Suits You - Vicky @ The Curved Opinion

We all get stuck in a bit of a fashion rut from time to time. Personally I have found myself hopping back and forth between skater dresses and 50s style dresses with not much else in between. The gorgeous Leah over at 30 Something Curvy Me came up with a great idea that a few bloggers come together once a month and create an outfit for someone else. This is such a great challenge and I'm just as excited to find out how other bloggers would style me as I am picking outfits for the other ladies taking part.

For our first months challenge, I was asked to style the fabulous Vicky at The Curved Opinion.

Blog address: www.thecurvedopinion.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vicky_coop

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecurvedopinion

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecurvedopinion

I love her sense of style already. She doesn't shy away from bright colours and has a taste for bold patterns. From looking at her blog, red seems to be a choice colour in her wardrobe so I used that as a guide to help me pick her outfit.

I found this Bookstore Browsing Dress on Modcloth and instantly thought of Vicki. If anyone can pull this dress off with ease, it's her. It's bold, it's a great shape and it's got red on it. (Shaun of the Dead comments welcome.)

These shoes from Office and this necklace and earring set would look fab with this dress and I think they would bring out the red in the dress.

I hope you like what I've chosen, Vicky!

Please take a look at the other ladies in the challenge and see who they've styled this month:

Patty

Nikki

Vicky

Steph

Kathryn

Felicity

Sally

Lisa

Leah

Kitty

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!

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred/World Cup Challenge

I've put my body through a lot in the past 3+ years: two pregnancies, three kids, surgery, sleep deprivation, stress, 3 house moves... It's all taken its toll and I am aware of my body's struggle to remain intact recently. I think I need to change my lifestyle a little bit in an attempt to slow down this gradual falling apart. My joints are stiff, I get out of breath just walking for 20 minutes and I am always tired.

I'm not desperate to lose weight. I've come a long way in learning to accept and love my body just the way it is. And think of all the pretty dresses in my wardrobe that would no longer fit! No, losing weight is not my aim here, however I am keen to try and stave off the pitfalls of being unhealthy. (Unhealthy and fat DO NOT go hand in hand; I just happen to be both.) Any weight loss or gain will be a bi-product of what I am hoping to achieve. 

So anyway I'm setting a challenge for myself and for anyone else who wants to join me.

The World Cup Challenge

The World Cup starts today and concludes in 31 days, on July 13th.

For the next 30 days, I would like to do the following:

1: Take daily cod liver oil for my joints.

2: Say no to takeouts and ice cream (this is currently out of hand and I indulge around once a week at the moment).

3: Do a modified 30 Day Shred with the hope that I'll improve my upper body strength (vital with 3 young boys) and my cardio fitness.

4: DRINK MORE WATER.

I am not going to do before and after bodyshots. To me that would be pointless and irrelevant. What is important to me is how I feel on the inside. Whether I feel my health is improving and how much energy I have. Body positivity isn't just about loving every shape and size, but about loving how you FEEL in your body, and that's what I will be focusing on in the next 30 days. (Of course on day 31 I'll probably be naughty and treat myself to a cheeky ice cream while I sit and listen to my husband tell me exactly why we're not watching the World Cup Final again.)

The first step is always the hardest. But today is the day. I'm going to do this. Wish me luck!

Throwback Thursday

I don't normally do Throwback Thursdays but today I had to make an exception.

One year ago today was one of the most memorable days of my life.
I woke at 6am and made my way to the hospital with my overnight bag, knowing I was having surgery that morning. I was so nervous that my teeth were chattering.

I was taken into the operating theatre and I'll never forget the colour of my husbands face as he watched various people try 7 times to find a vein big enough for the cannula. Then the whiter shade of pale when he realised that it was nothing compared to the spinal I was about to have.

I laid down as I was hooked up to various machines and bleepy things. I remember making idle conversation with the anesthetist as he suddenly announced that I was open on the table with just a flimsy blue sheet between my head and the open surgery. But at least I couldn't feel it.

Conversation continued and then I remember there was a minute. The longest minute I have ever experienced. Those seconds between hearing the surgeon say "there's number one!" and then hearing the cry. My second childs first breath. Within moments I heard "aaaand here's number two!" as my third child entered the world, screaming his lungs out. There is no greater sense of relief  than hearing those cries and knowing that your babies have made it through their cesarean birth.

The twins were cleaned and wrapped and placed on me for the first time. They stopped crying. It was as if they instinctively knew me, and in that moment I forgot all about the fact that someone was below my waist preparing to stitch me up. All I could feel was the huge rush of love that I hadn't felt since my eldest was born 2 years prior. There is no greater feeling in the world. Whether you have a natural birth, medicated, or c section... you get to fall in love with this tiny human that you have spent months bonding with as he kicks your insides.

So here is my Throwback Thursday on the 29th May 2014.
Happy first birthday boys.

Ikea Mini-Haul

Good day lovelies! I am alive!

Thank you, if you are reading this, for sticking around and forgiving my hiatus. A lot has happened in the land of Cupcake of late. My biggest little started nursery, I got put on a bucketload of happy pills and most importantly after finding a place to rent I (meaning my family and I) are moving out of the in-laws house. Hurrah!

I'm so excited to have a space we can personalise to suit us as a family. Having said that I have allocated a corner of the new bedroom for me and me only!
My dressing table will live there and I couldn't resist buying a few bits for my corner while on our formerly sensible "furniture only" trip to Ikea.

I didn't intentionally buy all the pink. It just happened.

I'm always on the look out for ways to store and/or display make up, jewellery, etc. and the flower ice cube tray will be perfect for small pairs of earrings. I have no idea what I will use the rest for yet but you can never have too many boxes, tins or stands.

These badboys were only 75p!

I can never resist a unicorn.

I'm currently addicted to scouring Pinterest for storage solutions for sunglasses, shoes, makeup, statement necklaces and dressing tables in general.
How do you organise your bits and bobs?