Summer Daze......

Well hello there...

I am ashamed to admit that it has been a while since I last put fingers to keyboard and updated my online diary of musings and must-haves.  I have no-one to blame other than myself. I allow work and all its associated mini-drama's to consume me which leaves me to drained and lazy to deal with the fun things in life such as this.  That said, in among all the madness, John and I have been lucky enough to steal a week away in Majorca for which we were sooooooo grateful.  I made a particular stand by declaring the phone would remain locked in the safe, not once was I to check messages or Facebook so that John and I could attempt to shelter ourselves from the outside world and all of its distractions.  It was a refreshing change and made me appreciate our time together even more.  In between my retail hours, DIY, kids and other necessities, we rarely have quality time together so it was super-special just to call him totally my own for 8 days straight.  I even had my hand and toenails painted especially for the holiday, something I rarely do other than maybe a wedding or super-special event but in my mind, this was.

We stayed at the Hotel Maria Luisa in Portals Nous which is only 25 minutes from Palma the capital, so great in terms of transfer distance.  It is our second time there, mainly due to the fact that I get to indulge my love of french all week as the hotel is full of French people.  Yes, we go all the way to Majorca, just so I can speak French.   Bizarre but true.  Portals Nous is a lovely quiet spot though with a picturesque cove and beach, a little village to the top of the hill with some nice restaurants and a buzzing port close by (where the beautiful people hang out).  The port is brimming with overly pretentious yacht owners with their questionably young "girlfriends", complete with handbag dogs.  Not really for us but it's fun to people watch and  nice when you want a change from the so-called wine that is served at the all-inclusive!  It's a three star hotel and very simple and a little out-dated but it's fine for us. At the end of the day, we just want to go away and read books, eat and drink (a little too much), meet new people and do some snorkelling.  For a quick week away, our holiday requirements are very basic.  So the 1970's decor doesn't bother us, neither does the 1970's style entertainment.  At the end of the day, it is what you make it and we always try and put in 200% to get the most out of every experience.

Of course, I started the packing edit several months ago. In fact the bed in my step-daughters bedroom became my new suitcase while I perused, selected and re-selected clothes that could possibly make the cut for les vacances.  My unwanted weight gain added to the challenge in that what I wanted to take and what my hips and boobs would allow me to take, sadly were at opposite ends of the scale. But after several hours of testing, trying, squeezing and shoving....I selected my core pieces (and carefully stowed several extras in my hand luggage when Johns gaze was averted).  The plan was to take a second-hand/vintage piece to wear each night I was there, as one of my favourite holiday pass-times is dressing up for dinner. It matters not that I swan into the all-inclusive buffet thinking I am a cross between Carrie Bradshaw and Audrey Hepburn when others have barely managed to cover up their swimwear and sunburn, I am British and we dress for dinner!  I am proud to say I managed it, with the exception of the last night where I sadly (but practically) had to don my plane outfit as opposed to an over the top ballgown (although Easyjet could do with a few more dresser-uppers!).  So here are a few pics of what I wore.  I apologise for the cheesiness of the images.  I am still not comfortable with the idea of asking for my photo taken so I can display them here. My confidence just won't allow me to relax, hence a lot of the poses are either forced or fumbled.

This red dress is one of my faves and I have written about it a couple of times.  It has become a stalwart piece in my wardrobe ever since I found it in my friends charity shop last year in Bristol.  It doesn't seem to matter what my weight is doing at the time, this slides over all the bumps and the red is noticeable enough to shout "look at this dress" as opposed to the figure that is hiding underneath.  I can't remember the exact price but I know it was less than £10 and it has more than its fair share of outings.  I love it.

Don't I look lovely and white, I think the sun looks, smirks and by-passes my body while all around me go a lovely shade of brown.

This 1920's number is new, I found in in my local St Davids Charity shop in the village, a couple of weeks before take-off.  I almost couldn't contain my happiness when I lifted it gingerly from the rail praying that it was my size.  For once, I was pleasantly surprised in that it was a little too big. I didn't have to place it back with that sad forlorn look on my face, berating myself for even going near the size 8-10 section of the rail.  It is a size 14 but seems much bigger but that particular style of 1920's dress was not meant to be fitted. It was meant to drape off of the gamine-like silhouettes of those Charlston beauties. As such, its not one of hubby's favourites, who likes me to show off my curves but I love it with or without hubby's approval. It was £15 but a justified cost I thought due to all the embellishment and detail. It is damn heavy though, in hindsight it shouldn't have been one that I placed in my hand luggage in a clandestine manner!  Poor John didn't even realise what he was carrying around when he gallantly offered to carry my bags (which he always does and I love him for it).

I hate this photo, neither me nor the jumpsuit looked very good so you will have to just believe me  when I say that it does look a lot better in real life. This was £7.50 and another recent find before the trip. I found it in a charity shop in Weston-super-Mare when I paid my mum a quick visit to say goodbye. It was originally from M&Co, which is a High Street chain, slightly higher in status than Matalan (is that fair to say????).  We don't have one near us so it's not a shop I go in really or have been in many times in the past.  I do love a one-piece though. I think they suit all types of women, slim, tall, curvy or not.  They are so flattering.  This one has a silver satin top and black crepe trousers and the contrast really works.  It had lost its belt so I made do with a ribbon for now until I can better pair it with something more suitable.

This black number is lovely but far too low - even for a skin-showing holiday (especially with my double frontage). So despite the heat, I had to wear it with my black M&S slip underneath just so I didn't put people off their food at dinner.  Looking back, I should have just said, what the hell!  There were some awful sights to behold in the restaurant so me showing a little more cleavage wouldn't have been the most offensive thing on the menu but I thought better of it.  Granted it's a bit of a plain style, but I liked the detailing under the bust line, a respectful nod to a different era and the fabric is a lovely polyester (there's no such thing I hear you cry!) and it just glides over your body. A little hot for Majorca but I wanted it to make the cut as it was the first time I had an opportunity to wear it.

There were other outfits of course but in a bid not to push John over the edge with the oh so annoying......"could you possibly take my picture", every night when he wanted to just get to the  all-you-can-eat buffet, I opted out of some photo shoot opportunities.  One of the sad things for me about coming home (other than the obvious list), is that I no longer have to dress for my supper. It's not quite the same when you are just sitting with your dinner on your lap in front of the TV.  I have however, vowed to make an effort to dress up more, whenever the opportunity presents itself. I have already been out twice this week since home, once to the cinema and once to the indian (a necessary pilgrimage after a rather repetitive food source on holiday), and I made an effort for both, wearing second-hand of course. Posts to follow soon.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday to look forward to, or if you have already had one, I hope you have many amazing memories to look back on. Just like us...

Autobiographical.....

I am always waxing lyrical about your home being a museum of your identity, a sacred place that showcases your passions, memories, keepsakes. Our home is quickly starting to rival the Smithsonian Instsute in terms of displays and wall hangings (although they are all considerably lesser value antiquities!). They are springing up everywhere. The minute John dares to put down his tools, I am quickly persuading him to pick them back up while pushing the spirit level his way. 

The newest item in question to adorn the walls or "Merlocke Manor", was found a few months back in a charity shop in Chepstow and it cost me £5. I just loved it and knew that I would find a use for it somehow. It's a small wooden piece about the size of an A3 piece of paper. It has German writing in gold along the top that I haven't yet translated but there are 24  "compartments" so I wonder if it's proper use is that of an advent calender (which I may well do at Christmas). But for now, I have hung it on the wall as you climb the stairs and I have filled it with lots of little treasures that are dear to me....such as;

• The cork from a champagne bottle we opened on our first anniversary
• A heart shaped stone from Durdle Door in Dorset found while we were camping
• A pin from my Uncle's old army hat
• An old photo of my brother and me. Butter wouldn't melt...
• A Darth Vader key ring that a lovely girl at work bought me when she left. Perfect as I am the worlds biggest Star Wars fan
• A beautiful diamonte spider brooch. The only spider that I will ever allow that close to me! 
• The bell from my cats collar who I had to sadly have put to sleep a few years back
• A shell from a perfect day at Rhosilli beach in the Gower last summer
• One of the chocolate favours from our wedding, still wrapped up
• A couple of keepsakes from John's mum and Dad who are no longer with us 
• The cork from the wine bottle me and my friends shared on 'black Friday'. The first and only time I have ever scived off a beloved French class at uni

The list goes on but the nice thing is that we still have some spaces to fill and rest assured I will. I hope it will also be a conversation starter as people travel up the wooden hill to use the bathroom.

I didn't think Mr M-L would like it but he has surprised me. He loves it, which makes it even more special to me. 

It will no doubt make me smile whenever I climb the stairs but I would love to have known a bit about its history. It's such an unusual piece, I'm sure it would have some interesting tales to tell.

Reincarnation...

I am not quite sure how to start this post. I wasn't even sure if it was appropriate but after a chat with a lovely lady at work (thanks Katie), I decided to put finger to keypad.

I wanted to share with  you some of the items I have very kindly been given that once belonged to my late Mother-in-law - Bett.  The very ethos of my blog is about re-cycling, re-using and re-loving pieces that once belonged to someone else, so it only seems right that I celebrate these pieces as they begin a new life with me.

It is a very surreal experience to go through someone's possessions when they are no longer with you. Bett would smile if she read this but to say she was a "hoarder" is an understatement.  The woman could have given Jackie O' a run for her money in the wardrobe stakes.  We all got together shortly after she passed away to start the unenviable task of sorting through her life. It is not an experience I would wish to repeat with myself and John only touching the surface really as to the work that was needed.

As we were going through things, it felt as if we were sadly compartmentalising a life into bags for keeping, throwing and recycling. On the flip side, it was nice in a way to see John's face as we routed through things. His face lit up as he found old photo's, keepsakes and even toys from his childhood that had been forgotten over time.  Memories that had been buried with layer upon layer of new memories taking their place as we amble through this funny thing called life. We found things that we cannot explain and have no idea how they came to be in her possession such as a suitcase of old dolls, extremely old books, jewelry we never saw her wear.....the list goes on. The more things we found, the more questions were presented as to how well we knew this woman and what stories went with her that will sadly, never be told.  It felt wrong in a way for us to be giggling and sharing items as we discovered them but it helped to lighten the mood and to be honest, the woman was a legend,  I think we all expected the house to throw up some hidden eccentricities.  It wouldn't have been Bett's house if not.

As myself and my sister-in-laws were sorting though her wardrobe, I came across some lovely pieces that I asked (gingerly) if I could keep.  I think most people (apart from John) were surprised that I fell in love with some pieces that came from a wardrobe of an 83 year old but to me, if something is beautiful, it doesn't matter about the origin (although I would have loved the chance to actually look through her wardrobe with her and for her to tell me the stories behind some of the items). I think I chose about ten pieces of clothing in all.  Ten pieces that hopefully, I will do her proud when wearing and that will make John smile one of his cheeky smiles that says only you! 

Memories live on in the items we pass on and I love this idea.  I relish the thought that one day, my Niece or my Step-daughters would love a piece from the vast depths of my wardrobe.  I get so much joy now when they occasionally borrow pieces for a party or event.   My 15 year old Step-daughter recently borrowed a blue silk dress for a family party and she looked beautiful.  It is way past the possibility of ever fitting me anymore so the fact that it now has a new "mum", is a lovely thought (as long as it doesn't end up in a crumpled pile on her bedroom floor).

Anyway, photo's of the clothing are to come........I am hoping to take a couple of pieces on holiday next month as they are summery items and should be photographed somewhere lovely.  The photo's below cover some of the many items of glassware, jewelry and bags that will now live a new life with me. It seems silly to think that a bag could help keep someone's legacy alive but all of these things will ensure that Bett never escapes my memory.

A gorgeous costume jewelry brooch.  I have a peppermint jacket that I wear for work that will house this beautifully.

A few necklaces.  The middle one means the world to me as she wore it often and I always commented on it.  I am so happy that it came to me. 

I love glassware and this unusually shaped bowl is now sitting on a shelf that will house our keys.  It's a lovely size which is good as all my keys make me look like a jailer at times.

These two little cocktail glasses will house some succulents when I find time to get to the garden centre. I thought they would look nice on a sunny windowsill. 

Johns face dropped when I said I would take this.......

It is large but I am thinking that it can home lots of my smaller handbags atop of a wardrobe in my dressing room.  Interestingly there are initials by the handle which aren't hers.  Just another question mark as to how it came into her possession.  What tales does this case hold.....

This enormous brandy-style glass is currently on a table in my hallway. I am not quite sure of the right place or use for it yet but I had to rescue it from becoming car-boot fodder. 

My first ever Radley Bag and matching purse.

My favourite shade of blue. 

The picture isn't great for distinguishing this but it is a tiny crystal pot that I will put my watch in every night on my chest of drawers.  

Some clip-on earrings.  The blue drop earrings have no fixings so I was planning to make them into a necklace.

A gorgeous Swarovski ncecklace.

And last but not least, a Malamute pin!  We have no idea why she had this but she had a series of dogs throughout her life and one was a large, white Samoyed, which is a similar dog to the malamute.   I will pin it to my little bag I take while walking Solo. 

Our house is now a grateful home to a few of her possessions.  Possessions that were her choices, her passions, gifts received and stories told. That to me is priceless. More little connections in the jigsaw of our lives.

Collection...

After the recent sadness of my Mother-in-Law's passing, both myself and John have once again thrown ourselves at the mercy of our house and the thousands of looming DIY projects that never seem to end. The recent spout of gorgeous weather has served as a reminder that hopefully summer is but a sniff away and if we are to attack the garden this summer, we need to draw a line under many of our unfinished projects on the inside first. So we are pushing full steam ahead trying to get our large hallway done.  Nothing fancy, just hues of coffee and cream (sounds so much nicer than brown and magnolia), laminate flooring downstairs (much more wolf-friendly than carpet) and a statement stripey carpet upstairs and across the landing.  That is the plan. 

It recently lost its title of hallway and gained the less coveted title of building site as various things have distracted our progress along the way (namely evening drinks and serious bouts of post-work laziness). But those days are gone.  The vino has been put aside, the Budweiser is staying in the fridge and we are becoming, once again, DIY hero's to our home. 

I try not to stereotype but I think its safe to say that most women favour the "feathering of the nest stage rather than the sanding and filling stage and I am most definitely one of those women.  That's not to say I don't get down and dirty and help John in the constructing phases, I am just filled with impatience as to when I can start hanging things on our massive expanse of walls and placing nik-naks in every nook and cranny, a good example of this being last night. I had begged john to hang some floating shelves and large old mirror I had inherited from my Mum some time ago and immediately I started mentally choosing and placing of all my little collectibles and it got me to thinking.... 

I have always held the hope that our home would serve as a modern museum of our life.  A warm place that told many stories at every gaze.  Somewhere filled with conversation starters and provoked thoughts.  A large photo wall I am planning will display pictures that I have collected throughout my many travels and as you climb the stairs, another wall will proudly show all my autographs that I have collected over the years. But it wasn't until the thought of a family party next week prompted me to spend time in my dressing room this afternoon, did I realise that not only have I not yet written about my shrine, but there within was a collection of a different kind. 

I know I have spoken of my dressing room many a time but I don't believe I have furnished you with any photo's which are long overdue.

It is difficult to do it justice as although perfect for me, it's not huge so getting decent photo's covering everything is difficult. 

It holds a myriad of things that I haven't even written about yet.  Recent treasures I have come across or things passed on.  I have inherited some beautiful pieces from my Mother-in-Law - Bett that I shall write about soon. I was privileged enough to salvage some gorgeous pieces from her own "extensive" collection that I hope I shall do justice to. 

I am ashamed to say that it is almost reaching saturation point and I already have another enormous wardrobe piled high with shelves of "everyday" clothing in our bedroom and another in a different bedroom housing all my coats (all 26 of them). I need to start embracing this whole "one-in, one-out" philosophy but I appear to have un petit problem with the "one-out" part. 

John finished building the dressing room around Easter of last year and ever since, I can 

honestly say that every second spent within gives me so much joy that sometimes I just sit in there with my cup of tea, just smiling and appreciating all that I have.   Granted, it is not a museum collection worthy of the Uffizi or Le Louvre but to me, every item holds a memory, a thought, a dream (or that eternal hope that one day I shall fit into it).  

We don't tend to think of clothes as holding memories (other than maybe obvious choices such as a wedding dress) but to me they are the perfect conduit with which to channel thoughts and reunite you with days and moments that are long gone.   John thinks its bizarre that when I pick something specific to wear, I can almost instantly tell him the last time I wore it, where it was purchased, how much I paid and my fondest memory of it.   

Some instant favourites that come to mind are as follows:

• My beloved red tutu (seen hanging up in one of the photo's) that I bought around 7 years ago from Billy Jean's vintage shop in Bristol.  I was spending a lovely afternoon with my friend Vic and the minute I saw it hung up, we were instantly paired.  Till death us do part.  I wore it on my second date with john with a black button down cardi and a small red corsage.   I remember walking down the stairs to the bottom of our apartment block where he was waiting at the bottom.  His face was one of shock, happiness (I think) and uncertainty but he still came back for a third date.   The local villagers in Chipping Sodbury however, were less amused as he took me for a drink. The skirt was so wide, I had to squeeze side-ways through the pub door to get through and once inside it was if the whole pub fell silent as me and all my netting looked gingerly around for a chair that would accommodate us both.
• My Cinderella dress (as I call it).  £20 from a charity shop in Westbury-on-Trym and I wore it a few years ago to my brother -in-laws for Christmas day lunch. I wasn't feeling too well that day but I remember the minute I wore it, I forgot about my less than ok stomach and felt like I had been transformed into a fairytale.  You can see the dress here at Dressed for Dinner. 
• Another one is the lilac vintage dress I bought on Etsy for around £12 that screams 1950's understated glamour. I wore to our first dinner party with friends in Caldicot, just after we had moved here.  A chance meeting out dog-walking brought us together and I am grateful as they are lovely people.  Here is the dress in question Lilac Wine.  

I could (and would) go on and on but I won't bore you with my memories.  I hope you are all out there creating some of your own.   

Ultimately, clothes are just fabric and thread, just something to cover us and protect us (nakedness is thankfully NOT an option) but we wear them every day, they serve to promote our identity, our personality and to project a little bit of us into the world.

I hope one day that either my Niece or my two Step-daughters will inherit some of my pieces and that they will not only share my stories of them, they will create their own memories in them and so a legacy (albeit a little one), will live on. Not only that but, considering the majority of my wardrobe is made up of second hand items, lots of of pieces already hold their own tales and stories that will also weave their way into the fabric of life. 

Oh, and just to finish, this isn't clothing obviously but it is one of those little memories I was talking about that will furnish my wall somewhere. I wrote this message on a scrap of paper before I left for a year in France and placed it secretly in John's wallet.  He found it but kept it there all these years until I remembered it last night. 

I bought this little frame ages ago in the M&S sale for around £1.50 and have since been trying to think what I could display.

This seemed perfect. Just like the man it was meant for.

Happy memory-making!

Return to Sender...

Well hello there.

I apologise again for my lack of activity of late.  The absolute legend that is my Mother-in-Law sadly passed away so normal service has not yet resumed. 

I didn't know whether to write about her or not but I reasoned the more ways we remember her the better, so dedicating a post to her seemed only fitting.   As Merchant-Locke family members go, I probably knew her for the shortest time as I only came on the scene around 6 years ago, but from the day I met her, she made quite an impression.

She was an incredibly strong woman, cheeky, feisty and full of life.  Even in her eighties, she didn't let life slow her down and spent most evenings at the local pub with her friends and often her little dog.  She had the lucky ability to stay awake drinking till the early hours (at various lock-in's that she used to boast about), to then awake early the next day with no hangover what-so-ever.  She loved her family but her social life also figured big in her daily plans and she was renowned for coming up with reasons to be excused early from family gatherings so that she could sneak off back to her local and be with her "other" loved ones. It became somewhat of a running joke in the family.  The phrase "I can't be too long, I need to get back for the dog" was code we knew only too well for "I'd like a lift home soon, oh and you might as well drop me at the pub, it's nearer".  And we all loved her for it.

She was many things to many people. To the grandchildren, she was a cool granny, never one to moan about anything, to her twin sister, she was her female soul-mate. To her children she was a funny, eccentric, colour-clashing icon that was both ditsy and tough but always happy and independent to the point of frustration.

I always looked forward to seeing her. She made it so easy for people to love her.  You couldn't help but smile at her quirky little ways.  The mint imperial she always gave the dog before she went out (as if to off-set the guilt at leaving her to go off gallivanting - again), the way she would make her daughter drive half way across the city to save 10p on a bag of sugar and the way she hoarded everything, with no logic whatsoever but as if stockpiling was a way of life and we were the odd ones for not understanding.  Then there were the clocks, dozens of them all over the house but not one of them stating the correct time oh, and her culinary tastes (or lack of).  I am sure if  you look up the word Fussy in a thesaurus, Bett Merchant-Locke would be among the list of synonyms. 

She was a true matriarch, an inspirational head of the family, a family that centered around her like planets circle the sun and she will be greatly missed.  Gratefully, her passing was quick and she didn't suffer long.  A month ago, she was sat in the Whitehall Tavern with her pals joking and drinking and no doubt causing all sorts of grief for the landlord, then last weekend she was gone. Lung cancer being the evil taker, leaving a gaping, undeniable hole where she once oozed life.

I would say sleep well Bett, but you weren't one for taking it easy so I will simply say, keep smiling dear lady.

Elizabeth Merchant-Locke, seen her at our wedding with my wonderful Brother-in-law Michael, who also sadly passed away a while ago.  I can picture you both, in the Wetherspoons in the sky, Michael, you with your steak and chips and Bett with your southern fried chicken wrap. 

And glass of Bailey's.  What else? 

Ps...anyone thinking the title of this post is a little insensitive, it was done tongue in cheek.  Bett was a huge, huge Elvis fan.   We were in fact pondering over it as the exit song for her funeral but we have gone with another Elvis classic.  

Cape Town...

I'm not sure what it is about Capes but I love them.  Any colour, any fabric, they can instantly transform an otherwise dull jeans and a jumper combo into something a little more stylish.

The one pictured above was a very kind gift from my friend Vicky.  She found it in a charity shop near her home recently and knew of two people (myself being one of them) that would love it.  Her other friend passed on it so I became the lucky owner. It is a lovely black velvet fabric and last night I paired it with my leather trousers, stone jumper and suede shoe boots. Because of their shape, capes seem to work better with trousers as opposed to dresses, although I have paired them together on occasion. Considering that is not a particularly dressy look, I have to say I felt amazing.  I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful friend.

Capes featured big in the Autumn/Winter 2014 collections in many different guises.  From Ralph Lauren to Yves Saint Laurent, they were everywhere.  The ultimate winter cover-up.  My version however would have had a slightly different price tag thankfully.  Even if I won the lottery, I couldn't imagine paying the extortionate prices for designer clothing.  I would still get joy from rummaging around the charity shops (I do however exclude an obligatory "trolley dash" around Louis Vuitton in Paris from that statement, that would be a must, even with the guilt).

Anyway, just a quick post today.  It's my day off and although John did leave for work this morning, half an hour later he was back.  Home with a very poorly sounding car.  So tentatively, we are off to the garage at 1pm to find out our fate.  It's a good job I don't have expensive taste.  We are not destined to be rich!

In the black...

Valentines Day.  Your stepdaughter is with you for the weekend (glued to her phone and the sofa) and your husband is plastering walls. You've done all the housework, the only potential change in the status quo is that the current husband in question may stop the DIY for the England rugby match in an hour.  So with no exciting prospects on the horizon, what's a girl to do?

Ditch them both and go shopping.

With a precious (and rare) Saturday afternoon off, I high-tailed it to Chepstow, the nearest town with charity shops a plenty. I, myself, was getting over a cold and as tempting as my step-daughters attitude towards a lazy afternoon on the sofa was, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity of an hour or two to rummage around the shops.

Yet again I struck gold (or black in this case) with my purchases.  Funds are particularly tight at the moment due to said plastering.  We have started on the hallway as our next project but it seems a never-ending toil of dust, stripping (not in the 50 Shades sense unfortunately) and plastering before we can get down to any of the creative niceties that I like to get involved in.  Therefore, available cash was minuscule but as it turns out, I didn't need much.

In between the five main charity shops that I normally like to peruse, I came away with this little Karen Millen number (pictured above) for £8.99 on the "buy one get one free" rail so I became the proud owner of another black number for free. And ironically, the second item in question is in fact an vintage Wallis dress (where I work). The minute I saw it I was instantly transported back a few years ago remembering a film that I once watched called The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Jude Law.  In one scene towards the end of the film, Kate's character escorts an elderly Gent to an awards gala and the dress is pretty much a carbon copy of the one she wore.  Simple and understated with classic lines and in a fabric that just seems to glide over whatever lumps and bumps you are trying (I am trying) to conceal.

The picture above doesn't do it justice but I am struggling to find any place in the house that's not covered in dirt, dust and building materials. I will post another one when I get chance to wear it.

I am not normally attracted to black, I know its a wardrobe staple but I usually go for bright colours. These two just spoke to me for some reason. Karen Millen clothes are made so beautifully and the first dress was flawless (apart from a missing belt) so I couldn't pass up the chance. There is often some kind of unusual detailing and with this dress, it was the cuffs on the short sleeves, they require cuff links to go through the holes which I just loved.  Cuff links for a lady! Despite loving the idea however, due to my slightly "larger" frame, neither cuff will be done up anytime soon. My elbows are free for now.

The second dress was not what you would call an instant hit until I tried it on and received a compliment from the elderly volunteer that worked in the shop.  If he thought it looked nice with his poor eyesight (judging from how long it took him to work the till), and my hair being reminiscent of Edward Scissor hands thanks to the wind, then who am I to argue.

To top off an already successful shopping trip, the last shop I went into appeared to have a lonely pair of petrol blue leather shoes that also wanted to come home with me.  Nothing fancy, in fact they are Clarks Shoes, usually synonymous with moaning school children that beg their parents to go anywhere but Clarks for their school shoes but for comfort they are unrivaled. The brand seems to have shed that once banal image associated with black lace-up monstrosities to produce a much wider range of styles (and some quite high prices).  So when I found this pair for £5 with new stickers still attached to the sole (£45!), my feet were over the moon. I am somewhat lacking in the comfortable work-shoe department (god knows how) so these will go a little way to seeing that my feet get some kind of a reprieve at least.

Oh and I almost forgot......I found a (possibly authentic) Louis Vuitton tote bag. It was hiding on a back shelf in the same shop and I almost didn't spot it. It was wedged behind a pile of forgotten bags that looked like they'd all spent far too much time in the bottom of a very old wardrobe. But there she was. All £3 of her. 

Happy, happy days.