Frills 'n' Spills

I'm Maria and I can't stop buying  little red dresses. In fairness it has been a while since I last bought a little lace dress but my #simplybereal moment was right on! I found this M&S beauty on Amazon and it was the last one left, and in my size- it had to be fate! The colour s a bright scarlet and it is very bright, so much so that I had to turn the brightness down on these photos... I wore this for the Easter meal that I had with Mark's family and it was perfect for stuffing myself with plenty of banoffee pie as it skims over all my lumps and bumps nicely. Luckily the lace dresses it up enough that you don't need any other embellishment so it is super easy to wear too- who would guess that such a fancy looking dress would be so easy to wear? I couldn't believe how pale I looked in these pictures but I actually really love the contrast as it is so dramatic! 

I was worried that the neckline was a little bit frumpy as it looked quite matronly in some photos but it definitely grew on me throughout the day. I really love the sheer lace on the sleeves, I just wish the top of the bodice was the same- maybe that would help with the frump factor? I paired it with my favourite red lipstick (Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in Ruby Tuesday FYI) and a different red nail varnish (for once!) This is the rather lovely Victoria & Albert by Nails Inc and it is another classic red that wears really well. I have had it on all week and it is only just starting to chip 4 or so days later.

I really  need to find a replacement pair of these shoes, I wear them nearly every day and they are starting to look a bit scruffy now. If anyone sees them in a size 7, please let me know! 

This gorgeous white dress was another one from the wardrobe of the lovely Alice and it is absolutely beautiful. I have been waiting to wear it as it is definitely an 'occasion' dress and although I imagine it would be lovely for a christening, no-one I know has had a baby so the big Easter meal with my family was the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl. I will take any excuse to get all dressed up and I know that this dress will become a staple for family occasions where I need to look sophisticated. I felt really elegant in this outfit and had a massive grin on my face all day- it's amazing what a gorgeous dress can do for your confidence and mood! I was originally going to curl my hair but I actually think that the straighter hair helps it look a little more modern, especially paired with a pinned back fringe. I went for my favourite red lipstick, Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in Ruby Tuesday to jazz it up and it did the job nicely!

You can see just how gorgeous the heavy crochet lace is here and the black grosgrain ribbon too. I was a little bit nervous about how fitted this dress was but I think it looks OK, what do you think? I know I keep raving about Essie 'Aperitif' but it is just such a good classic red! I need to get some more Essie polishes- which shades should I try next?

Easter is always a big occasion in my family and this year was no exception. It was fantastic to see nearly all of my family and as ever, the food was fantastic! These photos have been sitting on my computer for ages but I wore a variation of this outfit for all the Easter festivities...

This seems to be my go to dress for family occasions where you want to look like you have made an effort but also know that there is going to be lots of nice food- although I would usually avoid a drop waist, this one seems to skim my food baby nicely ;)

Another day, another backless dress!

The colours on this dress were described as looking like a daffodil, like custard and the inside of a Crème Egg, perfect for my new-found love for the colour yellow! 

I love the tiny pleats and the contrasting sleeves. I never thought I would be a fan of either yellow or leopard print but here I am wearing both in one outfit... blogging has certainly taken me out of my comfort zone! 

Worn with my 'Miss Piggy' shoes... the perfect chunky heel!

Outtake of the day: trying to twirl and looking like a fool...

The best part of Easter for me though has to be the Easter Egg hunt, you're never too old for hunting chocolate right?!

What did you do at Easter? Do you like Easter egg hunts? 
 

I have spoken about helping out at Brownies before and although I am fairly busy, I will always try and make time for it as I find it really rewarding.I have been helping out since I was 13 and I love being able to do some crafty things and spend some time nurturing these girls [cheesy but true]. This week though, rather than making something or going somewhere, we had a visit from A HEDGEHOG. We recently held a coffee morning to celebrate our 50th anniversary and the money we raised, we donated to Vale Wildlife and to say thank you they came in to tell us a bit more about the work they do. 

Isn't she the cutest?! Kim from the Vale Wildlife centre told us lots about the animals that they care for and brought in a hedgehog for us to see. I nearly died as she was gorgeous! Kim also brought in lots of nests and skins for us to have a look at and it was really amazing to see what the nests looked like...

We laid all of these different bits out on the table and the Brownies were able to go and have a closer look at each one which I thought was nice...

Did you know, hedgedhogs have very strong front legs as they use them for digging which means they are incredibly fast. 

Apologies for the blurry photos, it is difficult to take photos when you have 24 excited girls all craning to see a little hedgehog! Although I am not what you would call interested in nature or the 'great outdoors' [I always joke that I am allergic to fresh air] it was really interesting to find out a bit more about the wild animals we have that are native to this country. Vale Wildlife costs £20,000 A  MONTH to run so every bit that people can do really helps, after all prevention is better than cure!

Do you like hedgehogs? Have you ever volunteered?