Ring a Ring o' Roses

I was in a huge rush to get out of the door in time this morning. When time is tight I know I can always fall back on this pretty tunic dress by Darimeya (via ebay) The blue roses remind me of old style tatoos that my Grandad probably had and the colours are such that it goes with almost everything and is a dream to layer.

I've accessorised with a handful of bracelets grabbed from my jewellery board and a long green necklace. My hair has just been wrapped round in a mini bun at each side and secured with a grip, quick and easy, result!

I am officially in love with Asda's new jewellery and following a tip off from the lovely Caz from "This is Caz" I made a beeline for these swallow earrings at just £2 it would be wrong not to. I'm going to be dropping some not so subtle hints about getting some more bits for Valentines Day too.

What unexpected treasures have you found amongst the groceries?

Oooooh, oooh, ooh Babylove!

Last night was "Babylove", a fundraising event to raise money for St Johns Hospital Neo Natal Intensive Care unit. My friend who organised it had her little girl very early and knows all too well what important work they do there. The hospital rely heavily on donations to provide care over and above the very basic that the NHS can fund.

The evening was a huge sucess, eveyone who attended enjoyed it thoroughly and most importantly they raised £1,800 which is enough money to buy the hospital three special care incubation units!

The dress code was "smart party" which is always a tricky one. After much deliberation I bought this Yumi dress from USC, it was £13 in the sale down from £45! I love the carousel print and the frilly layer that peeks out underneath. The Carvela shoes were from TK Maxx and were a bargainous £16. I had intended to wear normal black tights but found the shoes kept slipping off but the footless tights solved the problem perfectly and gave a party feel to my look.

At the last minute I realised that the hot pink nail varnish I was planning on using wouldn't work with the open toes (too much pink) I knew navy would look fab so I mixed electric blue with a dark plum to get the perfect shade to match my dress. I would have been even more smug had I not smudged a fingernail while doing my hair!

I decided to go for a really full on eye make up, I kept the rest of my face neutral and understated but went to town on the eyeliner and applied lashings and lashings of black mascara for a dramatic effect.

When are you next dressing up?

Feeling Floral

There's something about the slighty milder weather and clear skies that hints that Spring is just around the corner. I can't wait to ditch the coats and cardigans in favour of lighter prettier clothing and all the girly floral prints around at the moment are really catching my eye.

I've always loved flower prints, my favourite doodle is a cartoon flower and I painted this Cherry Blossom mural on our bedroom wall. I had been searching for months for the perfect wallpaper at
the right price when I decided to just do it myself! Typically it remains not quite finished and weeks after painting it I found this gorgeous wallpaper in B&Q reduced to only £1 per roll. Needless to say I snapped it up but now I'm torn between the two.
My outfit today continues along the floral theme, I have had this top for several months yet only worn it a couple of times. The neckline isn't quite right, I'd like it longer and looser but I adore the print.

I am a huge fan of the "jegging" the thicker variety hold me in where I need it but give the appearance of slimmer legs without the bulk added by real jeans.

The red cardi was a Matalan sale purchase and with 75% off it was only about £4. I haven't worn these boots as much as I thought I would but I think they work well with the outfit and toughen up the pretty print.

You'll have to excuse the swimming hair and lack of make up, I'm not going out until this evening so am "au natural" until later!

Finally I just had to try on my new nail varnish, no it's not "home mixed" I bought it with my Boots points. I love grey and know i'll get lots of wear out of it, painted nails make me feel so finished.

A quick glance at my fingers and I know I can face whatever the day throws at me!

Does it Cut the Mustard?

I didn't actually get dressed until about 3pm today as I have been sorting my hair out in preparation for a charity party I am going to on Saturday. The event is to raise money for the Premature Baby Unit at our local hospital. I hadn't "done" my roots since November last year so I had my work cut out!

Using the good old cap and hook method I first did a load of strands with a mid brown Nice n Easy, rinsed, dried and repeated using bleach. I usually don't bother with the brown but I had a build up of highlights and needed to break the blonde up a bit. I'm really pleased with the result, it look natural and even and cost a lot less than a trip to the hairdresser.

I'm going to wear my hair up on Saturday, not something I am good at but I have been studying some online tutorials today's effort turned quite well.

I couldn't wait to wear my new dress, and am pleased to have something to wear the mustard tights with which I bought in the DP sale a while back. I was a little bit nervous stepping out with such bright legs but my trusty grey wooly cardi gave me a bit of a security blanket that kept me within my comfort zone.

Wow, that was hard, my first "proper" blog entry.

What have you done that pushed your boundries today?

I really should be in bed but...

I can't sit back and let my reservations stop me any longer.
I can't promise to update daily but I will try and use this blog as a way of documenting how I feel when anything significant happens in my life.
I don't know what I want to get out of this, but I won't know if I don't try.
I'm going to get some sleep and will think about what I've done in the morning!

Night night x