Girl's Weekend Survival Kit

When I made up my mind I was going to go on the Travel Bugs (online Meetup group of women aged between 35 to 65 who love to travel) weekend away to Cabarita Beach, NSW, I knew I’d like to give everyone a little something. Something that wouldn’t cost a lot but that could act as a little ‘ice breaker’ or talking point to get to know everyone. (I also never like to miss an opportunity to share the Domesblissity name and share what I do here on the blog.)

With a few little things found around the home, you can put together a fun little gift bag for your friends. I also managed to get a lovely pink lip gloss from Stefan which the girls absolutely adored and a sample of face cleanser and moisturiser from GAIA.  GAIA do a handy little travel pack of beauty essentials for the traveller so a sample was just perfect for this lot of galavanting gals.

In the bag, I included the following items with a brief little explanation of what they were used for:

Stefan lip gloss – to brighten that smile

GAIA moisturiser & cleanser – to take time out for a
mini facial

Band-Aid – if things get a little rough

Balloon – let the air out of your worries

Paracetamol –  to cure
any hangovers

Nail file – to keep everything smooth

Ball – to help you bounce back

Rubber band – to stretch beyond your limits

Paper clip – to keep everything together

Crayon – to colour your day

Tea bag – take time out for a cuppa

Match – to light your fire when you’re feeling burnt out

Toothpicks – to keep your eyes open

I was looking online and at my local art and craft shops for a suitable gift bag to hold all the goodies. I just happened to be passing one of those dollar stores near my sister’s place and spotted these ‘spotty’ Ladybug bags. I thought it fitted in really well with the ‘Travelbug’ theme. Special thanks to our Travelbug organiser Karen, for helping me put them all together and putting them in everyone’s rooms for their arrival. 

Special thanks to the following companies for their generosity in providing goodies:

Stefan Lip Gloss

Gaia Facial Moisturiser and Cleanser

Higher Living Herbal Tea Bag

Mummy & Daughter Weekend in Melbourne: Part 2 - Time to Chill

Melbourne CBD planter boxes – Spring colour

After a busy Friday, visiting the museum, we spent the rest of our time in Melbourne relaxing pretty much. My in-laws had arranged family and friends to visit us while we were there. They also took us to their favourite (and mine) Chinese restaurant for dinner on the Saturday night and then to the greyhound races after.

The dog at the dogs

We don’t gamble and neither do they but the Sandown dogs had a greyhound race meet on on the Saturday night with face painting and activities for kids which they thought would be good for my daughter. Besides a couple of trips to their local shopping centre and the Berwick markets on Sunday morning (forgot to take my camera, as usual) and the trip to the Melbourne CBD again for me on Monday, there wasn’t much else to the trip. I’d been to Melbourne many times before and done the ‘touristy’ thing a few times. A change of scenery is always

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good and it’s always good to catch up with my in-laws. It was the first time though without my husband which seemed very weird. Here are some photos of the rest of my time there.

St Paul’s Cathedral

Federation Square

One of the many lanes full of cafes and interesting shops

The Soup Place – No soup for you!

Too many cafes, not enough hours in the day

I couldn’t decide where to start first but when I saw the Lindt shop, I knew a hot chocolate was the order of the day.

Pure melted Lindt chocolate and hot milk – ahhhh!

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?Summer sandals anyone? These beautiful Emilio Pucci sandals and heels will set you back close to $1,000 a pair. Just gorgeous.

Mounted policemen – Bridge Road, Richmond

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Lunch at the Blue Train Cafe, Southgate

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Spicy Greek Lamb Pizza

Gelato for dessert

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Melbourne city skyline

? Thank you Melbourne for putting up with us. The weather was just perfect.

Mummy & Daughter Weekend in Melbourne: Part 1 - The Museum

I had a wonderful Mummy/daughter long weekend with my girl in Melbourne. Although most of the time she spent with her grandparents (my in laws), it gave us a great opportunity to spend some one on one time with each other. Something we don’t often do with ‘you know who’ (my son) around.

My daughter in Carlton Gardens, Melbourne

The whole purpose of the trip was for my daughter to see the Tutankhamun Exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. (Her Dad was originally to go with her but he couldn’t travel.) We set off on the train and walked up through Carlton Gardens, past the Royal Exhibition Building to the Melbourne Museum. The Exhibition Building was hosting a Tastes of Melbourne food show but for the entry cost of $15 for ‘fussiest eater in the world’ and at least $30 for me, I couldn’t justify the cost. Besides, my mother-in-law had dinner planned for us that night.

My daughter outside the Royal Exhibition Building

We had a quick look around the general part of the Museum before we had a bite to eat in the cafe and then off to the Tutankhamun display. I wasn’t really all that keen to see it. Not like my husband was. But once I got there, the hairs on my arms stood on end when I saw the artefacts on display. It was truly amazing to be standing before some of these things which were over 3,000 years old.


Granite statue of King Tutankhamun


Photos weren’t allowed within the Tutankhamun display so I’ve ‘borrowed’ a few from the internet. The items are on loan from the Cairo Museum. There were many and in such beautiful, pristine condition.

King Tut’s neck collar

Phar Lap – one of Australia’s greatest racehorses

My daughter was also keen to see Phar Lap, a great Australian racehorse, immortalised in the Museum. My daughter is a ‘sponge’ for information and we’ve spoken of many Australian icons so she was keen to see some first hand. She was also beside herself seeing a lot of the dinosaur bones and gave me quite the lesson on which bones belonged to which dinosaur.

The hot chip connoisseur

It was a great day out and something that will hopefully stay with my daughter her entire life. Stay tuned for the rest of the photos from the weekend away. It was a relatively quiet weekend but Melbourne really turned on the weather for us and it was time well spent with my lovely parents-in-law.

The souvenier my daughter bought for her brother