Caution - colour burst!

This was my outfit today, although the photo shoot is from a couple of weeks ago when we were blessed with a golden day that was just too good to miss. I asked Sasha to join me for a photo session at the end of the day which was perfect for this location, bathing the Old Blockhouse Castle in warm, mellow light.

I fear I may accused of overkill, as it seems to be only a matter of days since I last wore these boots. But honestly, I've been itching to pair them with this geometric dress since I bought it. And these fab pink tights, don't they just work a treat? Yes, it may be a case of colour overload, but hey, I just couldn't resist super charging these fiery colours. You know me - more is more!

When I first started blogging I would never have entertained this colour combination! Neither red nor pink were on my radar at that time and yet here I am totally enchanted by this colour marriage. I see this as real progress and can't wait to see what will develop next.

The dress is preloved, from M&S, tights are old, boots are H&M, sunglasses are by Quay Australia and the necklace and other jewellery is preloved.

It was about 6.30pm and look at the quality of light - how perfect for our shoot!

The islands in the background are the Eastern Isles; uninhabited miniature islands that are skirted with a slick of white sand. These are very popular picnic islands, just big enough for a family. The local boating etiquette is that if there's already a boat moored up, then please move right along and find another spot. 

This was a lovely balmy evening - maybe we ought to have brought a picnic too.

I'd like to promise that I won't inflict these sock boots on you again until the autumn, but honestly until summer, or a least a period of consistently fine weather, settles over us I may have to resort to wearing them again. They're just so blooming useful!

It's okay, I'm all done. You can remove your sunglasses now!  

This week I'll be link with -
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Anna x

Fix her crown

Today's post has been inspired by Lexi of Welcome to Lexiland who is hosting the Fabulous Flower Crown Festival on her instagram feed here. #fixhercrown is where you'll find lots of lovelies wearing crowns of every kind, all of them gorgeous.

Sasha kindly let me borrow this pretty floral headband which I wore as a crown. The morning's photo shoot took on a more bizarre look than usual! 

Lexi quotes the phrase “Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.” She continues in her own words, "How wonderfully women can raise each other up when we put our minds to it. What a difference we can make!" 

The festival is representative of the rich seam of friendship that I have tapped into on Instagram thanks to joining the world of blogging. There are women featuring every aspect of my life, from motherhood and health issues, to yoga and sea swimming, fashion and shopping, island life, the passion for my homeland of Scotland, the big outdoors and the spectacle that is Mother Nature, be it an outrageously beautiful sunset or the breathtaking view from a wild mountain range - I've made connections through our common bond. This sisterhood is supporting each other, acting as cheerleader during times of celebration as well as offering solace during the tougher moments when we feel downhearted. These women have enriched my day to day life with tiny hearts, encouraging comments, honest opinions and rave reviews. Not many are face to face friends, but the miles and time zones matter not a jot when their authenticity shines through as they turn up time and again to add their thoughts to my life in squares. See my Instagram feed here.

Today's outfit was of course chosen to match my crown. The skirt is preloved, by Jaeger, the blouse new, from TK Maxx (by Jovonna), belt is from eBay, mules are from TK Maxx (by Shellys London) and sunnies are by Quay Australia.

The necklace was a gift and rings are preloved.

You can't really go wrong with bit of razzle dazzle on a sunny day, can you?

I fully intended to take the crown off before Polly and I did the main photo shoot, but after the head shots, some ladies appeared, we chatted for a moment and then we continued. It was only when I walked back into the gallery and caught sight of myself that I had to laugh. I suppose my customers are just used to me being a bit flamboyant in my dressing!

I'll be back on Sunday and in the meantime I hope you have a super weekend!

Anna x

Michael Kors studded jacket

Hi there! How are you? Today's post features a mellow mix of old and new, pulled together for the first time. I enjoy putting preloved and new pieces together to create a unique look.

The Michael Kors jacket is a few years old, and I'm so pleased that it remains a firm favourite of mine. I bought it in TK Maxx and therefore paid real money for it, as opposed to it being some lucky charity shop bargain.  The studs are a mixture of metal and plastic, meaning it's a veritable workout in itself just wearing that all day long.

I stuck with a simple black and white theme for the rest of the outfit, but that doesn't make it staid when you throw a few patterns into the mix. The preloved trousers and top (H&M) are both in a floral print and therefore are a very happy marriage indeed.

Silver is the accent colour for my accessories. The silver trainers were a recent purchase in TK Maxx while I was in Harrogate. Aren't they fab!

The brand is Ellesse.

The disc necklace (reminds me of those big mints my grandad used to eat) is old and was from Marks and Spencer, the disc ring is preloved and the other is by Diana Porter. Sunnies are by Quay Australia. The rose gold watch is by Michael Kors.

And this is why I fell for this preloved H&M blouse - aren't those sleeves lovely!

Not so much a pose, more a delicious stretch to get a kink out of my spine!

And finally, I'd like to say a big thank-you to those of you who are still visiting the blog. It's at this time of year that blogging views start to drop as we all have more pressing things to do with our time. Warmer weather draws everyone outdoors to spend time in the garden or the beach to enjoy a barbeque on those balmy evenings all of which detract from the lure of the blog. For me, I still love getting dressed up and therefore the photos will keep coming regardless of the numbers of readers. I hope that those of you who remain continue to find something to keep you interested. Your comments mean a lot to me and help keep me motivated during these times, so do please take a moment to give me some feedback. I love to hear from you!

Anna x

Frills and flounces on Friday

I'm painfully aware that most of the UK is basking, baking or even sweltering in the current heatwave, but on Friday morning this is how things looked here.

The rain was drifting in and out, as was the sun and in an effort to get it right I was in tights and boots as well as sunglasses. Despite having brought all my summer clothes back into play, I somehow am not quite ready to plunge into linen, cotton and sandals quite yet. I seem to be like this at the end of the season - I just can't quite let go of what was and move onto what is. There's always still one more outfit that deserves to be shown and this is maybe it.

Are you sick of seeing the boots by now? Oh, I do hope not! I just wanted to try out this combo of boots and petticoat together with a black and white palette to see how it would look (and feel) and it was all that I had hoped. I can't begin to try to describe the delicious swish and flounce factor of this tutu underskirt. It's the ultimate in feminine dressing, making me smile as I swish jauntily along, the bouncing hemline bobbing around me with every step. 

Time for a little boogie before I start work ...

For once I've managed to have red nails as well as red accessories, hurrah! The belt and all jewellery are all preloved, sunglasses are by Quay Australia. The leather jacket is vintage, so it the underskirt, the boots are by H&M and the dress is from New Look (rather old though).

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, "I dress to please myself". I see every day as another opportunity to be my best, my happiest and my most productive. There's no settling, wearing beige or cruising. My clothes collection allows me to be a chameleon, with colours and styles to reflect my personality and how I want to look (quirky, sleek, retro, understated, on trend) on that particular day. If my outfit is right, then I feel good. It's that simple. And yet I do get it wrong lots of times and have been known to change an outfit completely during my lunch break. As I was chatting to a friend earlier today they summed me up by saying that I wear my clothes as if they're paintings, my very own wearable art, which is very apt. Within my job I meet lots of people every day and if I'm feeling good then that rubs off - we have a positive encounter because I'm confident (in my clothes). And that's the same for all of us. Therefore, what may be perceived as vanity is actually based on the psychology of the feel good factor, and hey we all want to feel good don't we?

My main motivation for running my blog is to show women of my age that we don't have to disappear once we've gone through the menopause. The complaint of feeling invisible in our 50's is very common and as far as I'm concerned all it takes is a splash of colour to remind everyone that you're still here and more importantly still looking great. You really don't have to be an out and out colour freak like me - just a pop of colour by way of a silk scarf, or a bright necklace or handbag can make all the difference. A lot of jobs don't make it easy to show too much personality through your clothes/uniform, but on the way to and from work you can still take some pleasure in a splash of colour. If I'm preaching to the converted then well done, but to those of you who read this because you wish you could, then I say "Go on!". Take a step outside of your comfort zone and let me know how it feels.

Linking this week with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jacqui of Mummabstylish 

Anna x