Money Saving Monday Part Deux

Hello lovelies! Another week, another Money Saving Monday.

As you probably know I am on a spending ban for July with the exception of essentials and gifts. Last week I confessed to a little slip-up with my Bare Minerals foundation but I've done surprisingly well this week.

I've barely looked at clothes at all! There are sales everywhere beckoning me, testing me, throwing the proverbial banana peel underfoot, but I've somehow managed to avoid temptation. Of course that doesn't mean I've been walking around with my eyes closed. I've been looking at other things (that I'm also not allowed to buy, grr) such as fabric:

And home stuff:

Unicorn Jewellery Dish

Brunch-osaurus Salt & Pepper Shakers

And also tattoos but that's a post for another day.

So, not much to report as you can see. I am eagerly awaiting a phone case which I pre-ordered about 6 weeks ago so hopefully I can show you that without guilt before the next installment of Money Saving Monday.

I wonder how the other money saving ladies are getting on...

Abi - http://aisforabi.blogspot.co.uk

Debz - http://www.wannabeprincess.co.uk

Lucia - http://www.ucantwearthat.com

Sarah - http://plussizeproud.wordpress.com

Katherine - http://acurvycupcake.blogspot.co.uk

Kelly - http://misskittykaos.blogspot.co.uk

Nikki - http://www.nattynikki.com
Gina - http://fatfitfine.blogspot.com/

I AM #UNASHAMED

This afternoon my attention was brought to an article on the Daily Fail website. It was written by Linda Kelsey who doesn't like happy fat people.

Why SHOULD we be?

Seemingly with the intention of filling a gap left by Katie Hopkins since everyone got bored of talking about her, Kelsey, a self-confessed fattist, writes about 3 young ladies who appear to be in their early twenties and are happy and excited to be going on their holidays. They were going to a hot country so they wore shorts. They were also (according to Kelsey) "a size 18 at least" and not concerned or ashamed for being fat or wearing appropriate holiday clothing - Something Kelsey finds outrageous.

Why is this kind of body-shaming still acceptable? 

And what sort of message is this sending out to young girls (and boys)? That if you don't fit Linda Kelsey's ideal for the perfect body then you should hide away in a box of self-loathing and shame until such a time that she deems you "acceptable" by her standards? 

Sod that.

Fat, thin, gay, straight, black, white, male, female, Christian, Muslim, tattooed, pierced... These are the things that define you. Never let anyone tell you that you should be ashamed to be yourself.

I am Katt.

I am fat. 

I am happy. 

And I am unashamed.

Be who you are. Be whoever you want to be.

Don't let the bitches get you down. 

Money Saving Monday

As you may have seen me mention last week, I am on a self-imposed spending ban for all things fashion and beauty for July. There are a few things that have caught my eye this week that I am gutted to be missing out on but I don't need these things, so I can go without. For now!

To start with it was okay. On day 1, I just didn't think about it. On day 2, my You Beauty Discovery Box arrived. On day 3, a small free sample of Mac primer. Day 5, my gift from the Joyful June blogger gift swap.

And then yesterday. Day 6. Oh, how naughty I was yesterday.

Feel Unique currently have an active voucher code for £10 off a £25 spend (code MSEJUL14 valid until midnight Wednesday). They happen to stock my Bare Minerals foundation and I happen to be running out. So with the foundation and a Cosmo brush coming to £25.90, I would have been foolish to have missed the opportunity to get a tenner off, wouldn't I? That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

All in all I think I'm doing okay with the ban though. I didn't realize how much temptation there was to buy all the things, but the items I've seen this week that have made me think "ooh, I could do with that..." have far outweighed the two items I bought for fifteen quid. Take a look at my top 5 (in no particular order):

I love records. And I love cake. Records and cakes combined is basically a dream come true so this beauty of a cake stand from Modcloth is right up my street.

Some people (most people) say I'm slow. Or lazy. Or slow and lazy. I know how this sloth feels. You just gotta relaaaaaaaaaax.

The narwhal. Think of it as the unicorn of the sea or a big horny whale, either way it's pretty awesome and this brooch from LucysHappyPlace on Etsy is simply beautiful.

I started my Christmas shopping last month so forgive me for feeling a little festive already but I can't help but adore this Oh Deer brooch from The Crafty Show Shed on Etsy even during the summer month.

Last but most certainly not least, ever, is pretty much every swing dress available on the Lindy Bop website.

The Ophelia (right) is still my favourite but the new prints on the Audrey dresses (middle) and the stunning new Bella dress (left) give the Ophelia a run for her money.

So there you have it.

My confessions. My obsessions. And my word that I will try harder this week, I promise!

Take a look and see how the other bloggers taking part in the July spending ban are getting on:

Abi - http://aisforabi.blogspot.co.uk

Debz - http://www.wannabeprincess.co.uk

Lucia - http://www.ucantwearthat.com

Sarah - http://plussizeproud.wordpress.com

Katherine - http://acurvycupcake.blogspot.co.uk

Kelly - http://misskittykaos.blogspot.co.uk

Nikki - http://www.nattynikki.com

Gina - http://www.fatfitfine.blogspot.com/

Hump Day Blues

Happy Hump Day, my lovelies!
Is it just me or does banning yourself from something make it that much harder to resist? Had this been a normal month I probably would have gone through the past two days not really thinking about spending money. But this isn't a normal month. This is No Spend July. I have banned myself from fashion and beauty shopping which means I want to do it more than ever. Especially since the new Lady V dresses are screaming at me to buy them ALL this week.

One thing I can do is window shopping. Wishlists will get me through.
This first of probably several No Spend July wishlists, was put together because of a serious lack of pretty blue things in my possession. I hope you see something you like.

Vintage Inspired Blues

Lindy Bop Ophelia Sky Blue Floral / Hell Bunny Francine / Lindy Bop Ophelia Blue Polka Dot

China Blue

Oriental Blue Floral Tea Dress / Jan Constantine Mini Bag

 I definitely need more blue in my wardrobe. What's your favourite dress from this wishlist?
Maybe, just maybe I'll treat myself to one of these when the ban is over. We shall see.

Lady Vs New Estella Dress

This morning I had plans. Exciting plans like hoovering my living room. Plans that went wayyyy out of the window when Lady V London released their new Estella range.

Together with George from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, they have created a beautiful dress in no less than 8 gorgeous prints. With the crossover bust, cinched in waist and flared skirt, this dress is a dream come true.

all photos from the Lady V website

With a dress as stunning as this, I just wish I could buy all the prints but unfortunately I am on a budget. (Actually I'm on a zero spending month but I may have to make the exception for one of these!)

I think my favourite is the cream floral print but I also love the green birdcage and turquoise floral prints too.

The best thing about this dress is the size range. You can buy this dress in any size from 14 to 32 which is practically unheard of in vintage inspired clothing and a major breakthrough for top end plus size ladies everywhere. Colour me impressed!

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these beauties. Which is your favourite?

Science-Fashion

Last weekend I went to my first ever sci-fi event. Being held right behind my house, it was the perfect excuse to dip my toe in the pool of science fiction conventions. 

Sci-Fi By The Sea in Herne Bay is in its second year and has already gathered quite a following and grown significantly in size and quality since last years debut.

As a Doctor Who fan, I already had in mind exactly what I wanted to wear for my T.A.R.D.I.S. photo. (Because there had to be a tardis photo!)

My mini-geek joins me for a photo

The Look Magazine for Simply Be bardot dress is perfect! When I first saw it, I instantly thought it was a Doctor dress in a wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey spacey sort of way. It's long enough that for the first time in years I felt comfortable showing off a bit of calf. It's a wonderful dress, true to size (if not a teeny big generous) and is forgiving in the boob area despite the non-stretch material. This is a quality dress I felt great wearing it.

Thanks to the anti-chaff shorts from the Big Bloomers Company and a weekend of bare legs, I think I'm finally happy to show off a little bit of leg!

The necklace I wore for the event was a custom order from Black Heart Creatives. I wanted a Doctor Who necklace but not something as obvious as a Dalek or a police box so I went with "Hello Sweetie" as River Song is my favourite female character of the new era Doctor Who. I absolutely love this necklace, it's my first piece from BHC and it definitely won't be my last!

Did I manage to pull off the geeky-but-not-too-much look? My neighbour had me sussed as a bit of a nerd from the day we met apparently. I didn't think it was obvious!

What would you wear to a SFX event (if you, like me, are into that sort of thing)?

Yours Clothing, Bluewater

Have you ever had one of those experiences that leaves you beaming with confidence and feeling better than ever?

When visiting the new Yours Clothing store at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent last month, that's exactly what happened to me.

Yours has such a wide range that this shop is bursting at the seams with a variety of basic and on-trend styles, colours and patterns. The sheer amount of clothing can be a little hard to navigate when you first walk in. I didn't quite know where to start, but once I found my rhythm there was no stopping me as I scurried from rack to rack picking up all manner of things to try on.

The gorgeous Abi (staff member and fantastic blogger over at aisforabi) treated me to the Worlds Biggest Changing Room. Plenty of room for groups, wheelchair users, mums with buggies or a cat swinging convention. Or, as was the case for me, enough space to go crazy trying on too many clothes.

But the size of the changing room isn't what impressed me the most. The greatest thing about my trip to Yours Clothing that day was the people. I've already mentioned the fabulous Abi (expect a blogger meet up in the future, I need to hang out with that girl!) but the experience doesn't even stop with staff. No, it was everyone. The staff made customers happy and in turn the happiness bounced off every single shopper in the changing room.

I felt so good I even put on a maxi dress!
Sadly it didnt fit my 5ft 3in, big boobied frame.

I've never experienced such community in a fitting room before. Everybody was chatting, comparing sizes, giving opinions and tips and swapping clothes. I tried on things I wouldn't normally dare to because I felt secure in knowing that there would be no fat-shaming or body snarking. Everybody was just themselves. (Or a happier version thereof.) I was stripped to my bra and leggings and comfortable enough to let the other women in the adjacent rooms wander in and see how I was getting on. With the exception of my husband and children, it's the most naked I've been in front of anyone for years!

I don't know what happened to this picture- it's so fuzzy-
but I neeeed this blazer.

Thanks to the amazing people at Yours Clothing,  Bluewater, I tried some new things, met some great people and had the best shopping experience possibly ever. Excellent! Bring on the new Ashford and Maidstone stores!

Plus Size Bloggers You Are Good Enough - #PSBYouAreGoodEnough

Hello beauties!

The wonderful Debz has invited the plus size blogging community to take part in a collaboration to remind us all that each and every one of us is good enough.
It's all too easy to focus on negatives, parts of ourselves we don't like and hide away from the world. What we want to achieve is a little bit of happiness. A bit of positivity shining through. A reminder that you ARE good enough.

Even in bed with no makeup and a spot on my face... I am good enough!

I am learning to love myself more every day. I have, in recent months, grown rather fond of my silhouette. I love that I have big boobs and a smaller waist to give me an almost hourglass figure. I have embraced my hip size as that contributes to the aforementioned figure and also serves a few other purposes. For example I like that my husband has something to hold when he puts his arm around me. I love that my children have a place to sit if they are tired and need a carry. And of course a swift hip bump makes it easy to shut a drawer quickly when rushing around the kitchen with 3 meals on the go.

So... I dedicate this post to my boobs, waist and handy hips. And to all of you. Because you ARE good enough.

What do you love about yourself today?

How about other positive plus size bloggers taking part?
Follow the hashtag #PSBYouAreGoodEnough or take a look at their blogs here:

Debz - www.wannabeprincess.co.uk
Kitty Kaos - http://misskittykaos.blogspot.co.uk/
Hannah - www.fabulouslyfatfashion.com
Lucia - www.ucantwearthat.com
Sarah - www.plussizeproud.wordpress.com
Michaela - www.cardifforniagurl.blogspot.com
Kathryn - www.misskathrynsmisstakes.co.uk
Steph - http://www.seeingspots.co.uk/
Katt - www.acurvycupcake.blogspot.com
Sally - www.thehumanmannequin.co.uk
Nikki - http://www.nattynikki.com
Vicky - http://therandomnessoftwee.blogspot.co.uk/
Mayah - http://beautyfulyouniverse.blogspot.co.uk
Vicky - Www.thecurvedopinion.com