New shoes from Dorothy Perkins (they have glitter!)

Hello there,

I'm sure a lot of you will know what I mean when I say - have you ever been shopping and seen something you loved, but didn't need?

I certainly don't need any more shoes (especially not trainers). The bottom of my wardrobe looks like the stock room of a shoe shop at the best of times....but these shoes from Dorothy Perkins? Well, let's just say, my heart overtook my head.

Oh look, they've got glitter toes, heels and suede. Perfect practical shoes for the British Autumn/Winter. But you know what? I don't care. I love them. I think that if you walk past something in a shop and it makes you stop and go 'oooh' - then it's a winner.

I love (and as I've got older, need) practical shoes. But if they come with added sparkle, than I'm sold.

Happy feet = happy me

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

The Curve Fashion Festival Box Swap

Hello there,

Saturday 10th September was The Curve Fashion Festival in Liverpool. It's the UK's largest plus size event and after going to last years in Manchester, I knew it would be a great day out. I had such great plans to go, but realistically with work commitments, the cost of travel and a hotel not to mention car mot, service and big holiday less than a month away - I soon realised it just wasn't going to happen this year (sad times...being sensible is not much fun sometimes!).

But - can't be sad for long. The lovely Emma from It's Em organised a box swap for all those who couldn't go. The budget was up to £20 and we could say if we wanted a surprise or some of our favourite things. I opted for the surprise - after all, the best thing about swap boxes is getting to try something new which you might not have considered yourself.

I know who my secret buyer was and I'm so pleased - she's a beautiful person and if you're reading this - Thank you!!! My box arrived wrapped in gold - and anything that arrives in gold has got to be good.

Inside was was another beautifully wrapped box (cue the anxiety as my recipient didn't get such a well wrapped box!). And look at what I got.

I swear my sender is a mind reader, only the other day my other half and I were talking about how we had never had a macaron. Spooky....

I hope the person who gets the box I sent out loves it as much as I love mine. And a big thank you to Emma for such a great idea. It certainly helped to cheer up the weekend.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Day trip to - Solent Sky Museum

Hello there,

At the beginning of the year, I did a '16 in 16' post. One of my goals for the year was to visit more local museums. It's sometimes easier to plan a whole day out and go somewhere a bit further afield, but we forget the gems on our own doorstep.

One such gem was the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton. I last visited this when it was known as the Southampton Hall of Aviation (which the gentleman on the front desk kindly told me was over 30 years ago! Oops). So a visit was well overdue - esp as it was only 15 mins from home. Groupon had a two for one offer so the timing was spot on (Not sponsored by Groupon, I just love hunting on there for good deals!). We picked a rainy day at the end of the school holidays - a great indoor activity for days like this.

Now I know this isn't everyone's idea of the perfect day out, so I won't go into technical details about the exhibits - but if you're in the area with children and anyone young at heart who loves aviation - this is definitely worth a visit - you can even climb into some of the cockpits!

I really love museums like this, enthusiastic staff who are ready to answer questions and plenty of things to look at and even climb on (with supervision!). Guess I'm just a big kid at heart.

Hope you enjoyed reading this and if you're in the Southampton area, give these guys a visit.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

What I wore in August

Hello there,

I might have mentioned this before, but I am really forgetful when it comes to taking OOTD piccies. I wear something that makes me feel fab, then get to the end of the day and think 'photo!'. By which time I'm looking pretty knackered and my in-house photographer (ie the other half) has gone on strike.

So I'm trying something a bit different this time - a round up of outfits from the last month all in one post. To be honest, as I work from home, a lot of what I wear is pretty much the same (gotta love jeans and a t-shirt) so this is hopefully the best way to get some outfit pics on the blog! I'll add details such as sizes because for me personally, I love seeing that on other blogs. It really helps me get an idea of what's available and what could work for me.

Sleeveless cardigan - George at Asda (18)

Striped top - Primark (20)

Denim skirt - M&S,old (22)

Shoes - Primark, old

Bag & sunglasses - charity shop

Mickey t-shirt - Primark, old (20)

Sleeveless cardigan - George at Asda (18)

Jeans - M&S (22)

Shoes - Primark, old

Vest top - M&S (20)

Jeans - M&S (22)

Kimono - charity shop

Shoes - M&S, old

Necklace - Evans

Top - Evans (22)

Jeans - M&S (22)

Shoes - M&S

Unicorn phone case - Ebay

Top - M&S outlet (20)

Denim skirt - M&S, old (22)

Shoes - Primark, old

Necklace - birthday gift (possibly M&S?)

T-shirt - Primark (20)

Kimono - Dorothy Perkins (XL)

Jeans - M&S (22)

Shoes - Primark, old

Bag - charity shop

Sunglasses - Claire's Accessories

Bucket - Brightlingsea's best!

T-shirt - Primark (20)

Skirt - TU @ Sainsburys, old (22)
Shoes - Primark, old
Sunglasses - a magazine freebie

So there you have it, some of the outfits I wore in August. The plan is to try to keep this going as a monthly round-up - it seems to be less stressful than that 'arghh' moment at the end of the day when you remember you've not taken a single photo....

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx