#Ping Pong Post 6

Yes, it's crazy I know (where is the summer going?), but here we are already, the three of us with another dose of Ping Pong Post. Ann of Kreme de la Kremb and Samantha of Fake Fabulous are my blogging partners in crime who together over the past six months have been swapping clothes amongst each other. Nothing unusual in that you may say, but when you consider that Ann lives in Hong Kong, Samantha in Scotland and I live on the Isles of Scilly, off the end of Southwest England, then you can see this style challenge has taken some commitment along with a fair bit of planning to make it happen. Read here to find out how this all came about. This month Samantha threw her little shrug into the arena to see how we might style it up and for the first time ever I think we're all singing from the same sheet.

First up is Ann who wears the shrug to top off an utterly feminine, floaty dress with her favourite cowboy boots and leather pouch. This look is perfect for Ann, the tomboy of the group one minute and sexy siren the next. By donning her rough ol' boots she toughens the vibe making it so very Kremb de la Kremb. If you rewind to previous Ping Pong Posts, you'll see that Ann is highly creative with the item of the month and this time I half expected that the shrug may well have been reinvented as a modern day pair of bloomers by her. I think you might have missed a trick there Ann! 

Follow Ann on Instagram here.

Outfit details for Ann are -

Earrings--Boutique in Florence, Italy

Coral Beaded Necklace--made by Venezuelan girlfriend, Mariana Morrill

Evil Eye and Half Circle--Fireworks

Shrug--Samantha's

Dress--Forever 21

Belt Bag--Francesca's

Cowboy Boots--Old West via Zappos

Samantha has chosen to wear the shrug with a print dress too. She is sporting her bolero in a perfectly relaxed style, just popped over as an extra layer to keep her shoulders warm at the end of the day. Her leather clogs add an edge to steer away from an uber cutesy look (it's not Sam's fault that she's so pretty) as does the funky handbag. Samantha always seems to pull out a winning card with these feature handbags of hers and this is one no exception. The finished look is sleek and cool. Full marks Samantha. 

Follow Samantha on Instagram here.

Samantha's outfit details are -

DRESS: Old (new look)

CLOGS: Old (timberland)

BELT: Old (Topshop….there is a theme here :oP)

BAG: Old…actually belongs to my daughter, but she seems to have forgotten that it is hers!

SHRUG: Very old

Introducing a bit of print was my first thought too as this skirt from Jaeger caught my eye when I scanned the rail in my wardrobe. I like the vintage vibe conjured up by adding the big belt and net underskirt. I'm always trying to inject an element of fun into my outfits and the frothy fullness of the petticoat does exactly that. Never one too underplay things, I've added jewellery in lots of colours drawn from the skirt. My shots are looking very cool coloured as they were taken way back in April when the sunshine was a bit weak and watery. I'm also still carrying a bit of winter weight around my middle, a feature I'm only happy to share now that it's all shifted. I did wonder about choosing the shots that don't show my middle ripple, but then I thought it's good for me to show I'm less-than-perfect. I'm no model, nor am I pretending to be, and so it's only fair to show my imperfections to highlight that I'm as ordinary as everyone else. Keeping it real is what they say nowadays isn't it? 

You can follow me on Instagram too, see here.

And my outfit details are -

Shrug: Samantha's

Tee shirt: M&S

Skirt: Jaeger

Underskirt: eBay

Shoes: New Look

Belt and jewellery: charity shopped

Sunglasses: Quay Australia

Anna x

The road to nowhere?

I'd spent all day at work, more than a bit envious of everyone having Sunday off while the weather was glorious. Later in the afternoon it was so hot I pinned the gallery doors open, and that's when I decided I needed to get out to capture this wonderful day on film. At the end of business I dodged home, grabbed my kit, jumped on my bike and headed south to the far end of the island. What may look like the road to nowhere is in fact Carn Near quay, the most southerly point of the island, and the nearest to St Mary's (the main island of the Isles of Scilly). This quay is where the boats dock when the tide is too low to arrive at the other quays on the island. All the day-trippers had gone home and the high tide was washing over the top of the quay giving it a surreal look. Great - something different for my photo shoot.

This is the view of the far end of Appletree Bay - the beach where I often have my early morning swim. I start off at the other end, where the road runs along the edge of the beach and I swim along the shoreline in this direction. In the height of the summer I can stay in the water long enough to swim the entire length and all the way back again. In the midst of winter it's only a matter of some 50 or so strokes and I'm frozen to the core. Currently I'm working things up and this morning swam half way along and back. I could swim much further if I donned my wetsuit, but that's not the point. The challenge is to brave the waters no matter what the temperature with only my swimsuit to keep me warm.

I was cycling on my way home when I came across these little kiddies boots marooned on this roadside bench. Surely someone must have noticed their barefooted toddler was missing something? I'll drop them in to the "Lost and found" at the island office tomorrow. The next photo shows that this little girl must have been a budding fashionista and really ought not to have been separated from these cute little boots.

Aren't they fab little boots? I do hope they've been reunited with their owner by now. Anyway, back to the outfit. I just want to add one final photo to show the pitfalls of doing your own photo shoot. I know it's unavoidable for us a lot of the time, but I think if Polly had been with me she definitely would have told me off for over-posing! I thought I looked like an aspiring 1950's model.

Notice that over extended front leg as I try to take on the look of a long-limbed beauty. Hahaha! Thank goodness I don't take myself too seriously. This one really had to be shared. Today's outfit is a mix of new and new-to-me items. The cardi is from H&M (sadly already sold out), the shoes were from TK Maxx, and the trousers are M&S from a charity shop. The trousers fit really well, but are a strange cut - not exactly harem pants, but loose fitting with a drapey crossover front which really didn't photograph as I would have liked. Some well chosen poses and my strategically placed handbag seemed to get round this quite well though. Feedback on today's offering, or anything else featured on the blog, is as always very welcome. It's good to know that I'm not just twittering away for my own entertainment here.

Cardigan: H&M. Trousers: M&S (charity shop). Shoes: SixtySeven (TK Maxx). Necklace: Debenhams. Handbag: Accesorize. Watch: Michael Kors. Bangle: Kate Spade New York. Flower ring: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

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

Introducing the Candy Bag

Every once in a while a handbag appears with your name on it, and this Candy Bag was one of those. I was on the search for a fringed bag while I was away recently, but when I finally got the chance to check out TK Maxx (where I was convinced said fringed bag would be waiting for me), well blow me, it wasn't anywhere to be seen! The only two sorry and tired-looking fringed offerings were evidence enough that this trend was old hat, and I needed to move on, pronto. Once I removed my blinkers, I was free to see what might be mine amongst the 400 or so bags that were on display. Suddenly, this beauty caught my eye as it sat proudly on the front of a shelf. Wow! I grabbed it quickly and carried it around, making sure it didn't have any rivals. Nope, not one. This was it. My trophy. My new handbag.

The wonderful bag is see-through PVC, yet doesn't look cheap; it's bright, yet not garish; conventional in shape, yet unusual in it's entirety. In short, it's my perfect new bag. I'll make my apologies now for the fact that it may well feature in far too many posts this summer, but that's pretty much how it goes with my latest love affair. Until the next one comes along...

The outfit today was really all about the bag. Understated is not my default setting, as you probably know, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. Let the bag have its moment I say. The Candy Bag has arrived. All hail the Candy Bag! 

Candy Bag: Furla (TK Maxx). Raincoat: Banana Republic. Dress: Tu at Sainsbury. Shoes: Salord Jover (charity shop). Tights: Dorothy Perkins. Watch: Michael Kors. Bracelet and matching ring: Dorothy Perkins. Nude/gold ring: Boots. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York.

Linking with
Dawn Marie at Fashion Should Be Fun