Yay, it's my birthday!

And this is what 62 looks like!

Thanks so much for joining me today. Yes, it's my birthday today and I'm 62. January can be a rubbish time to have a birthday, but the older I get, the more I understand that every birthday is a blessing. I've nothing special planned for today apart from having the day off work and lounging around, but I did go out partying last week to celebrate my birthday with some girlfriends (hubby was too exhausted after a very long day at work). Partying for me just means dancing and that's exactly what I did. There's no photos of that I'm afraid, but here's the outfit that this 62 year old bird wore.

The shirt is pre-loved (£3.25), the brand is ASOS and the metallic trousers were £30 from my favourite retro shop in Truro, Enjoy Clothing.  I think the brand is Urban Gypsy, but I snipped the label out and it got mixed up with some others. I love to have a rummage around Enjoy Clothing as it has all sorts of retro pieces and the best dressing up clothes you can hope to find in Cornwall. The prices are reasonable, the staff are very friendly and remember me from previous visits even though I don't get there very often. They've expanded into the premises next door which offers not only more lovely clothes, but also blankets and rugs, ornaments, bric a brac and furniture too. All so very tempting!

I was maybe the oldest lady on the dance floor, but at least I was the most sparkly too!

My silver leather ankle boots are by Buffalo, purchased from TK Maxx some time ago. Two hours of dancing was my limit on heels this high, but golly what fun I had!

This was me taking a little breather while the band rehydrated during the break.

Thanks to Fiona for taking these birthday shots on the night - these were the only kind of shots for me as I'm tea-total, but being stone cold sober didn't stop me having fun! 

Thank you for joining me today. I'll be back on Monday with the Style Not Age Collective when we'll be showcasing our Jewel Brights as chosen by me. I do hope you'll drop by again to check out if we managed to shine bright for that.

                                                                                Anna x

My pre-Christmas rush

Thank you for taking the time to visit my lovelies!

Is it bedlam in your house at the moment? Oh my goodness, well it's madness with us, that's for sure! In the past 24 hours I've -

• Made my first batch of Christmas fudge
• Packed up all my Christmas presents, including said fudge and got those off in the post.
• Had an hour's power walk as part of my daily exercise routine and effort to drop 5lbs before Christmas (1.5 to go...)
• Written all of my Christmas cards, ready for posting tomorrow
• Cooked a roast dinner
• Done three loads of laundry
• Got up and gone to work
• Made a casserole in my lunchtime
• Made the Christmas dinner gravy a la Jamie Oliver - this get ahead recipe is well worth the effort (even if you have to do it after a day at work!)

On the blogging front however, I'm constantly playing catch up. It's taken me a week to get this outfit in front of a willing photographer (thank-you Steve!), but the weather was quite a challenge. The wind-swept look was hard to avoid, even here at Old Grimsby which was the most sheltered spot we could find in my allotted five minute slot.

Just recently you may have seen this pea coat by Kew159 (see here) and since then it's been on my mind to make the most of this flattering longer length jacket. Although it's not cosy, it's just so pretty that I knew I could layer it up to make it wearable at this time of year. The shaggy sweater supplies warmth to the outfit and the jacket adds style. Do you agree?

I hope to bring this outfit into play over the festive period, perhaps to wear to a drinks party. We're hosting a couple of drinks parties at work over Christmas and New Year so this may well make an appearance. 

The fluffy pink sweater came from the retro shop "Enjoy" in Truro. My midnight blue velvet trousers were £1 from a charity shop which I customised by cutting off the bottoms to make them into crops and then adding some beading trim and flowers that I'd scavenged from an old lace and beaded vest top. See the post about that here.

The star of the show today however, has to be this fabulous pre-loved multicoloured handbag (£11) that I found recently during my shopping trip to London (here). I adore the sweater and bag together, but annoyingly I did also have my new pink leather gloves inside the bag, ready for the shoot, but forgot to flash them at the right time. Once back home I found them - doh! The large flower ring and bangle were both gifts from friends and the jewelled ring was £1 from a thrift shop. The oversized pearls are old now, but were from Debenhams.

The pink sock boots were my Christmas present from Jamie last year. They're from H&M, and yes are the exact same pair as my red ones. My passion for these still burns bright.

And this is me, striding off to the next challenge that awaits. Don't bother calling me Superwoman yet - by tomorrow I'll probably be sobbing as some tiny problem swamps me, bringing me to a standstill! Balance in life somehow always manages to elude me ...

                                                                                    Anna x

My antidote to the winter blahs

Hello again and how are you? Well, I hope. Today I'm sharing my antidote to the winter blahs, which as you can see it a blast of colour. Every winter I struggle with the winter blues aka Seasonal Affective Disorder and this year I've deliberately introduced some eye-popping colours to my wardrobe in an attempt to hold things at bay.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room first though. The micro mini skirt is completely out of character for me - as a rule I don't do mini skirts (or cleavage) on principle, but this riot of colour caught my attention on a recent trawl of the charity shops in Truro and I just couldn't say no. The brand is Topshop and I must that admit on seeing the shots of it, in particular how very short it is, I do wonder how many more times I'll be brave enough to wear it. 

You can see the attraction of this Navajo inspired skirt though, can't you?

Moving swiftly one then, let's talk about the star burst brothel creepers shall we? I bought these in one of my most favourite (non-charity) shops in Truro, Enjoy Clothing, which is bang in the centre of the city. The shoes are by a brand called T.U.K. and are rather fabulous don't you think? The day I tried them on I was wearing my bright pink and red woollen winter coat and the shop assistant said "Well, of course you'll have to buy those!" and how right she was.

I think I gotta call these my cosmic creepers from now on.

The orange puffa jacket is by Topshop and was in the sale last month. It's super cosy and will be perfect with jeans too. I have to get out and about a lot in the winter, mostly on my bike and this will be ideal for keeping me warm as I buzz about on my winter chores. The pink fluffy jumper was another happy find in the retro shop - the brand is Wild Flower and this wasn't second hand either. The pop of pink will cheer up any dull day.

I managed to hijack Steve at the end of this lunch break to do a quick photo shoot of this version of the outfit. This is the beach right in front of our house at New Grimsby. The shots with me in the long coat were done at Old Grimsby on my own with tripod and timer. 

The pink resin ring was a gift and the orange one is was made by a local lady some time ago.

That mini skirt doesn't seem to look any longer when I wear it at the other side of the island!

And golly, when I sit down it looks just like a colourful belt!

Anyway folks, I do hope that today's outfit has acted as a pick-me-up for you too. Before you all rush to say the skirt is fine, I'm honestly okay about my Bridget Jones Absent From Work skirt (hope you remember that scene too). The thick black tights (cotton/bamboo and very comfy) do help enormously. And I've decided that if I can't bear to wear it again, the skirt will make an utterly fabulous cushion cover!

Until next time, my lovelies, have a great week!

Anna x

Summer Exhibitions: 5 of 6

As I write up this post, I feel a bit sad that our summer season is nearing the end. Our summer exhibition period is the highlight of my working year. From the planning stages in October, to the artists coming across to paint over the winter months, then working closely with my designer Bo as we tweak and refine the on line brochures, to shipping the artwork across to the island and the trials therein, and finally the hang of the work - it's all so rewarding. None of this could happen without the creativity and skill of the artists and my thanks go them, every single one, who have combined to make this a fantastic collection of summer shows this year. Our opening night party is the time for us all to relax and enjoy the event.

This is Tom Rickman, one of the artists of the evening - in fact, the only one who managed to make it across to the island to attend his opening night. See Tom's work here along with the paintings by John Dyer and Wendy McBride which all made for a wonderfully diverse show. 

As you can tell, this skirt was truly made for twirling although I did get a bit giddy from all that spinning. Polly excelled herself with her motion photography, whilst avoiding all the photo-bombing from passers by. My final thanks must go to the ladies who once again provided all of the necessary back up and support to achieve a slick opening night party, despite it being one of our busiest yet. Thank you Ruth, Polly and Heather for all your hard work.

And this was a the view as we left for home. The evening had been pretty perfect, ending the same way.

My outfit comprises of the blouse which was from a vintage charity shop in Exeter, skirt from Enjoy Clothing in Truro, shoes and clutch are charity shopped in Truro, belt from eBay, necklace and rings are all charity shopped too.

Anna x