Denim Blue Scarf and New Lace Shoes

Scarves are something I've got into a lot more in the last few months. I've always had a stash sitting in my wardrobe but never bothered to get them out and actually use them. There's a few bloggers out there who rock their scarves and this has really inspired me to get myself together on the scarf front.

One thing I've been looking for recently is a scarf with light denim blue colours in it to wear easily with jeans. I've been searching for a bit but came across this one in New Look the other day. 

It's a pale blue colour with gold threading at the edges. The site describes it as Pail Blue Gillter Trim Longline Scarf. I can't decide if that Pail is there intentionally (is Pail Blue a colour? Are buckets generally a blue colour?) or if someone at New Look HQ needs a spelling lesson. Hmm.....

Anyway, pale blue is not generally my colour (pale anything is generally not my colour, sadly) but this scarf has proved very handy. It's great to wear with denim and my gold Warehouse pumps. I can see it proving very useful this summer. 

While I was New Look, I also spotted these cream broderie anglaise pumps for €11.99 (which I'm also wearing above). 

For some reason I cannot find them on the New Look website. These ballet flats are the closest I can find.   I have a pair of navy Toms that I'm living in at the moment so I'm on the lookout for other comfy flats for summer because I don't want to destroy them by wearing them too much. I also thought they would be handy for the weddings I have coming up, my pro wedding tip is to bring flats with you to change into once the dancing starts. It can be a long day to be in a pair of heels. I do love me a good dance at a wedding!

They're very comfortable and make me smile thinking of Summer!

N
xxxx 

Mothers Day and a New Spring Jacket

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mamas, Grandmamas and Godmothers out there. I had a lovely day with my family and J, Murdoch and Mr HNW spoiled me rotten. It was a perfect first Mothers Day. Part of my present was that I was off duty with J on Friday and Saturday night. So, what do you think happened? Yes, he slept through the night both nights and Mr HNW didn't have to get up at all! Him sleeping through the night for the first time is the best Mothers Day Present I could have had though. 

Today, I went to church, then for a walk with J and Mr HNW and then had my parents and brother over for a lovely Sunday roast. It was a beautiful spring day, made brighter by the clocks going forward last night so it was the perfect day to debut my new Spring/Summer jacket. 

I had a post before on my dilemma surrounding the Fat Face Lymington Jacket. I couldn't decide whether to get it in yellow or navy or if is was too similar to a Superdry jacket I already own. Very important decisions, I know.

My humming and hawing resulted in me buying a different jacket, albeit still from Fat Face.

This is the Roseanne jacket and is much lighter than the Lymington jacket. It's shower proof and has a big hood which Í know will come in handy. It's much more of a summer jacket and it comes in more colours too. Again I was vacillating between two colours. I tried the mint on in the shop and it was lovely but yellow was still calling to me. Unfortunately no shops near me had the yellow in stock so I had to chance it and order it online. Thankfully, when you order online you can get it delivered to the shop for free so I had the opportunity to try it on there along with the other colours.

As you can see, the yellow won out. The colour just makes me feel happy and I'm loving yellow and navy at the moment. I decided when thinking about it that a lighter jacket would be more useful, as I don't really have anything for the cool summer I'm sure we're about to have! The other Lymington jacket was just too similar to jackets I already own.

When I was picking up the jacket I spotted the yellow and navy top in Marks and Spencer for €24. As soon as I saw it I know it would go with the jacket perfectly and at a great price too. I love the navy and yellow together and it will be such a useful piece (I'm never sure about the use of the word piece, I'm thinking it's a bit knobby but I can't think of a substitute!)

What I am on the hunt for now is a navy and yellow scarf to go with the jacket. I can't find one for love nor money. I've been trawling the internet and the shops but no luck so far. I've found a few with black and a bit of yellow in them but I'm really stuck on finding one with a navy/yellow combo. I know if I can find one it will become a great staple for the summer and I'll be able to throw on the jacket, scarf and jeans and be out the door. If anyone comes across one please let me know!

N
xxx

My Mother's Day Munchkin! 

Gap - Spring Edit

Instead of my usual shopping online, I was actually out in the shops this week. I ordered a jacket from Fat Face (more on that later) and had it delivered to the store instead of paying delivery charges so it was a good excuse for a mosey around the shops.

Surprisingly (at least to me) most shops were having a mid-season sale. I don't remember things being on sale in March before but maybe I just didn't pay much attention to it before.

Gap currently have 30% - 50% off a lot of styles. Now that's what I call a discount (Boden, I'm looking at you. Anything I fancied there was only 10% off, which is just not enough to put an order in).

The reason I went to Gap was to buy a new pair of jeans. I bought a pair of 1969 legging cords in the January sales and I am getting a lot of wear out of them. They're a great fit. So I thought a pair of leggings jeans would be a good purchase. Luckily the jeans I had my eye on were 30% off. It would have been madness not to get a pair!

These are the 1969 legging jeans in Santa Cruz blue. They're currently reduced to €34.97. What makes me even happier about these is that I've been trying to lose a bit of weight recently and it seems to have had some effect. I had to buy these in a size 8 (a 26 waist). Is there any better feeling?

The reason I've no picture of myself in these jeans is that they didn't have my size in the shop I was in but the very friendly staff reserved them in another shop and my friend Emma went to pick them up for me on her lunchbreak (she is a saint!).

I'm tempted to buy a pair of their boyfriend jeans now too but I'm spent out for this month. I bought a pair of boyfriend jeans in South Africa and I love them but they've got very loose on me recently so they're starting to look a bit silly. Maybe next month!

I also bought this Luxlight sweater. It was reduced in store to €17.47 although it is not reduced online. I bought a light grey colour which also doesn't seem to be online, which is very strange. It comes in a variety of colours and I'm kind of wishing I got it in the lemon yellow or winter peach. It is a lovely soft and silky knit.

So, there are some good bargains to be had, especially if you have had your eye on something. The staff told me the promotion online is slightly different in store than online, which is presumably why I got the above jumper on sale. There certainly seemed to be more stock reduced in store than online to me so it might be worthwhile taking a look if there is a shop near you.

N
xxxx

Baby Pearls

We've had a very nice weekend celebrating my lovely friend Jane's birthday. A weekend of good friends, board games, pizza, manicures and lots of laughs. Also, my parents took J last night and we actually got some sleep and a lie-in. Heaven!

I am deluding myself that the weather is getting warmer but in reality, it just seems to have gone a bit haywire and can't decide what season it is. We've gone from sunny and warm to very cold with hail, all in the space of a few hours and I'm finding it hard to dress accordingly. I've just accepted that sometimes I'm going to be a bit cold at the moment.

It does mean that for the first time this I was able to snap a few quick pics outside. We live in an apartment so no direct access to a garden and as Mr HNW works during daylight hours it makes getting pics in good light quite hard. I did manage to snatch a little bit of time outside today.

Wearing here my new Boden stripy Henley top, Topsop Baxter jeans and my gold pumps from Warehouse.

I love statement necklaces, there are some lovely ones out there at the moment and they're a great way to wear the current season's colours without buying lots of clothes that you might not get a lot of wear out of. Unfortunately, I have a 9 month old baby who also loves statement necklaces, as in he loves to pull and pull and pull at them until they snap, then he likes to eat them. A few of my favourite necklaces have gone to the big jewellery box in the sky so I have to be very careful about wearing them during the day now.

I did find a good solution while we were in South Africa though - Baby Pearls and I'm wearing mine in the photo above.

I came across these when we visited a cute little baby shop in Johannesburg looking for cloth nappy supplies (which they sadly didn't have). I was immediately taken with what a good idea they are, a necklace in funky colours that look good on Mummy but are made of silicone so baby can also safely chew them. It has a breakaway clasp as well so that if J pulls the necklace (which of course, he does) it just comes off.

J never stays still so is blurry in a lot of photos and this was the best we could capture. He does love to gnaw on them though. They come in eighteen bright colours and they have matching bracelets too. The company also advise that swapping the bracelets from wrist to wrist are a good way to remember which side you breastfed on last, which I think is a great idea.

Baby Pearls are made and sold in South Africa but they do ship worldwide. I did find another company called Koo-Di selling a similar product, but the colours are quite muted, just whites, blacks and greys which frankly, don't do it for me. They are having a flash sale on the necklaces at the moment though which is always nice!

There is also a company called Jellystone that do silicone teething pendants and necklaces and bracelets

I'm not sure I like the fact that the necklace doesn't have silicone beads all the way around but the silicone owl pendant is pretty funky.

So, for any ladies out there whose baba is destroying their jewellery here is a good back-up option!

N
xxx

Charity Shop Challenge

As I mentioned in a previous post, Avril at School Gate Style is having monthly style challenges throughout 2014. February was Frugal February - a challenge to abstain from shopping. As I was going to be in South Africa, I knew that that was never going to happen for me. It would be a miracle if I left Johannesburg with nothing new in my bag. March is a charity shop challenge, all about sharing those good finds she has come across while charity shopping and challenging others to do the same. I think it's a wonderful idea.

As I discussed briefly before, when I lived in New Zealand I used to shop in charity and secondhand shops regularly. Buying second hand is a big thing there, as goods are just harder to get and I used to really enjoy "op shopping". I didn't just shop for clothes either, I have a collection of New Zealand Crown Lynn Colourglaze crockery that I amassed by trawling through online trading sites and charity shops up and down New Zealand. I really enjoyed the triumph of finding a piece I was missing in some small town we were passing through.

Anyway, enough reminiscing, today was just a beautiful day in Dublin. It was the kind of day that just breathes life into you and makes everything seem that little bit better.

Not a bad place for a walk with the baba

I was meeting my other mum friends for coffee in Dun Laoghaire so walked in with J in his buggy to make the most of the day. As I had time before meeting my friends I had a look in a few charity shops to see if there was anything to take my fancy, with Avril's challenge in mind. Since returning from New Zealand almost 2 years ago I haven't set foot in a charity shop so I'm thinking this challenge is a good opportunity to get back into it.

Dun Laoghaire has a reputation at the moment for becoming a bit of a ghost town, full of closed down business and charity shops. I still head there fairly often, it still has a lot going for it and there didn't seem to be that many charity shops to me. I went into three along the main street and came out of two of them empty handed.

In the third, Oxfam, I did find an item that I'm really pleased with. A dress for €6.50.

It's a dress from Oasis, and it was the colours that caught my attention first, i just love this particular shade of purple and turquoise. The label is actually cut out of the back of the dress but I looked at the label on the inside at the bottom. I actually used to work in Oasis when I was at University so I knew from the code on this label that it is a size 10. I'm amazed how I could remember what the codes meant almost ten years later, I doubt I could recall any of my lectures so accurately!

I'm wearing it here with a silver and turquoise necklace that can be picked up for cheap in Penneys and metallic silver pumps I bought in the sale in Topshop (now out of stock!)

I'm really pleased with this, it's in great condition and the fabric is very comfortable so I can see it being a great casual dress with pumps or sandals for the summer. I suppose boots and tights in winter could be an option but I have a vehement no navy with black policy so it would rule out black boots making it a bit tougher to style. I know dresses like this go for between €50 and €60 instore and given how good a condition it is in, I'm very pleased.

Murdoch wanted to be included. He also likes the dress. 

While I was out I also donated a pair of Seven For All Mankind jeans to one of the shops. They are in a size I doubt my post-baby body will ever fit into again. It makes me smile to think of some other (skinnier) thrifter coming across them and snaffling a bargain.

So all in all, a good day. I can definitely see myself popping into charity shops in the future, especially given we are on a budget.

N
xxx

Spring Is In The Air

Since we returned from South Africa earlier in the week we've been hibernating trying to recover from the trip and the journey home. We had ourselves well bedded down into the house this weekend.

Today, a friend suggesting meeting for lunch, as we were in hibernation mode our initial response was to say no but on balance we decided it was time to rejoin the world and get some fresh air. I'm very glad we went out in the end, it was a lovely day and it has been a while since we ventured into town.  Today was one of those days where you can feel spring in the air and everybody looks that bit happier that Winter is coming to an end.

As it was a bit warmer today it was a good chance to try out a recent purchase. I bought a khaki parka with "leather" detailing in Penneys (aka Primark) for €25 before I went on my trip but it was just too cold then to wear it, it's very light with no lining or anything. It was perfect for a day like today when you don't need anything too heavy. We went for a walk around St Stephen's Green with J to feed the ducks. He's just old enough that animals are very amusing to him.

At €25 - a bargain by any standards!

Worn here boyfriend jeans, green long sleeved knit top and green bow pumps, all of which I bought on my mad shopping spree in South Africa. I'm late to the boyfriend jeans party, I was stubbornly sticking to me skinnies but I love these. They're just so comfortable.

I'm also wearing a scarf which is from Penneys too. I bought this a few weeks ago and it's getting a lot of use. It has a number of shades of green in it and I seem to be wearing a lot of these colours lately so it's proving very useful.

I hope wherever you are that you had a lovely Spring day too!

N
xxx

Fat Face - Lymington Jacket

Despite my previous post saying there wouldn't be many purchases in the future I am toying with ordering the Lymington jacket from Fat Face. Liz at What Lizzy Loves brought it to my attention on one of her posts a few weeks ago and ever since I've been seriously coveting it ever since.

While I was away I looked around for a similar item but as South Africa has opposite seasons to us it just wasn't the right time to be looking for this kind of jacket there.

I love it in yellow but I can't help thinking that it would date a bit quickly or maybe wouldn't go with as much? Navy seems like the safer but more boring option. I do have a bad habit of buying shoes and jackets in only black, navy or beige so as to get the most wear out of them. It's actually probably sensible as opposed to a bad habit but I'm trying to think more about what I buy and make different choices.

I'm torn on this one though, I do have this navy superdry jacket already:

I bought it a few years ago in Australia and it does get worn a good bit. I'm thinking the navy Fat Face jacket is just too similar to justify it. Do I need another jacket?

Fat Face are having a mid season sale and I was hoping the jacket would be in it, to make my decision a lot easier but of course, that was not to be (although there are some other lovely items on sale).

Hmm, decisions, decisions..........

N
xxx

Stylitics

I am (or was, pre-baby) a very organised person. I love lists and having things laid out neatly and organised. It pleases me. Now, I'm not like this in all areas of my life, (which would be very obvious if you arrived unannounced to the house and saw my kitchen) but one area I am very organised is my wardrobe.

Even when I was a teenager and my room was a tip my wardrobe was neat and organised by colour starting with black on the left going through to white items on the right. I like to hang up as many things as possible so I can really see what I have and put outfits together more easily. Like a lot of women I'd love a walk-in wardrobe. I genuinely believe I would be better dressed if I had enough room to store all my stuff, and be able to access it quickly. If I have an item that has been put away I tend to forget I have it.

One solution to this that I've been enjoying recently is Stylitics. It's like a virtual wardrobe. You can add pictures of all the items in your wardrobe, along with where you bought it, the price you paid etc. There is even a stylitics button you can add to your toolbar so if you buy an item online it will add it to your wardrobe. You can then put items together to make outfits, or simply use it as a way to record what you wore on a particular day.

A Screen Grab of the Accessories section of my Stylitics

Starting this blog has made me think more carefully about what I'm buying and how I'm putting outfits together (which was one of the reasons I wanted to blog about style as well as other mummy type things). Stylitics has also added to that, I really enjoy browsing through it and seeing what I wore over the past few months and it reminds me of items I haven't worn in a while, or gives me inspiration on items to wear together that I wouldn't have thought of before. You can also tag items and then do searches, as well as track the cost of the items, if you want (great if you want to see how much you have spent on clothes in the last year. Personally I'd be too afraid to find out!)

I don't get time to log in everyday but I do add items whenever I buy something new and I do try log outfits that I particularly liked. My profile is private but you can have a public profile where you can share new purchases/outfits with others and receive comments.

There are a few things I don't like about it, it's of course very American focused (meaning it doesn't always make it easy to use the terminology I would be more familiar with) and uploading multiple photos more often than not causes it to have a minor meltdown. Also, as some shops don't have online versions (I'm looking at you Penneys) you will need to photograph items you buy from there yourself which to me, is a bit of a PITA. It's much easier just to save the image from the shop's website. That's not Stylitics fault though I guess, it's just a limitation in any virtual wardrobe.

I do recommend it though, it's a great way to be more thoughtful about what you're wearing and an easy way to put outfits together when you are lying in bed exhausted after a busy day and your wardrobe just seems that little bit too far away to look through in person.

Also, I am away for the next two and a bit weeks so there will more than likely be no blog posts. My internet access is likely to be limited at best!

N
xxxx

Summer is here! (sort of)

Summer is here ..... well, summer is here for me in a way. Soon we are off to South Africa to visit my in-laws with the baba. At the moment the temperature there is about 27C, so a little different to what we are experiencing here. This has thrown me into a panic slightly as to how I will dress the baby. All the clothes that fit him at the moment are very wintry - think lots of fleece and long sleeves. 27C is hot, like proper hot. We're planning a mad dash to the shops the day we get there to stock up on some cheapy shorts and t-shirts.

What this means for me is that I can get some of my summer stuff out a bit early this year. I have also made some recent purchases in anticipation of the warmth I will soon experience. I don't know why I do that, seeming as when we go to South Africa I tend to do a good bit of shopping anyway.

First of all I bought these bistro crop trousers from Boden.

The Boden catalogue arrived in my post box recently and I have been drooling over the contents since. I had my eye on the Bistro crop trousers but I wasn't sure about spending £59 on something I might not get to wear much. Then I was browsing the clearance and realised that a lot of last years Bistro crop patterns were on sale, some for as little as £17.70. Bit of a bargain.

Worn here with my Warehouse gold pumps and a new necklace from Oasis (a little birthday treat!)

At the last minute I decided to order a pair in petite size and I'm so glad I did. I think the regular length would have just looked like I was wearing trousers that had shrunk in the wash. I think I'll actually end up wearing these a good bit once the weather warms up a little. They are surprisingly comfortable.

A current trend that I'm not too sure about is pastels. I am as pale as the driven snow and I just think pastels wash me out. I love them on other people and some of the pastel styling I've seen recently is fab but I'm not sure about it for me.

Again, I found a way to give it a try by finding something on sale. I bought these shorts from River Island for €12.

I was impressed that River Island now deliver to a store for you, even in the Republic of Ireland (we always get excluded from that kind of thing) so you don't have to pay for delivery. Worn here with my navy Toms, white t-shirt from Gap a new scarf from Penneys (Primark to those of you in the UK!)

I really love these, I think the fact they are mint green as opposed to very pale green really helps. I am very much looking forward to getting my poor white legs out for the sun. Vitamin D - I need you!

My last purchase is this dress from Asda for £14.

I had to order something from there recently for J and of course that meant Mummy needed a little treat too. My crazy cat lady persona couldn't resist this!

I actually wore this out last weekend for a night out so it's not really just a summer thing but I'm thinking with a pair of sandals it will a great casual summer dress.

Also, in this picture is my new bag from Boden - the Canonbury Clutch. I bought this as kind of an afterthought when ordering the crop trousers and when it arrived I wasn't that impressed, but I am in love with it now. The leather is so soft and it is the perfect size for purse, phone and things like lipgloss. I've been wearing it all week. I can see it getting a lot of use, especially as it can be converted to a clutch bag. When I checked yesterday, only the leopard print was in stock but the black seems to be now back in stock (a return maybe?)

So, bring on the hot weather please!

N
xxx

Kids Clothes

No, this is not a post about baby clothes or how I style my little 7 month old (God forbid, he is too often covered in spit-up and yoghurt to even think about that). No, this is a post about buying childrens clothes for myself.

I supposed you could describe me as a "petite person". I'm 5ft3 and generally wear a size 8-10. I don't think of myself as particularly slim or anything (especially recently) and I do have a generous enough pair of boobs but I guess I'm just "small". Generally, this is a pain in the arse (I'd love to be taller) but it does have it's benefits, I can wear very high heels and don't have to worry about being taller than everyone else in the room, I am good in caves and I can fit into childrens clothes.

Shopping in the kids section means things are a lot cheaper and embarassingly, the trousers there fit me a lot better. I regularly hit up the kids section in H&M and Gap.

Gap do up to an XXL (13 years +) in their kids clothes. I haven't braved trousers or leggings from there yet but I love the t-shirts and tops. I find even an XXS in the adult tops are not that fitted, which is annoying when you want to buy plain tops for layering.

I recently bought this t-shirt dress in Gap for the summer for €24.95 (with 25% off due to a promotion - bargain!). I had my eye on a long-sleeved version from Boden but this option was a lot more affordable.I'm on a budget here!

This is it in the XXL and is not too bad a fit, if I do say so myself!

I've also recently bought some leggings and tops from H&M. Their sizes go up to 170cm or 14y+. I'm presuming the 170cm refers to height, and as I'm 160cm this works well for me, even if it is a bit depressing to think that there are 14 year olds out there who are 10cm taller than me.

I have two pairs of their Jersey leggings (€9.95)

The pink top is also from H & M kids section.

Obviously some of the stuff for kids is going to look ridiculous on a 30 year old woman but there are some real finds, especially for basic items.

Zara also do kids clothes with the biggest size being 164cm, Their kids shoes also go up to a size 5. Zara is not a shop I'm keen on, I never find much I like on the odd occasion I do venture in there, I always feel like I have to trawl through the place a bit, but I'll definitely be popping in soon to in take a look at the kids section and see if anything interesting pops up.

Marks and Spencers do kids stuff too and their largest size is 14-15 years which is quite generous. I was in there recently and had a quick squizz around. There were a lot of One Direction themed items but I did come across one interesting t-shirt:

How could I resist?!

N
xxx

Style Stealing

As per my previous post, I was recently in Munich for a short day trip.

Here I am looking a bit dishevellled walking to the Englisher Garten (please excuse the hat hair!). I'm sticking to my crazy cat lady persona here with a leopard print scarf and cat head skirt, both from H & M. Also, my burgundy H & M coat (see post here) is still going strong. I've worn it so much this winter and it was a great purchase. I don't usually buy much in H & M so funny that I'm wearing so many things from there together here.

I did feel quite scruffy next to some of the very well put together and groomed women around me. I was very impressed at how well dressed the ladies of Munich were, I had a great time spotting things that I'd love to find for myself. One of my favourite things about being in new cities is to just people watch as the locals go about their daily business. You can pick up some great new style ideas.

Unfortunately, I couldn't actually do any shopping as the day we were there was a holy day and all the shops were closed. All of them! It was torture for me walking down the main street and not being able to get into any of the shops. I'll have to make up for it with some online shopping now instead methinks.

First of all I saw a girl walking into the Ubahn wearing a Burgundy pea coat very similar to mine. However, she had a beret on in the same exact shade of burgundy and a checked scarf that was burgundy and a light pink colour. It looked fab. I'd love to find something similar but to be honest, I'm not sure I have the panache to pull a beret off! From my searching there seems to be a lot of burgundy berets out there online like this one on Amazon for £3.49.

My concern with buying online is that it's hard to tell how cheap the beret looks and if the shade matches my coat. These days, I don't have time to traipse around shops anymore. I'm thinking I'll just buy a cheapy one to see if I like the look, checking the reviews to see what people say about the colour.

As for the scarf, this is exactly what I'm looking for. I found this, oddly enough on the Heritage of Scotland website. Now Google is gearing my banner ads etc to Scottish products. They're trying to convince me to buy a pair of child's bagpipes. I'll pass, thanks!

It's a child scarf but the size seems fine. For some reason it's out of stock on the website but not on their eBay store. Weird. It is cashmere and I don't actually own a cashmere scarf yet so I'm very tempted to make a purchase but the postage and packaging is an eyewatering £10. Hmm....

Another lady had a beautiful pink saddle bag. I've found this one here from Zatchels (which is now on sale for £35 which is the same size and shape as the one I saw.

I'm really not sure about the neon pink though. The one I saw was a beautiful berry pinky colour. I really think the neon would date and as this is a real leather bag I'd prefer to get a colour that would be a bit more long-lasting. They have a pastel pink offering too but not the pink I'm looking for. I did take a look at the rest of the Zatchels site though and now I want ALL THE BAGS!!!!

They have this elephant print raspberry one which is similar but still not quite the right shade of pink (it's unlike me to be so fussy but I was very taken with the bag I saw!) I am tempted though because it is half price, £30 reduced from £60. I am a terrible sucker for a bargain.

Off topic, I know but how lovely is this:

This is Zatchels micro satchel. The straps are detachable so you can wear it cross body or use it as a clutch. I do have a big birthday coming up soon so maybe a treat will be in order then! I think the chestnut option would be a better buy though, I'm not sure how much the red would go with. Decisions, decisions....

Meanwhile, my search for the right pink saddle bag continues.....

Sales Time!

Lucky for me I am currently on holidays in Austria (a trip I'm sure I will post on later!) and am writing this in a cosy, wooden apartment as snow falls outside. Even luckier we are staying somewhere with wi-fi which meant, despite being on holidays and missing the sales in the shops I was still able to grab a few bargains online, all while drinking a glass of wine and letting my calves recover from skiing. Unfortunately, as I am brokedy broke broke I avoided the sales until yesterday and consequently a few things I wanted were out of my size. I am still brokedy broke broke but I've gone for the old trick of putting it on the credit card and worrying about it in February. Shh.... don't tell Mr HNW.

One of my fashion resolutions this year is to buy less, but better. I am not a big fan of spending a lot of money on clothes. I'm a Penney's girl definitely but I've come to the realisation that some of the stuff in my wardrobe that I love the most and am still wearing are from places that cost me a bit more. So, I've decided to try keep my money for sales in more expensive shops or buying one item that I really love as opposed to 5 items elsewhere because they are cheap and I will get more for my money.

With this in mind I bought a few things in the sale that I'm very much looking forward to receiving! First of all I went to Boden, one of my new favourite shops but a little out of my price range when full price.

I'm really pleased with this purchase - the Isabel Chunky Knit jumper in mustard reduced from £79 to £23.70. I just love the colour and what a great bargain, even better they have most sizes left (maybe mustard isn't for everyone?!)

I also bought a pair of maroon skinny jeans (as skinny jeans and jumpers is all that I live in this days) for £14.30 reduced from £49. The are maroon with small black stars on them (which is hard to see in the picture) and I think they'll be great with black ankle boots.

I also bought two plain vests (white and black) reduced from £12 to £10.60 which, less face it is not much of a discount and in my opinion, expensive enough for something that won't really be seen but I bought a long sleeved top from Boden a few months ago (post here) and I wear it all the time. It's such great cotton and has washed so well. I'm sick of Penney's see-through vests that look crap after a few wears and as I wear a cami under things so regularly I thought it would be worth it. Boring, but essential

Next, I hit up Hobbs. I love, love, love their dresses but they are so expensive. As I have 4 weddings to go to in 2014 and one already in 2015 I was thrilled to find this pink invitation Bowood dress for £29 reduced from £79. There are only size 14s and 16s left now so I'm glad I ordered it when I did.

I can only hope it is as nice on me as the model!

From Asos I bought this French connection bikini (wishful thinking on my part for the summer, the mummy tummy has expanded over Christmas!)

Do you think if I wear it my stomach will magically look like that?! According to Asos the RRP is €63.02 and this was €15.07 which is pretty bargainous. I do like French Connection swimwear so I just couldn't resist.

I also bought these Warehouse pumps for €17.12 reduced from €38.36. I wanted silver ones as a similar silver pair I had died recently but it was not to be. These are a good second choice:                         

My last trip was to Gap. I mainly went there to look for things for J as I love the babygap stuff on him but there wasn't much to take my fancy. I did see these 1969 cord leggings in true black for me, reduced to £26 from £40

I'm really looking forward to these arriving but I'm not sure as to size etc so they could be disastrous. I thought they would make a very useful change from skinny jeans.

So, hopefully when I arrive home this week and the post holiday blues kick in there'll be a few nice packages awaiting me!



PS Apologies for the mix of currencies in this post. Some of the sites I used don't give euro equivalents so in my emails the prices are in sterling.