Styled by Kimberley: Hello DODO

These photos are really making me nostalgic for the warmer weather. Fresher's Week is here, bringing with it a chill in the air, empty supermarket shelves and lurgy. Germs, germs, every where! And I've managed to catch it again. To be fair, I've been pushing my body a bit this last month, trying to press through a bout of fatigue. I moved house and the new one is spacious and bright but needs a bit of decorative work and new furniture to be how I want it. Ours is dwarfed in the huge tenement rooms. I was excited about my paint colour charts to begin with but, after looking at hundreds of rugs and buying ladders and fixing broken lights, the thought of actually stripping wallpaper and painting the cavernous walls is making me sniff dramatically. Add a whirlwind trip to Edinburgh for Fringe shows and some house-warming hosting around work and my body is kaput.

I'm dressing down for comfort at the moment but my casual looks are anything but boring. A t shirt is a t shirt but that doesn't mean the print can't be fun and a quick glance at HelloDODO instagram will show you how much joy you can get from colour and a good pun. Just look at the happy dinosaur face on my Hello DODO top! It is quite a nostalgic print, and the cut out features remind me of toddler toys and kids' billy bear cold meat that I ate way too much of in the nineties. I don't know if that's a good reminder for you but it certainly gives me the fuzzies. It's also a great way to remind people that I am quite nice, despite what my chronic bitch face might suggest.

A crop top might not seem the obvious choice when your health condition gives you a round, hard tummy but I've made my peace with the fact that I resemble a pregnant woman from lunch time onwards. This one is longer than most though, so it's great to wear with high-waisted trousers or shorts. (Or with colourful leggings to slob around the house, let's be honest.)

I tied the whole look together with a peach colour palette throughout but the easiest way to keep it fashun is by adding tassel earrings. I love 'em! These gorgeous peachy porcelain ones are from East Nook Studio, based in Fife.

T shirt | c/o Hello DODO
Jeans | New Look
Trainers | M&S
Earrings | East Nook Studio 
Glasses | c/o IOLLA

If ever a t shirt was going to cheer me up and get me out of my sick bed it's this one! Thanks Hello DODO!

Styled by Helen: hello DODO

Summer seems to be disappearing before our eyes and I for one am sad to see it go. Yes the temperatures are still at the stage where a light jacket is all you need but there is definitely a change in the air and that change is autumn. Don't get me wrong, I love digging out the layers and boots but I don't feel quite ready to say goodbye to my summer wardrobe just yet - so I've decided I'm not going to. With just a few small adjustments I'm planning to get the most out of my favourite pieces, even if one of those favourite pieces is a crop top.

I really enjoy the fun print on this hello DODO crop top. It's typical of their pun-tastic designs, plus the little mad bear face is super cute. This printmaking duo make super colourful cards, pins, patches, prints and clothing, all designed to make folk smile. It certainly works for me and I'd like continue to smile as the seasons change but the length of this tee makes it a little trickier to wear on colder days. That's where these Zara trousers come in. They're high waisted to the max and I love it!  Even with a crop on top there's not much chance of my midriff being exposed in these bad boys. As you can see, the wind was blowing while we were taking these photos but I wasn't feeling even a hint of a draft. With the addition of boots and my trusty denim jacket I was more than ready for a changeable day.



Tshirt | c/o hello DODO
Trousers | Zara
Boots | Topshop
Jacket | Charity Shop
Headscarf | Claire Corstorphine
Earrings | c/o Julia de Klerk (take a look at Kim's post for a special discount code)
Glasses | c/o Iolla

Other wardrobe adjustments that allow me to wear my summer pieces into the cooler months include:

• Tights - Tights are my best friend and not just because wearing dark coloured ones means I can get away with not shaving my legs. Continuing to up the denier means I can continue to wear my summer dresses all year round.
• Shirts - They go under anything (including, but not limited to, strappy dresses, tshirts, sweaters, jumpers). Not only do they allow me to add warmth, they also provide an opportunity to add an extra pattern or colour into the outfit mix.
• Silk scarves - Even the flimsiest of silk scarves adds warmth so I just pile them on top of what I'm wearing in case I need to wrap up a bit.
• A Mary Poppins bag - Umbrella - check, cardigan - check, extra socks - check. A bigger bag means I can carry around more layers and be prepared for whatever the weather throws at me. 

Even if the weather takes a turn for the worse and I regret my crop top decisions it's ok, I'll just grin and bear it!

 

Styled by Kimberley: Full on Florals with Julia de Klerk

What blogger worth their salt doesn't love flora in some form? We are celebrating Julia de Klerk's fantastic jewellery with some mega floral on floral. And we get to spread the love with a little discount below for our readers. Simply enter 'WARDROBE' at the checkout for 10% off your order this month. (That means I can buy two pairs, right?)

At first, I thought this outfit was quite a meek one. Bizarrely, both Helen and I paired our earrings with floral Monki outfits but, after months in bold colours, I didn't realise how punchy this look is. I'm not sure any look could be mild with these incredible Julia de Kerk Wiggle Earrings to be fair, which are happily the perfect match for my glasses. I love an accessory power couple! I picked up this Monki dress when we were in London for Blogtacular with the notion that I could wear it in the colder months for a more subtle nod to palm leaves... It actually has quite a print on it! It's also a bit gappy and flappy so I may have accidentally flashed some dogs in the park. A quick little needle and thread between the buttons and some leggings will sort that out for winter though. Now, what else can I wear this winning glasses/earring combination with?!


Earlier in the week, Helen was talking about what a plant murderer she is. I, on the other hand, love growing plants. Especially edible ones. I must admit though that I'm sort of a clueless gardener. I like the idea of it more than I have any knowledge about it. Nurturing little living things gives me so much pleasure and I'm a bit of a Phoebe Buffey in that sense, picking out the withered and sad seedlings to attempt to revive them. I laughed so hard when my dad once kindly bought me a plant that was so poorly and dry that when he handed it over it just keeled right out of the pot. It was plain dead.

For part of my twenties I lived a bit of a slow life, outside the city, and I had apple trees and grew veg and had a dog. You don't realise that you spend all year growing these things and then suddenly have a hundred to eat in a month before they rot. My entire cauliflower crop was devoured by caterpillars days before I harvested. I loved my misshapen peppers but I tired of beetroot for years after a particularly strong yield gave me too many to find recipes for and I'd give crates and crates of apples away each year. I discovered that making chutneys and preserves just ain't my thing but my neighbours would just help themselves and give me jam in return. I can't decide it I miss it or not.



Now I have no private garden so I keep a sizeable kitchen herb collection and a few other plants dotted around the house. I must admit that I can't resist picking up any drooping succulent I spot, so my bathroom is full of them. They just do their own thing and require no attention. I send Whatsapp updates of my plant babies to at least two plant-loving friends (like Salima from my Scottish road trip post). Let me know if you want in the loop.

Helen did not appreciate my Really Big News that my orchid was back from near death and sprouted a second spike. What is the matter with her?!

Dress | Monki
Bag | c/o Monki
Shoes | Clarks
Glasses | c/o Specsavers
Earrings | c/o Julia de Klerk

If you'd rather wear your blooms than care for them, I get it. It's the best way to enjoy their beauty.

Thanks so much to Julia de Klerk for gifting us these wonderful wearable blooms. And for generously offering 10% off all jewellery for our readers. Just enter 'WARDROBE' at checkout and remember to share your pics with us on instagram. We love to feed into your jewellery obsession!

Styled by Helen: Full on Florals with Julia de Klerk

I'm not a plant person, like at all. I hate all forms of gardening and the only type of greenery I've ever successful kept alive are cacti, and I even managed to kill one of them. But I'd like to be a plant person. I keep Pinning loads of beautiful interiors that are filled with flowers and house plants. This desire has now started seeping into my wardrobe and this outfit is a very clear indication of that. When I saw the shirt on the Monki website I was smitten, and then I saw the print came in trousers too and they both went straight into my basket. I love that when worn together it gives a jumpsuit effect but I can also wear them separately. That's called versatility yo!



Shirt | Monki
Trousers | Monki
Earrings | c/o Julia de Klerk
Boots | Topshop
Glasses | c/o Spex Pistols

These fab Julia de Klerk earrings featured on my May Wishlist and I can assure you that they are even better in real life. The colours are gorgeous and I absolutely love the scale of them. Sometimes earrings can disappear behind my hair but not these bad boys. Plus they add even more floral goodness to this already floraltastic ensemble but in a slightly more abstract way. They make me think of tulips and, after my trip to the Tulip museum in Amsterdam, I'm a pretty big fan of these particular flowers. Her whole Sillhouette collection is made up of bold, statement pieces and I pretty much love them all but if you like your floral jewellery a little less abstract, may I suggest her Bloom, Botany and Flora collections, all of which feature gorgeous earrings, necklaces and pins.

There is so much acrylic jewellery out there and it can be hard to find pieces that stand out. As I mentioned in my Wishlist post, I think Julia's work does just that. The new direction she's taken with her jewellery is so polished and the mix of frosted acrylic and etched patterns adds depth and interested to the pieces. I certainly stop and stare every time her work pops up on my Instagram feed and isn't that what we all want when we wear cool jewellery?!



Are you a plant person? If so, please provide me with tips of how to keep them alive! In the meantime I'll just stick to wearing florals - it's probably best for everyone, especially the plants.

Scottish Road Trip: Dundee to Oban

A good friend of mine came to visit from France recently to take a road trip across Scotland. It was so much fun that I wanted to share it with you.

Firstly, meet my friend Salima! She's wonderful. I've known Salima for about 8 years now. We worked together for a couple of summers when we first met and just got along really well but she lives in France. Not fair! She is incredibly chic, as you'd expect, and really does not enjoy colour and pattern like I do. I've always liked that she cannot hide how much she dislikes some of my outfit choices. On this trip I had the last laugh though, as she brought a pile of 'hiking' outfits, seemingly believing that Scottish people dress like they've just crawled out of a khaki-filled cave. They were hilariously bad (and not featured here or she'd kill me).

There was just one small issue with planning our road trip... I can't drive! But we didn't let that deter us. Salima can drive, although she hasn't in the UK, so we decided to hire a car together that she could drive and I would navigate and yell out what speed limit we were working to (and potentially work the gears). The dream team!

Since part of our old job together had involved organising and logistics, it was both easy and fun to plan our trip together. Like old times. Although Salima flew into Edinburgh, we decided to set off from Dundee as it's central. So, after a day in Dundee to walk around the city and hang out with friends, we had 3 days with the car. We decided to head west, straight across the country, and then do a loop. We booked a night each in two hotels and worked around those.

Day 1: Dundee to Oban

The direct route from Dundee to Oban is lovely and scenic yet takes under 3 hours. We had no specific plans on route but stopped off as we passed through Perth, Crieff and the Trossachs at spots we liked. We brought a picnic and ate it next to the river, since it was the hottest weekend in July.

We arrived in Oban on schedule to settle into our B&B. We stayed in the Dana Villa and it was fantastic- central, beautifully decorated and wonderful hosts. I wish we'd stayed longer. Then we headed along the harbour for a relaxed dinner at the highly recommended Waterfront Fishouse Restaurant to watch the sunset across the sea.

Day 2: day trip to Mull and Iona

Salima wanted to spot wild animals and I wanted to branch out from my old annual Mull trips to see the surrounding islands. Rather than worry about driving on and off the ferry - and to give poor Salima a break! - we decided on a tourist day trip. The Calmac Mull and Iona Adventure includes a ferry to Mull, coach tour round the island and further ferry to Iona to walk around the tiny island. It was a shame that we didn't pass by Tobermory but the driver/tour guide was really good and we covered a lot of area in the time. The 2 hours on Iona was more than enough to see the abbey and those beautiful white sands. We sadly didn't see any dolphins or deer but it felt like an adventure.

Since we didn't get back to Oban until 6pm, we grabbed a quick bite at another seafood restaurant (more fish!) and headed up the coast to relax at our next hotel near Fort William. Oh deary me. We weren't quite as lucky with that one. We had a difficult sleep, a flooded bathroom and a broken window so we couldn't get any fresh air on the hottest night of the weekend. Welp!

At least it was only one night.

Day 3: Fort William to Pitlochry

Next, we had planned to head up to Cairngorms National Park to see the wild reindeer herd. But we had to return the car by 4.30pm and those tiny roads can become a nightmare if there are any traffic problems. We're both quite sensible so we gave it a miss. Instead, we took the north route back via Pitlochry (1hr 40) so that we could still see some of the Cairngorm mountains. It was nice to pass through areas that I remembered from childhood, as I spent summers at my grandmother's home in that area. We saw lots of highland cows, or, as Salima calls them, 'Hamish cows' (because years ago we saw one cow named Hamish).

We ate ice cream and took a short walking tour around Pitlochry, passing through the town, up the salmon ladder and across the dam. Then we made a trip further out of our way for the best view in Scotland (imo), Queen's View. The clue is in the name.

I am so glad that Salima came to stay and made me think more about visiting my own country. It's so easy to take your local surroundings for granted but we saw a lot of things that I hadn't even known about beforehand. And my list for future Scottish adventures has grown! It's only a few hours in any direction, there's really no excuse not to do it.

As for Salima, I'm missing her already. Bisous!