Primark Pretties!

Hey everyone,

I was casually perusing Look magazine online last night and got slightly (ok, ridiculously) excited when I saw an article about the latest arrivals at Primark. I am way overdue a Primark fix, its tragic that I can't remember the last time I was there! We don't have one in Cumbria, so as sad as it may sound, going to Primark is like a proper treat for us all here!

Here are my favourite dresses from their newest items....

The beauty of these dresses is that they will all look great with sandals for the rest of the summer and then come Autumn and Winter, they can be paired with tights, boots and a cardigan. And even better, all the dresses were listed as being £13 each, which is quite frankly an absolute bargain! I think the gorgeous print on number 4 cements it as my favourite, but at such low prices, I think I might just have to have them all ;) 

Back soon!

Love 

Nance 

xoxo

The Ever Changing Style of Nancy - Part One, Boho

Hi there!

Hope everyone's summer is going well?! Think we've had our summer here in Cumbria, all two weeks of it. We really were spoiled this year ;) I'm working pretty much full time at the moment and the job is going well. I am working as a Support Worker for adults with learning disabilities in a day services setting. Its a role I'm quite excited about as I get to do crafts, arts, sewing, baking and other activities, no two days are ever really the same. I'm also going to be working with lady who has autism on a one to one basis which I'm really excited about. I find autism fascinating and hope to work more in depth with people who have autism in the future.

Anyway, I've been going through one of my style changes at the moment and was just curious as to how other people saw personal style. If someone asked me to describe mine, I think I would have to say "On what day?" I don't have a particular "style" as such. I flit from different types quite frequently. Do other people do this, or is it just me? Bearing this in mind, I thought I'd do a little style feature each week, looking at each particular style that I love, why I love it and celebrities that do it well.

My favourite at the minute is......BOHO. I think its festivals inspiring me. I touch on boho now and again, but I get a bit lost with it. I feel the floaty dresses make me look bigger than I am. However, I have more ideas and confidence now, so its something I'm embracing. Pinterest is amazing for looking for style inspiration and my "Always In Love With Boho" board is getting rather full.

I have found a few little boho ideas and touches that I really want to try out, although some will have to wait until winter. I particularly love these fairisle/folk style tights under skirts with boots......

I love this particular look, its easily achievable, looks effortless but really stylish 

I love the burgundy and the deep tones, the tones are similair in this look. Perfect for autumn and winter.....

Anyway, enough winter stuff, even though I feel better dressed in winter!! One of my favourite boho looks is a dress with battered old boots.....I don't quite have her legs, but I love the contrast of the crisp white dress and the rough studded boots. 

For me, when I think about boho, the person that sticks out is Sienna Miller. I remember when she first starting going out with Jude Law and thinking "who is this amazingly gorgeous woman with amazing style?!" It is because of Sienna Miller that I bought my first pair of cowboy boots!

Ahh Sienna, how I love you and your seemingly effortless amazing style!! She is definitely the queen of boho!!

My packages from ASOS and Dorothy Perkins have arrived this week, so I will do a little haul post in the next couple of days :) 

Lots of Love

Nance

xoxo

Fur Babies

I am a crazy cat lady. There's no two ways about it really. I just totally love cats. If I could I'd live in a big house with lots of land and have lots of them running around. This love definitely stems from my childhood. My mother was a crazy cat lady and we always, always had at least 3 cats in our house. The most we ever had was 5.

My current cat count is 3. Although up until yesterday it was 5. My lovely lady cat Daphne had a litter of 3 kittens in May and my goodness they were beautiful. Being a somewhat responsible pet owner, when I got Daphne it was never my intention to breed off her. There are lots of cats needing homes in shelters so I really would urge people to go there first and get their own cats neutered. It was always the plan to get Daphne neutered and she is a house cat. Unfortunately, she came into season when we were going through a financial bad patch and despite our best efforts to keep her separate from our outdoor (in so rarely, treats the house like a hotel) tom, Kevin, we ended up with 3 rather beautiful kittens.

This is my beautiful Daphne.....

Isn't she a stunner?! She's an exotic shorthair. They are crossed with Persians and British Shorthairs so they carry a recessive long hair gene and 1 in 4 kittens in a litter come out long haired. My Daphne was one of them. She's not recognised as a pedigree because of this, but I think she's an absolute darling. She has the most lovely temperament, when we first brought her home, she would follow us everywhere and if we left the room she would cry. She has been my most well behaved cat ever. A huge part of not wanting to breed from her was because I loved her so much I would never want to risk her health or put her through anything painful. I felt so guilty when we realised she was pregnant.

Anyway, the end result was these little guys....

Darcy (the tabby female) Joey (the ginger male) and Eddie (the ginger and white male) Weren't they just to die for?! I fell for them all instantly, and luckily found homes with friends and family for two of them. We decided Joey would stay. 

One of the things I love about cats, is that they are so full of personality! Each of these little guys was so different, yet so lovable in their own ways

Darcy

Look at that face! Darcy was the first one born, which I witnessed. She was the first to open her eyes, first to leave the box, she was just a little bundle of curiosity. She had such a lovely sweet nature and her face just made me melt. She was the only girl, but definitely held her own amongst those boys!

Joey

Joey, the handsome ginger prince. A very cheeky, boisterous boy, a proper tearaway, he was the biggest and always the first to get milk! His fur is so soft and thick, I can't wait to see how he turns out, he's just beautiful.

Eddie

Eddie was the smallest of them all and when he was born, his forehead looked really big and he used to sleep with his mouth open and his tongue out. He was about 4 weeks old here and I was sat on the sofa and he was was on the floor and I called to him. He let out the cutest little meows and came running across the room to me and climbed up on my knee and did this. So cute!! We were a little worried about him for a while, he was a lot smaller but he developed into such a little pest! He was a proper tiny tearaway and very cheeky!!!

But, unsurprisingly, I became extremely attached to all of them. Darcy and Eddie went to their new homes this week and while I know they are going to be loved and cherished, I am extremely sad and tears have been shed! So this post is a little dedication to my fur babies. They have made me very happy the last three months. Cats are awesome!

Hope you enjoyed looking at these lovely fur babies!!

Back soon

Nancy xoxo

Currently Coveting.....

Hurrah for payday!! I haven't worked properly for almost a year now and the last instalment of my student loan ran out at the end of June. So have been frantically selling clothes on eBay, hoping I'll make money! However, eBay seems really rubbish at the moment, or is that just me? I have a crazy love affair with eBay, when buying! Although after 6-7 years of selling, I STILL cannot gauge what will sell, when it will sell best, etc etc. But anyway.....Glastonbury really did clear us out and so July was a very lean month!! As ever, Ray and I live like Kings payday week and then spend the rest of the month counting down!

I did buy myself a few treats this payday (had to, first one, its the law). Dorothy Perkins sale is great as usual if you wait until its been on a while and you can pick up a few bargains. I shall post in more detail when they get here!!

For now, here is my current list of things I need in my life to make the world a better place.......

A Ladies Bike!!

At around £300 a Pendleton Somerby is slightly out of my price range and being brutally honest, I wouldn't get enough use to justify the price tag! I live in Cumbria. It rains. All the time. And I have a car! However, I have images of cycling gracefully along, flowers and a newspaper in a basket on the front, a beautiful dress on, gorgeous hair blowing in the breeze.......

A record player!!

I would really love a vintage record player, preferably in a beautiful pastel colour. I really want Alfie to grow up knowing what record looks and sounds like! I also have lovely daydreams about sitting at home listening to records and drinking wine. 

Diana Camera!

I'm not the best photographer in the world. I have a lot to learn. I one day hope to own a proper SLR, but for now I'll make do with my little Kodak. I would however, really love a Diana camera to have a mess with 

A satchel....

I have a couple of satchels. A brown Primark one and a rather lovely floral one from eBay that was £5. However, I really really want a good proper satchel! The obvious choice is the Cambridge Satchels. However, I honestly don't think I can justify the £125 price tag. I am very fickle when it comes to bags. I use the same one for a month or so then change. My current bag is a boho loose bag that I acquired in a charity shop for 50p. Its fab! Anyway, I've been sighing over this Dr Martens satchel for a while and its now half price.......I think Ray might kill me though. Oh the dilemma!!!

What are you coveting at the moment?? 

Will be doing a blog about my fur babies very soon, as they are going to their new homes on Wednesday. Eek!! :'( 

Nancy

xoxo

Style Crushes Part 2 - Nicole Richie!

I remember when I first came across Nicole Richie. She was in a pretty dreadful reality programme with Paris Hilton. The name escapes me, but they basically had to travel across America and work various jobs. Predictably lots of "hilarious" mishaps happened, peppered with lots of blonde moments and airhead quotes......It wasn't the most flattering portrayal.

This is not when Nicole became one of my style crushes. Now, I know Nicole's style reinvention coincided with a rather significant weight loss and I would just like to point out, this is NOT why I think she became a style icon. She would've looked amazing had she stayed this weight and wore the clothes she does now in my opinion. She was featured on a lot of pro anorexia websites at the time and at one point was really painfully thin. I am a size 16 myself and although I am currently working to lose weight, I am only aiming for a size 14 as my target. Women come in all shapes and sizes as far as I'm concerned and all should be appreciated, but it should always be about being healthy and happy!

Anyway, serious stuff over! Nicole's laid back boho look is one I have drooled over numerous times. She just gets it right all the time for me! I prefer her boho beachy look, to her more polished look, but she's just an overall winner in my eyes!

This evening look is gorgeous. I love Nicole's haircut (although I prefer her blonde) and the cut and pattern on this dress is absolutely stunning. Just perfection!!

This is a perfect day look. I don't have the figure for shorts unfortunately (they just look plain wrong on me!!) But I love the colours on the shirt and her hat is lush!

Now if anyone knows how to rock a maxi dress it is most definitely Miss Richie!!

Looking a bit more polished and glam here, but still with the little boho influences with the tousled hair and the tan plaited belt. 

I feel Nicole does boho/beachy hair absolutely perfectly. I'm a big fan of her hair blond, for me it just represents a laid back Californian style. 

The cut of her hair here is lovely and not to mention that headband!

I would have to say though, Nicole is perhaps one of those lucky people who looks amazing with both dark and light hair. What do you think?

Anyhoo, there is another one of my style inspirations, Nicole Richie! 

Back soon :)

Nance

xoxo

Zooey Deschanel - Quirky Queen of Cute!

Hey everyone!

I've been putting together a list of various things I would like to do as part of my blog. I want to keep things pretty simple and not flood it with all kinds, however I am naturally quite a chaotic person! I have lots of different interests and passions and kind of flit around them all like a mad butterfly. My blog will be predominantly about fashion though and with regards to this one of my weekly features will be about my favourite style icons! Each week will be someone completely different. My style is like my personality, its flits about a bit!

I thought I would start with my absolute favourite and the biggest influence -

ZOOEY DESCHANEL!

Now, I think I'm a little late with the Zooey love. I know people have been fans of hers for years. I loved her in 500 Days of Summer, but it was when watching New Girl that I really started to feel like I could identify with her style. Or should I say, Jess's style.

My typical outfit tends to consist of a dress, the quirkier the print the better, a coloured cardigan (one that is different from the colours in the dress, but works well is my favourite thing to do) and a pair of flats. (The flats is more a pratical thing, Ray is shorter than me and I don't like to wear heels, I'm 5'10 anyway and feel like a giant!)

You can find many Zooey/Jess type dresses on Modcloth. Which is quite possibly my most favourite website in the world. EVER. I'm yet to order off there, I keep telling myself if I'm a good girl and stop shopping for a while I can have one as a treat. No such luck, I can't stop shopping! So undisciplined. However, I have started my new job and may just buy a dress (or 3) with my first wage. For now though, here is some Modcloth love.......

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/paws-a-commotion-dress

The print on this is just amazing and so striking too. The simple use of two colours gives it a big impact. I think I would team it with a red cardigan and possibly some leopard print ballet pumps and belt, just for a bit of a twist. ;)

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/roadside-attraction-dress

WOW! The print on this Roadside Attraction dress is just, well, WOW! I actually need this in my life. I will possibly die of sadness, no other dress will come close. Honest!!

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/good-enough-to-eat-dress

I love the pop art print on this, its so fun!

All of these dresses have a real "Jess" feel to them. I read that bigger girls should avoid print once, but its a rule I barely pay attention too. I think rules are there to be broken when it comes to fashion, wear what makes you happy and it will show! I have many prints in my wardrobe and here are a couple of my favourites.....

My Eiffel Tower dress, from Dorothy Perkins

Parrot print dress, Red Herring

Another thing I love about Zooey is her hair! It has a real 60's bounce to it that I adore and I am constantly trying to get my fringe like hers. It has about one week in its growth cycle where it is at the perfect Zooey length, then it gets too long and when I cut it, it inevitably ends up too short and with many tell tale selfy cut signs. Oops!

This is kind of the length I mean!! 

Zooey Hair Perfection!! xxx

Who's your style icon? And why? Do you love prints? Whats the quirkiest print you own?!

I'd love to hear from people so follow me and comment :)

Back soon!

Nancy

xoxo

Glastonbury - I love you!

And so, with a bump and  a ten hour bus journey I am home and back from my magical time on Planet Glastonbury!

I arrived home around 6pm Monday, tired but happy. I have to say, the week after a festival always sucks! After the initial amazing hot shower and clean bed, you realise normal life is so much less fun!

Anyway, I had a total blast and there were many, many highlights. The weather was pretty much perfect, it rained Thursday, however cleared up for the rest of the week and was lovely and sunny. Even came home with a wee Glasto tan :)

Committed the cardinal sin, however, and DIDN'T go to see the Rolling Stones. I'm not sure why, I love their music, but I've always been more of a Beatles fan and just wasn't that fussed. Shocking, I know!! My surprise highlight turned out to be Crystal Castles. I'd been umming and ahhing about them as they clashed with the Arctic Monkeys, but oh my word, I'm glad I opted for them, because they were absolutely fantastic!! Another highlight were SLAMBOREE. I've been following these guys for a while now, you should definitely check them out, they are amazing!! Also checked out a few new bands thanks to friends recommendations. The Black Angels and Jagwar Ma on now on my "to buy" list. Loved their psychedelic, floaty indie sound, makes me think of the 60's, has a real hippy, peace and love kind of vibe to it. I was always a huge Indie/Rock fan but I feel like I've let that slip of late, Ray runs Drum & Bass and Bass Heavy music nights and I've been having a love affair with that for a while. I'm pretty much an all or nothing person in most areas of my life and go through phases, I do it with fashion too!  Anyway, I've decided to broaden my horizons again and start listening to some new music, there's so much out there and to limit myself to
genres means I'm missing out on lots of beautiful and exciting sounds.

One of the brilliant things about Glastonbury, that really sets it apart from any other festival I have attended, is that its not just about the music. You can go there and not see a single band or artist and be completely entertained. I spent some time in the Cabaret tent and caught some shows in there. A couple of comediennes really made me laugh. One was Katherine Ryan, she's been on a few panels of shows such as 8 out of 10 cats. I didn't know her from there and caught her completely by accident, but she is really really funny and I love her dark, slightly bad taste outlook on life and motherhood. We also saw Robin Ince, I loved him and his no nonsense, brilliant outlook on life and people.

Another great thing about Glastonbury is the FOOD! None of your usual burger van, over priced rubbish here. There are so many amazing and tasty options. I always have falafel at festivals, yummy and healthy :) But there are soooooo many other choices. We did have good old pie and mash twice though, can't beat a bit of comfort food. Square Pie do the best Steak and Cheese pies ever! I spotted a Mac & Cheese van but when I went back for tea it was closed :'( Sniff!!

There are so many different areas to Glastonbury, all of which offer something completely different. I love the Circus and Cabaret areas, they're so vibrant and buzzing!! Ray likes the South East corner which contains places such as The Common and Shangri La. These places are a lot of fun and definitely a unique experience. It was in a little club called the "Back of Beyond" that we got our faces painted in coffins.

Aww, I'm so sad to be home! I want to do it all over again, I feel I have unfinished business!

Anyway, I still haven't unpacked since I got back and 2 smelly rucksacks are loitering around our living room! I hope you enjoyed my Glastonbury story and your weekend was as fun as mine!!

Glastonbury, THANK YOU!!

Here's a little taster of Slamboree....enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVaSUipYsVc