With Wearing It All Summer complete, I moved onto Wearing It All Autumn. I didn't know how long I'd keep it up for as the deeper into Autumn we got the more the weather thwarted my efforts to take daily outfits shots outside, my efforts to take photos inside has always been fruitless, but I continued for as long as I could.

I don't rejoice in the arrival of autumn, I prefer the warmer months when I can go out without a coat, the first time I wear a pair of socks after the summer always elicits a sigh of resignation, no more sunshine for a while...

I like jumpers, scarves, lighting the wood burner but letting go of summer is always a bit of a trial. This year it seemed that summer vanished overnight, replaced by howling winds and lashing rain. There was no gentle transition.

By the time I'd started week four of my autumnal Wearing It All, and I'd given up on trying to wear just one layer or going sockless. I wore scarves, and three layers on some days.

I started this challenge with a haircut. I did it myself, after watching a number of YouTube tutorials I decided to give it a go. It looked OK (it now needs another trim). I've yet to find a hairdresser that cuts my hair exactly how I ask them too, so in terms of getting what I wanted it's a success. Sure, it wasn't technically brilliant, but it was good enough, and I saved myself £35 and half an hour in a chair wearing a face mask, making small talk.

So, five paragraphs into the post, here's week one of Wearing It All Autumn. The first two days saw the last of the sunshine. I actually took off the long navy cardy and pottered in the garden relishing the feeling of the sun on my skin. But the next day it started to rain, then the wind got up (see day 5) and it didn't get much better.

Day 3 and 4 I wore one of my new tops. With the Summer Wearing It All challenge I know I have to wear something different everyday otherwise I wouldn't stand a chance of wearing all of my warm weather clothes. The summer challenge caused a lot of washing, and it took me a while to work my way through the resulting ironing pile! But as I have fewer cold weather clothes I can wear them more than once. I normally rarely wear something just once and then wash it, unless I dribble my dinner down the front (which happens more often than it probably should). I'm happy to wear something 3 or 4 times before dropping it into the laundry basket, especially if it's been worn with something underneath. How many times do you wear your clothes before washing them? My Aunt will wear something a maximum of twice, but my Uncle will wear something all week - if my Aunt lets him get away with it :)

The rain continued into week 2.

Out came the thicker layers, I did try to go bare ankled on a few days but usually by midday I'd pulled on a pair of socks and some slippers. It was socks weather from this point forward.

I went out twice during week 2, you can tell by the fact I'm carrying a bag. One was a trip to the supermarket, the other a trip to the post office, charity shop, and garden centre. I filled the boot with plants, some for the garden, others for the hanging baskets. I was so focused on the plants that once I'd wandered about outside I was half way round the inside before I realised I'd forgotten to put on my face mask. I was mortified and hoped no one had noticed. There were only a few other customers, and I hadn't been in spitting distance of anyone (not that I spit, it's disgusting), but I still felt awful, I'd been so engrossed in my own thoughts that simply hadn't registered the fact that I'd passed from outside to in.

Week 3 and I grabbed all of my jumpers and cardigans out of storage, and every last item of summer clothing was stored away. The long mustard cardigan is my most recent clothing purchase. I'd popped to my local charity shop after my friend told me that they're getting loads of items donated but not much custom. I'd hate to see it close so I made a few purchases - every little helps right?

This is where I stopped photographing the Wearing It All challenge, the weather was miserable and didn't allow for daily photos so whilst I still tried to wear as much of my wardrobe as possible, I just didn't document it, and I'm sure there's only so many photos of me standing in front of a wall that you can stomach.

We're well into winter now with icy cold winds and gales, overnight frosts that last all day and the threat of snow. It's rather nice not to have anywhere to go at the moment.

I hope you're all well, take care, and keep warm!
xx

The warm weather already seems like a dim and distant memory doesn't it? Thankfully the last few weeks of my Wearing It All Summer challenge had enough warm days for me to wear a few more items from my Summer wardrobe.

Week 10 saw two days wearing DIY clothes, but the other days I focused on items I hadn't yet worn. I'd been waiting for the weather to warm up and the week started out warm enough to wear a sleeveless shirt, and then a knee length dress. I'm keeping the dress but the shirt (kept twisting) and the jeans (just a tad too tight) have already been donated to charity.

Week 11 started with my very long wide leg trousers. Now that I'm thicker around the middle than when I purchased them they sit higher up so aren't as trip-hazard long, but they could still do with being taken up. Which I will do, along with some mending that's needed around the waistband (a result of treading on the too-long hem).

It was lovely to wear my paisley dress again, I used to wear this a lot and it always reminds me of our honeymoon. I don't like the grey tee paired with my new-to-me stripe skirt so it's an outfit that won't be repeated. The final few outfits of the week allowed me to wear my old black jumper a few more times. I keep thinking 'this will be too tatty to wear soon' but it just keeps going.

Week 12 The dresses were both birthday presents, I liked the red one paired with jeans when I wore it but now that I look at the photo I don't like it nearly as much. The final days of the week were deliciously warm and allowed me to wear a few of my summer tops - something I didn't think I'd be able to do. It was nice to be able to enjoy a few days of sunshine. I was aware that each sunny day could be the last one of the year, and spent time outside to enjoy it before autumn made it's presence felt.

The challenge got me out of my habit of wearing the same items on repeat, and it helped me slim down my wardrobe a little, which hopefully is something I can continue to do over the coming weeks. Whilst I'm not someone who rejoices in digging my jumpers out of storage, it will be nice to continue with the challenge wearing my cooler weather clothes.

I finished my Wearing It All Summer 2020 challenge yesterday. I've shared weeks 1, and 2 and 3, and weeks 4 - 6, so here are weeks 7 - 9.

These are the final few weeks of August, turning into September. Week 7 was a week of dresses. The final three were ones I had in the pile of stuff waiting to be listed on ebay, but I tried them all on first before doing so. I'm keeping the white one, it's about 5 years old and this is only the second time I've worn it! But I love it so it's staying (this could be my favourite outfit of the summer). The navy dress with what looks like a dolka dot pattern (it's actually raindrops) has a peter pan collar and a narrow band of pin tucks up the front, it's lovely. I picked it up at a clothes swap years ago but this is it's first wear. I think it's a little too short though so I won't be keeping it.

The burgundy polka dot dress hasn't been worn before either, I purchased it in 2016 and have no excuse for not wearing it, it's been saved from ebay... for now...

The only dress I'm not keen on out of these is the floral midi dress, which is a shame as I purchased this online at the beginning of lockdown, and I loved it when it arrived. I'm going to try it with different shoes, possibly add some accessories but if that doesn't work it'll go on ebay.

During Week 8 I actually went out! (you can tell by the wearing of a face mask). The first instance was just to the supermarket to pick up a few provisions. Day 5 was a photo an hour and a trip to the seaside for art galleries, and tea and cake.

Many tops worn over this week are rarely worn, the pink v neck top and black dress are items usually worn at Latitude (easy to wear and do not crease), but the blue dress is a new-to-me purchase, picked up from a charity shop on my way home from Aldeburgh the day before.

At this point I was starting to run low on clothes that hadn't been worn for the challenge that I could wear, I needed more sunny days so I could finish wearing all my summer tops and shorts but that wasn't to be...

Week 9, the weather was less than ideal and definitely not shorts weather. I took the opportunity to wear my recently purchased preloved stripe midi skirt again, which has knocked my green skirt off it's top spot, and it was lovely to wear my navy jumpsuit again.

I'm thinking the green dress is destined for ebay, it's pretty but rarely gets picked over my other dresses and I don't have the room to keep them all. The point of this challenge was to purge my wardrobe and it's worked to a certain extent, but I still have items I'm dithering about. Even though I want to wear all my clothing items as much as possible (ideally 30 times or more), if  something doesn't work I'm not going to wear it, so there is no point in keeping it.

I'll post the final update in a few days. In the meantime I've turned my attention to what to do next...

The last time I mentioned my Wearing It All Summer 2020 challenge was back in July. I've shared weeks 1, and 2 and 3, so a catch up is in order. If you have no interest in my daily outfits, look away now.

Week 4 was the last full week of July. The challenge has given me the opportunity to weed out the items in my wardrobe that I don't like, and those that aren't working. Each item is being assessed and I've already donated a number to charity and listed other items on ebay without wearing them for the challenge. Some items I picked up and simply thought a very definite 'no', and that was that. Other items I'm dithering about. 

I realised that my decision to buy only one clothing item per month this year, was partly due to not having room for any more clothes. I want to wear everything as much as I can but if I don't love something, or have a use for it, then it needs to go. A purge is long overdue.

From week 4 the green cords are going. I bought them from ebay, they're preloved and have been worn over 30 times. I dyed them last year from khaki to dark green, which I like but I just don't wear them anymore.

The other items are a mix of hardly worn, and worn a lot. The wide leg jeans, yellow maxi, and navy jumper have all been worn over 30 times. The jeans worn on day 5 and 6 are over 11 years old, and patched so many times I always wonder if they'll survive their next wash!

Week 5 took us from July into August. I decided to wear my face mask in any outfit shot taken on a day when I'd need to wear it, to keep a record of when I venture out, which as you will see isn't very often. This instance was a trip into town, my first since March. 

During this week the temperature started to rise and it finally started to feel a little more like summer again. Dresses and skirts came out of the wardrobe, and I dared to bare my arms. The khaki maxi dress has been mended, I'll tell you the story in a future post, and the skirt worn on day 6 and 7 was one of the three items I purchased in town earlier in the week.

Week 6 starts and ends with tops I bought on my trip into town in week 5. I'm not completely sure about the navy / orange vest top but I think I'll persevere. If I decide against it I have a few people in mind who might like it. 

The weather really started to heat up over the course of the week, hence the wearing of shorts on 4 consecutive days. I could've worn shorts on day 3 too, but I left early for a trip to the beach when it was still overcast, and I didn't trust it to warm up much. I wore the mask for a minute when I went inside to buy ice cream. The day before I'd been into Tesco, popped to the Post Office, and thoroughly enjoyed wandering around a garden centre for the first time in months!

The burgundy heart print shirt has been mended recently too. I sat down one Saturday and mended a number of items, which was such a satisfying way to spend an afternoon.

I'll leave this here and catch up on weeks 7 - 9 in another post. I still have items unworn (and some new-to-me items to wear!).

How are things with you?

Being the only bidder on an ebay item you've been watching for days feels pretty good.

I won these burgundy knee high boots for £24.99, and then kept everything crossed that they would fit and be comfortable. And they do, and they are!

They're in really good condition with minimal wear, originally from Topshop. They arrived this morning, and, in true Hazel fashion, I spared no time in getting them on my body. I bought them to wear with my green skirt, and I will, but today I'm wearing them with a midi dress I was given for my birthday, because I think they look fab with this too.


The heel is covered in suede which is a bit daft if you ask me - it's not very practical is it? - but isn't the shape of the heel lovely? I know these are going to be worn a lot.

Have you had any good ebay wins recently?

I'm feeling more like my normal self today. Less tired, more energetic, and although I have to be careful not to over do it, I've been feeling the need to do more than sit around, watching crappy daytime TV (although I refused to even contemplate watching Jeremy Kyle no-matter-what).

I've been taking the time to catch up on some blog reading (on the subject of reading, can you believe I haven't picked up a book in over three weeks!?).

One post I read was by Vix, talking about how a day without dressing up is a day wasted. I've never seen anyone look so glamorous whilst buying cat food, or attending an optician appointment. But she has a point, and I've always said that a great outfit can lift your spirits and do wonders for your confidence.

I've been living in PJs and anything I can find with a high comfort factor, which ironically includes my maternity jeans. It's understandable to crave comfort over style when feeling below par, but I woke up this morning and felt like making a bit more of an effort, brushing my hair and even popping on a little make up.

I wanted colour and comfort so my green skirt was the obvious choice. It's been mended since tripping on it whilst getting undressed and tearing the zip. It's not an invisible mend but it's on the back and I can't see it...

Granted this isn't so much getting dressed up as it is simply getting dressed, but I think it counts, and it's my blog, so... yeah.

To 'autumn it up' I layered long sleeves under a jumper and wore thick tights and boots, although I have to confess, these have now been swapped for a pair of tatty knitted slipper boots.

I have my eye on a particularly lovely pair of preloved burgundy boots on ebay, that I think will look fab with this skirt (and my gingham maxi dress), so keep your fingers crossed for me.

To cheer it up a bit I wore a red scarf, because a cheery red can not fail to brighten anyone's day.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my previous post. I'm feeling physically stronger, and now emotions are slowly starting to bubble up to the surface. I know Andy and I still have a way to go, but I know that together we'll be fine.

One positive of all of this is that we've have retained our ability to laugh, albeit oftentimes inappropriately. But then there have been numerous occasions when joking was the only option open to us, other than breaking down completely. I love that we've been able to share moments of silliness in this awful situation, however inappropriate they might have seemed.

On our wedding day, during my speech, I told Andy's parents that they'd raised an amazing man, and he's proved me right many times since then, but never more so than over the past few weeks.

He's been my constant companion, he didn't leave me when I was in hospital, sleeping on the floor for four nights. Nothing has been too much, he's been there to help, no matter what I've needed. Without him this situation would've been unbearable. I'm incredibly lucky.

I thought it would be fun to post a week of outfits from my autumn capsule wardrobe.

I wanted to make the most of the remaining warmer weather, before all hope of going coatless was gone until spring returned once again. Early October saw some pretty good weather, allowing me to wear items in my capsule that in all probability, I won't wear again now that the colder weather has kicked in.

Monday
Wearing one of my latest purchases for the first time, some fringed loafers from Next. I knew when I bought them that they'd look super with this dress. The dress was saved from the rag bin by being mended, and the cardigan is pre-loved, purchased on a day out with Sophie and Kezzie. The bag was bought back in October 2011, and it's starting to get that lovely worn, lived-in look that leather gets when it's been well used.
Tuesday
The wind was on the chilly side so I opted for knee high boots under my maxi skirt instead of my summer staples of ballet flats and loafers. They went rather well with this Fat Face cross the body bag - a birthday gift from Andy. The boots where a prize for coming 2nd place in one of Ceri's Ethical Outfit Competitions (with this entry). The denim jacket, skirt, and t-shirt are all pre-loved.

Wednesday
My necklace is a very recent purchase, one that I almost left in the shop. I couldn't think of a single thing I could wear it with... until I remembered this dress, this is the exactly how I imagined I'd wear it.


Thursday
Wearing that necklace again (poms poms and tassels!). The top is a few years old (first worn to a red carpet themed birthday party), the Toms I purchased in April this year, the Zara dungarees in August. They're pre-loved from ebay and possibly one of my favourite purchases of the year so far.

Later I popped a cardy over the top and was quickly reminded of the undressing required when nature calls, I can't be doing with that faff and this could mean these don't get worn much from here on in. It's fine though, I can put them away knowing that when the weather warms up I can enjoy wearing them again. It's unrealistic to think that you can wear everything all year round (but that doesn't stop me trying!).


Friday
Back in my beloved clothes swap midi skirt. I wore this a lot in spring, but not at all in summer because I decided to change the waistband (again), and it then spent the next three months sitting in my sewing pile!


Saturday
It's not often that I have an outfit these days that doesn't contain at least one pre-loved item but this is one of them. That said, every piece has been worn time and time again, and I've got no intention of stopping anytime soon.


Sunday
For the chilliest, yet sunniest day of the week, I'm back in my skinny jeans after an entire summer without them. I like that I'm wearing jeans less frequently these days, thanks to my capsule wardrobe, but you really can't beat a simple jeans and jumper combo. I added a scarf today, not because it's really cold, but because I've mentally let go of summer.


So there it is, a week in my autumn capsule wardrobe. I did love my summer capsule but it is nice to have a few different items to wear.

The warm weather has left us now, the sun still shines a little most days but the general temperature has turned decidedly colder, and it seemed to change noticeably almost overnight. I doubt I'll be going out with bare legs again, now I'll be found snuggling up in thick jumpers, wrapping myself in scarves.

So long summer. I look forward to seeing you again.

Not to be confused with phrases such as running for my life or begging for my life, this is far less dramatic. I'm talking about creating a wardrobe to match my lifestyle.

Since leaving an office environment (nearly three years ago now!), and since we now have a less hectic social life, I came to realise that my wardrobe was full of items that no longer fit. And I don't mean fit me, I mean my life.

Recently I took a good look at the clothes I wear most often, and then had a pretty hefty sort out and donated several bags of clothes I no longer wear.

I rarely wear dresses or skirts, and yet I had so many hanging in my wardrobe. At this time of year my daily outfit consists of jeans and a jumper. I like a good pair of leather boots and a chunky scarf, a warm coat and mittens. And layers, definitely layers.

Heels and frocks just don't fit with my life of working from home in a cold farmhouse, furry cats, muddy driveways, and cosy nights in. Never-the-less I've kept my absolute favourite dresses and skirts, because I don't think I'll ever lose the urge to don a dress or strut around in fabulous shoes. I've simply made a promise to wear the remaining items at the merest hint of an appropriate occasion.


I'm going out tonight, and declared it the perfect opportunity to wear my thrifted Monsoon skirt and my not-worn-nearly-enough Louche cat jumper. I love the combination of a dressy skirt with a slightly geeky jumper.

Do you shop for the life you lead?

It's becoming very apparent that my love for white dresses isn't going to be waning anytime soon.

I mentioned that I'd ordered a victoriana style white dress recently, and when I popped that into my basket I might've also added this lace maxi dress as well.

Turns out the neckline on the victoriana dress didn't suit me, not even a little bit. But as I stepped into the maxi dress, well that was a different story. It was love at first wear. It's my new favourite thing.

It reminds me of a dress I wanted when I was 11, I'd seen it in Tammy Girl and pestered my Mum for weeks to try it on. By the time we went into the shop the only one they had left was too small for me. It was so similar, drop waist, pleated skirt, a band of embellishment down the front. Perhaps this is what drew me to it when I saw it on ASOS?

After trying it on I hung it up and wondered when I'd wear it, would I have to wait for the first mild day of spring 2016?

It seemed daft to spend £45 on a dress and then wait months to wear it, so I put in on again and went about making it weather appropriate. Whilst the sun was shining, it was on the cool side, with a bit of a chilly breeze.

I pulled on a pair of footless tights, added a cardy and found this skinny scarf. Which isn't actually a scarf but a belt from a skirt that I gave away months and months ago. I'd been admiring these skinny scarves that I've seen popping up here and there, I rather fancied one. But I'd promised myself that I wouldn't buy any new scarves this year. Problem solved! No one needs to know my new scarf is actually a belt, 'k?

I finished the outfit with ankle boots and my lovely Custards Designs pink bag, I felt pleased that I'd taken the opportunity to wear my dress, and I've set myself a little challenge to make in work for any season...

I can't wait for the first hot day of summer, when I can pop it on with just a pair of sandals and some sunglasses and be good to go. That's how this dress should be worn, but with so few days out of the year when that will be possible I want to make the most of it.

How would you style this dress?

You know that I like a good mooch around the charity shops and there's not much that beats finding something that I love, and it's even better when I end up wearing it time and again. I just know that some of my recent finds will be worn a lot. I recently found some great jumpers for the autumn.

Sadly a few of my favourite items are about to be put away until it warms up again but I wanted to share with you what I'd found.


Mango Shirt
I picked this up for only a few quid on a quick charity shop hunt with Sophie in Norwich. I just knew I'd love this shirt, when I put it on it feel very 'me'. I love the soft fabric, ditsy print and lace detailing, but what I like about it the most is that the print isn't in girly girl colours. Navy, green, orange and mustard make this shirt a winner for me.


Monsoon Skirt
Even though this Monsoon skirt is a size larger than I normally wear, I knew I wasn't going to be leaving it behind. I simply wear it on my hips instead of my waist.


It was a bargain at £4.49 and I adore the grown up ra-ra style. The t-shirt  in the outfit on the left is also a charity shop find from last year, as are the bag and necklace in the outfit on the right.

I've never feel more 'Carrie Bradshaw in Paris' than I do when wearing this skirt. I'm desperate to find an excuse to wear it again!

White Dress
Found on our bloggers hike around Ipswich, it was a no-brainer to buy this when I saw it in the British Heart Foundation for £7.49. It's already had made two appearances on the blog, here and here.

It's been something that I've worn a lot over the summer, and amazingly I managed not to spill anything on it. It lives to see another summer - yay!

The locket isn't a charity shop find but a birthday gift from my Mum. Isn't it the cutest? Inside it has a map showing the village we live in.


Since getting married I've been drawn to white dresses. I keep meaning to share with you the dress I wore the day after our wedding, I didn't want to revert back to normal clothes immediately, so I picked out an off white dress from ASOS and flounced around in it all day, feeling as close to bridal as I was going to get without wearing my actual wedding dress.

Of course not everything I find quite hits the mark (and Sophie is this for you). I recently found this raincoat. I thought it was simply splendid. I usually avoid this colour like the plague but the soft fabric and big buttons spoke to me, convincing me to buy it. In fact to begin with I put it back on the rail and left the shop, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I hurried back in just before closing time and snapped it up.


I shouldn't have bothered*.

What's your favourite charity shop find? Anything you should've left on the rail?

*But it has given me what I think are my best outfit shots to date.




(Day 34 of blogging everyday for 40 days)

I rarely go charity shopping with buying something specific in mind, I like to have a good rummage and see what I can find, but with the weather turning cooler I've started to think about (my lack of) jumpers.

A quick whiz around my local charity shops turned up two woollen lovelies. I was very restrained, only buying jumpers and leaving behind a skirt, a dress, and a tote bag.
This TU jumper cost me just £4.00 from Cancer Research. It looks brand new and is super soft.
I really like the cable detail, and the super slouchy neck doesn't get in the way of my shorter hair too much.




I'll soon have to put these ballet flats away until it warms up again but I'll keep wearing them for as long as the weather allows.

This Sisley jumper was £3.99 from the RSPCA shop, although I think thick jumpers with 3/4 sleeves are a bit pointless, I really liked the colour and the shape and so bought it home with me anyway. I'm planning on a stripe top underneath for cooler days. And a statement necklace for when I want to dress it up a bit.

These brogues are a recent wardrobe rediscovery. I've had them ages and I'd forgotten all about them.

I'm pleased that I managed to find some jumpers, I think I'll head out on another hunt in a few weeks to see what I can find. I have a jumper wish list on ASOS that comes to well over £250 so let's hope I can find enough to keep me from a woollen splurge!

Hopefully these will last a while before falling victim to the same fate that all my jumpers eventually fall to - that of the cat claws!

Are you ready for autumn?

(Day 23 of blogging everyday for 40 days)

//  A year ago today I was saying 'hello' to autumn with a new peach cheek tint and a berry lip  //

When sorting through some old jewellery I found this butterfly necklace. I've only worn it once or twice even though I've had it for years. I thought that it looked a little bit like a tiny bow tie, and an idea started to form...

This is an outfit that I would most certainly wear any day of the week but adding the necklace transformed it into an outfit perfect for Tardis Tuesday. Can you tell which Dr this outfit is based on?


It's my take on The Eleventh Doctor, aka Matt Smith - 'bow tie', tweed jacket, skinny jeans and brogues, all I'm missing are the braces and floppy fringe.

I have to say I wasn't really taken with him when he was first announced as the next Dr Who, but of the episodes I've seen, I thought he was rather good.


I took the Which Doctor Are You? test and came out as No.11 and I didn't even try to sway the results (which has everything to do with me not knowing enough about the Doctors to do so).

"You are a bouncy, child-like Doctor with lots of social quirks and an inexplicable passion for fezes. But when left alone you tend to plunge into self-criticism, so it’s lucky that you have a strong social network to help keep your pecker up".

Linking up with Kezzie and Maricel for Tardis Tuesday.

(Day 17 of blogging everyday for 40 days)

When I bought this dress in a charity shop a few weeks ago I didn't realise quite how short it was. I think I was blinded by the fact that it has pockets. Pockets! I love pockets on a dress!

The shortness relegated this to the can-only-wear-with-hosiery category, so when today turned out to be slightly overcast I decided it was time to give it it's first outing. Once dressed it occurred to me that it was a little bit like a Clara Oswold outfit.

Now I'm not a huge Dr Who fan, I enjoy the odd episode if it happens to come on TV, I normally see the end of the Christmas specials, I always have an opinion in the debate on whether the new Dr Who will be as good as the last (loved David Tennant, was dubious about Matt Smith at first, and always expected Peter Capaldi to launch into a string of expletives), but I'm most regularly reminded of Dr Who by a self-professed Dr Who geek, Kezzie and her Tardis Tuesday posts.

The idea is to wear something inspired by Dr Who, the characters or the colour of the Tardis itself. Anything goes. So, here I am linking up with Kezzie and My Closet Catalogue in a Clara-ish outfit.

I took the 'Which Doctor Who Companion Are You?' test. And I came out as Clara!

"You’re caring, curious, and clever. You’re good with kids and you have a big heart, but you’re by no means a pushover! Hello, impossible girl!"

My Mum sometimes used to say I was impossible ;)

As soon as I knew we were going to a ball I started to plan my outfit. I love dressing up and often find the planning of my outfit almost as exciting as the event itself. Having the chance to dress up and wear something that I normally wouldn't feels like such a treat!

I was so tempted to buy something new, but having had this ASOS dress for ages and only having worn it a few times when we'd had friends over, I decided that it was time to give it it's first proper outing. Andy bought it for me but it was so long ago, he didn't even recognise it.

It's light and drapey and perfect for a summer ball. It does have thin straps though and, disliking my shoulders in the way I do, I always wear it with a cardigan of some description.

"Oh, you're off to a ball are you? Lovely. What's your outfit like?"
"Well, I've got myself a smashing cardy..."

It doesn't sound very dressed up does it?

I searched eBay for a beaded shrug but didn't find anything quite right, so I hit the charity shops in town. In the first one I found this fine knit bolero which is practically the same colour as the dress. I was so chuffed, but the best bit? It was only £2.80.

I wore a pair of wedges that I've had for at least 3 years - the only ones high enough to enable me to walk in this dress - and an Accessorize bag I won on eBay for £2.79 in 2012.


You've gotta love a bargain outfit! We're off to another ball tomorrow night, so expect another bargain outfit post soon.


How would you style this dress?

Love

You know that I love a challenge but BEDN (Blog Everyday in November) beat me, just like BEDM (May). I think that 21 posts in a month is pretty good going for someone that doesn't ordinarily post everyday, and it's an improvement on my efforts in May, so I'm chuffed. For me BEDN didn't end with a thoughtful, well written summary, it just fizzled out quietly - illustrated neatly by the fact that I'm posting this two days late. I enjoyed it none-the-less and I'll still be posting some of the topics from the month, albeit rather late! And keep an eye out for the new blogs coming soon to my blogroll, discovered thanks to BEDN.

Today I'm joining in with Megan and Nora's Monday Inspiration. I can't believe that I don't own a grey roll neck jumper - not that I need anymore winter woolies. But I might see if I can find a pattern to knit myself one. After talking about knitting for BEDN I've had a hankering to get my sticks out again and at the rate I knit it'll probably take me until next year to finish it.


I love this poncho, I've had it for about three years now and every winter it comes out to keep me warm. I find it really nice to wear over layers without adding yet another layer to my arms - I hate the bulky feeling that comes with one layer too many, but at the same time I don't do cold. Warmth always wins. I am one of those people who sees a girl wearing a short skirt (no tights!!) and no coat on a night out and starts mumbling about her 'catching her death'.

Do you like my shoes? They're from Next and are fast becoming my favourite pair, more interesting than a plain black pair and the sequins are subtle enough make them perfect for day or night. Super comfy too.

I also added a hat to the outfit, it's a new hat - I wanted to wear it - but more than that, after hurting my shoulder at the weekend I can't get my arms up high enough to wash my hair (not without quite a lot of pain anyway). I can't turn to my right or sit in one position for too long either. Fingers crossed I'll be more flexible tomorrow. If not, I'm going to have to get Andy to do it for me and I know that will end in an argument or one or both of us being drenched. Probably all of those things.

Hope you're having a good Monday.


Part of #BEDN hosted by Elizabeth and Inspiration Monday hosted by Two Birds.



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