Its all happening here!

I've just realised its been ages since I blogged anything on my own personal blog!! I've just been so busy..

The setting up of my business and the subsequent "going live" of it has had my head spinning, I've literally not had a minute to myself.. So what have I been doing??

Firstly there was the building of the website: Ananassa Multimedia
Which is still under construction, as I've done bits to it, but left it alone for a while to concentrate on my Etsy shop: Ananassa Etsy shop which involved me uploading pics of my work for sale.
I was also waiting for some funding to buy some equipment.. a drum carder, a spinning wheel with large oriface (oo-er) for spinning chunky, bulky and art yarns and a new laptop.. which I need to be quicker than my old one for uploading pics, etc..

What I've come to realise is that Rome was not built in a day, that launching a business is one thing, and actively having the time to work at it is another.. However, I'm finding myself doing things that I would have once found quite tedious, and thinking "Hey this is for my business.. and in order to progress I have to do this ... (insert dull job that needs doing)".. So I have literally started to find joy in all sorts of things now, like bookkeeping, accounting, etc.. I suppose you could say its the novelty and it will soon wear off, however, I'm not convinced. What it is better than, is filling in endless application forms for jobs that don't exist. I'm finding my days are filled with things to do and most of them are for my business.. Its so enjoyable I don't even look on it as work in the conventional sense. Whether its learning a new song, making a new thing, or just "doing the books".. I'm enjoying it.. finding myself more task oriented and able to fit in all sorts of things into my week.. including at half term having a day off to spend with my girls by taking them to a day trip to Bakewell. I've a feeling it'll be a while before I find a return on my work, but with hard work and determination, anything is possible.

I promised myself I will update my Blog more often..so I will... well, eventually, after I've updated my Ananassa one and the duo one too.. Oh yeah, did I tell you I sing in a duo too?, no?? well, here's the link: Rain

OK, back to work..

Its been a long time....

Well folks, I've not posted in ages.. so here is a new blog post!!!

So much has happened, its been like a veritable whirlwind of opportunities, life changes and all sorts of other stuff...
I've not managed to blog post as I simply haven't had the time!!

So, what's been going on..

Well..
1) I've been looking into self employment, not as a complete means to an end, but as a way of utilising the skills I have and doing something positive and productive with it. Its taken rather a while to put together the business plan.. But its been submitted now, just waiting for the OK to move forward and step into a new life with it. I'm really excited about it, but am not going to say too much until its launched.. so watch this space on that one.

2) I had my 43rd birthday.. I still don't feel it, so I'm not intending to be it... If I keep bluffing, no-one will actually know my age, unless they go looking..I believe in staying young at heart and in mind. I don't mean being childish, or anything like that.. nooo.. But just maintaining a youthful outlook, always being amazed by things and finding wonder in the everyday things... Its something to be positive about.

3) We had the school holidays and my youngest daughter's 7th birthday.. my how the time flies.. We have had some glorious weather and the kids have spent most of the holiday disappearing outside to play with their friends, or bringing friends around and playing in the garden.. I'm so blessed to have 2 very confident girls who can stand up for themselves and who are popular... The door is always being visited by one friend or another calling for them to come and play.. so who am I to refuse.. If it makes them happy, then I'm all for it.

4) I had some unsettling news just before the holidays, which left me on tentahooks and has left me reeling a bit.. It has left a dark cloud over things and even though its something and nothing, its still been a worry. I'm not going into details.. But lets just say, I know what's happened, the other people involved know whats happened and I know that one day karma will bite them so hard on the bottom they'll have a hard time escaping from it. They know what they've done wrong.. And worst of all is it was done by someone who knows me personally, someone who I would have called a friend, someone who I would have looked out for... Just proves one thing, leopards don't change their spots and when you feel that you're right about someone, you should listen to your instincts. This dark cloud has affected my mood, therefore my family, my sleep pattern, and so many other things...However, the whole thing is in the process as it were and now its just a matter of watching and waiting. This person has made so many assumptions about me and my life that its ludicrous. But I don't want to wallow in that here... What's done is done its in the past.. lets move forward to the exciting positive future ahead.

5) I was whisked away by my fella for a few days camping in Scotland... anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a happy camper, several not very positive experiences under canvas left me doubtful about the whole thing.. However himself said "You'll be fine, I'll make sure of that".. or words to that effect... So I decided to go with the flow.. I am so glad that I said yes... I had the most marvellous time.. We camped at Glen Nevis.. which is at the foot of Ben Nevis and is surrounded by the most breathtaking scenery I've every experienced. Words cannot describe how amazing it is in the Highlands of Scotland.. it was worth the 8 or so hours it took to get there (and the 12 hours to get back... a couple of detours saw to that)... I am now officially in love with the place and would go back like a shot...Oh, and I'd go camping again too as long as I have facilities.. I'm there!!!

6) Have been singing around and about too... travelling as far as Derby to do a support slot and well, just doing it.. I have received so many compliments from so many other talented and seasoned musicians, it really has made me believe in myself a whole lot more... One guy, who enjoyed a relative amount of success in the 1960's said, "You have a natural singing voice, its beautiful".... It just inspires me to carry on doing what I do.. I don't get paid for it... its a gift and I want to share it with the world.. I'm lucky to have something that I can share with others.. I have been more than humbled by the comments I've received, truly. I just want to keep doing it.. and more of it!!!

So, we reach September.. and its back to school, back to work and back to life laundry.. (sorting out my life!).. Hopefully I'll post some more stuff again soon. Just need to find the time.. time and life are precious commodities.. listen to the words that touch your heart, the inspiring words and compliments, because they are meant to be heard by your soul and to guide it on its journey. Positive things happen for good reason, as do negative events and people.. they teach us more about ourselves and to know by wasting energy on the negative, means that we don't have time for the positive, to enjoy the positive people, the positive experiences that are all precious gems.

Thanks for listening.

OOTD Going out tonight...

Well, not strictly going out "tonight".. but a couple of outfits from a couple of nights out I've had recently..

Firstly, Thursday evening last week, we went out to an Open Mic night, where I could exercise my vocal chords and sing a few songs.. here's what I wore.

 So the outfit above.. a very pretty blouse with pinky red roses on it, bought from a charity shop, teamed with a black linen skirt (which I also bought from a charity shop around 2 years ago (the blouse was £2.49, the skirt was around £3)

I decided on red accessories (apart from the belt as I don't have a red belt yet!), the roses necklace and bracelet was again, from a charity shop £2 for the pair. Shoes are Hush Puppies, and I paid £7.50 for them (which I think is quite a lot, but I know they would have set me back around £60 if I had bought them new!)

Close up, you can see the roses on the blouse and the
rose necklace.

I kept the make-up quite light, with my usual plummy tones for eyeshadow and a slick of eyeliner with a pinky red shimmery lipstick to finish it off!

All in all had a great night and felt very summery!

Friday night we went to see some friends who are in a band called String Fing, so I dressed a little more casually..

T-shirt is by Next and has lovely cut-outs on the shoulders (great for showing my tattoo off! I teamed this with some black stretch skinny jeans, also Next .. and yes, you guessed it, from the charity shop!!! On my feet (which you can't see) I have black cowboy boots.. I love cowboy boots and have 2 pairs, which I don't wear often enough at all!!

Accessories, I went with an "old gold" look, with a leaf statement necklace and some great statement earrings from Primark (bought in the sale for £1!!) I love these earrings, simply divine, though a tad heavy.



That's all from me for the moment... No doubt I'll post something else soon.

OOTD - The Weekend that was...

Hi folks,
Its taken me a while to put together something for the OOTD, but I have, and here they are.. Like buses, more than one come along at once.

So Friday evening I was taken out for a meal, and seeing as we planned on being relaxed, I didn't go to town..

The outfit I put together for this one was a lovely top covered in flowers and leaves in neutral tones, which I bought last year from the Faitrade shop in Ashbourne. I bought it during a sale, think it cost  £5, which for a fairly traded item is very cheap! I teamed it with black stretch straightlegged jeans (Atmosphere by Primark £10.. quite the investment as I found a pair that fitted nicely!) On my feet were black cowboy boots, which I picked up from a charity shop a few years ago.










My still newly dyed hair, showing its lovely reddish tones.. I'm loving it!

Decided on not too much make-up, so kept it light and simple, focussing on my eyes and a smidgen of coloured lip gloss.












Saturday's OOTD

 So, for Saturday, because I knew it was going to be hot and also I'd be going shopping, I wanted something simple, colourful and comfy.

Vest top - Atmosphere by Primark (I own loads of these in different colours, they're cheap, cheerful and go with everything!)

Short sleeve grandad shirt- Atmosphere by Primark- I LOVE the colour of this top, its quite loose, but I decided to tie it up, to show off my waist a bit.

Black Linen trousers by TU from Sainsbury's. I bought these a while ago in a charity  shop for £2, way before the sunshine came out. I'm pleased that I did now, as they're soooo comfy to wear when its hot and because they're wide legged, they're really comfy to wear.. I shall be on the look out for more!

Hair - As always at the moment, I just straightened it a bit..


Make up- I decided just to put some primer on as a base to even up my skintone. I currently use Avon's face perfector, which has a lovely smooth texture and has a slight mattifying effect.

Eyes - I used eyeshadow primer by George at Asda (£1 a tube!!) as I was using a powder.. this instance a Barry M one in a lovely teal, I don't wear much brightly coloured make-up these days, but it made a nice change to break out the little pot of colour. I lined my eyes with a shimmery blue eyeliner pencil from Barry M (Love their products, they are great quality, good prices and they don't test on animals!!), used my usual black mascara (Avon Super Shock)

Lips - Just a slather of tinted lipgloss and I was good to go!

Sunday was a gig day for me, London Road Festival.. so I got into the Festival spirit with the following outfit.

Hair - Yes its different.. I dug out my old real hair clip in extensions to see if they matched my hair, and they match perfectly!! So I just had to wear them seeing as I was going to a Festival, I had to get into the bohemian vibe :-)

Make-up, my usual plum tones, with black eyeliner and a slather of tinted lipgloss.

Necklace - I bought this from a charity shop (Douglas MacMillan Hospice shop) last year, its a Fair Trade one with large glass beads, a steal at £1 !!!

Dress - I bought this from my friend Shelley, she'd worn it a few times and decided it wasn't for her, so I pinched it. Seeing as tie dye is still very much in this season, as is the maxi-dress, I figured it was a good time to wear it. Of course, its not very forgiving, however its very very comfy. Never be afraid of swapping clothes with friends, or buying from them.. you can always find a gem.. and this is one of them. I've decided I'll wear it a bit more this year and will probably put a cropped denim jacket with it, just to make it a bit more.. well.. fashionable!! On my feet I was wearing a pair of Clarks shoes, with cross over straps, they were a purchase from a few years ago, and are in a kind of metallic brown, but they went OK with the dress and I needed something comfy on my feet for the walking about. lol. I only had time to take one pic, which is why there's no make-up pic, or different poses..

There you go, not one OOTD but 3!!!

Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow part deux

Well folks, life is never dull around here and consequently I came upon a decision.. well several decisions in light of recent events in my life.
It began when I was looking through some old pics and I found a pic of me with an old flame who I had lost contact with, I was getting all wistful and melancholy over lost love and how time passes that I thought.. "You know something, you can do something about this" and I did. I managed to find said person and re-introduced myself, wondering if he remembered me, etc.. This took me down another path, to find more old pics and put them on my Facebook. So I waded through what is left of my photo collection (I literally destroyed hundreds and hundreds of them a few years ago, in a fit of "that  part of my life is SO over" rage) meaning that I had literally destroyed lots of memories along with them. I kept a few with me in them and a few special ones, the rest went into the bin along with the negatives. Hey ho.
Anyway, I posted more pics onto my Facebook and the reaction was immediate, old friends began posting, new friends posted and it created a frenzy for a few hours... this made me so happy, as I had not only sparked memories in myself, but in others too. Looking back to happier, fun times and remembering them with delight and joy.

So, what has that got to do with hair, or anything else for that matter. Well, it got me thinking, the happiest times in my life were as a red head, a sort of coppery/auburn, which seemed to suit me and also to suit my character. I have been every shade of every colour down the years and as seen from "Hair Today Hair Tomorrow" original posting, my most recent hair decisions had been mightily flawed.
So there I was, sitting and reminiscing, feeling all nostalgic and I thought, it wasn't just the hair, it was everything about me in those days.. I was true to myself. I didn't care what other people thought, I dressed how I pleased (usually some kind of t-shirt, jeans, cowboy boots and a bright red leather jacket).. or if I went out, then lycra, lace and thigh boots.. or something like that.. Well, I was a bit of a rock chick and I liked myself like that. It suited who I was as a person.. a kind of square peg in a round hole. I've never fitted in, and I'm not moaning about that, far from it.. But I realised it too strength to be like that, strength to put myself out there as different, strength to be myself. I was fit and healthy in those days, I walked for miles, even if it was to the pub on a Friday night, would dance my weekends away and generally enjoy life to the full. If I didn't like something I wasn't afraid of saying it, if I wasn't happy, I would say why I wasn't happy and I would move on. I realised I had stopped being like that when I started to listen to what other people said. When I started to feel that because of my age, I must start conforming (I was in my early to mid 20's at the time). I tried everything, and the more I tried the more unhappy I became. I made dreadful and costly mistakes to my life and career. My health suffered terribly and I developed conditions and put on weight because I was over eating, because I wasn't happy in myself, I wasn't being true to me!

So it took nearly 20 years of looking back over a couple of days, to allow me to come to a decision and to begin implementing changes. These are:

1) I will eat less and move more, this will enable me to feel more confident about my body image.
2) I will get rid of the awful mop of over bleached hair with grey roots and go back to being a red head
3) I will wear what the hell I like (within reason)
4) I will not be dictated to by anyone. If someone doesn't like something I say/do/whatever, well, I shall listen to their opinion, but it is only that, their opinion. I will respect that opinion as they have a right to it.
5) If I make a mistake, I will own up to it with integrity and put it right.
6) I will be my true, loving, unique self in my relationships
7) I will be true to myself. I will do what makes me happy.

I know these few things might not sound like much, but they are huge to me, I feel like I'm a butterfly partially out of the chrysalis, re-emerging into myself again after a long dark hibernation.

Anyway, onto the hair pics..

 So here we have the "before" pics. It was bad enough the fact that I bleached my hair twice.. the colour is simply shocking and I couldn't live with it anymore. The salon manager was trying to be polite and I said "Just be honest, I'm not bothered, it was my fault that its that colour".. She replied.. "well its khaki in certain lights". I chose not to be upset, but to do something about it. Also the white hair isn't evenly spaced about my head, but peppered and interspersed with chunks of white.. Awful.

 Here it is "after"... Phew, what a difference. Its made my hair look longer and much shinier and in loads better condition! Excuse the lack of make-up, but I just wanted to get the pics up. It does look quite dark at the moment, but I know it'll fade a bit, which is fine. Its cost me a fair bit to get this far.. But its worth it. I hated having my hair chopped off so short, but I also accept that I made the mistake in the first place. No point blaming everyone else, I make a mistake, I fix it.

The final one, outside, so you can see the depth of colour. It looks sooo shiny. Not sure which brand of colours they use, think they might be Matrix ones, but I'm really impressed.

OOTD - What happened????

Well, you know, there you are sitting all ready to write a new Outfit of the Day post, you have your phone connected to upload the pics to the laptop, to then load them into the Blog post, so everyone can see how and what you've put together this time.. Only there are no pics on your phone!!! That very thing has just happened to me!!

I spent ages on Saturday perfectly coiffing my hair, putting on make-up, and putting together yet another outfit, the sun was shining, it was a glorious day and I was feeling  very very pleased with myself. So, onto Tuesday, when I finally have the time to sit down and do it.. and I peruse my phone for pics to find not one single one there!!! I don't remember deleting them, I know they were the only pics on there too, as I don't have a memory card for that phone (LG Viewty Snap), but have become rather reliant on its ability to take reasonable pics and for them to be safely stored on the phone. Now, unless its finally going wrong (well, it is over 2 years old now.. which is positively ancient for a mobile phone!!) as the battery is being rather tempremental, or there is some other strange factor, like I accidently pressed "delete all", instead of just delete selected, I don't know.. It is, as we shall say, a mystery. And a mystery it shall remain.

So, sorry if you were expecting an OOTD post.. so was I.. :-( I'm disappointed too...

I shall endeavour to put together something worthwhile for you this week.. promise, though it is half term, and I shall be out and about with my girls at some point..

Until then, I bid you adieu.

Hair today, Hair tomorrow

So, the time came for me to have a trim on my hair.. Anyone that knows me personally knows what trials I've been through recently, for those who don't, here's the "Hair saga".

Once upon a time there was a girl, who started to go grey at 19, so she hit the bottle. Her hair was every shade of every colour over that time, until she reached 40 (well, 41 and a few years of growing it, after deciding to go "au naturel", then henna red). By that time she had decided that a nice chocolately brown would be nice. So picked a lovely shade, according to the packet.. put it on her hair and waited. What resulted was black hair!!

So here we have, rather dark chocolate brown.. More commonly known as black hair!!

Of course I'm never satisfied, so decided to return to my reddish colour, choosing "Natural Copper Auburn Brown" - well, that's what it said on the box! 

The photo really doesn't do justice to the sheer brilliance of the red, it came out a kind of vermillion, nay scarlet, which would have been OK, if that was the colour I was aiming for. No, I wanted a nice coppery brown, with more brown than anything. I trawled the internet for help. Bearing in min I'd dyed my hair 2 days previous and simply couldn't live with it. Any sane person would have gone to the hairdresser... Not me. I took matters into my own hands once more. 

Before I trash any more and complain about products, this is simply amazing, it removes the colour element from the hair, obviously if the hair is over dyed, like mine was, then it will only remove so much.. So, I put it on and the result is below.

So here, we have a rather nice chocolatey, hazel brown. Now this I did like, but the ends were still very dark, from being overdyed, so rather than wait for my next box of Colour B4 to arrive, I got itchy fingers and bought a couple of boxes of bleach, and a rather nice permanent Dark Blonde.....

So this, is apparently "dark blonde"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The colour in the photo kinda looks OK, a sort of auburny colour.. In fact the colour was more like banana yellow.. and the condition... My poor hair was starting to snap!!!! My lovely long hair that I had been growing for a couple of years was flipping ruined!!!! So I got the scissors out and hacked at it, such was my disgust with myself for being so stupid.. Yes folks, even women in their forties make mistakes!!!

I woke up, having had a revelation... I needed to go to the hairdresser, or I was going to get my fella's clippers out and trim it to a number 1!!

So I got up the guts, walked into a local salon and said, "Help me".. when asked "What can we do for you?", I replied with "Cut off my hands, so I can't do anything else to my hair"

Fortunately they were very sympathetic, through the stifled laughter, I realised there was no point in crying about it, I was just going to have to take it on the chin and deal with it. 

 So, carefully and considerately, the lovely Rachel washed, and cut my hair. So here we have the results. I was sent away with a set of conditioning treatments to try on it, and advised to not dye it for the time being, but go away having had a strand test, in case I did decide to go for a colour. Having chatted to my lovely boyfriend about it, I decided to let it go "au naturel" again. As dyeing  and bleaching it had been so stressful for me. This cut was done in late March.

 TODAY!! 24th May 2013

BEFORE

AFTER

 So, I decided to go back and have a follow up appointment, 8 weeks on from "the chop".. The before pic, showing how wild my uncut hair was getting, the trouble with very dry hair, like mine has become, is that there is so little you can actually do, apart from re-moisturise like a demon and keep having it cut, until there is enough healthy hair to grow it. So today I decided to have more layers put in, just to help with getting rid of this dry broken mess I have, but to only have a tiny amount taken off the length, it feels much better so I'm  happier. Nothing worse than having your crowning glory taken away!

I've also been sent away with some proper shampoo and conditioner, while double the price of what I usually use, I've been told is perfect for hair in the condition that mine is in, and it should help. 

I'm back to the hairdressers in July... so I'll follow up then!

Remember folks, let this saga be a lesson to you!!

1) Don't bleach your hair from black go to a hairdresser

2) Don't cut your own hair after damaging it

3) Go to a hairdresser in the first place to have it coloured the colour you want to go

4) Going to the salon is expensive, but so is dyeing, redyeing, overdyeing, stripping and bleaching and bleaching and colouring your hair yourself.

5) Just go to the hairdresser

I only have myself to blame and I accept full responsibility for what I have done.

OOTD - Saturday 18th May 2013

Well, I don't think at the moment I'll be blogging an OOTD (Outfit of the Day) every day of the week, however, I think its something that I plan to do more of, showing you how to put together outfits, cheaply, easily and without too much fuss. One thing about fashion/clothing I like to think, is that there are no rules. There are no hard and fast Do's or Don'ts... you have to go with what's right for you.

Yes there are things you can do to enhance your shape, things you can do to feel comfortable and things you can do too flatter your best features. One thing I want to show is how to not give a stuff about current trends, but invent your own!! I'm a self confessed jeans and T-shirt wearer most of the time, mainly because its practical. I spend my days doing housework, I work with kids (who we know can be quite messy).. so my daily uniform is simply practical. However, I feel the need at weekends to do something different, to wear something that is a bit nicer, a bit different to what I would normally wear.

Anyway, here's my first OOTD! I've been as honest as possible with the pricing and what products I've used. You don't need a big price tag to look stylish. Obviously any comments are gratefully received.

Don't I look happy?? lol Must remember to smile in photos when I set the timer!

Top: black vest top, size 18- Primark - £2

Black long sleeve top with lace and stud detailing, size 16- £3 (marked down from £8 in the sale!)

Bottoms: Black denim skirt, size 16  - £2 (by Lakeland, but from a charity shop)

Black leggings size 16 - £3 ( Primark)

Black leather comfy flat boots, size 6 - £25 (From Evans in the 2011/2012 sale, marked down from £69.99)

Total : £10 for the clothes!!! 

Bargain!!!!  And I can use all elements of the outfit individually to make other outfits!

I teamed the outfit with a leaf statement necklace (bought from a charity shop for £1) and some gold earrings that were a gift from a friend.

Don't ask about the hair, I'm growing the colour out, I had an argument with a couple of bleach bottles a couple of months ago and my hair started breaking, so a good haircut and several hair repairing treatments later, and this is what I have. So I just have to make do, however I did recently put a "silver" toner on it, to take away some of the brassyness.. which has worked, however, its not permanent..product used: Directions "silver" toner. £4.

 Make - up: I decided not to bother with my usual foundation base, and opted to leave my skin as nature intended and just put a slight hint of smokey make up on. 

To achieve the look I used "Sunkissed eye palette" a lovely, rather cheap, selection of golds, coppers and bronzes. After using eyeshadow primer  - George at Asda £1 (An absolute necessity to help the eyeshadow stay in place!! This primer is the cheapest available, and is by far a superior product compared to its price!!!) . Primer used all over the eye lid and brow area, and smoothed in. Applied a taupe colour to the whole eye lid/brow area, followed by a gold shadow in the eye corner, followed by a dark brown on the outer corners and under the lower lashes... Always remember to use an eyeshadow brush for this and build up the colour slowly!! Then I curled my lashes and added a couple of coats of mascara - Avon Supershock in Black £4 in the sale brochure! On my lips I used a gloss  - Avon Glazewear Sparkle in red, I've had this a while and should probably replace it, but there's so much left, I'd rather not waste it y throwing it away!!

So there you go, an OOTD, cheap and cheerful! 

Trip to Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands

I have to tell you about a lovely little town in the Staffordshire Moorlands called Leek.
It is simply one of my favourite places to go shopping, with oodles of charity shops unusual shops and cafes, a thriving market and all manner of wonderfulness.

I realise that not everyone sees the beauty in Leek, but I do. It takes me back to a place and time in childhood, where we would pass through Leek on our way to the Roaches for many a picnic. Childhood memories are the most fertile of memories, filled with sunshine an colour, excitement and adventure.

So here's a few snapshots from my recent visit to Leek.

Beautiful paper flower in a painted milk bottle in Spout

  

A little light reading while I have a cappuccino and cake.

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A special treat, a visit to Spout a rather unusual coffee shop/cafe in Leek.. Here I'm sampling the Cappuccino and Mango, Coconut and Lime cake. Surrounded by stropped walls, half doors as tables, odd chairs and painted milk bottles as vases. A simply wonderful place. 

Spout Coffee Shop

Looking down St Edwards Street, toward Spout, I love the different architecture, buildings, shops and well, everything..

Another favourite spot of mine in Leek is Getliffe's Yard, a hidden gem of a place that is hidden away and is only there if you can find it. Contains a few one of a kind shops, vintage shop and a couple of cafe's, including the very excellent Fat Olives.

Took a blurry pic of the pansy, as I love the colour combination in this one.. very inspiring.

Overall my short trip was excellent, if a tad on the grey and cool side. However, I'm never one to stay away for long.

Oh you want to know if I bought anything.. Oh yes, some teal cushion covers, a couple of books for the kids and for me and a pair of stretchy skinny jeans, not something I would normally wear.. But well, its nearly summer, I have to give it a try at some point! 

Craziness.. and migraines

Well the past week has been a bit hectic, and that's the main reason I've not posted anything.. Had a job interview last Friday (fingers crossed), then went out for our friend's birthday to The Lymestone Vaults.. where we ate curry and chips and chocolate birthday cake (It would have been rude not to).

Saturday had me battling with the rain and wind at Art in the Park at Leek, demonstrating my drop sinning abilities to enthralled and bedraggled folk who had braved the cold and damp. It was lovely catching up with my Guild friends, they're a lovely bunch of women and incredibly inspiring, talented and well, just amazing!
Saturday afternoon saw us going to see  Iron Man 3.. it had to be done, not least to ogle the completely gorgeous Robert Downey Junior (who I've had a crush on since the 80's..), but because I like comic books (guilty pleasure, I know...) Saturday night we went to see the wonderful Sons of Clogger at the Folk and Ale Festival, who, alongside other artists, such as Hornswaggle, really show us how its done!

Sunday involved going to The Folk and Ale Festival at The Gresley Arms, where we performed a short set of original songs to a very enthusiastic crowd. The folk scene, isn't just about beards and jumpers, but so many talented individuals and groups of musicians, who are all so supportive in every way to everyone.

All through this I was fighting a migraine, which have become somewhat of a battle down the years. I'm on medication for them, which is OK, and leads me to ba able to lead a fairly normal life, but I still feel crabby.. so went to the GP on Monday and received some more tablets to combat the nausea that I get... which has, again, helped me somewhat. I've been left feeling slightly tender and somewhat "hungover" from this one.. so am taking it easy and not doing a great deal, until the weekend kicks in and I'll no doubt do some more stuff..

I have been quite creative too, I've begun working with Fimo again, I like it as a modelling device and have made myself and a couple of friends some nice necklaces, and feel inspired to do more.. It follows from reading a blog by Betty Pampered, and seeing the Bete Noir necklaces.. Mine are different (as who would rip someone off directly?).. but I will say they're inspired.. I'll post some pics up at some point.

I've also had a couple of bargains from the charity shops again (I really should clear out my closets, or buy another wardrobe!!), and yes, another pair of shorts.. though these fit better and are more stylish (imho)... though it remains to be seen when I'll wear them. Other purchases include a nice tea style dress, which looks great with a belt, red and polka dot t-shirt and a black denim skirt... I look forward to putting together some outfits and doing  a blog about them one day, when I spy a chance..

Rightio, that's my blogging up to date for now.. How people manage to find time to do it everyday, I don't know... crazy!!

The Militant Baker: The Body Image(s) Revisited with News!

The Militant Baker: The Body Image(s) Revisited with News!: Beauty is not exclusive. "History is filled with women that were soft, voluptuous, and enviable for their ideal figure. When food...


I simply have to share this blog.. created by the amazing Jes.. some fab pics, a great idea... and generally makes me feel a whole heap better about my white blancmange bits :-)

Mayday! May Day! A Bank Holiday Bonanza

Phew!! What a scorcher... I think it must be the first Bank Holiday Monday in a long time that the weather has actually been on our side!!
I raided the wardrobe and cupboards looking for something cool to wear, and settled on an old pair of green cargo pants and a vest top.. used a red scarf (its good to clash) as a headscarf to keep the sun off, and a pair of trainers not worn since last year to complete the outfit.. No pics.. No, not at all, and certainly not in my scruffy glory as was... So my dignity is still intact!!

With the warming weather, its tempting to get all mad and run around in skimpy clothes, however, it requires that one remain true to oneself and our dignity.. More than anything dignity!! I should have bore in mind today when I went to Primani and bought a pair of shorts.. There was me thinking, Ooh they're made from stretchy material, soft and forgiving... then I tried them on when I got home (Didn't have time to try in the shop, as I'd already tried to pull some skinny coloured jeans up past my knees and failed,.... why don't they make coloured bootcut ones??? Not everyone who is curvier has skinny legs!!!!!).. Anyhoo, the sight in the mirror scared me.. great wedges of pale flesh, marked with scars, thread veins and cellulite.. I'm being honest folks.. not mincing my words.. But it was horrid. However, instead of crying, as I would have once upon a time, I decided to take a different approach.. I'm going to take the shorts back and get my money back. I wouldn't even spray tan my legs and show them off.. I shall keep them covered up in future.. cargo pants, linen trousers and the like are the way forward.. with my dignity intact... I don't mind bearing my flabby arms, but not my legs... that's just too much.

I know there are girls out there who will flash the flesh, and good for them.. But its not for me. I may only be 42, but I have to draw the line somewhere.. Perhaps if I were on a beach in the Med, things might be different, but pasty white blancmange doesn't look right... I'd need several weeks on the sunbed, spray tans and permanent real life photoshopping for me to get my legs out again in public.. In fact last time I wore shorts was in 1992, when denim shorts were all the rage... they might be back in fashion now.. but I shall leave it to the younger girls, or those with different legs, to get them out.. I ain't.. I've preserving my modesty!

However, I did get a bargain on Saturday.. while in the Charity shops, I found a pair of Hush Puppy Mary Jane style shoes in red!!!! I just had to have them.. have yet to wear them, but I will when I get a chance.. Hush Puppies, for those of you who have never worn them, make some of the comfiest shoes around, and quite stylish too.. I shall post a pic another time, perhaps when I put together an outfit, or something.. But I am rather liking them.. and they only cost £7.50.. which is more than I would normally pay in a charity shop, but they were my size and Hush Puppies, which while are not in the price bracket of Manalo Blahnik, are still quite pricey when on a budget!

So, now we enter into Summer.. wonder what I can wear and when.. Will have to have a sort out and find some clothes that fit, I'm a whole stone and a bit lighter than this time last year.. so some of my stuff doesn't fit (a tad loose).. and I don't want to put on the weight so that they do fit, so plan to keep the weight off.. means I have to buy more clothes.. Oh what a pity!! :-) I shall be scouring the charity shops and bargain rails to see what I can come up with :-)

A have to share

I wasn't going to post anything just yet, but have just read this fab blog post and I think its a must for us curvy girls.. and I mean all kinds of curvy...

Loving it..

Things no one will tell fat girls

Its on The Militant Baker's blog... I think I now have a new heroine! ;-)

Vintage plus size blog..

I simply have to tell you about a blog by a lovely friend of mine called KK, I've had the pleasure of knowing this gorgeous woman for the past few years and she embraces her voluptuousness with both hands..

I didn't know she was a blogger until today, when she shared her link with me!!

How is it I never knew this?

I don't know, I think Blogging is something we do and not really tell anyone, its like a guilty secret, where we share our ideas with anyone who'll read it! lol Anyway, she really has this blog thing sussed (probably more than I will!!)

Anyway, here's a link to her site.. check it out for yourself!


http://www.vintageplussize.blogspot.com

Yesterday's post and the inspiration begins!

This is cross-posted from my other blog: http://www.msmcdonagh.blogspot.com
and I thought I'd share it with you.. we all have pretty bad days, and days when inspiration strikes.. so yesterday was like that for me.. so I thought I'd share, and its when I came up with the idea for this blog.. a blog for what kind of things I enjoy doing.. Stephen King once said, "Write about what you know".. so this is where is begin.. ... ...

"Today was going to be "one of those days".. I woke in the foulest of moods, really downbeat, and had to force myself to get out of bed and engage in the day. I packed the kids off to school and set about trying to make the day work for me.

Wednesday is usally my "trip to town" day.. I say town, Stoke town centre doesn't boast much beyond Sainsbury's, a couple of cheap shops and a plethora of charity shops.. Anyway, when I'm feeling blue, a good charity shop mooch is usually one way of elevating my mood, and so, there we have it, its what I did..

First up was the little charity stall in Stoke Market, where I picked up some cream Mary Jane heeled shoes (Heaven help my poor feet!) for the princely sum of £1.. the're from New Look and are made from leather and despite one scuff to the front of one of them, they're perfect. Next was The Donna Louise Trust shop, which is a fantastic one, full of furniture, clothing and all manner of "stuff".. purchased: 2 polka dot silk scarves, for the sum total of 50p!!! BARGAIN!

I scoured Scope and came up with nothing and so to the Red Cross shop, however the Dougie Mac shop yielded more bargains.. 2 black cotton summer skirts for £2 each.. the one on the left of the pic is a Rocha John Rocha, the other a Wallis, so both good quality skirts, for very cheap!! Can't wait to try them on and see what I have that I can team them up with.

The cream shoes.. well, I was going to cover them with fabric, beads and the like, but I really like them as they are, so I may just leave them for now.. as they are pretty cute as they are.

While my mood isn't all that great, I'm chuffed to bits with my bargains.. all for the princely sum of £5.50!!!!

Ooops, I almost forgot.. I also bought a lovely book called "50 Years of Everyday Fashion", which was published by Yours magazine, not everyone's cup of tea, but I couldn't resist it because of all the fantastic vintage photos from the Second World War right through to well, more modern times. I'm sorely tempted to do a photo montage, or somesuch, on a canvas to put around the flat.. But it would be a shame to cut up the book.. Oh decisions decisions... Oh yeah, and I got it for £1.. so either way its a bargain!

I've recently been getting back into "fashion", well, over the past few years I have, and looking back to the past for inspiration. Once upon a time I studied A level Fashion and loved it and have been seriously thinking of making clothes again as I have the skills, but rarely use them. Its motivation I lack in all honesty, distracted by other things, such as life, job-hunting, kids, etc.. However, I'm happiest when I'm doing something creative, which is why I knit and crochet so much! I have patterns and I have some material.. So I think I may set myself the challenge of making something, I'll say, at some point.. rather than commit to anything just yet, but I should get out the fabric and shears, the pattern and the pins and start making.
The thing is, I go to so many handmade fairs and the like and I keep thinking to myself "I could make that", or "I'm sure that would be easy to make".. yet I never seem to get around to it!! Procrastination is a killer, as is low self-esteem (which is something else I carry like a sack of spuds!), and its important to feel positive about projects before starting them, which I initially do, then get distracted, or just get up in a foul mood, like today.. hey ho.. at least its only one day!

So, I shall set myself a new challenge, to try and beat the "blues"...

1) Do something creative each day, whether it be writing a blog, sewing something, spinning some yarn, drawing, making, or whatever.
2) Not be disappointed with myself if I don't finish a project that day
3) Stick with it, instead of throwing in the towel
4) Don't give up on a project, unless its not working, then try to do something else with it

Well, its a good place to start. I have loads of ideas, some of them not entirely practical, however, some of them might just be "the thing" to get my creative juices flowing and to see where it leads me. So I plan to resurrect my "Spinyche" blog, where I show all my handspun yarn and knitting and crochet projects. Start another blog on sewing, or just general creativity and see what happens.

Hurrah for inspiration! About time you reared your head and allowed me to find some way through this quagmire of mud that is my bad mood...

Onwards and upwards!"

First post

Hello world.. a new blog rubs its eyes and says hello to the world..

I've decided to begin a fashion based/creative blog for those of us with a few extra pounds, and who are over a "certain age"... Just to prove its not just the youngsters who are fabulous (which they are), but that we ladies are also interested in clothes, make-up, hair, etc etc, just might have a little less time for it than the younger ones.

I suppose this blog is designed to be body positive, with our various bits heading south, stretch marks, wrinkles and grey hairs, I wanted to share a more positive approach to growing older disgracefully. I'm not suggesting that everyone over 40 is fat, but that we all come in a multitude of sizes, and besides "Forty plus and fabulous" had already gone as a blog name, so I chose this one instead.

As we slide toward the inevitable, lets have a giggle along the way, share our thoughts, and generally kick butt (to use an Americanism). Lets show the younger girls how we older girls Rock! Cos, we do rock, just as much, if not more in some cases.

I'm not suggesting we lose our dignity by wearing flesh coloured leggings with black lacy thongs, allowing our cellulite to show to the world (OMG!! As if!!) but to just gently slide into our older years, kicking and screaming.. We owe it to the girls coming up behind us to lead the way, to show them that they don't have to become their mum's, that you can still be funky, fabulous, flirty, fashionable, and loads of other "f's"!!

So, here we go.. time to launch Forty plus, fat and fabulous!!!!