Catch up

Hello again and thanks for dropping by! I've been away for a week, primarily for a business meeting but Christmas shopping came in at a close second. I visited the studio of Emily Nixon so that we could discuss an exciting new project. Gallery Tresco has had a very good season selling Emily's jewellery resulting in the team asking me to visit so that we could brainstorm a bespoke range for 2025. 

The studio is like a twinkly Aladdin's Cave, full of all sorts of gorgeous silver and gold pieces just begging to be tried on. And try on I did! The range we're creating will be based on the sea colours around the islands using sapphires gathered from across the globe but always ethically mined from dealers that Emily herself meets to check the authenticity of the stones.

These gemstone rings were hugely popular over the summer which alerted Emily to this new retail opportunity for our Tresco clients. We hope to have the island collection in place by March which will be a great way to start the season.

So apart from this I also had a haircut while I was in Truro. Much as I'm enjoying having longer hair it really was in need of a tidy up. I went to Afina Hair Salon and had an appointment with Billy. See my before and after photos below -

Before...

...and after.

Before...

...and after. I'm very happy with the cut and just wish I could replicate the styling and glossy finish now that I'm home. I have endless products but not a lot of know-how about achieving this level of finish.

And now for my outfit of the week - 

It's turned terribly cold here after being blasted by the recent storm, but this has proved to be a blessing in disguise allowing me to bring out my fur coat from the depths of my wardrobe. This cow print full length coat was from River Island either last year or the year before - sorry to be so vague, but the fact is, I still love it!

I'm wearing an old sweater and new cream jeans from Vinted along with new Zara boots from Vinted too. I paid £10 for these brand new cow print boots - what a great bargain!

The boots almost had an airing with last month's SNA challenge but this was one of the outfits that didn't make the grade. The boots however are definitely winners! (Not that the skirt wasn't - it was simply a styling issue).

My mainland hairdo is a thing of the past already. As for jewellery - the gold coloured chain was a Vinted purchase earlier this year, the gold flower ring was a gift from a friend some time ago and the silver and enamel ring was a charity shop find. Sunglasses are from Radley London.

And that pretty much winds things up for the moment. I'm suddenly in full fudge making mode now that it's December and I've made a double batch yesterday to send to my relatives in Scotland. I'll pack this up tomorrow and get some off in the post before the Christmas rush starts.

Thanks for swinging by! I'll see you again next week - I promise x

Anna x

Dressing up in December

Regardless of the month I'm always prone to a bit of dressing up, so December is no different I suppose. Fur coats are my coat of choice this month and this one, full length and luxurious, is my favourite. It's been hanging behind my bedroom door for weeks waiting for the opportunity to come out to play. Last weekend we had a glorious dry day (for a change) and by the time I had found my photo spot the sun came blasting down too. It was a scorching day for this time of year and an absolute bonus too.

The cream and mocca cow print coat was from River Island, bought by the family for my birthday almost a year ago. I'm not a huge fan of winter, but the upside is to get the chance to wear this fabulous coat again. 

I've opted for a neutral palette for the overall look which is very different for me isn't it? But this kind of neutral works thanks to the glamorous combination of fur and lace. I've shopped my closet for the whole look: lace body and trousers from Zara and boots from Asos.

Nothing new with my jewellery either. The rings are both charity shopped, necklace from Primark and sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The pleather paperbag trousers are a lovely easy to wear fit thanks to the elasticated waistband. Pockets too make for an ultra casual look.

So, how has your weekend been? I've been busy at home mostly with cooking for the freezer. At this time of year I like to catch up on batch cooking so that I have meals ready to microwave at the end of the working day. Lighting the fire as I come home from work and having a homemade meal ready for Steve makes me feel that I'm making his day more comfortable. I've had a couple of sea swims too, which were good but challenging too due to the recent drop in air temperature. The sea doesn't seem to change much from day to day, but we had a cool Easterly wind blowing on Saturday morning which did make for brisk dressing when I got out of the water. Tomorrow's plan is for another morning swim and then to catch up on some housework and hopefully to get some online Christmas shopping done. Wish me luck!

                                                                                           Anna x

Fun fur in Feb

Hello lovelies! How are you doing? I hope that you're well and maybe feeling that promise of spring in the air. Here's my favourite outfit from last week. Sunday morning saw sunshine and clear blue sky on Tresco, but the wind was coming from the East, an icy blast if you were on the wrong side of the island. This gave me the perfect opportunity to don my beloved cow print fun fur (from River Island last year) and to have a Sunday saunter along the quayside to enjoy the peace and quiet of the day. You'll notice I was facing the direct sunshine in many of these shots which in turn featured the shadow of my camera mounted on my gorilla tripod; this small tripod has flexible legs, ideal for wrapping around fences, rocks or trees when you don't have an eager assistant to hand.

My outfit was all about animal prints, although I balked at adding my snakeskin boots to the mix, opting instead for my chunky cream boots (ASOS). The leopard print kick flare trousers are from Primark, purchased last year. I love the stretch fit which makes them easy to wear for work or even if I've had a large lunch... The leopard print shirt was a second hand find a few years ago, but is also the Primark brand. The button front and hip length makes it easy to wear with skirts and trousers, but looks best left untucked.

I finished the look off with this orange cashmere sweater, a fabulous charity shop find from a couple of years ago. I paid £10 for it and couldn't get out of the shop quick enough!

None of my accessories are new. The tribal print neckace pops up frequently on the blog, and also at work earning me many a compliment. The sunglasses are by Radley and my rings are various gold rings, including my wedding band, all bought by my husband.

I loitered about on the quay for some time, enjoying the sunshine and the view. If I'd had a soundtrack for these shots it would have been "Easy like Sunday morning" by Lionel Richie - cheesy, but still a great track!

Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you again next week!

Anna x

Another birthday present!

Hello again! Yes, mine is the birthday that goes on and on, but goodness isn't this latest worth the wait? My family clubbed together to buy me this fabulous faux fur coat last month, and after a couple of false starts delaying things (the sizing is very generous, meaning I returned it twice and downsized from a 12 to a 6 eventually) here it is in all its glory! You can tell how excited I am about this, can't you?

The coat is from River Island and I'm a bit gutted to see that it's now been reduced to half price in the sale - see here. However, I can see that it's sold out in a 6 which does help. 

I dragged my son Jamie to the beach in between storms this weekend and elevated him to the role of Blog Photographer and wow, didn't he rise to the challenge? The sun shone and the wind continued to blow, but we made the most of things and I was thrilled to gad about in my new ensemble. 

I've been panicking that the coat wouldn't get an airing until the autumn, but this cold blast of wild weather was the perfect excuse to get out and about on Saturday afternoon. Not a soul was in sight as we dropped down onto Cradle Porth on the low tide. The blond sandbar was the perfect backdrop for this monochrome outfit. It's quite a change for me to opt for such a muted palette, but honestly the look still delivers the wow factor, don't you think?

The camo two piece was also from River Island (see here). The stretch fit makes for easy weekend wear, either for working out or lounging around at home. Oh, and the camo print is fabulous - I've got a thing about camo at the moment. The leggings are sold as bum sculpting with a high waistband and the fit is great, even on my ageing derriere!

A touch more glam comes by way of the Radley sunglasses and two pre-loved rings. 

My favourite boots of the moment are perfect for this monochrome play - they're from Asos and you can find them here. 

I'm in full "cat who got the cream" mode here. This is one of those outfits that I could wear day after day and still feel fabulous. What a joy!

                                                                                      Anna x