Sunday mash up

Hello and welcome to my Sunday mash up, a riot of colour and pattern play. You may recall me saying I've had a little splurge on the Zara sale site recently? Well, these leopard print trousers were one of the pieces I succumbed to for the princely sum of £5.99 - yes, that's right, £5.99! Most the items I bought were that price, which is the best reason ever to keep your eye of for the Zara sale next time. The other leopard print jeans I've already showcased here were also £5.99 which seems totally bonkers, but a win for me. 

Today's mash up may seem a bit too adventurous for some of you, but I just wanted to show how easy it is to mix up lots of patterns together provided they have colours in common. The shirt (pre-loved from Boohoo £2.50) was the most perfect partner for these trousers as they're both sporting the red and black leopard print. The design in itself is a great mash up of leopard print, zebra stripe and chain pattern and can be the star of the show with a simple pair of black trousers - that would look really effective too.

I'm always looking for an opportunity to bring out my tartan boots from M&S. As an idea this may not have been an obvious one, but when you look at the colours together you can see that the clash of patterns is negated by the happy partnership of colours. The outfit is basically red and black and falls into my mindset of Why Not?

I'd like to say that this shoot was taken in my own back garden and that I laze about like this often, but the truth is that my photographer and I had sneaked into one of the holiday cottage gardens to test drive this rather lovely lounger. I can report that yes, it was very comfy and please do go ahead and buy them of all of the cottages. This was in the garden of Smugglers which nestles under the trees, only a stone's throw from the Old Blockhouse.

Are you having a chill-out this Sunday? Or maybe you're making the most of the spring weather and doing some gardening? I'm heading off to work now, continuing with the preparations for the Gallery to open on Friday. The whole island wakes up from its winter slumber on the 15th of March so there is quite a flurry of activity this weekend as the last few maintenance jobs are done. There are lots of new faces appearing on the island too meaning that the staff recruitment has been successful in luring newcomers for the many seasonal roles. There's an undercurrent of simmering excitement (for some that may be panic) as the pace picks up ready for the big day. 

Tomorrow is a big day in the Gallery as I welcome Polly back into her position of Gallery Assistant. She and I will be hanging art, cleaning glass and bronzes and generally pulling the displays together over the next few days. The finishing touches of jewellery cabinets being set up is one of Polly's favourite tasks giving her a chance to show her creative flair. Oh, it will be lovely to have her back on board again!

                                                                                        Anna x

Ready for spring!

I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready for spring. The weather today was totally rubbish for my photo shoot meaning that I had to have another indoor session in the kitchen instead. At least a bit of Zoe Ball on radio 2 gave me plenty to bop about to. I'm sure we mums do our best dancing in the kitchen, don't we?

I came back from my little mainland jaunt yesterday and have had a lovely time away. The weekend was a mix of business (meeting up with my framer) and pleasure (meeting an artist friend for lunch) as well as a tad of retail therapy. Add to that a chance to see the extravaganza aka Bohemian Rhapsody and it was a pretty perfect mini-break. These fabulous orange trousers were a last minute find in Primark (£13) as I was beetling through on my way to the homewares department. I ended up buying five pairs of trousers in all plus two blouses. I'll photograph them soon to show you. I also did a small shop at TK Maxx and found a few bargains in my favourite charity shops.

The paper bag trouser trend is very evident in the shops at the moment which is great for me as I love this style. High waisted trousers suit my shape and help to elongate the leg too. Shoot me for giving in to fast fashion once in a while, but I know that these won't be turfed out of my wardrobe at the end of the season. I might buy into a trend, but if it's something that suits me then I'll be wearing it long after the mood has changed. And orange, for goodness sake - you know you'll see these again and again as I reach for my very own dose of sunshine!

I love the clean lines of the trouser with not a pocket in sight to spoil the sleek look. I wouldn't have been upset to find a pocket or two, but can see how they benefit from this simple cut.

This outfit has super-charged my smile.

My only jewellery is a couple of pre-loved rings in zingy citrus shades.

My tee shirt is by RED or DEAD and was part of a fun raising event at a charity shop last year. I'm pleased to raise awareness through fashion and help to add money to the coffers too.

Last night was the first episode of the second series of The Great British Bake Off for Stand Up 2 Cancer and I, like the majority of the UK viewing population, was glued to my telly for the duration. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that Russell Brand brought his own brand of humour to the show stopper challenge of 3 D biscuits! Follow the link above to catch up on the fun.

Bubblegum pink and bright orange seemed like the best way to welcome spring into my working week, but that was before I'd seen the grey old weather waiting outside. Too late! I was sold on this for my post today and it did give me a great lift as I danced and posed my way around the kitchen. The trench coat was a crazy charity shop bargain (£4) from last year despite being from Topshop. Jamie bought me the sockboots for my Christmas from H&M and golly aren't they just dreamy together?

At the end of the day I had to visit one of the holiday properties (Barn Flat) to check on some artworks. The weather had been that typical mix of spring weather of sunshine and showers, improving towards late afternoon. I was happy to have the excuse to get out and stretch my legs as well as take in this fabulous view. 

Thanks for dropping by, and please do leave me a comment if you've enjoyed today's post!

                                                                                   Anna x

Age Disruptor?

Michael Waring

Meet Juliette Branker: beauty industry disruptor.

Up until a day ago, I'd never heard of the term Age Disruptor, but I looked it up and found this - Age disruptors come from all age groups to bust preconceived ideas about aging.

A friend sent me the link to an article about Juliette see here. At 62 she is age-defyingly beautiful and certainly not what any of us would describe as old!  My friend Judy thought the term age disruptor applies to me too given my recent modelling adventures. To be perfectly honest, the article came at just the right time. Since returning from Cape Town I'd had cause to question why on earth I was doing this - putting myself up for rejection at this time of my life? Self doubt is no stranger in my life. On reading the article I recognised an element of myself in Juliette's language - phrases such as "Why not?" and "What do I have to lose?" summed up my philosophy too. 

I was recently sent details of a competition in a magazine, an age related topic along the lines of Why Not? which resulted in this impromptu photo shoot in my kitchen. A friend of my daughter's had seen it and thought of me. I'm often asked how my little adventures come about and there's no trick to it. We all hear of or see opportunities flagged up in various places, but for the most part think, Oh that's not for me! I, on the other hand, think Why not? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This far I've been lucky and have had a positive result with the few things I've pursued. Until the other day that is, when I discovered that I'd not made the cut for a modelling job I'd been hoping for. It was my first experience of rejection within this new #sidehustle of mine. I thought my luck had run out. Was the party over? Had it just been my 60th year that somehow had cast this magical spell over me? 

Juliette was asked -

What’s your advice for women in their 50s and above who have dreams of modeling?

Go for it! You’re never too old. If you have the desire, don’t let this be an ‘I wish I did’ sort of thing. Even if you get a “no,” get 50 no's. Don’t let anything stop you. Don’t live in regret. 

And yes, this was maybe my first rejection, but I had to come to terms with it and understand that what had happened previously was no more than beginners luck and that I'd have to suffer rejection in order to grow. Pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again, as someone once said.

Another quote of Juliette's that really strikes a chord with me is - 

"But – if they ask me to not smile for a shoot, I can’t do it.  I end up looking miserable. I never get those jobs." 

A smile is a natural facelift and also adds a bit of life, a sparkle to my complexion. As we get older our resting face can belie the happiness within - I know my resting face can look quite miserable, but that's not what I feel. Well, most of the time, anyway!

There's a book on this subject too which I've just ordered - it's called "Disrupt Aging - Living Your Best Life At Every Age" and golly I can't wait to read it. See more here. 

A couple of days later Sasha and I went out to shoot this outfit again. The main feature is the trousers which were in the Zara sale. The denim is weighty and the cut is neat around the waist and hips, beautifully wide over the leg, making for a fab fit. I ran with the theme of black and brown, adding my Zara sock boots from last year. A simple black polo neck was all that was needed under my studded jeans jacket by Michael Kors. The belt is old, from H&M and my crochet phone pouch is again from Zara - the sale is still on see here! 

The tiny phone case is a novel idea for me. I love that I know exactly where my phone is and no longer have that panic and scramble when I hear it ring and have to race to catch it in time. The other thing we must talk about is this rather lovely citrine ring. You may recall that I arrived back into the UK on the morning of my birthday. I spent that day in Truro, primarily to buy myself a new laptop. Steve rang me when I was at Gatwick airport waiting to fly down to Cornwall and confessed that he hadn't bought me anything for my birthday. That's no biggie in our house as he's not an online shopper and works in the woods all day so can't nip to a shopping centre to find me a present. We laughed at his confession and I offered to remedy the situation while I was in Truro. I visited TK Maxx first of all and found the most amazing orange sequinned jacket which I've already showcased here. After a bit of browsing through the rest of town, I came across this ring in a little jewellers window. For years I've wanted a citrine gemstone ring and this one seemed to have my name on it. I tried it on and it fitted - and because it didn't need to be adjusted I was given a 20% discount - not too shabby! Since then I've been reading up on the qualities of the stone. It's known for its powers of manifestation of wealth and success, and for encouraging generosity and shared good fortune. I like the sound of that.

This weekend I'm off-island having a little jaunt in Cornwall. I'm taking this outfit with me and hope to meet up with friends for lunch while I'm away. A haircut and some retail therapy are also on the cards. The gallery will be opening for business on the 15th of March so I thought I'd fit in a mini-break before things take off again. I hope you all have a lovely weekend too!

                                                            Anna x

Spring greens with the Style Not Age Collective

Hello and welcome to another challenge from the Style Not Age Collective! Jacqui has opted for the theme of Spring Greens this time which does seem to have had the desired effect by fast forwarding us into some lovely springtime weather. Hurrah for that and let's see how Jacqui has tackled the challenge herself ...

It does indeed look like spring has taken hold where she lives too. Her dress is from Next and just in case you hadn't noticed, Jacqui's new eating regime means that she's fading away before our very eyes, helping her to drop a size. What a great excuse to have a new wardrobe Jacqui! Do pop over to see her post on Mummabstylish.

Hilda is showcasing this fab green coat from Zara with faux leather jeans in her springtime setting. She's waxing lyrical about the delights of spring on her blog Over The Hilda so do swing by to find her inspiration.

Another green coat this time from Laura Ashley for Emma of Style Splash. Her yellow courts and that cute daffodil brooch are both perfect tie-in's for the spring theme too.

I must admit that I had to rummage around in my wardrobe to find some green of any sort. I soon discovered that even though I like the colour, I don't actually  own many green pieces - note to self to remedy that at the soonest possible opportunity! This skirt is one I bought from eBay a few years ago. I haven't worn it much due to the fact that the lining around the bottom edge seemed to be too tight and to pucker the line of the skirt. I expect that's why it ended up on eBay. After a couple of attempts at repairing it I finally resorted to separating the lining and skirt completely and et viola, it worked!

It was easy to pull the rest of the look together once I'd fixed the skirt. The spring theme was echoed perfectly in both the M&S blouse and my floral Primark boots. I picked out the blue from the boots to choose tights and all that was left was to find a jacket. This yellow tweed Chanel type jacket was a charity shop find. If there are any of you readers who've been with me from the start, you'll have seen this jacket and skirt paired up four years ago in this post here. I'm pleased to see that I still have a love for this combination some years on. 

The rings are both pre-loved and seen regularly on the blog - I do like these large gobstopper kind of rings for adding a bit of extra colour to an outfit.

These sock boots are sooooo comfortable, a dream to wear all day long. 

The backdrop for this shoot was chosen by Sasha - perfect spring greens don't you think?

My old faithful sunglasses are by Quay Australia, as usual. 

So that just about winds it all up for another month. Did you enjoy the challenge? Does it inspire you to search out your own version of Spring Greens? I do hope so. Please take a moment to visit the other ladies on their blogs to read their back stories.  I'll be back later on this week with ...? Goodness knows what! I'm sure I'll find something to share with you. Thanks for joining us again this month and I hope you'll be back soon.

                                                                                          Anna x