Summer is here!


Yes, I know I may be tempting fate, but for the moment, summer is here and I'm embracing the heatwave that has us under its spell. Time for a summer dress then and this linen one (preloved) is from M&S. The candy colour stripes caused Steve to remark that I looked like an ice lolly! He said more than that but as we're U rated on the blog, I'll gloss over that.


I fancy that the dress hasn't been worn much as the linen is very crisp and the colours are strong too, hinting that it's not gone through the wash many times. It's a size too big for me, but the side zip gives it a good slim fit which helps and even though the top is a bit roomy, it's not gaping around the armholes or showing too much cleavage. My standard trick of adding a belt works a treat to pull the slight bit of excess material together which I then distributed evenly around the back.


My statement piece of jewellery today has to be this fabulous pendant which is made from sea glass that I found only 50 metres from where I'm standing. About once a year I spend an afternoon gathering sea glass from the beaches and send it off to one of my jewellers, Fiona Petheram, who then tumbles it and turns it into jewellery for me to sell in the gallery. This particular piece of glass is an unusual lilac colour and when I found it, it was a big disc that may have been the bottom of a bottle before it got smashed. I requested that Fiona turn it into a necklace for me and the resulting piece is beautifully smooth to the touch and is still quite weighty. Check out Fiona's website Drift here.


I've picked out the red, black and pink hues of the dress to match my rings to (preloved) and the bangle was a birthday gift a few years ago. My old favourite Quay Australia sunglasses are gradually becoming apparent again after a period when they were replaced with my all new and improved ones. Favourites are favourites - what can you say?



I bought these sandals from Deichmann last summer (all sold out now, I'm afraid). Anyway, I thought the colours worked well with the dress. What I had forgotten however, is that by lunchtime my poor feet would be swollen in this extreme heat and I'd have to change them for something more comfortable. Enter stage left these pretty and comfy sandals -


These sparkly leather beaded sandals were from New Look maybe last summer, perhaps the summer before. What I'm really saying is for you not to go looking for them as they're old stock. I suppose they might be found on eBay though ... Whatever, they are super comfortable, nice and broad fitting too, so I had a really lovely afternoon of beetling about with no pinching toes or even having to think about my feet at all.




Have a great weekend!

Anna x

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20 comments

  1. Looking very colourful Anna. Great hack with the belt too. Enjoy the sunshine as long as it lasts. We are on water rationing from tomorrow in Dublin..

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    1. Water rationing sounds shocking for us in the UK - surely it can't be needed so soon?

      Anna x

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  2. What a wonderfully bright and sunny dress! I love the bold stripes. Amazing what a belt can do to cinch in a piece that is slightly too loose (would never have known from looking at you). I wish summer would hurry up and get the fook here, already! it's chilly and windy (although the sun is technically out). I'm still in sweaters!

    What is U-rated? Never heard of that!

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    1. U rated is suitable for all, hence the U for universal sweetie. Hubby's comment was decidedly for grown ups!

      I promise to visit you soon!

      Anna x

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  3. I love the necklace! It caught my attention right away and is perfect for summertime. We're having a heat wave hear ourselves so I've pulled out all my lightweight, sleeveless items too. Though I wish I was by a bit of sea like you to cool off in. Your island must feel quite tropical right about now. I swear you're going to see me one day strolling about on your island!

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    1. Oh I just love the thought of seeing my blogging friends here on the island - how cool that would be.

      The islands are indeed looking very tropical at the moment - it feels like living in paradise!

      Anna x

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  4. OOH Loving the heels! And how cool is that to get jewels made from your finds on the beach? Love that idea! Enjoy the sun Anna xx

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    1. The sea glass jewellery is so popular as it's unique to the islands. This piece is very special to me as I found the chunk of glass myself and could see how wonderful it could be as a necklace.

      Anna x

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  5. Ha ha! Love that your man is still able to make those kind of comments after all those years together.

    As soon as I saw the necklace I knew it was sea glass. What a great idea!

    Enjoy your summer in your bright popsicle dress.

    Right now we are currently at 43 C with the humidex. That is far too hot for me to be comfortable outside. It's like walking into a sauna. Thank heavens for AC.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. I can't imagine what it must be like in those kind of temperatures. How do you get out for a walk, or don't you? Is it just a matter of hopping into the car with its air con?

      Anna x

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  6. I just purchased 2 dresses with a very similar collection of brightly colored vertical instead of horizontal stripes. One is short and sleeveless the other a shirt style maxi with roll up sleeves. Your bright happy colors are inspiring me Anna! The belting of this dress is a perfect way to solve the slightly too large problem. The 2nd pair of flT sandals are really fun with the dress!

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    1. I'm always happy to hear that I've inspired a reader, so thanks for that Jude. Your description of a short dress intrigues me - you really must send me a photo so that I can see just how short!

      Anna x

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  7. What a lovely dress! Such great colors. Although I never wear linen, I really hate the wrinkles. But is is fantastic for these warm days. Are there areas where you van find sea glass? Of is it everywhere?

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    1. I feel the same about linen too, but this seems to have a kind of dressing on it that helps to keep it pretty crease free. All the beaches have sea glass but some areas are more prolific than others. I got my favourite patch that seems to yield lots...

      Anna x

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  8. Gorgeous bright stripes, the dress really showcases your fabulous figure!

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    1. Thanks Gail. I'm sure this would really suit you too!

      Anna x

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  9. I love the dress its really unusual, super colours and I like the variation in the patterning of the stripes towards the hem. I prefer natural materials. The glass has made a beautiful pendant. My Scilly beach finds will probably end up in a mosaic for the garden. I have one piece of blue and white china waiting to become a pendant.Heatwave here! Have a lovely week. xx

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    1. You can't beat natural fibres when we're all suffering this kind of heat. I love to hear that beach finds are kept and turned into little projects - makes for a very special and unique memento.

      Anna x

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  10. Oh, the multistriped summer dress is fabulous! Love the fit and the way you completed it with cute sandals.
    Kisses,
    DestinyGirl from http://onlywardrobe.com/

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    1. Cheers for that Destiny Girl and thanks for dropping by!

      Anna x

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