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

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 - 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

Blogmas 24 - Christmas Eve and Primark PJs

Hello there,

It's finally here! By the time this post goes live Christmas Day will be nearly here and everything will be wrapped and ready for delivery.

Christmas Eve was a quiet day. Not everything went quite to plan (cue the last minute dash out to Asda) but overall, it was a lazy relaxing day.

I started off by wearing my absolute favourite jumper of the season. It's a Primark special and to be honest I haven't worn it as much as I would have liked as it's just been too flipping hot here in the UK! I think though it should be worn on Christmas Day - whatever the weather.

As there were no plans to set foot outside the door for the rest of the day - it was was time for pajamas and real relaxing. I bought this set from Primark a couple of months ago thinking it would keep me warm. Well it certainly did that - I nearly expired wearing it!

The detailing is so cute! These were an 18-20 and fitted just fine.

From about midday onwards, it was time to track Santa on the Norad web site. This is a tradition we do every year. It was something we started doing it with friends in Australia a few years back so that we could all see at the same time where Santa was at various points throughout the day. I can't imagine a Christmas Eve without it now.

And now, the Sephora Advent Calendar. The last 4 days had a body wash, ribbon (?), nail varnish and finally an eye shadow for the 24th.

Overall, it's not been a bad calendar. As it's the first ever beauty type calendar I've ever bought, I've really enjoyed seeing what goodies there were each morning. Like most, there's been a few odd days, but overall, I'm quite pleased. Next year though, I already have my eye on the Body Shop one. After watching some YouTube videos of it, it looks amazing.

Finally - a very big THANK YOU for taking the time to read my Blogmas posts. I managed to do more days than I thought I would so I'm pretty chuffed.

I hope you all have a peaceful and happy Christmas xx

Cathy
xx

Blogmas 18-20 - Christmas jumper day, a Triangle Christmas and mince pies

Hello there,

It's been a bit of an odd Friday and weekend. One of those weekends where you run around like a headless chicken and then end up wondering what you actually did - you know the ones I mean? So I've decided to round it all up into one Blogmas post.

Friday 18th was apparently Christmas Jumper Day. As I've been wearing them since the beginning of the month (maybe November too - shush!) it wasn't a hard task.

I bought this top from Next (size 22). Foxes seem to be everywhere at the moment and with the red sequin bow and beautiful bottle green colour, I was sold. It's still available on the Next website for £16 but I reckon it will be in the sale soon if any are left.

With so many stores starting their sales early, I found a few more tree decorations to go on the (already overloaded) tree.

Cute Santa's key from Asda

Garden gnomes from Sainsburys (yes - I also have a frog ornament too)

These were all half price and less. It really does pay to hang on until the last possible moment if you need any new decorations.

Saturday - the plan to was go to the local Christmas Fair near to where I live. It's an intersection of three roads and is known locally as the Triangle. I say plan, I did go, but failed spectacularly in taking any photos. There were carol singers, farm animals, snow machines and even Father Christmas himself made an appearance in the grotto. So as I didn't take any pictures, here's a great link to a short video of the day from the local community news site for Bitterne Park 

The rest of the weekend was pretty chilled - the first mice pies of the season were made,

Bit wobbly, but very yummy.

The Sephora Advent calendar kept up its tradition of good surprises and a few oddities. The treats this weekend were an eyeliner (yay), travel eye makeup remover wipes (yay) and another patterned tape.

And to round off the weekend - this happened!

Photos will follow in the next day or so once I find some good light - but verdict so far? Very pleased.

Thanks for reading my Blogmas posts. I can't believe we're now coming into Christmas week itself. This month has just flown by!

Cathy

xx

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Blogmas 16 &17 - Winchester Christmas market and festive nails

Hello there,

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I work from home. This is great 99.9% of the time, but at this time of the year, I do miss the Christmas parties and Secret Santas etc. I used to enjoy planning what to wear and all the anticipation etc.

Well, the Secret Santa was sorted this year when a number of us plus size bloggers got together to do one between us - you can see my post about that here. And on Wednesday, some friends who also work from home got together in Winchester for a spot of lunch and a catch-up before Christmas. Not strictly a festive meal at all, but it's the closest I'll get to a works Christmas do - so I donned my Christmas jumper, painted my nails and headed out.

I'm so pleased with my nails! This was the nail varnish I got in my Secret Santa with some Barry M glitter over the top. It's lasted nearly 2 days now without chipping which for me is a minor miracle. I love the contrast of a dark colour on short nails, esp at the time of year (plus short nails makes opening tins and bottles so much easier...)

By the time lunch was finished, it had turned into a pretty dark and miserable day in Winchester, so excuse some of these looking a bit dark.

To be honest, most Christmas markets are similar and tend to sell the same things wherever you are, but what makes this one different is the beautiful location in the grounds of the Cathedral.

How beautiful were these little ceramic houses for burning incense in? This was one of those 'I wish I'd bought one' moments!

The Christmas tree on the High Street - I seem to have chopped the head off - oops...

And finally, a round up of the last few days of the Sephora Advent Calendar. I have to admit, it's been a bit disappointing lately. I love the travel samples and miniatures, but the little booklets on beauty tips do nothing for me. I'm really hoping I've found all of those now and there's only good things ahead.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Evans haul

Hello there,

I don't know about you, but I really struggle this time of year to find good light, and if there is good light then chances are it's pretty chilly or wet outside (and I'm not a cold weather person at all). Plus working from home normally means jeans, jumpers and slippers - not the most exciting outfit! All of which adds up to not many outfit posts this time of year.

But recently, I was lucky enough to win an Evans gift voucher while at the Curve Fashion Festival, so after a lovely day in the Newbury store, I decided to brave the elements (and give the postman a good laugh while he was doing his rounds).

First up, a couple of tops that I just wasn't sure about.

I really did like this heart print, but how many heart prints do I need (no answer needed). Plus I love my jumpers baggy and cosy so I would want to size up in this (this is a 22/24). I'm still thinking about this, it may end up in my wardrobe yet.

Not the best picture - the outline of my belt doesn't help! I just didn't love this as much as I thought I would. I still don't know why as this is normally one of my favourite colours (size 22/24)

Now for the items I fell in love with. Please excuse some of the wobbly changing room shots and my serious concentrating face!

This was in the sale - a bargain at £12 (size 20). It's sheer lace with ribbed cuffs and hem details. I had a white t-shirt on in the store, but normally I'd wear something like a black vest underneath.

Now this is a top I can see me getting a lot of wear out of. I love the detailing on the sleeves and can be dressed up or down with jeans and smart boots. I added a black vest underneath as it's very sheer! (size 22)

Now these last two jumpers are a perfect example of some of the confusion I felt with the sizing. I know that there is no standard size, despite what the industry would like us to believe. I have clothes in my wardrobe ranging from a 16 to a 22. I tried the 22/24 on in jumpers as I like a loose fit and I expected the 22/24 to give me that, but this white scenic jumper I had to size up to a 26/28. Now this is my personal choice and others may prefer a more fitted style, but it's worth remembering if you're ordering online. And you know what - it doesn't matter. It's only a label. 

Size 26/28 - it's so fluffy, I feel like a cuddly polar bear!

Size 22/24

Finally, a real frivolous purchase (you got to have one of those sometimes). I'm not sure when I'll wear it, I can certainly think of lots of occasions in the past when I could have worn it! But it will keep and I fell in love it with it, so it just had to come home with me.

Glitter waterfall jacket - size 22

The Newbury store may not be the largest of the Evans stores, but the ladies there were so friendly and helpful. I was in there for so long, I'm sure they thought I was moving in! 

I didn't manage to get any Scarlett & Jo, so a trip up to London is called for very soon I think to spend the rest of my voucher.

Thanks for reading

Cathy 

xx