It's all in the dress

Is it wrong to post two blog posts in as many hours? Probably! Can't say that I care. I'm the kind of writer who needs to get writing when the inspiration strikes and I am terribly impatient..in case you hadn't already worked that out!

I have a confession to make though, today I am taking it to a personal level, I hope that's ok? I try to avoid it generally but this time I feel like I need to get it set in print so I will commit to it..maybe. I should stop with the mystery shouldn't I?

Well...it all starts with this..

Terrible phone picture, sorry folks!

A simple dress with a simple story...I saw this dress in H&M a year ago and fell in love with it's beautiful bird print and delicate sleeves. I tried it on several times over the course of a fortnight. Impulse told me to buy it despite the fact that it was not made with ladies like me in mind (I am what you might call...ample..in the upper torso area and sadly the top buttons did not do up, even though it was the right size for me at the time). My head told me it was a waste of money, another dress I would never wear. Two days later I decided to buy it anyway and of course, as always, it had sold out. This always happens to me. I started to see it everywhere, on a variety of pretty, petite girls and I got to dreaming, I fixated on it, I needed the dress. It was THE dress that I had been looking for, that perfect daytime dress that I could wear and feel great and look how I wanted to look, completely comfortable in my personal style.

Outfit inspiration-Source

You see, I have always had an idea of what my style is but a lot of trouble in the execution of it, I want to look effortless, I want my outfits to be girly and simple but mature at the same time.  I have always wanted the perfect dress but for
a number of reasons it never works out...too short, too frumpy, too printed, too bright, too dark...always something. Ultimately it comes down to an innate dissatisfaction with my body shape and the way I look in outfits. This is hard for me, because I have such solid ideas of how I want to look and the outfits that I want to wear and I seem to define my mood based on how happy I feel in what I am wearing. Let me tell you, nine times out of ten I don't feel good.

In the last two years I have sneakily managed to pile on a couple of stone and I don't like it. I have never been skinny. Being very very tall there is naturally a lot of me but I seem to have lost my hour glass shape and with it, what little confidence I had when I was smaller. Of course, every time I eat too much dinner I think it's time for a diet but it doesn't ever get going. I think this dress has changed that!

After a year of waiting for one to come on ebay in my size I gave up, it hasn't happened. It seems everyone who managed to buy this dress in the biggest size is keeping hold of it and I don't blame them.

Inspiration

But last week I found one, not in the size I originally wanted but in a size 14. This got me thinking, when I was smaller a few years ago, I was about a size 14 so surely I could get there again? Perhaps. I brought the dress anyway (yay) and now it is hanging from my wardrobe door, watching my every mouth full, judging me. The dress will be my motivation..that and the fact that I would love to wear it on holiday this year to avoid a repeat of last year where I couldn't find a single outfit that I felt good in that looked how I wanted it to (Story of my life). My theory is that if I have the dress to look forward to then I will get there in the end. And now it's written down you can all judge me too, or at least I can pretend that you are! I need to get there and I need to take control over something in my life. When I feel like I've lost control that's when the anxiety kicks in and after a few very uncertain weeks where I have had zero control over anything, I need something to keep me on track. So, as it is written, so shall it be! 


I am a firm believer in calorie control and lots of exercise..it worked for me before and shall do again I am sure! That and cutting out takeaway! So, my challenge begins today and lets hope I can be in that dress sometime soon and on the road to loving the person I am...it sounds good! Do you have any mountains you are currently climbing? Or perhaps some diet tips? I'd love to hear about them.


Thanks for reading petals!


Love,


Lexie


x x x

A long weekend

There is nothing quite like a bank holiday to heighten productivity and mine has certainly been fruitful. I cooked using my new food processor, did you know that I never need to chop anything ever again? How did I cope before this? I also got a little paint happy and although I have a million more things to paint I made a good start. I also, as mentioned before, visited my first boot sale since I moved to London (That's 18 months without boot saling folks) I have been surviving on thrift stores, ebay and the odd visit to Portobello market but I was very pleased to find this bootsale, even if we did turn up late and didn't really find anything.

I thought I would share my weekend in pictures:

Pretty vintage crockery to add to my collection

My bedside footstool table, freshly painted in 'Morris Blue' from Craig & Rose's
'1829' collection- it features the most wonderful vintage colours.

I made a banoffee pie using my new food processor. It was a win!

I finally painted my plain oak dining room chairs in the most wonderful
shade of country grey- 'Moonstone grey' from the '1829' range by Craig & Rose

Before you say anything, I have now fixed the spot that I missed.
Just look at the wonderful colour.

So as bank holidays go, mine has been lovely and I hope yours has too. I'm half tempted to carry on painting today but I also think I might write some more.

Until next time x

Dear Reader

Reader, I have been terribly neglectful and I am sorry. I just thought I would stop by and check up on everything- all seems fine! I have been a little distracted, a bit busier than normal at work, a bit tireder than normal at night but I have also been productive. My main distraction is that I've been writing again, a long loved and long neglected skill of mine, it is actually my main 'Craft', the thing that I am best at. I haven't written fiction in a long long while but I have been struck by inspiration and so I have been focusing on that. This inspiration to write has come partially from proofreading my step mothers superb manuscript and also the novel 'One Day' by David Nicholls (Which.I.Adored) and I had forgotten how lovely the feeling of being inspired to write actually is. Anyway, that is not all that I have been up to, I have been bootsale-ing (Buying not selling)..hello pretty new vintage china! I also recently acquired some rather wonderful paint for furniture and other such projects, real vintage inspired tones that I am completely smitten over. I will share, I will. Sit tight for that one! I am hoping to start selling these projects that I speak of but more on that very soon.

I have a few updates that I wanted to share, I found some of the wooden apple crates (mentioned in my last post) in the bootsale today- the woman tried to sell them to me for £15 each..50 years old she told me..I just smiled and walked away. As lovely as they are, they're old wooden boxes used to carry fruit, whether five or fifty years old they're not priceless! Honestly, it does annoy me when things become trendy and therefore overpriced. Speaking of trends, my second update was to say that I caved and purchased a copy of 'Mollie Makes' magazine, as featured a few posts ago. I don't think I will be parting with my cash again. As beautiful as the magazine is, full of wonder and colour and pretty things. It's actually created by a team who spend a lot of time on pinterest. Ladies like you and me. Unfortunately it all seemed like it had been done before and I had seen it better elsewhere and for free. The magazine was all about thrifting, home styling and country living but it really felt like it was a how to guide for women who want to "get into" the scene because it's the fashionable thing to do, which I always think spoils it a little for the people that have long had passions for the crafty thrifty lifestyle...I'm probably being a but precious and mean but it was just my impression. I may buy it again if the crafts or freebies are good but otherwise I'll stick to my favourite blogs for my dose of wonderful each week- they're all a lot more genuine and in now way 'faddy'!

Anyway, all things aside, there is a blissfully long weekend ahead. What are you planning for the bank holiday weekend fellow Brits? The rain has so far scuppered most of my plans, but I have been pottering, catching up with washing, buying a food processor, painting old furniture with aforementioned delicious new paint. I now plan to sleep the rest of the weekend!

Wishing you all well,

Lexie 

Blooming lovely

I feel such pride and happiness when I look at my garden that I can't help but smile. I simply had to share it...

Monsieur Buckley doing what he does best.

Mr Austen being regal

Deer old thing

Today was a day for an adventure and so I headed to the wonderous expanse of wilderness that is Richmond park. It's a world unto itself and not like anything you would expect to see in the heart of Surrey with London so very close by.

Herds and herds of deer are allowed to roam free across the acres of fields and plantations.

The weather was not good for photography but I got some lovely snaps of a few of the deer that make Richmond park their home..

Wasn't kind of the deer to pose for me? I had a lovely time.

The charms of the countryside

Good afternoon readers and a happy Sunday to you. I have a few little pieces of wonderful to share with you from my wonderful week in Dorset.

I can't say I am particularly pleased to be home but I am occupying myself with photographs and dreams of moving to the countryside sooner rather than later.

So, Dorset...the last time I was there, I was five and I remember nothing...absolutely nothing about it. This time, I remember a whole lot more. What a charming and magical place Dorset is. It has all the countryside delights that you would expect from the west country mixed with quaint and quirky seaside whimsy and some spectacular coast and scenery...It's definitely up there with my most favourite countryside locations. I thought I would share some of my most treasured finds and memories from a week very well spent...

The English countryside warms my heart and brings a smile to my face.
I am nothing if not a true country girl.

A boat passing by in Poole harbour.

I have extreme shutter envy..this house was in Lyme regis. It is so wonderfully 'French'
that it makes me want to move right in and claim squatters rights
and even more sickeningly, it is in the most quaint and perfect
river side location in the heart of the town. Jealous!

You've got to love and antique, antiques sign.

Beautiful Dorset has beautiful cottages indeed. This was in Lulworth.

More lulworth cottage love.

I just love a pretty door and that is my favourite colour!
This was in the lovely village of Cerne Abbas..

More wonderful cottages.

I saw many weird and wonderful, one of a kind shops on my adventures
and one of them in particular will be getting its own post. This one was
equally wonderful though. A bookshop full of nooks, quirks and character..
just as a bookshop should be. It was chaotic and crammed from floor to
ceiling with books across floor after floor. Around every corner and through
every door there was another room full of books..even the stairwells and hallways
were full. Just wonderful. This shop is quite intentionally similar to
Shakespeare & Co in Paris....the owner said I was the first person to ever point
that out! Call me proud!!

I love this picture. These little chickens were at our holiday cottage. By day they hold
salt and pepper..by night they pose for my pictures. Just look at those
country chic colours and the spots!

So there you have it, there are many more pictures let me tell you, but I fear you will not like to be bored with those.

Stay tuned for more Dorset whimsy and wonder.

With love,
Lexie

Jolly Holiday..

The time has come...almost, I do love my annual holiday..I get so excited! Since I will not have time for blogging between now and departure day I'm shutting up shop tonight...I shall miss you jolly readers but I'll be thinking of you while enjoying cream teas and the beautiful English countryside...ok, so maybe I won't but I'll take good pictures to bore you with.

Have a lovely week and I'll be back in a week or so...probably miserable and depressed but full of wonderful memories :)

With love,

Lexie

In other news...

I have been preparing my runner up prizes for my giveaway and my printer ink has run out :(...that has put everything on hold until Tuesday!!!

I remember..

I remember the easter egg hunts and the climbing frame at the bottom of your garden. I remember your summer BBQ's and New Years Eve parties. I remember always thinking that you looked so much like my dad but your grin was cheekier, like you were up to mischief. I remember how you let me play your piano for hours, you'd ask me if I was having fun, even though I was making a dreadful noise. I remember how you watched the plays that we put together in your living room and you laughed. I remember how happy I always felt when we pulled up to your driveway. I remember how you always sent me birthday cards and Christmas cards, even though I never did and I remember the hugs you gave me every time you saw me. I remember how time passed, how things changed. I remember how I became too familiar with the feeling of not seeing you in a long while. I remember the regret.

But most of all, I remember you, I remember how I always felt lucky to have such a great uncle, I remember feeling like the luckiest little niece. I remember deciding that no memory or regret can beat that.

I will always remember.

Rest well uncle Steve. Thank you.

"The wind curled through the trees on the night you went away, I pray it carried you safe"

My piece of wonderful

I have decided to have another go at this blog thing! Now that I have got myself a Tumblr following, my blog won't seem so pointless.

So join me, won't you? On my adventures this summer, in crafts, thrifting, Interior design of the shabbiest kind, countryside wanderings, picnics, photography and general prettiness!

With love,

Lexie