Thursday, 30 August 2012

I'll show you my...son's bedroom!

I'll show you mine... is back again!  This time I'm giving you a chance to nose at Ethan's bedroom.  I'm going to post a few photos, but this time I'm also going to include a little vlog.  It's my first vlog, so be kind to me!  I apologise in advance, the sound is atrocious so you'll need to have your volume up high.  Hopefully you'll still get the gist of Ethan's room even if you can't make out my mumblings.  I'm still new at this vlogging lark!

If you'd like to join in, it's simple.  Write a blog post about your child/ren's bedroom, post a few pictures, a video if you fancy it and then link up using the easy to use linky below.  The link will be open for a week from today so there's plenty of time to join in.  Please include a link to my blog in your blog post.  Don't forget to tweet me the link as well so I can re-tweet to my followers and share on my blog's facebook page. This is still quite a new linky, it's not well known and I could do with increasing awareness so if you can, please tell friends you think might like to join in about it and share the link on twitter.  It's good for all of us!

Enjoy!

Ethan's "Big Boy" Bedroom:

Ethan moved into his big boy room this May.  Before he was in the smaller bedroom next to our room.  As we plan to have another child one day, we knew we had to move Ethan.  He had to move out of his cot anyway, so it all happened at the same time.  Ethan was excited about a new room and it was really fun for us to redesign a room for him.  I decided that we would move all his toys (which were spread around the house) to his new room so he can have easy access to them.  It also meant we got our living room back (though he is allowed to bring toys in there, they just go back in his room at the end of the day!).

We were lucky, Ethan's new room didn't need painting or carpeting, or new furniture.  My Mum and Dad leant us a single bed (it was my bed as a child).  We just bought curtains, duvet covers and a few bits and bobs from Ikea.  Ethan loves it and I feel he's grown up a bit since moving in to a bed and a new room.  Here are few pics:







And now for the video.. again, apologies for the sound:


Right! Now I'm going to hand over to you, lovely readers and blogging friends!  Join in, link up and let me know about it!  I can't wait to have a noise at other children's bedrooms, I love to see how other people decorate!  If you join in, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! XX


Wednesday, 29 August 2012

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...I

Look closely at the photo below.  Can you see something beginning with I?  Let me know if you do by leaving a comment, and if you fancy guessing more, hop over to see who's linked up with Mum of One!


Feeling a little Autumnal..

Is it me, or is it getting a little Autumnal?  I don't think we've really had much summer in the UK this year.  There's been the odd week and a few days here and there, but not all that much sun.  Perhaps, like last year, we'll have a freakishly hot week in October.  I don't know... Whatever, I'm over summer now, I'm bringing out the Autumn colours again.

I'm pretty fond of "Autumn" colours. They are bold, but not neon.  Classy.  I think my favourite combinations are mustard yellow, teal and maroon. Lurrrrrvely!  This is what I wore yesterday.  My first outing for my F&F Tesco skinnies.  I think they are fab.  I've worn them all day and they haven't gone saggy like some jeans do and they feel very comfortable.  Well worth their bargain price!




T Shirt - Primark (past season)
Jeans - Tesco
Cardigan - New Look (past season)
Earrings - Home made
Bangles and ring - New Look
Necklace - Stella & Dot

What do you think?  I found this to be the perfect outfit for running around after Ethan all day whilst not feeling dowdy (accessorising always helps I feel!).

The second outfit I'm going to share with you is a bit transititional.  Verging into Autumn via summer.  The skirt is vintage, I picked it up in Hackney when I was visiting my friends at the weekend.  We found a vintage clothing shop which had a "everything for £10 sale" on.  We got pretty excited.  I came away with two skirts.  I was being restrained!!  This one dates from 1973 according to the label.  I really love it.  I've decided to wear it as a high-waisted skirt over the top of a vest.  It is such a satement piece!  I've teamed it with my bargain Nine West shoes (picked up for £2.50 in a charity shop the other week).  I wore this outfit on Monday and felt smart, bold and very happy.




Vest - H&M
Cardigan - Room31
Skirt - Vintage (from Dirty Blonde, Stoke Newington, Hackney)
Shoes - Nine West (via charity shop)
Ring - Stella & Dot
Necklace - Stella & Dot

Do you like my new dressing gown in the background?  £2.50 from Ikea, and my Mum bought it for me!!

As it's Wednesday, I'm linking up with Transatlantic Blonde and The Pleated Poppy.  Happy Wednesday all!

xx

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Trendy Toddler Tuesday - Moccis

Hola folks!

Sorry it's been quiet on the blog for a few days.  It was a bank holiday weekend (if you're UK based, I'm sure you know that!!) and I've allowed myself a break from the internet and blog land.  It's nice to have a break now and then.  I went to London to visit my friend Tessa, had some child free time.  It was lovely!

I wanted to write today about Moccis.  If you read my blog regularly, I'm sure you know how much I love Moccis. I'm sure I don't need to go into huge detail about how much I love them.  We've been fans of Moccis in our house for nearly 3 years ago now.  Ethan has had several pairs, I've had 3 pairs and Pete has had 2 pairs.  Pete and I usually make ours last a year.  Ethan's feet obviously grow, so he needs pairs more frequently (having said that, his feet have remained pretty much the same size over the last year).


If you haven't read my blog before, you may well be wondering what on earth Moccis are! Well, they are a rather fantastic item.  I think of them as thick socks and slippers all in one.  They are more hard wearing than slipper socks.  You can pop outside in them if you need.  They have a non-slip sole which is fantastic for little people who like to charge around on laminate/lino/wooden floors.  Something I love is how flexible they are which is fantastic for growing feet.


Mocasin slippers/socks have been around in Sweden for years.  Anna is the creator of Moccis, she discovered Swedish Moccasins and decided to design her own and introduce them to the UK.  I think she was spot on when she says "Swedish moccasins are one of the things you just can't live without".  I know I love mine, Pete loves his and Ethan is so happy with his he often wears them to bed!  I think they are the safest slippers to wear around the house, I know I haven't slipped down the stairs since having them (normal slippers used to cause me to fall down the stairs quite frequently!  No joke if you're carrying the baby...).


I honestly, hand on heart, recommend Moccis to friends, for themselves and their children.  One of my friends is pregnant at the moment and asked if there was something I could recommend to keep a baby's feet warm when carrying them in a sling (with feet out) I instantly thought of Moccis, they stay on so well!


If you are looking for the perfect slipper, Moccis could be the one for you - warm, non-slip, stay on well and  in a huge range of designs.  Children's Moccis retail at £19.99.

Ethan wears:


T-shirt - Boys&Girls
Shorts - Faith BC 
Braces - H&M

Linking up with the ever lovely Maria for Trendy Toddler Tuesday.

**Moccis very kindly sent Ethan a pair of Moccis for the purpose of this review.  I have not been compensated for this blog post, all opinions are my own**

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

I Spy with my little eye..something beginning with..H!

You must know by now!  Wednesday is when we all play I Spy!

Can you spy the H in the pic below?  If you can and you want more, hop along to Mum of One - she's the lady to thank for this fab linky!


Owls are our favourite!

Yesterday Ethan and I went to Puxton Park (near Weston-Super-Mare).  We used to have membership, but it lapsed so I renewed it.  I'm so glad I did.  We're very lucky to have one of these adventure/theme farm parks nearby. Yes, they are a bit of a nightmare during the school holidays, but the rest of the time, especially in winter, they are a God send.

I wanted a fun, stylish and practical outfit for our day trip, so came up with this:

Owl belt - appropriate!
Trusty Clarks flats..
I'm afraid it's not a great photo, I was pushed for time so only managed a pic in the mirror on my phone, and it isn't great quality.  I was pretty happy with this.  Nice and bright.  The real statement is my Stella & Dot necklace though, I was so pleased with how it stood out against my t-shirt.

Stripy tee - Primark
Cardi - H&M
Belt - eBay
Jeans - F&F @ Tesco
Shoes - Clarks
Necklace - Stella & Dot


We had a fantastic time at Puxton.  The highlight of the day was the twilight experience with the owls.  Ethan said he wanted to have a go at "holding" an owl.  In the end, he got to have 4 on his arm.  He didn't flinch and held them up all by himself.  We were both buzzing afterwards!  The staff members were very impressed, he was the smallest child there and out of all of them appeared the most calm!  It might be due to his age perhaps, but I was very proud...  So, I have to show off a few pics of my little man and his owl friends!

Woolly the owl "The big one!"

George the owl.

I know.. fuzzy pic.. not great, but at least you can see my necklace!

For shame.. I cannot remember this gorgeous fellow's name :(


Linking up with Transatlanic Blonde and The Pleated Poppy for WIWW.

Monday, 20 August 2012

Magpie Monday - Edward Lear

My charity shop stomping grounds a sparse at the moment.. after my previous BIG HAUL I have now hit a lull... I looked in heaps last week and the only thing I came away with was a copy of The Owl & The Pussy Cat by Edward Lear (it also includes Calico Pie).


For 25p I thought this was a bargain.  It's from 1988 and I love the illustrations.  If anything, it looks like it's older than that illustration wise (not condition wise, because it's in excellent condition).

I'm a big fan of Edward Lear.  I grew up reading his wacky limericks.  I am often found quoting:

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared!--
Two Owls and a Hen, four larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard.

It sticks in my head and often when I have nothing else to think about, that comes out...


Who doesn't love The Owl & The Pussy Cat though?  Do you know there's a restaurant in Bristol called The Runcible Spoon?  It's a co-operative as well, so I really want to go there sometime soon.  I have a feeling that they have named that more to have a connection to The Good Life than Edward Lear though, as in one episode Tom tries to sell excess vegetables to a restaurant called The Runcible Spoon.. who knows, I'll ask them when I go..


I digress... I thought it was a lovely little book and Ethan is enjoying it very much!  Linking up with Liz of course for her fab linky :)

Sunday, 19 August 2012

Maxi temp? Maxi dress!

It's quite hot at the moment... up to 30 degrees which is pretty hot for these parts and we are also experiencing a wonderful (errr.. not!) 99% humidity so it is NOT COMFORTABLE!

It's so hard to know what to wear when it's like this.  Short skirts and shorts are great to a degree, but separates tend to get on my nerves a bit when I'm hot and sweaty.  I feel like I'm being wrapped to tightly.  What I tend to go for is a floaty maxi dress.  Yes, it does mean more of you is covered, but you get a nice breeze around your (no! don't be dirty!) legs and if you like you can hitch it up a bit when you walk with your hand.. I do tend to do this!!

I have a few maxi dresses, but this is my favourite in hot weather because it's cotton, so doesn't add to the sweat!  It's comfy, flattering and I don't have to wear a vest underneath because it doesn't cut too low - another bonus in the heat!

Child photo bomber strikes again..
If I could change one thing about it, I'd like it to be longer.  I'm not tall.  I'm not even 5"2, but even still, it skims my ankles.  This makes shoes a bit of an issue.  I find even my Birkenstocks don't look right with it.  They are the best I have, but I think it'd look better with some delicate flip flops or really flat sandals.  I'll have to look out for something.  The trouble is I need comfortable footwear because I do a lot of walking.  When I've bought flipflops or thin sandals before they've either rubbed or broken really quickly. Any suggestions?




At first I added a scarf around my neck, but I was being silly, it was far too hot, so I kept it simple and just accessorised with jewellery.



Dress - Apricot
Scarf - vintage
Earrings - Room31
Ring & necklace - Stella & Dot
Bracelet - Primark
Shoes - Birkenstock

What are you wearing in this heat?  Got any recommendations for dressing to stay cool?

Linking up with Not Dead YetMonday Mingle,Watch What I'm Wearing & YOLO Mondays.

XX

My First Stella & Dot Trunk Show

Last night I hosted my first Stella & Dot trunk show at my house.  I thought I'd do my first show as hostess as well as stylist as it's a good way to introduce people to the brand without hassle.


I must admit I was nervous.  My party was due to start at 8pm and throughout the day my nerves grew.  I felt better once Ethan was in bed for the day because then I could concentrate fully on setting up and getting ready.  I haven't got masses of samples, so I worried my display was sparse, but in the end I was happy with how it looked.  Of course one day I hope to have many more samples and will be able to make a far more impressive display, but for a first show, I was happy.

I got my nibbles and snacks set up, stocked up the fridge with some drinks, put catalogues out and tried not to let my nerves get the best of me!!


A couple of my friends couldn't make it, but I had 5 who could.  Quite a nice number for a first show I think, not too big, not too small.  I was worried that people would feel pressured to buy as a duty to me as a friend, but as it turns out, I don't feel that was the case at all.  At least I hope not!! I was pleased to find out that many of my friends were finding it very hard to choose what to go for because they liked so many items from the catalogue.


My first show has been a great learning tool for me, I got asked some questions that I didn't know the answer to (like "how long will it take my parcel to get to me" - answer one week or less, though seeing as I have ordered myself, I should have known!!) but that's good.  Getting put on the spot forces you to learn and I find you're more likely to remember in the future!

If you're a new Stella & Dot stylist preparing for your first show, my tips would be:

- Have at least one laptop/tablet/PC on with the Stella & Dot website loaded up.  Very handy for checking current prices and looking up sale items which aren't in the catalogue.  Also great for looking up FAQs for when someone asks you something you don't know the answer to!


- Have some business cards with your stylist details on them printed up.  You can staple them into catalogues or just hand them out to guests who don't want to take a catalogue home because it's too bulky.

- Spend time over your display.  Don't just use conventional jewellery display stands, try to be creative, it gives you your own style!

- Explain a bit about the history of Stella & Dot to guests. I didn't do this enough last night, but I think this was because it was very informal and with close friends.  If I were going to a group where I only knew one or two people, I would start the evening with a short introduction.

- Make sure you've worn some (or all) of your samples pieces out and about yourself, it makes it so much easier to recommend how to style them, what they are like to wear, how they wear, what the quality is like etc..

Now, unfortunately I haven't yet managed to book a second show, and I must admit I am a little worried about this.  I think the main reason people are put off booking is expense.  I've had a few people tell me they've had a look at the Stella & Dot website and feel that it's expensive.  This is where coming to shows really comes into it's own.  I do think that some of the pieces look mega expensive for what they are when you look at them online, but when you actually see them in the flesh, you realise how much work has gone into them and how great the quality is.  The trouble is, when it comes to friends, I don't want to force anyone.  I don't want to loose friendships or make anyone feel uncomfortable, so I really need to work on getting a show booked outside of my circle of friends.  This is proving tricky.  I'm dropping off little S&D look books with my details on around my town, so I'm hoping something will come up from that.

Let's hope I get a second show booked soon.  I really want to make something of this, I'm excited!  The jewellery is really gorgeous and I'm enjoying telling people all about it.  It goes without saying, if you're reading this and want to book a show, let me know!

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

What I wore - today!

We're house sitting for my parents at the moment, whilst they are on holiday.  It's mainly so we can take care of all the watering (although the rain is doing most of that today, apart from the greenhouse and house plants!) and look after Alfie the dog.

I'm quite a dab hand at getting us packed up to stay away from home these days.  We usually take two small holidays each year, house sit for my parents 3 times a year and visit friends and family at weekends, so I've got plenty of practice at packing everything we need but no extras.  I admit, it is hard for someone who loves clothes, not only my own clothes, but Ethan's clothes.  At first, I would pack far, far too much.  It would always stress me out when we'd get home because it'd take soooo long to wash and put away.  These days I'm more savvy, taking less and doing a wash just before we go back to our house so we don't have the dirty washing situation.  Takes the stress out of it!!  Something else I do is have a lot of stuff that lives at my parents house, PJs for us all, wash stuff, make up, contact lenses, spare clothes for Ethan, pull ups, a potty, books, toys, bottles, night lights, I try to make sure if we ever had to stay unplanned we'd be able to with minimum fuss.

Anyway, what this is all leading up to is me explaining that I'm not really wearing many exciting or varied outfits this week.  I brought a capsule wardrobe of mix and match items and I'm doing quite well.  This is what I was wearing this morning... I've changed into jeans since because it's a bit nippy!!

I'm afraid the photos are terrible because our main camera has run out of power and the one thing I forgot to pack (after singing my praises!!!) was the charger... Doh.  So, these are from my phone and the lighting was terrible.  Please forgive me!!





T-shirt - New Look from AGES ago
Skirt - Duck & Cover via the charity shop
Beads - Mum's from the '70s
Charm necklace - Stella & Dot (via me!)

I like this outfit.  The tops is old and basic, yes, but it also fits me well and is great against a patterned skirt.  The skirt I am ecstatic with.  I bought it from a charity shop the other week for a steal, without trying it on, so it was a gamble, but it fits like a dream and is flattering I think!  Love the pattern as well.  What do you think?  Do you buy many clothes from charity shops/sales/thrift shops?

I wish I hadn't had to change into my jeans, but it's horrible weather here today...

Linking up with Transatlantic Blonde and Pleated Poppy.

Tuesday, 14 August 2012

I spy...letter G!

Can you spy the G in the pic below?


If you fancy guessing some more, hop along to Mum of One to see who else has linked up! x

Monday, 13 August 2012

Rocking charity threads

You may have read my previous post in which I showed off my recent charity shop bargains.  Well, the outfits I'm showing today are both centred around charity shop bargains.

First up, this is what I wore last Friday.  It was hot, so I thought my "new" superdry dress would be a good item to wear, but I'm not very good with strapless dresses, so I had to team it with a short sleeved cardi.

La-di-da, staring off into space....



Dress - Superdry via the charity shop
Cardi - H&M (ages old)
Earrings - eBay (years ago)
Necklace - Stella & Dot
Broach - From a suitcase sale
Bracelet - H&M

I was quite pleased with this outfit. I'll admit that after a while I find strapless dresses a little uncomfortable, but this dress was such a bargain, it was worth a little irritation!  I liked the contrast of the yellow against the tartan pattern.  I love to wear my broach, look the birds are flying in the clouds!

My second outfit I wore on Sunday.  Again, it was built around a charity shop bargain, this time a skirt.  Remember last week when I couldn't get Ethan out of my photos?  Well, he insisted on trying to be the photographer this time, so the first shot is his..





Skirt - H&M via the chairty shop
Vest - H&M
Cropped cardigan - Room31
Leggings - George at Asda
Earrings - Room31
Chunky bead necklace - Charity shop
Charm necklace - Stella & Dot
Bag - vintage, my Grandma's
Shoes - Clarks

Have you spotted my new glasses?  Good ol' Gok at Specsavers.   I'm loving them!

I was very happy in this outfit.  The skirt is short and a puffball shape, I always feel like a little girl in puffball shape skirts!  They are fun :)  I just felt this was a very joyful yet smart outfit.

I'm linking up today with Watch What I'm Wearing, Visible Monday and Monday Mingle.

A total haul - Magpie Monday

Last Thursday whilst my parents had Ethan, I spent a very productive hour popping in and out of Clevedon's charity shops and I got so lucky.  I've been buzzing ever since!

First up, the Holly Hedge charity shop had these cute home-made record bowls.  I know you can make these yourself in the microwave, but they were only 50p so I thought they were well worth it.  I'm going to use them to display jewellery in at my Stella & Dot trunk shows.  What do you think:


Next up was St Peters Hospice.  I'm not a huge fan of them... they charge far too much and our local branch has a sale rail at the moment!! I've heard of 20p or 50p bins at charity shops, or even a £1 rail.  But to actually have a charity shop with a "sale" err.. no, that's all wrong! Anyway, I still check out what they have, just in case!  This time I grabbed a few few books at 50p each and a brand new designer t shirt for a 0-6 month old for £2 which I'm going to give to my friend when she has her baby.

Antoni & Alison top & "Colours" book by the Meg & Mog writer!

Ethan has taken a liking to Miffy books & he loves The Snowman
Break was the next charity shop I ventured into.  Again I got lucky.  After a good nose around I found a Superdry dress and a Fat Face skirt.  Together they set me back £6.50 which I think was a fair price - both would have been a lot more expensive originally and to be honest I don't think they've been worn.



Feeling very pleased with myself I started making my way home... trouble was, my route took me past one last shop, Changing Lives.  It was minutes away from closing for the day, but I dashed in.   I'm glad I did.  What I took home with me for the bargain price of £2.50!


Yup! A pair of Nine West shoes.  My size, pretty comfy and in great condition.  Yippee!!

I'm linking up with Lizzie for Magpie Monday.