Z for Accessorize necklaces

Ever since I spotted the Z for Accessorize range in the Accessorize shop in the summer I've been a fan.  I love delicate jewellery and everything in this range is just that, super delicate with some sparkle.  I really wanted to buy something but it's really hard to choose when there are so many lovely pieces and the jewellery is slightly pricey, so buying a few different pieces wasn't an option.  Luckily quite a few lovely things were in the post Christmas sale so I managed to get two beautiful necklaces!

The blue stones really sparkle and look lovely against the gold plated chain.  I got a long necklace and a shorter layered necklace which basically has the same stones on it as the long one plus a crystal and gold circle on a chain.  Both the necklaces have a little Z gold tag on the end which is a nice touch.  The shorter chain actually wasn't in the sale but the store I went to had put it in the sale section with a half price sticker on it by mistake!  Lucky for me they said they had to honour the fact it said half price on it even though when they rang it through the till it had come up full price.

I really love both these necklaces.  The long one is really good for prettying up a plain outfit or jumper and the short one looks great with any kind of V-neck or open necked blouse.  I couldn't find the long one on the Accessorize website but the shorter one still is,.  Obviously it is full price as it was meant to still be in the current range!
I was even inspired to buy myself some gold chain and dark blue beads to try to make my own delicate jewellery so look out for that in a future post!

My new Cath Kidston bags

Hello!

I hope you are coping with the month of January OK.  It's a dark long month isn't it?  I think being busy at work, whilst stressful at times, is helping the month to go by faster.  I'm already trawling the internet for pictures of beaches and sunshine though.
I wanted to post about a couple of bags I've recently acquired.  One was a Christmas present from my brother and the other I bought in the boxing day sales.  I have had a love for Cath Kidston for a few years now.  Whilst there's a part of me that longs for everything to be white and pale and minimalist I can't help but also be drawn to the 50's floral patterns that adorn everything in the Cath Kidston stores.  There's something so cheerful and cozy about them.  I do struggle to find I can afford the prices in there so every time the sales come around I come out of the store with something.
The most common Cath Kidston purchase is probably a handbag.  I can justify spending money on a Cath Kidston handbag because I find that they last really well.  They are also really light.  If there's one thing I can't stand with a bag it's it being heavy even when it's empty.  I hate having a heavy handbag pulling on my shoulder and am very susceptible to neck and shoulder pain if I'm not careful.  These Cath Kidston bags are made from the oil cloth fabric which is very light, almost weightless.  The oil cloth is also water resistant so you don't have to worry about any belongings getting damp in the rain.  The fabric of the bags I've been using for a while now has no damage to the outside or the fabric handles.  I've found them to be extremely durable.
Because of my neck problems I try to use a hand held handbag when ever possible so I went for the white floral handbag in the sale to replace a dotty green one I'd had for a couple of years.  The green one is still completely usable I just really wanted a new pattern!  This hand bag is slightly roomier than the green one I own and has a pocket on the outside which is useful as I like to keep my keys or oyster card there within easy reach.  It also has loops on the outside which I assume means you could add a shoulder strap if you wanted to.  It would be useful to also have a pocket on the inside but I have a handbag organiser that fits inside this really easily so it's not needed.
The other handbag with the shoulder strap was the Christmas present and it's also really useful for times when I want a strap.  I tend to prefer to use a handbag with a shoulder strap when I'm going to be in a busy city for example because I feel more secure.  I love the red print with the birds on it, I haven't seen that print in Cath Kidston before.  It's a really good size to fit just your essentials in, you wouldn't want it to be any bigger and pull on your shoulder even more.
I'm really pleased with these bags and can't wait to take them out with me in the coming year!

The Ultimate Autumn Dress

It already feels like we are heading in to Winter but a couple of weeks ago I spotted my dream Autumn dress!  I had already been seduced by a black faux leather dress in Mango which I had tried on but not bought because of the price tag.  About a week later I spotted another faux leather dress in a shop called Reserved.  This one was cheaper but just as cute as the Mango one.  Instead of boring black it was a lovely wine/burgundy colour that seemed perfect for Autumn.
I also loved the shape of it, a nipped in waist and flared skirt is my favourite shape so it was a no-brainer really, I had to buy it!  I really like the little detail of the extra panel around the bottom of the skirt.  I've been wearing it with a long sleeved cream or short sleeved white jumper underneath, black or white wool tights, and my knee high black boots.  It's a really cosy look and the dress keeps me very warm in the cold temperatures we are having at the moment.
My wardrobe is getting a little full, but with all the new autumn styles coming in to the shops it's hard to resist sometimes!

Pretty Silver Necklace from TK Maxx

Ok so maybe I'm late to the party here but a couple of weeks ago I popped in to TK Maxx for the first time in a while and came across it's jewellery counter.  I've never seen a jewellery counter in TK Maxx before so I was very intrigued and had a good nosy around the whole counter and all the stands on it.  I've been having a bit of a jewellery fetish this summer so browsing through all the pretty necklaces on display was very likely to result in a purchase.  It took a while but eventually I settled on this beautiful 'Love' necklace.  I have no idea what the brand of it is as there was nothing on the label but it is real silver and I thought it was a bargain for £15 reduced from £24.

You did have to have a good rummage through the stuff on sale, some of the bits and pieces had the odd stone missing etc. but I would definitely go there again if I was on the hunt for some new jewellery at a reduced price.
I'm pretty obsessed with delicate jewellery right now with tiny details on it.  Everything in Oliver Bonas's jewellery range for example!  I have a couple more new pieces to show you in future posts, including the necklace my husband bought me as a wedding present!
Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

A Needle and Thread dress for a red carpet event

Hello!

It's been a few days.  My apologies, I've been busy and distracted by life in general.  I've been reading a lot more to try to calm my distracted mind which is something I'm feeling happy about.  I'm nearly through Cloud Atlas but I can't believe how long it's taken me!  I'm feeling proud of myself though as I've had it for about 5 years and don't think I thought I would ever read it in the end.
One of the things I was distracted by was a formal event I was lucky enough to be invited to which I needed a lovely long dress for.  I didn't have anything I felt was appropriate so I had to find something very quickly, within about three weeks in fact.  After a bit of a panic I bit the bullet and purchase a Needle and Thread dress that was on sale on ASOS and prayed it would a) arrive in time and b) fit.

Luckily it arrived quicker than expected and fit well enough that felt I could get away with!  It was slightly snug around the waist band which actually sat on the bottom of my ribs.  I prefer the slight restriction to be there though than on my actually waist because I can't stand any tightness around my stomach.  I was a little bit worried about it but after trying it on a couple of times at home on the actual night itself the waist band didn't bother me at all so maybe it stretched out a bit?
I thought the dress itself was really pretty with geometric beading which was very sparkly in the light.  I wore it with my hair curled and nude satin and lace shoes I bought from New Look a couple of years ago for a wedding.

A few beads did seem to have come loose on the dress but the dress comes with a tag attached which states something along the lines of... due to the delicate nature of the dress some beads may have come loose and this is normal, or something like that.  I was a bit annoyed that there were beads missing when it was supposed to be brand new but honestly there were so many beads on it you could hardly tell.  The dress also came with a small supply of beads that matched so I could have tried to fix it up if I was really bothered.
In the end it didn't matter at all and I felt absolutely gorgeous.  I was apprehensive to spend so much money on a dress at first but then I realised, how many posh events do you get invited to in a lifetime?  Not that many actually (well for me!) so I'm glad I decided to make the most of the opportunity and treat myself to this dress, the photographs will be something I can cherish forever!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

A new little black dress from ASOS

Hello there!

Phew I'm so glad my busy couple of weeks is over.  It ended with a performance on Saturday night and now I can catch up with myself and my life again.  It's nice to be busy but I am relishing the chance to have some quiet time for myself.  Outside the snow has been falling quite heavily but the temperatures haven't been quite as harsh as they can be some winters (-20 C).
At some point last month I ordered myself a new dress from ASOS.  It was quite heavily discounted in the sale which was what made me decide to go for it.  I don't really have many little black dresses in my wardrobe.  In the past I've always been drawn to colour and felt that black was kind of...dull.  With my recent mission to change up my style a bit I felt that as I was lacking in the black dress department, this one would start off my new collection nicely.

The beading on it is just gorgeous and it seems to be really well made.  I recently bought a full length Miss Selfridge beaded dress in the sale and, beautiful as it was, it didn't take long for all the beads to start falling off.  This dress seems quite a bit sturdier and well made.  Certainly worth the 33 quid I paid for it.  On the model the dress looked a bit short, covering up just as much as you could get away with.  On me however it's quite a bit longer than that.  The shortness was the only thing that I was a bit worried about so I'm pleased with the length, I think it gives it a bit more sophistication than it would have had otherwise.

I can't wait to wear this on a night out.  I think I have some events coming up at the theatre next month this can make an appearance at!  I went on the ASOS website to see if they still had this dress but it's sold out unless you get in the ASOS 'Tall' line.  They still had some really pretty other LBD's in the sale though, I had to make myself click away from the website quickly before I bought anything else!
I definitely need to sort out my wardrobe soon to make way for my nice new purchases.  Have you been updating your style in the sales?

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

New boots from Aldo, clothes haul from Mango

Hello!
I hope you had a nice weekend.  Mine was a working one but I had Monday off which was nice but too short!  I need a day to recover and another day for chores and all the things I'm too tired to do during the week!  Continuing the theme of my last 'New Year, New Me' post, one of the things I've been really wanting to do is overhaul my wardrobe.  Normally I'm a very cautious shopper.  I'm very budget concious and will really only buy the odd piece (usually only in the sales) now and again.  Lately though I've been having that feeling where you open your wardrobe and you've worn everything 100 times and nothing excites you.  There are still some amazing sales on so I thought I would take advantage of that and shake things up a bit.

I've always had a thing for boots that were higher than the knee but never taken the plunge.  I'm usually put off by the price.  When I went in to Aldo the other week they had a sale of up to 60% off boots and I spotted these beautiful leather boots that were not quite thigh-high but definitely higher than anything I had owned before.
I tried them on and instantly fell in love.  I was visualising skinny jeans and oversized jumpers, or mini skirts and dresses with a 60's vibe.  I knew this was the starting point I needed for my wardrobe/style revamp.

I went to Mango in search of the skinny jeans I was picturing and found these dark denim high waisted skinny jeans in the sale as well as some black regular waist skinny jeans.  The only jeans I had been wearing until that point were some light blue denims from Mango which I had bought in the summer but were now looking very worn and baggy.

I also found an oversized jumper in the sale for 15 euros which I wanted in grey but they didn't have my size left so I went for it in white.  I'm loving my new clothes so far as they are all staples so I can easily wear them with many things I have in my wardrobe at the moment.  The only problem though is that when I bought the boots the temperature had warmed up and most of the snow on the ground was melting so I thought it was the perfect time to buy these as they are not really snow boots.  Two days later and the snow started falling again so I guess I will have to wait a little while now to get the chance to wear them!  I'm looking forward to teaming them with the new clothes I already bought, and I'm keeping my eye out for some cute dresses to wear them with as well!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Bag haul from Aldo

Hello!

How are you enjoying January?  It is not an easy month to get through but we are busy at work which  I'm sure will help it go faster.  The sun still sets early but it is setting later and later now with each passing day which is a reason to be cheerful in itself.  One way I cheered myself up was with a little shopping in the January sales!  I had been admiring a couple of bags for quite a while in Aldo, a selection of sparkly clutches and a beautiful floral hand bag.  I had discounted buying the hand bag because lovely as it was I could never see myself spending the amount on it it was originally priced at.  The sparkly clutch I had been toying with the idea of actually buying because I really needed a going out clutch bag and the sparkle on it was absolutely gorgeous!

When I went in to the store after Christmas they had a massive sale on and both the bags were half price!  I couldn't resist the shopping bag at half price and I managed to grab the clutch in time for New Year's celebrations!  So technically not a January shopping splurge but I'll definitely be using these bags all of January.  I love both these bags and the floral optimism of the hand bag is perfect for my mood right now  It's also a really good sized bag so I can always fit in more than what I need to take with me which comes in useful.  The glittery clutch bag is great to carry just a few bits and pieces needed for a night out.  I like the wrist loop too so that you don't easily drop it.

Till next time

Twirlybirdie x

Oliver Bonas Earrings

Hello!

I hope you're having a nice Thursday.  I got a bit stressed at work but came home and had a bath and lit some candles so I'm feeling a bit more chilled now.  In the summer I went to Oliver Bonas for the first time and really loved their jewellery.  I particularly liked the delicate real silver earrings and necklaces they do.  I bought myself these really cute cloud with lightening bolt earrings.

I get lots of comments on them when I wear them!  I checked on the website and they are still available to buy.  My fiancé also bought me a necklace from there with a tiny silver letter on it of the initial of my first name.  I've always had a thing for delicate jewellery.  I'm really tempted by some of Oliver Bonas's other earrings and necklaces which I've just seen are on sale online now!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Sequinned Mini Skirts!

Hello!  I hope you are having a lovely day even though the weekend still seems so far away!
 Last Saturday after work my fiancé and I decided to go out for an early dinner.  We went for some delicious sushi.  Afterwards, as it was still only 7.30 pm, we still had an hour and a half to wonder around the shops before they closed.  Luckily for me the shopping centre we were in had some kind of promotion on which meant lots of things were on sale!
I was trying to convince myself not to buy anything but then I found this black sequinned mini skirt which came to only 12 euros with the 20% discount the shop (Reserved) was offering.
At this time of year I always have a thing for sequins.  I imagine myself wearing them during the day but never seem brave enough to pull it off!  However these sequins were sort of semi-matte and the black colour made it seem like they would be very wearable for night or day adventures.

I already managed to wear it out during the day on Sunday with black tights, flat boots and a black and white jumper.  I didn't feel uncomfortable at all.  It reminds me of the Dahlia mini-skirt I bought last year except that one has much shinier sequins and I definitely feel a bit less brave to wear that one out during the day time!

I do still really love my Dahlia one though and have worn it for a night out.  I'd definitely like to find more reasons to wear it out though!  It's super blingy! 

I love a bit a sparkle for winter time.  That's one good thing about the dark, cold weather then...that and candles!

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Autumn Outfit : Pull and Bear Faux Leather Skirt

Hello!  I had a bit of retail therapy last weekend and my mini-haul included this faux-leather mini skirt from Pull and Bear.  I also purchased a couple of basic jumpers from H&M which go with everything and are warm and snuggly.  I guess these were my first purchases for Autumn, brought on by the chillier weather.

When I spotted the faux-leather skirt in Pull and Bear I knew I had to have it!  I don't have anything similar in my wardrobe and have been wanting to wear something leather-esque for a while but never found the right way to pull it off.  This skirt shape  is something I would normally go for and the fact it was in the faux-leather fabric was a bonus.  It came in pale pink and black too.  I also really liked the pink version but felt the dark green was the most autumnal and unique.

Due to the plastic-y material there is literally no give in the waist band and I had to buy the skirt two sizes bigger than I would normally go for to feel comfortable!

I love the exposed metal zip in the back.

I also really like the ruched shoulder detailing on this cute dotty h&m jumper.  I think it sweetens up the slightly kinky skirt.

Now I have two autumn mini skirts that I love!  This one and my lilac sequinned one from Dahlia.  I think autumn fashion is taking the edge off the sadness of the end of summer and subsequent winter chill.  That and candles...and baths...and drinking hot drinks!

Gold Shoes For The Wedding

Hello there!  How are you?  I've been searching for the perfect pair of gold coloured shoes for my wedding dress. So far I have picked up a super glittery pair from Dorothy Perkins for a bargain £29 and a luxe gold leather pair from a second hand discount designer shop called Dress For Less in Angel, Islington.

They seemed to be very good quality leather shoes and in perfect condition considering they are second hand as well.  I wanted to wear a lower pair for the ceremony and these were low and comfortable to wear which is the main reason why I bought them.  Now though I'm not sure if the colour is quite right.  I feel like I might actually want something more bridal looking.  I'm quite surprised at how fussy I feel about my wedding shoes.  I thought I'd pick up a cheap pair and it would be a done deal.  I better get it right next time otherwise I'm going to end up spending a fortune!

Till next time :)

xxxxxxxx

Stripy statement shoes

Check out these shoes that I bought in the sale last summer.  I found them in Dune in Covent Garden.  They are difficult to wear though!  I find they work best with a very plain outfit.  I wore them for the first time a couple of weeks ago with skinny pale blue jeans and a white shirt.  

They definitely got noticed, I had quite a few compliments!  These are without a doubt the most eccentric shoes I own.  I have such a weakness for shoes.

Don't they make you think of licorice alsorts?

Wedding belt DIY

Hello!

It is gloriously sunny here at Twirlybirdie headquarters this morning.  It makes a nice change from the heavy cloud we had been having quite a few days of before.  As I am planning on getting married next summer I have been trawling through pictures of pretty dresses and general wedding paraphernalia on-line for ideas.  I really liked some of the pretty wedding belts that I've seen.  They seem to be exactly what's needed to jazz up what would otherwise be a pretty yet plain dress.
I decided that seeing as the belts could be hundreds of pounds I would have a go at making one myself, much like I have been doing for my veil.
This is just an experiment seeing as I have no idea what shade of white or style my dress is actually to be, but I thought if it was successful maybe I could bring it wedding dress shopping with me this summer!
I bought a few bits and pieces from our local fabric shop: white ribbon, beads, and rhinestones.  From a local bead shop I bought some craft glue and a silver pendant I thought would look quite cool.
I decided to make it tie back because you never know how your belly is going to feel on the day!  At first I hadn't bought enough ribbon for it to be able to tie nicely at the back (1m) so I went back and bought 2 metres instead which was plenty.
I decided the pendant needed blinging up so I glued some rhinestones on to it.  Once this had dried I glued it on to the belt.

Gluing on my rhinestones.  It was tricky but made easier with these bead tweezers.  I placed a small dot of glue on the pendant and then placed the stone on top of that.

I then lay the pendant face side down on the ribbon so I could see where the glue needed to be placed on the back of the pendant.  Then I carefully added the glue to the back where it would be touching the ribbon and placed it facing up on the ribbon.

The next day it was sunnier so I took these pictures to make sure the stones would sparkle nicely ;)

I tried it on over my Zara dress.  I'm pleased with it so far.  Now I just have to decide what, if anything I'm going to add to it.  I kind of like it's simplicity even though it's not what I originally had in mind.  I've bought some extra beads to add some more bling but I may try and make a second belt that's more blingy as well.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post!  I had fun making this belt and now I'm tempted to glue rhinestones on to everything!

Birthday nails, BYS in Red Carpet

Hello there!

I hope your week has started off well.  I actually haven't had such a busy time recently so I've been trying to rest as there's a really busy couple of months coming up soon.  I already posted about some of my birthday presents.  I also got a few new polishes.  One of them was by BYS in the shade Red Carpet.  I decided to try this one first and was really impressed by the colour and the formula.  I put on two coats of this lovely dark red and a top coat and it was glossy and opaque.  My nails never normally last me long at all and it took this a few days to chip which surprised me.  It also seemed to dry relatively fast luckily as I'm a fidget.

I applied some Misslyn nail stickers which I had been given as a present for my birthday last year and haven't used up yet.  I really like the effect and I love the deep red colour with the rose gold of my ring.
I also got this cute set of Nails Inc Minis which I am looking forward to testing out once this nail varnish comes off.  It has it's own caviar base and top coat in the set which I've never tried before.

There's two pretty shades of pink: pastel and fuchsia, and a bright red.  I really want to try the fuchsia shade next!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Pretty Swan Print Apron by Clover

Hello there!

Did you have a nice weekend?  I really did as my Mum and sister came to visit me and I celebrated my birthday!  I had a lovely day which involved having friends over for drinks and cake; and I got some awesome gifts.
One of those was this super cute swan print apron which was bought for me by my sister.  I have needed an apron for ages as I frequently ruin my clothes baking but this is almost to pretty to bake in!

My sister said she got it from a vintage style boutique in London and the little label on it says 'Clover'.
I've never seen anything like it before but it's very me!  I already wore it to prepare my birthday cake for the party.

Twirlybirdie :)

Black and White Dresses- Instant Vintage and Sparkle and Fade

Hello lovelies,

how are you?  I've been feeling philosophical lately.  I was talking to a friend recently about life in general and she said to me that she was frustrated because she wasn't busy enough and she had too much time to think about all the things she wasn't happy with in her life.  I wondered then, is the problem that you're not happy with your life and should change it, or is it that you're just not busy enough to forget about your dissatisfaction?  It seemed to me a different way to look at things and I'm not sure what the right answer would be there...
On to other less philosophical things.  After the Christmas holidays I returned with two pretty dresses in tow.  Each dress is very different from the other: one creamy white and pretty, and the other black and sexy.
The cream dress was a Christmas present from my Mum from a little shop in Bath.  I can't remember what the name of the shop is but the dress says Instant Vintage on the label.  It's really cute and pretty and I love the beaded collar.

The other dress was from Urban Outfitters and I wore it to a New Year's Eve party.  It's slinky and see through around the waist.  It's by Sparkle and Fade.

It felt gorgeous on and was such a bargain at half price in the sale.  The only problem with this dress was that when I took it off at the end of the night it had dyed my skin purple.  Yes purple!!  It was everywhere I couldn't believe it!  I had to scrub really hard to get it all off.  Somehting like that has never happened to me before.  It seemed pretty dodgy.  I might try and soak this dress in water or something so it doesn't happen next time....

Anyway those were my two newest dresses.  I love them both and they're so different!  

It's time for me to curl up and get in to bed.

Twirlybirdie :)

Shopping Lately

Hello!

I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday.  For me it was the first day back to work after the first two day weekend I've had in ages.  Somehow I still felt pretty sleepy.  I managed to get a nice massage in at the end of the day though which is helping to sort my neck out.

I'm enjoying the scent of my Glade candle I bought last week.  It was apple and spice or something like that, something Christmassy!  I have a really bad memory...

I thought I would do a post about a few items of clothing I've picked up in the Winter sales.  I was really bored of wearing the same jumpers over and over again so I bought two new ones.  Both of them with floral design but in quite different ways.

The black and white one I got with 30% off in the sale at a shop called Mojito.  I thought it would go really well with a red lipstick as I was going through a bit of a dark clothing with red lips faze.
The white jumper with blue flowers was from Mango and was half price in the sale.  I'd been after it for ages and it looks really pretty over blue skinny jeans.  I wore it on Monday with my ASOS pinafore.

The sun actually shone yesterday for the first time in ages so I tried to take a few pictures for future posts as normally I'm trying to take them in the dark and it just doesn't float my boat as much.

Enjoy the rest of your evening.  Don't forget to follow me :)

Till next time

Twirlybirdie