Bird is The Word!

Firstly please please please view this  video, you will then want to kill me as it will be in your head for days! Annoy all friends and family by passing it on.

So yes, Bird is most definitely the word. It's had an early presence in the shops and carries on now in to A/W. Personally I do love a nice animal print/motif and own quite a few animal themed pieces (reindeer jumper, owls necklace,rabbit and squirrel jumpers)
Some of the newest prints are really beautiful

Here are a few of my picks for birdie style fashion:

Top Row L-R
 Orange bird dress and white belted dress Newlook £21.99,
Maxi red dress from the Coleen collection at Very £79.00
Red and white bird dress Dorothy Perkins £29.50 ,
Black and white dress- Lipsy from Next £50.00,
Black and white belted shirt dress Miss Selfridge £37.00,
Black and white bird top, Topshop £18.00, Cream Floaty dress, Yuki also from Topshop £59,
Brown pussy bow dress is Vero Moda from Asos £28.00
and White pussy bow blouse, £35.00 also Asos


My Favourite is the Brown Vero Moda blouse (worn as dress on model) It looks like it will be a lovely stylish piece for A/W. Don't think I'll get away with wearing it as a dress(hello tomorrows washing!!) but can picture it with some lovely indigo Flares, tan boots and a 70's style hat, Tres chic!!


However, if full on feathered friends is a bit much  but you fancy dabbling in the birdie trend you might like one of these little treats:

From The Top L-R

Head band,Newlook £3.99,

Gold Reiss necklace Asos £27.99,

Pink bird scarf River Island £13.99,

Bird Kilt Pin, Cath Kidston Asos £20.00,

Earings Asos £6.00,

Black and blue scarf, Linea House Of Fraser £8.00

Tan clasp purse, Topshop £12.00

Yellow Vintage style bird scarf Topshop £16.00

These are all so pretty and can be re-mixed in lots of ways and are perfect for experimenting with a little of the latest fashion.

Me in my Birdie Shirt from Marks & Spencers, bought in June (now sold out) 

I like this look, my work is wear what you want really, Casual/smart is what I aim for.This outfit hits those buttons :)

Move over David Blane, and Dynamo I can levitate too!
 

Damn my shoe! giving me away!!

Meet the Birds!

So, are you a Bird fan? 

Rachel

x o x

Show Me The Shoes!

I love shoes, I am you're stereotypical girl and I don't care!! 
I have dozens(and dozens) of pairs, to the point where if you were to come to my house, you couldn't walk in to a single room without coming across one or two pairs(the rest are stuffed under my bed, but don't tell hub's! His rule is one out one in, mine is more the merrier! And also yes I obviously have a messy house!)
I do believe there aren't many men that understand. Take my hub's. I believe he has 3 pairs in total. THREE MEASLY PAIRS!! How could I live like that??!! 
For me shoes can finish an outfit, but they can also start one, yes I have been known to base a whole outfit around (a very fabulous) pair of shoes.
These one's to be precise:

Aren't they pretty!

Irregular Choice

 (My favourite shoe brand)

Shoes can make me smile, they never make me feel fat and always look good!

Since having the kiddiwinkles, heels are mostly impractical and look ridiculous when teetering through soft play (trust me on that one! Been there done it, bowed my head in shame, but my feet still looked fabulous)

So as much as I love all my shoes, some of the heeled varieties are a little neglected due to lifestyle changes ( But still loved very much, of which I assure them at least once a week)

But even though I compromise on my height, I don't like to compromise on prettiness! Why should I? After all

"The fact is, sometimes it's hard to walk in a woman's shoes that's why

 we need 

really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun."

Never a truer word said Carrie Bradshaw!

So with that in mind, here are some of my hot picks for this week:

DAY SHOES,

You know you're running about it, pool, park, shopping shoes:

All these pretties are from Asda and not one pair id over £8!! Pretty and kind to my purse! Which means I can have two pairs!


And then we have


SMART SHOES

I could quite literally buy all of these beauties! Again all from Asda and all are £10 or less!
Guess where I've been on my lunch break!!


So with that in mind, throw those nasty trainers away and slip your feet into something gorgeous! Cos as the L'Oreal adverts keep telling me, we're, apparently, well worth it!!

Rachel

x o x

Transitional

Hello Lovely people!


Well it's a funny old time of year, All the shops are luring me in with lovely Autumnal colours and clothes and it appears Wales is having it's few days of summer! This equals a confused recipe for dressing and shopping! I've been buying a few new pieces for the colder months(that most days appear to already be here) and being impatient I want to wear them now*spoilt brat syndrome* However the sun in this country is such a rarity I'll happily grab my Summer dresses with both hands and switch on Summer mode(temporarily i can assure you, give it a few days and I will be sporting coats and wellies yet again)


Hub's and I have date night (Going to see a young lad, don't know if you've heard of him, Harry Potter ??!) 
And I've been looking forward to wearing this little beauty of a dress
For me this is my new No. 1! My new favourite, My new good times dress. Reason being, it is just so easy! I love easy, I'm an easy kinda gal (ahem!) 
It's got sucha a lovely Vintage, boho feel, which is just up my terraced row street (Welcome to The Rhondda Valley!)

Transitional dress:

Paired with my espadrilles (£10 bargain from River Island) and a light weight cardigan(cos my God, the cinema I go to feels like Antarctica, Air Con overload!)

Cardi also great for my BW (bingo wings :o(   )

Necklace, my fav, is Vintage from this amazing place in Cardiff called The Pumphouse (Think of Aladdin's cave and your there)


Dress:Peacocks


I'm looking forward to remixing this with thick navy tights, warm wooly cardi and tan boots for Autumn/ winter.


Today my lil lovely Neo was with his grandparents, he had a wale of a time, at the park, feeding the ducks, picnics.. Very jealous! 

My trendy Pop's in his Aviators, my Neo, now walking 8 whole steps. So funny, he looks like Frankenstein when he walks, with his stompy feet and out-stretched arms. 


Whilst he was with the g-p's, I worked, boring, boring and guess what, more boring.
I did escape for an hour and pick up a fabulous brown cord jacket in the local charity shop for £2! Which was amazing seeing as i was looking for one everywhere last winter!! (pic's to come)
And i also spotted this little beauty

Cute or what! Peacocks again for this little treasure. 
Have you guys got any "transitional" pieces? 


So I'm off now to go and see that film about a wizard, I forget it's name ;o) Anyone else seen it yet? Any good? Or am I going to walk out of there thinking that that's 2 hours of my life I'm not getting back?

Rachel

x o x

Blue and Green....

...Should never be seen, unless a colour in-between. Apparently. Well that's a big fat fib (mum), 'cos they look like they were a match made in heaven to me.

My favourite colour is green and I own a lot of blue, it's only natural the two go together.

This is a typical Saturday outfit for me, chilled and easy. Through the week I tend to wear a lot of dresses, but weekends are all about the casual!

Jorts: Dorothy Perkins

Green Top: Peacocks

Necklace & Bracelet: Gifted from my lovely friend

Poka Dot Pumps: Peacocks (£7 on sale, I do love a shoe bargain, even more so when they're super cute!)

Ring: a little boutique The House In Town They have some stunning stuff! Great for special occasions!

Today consisted of:

Tidying: Myself, 3x bedrooms, 1 x kitchen

Washing: 3 loads of washing, 2 dishwasher loads, 2 boys, 1 girl and me and my hair

Wiping: Baby's bum, dining table, baby tears, spilt milk (literally and metaphorically)

Two boys playing with the pink Russian dolls?!

Neo trying breadsticks for the first time.... 
Sussing the stick out

Munch Munch Munch

He also tried a mini jaffa cake, but ssshh don't tell the parenting police!(Needless to say he loved it) And Mummy enjoyed the rest of the pack.

Rachel x o x

Black And Blue

Black and blue is how I'm feeling after a very stressful week!

This outfit was what I choose this morning to conduct a training session.

Dress: Sale Newlook £10.00
Owl pendant: Old
Daisy Umbrella: Newlook £4.00
Shoes: Sale, Dorothy Perkins £20.00 down from £40.00


The dress is super cute and super comfy, I haven't got very good pics of it here, but it has the cutest peter pan collar. This is a dream dress for me, I already have at least 3 other ways in mind of dressing it up in different ways(belts, shoes, different jewellery). The blue is very striking and I truly loved wearing it today. It was floaty and girly and added a splash of colour to a very grey day. 
As mentioned it has been a tough old week, our business has been hard work and I've been fighting my way through and come out the other side a little bumped and bruised.
But it's the weekend! (HOORRAYYY!!)
And even though this doesn't mean lye-in's and lazy days( kids don't tend to think that's fun, more's the pitty!) It means a break from the rat race and time with the loved ones! TGIF!

My handsome boy, 6 weeks away from his 1st Birthday 

Teeth Cleaning service provided by my littlest niece Lillie

Neo slightly confused as to the apparatus needed for the teeth cleaning service.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!!

Grey Weather, Grey Mood!

The Weather is grey, my mood is grey, my complexion is grey and my outfit should really also match, but I don't own much grey, so I decided to take the advice of Trinny and Susannah. Feeling tired, look a bit worn,(YUP!) then pink will give your complexion an instant lift, it may also lighten your mood.
So I have gone for the pinkest of pinks today:

Shirt from Next.
I felt a bit Miami Vice when I first wore this  my with white jeans, not a look I normally go for, however I did get some nice remarks on what a "perky" colour it was. I also felt like i stood out like a sore thumb, but a pretty sore thumb, so that's ok.


I won't bore you with all the reasons behind my foul mood (Ecomomic climate, famine in Africa, customers not paying their bills!) but I will tell you that yesterday, my day started like this:
Cant find anything to wear
Trusty Wide leg Dark jeans it is,
Iron trusty jeans on floor real quick,
Burn trusty jeans,
Melt carpet,
Break iron,
Sit on floor in huff.


My mood was only lightened by:
Going to Next sale and getting exact said jeans on sale, half price!!

I also wore my fav vintage look-a-like Charm necklace and matching bracelet.

The lady in the garage this morning asked if I had collected these myself and how wonderful it was, I wanted to fib and say "Yes, I've collected them from across the globe" but actually said "No, I bought it for a tenner". She didn't know how to reply and just scanned my chocolate buttons. Think she would have appreciated the fib more.


And finally, in the lunch hour, I went out for my normal un-appetising salad and came back with this:

From Peacocks! They have a fab Hippy Commune trend in at the mo, and some of the items are really lovely! This little beauty hopped of the rail, in to my hands and begged me to take it with me and it promised me it would make me smile. I did, I smiled. Whoever said retail therapy never worked obviously didn't ever have a conversation with a dress before.


And finally i think this photo sums up my mood: He gets me, he felt the same, he didn't want to be up and out early either this morning.

We both wanted to be doing this:

Head buried under Macca Pacca.
And I can't wait till we can both be:

Don't you just love a sleeping baby!!

Pretty and Practical

Hey Everybody, Hope all's well!!


Being a mummy my days are often spent in play gyms, mother & toddler groups and parks (when we have the weather!) Today we were at Monkey Music, I chased after Neo and fought with him over the instruments, but a good time was once again, had by all. 
But even though I like to be comfy to run around after my little monkey (I'm the one running round like a mad mum, up the slide, on the swings, chasing the kids, looking like a complete an utter loon, yup that's me) I also still like to look nice, you know like me still. Don't get me wrong many a time I could  quite easily have slumped out in joggers and a hoody (and I have!) but I try and make the effort for me. Also when I look back in years to come at photos of Neo as a little baba I really don't want to look and think "eeuughh what the hell was I thinking!"
So pretty and Practical is my aim, being a mummy's the game.


Here's my pretty & practical at the park outfit!

All items are Dorothy Perkins... except for the bag which is Very


My reasoning behind these are: 


Jean Shorts (jorts): Practical and nice and easy, 2 lengths for your preference! 


Red top: this is a blinder for mums like me, who can't seem to loose the mum tum, covers all the right places, the little  sleeves are also very flattering (hides my bingo wings extra well!)


Stripe Tee: Never out of fashion, always looks good.


Across body style satchel: Leaves hands free, but big enough for your bits for a couple of hours in the park (everything bar the kitchen sink in my case)


Flat Espadrilles: Super comfy, super practical, super cute!


Scarf: Pretty, adds interest to an outfit, and often used in my case as a sling, cape, bandage, blanket or sail. Very handy item, who would of thought!


Hat: Greasy hair? Forget about it!! 


Belt: No one wants to see this full moon any time soon!


(on a side note, if you're going on a boat any time soon this look would also look very location appropriate, nothing like a bit of nautical dressing! I'll just be hanging off the port side of the wooden boat in our park, doing my best titanic impression)

Well hope you like my park picks, do you have practical pretty items? 
Over to you! 

Rachel

x o x

Listography- Gigs

Kate takes 5 has got a corker of a listography this week:
5 Bands/people I would love to see are:


1. Foo Fighters:

Without a shadow of a doubt Dave Grohl is a musical genius. Such a talent.. I am desperate to see this band I hope and pray one day I will!


2. Pink Floyd

All time Ultimate Band ...EVER... need I say more? 


3. Newton Faulkner

Have seen him twice and both times were fabulous. Very talented young man! Would love to see again... Think crazy fingers on the guitar with lovely quirky vocals and songs!


4. Fall Out Boy

Just really like this band, I like singing along in the car and playing it really loud and getting strange looks from the people in the next car!!Rocking out in the car is the best! Think one of their gigs would be awesome!


5. Alanis Morrisette

My Teenage years were spent listening to Jagged little pill, with all it's fantastic angst! I still love this album but have mellowed in my adult years and now love the acoustic version! 


Loved doing this blog :) Whats your top 5?? Hop on over tokate takes 5


Rachel
xxx 

Autumn/Winter 2011!

Autum/ Winter 2011

Well its that time of year again when all the shops start their first Autumn/ Winter drops. I do love change over periods, I love receiving my new catalogues and sitting down attentively scanning through them with a nice cuppa, (having said that I've have 2 little beauties waiting patiently to be looked at for 2 weeks now, time escapes me at the mo!). Its a lovely pass-time of mine checking out the next seasons trends and planning what I would like to purchase if i given a limitless budget!

I know it may seem bizarre that I'm already getting excited about Autumn/Winter, but to be honest I haven't gotten fully in to Summer mode, it's quite difficult to do so when you live in wet Wales!

I ordered two beautiful dresses from Next this week and have worn the one to date night with hub's. Both are dresses that can be dressed with layers and nice thick tights for the cold months to come or a nice pair of wedges/sandals now.

My new A/W purchase :

Both dresses from Next

I have a weak spot for tea dresses! They're so girly an pretty and so easy to wear. For practicalities I wear mine with leggings (clumsy me = possible public flasher = arrested= so not good, lol!)

I love how this dress hides my bingo wings, a pair of spanx wouldn't have gone a miss though lol!!

The kids trying to get out whilst we took pics... they were hilarious,(my youngest niece Lillie(pickle) and my Neo.

I'm so happy that vintage 70's look is very much a key part of A/W 2011. As previously mentioned (a few dozen times) I do love the whole style of this fabulous era. There are some absolute lovely pieces that have already caught my eye... I'm hoping over the next few months some of these may make their way in to my wardrobe. I will be a loving owner and will make a nice home for them and take them lots of nice places! Although my ownership should come also with a warning of my 10 month old son! ;o)

My A/W 11 picks so far:

1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 are all River Island

8. is Very

Lots more to look through, will keep you posted with my finds!!