birthday.

I spent yesterday running around in the sun with my beautiful boyfriend and the nine helium balloons he bought me for my birthday, some pink, some pearl. We were celebrating a handful of things: my birthday, our 3 year anniversary and our last night together before he flew out to hawaii for 5 weeks to shoot the surf contest over there. We got a beautiful room at the crowne plaza and were upgraded to a room overlooking the ocean. We spent the rest of the night on the balcony with some take out thai, a bottle of wine and giggled at the fact we didn't have any plates to eat our food with. In the morning, i attempted to stuff myself silly with banana bread, fresh scrambled eggs, hash browns and fresh orange juice but was so disappointed by how weak my effort was. All you can eat breakfast is a hard thing to conquer! For some absurd reason i had my auction finish on my birthday and was unfortunately glued to my laptop the entire night, but business comes first and i could not be happier with all the amazing feedback you're all kindly giving so it's makes it all worth while. Oh, and i've had a couple of questions about this already so to clear things up, i turned 21 :)

New listings will be up tomorrow night, friday the 29th from 7pm so don't forget to have a look! Gary Pepper has just warmly welcomed some new international friends with parcels being sent to the united states, london, canada, switzerland, norway and singapore so make sure you get in early so you don't miss out.

{Dress: Thrifted, Bow: DIY.}

secrets.

Did anyone else see postsecrets update status yesterday on facebook? It really made my day.

" This morning when the Canadian Custom's Officer asked. . ."Occupation"? He made a strange expression when I replied, "I collect secrets on postcards".

I seem to be getting the same reaction when i now tell people 'I sell vintage online'. I suppose it does sound really strange and people can't see how many different avenues it can take you nor how it could be a worthy career choice. Everything is a little hush hush here at Gary Pepper headquarters right now but i have some exciting new projects that will be up in the next 2- 4 weeks. I'm bursting with excitement and really wish i could elaborate more but for now i will just have to keep these to myself, and sometimes, not all secrets are worth sharing :)

I also just purchased this book called "Other people's love letters: 150 letters you were never meant to see" by Bill Sharpiro. I was actually on amazon looking for the new postsecret book when i stumbled across this one instead. It is a beautiful booked filled with love letters written by anyone and everyone from helicopter pilots and sociologists to lawyers, stoke brokers and film makers, all sent in anonymously like postsecret and just as wonderful and equally brilliant. I'm a sucker for love and it inspires me every single day. I cannot wait to get this in the post!


{postsecret.com, google.com.}

creme.

I love january for a handful of reasons. I love january because it's the time of year where summer is kind and will give you a beautiful day in the sun and then a cosy thunderstorm in the afternoon. I love january because everything seems brighter and the people seem happier. I love january because there's always a million things to do and a million things you want to see. I love january because it's my birthday on the 27th and i'm surrounded by the people i love. And i love january because it's the time of year when cadbury creme eggs come on sale and i can guiltily indulge in this little treat every day after the gym. It's the perfect amount of chocolate, the perfect amount of creme with the perfect amount of sweetness, but that's just me :)

{Ring: YSL. Chocolate: Cadbury creme egg.}

free.

So it's Wednesday, and i quit my job today.
In exactly two weeks i'm going to be a self-employed full time op- shopper...

holyshit.
words cannot describe, but these photos can :)

homesick.

All this talk of Japan has made me have post- Japan blues. It's been nearly six months since i had my first taste and to be honest, I don't even know when i will have time to go back as the boy and i are planning our next trip to New York/America in 2010. We covered Tokyo to Hiroshima with Osaka, Kyoto and Nara along the way. It was amazing and perfect and my itinerary was unrealistically packed full of temples, castles, shopping, rice paper rooms, Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo and so many more magical things. The highlight of my trip was the Studio Ghilbi Museum which wasn't really a museum but more like a castle with the most insane visual creations i have ever seen, as well as showcasing Hiya Miyazaki original studio with genuine artworks from all of his popular cult films including 'Spirited Away' and 'Howls Moving Castle'. If you happen to know what I'm babbling about and can appreciate how big of a deal this is, then your cool points just went up considerably in my books :)

To anyone who is curious, Japan is absolutely stunning and breath taking. As soon as you get off the plane, you will never want to leave. You'll come home and wonder where on earth you can wear your clear lenses and two-toed rabbit socks (I happen to still wear both, youknowlikewhatever) and why the people at home are so blatantly rude and obnoxious in comparison. I might be a little biased but with flights for only $400 return, you'd be two- toed rabbit not to go...

chill.

Since opening GPV I've rarely kept anything for myself. But whilst in Tasmania i added to my vintage fur (faux, of course) and ankle boot collection. I thought keeping only two items out of thirty seemed fair, right? It's reaching 30 degrees here but i still can't part with these suede wedged booties. Yes, my feet are hot and slightly uncomfortable but they look so divine and were only $7! As for the fur coat, to avoid looking like a crazed Eskimo during the summer heat, that will just have to wait until next year. My new winter staples for 2010 :)

And to add to how much i just adore my new coat, when i slipped my hand into the pocket i happened to find, to my delight, two butter menthol wrappers, an empty tissue packet and a ticket for 'Grease' dated 1998. I've gathered that it must of been chilly in Hobart those 11 years ago. I felt as if my boyfriend had unintentionally done something cute like picked me a flower or made me a kite. I smiled and felt like saying "Oh, vintage. This. This is why i love you."

{Cardigan: Thrifted. Singlet: Minkpink. Skirt: Thrifted. Ankle boots: Vintage.}