22 April 2013

Helping to Make Children's Parties Easier

One of the things I remember about my birthday parties as a child is the little touches that went into the party. The special invitations, the decorations, the party bags.  I always remember that it was like a bit of a competition, between both the children and also the parents, as to who could hold the best party.

These days children’s parties are becoming even more competitive and elaborate.  When you are working full time creating a full scale children’s party can be a daunting experience, not to mention costly but there are solutions if you know how to find them. 

A friend of mine holds the kind of birthday parties for her son that you would dream about when you were a child. Last year was a safari theme, complete with cut out animals and trees, party boxes and banners, and a themed invitation. I remember at the time all the parents asking where she had got everything from.

It turns out that my friend Wendy had quite a creative streak and had designed and made everything herself.

Wendy has now gone one step further and has created her own shop on Etsy, with printable designs for parties, with everything from full party packs including banners, party boxes, invitations etc to separate pieces. Everything is customisable to your specifications.

As everything is sent as a pdf design, you can buy these designs from anywhere in the world and no postage is involved.  You can simply print them out and put together at your leisure.

Take a look for your own children's parties. She is adding more designs every week and you can email with specifics requests.  Here are some examples of her work, with photographs sent in from people who have purchased for their child’s party.
 



 

 
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21 April 2013

What a Difference a Day Makes

I've had two trips to the park this weekend.  I love having a roam around, strolling around the lake or watching the squirrels play.

Yesterday was gorgeous sunshine with a light breeze which was perfect weather for my @So_Fab_Clothing dress and new @SimplyBeUK sandals.

   


I have been looking for the perfect sandals for the Summer for ages and I love these so much that I've ordered them in back too.

Today however is a different story.  Although not freezing cold, the weather certainly isn't lending itself to a dress so here’s what I wore today.




I’ve also snapped a few pictures at the park too, it’s a lovely one to walk around, especially when it’s sunny.


Oh and here is a recent lovely dress I've bought from SimplyBe too, but it's so pretty it deserves it's own blog post at a later date!


What have you been wearing this weekend?


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18 April 2013

Off With His Head!





Hello!  I'm happy to tell you that I am now involved in a fashion challenge!  I have been looking for one for a while now and after speaking to @BethTinkerbell on Twitter I am now a part of the Magnificent 7th.

We will be posting on the 7th of each month, and the aim of the challenge is to create an outfit to fit the theme, using clothes from our wardrobes, and yes that does mean digging deep into the depths and finding those long lost clothes! Hopefully one of us won’t end up in Narnia, but you never know with a bloggers wardrobe!

As you can tell, I'm more than a little late with this month's challenge but as I only joined this week, I hope I'm forgiven!  This month's theme is monochrome.

After doing a little shopping in my wardrobe I came across this heart print dress from @verynetwork in the @So_Fab_Clothing range.  I have put it together with a little red shrug that I bought from Next Inspire and also a red belt from @Asos.

Given the inclement weather we are experiencing I also added black opaque tights, my gorgeous black Hush Puppies shoes with heart cut outs and a heart necklace that I bought from a jewellery stall in a market.  

All in all, I felt that the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and given the day I've had at work today, I was sorely tempted to chop off some heads.






Check out below what the other lovely ladies wore for this month's theme.




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16 April 2013

Oh Yes, I Can!

I’m not very fond of the use of the word “can't” when it is being directed to someone else.  If I were to use it myself for example saying that “I can't ride a bike” (true!) what it generally implies that the person has tried something but is unable to do it for one reason or another. 

When you apply the word to someone else however, it is with the purpose, however well hidden, of restricting and controlling what they do.  You can’t do that, you’re female,  you can’t go there, this may happen, you can’t wear that, you’re fat.

That last one is something that I have been thinking about lately.  All the clothing do’s and don’ts that are inferred that somebody who is plus size should comply with; you can’t wear stripes, you can’t wear print, you can’t wear bright colours etc etc.   The never ending jibe of “black is very slimming you know”.  Well you know what, I love colour, I love print, I love everything about fashion and if I want to, I will damn well wear it!

Here are some of my favourite dresses that are around at the moment, all of which break “the rules” of what a fat girl should wear.  I never was one for rules anyway.  Which puts all these dresses on the top of my wishlist.



Cartoon Print Skater Dress
Busy pattern, bright colours, look at me dress, why not?

Another busy print, up to the neck (an apparent no no for the larger chest) and pleating!


Floral, feminine and visible.  Yes please!


This dress took my breath away.  I adore this dress.  
Convention would say I can't wear it, I say.... I've just ordered it

So there you have it.  Four dresses that society says I "can't" wear.  One of which I have ordered already (post to follow) and the rest will stay on my wishlist.

What do you wear that convention says you shouldn't?


15 April 2013

Waiting for the Cast to Set

I think that it was Joan Didion that said “I write to find out what I think”.  That is something that applies to me.  I have learnt so much of what I really think by just typing away, letting my fingers do the talking and seeing what comes out.

I’ve just realised that sentence could be completely misconstrued as something dirty.  But you know what I meant.  Carrying on!

What I learned today is that whilst you find out what you think when you write, when you read you are sometimes forced to face up to things that you already know.  I read the fabulous @archedeyebrow post today On the Flipside and I have to admit that it broke me a little bit.

One thing that resonated with me completely was the line “If you’ve grown up fat, you’ve grown up knowing no one will ever want you”.

Whilst I have made leaps and bounds in my confidence in so many ways, when it comes to the opposite sex and relationships, I’m still the girl that wants to hide away.  The invisible “F off” that I wrote about in The Sign on Your Head is still a part of me. 

Because I’ve been working so hard on confidence in my personality and confidence in what I wear, that part I’ve allowed to just fester in the shadows. 

I think the thing that exasperates me the most is that at heart, I know the way I feel is my own fault.  The reason I have been single over the years, apart from the fact that I live in a small town, is that invisible “Get lost” on my forehead. 

My presumption that no one will be interested, or if they were, wouldn’t want to admit it in public has taken over years of my life and has stopped any potential relationships, except toxic ones.  It has to stop.  I don’t want to feel like that anymore.  But it’s me that has to make the change.  I’m just afraid.

Now the issue has been highlighted once again, I can try to start to change the way I think.  What helps is that by reading other people’s experiences I know that I am not on my own and it isn’t just me that thinks this way.

It is up to ourselves to mould and shape the person that we want to be and for some of us, it just takes a little longer for the cast to set.

Emerging from a Puff of Smoke!

The thing about achievements is that when I actually have an achievement to celebrate, I suddenly come over all British and self deprecating. 

One of unspoken rules of bring British is “don’t flaunt yourself, be modest”.  Well today, Britain, my modesty is being thrown to the winds and I’m flaunting like a showgirl at the Folies Bergere.  Take that British reserve!

Today is one year to the day that I decided to quit smoking.  It has been a long and sometimes onerous process, but the benefits make it worth it. 

I am, believe it or not, a cheerier person in the morning now.  I’ll never be a “morning person” but now at least I am safe for people to be around before 10.30am.  Also, the coughing my guts up in the morning isn’t something I miss.

There are also obviously the financial gains.  I don’t even want to think about how much I spent on cigarettes previously.  Around 18 years of 20 a day.  But I’m not a believer in looking at where you have been; I like to concentrate on the road ahead.

www.Cancer.org tells me that I am now at 50% less at risk of having heart disease after this first year and the benefits will only increase from here.

If you are reading this and want to quit smoking, I would highly recommend Allen Carr’s “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking”.  It is the method that I used and for me, it worked.

I am also happy to inform you that I haven’t turned into one of those evangelical ex smokers.  You know the kind.  The kind that when I was a smoker, I wanted to poke in the eye.  In fact, I still do.  I loved smoking and yes, I still miss it. 

All the diseased lungs photographs and health warnings and cost statistics in the world could not have convinced me to quit until I was ready.  The only way you will ever quit is if you truly want to.  I reached that point, and I have.

So today I have reached my one year anniversary and it’s something I am truly proud of.  The journey isn’t over, but I think I am can safely say that I can pin on an ex smoker badge. 

I couldn’t have done it without the support of my friends and family.  You need a support system around you, and thankfully mine are absolutely fantastic.  To say thank you for the help I am taking my mum and step dad out for a lovely Italian meal and my best friends to a restaurant for lunch and wine.  Now that’s a better use of my money ;)
 

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13 April 2013

Quick! The Sun!

A strange thing happened today.  I went outside and it wasn't cold.  I didn't need to wear a scarf, my fingers were glove less,  what was this strange occurrence?  Could it actually be a turn in the weather?

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I immediately got to planning my outfit for tonight which is a celebration of my best friend's new business and also my one year of not smoking.  With the weather being that touch warmer, I went running for the nearest maxi dress that I bought on sale at @Dorothy_Perkins last year.

Here's what I am wearing:




Attempting the old "natural makeup look"
 The dress and the shoes are both from +Dorothy Perkins and the belt I bought yesterday from +Evans for the bargain price of £4.00!

At the day is getting on it's looking a little colder out now so I'm wearing a little black shrug for warmth and will be adding my @So_Fab_Clothing biker jacket later on.

What are you wearing this weekend?



10 April 2013

A Little Dignity

When it comes to Margaret Thatcher, people have very clear-cut views.  That much has always been evident.  People either like or loathe her, depending on what their outlook on her time as prime minister was.

I’m not writing this post to argue political issues and what she did or did not do.  I’m writing this post in relation to the frankly abhorrent comments and hateful things I have seen said over the past few days.

From people holding parties in the street, to others buying “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” to such a degree that it is now in the top ten on the Itunes Charts, I’ve never seen anything like it before.  Twitter is full of people celebrating her death, suggesting parties when “the witch burns” and hoping that she is “being tortured in hell”.

She made her mistakes, you cannot deny that, but whatever else you say about Margaret Thatcher you can’t deny that she had courage of conviction.  She had her victories too.  She played a part in the end of the Cold War and brought us to victory in the Falklands. 

She survived an IRA bombing attack and was still at the Conservative Party Conference the next day at 9.00am.  Can you imagine any of our current MPs doing the same?  I wholly doubt it.  They would have been up and out of there quicker than you could say “How much can I claim in expenses for this?”.

This woman didn’t commit genocide.  She isn’t Adolf Hitler.  In the grand scale of things does she really deserve all of this hate nearly 25 years after she left Downing Street?  

Will the same things be said of Tony Blair for the war in Iraq or of David Cameron for the privatisation of the NHS and cuts of benefits?

In the end, she died a frail 87 year old woman, reading in her bed.  Whatever your views on Margaret Thatcher may be, can we not show a little restraint in how they are expressed? 

Think of her family, of her children, of the people who loved her.  Would you like to be grieving at the loss of your mother, whilst in the background you hear chimes of “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead”?  Let’s show a little dignity.

“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity.”  Samuel Ullman.


 
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9 April 2013

Send a Pigeon!!

In 2013 you never think about the days when having a mobile phone was a rarity, and having the internet on your home computer was only a twinkle in the eye.  We all have our smart phones and laptops, Ipads and home computers and everything we want is within a click.
 
The internet on my laptop died this weekend and when the Orange technician finally deduced that my sim card had died, his announcement that another would come in 4-5 working days was taken well, initially.
 
Day three of the wait though and I'm practically breaking out in cold sweats.  I have the internet on my phone of course but I already use all of my allowance so using that is a no go.  My work internet blocks most of the sites I want to use.
 
I get home and I'm staring at my laptop in longing.  Blogs posts are flowing through my head that I can't upload, sales are putting up everywhere online; there seem to be million different online articles I want to read and worst of the worst, I can only check Twitter through my phone.
 
It is KILLING me.
 
So Orange, you know I said that I was fine with 4-5 working days?  I'm not.  Send a carrier pigeon, stat.
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5 April 2013

Barry M Bold Black Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Review


Eyeliner and I have a bit of a turbulent relationship. I love it, but I can never seem to find one that works the way I want it to. Usually what happens is the pencil is too sharp, the felt pen is too narrow or the colour isn't intense enough.

I came across the Barry M Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Superdrug the other day, priced at £3.99, linked here. I liked the fact that it was waterproof as I frequently end up with eyeliner everywhere by the end of the day, looking like a bleary eyed panda.

Unlike some of the other pencils and pens I have wrestled with, the Barry M eyeliner pencil is soft and pliable, making it easy to press into my lashes and maintain a steady line. Once applied, I use an eyeliner brush in order to move the line out to the corners of my eye for a more precise look.

I have tried the eyeliner out twice now, once for work and once for a night out and I can confirm that it has stayed put and not lost any intensity of colour. Even though it does say waterproof, I was expecting some smudging or fading after a few hours but that didn't happen at all.

I can heartily recommend the Barry M Eyeliner pencil to you. I have included some before and after photographs so you can see how it looks on.

That's as much of my naked face
as you're getting ;)








Oops!!  Shadow cam!
Edit: A couple of people have asked me what mascara I am using in the "after" pictures.  It's the Benefit They're Real Mascara.


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2 April 2013

An Open Letter to a Bully

How ironic that the very day that I write about bullying, found here that I encounter a bully on the street.  Here's my open letter to him, the unknown coward:

Dear man passing in the van,

I saw you looking at me from your side mirrors, laughing to your friend as I passed by on the car park.  My chin went up a little higher and I walked past, ignoring you.

Stood at the bus stop I saw you pull out of the car park.  I knew what was coming.

There are a lot of ways to describe me.  I am a brunette.  I have blue eyes.  I am of medium height.  I have, I'm told, a nice smile when I'm happy.  If you look a little deeper, you find I'm a happy girl.  I'm loyal, I'm friendly and I will give anyone the time of day.  But as I said, I knew what was coming.

"Fat bitch!!!!" you shout at me as you drove past me.  Too cowardly to say anything when I passed beside your parked vehicle, you shout it out on the main street, driving past so I cannot respond.  Well yes, sir, I'm fat, and yes, sometimes I am a bitch.

If you had done this to me a year ago you would have hurt me.  I would have put a brave face on but cried when I got home.  Now though, I just feel sorry for you and the person you are.

So how do we describe you?  The villain in the piece?  Nasty, for shouting at a woman alone in the street, cowardly for not daring to say it when I passed you, insecure if you find it necessary to insult someone you don't know and pathetic, because, well you are.

So I am a fat sometimes bitch.  You are nasty, cowardly, insecure and pathetic.  Overall, comparing us both, I think I'd prefer to be fat.

Lots of love,

The Woman you heckled in the street.
 
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Bullies - The Ugliest of Them All

There has been much publicity over the past week about a girl called Josie Cunningham who got breast implants through the NHS.  The story appears to be that she went to her GP, upset with how she looked and the GP has arranged for her to have implants.

This is not a one off occurrence.  Whilst I would prefer the NHS to offer counselling and support as opposed to surgical intervention, this type of thing has happened through the NHS as long as there has been cosmetic surgery.  It could be ears pinned back, a nose job, breast implants.

If the GP assesses that this issue is severely impacting your life, causing you depression, they are at liberty to arrange these procedures under the NHS.  It is nothing new.  This procedure has been offered to her, you cannot demand anything from the NHS. 

The only difference is in this case is that either she has sold her story to the papers, in a bid to attain the Page 3 career that she wants, or someone else has sold the story.

When people put a photograph of themselves in a newspaper or on the internet, or even if someone posts a picture of you, the “norm” seems to be for people to disassociate the person from their photograph. They become just an image, something to be ridiculed if you so wish without retribution. Any comment is "allowed" because they have "put themselves out there".

To date this girl has over a dozen Facebook hate pages set up against her, her photographs have been doctored in horrible ways and the comments written about her all over the internet have been vile.  No one deserves this kind of abuse.  There are other ways to comment on and disagree with a situation rather than spew venomous comments about her appearance. 

If you disagree with the NHS offering cosmetic surgery, take it up with the NHS.  Petitions for her “paying the money back” which I have seen are beyond ridiculous.  If you are going to set up a petition, set one up asking for a reform on cosmetic procedures if that is what you believe.  Use your head, not mob mentality.

Just image if you found one your mother/son/daughter/sister’s image online or your own, only then to find a long line of people criticising the way they looked.  Bullying someone online is exactly the same as shouting abuse at someone in the street.  It is just as bad, if not worse because you are hiding behind your internet connection like a coward.

Bullies are the true ugly ones.

The Winter/Spring Outfit

Given the weather over the past few years, I think that we need to create a new season for clothing.  Winter/Spring.  Clothes warm enough to keep away the chills whilst still dressing in a Spring style.

When I looked out of my curtains this morning I was greeted by beautiful bright blue skies, daffodils growing in the garden and frost on the pavement.  What’s a girl to do?

Well today I went for my ever faithful Billie & Blossom  +Dorothy Perkins dress with flower print, purple tights from @EvansClothing which I swear would survive a nuclear war, my new glorious Hush Puppy shoes, hat, scarf (unknown) and my new leather jacket from @So_Fab_Clothing


 
 
(From an old post, forgot to take a new photo!)
 


 
How do you work the Winter/Spring look?
 
 
 


29 March 2013

Review - SimplyBe Flirty Floral Dress

In my attempt to move away from black and embrace more colourful clothing; I have actively been making more bold choices.  The current trends for Spring, especially the floral prints and pastel colours, are so far out of my old comfort zone that they are practically down the street and around the corner.

When SimplyBe kindly allowed me to review some dresses for them, this final dress was one that stood out as being completely on trend, and completely out of my comfort zone and so therefore had to be mine!

I don’t know if it's the print, but for some reason wearing this dress I feel like I have stepped into the 1950’s, waiting for my husband to come at 5.00 o’clock, with a cocktail at the ready (apparently in my 1950’s vision I’m married, Ryan Reynolds please!).

As I never knowingly under dress for anything one thing I really love about the 50’s is the way that people dressed.  There was no such thing as a track suit, not outside of a running track anyhow and the evil onesie (I’m sorry, I just don’t get them) was nowhere to be found.

The Joe Brown dress is delightfully feminine and I love the combination of colours. I didn’t have anything remotely like it in my wardrobe and for me; it stands out from the crowd.

I feel flirty and feminine in this dress and can’t wait to wear it when the freezing weather has finally abated.

I have added a brown belt from @ASOS, nude wedge shoes from @NextOfficial and in one of the photos I have on a nude shrug from @YoursClothing. 

The Joe Browns Flirty Floral dress is priced at £40.00  and can be found here.






What have you been buying that is out of your normal comfort zone?

 

I have not been paid to write this blog and the opinions in the same are honest and my own.

27 March 2013

Wishlist - Shoes for the Summer

There are a few words that you could say to me to bring an instant smile to my face.  Formula One, Bagpuss, Adam Levine, shoes.....

Every woman loves shoes, I think it may be part of our DNA.  When buying shoes for the summer I try to look for pairs that will go with multiple outfits and also can carry you through from day to evening for those Summer's days outs.

Here are my favourites:


1.  Sporty Black Wedges £36.00
Wedges and not too high, ideal to take you from shorts to a maxi dress
2.  Leopard Print Lace-Ups  £24.00
Comfortable and with a cool print to add a pop of colour to your day time outfit
3.  Tan Block Heels £40.00
Ideal shoe to go with most evening dresses from short to maxi
4.  Espadrille Sandals £25.00
If you have had a long day sightseeing, these lovelies will still look good with a dress at the end of the day
5. Sparkle Ballerinas £28.00
What girl doesn't need a pair of ballerinas?

So those are my favourite shoes for the Summer season, what are yours?



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26 March 2013

Battle Royale - Me versus the Weather

Dear Weather,

We have had our differences you and I over the years.  Many battles have been fought and lost between us.
 
You produced snow and ice, I counteracted with ice cleats.  You blew gale force winds, I found hair styles that would stay in place, or hats to cover them.  You dropped the temperature to below freezing, I piled on the scarves, gloves and stylish, where possible, warm clothing.
 
Today though, I admit defeat.  I've had it.  The season turns to Summer next week and yet there is still snow on the ground, it's freezing cold and icy winds are all around. 
 
The game of fashion versus the weather has been playing now for so long that I can barely remember wearing sandals.  The thought of going outside without hat, scarf, gloves, warm coat and multiple layers is completely foreign to me.
 
You have beaten me down to the point I have reached today which is having straw like hair which looks like I did battle with a hedge, wearing ugly pants that look horrendous on my ass and dry skin on my face which no amount of foundation seems to be fixing.
 
You have RUINED me.
 
So here I am weather saying "Well done, you have won.  You are the more superior and you cannot be beaten."
 
Now please, pretty please, can you bring back us back warmth and sunshine?

Love

Vicky