Volksfest Wales and the Gower Peninsula

I am just back from my latest holiday which included Volksfest Wales followed by 5 days in the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Feeling a little sad that this was our last Campervan trip of the  year but definitely can't complain as we have had an amazing summer and despite the British weather not one of trips has really bad weather.

Blouse - H!Henry Holland at Debenhams

Vest Top - ASOS

Leggings - People Tree

Shoes - Spartoo

Denim Skirt - Customised

Bag - Monsoon

Necklace - Shop in Victoria Station

 

T shirt - charity shop

Cutoffs - customised myself

I have been kind of running out of inspiration for camping outfits this time especially as I had no idea what the weather would be like so I decided to stick with some of my tried and tested options. On the Saturday night there was a fancy dress theme of heroes and villains. I wasn't going to bother investing any time or money in a fancy dress outfit but I spotted a Batman T shirt in the local charity shop for £3 so decided to make half an effort.

As usual I took loads of photos of all the VW's but won't bore you by posting them all. If you are interested there are a few on my Tumblr.

Unfortunately Saturday night was ruined a bit by the inconsiderate people who decided to stay in the family camping field even though they clearly weren't a family then proceeded to argue and fight for most of the night keeping everyone awake with their foul language. After that we decided to move on a day earlier than planned to the piece and quiet of the Gower Peninsula.

T Shirt and shorts - customised myself

Boob tube - charity shop

bag - Monsoon

Jacket - La Redoute

Cardigan - M & S

Hat - Dents (TK Maxx)

Jeans- M& S Indigo Green

The Gower Peninsula was quiet and very beautiful. I can't believe I have never even been there before as it is only a few hours drive away, although slightly longer going at Roberta (our campervan) speed. We made sandcastles, went rockpooling, had barbeques and drink beer and I even braved the cold water and went bodyboarding once.

Anyway home now and back to reality!

Hope you have a great bank holiday weekend if you are in the UK. For those in the US, hoping that Hurricane Irene doesn't cause too much damage and destruction., stay safe.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Lengthen, Stream line and Slim

Dress - People Tree

Belt - Next

Scarf - ASOS
Shoes - No Name

Necklace - shop in Victoria Station

I have always loved wearing scarves, especially long scarves as they have an amazing ability to lengthen, streamline and slim the body, which for someone as short as me is great. I had almost written this dress as far too unflattering to wear, what with my mummy tummy. Today I decided to give it a try with a scarf though and really liked the look, even with the belt which can at times make me look like a sack of potatoes. Not the most exciting outfit I have ever worn but I felt really comfortable in it. I have quite a big collection of scarves and will hopefully be getting plenty of wear out of them once Autumn arrives.

Do you wear scarves? what is your favourite way to wear them?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

P.S.  If you are plus sized, you might be interested to know about another website http://www.onestopplus.co.uk, I recently came across which has some great pieces for slimming, lengthening and streamlining

First Girls Night Out In Ages

Dress - Vintage

Leggings - People Tree

Shoes - Dkode

Jacket - Gestuz

Bag - Dorothy Perkins

It is not that often I get to go on a girls night out. Saturday was my first girls night out in ages. As usual, after hours of thinking about what to wear, I just couldn't make up my mind and I ended up getting ready in a huge rush. What sort of thing do people wear for a girls night out at the local pub? I haven't been for so long so have not the slightest idea.

Anyway these pictures were taken very quickly, my friend text to say she was already there and getting the drinks in. I was out of the door like a shot.

I had a great night. I definitely feel like I should try and make time for girls nights out more often. How often do you go out with the girls?

If you're planning on having a night out with the girls, but haven't got any shoes to go with your outfit, then there is a great range to check out at the Very site. Visit www.very.co.uk to find out more information.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Should it stay or should it go?

I a bit of a hoarder when it comes to clothes, actually I am a lot of a hoarder. I rarely get rid of clothes unless they are worn out, they don't fit or they seriously don't suit me and I made a major mistake in buying them in the first place. Even then I often hang onto them anyway, just incase they fit me again  at some point or I can upcycle them into something else.

Hoarding clothes like I do goes against all the stylist and fashion editors rules. It is usually recommended that you edit your wardrobe regularly to allow you to work out what clothes you have, keep your wardrobe clutter free and make it easier to decide what to wear. My wardrobe is most definitely not clutter free and when my existing wardrobe got too full, Mr Style Eyes kindly built me another walk in wardrobe which is now almost at bursting point too.

Whilst buying lots of clothes that you don't need is wasteful and bad for the environment and storing them ties up valuable resources, in some ways, I think hoarding can be a good choice. Compared to many women I know I buy relatively few clothes but I just don't like getting rid of anything. I often find that if I bag something up and put up in the loft because I am bored of it, when I bring it down, I like it again and in some cases it has come back in fashion again. This saves me having to go out and buy lots of clothes to refresh my wardrobe all of the time.

Todays outfit was made with just such a dress. I bought it years ago (about 10 I think) in a Topshop sale. I wore it a few times but after having children decided it didn't look great and stuck it in a bin bag up in the loft. Every now and then, I get a few bin bags down (or Mr Style Eyes does) and I have a dig around to see what I have, which can be almost as fun as going shopping for new stuff.

Dress - Topshop

Belt - Monsoon

Shoes - Spartoo

Necklace - New Look

How about you? do you hoard or edit?

Hope you are having a great week. I have  been really busy with work, holidays and the girls home from school over the last few weeks and have  really been missing reading my favourite blogs as regularly as usual. I look forward to stopping by soon.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Camp Bestival

Yesterday I arrived back from an exhausting but very fun four days at Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle in Dorset. Camp Bestival is a kind of music festival but with loads of entertainment for children and more family friendly facilties than your average festival. This is the perfect combination for me as the children get to do what they want all day and later on we got to listen to some top music. The festival is organised by Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank through his empire Sunday Best. It had a magical atmosphere partly created by the design of the site by Josie da Bank which included the Bollywood tent which was handstitched in India and housed a bar and DJ's and was surrounded by canopied day beds on the grass outside.

The highlights of the festival for me were dancing the night away to Groove Armada whilst children were safetly tucked up and asleep with their ear protectors and piles of blankets in a trolley, seeing and hearing Mark Ronson including a tribute to Amy Winehouse, dancing around the picnic blanket to The Wonderstuff, one of my favourite teenage bands and the headline act on Sunday night Primal Scream playing their iconic Screamadelica album, another favourite from my teens.

It wasn't just about the music though, there was so much to do that I only managed to see a fraction of it. I did have a go at pilates in the English National Ballet tent, the girls tried on the most amazing tutu with beautiful embellishments, I had a temporary fairy tattoo, the girls had their faces painted and we made pom poms which gave me some inspiration for some DIY accessories that I might try making. We also watched the medieval jousting which was spectacular and featured the horses and riders that are used for the stunts in many big films including the most recent Pirate of the Carribean.

I also really enjoyed just chilling out, people watching, munching on a very tasty burrito and swilling back a few bellinis whilst soaking up the relaxed vibes.  The theme of the festival was medieval which was perfectly fitting with the magical backdrop of Lulworth castle which was lit in changing colours once the sun went down. Everybody was incredibly relaxed and friendly (accept for the carnage at the Peppa Pig meet and greet!), the weather was perfect and everywhere there were huge bubbles floating up into the sky.

I love the fact that you could wear pretty much whatever you liked and no one would bat an eyelid. Apart from princesses, knights, monks outfits that were worn for the medieval fancy dress, there were also all sorts of other random fancy dress outfits. There was the usual army of girls in the same sort of uniform of denim shorts, blouses and flower garlands or trilby hats. I especially loved all of the eclectic and colourful clothes that I saw and the crazy accessories. I took the opportunity to wear my fairy wings which were a bit old and battered as I borrowed them from the girls. Next year  I will definitely be investing a bigger and more sparkly new pair.

A big thank you to all of those who have commented and shared their festival tips. My prepared outfits worked well, but I was just lucky it didn't get cold or wet as I realised after arriving that I wasn't that well prepared and unusally for me had only taken exactly one outfit per day. My advice for festivals is to make sure that you have a small bottle of sanitising hand gel and tissues or toilet  roll in your bag. I aslo thought the £5 shower and £25 shower tent that we took with us was a worthwhile investment as I got to have a shower every morning which made me feel so much better.

I hope you had a good weekend

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Festival Outfits

It is not long now until I go to my first ever festival. I am insanely excited and have been spending a fair amount of time considering what I will be wearing. I am guessing that most people don't take 5 pairs of shoes when they go to a festival so just for this once I have narrowed it down to 2 pairs plus wellies just in case.

I have decided not to take my heavy DSLR camera, I will take my old camera instead but I have no idea how these pictures will turn out. So I decided to photo my outifts in advance, this also makes it so much easier for me to work out what to take and pack. I am guessing this is a bit obsessive, but I like to plan well in advance and be prepared as there won't be any mirrors there so I won't be able to check what my outfits look like. Maybe people don't really make that much effort with what they wear when they go to a festival, but I always think if in doubt, go for it.

So here are my outfits, I just need to cut down another pair of jeans into shorts in case the weather is unbelievably hot (fingers crossed).

Top - Next (about 8 years ago)

Skirt - made from charity shop dress

Hair garland - Ebay

Shoes - Spartoo

necklace - present from my sister

This was the skirt that was originally a dress but too tight around the bust. I have finally got around to cutting the top off and sewing in an elastic waistband. It is a bit rough and ready but should be fine as long as the waistband is covered. I am thinking of adding some fairy wings to this outfit for the fancy dress on saturday.

Sunglasses and feather earring - Urban Outfitters

Top - New Look

Elephant necklace - Etsy

Shorts - Old jeans from Next cut down

I think I will need to do a bit of cheese grating with these cutoffs before I go. Any other good ideas on how to fray them?

Blouse - H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams

Shorts - as above

Feather Headress - Little Wings on Etsy

I will just add tights to shorts for when it gets cold in the evening. I am thinking my hair might get a bit frizzy if I don't get to wash it so can put it in a bun with this feather headress. We will be taking our own shower and tent so I am hoping for a hot shower every day though!.

Dress - People Tree

Cropped Leggings - New Look

I think this dress might be a bit too dressy but hoping that the cropped leggings help to dress it down a bit and make it more practical.

T shirt - customised

necklace - a present from my Mum

Bag - Desigual

Tube top - charity shop

worn with cutoff jeans (as above)

This t shirt is another one of my DIY projects that I have finally got around to doing. I just cutoff the sleeves and kind of gave it a racer back.

As for the music, there are so many amazing bands, artists and DJ's that I want to see. I am just waiting for the full line up and timings to be announced so that I can work out how much I can fit in.

Are you going to any festivals this summer? what will you be wearing?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

A Seventies Birthday Party

I can't believe that it is a week since I last posted. I don't know where the time has gone, perhaps some of it taken up making my latest creation (below).

For Mr Style Eyes 40th birthday, we held a seventies themed party. As our campervan, Roberta was 'born' in the seventies like Mr Style Eyes (actually only one year between them), I decided to construct a cake that was an almost exact replica. It thought it turned out pretty good. I did cheat a bit though, I used 6 ready made madeira cakes stuck together with butter icing and bought the coloured icing ready made too, so I just had to roll it out. In these situations I always think it is best to take as many short cuts as possible especially as I also had a boeuf bourgigone and trifle to make for 20+ people.

I put lots of consideration into my seventies themed outfit and planned to wear a printed chiffon maxi dress by Malene Birger and a cream lace waistcoat, with a flower garland (sort of like a hippy). On the day I had to abandon that idea as the bottom of the maxi dress had a big rip in it, I must have stood on it last time I wore it and there was no time for repairs. Instead I opted for a one shoulder maxi dress which I refashioned/ upcycled a while ago by cutting off one strap and adding a scarf. I think the look ended up a bit more Grecian than seventies disco diva but I guess I whilst I was born in the seventies, I was old enough to remember much of it, so I have an excuse. I had to wear the flower garland even though it didn't go as I love it so much.

Here I am borrowing a lighter from Big Bird to light the birthday cake candles. I know, I was a bit shocked to find out that Big Bird smokes and drinks beer too. And that is Andy Pandy in the background, someone I do remember from the seventies, just!

Other stuff that I have been busy with lately is a post on the French Connection Autumn Winter Lookbook for The Fashion Buzz, an article on how to market your fashion company online for The Source (the online publication of the Ethical Fashion Forum), you have to be a member to read it but I have published a pdf on my business blog and I have also updated another of my websites with the latest shift dresses, please check it out if you are looking for a shift dress for work parties or anything else.

Hope you are having a good week!

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Maxi Skirt Mix Up

Lace top - ASOS

cardigan -  a birthday present from my Mum

necklace - a present from my mum

shoes - Spartoo

This was one of those random outfits that just kind of happens. I have decided to participate in Bloggers Do It Better and this weeks challenge was an outfit with a maxi skirt. I really like the proportions of wearing a maxi skirt with a long vest top and a cropped cardigan or jacket. As I only have 2 long vest tops one in black (which I couldn't find) and this floral lace one, it had to be this one. I am not 100% sure whether these patterns really work together but it felt right at the time so I went with it. 

You can't really see it because of the pattern but the lace top is see through so it definitely needed a cardigan, which I buttoned up in order to look respectable when picking the children up from school.

You can check out the other maxi skirt outfits made for the challenge here.

How do you wear a maxi skirt?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Camden Markets and Vintage Fashion Fair

Following on from my last post about my weekend in London.... On Sunday (Mr Style Eyes and myself) returned to Camden for a Full English followed by yet more browsing the markets. This time we went to the stables and not only were there some amazing stalls and vintage boutiques but also some lovely bronze statues.

Dress - Vintage (I have just shortened it)

Waistcoat - Dorothy Perkins

Shoes - no name

Badges - which you can see better in bottom picture - Camden market

I stopped for a quick and very refreshing lemonade before moving on to the Vintage Fashion Fair London at Primrose Hill.

The fair was crammed full with rails of vintage clothing most of it surprisingly affordable. 

It was great to meet Sharon of MyStyle and of course check out her stall

This was the cute little cafe downstairs

I got this beautiful floral dress from a vintage shop in the stables market, Camden, for just £15, I couldn't believe my luck, I having been looking for a really bright floral dress for ages.

I also got this beautiful 1960's lace dress from the Vintage Fashion Fair for £25. I think it is going to need some alterations as it is slightly too long in the waist but if I don't get the chance before I may take it back to the September fair for some alterations by Splendid Stitches, specialising in alterations of vintage clothing.

I also got some button badges which I wanted to wear on my black waistcoat, i just felt like it needed something...

So that is it, weekend over, back to my lovely girls and back to reality.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

My Weekend in London

On the weekend, myself and Mr Style Eyes had a short break in London. This was quite  big deal for me as I haven't been to London (when I am not working) for a long time and also we virtually never  have a weekend without the children. We stayed in a lovely hotel in Swiss Cottage, which was perfect for what we wanted. On Saturday afternoon we walked to Camden and spent a little time browsing the markets, we also stopped off for a beer or two in a pub and Brazilian bar Cocobamboo . Camden is amazing, the perfect spot for people watching and I love the hustle and bustle. Some of the clothes in the market were a little disappointing, quite a lot of badly made rubbish but there were a few stalls with some interesting stuff by independent designers, plus lots of vintage and some great accessories which kept me pretty busy.

Dress by Numph (from Zalando)

Shoes - No Name

Belt - Next

Necklace - Stall in Victoria Station

Bag - Monsoon

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

Mr Style Eyes invested in a new cowboy hat. Ideal for camping van trips. Here he is enjoying a well earnt beer after hours of trapsing around the market with me.

In the evening we stopped off for some food in Nandos before cocktails in the same Brazilian Bar as earlier. It was great to have the opportunity to get a little dressed up and I took the opportunity to wear the Karen Millen dress that I bought back in April when I went to Bicester Village. It was the first time I have worn it and despite Mr Style Eyes protests that I looked like a Red Indian I decided that I would wear my feather headband that I have bought from Little Wings on Etsy ready for a festival I will be going to.

Dress - Karen Millen (Bicester Village)

Headband - Little Wing (Etsy)

Shoes - Dkode

Leather Jacket - Gestuz

Bag - Dorothy Perkins

Bangle - bought on hols in Mexico

On Sunday, we went back to Camden to look around the market again and then on to the Vintage Fashion Fair London at Primrose Hill, more on this in my next post.

Hope you have had a lovely weekend and are enjoying the lovely weather.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Shades of Grey

Vintage Scarf - Oxfam Online

Top - New Look

Skirt - Originally Jackpot then cut down

Leggings - People Tree

Shoes - Spartoo

Ring - New Look

Bracelet - From a holiday in Mexico

Celtic Necklace - a pressy from my sister

 I have been looking for the opportunity to wear this scarf for a few months now, but it never fitted quite right with anything. Today with the weather being so warm and muggy, I opted for comfort in the form of leggings denim skirt and a long vest top but the outfit just needed something else. I love the way that this scarf added to the shades of grey in the top and also added more texture to the outfit. The vintage scarf is by Josef Otten, another of my little treats from Oxfam online.

I have a really fun and busy weekend planned so am now rushing around trying to get everything sorted out ready. I will share outfits etc in my posts next week. Are you doing anything fun? Hope you have a lovely weekend?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Weekend Outfits

Top - ASOS

Yellow blouse - H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams

Shorts - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - El Naturalista

On Saturday evening I took my oldest daughter to the JLS concert in Swindon for a birthday treat. The concert also featured Olly Murs, probably my favourite of the three and  Alexi Jordan. It was one of those occasions when you don't really know what to expect in terms of rain, cold and mud. I toyed with the idea of wearing wellies but decided to just wear ankle boots instead. It was really cold and wet but luckliy not too muddy. I was glad I chose to wear this outfit as I felt like I had dressed up and made a bit of an effort but also with my trusty green parka over the top managed to stay quite warm. Tights and shorts is a suprisingly practical combination as tights don't soak up half as much rainwater as jeans. In the end we decided to leave at 9pm, half an hour before the end. I am so glad we did as we missed another major downpour and avoided 2 hours of sitting in traffic to get out at the end. I was safely snuggled up in front of the TV at home with a hot chocolate and almond macaroon by 10pm.

Dress - Second hand shop

cardigan - Marks and Spencers

Shoes - Dkode

Locket - vintage (a present)

As it was Father's Day on Sunday, I cooked dinner for Mr Style Eyes, the children and in laws. The sun was out (for a change), so I decided to get a bit dressed up in one of my many dresses (with the summer weather being as it is, I like to cease every opportunity to wear a summer dress). This was one that I bough a few weeks ago from a local second hand shop for £8. I love the bright and cheery floral pattern and it fits perfectly, making it one of my favourite dresses at the moment. I also decided to try my hair slightly differently. I almsot always wear it down but though I would try a messy bun for a change. This also gave me a chance to wear some earrings which I rarely bother with as they just disappear under my hair.

Hope that you had a lovely weekend?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X