Dune Mongolian Scarf & Liberty Tartan Scarf- Scarves of the Week

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely week so far and like me, looking forward to the weekend. This week has seen me start my official role as a library assistant which I'm really enjoying plus I'm meeting really nice co-workers too, making the transition of starting a new job so much easier!

I'm not sure what I'll be doing this weekend but if the weather turns particularly nasty it will mean having to stay indoors snuggled up watching TV, films and listening to music, whilst catching up with my blog reading and book reading!! 

I thought I would show you this weeks scarf purchases-the first one is my Dune Mongolian shaggy wool scarf/shawl which I treated myself to whilst in London on Saturday:

It really is a scarf of substance and I actually felt naked after taken it off instore to put back the display piece- I love the softness and shagginess of it as I've always wanted a scarf like this for so many past winters. I really would recommend it if you're looking for a shawl like item over a variety of different coats and jackets this winter-it really blocks out the cold and looks really nice on too.

My second scarf was an accidental find whilst in town early this week, as I'm trying not to spend anything on myself after my splurges this month. I was really only trying to browse my local Salvation Army but it's always the way-when you don't want to see anything or are watching the pennies, something always shows up! Thankfully when I saw this scarf, it was well worth buying and I couldn't leave it behind for just £1.99:

A pure wool black and white tartan scarf which is immaculate and still has the original Liberty paper sticker on it too:

I'm so chuffed to find this one as I don't have a monochrome scarf and this fits the current tartan trend perfectly. It's a lovely length and width and it looks like one of those items that has been bought and not used and donated to charity, waiting for me to swoop and buy!!

I keep saying it, but I'm really on a strict (ish) self imposed thrift and shopping curfew-apart from maybe getting a new pair of black trousers or jeans for work that will be my only spending for the forseeable, but I can never say never.....sigh!!

Here's hoping you all have a lovely weekend and what with the Festive Season and my new job I may not be around as often to blog new posts and comment back, but I always take pleasure in reading your blogs via bloglovin' and google+ to see what you are all up to in the style and fashion blogosphere!

The Winter Tag!

The lovely Andrea at CousCousandcorkWedges has tagged me in The Winter Tag.

The rules of the tag are:

Share 12 random facts about yourself.

Answer the 12 questions.

List 12 bloggers you wish to tag and pass the tag on by letting them know you've nominated them. However I've decided that my Winter Tag is open for anyone who wishes to participate as being such a busy time of year you may well decide to take part before or after Christmas on this one!!

My 12 Random Facts:

1. I've just started a new job-hurrah!! I am now officially a library assistant and I work in different sections and different libraries within my borough-plus, I actually love it too as I get to work with adults and children and do a variety of different things each time I'm there!

2. I love Made in Chelsea-it's my guilty pleasure and I love how my eldest son pitches up with me every episode to tune in!

3. I have a scarf addiction which seems to be growing each week-it doesn't matter if it's vintage, a boot sale or charity shop find, a high street or designer buy I show no preferential treatment to whichever one catches my eye!!

4. I also have a jeans addiction- 27 pairs at my last count-gulp! I love skinny jeans, bootcut, straight, slim and flares as well as coloured jeans too!

5. My favourite flavour tea is Twinings Lapsang Souchong, it's really smoky and I love it strong and hot. 

6. I love music- all genres but my favourites are late 70s pop and disco and classical music.

7. I love reading too but I just need more time to get into my books- if I'm relaxing I still tend to surf the net a little too often!

8. I went on the Orient Express for my mums 75th birthday to Deal- it was an amazing experience which I would love to repeat!

9. I don't do ornaments- I really am not a knick-knack or bric a brac type of gal- it could be having a small house with two boys was generally the main reason but now they're older I still don't hanker over having items like these dotted around the house!

10. I don't like cooking and prefer to let hubby do it, but when I do my favourite meals to make are curries and roasts.

11. I love potatoes-jackets and roast ones are my favourites.

12. The last time I had my hair cut short was the last time I will ever have it short- I sort of regretted it and it seemed to take an age to grow out too!

And the questions:

1. What are your favourite things about winter?

I love choosing what winter coat or jacket I'm going to wear and it gives me an excuse to stockpile my scarves!

2. What is your favourite winter outfit?

My black and white tweed oversized wool jacket, skinny jeans and Dune biker ankle boots with a sweater underneath and of course my scarf du jour!!

3. What is your favourite winter food?

Home made soup and home made shepherds pie.

4. What is your favourite winter drink?

Mulled Wine!

5. How do you like your make up in the winter?

I only wear blusher and that's the same year round!

6. What are you hoping Santa brings you?

I wouldn't say no to a nice bottle of perfume!

7. What is your favourite winter scent?

I love the smells of comfort foods cooking in the oven.

8. What is your favourite winter memory?

When everyone bundled up and made a beeline for the garden to build snowmen and throw snowballs!

9. What is your dream way to spend a winters day?

Under my fleecy blanket on the sofa, with some classical music playing and reading my current favourite book.

10. What are the first 3 things that remind you of winter?

Starting to wear gloves and hats, layering up and making up hot water bottles!

11. What is your favourite winter song?

I love hearing any hymns being played on the radio, especially Christmas ones.

12. Finish this sentence.....If I could have one Christmas wish it would be....

To be somewhere hot for a change!

I hope you enjoyed reading these random facts about me and please let me know if you do the tag in my comments so I can come and check you out too! Wishing you a great week ahead!

Marks & Spencer Autograph Leopard Print Boots and Some Issey Miyake

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, I had planned to stay in Saturday afternoon after publishing my last post which said I didn't have anything planned, however mid writing that said post my eldest son asked if I fancied an afternoon up West and as I hadn't seen the Christmas lights I thought why not? Well returning home that evening, my bank balance was noticeably lighter, what with getting his Christmas present- a Michael Kors watch no less which he is contributing more than half to and I also treated myself to a totally gorgeous, couldn't leave the shop without it, Dune Mongolian wool shawl/scarf which left my neck naked when I put it down and walked out of the shop without it, trying to be good. 

I very rarely buy anything brand new from shops, I would say my wardrobe is 95% thrifted from charity shops so it generally takes something special from the High Street for me to part with double figure funds. I've been after one of these type of shawl/scarves every winter that goes by and as soon as I'd left the store I couldn't stop thinking about it and high tailed it back and got the sales assistant to cut the tags off so I could wear it straight away!! So that's really an early Christmas present to myself which I am so pleased with and I'll be showing it off on a post later!!

Back to my outfit post which also contains a new buy-these Autograph ponyskin leopardprint wedge boots from Marks & Spencer which I got a couple of weeks ago when they were doing 20% off- I had spied them online and the same day I was in town they had one pair in my size left on the shelf, so yes, another High Street purchase but at least I didn't pay full price!! I am also wearing my beloved vintage thrift find wool waterfall cardi-jacket by Issey Miyake which was another Salvation Army charity shop find for only £2.50 a few years ago. I love this, it makes an appearance every winter season and I also wear it over my black leather biker jacket as an extra layer:

I'm wearing my light wash thrifted Levi's jeans which are a firm favourite for me this season and here is a close up of the boots- I'm generally not a lover of high heels, but these have an insolia built in sole and are really quite comfortable as they have been designed to redistribute your weight from the balls of your feet and I just love the pointy heel and of course the ponyskin leopardprint!!

My clothes and accessory budget for this month is well and truly smashed and I really need to try and not see anything else that I love- I have been extremely tempted by Michelle at MyFashionable40s who recently got a gorgeous woolly fleece from Uniqlo which is a perfect winter style piece to have, but I just sadly can't justify buying it at the moment, not with the Car Tax due at the end of the week too ;-( 

Still, I need to start busting out what's already in my wardrobe and on a future post I'll be showing you a really fabulous thrift find from the Summer, stay tuned!!

I am linking this post to the lovely Claire Justine for Creative Monday do be sure to check out her blog if you haven't already, she's been nominated by Candis magazine for her lifestyle blog which is really well deserved!! Wishing you all a really great week ahead, whatever you are up to!!

Thrift Inspiration..........Coloured Faux Fur for Winter

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a good week, my week has been fairly hectic but hopefully most of the weekend should be quite relaxing with no plans- just how I like it, so I can just do anything or nothing!

I thought I would show a recent thrift find and alternatives to mine that are available online or instore at the moment. Faux fur is a really big presence for this season and it comes not only in traditional black and trendy leopardprint, but all different colours too. Here are my picks of my favourite colours of the moment:

BIBA dove grey short faux fur coat, £118.30

ASOS baby blue faux pelted jacket, £80

ASOS teal longline faux fur coat, £80

ASOS berry batwing faux fur, £85

A couple of weeks ago I found this really cute navy faux fur jacket in a neighbouring towns Haven House charity shop for just £15. It's collarless and is perfect for wearing with roll neck jumpers and scarves and is super cosy and soft too!! 

The lining is in a contrasting purple and blue pattern and being navy means it's going to be so versatile and go with a lot of items already in my wardrobe.

Is coloured faux fur on your radar this season? Do you already have some coloured faux fur in your wardrobe that you've started wearing already?

Wishing you all a really fabulous weekend and hope your plans or no plans go as scheduled!!

Thrift Inspiration.....Short Sleeve Chunky Knit Jumper

Hi everyone!! I hope you are all bearing up now the Wintry weather is setting in-apparently we are in for some real icy cold weather over the next couple of weeks so now is the time to dust down those winter knits and get them to the front of your wardrobe.

The majority of my jumpers that I have are all long sleeved, but I do have the odd short sleeve jumper, that being my Sonia Rykiel thrifted jumper that I bought a few years back at the now sadly gone Help The Aged charity shop for only £2.49. It's great to wear over silky blouses, chambray denim or a thermal long sleeve top. Short sleeve jumpers are so versatile and stylish and make a welcome change to the normal long sleeved versions and what I'm liking about the current versions are they are cut like oversized tees, making them perfect for layering and cosying up in. Here are my favourite picks of short sleeve jumpers that are available now:

Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, £235

French Connection jumper, £69

IRO Kailey Jumper £259.50

Sonia by Sonia Rykiel jumper, £250

So I found another short sleeved jumper to add to the wardrobe recently- a lovely hand knitted aran chunky knit which is oversized and cocoon shaped and was a bargainous £4.49 from my local Salvation Army charity shop:

I chose to wear it yesterday with my Uniqlo heattech long sleeved top from last year, my All Saints jeans that I got from the boot sale a few months ago for £3 and my new tan Chelsea boots:

I'll definitely wear this over my light and dark wash chambray shirts in the style of Laura of the WIT blog and with skinny jeans too- it really is a cosy buy and being short sleeved and oversized means I don't get too over-heated and stay snug at the same time.

Do you have any short sleeved jumpers in your wardrobe for this winter- is it a look you could or would try? I do hope you enjoy the rest of your week and stay snug and warm whatever you get up to!

Outfit Post: Fluffy Tartan & Leopardprint with an Unintentional Pout!

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a lovely weekend, I didn't really get up to much, but I had a fabulous lie in on Saturday morning till past 11am- indulging in some Classic FM, two red velvet cupcakes and a steaming hot mug of coffee-courtesy of my boys as my breakfast in bed, well it's got to be done every now and then!!

I've been using some of my thrift budget to get leather boots re-heeled and coats dry cleaned in preparation for Winter.  It's great to buy new or thrifted items for this coming season but it's also important to look after what's already in the wardrobe and this helps to prolong the life of existing pieces and bring to life forgotten items that have languished at the bottom of the closet waiting to be repaired or professionally cleaned. I'm on at eldest son to put aside some of his wages to take a few jackets to the cleaners at the end of the month to save him wearing other jackets over and over again. 

Anyhow, my outfit for Saturdays chores in town was as follows:

My trusty black and white tweed coat that I thrifted a few months ago has proved invaluable and I'm wearing it so much lately. I'm also wearing my newly thrifted faded Levi's jeans and a couple of new items-a fluffy tartan Primark scarf which I totally love-it's so cosy and big and was just £5. I'm also wearing some Topshop leopardprint chelsea boots that I found on ebay last month for less than £20 and are like slippers, just so comfortable and add a fun pop of colour too! My grey sweater is a fairly new thrift find too and was from my local towns British Heart Foundation charity shop for just £3.99 earlier this month.

I had to add this photo, when I saw it it made me laugh as I was really not intending to do a 'pout pose' but as it's not too contrived I thought I'd show it, lol!!

I'm linking this post to the lovely Patti at NotDeadYetStyle for Visible Monday and the lovely Claire-Justine for her Creative Monday blog hop. Do try to check out both of these wonderful blogs, they are so inspiring and regularly share so many other creative and stylish bloggers from all around the world!!

Wishing you all a great week ahead- be warned, it's getting colder so wrap and layer up nice and toasty!!

Thrift Inspiration.....Doing it Fair Isle Style- Ralph Lauren, J Crew, Boden, River Island and Matalan Way!!

Hi everyone!! I hope your week has been going well-I've fallen off the budget pedestal somewhat lately and will share my spoils of what I've been thrifting in future posts. 

I thought I would share a thrift find from last month which I've just been waiting to pair with the right shirt underneath and having just snaffled a light wash River Island denim shirt yesterday on a thrifting trip means I'll be able to wear my find below with it and also a white shirt too. As you can see, I've picked out my favourite styles of Fair Isle knits that are currently on the High Street at the moment. This style of knit is not only traditionally stylish, it surpasses current trends and will always look great in Autumn and Winter:

Ralph Lauren Sweater, now £200

Ralph Lauren sweater, £125

J Crew sweater £138

Boden cardigan, £79

River Island snood, £20

Matalan sweater, £18

As you can see there is a really great selection of Fair Isle items for all tastes and budgets and if sweaters aren't your thing then there are plenty of accessories such as hats, scarves and gloves on the High Street in a range of lovely patterns and colours. 

I was really pleased to find in my local Salvation Army charity shop this fabulous Ralph Lauren hand knitted sweater for a bargainous £3.99- it's as new and is also a longer length so ideal for wearing with jeggings or skinny jeans:

I love how the Ralph Lauren sweater in the first picture has been paired with bright colours and is a really fun and trendy way of wearing this style of pattern. Wearing Fair Isle means you can pick out different colours from your chosen piece to co-ordinate with the rest of your outfit:

I also love the cute little pockets on the front and the assortment of different colours in the knit-it will definitely be a versatile item to wear this season!

I hope you all have a great weekend and I'm also linking this post to the lovely Claire Justine for her Friday blog hop, take care all!!

My dress

Hi!

Jestem wielką fanką sukienek. Może na blogu nie pokazuję ich za często, ale naprawdę lubię tą część garderoby. Mój ulubiony fason to sukienki z rozkloszowanym dołem. Bardzo lubię również te dopasowane jak i "workowate". Dzisiaj właśnie jedna z tych ostatnich. Gdy tylko do mnie przyszła podbiła moje serce swoją prostotą. Jej fason jest moim zdaniem idealny i choć wiem, że będzie miała wielu zwolenników jak i przeciwników to ja ją absolutnie uwielbiam. Dzisiejszy zestaw to set, w którym wybrałam się ostatnio na uczelnie. Szarą sukienkę zestawiłam z czarnymi dodatkami, płaszczem i czerwonymi ustami. Mam nadzieję, że Wam się spodoba!

dress - lululi.pl

coat - anataka

tights - h&m

shoes - choies.com

bag - etorebka.pl

bracelet - lilou

Do następnego!

Thrift Inspiration.....Faded Levi's Jeans for Autumn-and Beyond

Hi everyone! I hope your week is going well for you all-there was frost on the car today and apparently it is the coldest day of the season so far, but it's lovely when it's dry and sunny too! Today I am layered up in a vest under a long sleeved denim shirt with jeans (double denim!) and earlier when I was out I had my scarf and coat on. With yesterday's outfit I was in a short sleeved tee as when I'm working at the library I really get warm so as long as I wear a padded or wool coat then I'm good to go!

So as you can see, Tuesday's outfit comprised a black oversized tee by Primark, my leopardprint scarf that I bought last week and seem to be wearing almost every day, a  pair of newly thrifted jeans from a couple of weeks ago and my black ankle leather biker boots which are from Marks & Spencer also from last year:

I've been keeping my eye out for some faded light wash straight legged jeans for a little while now, so when I came across these Levi's jeans for only £1.50 in a neighbouring towns Sue Ryder charity shop they came straight home. I like the idea of wearing faded jeans in Autumn and Winter, it goes against my 'go to' black and indigo jeans and they are surprisingly a really versatile colour too- I'll be wearing them again with light colour sweaters, chunky knits and different shades of denim shirts:  

With Autumn and Winter settling in now, what colours are you gravitating towards this season? Are you a lover of darker palettes or does colour feature quite heavily in your wardrobe at the moment, I'd love to know!!

Wishing you all a great week and don't forget those layers!!

Freedom fighter

Hi!

Dzisiaj krótko. Obcisłe spodnie, wysokie buty, luźna bluza i czapka beanie - lubię taki styl i naprawdę dobrze się w nim czuję. Czapek beanie mam w szafie całą masę i są moim zdaniem fajnym uzupełnieniem stylizacji (szczególnie w okresie jesienno-zimowym). Tymczasem zapraszam Was do obejrzenia zdjęć a sama uciekam wcinać rogale marcińskie! :) 

pants - zara

shoes - guess from schaffashoes.pl

blouse - army gets down

cap - milov

Do następnego!

Splurge at J Crew vs Sensible at Zara vs Steal at Primark!! The Statement Pearl Necklace

Hi everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend-the weather has been rather hit and miss where I live but yesterday when I took a walk into town, it was brisk and sunny and a welcome spot of exercise after overindulging in ciders and curry on Saturday night!!

I am not really much of a jewellery wearer- I do have a selection of real and costume jewellery of course but I tend to wear just earrings on a regular basis with rings and necklaces being worn occasionally. It seems that the 'statement necklace' is very much evident this season and visiting different blogs and reading the magazines it seems that a lot of designers and the high street have a lot to offer that are being snapped up by many to style up winter sweaters and chunky knits. I've been keeping my eyes open for the right one for me and on Friday I finally managed to track down the one I wanted and bearing in mind I know I won't wear it regularly it was great to get one for less than a fiver!

Being inspired by what is being worn by other bloggers and what is currently on the high street gave me a lot of inspiration for what I was after. Here are the necklaces that finally inspired me for my chosen choice: 

J Crew Pearl Twisted Hammock Necklace £98

This J Crew necklace is a great choice for those who have the funds to indulge in a chunky pearl necklace that is timeless and elegant in style and with the new J Crew now open in London there is sure to be a lot of stylistas eager to grab their statement necklace for under £100 for the coming festive season and beyond!

Zara Pearls and Chain Necklace, £19.99

This is a really trendy, stylish choice for anyone who wants to mix pearls and stones and a real bargain price which will not only look great in the daytime over a grey sweater or chunky knit but just as gorgeous for a night out over a LBD or a black sweater and leather skirt or pants combination!

Primark Silver Gilt and Chunky Pearl Necklace, £4

There is no link to this one as it was bought in store and I'm pretty sure it is new in as I hadn't clocked it when I was in Primark a couple of weeks ago. The picture doesn't really show how lovely it is- a good weighty piece for the money and the chain and pearls do not look cheap either, which has been a main sticking point for me when choosing my ideal piece of costume jewellery. A lot of necklaces on the high street look really pretty, but close up the stones look quite cheap looking even when the necklace isn't.

I am linking this post to the lovely Claire Justine for Creative Mondays, if you get a chance to check out her blog with links to a lot of other stylish and creative bloggers. 

Have you indulged in a statement necklace this season or do you already have one (or more) in your jewellery box already? Maybe you've a special one on your Christmas list, do share!!

Wishing you all a really great week ahead!