Brought to you by Olympus.
Late last month Olympus hosted a lunch for myself and 25 other lovely ladies at the Palazzo Versace. I’m not fancy. I’m so far from fancy that it’s not funny, so I felt immediately out of place as soon as I arrived. Everything is over-the-top, and intricate, and fancy and… breakable. I’m a walking hazard, I tell you.
We set up the room for all the lovely lady guests, including placing presents on the table. I made fudge for everybody and bought a little book from Kikki-K for every person {some got a gratitude journal and others got this 100 journal}. Attached was a teeny, tiny Olympus camera. So cute!
♥ It’s the easiest camera to use. I gave the camera to Shane once and he snapped the most awesome photo. If I ever let him near my precious
Moments before everyone arrived I thought I’d quickly use the bathroom. Let me just remind me that Palazzo Versace is f-a-n-c-y. Everything is gold and patterned and well, fancy. Get the point? So I decided to quickly go to the bathroom {for a nervous tinkle if you like}. I was washing my hands when I looked behind me and they had two basins attached to the wall, opposite the basins where you wash your hands. That’s odd, I thought, why would you need those basins there when these perfectly good basins are just here? Fancy people are funny. And then it hit me. I was in the MEN’S toilet. And they weren’t basins.
If I wasn’t so mortified I would have snapped a photo.
Getting to know my readers online is my favourite thing about blogging, but getting to meet them in person and laugh and have fun… well, that’s just a whole new level of amazing. When we did the Sydney event I only had 10 readers come to lunch, so I got to chat to everyone for quite a while but getting around to chat to 25 people is a little bit harder. But I did. I wish we could have had a massive sleep-over and chatted all night. I’ve already started organising meet-ups and play dates with new friends met over lunch. Here’s the gang:
From left to right: Renae, Lorraine, Kirralee, Kirsty, Me!, Fun-size Janey, Suger, Stacey, Jacinta {she flew all the way from Newcastle NSW AND DIDN’T EVEN TELL ME SHE HAD TO TRAVEL SO FAR! Naughty!}, Kirsten and Amanda
From left to right: Katrina, Peta, Emily, Me!, Ella, Madelaine, Megan, and Debra.
From left to right: Marney, Erica, Debbie, Karen, Me!, Margo, Sarah, Rana, Claire and Blythe.
We talked about everything, we took photos and so many selfies, we shared stories of our lives, we made new friends {I loved seeing people connect and become friends from that fancy lunch}, and we ate good food.
My dessert and my entree.
Can I get weird for a moment? This is the kinda conversation I have with my husband, but I might as well have it here. See that goofy smile on my face above {I noticed it in Sydney, and I noticed it again when I saw photos from the Gold Coast lunch}. I’m happy. From my hair follicles to my toes happy. This stuff would generally make me really nervous and worried, but meeting readers is like hanging out with family. We all have something in common, which is different for each person, but there’s always something that connects us. It would be hard, in a lifetime without the internet, to find that connection with people. But this is where the internet is so amazing. That I get to meet friends from all different places and immediately form friendships. I just feel so grateful and happy and lucky. Thank for you to Olympus for making good stuff like happen and thank you to these lovely 25 for making the effort to come to lunch and share your lives with me. Weird moment over.
I also got beautiful gifts and cards. People are so nice!
Speaking of nice, Olympus are nice too. The reason we’ve been lunching is because one very good reason the OM-D E-M10. It’s the camera we’ve been playing with over lunch, and one I’ve given away as well. I have another to giveaway today BUT first I want to tell you a little bit about the camera. Over the past few months I’ve had a good handful of people get cranky at me because they’ve just bought a camera and they’re annoying because they try the OM-D E-M10 and realise how easy it is to use. One person even yelled at me, “Why didn’t you tell me about it earlier?”
The truth is, I tried. And so I don’t get yelled at again I’m going to tell you why I love it and why you need to win it.
♥ It’s easy to use. I’m quite precious about my cameras, because I love them so, but I handed this one to Shane to use to take a photo of a water dragon recently {because I was scared of said water dragon} and first go he took an amazing photo.
♥ It’s actually hard to take a bad photo. I think I’m going to write a post and give my camera to my sister or mum to use {total camera newbies} and show you how they can do it without having any real skill
♥ It’s got a wifi function that you can use with your phone. Up until the Gold Coast I’d been syncing the camera with my laptop over wifi {and I didn’t even know how I was doing it, but it was doing it!} now I’ve synced it with my phone. I use the App. All you have to do is snap a photo, open it up in the App and you’re done. You can then upload to Facebook or Instagram or whatever.
♥ I wanted to share some photos that Rachel Devine took at ProBlogger with the OM-D E-M10. Beautiful right?
I’ve got one Olympus OM-D E-M10 to give away to one lucky winner. To be in the running just pop over to Instagram and upload a photo that represents something fun, and hashtag it with #FMSlovesOlympus. I can’t wait to see your photos.
The prize is the lovely OM-D E-M10 and lens {14-42 EZ} which is valued at $999. You can see all the details of the camera here.
{Boring bits}
Competition closes September 30th at 11:59pm
Open to Australia residents only
My DSLR hasn’t really been the same since I fainted and landed camera lens first. I would love to win this.
Whhhhat? That sounds so bad. Are you ok?
Ahhhhhhhhh …… I don’t live in Australia but I like you all very much …. Can I play ???? Just kidding ….. Good luck to all who can play !!!
You can play, if you win send it to me and I’ll redirect it for you – is that allowed????
Looks like you had a fabulous time and I love your toilet story ROFL!!! Thanks for the opportunity to win!!
You look so happy in that pic! I’ll have to see if I can get in the next lot of fun!
staceylives.blogspot.com
Oh btw I would like to mention that I really love the pictures and your blog about the meeting. You can see that it was so much fun !
The toilet story made me LAUGH! That’s something I would do 😉
LOL I wished you’d told the toilet story at lunch! Talk about an ice breaker! I had the most fabulous time at lunch!!! What a great day filled with fabulous people! Thank you again for allowing us all to hang out and eat free food.
Thank you! Had a blast, stuffed my face (fudge was amazing), enjoyed the company and of course the camera. At least being Versace the men’s were probably clean and not smelly 😉
That smile you speak of, is not ‘goofy’ ~ it’s GORGEOUS!
You are a natural beauty
Love it so sad that i Missed < Happy for all the lovelies that enjoyed
I wondered whether you made the fudge. It was sooooo yummy! I assume it’s the Thermomix recipe you posted a while back from Sam colden? I must make some because I must eat more! It was a wonderful lunch and I loved having a go at the camera. Thank you for making it happen and including me. And btw, at least it sounded quiet in the men’s toilets. I went to the ladies before the lunch and it was filled with Real Housewives of wherever types touching up their make up and admiring each other’s shoes. Quite intimidating!
Loved reading this after a busy day at work 🙂
Ohhh hehe I totally didn’t think it was such a big deal I came from Newcastle! It was a lovely lunch and I so enjoyed meeting you so it was well worth the super long day! Plus I got to go shopping at Harbourtown on the way back to Brisbane! Perfect end to a great day!
Oh and I am in love with that camera!! I’ve already hinted at my husband for our wedding anniversary!
I really need a camera upgrade and this one seems to be getting a good wrap everywhere!
The luncheon looks gorgeous. That food looks scrummy as!! Almost too beautiful to eat and what a stunning lot of woman.
Glad you had a great time, it looks stunning there! I’m going in for another chance to win that camera, it’s my dream camera! PS you looks beautiful, and v fancy 😉 x
Love this post, you are so refreshingly normal! Love it…
I’m a photo addict. I snap just about everything children do. Photos are priceless memories and I love looking back on our lives. A good quality camera would be wonderful to have.
thank you again for inviting me and hosting such a great event I did not realise you made the fudge so thanks for that too it was delish! I noticed how dazzling and happy you looked in the photos as well. lots of love deb xx
It looks like such an amazing event, I bet everyone who attended loved it as much as you did! The loo story made me giggle and the only thing that would have made it better had there been a man standing there to help you with wiping your hands! You know, like the ones in the movies.
I am SO all over this competition! I’m sure you are going to have thousands of entries but I’ve been talking to Olympus via twitter & instagram and reading every single post about this model. I actually squeaked A LOT with excitement when Jospha explained via Instagram that I could upload using wifi and that it fits in your handbag too!! It sounds perfect for being my kids personal photographer just like a fashion blogger has these days. Or using it to make my own blog pictures more appealing and not so ‘wannabe blogger’ looking. It would so be perfect for my plans that I have in place for the future. Thanks for the chance to win Cantelle & Olympus. PS L-O-V-E your hair too. I’m wondering if I should chop mine off but my hair is so apart of my identity and kind of a security blanket that I hide behind sometimes when I get anxious and nervous. What do you think? XXX
Whoot! You have the chunky necklace on!
I might even have to enter this comp and try to finally get myself a DSLR 🙂
I used to have Olympus cameras way back in the old days of film … they were really good for taking close up shots of dinosaurs 😛
laughing at the mens toilets that sounds like the sort of thing I would do. Heading over to enter via Instagram (thankyou) and I would love to know the details of the dress RENAE is wearing in the pics in this post. You all look lovely and that HAPPY face is awesome. Its so wonderful to be in the midst of doing what you love
She tells me it’s Leona Edmiston – but a few years old now. 🙂
It was such an awesome lunch… but how can you go wrong with fabulous people, divine food, amazing toys to play with (Olympus, I’m in love!) and so much laughter. I’ll definitely have to enter as I think I have camera lust. xx
Chantelle, that lunch was the most amazing {and FANCIEST!!} thing I’ve done in a while and I was buzzing with excitement from it. Meeting you in the flesh after all these years of reading your blog was good for my Soul. Thank you again for the opportunity and the wonderful day. I did make some new friends and connections from it and for that I am very grateful to YOU and Olympus for making that happen!
Ooooh I am in LURVE with the OMDEDM10 camera, especially after playing with it at lunch, and am already putting my thinking cap on how to win this baby 😉
Claire x
I cracked up about the toilet incident. I wouldn’t have been mortified. I’ve been in too many male toilets for work and if I got the look I’d just point out… I’m a female plumber. 😉
have never owned a Camera like that ever would love too
Wi fi?! Sounds more than awesome. How I would love one of those hot babies. I’d be too mortified to hang around for a quick snap too!
This camera looks amazing and I am desperate for a camera upgrade. How great that you’ve got another one to give away!
I uploaded a photo of myself doing the Ice Bucket Challenge – it was so cold but heaps of fun and for such a great cause. Getting this camera would capture the experience of getting back at my brother with ice like he dumped it on my head 😉
I love your goofy smile! You are radiating happiness 🙂
As for this comp – challenge accepted! Good luck everyone.
It was such a lovely special lunch – thankyou for inviting me!! It was wonderful to meet you after such a long time reading your blog – you are such a sweet, caring person. And love the camera (I so want one!) & what a great bunch of ladies. Thankyou again x
Loved to see the photos everyone looks glam, my dad did what you did once, he turned around to see a group of girls giggling at him x
Hi Chantelle. Can you enter more than once? Angie
Sure Angie! x
Wow, thanks Chantelle! Through doing your course I have realised I still love photography but need to move out of the dark ages into the digital light!
This would be amazing to work with my DSLR 🙂
i haven´t a phone with instagram! how can i play?