Why it matters so much when a “limpy fat girl” wins the world’s biggest pinup pageant
I’ve been following New Zealand pin-up queen Fran Robertson on Instagram (@frantasy_island, natch) ever since we featured her wedding on Offbeat Bride back in 2016, and it’s been a colorful journey for sure. Recently, I followed along with her photos of traveling from NZ all the way to Las Vegas to compete in the Miss Viva Las Vegas pageant — which she totally won!
I asked Fran if I could interview her about how her experiences are setting new standards for visibility…
Being a true life faerie
All my life I felt that I should really have been born a faerie and recently I decided to become one. We have been running The Faerie Circle for about a year now, and while there have been challenges, it has definitely brightened up my life.
Megan-simple slow-cooked pea and ham soup
There are a zillion ways to adapt this recipe (which I’ll explain later), but at its most basic it is dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, sugar-free, nut-free; pretty much everything-free except meat. So it’s a great soup for families with multiple allergies, or for when you’re hosting someone and you’re not sure exactly what they can eat.
Travel agents and bangs-for-your-bucks: What are your international trip planning strategies?
My significant other and I are thinking about a trip from the US to Australia and New Zealand. But we’ve never traveled internationally before. Does anyone have any advice on using travel agents, or on how to get the most bang-for-buck from a trip like this?
The most romantic Lord of the Rings tour of New Zealand you’ll see today
We decided to go to New Zealand, partially as this was Matt’s first trip overseas (and New Zealand is one of Australia’s closest neighbours), partially due to The Lord of the Rings. And finally we chose New Zealand because we wanted to try to keep the costs down, while having as much luxury as we could afford.
Paul’s red bus in New Zealand
Our friend Paul recently finished his bus renovation — turning a former school bus into a little one-man-one-dog wintertime road house. Come see his rig, his dog, and the cozy wood stove in his simply-made tiny home.
A New Zealand dorm gets invaded
It was always one of my boyfriend’s dreams to be an RA. He signed up this year and the first years move in this weekend, so we got to decorating.
Floor themes used to only consist of RA’s sticking up printed posters on doors, but, as it was a competition we decided to lift the game 500%. Hope the kids like it!
The all-red house and a painted doorway in India in this week’s reader photos
Start your week with our collection of interesting articles on the web and photos from our readers. This week: an elephantine bathroom and a twinkling cold frame for winter veggies. In these Clicky Links you’ll find lots of sites to waste a little time on.
Click through, too, to find our links on submitting YOUR stuff to Offbeat Home!