May Scavenger Hunt

I am turning into Lucy Lastminute when it comes to the scavenger hunt.  You'd think a month would be enough notice, wouldn't you, but I realised last night I only had 6 out of the 12 photos organised.  Cue the usual last minute scramble!


Thanks as always to Kathy for organising it.  Here are my efforts:




 Station:

I am fairly confident that I win at life for getting this photo.  Best station name EVER.  (Helpful translation - it means St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave) 


Nose:

HaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhIloveOscarveryverymuch.  Don't you just want to dive into that photo and kiss his little nose?  No?  Just me?


Beverage:

My two non-alcoholic drinks of choice.  Glass of water, black coffee with half a sugar.




 Currency:

The average contents of my purse.  I hate carrying cash round with me so there are hardly ever any notes in there.




 Fragrance:

I wish this could be in smellovision, I really do.  They line the sides of a path at work and it smells amazing when you walk along it.




 Front page:

Of a 1937 newspaper on display at Plas Newydd.




 Good things:

Sunshine, Calippo, new minty coloured pumps, freckly knees.  All good things.


Historic:

A May Day feast, Tudor style. Definitely historic.


 Nine:

Walking to the pub whilst on a family camping trip in Anglesey last weekend.  There are nine people in this photo, honest there are.  You just can't quite see some of them properly.




 Do you see what I see?

It's the sea of course! And Holyhead Mountain, which I was forced to climb TWICE.  Right up to that very top bit!  On an exceedingly hot day too.




 Small packages:

Self and maman.  We are small people.  I am looking super quizzical in this photo for some odd reason.




 Yellow:

It was this eyeblindingly yellow in real life.  No idea what the plant is called, but it's jolly cheerful.

An Irregular Collection

Irregular Choice shoes.  My one weakness.  Well, other than books, mini Party Rings, green hoodies, oh the list is actually quite long, isn't it?  Let me try again...

Irregular Choice shoes.  I love them.  Not as much as some fellow bloggers who shall remain nameless, but as much as my budget and cupboard space will allow.

It all started off with this pair.  An impulse ebay purchase.  I call them my Minnie Mouse shoes.

Then I bought myself this pair from Schuh - full price and they weren't cheap! You know I'm a bargain hunter but I don't begrudge a single penny I spent on these. I adore them.

Then, in no particular order and from a variety of sources (ebay, charity shops, Schuh, presents, presents via ebay), came the rest of them:

The two most recent pairs are quite different, but both entirely awesome in their own particular ways.  It's been a good few months since I bought them though and I'm rather itching for a new pair...

I don't think I need to explain why I love them so much.  Yes, some of the styles Irregular Choice come up with are utterly mental.  Others are just plain ugly.  But you don't need to go far to find a pair that you fall absolutely in love with.  For me, it's all about the details:

I don't think Oscar quite approves of my shoe buying ways though.

 

Fond of a Bargain

Sometimes it's not until I get to the end of an outfit post and list where everything is from that I realise quite how much I shop in sales.  It's not because I actively like sales shopping - far from it.  You will not find me outside Next at 4am on Boxing Day (apologies to any readers who like to do this but I think you are MENTAL), nor will you find me elbowing other women out of the way in search of the perfect pair of cheap jeans.  I don't see shopping as a competitive sport.  I just wander round the shops every now and then and if I see something that's cheap, nice and wearable, I buy it.  I don't tend to buy things full price because I am a skinflint (notable exception = Irregular Choice shoes).

This whole outfit cost under £30.  If I'd bought all the elements of it at full price, well I can't actually tell you how much it would have cost, but easily double that.  Possibly triple.  I don't tend to remember the label price, just the price I actually paid.  I am a great one for going "Ha! Only £7 in the sale!" when people compliment me on things.  Should probably try and stop doing that actually...

The frock is tres cute but a wee bit clingy, so doesn't always look great when photographed.  Here I am breathing in quite a lot:

And here, pulling quite the odd face.  Best of a bad bunch I'm afraid.

Dress - River Island sale

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins sale

Jacket - H&M sale

Scarf - People Tree, birthday present

Bracelet - Shared Earth sale

Petticoat...Check

I believe I may have mentioned my loathing of ironing a time or two.  It therefore won't come as a surprise when I confess that this rather cute shirt dress has been languishing at the bottom of the ironing basket since...ooh...last August?  I bought it in a charity shop because I liked the pattern, shoved it in the wash (not cos it was smelly, just cos I really don't like that washing powder that all charity shops seem to use) and promptly forgot about it.

It was jolly nice to rediscover it.  Not so nice to rediscover that it is a really odd shape.  It has belt loops at what you would assume to be normal waist height, but the actual waist is down below my hips and it looks very weird.  Only one thing for it.  Well, two things.  First, shove a big belt over the top to disguise the weirdness.  Second, poof the skirt out.

Ok, make that three things.  I had to make something to poof the skirt out with.  Twitter folk may have seen me beefing about doing battle with tulle last night but I think it was worth it in the end.  One mini petticoat!  It doesn't look like much but it does the trick.

Dress - Dorothy Perkins via charity shop

Cardi - Hawkshead

Belt - Primark

Shoes - Irregular Choice

Brooch - charity shop

Ring - Dorothy Perkins sale

Pearls - BoBijou

And for extra vintage styling, add ponytail and wear cardi in a different way:

Bored of Rain

I thought it was meant to be April showers, May flowers, not April floods, May hailstorms...

I'm fed up with rain. Fed up of damp feet and frizzy hair and still having to wear winter woolly tights.  Mostly I am bored of ruining nice shoes on days when I think it's going to be lovely and sunny and it ends up chucking it down instead.  That's happening a lot recently.  Wellies are the only way forward.

Wellies were not an option for a long time, because they are made by evil so-and-so's who don't seem to realise that people have fat legs.  Even now that my legs are substantially slimmer, I must still have out of proportion chubby calves because I still can't force them into most wellies.  All hail Joules and their adjustable sides.

And their cute prints. Who wants to spend £80 on a pair of Hunters when you can spend £35 on a pair of galloping horse fab ones instead?

Jumper - H&M

Skirt - vintage Welsh tweed via Oxfam, altered by moi

Scarf - no idea.  I've got about 19 in various shades and I don't remember buying any of them

Wellies - Joules

Knee high socks - Primark