A long time coming......

I should have written about this cape a long time ago so apologies to my lovely friend Jo (and her sister Emma), who very thoughtfully bought me this beautiful cape for my 40th last year.  A cape had been on my wish list for some time (as I had written previously), but I had not been lucky enough to find a black one as lovely as this.  They did, and bought it in a charity shop in the Cotswolds while on a weekend away.  Being a present, I dont know the price but Jo assured me that she had done her research and the label "After Shock" was apparently a very good name in capes of this kind.

An opportunity to wear it had not come forward until Valentines Day last week when my lovely husband took me out for a meal.  On our way in and out of Caldicot, the little town we now call home, we drive past a lovely hotel - Marriot St Pierre Hotel & Country Club, that was quickly added to my list of places to visit.   And last Friday, I was lucky enough to cross it off my list as I ditched the DIY gear for the chance of a date with John.

These photo's aren't great (I am in them after all) but they show off the item in question at least.  I wore the gorgeous cape over top of my cheonsam (chinese dress) which seem to make a perfect pair.  A cape of this kind could only be properly worn with certain items such as evening dresses or maybe smart tapered trousers. I couldn't imagine wearing it with a full skirt for example.

It is so soft and although the pictures don't show it, it has a lovely rippled fake fur effect with diagonal detail stitched all over it.  Just lovely. And after a wonderful evening and far too much food and drink for that kind of dress, I reluctantly replaced it back in my dressing room, pondering over when our next rendezvous would be.

Soon I hope.

Monochromatic...

Yet again I find myself apologising for my lack of blog activity. It has been too long and I have missed transmitting to the void (and to my handful of loyal followers).

My life has become a continuous stream of colour charts, inspirational doodles in my ever growing notebook and paint splattered hair. The house and it's all encompassing workload is starting to consume me. The dressing room that I had dreamt of has been neglected as I find myself in a vicious circle of DIY attire and no time nor money (to go out) with which to put it to good use. 

I try to spend time however, in the inner sanctum every day, even if it is just a cherished five minutes, tea in hand, where I an reflect about the day ahead, or the day that has just passed. Almost every item holds a memory, good or bad (although I am happy to report there aren't many bad ones). I tend to form an unhealthy attachment to my clothes and look upon them as old friends or new friendships yet to develop. 

When you are constantly occupied as I seem to be it is all to easy to forget to make the effort and still dress up.  Too many times have I caught myself "popping" to B&Q in my scruffs, repeatedly telling myself that it's ok because we are working on the house.  

Audrey Hepburn will be turning in her beautiful grave.

So, when the  rare opportunity arose a couple of weeks ago to pop to our neighbouring city of Cardiff for the afternoon, I ran upstairs to the dress section and began scanning for a suitable piece. The one I chose is below. 

The classic wrap dress (a curvy girls best friend), in a black and white geometric print.  This was originally a supermarket dress but I found it in a charity shop and paid around £3 for it. I don't tend to wear a lot of black but black and white I like. Classic, easy, versatile. And any excuse to dig out my favourite black and white Great Gatsby style heels is a bonus.

Now me being moi, I didn't quite bank of the gale force winds that battered us all around Cardiff bay and so my choice of outfit was debatable. Especially by John who tried very hard not to berate me too much for dressing inappropriately. Again. 

But any dress was a welcome change from the dirt, paint and dust covered uniform that has become my staple outfit. Gale force 9 or otherwise. 

Now if you can excuse me, the tip beckons.

Hidden gems.....

So you may have noticed, there isn't much purchasing going on in the Merchant-Locke household of late (unless it's in DIY shops or other such realms). That's ok, it's not about a continuous stream of newness into the wardrobe, it's about recycling and falling in love again with what you already have and may have unintentionally over-looked. The pieces below are two such items. 

I came upon them while disseminating what will and what won't make the grade for the dressing room last week. It's a sorry state of affairs when you finally have a dressing room but not everything will fit! 

Both are loved equally but for every different reasons and both are of course second hand. 

Now try not to judge this first one. I know milkmaids spring to mind (or at least they do for me when I look at it) but I had to have it nonetheless. And in the ten years I have owned it, it has been worn only once. On a date, in the early days with John (and in the days when I had a much smaller frame with which to show it off). I teamed it up with a long chunky knit cardigan just to lower the tone somewhat and some camel boots. You can't really see it without enlarging the picture but it is a beautiful pale peach satin fully embroidered with brightly coloured flowers front and back. The only downside, is that it shows your backside! The back is slightly higher than the length at the front and although fine with the long cardi, a tad too risqué without, unless you are Miss Moss. 

I bought in from a little vintage shop in Bath and it was quite expensive but thankfully a kind ex bought it for me after seeing my childlike grin the minute we walked in. 

I can't see her ever making it back into the wearable stakes BUT she shall certainly be kept and passed down to either my niece or my stepdaughters. I have a big box already started of lovely things I'm keeping for them. 

This one will definitely be worn again. £7 from a St Peters Hospice shop in Fishponds, Bristol. Satin again and this time from Zara, I am a sucker for a nice wrap dress. They are so flattering. A little tight at the moment (as is 80% of my wardrobe!), but she won't be going into the legacy box.

As for new purchases, there may be one or two this weekend as I have a rare weekend off  and John and I are off to explore the lovely city of Cardiff . I have already done my research on vintage shops and markets of which I am pleased to report there are several.

Poor John..........again. 

The writing's on the wall......

I am having a very lazy day off. The best kind. I have spent most of it in my favourite place in the house so I thought I would share with you a few more pictures so you can see why I love it so much.

This is our bedroom. Not yet completely finished, we still have skirting board to paint and carpet to buy but the main bulk of the work is done. I wanted a really striking feature wall behind the bed and this paper just jumped out at me. John on the other hand, does not love the wallpaper but not because of the pattern, because it was a nightmare to lay apparently. And me being me, as much as I loved it when I got back from work, all I noticed were the imperfections and marks on it, not realising what a horrible time John had had all day, trying to so it on his own. 

You can just see Madelene in the corner (my wrought iron mannequin still wrapped in Christmas lights from 2012). I think she is so pretty and I switch the lights on all the time, even in the day.

This is the view from the back wall. John now has his own wardrobe solely for "man" use. Never before has such an honour been bestowed upon him. The other one is of course mine. We couldn't fit another one in my dressing room so he caved and allowed me another one in our room just for jeans, jumpers etc. 

This is a decal that I had made for the wall of our en suite. Surprisingly, I resisted the urge to fill it full of pictures as I had an idea at the back of my mind of some beautiful french wording being written upon the wall.  I wasn't brave enough to attempt to paint it myself, so I researched on the net for the cheapest decal/wall art sticker I could find and this is the result. £7.50 from Amazon. 

Quelle bargain! 

The proverb translated reads; " the perfect couple is one that talks to one another as best friends, plays like children and protects one another like brother and sister". I saw it written on a friends wall on Facebook once and loved it ever since. I just think it adds a little je ne sais crois to the room and personalises it even more. My only regret is that I didn't chose the matt option as it is awfully shiny when the light is on. 

Talking of lights, here is a link to the light that I have bought for my dressing room. Not quite a chandelier but it's got "quiet" elegance I think. And of course, it's got a French name.....

BHS Marianne Ceiling Light

And as for this imposter.....of course he isn't allowed in the bedroom. There was an emergency and he ran upstairs to find his mum.

The emergency being...... he needed a cuddle.

Good Intentions...

If there is anyone out there still tuning in to my blog after my terrible neglect over Christmas, I wish you a very Happy New Year, and hope that 2014 will be a year full of lovely surprises for you.

Christmas was a bit odd this year in that we didn't fully immerse ourselves in all things Santa. John's stress levels reached DEFCON 3 as he tried desperately to finish our bedroom for Christmas, something I am pleased to say that he achieved with flying colours (albeit a few finishing touches and the question of unsecured skirting board but that matters not!).

We didn't send Christmas cards, got caught out not giving presents in time and just generally felt that we could have done with another 6 weeks so as to give the festivities all the care and attention they deserved. I had such plans of grandeur for the first Christmas in our new home but they all fell by the wayside without funding, energy and time. That said, the giggles over Articulate, the endless glasses of falling down water and the general pleasure that comes (at the time) from being gluttonous without guilt, was very much enjoyed.   Our one crowning glory was our beautiful tree, which we colour coordinated of course, matching the colours that our lounge will be eventually.

But now it is all finit and the New Year blues have found their way in. The word that shall not be said out loud (diet) is back on the agenda and just the thought of one is exhausting. I don't like to record and analyse what I eat, I love food too much to break it down into recordable component parts. Something must be done though. All this time I have been blaming my love of wine for my excess poundage and it turns out that my little bowl of Frosties every night for supper was sneakily adding on many calories per sitting. I am still in shock to be honest.  My glass of wine coupled with a packet of crisps is less fattening! Anyway, no more excuses and I hope that now I have the ultimate goal to motivate me.....

Le Boudoir....

Yes, operation Carrie Bradshaw is around 80% complete. I have my dressing room thanks to my amazing husband and his endless patience. Here is a couple of pictures as she currently stands, just bear in mind I have yet to buy the chandelier, carpet and fancy blind. My shoes are not yet permanently housed either. The original plan of bookshelves with glass fronted doors is still being muted but I am still considering other options that will maximise the space even more. Current count is 179 pairs so optimisation is key or they will be spilling out to the far corners of the house. And I have been politely reminded that this is not a discussable option.

Ok, so not the most glamorous entrance but as I said,  still work to be done. To the left is the entrance to the en suite that John has built  and the clothes sticking out? That's my jacket wardrobe but you can't see it very well. Proper photos to follow when it's all done! 

Posh dress area with bags over-head.....

Day dresses in the middle and tops and bottoms to the left.

And on the other wall......

Homeless but organised.....at least they are all in one space for now which is a god-send believe me. 

So there you have it. It's only a relatively small area but a dream one all the same. I know I am very lucky and still pinch myself when I sit in there at night, cuppa in hand (no judgement), just looking around at the general splendour of it all.  One thing that did surprise me though was the sadness that came with unpacking all my many crates of clothing. I had always assumed it would be a momentous day, unwrapping forgotten jewels in my 20 year collection but it was a very melancholy affair. As I excitedly ripped open box after box, I was sadly reminded of all the beautiful items I had kept but that realistically, was never going to wear again. I am no longer that girl about town, financially independent with savings in the bank, who's week revolved around work lunches, Friday night down the wine bar (extremely overdressed), or planning my next trip to New York or Cannes (where again, the whole trip revolved around the outfits and how long could I get away with pretending to be Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly swaying along the Côte d'Azur, before my boyfriend threw in the towel).

My life has changed in what seems like the blink of a slightly wrinkled eye and here I am. 40. None of what I am saying is out of regret or even unhappiness, it's just that stark realisation of the ageing process and the massive effect is has on who you are as a person (and on what you can wear that is deemed age appropriate). Still, the up-side is that there will be a few clothes ready for recycling, the whole point of loving second-hand, and as for the shoes.....they too have depleted slightly. 12 pairs were pulled out today. Some for the bin due to age and condition but 4 pairs ready for the charity shop.

Next job(s)? Posh light, black carpet and cover a small cube seat with velvet.  Then hang some pictures on the small wall space that is available and get a blind. Boudoir almost finit.

Joan Collins eat your heart out.

Tree of light

I just thought I would write a quick post about the new Christmas light that I made. My lovely mum gave John a box of chocolates from my beloved M&S but the box was quite a special little wooden box with a clasp. Once the chocolates were all gone (it doesn't take him long), I took the opportunity to recycle the box so I filled it full of fairy lights. It now sits proudly in my lounge like a little festive beacon.

A very cheap Crimbo decoration. Don't forget to look differently at everyday things, you might surprise yourself with what you can up-cycle! 

Green with envy....

I am very lucky to work with some wonderful women, one of which is Miss Selina Bracey, the owner of these shoes. I am always asking everyone to let me know if they find any second-hand bargains that I can write about and she was kind enough to bring in these beauties for me to see.

They were found in a little place called Chipping Sodbury, just north of Bristol, in a St Peters Hospice shop no less! And they cost a mere £4. She has admitted that she has not yet worn them but for £4, they can rest in her wardrobe guilt-free.  They are lovely dancing shoes, Ginger would be proud I am sure.

The backdrop for the photos is Caldicot Castle, which is just down the road from our new homestead. I  happily while away the hours there with my beautiful dog, watching the birds on the lake and kicking up the leaves. It's a lovely place, heaven for dog walkers. I have met so many nice while walking, already we feel part of the community.

That said, I am not quite sure Phil the Park Ranger was too impressed with Solo the other week. He got into a field of sheep and had a go at sheep herding. I was quite impressed to be fair, he seemed to know what he was doing. The tale got around and people now stop me and ask if he is the dog that caused all the commotion. 

That's my boy.