New Year sales haul - a new handbag or two....

We're into February and the sales are nearly done and dusted. So it seems a good time as any to have a look back and see what bargains I found.

I can't deny I found some lovely items. Only (slight) problem is - they're all handbags. 5 handbags to be exact. How many new handbags does a girl need? Well, quite a lot according to me.

The first one was bought before Christmas had even finished. I had spotted this beautiful clutch from Marks and Spencer earlier in the month but couldn't justify paying £45. However with a 50% reduction and vouchers burning a hole in my pocket - I hit the buy button on Christmas Eve while full of mince pies and Christmas cheer.

I think I would class this as a wonderfully impractical bag. It's going to show every fingerprint, you can't carry an awful lot in there and it can be a bit fiddly to open. But I love it. Goodness know where I'll use it though....

Next up was a bag that had been popping in and out of my basket at Simply Be for months. When I saw it was reduced, it was meant to be.

I like this bag even more than I expected. It's deceptively spacious and can fit my big old brick of a purse in as well as my phone, glasses and keys no problem. The zipped inner pocket is perfect for keeping anything small safe such as travel cards or tickets. The only downside is that the strap isn't adjustable, but as I like the straps long, it's not a problem.

The next bag is incredibly practical. It's become my everyday bag already and I've had a number of people ask me where it's from - TX Maxx!

It can be used as a backpack but has hooks on the side to make it more of a shoulder bag which I prefer. My favourite bits though are the outside pockets - one is the perfect phone size and the other fits my house keys in. No more scrabbling for keys at the bottom of your bag anymore. 

My last two bags are slightly quirky. The latest Disney collaboration with Cath Kidston were so lovely, but so expensive. I really didn't expect anything from the range to be in the January sales so quickly after being launched but when they were - well, that was my Christmas money used up (I think a lot of people who had paid full price just before Christmas were a bit disgruntled and I don't blame them).

Finally, a space man bag from Accessorize. No season is complete without a novelty bag from Accessorize!

In my defence, I have had a massive clear out with lots going to charity or onto Ebay. However, I didn't quite plan to 'restock' so quickly - oops!

Ah well, at least I have a bag for every outfit!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Jumping into Winter

Hello there,

I'm not quite sure where I am with the weather at the moment - it got cold - I bought a few new jumpers and hats - now it's warm again. Grr!

Anyway, despite the unseasonably warm weather, I have a new selection of knitwear to show you. Which is just as well really as I got a bit too enthusiastic sorting out clothes for charity and gave away loads - does anyone else do that?

First up hats. I have a problem with hats - I love them. I seem to have hats in every colour and shape. These ones are all from Primark and at £2 - £3.50 each, it doesn't feel like too much of a bad obsession....

Then the jumpers, first up is a daisy print one from George at Asda. Not especially seasonal but oh so comfy! It's quite lightweight so will be a good one for early Spring wear as well.

The next jumper - I have to admit was bought months ago in the Marks & Spencer sale. I had almost forgotten about it. Very warm - but a bit awkward when eating (those cuffs!).

I love stars, I seem to have a ridiculous amount of tops with stars on, so why not get one more? This one is from Simply Be.

Finally in the this mega jumper haul, two goodies from Primark. I saw this jumper in grey first and then a few weeks later in a plum colour. It seemed a shame not to have both.

There you have it, new jumpers for Winter.

And remember - everything looks better with a hat on!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

OOTD - Bell sleeves, stripes and floral

Hello there,

Looking through my wardrobe the other day, I realised just how many striped tops I have - and just how few floral items there are. I really seem to have fallen out of love with floral, which is a shame considering how much there is around at the moment (typical, if something is on trend, I go seem to go off it).

However, this top from Marks and Spencer is a bit of an exception, lots of stripes (yay) and tiny bit of floral detailing on the arms. Plus it has bell sleeves which is something I love the look of on other people, but always wondered just how annoying it would be in real life.

 

I sized up a couple of sizes here. The embroidered band on the arms sat right on the elbow joint on the smaller sizes which felt uncomfortable - but on larger sizes, it sits nearer the wrist. I really don't mind though as I like the loose, casual fit.

Top - Marks and Spencer, size 24

Jeans - Sadie Jeans from Simply Be, size 22

Sunglasses and shoes - Primark (old)
Necklace - Swarovski (old)

The verdict? I really liked the bell sleeves, but I think they're about as large as I'd go. Anything more flouncy I think would drive me mad! Plus the embroidery...let's just say it's growing on me.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

Summer nights and party tops with Simply Be

Hello there,

I love a good summer party. Now don't get me wrong, all parties are good, but a party on a warm summers night with good friends and good food is very special. And let's face it, there's not many of those here in the UK so we should make the most of them when we can.

Looking at party tops on the Simply Be website - this little shrug caught my eye

It's metallic and floaty and would be perfect for when it gets a little bit cooler in the evening. I also reckon it would look great with this tropical print dress. Now this dress is so not my normal style, I normally avoid strappy tops, but the print grabbed me, and with sparkly shoes as well - how could you go wrong?

I love the layer top detail on this dress. It's normally quite hard to find a dress that fits top and bottom but this wasn't too bad. It helped having adjustable straps and elasticated edging at the top and on the waistband.

Can we take a moment to talk about these shoes?? I know a few people who'll hate them (you know who you are) but I love them! There is so much sparkle and bling and most importantly? They're comfy. I seriously cannot wear heels so to have a choice of something like this in flats is such a lovely change.

The obligatory silly pose...

I had a past season shrug from Simply Be so I teamed it up with the dress to get an idea of how it could work for the evening.

Still loving those shoes...

Yep - excited about it all

I think is the perfect outfit for a summer party, with the gold shrug for the evening, I'd be set to party the night away.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

OOTD - & a Simply Be logo t-shirt kind of day

Hello there,

Another OOTD for you. This was a lovely sunny day and I was wearing my favourite type of outfit - t-shirt and jeans. So we went a bit mad and took loads of piccies.

It was the first time this year the weather had been good enough to venture out onto the side garden and despite the grass being ankle height, it made a lovely change to have a different place to take blog photos (btw - the grass is knee height now - I'm losing the neighbours cats in it...send help...).

T-shirt - Simply Be, size 22 (last year)
Cardigan - Asda, size 18
Jeans - Marks and Spencer, size 22

Shoes - Primark (last year)

I've been in love with this bag from Dorothy Perkins lately. It's a like a little tardis and the amount you fit in is amazing. I'll probably swap it over soon for a more summery colour, but in the meantime, it's a firm favourite.

And to top of the whole look - a pair of robot earrings from Claire's Accessories - obviously.

Hope you liked this look and thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

OOTD - My new Joe Browns jumper, and why I cut it up

Hello there,

Oh my goodness, is it cold enough for everyone? I think I've gotten so used to the unseasonably mild weather that this cold snap has really caught me off guard.

But cold weather is the perfect time to dig out all those cosy jumpers so out came my Joe Browns jumper from Simply Be.

Now I bought this a while back and to be honest, I didn't know how to wear it. I fell in love with it, but somehow I couldn't get it to work for me. I'm 5'3 so I think that played a part in it. The skirt part of the jumper was too long. It fell just above the knees and made me look shorter than I already was. Now sensible Cathy would have returned it for a refund. But nope, I kept it and kept looking at it. I could have worn it with leggings and boots as a short jumper dress, but that really wasn't my style.

I think another reason I wasn't working for me was the ra-ra skirt. I'm old enough to remember these the first time round and I didn't like them then. So what to do? One early morning and a bright idea later and this happened:

You guessed it, I cut the bottom layer off. Now, I'm quite happy to cut up and alter older clothes, charity shop finds etc, but I don't normally do it with brand new items. But, for me, I think it works.

(please excuse the wobbly pictures, it was too damn cold to pose in the garden like normal)

Oh look - it even has pockets too!

The underskirt is attached to a lining that goes up the complete length of the jumper. Making it extra cosy without feeling too bulky, this is a size 22.

I now have a jumper that I love wearing and have worn lots in this cold weather. While I wouldn't necessarily advise buying new clothes to cut up, it is worth looking at items that you don't enjoy wearing or have fallen out of love with to see what you could do to give them a new lease of life.

And what's happening with the bits I cut off? The plan at the moment is to find a cheap denim skirt or dress so that I can sew a ruffle hem onto. And if I have enough left over, maybe a few fabric brooches as well.

Thanks for reading and I hope it's given you some ideas

Cathy
xx