An issue with nipples!

We are off up to the Highlands today for a weekend wedding of a friend of mine from university.  I bought a dress a few weeks ago which is utterly flattering, comfortable and pretty.  A bit different from the usual as it has lace across the top (something new for me) and an interesting mix of colours with teal, gold, brown and black.  Sounds hideous but I love it.  It's from Phase Eight and I got it in Debenhams when they had 20% off

Anyway, luckily I was trying it on again last night while starting packing and trying to decide which jacket to take to wear with it and hubby pointed something out to me that I hadn't noticed before...

NIPPLES!!!

That is now all I can see when I look at the dress!  Cue mad dash to the shop today to try and swap it for another where the pattern sits differently, luckily they had another one in my size!  For some reason although they are the exact same size and the other one does come without nipples(!!) I think the first one fitted better and was more flattering.  However, I wasn't going to risk anyone else thinking of nipples when I wore it so swapped it for the other size 14!

Gallery Wall and Rug

I recently re-designed my gallery wall in our hall using a few tips found on Pinterest.  I had previously done one on the same wall which was totally random using all kinds of frames and put up without any forward planning.  The result was admittedly a bit messy and Nik never liked it.  (I thought I had an old picture but I can't find it.)

I stuck to using only black and white frames this time to tie it all together better.  I also pre-planned the layout, using some pages of an old calendar to mark the size of the wall we wanted to fill and I moved the frames around until I had them where they looked best.

Nik initially wanted to keep the outline to a rectangle

Until he realised it looks better my way!

To transfer them to the wall in the correct positions, I used this trick I found on Pinterest...

Use wax paper to mark the outlines and hooks

Here is the final result...

We also purchased a new rug to replace the old, worn, battered red Ikea one that was brought from my old flat.  The hunt for a new rug took a long time as we could never find anything we liked that fit the hall and our budget!  We did love this multi-coloured one from John Lewis but when we brought it home the colours were much sludgier in our hall with limited natural light compared to the bright colour they appeared in the shop.

We are now delighted with our new rug which we found via Secret Sales, a website I discovered thanks to Roz!  A Calvin Klein rug sale popped up not long after I joined and there were a few we liked.  It was a bit risky since we couldn't see them in real life before buying and would have to pay the postage costs to return it if we didn't like it but we chose our favourite (Marrakesh) and went for it...

We love it!  It makes a statement and looks funky but still homely.  It brightens up the room a lot compared to the dark red we had before too.

Style me September - the rest of the week

I was planning on including a few outfits in one post but as usual it got too long.  Here are my other contributions to the Style Me September challenge so far.  I am loving the challenge, it's definitely making me more exciting about getting dressed in the mornings (or changed after work) and I'm already being more creative with my wardrobe which is the whole point!

"Hand Me Down"

My Mum's old leather skirt she gave me years ago and I've never worn.  I finally decided to see how I could wear it and then couldn't decide which way I preferred it!  I chose the last one in the end as it was the least 'officey' and it was a Sunday!

T-shirt from Next, boots from Office, Green Amethyst ring from eBay, necklace from Next and bracelet from New Look.

My obvious favourite!  "Green With Envy"

My green H&M coat, green Fly London wedge boots, Popko real butterfly wing necklace, Peridot ring from eBay, green eyeliner and my home-made dragonfly hand-printed scarf.

"Top Knotted"

I attempted a topknot last week and it was a bit pathetic due to my short hair so I decided to knot my Liberty scarf in a more inventive way using this site for hints.

"Take a Risk"

Even buying these printed trousers was a risk for me (especially since the legs don't match, but I got them anyway since they were only £14!), but rather than styling them as I usually do in the bottom right corner with cardi and pumps, this time I wore them with gladiator strappy heels to dress them up a bit.

Trousers from Primark, strappy shoes from M&S, pumps from Hush Puppies, top from H&M, bracelets from Accessorize, cardigan from TK Maxx.  (Can't remember where the necklace was from!)

"Fancy Feet"

It was a horrible rainy day yesterday so I went for boots and these are my fanciest ones!  Leopard print but with a small enough heel to be comfy.  Paired with my old black skinny jeans, baggy burgundy  knit, statement New Look necklace and green Swarovski earrings.

Style Me September - Outfit 1

I have finally started taking part in a style me instagram challenge!  I initially found out about these challenges in May but never quite found the time to participate due to the fact I would have to change into whatever outfit after work (as I wear a uniform) and it was just too much effort after a day's work.  Plus I was still being good with my daily post-work exercise then too and just changing into my jeans when I did get home and collapsing onto the sofa!

Anyway, I have now managed to join in for a few days running and wanted to share some of my outfits here.

The first one I took part in was on Saturday and the challenge was "put a scarf on it" and I had just the thing.  If you remember my devastation when I lost my old butterfly print turquoise and blue scarf on the train.  I never got it back but have now replaced it with a gorgeous silk butterfly print scarf in blue and navy from Monsoon.

I thought it went perfectly with my new jade dress, also from Monsoon, which I've had my eye on for a while but was waiting for a money off offer (I'm a reward customer, of course!) and swooped in when there was a 20% off shopping event.  I love the combination of navy and jade.

Jade and Navy by olivedragonfly featuring nightcap

And I couldn't resist a spin in the kitchen (post-Mojito!)