Spring in Autumn

Spring in Autumn.  What am I on about?  Well.  I got dressed this morning and the dress I put on, if I'm honest, it looked more like a dress for a Spring day than an Autumn one.  Having said that, today is particularly beautiful in this part of the country.  The exact kind of Autumn day you dream about.  Crisp air, colourful leaves in the trees, no rain and blue skies.  So I suppose, if it weren't for the leaves around my feet I could be fooled into thinking it was a little spring like out there.  If it weren't for the smell in the air as well...  Do you find the air smells different season to season?  I know I do.

I like this dress.  It hangs in my wardrobe (which is bursting at the seems..) and doesn't come out very often.  It's one of those dresses, when I put it on, I'm not sure whether I like how it looks on my or not.  Today I like it.  And it suits the bright blue sky.  So whilst it has cherry blossom splashed all over it, it feels lovely and bright, just like the weather.  I'll take that..  Stick a pair of tights under and cardi over the top, I think it still works!

Smile woman!

Dress - Who knows! Sorry...

Cardigan - Yumi

Tights - Ebay

Belt - H&M

Do you ever wear clothes that don't seem quite right for season but go with it anyway?  Oh, and before you comment. Yes, I am wearing my slippers.  I'm in my house! No shoes in the house!! Perhaps I should change the title of this blog to "Style in Slippers".  Or "Slip into Style".  Perhaps "Style V Comfort"?.  Hmmmm....

**Linking up with lovely Not Dressed As Lamb for #iwillwearwhatilike**

Doc love & rose print dresses.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the '90s I had a pair of docs.  A beautiful, lovely, comfy pair of docs.  They were everything from my school shoes to the shoes I'd wear to the school disco.  I LOVED them.  My friends all had pairs and we all customised our boots with beads on the laces, painting and drawing pictures on them.  Even after I stopped wearing them I kept them.  Couldn't bear to part with them!! Even now, I think they are somewhere in a box at my parents house.. don't think they'd fit any more though!!

For years now, I've fancied getting myself another pair.  They've become a bit more popular again lately, and although that doesn't make me want them any more (I'd want them anyway!) it has pushed the desire to the front of my mind.  The trouble is, docs aren't cheap.. I tried bidding on a few second hand pairs on ebay but they were still going for £45+ and in the end, I decided it'd be nice just to have a brand new pair.  I found a style I loved the look of, sold some things on ebay and then last week, treated myself!!  I've not worn them out yet, I need to wear them in a bit yet before I step out on the school run or on a walk into town (need to make sure I'm comfy!!) but I'm excitedly planning outfits around them!!  Do you have any docs?  Love or loath them?

I do a lot of my clothes shopping in Asda at the moment when I pop in to buy food - I picked up this cute dress there this week for £6.  Can't resist a bargain!! Apologies for the quality of the photos but I have to operate as a stealth blogger these days, when the baby is napping, and I had to take the photos in semi darkness without the flash on!!!  Hopefully you get the idea though!

It's a nice dress, comfy and bright.  I need to tone up after having Felix though and at the moment it shows too many lumps and bumps for me to wear it without a cardi.  I'm planning to do the 30 Day Shred again once I've shifted this cold!

Linking up with all the cool fashion bloggers, Transatlantic Blonde, Rachel The Hat, The Pleated Poppy, Kiwi Women's Style & Not Dead Yet Style.

18 week bump - definitely showing.

A quick quick post.... I'm 18+4 now and there is no way you can fail to notice... This week was the first time I ventured out without a coat/jacket covering my bump and as a result my neighbours have started to notice!!! Funny.... Yes, the secret is fully out, the bump is on show.

I think once your bump pops out a bit it starts to get a bit easier to dress it... before that you're stuck in a no mans land where you're a bit too big for your normal clothes, but your bump isn't showing enough for it to be obvious that you're pregnant so you just feel kind of dumpy and don't know what to wear.. I think I'm coming out of that phase now.  I'm still wearing a mixture of maternity and non-maternity.  Generally speaking, I need maternity wear on my lower half, so it's mat jeans and tights.. Many of my dresses and tops still fit over the top quite happily.  It's quite a nice halfway house.  This is my fave look of the week so far... sorry I'm in the loo again!

Tights - Mama @ H&M

Boots - Kensington Uggs via Cloggs.co.uk

Dress - Primark (last year)

Cardi - New Look (earlier this year)

Belt - ebay

Snood - Primark

Hat - H&M (last year)

I've loved finding this dress at the back of my wardrobe... I didn't love it on me before being pregnant (despite adoring the print) but I feel it works really well over the bump, even if it makes the bump look bigger!! H&M Mama tights are a staple... they aren't toooo expensive and seem to be great quality.  I have 3 pairs and layer them up when it's cold.  Best of all are my Uggs though.  I really do love these.  I cannot believe how well they are coping with rain, they haven't stained and have remained watertight.  LOVE them. Comfy and warm as well....

Linking up with the lovely Transatlantic Blonde today :)

Stylin' out my charity threads..

A few of you who popped by on Monday saw the two dresses I bought from a charity shop at the weekend.  Well, I've worn both of them now and I'm so pleased with them!  They've been comfy and look lovely, I think!  What do you think?

I wore the ASOS dress with turquoise tights and wine coloured crochet tights over the top.  I felt lovely in this dress.  The top half is such a statement, but the lower half is flows and is so soft and comfy.  As you can see I teamed it with some statement jewellery.. For a change! Haha...

Dress - ASOS  (via charity shop)

Tights - both pairs New Look

Cardi - Room 31

Heeled ballets - Matalan

Necklace - vintage via my Mum

Bracelets - New Look

Earrings - eBay

My little cardi from Room 31 came out again with this dress.. This is where I think cropped cardi's really come into their own, they go so well with dresses and are very handy in Autumn!  I kept the colour pallet very simple, orange and russet colours. Very Autumn again!

Dress - Monsoon (via charity shop)

Tights - New Look

Cardi - Room 31

Boots - CAT

Bag - Marc Jacobs

I took my second lot of photos in the garden on Tuesday, and it struck me how the seasons are now changing... the light has changed, the smell in the air.  I love Autumn!  I always feel a little sad for the garden though..  Soon it will be stripped bare.  I do love our garden!

Do you have a garden in your life?  We're not great gardeners, we don't do much, just keep it neat and tidy. Pete designed our garden and brought it to life.  He did a fantastic job I feel.  It's like a cottage garden, full of little surprises!

Linking up today with Transatlantic Blonde & The Pleated Poppy.

Styling the School Run with Lands' End

The fabulous people at Lands' End contacted me recently and asked if I would like to take part in their Bloggers Style Project.  Of course I said yes!  I couldn't type out my reply quick enough!

Lands' End asked me to choose a dress from their Autumn dress range to showcase on my blog.  I have to admit it was difficult to choose.  I could have gone for any of the gorgeous dresses on there.  In the end, I decided to go for something with a bold pattern.  I love bold patterns, I'm pretty much "known" for them.  Can you guess what I chose?  I went for the floral print jersey wrap dress.

Image source: Lands' End website

The customer service was excellent and my dress arrived quickly.  I was chomping at the bit to get to it, so it's just as well the dress arrived quickly!  Once my package arrived and I opened up, I wasn't disappointed.  At first look, the pattern just jumps out of you.  On first touch, I fell in love.  This dress is so soft and comfortable!  I couldn't have been happier.  The idea of this challenge was to choose a dress suitable and versatile enough to become the linchpin of a "school run" outfit.  Something you would be comfortable and happy in, something you could style in different ways but a dress in which you would still be stylish.  For me, this dress has all boxes ticked!

It has to be said that perhaps it isn't as versatile as some of the other dresses Lands' End stock, due to it's length, shape and pattern, but I still feel you can change your look.  Different shoes/boots, different jewellery, a jacket, a cardigan, a bright pair of tights for a flash of colour.  I feel this dress could easily become evening wear as well.  Something stylish yet comfy to wear to a dinner party in I feel!

I have worn this dress several times now.  I mostly team it with a pair of boots, I think that's how it looks best, though I have worn low heeled pumps and flats as well.  I feel this dress really needs a belt and preferably a big one.  It helps to emphasise your figure!  Important when there's a whole lot of pattern going on. Talking of pattern,  I love the way it contrasts with my autumn jacket and my statement jewellery works brilliantly with it.  Time and time again though, I'm just bowelled over by how soft and comfy it is to wear!  I've washed this dress a couple of times now.  It washes well, retains it's shape, dries quickly and looks just as good as before.

Couldn't get Alfie to stay out of shot...

When wearing this dress, I have received compliments, particularly about the pattern!  My Mum mentioned that I "looked lovely" in it.  I'm very very happy with this dress - I bet that's clear now!

Thank you so much, Lands' End, for involving me in this project, I've enjoyed it and can say, hand on heart, that this is a new favourite dress of mine that has already made it to the school dates twice since the start of term!

If you want to see some other Lands' End dresses "in action" then check out these other bloggers!

The Online Stylist
ClaireJustine
The Life & Times of a Working Mum
School Gate Style

Other outfit details:  

Necklace - Stella & Dot

Bracelets - Stella & Dot

Ring - H&M

Belt - New Look

Earrings - eBay

Pumps - Matalan

Boots - Art

Jacket - Jasper Conran

Bag - Marc Jacobs
Umbrella - Love Umbrellas

**I was sent this dress by Lands' End for review purposes and have also been compensated for this post, but all views expressed are honest and genuine**

I'm spinning around...

This outfit I actually meant to share the other week, but totally forgot.  I'm amazed really, because this ensemble made me so happy! I am a big fan of dresses and skirts which lend themselves to twirling and spinning around, and this skater dress from Room31 definitely does that.

 
When it first arrived after ordering, I was a bit concerned it was too big, but with a belt (which it does come with!) it was perfect.  It's actually a really nice fit.  The quality is excellent, it was a bargain in their sale, reduced from £15 (still a steal!) to £10.  It feels like it cost way more than that.  I wore one of my net skirts underneath to pad it out.  It worked brilliantly!  Room31 had this in navy as well... wish I'd bought it.  Both are out of stock now. They do have some other prints still available though, and for £10 still!  I teamed my dress with a cropped cardigan also from Room31 and also in the sale.. I think it was a fiver.. Another bargain, I really love it.  A cropped cardi is an essential in my wardrobe I think, it's a useful coverup but without being too bulky.  They are great with dresses because they look neat and smart.

I know, I'm shoe-less... excuse me.  I wore it out with my clarks flats which I often wear because they are smart yet comfy.

I'm rocking some Stella & Dot bling, the Olivia Bib necklace which I adore and some bangles (which are mixed in with a job lot from New Look and my charm bracelets).

What do you think?  This was a really fun outfit, I thought!

Dress - Room31

Cardi - Room31

Bracelets - charms, newlook & Stella & Dot

Necklace - Stella & Dot

Ring - Local boutique

Nails - Collection 2000

Linking up with Watch What I'm Wearing, Visible Monday & #YoLo Mondays.

Magpie Monday - Johnson Brothers etc..

I'm back for Magpie Monday!  I've not had anything to write about for the last few weeks, bargain/charity related.  On Saturday though, we were in town and decided to pop into just one charity shop (Ethan was with us and wanted to get home so he could ride his bike!).  We picked Age Concern and in we went.

Within seconds I spotted what I think is my top charity shop bargain EVER.  Not only that, this is probably my favourite thing to have spotted in a charity shop.  Something for someone else, something I just knew they would love.  That's the best really.  What had I spotted? A huge haul of Hearts & Flowers crockery by Johnson Brothers.

My mother-in-law collects this design of crockery.  Shortly before getting married she read that Johnson Brothers were bringing out a new design - Hearts & Flowers.  She fell in love with it and managed to track down a shop in Otley (Yorkshire) which stocked it.  She couldn't afford to buy the whole set, but got herself set up with plates and bowls.  Pete (hubby) and his siblings all grew up eating from this crockery.  Even I have very fond memories, seeing as I've been with Pete for 12 years.  Ethan also knew as soon as I spotted it in Age Concern that "It's Grandma's plates and bowls!".  Straight away I got Pete's attention and sent him off to the till to ask if they had a box/bag for us to transport it home in whilst I stood a very nervous guard (not easy because Ethan kept running off and getting in the way of people coming in and out of the shop!!).  The lady in the shop was so helpful.  She said she'd had her eye on it herself!  She got the crockery wrapped and bagged up for us whilst we browsed the rest of the shop.  I found myself a nice Saltrock dress which I'm very pleased with, but the crockery haul really made us grin from ear to ear (even though it was exhausting to lug home!)

So..  what did we get and for how much you ask?  In total there were:

6 bowls
1 small bowl
a jug
6 cups
6 saucers
6 side plates
6 medium plates

The cost?  £7.99.  For the lot.  Total and utter bargain I feel.  This would go for masses on eBay I have no doubt.  It's not about the cost though, it's about recycling, sharing, keeping a story going and spreading the love :)

My dress came in at £4.99.  Not such a bargain, but still a good price and a nice dress.  I wore it today and it's very "swishy" which I like!

Sorry the photos are a bit rubbish, they are from my phone, all I've got at present!

Please do go and visit Missie Lizzie's blog to see what the other Magpies have hauled in!

What I wore Wednesday - 13/06/2012

I have a couple of outfits to "show off" for this week's What I wore Wednesday.

Firstly, if you read my Magpie Monday post this week, you may remember the original '70s scarf I wrote about.  Well, the first outfit I have to share features that:

Cardigan - H&M (ages ago)

Vest top - H&M

Cord Jeggings - New Look (last season)

Scarf - My Mum's from the '70s

Converse trainers

I really enjoyed wearing this outfit.  It's comfortable but it also brightened my day.  I love this cardi with the cloud print and happy sunny yellow.  The scarf is very in your face.  Most of all, I adore my orange Converse.  They are some of the most comfortable shoes I own and always attract comments (some woman was leaning out of her upstairs window shouting out at me the other day when I wore them, going on about how I was brightening up her day LOL!).

The other outfit I wanted to share was what I wore on Saturday just gone when my friend Lucy and I had a girly day out.  We went to a "suitcase sale" in Bristol.  Simple idea, anyone can pay to have a spot, the only limitation is that you can only sell what you can fit into a suitcase.  Suffice to say there were some pretty well stuffed huge suitcases there!  We had a lovely time browsing the "suitcases" and each made a few purchases (will share on another occasion).  I was feeling happy and pretty in my new Primark dress (£5 bargain!) and my fitted jacket.  It was a lovely day out.

Dress - Primark

Jacket - New Look

Tights - New Look

Boots - Wrangler

Bangle - Primark

Ring - H&M (a while ago)

Bag - Marc Jacobs last Autumn

This was another happy making outfit.  Knowing my dress was such a bargain was a real mood booster.  I felt great in it.

Please do pop over to Transatlantic Blonde to see all the other fashionable folks!

Fashion Friday - I went shopping...

Ahhh, retail therapy.  Even if nothing is getting you down, a little shopping trip is always enjoyable!

This wasn't browsing though, I set off with a mission on my shopping trip yesterday..  I was after a pair of yellow cropped skinny jeans from GAP.  Was I successful?  Yes and no..

My first stop was, of course, GAP.  I wondered in and my eyes gravitated to a pair of yellow jeans.  But they were boyfriend style.. boo!! Ah well, I'll try them on I thought.  I looked around the rest of the shop, disappointed that I couldn't find any coloured skinny jeans.  I was about to give up when I suddenly found a whole load of them hiding in a corner of the shop - yay!! No yellow ones, but plenty of other colours, blue, green, pink, grey.. I grabbed a blue pair.  I know it's not even close to yellow, but I have green, orange and pink already.  Blue is a great colour to go for.  Classic.

In the changing room I was not disappointed, the jeans fitted like a glove which I was a bit surprised about (I grabbed an 8 and a 10 - the 8 was ok but the 10 looked best) I was expecting them to get stuck around my thighs - whilst checking out jeans on the GAP website all the reviews for this style said they come up very small.. I was expecting to need a 12 or even 14.  I got lucky perhaps.. could be because I'm short maybe?

Taking them to the checkout, I suddenly noticed a big sign stating that everything in the shop (apart from sale items) has 30% off.  Wooooo! So glad I didn't buy online.  My jeans would have set me back £45.99 but came in at just over £32.  Great.  Not too pricey.  More than my Tesco and Primark jeans, but these feel like heaven, the material is gorgeous.

Buoyed on by my first success, I hit TKMaxx.  I love TKMaxx. It's not somewhere I can visit with Ethan (or Pete) because I can't relax and take my time.. and you need to take your time at TKMaxx because it is a little like a jumble sale.  Especially in half term.  It was heaving.  I grabbed a few dresses to try on including a  cute Cynthia Rowley number they only had in a size 6.  I got it on OK but it was a little tight on the back (not surprising considering my F cups!!).  Booo... one of the dresses I grabbed (Studio 1) looked lovely though, so that one came home with me.

After a frapachino pitstop (oh maaaaaaaan, those Mocha Cookie Crumble Frapachinos from Starbucks are beyond gorgeous!) I then hit up the big one.  Primarni baby!  If TKMax was heaving, Primark was like some sort of cattle show.. mad. Still, when you're shopping without a buggy it's much easier to navigate the crowds.  I took a few dresses, tops and a pair of yellow jeans to the changing room but only came out with one of the tops and one of the dresses - luckily the dress that was £5 - the cheapest one I'd picked up.  I'm in love with it, it looks fab on and such a bargain.

Primark being Primark, I couldn't come away without a few accessories, so got a pair of sunglasses for me and a pair for Ethan (£1 each!), two pairs of ankle socks (50p each) and a set of PJs with a cute print for Ethan (£3).

I do love Primark!

Well... that sums up my spending spree.  The whole lot was £65 so I don't think that's too bad for what I got!  Having had a look at the evidence, it seems I'm loving blue and yellow at the moment!!

What have you bought lately?

What I wore Wednesday

I enjoyed joining in with What I wore Wednesday last week.  After all, I show off Ethan's clothes on a Tuesday, it's a good idea to show off mine the next day..

I've got two outfits this week.  The first is quite girlie, the other quite smart.  See what you think!

I still feel such a twit doing these photos of myself!!

Jewellery 

This is me..

Headless...

Dress - Top Shop via eBay a few years ago

Cardigan - New Look  AW11

Tights - New Look AW11

Necklace - a gift

Ring - H&M a couple of years ago

Bracelets - my usual ones!

Boots - CAT

Oh Hai!

My be-hind..

Doncha think my earrings are a good match with the shoes?!

Love these - Rachel "The Hat" these are your fault! xx

Jeans - H&M current season

Stripy top - Primark a couple of years ago

Jacket - New Look current season

Floral Loafers - Clothing @ Tesco current season

Earrings - Ebay about 5 years ago.

I enjoyed wearing both of these outfits, I love to wear a dress, especially with boots and bright jeans always lift my mood.

Head over to Transatlantic Blonde to see all the other Fashionistas!

Magpie Monday - Boden

I've not joined in with Magpie for a couple of weeks... I've been trawling the charity shops but not come across anything very much!  I keep on looking though..

I had a bit of luck this week.  I found a Mr Men book for Ethan for 49p - no pic I'm afraid.  It was brand new, one of the modern ones, so nothing exciting, but Ethan loves Mr Men so it was a great find for him.  Went in his "poo prize bag" (he gets prizes every time he manages 4 poos in the potty/loo!).

I also found a Boden dress for £4 in charity shop in Nailsea.  It was a very lucky find actually.  I owned the same dress before - well, not exactly the same one, but the same design and print, but it was too small for me (bought on eBay).  This one was the next size up, so when I saw it on the rail in the shop I got all jumpy and excited.  You know when you feel like you've spotted the best thing in the shop and you start checking over your shoulder to make sure no-one's about to pinch it from under your nose and you get nervous butterflies?  Well, it was like that.  I marched off to the changing room with it AND IT FITTED!!! Yay!  Sweet, sweet, sweeeeeeeeet!  I can't really afford brand new Boden.  Not unless it's in the sale and a treat!  This made me very happy.

I have a pic from the changing room:

Yeah, I wouldn't normally wear it with black leggings and these boots.. but hey!

Also have a couple of pics of me wearing it the other day, but they don't really show it off very well!  It's lovely and comfy though.  Going to be fab if the summer ever arrives...

Well, that's all for this weeks' bargain hunting... hopefully I'll find more for next week.  Don't forget to head over to Missie Lizzie's place to see what the other bargain hunters have found!