Two weeks in a row!

It would've been so nice to get outside to take this outfit shot, it would've been even nicer to have been outside, needing sunglasses. But no, it's blowing a gale and I'm staying firming inside.

I love Rachel Bilson's style (got a bit of a girl crush going on) so I had to join in this week - got to be a quick post though... lots to get through today!


Pop over to see Megan and Nora, the Inspiration Monday hosts. Next week it's Gigi Hadid* in super skinny jeans.

*who?

World of Joy is four years old - 1,460 days, 452 posts and I'm enjoying blogging more than ever. There have been times when I've not posted for a while, wondered if it's all a bit silly, but then I remind myself that it's my blog, I can post (or not) if I want to and I can talk about what ever I want. That's the beauty of it. Some of my friend's know about it, most don't. I wonder what they think of it at times but mostly I blog away, amusing myself and recording life. I wouldn't change a thing.

Except maybe the name. I set up World of Joy some time before I started blogging, I needed to learn how to set up and use a blog so that I could run one for a client and I just used the first thing that came to mind. When I was younger, I was a frequent daydreamer (still am) and when caught lost in my own little world my Mum would say I was in my 'world of joy', Joy being my middle name. Now when I say it out loud I can't help thinking of the book The Joy of Sex. I'd hate people to get the two confused. How disappointing they'd find my content in comparison.

Anyway, I digress, to celebrate my blogiversary last year I did my 3 for 33 challenge in which I wore 3 dresses for 33 days. I've been planning another challenge (of course I have) and I've decided to give myself a little more freedom this year.

I'm going to choose four tops, four jumpers (or long sleeved / warmer options), four bottoms, four dresses, and I'm going to wear nothing but these 16 items for four weeks. Shoes and accessories will be unlimited. I think it'll be a doddle.

Welcome to 4-4-4

It kinda reminds me of one of my early challenges, born out of the need to save some pennies I chose four tops to wear Monday to Thursday and made Friday 'Dressday'. At the weekends I was free to wear what ever I wanted. It was my first challenge and the first time I posted a picture of myself online. As you can see I wasn't overly comfortable with that (don't I look happy?), but the challenge helped to quell that particular fear and I haven't looked back since.

It was lovely to re-read the comments on these early posts and see so many familiar faces - Sophie, Kezzie, Laura, Sherin, Megan & Nora and Tracyi, to name a few. It' so easy to forget how long we've been reading each others blogs and how much a part of my blogging life they've become. Aww <3 you guys!

Anyway - the challenge - you may wonder why I keep doing these. Well, firstly I enjoy them and secondly, they curb my spending for while - whilst doing them and also for a short time after. I can't seem to keep my diminished need to spend going for longer than a few weeks after a challenge has ended, so I like to do them once in a while to remind myself, if only for a little while, that I don't need more clothes.

Who knows maybe one day I'll get it though my thick skull that new clothes aren't any better than the ones I already have!

Love

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

I can always rely on my friends ability to have fun at a party. I went to a joint 40th birthday party recently and it was an excellent night. The theme was Hollywood Movies and we were invited to dress up as either our favourite leading actor or go for red carpet glamour. I went for the latter - any excuse to wear fabulous shoes!

I pondered my outfit for a while, I didn't want to spend a fortune and I wanted to wear things already in my wardrobe, but I rather fancied wearing a big skirt. When I saw this Coast skirt on eBay (BNWT) for £25 and knew it would be perfect. My initial thought was 'wear it with a stripey top', but I talked myself out of it, telling myself I had to wear something dressy. I spent ages trying to find something and in the end, as you can see, I went for the stripes and I'm so glad I did. I felt fabulous and very 'me'.



The top is a new addition to my wardrobe, I hope it washes well and keeps it's shape because I bought two, I liked it so much (you can never have too many stripey tops). The clutch bag is from Boohoo, it's not  place I normally shop but I was running out of options (and time). A word of advice - never try to buy a clutch bag after Christmas. There were a few I liked on eBay but I kept being out bid, the search of my local charity shops proved fruitless, and even the New Look, Accessorize and H&M sales didn't have anything to fit the bill.


The necklace I've had for ages - it's Monsoon but I won it on eBay in 2011 and this is the first time I've worn it. I love it but it's not the easiest thing to dance in (I say dance - jumping about like a loon is rather more accurate). As I boogied with the likes of Austin Powers, The Black Swan, Cruella De Vil and Scarlett O'Hara, it kept flying up and hitting me in the face. Now I understand how big boobed girls feel.


The shoes were a Christmas present from Andy 4 years ago (isn't it hard to take photos of your own feet?) and this was the first opportunity I'd had to wear them. One of the guests at the party didn't think that it was me because 'I looked too tall'. They were surprisingly comfortable, although I did take them off to dance for fear of injury.

So, there you have it, my red carpet outfit for £51.00. Not bad eh?

Love

At this time of year I always feel really nostalgic and spend a lot of time looking back over the year. I noticed that on this day last year I entered the Style Is ethical outfit competition wearing this and I thought it would be fun to recreate the outfit for today. You never know, one day I might actually wear this in the summer months, as intended when I bought it!


I always thought that this dress would look cute with a stripey top underneath so I popped on this one but all other elements remain the same. The top is originally from Jigsaw bit I picked it up in a charity shop for about £3.00. The label says 'hand wash only' but I took a gamble (wash by hand? I think not) and chucked it in on a 30 wash and y'know what? It's perfectly fine.

I've also been thinking a lot about the year ahead and I've read a lot of your posts on what you have planned for 2014 and I have to say you're a creative lot, full of good ideas, of which I am going to steal many! Full credit will be given obviously, but I'm letting January pass before I set out my plan for the year. It's going to be a hectic few weeks and my focus will be almost entirely on work. But this is a good thing, please do not think I am complaining, I am loving the new challenges that freelancing brings!

Do you ever look back at your blog and think 'ohh that's nice, I haven't worn that in a while'?

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.



Love

Nearly two weeks ago I wore a fairy costume, for an entire day. This is why. I can highly recommend a tutu to lift your spirits! And how could I not share my fairy outfit with you all? This could possibly be one of my all time favourite outfits. Ever.















The day before the record attempt I discovered this in my garden - a fairy ring! I quickly skimmed a wiki page did some research and it seems depending on who you believe they are either evil places or a chance at hearing fairies laugh and sing. Or perhaps the result of an underground presence of fungus that gets bigger with each passing year (but that's boring). I could run around it in the direction of the sun, put my left leg in and wear a hat backwards... or something. Needs more thorough reading me thinks!

Anyone fancy a tutu party?

Over the festive period I had no Internet at home, the connection is sketchy at best so I tend to edit my photos and publish my posts at work, during my lunch break. So, when I saw that Ceri's Ethical Outfit Competition for Fashion Bloggers, being run to celebrate the launch of Style Is, had a closing date of 31st December I knew there was very little chance of me entering. That was until I saw a tweet announcing the extension of the competition until January 4th. Hurrah!

So, I'm pleased to be able to share this outfit with you. 

This outfit has four ethical elements - the dress, top, scarf and bag. The dress was a charity shop purchase made on my first blogger meet up. It's the first time I've worn it, I love the shape and the pockets - I love anything with a pocket - it's super flattering and so easy to wear. I can't wait for warmer weather so I can chuck it on with sandals and sunnies.


The top is from a clothes swap, the scarf a charity shop and the bag is Monsoon via eBay.

I bought more pre loved fashion over the course of 2012 than any other year. I think this has everything to do with my involvement in the blogging community, my style has evolved, I've been given cause to consider my choices and have been inspired by the charity shop finds of so many of you and this has fuelled my determination to buy second hand.

Have you entered the competition? Do you rock pre-loved fashion?

Love

Hello, it's been a while. I failed to post anything at all last week and missed Inspiration Monday and EBEW, I've been absent from Twitter and have not had a chance to read and comment on my favourite blogs. In short, life has been hectic.

Sadly, this is mostly due to work, but I have been up to some fun stuff too.


On Saturday I ran another clothes swap for a charity I'm involved with. It went really well and plans are already in place for the next one in early November. With the clothes that remained I decided, at the 11th hour, to join some friends that were going to a carboot sale on Sunday. At the end of the day I left with more than I'd arrived with, any clothes that my friends weren't able to sell were given to me for the next clothes swap.

Some items I've decided to sell on eBay as I think I can raise more for the charity that way - other items, like bobbled knitwear and misshapen t shirts and such, are going to be sold via Cash for Clothing. These will be sorted and sent to third world countries or those experiencing situations resulting in extreme poverty. Any items that aren't reusable go for fibre reclamation - I am determined not to let any item that is donated go to waste.

Now, I'd be lying if I said that organising clothes swaps didn't come with a few perks. You've probably already guessed that I pick up a few bargains for myself along the way. Whilst I'm at the swaps I don't have time to browse but when I get everything home and I'm sorting through it, I often find a few gems (post to come). Of course I pay for all of these items - I see it as a win-win, clothes for me, money for charity.

One lady at the carboot sale leant over my table, touched me on the hand and said "There's absolutely no need for anyone to look shabby, when there are so many lovely items like these to be had for next to nothing" A woman after my own heart...

Love

Last night I took some time to try and get Wearing It All back on track and discovered that I am actually only a few outfits away from completion. Time to get it done.

No. 39
I wore this shirt last week with wide leg jeans and gorgeous platform boots from Stylist Pick and a fav pendant from Cherry and Joy. I like it. It stays.


No. 40 - Sequin Wednesday
After some umming and ahhing I decided that I liked this t-shirt only to discover three irreparable  hole sin the back *rolls eyes and adds to the 'no' pile*. The cardigan is going too, it leaves fluff on everything and drives me crackers. Shame.


No. 41 - Yesterday (left)
You've seen everything here but the jumper which is relatively new, however it has shrunk a little so its days maybe numbered...

No. 42 - Today (right)
This dress is more of a beach cover up really. I'm not sure I'm feeling this look but hey...


#yesterdaywasagoodday
I had two parcels delivered. One from Very.co.uk, the other from Zara - hey, I never said that I wouldn't be shopping during my challenge!

I left a built-in wardrobe with three huge mirrored doors at my old house (as you can see, I don't even have doors!) so I have no full length mirror. Recently my camera has become into my looking glass (seriously) so I can share my purchases. What do you think?


Jeans and skirt and bag (not pictured) from Zara, boots Very. The jeans are long - really long - so I'll have to wear platform heels with them... I'm sure I can manage that. I may need to add a pair or two to my collection... I'm sure I can manage that too! The skirt would look much better with a fitted top so expect a post soon!

Remaining in the WIA challenge...
3 tops, 1 cardigan, 1 sweater, 4 dresses. Watch this space.

Love

Today I'm wearing my beloved coral coloured jeans from the very first day of WIA for the Everybody, Everywear : Coloured Pants challenge.


During the summer months I teamed them with neutrals and sandals but as the weather turns cooler I'm going to need to re-think. Today I went for layering and brogues. A simple white vest top with a long sleeved t-shirt over the top was just the ticket.



You may be wondering what happened to the WIA challenge, it has waned somewhat. Work and other commitments have been keeping me busy, I have little time to take daily outfit photos and tend to grab the first outfit that comes to hand in the mornings... I'm not going to add to my load by beating myself up about slacking on my challenge. Life is busy and something had to give.

That said, the challenge is still there, lurking, in the back of my mind. I will complete the challenge and share the results with you. It'll just later than I expected.

Until next time...

So, I'm nearing the end of this challenge, just a few more pieces remain before I say 'The End' and haul the 'no' pile to the nearest charity shop.

Day 35 - The top that makes everyone wonder...
I love this top, it's from the La Redoute spring/summer 2011 collection. I like the 3/4 length sleeves, the material and the fit. It's flared shape raises eyebrows. I have recently moved house, to a larger house with OH, and now people are putting 2 + 2 together and making babies! Add to that the fact that I have taken to driving everywhere (due to our recent relocation) and people are expecting an announcement. They maybe waiting a while… Me? I just like the top :)



Day 36 - Gotta new bag!
My lovely best friend Boo gave me this bag for my Birthday. So, an understated mix of t-shirt, jeans and ballet pumps let the bag do the talking. It has pom-poms - what more could I need?


Love