking. I’m living it, and I understand.
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do you remember the Australian Bush Fires last year?
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We were very worried for Becs and the Family, as they were extremely close to the raging flames. Thankfully, they were fine - but they did have to evacuate the area. Here’s what Becs learnt from that experience:
1. When you’re living with a potentially life changing threat hanging over you, the rest of your life doesn’t stop. The kids still want breakfast, they still fight over who gets to hold the remote, work still gives you deadlines and the dishes still need to be done. Dealing with that when tired and stressed is hard. 2. The sensory things – the smoke that gets into your hair, your skin, your clothing and the sound of the water bombing aircraft will be at first interesting, then quickly become tiresome and very stressful indeed. 3. We should have been more prepared. I will know where my wedding negatives are from this day forward. I’m glad I had time to video our things for insurance purposes. I can’t imagine trying to remember every little thing we own. 4. Choosing what to pack and what to leave is heartbreaking and kind of surreal. We left yesterday genuinely believing that we may not see most of our possessions again. 5. The RF’s are incredible, selfless and amazing people.
6. Even if you shield your children from images in the media, they will feel that something is wrong. Talk to them and give them “just enough” information. If they want to ask wacky or inappropriate questions let them. We told the kids that there was a fire in our area and we were leaving to have a break from the smoke. 7. If you have an allergy kid like I do, please make sure you know where your medications are and keep some special foods ready in case of an emergency. 8. You might find yourself concerned with stupid things in the middle of a crisis. For example, when I was packing up I thought about the fact that I’d just organised my pantry and put pretty labels on all of the jars. I didn’t want to have to do all of that again! 9. The power of community is humbling and beautiful. 10. I won’t ever take the fact that we live in a bushfire zone for granted again.
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on freelance writing...
“I
’m currently working on a junior chapter book set in an Australian school as well as some articles based around parenting (birthday party ideas, coping with allergies etc.). Children’s books are my real passion but I would like to be diverse. I’ve already written content for websites and training material, so more business writing. I’d like to get into writing about my life experiences and junior fiction (7-10 year old’s specifically).
”
born again creations Facebook the scientific cook
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Get in touch with becs
In her downtime she seems to play with snakes, because that’s probably what you do in Australia every day - have I got that right Becs? Oh well, I’m just stealing images off her Facebook page because I can. Sister-in-law privileges. Plus I think she looks super cute in that sweater. 115
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Rosie's Culinary Beginning & Philosophies I’m the youngest of four children and was fortunate enough to have a mum who stayed home for most of my childhood. She picked up a full time job when I was 13, which is around the time I began my culinary journey. Before mum started working, we were used to the routine of dinner on the table at 6pm on the dot. It’s only now I realise mum was somewhat of a MACHINE to ensure the 6pm dinnertime was upheld everyday - not one minute before, not one minute after. This blows my mind. It turned out I was highly accustomed to this routine! It was a shock when my tummy began rumbling and nothing was on the stove. I decided someone had to step up to resume the 6pm dinner schedule, and it was going to be me. I've always cared about food. I've always daydreamed about what I'm going to be eating later on. I can still remember everything I ate as a child when we went away on trips. When I was 5, we went to Rotorua - an iconic city in New Zealand with a lot of Volcanic Activity: Hot Springs, Boiling Mud Pools, Geysers etc. 118
A normal 5 year old would remember all this and the Gondola Ride - but I hardly do. What I do remember is that I enjoyed a sausage roll and an orange juice at the top of the Gondola. Maybe this is where my philosophy on the right came from. I’m sure from all the competitive reality TV food shows there are, we’re all kind of expecting our food to be judged and picked apart. I see the odd Facebook status here and there from the frazzled mother who just had their dinner meal elaborately evaluated by their 8 year old! Often, the simplest food is the best. You have my permission to just throw those store-bought sausage rolls from the frozen section of the supermarket, into the oven. You have my permission to ice cupcakes as messily as you please. And if something doesn't quite work out the way you planned, stick it on a wooden chopping board and declare it to be "Rustic". A food snob, I am not. I am, however, a lover of good food.
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my essential salad dressings Simple Vinaigrette Combine in a jar: 1/2 Cup Olive Oil (Extra Virgin) 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice (or vinegar) 1/2 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp Mustard Salt & Pepper Keeps in fridge for weeks
Special Vinaigrette Combine in a Jar: 1/3 Cup Salad Oil 1 Egg Yolk (break it up a bit) 2 Tbsp Wine Vinegar 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Djon Mustard 1 tsp brown sugar Salt & Pepper Keeps in fridge about 24 hours
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ROSIETEAPOT Crêpes Ingredients: 1 1/2 Cups of Flour (standard) 1 3/4 Cups of Milk 2 Eggs A little butter
Method Let’s not be heroes people, just chuck it all in your blender and go for it! (Worked sweet for me in the magic bullet.) Pour into your hot, non-stick frying pan, turning the pan so the batter coats the pan evenly Wait a minute or 2 until you see little bubbles in the batter and the top appears set Run your spatula around the edges and…..FLIP! (don’t worry if it takes a few goes to get it right – I gave my first fails to the kids, they didn’t mind) Cook the other side, pop onto your plate & serve with any of these things: Lemon & brown sugar (a classic), Berries, Banana, Maple Syrup, Honey, Jam, Icing Sugar…
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BANANA LOAF Ingredients: 1 3/4 Cup of Self Raising Flour 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 Cup of Sugar 2 Eggs 1/4 Cup of Milk 1/4 Cup of Butter/Margarine 1 Banana (about a cup when it’s mashed) Optional veges, such as carrot, celery, zucchini
Method Heat your oven to about 180°C. Sift your flour, salt & baking soda into a bowl then pour your sugar in. In your blender (or bowl if you can’t be bothered with blender – I find it easier) pop your eggs, milk, butter & mashed banana. Blend/ whiz/whooz/beat, however you do it. Pour the banana mixture & any grated veges into the dry ingredients & quickly give it a stir until it’s JUST combined. (Don’t overdo it) Line a loaf pan with baking paper (or grease it up), pour your mixture in and pop into your nicely heated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes – stick a skewer in at that point. If it comes out nice & clean, it’s ready. If it comes out sticky, check again in 5 – 10 minutes. The top gets nice & brown. Once ready, let the loaf sit in the pan for another 10 minutes before transferring it to the wire rack. Slice & serve!
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WARM BEET PASTA SALAD Ingredients: 1 Packet of Spiral Pasta 2 Beets (or a can or two) 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 or 2 Garlic Cloves Salt & Pepper to taste Baby Spinach - A few Handfuls Black Olives
Method Cook your Pasta according to instructions on packet. While your pasta is cooking, into a saucepan, mix Balsamic Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Olive Oil and Crushed Garlic. Cook gently over a moderate heat until sugar is dissolved. Add beets to the sauce and simmer. Once your pasta is ready, drain. Add your lovely beet dressing and mix thoroughly. Grab a nice, big bowl and throw in your spinach leaves. Add the pasta & toss. Add olives last as they tend to fall to the bottom. Enjoy!
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QUICK CHICKEN CURRY Ingredients: 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts 2cm Grated Ginger 2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed 1 Onion Peppers - I used red & yellow A Squeeze of Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp Tumeric 1tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1 Bay Leaf 1 Can Coconut Milk 1 bunch of fresh Cilantro Salt & Pepper
Method Cut up your chicken into nice bitesized pieces Chop up your peppers then onion into big chunks. Grab your frying pan, whack it on the stove on a medium-high heat. Oil it up & throw in your onion, garlic & ginger. Brown & add peppers. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or so. Squeeze in your lemon, add the spices, then the brown the chicken. Pour in your coconut milk & add the bay leaf. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve on rice or just by itself! Lovely.
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CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF Ingredients: 1 Head of Cauliflower 1 Red Onion, Chopped Finely 2 Cups of Veges, Your Choice 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock 2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed Tumeric, 1Tbsp Cumin, 1tsp Coriander, 1tsp A couple of Bay Leaves Salt & Pepper
Method Truthfully, you can really do whatever spices take your fancy here. Either grate your Cauliflower or chuck it in the Food Processor & process the *bleep* out of it, until it resembles rice. Grab a frying pan, set to a medium heat and add a little oil. Add the red onion, garlic and spices. Saute for about 3 mins. Add your Cauliflower & stir. Pour in your lovely chicken stock, salt & pepper and keep stirring. Have a little taste & add more spices if you desire. Keep tasting until the cauliflower tastes like it’s cooked through.
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VIETNAMESE CHICKEN CURRY Ingredients: 3 tablespoons curry powder 500g Boneless Chicken 1 onion, I used red Ginger – 2x2cm, grated Garlic, 1 clove, crushed 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon sugar Some lemongrass (or a good squeeze of lemon) 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 can coconut milk (or cream) Chilli to taste Seasonal Vegetables Fresh Herbs (I would usually use coriander but here I used basil, very tasty)
Method Slice up your chicken & combine in a bowl with curry powder, set aside Fry up your chopped onion, chilli garlic & ginger Add chicken, cook until brown. Add your vegetables, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass/lemon juice, chicken stock & give it a good stir. Finally, add the coconut milk & simmer. Serve on rice with some fresh herbs
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SUPER FAST DESSERT IDEA
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I made this for my kids & I nearly didn’t take photos of it, because it’s so simple! Plain yoghurt + peaches + drizzle of honey = Fasted Dessert Ever.
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money saving IDEAS so you can afford fancy things later
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TODAY’S TIP: GET YOUR VEGETARIAN ON, LADY! Meatless Monday’s
and Tofu Tuesday’s are not new concepts, but the idea of having at least one vegetarian meal a week is good concept, nonetheless.
Why not try some of these? Tortillas & Wraps
We eat a lot of meat - sometimes for every meal - and besides the environmental / sustainability implications, it weighs heavily on the wallet.
Fill with: Falafels, Salad & Yogurt Dressings Roasted Vegetables Crumbed Mushrooms & Salad (yum!)
I am not someone to demonize meat, I love the stuff - but I would suggest like anything, enjoy in moderation.
Pizza
Before you do your grocery shopping, write down what you would usually buy in the meat department, then cross one or two meat packets off the list. Estimate the savings, and then put that into buying some extra grains and vegetables. You can also choose to buy more expensive cuts of meat when you are choosing quality over quantity.
Try any of these toppings: - caramelized onions, feta - peppers, blue cheese, cherry tomatoes - garlic, spinach, parmesan - sundried tomato pesto, basil & garlic - olives, peppers, capers, mozzarella - roasted eggplant (aubergine), tomatoes, mozzarella
Pasta!
- any pasta with any pesto (so easy!) - mac & cheese!
More Ideas:
Stuffed peppers, Pumpkin Orzo, Roasted Vege open Sandwiches, Butternut Squash Risotto, Mediterranean Salads, Mushrooms, Dumplings, Potato Wedges with Sour Cream, Samosas 139
MIX OF THE MONTH A Shot of Vodka 1/4 Cup Juice Soda Water Ice Cubes Strawberry & Mint to Garnish
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Cheers!
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I NEED your help!! See me over there all alone? This is what the reality of blogging & starting an online magazine is. Very un-glam. Except that photo was taken before the laptop died! The TV is our PC and I now sit in front of my TV monitor, using the ironing board as a desk. True story. Come to think of it, that chair’s broken too...!! How sad!! Anyway... did you like this free magazine? Was it OK? If you want to see future issues with more awesome ladies, there are two things you could do for me as a MASSIVE favour.
1. Pretty Please go to my website Rosieteapot.com and SIGN UP to the Email list. This means you’ll never miss an issue. 2. Like my Rosieteapot Facebook page & Say Hi! (EXTRA SPECIAL BROWNIE POINTS if you forward to your friends!!) Consider it your charity for the day! These aren’t big things to do but they go a LONG way to ensuring there will be more totally free issues. Thank you so much for being part of this first edition. I truly appreciate your support. Go on, say hi on Facebook!
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THANK YOU! those links again
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