Today's Monday Inspiration over at Two Birds is Michele Trachtenberg, I recognise her from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I have to admit that I don't own a denim jacket or anything denim - other than jeans - because, dare I say it?, I don't like them.

I decided that today would be the perfect day to debut my aztec maxi dress. It's way out of my comfort zone, I normally tend to steer clear of prints and patterns, but I saw this on eBay and kinda liked it, the bidding was about to end and I took a chance. I'd already three compliments on it before 9am today, so I guess I did good. Not bad for £6.50.

It is too long for me and I've tripped on it and got it stuck in the wheel of my office chair several times already today, but I don't care, it's making me feel summery and bright. We had 15mm of rain yesterday and the wind barely stopped raging so I needed a lift in my spirits.

To see how the others interpreted the inspiration and to see how Nora and Megan, aka The Two Birds, styled it (fabulously I might add) click here.

Happy Monday!

Bloggers Do It Better is back and this time the theme is coral and mint, which gives me the perfect excuse to wear these coral jeans for a second time this week (there you go Sherin, you said I should wear them more often)...


Pop over to Pretty Shiny Sparkly to see the other bloggers outfits.

What colours are you wearing together?

I know we're now well into June now but I couldn't not finish Flying Saucer's May Challenge.

Being a Graphic Designer I live by deadlines and it irks me that I missed this one. I have never missed a deadline professionally and it's the meeting of these during the month of May that left me with little time for anything outside of work - like grocery shopping and housework. Blogging had to take a back seat for a while.

But, I've started, so I'll finish (eventually).

16th. A customised item
I dyed this dress not so long ago and have taken to wearing it with a brooch on the collar, this is about as customised as I get...



17th. Something you wear when it's sunny
Sunglasses - I simply can not function without them in the sun. And sun lotion. I do find it strange that whilst I have over 40 handbags and pairs of shoes but only one pair of sunglasses...



18th. Your brightest lipstick
Rockalily! I love my Rockalily lippies, sadly they are no longer available which, in my book, gives them 'precious' status. The colour they give is amazing and perfect for my pale complexion. This is Roulette Red, my first serious, grown up red.



19th. An article of clothing/jewellery that instantly makes you feel great.
Stripe top from Very, I have two of them. I think that I could make this top work for any occasion (there's a challenge!).



20th. Shoes you love but hardly wear
Most of my heels qualify here. But I have to say that my silver sandals, from Zara, are the ones that I wish I could wear more often. I just feel so damn glamorous when I'm wearing them!



Did you take part in this challenge? How did you get on?

Heck! Monday has come around quickly again, why do the weekends seem so short in comparison to the working week?

Anyway, Monday means Two Birds Inspiration Monday and this week Aubrey Plaza (no, I don't know who she is either) and her fabulous orange jeans are our inspiration.

My outfit is somewhat more relaxed than Aubrey's, as my day consisted of sitting in the studio at my desk and popping to the supermarket on my way home - no swanky events for me!


I'm wearing - Dorothy Perkins coral jeans (last worn here), H&M black t-shirt and ballet flats, Primark cardigan and a bag won on eBay (real leather and soft as butter).

How has your Monday been?

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?

Everybody Everywear this month is neon. After living through the 80's I didn't think that I'd ever wear neon again, but, as with every trend, if it hangs around long enough I'll grow to like it. So, here I am wearing neon, albeit a teeny tiny bit.



I found this necklace on eBay, it's an ordinary necklace sprayed with yellow neon paint. I sense some DIY projects coming on!

Check out the other outfits - I'm in love with several of them.

How are you wearing neon?

Posting two of these in a row just tells me that I've been slacking when it comes to posting recently!

Here is my take on this week's Two Birds Inspiration Monday, Kate Bosworth, remember to check out the others!

In an effort to use my bag collection more I picked this ASOS clutch today - it stops me carrying around untold amounts of unnecessary rubbish, feels great (so soft) and smells lovely (yep - that lovely leather smell).

I have to admit to feeling a little chilly wearing this today but I like it none-the-less.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Jenna Dewan-Tatum is the inspiration this week over at Two Birds Boutique.

Sadly I had no need for sunglasses as, in true British style, the sun refused to shine on a Bank Holiday weekend. But what a fabulous weekend it was with all of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations! I hung Union Jack bunting around my garden and BBQ'd despite the rain, we ate cake (plenty of it) and watched the flotilla, processions and concert with glee. It all made me feel incredibly proud of our country and our Queen.


Check out the other takes on this look here.

Okay, so I didn't enter the competition as I dropped my camera and broke the lens two days before the competition closed. No camera, no outfit shots.

The competition rules were simple - "All you have to do is create an outfit which contains at least ethical piece, that could be something from your favourite ethical fashion brand, vintage or charity shop or something you have upcycled. If you can fit more than one ethical or sustainable piece into an outfit, even better".

This dress had only been seen here once before and this was the last time it was worn. I struggled to style it as it didn't really fit my wardrobe. So, I decided to dye it in a 'shape up or ship out' sort of way.

This is what it looked like before. I love the shape, the collar, the material. And it has pockets. Pockets!!



And this is how it looks after it's date with Mr Dylon.



I used a black dye, you can still see the pattern but I think it's an easier shade to work with. I added a flower brooch, made from recycled materials, that I found on esty.

I've decided that this is a dress that requires little styling, just a few well chosen accessories.

What do you think? Is it an improvement?