Wild & Wolf Folklore Bear and Deer Necklaces

For Christmas last year, one of my sisters gave me two adorable enamel Folklore necklaces designed by Nina Jarema for Wild & Wolf, and while I featured them in my 'what I got for Christmas haul' a few months ago, I thought it was about time I gave you guys a closer peek at them. 

I was given two different but equally lovely long pendant necklaces from the Folklore collection- a charming grey bear and a handsome navy blue stag, each with gorgeous folky detail decorating the enamel.



The deer is a navy blue stag with the cutest little tail and antlers, and pretty gold, white, and amber detailing. I think he'll be particularly perfect for wearing at Christmas time as he looks like a fairisle reindeer, but he'll make a lovely finishing touch to outfits in all seasons. A deer is for life, and not just for Christmas.



The bear, which I think might just be my favourite of the two critters, is medium-grey in colour with similar textured gold, white, and amber detail to the deer embellishing its body. He has one foot raised in travel, probably on a quest to hunt some salmon. Or maybe maul an unsuspecting human.



Both necklaces are made from high-quality enamel and backed with chunky gold metal, that should hold up well against wear and tear, and hopefully last for many years to come. They both fasten with a lobster clasp, and have long gold-coloured chains that can extend from 72cm to 80cm, which is fantastic as  they sit around waist length on me and I prefer my necklaces long. The longer length makes them plus size friendly, too, so these necklaces will fit you no matter your size.

These necklaces come framed in modern card packaging, so they'd make great gifts for your jewellery loving friends and family, or a lovely treat for yourself. Trust me, I loved waking up to these on Christmas morning. The interesting thing about the packaging is that it tells you three qualities of the animal featured in the necklace, which could help you choose the perfect design for yourself or your loved one based on your / their personality. The bear is brave, reflective, and confident, while the deer is graceful, compassionate, and intuitive. I'm definitely not brave, confident, or graceful, but I like to think I share their other qualities. I'm pretty sure my sister will have chosen them for me based on the designs and not the qualities, but she chose well because I love them both. They're both so lovely. Well, you know me; I can never resist a quirky piece of jewellery; especially when it's animal themed!

I'm not sure where my sister purchased them from, but we did come across the range together in a Frosts garden centre a year or two ago. I remember seeing lots of other products in the range, including brooches and key rings, and falling in love with the fox designs.

I've had a good search for stockists online, which took some effort, and found the bear available from Atom Retro, and an Australian site called Birds Nest, and the deer is available from Anna Davies, Bibelot , and Birds Nest.

Which one do you like best; the bear or the deer? Do you own anything from the Folklore collection?

What I Wore | Tartan Revival

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you; this is actually an outfit post! Yes, really! I don't know what happened either.

It's been far too long since I last blogged an outfit here on the blog. Aside from a couple of mirror shots, the last one I shared was back in March last year, which is crazy.

I used to share my outfits regularly until my health began to deteriorate a couple of years ago, but as the pain grew worse and became harder and harder to bear, the posts became less and less frequent until they fizzled out altogether.

For the record, I really hate using my health as an excuse, but the honest truth is it affects almost every part of my daily life, no matter how hard I try to fight against it or keep on powering through. The pain has become so intense that I've lost the strength to do normal stuff like shower, get dressed, put on make up, do my hair, and get outside to pose for a hundred plus photos to get one half-decent shot to blog, all in one go. I don't often have the strength or the pain tolerance for any of it, so if I've managed to shower, dry and brush my hair on the same day, it's been a good day.

I've basically spent most of the last couple of years living in my pyjamas, trying to stay as comfortable as possible, only really dressing in proper clothes when I've ventured out of the house, which hasn't been often. Combine that with the fact I've not had a lot of money to spend on clothes, I've just not had many outfits worth blogging about, so you really haven't missed out on much.

It does make me sad that my style has taken a back seat here because I always enjoyed sharing my outfits with you guys, and it was what I created Polka Spots and Freckle Dots for in the first place. Don't get me wrong; I love blogging about all of the other topics I do, but I miss talking about the outfits I wear. I want to get back to it. and I'm going to do my best to make it happen.

My aim for 2016 is to get out of my PJs more and in to proper clothes, make it outside regularly to soak up some vitamin D, and to share more outfits like I did in the olden days, and as you can see, I've made some progress already by combining all three!

I've actually taken outfit photos four times during the last couple of weeks, although I'm not sure if all four are blog-able yet. This one just about passes the test. It was grey, dreary, drizzly, and a little windy when I shot these photos, and the garden was a mess, so they're far from perfect. I also look a bit spaced-out because I was still feeling a little flu-ish when I took the photos, but the main thing is it's an outfit to share, which is one more than yesterday.

So, in these photos I'm wearing the tartan Audrey swing dress from Lindy Bop, which I bought over a year ago, but had never worn before. I'm not even sure why that is- looking at these photos, I really like the way it looks on me- and I don't often say that about what I wear! I felt great in it, too.

It's a beautiful dress with the most gorgeous tartan fabric, which is made up of yellow and white stripes and little green squares on a background of burgundy. The fabric is medium-weight cotton, and a little lighter than some of the other Audrey dresses I own- which is a good thing because I find the heavier ones too warm to wear unless it's freezing cold outside. (Though I am on fire pretty much 24/7). The tartan dress is still thick enough to keep you warm in the Winter, but I find it much more comfortable to wear and move around in. The skirt is lined, the fabric has a little stretch, and I'd say it's pretty true to size.



It's a little big on top on me, but that's a common problem since I'm only a c-cup, and it's nothing a cardigan or a jacket can't easily disguise. I'm not comfortable baring my upper arms in public anyway, so wearing one over it isn't a problem. I can deal with a little extra room around the girls. I love Lindy Bop's Audrey dresses too much to let that stop me! It's my favourite out of all of the dresses they make. I currently own five in different patterns and colours, but I'd own hundreds if I had more money to spend on clothes! (One day!) I love 'em! I just can't resist a good boat-neckline swing dress. Especially when they're fantastic quality and so affordable like Lindy Bop's are!

I decided not to go down the rockabilly route when I put this outfit together, and instead dressed it down with black pieces for a casual, every-day look. It's a simple outfit and only took me a minute to throw together, but I like the way it turned out, and I felt really confident in it.

What I Wore

Dress- Lindy Bop // Cardigan- New Look // Tights- Evans // Shoes- Fashion World* // Belt- Dorothy Perkins // Necklace- Maggie Angus // Black beaded bracelets- Dorothy Perkins // Silver and black bracelets- gifts from the bestie

I'll hopefully be back with another outfit post really soon!

How would you have styled this dress?

OOTD: Painting the Roses Blue with Bon Marché

I've spent most of the last few weeks living in my PJs, curled up in bed like a burrito, but I actually managed to dress on Wednesday; look- proper clothes, and everything! I even pushed the boat out and did my hair and make up, too! (Miracles do happen...) Since I got that far, I just had to get out in to the garden and snap a few photos to mark the occasion. And more importantly, so I could show you all the pretty Bon Marché dress I was wearing.

Bon Marché recently got in touch and invited me to pick out a piece to review. I had never shopped with Bon Marché before, and in all honesty, I had been under the impression that their clothes were aimed at the older lady. And while I suppose that is some what true, when I popped on over for a browse, I was pleasantly surprised to find so many beautiful clothes in gorgeous colours and patterns, and even a plus size range up to a UK size 32! They've seriously upped their game over the last few years.

I was particularly drawn to the dresses in their David Emanuel collection. If you're not familiar with the name, David Emanuel is the man who designed Princess Diana's wedding dress; one of the most iconic dresses in history. I figured, if his designs were good enough for a princess, then there must be something special about the clothes he makes, so I asked to review the rose and lace print side pleat dress. And, oh, is it a beauty!

When the dress arrived on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to see how pretty the dress was; it's far prettier than I'd imagined. It's made from the most beautiful cobalt blue and turquoise rose-print fabric, and has a monochrome background with leaves, lace, and more flowers filling the gaps in between. I love the combination of monochrome and bold pops of colour; it's so eye-catching.

The fabric itself is surprisingly thick and high-quality. The website describes it as stretch-jersey, but it feels more like viscose, and thankfully, doesn't cling against the skin like jersey often does. I presumed it was going to cling to my shape, so I made the mistake of sizing up to avoid that from happening; I definitely didn't need to. As you can probably see, the dress is far too big on me, especially around the arms and waist, so I'd suggest sticking to your usual size or even sizing down. It's generously cut.



I've been wearing a skinny belt on the waist to cinch in the excess fabric and get a bit more definition, and it solves the problem with zero effort. I didn't wear a belt in the photos, though, because I wanted to show you the true shape and sizing of the dress.

It sits a couple of inches below the knee on me (I'm 5'6''), so it is a long knee-length dress, and will obviously be longer on you shorter ladies. I'd wear a pair of (blue) heels to balance the length and flatter the legs, although the black studded pumps I'm wearing are only about an inch high because I can't wear heels right now with my bad back.

The good thing about this dress is that it has half length sleeves, so there's no need to wear a cardi or jacket over the top if you prefer to cover up your arms. It also has a flattering, pleated drape on the left hip.





It's so different to the fit and flare dresses I usually wear, but I love trying out new styles, and I felt very lady-like in this frock. I think it would be a great dress to wear for work, weddings, and other smart and formal social functions, as well as for looking glamorous every day.

The dress is available in sizes 10 to 24 here, and is reasonably priced at just £30.

What I Wore

Dress- Bon Marché* // Tights- Evans // Shoes- Fashion World* // Bag- Dorothy Perkins // Necklace- Giveaway Win // Ring- Evans

Have you shopped with Bon Marché recently?

*Bon Marché provided me with this dress in exchange for a review. As always, all words, thoughts, opinions, and photos are my own.

OOTD: Brown and Yellow Polka Dots

Today's outfit is one I wore back at the beginning of September when the weather was still hot and it still seemed acceptable to wear pastel yellow. It seems so long ago now!

I had been playing dress up that day, trying different colours with my new Lindy Bop brown polka dot Audrey dress. I don't usually find it difficult to pair colours together, but my wardrobe is lacking in colours that compliment brown, like rust, mustard, chocolate, and dusky pink, so I started experimenting with other colours. That's how this unconventional brown and yellow combo came about. 

And... I look like I'm wearing the Brownies uniform from the early nineties! I'm just missing the sash! Does anybody remember how vile the colour of the culottes and trousers was? It looked like bile! I remember always hating them, especially since my Mum made me wear the culottes and not the trousers. What kid wants to wear bile coloured culottes? Seriously? None of them do!

I've not worn culottes since my Brownies days (thank God), and I hadn't worn brown and yellow together, either, until this outfit happened in September... but I actually liked the result! I think the colours look okay together, and it was fun to try out a new colour combination. It seems a waste to leave this beautiful dress hanging in my wardrobe unworn until I buy some pieces that compliment it better. It deserves as much wear as possible; even if the most exciting place it gets worn is the garden and the only person I'm dressing up for is myself!

Outfit Details

Dress and Belt- Lindy Bop // Cardigan- New Look // 

Shoes- New Look // Bag- ASOS // Necklace- Giveaway Win

Would you wear brown and yellow together?

It Must Have Been Love

For as long as I can remember, I've been dying to get my hands on a brown polka dot dress, just like the infamous frock Julia Roberts wore to the races in Pretty Woman. Show me a woman who didn't want that dress at one time or another!

This Summer I finally found my perfect brown polka dot dress; a swing dress by Lindy Bop, which I was able to snap up with some birthday money back in July. The fabric was far too thick and heavy for Summer, so I've had to wait until now to wear it, but it was definitely worth the wait.

The dress is beautiful, the quality is amazing, and it's so comfortable to wear. I feel great in it! The only way this dress could be better is if it was custom made to my measurements, but now I'm just being greedy!

I would have loved to have styled it like Vivian, but I don't own a boater hat, thick brown waist belt, or white shoes, and I've not owned a pair of white gloves since my first communion in 1992, so that was never going to happen. It also wouldn't have been very 'me'. This isn't the eighties anymore.

My first thought was to turn to some simple white pieces, since I'm lacking in colours which compliment brown. The dress came with the white belt, and I dug out an old cropped cardigan from New Look, which I think look okay together. Looking at these photos, I don't think the yellow polka dot ballet pumps or necklaces look great with the dress at all, but you win some, you lose some. I only chucked it together for a walk around the garden.

I need to invest in some black and tan shoes this Autumn (I have none!), and I'd like to hunt down some rust, mustard, and chocolate cardigans, jackets, and accessories to wear with this dress this Autumn and Winter. It's the perfect dress for AW because the fabric is about as thick as a medium-weight pair of jeans and it's lined, so it should keep me warm when it's freezing cold outside.

It's also wearable for every day, without looking ridiculously over-dressed, but it could be dressed up for a special occasion with a big tulle petticoat, heels, and some red lippy! I'd love to wear it with a petticoat every day, but I think I'd get a lot of odd glances in suburban Oxfordshire!

The Audrey dress comes in a huge selection of colours and patterns in sizes 8-26 for just £29.99! They are fantastically priced! I recently blogged about the red gingham and red polka dot Audreys in outfit posts, if you'd like to see them.

Outfit Details

Dress (inc. belt)- Lindy Bop // Cardigan- New Look // 

Shoes- New Look (Wide Fit) // Necklace- Rachel's giveaway

Seasons Change But People Don't

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons to dress for. 

Sure, I adore the Summer brights, Spring pastels, light, floaty fabrics and cheerful prints of the warmer seasons, but as the nights start drawing in I always look forward to wearing the decadent jewel colours of Autumn. I think rich colours like teal, emerald, forest green, wine, raspberry, and dark magenta suit my complexion best, but mainly, I just find them all too gorgeous to resist! I'd fill my wardrobe with these colours if I could!

I've already started wearing rich colours this September, even if it is unseasonably warm and too hot to start digging out my Winter wardrobe just yet. I'll start with dresses and the winter knits can follow later!

Last week, I put this simple look together for, err... a walk around the garden. I used the garden like a hamster wheel and did a couple of laps for physio, I don't feel strong enough to stray from home on my own, but walking back and forth from the tripod for outfit photos soon adds up, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and took some photos, while I was in the garden.

I've been looking forward to wearing this beautiful skater dress since I bought it last month from Dorothy Perkins. I was drawn in by the gorgeous colour, which is somewhere between dark magenta and raspberry. I have a few dresses in this colour, and it's definitely one of my favourite colours to wear.

What I love about this dress is that it's made from textured fabric- which features a floral print- and it adds some interest to an otherwise simple skater dress. It's not too light or too heavy, and the short sleeves are perfect for transitioning in to Autumn. Or if you hate baring your upper arms but don't want to cover up with a cardi.

The dress sits just above the knee and it has some stretch, so your usual size should be fine. It retails for just £20, and if purple isn't your thing, it also comes in baby blue, black, and nude.

I wore mine with black leggings and forest green studded ankle boots. As soon as I tried on the dress for the first time, I knew the green boots would go perfectly with it. The boots were from Simply Be last Winter, but they do have the same boots in black and purple this season, in E and EEE fittings. I have these boots in three colours and they are the most comfortable ankle boots I've ever owned. 

The colour of the dress is much darker than it looks in this photo, but it was the best close up I took. I kept it in so you could see the texture.

You've seen me wearing this necklace many times before, but I love it so much I can't stop wearing it. I won it in Rachel's giveaway last year, and I've barely taken it off since!

Outfit Details

Dress- Dorothy Perkins // Boots- Simply Be // Glasses- Roxy

Leggings- New Look // Necklace- I won in Rachel's giveaway

Have you began embracing Autumn fashion yet this season? What colours do you love to wear at this time of year?

Red Gingham and Strawberries

When I first began blogging, I was happy to post photos of my outfits on my blog regardless of the quality of them. Grainy, shadowy, dark... I took what I got and just shared them. Now I have much higher standards, and try to use only the best photos my little point and shoot camera can take. (Which, let's face it still aren't great). I just like to do everything as best as I can. That's the control freak in me.

Today's photos have been sitting in my drafts for about a month. I wasn't going to share them because they're awful. I took them on an insanely hot sunny day during last month's heatwave, so they came out so over-exposed. Our garden doesn't get any shade from dawn til dusk. I had hoped to re-shoot this outfit, but I've not been physically able to, and I'm not sure when I will be, so I've decided to share them anyway. I wanted to show you guys this dress before Autumn starts creeping in because it is a real gem of a summer frock, and I'm too aware that summer is swiftly ticking away.

Introducing my very first Lindy Bop dress- the Audrey red check swing dress!

I adore it! 

I'd been on the hunt for the perfect red gingham dress for a couple of years, so when I found it and realised it came in my size, I just had to have it. I hadn't worn gingham since primary school and back then I was forced to wear a red gingham shirt dress every summer with a red sweatshirt and white socks. I loathed that uniform. When I left Primary school in 1996, I was determined never to wear gingham again... and for eighteen years I didn't... until last month when I found this dress and fell in love with it. I blame blogging; blogging has made me love gingham again! That and the fact this dress is an absolute beauty!

Sure, I may look like a table cloth threw up on me, or that I've just come from a 1950s village fete, but I love it. It makes me want to go picnic down by the river, make daisy chains and read old Enid Blyton novels.

What I love about the dress is that it's so beautifully made and high quality, yet so inexpensive. This dress was just £29.99! Lindy Bop is the most affordable vintage reproduction brand I've personally come across, and the quality is far greater than most dresses you can find on the high street for the same price. They're a great brand to start with if you're thinking of dabbling in rockabilly fashion but aren't quite sure what styles work for you yet, and they're equally great for anybody on a tight budget.

One size up // Two sizes up

What I didn't know before I bought this dress was that Lindy Bop cater to plus sizes! They stock UK sizes 8-22 with many pieces up to a 26, and instead of creating a separate plus size range, all clothes are available to all sizes they carry (well, at least up to a 22) with is fantastic. I'd always assumed that they wouldn't stock my size, so I had only admired them from afar. I could kick myself for not checking sooner! 

As for fit and sizing- I ordered a size up to begin with, as I usually do with fitted waist dresses, and as you can see in these photos, it fit well everywhere but was a little snug on the waist. Snug clothes hurt my spine so I decided to send it back and got the next size up, which was a much comfier fit on the waist, but as usual, baggy on top. 

It's rare that I get the perfect fit. I'm broad-shouldered, but only a c-cup, and my waist is only two or three inches narrower than my bust, so if I want a dress to fit comfortably on the waist, it will usually be loose on top. It's not a big deal to me because I always cover up with a cardi in public, but I think I'll probably get my tailor (read: Mum) to take this one in for me. (I really need to learn how to sew). 

I've seen other bloggers call this dress true to size, so all I can say is use the size guides on their website against your measurements if you're unsure. 

The good news is, if you need to exchange anything for a different size, you can send it back for a straight swap instead of having to return and reorder! My exchange was with me in less than a week. The bad news is, you have to pay the postage costs to return anything, which sucks.

I styled this dress with a strawberry necklace, strawberry cross-body bag, yellow polka dot pumps, and a red shrug. My only mistake was putting the cardigan on in 32'c heat for a couple of minutes. It wasn't my wisest move. I thought I was going to pass out! I started feeling sick and had to get a cold shower to cool my body down. I'm not the brightest crayon in the box.

The print would make a great table cloth, but it's an even better dress! I wish it came in other colours!

The strawberry necklace came from a vintage shop / stall in Camden called Berty and Gerty. I'm pretty sure it's not vintage, but I love it just the same.

The white flowers remind me of strawberry blossom, so I had to use it as a background for my strawberry bag. I think the bag is perfect with the gingham dress, because red gingham makes me think of summer picnics and you can't have a summer picnic without strawberries! 

The bag came from Accessorize about a year ago, so unfortunately it's not a current line.

I don't own the perfect pair of shoes for this dress, so I just wore my new yellow polka dot ballet pumps from New Look. Aren't they cute? They're from the wide fit section and were only £9.99, so naturally I had to buy them in navy as well. They're not available online anymore, but it could be worth checking your local store just in case.

Outfit Details

Dress- Lindy Bop. (Sizes 8-26).

Cardigan- M&Co. (Similar, sizes 8-22).

Necklace- Berty and Gerty.

Bag- Accessorize.

Shoes- New Look. (Wide fit sizes 3-8).

Since ordering this dress, I've purchased another two Audrey dresses- this one and this one- and I'm hooked. I'm coveting so many other Lindy Bop clothes that I know this is just the start of what will be a large collection. I can't wait to show you my two polka dot Audreys this Autumn!

Are you a Lindy Bop fan?

Hearts and Polka Dots

I've been meaning to blog about this outfit for a couple of weeks, after snapping the photos in the garden one sunny afternoon, but as I wasn't happy with any of the photos, I've been hesitant about sharing them. 

I can see too many flaws in my photos from the shadows on my face to one strap of the dress that had unknowingly slipped off my shoulder. The garden's a mess and I also have a wheelie bin in shot because it was the only angle of our one hundred foot long garden which didn't give me over exposed photos (it gets all the sunlight), and I physically couldn't move it out of view. I was going to re-shoot the photos, but I've not made it out of bed in nearly a fortnight now, so sod it, I'm just going to blog them anyway, flaws an' all.

A few weeks ago, I found this cute fit and flare dress when I was window shopping at Dorothy Perkins. I had been on the look out for some dresses that I could bare to wear on scorching hot, muggy summer days, and it was just what I was looking for. A light-weight cotton dress which is breathable and doesn't leave me too flustered and over-heated on hot days. 

It's a navy fit and flare dress with a polka dot and heart print print, a sweetheart neckline, and capped sleeves. It's a little shorter than I usually wear, as I'm not a fan of baring my thighs, but I feel comfortable and confident in this dress with tights or leggings underneath. The length hits me an inch or two above the knee (I'm 5'6''), but if you're much taller it will be quite a short dress, which may be good or bad depending on the skirt length you prefer to wear! The shorter length has actually been a god-send for me on several sweltering hot days already, when I've worn it bare-legged around the house and managed to remain fairly comfortable in the heat.

I purchased this navy heart print polka dot dress along with two others in the same design, including this cherry print dress, and this bow print frock. They are all such pretty dresses, and so inexpensive at just £18 each. I bought them while they were on promotion, and with a discount code, so they were fantastic bargains and well worth the price. The dresses come in sizes 6-22UK, and they have a lot of stretch to the fabric, so your usual size should be fine. 

I paired the dress with a red cardigan, black opaque tights, ruby red ballet pumps, a toadstool brooch, and an owl necklace.

The fabric is a darker navy than my camera captured, and it has a polka dot and heart print all over it. You just can't go wrong with polka dots, and when it's combined with another awesome print it's even better!

I've always loved red and white toadstools, and when I saw this Cath Kidston brooch last Autumn I couldn't resist making a cheeky purchase. It's no longer available online, but it could be worth checking your nearest Cath Kidston shop or outlet shop in case it's still available in store. It's such a cute little brooch.

The owl necklace was a gift from my older sister a couple of years ago. She bought it in Florida on one of her Disney holidays, but I've no idea who it's by or where it's from.

These shoes are always so difficult to photograph; they just don't translate well at all on (digital) film. They're actually dark ruby red in colour and extremely glittery; just like Dorothy's ruby red slippers, but without the heel. I bought them from Evans around seven or eight years ago, because I'd always wanted a pair of ruby red slippers and I fell in love with them the moment I saw them. They're such cute pumps, but after all these years they still severely butcher my feet every time I wear them. Why must pretty shoes hurt the most? I try to only wear them now when there's not much walking involved, or I will end up with bloody blistered feet.

Outfit Details

♥ Dress-Dorothy Perkins
♥ Cardigan-TU at Sainsburys
♥ Tights- Evans
♥ Shoes-Evans
♥ Brooch-Cath Kidston
♥ Necklace-Gift from Florida

What do you wear to keep cool in the summer heat?