Supermarket sweep - the jumper edition

Is there anything more tempting than those hidden clothing sections in the supermarkets? Especially when you're trying to count pennies before Christmas. Surely a couple of jumpers popped into the trolley along with the Quality Sweet isn't going to break the bank - is it?

Disclaimer - yes it can! But as long as you shop wisely and remember budgets, there are some gems to be found in our supermarkets. Here's a couple of jumpers I picked up recently at Tesco and Asda.

This first striped number is from George at Asda. I picked my normal size 20/22 and there's plenty of room so maybe size down if you want it more fitted.

The second jumper is from F&F at Tesco. I have a bit of a love/hate thing with F&F clothing. I don't always think they're that cheap for supermarket clothing, their sizing is a bit hit and miss and you can't order their clothing online anymore. But even after all that, this was a love at first sight jumper.

I'm wearing a 22 here and I think it's pretty true to size. Both jumpers are soft and snuggly and very comfortable - which at the end of the day is pretty much my number one priority!

Can I also mention my coat? This was also a purchase from George at Asda and is nearly 5 years old. There's so much 'fast fashion' around nowadays (and as a blogger I know there are times when we add to the problem with monthly hauls, purchases etc). It still fits, makes me feel good so why replace it? Even if it is tempting to buy a new coat every season, anything we can do to re-use and recycle has to be good for the environment and our purses.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Scarlett and Jo skirt - OOTD

Hello there,

It may be September, but I'm determined not to put away my summer skirts and sandals just yet (remind me of this next time it's raining though).

I recently purchased this Scarlett and Jo skirt from the Evans sale. I haven't owned a flowery mid-length skirt like this for years. Cue a fair bit of twirling and flouncing around when I first put it on.

Top - F&F Tesco (22) - old
Shoes - Primark

Now I normally take a 20/22 in a skirt and I ordered a 22 here. But to be honest, I would have been better to have gone for a 24. The waist band is elastic but is quite unforgiving! I'll remember to size up next time.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

Bunny jumper OOTD

Hi everyone,

I've decided I'm going to try hard to remember to take more photos during the week of what I wear. I'm very guilty of only remembering to take pictures as soon as I put my PJs on!

Today was a casual day (let's be honest - I work from home - 90% of my wardrobe is casual!). It would appear I have a real soft spot for Joe Brown clothes, be it dresses, skirts, tunics or as we have here - bunny jumpers (I suspect it's technically a hare, but bunny sounds nicer).

Joe Browns @ Simply Be (size 22)

I love the tail detail on the bunny/hare - makes me smile every time I wear it!

I teamed the jumper with a pair of jeans and these great boots from F&F at Tesco. I bought them just before Christmas, so they may not be in stock anymore. I'm finding that F&F are a great place for footwear. I wear a 6.5 and their selection of spring/summer pumps over the last few years have been the best. These boots were a bargain £25 and are as comfy as anything.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

You can't have too much My Little Pony and Poundland...can you?

Hello everyone,

I have a glorious backlog of blog posts coming up over the next month as for the last few weeks I've been off and away on holiday (or holibobs as I like to call it!). So bear with me and normal service will be resumed soon (if I can remember what normal is supposed to be).

I had a mini spree this weekend with my budget head on. First up was a trip to Poundland. OMG - I love this place. I don't think it's actually possible to go into my local branch without spending at least a fiver - and this time was no different.

I've probably mentioned before that make-up and all things related are a bit of a mystery to me. I tend to never wear anything on my face and even if I'm glamming up for a night out, it's mostly eyes only for me. I have ventured down the BB cream route recently and so far so good ( I have my eye on a BB cream from the Body Shop). So buying makeup at discount stores and knowing they're a good brand makes the whole make-up/experimenting process a bit less scary and a lot kinder on the old purse strings if I mess up.

So keeping with the eyes theme, this is what I got

 

 

I love the vibrant red in the Union flag palette. It looks more orangy in the picture than it actually is. The purple scandeleyes eye cream is deep purple and easy enough even for me to blend. I also added in a foundation brush to try to learn how to use one. See? I really need a set of make-up lessons I'm thinking :-)

 

Then on the way home, I popped into Tescos and just happened to walk through the F&F clothing section (even if it was on a different floor...oops). But I resisted temptation and only came back with these adorable My Little Pony socks - they're almost too sweet to wear!! I plan to wear these with some t-bar shoes this autumn.

 

 

 

 All this for £11. Not too bad I think.

 

Hope you enjoyed seeing my little haul and thanks for reading.

 

Cathy

xx

 



Birthday girl outfit

Hello all,

A couple of weeks ago it was my birthday. I had big plans to post photos of my day out, but leaving the camera at home kind of put paid to that - d'oh!!!

Anyway, regardless, I had a great day. Topped off by a fab meal at our local Chiquitos - a Mexican restaurant and bar. I love spicey food and one thing I really liked about Chiquitos was their choice of mocktails - non-alcholic cocktails. perfect for the drivers and non-drinkers amongst us. Without said camera - you'll have to imagine how it looked, but the Yucatan Breeze was gorgeous. It had fresh passion fruit, pineapple, orange and fresh lime juice and a wedge of passion fruit on the side - yum!

I tried to look suitably festive, so wore this fab dress from Asda. I bought it in the spring and sadly it's not in stock anymore (I think I even saw it in the recent sale too). I thought it was a bargain at £12 and had to size down to a 20 - so double yay! The day itself was a weather disaster so out came the leggings.



Dress - Asda, size 20
Leggings - Primark, size 20
Shoes - Tesco

 
I love painted nails, but never seem to be able to get past the front door without chipping them. So nail wraps are a godsend for me. These are from Avon and were on special offer for £4. I normally get to do at least 2 or 3 sets per pack depending on the pattern and length of my nails. I love the pink animal print, but these were the first set I've had that just didn't last. Normally I can get 3 or more days wear from a set, but these were peeling by the end of the evening. Hopefully it was just me and I put them on in too much of a rush!!

I'm realising that I should have edited out all the mess in the main photo - oops!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

OOTD - party night

Hello there,

It's taken me a few days (ie a week) to get this post organised so apologies! I'm also going to try to make my blog a bit more user-friendly over the Bank Holiday weekend (or at least easier to navigate hopefully).

Last weekend I had an invite to a 40th birthday party. Given the choice of a party and the chance to dress up on a spring evening - didn't need to ask me twice!

I seem to have a fair few dresses lurking in my wardrobe at the moment (do they multiply when I'm not looking?) but I knew straight away which one I wanted to wear. I bought this from Simply Be a while back and I'm sure I've spotted it in a recent sale.

Dress - Simply Be (18)
Tights - Marks and Spencer (XL)

Shoes - Marks and Spencer (very very old!)

Handbag - Dooney and Bourke (old)

 

 

Excuse the number of photos! I just fell in love with this dress the minute I saw it. I normally take a 22 in dress, but this is an 18! I felt comfortable all evening and not too hot or cold. The fabric is like a jersey material which means there's plenty of movement, but very very importantly for me, it doesn't crease! I have a real hatred of ironing and I'll send things straight back if I think they're going to look creased. My iron is currently being used as a door stop! Plus it sits just on the knee, I still can't cope with anything much shorter, but I am trying!

 

The shoulders were lace panels which added a little bit of oomph (can't think how else to say it). Excuse the shot of the back of my head...!

 

 

 

I did feel a bit bare to start with so slipped on a lovely short cardigan that I also bought at the same time from Simply Be (size 20). When I ordered it, I did wonder where I'd ever wear it. Well, I reckon lots of places! It's light and comfy and small enough to fit into a bag if you get too hot (which I did within 5 minutes of arriving). I'm tempted now to get it in some pastel colours for summer.

 

 

 

 Excuse the rabbit in headlights look! I think I was conscious of the neighbour wondering what I was doing :-) .

 

To finish off, I added my all time favourite bag and jacket. The jacket is from F&F at Tesco last year (size 22) and the bag is a really golden oldie from a trip to Palm Springs a few years back. It's a Dooney and Bourke bag and at the time was a real treat to myself. It gets dragged out for high days and holidays and hopefull will last for ever.

 

 

 

I even went a bit mad and attempted a bit of make-up. But that's a post for another day.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Cathy

xx

 

 

 

 

 



Little things that make me happy

Hello everyone!

A little post about some things that have made me smile this week.

I think I'm lucky because a lot of things make me happy, family and friends especially. But some things make me sad too, so on days like this when the sun is out and I have some free time, it's nice to appreciate the little fun things.

This is my happy necklace. It's a few years old and when I first saw it in Accessorize I wanted it so so so much! But it was way over my teeny tiny budget :-(. I kept looking though and come the sales, it was half price! Everytime I wear it, it makes me feel summery and colourful

I seem to have a bit of an obsession lately with frilly socks! These came from Accessorize too (part of their 3 pairs for £8 offer). I sometimes find that socks can cut into your ankle leaving the dreaded sock line, but these are ok and so far, nice and comfy. The shoes are from good old Primark for £4 and remind me of an orange sorbet! (and my trousers aren't really that short - honest!).

 

 

 

And finally, this really bought a smile to my face this week. Mooching around Tescos I checked out their F&F range. Now, this hasn't always been the most successful range for me in the past and I've struggled to find things that fit well, but just lately I've found some good stuff. This was hidden at the back of the sale rack for £7 but had a small hole in the back. Nothing 5 minutes with a needle and thread won't sort out though (plus it's at the back and I can't see that when I'm wearing it!).

 

Tescos - size 22

 

 

I've seen lip prints before and didn't think I liked them, but the colours in this remind me of raspberries and summer. That sounds weird, but I hope you know what I mean!!

 

 

 

 

Anyway, these a few of the things that have made me smile over the last couple of days. I know they're frivolous but sometimes I think we all need things like this.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Cathy

xx

OOTD - Blue legs!

Hello there :-)

Well, with all this glorious weather, it seemed a shame not to drag myself outside and show you all what I ventured out in today.

I must admit, I am a big trouser lover (literally you could say - ha!). So you'll have to excuse another picture of me in jeans. And there's probably more to come.

These jeans though are completely different to what I'm normally found in, for a number of reasons. Firstly the colour - how pretty is this blue! Secondly, they're a slim fit and thirdly, they're not boot-cut. I'm trying to make an effort to move away from baggy bootcut after looking at a few piccies lately.  It seems to be all I wear - oops!

Jeans - Simply Be size 20

T-shirt - Primark size 20

Cardigan - F&F at Tesco (old) size 20

Shoes - Marks and Spencer (very very old!)

 

 

I added a fab new T-shirt from Primark. Very pastel with birdcages and a bargain at £3 if I remember rightly. Primark really is turning into my favourite place to shop. I have lots more goodies from there, so I'll try to be organised and show you these soon. I also need to get this blog organised and post some links to all the people that inspire me.

 

Watch this space and thanks for reading!

 

Cathy

xx