Fair Weather (and) Friends

June is being kind so far this year. Today, I spent a lovely day out in Hyde Park for my friend's birthday. The weather was just right - sunny, and around 18'C, which is perfectly warm for me. Get above 20 degrees and I will start to melt!

Not Hyde Park, but my garden,
because I didn't bring a camera.
What sort of blogger am I?!

Since I'd spent all of yesterday cooped up in my room, poring over revision posters and staring longingly out into my garden, I rather dressed up for my London outing today, in one of my lovely new summer dresses and a trusty felt hat. I even wore heels! Well, wedges. And I did have to change into flats to walk on the grass. But A for effort, right? Hehe!

(For the record, I know I'm quite terrible at posing for photos as myself. If I'm in cosplay then I'm fine, which is pretty funny considering most people are more self-conscious in costumes and wigs than a pretty dress. But then I'm odd like that.)

Dress - Rosa Rosa; Hat - Camden market; Socks - Primark; Shoes - Ravel

I adore this dress, it's so cute and easygoing! The wedges were new in a box in my mum's room; she had a big box of shoes she'd ordered that she never got to wear, and I've finally looked through and taken some to wear myself. I tended to avoid it after she died, but now it can be nice to wear something of hers every once in a while.

Cardigan - New Look; Sunglasses - charity shop!

Is it weird that I like the dappled light in this photo? Oh darling garden, how I'll miss you when we move. So many trees and flowers!

And of course I used my new Star Trek bag! I'm really rather in love with it. It'll make a great knitting bag, too, when I can start on my projects again. What I don't love so much is my hair, but I'm finally getting my longed-for pixie cut in three weeks' time. I've been convinced to go rainbow-hued. I'll miss my beloved unnatural redheaded-ness, but it'll be good fun to experiment with different colours.

Hopefully my face wasn't too awkward in these photos. I must invest in a better quality digital camera soon. Have you all been having nice weather where you are, too?

Thrifty Friday?

I should never be allowed into charity shops. I will end up buying bagfuls of stuff, adding to my crafty tool-set and excitedly stocking up that Home of My Own looming in the distant future. Sometimes I feel a little silly for that, but hopefully it'll all work out in my favour in the end. And if not, it was only a few pounds, right? Hehe!

As I go on little charity shop raids pretty regularly, I thought it might be nice to have a weekly feature of the cute and interesting things I pick up. 

This week's a bit of a bumper-issue. After a quick jaunt to my local RSPCA last week, I went to visit relatives and ended up on an expedition to the many charity shops in Chichester. (I may have fallen desperately in love with their Cath Kidston store that day. Those fabrics!) So here's some photos of all I acquired this last week. The background for most of these is one of the gorgeous yellow gingham curtains I picked up for £5 - they're huge, and perfect for the patchwork quilt I'll be starting in the summer!

More photos below the cut!

Sunshine & Showers: A Nervous Necklace Post

Maybe it's the bright mornings, or the magnolia tree in full bloom outside my bedroom window, but it seems all the nice weather we've been having has been just the kick I needed to start this blog. It's really exciting to take my first steps on this new adventure, although I admit that I half-planned a dozen posts as I built up the nerve - but you've got to start somewhere, right? So, starting!

Photo by Rheanna Winter

I've been wanting to share this lovely umbrella necklace from Ivy Label Boutique since Easter Sunday, and now the sun has finally come out of hiding I had a chance to get a decent photo of it. In this photo I'm wearing the rather darling Rambling Rose dress from Joe Browns.

The Easter market where I bought the necklace was such a sweet way to start the day (followed by an egg hunt in the freezing cold with all my little cousins!) and now I would really like to find some craft markets near where I live. Guess I'll have to look around...