Tramps do Bowling.

Tonight was my trampoline club's Christmas night out. We went 10 pin bowling and the dress code was "festive", so we donned our Christmas jumpers, tinsel and various other accessories and partook in a couple of games. I always find it difficult deciding what to wear to bowl in - you need something to go with the shoes! I wore my new Christmas jumper, red jeans and accessorised with a mini Santa hat. I am a pretty terrible bowler and needed the bumpers up but I didn't come last. I also won most stylish bowler for my weird leg thing I do when I bowl and a random jump thing I somehow managed to do on one shot that scored me a spare. All in all a good night. I love my hat.

#Fail.

I slipped today and have therefore failed to go 6 months without buying any clothes. I bought a pair of jeans because my current ones have gone a bit baggy and in the winter I do wear jeans quite a lot ( knew I should have got a new pair before I started the challenge) and once I'd done that I thought screw it and bought a Christmas jumper in New Look and a new pair of pyjamas. I think I always kind of knew I would fail, I'm surprised it took me this long to be honest. Back on the wagon now though until February. Below is my new jumper photographed using my early Christmas present.

First Christmas night of the season!

I ended up wearing a completely different dress tonight to the ones I was trying to decide between in my last blog post. This is a Monsoon Fusion dress I wore to a work night out a few years ago that had an unfortunate incident involving a washing machine (it is hand wash only, got machine washed by accident and 4 rows of sequins came off) however, the lovely people at Monsoon had planned for this and the dress came with plenty of spare sequins and thread to sew them on with. I was mighty impressed with this and last night sat and sewed them back on so I could wear it again. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of my whole outfit before I took it off but I really love the dress and it is totally the right cut for having a big turkey dinner and remaining comfortable all night for drinks and dancing. I was less impressed with the handbag I used which fell open lots when I was dancing the Macarena (embarrassing I know, but we were at a club night called Cheesy Pop and it had to be done) causing my keys to fall on the floor 3 times.

Decisions, Decisions...

I almost caved in and bought a dress today. Well 2 dresses actually, I was planning to be an awful customer and return whichever one I preferred least. I have a Christmas event I am attending next Friday evening and I had pretty much decided to recycle the grey dress I wore to my 21st Birthday, however finding shoes is proving to be a nightmare. I have these silver ones but I think they're a bit too light for the dress and also too low for my liking since I shall be with a few friends who are taller than me. Anyway completely despairing after an unsuccessful shoe shopping mission I hit up inlovewithfashion.com because they sent me an e-mail about a Cyber Monday money off offer. I even went so far as going to the checkout before stopping myself and deciding to revisit my wardrobe and try a few things on. To my delight I discovered actually I have a few options that would be appropriate for the occasion that I would be happy wearing. Now I just need to decide which combination I'd be happiest with! At the moment I'm leaning towards the berry beaded dress which is actually my mum's with black Dune Gaga slingbacks or the floral prom dress with the same shoes because they are super comfortable.

Apologies I am half asleep right now...

Crazy work hours this week including 2 midnight finishes. Need sleep now but loved my outfit today so much I had to blog it. Layered H&M dress with Topshop sheer blouse, black opaque tights and Dune Plymouth boots. I also wore my elephant pendant necklace that my Dad brought me home as a gift after a trip to South Africa. I now have 2 elephant necklaces, the one I wore today is the original which my Dad got me after a running joke between us that he would bring me home an elephant. I love jewellery that has sentimental value and I rarely wear costume jewellery.

Update

It's been a drama filled few weeks hence the lack of posts. I basically spent any time not at work at the end of September on a train up to visit my Dad in the hospital. Thankfully in 1st week of October I had a week off from work so was able to be there for him getting out of hospital & beginning his recovery. Amazingly over the course of all this I have still been resisting the lure of new clothes despite spending a lot of time in the shopping centre next to the train station. The most I bought there was dinner. October flew past in a whirl of visits home, work, wobbling about with Labyrinthitis (not fun), spending time with friends and a small drama with my boiler which is getting sorted today. Now, almost a week into November my thoughts turn to Christmas and buying gifts for people. I find it's always better to spread the cost over a couple of months and today after some housework I intend to begin researching gift ideas for people. Today's outfit is red Topshop Jeans, black vest top and Love popcorn cross motif jumper.

Blah.

Day off today and I went up North to see my Daddy who is in the hospital just now. This is a pretty thrown together look but I think it kind of works - H&M shorts, brown tights, cream top from Primark, Berry coloured cardigan from Urban Outfitters and tan brogues.

Black & Gold

Today my outfit is Black trousers, sheer shirt, black vest top & brogues. There seemed to be a black & gold theme going on at work - we have to wear black but almost all of us also had gold accents on our outfits. I spy a trend happening.

Go hard or go home

This week at work is one of the busiest of the year so I've been working a lot. Tonight I was on til 9pm then after a quick dash home to change & eat something it was out again less than an hour later for ES' birthday celebrations. Protip - always have some fresh egg pasta of some sort in the fridge during busy weeks, it takes 2 minutes to cook & is fairly healthy. I favour spinach and ricotta tortellini with some pesto on top. Anyhow after food I headed out to meet everyone at Kuta for a couple of cocktails before moving on to Kushion for a bit of a dance. My friend AD & I left a little before 1am as we were both shattered & I have work in the morning, however other than being tired it was a really fun night.
I am definitely getting the good of my leather skirt. Tonight I dressed it up with a pink and black tuxedo style blouse from ASOS, black tights and black and pink Dune Harry wedges. Ordinarily on an occasion like this I would have used my pale pink clutch bag too, however between what is allegedly the tail end of Hurricane Isaac and my knowledge of how treacherous the pavements of Bath Street can be (I have fallen over on that street and seen friends fall over way more times than I care to remember, even in flat shoes when there have been no cocktails involved) I took my Kate Spade handbag so I could also carry my trusty Marc by Marc Jacobs flats for walking between bar & club & to find a taxi home. Now my feet are grateful I am no longer on them, and I am away to get a solid night's sleep before work again tomorrow.

Supermarket Chic

On today's agenda is a trip to my friendly local supermarket as I appear to be out of food, followed my a continuation of yesterday's cleaning since I didn't get much done. Today's outfit is again Dune Petrol boots, with a tulip print Dorothy Perkins dress I've had for years, black tights and a Miss Selfridge biker jacket.

So I lied in my last blog...

I thought that those shoes would be my only purchase for the month (and they didn't even cost that much) however, upon having a bit of  a break out on my forehead,  I decided it was time to properly start looking after my skin so I went for a consultation with Clinique this afternoon and ended up coming away with their entire 3 step skin care regime and a facial SPF. My mum bought me a similar Clinique range about 10 years ago when I was a teenager. Back then it was the bar soap they had which I wasn't keen on at all, but on the whole I remember liking the other 2 products in the range, especially the moisturiser. They've now developed a liquid soap which I think I will get on much better with. Unfortunately when I became a student they were a little out of my price range but since I'm working pretty much full time now and haven't been spending any money on clothes for over a month now I thought I would take the plunge again. If I remember correctly the products lasted me for ages as well which is a bonus.

For my little excursion out I wore a completely inappropriate outfit for the weather - getting over excited about A/W dressing again today's outfit consisted of leggings with a cosy lining from Primark that everyone at work has been raving about since last winter, leather skirt and H&M stripy jumper with my comfy fur lined Dune ankle boots and Mulberry Alexa bag. I am glad I decided to leave my jacket at home because it is a lot warmer outside than I was expecting and my legs were far too hot! Now I'm home I've changed into jeans as I am away to embark on a cleaning mission. I feel like I need a bit of a life overhaul at the moment so I am starting with clean skin and a clean and tidy flat, which I will then endeavour to keep tidy instead of slipping into my naturally messy ways.

1 month, 3 days down.

Yesterday I had another pyjama day. It's not often I have a Sunday off so I decided to have a properly relaxing one.
Today I went to work and wore the leather skirt & Zara top look I wore on 9th August with black Opaque tights instead of patterned ones and my black DKNY cozy as a cover up incase it was cold (turns out it wasn't). After work I bought a pair of Brogues to replace my favourite ones that finally gave up a couple of weeks back. It was nice knowing that really that's going to be my only purchase this month other than food & a couple of birthday presents. I am set for handbags and footwear until I have to get new season boots/shoes for work in October/November time then that's me sorted with footwear til February pretty much.
I have also been thinking this whole buying your wardrobe round the start of the new season is a great idea. I am definitely going to start investing in a few key pieces to compliment those I already own at the start of each season when this challenge is over instead of buying something new every other week. Hopefully it means I'll be able to spend a bit more on quality things too.

A day of play

Today I went and got my nails done then headed over to my cousin's house for a visit. I ended up spending the afternoon at the local Soft Play with my uncle & my cousin's almost 2 year old which was super fun but tiring since she's still a bit small to climb up through the soft play to the top of the big slide on her own so I had to go up and help her. Later in the afternoon I helped the almost 4 year old with her jigsaw puzzle & was on bath duty for both girls before my cousin's husband made us all chilli con carne for dinner. It's always nice spending the day with them, especially the two girls who are the cutest kids ever. Practicality is a must when visiting my cousin's family because I always end up playing on the floor with the kids/ in a soft play area/ running around at the swing park, so I wore my Topshop jeans, a black vest top, pink jumper from H&M and Dune Petrol boots which are the comfiest boots ever. I also finally got the good of my grey jacket that I bought in Topshop in July since the weather is so awful tonight. My nails were done at Swoon Nails and are from the Calgel limited edition BonBon range in blue with gold studs.

Out for dinner

Last night I went out for dinner with my auntie and uncle after work. We went to Urban Bar & Brasserie which is always one of my favourite restaurants to eat at. The food is always delicious and the portions are never too big. I had a black pudding salad followed by a feta and red pepper strudel with a creamy pesto sauce and then a chocolate pot with grand marnier and orange shortbread. I wore this dress I bought in the Oasis sale back in January with suede shoe boots. Today's agenda so far is getting my nails done at 11. Outfit to follow.

Work. Work. Work. Trampoline. Pub. Sleep.

This week I have been doing a lot of physical work at work, I'm surprised I had the energy for training last night but I went and managed to do some somersaults with the aid of my coach and a Judo belt as well as working with our soon to be level 1 coaches prepping for their coaching exam in a couple of weeks. Absolutely shattered tonight though, you don't realise how tiring being on your feet all day and lifting boxes really is until you stop and sit down. No pic of today's work outfit cos it's a bit dusty from the boxes, but tonight I'm chilling on the sofa wearing this Topshop polka dot dress, watching the Paralympics and willing myself to get up again to tidy up and stack the dishwasher.

August Bank Holiday

Normally on this precise day of the year I would be tired, muddy and somewhat hungover after a weekend spent in a field with good company, good music and slightly warm cider. This year however my BFF and festival buddy extraordinaire LC and I decided to give Reading & Leeds festival a miss. Instead she has been off sunning herself in Italy for a week which I am not at all super jealous about (*s) and I have stayed home in rainy Glasgow and gone to work. It feels kinda nice not having spent the weekend sleeping on the ground, although last year I took an air mattress. I find the older I get the more home comforts I need for festivals.
Anyhow today I have a day off and because the weather is so awful today's outfit is pyjamas. Today's activity is watching Sense & Sensibility which is currently on TV before commencing my annual reading of the Harry Potter series.

Today I'm Wearing...

Leather skirt, sheer Topshop blouse with vest top underneath, opaque tights & new DKNY handbag making it's debut.

New handbag.

I decided to get myself a wee treat today. Ever since I got my 2 pairs of Oxblood coloured shoes I've been lusting after the DKNY handbags they had in House of Fraser in a similar shade. I think this one will look fab with my grey coat this winter. The strangest thing is even though I decided that I'm still allowed to buy accessories I felt a little guilty buying it like I shouldn't be shopping at all. I mean it's not like I actually need another handbag but it's so pretty! Definitely a worthwhile purchase I think.

Today other than going to the shop for my handbag I have been doing tasks that require fairly comfortable clothing like housework and going round to CL's to look after her Guinea Pigs whilst her and ES are both out of town. I'm also going to the cinema later with GB so today I'm wearing red Topshop Leigh jeans, a beige t-shirt & cropped black H&M blazer with my Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse flats. May have to wear my wellies when I go walk up to the cinema later if it keeps raining like this though!

Peplum top ftw!

I am loving this peplum top I bought in Topshop before I started the challenge, peplums are hot right now and I can wear this with a variety of different things. I am also loving how it hides the food baby I have from all the fajitas I ate for dinner. It does kind of make me look like I have massive boobs in this pic but I suppose that's not always a bad thing. Today I wore it with black ASOS trousers for work.

Je suis Scottish

This is the outfit I was wearing the other day when that woman stopped me to ask if I was French. I liked it so I decided to wear it again today.

Home again.

Back in G-Town again after a nice few days at home. Tonight I participated in my usual Wednesday activity of trampolining (it's an Olympic sport dontcha know) my Post training casual outfit tonight is striped jumper & black shorts both H&M, tights because it's finally heading for Autumn here & black converse. Back to work tomorrow, it's been nice having a few days in a row not wearing all black everythang.

My brother's Cat is crazy

Like seriously mental. Today I'm wearing a red maxi skirt, off white top both Primark and a gold belt from H&M . Lilly the kitten is obsessed with my skirt. She keeps playing with it & trying to eat it.

I'm on a train. I'm on a train. Everybody look at me cos I'm travelling on a train...

By some magical stroke of luck I have 3 whole days off in a row so I'm headed up to the homeland (aka North East Scotland) to see both my brother and my mother's new houses and meet my brother's new cat. Tonight's train outfit consists of black H&M shorts, sheer leopard print top & black blazer both by Topshop, black tights because public transport & bare legs is not a pleasant combination and Marc by Marc Jacobs Nappa Mouse flats.

I didn't get a chance to photograph today's work outfit which I'm gutted about because a lady stopped me in the street to ask if I was French which I took to be a compliment as French people, or Parisiennes at least are typically quite chic. I was wearing lace patterned tights, the black version of the blue Topshop dress I had on the other day, a black DKNY cozy belted with a skinny studded belt I've had for years, a leather jacket, oxblood flats and carrying my Kate Spade black leather handbag I got when I was on holiday in Orlando in January. I've decided layering is definitely the way forward, at least for this week.

Summer summer summertime

I have decided to forget about winter dressing (which I have been excited about for weeks now) and fully embrace the sunshine we have now. In that spirit today's outfit is a printed dress from Primark, which is not somewhere I shop very often but on the odd occasion that I am in there buying tights or something I sometimes find gems like this. Added bonus is that I am still yet to encounter anyone else wearing it which so rarely happens with Primark items. Shoes are taupe Dune sandals. Also wearing OTT orange & diamanté cat eye sunglasses that were another Primark find (bargain at £1) because why wouldn't you?

It's Friday, I'm in love...

With my H&M wetsuit fabric skirt. I've always been a sucker for a full skirt and it's just such a nice length and makes me feel so ladylike but with a modern edge when I wear it. Deja vu - I think I may have blogged something similar about this skirt before. Today I paired it with a Vila bow detail top and of course my trusty oxblood t-bar shoes for work. This evening's outfit is high waisted shorts from Miss Selfridge, a sleeveless TFNC blouse and silver Havaianas as my current plan for the evening is a quiet night in with a glass of wine and a book. At the moment I'm reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac and am enjoying it. It is giving me itchy feet though, I would love to be able to just take off and go explore new places.

In other news everyone I seem to speak to is having a challenging time getting dressed in the morning, the weather is so changeable at the moment it's crazy! I seem to be getting on ok so long as I don't forget my umbrella!