Category Archives: shopping

The Red Velvet Boots

28th November 2016

I bought my red velvet boots long before velvet became a big thing again. It was in fact three years ago when I saw this pair by Bertie in T.K.Maxx and decided they just had to be mine. This was despite the fact I could only try one shoe on thanks to a broken foot and the struggle to get them to the checkout whilst on crutches provided amusement for many a passer by.

Still, I’m glad I bought them because I loved them then and I love them now. It’s a happy bonus that they are suddenly “on trend” leaving me feel smug that for once I was ahead of the fashion game.

Dress: Urban Outfitters | Boots: Bertie (similar here) | Cat Beret: H&M

I have a bit of a thing for hats at the moment, I don’t seem to be able to stop buying them and although bobble hats are my main object of desire when I saw this cute cat beret on the h&m website I couldn’t resist. I think the look I was going for with this outfit was a kind of sophisticated one but I don’t think I pull it off well. Instead you have your usual mish-mash of items that I pile together until I am vaguely satisfied. I like it though- the dress which I picked up really cheaply in the UO sale in the Spring is a great piece for feeling more put together whilst staying comfortable and I love the charcoal grey with the deep red of my beloved boots.

We won’t talk (much) about how long it took me to take these photos. It’s been a while since I last dusted off my tripod and camera remote and it took me a shamefully long time to remember how to operate the remote. About half an hour. Then the same again to get some photos I was vaguely happy with. It’s all trial and error though and in the end it came good and it should be easier the next time. I don’t think I’ll be taking to a public place with my set up any time soon though…Oh to have an actual photographer in my life. Someone that can make me look kinda cool and kind of edgy just by knowing how to get the right light in the right location.

Anyway, are there any items that you bought ages ago only to find they come back in to fashion again? I’ll be holding on to these boots for the next time around too.

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Posted in accessories, blogging, outfits, shoes, shopping

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Handmade Gift Guide: Quaint Charms Jewelery

27th November 2016
I love discovering a new place to shop for quirky jewellery and Etsy certainly has no shortage of it- particularly handy at this time of year when looking to shop for gifts that stand out from the crowd. I’ve only recently been introduced to Quaint Charms Jewelery but it really made an impact- specialising in handcrafted luxurious yet affordable pieces I was really taken with, well, most of the shop if I’m honest. I was very kindly sent a beautiful necklace and matching earrings so I could see just how well executed the products are but I thought I’d also turn this post in to a bit of a wish list/gift guide too…
How striking are these pieces? Although quite simple in themselves the combination of the beautifully coloured stones against the gold settings really captured my imagination. I’d say these are definitely on the more subtle side of what Quaint Charms has to offer yet they still manage to make a real statement. Both pieces are incredibly well made and just look “quality” (for want of a better word, what I mean is they don’t look like bog standard cheap costume jewellery) and I can see them standing up to the test of time.
As you can see from the selection above there is definitely something to cater for all tastes- there are personalised options available, the ability to request custom pieces and some really gorgeous birth stone necklaces as well…I could have quite easily have popped the whole shop in to this post but then that would leave nothing to the imagination would it?

Pop yourselves over to Quaint Charms Jewelery and let me know which piece most catches your eye. Next on my list are these amazing gold flower and jet earrings.

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Items gifted for blog post consideration, opinions are all my own.

Posted in christmas, etsy, jewellery, review, shopping, wish list

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Gift Inspiration: Hello Harriet

26th November 2016
Today’s gifting inspiration post is one that combines some of my very favourite things- accessories, supporting a small business and CATS! I you’ve all been wondering when a purely cat themed gift guide would crop up…well, it’s here and it’s a good one!
Hello Harriet belongs to artist Harriet Gray and was set up in 2012 mainly as an excuse to create cute accessories for herself! Harriet’s products are inspired by the internet, half hearted feelings and all things cute- something I can really get behind! I first found Hello Harriet via Instagram, wonderful platform that it is for enabling endless wish lists and my interest peaked further when I found out it was also a fairly local brand to me (all of Harriet’s work comes direct from her home studio in Bath). Actually, after writing this post I’ve since popped along to a Bristol Etsy sellers pop-up shop where Hello Harriet products were for sale. I can confirm they are every bit as covetable in real life and I couldn’t resist a cheeky purchase of a rather sweet cat pin.

I’ve popped together just a small selection of some of my favourite wares in the image above (and they all feature cats, of course) but even if felines aren’t your thing then be sure to check out her shop for cuteness and sass galore!

A couple of my favourite products from Hello Harriet have to be the advent calendar (although you must order it this weekend to get it in time for December 1st) and the super quirky cat collar tags and matching necklaces. I’ve asked Santa for a necklace for myself and I did briefly consider getting a tag for Mae until she lost her second collar in the space of a fortnight, complete with tags and I realised she just couldn’t be trusted with something so cool!

Price wise you’ll find everything very purse friendly and the temporary tattoos and nail decals especially would make amazing stocking fillers for any cat lady (dog ladies too for that matter).

I strongly suggest dropping some serious hints by leaving laptop screens open on the Hello Harriet shop, I don’t think there’s anything on the site that I wouldn’t be delighted to receive and I know I won’t be the only one who feels that way…

Which items have caught your eye?

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Posted in brands I love, cats, christmas, gifts, inspiration, shopping

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Duchess London- Investment Party Dressing*

25th November 2016
These days when it comes to picking out the perfect party outfit we are spoilt for choice. By October the high street is awash with fast fashion pieces that are pretty much disposable, I know myself that I’m guilty of buying a dress and wearing it only once before discarding it a year or so later not wanting to be seen in it again.

Now I’m getting older I often think it’s time to take things back to basics, to invest in some good quality and simple evening wear that might cost a bit (or in this case a lot) more but will last for years and years. When you strip back the sequins and glitter and opt for a simple yet impeccably made piece you actually open up a whole new area of party dressing- choose wisely and you can transform your outfit for multiple occasions with clever use of different jewellery, accessories and shoes.

Above is a selection of dresses from a brand called Duchess London who have recently popped on to my radar. Each piece is beautifully made in London, designed to be a blank canvas to suit any occasion. Forget for a moment the lure of that spangly mini dress that will only see the light of day once, focus instead on the beautifully cut classic designs made in the most luxurious of fabrics- actual silk for example, rather than some questionable nylon that fills with static at the most inopportune moments.

I’m rather taken with the light blue sheer sleeve dress. It’s currently on offer at 20% off (as is every piece until NYE) making it £159. Enough to buy ten dresses from Primark perhaps, but cut to perfection and will last for years. Sadly out of my current budget but a girl can dream…

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Posted in christmas, dresses, fashion, shopping

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There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky

22nd November 2016
Do you ever see an item and just know that one way or another you have to own it no matter what it costs? That’s exactly how I felt when I saw this dress from Miss Patina. At almost £70 it’s possibly the most money I’ve ever spent on a dress (aside from a prom dress when I finished my GCSEs) and I had to save hard but hands down it’s my purchase of the year for sure. It actually took me a long time to get around to wearing it, convinced the timing had to be “just right”…in the end I realised that was a pretty stupid way to think about such an awesome piece and finally popped it on just because.
I’ve included a stock image as well because I somehow didn’t manage to get a decent picture of the epic collar- Bowie and cats are two of my most favourite things ever and this dress represents my sense of style perfectly, paired with my sparkly trainers that I bought in Bershka last year this is about as me as it gets.

I finally feel like I’m dressing like myself again. It’s taken a long time and at times I have felt completely uninspired when it comes to my clothing. This year has been a tough one and somewhere along the way I lost myself for a while- between the stress of moving out of my parental home, finally admitting I had relapsed with my eating disorder, being signed off work, my relationship ending and moving back home again all within the space of 7 months it’s easy to see how everything fashion and style fell off my radar. Finally though life is starting to feel ok again. I’m settled back at my parents, my heart is healing from the break up, I’m getting help and support with the anorexia and I’ve just been given the news that I can return to work in January which is just the best possible feeling.

It’s hard too, in a world where blogging is now so prevalent. I know I’m not the most fashionable person in the world. I don’t have a professional standard photographer, a big budget for new items, the prettiest face or the popularity of so many of the bloggers I look up to and admire. This is just my part-time hobby and sometimes I feel like I just can’t compare. I think it’s easy- too easy to play the comparison game and for a while I forgot why I blog and who I do it for…that is, myself. It’s not my career, nor do I want it to be. I don’t do it for the followers, the admiration or the money/gifted items. I do it because I enjoy having a place to write and to be myself. To share the things I love (and sometimes the things I don’t).

That being said I am now getting more in to taking photos of my outfits again. My choices are getting bolder and my confidence is slowly building. It might seem strange for someone who struggles with an eating disorder to put themselves online like this and sometimes I do question how and why I do it…but the bottom line is I enjoy it, for myself. I see my body as nothing but a vessel for living my life and I occasionally feel like sharing how I dress it and there’s nothing wrong with that in the slightest. It’ll be hard, as my weight begins to creep up- it always is difficult to have a visual diary of a process you’re not entirely comfortable with, but then my blog becomes something else again, a document of how I took on my demons and eventually after 15 years of hell I came out on top.

Wow, this has turned in to an un-intentionally deep and rambling post, I would say I apologise but I’m really not sorry. It’s rare that I find myself able to express the thoughts in my head and convert them in to the written word and I make no apology for the fact that at times I feel like making them public so I have a reminder of everything I’ve been through.

Let me know your thoughts on the dress- do you have any items in your wardrobe that you simply HAD to own?

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, shopping

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