From The Changing Room - Scarlett & Jo

Yesterday I returned to my former people-watching haunt, Bluewater shopping centre. Over the past year they've improved their Evans store and relocated it to right in front of the food court which pleases this fatty greatly.

Although the new store is bigger than it's predecessor, it's still not exactly huge but it does have a rail for Scarlett & Jo stock. To my joy I found two of the latest S&J offerings from their recent blogger campaign.

First up was this fan print 40s inspired dress designed for Hollie at Pretty Big Butterflies.

Normally I don't like this kind of fabric. It clings to my lumps, shows off my bumps and gives me a VBO that I am not entirely comfortable with. But this dress lays to rest those issues. The cut is wonderful; I love the wrap top with the tie-up neckline (although as with all wrap front dresses I appear to have my bra on show, whoops!) and it hangs in such a fabulous way that it skims over my belly with relative ease.

I should point out that I was wearing fat pants that even Bridget Jones herself might be horrified by. That would be fairly standard for me in a dress like this though.

The second of the new blogger inspired dresses was this gorgeous 2-in-1 lace prom dress.

This is the first time I've tried on one of Scarlett & Jo's infamous prom dresses, for no other reason than they're generally a little over my Stay At Home Mum budget. But oh my goodness I need to get me one of these!

It's beautiful, it's flowy, it's fully lined and it feels amazing. It feels glamorous and comfortable all at the same time and LOOK!

A WAIST! The elasticated band is a thing of miracles. I'm blessed with an hourglass-ish (ish!) figure anyway but the way the waist is defined by this dress is glorious.

And the lace! Oh the lace just gives the entire dress that extra oomph. I adore the black overlay on the vibrant blue dress and it's perfect for those who might want to cover their arms a little without wanting to take away from the outfit with a shrug or a cardi. I'm in love.

So far the new Scarlett & Jo collection is far exceeding my expectations and I simply cannot wait to try more. Big cheers for all at Scarlett & Jo and even bigger cheers for the bloggers who took part. Hurrah!

New Year, Same Me

Hooray, it's 2015! Happy new numbers everybody. I hope you spent New Years Eve exactly as you wanted. For me that was eating pizza and ice cream at home, being in bed by 11pm and seeing in the new year beside my snoring husband with a toddler nestled under my arm. What can I say? I'm no spring chicken. I've come to appreciate the finer things in life... and I'm extremely fond of my bed.

Of course for many the welcoming of a new year comes with a new start. New promises. Resolutions. But that's not me. To make such a strong vow to change would be to say that I am unhappy with my current self.

Last year I ditched the resolution and instead I have been focused on making daily decisions based on how I feel and this year will be no different. Feeling sassy? Work it. Feeling self conscious? Do whatever makes your confidence soar. Is the day a non-starter? Don't stress over it, take a day off. Start fresh tomorrow. Or the day after. Or next week. Do what you need to do to make the best of today. You can't make a blanket resolution for an entire year. Who knows what will happen in that time? So forget the annual resolution, take each day as it comes and just continue to be the same fantastic human being you've always been.

Style XL 2015

The keen eyed among you may have noticed a shiny new button on the sidebar of this very website. It's something that I am very excited about so I thought I'd tell you a little more about Style XL.

I was unfortunate enough to miss all the big plus size events this year so I vowed to make more of an effort for 2015. Enter Style XL, a plus size event showcasing all the upcoming trends from some of the best plus size retailers in the UK. There will be a chance to talk to your favourite brands, buy from market stalls, preview the latest trends on the catwalk and enjoy some fabulous entertainment over the two day event.

Next years event (organised by the awesome Leah) is being held in Birmingham over the weekend of 18th - 19th July.
Early bird tickets are available here and are £15 for the weekend, £7.50 for Saturday day, £7.50 for Saturday evening and just £5 for the Sunday day event. I am super excited to be attending next year and hopefully seeing some of you there!

Make sure to keep an eye on the Style XL website, Twitter and Facebook page for updates on brands, events and more.

Can't wait!