Fabulous Fridays: 4 May 2012

Who can resist a burst of Fabulous Friday energy? Not me, for sure....

• Warning: you won't be able to shoo this song out of your brain, but so worth it: baby monkey.
• Who wants to try zorbing with me? I imagine it's the closest thing to living inside a pinball machine. : )
• Any ballet fitness program Marie Claire magazine recommends has gotta be on my wishlist.
• Better than crack... not that I've ever actually partaken in crack... you know what I mean: peanut butter M&M's. My 3pm snack this week.
• Take comfort that everyone else is messed up too... then get on with it!
• The Dita cardigan at Wheels & Dollbaby. DO WANT!!!
• A man took a Polaroid every day until he died. A fascinating pictorial story.
• Mr Big is doing a podcast for the Action Figure Blues forum tomorrow. He's going to be a superhero of the airwaves!
• The perfect track for your iPod when you're kicking back or for zoning out on the bus ride to work.
• I discovered the very London-glam Company mag at the news agency this week. Check out their fashion intern diary.
• Hooray for Vogue vowing to use healthy models! : )

That's it for annother week. Stay glamorous, gorgeous and great. : )

Workin' 9 to 5 (What a Way to Make a Livin')

After 15 glorious months of full-time writing, I'm back to the ol' office job. To bring you up to speed, here's a quick quiz...

1  My day job is:
a)  butt-scratching
b)  ball-busting
c)  talking about shopping with angry people (ie Consumer Affairs)
correct answer: c (a and b also occasionally correct)

2  In the month I've been back, I've advised customers on our helpline about:
a)  a roadside pumpkin shop
b)  taxidermied rabbits
c)  more head-slappingly dumb deals than I can count
d)  all of the above
correct answer: d

3  I've been writing articles in my spare time for:
a)  Period Monthly and Flexes Muscles Weekly
b)  a dog magazine and a top fashion glossy
c)  magazines about tattooed women and bathroom renovations
correct answer: b

4  Since my return, I've become addicted to:
a)  cocaine
b)  stealing office supplies
c)  watermelon juice
d)  all of the above
correct answer: c

5  I plan to stay in this office job:
a)  to keep getting lucrid perks like pre-chewed biros and cut-price neon lighting
b)  until I write that bestseller and then I'll disappear with a PEOWWWWRR like Road Runner
c)  dunno, kinda enjoying it some days, but I do wanna go back to writing full-time
correct answer: c (I'll also pay b)

How long do you reckon I'll last caged in a cubicle again? My money's on 6 months, but we'll see...

Fabulous Fridays: 26 April 2012

It's that time again... let's get fabulous!

• Recycle your old coloured pencils and add to your accessories wardrobe at the same time. Neat!
• You can't get much Closer to the perfect internet meme than this.
• A spot of inter-species relaxation. Very, very cute. : )
• Go nuts for fun projects and crafty goodness? Get curious.
• Usually I can't stand spoof movies, but accidentally caught a few scenes of Dance Flick the other night and couldn't help LOLing.
• How to make a Muppet.
• Blythe + Japanese + pink + zine = incredible!
• Salt-N-Pepa makes everything taste better.
• Girly LEGO -- incredible or insulting? I vote for the latter. Read what Jezebel has to say.
• It's not lame, it's lame... Oh never mind. It's silver and awesome and that's all you need to know.
• Lucky dip Hello Kitty mini figures? Purr. : )
• The Modern Women's Survival Guide provides compelling reasons to quit your job. Don't tempt me...

Kick back, watch an episode of Mad Men and pour yourself a cocktail. I know I will be. ; )

"Diabetic Living" Query

Hooray! My article, "10 Health-smart Ways to Save," has been published in the May/June issue of Diabetic Living magazine (out now). I originally emailed the idea to the magazine on 12 February and the editor responded four days later, saying she was interested, but would like it to be 600 words instead of 1,500.

The finished piece is on pages 46-47 of the issue. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Here's what I wrote in my query email to make it all happen...

I'm a freelance writer, mediator for Consumer Affairs and qualified lawyer who's been published by magazines such as Women's Health & Fitness and Cosmo Bride. Samples of my work are available on my blog.

10 WAYS TO STAY FIT AND SAVE MONEY

Working for Consumer Affairs, I've become somewhat of a bargain shopping guru, helping customers receive better deals on, amongst other things, shoes, supermarket groceries, exercise equipment and gym memberships. I'd like to share the tips I've gathered in an article for Diabetic Living, "10 Ways to Stay Fit and Save Money". Readers would learn how to save money on food, fitness and healthcare, without compromising on quality, including:
* Attending student clinics for discounted podiatry and physiotherapy treatments and more from supervised university students (at significantly reduced fees)
* Borrowing pilates, yoga and aerobics DVDs from the library (free!)
* Visiting the gym or taking healthy cooking and fitness classes at your local community centre (generally around $6 for a casual gym visit and under $5 for classes)
* Snapping up deals on massages, gym memberships and relaxing retreats from group buying sites like Scoopon and Cudo (usually saving at least 50%)

The article would include specific examples of where readers can find these bargains and who to contact for more information. Coming to 1,500 words, it would be delivered within three weeks of hearing you're interested.

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Douglas

Fabulous Fridays: 20 April 2012

You may have noticed there was no Fabulous Fridays post last week. Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation and was truly nightmarish in our household. One of our beloved cats, Jemma, has gone missing. We are still searching for her and are terribly, terribly upset.

I've decided to resume Fabulous Fridays today because during unhappy occasions like this, we all could do with cheering up. So, whether you've had a wonderful week or a shocker like mine, please enjoy...

• A pastel-lover's paradise: Such Pretty Things blog.
• Whose Line Is It Anyway makes everything all better, especially the "Scenes from a Hat" game.
• Mr Big and I recently watched Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl. Silly, gory fun... in Japanese. : )
• Vogue Paris website now available in English. Magnifique!
• When break dance and pole dance join forces...
• Nigella Lawson teaches us how to softly, sensually bake cheese stars.
• Wanna join me in writing a novel in November? Head to NaNoWriMo.
• Girly and gorgeous: pink gingham gift tags on Etsy.
• They just don't bounce and binge on Gummi berry juice like they used to... My childhood fave. : )
• Wait... what? Bacon like you've never seen it.
• Prim, navy and sporting a gigantic bow. The perfect pencil skirt.

Wishing you a happy Friday. xx