I Stopped and Smelt The Roses

It's been a while since I've been able to update on this little platform of mine. As you know we recently built our new home and moved into it in April so since then things have been hectic! I had to have a bit of a break from blogging but have been semi-active on instagram. When it comes to a new house it's a never ending cycle of things to do and it's a slow process, which never really ends, but it's all for good measure and it's the kind of busy I'm proud and happy to do.  I'm not sure how my scheduling is right now for blogging, I do want to get back into it properly but the main reason I can even get started on it again after all this time is because my office is almost ready and I have been moving things in and decorating it, it feels amazing having all this space to do all my creative things. I thought since it's been a while I would give you another update on a few things —going back to my Bi-Weekly Notes style posts, only I probably won't be calling it that anymore and call it Monthly or Bi-Monthly Notes.

 NEW IN ⎯  

Inspiration  –  Essential oils has always been something I've been into since I can remember, but as I've continued to learn more, there are so many wonderful uses for them than just diffusing them like I use to just do. Because I work in the beauty and skincare industry it's something I've always had a passion for and only just this year have I been able to dabble more into it. I've been loving learning about DōtTERRA essential oils and all the remedies and blends. I honestly don't know how I went so long without getting into it as much as I have now, it's definitely something I can't live or leave the house without. I've been creating lots of blends for household, skincare, wellness use (etc) and it's become part of my everyday ritual. I love diffusing it while I am working or during bedtime - it's so soothing and keeps me calm and at peace. The Easy Air Respiratory blend is one of my favourites from my collection. 

Updates  –  There's so many new adventures I've started this year, from joining an art group every fortnight on a Tuesday to a monthly Bookclub I have with a small group of friends to monthly workshops for our Essential Oil's group with my beautiful friend Nicole and now I'll be commencing a Ceramics course in August which I am super excited about. I want to take my career in a new direction and for me, I've always been the type to seek the new and my next challenges in life. I love exploring the unknown and I always want to keep testing the waters no matter where it takes me, so for this I am over the moon to have the opportunity to explore my next passion. Especially with our new house I have so much space to do whatever I want with, I feel free and open to let my creative juices flow. 

 CURRENTLY ⎯ 

Doing  –  a "to-do list" for my office room, it's so exciting getting furniture and making it into my own little space to do all my favourite creative work.

Reading  –  Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha (the current book we are reading for the bookclub I have with a few friends of mine - Elaine, Carina, Kat).

Working  –  on projects for our house, our shutters and blinds are currently being custom made and will be getting installed soon - the exposed aggregate is in the works for our front and driveway - exciting times. We've finished painting the house (we only have the back section of our house to do and it's completed, just the laundry and toilet) - it's amazing what a difference painted walls can make the the overall look. Now we're continuing with the rest of the skirting for the floorboard areas.

Wanting  –  to make some time to explore the hills more and have a picnic on a day that isn't raining.

 TOP PICKS ⎯ 

Instagram / Blogger  –  my lovely friend Imogen from @cherieimi is always a favourite - love her posts, they're raw and just so beautiful.

Lifestyle product  –  my new crystals, especially Black Tourmaline, helping to protect me from any negative energy and keeping me grounded (The stunning *Pink Jasper Point is from Telluric Crystals) and jewellery pieces from GLDN - Oval range *Kiki + *Marcie rings in Moon and Line Art Face inscription (in gold) and their *Florence Oval Star Sign Constellation necklace in Pisces (in silver). I love pairing it together with another new pendant the Mr got custom made for me from Lawnswood of our beloved beautiful Poppy's paw print also in a silver oval shape (she passed away at the end of May this year - it's been a rough few months).

Beauty product  –  *QTElixir with Aquamarine crystal (my birthstone) and *Julisa Rose Quartz Gua Sha both so luxe and have been part of my nightly skincare regime.

Our New Haven

*Canvas Wall Print of Claude Monet Nympheas at Giverny from Photowall

 A   l i t t l e   s n i p p e t   o f   o u r   n e w   h o m e  —

It's been a crazy journey building our first home, it feels surreal this day has finally come it almost seems like a dream. We moved into our house on the 24th of April and as we slowly unpack and decorate this home of ours there's an endless list of things to do — it almost seems never ending! Building your first home is never easy, from the planning to the design to the endless amounts of meetings for every single part of your home to the building process to the handover to the moving day — it just keeps going. We received our handover on the 10th of April where the builder had gifted us champagne and other goodies for our new home, it was such a wonderful day to experience receiving the rest of our keys and knowing the house is now all ours to takeover.

Words can't express how I am feeling right now, living in this beautiful abode we call home. It's been such a long time coming and it was worth every bit of energy. I wanted to take a few snippets of our home even though we are no where near finished unpacking nor is the house close to being complete. As time goes and more changes happen to our house I will definitely keep updating further, for now here are a few sneak peeks into a few of my favourite parts of our home. We designed and selected every detail, there are a few more pieces we are working on changing which is all in the works. 

I thought I would also add in a little home to do and DIY list for you to see what we have planned — there's still plenty more trips back and forth to Bunnings and Ikea. During the building process we were lucky to do a lot of our own work because the Mr is friends with the owner/founder of the building company, we had early access during construction with a key into the home — we did all of our own electrical, skirting, etc. Because of this, we were able to come and go during each stage of building, so being able to see each stage develop each day/week was really nice. In some ways it was such a tease and made it even more exciting seeing our home come together especially during lock up stages. It's amazing how a house gets built from sand to a slab to bricks etc, I've learned so much during this journey. It was overall approximately 6 months to build our home, we started our prestart during mid of 2017 and building had commenced in end of September. 

One of the most exciting projects I've been working on and eager to get unpacked and installed is this beautiful canvas print of *Claude Monet's Nympheas at Giverny painting from Photowall. They kindly reached out and gifted this to me as a house warming gift for our brand new home, I am so in love with every detail of it. It was so easy to put together and the quality of the canvas is phenomenal. We decided to place this painting in the front hallway entrance of our home, it feels so welcoming and brightens up the area. The main theme to our house is black and white, all monochrome and neutral shades, so having this pop of colour really adds life to the house.

If you are looking for any canvas prints or wall murals for your home, Photowall are your go-to! I have an exclusive 20% discount code for my readers just add the code "AMOURJNFRCampaign2018" at checkout. 

— This code is not affiliated and expires on 29th May 2018.

Since living here for 3 days now I've felt so motivated and happy, the lighting in our home is amazing and I can't wait to get more creative with my work — (also, because we don't have our shutters or blinds installed yet we are using newspaper to cover our windows so that did change the lighting slightly for my photos in this post, but I managed to still get some good lighting in). I have so much planned and I am excited to share more with you soon! Thank you to all those who have supported and given us so much love and help through this journey, I appreciate all those wonderful people in my life and I am so happy to have them be part of this exciting stage of my life. If you follow me on my personal account @bonjourjnfr I have saved a lot of behind the scenes snippets of our home journey on my story highlights.

  H o m e   t o   d o   l i s t  —

• Finishing off the skirting to our floor boards (we finished the skirting for our carpet area during building as it needed to be done before the carpet was installed) 

• Painting our walls — before we moved in we sanded and sealed the walls (we are in the process of choosing our paint colour) 

• Blinds and shutters will be getting installed soon (it was so fun choosing which designs to go for, we chose white wooden shutters and block out blinds)

• Our exposed concrete for our driveway has been planned and will commence soon  

• Getting side gates installed 

• Working on our backyard design 

• Unpacking and organising the rest of our boxes 

• Decorating each section of our home 

• Shopping trips to get more homeware items 

• Putting together our new furniture

• Buying new white goods 

• Packing the rest of things left at our old home to bring over 

• Once the exposed concrete is completed we need to plan our front yard design 

• Plan the design of our letterbox

and... the... list... goes... on !

MIND + BODY ⎯

This year I told myself I will take extra care of my mind and body. Taking extra steps and trying things I've not tried before, discovering new rituals and practising better self care/love. I've always taken care of myself, but not well enough. I've found things I have forgotten to take better care of is my mind and body, things that I have taken care of but not to my full potential. It isn't just about going to the gym and eating healthy, there's far more things you can do to better yourself. These are a few new rituals I've taken on board this year.

// Sneak peek at a few areas of our home (this was during our home visits I was able to take a few snippets for the blog while the Mr was doing some electrical work) of our ensuite marble stone bench top, matte black tap-ware, subway tiles with black grout and our silk cloud carpet ⎯ picture below.

// B  O  D  Y

*STASS & CO THE BODY BRUSH  ⎯

There are many benefits to dry body brushing from reducing cellulite, aiding detoxification, improving digestion, strengthening your body and immune system, firming and giving your skin that natural glow, increasing energy and reducing stress. Dry brushing your body helps stimulate blood circulation which detoxifies itself naturally. I've actually tried body brushing a few years ago with a chemist store bought brush. I didn't quite know what to do with it because it wasn't the best quality as it was too soft which isn't how the bristles are meant to be in order for it to work and I didn't have any information on how to use it properly ⎯  Stass & Co curate all relevant information included with your brush to help guide you through each step, I found this so useful and has motivated me to use and better understand the benefits of body brushing.

❝ This simple, all natural practice is the perfect way to 

start your day, or calm your soul in the evening ❞  

⎯  STASS & CO

The Body Brush made my skin look and feel so smooth and my visible red bumps I usually have on my legs started to fade in the short time I started practising this brushing method. My skin feels so much more vibrant and less dull with a boost of energy due to blood circulation. I can feel a difference in the elasticity of my skin but overall it seems to be less rough with less signs of red bumps and it has given my skin and overall even texture as well as toning. Not to mention how good it feels to exfoliate any dead skin cells leaving my skin feeling really refreshed. Having a nice warm bath/shower afterwards is so therapeutic, it's become my weekly pamper.

Read here for more info. 

*FUR OIL 75ml  ⎯

It's interesting that in this day and age you don't see many forms of beauty products aimed for the private regions of your body that isn't chemist owned or promoted. There isn't anything really out there to promote well being and care for your pubic hair and ingrown hairs all around your body. Having a brand advocate this, FUR was invented by women who believe in natural beauty for everyone and wanted to make a change and break the stigma that is of the unspoken of. It is so important to make sure you not only look after your body but also your genital regions.

❝ Beautiful, natural, and effective skincare and haircare 

for up top, down there, and everywhere in between. 

Welcome to the new era of body care ❞  

⎯  FUR

Since using this, I have to admit I've mainly used it on my legs and areas I want to target my cellulite and uneven skin or ingrown hairs. But, I have tried it on my pubic hairs, the only thing is I don't have much of it (being Asian and having hardly any hair on my body). Though that doesn't stop me from using it there, it's helped with any ingrown hairs there and all over my body. I've also used it on my face as well, as I always suffer from extremely dehydrated skin from time to time ⎯  usually during weather changes ⎯  and this has hydrated and repaired my dry skin so much. It's pretty much what you could call an all rounder, all-in-one type of product, there's no limit to where you can use this! A few key ingredients are Grape Seed Oil, Vitamins A and E, Jojoba Oil,Clary Sage Seed Oil and Tea Tree Oil. 

Read here for more info.

*JULISA ROSE QUARTZ FACIAL ROLLER WAND  ⎯

I've seen the art of facial massaging for quite some time now and have always been curious about it, I was so happy to receive the chance to try it out for myself. One of my favourite gemstones (and I think for many others too) is Rose Quartz, it is known as the "Love Stone", it sends off strong vibrations of love, happiness, warmth and emotional health. I like to use this facial roller with an oil of choice ⎯  especially paired with the FUR oil. It helps penetrate the facial oil deeper into your skin as well as making the natural gemstone roll smoothly onto your skin. I've been practising this technique for almost a month now and I have noticed a difference ⎯  especially under my chin, eyes and overall skin.

❝ Sleep with the Rose Quartz Roller next to your pillow 

so that whatever is causing you pain emotionally 

will manifest in your dreams ❞  

⎯  Julisa

Just like dry body brushing, massaging every part of my face and body with this tool helps stimulate blood flow and circulation, relieving muscle tension, headaches and stress as well as toning and firming the skin. It has a dual roller heads to make it ideal to use on both the face and body. The natural gemstone has a cooling effect which helps relieve puffiness around your face and under eyes. This method is beneficial for lymphatic drainage with those who retain water in their bodies.

Read here for more info.

I've teamed up with the wonderful Juliet Director of Julisa to give my readers 10% discount, use the code "AMOURJNFR" at checkout. Which gemstone will you chose? There's Opal (I have my eyes on this beauty), Rose Quartz and Amethyst. There's also an amazing range of vegan nail polishes and oils.

*This discount code is purely for the benefit of my readers and is not affiliated

// M  I  N  D

MANY MOONS By MODERN WOMEN (Volume 1: 2018 January-June)  ⎯

This is a workbook of astrological overviews for each month, self-development prompts with rituals and exercises for working with the main phases of the Moon (New, Waxing, Full, Waning and Dark). I love learning about the moon phases and how each moon cycle can build and shape us, having a moon calendar at hand is really helpful to know when to cleanse your mind as well as your crystals. I also own the previous Volume 2: 2017 June-December.

Other books I've been enjoying to help ease my mind have always been poetry books as well as reading quotes.



CRYSTALS  ⎯ 

These are the new crystals I've just added within my collection. During the weekend that just went by it was thankfully a long weekend for us folks in W.A, the Mr and I took a small road trip to this beautiful hidden crystal boutique up in the hills of Perth. I've been wanting to add a few more crystals to my collection and since there were a few I have been hunting for but haven't quite found the "right" crystal for me the Mr surprised me with this little road trip visit.

It was so wonderful to explore so many beautiful crystals, the options were endless. These were the items I picked up during our visit and these crystals called out to me most. The best way to know if a crystal is right for you is to hold the ones that appeal or drawn to you in each hand and see if you feel any energy or warmth between the two and that's how you know which crystal is meant for you. I'm so happy with the selection I chose, they are exactly what I have been searching for. Each crystal represents a healing property, you can find out more information on them through crystal books or online.

I've been wanting to pick up some Palo Santo woods to use as a cleansing ritual for our new home once we move in. It helps clear and raise vibrations leaving you mentally and emotionally calm. It has a sweet and woodsy aroma and removes any form of negative energy.

Raw Clear Quartz

Raw Rose Quartz

Lithium Quartz

Opal Wand

Palo Santo Holy Wood

Let me know if you would like to see a post on my crystal collection.

SOCIAL MEDIA  ⎯ 

This year I've limited my use on social media ⎯ I actually started this mid-last year but am continuing on strong ⎯ I don't use any other platform besides Instagram, blog and Youtube. I've found since removing other platforms I found tedious and useless I've become more peaceful within myself. I especially enjoy using my private/personal account (@bonjourjnfr) to post more of what I truly want to post to those I trust and engage with the most. I know my main account (@amoujnfr) is mostly based towards beauty, lifestyle and PR work ⎯  which is my passion and I love working on ⎯ at times because it is public, it can involve a lot of unwanted people that don't have good intentions. With all things, everyone knows social media can form either a positive or negative impact.

When it comes to the positive, you can meet and engage with so many wonderful and supportive online friends and chat daily with. Then there are those who are purely there for the numbers, the attention, the drama or even just to throw negative energy out there. Those are the people who ruin it, surprisingly it's mainly those who once were part of your life but ended up being the total opposite to what they were ever intending. That's what is unfortunately the down side to social media and why it is important to not take it so seriously, do what makes you happy and cut out any kind of negativity to help keep your mind clear and positive.

It is important to know that when it comes to the online world you are only as good as what you put out there, show and spread love, empower one another. The more positivity there is out there the more hope there is for a better world.

Mantra ⌇ Focus only on those who are good to you. 

It's GLDN

I've been a lover of dainty jewellery for as long as I've worn jewellery. There's something so delicate and unique about the simplicity of minimal jewellery. I'm not really the type to be torn between being a silver or gold kinda gal, I'm happy and love every tone as I find either suits me. On this occasion dainty gold pieces had me head over heels.

Everything GLDN (by Layered + Long) have within their range is to die for (they have an endless range and plenty of options to choose from). I love their approach to their branding ⎯ personalised, quality jewellery that's consciously handmade by people who love what they do. Not only is it unique, they are very dedicated towards empowering women's rights and giving back to the community (where 10% of profits is given to charity) ⎯ which I find absolutely amazing. As if that wasn't enough, I particularly love how involved they are with their customers as well as show casing every detail and behind the scenes of their business.

From featuring their team members to how their beautiful jewellery is made (each and every piece is handmade all in the USA) and the many stories behind each collection. Oh, and let's talk about their packaging, the type font and textured material is just perfect (I bet all graphic designers out there are aesthetically pleased right now) and the little personalised handwritten notes on each card make it so much more sentimental.

There's no doubt the La Femme collection had me at hello, I knew it had me written all over it. From the stunning designs of femininity to the purpose behind this collection ⎯ La Femme collection celebrates femininity in various forms where half the profits from the collection go to care.org, working to empower women around the world.

One of my favourite designs is the *Poise necklace, I have mine in 14k gold filled (gold filled is an alternative to solid gold, which is an actual layer of gold-pressure bonded to another metal ⎯ this form is of higher quality than gold plating, it does not turn colours, flake or rub off and is much more valuable and tarnish resistant.) I adore the line art created by Chrissy the Founder of GLDN. My other favourites from the collection are Au Naturel and Femme.

Another piece I wear proudly in my collection is the *Davina earrings in 14k gold filled. I'm sure this is as close as you'll get me to wearing "hoop earrings" again. These are so light weight, the simple detailing of the misshapen linked hoops makes it so unique. I haven't taken these off since receiving it ⎯ I've been so in love with both the necklace and earrings and I'm pretty certain I'll never take them off.

I've teamed up with the wonderful team at GLDN to give my readers an exclusive discount code of $5 off your order, simply enter my code "JENNIFERXGLDN" at check out. If you do use this code please let me know as I would love to see what pieces you chose for yourself too.

*This discount code is purely for the benefit of my readers and is not affiliated ⎯ discount code is valid for 3 months and expires 22nd May 2018 

P.S. It's getting so close to moving day for the Mr and I, approximately end of February is when handover is and we get the front door keys ⎯ however we probably won't be officially moving in until mid march when things such as fencing, blinds/shutters etc are installed! We currently have access to our garage door keys as my boyfriend is doing the electrical for our house and he is also friends with the owner of the building company we are building with so that's a definite bonus ⎯ also the reason we've been so lucky to be able to come in and out of our house this entire time while construction has been on. It's so amazing watching each stage develop, it's been such an amazing experience and I can't wait to show you snippets of our design. Lots of exciting updates to come, thank you for those who show continuous support, it means the world to me.

'Ello, Stranger!

Wow — where do I begin? It sure feels quite alien being back on the blog again. I could go on about how busy life has been and what's been happening etc but we all know why everyone takes a break from things. One things for sure, our house has kept me so busy, from home DIY's to meetings and regular visits (it's coming along so well and handover will be end of February, just in time for my birthday — YASSSS!). It's all been such a wonderful experience. I will definitely show a few snippets and updates once it's complete, but for now will continue to post regular updates on my private/personal instagram @bonjourjnfr.

I just wanted to pop in and to say "hi", if anyone is still interested in reading my blog. I'm still alive!

I recently came across this quote by Shakespeare which states:

—  ❝  h a v e  m o r e  t h a n  y o u  s h o w ,

s p e a k  l e s s  t h a n  y o u  k n o w .

Something about this really resonates with me, so simple yet so much food for thought. I definitely can say I live by this quote.

I have many things planned for upcoming posts (lots of exciting PR/brand work) and I am so thrilled to be able to get back into the swing of things. Around the end of each year I always tend to take a small break from blogging and most of the time come back again in the new year. I can't wait to have my new workspace so I can expand and create more of what I love doing. I will update again further. I have such a great feeling 2018 is going to be a fantastic year for many, including myself. So much to be grateful and to look forward to.

Bi-Weekly Notes — #6

A poem called "Thinking" I discovered by a photo posted by Elaine got me thinking, ironically. The way we train ourselves to think can be the actual outcome of what we keep telling ourselves, so perhaps if we changed the way we think we could be a better version of ourselves? Think, I can therefore I am. (A play on “I think, therefore I am”)

Thinking  ⎯

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost a certain - you won't.
For out in this world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can. 

Walter D. Wintle

 NEW IN ⎯  

Inspiration  –  Art galleries and museums, are one of my favourite places to visit. Though I wish I visited them more often it's nice to be able to explore one I have never been to before. I was so inspired by many of the quirky art pieces displayed at the Fremantle Art Centre and at MANY Projects, it has definitely motivated my creative side. A few of my favourite art pieces The Colonial Frame and Letters to the Sea. 

Oh, and this print of Rupi Kaur's poetry from her new book 

The Sun and Her Flowers is so beautiful and inspiring. (photo header)

Updates  –

• Taking Anna around the best parts of Perth's CBD during the short time we had together last week was definitely the highlight of my week. We met up for dinner along Beaufort Street where she was staying and had dinner at Solo Pasta followed by dessert at Measure Bar where I treated Anna to a few immaculate dishes they had on their new Spring menu. I of, course had to get her their famous Beignet Donuts, they are to die for and I was so thrilled she loved them too. The following day we spent most of it around Northbridge and parts of CBD, we basically visited every place you can think of. A few I had on my "to visit list" and many of my favourite places I always love visiting, so it was really nice to be able to tick those places off with Anna. The new Perth City library, A zine vending machine, Flora & Fauna, Miyu, Pretzels, Teassential, Planet Books, Murals all around Northbridge just to name a few. 

• Attending an art workshop with my niece on Thursday where we created some mini booklets of our artwork. Mine was of course home interior and indoor plant themed. I had so much fun and was nice to have some aunty and niece time together.

• Saturday was well spent with Carina and Elaine where we went to check out the new launch of The Wild Stem at Stackwood followed by a nice tour of the hidden gems Fremantle had to offer. The girls took me to some places I had never even known of within Fremantle and we had such a beautiful day sipping lots of chai and exploring stunning art galleries, creative shops and bookstores.  

 CURRENTLY ⎯ 

Doing  –  watercolour painting, testing out my new palette from Kuretake.

Reading  –   The Book of Invisible Questions by Lala Bohang, I love her pure words and I adore this book so much. Anna gifted this to me, one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.

Working  –   on which type of blinds or curtains to get for our house. How can something like this be so tedious and hard to decide on?

Wanting  –   more hours in a day.

 TOP PICKS ⎯ 

Instagram / Blogger  –  My ever so wonderful friend Alexis, has incredible taste when it comes to basically everything and anything you can think of, I truly admire her. Recently, she launched a new business with her friend Libby called Launch Creative Co and I am so proud of her. Give her some love and follow @amgoorie / www.amgoorie.co

Lifestyle product  –  My typewriter, I've almost forgotten how much I love using this nifty machine. I've been typing a lot of quotes, poems and letters on this beauty. 

Beauty product  –  *Tatcha Silk Cream has seriously changed the texture of my skin. During winter my skin became extremely dry and flakey and thanks to this gem I have seen an incredible difference, it's become more supple, soft and overall texture of my skin is so smooth and hydrated. Now I just need to dig into my savings when I run out of this baby ⎯ eek!