Thieving Thriday - The Pink Cocoon and MIA

I like cocoons,

And I cannot lie.

Yes, I cannot lie, I'm more than a little caught up in the cocoon cardi craze.

I didn't know I even had  a cocoon until in recent months when the name was popping up all over the stateside blogosphere, but it would seem that my old Windsmoor cardi is pretty much an Identikit cocoon - 

curved at the bottom edges,

shawl collar

and that certain something that creates a constant need to cocoon it around you.

I'd like a smarter version of my old cardi love* but search as I might, I couldn't find any online in the UK, but I've followed my blogging sista's reccie into Cocoon World on her blog.

Check out Kellyann's stylish look HERE

Beautifully styled eh?  I love the combo of pink, white and taupe - it pops up an image of ice cream.   And I like icecream!

Here I see strawberry, vanilla and coffee, and what's not to love about that combo. 

Kellyann is looking icecream-delicious and I wanted a scoop of what she's having!

So I thieved!

It's ok, my sista is a self-confessed thief of outfit ideas too, so it's ok for me to steal from her -  honour amongst thieves eh?

Cardi, Primark.

(Believe me, this was the best of the photo bunch.  The sun glared on outfit and face and showed mine and the outfit's, er, slight imperfections.  And I had to tether flapping cardi and hair from the strong wind.  Yup, it was not a good day for photos.)

Well, I drafted this post two weeks ago, then made the decision to pull back the post for a few days to give me time to re-do steal and photos, because I felt as it stood, my steal just didn't honour Kellyann's stylish look one iota.  And then the days drifted.  Drifted into a blogger's fug that perhaps can be called blogger's block, but it felt more like blogger's break.  I was not short on blog inspiration - heavens, I've probably got a couple of hundred draft posts sitting there pretty much good to go.

After I'd stopped blogging for a few days I realised I was no longer out on my morning constitutional, head busily composing next week's posts.  Instead I was looking at the falling leaves, smelling the autumn air.  It felt good. 

I realised too that I'd been blogging for 2.5 years, without pausing even whilst on holiday.

And as the days rolled on, it began to feel like I was playing hookie.  And sorry guys, but hookie felt soooo good!

Contrary to common belief, blogging isn't all plain sailing, as that sweet soul Kellyann pointed out on her blog this week.  Please pop over to read Kellyann's post on blogging HERE.  Thank you, dear lady, for writing those truths and getting me back in my garret.  It's good to read that we share common issues out in the blogosphere; reading her article helped me find some perspective again.  And as I don't earn from my blog, I really should give myself (and you!) a break now and again, eh?

But on the bright side, I tried the look again with another cardi and a patterned top and with better weather and location.

Old, from Next.

Zara cardi,

And though not what I'd planned, not the steal per se, this felt fine.

I'm going to leave the Kellyann steal where it is, with no urge to clean up a bad job.  It is my Unfinished Steal (move over, Schubert!), left for eternity as a reminder that sometimes I need to step away from the day-to-day and smell the rain-dampened leaves.

I leave you on a positive note with some of the Stateside cocoons.

If any readers have come across something like this UK-side, please let me know.

And with much thanks, love and deep hugs to Kellyann,

I leave you, a la perchoine, 

Mary X.

*Footnote

My love of my Windsmoor cocoon is indefatigable and perhaps a bit obsessive going by the post trail HERE!!!

Hobbling into Spring in Cream and Black

Hi my loves.  How are you? I hope you are enjoying your day.

It probably comes as absolutely no surprise that our little heatwave has now moved on to beaches new.  We have now returned to spring's low-teens temps with mostly sunny days and the occasional grey day.  Yes, we Brits do obsess about the weather - you may have noticed?

I was out last night, meeting up with Sis and girlie cousins.  Yup, what to wear?

No hair-tugging deliberations - I wore this.

It's simples really.  

1. I happen to love cream and black.  

2. I have a new lacy camisole from Next which is totally rocking my world.  

3. I have Next bikers which needed an airing.

And 4. As The Photographer is now happy to offer the odd photo shoot and fashion views service, it was an opportunity to try out variations on a cream and black theme.

Zara "gold" asymmetric top, with Next bikers and Gabor Polyanna boots*.

A black, cream and white plaited belt from Peacocks.  I added it really to rile TP, for anything I wore after my sack-tied-in-the-middle look was just bound to get his approval!

Me: What do you think, TP?

TP: Fine, but without the belt [as it looks like a sack-tied-in-the-middle].  (I know him so well!).

Me: Is this better?

Me:  Without the belt?

TP: Yes, that's more like it.  Wear that. 

Me: Oh but I just must try this lacy/biker column with my fave slouchy Windsmoor cardi.

TP: Why?

Me: Come on, you've got to love this?!

TP: No.

Me: Well, how about a slouchy jumper?

Me: Is this any better?

TP: No.

Me: Why "no"?  

TP: There's something "not right" about it.  Try the first one again.

TP: Yes, that's the one.  Now let's get out of here.

Me: OK, but let's finish this off with the obligatory leoprint draping.

TP: We're now going to be late! [huff, puff, ggrrrrr!]

And there you have it, the screenwriter's version of how I choose  TP chooses my outfit.

I like TP to engage with my outfits.  But only occasionally.

I seem to remember from previous posts that a lot of you don't.  You prefer not to give your other half a say in the outfit process.  Am I right?  Or am I wrong?

*I've reverted to socks and boots for a few days.  I did the usual thing during our surprise heatwave last weekend and wore shoes and sandals with bare feet and walked those little feet off in the baking sun.  Yup, I'm now dealing with countless foot problems - why oh why do I NEVER learn?

Do you have a tried-and-tested programme to introduce your feet to the change of temperature and footwear?  Or are you like me?  Do you throw yourself excitedly into summer's sandals without a thought of the suffering  that you know invariably follows?

A la perchoine.

Coming up

I review THIS book and film:

I try out this dress:

So A Woman Presses Her Next Button ...

... and in the post arrives a beautiful cream camisole. Plus a black one.  And they are the best camisoles ever and she feels a million quid in them.  The End.

Yes, truly this tale has got everything bar the hilariousness included in a similar-titled story posted by my bloggy sista  KELLYANN HERE.  It's got romance, for it was love a first opening of the package.  And it's got a happy ending, for I have kept both of them.  No second thoughts.  No hmmming and haaaing, which is unsual for Indecisive Pout. 

So a pretty perfect tale, but without the LOLing and the ROTFLing  you'll find in Kellyann's So A Woman Walks Into Old Navy ...

So, this woman's been button pressing at Next.  And here's my haul, and these camis are WINNERS, IMHO.

Made of a nice silky jersey, with a pretty lace trim.  £12.  Tell me, dear reader, what is not to love?

I have more button activity to share with you.

I have a fave Windsmoor cardi.  I've had an extremely deep and long-lasting love affair with it.

Realising the style and the shade worked for me, I've been hunting for a replacement.

Not to kick this one out, you understand, for it's A Keeper, but to find one that I would be happy to wear out of the house (though it is still in good condition), but you know how it is, ladies, I've worn it for some years, most days at home in the office, or when I've been feeling poorly, for it is super warm and snuggly.  So now it feels a bit, well, a bit personal to wear out.  Like I was going out in my Birthday Suit, it feels that much a part of me!

So during my frenzied button pushing a few weeks ago I pressed on what I thought was the perfect replacement for the Windsmoor.

It's not.

I planned to wear it with the ordered cami, but it is absolutely huge.  It's a coatigan.  It didn't look like that on the site, it looked like your regular sort of cardi length.  Love the colour, love the style, don't love the length. 

Still wearing my Next berry coated jeggings, I tried it with my big hit of winter, this Peacocks berry cardi.  Just to see how it worked.  

Works OK, but what wouldn't work with this combo, I ask you?

So I told you I'd multi-buttoned on this cami, and here it is in black.  Just as gorgeous as the cream.

Here you can see that after a few weeks from your screens, The Photographer and I are out of practise, out of sync, a bit rusty.  We didn't co-ordinate the smile with the click.  So he caught me doing an impression of a Oooohhh emoji. 

Here's the cami.  It has a deep lace trim which follows through down to the armpit.  I like that touch.

What I don't like is the blob the camera is leaving on shots, here seen by my left hand's fingertips.   This has been going on for weeks now but today I finally checked the camera and yes, there a tinsey little crack on the lens.  Oh bloomin 'angey, I wonder if Nikon does replacements  .... ? 

As well as the delicate cami meets chunky cardi look, another intention for this black cami is to wear it under open shirts, so I threw on this Zara trapeze shirt.  I say shirt, Zara calls it a dress.  Now, even on my hobbit legs this would make a quite short dress, so imagine what a 5'10"er would look like.  Oooh err!

So, semantics aside, I think this shirt would enjoy hanging out with my new bestie, the Next black lace cami.

The taupe boots are a sales buy from Jones last year, BTW.

And taadaahhh!

There you have it, button pressed on two fabuloso "silk" lace camis.  These are instant hits, welcome additions to my wardrobe.  And at just £12, this has got to be a buy I recommend you start pressing buttons on too.

A la perchoine.

 

My Snowday 3, The One With The Bad Outfits

Hello my lovelies.  How's winter doin' where you are?

Cold enough for you?

I've just watched the news and seen the awful weather those in huge swathes of the UK have suffered today.  My heart goes out to them.  We were forecast to get that blizzard today, when Storm Emma and Beast collided.  We didn't.   The wind must have shifted.  We got off lightly with a snowy squib today.

The Fun

Yesterday we got a sunny -10c day.  That was forecast correctly.  

I started the day with my Windsmoor chunky cardi.  It's my go-to when it's really cold (like now!) and is also my "sick" cardi, something I let give me a big hug when I'm not feeling well.  

Despite the addition of the cute leather cap (bought in NZ) , TP declared the cardi "not very photogenic".  Perhaps because it comes with that backstory of cold and illness.

Maybe I was a little peeved that my faithful woolly friend was being rejected.   OK, no "maybe", I was peeved!  He'll regret this, I told myself.

I dashed inside for props.  How about this fur throw?  Is this photogenic?

How about a camel coat, muffler and black cloche?

A green wool coat and black beret?  Is THIS "photogenic"?!

Well, there's TP standing around in the snow whilst I switch outerwear.  You can just imagine how much he was loving this.  And regretting his flippant  "unphotogenic" comment.

(Goodness, I'm sounding quite vindictive but I can assure you it was all of this was done in a light hearted way!)

So, as is apparent, I made no attempt at styling, what you see is a hasty throw-on of random outerwear.  I just had a few minutes of fun winding up sweet TP.  But it's made me truly appreciate the guts of style bloggers in colder climes who brave the weather stylishly throughout winter, wearing sometimes nothing more than a thin layer or two.  Whereas, wimpy me gets put off with a bit of wind or rain, through all four seasons!

The Snow Scenes

I leave you with a few photos taken from local public websites, to give you a flavour of what a mere dusting of snow does to our little island. 

The beaches and headland near my home.

 

The coastal village nearby.

The roads were clearly used by some motorists.

But not by us oldies.  Fortunately with so much advance warning of this snowy weather, we'd stocked up on all we needed well ahead.

Further away, town was sprinkled prettily.

But, the bad news ...

He's in strutting in somebody else's garden now 😢

The island snow sparkled in yesterday's sun.

And once this gorse shakes off its white dusting ...

Spring will be here.  For it's 1 March, the start of the meteorological spring.  And I 💕💞💟💖 spring!

A la perchoine.