Top Tips To Beat the Heat

Global warming is in full effect in Brisbane this week. Temperatures have soared into the 30s and we are all definitely feeling the heat… and it's only November!! Surviving this kind of humidity is certainly a skill so here our top 5 tips for beating the heat. 

Fruit Popsicles

A super quick and easy way to quickly cool yourself down is with a popsicle. These bad boys are so simple to make and there are endless combinations to suit your tastebuds. One of our favourite and super refreshing combos is watermelon, lime and ginger. See recipe below. 

You Will Need: 

• About 5 cups of chopped watermelon
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• Pinch of fine salt 
• Popsicle sticks 
• Popsicle moulds 

Directions: 

• Puree watermelon, sugar, lime juice, ginger and salt until smooth
• Pour mixture into moulds. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze until firm 

Frosé

Dubbed the 'it' drink for the Aussie Summer, what better way to cool down and enjoy the weekend with your new favourite cocktail. See recipe below. 

You Will Need: 

• 750mL bottle of rosé
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Punnet of strawberries (250g)
• Juice of 2.5 limes

Directions: 

• Pour rosé into 33x23cm pan and freeze until almost solid.
• Meanwhile, bring sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan' cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add strawberries, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes to infuse syrup with strawberry flavour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl (do not press on solids); cover and chill until cold, about 30 mins. 
• Scrape rosé into a blender. Add lemon juice, strawberry syrup and 1 cup crushed ice and purée until smooth. Transfer blender jar to freezer and freeze until frosé is thickened (aim for milkshake consistency), about 25-35 mins. 
• Blend again until frosé is slushy. Divide among glasses. 

Head to the beach

We are so lucky here in Brisbane as we have access to so many beautiful beaches. Go for the day or even the weekend and enjoy the cool water. 

Tallebudgera Creek - Palm Beach

Dress Appropriately 

Another way to beat the heat is to dress appropriately! Wearing the wrong clothing can make you agitated so here are some of our favourite THG outfits to keep you cool.

Dakota Crepe Set | $75

Bailey Ribbed Top & Shorts | $85

Maggie Collared Mini | $75

Roxy Frill Hem Dress | $75

Crafternoon Inspiration

It’s a Sunday afternoon, the sun is out, and you’ve got a refreshing mojito in your hand, surrounded by a group of talented gal-pals. What a perfect setting for my favourite type of gathering, a crafternoon. Here are some foolproof ideas that would suit from a beginner to a seasoned crafternooner. 

1.     The super easy and super effective tassel garland!

This one is always a winner; all you need is assorted colours of crepe paper and metallic foil paper, scissors and some brown twine. Begin by cutting the paper into long strips that are about 2-3cm wide and as long as double the length of your desired tassel (i.e. 10cm tassel means 20cm strips). Lay all of your strips out in their own colours (or you can make multi coloured if you prefer) grab the half way point and wrap it around a long piece (total length you are after) of twine then fasten the strips by wrapping a small piece of twine around the head of your new tassel and knotting.

Easy as that, now continue making them until you reach your desired amount/combo of colours. Here are some pictures of how we would style ours. 

2.     Flower Framing

This project required a little foresight with the preparation but these pressed flowers are a beautiful way to preserve the magnificence of nature in your home. If you don’t have glass frames, this project is still very effective in a regular frame backed with white card. All you need to do is gather a bunch of wild flowers, or old flowers gifted to you (mustn’t be large blooms as they don’t press well, think small flowers and foliage), place flowers inside a heavy book and place a large weight on top of the book – leave for one to two weeks in a cool dry place.  Once dried, place flowers in your frames and voile – done! 

3.     Macrame plant hanger

You’ve all seen them, they look fab, now you can make one of your own! I have tried a few online tutorials for this project and this is the best video I found, it really takes you through step by step, it looks a little more complicated than some other versions, but trust me it pays off in the end. This DIY should take you about 1-2 hours to complete. All you need is a few bundles of rope, either in a neutral tone or multi colours, you can buy this is craft shops and hardware stores. You will also need assorted bolts/beads, D-ring and a hook, all of which are available at your local hardware store. Here is a picture of my finished product and some other (more) inspiring versions! 

Wanderlust

With the wonder of summer gracing the European lands and our Instagram feeds becoming inundated with snapshots of tanned bodies, powdered beaches, and see-through water, our wanderlust has become overwhelming. Whilst our bank accounts refuel to help fund jetting away to far-off lands, we’ve found some of the best travel inspiration to get you dreaming of overstuffed bags, white sands, and lush jungles. Spend your next downtime caught up in the culture of heaven on earth.

10 THINGS TO DO ON YOUR RAINY WEEKEND

The rainy weather can scare off the happiest of moods. Here is some ideas on how to brighten your rainy weekend. 

1. Get your pamper on. I’m talking the full mani + pedi, hair mask, face mask and exfoliate. No pamper session is complete without a robe and some tea. 
2. Clean out your closet. Make some bags to donate all the clothes you don’t wear anymore and to make room for some new season pieces. 
3. Now you have all this spare room no better time to do a pinch of online shopping and fill that space with with new season pieces. 
4. Do a Lonely Planet stalk. Nothing better then day dreaming about all the amazing places you can go to. Paris, Morocco, LA, India, Bora Bora and more. Also a great time to plan your next holiday. 
5. Yoga. No better way to make yourself feel great then to do a little workout. Not only is Yoga super good for you but we all love that little nap at the end. I mean meditation. 
6. Get baking. Not only do you get to experiment with somethings you’ve never had the chance to make before but you have a delicious treat to reward yourself with at the end. Oh and you get to lick the bowl. don’t forget that part. 
7. It might be an obvious one but, the cinema. In addition to seeing Finding Dory (or whatever else) think of the popcorn, choc tops and frozen coke. mmmm. 
8. Check out GOMA and all the amazing exhibits on at any given time. It’s also nice and warm in there. 
9. Binge watch the new season of Orange is the new Black because watching a full season in one day is the only way to live. 
10. Practice making cocktail with your friends. They don’t have to taste good as long as they are insta worthy. 

Travel Like a Fashion It Girl!

Are you tired of being jealous of IT girls travelling the world and doing it in style? Well we surely are and that's why we have put together a list to help you travel like you fav Instagram girls! So firstly, pack lightly!! Easier said then done but this is a must. We're all guilty of sneaking a few extra pieces into our suitcases at the last minute… but ladies, the secret here is to take as little as possible. Next is to plan your outfits out, coming up with outfit combinations is also a great way to pack lighter yay! Finally, don't forget to bring accessories, your go-to beauty products and your fav three pairs of shoes. Now you are set to take on the world!

Secret Easter Long Weekend Locations

It's Easter time and that means long weekend!!!! What better way to spend this time then with a secret getaway. We are talking going high up into the mountains and finding a magical treehouse to spend the whole weekend at relaxing.  Here are some secret locations we are dying to get to this weekend.