How very lovely!!

What a bloody lovely week!! I've been made blog of the week.... not once but twice!!

Firstly by the lovely folk over at Rouge Noir PR

And secondly by the especially lovely folk over at Clothing at Tesco....

Needless to say I'm over the moon and very proud, especially because the Tesco article has a shout out for Plus North, which is great as Toni and I are working so hard to make it a really great event. We've got some great sponsors on board so far and are in talks with lots more, but until we can confirm them, why not check out who's coming so far.....

  

       

As well as getting the chance to check out these guys, they'll be a fab fashion show, prize draw, competitions, drinks, canapés, free pampering sessions and much, much more. Tickets are only £5 which includes all the above and your delegate pack with funky name badge and info booklets and are available here.

Five Take: Nautical

Hello!! or should I say Ahoy? Ahem OK. So this week we're doing Nautical, something that I actually have vast amounts of in my wardrobe. Being a little bit rockabilly, I have more stripes than I care to admit in my wardrobe, along with lots of cute little cardigans. But instead of going full on pin-up nautical, I decided to go very casual. In part because I'm still getting to grips with my new hair and questioning where and how my former vintage wardrobe will fit in and in part because it is so completely and utterly miserable out there I really could not face getting dolled up today. 

Awww Sad Face....

But I have to head over to my home town (quite by coincidence has a very rich fishing and nautical heritage!!) this evening as I have band practice tomorrow. My best friend Sara is having a baby and I'm covering her gigs over the summer whilst she has said baby, so I can't even stay in and get snuggled up. On the plus side I get to meet up with my lovely friends tomorrow!

I think it might be because my lovely husband is so tall, but I look very "squashed" on this picture!!
Oh and excuse the DIY paraphernalia in the background... Bad Blogger!! 

I wore.....

Red vest top - Love Label @ Littlewoods
Striped sweatshirt - Dorothy Perkins
Jeans - Jeffrey and Paula @ littlewoods
Shoes -  Miss L Fire

They're not exactly boat shoes but I thought these loafers had a touch of nautical about them.....

and finally, a little nod to the sea,  my necklace of a Gull type bird.....

So there you have it, I've been trying to take a lot more outside shots just lately, but the foul weather does not permit, I'm afraid, although check out Claire's she went full on nautical on the Cutty Sark!!! And of course head over to the rest of the Five Take crew (see what I did there) and see how they've done the nautical theme!!

Nicole - A Well Rounded Venture

Rebecca - The Plus Side of Me

Gina - Fat, Fit, Fine

Claire - A Monkey Fatshionista

Review: State of Mind, Part 2

As promised here's part 2 of my review for State of Mind!! If you missed part one, its here..

Last week I received my second package from Michaela & Karensa, I was so excited because I'd been chomping at the bit to try out the pirouette, I love wrap tops, and this one did not disappoint. You know the illicit affair I was having with my flared jeans and flamingo top? Well this bad boy is invited,

IDIOT!!!

I teamed it with my own striped T, red pumps and idiotic pose.... The trousers are the "read my hips" (still loving those cute names!) Needless to say, the items are again exceptional quality, soft against the skin and so comfortable. I can't wait to have a play with the top and try some of the other ways of wearing it featured on the website
The trousers are great. The waistband can be worn high for support and warmth for cold bods like me and give a smooth appearance over the tummy if that's what your after or they can be worn folded over hipster stylee if that's your thing! I was a little weary of a cropped flare, but I think they're really nice, I like where they sit on the leg, its quite Parisian I think! (Like I'm classy enough to pull that off, you have seen the picture above haven't you?)

I love this outfit, I think you could easily meet friends for coffee and then change footwear to go straight to the gym, dance class, yoga etc...

I really cannot stress how impressed I've been with the quality, comfort and fit of the range. I've just got one more piece to bring you next week some time, which I'm looking forward to.

OOTD: Peeetay Pan Mo Fo!

Ooooh I love a Peter Pan Collar don't you? Well this suckers got 2, yes that's 2 people!

Another star Primark find. For us chubs it really is hit and miss in there, although they go up to a size "20" and yes I mean a "20" some garments are more generous than others. If you don't mind having an epic trying on session then I suggest if you are anything from a size 20 to a 24, just grab a basket, pick up everything you like in a size 20 and just try it all on, you might be surprised, and yes, some of it has never seen a size 20 in its life, but some of it is more than generous.

Top - Primark

Cardigan - One Stop Plus

Jeans - Jeffery and Paula @ Simply Be

Shoes - Next via eBay

Ha Ha check out the brownie supply on the cabinet...

Adjusting....

99p eBay bargain!!

I felt really great in this outfit, despite having to go and get more blood sucked out of my arm! Oh the joys of anemia.

Plus Size Swimwear Challenge - Tesco

Hello! A couple of months ago as people started booking holidays and talking of summer escapes I thought it might be nice to feature some swimwear on the blog. Then I thought what would be even better, would be to get a group of plus bloggers all different heights, dress sizes, shapes together to look at various brands offerings, road test different swimsuits and give thier opinions. So, well.... Here it is!!!

As the title suggests this week we're looking at Tesco and what they have to offer. Tesco have a vast range of swimwear, a large proportion of their mainstream range goes up to size 22, they also have a small range of swimwear available upto a size 28 in their F+F Range and they have brands available such as Zoggs & Panache

The swimsuit I chose to review was the Zoggs 50's retro swimsuit (of course I did!!) 

It boasts...

"High fabric elasticity for perfect comfort and fit with fantastic shape retention, ultra lightweight quick drying, breathable fabric, Xtra Life Lycra for tough and long lasting wear, chlorine resistant up to 240 pool hours, UPF 50+"

And from a brand like Zoggs you wouldn't expect any less!

So what does it look like?..... WARNING Chunky chick in a swimsuit, do not adjust your screen, that's right AND I'm actually at a swimming pool!! HOORAH!!!

Me in all my glory, orange peel legs, the LOT

The swimsuit is a full suit parading as a tankini, the bottom section is attached to an inner mesh and the top sits on top of this. You can rouche the side as much or as little as you like.

So what did I think?

Appearance - I love the appearance of this swimsuit, we all know I'm a sucker for retro styling and this ticks all the boxes! 5/5

Fit - I found the suit true to size, I ordered my usual 22, it wasn't restrictive in anyway, nor was it baggy, a great all round fit. 5/5

Comfort - The suit was really comfortable, it didn't dig in or feel uncomfortable in anyway. 5/5

Coverage - Overall I found the coverage good, although I only have a D/DD cup I did feel a little exposed in the boob area, but apart from that it was good. 4/5

Performance - My swimming activity nowadays involves taking a very active 2 year old for major splash time, so lots of bending, stretching, jumping and moving. No strenuous swimming activity though. I found the suits performance good, but with it being a tied halterneck there was a small amount of slippage. I also found that the top part did ride up on occasion exposing the mesh layer underneath. One thing I was very pleased with though was that it did not ride up my bum once!! Come on girls, you know what I'm talking about, those swimsuits which you are constantly un-wedgying!! This is NOT one of those. 3/5

Value - This suit comes in at £43 so it is very much at the upper end of the scale. It does boast high SPF protection and the styling is great. It's very well made and has some lovely features, but for me, the price is too high for my budget. 3/5

Overall I loved this suit and can see it fast becoming a favourite! Head over to the other swimwear challenge team to see which swimsuits they picked and what they thought of them!

Mhairi - Lilybobombs 

Gina - Fat Fit Fine

Sara - Scribblings of a Brit Girl

Disclaimer: This item/s was gifted to me for review. I have not been paid to write this article or comment favourably on the item/brand, all opinions are my own.

OOTD - Earning my stripes...

Just a quickie, it was an admin day for me today, so needed to be comfortable, but I was feeling really down too, so I still wanted to dress well to make me feel good. I've spoke about this before briefly and think I'd like to explore "feel good" dressing a bit more in the future, I may be asking for your help!

Since getting my new do, I also feel like I need to re-evaluate my wardrobe, some of my more girly clothes just don't seem to make sense anymore. Weird huh?

So anyway, we nipped out for a quick walk when Mr BeBe and Miss P got home.... HEY look its my denim jacket!! Its been a while, have you missed it?!!

Its the denim jacket twins!!!

Denim Jacket - Littlewoods (Past Season)
Jersey Top - Love Label
Jersey Midi Tube Skirt - Love Label (via eBay Very Clearance Shop) ~(Similar available this season)
Pumps - New Look (Similar)

My Big Fat Voice....

All too often, associating in the circles I do on twitter & Facebook, I hear of how plus size women are frequently subjected to verbal abused in public. I myself have been subjected to such fat jibes for as long as I can remember, I mean honestly, at what point was it ok to shout abuse at another human being in the street? And more importantly at what point will it stop? 

In recent months, having found blogging, the fatosphere and having been inspired by so many fabulous women I seem to have found my big fat voice. 

Over Christmas I was enjoying a meal with my husband, a group of lads across from us were becoming more & more vocal when one of them commented on a chap as he passed by... " look at that fat bastard" "he's such a fat c**t (sorry I just can't write it, I'm totally ok with saying though as you'll soon see) 
The guy continued walking, I however was now gunning for a fight and if I'm completely honest, willing them to say something to me. Low and behold, he did. "Look at that fat bitch in the corner stuffing her face".... Well, that was it! I replied, "I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" he looked and winced, I carried on "yes, hello? Me, the fat bitch in the corner, well you know what sweetheart, I could lose weight if I wanted to, but you're always going to be c**t", and with that they swiftly downed their pints and left. I felt quite euphoric, how dare they? How dare they make people feel like that? But I guess in hindsight I question whether I'm just as bad, should I have left it? Should I have ignored him? Two wrongs do not make a right? Maybe. 

A few weeks ago I found myself subjected to another comment whilst walking home, two teenage lads shouted across the street "god your arse is massive" to which I joyfully replied "I know, glorious isn't it?!" leaving them dumbstruck. This response I felt much better about, I felt I'd turned a negative into a positive. 

What I have taken from both experiences is that no longer, when being abused by another human being, will I walk on by, go home and sob about my experience. I will always try to respond best I can at the time. Because it is NOT ok for these "people" and I use that term loosely, to make others feel that way, to comment on things they know nothing of and to cause misery and pain. 

Hey mister... I'm fat, I know I am, I'm ok with this. My body is my business, my health is no concern of yours, I'm here, I'm visible and there's nothing you can do about it, keep your vile "opinions" to yourself. 

Five Take: Maxi Dress

It's Sunday, its Five Take time!! This week we're doing the maxi. Maxi dresses normally scream summer, lazy afternoons, swanning around boho stylee, wearing flip flops and chunky jewellery..... well folks, news flash its blooming freezing here in the UK! Its been tipping it down for days now, so when I saw this week was maxi I wasn't sure what I'd do. Sadly the weather didn't perk up so I've gone for a cosy, comfy, casual look.

Dress - So Fabulous @ Littlewoods (past season)
Cardigan - New Look 
Boots - Kurt Geiger
Glasses - Select Specs (review here)
Jewellery - Gift from my mum!

I'm really sorry, but I'm having some technology issues at the moment, so I'm writing this blog from a laptop borrowed from my mum and the pics are taken on my iPhone in a bad light so have turned out really grainy. It's so frustrating!! Once I have come up with a way to magic some money from somewhere normal serviced will be resumed!!

I'm still feeling a bit rubbish as well, so didn't feel like having my picture taken......

Peek-a-booooo!!

Yes I'm a complete doofus, I know! As always head over to my other fabulous Five Take gang and check out how they've worn their maxi's...

Nicole - A Well Rounded Venture

Rebecca - The Plus Side of Me

Gina - Fat, Fit, Fine

Claire - A Monkey Fatshionista

Do you wear maxi's all year round? Whats your favourite way to rock a maxi?

New Do!

Hey!! Just a quick one!
After much umming and ahhhing over the old barnet I decided a much needed change was in order.....

Taadaaaaa......!

Specsy and I know it......

Hello!! When it comes to specs I've had a long running affair with the old face furniture. For as long as I can remember I've loved them, I used to borrow my friends at school just so I could wear them..... Just typing that now makes me realise what a complete weirdo I am!! Oh well, I digress. I've had to wear glasses for reading myself since I was about 11, and I actually look forward to my bi-yearly eye test to see if I can get some new frames...yeh like I said, weirdo... 

So when the guys at Select Specs contacted me to review a pair I jumped at the chance! Now I must admit I hadn't heard of them prior to this, but having checked out their range I was really impressed, and even more so at the fact that they say they're the Cheapest Prescription glasses in the world with prices starting at just £6 you knows I love a bargain!

And lets be honest for £6 I thought they were going to be a pile of you know what, so I ordered myself the cheapest pair I could find for £6. I decided to go for a dummy pair - so to speak - I have my reading glasses which I'm quite happy with, but I fancied a pair for fashion purposes, plus, those of you who know me know that I suffer quite often from eye infections and I find I heal quicker if I wear a pair of glasses as it stops me touching it (bad habit) and any dirt getting in to the eye. So I went for the Savannah 2249, a simple black rimmed, some might say "geek chic" style... 

When they arrived I was expecting them to be cheap plastic for the price, but they are a rubberised kind of plastic and look really nice, they are light weight and comfortable. They also came with a case and cleaning cloth...

For the £6 they cost you can also have them made to your prescription at no extra cost and the price also includes UV Coating, Anti Reflection and Scratch Resistant coating. P&P is £4 so the total price is £10, which is completely bargainous... Yes that's a word *ahem*. 

If you like what you see Select Specs are holding a competition which ends on Monday at midnight, details of how to enter can be found here.... http://www.selectspecs.com/blog/two-pairs-of-designer-sunglasses-to-be-won/

And if you're not lucky enough to win a pair, but like what you see there are some special offers available too!

10% off Optical Frames* and Sunglasses - Promo Code: 10shop
When you spend over £15 on optical frames or designer sunglasses.

15% off Complete Prescription Glasses - Promo Code: 15shop
When you spend over £100 on Prescription Glasses.

20% off Complete Prescription Glasses - Promo Code: 20shop
When you spend over £200 on Prescription Glasses.

20% off Individual Brands - Optical Frames* only. - Promo Code: 20brands
20% off the following big name brands - Tom Ford, TOD's, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Chopard, Zegna, Rodenstock, Roberto Cavalli, Jimmy Choo, and Nike.

For cheap prescription glasses you really cant go wrong at that price, especially if like my husband who is prone to breaking, dropping, sitting on etc to his. They also have a great range of designer frames, Ray Bans, fashion eye wear and prescription sunglasses too. Head on over to www.selectspecs.com to view the full range, or if you are based in the Kent area they now have a store where you can try before you buy....

SelectSpecs.com UK

37 Station Road

Westgate-on-Sea

Kent, UK

CT8 8QY

So what do I look like in mine?

Disclaimer: This item/s was gifted to me for review. I have not been paid to write this article or comment favourably on the item/brand, all opinions are my own.

The Comfort Zone....

When I woke up this morning and thought of doing a post on nightwear, my initial reaction was that I had completely lost the plot. No one wants to read about pyjamas do they?..... Then I thought back over the month or so and realised I'd actually had lots of comments about from tweety peeps on how I should do a post on PJ's and how much they liked my much documented dressing gown..... I spend a LOT of time in my dressing gown, it's just so bloomin' warm and comfy!!

I LOVE my dressing gown.....

I've not been feeling too well the past couple of days so I seem to have spent a lot of time in pyjamas and dressing gown, and too be quite honest my favourite PJ's are starting to look a bit shabby so I thought I'd have a mooch around and bring you my faves around at the moment.

My first stop was Littlewoods as I have had so many great pyjamas from them in the past, their sorbet range in my opinion is just great, and I wasn't disappointed. Look at these cuties!!..

Littlewoods - Sorbet Short Sleeved Pyjamas
£26.00

I haven't had any PJ's from Evans for years but these are just so sweet....

Evans - Rose and Spot Pyjamas
£20 

My other "go to" pyjama stop is Simply Be, for this one I decided to just pick some bottoms because if you're anything like me the tops normally end up in the bottom of a drawer and you end up wearing a favourite t-shirt or vest top with them instead!!

Simply Be - Lepel Printed PJ Bottom
£25

So there you have it, I may have completely lost the plot and in a fog of poorly PJ madness cut my readership in half.... sorry about that folks!! 

Sad Face......

Do you wear PJ's or are you a nightie kinda gal?...... 

or maybe you sleep in the rudey nudey? Meowwwww!

Review: State of Mind, part 1

Ooh that sounds ominous doesn't it? Part one?! Well let me start by saying the lovely Michaela and Kerensa founders of State of Mind sent me 2 very generous parcels of their active/leisure wear, or what they've cleverly called "wear everywhere" clothing for me to try out. So I have decided to spread the reviews across a couple of posts so I can do each piece justice. 

State of Mind launched in March, with a small but perfectly formed collection of separates. The fabric is sourced in Leicester and the garments are manufactured in Nottingham. Micheala told me the other day that they did try to have the range manufactured overseas, with a view to keeping costs at a minimum for the customer but after the first run it became apparent the quality and longevity of the fabric and garments was not up the their exacting standards and felt the customer deserved more, so they pulled the plug and lost a heartbreaking 5000 (oh my goodness) items of stock, because they knew the customer deserved better. 

The price point is high for some pockets, there's no denying that, but I think when you know the history, and take all the factors into consideration you can begin to understand why. I for one love the fact that its supporting British industry and after all this isn't fast fashion, these are items that will stay in your wardrobe for years, you'll use them for the gym, the school run, comfy days, walking, holidays.

So my parcel arrived this morning, packaged beautifully in their signature plum colour with the cute plum logo sticker....

Purrrrrty! 

Mondays are my admin day, Poppy goes to the child minder so I spend the day dealing with queries, doing accounts, planning the diary etc, so I decided to try out the Base Camp top. It's a pretty simple top at first glance but on closer inspection it has some fab features. 

The deep, but not too deep scoop neck looks great, the slightly dipped hem to the back is great and my favourite feature is the thumb holes.....thumb holes you say?! Usually the reserve of straight size active wear and surf wear, little design features like this are rarely seen in plus clothing. Now you might be thinking... what's so great about thumb holes? Well, for a cold bod like me, its great to have some coverage on the hands without looking like a complete tool sitting round the house wearing gloves! Secondly when I'm out with Poppy, now that she's walking I have to have a firm grip on her hand, which I just cant get with gloves on, and boy do my hands get cold. This way at least they stay covered a bit. I know for you more sporty types they'll be lots of legit reasons why this is super too, but that's why they are fab for me!!! 

I teamed mine with some capri leggings and coral pumps today, The top is really comfortable and doesn't lose its shape at all. My only gripe is that I found the sleeves to be a little loose on me, but that's just down to my personal preference, I prefer a more form fitting sleeve.

After dinner this evening, as part of my quest to get my butt off the sofa a bit more, I decided to try out 2 more pieces and go for a swift walk around the block. Of late I've been feeling really sluggish, and my mental health hasn't been at it's greatest. I've always found being active help improve this, so its going to be a real pleasure to road test these garments and might just give me a much needed dose of motivation!

So I changed into the "T-Squared" (I love the funky names, shiz like that floats my boat!!) a really substantial double layered T-shirt, its really supportive, I can imagine in more rigorous activities this bad boy would keep everything in place! I popped the "Get Fleeced" jacket (its got thumb holes too, ok, I'll shut up about the thumb holes I promise) on top for warmth and off I went. 

It was quite a chilly evening, the fleece kept me lovely and warm. Aesthetically it's a really interesting ribbed fleece and looks great on. 

So far I'm really impressed by the excellent quality and the fit - I ordered sizes 22 throughout and found them to be true to size, the garments are comfortable yet stylish and in terms of price, they are more than you would pay for a high street active wear, but you and I know that plus size active wear is few and far between, its often bad quality and is usually emblazoned with tacky logos. I know that I would be happy to pay that bit extra for good quality, stylish garments, sometimes it really is about quality over quantity. 

By the time I do the next review I'm hoping to have popped all these items through the wash so I can report back to you how they do through the washer too!

Have you searched high and low for great active wear? What do you look for? Style over substance? Or is performance important to you too?

Disclaimer: This item/s was gifted to me for review. I have not been paid to write this article or comment favourably on the item/brand, all opinions are my own.

Five Take: Work, Rest and Play

Hello!!! It's Five Take time again, I haven't done a recap for a while, so for those of you not familiar. Five take is where myself and the marvellous Gina, Rebecca, Nicole and Claire take a theme each week and do our own version of it.

This week its a triple whammy, as we do work, rest and play. I love this because I know for a fact that all our varying forms of "work" are very different so should prove for a quite a mixed bag this week.

WORK 

To be quite honest I see my full time job as a mum, its what I spend 90% of my week doing, its what I get up for every morning, but along with being Poppy's mum, I also run a small business, its quite irregular depending on when I have bookings in the diary so this picture is from last month. I run a Vintage Style Tea Party business, I host private tea parties for birthdays, hen parties etc and I also do Pop Up Tea Rooms for events like vintage fairs, charity events and the like.... So here's what I look like when I go to work!

Oh look its that thing rarer than rocking horse poo, a plus size vintage dress...

Dress - Vintage

REST

 I live in my slops about 80% of the time, I am a complete sloth. I spend quite a lot of time in the house So I like to be comfy, this will normally consist of something loose with a big comfy cardigan on top..

My best "I'm embarrassed" no make-up, greasy hair face...

Jumpsuit - South at Littlewoods (Past Season)
Cardigan - Primark

PLAY

And finally play, play for me is a day with Mr BeBe and Poppy, maybe going out for a walk, going to the park, a bit of shopping. So for that I need comfortable but not too sloppy, I still like to feel like I've made and effort.

Ha!! Silly Becky...

Blouse - F+F at Tesco (Same style, different print. This one is available in store though)
Jeans - Jeffrey and Paula at Simply Be (Past Season)
Cardigan - Love Label at Littlewoods (Past Season)
Red Pumps - New Look

Remember to head over and check out the other Five Take folk....

Nicole - A Well Rounded Venture

Rebecca - The Plus Side of Me

Gina - Fat, Fit, Fine

Claire - A Monkey Fatshionista

Dotty Dress 3 ways...

So Last week I briefly swooned over my spotty drop waist dress from George in a quicky post. I really love this dress but I'm worried its going to stay hung up in my wardrobe and not get worn so I had a think about how I might wear it and I came up with this.... Now its not exactly styling at its finest and its not exactly cutting edge but I was working within the restraints of my wardrobe and the things I already have... So here goes...

Just a simple denim shirt, bare legs and nude loafers for sunnier days...

Dress - George at Asda
Demin Shirt - South at Littlewoods (Past Season)
Loafers - Tesco (Past Season)

Not as crisp as I'd like white shirt, opaque tights and cute dolly shoes...

White Shirt - South at Littlewoods (Past Season)
White Shoes - New Look (Past Season)

Do not ask me what the hell is going on with my face here!! Tuxedo jacket with mustard accents in the shoes and corsage, dinner with the girls?

Tuxedo Jacket - Simply Be (Past Season)
Mustard Shoes - Love Label at Littlewoods (Past Season)

So there you go, just a quick one from me, lets hope I get a bit of wear out of it eh?