Weekend Outfits - Ballerina Inspired and Double Scarves

I am pretty sure that Saturdays outfit although not intentionally or consciously was inspired by ballerinas, perhaps all the talk of black swan and ballerina inspired clothes in the shops. The mesh skirt on this dress has always reminded me of ballerinas and I also had my hair in a bun, although I am pretty sure that not ballerina ever pirouetted across the stage with a bun this messy and frizzy! Finally  wrapped my cropped cardigan over in a sort of ballerina style and pinned with a dragonfly brooch. If I had a pair of ballet pumps, I would have no doubt worn them too. Interesting to see Leia's Outfit on Leia's Delights also followed the ballerina theme (she makes a much more graceful ballerina than me!).

Sunday's outfit was intended to be comfy and relaxing but also bright and cheery. This is one of my favourite tops, bought from a charity shop for a few pounds, I just love the colour so much. One scarf on its own looked too boring so I put two together for that mish mash pattern effect. The cord leggings are from the ASOS sale and are not overly flattering as they go wrinkly at the knees but I couldn't resist wearing them as they are so warm. The finishing touch was my trusty tweed boots by Po-Zu, again incredibly warm and comfy.

Despite a fairly miserable start to the week, I was really cheered up to recieve an email informing me that I have been included in the Cision Top 10 UK Styling Blog Ranking. I was even more cheered up when I checked it out and found that I was number 2!  I don't know how they calculate the rankings as I am sure that there are plenty of better blogs than mine out there but it did bring a smile to my face never the less.

Weekly Round Up - All Good Stuff

Can't believe it is nearly the weekend already,  I still haven't had the chance to post all of the posts that I wanted to so I am going to squeeze them all into one post as there is so much stuff that I want to blog about, I am struggling to keep up at the moment.

First of all I just wanted to share with you that Oxfam is have a 50% off sale of the jewellery and accessories in its ethical collection between 12 and 5pm today. It is only a small collection but has some interesting and unusal stuff like this Recycled fire hose bag plus it is all ethical and helpls to support the charitable work of Oxfam. If you happen to be over at the Oxfam site , why not also check out the second hand shop for some amazing vintage clothing and jewellery? I could spend hours just searching under the word 'floral' or 'silk scarf'.

Something that has also caught my attention this week is the new Emma Watson collection for People Tree. Whilst I really love People Tree, so far the I have not really bothered with Emma Watson collections as they have been a little too 'young' and preppy for my taste, perhaps suited more to teenagers. The latest collection though has a few item that I really like. It is far more edgey than previous collections perhaps to match her edgy  hair cut. The whole collection is black and white with polka dots, checks and a very nice black drape dress, black wrap dress and blazer, all great wardrobe staples.

Next I wanted to share some good news. I have just completed my CTJT Diploma in Fashion Journalism. It was an online course which I completed in my own time which is great as I have so many demands on my time. In other ways not so good as I did complete it 'in my own time', I seem to become an expert in the art of procrastination lately. Anyway, I have finished it and am really pleased I did. Overall I found the course really useful both in terms of improving my writing skills but also in giving me some great tips on  other apects of becoming a journalist including interviewing and taking photographs. Most importantly the course covered the subject of finding a job in journalism in detail with lots of useful tips and the course tutor had lots of experience and gave lots of advice and feedback.

Until I hear about the university course that I have applied for, I plan to start to work through a new book that I have just bought called The Fashion Photography Course. I hope to share and discuss some of the more interesting parts as I work through it. I have also been accepted as a writer for The Source magazine which is going to launch very soon on the Ethical Fashion Forum. I am really excited as this will be a great opportunity to put my journalistic skills into practice and learn more about ethical fashion.

This week I have been busy writing lots of posts including a review of Floral dresses at Marks and Spencers, the D and G Mimisa Floral  Shift dress and floral dresses to party in this summer. I have also updated my website with some of my favourite floral and flower covered dresses - obsessed , me?

My outfit in the picture at the top - Jacket- M and S from a charity shop, top from a charity shop( then customised wit bleach), skirt from Dorothy Perkins ( really old), shoes by Bronx (from Spartoo), tights - Dorothy Perkins, necklace - a present.

Have a lovely weekend and thanks for all the lovely comments in my post about Does being a fashion blogger affect your style?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Michelle Lowe-Holder

The SS11 accessories collection by Michelle Lowe-Holder is called Summer Ribbon Reclaim which kind of gives a little bit of an idea of what it is inspired by and made from. It features a series of pieces made from folded and pleated ribbon which creates interesting shapes and textures. It consists of handcrafted pieces designed and made in the UK, from vintage materials. The attraction in these pieces lies in the extreme attention to detail combined with traditional craft techniques with a modern twist. The look is dramatic and edgy.

Whilst I get lots of emails about ethical and eco fashion brands and designers, I rarely blog about them because they just don't excite me enough to want to dedicate a whole post and my time to write about them. I really liked the Michelle Lowe-Holder collection not only because it uses recycled materials but because it is a bit different, interesting to look at and just the sort of thing that I would love to wear. I particularly love the necklace in the third picture and there is also a headband in a similar style on the website.

Michelle Lowe-Holder is not really a new name in the fashion world. She has been hovering away for some time just under the radar. After specialising in knitwear at London college of fashionn, she has had a few RTW collections. Between 2006 and 2010 she designed a number of collections for Topshop.

More recently though with the help of the London College of Sustainable Fashion she has begun to develop more of a focus on the antique or vintage detail. She was also awarded the New Generation Sponsorship by the British Fashion Council. Michelle Lowe -Holder will be at Estethica at London Fashion week if you happened to be going along,I think it is well worth a look.

Website - http://www.lowe-holder.com/

Does Being A Fashion Blogger Affect Your Style?

I sometimes wonder how different my style would be if I had never started writing this blog. I think the honest answer would have to be that writing this blog affects it quite a lot. That is not because I only choose my outfits in the morning to look good on the blog, it is really important to me to look good anyway, but if you spend so much time thinking about fashion (and I spend all day everyday writing about fashion) then it is bound to have some sort of impact on what you wear. Isn't it?

Here are 4 of the ways that I think being a fashion blogger has influenced my style over the last few years:

Real Life Vs A Photograph

The photographs that I take of my outfits always look different to what I see when I look in the mirror. I am not sure if this is the same for everyone else but for me a photograph almost allows you to step back and view the overall look more objectively. In my pictures the detail is not as obvious and the colours usually look duller than they seem to in real life. Overall I tend to find that many of the outfits that I used to wear and think looked OK looked quite boring in a photograph. This has led me to wear brighter and bolder colour combinations and more statement pieces. I also often decide not to wear a particular outfit again after seeing it on the blog, seeing pictures of myself makes me much more critical than looking in the mirror.

Constant Variety

I don't try and wear a different outfit every single day. I don't think I would have the wardrobe or imgination for this and when I find an outfit that I like naturally I want to wear it again. But I do strive to have an element of variety in what I am wearing. In the past it has been easy to lapse into wearing jeans every day, my blog  makes me make a little bit of effort to feature different outfits and allows me to justify to myself the time I spend choosing an outfit that I might only venture outside the house in for the school run.Sometimes I end up wearing things that look slightly strange in the quest for variety but I would rather make a few 'mistakes' than always look exactly the same and it is this experimentation that has helped me to find some of my favourite outfits.

Greater Awareness

Fashion blogging has given me a much greater awareness of the brands and designers that are out there partly through research and partly through the press releases that I recieve. I also spend much more time researching eco and ethical brands which allows me to think about and consider the clothes that I buy much more than before. I am a lot less reliant on the same high street shops than I used to be and  try out a lot more new options.

The Influence of Other Fashion Bloggers

Last but not least, since starting writing my blog, I spend a lot of time reading other blogs. I think that the power of suggestion is huge and just seeing another bloggers outfit posts fills  my head with so many different outfit ideas. Without this inspiration I think my outfit and shopping choices would be much more limited.

Overall I think being a blogger has probably affected my style for the better. I feel much happier and more confident in the clothes that I wear now, perhaps as a result of the support and lovely comments from those who read my blog. I also think I make much more effort over how I look. Working from home and looking after 2 children make it very easy to slip into that comfort zone.

I know there are times when people probably think that what I am wearing looks completely nuts, (and they may well be right), although no one has actually ever said anything. Perhaps sometimes I try too hard and it all ends up going wrong. By becoming more adventurous with the clothes that you wear you are also always going to open yourself up to people being more judgemental about how you look. But in balance, the amount that I gain by writing and featuring outfits on my blog definitely makes it worthwhile for me- style or no style.

I was quite interested to read some of the recent posts for Friend Friday on authenticity. I did question how authentic my own style is when it is a product of  fashion blogging? But then we are all constantly developing and changing throughout our lives as a result of our experiences and environment. For me my blog is partly a way to develop myself. I think writing a fashion blog hasn't just affected my style it has to some extent changed me as a person and I believe I completely am the person that you see in my outfit posts.

I would love to hear from other fashion bloggers how (if at all) they think that being a fashion blogger affects their style.

with warmest wishes

Ceri X

Friday Finds - Floral Dresses

Oh no my Friday finds is late again but seen as I am writing this at 5.30am (children huh) I consider it pretty lunch still Friday.

Over the last few weeks, floral dresses (and bags and blouses) have begun to become something of an obsession. First there was the D&G collections, how amazing is that, then I recieved a Cath Kidston catalogue which seems to have taken up residence on my desk for flicking through at every possible opportunity especially when my internet connection is going slow, which seems to be a fairly common occurence at the moment.

One of the great things about floral dresses for me is that I can buy as many as I like as I know they will get loads of wear and will be kept for many seasons to come. For me there are some things that never really go out of fashion and florals is one of those. So here are some of the gorgeous florals that I have found over the last few weeks.

The ultimate floral dress - I love this, the print, the colours and the shape! Mimosa Dress by D&G

Liberty Floral Jersey Tube Dress by Annie Greenabelle - you need to really look at this print up close to see how beautiful it is.

Reluxe Upcycled Cup Dress

Johann Earl Vintage Button Dress (XS) - Urban Outfitters



Spring Rose Orla Dress By Motel Vintage

Vintage Floral Dress At Oxfam

Cotton Floral Dress - Marthas Closet Vintage

Don't forget to check out my Ethical and eco fashion page for more places to buy beautiful clothes.

Have a lovely weekend

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Just to let you know that this post does contain some affiliate links.

Style Eyes Weekly Fashion Round Up

It has been a little while since I have posted a weekly round up but as there is so much going on at the moment I couldn't wait to post this weeks.

For those who live in or near London,  the first Vintage Fashion Fair of 2011, Primrose Hill will be held on Sunday. It only costs £3 to get in and is open from 11am -5pm. This would be my ideal Sunday afternoon browsing all of the beautiful vintage clothes and accessories which range from the affordable to the very desirable and designer vintage goodies. You can get further details on Vintage Fashion Fair London.

The Shopping Forecast (which you might have read about in previous posts) has just relaunched with some exciting new features. Not only can you now vote on your favourite items to help decide what will be in the shops for the season ahead but you can also make outfits, get inspiration, share your favourites, earn points (and you know what points make!) and enter some more exciting fashion competitions which will launch in February. You get your own profile page and badge (like the one featured above) which also helps you to earm more points.

I am on the Style Council of the Shopping Forecast. You can check out and vote on my choice of new fashion items for Spring 2011 and you can see (and vote on) my Spring outfits.

Last but not least I wanted tell you about a great little website that I have discovered called Heavens Attic. It sells a range of jewellery, gifts and accessories, all very pretty and very stylish. The store donates 12% of each online purchase to rescue and restore the life of somone trapped in the snares of sex trafficking. I don't know about you, but I love knowing that my overindulgences are in someway doing some good, this is such a great way to help a worthy cause. The prices are also very reasonable, all of this making me a very happy shopper! I particularly love the leather jewellery (pictured above) which feature bright and pastel coloured flowers- perfect for the spring.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your week

Ceri X

A Sunny Day and A Fringed Necklace

What difference a bit of sunshine makes to a photograph. It seems like ages since we have had bright sunshine and todays picture looks so much clearer and brighter than some of my recent photographs. I am sure if I actually worked out how to use my camera I could find a way to counteract the effects of poor light.

Todays outfit features a fringed necklace which I bought for about £5 in the Oasis sale just before Christmas. This is the first time I have worn it but I have a feeling it will be getting much more wear in the spring and summer (even though I can't stop thinking that it makes me look like I have a hairy chest!). I am also wearing some old tops from New Look and Dorothy Perkins and a pair of leggings with tiny multi coloured hearts from Topshop. The boots are by Po-Zu.

Despite the beautiful weather today, I am struggling to keep myself feeling sunny this week for a few different reasons:

1. I have just found out that Vintage at Goodwood is no longer going to be happening, instead there will be a vintage festival at the South Bank Centre arranged by Wayne and Geraldine Hemmingway. Whilst I am sure this is great news for Londoners, for many others including me it is not! We had invested in an old VW camper van partly so that we could transport kids and vintage outfits to camp for the whole weekend this year. It just wouldn't be the same for us in London, no camping, expensive hotels, no fun for the children, trains and tubes to get there.

2. I seem to be having huge problems buying clothes in the sales. I had some money for Christmas and decided to look for something designer that would be a good investment. So I looked at some different retailers/ websites to the ones that I  usually use. First I chose and tried to order some clothes on Coggles only to be told that they couldn't take my card payment online and I had to ring instead. After the discovery that the delivery was going to cost me nearly £10, I decided not to bother

3. Next I found something that I really liked on Liberty (A Helmut Lang top), I ordered and paid and waited but received nothing except an email saying the item I had ordered was out of stock and they couldn't get hold of any more so my order had been cancelled, then referring me to the T  & C's.

4. So finally today I found something I liked  (or actually 2 items) on the Outnet. When I went to place the order, I thought that tax was to be added on afterward - Thanks to Trying to Look Fab in Your Forties for pointing out in the comments that the tax is shown in the break down but not actually added on top of the prices. What a relief I can now place my order afterall.

I know in the scheme of things, not going to festivals and buying clothes is not the end of the world but I just felt like a bit of a moan. Why does buying designer clothes online have to be so difficult? I never seem to have these problems with the likes of Oasis and ASOS.

Hope you having a good week and I have not bored you too much with my whingeing. Any suggestions on good places to buy designer clothes online for the future would be appreciated.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

A Little Bit of Sparkle

I am a big fan of brightly coloured clothes but there are some times when only black will do. Overall it can be more slimming than bright colours and is a safe choice for wearing after a Christmas of over indulgence. I find that on these 'black' days adding a bit of sparkle is almost as good as adding lots of colour. Today I had a meeting with my business advisor so decided to wear my fail safe little black dress with leggings and cardigan which was from the Matthew Williamson collection at Debenhams.

The sequins on the cardigan add just a little bit of sparkle which is almost enough for the day time, but it needed something else. I added a new ring that I treated myself to on the weekend (from New Look). I couldn't resist because it is just so big and bold. I also painted my nails with new OPI glitter polish that I treated myself to last week, to ensure that I had plenty of sparkle. Today just looking at my sparkly hands made me very happy. 

I have treated myself to quite a bit lately so might have to slow down a bit now. That is after I have received my treat from the Liberty sale which should be here soon!

On Saturday night Mr Style Eyes cooked me lamb and feta burgers- very yummy. I decided to get a bit dressed up as we don't often get the chance to go out in the evening so I feel I ought to make an effort or I might start to descend into tracksuit mode. The few Saturday nights that I have out are just not enough to wear all of the outfits that I want to wear - perhaps I just have too many clothes.

I wore my pencil skirt (M & S but from a second hand shop), a very old top which I bought from Dorothy Perkins about 8 years ago and a vintage jacket by Paul Costelloe. I love embroidered gold dots on the jacket and the satin quilted fabric but have never managed to wear it. It is part of suit (with a matching pencil skirt) that I bought from the local second hand shop but it has big shoulder pads which I have never been able to make work with any outfits. Funily enough in the photograph the shoulders do seem to look nearly as exaggerated as they do in real life. I would love to wear it in the daytime to add a bit of sparkle and may well have to give this a  try.

How do you add a bit of sparkle to your day?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Scarf Obsession

 

I have become slightly obsessed with the Hermes Jaime Mon Carre website or 'I love my scarf'. If you haven't already checked it out it features streetstyle pictures from around the world of people wearing Hermes scarves in different ways. Todays outfit was inspired by one of these outfits and used my vintage scarf (a Christmas present from my mum). Much as I love purple, it is not really my colour and makes me look drained so I wore red lipstick to counteract the effect. All of the other clothes are quite old. The shirt and top from Next, the shoes from Spartoo, the skirt from Dorothy Perkins and the handbag from a charity shop. I think I got the tights were from the Next sale a year or two ago.

Pattern Mixing With My Sales Goodies

Over the last week or so I have been falling back into my old habit of dressing in grey. I guess it is because I have been super busy with some early starts so haven't had too much time to think about what I am wearing. Not sure why but grey sometimes just seems the quickest and easiest option. Today when I woke up and looked out the window, I remembered that I said 'the greyer the day, the brighter the outfit' and decided to cheer myself up by making an effort with a bright outfit. This was made particularly easy ny the fact I have just received a package of sales goodies from ASOS.

This floral dress by Mink Pink was one of my sales goodies. It has black panels in the side of the bodice (which you can't see in this picture because of the cardi) which I love because they are super slimming (just what I need after a Christmas of over indulgence) and also make it slightly edgier than just a plain floral dress (although I love those too). The cardigan is about 3 years old and from George at Asda, the hair flower from Dorothy Perkins and the hat knitted by Oranges and Apples.

I have also invested in two pairs of trousers in the sales and some cardigans and another dress from Great Plains at Coggles. Have you checked out their sale yet?, they still have some amazing bargains including designer pieces and some different labels. They have up to 70% off.

I am trying to get some versatile separates that I can use to create different outfits, I get bored of clothes quick so the more opportunites to combine the better, especially if it involves pattern mixing. I avoid shopping in the sales straight after Christmas as the urgency of getting a bargain seems to make me buy clothes that I don't wear. I find waiting a little longer until I can really consider what I want much more effective.

How do you shop the sales? and have you got any bargains?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

How Brand Aware Are You?

Up until recently, I have always considered that I am immune to the effect of branding by fashion companies. I assumed that I just bought the clothes that I liked and that was that. A few weeks ago whilst deep in though (and this doesn't happen all that often!) it suddenly occured to me that whilst I don't buy into many of the usual brands eg Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel. I am affected by branding and the messages that companies send out just as much as anyone else. I am not saying I would never buy something by Chanel, I probably would, but hopefully not just because it had a Chanel label or logo on it. I am fairly specific about what I want from the clothes that I buy ( I want something that offers the opportunity for me to create stylish but unique outfits, quality, long lasting and ethical).

Whilst I hope that my final decision on what to buy depends very much on how something looks when I try it on, my first port of call when shopping is most definitely defined by the brand and what they have communicated to me.

For example the brand and message that I get from Oasis is that they sell fairly good quality clothes that last with a good cut and a wearable interpretation of current trends. Marks and Spencers is all about quality and fit and I would never buy my undies anywhere else and People Tree sell very stylish and slightly unsual clothes which are not only produced in an ethical way but the company proactively works to improve peoples lives and is a pioneer in ethical fashion. Actually these are the three main brands that I tend to buy my clothes from along with Urban Outfitters when I want something a little different and ASOS when I need the odd high fashion fix and a few completly random places when I am in the mood.

But I couldn't be one hundred percent sure that I don't buy brands just because of the message they send. I love the idea of what People Tree are doing so so much, do I convince myself that I love their clothes and the way they look? In the past there have probably been times when I might have seen clothes that look nice but I have avoided buying them because I don't like the brand and what it stands for. When it comes to ethical fashion this could be partly a good thing as I do want my fashion to reflect my overall values and ethics as well as looking good but in other ways branding could fool me into buying clothes that aren't quite right for me or spending more than I need to.

When it comes to luxury labels and clothing I know that a significant amount of money is spent on branding, is it possible to ignore this and focus solely on how the clothes look? But then the emotional connection and how the clothes make you feel is perhaps just as important?

I guess it all comes down to authenticity, if the message and branding match the product and the company, then it isn't really a bad thing and allows us to focus on shopping in the places where we are most likely to find the sorts of clothes that we want to wear. For example by buying my leggings from People Tree as opposed to some of the high street shops that I won't mention, From the website picture I couldn't visibly tell the difference and I might pay a little more but I know they won't fall apart after going through the washing machine once.

I would be really interested to hear your thoughts on branding.

Do you ever want a piece of clothing because of it's brand? How do you think branding affects your style? and which fashion brands do you love and what is it that makes you love them?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X

Plans For 2011 - Better Late Than Never

The term 'New Years Resolution' is not one that I like. Mostly I don't even manage to start my new years resolutions (procrastinating by telling myself I will start next week - once the Christmas choccies are finished) never mind make it until the end of January. For 2011 I have decided not to put needless pressure on myself so instead of new years resolutions, I am making plans which feel so much more positive. I love making plans and lists but it has taken a little while for me to take the step of getting my plans written in a blog post (an important step in making them happen!) due to my new year break and the huge mountain of work that I returned to. So before I manage to procrastinate any further here are my plans for myself and this blog for 2011.

Of course I plan to lose weight! who doesn't? I am not completely unhappy with how I look but I have put on some weight over the last year and losing it will mean that I can not only fit into all my clothes but also have a greater choice of clothes that will look good on me. It is also really important to me in terms of my health that I am not over weight.

I have never really dieted before in my life and I don't intend to start doing so now - not only do I believe weight loss from dieting to be unsustainable, I think many diets are really unhealthy and I do not want to encourage my 2 daughters to have this type of relationship  with food. Instead I will be going back to my exercise regime of 3 or 4 classes or gym sessions per week that I was doing before I came down with a cold back in November which then seemed to merge into a month of the most horrendous flu. I will also be slightly reducing the portions size of my meals, continuing to eat a varied diet with as few processed food as possible and trying not to snack.

I also plan to learn lots of new things. I love learning and apart from finishing the Diploma in Fashion Journalism that I am currently working on, I have applied for a University course in September. I am not going to say to much about it other than it is fashion related. Due to my circustances of having a family and business to run, I needed a flexible learning option and there was only one choice of course at one university that was suitable for my chosen subject, so I don't have a second choice, I really hope that I get a place but don't want to talk about it too much in case I don't!

Again on the learning curve of life, I plan to improve my photography skills not just for the outfit photos for this blog but also so that I can take amazing photographs of the places that we visit in our old VW camper van in the spring and summer. I have bought myself a book which I hope will teach  me about some of the more technical aspects of photography. At the moment I do little more than point and press. Any books/ recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Last year I made some 'resolutions'/ plans for this blog which I have started to put in place but have been slightly sidelined by the amount of work I have had going on. I hope that I can keep moving things forward (despite 2011 already looking to be a very busy year) and continue to improve my writing skills and promote ethical and eco fashion. Specifically, I would like to improve the look of the blog and post lots more outfit posts and more interesting and in depth posts.

Finally for 2011 I would like to make a little more time for myself and the things that I enjoy. That includes reading my favourite blogs and magazines and making/ customising clothes.

What are your plans and resolutions for 2011?

With warmest wishes

Ceri

New Year In Cornwall

Happy New Year!

I have just arrived back from the most amazing 4 day new year break in Cornwall. We stayed at the Sands Resort in Porth near Newquay. Not only did I get the chance to relax and do nothing for 4 whole days there was also lots of childcare and activities included and evening entertainment giving me the chance to celebrate New Year for 4 whole evenings (I usually don't get out over New Year as it is so difficult to arrange a babysitter).

We arrived on Thursday and headed straight to the beach for breakfast and hot chocolate at the Beach Hut Cafe in Watergate Bay.Then proceeded four days of eating the most delicious food including Crab Mornay, Sea Bream on a bed of roasted squash, olives and pine nuts and Saffron bread and butter pudding, chilling out in the bar and chatting until the early hours with numerous bottles of Prosecco. We spent the day time sitting on the beach watching the surfers and waves roll in. Needless to say I am feeling very relaxed but definitely in need of a new year detox!

New Years Eve was suprisingly warm and we spent it at Watergate Bay one of my favourite places in the world.

In the evening we went to a gala buffet dinner followed by at Disco and at midnight watched some spectacular fireworks across the bay in Newquay from our room.I wore a dress that I recently bought in the sale at Oasis.

New Years Day, following an exhausting treasure hunt around Newquay, we had another fun evening with a general knowledge quiz (we came last!) I wore a dress that I bought a year or two ago from the Matthew Williamson collection at Debenhams.

This is the Sands Resort - an amazing Hotel and I would thoroughly recommend to anyone with children, I can't wait to go back. Everyone was so friendly and there was so much to do (or not do if you felt like it).

The view from the Sands Resort. I am wearing my coat by Maison Scotch and very warm tweed boots from Po-Zu.

On the last night I wore this dress from People Tree which was my Christmas Pressy from Mr Style Eyes.

Tommorrow I plan to jump into action with lots of plans for the New Year. How was your New Year and do you have any plans or resolutions?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X