Category Archives: outfits

Dressing up Mum with Bonmarche

11th February 2015

When I started my blog all the way back in 2009 (oh how old that makes me feel!) it was a mainly solo affair- it was months before I let on to my family and friends what I was doing, and longer still before anyone else knew. These days I have a more “all hands on deck” approach and rope in helpers wherever possible. I have Ben doing the design and maintenance side of things (plus the odd photoshoot) and then I have Mum doing almost every set of photos and helping me sort out photographing and organising other posts too.

It’s nice to be able to reward these people who give up their time to help me, so when Bonmarche got in touch asking if I’d like to pick out a piece from their new Citrus Bloom by David Emanuel collection for my Mum I jumped at the chance (casually mentioning to her a day or so later that she’d need to be photographed and appear on the internet!)

Dress c/o Bonmarche | Tights: Marks and Spencer | Boots: Wallis

I’ll admit that I had Bonmarche down as an older person’s shop before I worked with them on the blog a year or so ago and took a fresh look. Granted some of the pieces are still aimed at a more mature audience but there are some items that are just perfect for people like my Mum- who want to dress nicely without looking either too young or too frumpy. This dress is really lovely, it’s a great quality fabric that clings in a really flattering way. The print is gorgeous and it’s quickly become a staple for a day at work. At £30 it’s a brilliant buy as it’s clearly going to last for quite some time, and I am sure there will be the odd occasion when this makes it’s way in to my wardrobe for a quick work-wear solution.
I know Mum was more than a bit reluctant to appear on the blog but I think she looks great- it was really comical watching her pose for the camera though, she’s obviously spent too long photographing me as at times it was like looking in a mirror!
Do you have anyone else get involved in your blog or is it still a bit of a secret? What do you think of how Mum styled the dress?

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Posted in family, life, outfits

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The Hybrid Dress of Dreams

09th February 2015
Ever see a dress and you have no idea when on earth you’ll ever get chance to own it but need to have it regardless? That’s exactly what happened to me when I caught sight of the Isabella dress by Hybrid. I’m a sucker for a velvet dress at the best of times, but combine it with a maxi length and more than a hint of sequins and I’m a lost cause.

Dress c/o Hybrid | Shoes: Mary Portas for Clarks | Necklace c/o Henryka | Bracelet c/o lolaandgrace

After the faded glitz and glamour of the festive season it felt good to get all dressed up again even if it was purely for the purpose of a blog post. I’d dress like this all the time if it was more socially acceptable (although give me a week and I’d be craving jeans and knitwear). I was lucky enough to be sent some gorgeous jewels from lolaandgrace
 that coincided with the arrival of the dress so I popped on this chunky chain bracelet to finish off the look (for once in my life). The Henryka Daisy necklace is a permanent feature around my necklace recently and thankfully it seems to compliment every outfit.

After such a long hiatus from regular blogging I seem to have fallen out of the swing of writing engaging blog posts- if mine could ever be counted as such! Fingers crossed inspiration strikes soon…

In the mean time, what do you prefer- dressing up or dressing down?

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Posted in jewellery, life stuff, outfits

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Cold Snap

28th January 2015
Last week, whilst people up North were frolicking in snow and ice we down near Bristol were left with a mere sprinkle of the white stuff, frolicking in sleet and freezing winds instead. In our wisdom Mum and I decided to pop down to a lake near where we live, mostly so that I could practice some driving manoeuvres in the car park but also as a change of location for blog pictures. I used to spend a lot of time down at the lake, Dad and my Granddad were big fans of taking my brother and I down to let off steam on a Sunday. These days I tend to (shamefully) forget about it, but I have a return trip planned- this time armed with bread to feed the hoards of hungry ducks!

Coat: Zara (last year) | Jumper: H&M | Jeans: Bershka | Boots: Zara

Such chilly weather calls for layers of basics to keep in some heat. I had tried in vain not to give in and to carry on wearing my skirts, dresses and tights but in the end jeans and this cosy new jumper from H&M won. I had it in my head that I hated roll neck jumpers, something about feeling constricted but this one doesn’t make me feel like that at all and is super cosy to boot! At £5 in the H&M sale I wish there had been more colours available. Once I’ve recovered from the shock of spending my savings on a MacBook air (very much needed as my old laptop was taking twenty minutes to load a page) I might seek out a few more bargain knits just in case more freezing conditions threaten.
Do you have any local beauty spots like this? I think I’m going to try and get more photos amongst the ducks and geese as the weather improves- wading through mud isn’t very glamorous but it does make a change from the back garden!

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits

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Sheer

26th January 2015
It’s been a while since I roped Ben in to taking photos for the blog, mostly because I am too lazy to drag my camera in to Bristol when I go to spend the weekends with him. Feeling a little more motivated the weekend before last (spurred on by my rambling post the other day) we had a mini photo-shoot by the studio he rents to teach guitar and do web design work from.

Top: Primark | Skirt c/o Clothing at Tesco (last year) | Boots c/o Daniel Footwear (last year but available still) | Necklace c/o Jon Richard

I picked up this top in Primark a few weeks ago and this was the first time I had even tried it on. It wasn’t until I uploaded these photos that I realised quite how sheer it was, perhaps it’s less so in real life as nobody reacted like I was exposing myself but either way I think it looks kind of cool (and to be honest, you can’t expect too much from a top that cost a fiver!). I’m still not over my love of tartan and I’m really enjoying this outfit as a whole- the gold details make me look quite put together for once in my life!
I’m not usually one for wearing big, chunky necklaces but this one calls out to me from my collection every so often. It’s made me realise I should probably make an effort more often when it comes to accessorising an outfit- I am forever fawning over jewellery, scarves and bags that other bloggers are wearing without ever thinking to capture my own…oops! Perhaps I can add that to my “non-resolution” list. I’m loving all things tartan at the moment (as ever) and I think this wrap would make the perfect accessory for the colder days we’ve had lately.
After my fit of insecurity about my blog the other day I’ve realised the only way I can feel better about it is to make some changes. I’m feeling quite motivated at the moment so hopefully I can get things to a stage where I feel more content with my content…who knows, whatever will be will be and as long as I’m having fun I’m trying not to care!
What did you get up to this weekend? My beloved Grandad turned 80 on Saturday and we had a family tea-party at my parents’ (he flat out refused a big celebration!). Sunday Ben and I had a little dinner date after I’d taken my camera for a stroll around Bristol in hopes of getting some inspiration for a future blog post…

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Posted in jewellery, life, life stuff, outfits, shoes

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Pouncing Kitty

23rd January 2015
If winning a giveaway with Stylistpick wasn’t enough, finding something cat related to purchase with my voucher was the icing on the cake. I know, how many feline themed items of clothing can one girl own? Crazy cat lady and proud!

Jumper: Stylistpick (here) | Jeans: Primark | Converse: via Sarenza

I almost didn’t post these photos, there is something about them that I’m just not happy with. Perhaps it was the bad body image day I was having at the time, or perhaps it was more to do with the standard of my photos & location compared to every other blogger out there, but yeah…I’m just not that cool with them.

Comparison to others has been a real enemy of mine lately, especially when it comes to blogging. Whilst others seem to have developed and flourished as a blogger I barely see any change in mine from when I started six years ago. It’s lack of time mostly, working two jobs as well as running this site I find it hard to grab even an afternoon to go somewhere nice and shoot a few outfits. I also seem to lack the creative brain that others have, when it comes to posing and setting up a photo I just fall short…

But enough, enough of that because at the root of it all I’m happy with what I do and with my blog. It’s not my full time job, or even a job at all and I get some amazing benefits from it. Perhaps as the weather improves I will get out there and work on my outfit photos and branch out a bit more, but then again, maybe I won’t. The same goes for the other content I put up. I only post about what I want to post about and I don’t have hours to spare putting together the perfect set up that isn’t a reflection of who I am as a person.

I’ve had a bad day or six lately and that has impacted on how I view anything that I put together but I won’t let it stop me. I’m not going to make promises I can’t keep, but hopefully feeling like this will spur me on in to making the most of days where I do have more time to do something a little bit creative. And if it doesn’t? I won’t stop blogging, not whilst I still enjoy it and have loyal readers who return to read post after post. Thank you to everyone who does take the time to read, comment on and follow my blog- it’s appreciated more than you know. If you do happen to have any suggestions for jazzing things up then leave them below…

If you don’t, then just bask in the glory of this amazing jumper and ignore all the drivel I’ve written above.

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits

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