​Recently I was taking part in a discussion in a FB group about why a single person would bother to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It was sparked from a comment from a person who said as they were single they wouldn’t be bothering to craft things or decorate this year. I had to admit that I too had been wondering if I would take much notice of it this year. I’ve just put the house back to order after all the Christmas decorating, did I have the energy? Did I want a lot of hearts everywhere?
But when I thought about what I wanted to say to this lady, that she deserved hearts and flowers and to give them to herself, I had my answer.
It’s sad when someone feels Valentine’s day is just a reminder of their loneliness so I wanted to turn that around.  I posted a comment that suggested they make it all about self love. Doing it for themselves. Hearts and flowers for her to enjoy basically. I also needed to remember this applies to me as well. I’m not single now but I was for a long time before Sam came into my life.
To generate love in your life it helps enormously to start with yourself. Filling your well with self appreciation and beautiful things can be done on a very small budget.
I suggested she frame photo’s of her enjoying life, doing things she loves and making some new floral displays. I also suggested she make or buy a Valentine’s day card for herself and write words of all the things she loves about herself in it.
Most crafters have a stash of supplies they can dive into to put some charming vignettes together with a romantic theme. But if you can’t afford flowers a cheap card from the dollar shop can be put in a frame you already have. Displaying some pretty china from your cupboard on the kitchen sink draining rack is so charming. Using cheap gift wrap paper, cut out hearts to either put on the table or glue to a string for a cheap banner. A pink candle in a jar from Kmart is only 75 cents. Tea light candles look pretty in old jam jars that are tied around with ribbon or lace.
​
I’ve re-purposed a Christmas wreath to make a romantic floral one for my kitchen.

​For Christmas, I’d hung a wreath on the range hood flue using a command hook. I liked it there so much that I decided to keep it there but make it over. I pulled off all the red berries and wound some jute twine around the branches pulling them in tight to the wire base. This gave it the look of a mossy base. 

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I love crafting for the joyful feelings it creates. It’s an act of self love and so perfect for creating a Valentine's Day atmosphere. Because I’m now married I’m doing it not just for me but for both of us. Sam enjoys all my home made creations and decorating and celebrating our love is a big reason for both of us.
While I’d been wondering if I would bother to decorate for Valentine’s day, this lady’s post helped me clarify what I’d be missing if I didn’t.
Everyone loves someone or is loved by someone. Life these days seems to be full of distractions and pressures. When we distance ourselves from the commercialization of the day, shops pushing expensive roses and jewelry, and keep it simple and personal the true meaning emerges.

Carving out a small amount of time on one day each year to notice all the love in our life, in all its forms can’t be wrong. Making handcrafted decorations and displays for Valentine’s day helps to shift the focus to what really matters for you and your loved ones.
 
Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest
​

Crafting with pretty paper gives me so much pleasure. Cutting and pasting was a favorite activity when I was young. My thrifty grandmother would make glue on the stove from flour and water and give me magazines to cut out the pictures. These would then be pasted into an old Readers Digest. I didn't mind the writing behind the pictures, I liked the contrasting pattern it made. 

When scrap booking became popular I couldn't resist stocking up on supplies. Apart from making pretty photo albums, I  enjoy using them for general crafting too. These little notebook covers don't use up a lot of paper but are a treat to put notes in and small enough to pop in my handbag. What writer doesn't have a notebook and pen handy?

I chose papers that have an interesting or beautiful background. I cut them to the size of the notebook plus extra at the top to fold over and glue at the back. I used a double sided tape runner for this but you can use any glue that you have on hand. I then layered embellishments on using hot glue. The notebook above has a fussy cut strip of stripped paper layered with strips of crystal stickers. A raffia bow is layered with a blue organza ribbon bow and a couple of crystal stickers hot glued keep the tails in place.

This shabby chic inspired notebook cover was inspired by the backing paper. It helps to work with a theme if you can.
A cream organza ribbon was layered with a strip of silver sequence. Overlapping that are some raffia strips and a fabric flower.
I found that pulling the petals apart in a small flower and removing the plastic center allowed me to stack them flat with hot glue. I fussy cut a rose from the lace strip that I also used at the top and hot glued a small heart embellishment. A metal embellishments from my stash was glued behind the rose to add texture and interest but also to tie in the small flowers from backing paper.
​The lace at the top was added using a fabric glue, which is still a little opaque in this photo as it's not completely dry yet. I used this type of glue because I wanted the lace to wrap around to the back and needed the ability to adjust the lace before the glue dries.

By now you'll be getting the idea that this is a time theme. The butterfly reminds me that time is fleeting and that it takes time for something beautiful to emerge. The hearts are for love. There should always be love in the time we have here.
The embellishments were adding in order of how they appear. the paper strips at the top and bottom were layered onto the backing paper first then the raffia strips.
I like using hot glue because it grabs the embellishment and secures it in place quickly, but do be careful with hot glue, it's easy to burn your fingers. The blue organza ribbon bow echos the shape of the little butterflys,  and of course it's pretty.

This last notebook is about the garden and how nature is a gift to us all. The only embellishment I wanted to add was the little metal bee and the strip of text. This sheet of scrapbook paper is so gorgeously detailed it didn't need a lot.
I added the bee because gardens need bees to fertilize the seeds and they give the gift of honey to us. The text 'A GIFT FROM ABOVE' was the closest quote in my stash to express the value of nature. For me it is a gift from God that we need to take care of and be grateful for.

It's lovely creating something beautiful, but as in my writing I like it to say something or express something I feel, mainly joy. The wonderful thing about paper crafting is that there are so many different combinations you can make you'll never run out of inspiration. I included several different styles and color combinations as an example of what can be done.

I hope you enjoyed this paper crafting post, I will be doing more of these in the future with larger projects. I think starting small gives us the confidence to move on to bigger projects.

If you're still with me at the end of this post, thanks so much for stopping by to see what I've up to in my romantic life.
Happy crafting, Dora.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby

For updates on what's happening in my life and book releases, follow me on on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

Last weekend I went to the Melbourne Romance Writers annual Christmas party. Along with a Kris Kringle Present we each bring a plate to share. It's always an uplifting meeting, we look back on the year and celebrate our highlights. Afterward we have lunch together, As a Coeliac I always take something that is gluten free. 

I opted for this vegetable frittata this year. The combination of red onion, red and green capsicum, sweet potato and zucchini and one other secret ingredient tasted great together.
It baked to a nice firm texture that wasn't heavy but traveled well. It could be eaten comfortably using either  fingers or a fork.
Nearly all of it was eaten and I was asked for the recipe, which made me think it might be useful to post it here. 

Vegetable Frittata
Ingredients
One small red onion (diced)
One medium green capsicum (diced)
One medium red capsicum (diced)
Half a medium sweet potato (peeled and sliced thinly)
One medium zucchini (sliced thinly)
half a small head of broccoli (chopped into small pieces)
100 gms tasty cheese (grated)
50 gms melted butter (or margerine or oil)
quarter cup milk (I use lowfat)
one doz eggs (beaten)

Method
Preheat a fan forced oven to 160C. Or without a fan 180C.
Line a rectangle casserole or slice tray with baking paper and begin to layer the vegetables. First the onion and green capsicum, next is the sweet potato, then the zucchini. The last two layers consist of the red capsicum and the broccoli. Top this with the grated cheese.
Add the butter and milk to the beaten eggs and combine. Pour this mix evenly over the vegetables and cheese. 
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake a further 15 minutes until gold brown and set in the middle.
Let stand for five minutes and then cut into serving size pieces. 

It tastes very nice at room temperature or reheated and is quite filling. when cut into 12 pieces each person will have one egg in a serve. I cut it into smaller pieces and got about 18 serves. 

I noticed that there two both light and royal blue mixed with red and pink. The two shades of each color made the combination interesting. I found some wrapping paper with shades of blue Christmas trees and a pink star on top. I grabbed it, planning to wrap presents to put beneath the tree but also had a DIY in mind. 

I was inspired to use it to make these pictures similar to ones I'd seen on Olivia's Romantic Home. She framed pink stripped wrapping paper from a roll and hung a wreath in front.  
​My version in Blues and Red combined with a wreath turned out better that I expected. I like the way it evokes a Hallmark Christmas feeling. I then decided to do another smaller one using some scrap booking supplies and a pick that I had on hand. Again it compliments the wreath and adds a traditional quality.

I used blue and pink baubles on the tree and adding pops of red with berries. I took large berry picks apart and got about three bunches from each one.
Pretty light blue tinsel to remind me of my childhood.  We always had a small tree when I was growing up, about the size of the one on the left.  I always wished for a big tree and love having one now that I have a home of my own. But I've set that up in the dining room because I've moved the television to the corner where I used to set it up.

To add extra greenery and Christmas abundance, I set up two smaller trees as well. To make it feel like a forest I hung the peg stars that I made last year above the scene. I screwed a round hanger into the back of each one and hung them on the small clear Command Hooks.

When shopping I found the tiny house in front. Blue and white it fitted my theme perfectly however my existing houses, Toy Land and Book Shop had a lot of yellow and light green so I painted over those bits with Warm White artists acrylic.  I left the little pops of red on the awnings. As a base I utilized a large white and gold rimmed platter.

Loving the blue on this tree and the complimentary presents wrapped below.  I wanted the lights to be the same on all three trees so I used battery wire light strands. I've hidden the battery pack on top of one of the presents for easy switching on and off.

Working with the blue cushions, throw and floor rug I added the village, DIY pictures, and decorated the chandelier with blue ribbon and baubles. The tartan mohair throw on the couch was a 21st birthday present that I've kept for all these years.

Just a quick tip I wanted to share. When I fluffed the tree it looked very sparse and fake so I tried curving the wired branches up and seeing what would happen. I think the finished tree on the right looks heaps more natural.

I couldn't resist including this vignette on the hall table. I adore these little elves and it inspired a toy room theme for the entry way.

Tinsel! This how my mother always decorated the windows for Christmas and I'm bringing it back this year.

The dining table has pops of blue and red that were easily added. I put this together in about ten minutes. I used my everyday marble print place mats (from Kmart) and white plates. I had the these crackers left over from last year and popped a red bauble next to each one. The blue glasses were handed down to me through family. The blue and red fabric is from my quilting stash and the white lace table runner was a gift from a dear lady in Cyprus.

The big tree is in the dinning room and it's festooned with red and blue ribbon and decorations, spare baubles dotted through the room are an easy way to bring the eye around the the scene.

I'll have the fabric hemmed nicely before Christmas night, when my guests will arrive.

I love lace at Christmas. This runner is here all year round so I don't have to change it.

An easy DIY is to take a hand made Christmas card and stick it to stiff cardstock with a string hanger attached. This was a gift I received several years ago from a writer friend. I added the blue striped paper to fit in with my theme. 

Christmas cuteness makes being in the kitchen so much more fun. Loving this cheeky elf.

Red and blue continues in the kitchen. This year I used a command hook to hang a wreath over the stove. Simple red stripe and blue tea towels complement the look.

I hope you've enjoyed this Christmas tour and have fun decorating your home like I did. I really enjoy being at home at this time of year because, for me, my home feels like a warm hug. 

Wishing you all a festive and happy Christmas.

Dora writes heart-melting, passionate romance.

I've updated this post after arriving home. For some reason the app on my phone wouldn't function properly which limited my ability to say much or to include the appropriate title.  This update contains more picture and more about our experiences on our tour. 

A day or two in Rome before our Trafalgar Best of Italy your gave us time to settle in after our long journey.

We explored the high street shops and little laneway pizzarias near our hotel. Right across the road was the ancient Roman city wall.

After joining the Trafalgar Best of Italy tour, which started in Rome, we got to see a lot of the city. We went to the Vatican  and toured the museum which is beautiful but the highlight was Michelangelo's masterpiece, Sistine Chapel ceiling. No photos allowed so I've linked it for you. We didn't think we'd be able to see St Peter's Basilica because the Pope was taking a service but our tour guide dawdled and stretched out our time so we got to go in. I'd seen it before and I really wanted Sam to see it so I was very happy when we were allowed inside.​ 

From the Vatican we had a short break before touring the Colosseum. After walking all morning I really needed a the afternoon off but I kept going. Sam was excited to see where the gladiators fought. It's an awesome place.

After all of this time on my feet I was really suffering but, I still had a walking tour of the treasures of Rome to complete. I took some pain killers and struggled on. It was worth it to see the wonderful Trevi fountain with Sam.  Way more crowded than it was eight years ago, we didn't stay long and opted for a gelati from a nearby cafe.

The last time I was there I threw in two coins,  one to come back and the other to find love again. They worked. But I also heard on the tour bus that two coins is to get married! and that worked too, Sam and I having been married in July. Very funny.

When we got back to the hotel I fell on the bed and didn't move until it was time for breakfast the next morning. That day we drove south to the Amalfi coast, stopping at Pompeii for a walking tour. Lot's of people, even though it was past the high season, but I got this shot of an ancient roman road and shop walls on the left. It was a large town and most of it is still uncovered. 

We had some free time at picturesque Positano. We bought presents to take home and had afternoon tea. 

Back at our hotel in Sorrento, we had dinner overlooking the lights of Capri.

We didn't stay in the town of Sorrento but up on hill, so there wasn't an after dinner stroll, but there's always next time. We had a wonderful time in the south of Italy, the next day we headed north.

The next post will have part 2 of our time in Italy, Venice, The Lakes and Tuscany.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dora Bramden writes heart melting, passionate romance.

With ‘The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby', several elements came together to inspire Katrina’s character. As a child, I dreamed of being a ballerina. I was fortunate enough to go to classical ballet classes at a very good school. Each year there was a concert held at the town hall. The Victorian-style theater with balcony seating was very grand.

I can recall how it felt to dance on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Even if I was only a flower on the edge of swan lake I loved the excitement of being backstage, having my makeup done by the older ballerinas and how the precious tulle skirt felt against my legs. I remember the nerves and adrenaline rush when it was my cue to go on stage. I wrote a blog on my website about that time called Memories of Being a Ballet Dancer.

I read a magazine article about a ballerina who’d received a grant to help her in returning to dance for The Australian Ballet company after having a baby, a seed was sewn that matched with my ballet dancing experience. Katrina’s character came to life in my mind, a ballerina who had a baby and is now returning to dancing but the father discovers she’s had his child through the publicity she was given as a grant recipient.

When traveling in Italy I enjoyed the northern lakes so much, dining on stone terraces overlooking a lake while the sunset was so incredibly romantic. While driving to the shops one day,  we went past a car company that I’d never heard of in Australia. I don’t even remember the name of it now, but the idea of an Italian Aristocrat who’d inherited his racing car driver father’s company popped into my mind.

I’d once been a fangirl of Ayrton Senna, the Grand Prix champion and a dashingly handsome young maverick. I was so sad when he died in a crash on the track.

I found inspiration for the daddy for Katrina’s Baby. Alessandro Rinaldo was the son of a racing car driver who had died on the track. He’d become a champion himself following in his father’s footsteps but had promised his mother that he’d never marry while still racing so that he didn’t break a woman’s heart like hers had been if he was killed.

More pieces of the puzzle came together when I discovered that the Grand Prix race held in Melbourne coincided with the Australian Ballet Company season there. Also, another piece is that the Italian world-renowned Ballet company home is the Teatro De Scala in Milan where nearby is also the famous Grand Prix track at Monza.​

​I could now place these two people in each other’s home cities through their work. He and Katrina had met at a society function in Melbourne and later and had a whirlwind romance when she won a place at the La Scala ballet company. So they could be together in Europe they married, but he did it in secret and made a pact with her that they didn’t have children. When she fell pregnant Katrina didn’t expect him to want the baby because when she’d found her birth father he rejected the connection. She had firsthand experience that when men say they don’t want a child, they meant it.

She left Italy and came home to Australia to have her baby. The theme is about father-child relationships. What does it mean to be a Dad, and how far will you go to accept a child into your life or reject it. I personally have a very loving relationship with my Dad,  I could empathize with Katrina's heartache over being denied a father’s love and wanting to protect her child from the pain of rejection, and also with Alessandro who’d unwittingly deprived himself of the gift of fatherhood but strongly wants to make amends.

The scene where Alessandro surprises Katrina mid-pirouette at her rehearsal and confronts her about their child came to me in its entirety, like watching a movie.

The book The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby was born. The working title back then was the Rinaldo Heir. I still like the working title but thought the published title would let people know what the book theme was about more. Which one do you prefer? Perhaps you can think of one that I didn’t.

An excerpt from chapter one.

Alessandro Rinaldo, Italy’s darling F1 champion checked his rear view mirror as he took the premium position at the top of the track on the last corner. The car behind drifted a fraction down the steep incline in a challenge to his lead. Alessandro always succeeded at whatever he set out to do. The other driver knew that but would be ready to take advantage the minute Alessandro gave him a tiny break.

They went deeper into the tight corner. Alessandro focused on the camber of the track, his speed, the distance from the wall. But then, a photo he’d seen of Katrina flashed through his mind. She stood on pointe in a pink tutu holding a baby that had his eyes and his father’s smile. The punch in the chest hit him again. A child he’d never met or even knew existed was as familiar to him as his own face.

He should never have opened his emails. Never read the ballet company donors’ newsletter when preparing for a race. A week ago he’d discovered that his estranged wife had born a child. His child! He’d decided to put the information in his lawyer's hands while he focused on the race, but his will obviously wasn’t strong enough to keep thoughts of her and his child out. His lawyer confirmed that the child was DNA tested shortly after birth, his name was on the birth certificate. Why would she have done this without telling him?

A bitter taste flooded his mouth just as the challenger behind pulled down sharply from the turn in a suicidal attempt to overtake on the inside. Alessandro checked his speed, too slow. The desperate challenger capitalized on Alessandro’s momentary distraction.

If Alessandro moved an inch from the barrier, they would clip wheels, but if he sped up, he could scrape the wall. He must maintain his current position if he wanted to win this race. And he wanted to win this one more than ever. The revelation that he was a father meant he had to keep the promise he’d made. This would be his last year on the circuit.

He hadn’t made this choice. Katrina had gone against their agreement, not to have children. But even if she hadn’t planned it. Not telling him wasn’t fair; they’d made a baby together. She must have been attempting to tell him the last night they were together. God knows he hadn’t made it easy for her. But two years? Not finding a way to tell him in all that time was betrayal, pure and simple. He inhaled deeply and tried to concentrate. I can’t think about that now. I have a race to win.

He pressed the accelerator. Alessandro, formula one world champion, must put this challenge down. No one was going to get the better of him, and definitely not here on the track. But the nearest driver was now beside him and keeping him pinned against the wall. If he pushed in front to take his chances, he’d be gambling with both their lives. Dying or winning was on the table, as it always was during a race, but this time was different. The father in him was young and he’d only known for a week that a child existed, but the impact was high. It demanded survival; squashed the idea of dying.

He took his foot off the gas just enough to keep him in second place, but the challenger was going too fast now, drifting up the track. Fear spiraled though Alessandro and tangled in his gut. 

Braking hard would put the rest of the field behind them into peril but keeping up this speed meant the two of them would lock wheels on a tight curve. Losing control would result in a major disaster. He did the only thing he could to save everyone. He let the beautiful car, which he’d spent a year engineering, drift up into the barrier. 

Metal screamed. In his rear mirror, the cars behind were braking and steering away down the track. The idiot beside him shot ahead. After the pack had past Alessandro pulled his disabled car off the barrier. He‘d thrown the race, his distraction had given the challenger an opportunity. His aching, stiff shoulders slumped.

His tire had a wobble from being pushed against the barrier, and the front guard scrapped it but suddenly dug into it. His back end flipped out and now the front of his car dove into the barrier. The machine lifted briefly and smashed back to the ground before spinning away down the track. The world flashed again and again. I gave the race away, and I’m going to die anyway.

Highly combustible fuel vapor prickled his nostrils. Metal scraping on metal meant sparks would be flying. His grandfather, his father and now himself all dying the same way. At that moment a strange sense of peace came over him. He resigned himself to his fate, and then he remembered his child. A child he’d never meet. His fists gripped the wheel as, instinctively, he fought to gain control, desperate to live.

The world spun and spun, but the car slowed and eventually stopped turning. He landed on the inside on the race track. A miracle. He unclipped and forced himself to breathe slowly while he waited for the emergency team to arrive and pull him out. He prayed the miracle held and a fire didn’t start before they could get to him. Before he could meet and hold his child. His son.

Edited from a blog that was posted on Romancing the Genres 26th Jan 2019

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

My first objective is to drink a glass of water while I make a cup of tea. I drink my tea sitting up in bed where it's  restful and peaceful.

Next I like to meditate. This is a time where I clear my mind and let my brain waves shift into a receptive place. I like to let what is bothering me come forward and then let it go into a stream to be carried away. I learned to meditate years ago and I am able to make the shift from monkey mind to receptiveness effectively now, but it took practice. I’ll meditate for about 10 to 30 minutes. Once I've let go of distractions, I am able to let creativity rise and new ideas be received into my conscious mind.

I always feel refreshed after meditating and ready to meet the day's challenges. Using my phone, I’ll do a quick check for emails and social media that need responses, then I get up ready to have some breakfast.

After straightening the bed and putting the cushions back, I wrap myself in my new Kimono (which I adore) collect my reading glasses, phone and tea mug and swan out to the kitchen at about 8.30. Depending on how hungry I am, I have one or two pieces of toast topped with something different each day. My favorite toppings are gluten free Vegemite, jam, a poached egg, a slice of cheese or slices of tomato with salt and pepper. I make another cup of tea to have with it.

While I’m eating breakfast I like to watch a couple of YouTube videos. Topics that inspire me are crafting, gardening, home decorating, and story analysis. The channels I’m enjoying most are Olivia’s Romantic Home, Garden Answer, Live Your Style and The Take.

​After breakfast I turn on my computer and while it’s firing up I take a cup of coffee into the garden and water the flowers or just sit and enjoy the view. I bring a glass or water into the office and start work at about 9 to 9.30. If I’m having a low energy day, that can move back to about 10 to 10.30 before I have the brain power to begin working on whatever is most pressing. If I have a blog due, that takes priority. I prefer to write blogs like my books, write a draft and revising some time later on. It doesn’t always happen but that’s what I aim for. 

If I can dive straight into my current WIP I love it. I’ll write for about an hour. I’ll drink a glass of water, shower and get dressed in something comfortable. I brush my hair and teeth and fill another gloass of water to take back to my computer. I begin another session of 1 to 2 hours of writing.  That takes me up to lunch time.

I keep writing on and off for the rest of the day, interspersed with five minutes jobs like washing a load of clothes or vacuuming the bedroom. I have more energy as the day goes on, but this morning routine seems to get me productive and feeling better.

​Noticing what my habits are  gives me the framework for a routine that I can consistently keep to. Also I gain the ability to tweak it a little. Trying to impose a routine has never worked for me. Mindfulness of what I need to be productive has been the basis of  how I structure my day. Awareness provides the ability to grow into making more healthy and productive decisions.

I suppose the takeaway I'm sharing in this blog is that when I consider my needs and not just what I want to accomplish it works. It's a balancing act as are most things in life. The push pull of doing what we need to, opposed to what we want.  Knowing my limits lets me take care of myself while still having productive times in my day. 

While YouTube is inspiring I can feel a little glued to the telly. If that happens, I remember the good feeling I have when working at my computer. After all, a morning routine  has to work for you, not against you.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

Packing was once a dilemma for me but not anymore. I have it down to a fine art. ​I don’t like lugging heavy suitcases and so I always pack light. In past holidays I've taken a lot of clothes so that I'd have options but ended up wearing the same few items over and over again.

I've learned from experience that a couple of items of each type of clothing is all I need. Even though I’m travelling to Italy and Cyprus in October, the weather won’t be freezing but I can expect a cool day here and there so I'll need to be prepared for a range of temperatures.

Due to weight restrictions, I won’t pack anything thick or bulky. Layers of clothing will provide insulation on cool days. Singlet, T-shirt, cotton button shirt, cardigan, scarf. If the sun comes out I can ditch the scarf and cardigan and put on my sun hat. If I’m really hot, a quick trip to the loo and the singlet and T-shirt will be in my bag when I emerge. I like to take a dress as well for going out to dinner and for warmer days.
 
Shoes are heavy, so I opt for the lightest ones I can find. But they must have adequate arch support and rubber soles that will absorb impact, so I can walk for longer. I recently updated my sandals at the Homey Ped outlet. It was my lucky day, they had a rare size 11 for my large feet in a sweet style that will go with both pants and dresses.
 
Hair care is minimal when I’m on holiday. Hair ties are my best friend. I will take my favorite shampoo, conditioner and hair brush. I’ll wash my long, curly hair at night and let it dry while I sleep. In the morning I’ll brush it and mold it into a messy chignon with the hair tie. Done.

I have to admit, I really don’t like wearing heavy makeup and it doesn’t do much for my mature skin anyway. A BB cream which is a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen is my preferred go to. A muted pink lipstick is a must for looking put together, other cosmetics will include a palate of eye shadow in neutral colors, blush and mascara. I’ll take makeup remover wipes and a night cream. That will be it.

This week I purchased a tote sized cross body bag from Kmart that is large enough for a nightie and emergency toiletries. I also purchased a smaller cross body bag for day trips. At $15 and $20 AUD they were a bargain.

For entertainment, I’ll be bringing some technology to save weight. I have a new phone with lots of memory so I won’t be taking my Sony camera. That’s one less thing. A selfie stick will be going, for better shots of Sam and I with scenery behind us.

On my first overseas trip, my case was heavy with books. Thank goodness I don't have to lug physical books anymore. My kindle will live in my tote bag. It’s loaded with books from my To-Be-Read-Pile and I can’t wait to open it and dive in on the long flights. A notepad and pen will be useful for making notes of anything inspiring. A travel diary is essential so I can record all the things we did each day.
​
Regarding medicines, I have an authority letter from the doctor for my many medications that keep me alive. A large bag will be needed to carry the month’s supply but that okay. No medicine, no Dora, no holiday. ​

All I need to do now is go through my checklist and make sure I have everything packed that I want to take.

The Checklist
Clothing
2 pair socks
4  underpants
2 long pants made of stretch material
2 singlets
1 T-shirt
2 cotton shirts
1 dress
1 cardigans
1 scarf
2 nighties
1 kimono style dressing gown
1 pair slippers
1 pair sandals
1 pair runners
bathers
Bathroom
Makeup bag with foundation, blush, eye shadow palette, mascara, lipstick, small pot night cream.
Makeup remover wipes
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Shampoo and Conditioner
Hair Brush
Hair ties
Accessories
1 umbrella
Sun hat
Scarf
Faux gold earrings and necklace
Large, cross-body tote bag
Small cross-body bag for day trips
​Selfie stick
Carry On Essentials
Passport and Wallet
Phone
Kindle
Notepad and pen
Medicine

If I’ve forgotten anything please let me know in the comments below. Is there anything you always travel with that makes your holiday less fuss and more fun?
 
Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
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In 2011, I threw two coins into the Trevi fountain, one so I'd come back to Rome and another so I'd find love. Guess what, it worked. This year I'm going to Italy with my new husband. 

Although Sam has Italian heritage he's never been to Italy. So this trip is two fold. It's our honeymoon but also for him to connect with his Italian culture.  

I've never met a person who traveled to Italy and said they didn't love it. The country is so beautiful, north, midlands and south, each area has a distinct charm. So I'm thrilled to be travelling to nearly all the places I've been before and adding some new destinations as well. But the flight from Australia to Europe is far too long for us, so we are breaking it up. 

We're booked with Emirates to have overnight stopovers in both Singapore and Dubai before landing in Rome. Hopefully, this will mean we have no more than two eight hour flights and one six hour flight to get us to Rome. 

Our travel agent arranged it so that we will have a couple of days in Rome to acclimatize and get to know parts  where the tour bus doesn't' go. ​

Two day's after  we arrive we'll joining a thirteen day Best of Italy, Trafalgar Tour, that will take us south through Cassino,  to, Sorrento and Capri and Pompeii. We head north through Assisi, Verona and Venice and turn west to Milan, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and then begin our journey back south through  Pisa, Florence and San Gimignano and finish back in Rome.

​Even after covering so much of the county we have yet to visit the island where Sam's parents were born.

We're booked on Air Italia, from Rome to Catania in Sicily and will stay the night in Catania before making our way to Milazzo by train and taxi the following day. From the port, we'll take a  ferry  to Lipari, one of the volcanic Aeolian islands.

Now a popular holiday resort with restaurants and plenty to do, our focus will also be discovering the places that Sam's family lived and worked. We are staying at Casa Papiro, in Canneto for four nights. After that we'll do the travel in reverse back to Rome.
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Cyprus is our next destination. Sam's best man has a house on Cyprus, and have invited us to spend a week there. We'll take a Ryan air flight from Rome's Ciampino airport to Paphos. Our host will pick us up and be our tour guide while we are there. I'm excited to experience the Cyprian culture the way you can when staying with a local. Also I've heard so much about the beauty of this Greek island and  I'm sure it will be amazing.

We fly home to Melbourne, Australia with Emirates and reverse our stopovers in Dubai and Singapore. We've included enough time for sightseeing at our stopovers on the way home. I'm hoping to see a bit of Singapore because I've never been there before. In particular the botanic gardens are at the top of my list.

While writing this blog post I'm made aware of how happy I'll be to get back home and how ecstatic I'll be, that I got to experience such a wonderful honeymoon/holiday.

Have you been to any of these places? Comment and let me know if you have any tips to share. What did you like most? What was your trip highlight? Did you ever throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain? 

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

As much as we would have loved having a video of our wedding, we didn't have the budget. But we loved the idea of watching our photos in way that tells a story. I'd been playing around with Movie Maker before and decided to give it a try. I am thrilled with the results. In this blog, I uploaded a shortened YouTube version to show you what is possible.

​Using the tabs in Movie Maker, I  loaded our photos into a project and played around adding animation, transition effects and soundtrack. The result was a video slide show that lets us relive the wonderful experience of our wedding day. Keep reading to see how I did it.

y​It was easy to add photos to Microsoft Movie Maker and later music. I've circled the function taps on the home screen that walk you through the process. Just do it in order and they'll load perfectly. If you want to change the order, it's easy to click and drag a photo to a new position.

Once you have loaded all your photo's and chosen how many seconds you want each image to play for, you can add a sound track from your computer music files.

​In the Video Tools tab you can find functions for adding transitions and animating the photos. It's easy using the functions on the top of the screen. Individual photos can be clicked and the function plays when you hover the mouse over it to give a preview of the effect. If you click on the drop-down box you'll find another big list of extra animation options including zooming in or out. I decided to choose different animations to suit individual photos but chose the same transition function for the whole video which unifies it.

​Below is a short two and a half minute video I made to show you what can be done. I've used copyright free music so I can post it on my blog, but the music for our personal use video/slideshow is uploaded from my computer library.

Another option is to combine photo's with short video clips that friends and family share with you of your wedding day. I've recently discovered that my sister-in-law has our service recorded on her phone. Once I get a copy of it I will insert it that into our video using the easy upload video tab in Movie Maker. So there will be then be a mix of photo's and video making up the story of our wedding day. I will alter the soundtrack volume down for that section so you can hear our voices. So far I'm delighted with how this turned out and have given copies  to our wedding party. 

It's a great option for anyone who was married and doesn't have a video of the day. If you were married back in the day's before digital photography, scan your photos at your local photo shop or Officeworks and then you'll have the digital files to create a video like mine.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest
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