Happy Mother's Day, LFB'ers!
"It's all changed now...I have to actually 'Mother'!" Mother's Day.
Of course I'm excited. There's presents, there's appreciation....another whole day of appreciation and who doesn't want to feel appreciated?! And then there's the presents.... From the age of nineteen, Mother's Day was always tinged with sadness for me. Filled with loss and even sometimes a little resentment. Having lost my own Mother, whom I was extremely close to after nursing her through cancer at such a young age, the celebration kinda turned a little sour and I found myself increasingly resenting this 'day of commercialism'... There were, of course deeper things at play here, I knew that, but it was a good excuse to massage my feeling of loss and loneliness I was still harbouring.
And then came Sassy ...
My little crazy girl who I'm sure most of you are familiar with from past blogs and my very public displays of affection... (She's already got her own hashtag #saskimo and shops at SoSi in Maylands!) Saskia Coco has absolutely filled my Motherless void. It's a fact....but I'm not quite sure I've got the Mummy thing down pat yet...
One hot, summer's day I hauled myself into work, five minutes late, my make-,up melting off, hauling behind me a massive hand-bag of 'who-knows-what', knowing I needed a to loose the maternity bra and invest in new, post-baby under-garments, hoist the 'girls' back up to prime possie to pull off the frock I was rocking. Did I mention I'm a Stylist?! And in I swept like a cyclone. "Hi! How's that little Sassy?" CJ chirped, completely disregarding my misdemeanours. With a heartfelt sigh... "Oh, it's all changed! Now I have to ACTUALLY Mother!" I exclaimed.
And on this particular afternoon, I felt like I deserved a medal. CJ's peal of laughter (which is a decibel unto itself) is still ringing in my ears! And it's been this way for the last few months. One step in front, 2 steps behind. Working Mum, Late for play dates, planning play dates which coincide with naps, and paying the consequences...dearly! Trying to survive in a jumble of nappies and red lippy! Rushing, planning, rushing, sighing.....dressing my kid in skinny jeans for baby gym, hence hampering her flexibility (even though she looks super-stylish) And so it goes....
Don't get me wrong, I love it (as does Sarah pictured above), I'm just still trying to master it! So here are my thoughts on Mother's Day;
- It's HARD being a Mum. It's hard being everything to a tiny being who relies on you COMPLETELY!
- It's hard finding time to wash, let alone curl your hair! I have mastered make-up application with very little mirror time, however!
- Without my group of ladies spread far and wide, the LFB Community particularly, I'm sure I could not have got this far!
So on my first Mothers Day I would like to say THANK YOU to you all for your advice, laughter, sympathy and empathy. For your stories and sometimes glazed looks (so I can cut it short and get back to reality).
Whether you have children, nieces, nephews, 'fur babies' ... its a day to reflect, give love and receive love ...
We at LFB like to support each other in humour, silly anecdotes and dress-ups! Oh, and champagne, of course with a hint of Vinatgeous style! Back to the lippy and bad underwear... We thought it would be fitting and fun to get together two new Mums (I'm in it), their babies and a dog for a Mothers Day shoot. How hot does Sarah McKeig look above with baby dog, Gidget?
This calls for a celebration, we thought! What's that thing they say? "Don't ever work with babies or animals..!" Well, we did and here is the glamorous evidence above and watch out on our social media pages over the month ...
Yet, it is not all about us we want you to play too!
How, we hear you ask? Follow this link to find out more (or scroll down) and see how you could win prizes in the month of May, Mothers Day Festival. #mothersdayLFBstyle
Happy Mother's Day to you all!
And to those, who like me have lost their Mum, let's sincerely celebrate the woman she created in you and me.
With a smile ...
Le'V & Team LFB xxx
PS: This is a little note from CJ just to say how very proud I am to have Le'V and Sarah (thank you Sarah for dressing up with us) along with all the other Mums in the LFB community in my life and the world of LFB. Thank you for the lessons you give me while I can still hand back your kids! And to the Mums like me who have dogs, cats or a menagerie, play to in our celebration. x
PPS: This blog was written by Vanessa Foynes not CJ as our silly system suggests #ITDEPTcouldnotfixFIRECJ
Final PPPS: Enter here ...
On a sunny day in April, ring goes the old shop telephone and Songy Knox (Photographer) says: "I've met someone we have to help, are you in?" What do you say?!
This is a women who does not suffer fools, with an impressive corporate career behind her, Songy is now creating a biz following her passion and that edgy, direct communication style remains her trademark.
She rings, you listen!
"CJ, you have to meet Sue, she's bald too and is just beautiful, when I hugged her I just knew we had to spoil her!" said Songy with a sense of urgency and compassion.
So over a cup of detox tea at Chapels on Whatley, she filled me in and we brainstormed.
"Let's partner with Plunkett Homes (who were keen to give back too) and who built her new house", You see, when building her new home, Sue was scratched by her dog Tigger on one of her breasts. It was out of character for him to do this.
The scratch wouldn't heal and remarkably it was found; CANCER. An aggressive form (yet caught early) ... Sue now feeds Tigger, caviar.
No lumps no bumps in the bust region ... No reason to be suspect. Tigger has earnt his place on the sofa!
Team Plunkett wanted in to spoil Sue after hearing her story and hoped to share the story to help more women.
New outfits, check. Styling tips, check. House ready, check. Sue agreed (brave and check check) ...
While still undergoing treatment our new friend Sue is bubbly, upbeat and purely inspirational when visiting LFB with her Mum, Margaret and 12 year old daughter, Jaime.
3 generations, 3 different styles with Team LFB: 3 reasons: look, feel, be.
Look good is to feel great is to be ... (Happy and Healthy) the difference!
Le'V was on hand to style our guests, Stephanie entertained us with ideas, me ... well ... I just kept dancing around in what was a packed house this particular day in Autumn.
Then came shoot day ...
At the house, where neighbours gathered ... Sue's hubby, Michael shared that they almost didn't move in.
Wig no wig, ahhh ... lets shoot both.
Six months from the completion date, they had the tragic news of cancer confirmed. "Building a new house as many will know is stressful, it is amazing how your priorities immediately change and project driving a house build meant nothing after learning of Sues, cancer" he told me. "I just wanted to focus on Sue," he emotionally shared "and moving in was not exciting, it was a frightening time."
Songy and I met the fam after they had lived in the stunning house (that feels like a home) six months after moving in. It is filled with love and hope.
With the magical touch of the make up brushes, Ali (make up artist) adds some gloss and glow to our 3 strong ladies while 2 beautiful men, hubby Michael and son, Bailey ... wait. Oh and site manager, Paris (the little black pooch) goes about her business. Here goes ...
Fam shot (taken by my assistant, Sophia on the day) ...
Fam shot with some photo bomb assistants ...
TV reality show shot;
Would love a caption for the below shot ... comments please!
To see more of the pics captured on this touching day pop over to Songy's gallery.
Check Sue and the crew out in the Sunday Times today ... Hot off the press
A special thank you to my assistant on the day Sophia (who is Jaime's bestie) who captured some of these behind the scenes shots for me.
If you would like to make a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Centre who Sue speaks so highly of ... follow this link.
Thank you, Songy for including me and Team LFB.
Thank you Sue and fam for your new friendship and trust. We hope all of your hopes come true.
A very Happy Mothers Day to you, Sue and Margaret and to all of our LFB'ers out there. To the Mum's lost, you are never forgotten.
With a smile and big wishes for a cure to cancer ... CJ & Team LFB x
Feeling vulnerable is something most of us seek to avoid. On joining forces with Songy Knox who so kindly donated her time to capture my Worlds Greatest Shave experience, she set me the challenge of doing an Autumn Winter fashion shoot with me as the bald model.
It all sounded fab up front however this very 'un model' was having regrets. Note: We had agreed, no photoshopping. Heightened anxiety set in ...
I wasnt nervous about going pink, nor the shave (well maybe a bit) or the reaction of others ... No I was regretting committing to a photo shoot.
Well, there was no backing out now!
With Le'V on hand to style this ol girl up, I had fake eye lashes applied for the first time ever and a quick blow dry (just kidding) ... together Le'V and I headed to the Design Merchant studio, where Songy, Juliet and Molly were on hand to meet us for an afternoon that was fun, fabulous and for a good purpose.
Molly was keen to join in, she asserted herself into a number of activities on the day.
Juliet from Design Merchants happens to be a longtime LFB'er who loved having a sneak peek at new season garments selected for the day.
Our purpose today, was to show that bald is beautiful and unite with women who are currently doing it bald. You be the judge...
Songy had her work cut out for her directing un model me however we loved her straight to the point approach which stretched me well beyond my comfort zone.
Molly just loved the company and so did I ...
I loved learning about angles and lighting while being told to stand this way or that ...
Climbing ladders in heels (yep) I pick my lemons like this often...
Couldn't resist getting a shot in my favourite undies, you know the ones? We swear by them, seamless and remember to go up 2 sizes. This merino wool vest is delightful ... A lust have, must have!
The above; is one dress every women needs in her wardrobe! The sunnies make you feel like a rock star and are available at our friend, Alice's ... Hunter Store.
With extra lipstick added, the above is my fave shot ... You can pre order the dress online. I've got it back to front - you can wear this at least 3 ways. I am smiling albeit you can't see it!!!
We are still raising money, so please share our message with the links as it can all be done simply online or in store at Look Feel Be.
We have until the end of June to help the good folk at the Leukaemia Foundation, help others.
A super shout out of love to contributors;
- Songy Knox for her generosity and art
- Le'V for her styling, make up & coaching skills at Look Feel Be
- Juliet Borshoff for allowing us to use her Design Merchants studio and her assistant Miss Molly for keeping us all real & bringing us extra joy
- Leukaemia Foundation for helping millions of people in the past, in the now & tomorrow
To all the friends, family, LFB'er fam, suppliers, business associates, the postie ... who gave or when they couldn't in dollars, they shared the message in the hope that someone would. It all makes a difference.
In signing off ... here are 10 things I like about being bald:
- No bed hair, ever
- Feeling of being truly clean
- Time saving
- Feeling the elements
- Sensory bonus when head massaged
- Others reaction
- Raising money
- Minimised fear 'just in case' ... lets be honest with 1 in 3 of us having the potential ...
- Greater love of what I do have (my lashes and brows are so appreciated)
- One more thing off my list
With a smile ...
CJ & Team LFB xxx
Our last post was in late August as we danced our way through turning 2 celebrations. Where has the time gone, we ask ourselves. Visualise crazy woman with hair standing up on end and make up running from sweat beads with big eyes wide!
So what's been happening? What's not been happening! Well, we hired a house. That was fun. We took over for an afternoon the Blue Waters Perth Mansion on Canning Highway in Como. Do you know it? It has been a childhood fantasy of mine to own this Art Deco beauty and to have it for an afternoon into the evening was a true delight. It was to be the setting for our Look Feel Be Summer 2013 Signature Collection photo shoot...
Lots of fun was had with Andy (the Fox) otherwise known as my Design Partner on this collection, Juliet Borshoff, who was on hand representing Design Merchants (our scene setter for the day and allround, great LFB'er gal pal) along with our dear, Le'V modelling away with that trademark smile. She did an amazing job! Oh and we must acknowledge Poppy Poodle ...
The full LFB Summer collection can be seen online (and ordered) and don't forget to check out more images in our Look Book
Dropping in to check out the goings on at the ol Blue Waters residence was friend of LFB, And Andrea who we love and who could not resist capturing some further goings on ... check out her blog from the day
Then came Melbourne Cup! We partnered with Sittella Winery to host our Launch of the LFB Summer Collection with 140 guests. Oh what fun. The team at Sittella did everything. Well almost, Dancers (our always preferred, healthy, models) from Greenroom Entertainment were on hand to rally up the catwalk LFB style and as the race raced, frocks flowed and gasps were aplenty.
A big thank you to Lynn (love thy neighbour) from The Green Door Florist for making the floral head pieces for us!
It was a great afternoon topped off by Andy winning the sweep stakes!
And with the sun shining through November we head quickly to December...
Big kisses from all us of here at LFB!
Stay tuned for our next blog (promise you won't have to wait so long) with Christmas gift ideas to get you through the Christmas cheer...
With a smile ... CJ x
PS: Don't forget to book in for a special occasion make up session if you are heading out somewhere special over the festive weeks (bookings essential)
