Most loved outfit of the week

Hi there! How are you doing? Did you watch much of the TV coverage of the Coronation this weekend? I did. I watched the entire thing on Saturday and then enjoyed the concert this morning as I was doing some hand sewing. It's been a really uplifting time; makes me proud to be British. 

So, this was my most loved outfit of the week at work last week. I received so many lovely compliments on this trouser suit. Hurrah for the Iris Apfel and H&M collaboration of a year ago! This is probably only about my 6th time of wearing the (almost famous) Pea Pod Trouser Suit, but every time I do, I try to mix things up so that the accessories are different giving it a fresh look. This time I've popped on my Frida Kahlo tee shirt which has the same aqua colour as the suit and looked pretty fab, I must admit. The other addition are my new boots from MOMO in New York, recently bought on Vinted. They were brand new, with the labels on, and I saved $200 buying them second hand - result!

The tiny patch of aqua on the toe of the left boot was all it took for me to know that these would be a dream pairing, well that plus the ornate design and little pearls too. I'm thrilled to have these in my shoe collection. They are made from old sari's which appeals to me for its recycling.

The pearl belt is my go-to piece to wear with the suit, simply to match the pearl pea pods. I found it on Amazon and think it was a great buy. I've layered up necklaces, three this time, along with bangles and rings in turquoise and aqua. You'll probably recognise my old favourite sunglasses by Quay Australia too.

On the home front, I've spent most of the Bank Holiday weekend sewing. I'm all a bit OCD about this latest hobby of mine. I've nearly completed my second linen dress, this time in aqua, but am being held up waiting for interfacing to finish the neckline. It's all very frustrating as I know how easy it would be to find this in a shop on the high street if I lived on the mainland, but hey ho, such is island life! In the meantime, I'm finding lots of alterations I can do now which is quite exciting. I'm not sure if the word alteration is a bit grand as sometimes these are more along the lines of a botch job, but mostly they're wearable which is all that matters.

My lovely husband coined a great phrase about me recently, saying I was born audition ready as I appeared in yet another over-the-top work outfit. I love his total acceptance of my need for all that's glitz and glamour. I recounted this to a friend who visited me at work the other day when she said I looked as if I was about to go on stage! The gallery surely acts as my everyday stage, hahaha.

Thanks for swinging by and I do hope you have a great week ahead!

Anna x

Bring Me Sunshine our SNA challenge for April

Hello and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge as chosen by Emma from Style Splash seen here sporting this sunny yellow frock M&S. She's styled it with an across the body bag in blazing orange and blush pink sandals - see more on her blog.

Gail has gathered her favourite sunshine colours together in this bright and cheery outfit. Like most of the UK the weather still had a cool edge hence socks, scarf and hoody to ward off the chill winds. Catch up with Gail on Is This Mutton blog.

A wonderful splash of golden sunshine comes from Jacqui of Mummabstylish in this sunray pleated dress. Rain nearly stopped play for her as she tried to get out to take photos but she managed to capture this between the showers - see the backstory on her blog.

Hilda wears a veritable rainbow of colours in this co-ord by Never Fully Dressed. That's the best thing about a two piece isn't it - no worries about matching items or colours - it's all done for you! Catch up Hilda's latest on Over The Hilda blog.

My offering for this month's challenge isn't what you (or I) quite expected I'm afraid. The promise of my first ever home made frock didn't materialise when the matching petticoat flummoxed me at the last jump. The orange dress would have been perfect for this month's challenge too, but hey, such is life! For those of you who aren't on Instagram here's the latest photos of both frock and petticoat -

I'm still tweaking the neckline of the dress as it's not quite sitting flat, but I've got a couple of things I can do to hopefully resolve this. I've had lots of feedback to say that I could wear the petticoat on it's own as it's so pretty and I may now fully line it to give me that as an option. I'm finding that the more I sew the braver I'm becoming about these tweaks. Hopefully by next week all will be ready for the big reveal. I've ordered a new necklace and footwear so fingers crossed it'll all be fine for Monday...

My stand-in outfit is this bright pink trouser suit bought last summer from Primark, but never worn before. I think I mentioned at the time that I'd at last found my perfect pink trouser suit and this is it. I can't believe that something so stylish and surprisingly good quality could found on the high street for only £42!

The satin blouse is from Zara (last season) and my white belt is from Amazon, white patent boots from Deichman and favourite sunglasses are from Quay Australia. The pink of the suit is verging on neon which meant I got quite a reaction, but that's no bad thing.

There's nothing new jewellery-wise - rings are both pre-loved, as is the brooch and the necklace was bought from Charlie Dodge a couple of years ago. 

At least my photos are fulfilling the remit of Bring Me Sunshine on this bright blue day!

Anna x

Wednesdays mean Timeshare party

Hello lovelies and sorry for the tardiness in my posting this week, but this is the reason. I'm in the middle of my latest obsession meaning every spare moment is being spent sewing. I hope to showcase the dress on Monday for our monthly challenge so please do swing by again to see the fruits of my labour.

So, as the title suggests, Wednesday means Timeshare party here at Gallery Tresco and this was me after the event last night. Timeshare and Island Share owners have bought into Tresco life and as such this weekly gathering is one of the perks. It's the perfect opportunity for everyone to get together to chat about all things island as well as comparing what each property has to offer and to boast about who's got the best view!

It may not look like it, but I'm struggling to find things to wear at the moment as I've not yet done my bi-annual clothes changeover. My wardrobe and shelves are still full of winter woollies and boots, but hopefully next week I'll be taking some time off and that will be one of my chores. That said, I did receive lots of compliments about outfit of the day last night which is always a lovely boost to the morale. Nothing new here at all; the suit was a charity shop find in Harrogate a long, long time ago (it was on the men's rail, so do remember to rummage everywhere), likewise the vintage blouse, another charity shop find this time from Exeter many moons ago, the boots were from Diechman just before Christmas and the pink handbag is rather ancient too.

The pink handbag by Furla is my mini Candy bag which unfortunately didn't show up in quite the right colour - it's much more pink than that! Not quite the same colour as my boots but still acceptable fashionista-wise I think. More importantly, it's the only pink bag I have.

Nothing new with the accessories either. Sunglasses are my old faves by Quay Australia, the bejewelled watch was a charity shop buy and only recently rediscovered in a box, the huge pink resin ring was a gift from a friend and the other a charity shop find too. The necklace was a purchase a few years ago from Gallery Tresco and is by Charlie Dodge.

My beaded belt, an Amazon buy, always gets lots of comments. It's so utterly feminine isn't it?

So, you must excuse me, but I've got to return now to my sewing machine. I'm trying to make a pink net underskirt to wear under my orange linen dress, as one does. The slight problem I have is that I don't have a pattern and despite looking at lots of tutorials on youTube I'm really none the wiser. I have no real idea what I want to achieve apart from it being a flash of colour as I walk. 

As ever, thank you so much for dropping by and hopefully I'll see you again on Monday!

Anna x

Workwear with no frills

Hello lovelies, how's tricks? I'm still knee deep in artworks, battling my way through the art upgrades in our holiday cottages. Today it's been Wigeon that has come under our attention. Mel and I have been planning the distribution of paintings across the final six cottages and this is certainly testing the grey matter as we try to balance the needs of each house with what we have at our finger tips. Here's some examples of rooms we've dressed so far -

This trilogy is by Ellie Verrecchia - see more here. 

On the right is a painting by Chris Hankey (more here) and on the left, one by Iona Sanders - more from her here. 

These three are by Cornish artist Maggie Matthews see more from her here.

Art for interiors is always fun as you sweep in at the last hour adding colour and character to each room, hopefully enhancing the soft furnishings and making the best of the room. No two rooms are finished to look the same and of course the gamble of adding bright contemporary art into old houses may not be to everyone's taste, but we love the finished looks.

My outfit of the day was very plain and simple. My turquoise corduroy dungarees are from Enjoy Clothing in Truro and have been aired on the blog previously. I've paired them with a bright orange roll neck, second hand from Vinted at only £5. My third addition are my white patent boots, quite old now, from TK Maxx. No rings (totally impractical when hanging art) and no necklaces for the very same reason. 

Sunglasses are my old favourites from Quay Australia.

I'll leave you with the spectacular view afforded from the lounge in Puffin Cottage. We'll be working our magic in there tomorrow - wish us luck!

Anna x

Workwear for this week

Hi there! Another week, another work outfit. Yes, I'm still working on my big art project, that of renovating all of the individual art collections held within almost 40 holiday cottages on Tresco. Today's photos are from the patio outside Maiden Bower which sits on the banks of Farm Beach. My new assistant Mel was keen for me to showcase my tool kit too. I laughed when she called me #bosswoman!

I've worked on over 30 cottages so far, removing old faded prints and replacing them with lovely original pieces of art, befitting of these luxury cottages, many of which have had new soft furnishings and fabrics added recently. These will all be shown on the Tresco website in due course. The challenge for me is to not only find the right paintings but also to hang them in the right spot. Navigating wonky old ceilings and heavy beams adds to the challenge of getting them to look right and of course, hang straight! My trusty spirit level has become a good ally and duly given a name - Betty. Where's Betty? is my constant cry in Mel's direction as I stand clutching the frame of a large painting as I try to find the sweet spot. 

And so on to the outfit of the day. Steve bought me this Love co-ord for my birthday. I'd seen this worn on Gogglebox (one of my favourite programmes) and had mentioned this to Sasha. Before I knew it, she'd tracked it down on Vinted. I've managed to do the same - if you'd like to buy it then there's one right here. The brand is Never Fully Dressed and they seem to make lots of outfits along the lines of Love. Cute, eh?

My boots are new, purchased from Vinted too. The brand is Zara and they were brand new with the labels on for £20. Terrific value for a pair of leather boots. I love the shape and the big chunky sole. Steve informs me that these are in fact farmers boots and that you'll see them on many a tractor across the land. Always ready with a compliment is my dear hubby!

The island is open for business now and the Gallery opens on Tuesday the 7th. I've called in lots of favours to cover the first week of opening while I continue with the cottage art. Hopefully I'll be back at the helm soon and in due course you'll be able to see the fruits of my labours when the photos go live on the website.

Many thanks for dropping by!

Anna x

Outdoors versus indoors photography

Hello lovelies! I thought I'd check out what you think about my recent indoors photography for the blog and if you prefer to see my outfits outdoors. It's a terrible dilemma at this time of year when the weather is so changeable and the light can be dull and uninspiring. I'd hoped to catch the early morning sunshine, but by the time I'd chosen my outfit and done my make-up the weather had changed and it was even raining in the distance.

Obviously artificial light is much more reliable and highlights much more in the way of detail, but I do worry that you'll tire of the same old backdrop, especially when I normally feature some lovely vantage points on Tresco. So today I'm mixing up indoors and outdoors for you in the hope that you'll comment with your thoughts.

You'll probably have seen my orange sequinned jacket before as I always bring it out at this time of year. I found it in TK Maxx a few years ago and still love it as much as ever. The mixture of sequins plus cosy padding equals a wonderful winter layer with lots of glamour! I've recently unpacked my Christmas suitcase and think I need to be wearing some sparkle every day from here on to give it all an airing!

My faux leather trousers were a recent purchase from Primark. They're great for this time of year as they are wind proof and rain proof too. I added an old leather belt and an orange roll neck to complete this festive look. My jewellery is all old as are my sunglasses.

It was great to rediscover these olive green sock boots in the back of my wardrobe, a perfect match for my new trousers. They were from Zara years ago - love the silver heels!

So that just about rounds it up for this week's post. I'd love to hear back from you as to which is your preferred location at this time of year. Or even if you think it's not relevant. As we're in the run up to Christmas I know I'll be battling with the elements but do want to keep you entertained! 

                                                                                                               Anna x

My new Zara winter jacket

Hi there! How's things with you? I'm sharing my new winter jacket today, one that I found in the British Red Cross charity shop in Truro. I wanted to give them a name check as they now have a dedicated rack of clothes which come direct from Zara, all brand new still with labels on, so if you're in the area do drop in for a look.

The jacket is rain proof and will be excellent for my daily lunchtime walks meaning I'm ready for all weathers. The main body is a high shine finish with a matt finish over the shoulders and a lovely snuggly hood that fastens with velcro at the neck. Zip front with poppers make it toasty warm, in fact it's a proper duvet jacket with a tog rating of 15!

The full retail price was £49.95 but I only paid £20 for it - what a bargain! I've had a couple of mainland trips recently and you can understand why The British Red Cross shop is top of my list when I hit Truro! I've just spent a few days away and managed to pick up the perfect sequinned jacket for the party season (again, new from Zara via the BRC shop), so keep your eyes peeled for my Christmas post!

To complete my outdoors look I've added my orange leather gloves, not new, and black Quay Australia sunglasses. This was my weekend outfit and one that you'll recognise as being an old favourite of mine. The two piece is another Zara purchase from years ago when Steve and I were on holiday in London and I found it in one of the Oxford Street branches. The embroidered velour has worn well but the cotton trim is fading to grey now, but that's not going to stop me wearing it. Much worn, much loved.

My new Steve Madden boots (from TK Maxx) were bought with this look in mind. I wear this lounge suit most weekends during the winter and I thought the green soles would tie in perfectly. The sock of the boots are stretch making them uber comfy!

Practical, functional and fun is how I'd describe today's outfit and for a busy working woman that ticks all the boxes as far as I'm concerned. My winter works involve me visiting all of our 100 holiday cottages to upgrade and rotate the artworks, so I need to be comfortable and have practical clothes for the job. This co-ord fits the bill for both work and play and now topped off with my new jacket, I'm ready for any weather too!

                                                                                                 Anna x