Winding down at the weekend

Hi there, how's tricks? I thought I'd show you a weekend lazy outfit this time, just for a change. I had a busy start to the weekend as I was playing catch up with chores at home ready for Sasha coming home, but once I'd done that I managed to have a couple of swims as well as an evening stroll on the beach on Sunday. This is what I wore for a bit of relaxed down time.

These lightweight linen trousers are by Joules and were a recent buy on Vinted. Lots of pockets and a loose fit have boosted them to the top of my weekend-wear chart! I love the mulitcolour floral print which will work with so many options, and this time I've paired them with a new aqua sweater by Miss Carla, bought from Number36 boutique in Penzance. Despite the boxy fit the sweater is soft and lightweight, an easy-to-wear piece that will work well throughout the summer months. A simple white tee shirt and some old pale green suede sandals (by Lazy Dogz - very appropriate name, eh?) were all I needed to complete this weekend ensemble.

None of my jewellery is new. The silver and bead cowrie necklace was from Gallery Tresco a couple of summers ago (and we still sell these now - the jeweller is Julian Warrender). My rings are both charity shop finds and my sunglasses are from Radley London.

I sat amoungst the marram grass and wild flowers to watch the sun drop in the sky and enjoy the sounds of birdsong and the sea as it rustled over the sea shells on the shoreline.

Only a five minute cycle from home and I'm immersed in nature, surrounded by wild flowers and the gentle hum of buzzing bees. Nearby are a pair of Oystercatchers as they chastise me for encroaching on their territory. It's nesting season currently and the bossy little birds won't tolerate any intrusion, especially from swooping gulls on the lookout for eggs. I watched the pair from a safe distance, one of them chasing off the gulls while the other played victim, pretending it had a broken wing as it hoped to lure any preditor away from the well hidden nest. 

Jamie met up with Sasha on St Mary's where they checked out the odd pub or two. Sasha is working from home so that she can attend a local wedding on the island. It's lovely to have here back, even if it's just for a couple of weeks.

                                                                            Anna x

Lovely Linen our SNA challenge for August!

Welcome once again to our Monthly Style Not Age Challenge! This month I chose the theme of Lovely Linen which was led mainly by this recent Vinted buy. The dress had no label but also no pockets and at the weekend I set to creating some by using orange linen fabric left over from a dress I made previously. 

Here's the work in progress and I'm delighted to say that despite putting the first pocket in the wrong way round, I finally managed to fathom it out and ended up with two perfectly acceptable and functioning pockets! But, let's take a look at my fashionable friends and see how they approached this month's challenge...

Gail's Lovely Linen dress is a classic shape from Boden in a zingy shade of turquoise. For the past three weeks Gail has been on LEJOG, a cycling adventure from Land's End to John O Groats - so please do swing by to catch up on her news on Is This Mutton blog. 

Emma's wearing a linen mix co-ord from Damson Madder, worn with old sandals and a bag by Skinny Dip. Catch up on the latest from Emma on her blog Style Splash here. 

Jacqui's jacket and trousers may look like a suit but are simply a very good match - well done that girl! She's added a toning tan top to complete the look - see more on Mummabstylish.

There's nothing new from Hilda with her animal print dress by Whistles, but that's not to say it's not on trend - it looks fab. She shopped her wardrobe for this look - see more on Over The Hilda. 

I'd walked for a mile or so to the far end of Pentle Bay in the hope of getting out of the fierce North wind, but still it played havoc with my colourful frock! I wore my orange denim jacket by Forever 21 to keep the chill wind at bay and my blue Lazy Dogz sandals worked very well with the mulit coloured dress. 

The smock dress has a shirred back and sweet puff sleeves and is a lovely cool shape to wear on a summer's day. I wore a simple white beaded necklace with silver heart - a gift from my sister which has been very useful indeed.

My rings are old as as my sunglasses (from Radley London). 

Hiding down below the rocks I almost managed to escape out of the wind. Once I'd taken my photos I lay down and read my book for an hour which was a lovely way to end my day off.

As ever it's been fun to take part in this monthly challenge. I do hope you've enjoyed this month's offerings from us all. Did you find any new ideas? Or was there something that is so typically you? Whichever, thank you so much for dropping by and please do leave a comment if you've been inspired.

                                                                        Anna x

Oh! Orange overalls.

Hi there! How are you? This is another new outfit from Number 36 boutique on Causeway Head in Penzance. The linen overalls called out to me when I was in there during the summer; as you may know, orange is one of my favourite colours. I love the oversized style which is a great contrast to some of my more fitted outfits. I've worn these both to work and at weekends for a more relaxed look, but which says I've still made an effort.

I dodged about in the early morning sunshine trying to showcase the outfit without it being drained in the bright light. My garden wasn't too bad.

This is my go-to jewellery for orange outfits - the perspex necklace is very old, from another Penzance boutique, but which no longer exists, the gold edged bangle was again from a charity shop as were both rings. Sunglasses are from Radley London.

The white tee shirt was also a charity shop find. The classic white tee can always be found in my favourite thrift stores and I do tend to pick up a good quality one when I see them.

My Lazy Dogz sandals complete this easy to wear ensemble. 

A dear friend of mine recently turned 50, so I decided to make this FAB 50 tee shirt for her. I had this pristine white tee from M&S in my cupboard and then cut out the letters and numbers from some leftover fabric. I had planned to hand embroider the edges with some pink stitches but the needle was too big for the fine cotton lawn and broke it apart. Plan B then, or rather Plan C. B was to do a zig zag machine stitch, but for some reason my zig zag didn't work out so I did a simple stitch, twice to reinforce it.

Even though life is hectic as ever, I still have this creative niggle to sew. Another little project I've just managed to fit in was to add some silk flowers to a lovely vintage dress of mine. We plan to have a staff meal this month so I'll probably wear it then. I must say, I'm particularly pleased with the end result and can't wait to waft about in this maxi dress!

Thank you for dropping by again this week. As you'll notice I seem to have no particular posting day now due the busyness of work and life in general, but I do love to hear from you and to read your comments.

Have a great weekend!

Anna x

Smock it to me baby!

Hello lovelies! How are you doing? Are you wilting in the summer heat or have things cooled down with you? The weather here is fine, not too hot and pretty much a mixed bag where no two days are the same. My outfit of the day is new - jeans, smock and sandals are all new. The smock has the look of an artist's smock which was probably why it appealed to me. I found it in Number 36, the little boutique on Causeway Head in Penzance which I've been frequenting of late. 

The linen smock is by Goose Island and is perfect for cool summer dressing. The wide boat neck, generous one size cut and cute single pocket all go to make a stylish wear. I added a white tee underneath and white stetch fit jeans that I found on Amazon to complete the summer look. 

I bought the blue Lazy Dogz sandals online recently - they go really well with the smock. I've got a couple of pairs of these now and love them! They're cool and comfortable footwear, perfect for summer days when you're on your feet all day long. 

Both of the blue rings are old, charity shop buys from years ago and yet work well with the colour of today's ensemble.

You'll probably recognise my old favourite Quay Australia sunglasses worn here with my gold chain necklace from Zara. I had my hair cut last week and am really pleased with it. 

A final twirl to finish off!

Anna x

What do you wear to work during a heatwave?

What to wear during in a heatwave isn't an everyday problem here in the UK, but golly we're having to consider it now! Lucky for me I've recently bought this large, loose, linen dress which fits the bill perfectly. It's another purchase from the small boutique, Number 36, on Causeway Head in Penzance. 

This lightweight linen dress is a heavenly piece of clothing, perfect for the high temperatures we're suddenly experiencing here on the Isles of Scilly. It's loose and airy, and shockingly for me, I didn't even add an underskirt! The Gallery has been like an oven despite us opening both doors and skylights so cool clothing is the name of the game. 

I love the stripe pattern, I love the side pockets and I totally love the colours - it's a fab find for the summer. Imagine how lovely this would be in turquoise too? Hmmm, I maybe need to search for one.

The free fitting, drapey dress was a dream to wear all day long. I conceded footwear-wise too on Friday, choosing to wear my new white leather Lazy Dogz sandals to complete the comfort factor of the day's outfit. 

This contemporary brushed silver chain necklace was also from Number 36. This will be a versatile piece of jewellery that I'm sure you see over and over again.

The fuchsia frock is another opportunity to bring out my pink Candy Bag. I've gone with pink and silver with my rings too, neither of them new, but both lovely none the less.

So, that was Friday's work outfit. Today, Sunday saw the mercury continue to rise and it was the hottest day so far this summer. Tresco was awash with boats and sun seekers, filling our beaches and enjoying the Jubilee Trophy gig race and live music at the pub. Steve and I however, are still hard at work on the renovations on our boat. I spent the whole day in the shade - 

Yep, here I am laid out under the boat applying the second coat of anti-fouling paint onto the hull. I was grateful of this face guard as it ended up dotted with drips and splatters which otherwise would have dotted my face. Steve is in charge of the the real renovations, all I am able to do is push a paint brush around. After two days the hull is much improved.

I haven't missed out on the lovely weather completely though - each day I've escaped during lunchtime to swim on the high tide. In due course, the boat will be finished and we'll enjoy our away day escapes to the uninhabited islands for picnics and sea swims. I'm not too upset at the delay as I know our efforts will be worth it. I must take some more snaps to share with you too. I'll leave you with a fab beach shot from the other day when Fiona and I had a lunchtime walk at the start of this fab spell of weather.

Cradle Porth is as beautiful as ever...

Anna x

Paisley pattern and lace for a summer's day

Hello lovelies! This week's post is my Friday work outfit (again). Friday seems to be a good day for a stroll after work with my friend and photographer Fiona. We ended up on Cook's Porth, just below the Old Blockhouse castle and settled there for a while. It was a lovely evening as we tucked in out of the wind to take these shots.

You may remember this lace blouse (Zara) that I wore a lot last year. It's become a summer staple - white means it's so versatile. The sandals were from Lazy Dogz and are so blooming comfy. Amazon has some of these on sale currently and I'm keeping my eye on them in case a gold pair comes up. I seem to be lacking a pair of flat gold sandals this year.

The only new item is/are these fabulous paisley culottes that I bought in Penzance from a little boutique on Causeway Head, called Number 36. (The label on them simply says Made in Italy.) It's a gem of a shop, selling lots of gorgeous clothes, as well as jewellery, cards and other lovely goods. I've bought a few things from there this year and will keep dodging in whenever I'm across on the mainland.

Not only do I love the pattern of the culottes, but also the deep shirred band that sits over the tummy and hips. It's a flattering style and easy to wear too. I resisted the temptation to pair them with a figure hugging top and went with a camisole layer under the wide loose blouse. 

Nothing new jewellery-wise, but the blue rings do go so very well with the cornflower trousers don't you think?

I feel I ought to be awarding a prize for those of you who remember the brand of these old favourites. It's Quay Austalia, just in case you've missed that!

I hope this has been a breath of fresh air for you - either because of the outfit or the glorious backdrop. I have a lovely new pink linen dress to showcase to your next week, so do swing by if you have a moment.

                                                                                      Anna x