Frills 'n' Spills: blog love

Showing posts with label blog love. Show all posts

Doing the Liebster blog tag...

I don't do things like this very often but I am super nosy and love finding out about my favourite bloggers and when the lovely Char tagged me to do this, I thought it would be fun to find out a bit more about y'all! First though, here's a few questions answered by me :)

What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day? I love curling up on the sofa with a big duvet with either a pile of books or a stack of films. I don't get a chance to read as much as I would like so any opportunity is gladly received!

Skirts or shorts? In the summer I love shorts but I wear skirts all year round- I don't even mind whether they are mini, midi or maxi!

If you found £10 on the pavement, what would you do with it? I would look around to see if there was anyone who looked like they had dropped it and if not, I would hand it into the nearest police station.

Favourite colour? I am a massive fan of bright colours but red is my absolute favourite, my little red dress collection just keeps on growing!

Best advice someone has ever given you? 'Life's too short to have regrets'. There are plenty of things that you could have done differently in the past but it's too late to change them so just try and make the best of your circumstances (easier said than done I know!)

Where would you most like to go in the world? Italy is my absolute favourite place to visit but I would love to see more of it, there is so much history and the food is amazing.

What super-power would you most like to have and why? I would love to be able to heal diseases, so many of my family and friends have been affected by horrible diseases and I would love to have been able to prevent that. Being diabetes free would be pretty awesome too!

Who is the last person you sent a text to? Mark, asking him about dinner (how glamorous!)

How many times per day do you brush your teeth (randomly this was a question on a survey I recently was paid to take part in!)? Only twice (unless I eat garlic or onion when it is more like ten times!)

What is the last blog you followed? The last blog I followed was Not Dressed as Lamb, I am in love with Catherine's style (and that gorgeous hair colour!)

Do you prefer to read e-books or regular books? Library or shop-bought?If I am at home, I read regular books but if I am commuting or out of the house I will read ebooks, they are so much more convenient. At the moment, my to read list is made up of books lent to me by friends and family and books I have picked up in charity shops. This is the best book I have read recently, definitely fun for anyone who has ever thought about running...

Now I want to know your answers to these questions and also who or what inspires you?

Teapots and mustard...

Occasionally certain pieces of clothing become extremely popular with the blogging community and this Very teapot dress is another one of those blogger specials! Both Sarah and Gemma own it (and look absolutely gorgeous in it!) and when you see its cute print and flattering shape, you can understand why it is just so popular. I had a bit of trouble getting hold of a dress in the right size (if anyone is interested in buying a size 10 version, please let me know!) but when it arrived, I couldn't have been happier. The fit is true to size (perhaps a little generous around the bust) and it is really easy to wear. I paired my dress with all mustard accessories but you could easily pick up some of the other colours in the pattern and pair it with purple or red too! Very is not a brand I have ever bought from before as I was always put off by the fact it seemed like you had to sign up for store credit to pay for your (fairly expensive) purchases (you don't FYI) but I was really pleased with this dress and I will be keeping an eye out for their sale- I want this dress in every colour and print!

Dress: Very, shoes: c/o Zalando, belt: Miss Selfridge (off a playsuit)

I am always slightly wary of dresses with sleeves, they are much more flattering on my ~~less than slender~~ arms (at least until I get on with actually doing Sophie’s triceps exercises!) but as a 'human radiator', I always get far too warm. Luckily these ones are loose enough that your arms don’t get all claustrophobic (surely this can’t just be me?!) and gently skim over my wobbly bits thanks to some oh so flattering ruching...

I mean just look how flattering this dress is! The shape of this dress reminded me of a classic 1940s tea dress so I wanted some quite classic shoes to pair with it. These mustard shoes were sent to me a while ago but I don’t wear them as much as I would like as I always forget that I have them (oops). I am always a bit wary of wearing heels when I have to get the train (I blame falling flat on my face one winter evening for that one!) but this pair are reassuringly ‘solid’. Mustard can be a difficult colour to wear but I really love it with navy; it is much more interesting than beige or cream but it still looks quite classic.

Please ignore the creases in the dress, I have just realised how much this needed ironing!

Have you succumbed to the lure of this Very nice dress? (har har)

Breton stripes (and black glitter ankle boots!)...

As we edge into Autumn, I pulled out this striped dress again and added some slightly more seasonally appropriate accessories to combat the chillier weather. I wore it to meet up for lunch with the lovely Hattie a few weeks ago. It is always nice to see her, even of we are the worst bloggers for taking photos when we meet up!

Dress: Isabella Oliver (clothes swap), leather jacket: New Look, belt: Primark, socks: H&M, ankle boots: Primark

Since buying the new Kate Moss lipstick, I having been loving richer berry shades and this Revlon Matte is that perfect shade of 'just finished ~~a bottle~~ a glass of red wine'.

Plus it matches perfectly with my nail varnish, Nails Inc. in Tate. Slightly darker than your classic reds, it's one I always go back to when I want a dramatic but wearable look.

The highlight of this outfit was definitely these shoes, though. Is there anything more fun than black glitter ankle boots?! I bought these to wear out on my birthday (I think they are suitably party-like!) but realised that I hadn't actually broken them in so I dug out my ankle socks again to protect my feet against the inevitable blisters. Although they are from Primark, they are surprisingly comfortable and they don't shed too much glitter when I walk, which is always a risk with glitter shoes!

Would you wear glitter ankle boots? How do you transition your clothes from season to season?

Uniqlo x Orla Kiely- the dress...

I have never bought any collaboration pieces before now as there has never been one which I felt justified the cost of the items in question but when I saw the Uniqlo x Orla Kiely collaboration, I fell head over heels. I loved the colourful prints and the fact that it wasn't massively over-priced (take note H&M!)

Dress: Uniqlo x Orla Kiely, coat: Dannimac via my mum, belt: Primark, shoes: New Look via eBay

Apologies for the awkward face in these photos, I have had the most horrific cold/flu the past week or so and this was the red raw nose stage- not pretty. It was a bit of a faff getting hold of my lovely clothes as the courier seemed to mislay the parcel but luckily I was able to re-order all but one thing. I think I actually prefer this dress in the green/grey than the original red I had picked...

As soon as the dress arrived though, I knew it would match perfectly with these shoes. I got the shoes for a mere £3.99 on eBay a few years ago and replaced the original shoe laces with some cream ribbon, much prettier, don't you agree?

I love the fact that this dress has cute cropped sleeves, I prefer 3/4 length sleeves merely because I can still show off my snazzy watch ;)

Obligatory twee collar shot. Although I often fall foul of a blogger cliché or two, this is actually the first dress I own with a peter pan collar, where do I hand my blogger membership in to?! I know quite a few people who have snapped up some pieces from the collection and both Jen and Kristabel have this dress and have definitely given me some inspiration for how to wear it once the weather cools down...

You can't really see it in any of these photos but I managed to get my hands on the berry shade from the Kate Moss matte lipstick collection which I love, it is perfect for Autumn and I will be doing a proper post on it soon!

Do you like designer collaborations?

Happy birthday Frills 'n' Spills!

Who would have thunk it?! I cannot believe that Frills 'n' Spills is 3 years old today- this little corner of the internet has gone through many changes and has provided me with so much fun and inspiration over the past 3 years. It has given me so many opportunities (which I am so grateful for) and I have met some really amazing people. Thank you for all your views, comments and tweets, here's to many more years! ♥

P.S. Apologies for the gushiness ;)

Magazine love...

Helloooo! My name is Claire and I am a fashion and style blogger, juggling a Junior PR role with fangirling Maria. While she's off sunning herself, today I wanted to write about magazines. It might come as a bit of a shock to you that, as a blogger and a self-confessed social media addict, I'm a rather big fan of print.

Notion & Now Then

Perhaps it's the feel of holding something solid, something than can't be accidentally deleted in the middle of an electrical storm, and will lie, untouched, in boxes in years to come until discovered by my great grandchildren (ahem) in 2060 to gasps of “I can't BELIEVE what they wore in the noughties!” I've been lucky enough to be featured in Grazia magazine this week, and it has been the single most exciting blogging exposure I have had, to date. It's not even the readership, or the name “Grazia”, that is so awe-inspiring. It's that it is in print.

Vice & Jalouse

Blogging is immediate and fresh and current and delicious and wonderful, but I think there will always be a place in the fashion world for a good glossy. Something you can stick in your handbag and spill your tea over. So, even though I will happily concur that magazines can be slower off the mark with trends and gossip, monthly editions especially, there will still always be a special place in my heart for the shiny and tactile world of print. Here are a few of my favourites...

Nylon & Elle UK

Thank you to Maria for letting me fill the space while she's away! Come and visit me at my blog Jazzpad xox

5 minute chocolate cake...

Hi Everyone!!! I’m Katrina from Muffin Top Vintage, Maria asked for guest posts and I thought I would volunteer :) Now I am a huge chocolate cake fan so when I stumbled across this recipe that meant you could make a chocolate cake in 5 minutes using a microwave, a few years back I have made it my mission to share it with many people as possible. Let's be honest, sharing is caring right?!

Carnival dress...

I wore this dress when we went to Bristol last weekend as I needed something that was comfortable to wear all day and dressy enough to celebrate properly. I love the swooshy skirt of this and the stripes remind me of carnivals, maybe its because I resemble the 'big top'?! I bought it when the lovely Hattie and I met up for lunch in Cheltenham recently. She seems to be good luck for my wardrobe, last time we met up she persuaded me to buy my favourite black trousers (we definitely have to meet up soon if she is this good for my wardrobe!)

Dress: Oasis, shoes: ASDA, bag: vintage, via my mum's wardrobe

I love it when things match and it was the perfect opportunity to pull out this bag which never gets used much due to just how tiny it is, thank goodness I had someone to carry everything I couldn't...thanks Mark! ;)

The 50s style of this dress required a retro inspired hairstyle and so this is my very feeble attempt at a 'victory roll' hairdo, unfortunately it completely collapsed when there was the slightest gust of wind- anyone have any tips?

Recently I seem to keep buying things with back detailing and this was no exception - I now have a wonderful patch of sunburn which should be rather amusing on holiday next week!

Have you ever tried victory rolls? What's your most versatile dress?

Smokey bacon and prawn salad...

Inspired by Gem's oh so delicious looking spaghetti recipe, dinner tonight consisted of rocket, watercress and spinach salad topped with home-grown French and green beans, king prawns, smoked bacon, tomato pepper and mushrooms.

Delicious. Sometimes simple really is best.

Navy and black...

This outfit was shamelessly inspired by the lovely Amy (whose wardrobe and figure I want to steal!) I really love navy and black together and when I saw this top in my favourite charity shop, I was sold. It incorporates all of my current loves, navy and black, sheer panels and sleeves (glorious sleeves!) so buying it was a bit of a no-brainer really!

Top: Limited Collection from Marks & Spencer via charity shop, vest top (worn underneath): Primark, trousers: Topshop, loafers: Office

For some reason the top looks really bright in this picture but I can promise you it is a true navy! The black lace detailing on this top is so pretty and adds a bit more coverage over the chest area (always a bonus with a sheer shirt!) Usual make up with 'Berry Blush' by Natural Collection, my favourite 'natural' lipstick colour

As you can see, without the added panels, it is very sheer so I was glad that I wore the vest top underneath. I loved the attention to detail with this though, each shoulder has a slight puff to give it some shape and is topped off with these adorable little buttons...

My favourite 7/8 trousers- never underestimate the versatility of some slim black trousers, I have worn these to so many different occasions as they just seem to go with everything, I guess that's why they call them wardrobe classics, huh?! ;)

Audrey Hepburn, eat your heart out.

Just as an added bonus, me looking like a garden gnome whilst trying to keep dry, I definitely need to get a chauffeur to ferry me around in the rain!

What are your wardrobe classics? Whose wardrobe do you want to steal?

Cream lace and coral lips...

Wow. What a weekend! I spent this weekend in Birmingham with a group of lovely ladies drinking, dancing and having fun and I had the most amazing time. #bloggersinbrum definitely needs to become a regular thing! I bought this dress yesterday in Forever 21 and it was perfect for a lazy Sunday after a night out! I have never bought anything from Forever 21 before, despite having visited several times as I just find the Birmingham store massively overwhelming. Apparently they are downsizing it slightly and reorganising it so hopefully it will be easier to find my way around, there are plenty of gems in amongst the rails though, you just have to be patient enough to search!

Dress: Forever 21, bralet [under dress]: Accessorize shoes: Office, blazer: Tesco

I have been looking for a replacement for my white H&M summer dress for a while now and after some gentle persuasion yesterday, I bought this one. I love the colour and the shape of it, despite it reminding me of my favourite nightie, and I think the looser shape will make it perfect for holiday...

The lace detail on this is absolutely stunning, and I love the fact it continues down the sleeve too, I have been really drawn to things with sleeves recently so this was a big draw for me...

Plus, it has buttons down the back! This is definitely one of those dresses that I will end up wearing back to front as the detailing is just so pretty, I have been doing this a lot recently with some lower cut tops and dresses, just having the slightly higher neckline makes them infinitely more wearable and the detail on this makes it an equally attractive candidate!

Another day, another Max Factor lipstain, this one in a bright punchy coral (number 07) to add some colour to an otherwise pale outfit...

I am dreading the photos from last night appearing (no-one needs to have my Dad dancing revealed in all its glory!) but I had such an amazing time and I can't wait to see Eloise, Claire, Sarah, Gemma, Gem, Emma, Rebecca, Char, Alex, Sian and Annabel again very soon.

Where have you found unexpected treasures recently? Who have you been partying with recently?

Canary yellow shoes...

Since starting this blog, my style and I have changed beyond recognition. If you had told me nearly three years ago (!) that I would be wearing a long sleeved dress with canary yellow shoes, I wouldn't have believed you! Blogging has been one of the constants throughout several years of change and this little corner of the internet has inspired me in so many different ways

Dress: Peacocks, shoes: Clarks, belt: Miss Selfridge

Although Peacocks is now officially defunct, there are still a few stores clinging on for dear life and there just happens to be one in Stroud. I bought this dress on a bit of a whim as I don't usually wear long sleeves, but the zingy print and gorgeous colours sold it to me. I think you will agree that it is perfect for this 'summer' weather we are having too! I liked the way the long sleeves balanced out the length too, it was the only way I could think of, to make sandals office appropriate!

Recently I have been loving all things yellow and this belt picks up the yellow in the pattern on the dress perfectly...

Clarks shoes, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... You all know how much I love Clarks shoes and these are definitely no exception. The shoes have a pad underneath the ball of my feet so even though I was dashing around all day, my feet were really comfy, without even a blister. These shoes come in 4 different colours and I am seriously tempted to buy them all, at least I know that they are comfy right?!

Beautiful canary yellow T-bar sandals from Clarks and my favourite nude fishnets.

What has been your constant over the past few years? Which items have you been tempted to bulk buy?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo

Frills 'n' Spills

Doing the Liebster blog tag...

Teapots and mustard...

Breton stripes (and black glitter ankle boots!)...

Uniqlo x Orla Kiely- the dress...

Happy birthday Frills 'n' Spills!

Magazine love...

5 minute chocolate cake...

Carnival dress...

Smokey bacon and prawn salad...

Navy and black...

Cream lace and coral lips...

Canary yellow shoes...

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