The Fat Fabulous Four

Tonight is the launch of another fabulous challenge collaboration between myself and three other amazing plus bloggers.

Becky of The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe, Toni of The only way is Toni, Rosie of A rose like this and myself will be bringing you a new post every two weeks on a saturday with our own takes on some of the seasons top trends, starting this week with lace.

Lace is often associated with going out and dressing up, but I wanted my take to be more casual this time so when I spotted this lovely jumper in Tesco I snapped it up, it is only £12 and is so comfy and lovely, I am looking forward to getting some nice jersey trousers and having a gorgeous relaxed outfit for the spring.

Lace panel Jumper - Tesco £12

Jeans - Old pair from Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Next old Season

I love the lace panels on the sleeves and it is lovely and soft, I have just realised it is quite see through though so maybe a vest under would be a good plan.

Go and visit the other gorgeous girls, I know they will look gorgeous! 

Becky - The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe

Toni - The Only Way Is Toni

Rosie - A Rose Like This

Mhairi

xxx

Charity Shop Challenge

Good Evening, A little while ago the lovely Sarah of Sarah Smiles asked if anyone would like to take part in a little charity shop challenge with her, I thought it sounded fun and asked if I could come along.

Our budget was £15 and we needed to put together an outfit from our local charity shops.

No I found this challenge a total nightmare but totally fun, my local charity shops can be amazing, I live in a fairly affluent town and I often spot some fantastic bargains often with there original tags still on, typically though when I needed something they were pretty useless but they finally came through literally with only a day to spare.

I managed to pick up this lovely black Evans maxi, its is pretty simple and looks to be hardly if ever worn, it is perfect for the spring summer season ahead and I will get quite a bit of wear out of it I am sure. The dress came in at £7

The shoes were my best charity shop find ever! they are brand new Newlook shoes, the soles are spotless, and for the bargain price of £5 I am very happy to have found them.

The cardigan is from Gap and still had the shop tag in it, I bought it for the fabulous price of £2.50

So I actually came in under budget, but didn't have quite enough to get any accessories so I teamed it with my own globe watch and I am also wearing a vest I already owned under the dress.

Charity shops can be so much fun, my local Mind charity shop had a pair of Louboutins in a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't even bring myself to check the price of them, just in case I wanted them :)

I am a natural born bargain hunter and seeing the number of clothing items that still have there original price tags, they can be well worth a look, and it feels good to give something to charity.

Go and see Sarah, I know she will look fabulous!

Mhairi

xxx

Jacamo SS13 Flintoff Range - A Little look

I wanted to have a look at the Flintoff by Jacamo range, as you know my husband has reviewed a couple of items from Jacamo. 

The Flintoff range especially is one of his favourites as well as one of mine, he always looks smart and he feels good in the clothing which is fantastic.

I am persuading him to pop up on the blog a bit more often, he is a huge part of me and you should all get to know him.

I have put together a couple of outfits from the range.

I love Marc in a shirt and Tshirt I am not sure why :) 

Shirt 

Long Sleeve Tee

Cargo Pants

Boots

I am not normally a fan of Leather Jackets and usually get Marc to avoid them like the plague as some end up with him looking like del boy.

But not with this on, I love the almost waxed effect, and it just looks supple and soft, I want to get my hands on it and snuggle with it myself! that's worrying I know but I really like this jacket!

Leather Jacket

Military Shirt

Long Sleeve Tee

Jeans

Fatshion Faceoff - coloured Tights

Coloured tights, they are such an easy way to add to a simple outfit, but I still havent fully embraced them in my wardrobe, I tend to wear blue and black I was all set to show you a burgundy pair, but I put my had through them on thursday morning....Not helpful!

So I have decided to show you a selection of tights I have found that I like the look of and may be brave enough to order soon.

First of all I took a look at Marks and spencer, who unfortunately only really cater for the lower end of plus sizes, I am a size 20 and I just get away with them.

Now coloured tights to me are anything that isn't Black, as I am a wimp and only really wear dark tights.

Net heart design tights

Animal print opaque tights

Both are fun, but I love the heart print tights!

I next looked at Simply Be

Viva La Diva pack of 2 coloured tights

These two packs look like fantastic colours, I would like to try some as I have never tried tights from Simply be before.

Next on my list is Pamela mann, and I know that many women have found them to not be long enough in the body and they haven't got the greatest waistbands, but I wear mine with shorts over to hold them up and that works pretty well for me.

Twilight printed tights - Breast cancer campaign Flo Pink

I love how vibrant these are and would love to wear them with a simple black dress and let them do the work, they come in lots of fabulous colours too, they are for charity in this colour too.

Candy hearts printed tights

These are lovely and bright as well.

So how brave are you when it comes to coloured tights?

Check out the other gorgeous ladies, and their fabulous coloured tights

Dani: DIY Fatshion http://www.diyfatshion.com

Hanna: The Wardrobe Challenge http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Mouna: Brussels Fatshion http://www.brusselsfatshion.com

Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset http://www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mhairi

xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Knee high Boots

Good evening to my fabulous readers,

This weeks Fatshion Faceoff is Knee Boots, I LOVE knee boots, I live in the for around 6 months of the year solid and buy a new pair every winter, usually I go for a good quality leather pair, my favourites are from next, but this year I fell madly in love with a pair from rocket dog, I knew that because they are not leather they wouldn't last me as long as my Next ones, but I have been looking for the perfect pair of lace up boots since forever!

When I saw these go into the sale just before christmas I asked my mum and dad if the could get me them as my pressie and they said yes! I was like a little kid.

Now my leather boots last me years and I only buy a new pair every winter as shoes are a bit of an obsession of mine, but these are not going to last more than one season but for £40 I am fine with that I will be buying another pair this year if they are still available asI love them that much!

Check out the other Fatshion Faceoff  ladies looking sexy in their boots.

Dani: DIY Fatshion http://www.diyfatshion.com

Hanna: The Wardrobe Challenge http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Mouna: Brussels Fatshion http://www.brusselsfatshion.com

Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset http://www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mhairi

xxx

Simply Be - Project D

Recently Simply be announced their collaboration with the amazing Project D London, the design team founded by Dannii Minogue and her friend Tabitha Somerset Webb.

I waited excitedly for the range to go live on the Simply be website, and I really have not been disappointed in the slightest, it is stunning! The items have beautiful prints, textures and colours and if you head over to the Project D London website, you will see that the styles of the clothing are similar to their main lines.

I wanted to show you a few of my favourite items which are below

I love the pattern of the Madison Print Wrap Dress, I just can not resist a spot print! the gorgeous gentle peplum style is so so pretty, perfect for work, wedding or night out.

The Carnegie Strappy Dress is the perfect spring summer dress for me, it also come in ivory which if i didn't have dogs would be perfect for me, but I think this is an incredibly versatile piece, it would look stunning dressed up or with a denim jacket and sandals for a casual look.

The Trinity Print Maxi dress is so so pretty, it isn't an easy style for me to wear due to my larger bust but if I could this would be finding a way into my wardrobe!

I love the Rockefeller Print Tunic Top, the shape, and print are lovely, it is also similar to the Liberty print dress which I am also in love with.

I have saved my favourite dress for last The Lincoln Print Maxi Dress, everything about this is perfect for me, the print is beautiful, I love the cross V neck and the cut out in the back is lovely, this is my perfect Spring Summer dress, I know I would need it altered due to my being tiny but I would not mind that at all for this dress.

My only concern with this range is the price, it is way out of my usual budget, I am hoping to order some bits to try and see the quality as I need to know I am getting clothing that is worth paying this price for. 

I will keep you updated if I manage to place and order.

Mhairi

Fatshion Faceoff - Party Outfit

This weeks Fatshion Faceoff is our one Year anniversary, how cool is that! I have had so much fun in the last year, this weekly challenge has really helped me to push myself and try new things, some have been terrible mistakes but others have been amazing!

This week we decided that we would create a post showing what we would wear if we had the chance to party together.

I decided that I would wear the fabulous dress that Betty Page Clothing kindly sent to me, it is the perfect party dress, I love the gorgeous colour and the stunning little details like the bow and the cutout net section at the neckline.

It can be worn with a Crinoline for a full on 50's vibe or without for a more subtle option, I think with the right jacket or cardigan it could easily be adapted for wearing in the office.

I have taken photos of the dress both with a crinoline and without for you to see, and as it was very chilly this evening I am wearing my trusty little cardigan from Matalan.

Alika Dress - C/O Betti Page Clothing

Crinoline- C/O Bettie Page Clothing

I am wearing it with the crinoline that it is advertised with on the Bettie page website, the pink and green are fabulous together and make me thing of spring!

Bettie page have a new crinoline available which looks amazing and much softer than this one, I am hoping to get hold of one as I do find this one a little stiff for my liking. 

Whoops have a little bit of pettie coat slip going on here but I love the fabulous shape of the circle skirt.

Thought I would take it on a little spin for you.

This is the dress without the Crinoline, I love it like this too, the skirt is fabulous!

So much movement!

I can not wait for the weather to warm up enough for me to wear this without tights and feel all summery in it!

I wish I was with my fabulous FF ladies tonight to party, but one day we will all get together!

Go see what gorgeous outfits they have come up with, I know they will all look stunning!

Dani: DIY Fatshion http://www.diyfatshion.com

Hanna: The Wardrobe Challenge http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Mouna: Brussels Fatshion http://www.brusselsfatshion.com

Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset http://www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mhairi

xxx

How to Wear: Spring trends - Bold Stripes

Recently, the lovely Fleur from Most Wanted, which is the lifestyle magazine for Vouchercodes.co.uk, she asked me if I would like to take part in a challenge, I was given £80 to spend on items that would allow me to interpret a plus size version of the spring trend Bold Stripes.

I love a good challenge so decided to go for it, I started me search by looking at lots of google images from the recent LFW and there were plenty of stripes on offer in the street photography area, so with these images in mind I set off on a journey to find some bold strips for plus sizes.

My biggest problem was that everything was pretty much black and white stripes and I really fancied some colour, After an epic search I finally found what I was looking for and ended up with some bold colours and some navy and white.

In total I spent £79.75 including posting for 2 items.

Below are the outfits I created.

I wanted something that was really bright and bold, but that was casual and comfortable for everyday activities, I loved the colours of this Forever 21+ jumper and I ordered one size up so it fitted loosely and a little longer.

Colour blocked Open-Knit Sweater - Forever 21 +

£18.75

For My second outfit I wanted something a little smarter that could be dressed Up or down, I teamed it with my White Asda Moda top and knitted waistcoat, for a relaxes look for lunch in town, the jeans are navy, and I think they would look amazing with a gorgeous navy or white peplum top or tunic, I cant wait to dress them up.

Cotton Rich Striped Denim Jeggings - Marks And Spencer £20

I also manager to get a couple of accessories to show that bold stripes do not have to necessarily be shown in your clothing but you can introduce trends to your wardrobe simply and easily without them being too daunting.

Navy/white stripe satchel - Dorothy Perkins
£28
Navy stripe sarong - Dorothy Perkins
£12

You can even go for bright stripes in your accessories to push your comfort zones out a little this bag from river island really caught my eye.

Yellow Stripe panel tassel satchel

Some of the other spring trends I really have my eye on are Monochrome and Sheer as I love both.

How would you interpret the spring trends? Will stripe be a part of your wardrobe?

Mhairi

xxx

Mood Enhancing Gym

So yesterday I finally managed to get to my gym induction and get started.

It has been a bit of a nightmare to be honest, I had a horrific stomach bug the first time I was meant to go, then I rescheduled and realised I had double booked myself with a doctors appointment that I couldn't miss, so again I had to reschedule.

That is why I found myself at the gym at 8am yesterday morning looking like a zombie and feeling a bit daft as I had forgotten my glasses (I have only worn them full time for 10years) and feeling a bit strange in my new gym gear.

My main reasons for my gym  journey are to allow me to go forward with IVF and to help me become fitter as to be honest I am pretty unfit. 

I am not going to go into the ins and outs of the results of the gym in this blog as that is why I have started my second blog at BabyaChance so if the results are something you are interested in or the IVF journey in general head over to baby a chance and follow me for regular updates.

What I will do with this blog is tell you how I am coping with it all, as going to the gym can be a pretty terrifying prospect for some people, and also talk about what I wear and what works for me and what doesn't.

Something I do want to discuss is how the gym makes me feel, my mental health definitely gets a significant boost when I attend the gym.

The last few weeks has seen me feeling very down and suffering severe anxiety, and after I left the gym yesterday I felt up beat, happy and awake for the first time in a long time.

Now this isn't the case for everyone some people just hate the gym, but I have always loved it. 

In recent years I have not felt the confidence in myself to really go for it, but after my CBT sessions I have really begun to look at my life and the choices I make, most of my choices in the past involve avoiding any situations that scare me, which to be honest have meant I have been pretty much a hermit and my agoraphobia has become pretty out of control.

CBT allowed me to look at the gym and decide if there was a genuine reason for me to be frightened or if it was me creating a problem that wasn't there.

I have come to the conclusion that while the worry of being looked at for being overweight was a genuine worry, I realised that I am in no danger at the gym, I am there for myself and no one else, and that I want to get fitter as I am finding it harder to walk long distances and do activities I used to find easy, my weight isn't a huge factor in this as I found them easy even at this size, but right now I am so unfit I am struggling, my asthma is threatening to come back with a vengeance and my knees hurt after even short bursts or exercise.

I have had some fabulous sports wear sent to me which I will show you in a few posts, and it has helped me feel confident and prepared as in the past I have always flung on some ill fitting leggings or joggers and one of my husbands T-shirts and gone with it, but I always felt a bit drab and out of place, yesterday I felt pretty darn fabulous!

I hope you are ok with me posting about some of my experiences here, as this is my space and I love it and my readers, and feel it is a huge part of my life.

Most of that post was a little all over the place, so I am sorry if it is confusing.

I have some huge plans for 2013 to really challenge myself and push my boundaries to break out of my depression and anxiety cycle, but I will tell you about them another time.

Mhairi

xxx

Disclaimer: my Gym membership has been given to me as a gift from my local community gym to help me reach my goals.