Decisions, decisions.

As you may know, I'm currently on holiday at home and spending most of my time indoors on a huge decluttering mission. Scruffy jeans and trainers aren't really going to inspire you much, so I'm taking a break from time to time to get out into the sunshine and take some shots for the blog. I recently posted this on instagram -

I wrote "When you can't decide which pair to wear" and got a lovely response to help me decide. However, the fact was that I'd already worn the outfit and the shoes for my photo shoot.

The majority of votes were in favour of the navy and silver shoe, as seen in isolation it might look like the best match, but when you consider the total outfit I think the brown and yellow is carrying its weight too. I added a pair of gold lurex socks which tied in with the gold sweater as well as the yellow shoe. But really, it's just a bit of fun and suits my personality too. I like the quirky nature of the look. It's not either or, it's - this is a pair of shoes as I'm wearing them. Odd shoes for an oddball you might say.

And as if to prove that there's no such thing as an original idea, this evening as I was flicking through the March edition of Marie Claire, I came across this -

My progress report on the home front is that the filing cabinet has arrived and is now almost full of newly organised wallets and files; lots and lots of old paperwork has been shredded along the way. I've swapped my sea swimming for two weeks of pool swimming so that I can do an hours practise a day to improve my freestyle. Rolling, breathing, reaching, catching are being broken down into drills to drum each element into my fuzzy head. At the moment when I think about rolling, I forget good (bilateral) breathing. When I concentrate on the breath, then the rolling slips away from me. I have a reference book that takes me through all of the steps to create the perfect stroke, but I do wonder if I'll reach that stage within this timescale. I do hope that I'll be able to see a difference when I get back to the beach.

Outfit details - Leather bomber: Next, gold sweater: H&M, jeans: Zara, tee shirt: Dorothy Perkins, socks: ASOS, shoes: Boden (sold out, but these are fab), sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x

Too much colour?

I wonder if there can ever be a case of too much colour? If so, might this be it? Is there any point in me trying to apologise? I've just trawled through my album of photos from the past few weeks looking to find the right outfit to feature and despite my best efforts at trying to tone things down have opted for this colour fest today. I do have some more sober (well, less punchy) offerings to show you, but not this time. Here on the Isles of Scilly we're about to be hit by a gale and a huge, wet weather front this weekend. In light of this, I thought I'd inject a bit of colour to give myself a lift as we batten down the hatches. Summer lives on - in my little world at least!

These wonderful sweetie-like rings were a gift from my friend Wendy who follows my blog avidly. She saw them in a local shop in Cornwall and immediately thought of me. They were the start of today's outfit which I built around the stripes and colours - what fantastic inspiration! Thank you so much for this fun element - you know me so well Wendy x

Early mornings are always busy on the road to New Grimsby quay and this morning brought Rob, one of the engineers on the island, trundling along in his tractor, happy to be the photo-bomber of the day.

Today's post is the first of three that I will be publishing over the next three days. Friday and Sunday are both my regular posting days, but Saturday is also the 20th of the month which is Ping Pong Post day. I do hope I can keep up the pace, and that you won't be sick to death of me by the end of the weekend! See you tomorrow?

Back to the ensemble - the skirt is by Boden (similar), top is from Coast (charity shopped), cardi is from Pure (similar), sandals by Refresh (similar), rings and necklace are gifts, watch is by Michael Kors, bangle by Kate Spade New York and sunglasses are from Quay Australia.  Finally my pink glitter nail polish is called Pink Crystal by BINKY

Anna x

Shameless, Reckless and Legless

Now that summer is truly upon us, we on the islands find our numbers greatly increased by visitors. These guests are, for most of us, our livelihood and are therefore vital. For me they are also a source of light relief and often friendship too. Enter, stage left, the two Anna's. These lovely ladies (and their families) have been coming to the islands for years and as such have become regulars at the gallery where they have made many a happy purchase from me. Most recently we did indeed have a moment of light relief when I was asked to pose for a photo by Anna R (my brooch pile jacket see here was the object of her admiration, not me exactly). This I did without hesitation which incurred a bit of heckling from her husband as to how brazen I was. "I'm utterly shameless" was my retort. There followed a brief ping ponging of comments regarding the complications of having three Anna's in one place and how it would be useful if we all had nicknames. Hence we now are Shameless (me), Reckless (Anna R) in the centre and Legless (Anna N) on the right. We each of us proffered our own nicknames therefore no-one was in the least offended.

Notice we're all sporting the very same, fashionable windswept look available only on these wild, windy islands. The messy tresses style is absolutely de rigeur this summer daaahling!

  

Today's outfit comprises of trousers from Boden, linen blouse is by Laura Ashley via a charity shop, as is the fab crochet bag. My retro print espadrilles are by Spanish brand Gaimo which I bought from TK Maxx see the same style here but in a different colourway. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia, rings are old, small seed peal necklace is from a charity shop and my dancing girl necklace is by Charlie Dodge. Worth a mention too has to be this fab orange (Tangerine Tent) nail polish by Rita Ora for Rimmel.

Hope that you too are enjoying the start of summer and that you have some great plans for the weeks ahead. See you soon!

Anna x

Brooch pile

I've shown this jacket on Instagram, but not with the same configuration of brooches so here's the new and improved version. A blogging friend, Suzanne Carillo (see her blog here), had featured her brooch pile jacket around the same time and we had laughed about our creative efforts being so similar at times.

I couldn't say which particular one of these is my favourite, but I do love the crammed full effect the brooches all create. I saw a fashion feature recently that showed a denim jacket with brooches which were sprinkled all over the entire thing. It was pretty in its own way and I might try it if I tire of this.

I really like this bag and shoes combo. Ostrich and leopard print are great partners in my eyes.

I can see that this brooch collecting could be addictive. Another blogging friend of my Kezzie (see her blog here) features her brooches often and each one has a story. I'm not sure if brooches might ever replace my passion for clothes, but it's another little offshoot which will be a joy I'm sure. 

The denim jacket was a £5 bargain in a charity shop and the brand is GAP. My orange top is by Coast (charity shop) and skirt is from Boden. Shoes are by Salord Jover and handbag brand is L Credi from TK Maxx. Watch is by Michael Kors, rose gold bangle is by Kate Spade, rings are old, as are the pearl necklaces.

Wishing you all a great weekend and hope you can drop by again soon!

Anna x

That Friday feeling

Some outfits have that real Friday feeling; that end of the week buzz which sets you up for the weekend. This is mine. I adore this Boden skirt, the shape, the colourway, the print - all of it. It's a great building block that never fails for me. My blue biker jacket is another favourite piece which never lets me down. Put the two together and I feel on top of the world. 

My other go-to item is, of course, a pair of brogues and today's are my mint green lovelies. You may argue that my yellow Candy Bag is not the best partner for this colour of shoes, but I'm not really one to play by the rules. I pretty much do my own thing, my own way, to please myself. And this is the end result. A collection of much loved pieces put together creating a fab look of the day. And so I shall head off into the weekend with a spring in my step. I hope you too are looking forward to some down time, maybe even a bit of retail therapy, over the bank holiday weekend. Perhaps we can reconvene on Sunday over a coffee and croissant?

Jacket: Toxic3 (TK Maxx). Skirt: Boden. T shirt: charity shop. Shoes (currently on offer at £45): Office. Tights: Dorothy Perkins. Necklace: Daisy Dunlop. Candy Bag: Furla (TK Maxx). Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x

One simple dress + one red underskirt = Joy!

So this is one of my charity shop finds from my recent jaunt to Harrogate. I mean the dress, which was originally from Topshop before it ended up in someones "to go" pile. The underskirt was my Christmas present to my dear friend Bo a couple of years ago. She lives in Portugal and I don't think has had many opportunities to wear it, therefore she very kindly sent it back for me to wear. And now that I've found the perfect frock to showcase it, I trotted off to work feeling pretty pleased with myself. Vain, what, moi? 

Sometimes an outfit just comes together without much orchestrating from me. A colour starts things off, then one item leads to another, and before I know it, the whole shebang is there. Without the red underskirt this is an OK outfit to my mind, but by adding that splash of red, the whole thing just sings. I feel duty bound to add a bit of joy to my life as often as I can. And the thought that this joy may be spread and shared through my ramblings and colourful blog photos is a real bonus. Life is a gift, and gifts are all the better for sharing.

My early morning sea swimming starts me off with a burst of joy. By the time I get out of the sea, after whatever distance, my mood is one of joy. How can I not feel fantastic after the ultimate exercise in clear, blue sea with only the birds and an occasional seal for company? To experience nature, to be part of this daily wonder, well, I'm forever grateful for that rebirth every morning. I get a chance to count my blessings, say my thanks for all the riches my life offers up, and ask for guidance with whatever challenges may occur in the day ahead. On a much more practical level, I'm always grateful that the icy waters have been good to me; the current and swell not been too overwhelming; and the sea hasn't been too choppy or too plain-old-freezing for me to bear! 

Jacket: TK Maxx. Dress: Topshop (charity shop). Underskirt: eBay. Tights: Dorothy Perkins. Shoes: Boden. Belt: charity shop. Rings: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with
Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish
Cherie of Style Nudge