Can you believe that it is the end of 2016 already? It feels so surreal because honestly I remember our last New Years eve like it was just yesterday – my friends and I road tripped to Melbourne from the South Coast and camped along the way before we stayed at a beautiful apartment opposite Luna Park in St Kilda. We went to the gym early on the last day of 2015 (where I really mark us as getting super into the gym and getting super fit) and went to a garden New Years Eve party early in the afternoon before slipping into our fabulous New Years glam and went to a rooftop bar in the city. It was an interesting night to say the least, and now I can’t believe it’s the end of the year and we are about to do it all over again!

2016 has been full of ups and downs. We became vegan gym junkies and I lost almost 10kgs in the year. My husband hurt his back, but has recovered, and we had very interesting relationship responses ending in a very strong way. This year was all about getting healthy and positive and I feel like we are in a better place mentally and physically than we were at the start of the year. I started the long journey of publishing my first work of fiction, was met with disappointment involving that, but saw a silver lining. My eBook Secrets of a Party Planner came out, I changed day jobs to a wonderful positive environment, and I met one of my authoring idols. We went to New Zealand and explored the beautiful areas there, and cycled around Rottnest Island and spent some time in Perth.

Christmas will be a very busy one this year, but with a few weeks at the beach I am looking forward to unwinding and settling in for what 2017 will bring. I hope it’s been a great year for you and that 2017 will be just as amazing, and I hope that you continue to come along for the ride with me and The Party Connection.

See you in 2017!

Party Round Up:

• How cute are these translucent fiber orbs with creatures in the middle? Yes, you read that sentence right.
• Be still my raw, vegan cake loving heart!
• Katherine Sabbath is doing all kinds of wonderful things lately and when I met her I was over the moon! She’s made these glorious burger cupcakes for Frankie magazine, is putting together a pop up book of recipes, and  has shared her tips for keeping it cool in the kitchen when you’re on a baking mission! While you are at her cool new website as well, check out her recipes for this beautiful Greek Yogurt and Passionfruit Cheesecake with Coconut Crust, Rainbow Unicorn Chocolate, and this amazing Persian Love Cake.
• This Hooray Magazine colourful pool party is everything you want your summer to be and more!
• Green Wedding Shoes’ Inspiration Boards are so damn inspiring that you need to have a look at them right now! Check out this amazing White Pumpkin and Blush Dahlia inspiration board and this epic Glamorous Dark Purple inspiration board and get ready to drool…
• Matcha milk bread turtles? If I made a few changes to make it vegan, this could be a treat up there like the Hot Cross Bunnies we made for Easter!
• I wrote some articles for HerCanberra for the Christmas season!
• Still not entirely sure what to get someone for Christmas? Try these easy vegan healthy jar mixes from Wanderlust!
• Frankie Magazine has you covered with some festive DIY cheer, including this cute DIY Rosemary Wreath (Because Rosemary is THE herb of Christmas!) and this adorable recipe for Candy Cane White Chocolate Mousse. Yum, yum!
• Need a YouTube Channel to follow? Don’t go passed Cake Style for some awesome cakes. She makes it look so simple, but so damn good!

Other Articles:

• Want to know what it is like to be the queen? Well the reigning 2016 Queen of Burlesque Poison Ivory has penned an article about what it’s like to be alone at the top.
• I love travelling and have recently fallen in love with the sunning pictures you can find on the Instagram account Do You Travel. Check out his glorious pictures, and read an interview with the man behind the camera here.
• A bit stressed out at the election results in the United States? Well Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation has penned an inspiring essay to help you on that front. I don’t know about you but perhaps we should follow the Parks and Rec timeline and vote Knope for President?
• I loved this article on the ABC about why we should ditch the diet talk and the need to have a bikini body because it’s just so funny!
• Are you someone like me who always downplays their achievements? Well The Women’s Agenda released an interview with Margie Warrell, author and media commentator, about why we should stop degrading our achievements and it’s excatly what I need to hear right now.
• These photos are absolutely stunning!
• Have you watched the first season of Westworld? If you haven’t, GET ON THAT NOW! It’s my new favourite show 🙂