Lifestyle - Bedroom

I often dream of the day I can buy all the pretty things I want, to decorate my home and make it more me.

You all know that day, the dream of winning the lottery, well yeah thats about as likely to happen to me as it raining fish on my front door, so instead I search the web, charity shops and furniture stores like a hawk after it prey until I find things I like!

Recently while perusing the internet an advert came up for an online store called made.com, out of curiosity I clicked through the link and took a look and I am now obsessed with the item below, it is out of my price range for now, but it needs to get in my bedroom asap!

£349

I love the design, the shape, the colours and well everything about it to be honest, I have an obsession with dark wood and this is near perfect in my eyes.

I am preying that the quality matches the price tag as I know nothing about this company, but I think I am willing to raise the cash to find out!

A few other pieces from the site have really jumped out at me including these three below.

£579

£169

£169

I made a promise to myself that I would stop buying cheap furniture and save for some solid old second hand stuff that was made to last, but these newer bits are calling my name!

I would recommend a look around the site there are some pretty things there, but do some research look for some independant testimonials about the company I do it before I buy anything from somewhere new. 

I am planning on restarting some of the decorating in the house, it is normally a crazy mess but would you be interested in some post about it on the blog?

Let me know in the comments.

Mhairi

xxx

Gok @ Simply Be Lingerie AW12 Review

Since the press images were release online, I have been lusting after the whole new AW12 Gok range and now it is released, I have been frantically paying of my last purchases on my Simply Be account so I can order some fabulous items from the range.

The campaign images are utterly fabulous fantastic pin ups!

I would have leapt at the chance to get this but I cant find it in my size, so will have to stick to the pretty knickers and bras.

As soon as I saw the press images, I began paying off my account asap so I could order something from the collection, not easy on my current budget, but it is getting there, so when the wonderful Hannah from the new PR company handling the Gok launches came to me and offered me the change to try something from the range I was so so excited, and knew what it needed to be.

Gok Wan Balcony Bra in Midnight Spot £24

The price is excellent!

I asked for it to be sent in a 38G as this is as close to my usual size as I can get, when it arrived I was happy to find the fit pretty good, it doesn't quite sit flush with my chest at the central gore but over all pretty good a 38H would have been perfect if they went to the H cup.

 As you can see it encompasses my ample assets petty darn well, I may try this in the 40G if it comes back into stock as I really love it and might need 2 for the amount I plan on wearing it :) 

The material that the bra is made from is so soft, I hardly felt it on my skin. The straps are fully extendable but made out of an elasticated material so were quite big on me, but with adjustments I made them work, the did slip slightly and get longer, I prefer straps with a bit of embroidery on them as it give it something to grip to, but it wast fast so only needed to adjust once in the day.

The blue on white dotty pattern is divine!

I was also sent the high waisted briefs to match, no photos of me in them i am afraid as my mosquito bites have been so bad, no one wants to see that! but the fit perfectly and look amazing on!

I am also going to get myself the Liquorice Racer back bra too as it is a lovely alternative to a plain black bra.

Gok Wan Racer Back Bra £22

Included in the campaign pack were these two images of the Gok slips and it made want one even more, I don't wear shaping underwear to look slimmer, i just like the smooth outline they give me under clothing.

This wear your own bra one is fabulous as it means I can wear it even if it doesn't come in my cup size, but I am holding onto the hope Gok will release one with shorts attached instead of the skirt as it is important for me to stop the old leg rub!

Please though Gok make it with the slit opening underneath and not poppers as I hate them :) 

Take a look at the whole range HERE as it is fabulous!

Simply Be - Plus North Outfit Review

Most of you will have seen me in my Plus north outfit either at the event or in my write up HERE, it was gifted to me by the wonderful Charlotte and team at Simply Be as a thank you for helping out with the Plus North ticket sales.

I thought it might be nice to give a more comprehensive review of the three items from my outfit, especially now i have had a chance to wear and wash them.

This image was taken by the lovely Simply Be photographer and can be seen HERE on the Simply Be Blog.

The Sarong skirt from the latest runway collection is such a vibrant print and so far from my usual comfort zone that I just had to give it a go.
I stayed comfortable all day and it didn't crease at all really, not even in my suitcase on route to leeds.

The skirt has now been washed and line dried outside and I am pleased to report it is still just as vibrant and pretty now.

Sarong Skirt £38

The colours are still beautiful and make me smile!

The top I choose was the Bustier top also from the recent Runway collection, when it arrived I was worried the material was a bit stiff but after putting it on, I fell in love while the material is heavy and quite thick, it felt lovely and really held everything in place.

Bustier Top £25

For the final finishing touch I wore a little shrug with it, when at an indoor event I often take a cardi with me as I never know what the air con will be like and I am always cold.

Short Sleeved Shrug Cardigan £29

This little shrug was great it was light enough that even with the day being very warm I didn't feel uncomfortable in it.

All three items have washed brilliantly and I am happy with them all, i would recommend each item happily.

Mhairi

xxx

Ups and Downs

This weekend has been a difficult one a while ago we had to make the choice to find a new home for our beautiful puppy Nelly, she is such an amazing girl but our other dog poppy just hasn't taken to another girl coming into her home.

This led to fighting and us having to keep them separated at all times which is no way for either of them to live, so the choice was made, we have been worrying ourselves sick over finding her the perfect home where she can flourish and be the happy puppy we know she is.

Plus North turned out to be a godsend, as after a chance conversation with the wonderful Clare, of Big Beauty Blog, she mentioned the loss of her dog and how she would love another puppy if she could persuade her husband, well fast forward 2 days and she came back to me to tell me they would love to offer Nelly a home.

We arranged for us to drop her off this weekend and on saturday we made the journey Up North to drop her off, it was a very long journey with 8 stops for a very car sick pup but we made it and left knowing she would be loved, I did well I made it 2 hours down the road before I burst into tears when I thought of her spotty tummy.

Clare has set up a wonderful little blog for her, so we can see her growing into a big doggy, you can see it HERE it is really lovely.

Here is a little outfit post from yesterday, I broke my own rule and wore leggings with a shorter top, it still covered my bum, I just needed comfort as I was in the car for nearly 9 hours in total!

Today to take my mind off things and as it was finally a nice day with a breeze we thought it a good day to get some gardening done as all the rain recently has meant a very overgrown messy garden.

We did about 4 hours work and have made a good start, there is still lots to do, but my gardening tools are a bit crap, lots seem to have been lost in the moves, so will have to invest in some new items.

Here are a few images of our handy work.

The two big bushes over the back were being completely strangled by tangle weed (our name for it, not sure its real)

Watered all my potted plants.

wave my bush a trim ;)

And removed lots of nettles.

Now does anyone have any idea for cheap paving ideas up top there, as you can see the grass has been destroyed by the dogs and needs to be more practical.

Have you had a good weekend, did you work hard or have a lazy one?

Mhairi 

Fatshion Faceoff - Brightly coloured Purse

So Fatshion Faceoff is here again, and this week meant I got to use my pretty handbag, the pick was a Bright coloured Purse it could be anything, bag, clutch tote ect. 

I used to have the most amazing Cobalt Blue bag which came from Mango and I used it so so much it literally fell apart, but I have been quite boring since then and have chosen fairly basic black bags, but i did find the lovely bag in the below photos in the next sale about 4 months ago for £5 it is a gorgeous mustard yellow colour and worked really well with my Fabulous Ax Paris Fishy dress!

It has been rainy and muggy all day so I popped a cardi over the top today to pop out to the shops and have some lunch with my dad and Marc.

So here you have my version of a brightly coloured Purse.

The bag is very cute, I love the strap, I can have it long like this wrap it round my hand or, pull the two length so they are even like in the 3rd picture. 

Now this next picture is of my Ron who kept staring at me then scratched my bum for a cuddle so picked him up, but he has become a lump! what do you think can he be a handbag pooch like the stars? 

Purse - New Look £5 (past season)

Dress - Ax Paris £19.99

High Waisted Leggings - SimplyBe £12

Shoes - New Look £12.99

These two brightly coloured clutches have been calling to me recently on the New Look website, its one shop I like for fun bags.

Orange Piped Envelope Clutch £9.99 

At that price I think I will pick this up at some point.

Turquoise Zig Zag Stud Clutch £14.99 

I was stroking this in the shop today, it is gorgeous in the Lilac colour too. 

Go take a look at the other beautiful ladies and there fabulous efforts.

Hanna – http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Dani – http://diyfatshion.blogspot.com/

Olivia – www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mouna – www.brusselsfatshion.com

So that is my outfit this week, what do you think?

How colourful do you like to be with your bags?

P.S. please excuse the mattress in the background we have family staying at the moment 

:-D

Mhairi

xxx

Plus North

Wow it has been just over a week since Plus North and I think I am now almost recovered!

It was amazing and exhausting all at once and this week has been about me getting back on track and figuring out whats next.

Do you ever get like that after a big event, I find that in all the excitement and craziness of the event afterwards I am totally shattered, in a good way mind you.

Sometimes my mind just likes me to take in and mull over all the fantastic experiences and make sense of them before I carry on.

So on to the event, Plus North was put together by the fabulous Becky of The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe and Toni of The Only Way is Toni, go take a look at both their blogs they are fabulous! 

Image courtesy of Janie visit her page HERE

I helped out with the ticket sales and printing the tickets for the event which is where some of the exhaustion came from I think, I finally finished all the printing and packing at about 2.30am on the saturday of the main event, and then had to get up at 5.30am to get myself ready to travel, luckily I was so excited that I didn't feel tired at all.

This is me almost ready to leave for the station I went for comfortable yet pretty clothing to help make me feel good.

I am wearing

Waterfall Cardigan - Que at Vida Moda

Glamourosa Tunic - SimplyBe

Leggings - Asda

WideFit Shoes - Newlook

I have to say this was the perfect outfit for travel it was comfy, cool and easy to move in, I had decided to travel to leeds first class as a busy train can seriously freak me out and I didn't want a bad start to my weekend.

I tweeted just as I left stevenage to say I was on route and after a bit of twitter chat figured out that the gorgeous Hanna of The Wardrobe Challenge was on the same train as me, so she popped along to first class for a visit, her visit ended up being the whole journey and we had a blast!

Picture courtesy of Hanna

On arriving in leeds we made our way to Aspire so I could drop off Hanna as she had dress rehearsals for the catwalk show and so I could pass on the Tickets to Becky and Toni so that their fabulous minions for the day MrBeBe and Ben could prepare for everyones arrival.

Now I had to race to find my hotel, get checked in and change ready for the fabulous afternoon ahead, I had luckily been offered a nights stay in the Hilton Doubletree hotel in leeds after a poor stay in another hotel in london, and I have to say the Double Tree more than made up for the previous hotel in every way!

The room was beautiful very simple and fairly modern it had a Mac in the room which was the TV, Radio and a Computer to use and a gorgeous bathroom, I like hotel bathrooms, if its a crap bathroom I wont want to stay again :) 

The view was really pretty, I was only on the 4th floor so no pretty views over the city but I loved the lock so I was happy, the walk to the hotel took me down this very creepy tunnel which is where the river flows under, It was incredibly loud but fabulous, I later found out that there is a much nicer well lit bridge a little further up but, I choose to take this route every time!

In all the mad dashes of the weekend I managed to forget to take a picture of my room but I can honestly say I would be more than happy to stay in the hotel again and likely will!

The aspire building is beautiful and on my return I really took the time to take a look around and I wasn't disappointed.

The view from the mezzanine floor - everyone beginning to arrive and settle in.

The internal architecture was simply stunning, if you like that sort of thing like me you would have enjoyed looking around!

The beautiful modern lighting looked amazing on the high ceilings and he massive arched windows, the Aspire building is the old Lloyds banking hall, how amazing would it be if our banks still looked like this!

Ok enough of my personal obsessions :) onto the amazing event itself and the fabulous clothing and guests!

I had the privilage to spend most of my day with Hanna and Caroline

How beautiful do they both look in their fabulous outfits!

Hanna's outfit is a New Look skirt with a Domino Dollhouse Petticoat, and Caroline is wearing a Wallis dress with a vest under. 

The catwalk show was fantastic, all the ladies who were brave enough to take part looked utterly stunning and I was so proud of them all, I decided not to take part this time as once in my life was enough for me!

You can take a look at all the photos on my Facebook page HERE The ladies all looked stunning! 

I did have an official photo taken by the fabulous SimplyBe Photographer so you can see my outfit, I will be doing a separate post about everything I wore to review the items for you, as the lovely Charlotte of SimplyBe offered to provide my outfit for the day as I had helped out with the ticket sales.

I am wearing

Sarong Skirt - Simplybe

Shrug - SimplyBe

Bustier Top - SimplyBe 

WideFit Shoes - New Look

I also want to say a huge thank you to the brands who attended making me feel the plus size market is not failing us, and events like this and plus London are needed to get our voices heard and to let them know we want fashion and fun!

Stella & Dot - F&F - Dea London - Trapped in a Skinny World - Chesca - Life's Big Canvas - Benefit - SimplyBe - Curvy and Stylish - State of Mind - Curvissa - Excite Clothing - Eve Activewear -
Eddi & Bri -  New Look - Style369 - Slink Magazine

All the above brands helped make the event what it was by being there, offering a prize for the draw or a discount code for us to use.

Plus North really was an amazing day and we had so much fun, I can not wait until next year!

Mhairi
xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Scarf as Belt

Scarf and Belt

Fatshion faceoff is here again and this week is wearing a scarf as a belt, now I don't have many scarfs so had to make use of what I had, I feel I could make this work much better with a square scarf as I currently have only a very large rectangular scarf.

I think I will go to my local charity shops and look for some new scarfs to experiment with, and hopefully I can bring you some future outfits with scarfs as a belt that are a bit more interesting than this one. 

Dress - Newlook last season

Shoes - Newlook

Scarf - butterfly farm

I really need to look up some interesting ways of knotting the scarf for more interest.

and I want to try twisting the scarf to make it look a bit different but overall I like the contrast and it could be good to have some interesting patterns and colours.

Go take a look at the other beautiful ladies and there fabulous efforts.

Hanna – http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Dani – http://diyfatshion.blogspot.com/

Olivia – www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mouna – www.brusselsfatshion.com

Mhairi

xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Strapless item

Strapless Top

This weeks pick was something strapless, and as you will see, strapless is not a look I find easy to pull off.

I did however love the colour of this top and just had to get it, I need to get a different belt to wear with it as it didn't sit right but I love the colour and will get lots of wear out of it if the sun ever decides to make an appearance again!

As the evening was fairly cool I teamed it with my skinny black jeans and my coral flats and a black cardigan for my dignity :)

Also check out my lovely new glasses.

My usual dodgy shot!

The top is New look and was £9 in the sale, it is from the standard range in a size 18, the jeans are Dorothy Perkins.

Go take a peek at the other fabulous ladies who will show you how its done far better than me :) 

Hanna – http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Dani – http://diyfatshion.blogspot.com/

Olivia – www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mouna – www.brusselsfatshion.com

Do you brave strapless?

Mhairi

xxx

Plus Size Sports Wear

Fitness can have nothing to do with loosing weight, for me it is about my health and fitness levels, and enjoyment.


I lost my love of exercise a while ago, but recently I have been ready to get back in the swing of things, mainly I love walking and the gym, and was about to begin my couch to 5K challenge but everything kind of went on hold after my dads stroke, but he is on the mend and now more than ever I want to be fit and healthy for the future, dropping dress sizes isn't my goal but getting up the stairs without dying is!


This leads me onto the bane of my exercise existence - Plus Sized sports wear


In the past I have been so put off going to the gym as everything I have found has been horrid, ill fitting and poor quality, but just recently I have been introduced to some amazing brands who realise your dress size does not equate to your levels of fitness, there are plenty of people half my size who can't run for a bus or climb the stairs without getting out of breath, so having good quality, fabulous sports wear is just as important to the plus buyer as it is to a straight sized buyer.


Thats why it is such a breath of fresh air to know that some designers are getting it right!

Cult of California

Take a look at the Cult of california Bio HERE.

I love the part that reads Cult of California is a gathering place of inclusion and inspiration.  Our goal is to promote beauty in all sizes, health in all sizes and style in all aspects of the plus woman’s life.

WORSHIP AT THE ALTAR OF YOU!

Cheetah Hi Lo Priestess Top $30 -  Bent Prism Jog Bra $40 - Bent Prism Jog Pant $70

The whole line is sassy and sexy and so much FUN!

Bent Prism Jog Top - $48

I love this whole range

Bent prism Jog Capri - $55

High Priestess Hoddie  $45 - Jog Pant $70

The above jog pants are my favourites, I absolutely love them! and the priestess hoody is fantastic too!

Neon Moto Jacket - $55 

What a colour, fantastic for running in, easily seen and fabulous! 

Black Unicorn Bike Shorts $45 - Black unicorn Jog Bra $40

Simple yet stylish!

Go take a look at the full range

Cult of California

State of Mind

One Company in the UK who are getting it, are the lovely State of Mind, They found it impossible to find decent technical sports wear in a size 16+ I know form my walking experience that finding a decent wicking top in my size can be almost impossible.

But they did it!

Wishful Shrinking Kick Flare Joggers with adjustable Waistband £49 -  All Wrapped Up £54

Such a Cute top available in a variety of colours.

Pirouette - Wrap-around ballerina top £57 

 I want this ballerina top just to wear daily, I love the pink!

Sporty Tee £29 - Read My hips kick flare capris £39.00

Fab basic gym top, and the wicking will help keep you cool and dry.

Base Camp versatile base layer with thumb holes - £24

I have to have this top, the thumb holes are epic in my book! 

Check out State of mind HERE 

And the lovely MrsBeBe did some lovely reviews of  the State of Mind clothing Here and HERE

I will let you know how I get on in my fitness endeavours, I just need to stop procrastinating! 

Mhairi

xxx