Washington-Post-blog-baaarooke

I can barely begin to imagine that 2013 is almost over. This year has been so good to me. I've been on so many adventures and I feel so grateful for all of the experiences I've had this year. I have had massive, mind blowing highs and I've spent more time smiling and succeeding that I thought was possible.

I think it's easy to get caught up in the end of year madness but it's great to sit down and think about the things that you are grateful for from this year. Send out a THANK YOU to the universe and make the decision that next year is going to amazing.

2013 was especially good to me so I've decided to put together my final gratitude list for 2013 with the things I've been grateful for throughout the year.

1. The live music I've seen and the amazing artists I've witnessed



It's easy to be grateful when my list of artists I've seen looks like this

Maximo Park / The Hives / The Killers / Childish Gambino / Big Day Out Festival (multiple bands) / Bloc Party / British India / The Kooks / Kristin Chenoweth / Idina Menzel / Jay Z / Justin Timberlake / Beyoncé / Bastille / William Beckett / Foals / The Basics / Franz Ferdinand / Muse / Alicia Keys

2. Travelling the world



This year I've been lucky enough to travel to

London / Dubai / Cancun / New York / Toronto / Anaheim (Disneyland) / Los Angeles / Bali / Gold Coast

A lot of my travel adventures have been through work and I've visited some absolutely stunning places with the best people. I loved every trip I've been on and I know they wouldn't have been as great had it not been the people I travelled with.

3. My family



But seriously, if your nieces and nephews were this cute you'd be grateful too.

4. My Black Milk collection



I've spent this year in lycra as my Black Milk collection has grown to ridiculous proportions. I love that I can wear something crazy and ridiculous and feel so comfortable and happy. I am grateful for the confidence their clothing gives me.

5. A little bit of everything else.



It has been so hard trying to reduce the things I'm grateful for into 5 points. I have had so many great experiences this year. There have been ups and downs but this post is about finding the things that have made me smile this year. I have shared this year with so many great friends and family and I am happy to look back at 2013 and think this was a lucky, fun filled, adventurous year for me.

Have you taken a look at your 2013 yet? Share your links below if you've posted about it - I'd love to see what's been making you smile this year

Bring on 2014 and another outstanding year.

 - Brooke

It's a happy day when it's spent with these kids

 - Brooke

I'm not alone when I say this trailer makes me want to climb a mountain?? It gives me such a crazy case of wanderlust and makes me 100% certain that my decision to go to Thailand next year is the right decision.

This movie just came out in Australia and while I went and saw The Hobbit I cannot wait until I find the time to sit in a darkened cinema watching this movie. I don't even care if it's not great (but looking at this trailer, I can't see how it would be anything less than fabulous), I just want to see the worlds in which Walter Mitty explores (real or imagined).




I've been to Thailand before - I went on a work trip for a week. It was so delightful but I feel like there is more to explore, like I barely scratched the surface. It's different travelling somewhere when you are actually a tourist rather than a spoilt travel agent (we get spoilt on these trips) with a strict itinerary.

So far on my wish lists for this trip is a trip to the tiger temples in Chiang Mai, a visit to an elephant sanctuary, snorkelling at Phi Phi Island and canoeing through caves at Phang Nga. I'll keep you updated on the plans when they begin to form properly.

May feels like a really long time away.

 - Brooke

Another week before Christmas all done and dusted. Can you guys believe CHRISTMAS IS TOMORROW!?!?! I can't wait to wake up, make milkshakes, pick up my Grandma and open presents with my family! Before all of that happens, here's what I'm grateful for from last week.



1. Christmas lunches that include a lot of beer - On Wednesday the team leaders of the Flight Centre stores in my region/area were treated to a Christmas lunch at the Hofbrauhaus in Melbourne. Delicious food, amazing company, 2 litres of beer and a great time at a rooftop bar after lunch is a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday.



2. Time off - I've actually had the week off from work (well from Wednesday - Sunday) and it was so nice to relax and rest. I didn't have anywhere to go, anywhere to be and I loved it. I watched season 2 of Sherlock, read books and listened to Beyoncé (a lot).



3. Quality time with the nieces and nephews - Seth has been away in Adelaide for a couple of weeks so Friday night dinner was extra fun. I love spending time with these kids, they are so ridiculous and cute.

4. AMAZING MOVIES - This week I saw American Hustle (WOW) and Frozen. It's so fun to go to the cinemas and watch a movie on the big screen. I love it. I especially love it when I go to the movies with friends or family (especially if it's a kids movie and I'm seeing it with nieces and nephews).

5. Christmas crafting and preparation - This year is the first year that some of my crafting ideas have come together. I've made more things this year than any other year and even though I didn't make my usual Christmas cookies I feel like it's been a great lead up to the big day. I've watched a bunch of the Christmas movies off my list, I've made mini Christmas trees and glitter dinosaurs and I've built my first gingerbread house. It's been busy but I've had so much fun.

I'm really excited for this week - there are lots of things happening but ultimately I'm just excited to spend some time with my family and eating and drinking far too much. Tonight I'm watching Bad Santa (totally inappropriate but it's a Christmas tradition) with my hair in curlers.

Merry Christmas lovelies <3 p="">
 - Brooke

So you've left your Christmas shopping to the last minute. That's ok, it doesn't have to be a hellish experience. I went Christmas shopping last weekend and I managed to get it done with a big smile on my face.

I did a few things before I went to the shops so that I would enjoy my shopping experience. It was 3 simple things. Want to know them?

1. Make a list - and check it twice. The best thing I did this year was write down everyone I needed to buy a gift for and had a few ideas written down for each of them. I wrote down possible shops that I could buy their gifts from to minimise the number of shops I'd need to visit. I WAS ORGANISED (which is not a normal thing for me)

2. Set some ground rules with yourself and your shopping buddy - My ground rules were simple. No Grinchy behaviour and SMILE. No complaining about other shoppers. Don't get stressed.

3. Make the decision to get it done - The only reason I had to go to one more store on the Sunday was because we found the perfect gift for one of my nieces and had to go to a different store in a different town to get it. Don't allow yourself to give up, power through and get it finished.

It's easy to forget why you're buying gifts at this time of the year. It's nice to sit back and remember that you're looking for a gift for someone you love and care about. Try and imagine their face when they open that perfect gift that you have found for them.



Since I've done my shopping I have been able to just enjoy the lead up to Christmas. Today I made my first gingerbread house from a kit my Mum got me. I've wanted to make one for years and I'm so happy with how it turned out. It may not be perfect but I think that's a part of it's charm.




Do you have any tips for surviving the crowds? Share them below. Only 4 sleeps until the big day and those crowds are going to be massive. Just remember to breathe and smile if you are heading to the shops this week.

 - Brooke

I sneak peaked a look at a project I was working on for a friend's Christmas present. Since I am seeing her tonight I can FINALLY post about it!

These are so easy to make (notice a theme in my DIY) and have such a WOW factor about them





What you'll need

 - a collection of plastic dinosaurs (I got these from KMart)
 - different coloured glitter (fine glitter works better and has a bigger impact)
 - craft glue
 - screw in eye hooks
 - spray on sealant
 - paint brush (use an old one because you're painting with glue)
 - string for hanging

Step 1: Screw the eye hooks into the back of the dinosaurs. I chose a space on their back where they will hang nicely.



Step 2: Lay down some paper on your surface. You will get glitter everywhere so it's good to protect your table from it. Use your paintbrush to paint 1 dinosaur with craft glue then sprinkle the dinosaur with one colour of glitter. Make sure you cover the whole surface in glitter - allow to dry.



Step 3: After you have allowed the dinosaurs to dry look over them then add more glitter to parts that you have missed

Step 4: Use the spray on sealant as directed to ensure the glitter sticks FOREVER.

Step 5: String them up and hang them wherever your heart desires



SIMPLE!!!! I love a simple yet high impact decoration. The best thing about these is that they don't have to be just for Christmas - Dinosaurs are cool year round. I'm so excited to gift them to my friend. She loves dinosaurs so I think this will be a different take on "normal" Christmas decorations.



I'd love to see if you try any of the DIY's I share, just link in the comments

 - Brooke

I can hardly believe that it's Tuesday already. It's 8 days until Christmas and I think this past week has been one of the best for December so far. Why? Well let me tell you



1. Christmas Parties - I went to my work Christmas party on Saturday night. It was held at a venue called Madeline's at Jells Park. We had 19 stores turn up and it was a really fun night. The theme was "a touch of Christmas" and it was nice to see people embrace the theme and dress up a little. I wore my Black Milk Christmas Tree skater dress and my Crown & Glory holly hair clip. I talked to lots of people, drank lots of cider and laughed a lot.

I also had dinner with my team last night and we exchanged KK gifts. I feel so happy with my new team and love that we are all so different but it works. They are just really good people :)



2. Beyonce's new album and videos - I can't even begin to explain how happy this surprise album has made me. Every song is awesome, every video is stunning. I've been listening to it so much since I bought it. My favourite video is "Flawless" but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the roller-disco video for "Blow" and the beauty pageant inspired video for "Pretty Hurts" (plus pretty much every other video in the collection).



3. Gorgeous artwork arriving - This week I had an original sketch from Dallas Clayton arrive. He did the most amazing thing this year where you paypaled him the cost for the art and he would pick out a sketch to send you as a SURPRISE. Mine was this cute dinosaur and I think it's perfect. Plus I had a print and wood block mounted print from Cuddly Rigor Mortis arrive. I don't actually have space for all this amazing art but I couldn't resist any of these images and will find places for them both.

4. Christmas shopping = done - I told you I was going Christmas Shopping on Saturday and I managed to get it done and dusted in 1.5 visits (I had to go to a different town on Sunday to pick up 1 gift). It wasn't a hellish experience and I actually had fun.

5. Brand new shoes - I've been waiting for them to arrive and this week they turned up. Holographic, gold, tassels - am I describing your perfect shoe? They are so beautiful and out of this world.

How has your week been? I have the rest of the week off from work so I've not got much planned. I have some crafting, a Christmas lunch and movie date organised but I'm mostly excited about relaxing before Christmas.

 - Brooke