Blog Every Day In June- Or Not!

When I started the Blog Every Day in June challenge I didn't take into account the fact that I may hit a slump in my depression cycle at some point in those 30 days.

That's the problem with depression isn't it?  It's as difficult to predict as it is to understand. Out of nowhere you stop taking care of yourself and you get weak and find yourself, in this case at least, struck down with a painful intestinal infection.

Suffice it to say June was not the one. But I did learn from it. I only managed around 9 days of solid blogging but within the first week I realised that pumping out daily posts, clutching at topics and finding quick workarounds doesn't work.
I want to love what I'm writing.  I want to feel something for my subject and feel like I'm doing it through choice, not obligation.

So whilst I'm not going to sit here and say No More Challenges, I will say this: I want a challenge I will enjoy. I need to be able to fit it around my life and children and as such I very much doubt I will take part in a frequency challenge beyond 7 days again.

So you can all breathe a sigh of relief!

Normal service is resumed.

Vintage Summer with BBW Couture*

The 50s style swing dress has always been a firm favourite of mine as I think they look beautiful on all shapes and sizes, so when BBW Couture arrived on the scene with a range of gorgeous vintage inspired dresses amongst their vast array of plus size clothing, I was desperate to find out more.

I am very grateful to have be sent a couple of these lovely dresses to try and it was perfectly timed as we are currently experiencing The Hottest Days In The World Ever.

This Pink Rose Dress* is a beautiful bright print on an off-white Base and shouts summer! The best thing about these dresses at this time of year is just how light and floaty they are. In the midst of this heatwave you won't find a more ideal dress.

The dress is long enough to have your legs out which is ideal in this weather. It's got coverage while also being very freeing in the arms and the chest. In fact due to the small amount of fabric in the wrap style top, my usual size was far too snug and I actually sized up twice for a better fit and popped a safety pin in for modesty. I would recommend sizing up in these beauts, twice if you are particularly generously proportioned on top!

The belt loops are quite wide allowing you to tie it at the back or the front of the dress. I chose to tie it at the front as for me that gave a better shape.

But the best thing about these dresses is the value. Ranging from £27.99 to £29.99, they are budget friendly and come in a wide range of prints to suit all tastes. I have another to show you next week so stay tuned!

If you simply cannot wait for the next installment, don't forget you can see the entire range at BBW Couture now.


*This item was gifted for review

Evans - From The Changing Room

Last week I visited Bluewater with my mum and we spent a crazy long time in Evans.

The staff were absolutely tremendous, picking up on cues of what we like to wear and filling our changing room with goodies until the clothes pegs we're fit to burst with an array of styles and colours.

I wanted to push myself a little outside my comfort zone on this trip, not just going for my usual skater style dress with leggings so I bit the bullet and grabbed the Scarlett & Jo trousers and a tshirt. Its the first time I've worn trousers in about a year and a half so it felt pretty good! Unfortunately the proper photo of this ensemble is too blurry to share so instead here's a rather attractive outtake!

Sticking to the Scarlett & Jo theme (because I'm ever so in love with the current line), I next tried on this mesh insert dress. I've always been a huge fan of the 2-in-1 style dresses with the thick elastic waist defining bands so this one was a definite win for me! The mesh providing a bit of modesty and the jersey top giving enough stretch to accommodate any chest size. Perfect!

The above dress came home with me instead of the following one for two reasons. The first being because I somehow managed to get makeup on it (oops) and the second being the sizing.
I am 100% blown away by how gorgeous this rose print prom dress is. From the length to the sleeves and the sweetheart neckline. There is nothing about this dress that I don't like. As I said, my only issue was the sizing. I tried my usual size but it was a strangely tight (there was some misplaced stitching which could explain away some but not all of the squeeze) and the size up (pictured below) was a little too loose around the waist for my liking.

I won't lie to you, I have been pondering over a lifestyle change following some health issues and I'm tempted to buy the smaller size as it's currently in the sale at only £35 and it's Just. So. Gorgeous! We'll see.

Back to the very first outfit, the #stylehasnosize tshirt is only £16 and ALL profits go to the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity. What's not to love about that?!

#BEDJ - OOTD

I know, I know. I missed a couple of days in Blog Every Day in June. Shocking behaviour!
But if there's one thing I'm learning from this challenge it's that forcing posts on topics I know/care little about is probably worse than taking a day or two off from blogging. So from now until the challenge ends, if I have nothing interesting to post, I won't force it.

Yesterday's topic was in fact an Outfit Of The Day which is something I do like sharing so without further ramblings, here I am, a day late!
Taken yesterday from the Yours Clothing changing room.

Dress: Lady V (old)

Bag: Accessorise (old)

#BEDJ - Favourite Quote

Lots of things inspire me. Books, films, people, places, passers by on the sidewalk and body positive models on the catwalk.

Peppy the Inspirational Cat inspires me.

But when it comes to picking truly inspirational quotes,  I draw a bit of a blank. I can reel off a bunch that I like but none I really connect with.

However if you go back to my Pop Culture post a couple of days ago, you'll notice one of the books I love is Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr Seuss and really I could open that book anywhere and find a motivational bit to inspire me.

One of my fave parts:

I love the suggestion that you can do anything you put your time/effort into.

I know technically it's a children's book and meant for younger audiences but it's so great in saying that you're in charge of your own fate and that if you battle through the tough times, you can do anything you put your mind to.

I'd recommend it to everyone whether you're a book person or not! 

#BEDJ - A Haul

Beauties, we're a week into June which means day 7 of the Blog Every Day In June challenge and today's theme is "Haul."

I don't shop enough to have bought what could be cosidered even a mini haul but I recently won a competition on Kitty's blog which was jam packed full of amazing things so today I am sharing with you the competition haul!

I actually missed one prize from this video and that's this gorgeous Little Miss Delicious necklace in the shape of a cupcake. Yesss. If there's one thing my life was missing it was a cupcake necklace!

So a huge thank you to Kitty at kittyramblesalot.blogspot.co.uk and thank you to all of you for sticking around during this months challenge.

#BEDJ - Stuff I Love (Pop Culture)

Going off course again for today's Blog Every Day In June post. Again, the suggested topic of nail products isn't something I'm hugely enthusiastic about. I have long nails. I love that I don't need falsies but because they're strong and grow so well I take them for granted and do nothing with them.

So today I thought I'd tell you three of my favourite bits of "pop culture." There are two books and a film, all with great messages but all sort of aimed at children!

1) Where The Wild Things Are

This book was made into a film but I prefer the book. It's really short and leaves a lot to the imagination. The illustrations are beautiful. I mean really gorgeous.
Max, the boy in the book reminds me of my eldest. He's spirited. He's high energy. He makes mischief of one kind and another... but he will always come downstairs for tea.

2) Oh, The Places You'll Go

Love or hate Dr Seuss, this book is lovely. It wasn't until my son reached applying-for-school age and we decided to home educate that the meaning of this book hit me. Our destiny is in our own hands. We can be the masters of our own fate.

3) Wreck It Ralph
Bit more of a modern one, this is my favourite "new" Disney movie. It's all about a bad guy in an arcade game wishing he wasn't bad anymore. It's a story of consequence and of self acceptance. With lines like "there's none I'd rather be than me" and "you must love you," it's a fantastic moral behind a brilliant story.


These 3 stories are meaningful enough to me that I have (and still am) considering tattoos of all of them.

Would you consider a tattoo of a book or a movie? Have you already got one? Let me know in the comments!