I had an early birthday celebration this weekend and everyone asked me what I'd like for my birthday.

I'm a list lover, so I sat down to write one.

I found this necklace. I love it's beautiful simplicity - 15" long, 14K gold, faceted rough finished ruby, tiny white pearl at clasp - I think it's very, very pretty.
 But that's it. It's a short list.

I just don't 'want' anything particularly. I've been decluttering and it's made me realise how much stuff I have but never use. I'm finding the process of sorting it all out extremely satisfying.

What I'd really like is time. Time with Andy. Time with my friends and family. Experiences not things - trips to the beach, exhibitions, meals out, afternoon tea, travel, mooching about.

Such memories you keep forever. No storage required.

Whilst packing for our honeymoon I rediscovered a few old favourites that have been languishing in my wardrobe in favour of newer items and it got me thinking - what other long forgotten, once loved, items do I have lurking in my bedroom?

I've found many but here are my Favourite Three for June.

Converse.  I've had these for three years and after my initial 'oh, aren't they lovely' feelings for them, and the subsequent wearing of nothing but for about a fortnight, they were relegated to the bottom of the wardrobe, never to see the light of day again. I can't explain why as I love them and they are super comfortable.

I traveled to Zurich in them, wore them to the zoo and ran various errands too. It's safe to say they're back on my radar.


Rimmel London Pro nail varnish in Beige Style, first appeared on the blog in 2010, again it was a firm favourite for a short while until I was introduced to the likes of Essie and it's Spiced Candy Apple.

Recently I looked at my nail polish box and wondered why anyone would need over 40 different shades? So, I narrowed it down to just a handful and chucked the rest in a box for a car boot.

This shade is the perfect nude for me.


Handmade tassel necklace, I made this in July last year but since the end of last summer this had been completely ignored.

Incidently, I do not recommend trying to take photos of your new favourite necklace using a cat as a prop.


It came on our honeymoon and has, most recently, been worn with a new addition to my wardrobe, a white dress found on a charity shop-a-thon with Sophie and Kezzie, in fact you can see the moment I found it here.

It has encouraged me to seek out more long forgotten items, I'll show you three more favourites next month!

I saw this necklace on Wearing It Today and clicked through to Accessorize with the intention of buying it, but when I looked at it more closely, I though 'I can do that' (or some version of it). And so I did.

I had some jewellery making paraphernalia kicking about already so I just needed some waxed cotton and extra beads - the blue shiny ones - to complete the job.


I started by treading the beads, I had a rough idea of what I wanted but pretty much made it up as I went along. I used to do this sort of thing all the time and had forgotten how relaxing it can be. It didn't take long to have all the beads in place.


I then used some cotton to make the tassel, folding it directly over the waxed cotton and securing with a few strands wrapped around and knotted tightly in place. It's pretty straight forward - I used this tutorial found via Pinterest. I decided that one was enough and left it at that.



Whadaya think? I'm kinda loving it.

Love

At the beginning of the year I decided that I needed to discover more ethical fashion brands. I shop second hand a lot of the time but I felt my knowledge of ethical fashion brands was somewhat lacking.

So, when I saw Ceri (a lady that could certainly teach me a great deal about ethical fashion brands) had entered the Johari Style Challenge, and I'd discovered more about them, I was keen to get involved.

Please excuse the copy and paste but here is what Johari is all about...

'Johari is an ethical fashion brand, our philosophy is simple; we passionately believe that fashion should be ethical, stylish and beautiful. Johari, which means ‘something precious’ in Swahili, makes stylish beautiful clothing and accessories. Every item is handmade in Kenya by Social Enterprise Johari Designs. 100% of the profit made by Johari and Johari Designs helps to fund the Johari Foundation’s Miale Programmes that supports children and young adults towards a better future by helping with education, vocational, social and basic needs. Buying Johari products helps to empower vulnerable young adults to build a living for themselves and their families.'

To participate all I needed to do was choose an item from their online shop, which they then sent to me, for a week, so I could style it and pop it on this here blog.


Outfit 1
With snow on the ground I decided to layer up for a daytime outfit. The dress sits nicely over skinny jeans and looks great with a long sleeve t-shirt underneath and a scarf to finish. Of course, you could easily swap the jeans for thick tights for a slightly different look, but I have to admit I was wearing tights for warmth underneath anyway!

Outfit 2
For something smarter, I added a bright cardigan, black opaques and wedges. I considered a belt but I didn't want to obscure the gorgeous Masaai face print on the front.

Outfit 3
As an evening option I opted for red hoisery, metallic sandals and a structured jacket. I think this is my favourite outfit of the three as the print gives an unusual twist to the LBD, making for an altogether more interesting outfit.

The dress arrived beautifully wrapped in tissue and a bow, inside a handmade and recycled bag.



I'm a big fan of what Johari have set out to do and the clothing range, whilst limited, is lovely. I also really like the range of accessories, in particular the Tabaka Necklace, which I think would look great with the Neema dress.


Which is your favourite piece from the collection?

Love

After seeing Sophie's entry I decided join Florrie's floral festivities to help her celebrate three year blogiversary.

This was a bit of a challenge for me as I don't have many prints in my wardrobe but having recently decided to inject some colour and pattern, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to show off my most recent floral find.

As a result of some eBay trawling I am now the proud owner of this pre-loved Topshop dress. I had to alter the neckline as it didn't sit quite right and with that done, I'm smitten!


I then went on a hunt to find other floral items for my outfit. I have to admit that I was surprised to find as many as I did. The whole process felt wonderfully reminiscent of playing dress-up as a child.


I added two necklaces - both daisies - one a bridesmaid gift from my sister-in-law, the second a Christmas present from my Dad, a leather cuff covered in daisies and three bracelets with flower charms, a brooch (found on etsy, made from recycled materials) and finally some sandals that I had to dust off - I had totally forgotten about them!

See all the paticipants of Florrie's Floral Festivities here.
Love

My final instalment of Flying Saucer's May Challenge, albeit rather late! A bit of a long one and lots of pics of me in it (sorry - overload! I tried to keep them to a minimum).

See the others here, here and here.

21st. Something that is your favourite brand
This begs the question what is my favourite brand? Avon has to be up there, or Essie - a new discovery for me - but for sheer longevity alone I'd have to say Olay (60 years old this year and still looking fabulous). I've used their moisturisers for as long as I can remember and recently Really Ree introduced me to Olay's Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Complex. It's utterly divine, I'm already on my second pot. Read Ree's review here.

22nd. A piece of clothing or jewellry that was a gift
My Pandora bracelets. All of these charms have been given to me, the cute little giraffe was a gift from my brother after I returned from Kenya with a huge giraffe obsession (if you ever get the chance to visit the Giraffe Centre in Kenya, take it!). My absolute favourite is the little house that OH gave me after we moved into our new home lat year.



23rd. Something from your favourite store
H&M is my go-to store especially for basics, but I also love their scarves. I have a bit of a 'thing' for scarves and the majority of my collection originates from here. This is my latest addition.



24th. The item that brings all the boys to the yard
Haha! I'm really not sure what that even means (showing my age?). OH likes this outfit - does this count?



25th. A totally YOU outfit.
Jeans, bag, big-ish necklace or arm party, slouchy top, scarf or ballet flats...



26th. What's in your bag
You can check this out on What's in My Handbag. Great site - loads of fun and a great way to find new beauty products too! If you'd like to join the site click here.



27th. Inspired by your style icon
I don't think my inspiration needs any introduction here...



28th. Something everyone has now
Stumped. Nobody owns the same thing as everyone else...

29th. Face of the day
This is the kit that I use to create my everyday face. The Benefit Porefessional is a magazine freebie but I'll definitely be purchasing a full size tube in the near future. The eyeshadow palette I have had for ages (I'm a little embarrassed to show it) but I love it, well one of the colours anyway! The Bodyshop compact is for brows - the first one I have found that doesn't make my brows look orange.



30th. Pretty hair
My hair has never felt prettier than on my friend's wedding day, I was her bridesmaid and I wore frangipani in my hair.



31st. The thing you're obsessed with at the moment!
This can change on a daily basis! When I was supposed to write this post I'm certain that it would have been something different but right now I'm in love with these. I found these via A Daisy Chain Dream - thanks Laura! (And just in case anyone is interested, I'm a 5.5 and my birthday is at the end of August).


Hope you have a great weekend
Love

Those of you who read the first of my May Challenge posts, you would have seen a glimpse of my bargain Coast dress, purchased back in October, for a ball I attended in mid May.

It was on eBay and when I saw it the bidding was due to end. I knew it was too much of a bargain to ignore. I waited until the last few seconds, made my bid and won. I love it when that happens!

The dress is second hand and so is the clutch bag, so I decided that this outfit should be my entry into Ceri's Ethical Outfit Competition. I was so pleased to find this dress, as a piece that won't get worn very often I was glad that I could find something second hand, rather than buy new, from both an ethical and a financial point of view.


The whole outfit was a bit of a bargain actually.
Coast dress (worn once) £20.00, eBay
Shoes £29.99, Zara
Oasis bag £15.00, (used once) eBay
Pilgrim ring £15.00 in the sale, Debenhams
The necklace and earrings I've had for ages, even my nail varnish - Dangerous Affair, Ciaté - was free on the front of a magazine.

That's a total of just £79.99 - £40 less than the original price of the dress alone. I love you eBay.

I'm pondering what to do with this dress now. I'd love to think that I will wear it time and time again as I'd hate something so pretty to just hang in the back of my wardrobe. A dress like this should be worn, but I doubt that I'll be presented with many occasions to wear it, however, I'm a little reluctant to part with it...

What is your best eBay win? Are you entering Ceri's competition?

Whilst catching up on one of my favourite blogs, The Online Stylist, I was introduced to Boticca.

I have obviously been doing an awful lot of online browsing recently, just check back over my recent 'wishlist' posts to see what I mean. So, I'm not going to post a huge long list of the things that took my fancy, I'm just going to show you my absolute favourite and then urge you to visit the site and take a look for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Toosis three stones ring with pink quartz and purple amethyst.

Pretty yes?

I'd love to know what your favourite piece is!

Be careful what you wish for. That's what my Mum used to tell me, but this wish could have a rather sparkly ending, if luck happens to be on my side.

I read about a facebook competition run by Ernest Jones on Is This Real Life? All you have to do is 'like' their Facebook page, create a wishlist and submit it to enter. You could win one of your chosen items. So, I set about creating my wishlist, using the Ernest Jones Facbook App. I selected five of my favourite items (it wasn't easy keeping it to just five!) and submitted my list to enter the competition.

I knew that a Michael Kors watch would be one of my chosen five as one has been on my wishlist for a while. Once on the site I found this rose gold and white bracelet watch. I am smitten.


Next up, I checked out the bracelets. All of these are invited to my arm party...


Lastly, the lure of the rings (not to be confused with the lord, my precious) couldn't be ignored any longer. I have a bit of a thing for rose gold, and for unusual rings. Oh, and diamonds too... (call me a walking cliché if you must, I can handle it).

Now I just have to cross my fingers... someone has to win.

Which five items would you choose?

All images from Ernest Jones

This is the final part of Shopping my wardrobe. I've really enjoyed seeing outfits, styled around the same item, side by side. I hope you have too.

The remaining pieces are two bangles from Cherry & Joy and a pair of ballet pumps from Stylist Pick.


I didn't realise until I saw these pics together that I veer towards black/neutral colours or red when I wear these pumps. Maybe the coming seasons will change that?

I tend to avoid bare ankles in the winter months so these have had little wear so far. Now that it's warmed up just a tad I knew it was time to get them out again. I can't wait for the warm weather, I always feel a little more 'me' when unencumbered by numerous layers. One of life's little joys is being able to leave the house without your coat.


I have worn these bangles a lot. They work really well worn as a pair but as part of an arm party they look fab! I purchased the blue one on a whim, I just loved it, so when I saw a coral version was available it was only a matter of time before I found myself ordering that one too.

Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. So, that's that.

My next challenge is coming soon.

Have you noticed these little rings popping up? Above the knuckle rings, or memory rings as they are sometimes known.

They add a little something unexpected, just a hint of something. Subtle, cute. I like.

This simple thin band came from Wired Jewellery. It's simplicity delights me ♥
You like?

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway, the winner is... Kezzie!





From your comments it seems that you all enjoy my wardrobe challenges, I'll be starting another one shortly - my biggest yet!

Happy New Year!

I'm starting 2012 with a giveaway for my first 104 GFC followers, to say thank you for your support. If you don't know the story behind my 104 followers you can catch up here...

The Giveaway.





The (very simple) Rules

1. This is open to my first 104 GFC followers only.

2. Leave a comment to enter, telling me what sort of post you most enjoy reading and how I can get in contact with you in the event of you winning.

This giveaway closes at 23:59 BST 19th January 2012, the winner will be selected at random and contacted on 20th January 2012.

All prizes have been chosen and purchased by me.

Good luck and thank you for following!