Geeky Snowflakes Star Wars and Dr Who

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram I have possibly driven you insane with all my pictures of the amazing snowflakes that we have been making. I wanted to share with you the links for the different templates I used.

I originally got the bug for geeky snowflakes last Christmas, I came across THIS post from Matters of Grey, where you can download the templates for a whole selection of Star Wars snowflakes. I didn't get around to making them last year, this year though with josh being home schooled and it being near the end of the year, we decided to have some fun arts and crafts sessions.

We made a start with the Star Wars Snowflakes, you do need a craft knife for the inner parts as they are pretty fiddly, but the results are fab!

My first attempt at the Storm trooper was a little bit rough and ready but I still love it!

I have about nineteen more Star Wars ones to make from this pack, I will show you them all once they are finished. 

Another designer who I found is Anthony Herrera who has some fabulous designs!

I have only made the Yoda from his templates so far but he is AMAZING!!! 

How cool is he!

You can download his templates for 2013 and 2012

In my quest for geeky snowflakes I have been trying to figure out what other sci-fi  films and TV I love and went on the hunt for Dr Who Snowflakes.

These are what I have made so far.

Still getting used to the craft knife so a couple of windows were lost in this one.

Sonic Screwdrivers!

Adipose

Cybermen!

Daleks!

My sources for these ones can be found HERE I followed all the links that are posted and I am slowly making my way through them. 

Next on my agenda is finding Star Trek snowflakes.

When we are all finished and the front window is decorated I will pop a little post up for you showing them all off.

If you would like a tutorial on how to fold and make these let me know, it isn't too difficult just fiddly.

Mhairi

xxx

Toft Luxury Knitting Kit - Review

Every day I recieve around 100-150 emails related to my blog, most of them are mail shops from PR companies and are irrelevant to my blog, but when the lovely Felicity popped a mail shot out regarding the Toft range I was intrigued. My blog will be having an overhaul over the new year and will be coming back in the new year with a refreshing new look and hopefully more content that I feel confident and happy that my readers will want to see, so this was perfect.

My wonderful Granny taught me to knit when I was little and used to spend most of my 6 weeks school holiday in Yorkshire visiting with her and my granddad, but as I got older I lost interest and forgot that I could do it, but in the last 10 years of so on and off I have had a try and enjoyed it, last year I signed up to a knitting magazine and fell in love with it all over again, this year I have knitted so many of my families christmas presents and they have turned out pretty well so far.

Toft offer some seriously luxurious yarns that are just stunning, they feel amazing, I am very fussy about wool and there are quite a few that I just cant touch due to the texture honestly freaking me out a little bit! but not the Toft yarns.
The kit is perfect for a Christmas gift for a knitting lover!

The kit I received was the lovely Beehive hat, which rather fabulous as you can see!

This is aimed at a beginner knitter and uses circular needles, I have not used circular needles before so it might be a disaster, but I am going to watch a few trusty you tube videos to get the hang of it first.

This is what I received in the kit.

I love the cute little button, the post card has the pattern for you to follow on the back, and that pom pom is possible the softest thing I have ever touched in my life!

So that is the kit I will be back over the weekend hopefully to show you the completed hat and to let you know how I got on, so keep and eye out.

Head over to the Toft Yarns website for a look around, they have some amazing kits including scarves, gloves toys and much much more, I an hoping to try some of the other kits in the future.
I m in love with this little guy.

You can find him HERE.

Do let me know if crafting posts are of interest to you guys as I am trying to turn my blog into a more rounded page with more about me and my loves, and this is a big one of mine.

Mhairi

xxx

Hi-Tec Luca Revisited and Reviewed

Hi guys, this post is so so far behind schedule, life in Lilybobomb Towers has been crazily manic recently, we have had illnesses, life changing events, Kitchens being fitted and all sorts of other frustrations; including not being able to actually reach my computer for the last two weeks due to the contents of our kitchen needing to be stored around the house until the work is finished.

We are here for now though so thought I best grab Marc and get this written, You can see the unboxing of the trainers HERE and see Marc's Initial thoughts on them.

Marc has thoroughly tested these trainers, he has been walking, running, the gym, and around town in them a number of times and they have held up fantastically.

I asked him to give me a brief review of them and he told me to let you all know that, they are incredibly light weight and very comfortable, they handled his long walk to work, much better than he had expected them to as he usually ends up with blisters and sore spots on his feet, and running was a breeze.

Marc suffers from bad back pain and hard soled shoes aren't always an option for him, although we both prefer to keep our trainers for exercise, sometimes trainers are the best option for him to manage his pain.

As you can see from the photo's below, although the blue is very bright, because the rest of the shoe is black they do not look too garish when wearing them with his casual clothing out and about.

Don't you just love the unpainted half removed floor! a kitchen refit is incredibly stressful, I do not recommend it!

I do have some other pictures but they are currently stuck on my mac surrounded by boxes, if I ever make it back in there I will try to add them on here for you.

Hi-Tec really have come on leaps and bounds since I was a teenager refusing to wear them for PE because they weren't what everyone else was wearing, heat over to the website and take a look for yourself HERE.

Marc has decided to set up his own blog focusing on his interests, he is a gamer, loves reading and films and also will talk about his life being a plus size man! I will keep you updated in case it is of interest to any of you.

Mhairi and Marc

Warming Winter Wonders with Heat Holders

Recently there was a shout out on twitter, looking for bloggers interested in reviewing some warming products, I will be honest, I jumped at the chance, I am a very cold person and our house is always bitterly cold in the winter. When I received the email to tell me the product was from Heat holders, I was intrigued as I had only recently been looking at them in my local Matalan and Tesco.

I was sent a pair of the Original Ladies Socks in black, they come in a fabulous range of colours as seen here in the promotional image.

Image courtesy of Heat Holders

The socks are knitted on the outside in a simple stocking stitch and have a super soft brushed wool on the inside that is really fluffy and warm.

Image courtesy of Heat Holders

They definitely keep my feet warm, our house loses so much heat, and my feet are always cold, I suffer pretty severe joint pain, in both my hands and fee,t and the cold always makes it feel so much worse. These socks have been a life saver!

I would like to see them a bit closer fitting as I found they slipped round on my feet quite a bit, but this happens to me with all my socks so I think I might just have awkward feet.in general.

I have washed them twice since I received them and they have washed brilliantly, keeping their shape well, they have bobbled a little bit but I wear them to death and have my dogs sitting on my feet constantly, which probably has more to do with it, to be honest.

This is how hairy my feet were after Ron, who you can see behind my feet rolled off them, he thinks they are snuggly so keeps sleeping on my feet! they were clean off the radiator about an hour before this photo. I am not complaining though, it certainly helps to warm them up even more. 

Head over to the heat savers website HERE to see the full range of products they offer, I am looking forward to getting some other pieces to see us through the winter.

The products can also be purchased through the Sock Shop website.

I would recommend these socks and I will be hopefully getting some of the slipper socks soon too which will be practical on our wood floors.

Mhairi

xxxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Maxi skirt

Maxi Skirts are one of my favourite wardrobe staples, as a short girl they can be quite hard to wear (well for me anyway) but when I find a good one I wear it to death! 

This summer I found it really hard to find one that I loved enough to splash out for so when I won £100 worth of Pink Clove vouchers I was glad to spot one on their website I wanted to try. I have to be honest though I haven't worn it much as I couldn't decide what top would look good with it as it is quite straight up and down, but I came up with an outfit I was pleased with, I felt comfortable yet stylish.

Skirt @Pink Clove - Blouse C/o Simply Be - Cardigan - Very Old New Look

I only managed to get one full length picture and my feet are missing so sorry. 

I teamed the Blouse/ skirt combination with my Wide belt to stop it all looking boxy.

Boots C/o Simply Be

I teamed the skirt with my Shoe boots from Simply be as they are great with skirts as it doesn't end up tucked into them.

A Little Close up of my new Glasses from SpecsPost

Head on over and check out the other gorgeous Fatshion Faceoff girls, I bet they look stunning!

Hanna The Wardrobe Challenge (UK)

Olivia Wait Until the Sunset (Australia)

Mouna Brussels Fatshion (Belgium)

Dani http://www.diyfatshion.com/(USA)

Fatshion Faceoff - Lane Bryant

Hello to my lovely Fatshion Faceoff readers.

We have a special one off post for you this week, the lovely people at Lane Bryant recently sent each of us a beautiful dress for each of us wear our way.

Lane Bryant is a very well known US based plus size clothing brand, the focus on fashion and the fit of there clothing and I love so much of what they carry.

The dress which we received was the Plus Size Skater Sweater Dress.

Plus Size Sweater Dress 

The dress is made in a gorgeous soft knit, which feels beautiful on. I can be a bit fussy about knitted items as I can only touch some types of wool without totally freaking out.

I asked for the dress in size 18/20 and it is pretty generous so think I could have gotten away with a size down, but it doesn't hang badly or look too over sized so I am happy either way.

Being a simple monochrome colour way, I can see me popping this on over the winter with a coloured blazer, I  have worn it quite casually today with my knee high boots and leggings but I think it could look just as nice with tights, heels and a blazer for a dinner date with Marc.

So here are my pictures, for some reason they came out with a slight pink tint and it was rather wet and chilly at the time so I may not look my best.

I feel very relaxed and comfortable in this dress, it will become one of my winter wardrobe staples I think.

It has a very lovely exposed gold zip at the back which helps to stop the dress from being too casual.

You can see in the photo that my hair has changed again it is now black on top and green/blue under, this was to make the upkeep more manageable as my natural hair colour is so dark.

Head on over to Lane Bryant and take a look around they have so many fabulous items, there shoe collections are amazing and they offer shipping internationally.

The other gorgeous FF ladies have their posts live now too so head on over and check them out!

Hanna The Wardrobe Challenge (UK)

Olivia Wait Until the Sunset (Australia)

Mouna Brussels Fatshion (Belgium)

Dani http://www.diyfatshion.com/(USA)

Fatshion Faceoff - Shoe boots

So so sorry this is late posting I have pictures for the next 6 or 7 post for Fatshion Faceoff and had planned on spending my morning writing this post while Josh worked through his English worksheets, unfortunately we ended up without electricity for 5 hours so took our work into town for a hot drink.

This weeks post is Shoe boots, something that I have a slight love of.

Mine that I am wearing in this post are from Simply Be and can be found HERE.

I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them, they remind me of similar boots I had in my teens when I was a bit goth.

I wore them with my Tartan Skater Dress from Pink Clove and plain black tights.

The thick heel makes them so simply to walk in and I love the cut out sides, I cant wait to were them with coloured tights in the winter.

Check out the other gorgeous ladies 

Hanna The Wardrobe Challenge (UK)
Olivia Wait Until the Sunset (Australia)
Mouna Brussels Fatshion (Belgium)
Dani http://www.diyfatshion.com/(USA)

Mhairi

xxx

Menswear - Hi-Tec Luca Trainers Unboxing

Good afternoon ladies and gents,

Every now and then I like to mix it up a bit and do a little post for the men in our lives or for my male readers.

A while ago I was given the opportunity to review a pair of mens Hi-Tec trainers for my husband, he was given the opportunity to select a pair he liked and they kindly sent them out to us.

Now this post should have gone live ages ago but unfortunately, with all the huge changes happening around here recently with the homeschooling and preparing for a new kitchen as well as various illnesses! I have fallen behind schedule with so many of my posts so first of all so so sorry to the wonderful James at Blogger opps and to HiTec as well.

It isn't all doom and gloom though, the trainers arrived and we were very impressed, even our resident teenager said they looked pretty good!

This post will just be a bit of an unboxing and then I have a full review scheduled to go live on Sunday with Marc's overall impression of the trainers, and how they have held up to his uses for them.

So on with the unboxing photos of the Hi-Tec Luca

I like the packaging it is clean and simple, I cant stand crazy brightly coloured in your face packaging (Nike take note) I just feel like well how much of what I am paying goes into producing this OTT packaging.

Nicely Boxed.

My husband loves bright colours on his trainers, so these really stood out to him, the blue is a really nice colour and although it is bright it isn't too in your face.

They are a nice shape and incredibly light, the upper is material with a slightly rubberised feel around the toe area at only £39.99 I think these are a brilliant option for the gym or training.

Marc has been putting them through there paces with various activities over the last few weeks so I will give you the full review on Sunday. 

Head on over to the Hi-Tec website for a look around they have some lovely Womens options too.

Mhairi

xxx

Curvissa Autumn Advert - My favourites

Curvissa

Curvissa have just launched there new A/W13 TV advert and I wanted to share it with you guys here.

I have the stills of each outfit showcased and I have fallen in love with quite a bit of it.

I love the longline jumper in the centre image, it is very me, I love winter and love to wrap up warm. Her boots are also amazing! They come in a stunning red colour which I am obsessing over.

The parka is currently only in stock in one of the colours, I am hoping that it comes back in the blue colour as, this would be the perfect coat for me through autumn.

Jumper // Boots // Parka

I love the 50's inspired dress on the right, I have been looking at it for months, and have come close to ordering it a number of times already.

I also love the fabulous converse trainers in the middle image, Curvissa stock some excellent brands.

50's Dress // Converse

Outdoor walks are a favourite pass time in our house, in the advert I love the classic trench coat, it is an excellent staple for your wardrobe, it is so versatile for the cooler Autumn and spring months. 

The Accessories in this section really caught my eye, the gorgeous bag and the tan ankle boots are gorgeous, as well as the fabulous red boots.

Trench coat // Boots // Bag

Party season is nearly upon us once again, finding that perfect outfit can be a nightmare and Curvissa have chosen some lovely looks to showcase.

I love the mod feel of the Circle print dress on the left, it is so simple yet fun.

The centre dress is also gorgeous, I am not usually a fan of exposed shoulders but I love the print so much I think I can forgive it. and the shoes worn on the left are perfect!

Circle Dress // Split Sleeved Dress // Shoes

You can shop the advert HERE by selecting the occasion at the top.

I also have some fabulous behind the scene pictures from the shoot

Dash is such a cutie and it looks like he wowed the models too.

Here is the beautiful Vikki in hair and make up.

The lovely Rosie of A Rose Like This and Betty Pamper also spent the day behind the scenes watching the adverts being made and had a fabulous day.

Here is the transcript or the interviews from both Rosie and Betty.

Rosie

- Have you been to a TV shoot before?
I've been on shoots in the past but not for ones on such a grand scale as this. Normally I've been put in a little room and we all work within that but being in a large studio seeing all the goings on was a lovely change and something I greatly enjoyed!
- Was the shoot what you expected?
As I have an idea of what happens on a shoot I was aware how busy they can get and how warm it gets for the poor models under all the lighting particularly when you're working ahead and pretending its winter in the middle of summer! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming to chat to us about blogging or what was happening on the set that was something I didn't expect to feel so involved but it was wonderful!
- Which was your favourite outfit and why?
It's so hard to choose just ONE! But I loved the black and white three quarter sleeved dress (Sorry I don't know the name of it!) I think it was worn by Laura the model and she looked fabulous in it!
- What was your favourite part of the day?
This had to be meeting some of the lovely Curvissa team and the models. Seeing what went into the advert and meeting the adorable Jack Russell Dash! Oh and not forgetting the chance to spend a few hours with one of my favourite bloggers Betty Pamper! So really the WHOLE day was my favourite part!

Betty

· Have you been to a TV shoot before?
I have as in my former life I was a video director. I never directed fashion shoots though so it was really interesting to watch the process.
· Was the shoot what you expected?
In some ways yes although I hadn't realised just how many times you would be filming each model in certain poses to create the look for the promo. Its always amazing how much you have to film for one short snappy advert.
· Which was your favourite outfit and why?
The black and white circle print dress was my absolute fave. I love clothes that create clever illusions and with its black top and patterned bottom half its actually a great dress for accentuating your curves but isn't too unforgiving, which fitted dresses like this in one colour can be. I really liked how it had been styled on the model as it looked very 1950's glam which is a look I absolutely adore and which really suits my figure. I’ve since got my hands on this dress and its as lovely on a mere mortal as it is a model so bravo!
· What was your favourite part of the day?

I enjoyed it all, especially seeing all the new A/W collections. Highlights definitely included chatting to the models (who were lovely and really invested in the clothes and in plus size fashion as a whole and also speaking to the Curvissa team who are a really great bunch dedicated to getting it right for all us plus size hotties. 

Competition

Curvissa are also giving their customers the chance to add to there A/W13 wardrobe with the chance to win £150 of vouchers just head over to HERE and enter.

* This post was written in partnership with Curvissa , all opinions are my own and I do not endorse products and services I would not be happy to purchase myself.

OOTD - Simply Be Red Check Dress

The last two weeks have been insanely busy. My step son has been struggling with his school work and bullying, the school have not been able to really help Josh to reach his potential, and have limited his options so much this year with his GCSE's that he has become very frustrated with the whole situation.

We are very lucky that Josh does not have any behaviour related needs but his dyslexia requires different teaching techniques which most of his teachers refuse to use in the classroom which means he struggles to keep up and understand what is required of him.

After more than a year making the decision this week we officially removed Josh from secondary school and as of today we are officially a homeschooling household! This decision has been exciting and scary all at the same time but we know that we are making the right choice for him.

I am able to tech him Maths and science and have my sister helping to tutor in English skills and he will be allowed to explore the other subjects of his choosing to find the best fit for him.

As you can imagine I have been looking for outfits that are comfortable and relaxed as I am sat either in the office or in the kitchen with him while working. Todays outfit is an amazing dress that I was kindly sent by the lovely Simply Be.

While this dress is not the usual figure flattering nipped in waist style that I prefer, it is just so comfortable and makes me feel fabulous anyway! It has false zip pockets (would have loved real ones) and the bold check pattern is fantastic.

I didn't manage to capture the best photo of it today but you get the idea and I think you can see i feel happy and relaxed, excuse the hair, it was stuck up in a ponytail while we ran into town for school supplies.

* Red Check Dress - Simply Be

I also have another amazing tartan inspired outfit for you from Simply Be which is gorgeous so keep an eye out for that this week.

Hopefully now this decision is made and we are all less stressed I can get into a blogging schedule again.

Mhairi

xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - THEME Skulls

Hi ladies, after a bit of a hiatus, I am back!

I do not have an outfit post for you today unfortunately, as the item I was supposed to buy for this post became unobtainable due to my husbands wages getting messed up, but what I do have a a list of some of the most awesome skull related items I could find.

Source

I love this Tshirt and at a steal price of just £12 in the sale, it is a must buy for me.

Source

This scarf is so pretty, skulls are often thought of as gothic and dark, but the pinks and pastels of this make me happy to look at.

Source

These are totally brilliant, so fun for a halloween party!

These are the bits on my shopping list so maybe sometime soon I can add a new outfit post for you.

Check out the other gorgeous ladies this week. 

Hanna The Wardrobe Challenge (UK)

Olivia Wait Until the Sunset (Australia)

Mouna Brussels Fatshion (Belgium)

Mhairi Lilybobombs Lovely Lumps (UK)

New Look - Skirts

I have been looking at skirts more often, usually I am a dress or jeans type of girl but recent forays into skirt territory have really made me hanker after more in my wardrobe, This post focuses on New Look they have a huge collection of Skirts in both there Standard Sizes 6-18 as well as in there Plus sizes which are HERE

My current Favourites are this little lot!

Tapestry Print Midi

Asymmetrical Zip Skirt

Red Check Skirt

Black Waffle Skirt

As you can see the coming Autumn/ Winter is making me go for blacks and reds, which I just love!

I like the versatility a skirt offers me, I can wear clashing prints, mixed colour or keeping simple with a complementary colour. Dresses, which I love for there lack of effort, can have a jacket added do dress them up or down but skirts might make me try something more adventurous, which is something I need to do more often.

Are you a skirts kind of girl or do you prefer dresses or trousers?

Mhairi

xxx

*This is a sponsored post, all words are my own opinions and the post was written in full by only me.

Simply Be Autumn Boots

Just wanted to share this video from Simply Be with you as I found my toes tapping along to it!

I am Boot Obsessed this year as usual and I am loving so many from this video!

As well as these ones I spotted earlier on the site

Dolcis Strappy Studded Boots

The will go perfectly with my growing tartan collection.

Thought I would add a little how I would wear my boots, its a little bit grown up rocker!

Have you fond you ideal winter boots?

Mhairi

xxx

AW13 Trends - Texture

Everywhere I look at the moment there is luxurious textures, from sofy fluffy knits, tough spikes or gorgeous wool tweeds and I am hooked!

I wanted to show you a few of my favourites.

Samaya Red Velvet Rose Print Midi Skirt

This skirt is a gorgeous deep red with soft velvet, and needs to get in my wardrobe as soon as possible!

Velour Stud Dress

I love the simply pretty cut of this dress and love the shoulder studs, very simple for date night or a party.

Joe Browns Absolute Coat

I have been obsessing about this coat for quite a while now!

Fluffy Knitted Cardigan

I NEED this cardigan, I love it in this grey colour and I think I would wear it until it fell apart, it looks so cozy!

asos Curve Leather Trousers

I am not usually a fan of leather but I love the mixed materials and the stunning red colour of these ones and think I could be persuaded.

Popper Front coat with PU sleeves 

Again I like the use of mixed materials here, the tweed with the leather look sleeves is lovely

Shift Dress in Baroque Lace

This dress is beautiful to me, I love the look of the lace with the nude/gold tones underneath.

Do you like you clothes to have texture? or do you like to keep it simple?

I am most definitely a fluffy jumper kind of girl!