What's-in-my-wardrobe: Sparkling Sequins

So the Christmas season is well and truly upon us, bringing with it lots of parties and other special events. Now like most other girls, I love dressing up but sometimes have those dilemmas about just what to wear and days when there seems to be nothing suitable at all! But in general, I think you can't go wrong with a bit of embellishment and sparkle...especially not at Christmas, and that's why I've chosen to share four of my sequinned pieces today. Some are a bit more understated, whereas others just scream full on glitz and glamour...but they all have that extra bit of sparkle which makes them just a little special (well in my eyes anyway!)

First up is one of my more casual sequinned tops:

Black T-shirt with Gold Sequin Bow detail

I bought this a couple of years ago from the George clothing range at Asda and normally team it with jeans (either skinnies or my high waisted flares) and black heels or knee high boots. I'd usually wear this for socialising with friends and I like the fact that it can be worn for a whole variety of occasions ranging from an informal house party to a night out in town depending on what else I wear it with and how I accessorise it.

Black T-shirt with sequin waistcoat detail

This is another relatively laid back piece which I bought from Primark. At the time I got it, I'd been thinking of buying a sequin waistcoat but was unsure how much wear I'd actually get out of it. Then I saw this at only a fraction of the price and I loved it! It was almost like buying 2 tops for the price of one! I'd style this top in a similar way to the previous t shirt, and again, it's a really versatile piece that I think you could dress up, or even dress down with Converse and a cool jacket or zip up hoodie.

Black All-Over Sequin Shift

This was another George at Asda buy, bought during the last sequin trend a couple of winters ago. I was on the lookout for a sequinned dress, and spotted this at half price in the sale. As well as it being really pretty, I was also attracted by the fact that it was also really light to wear and easy to take off , unlike another dress I'd tried! If I wear it as a dress, I either wear it with black opaques or leggings and some black heels to finish the outfit off. However, as the shift is quite short, I sometimes belt it with a wide waist belt and wear it as a top instead. If I do this I team it with skinny jeans and either heels or knee high boots.

And finally, for a What's-in-my-wardrobe exclusive (nobody apart from my family has seen me wearing this yet!) we have...

All over Sequinned Butterfly Tunic

I bought this from a shop called Select and it was absolutely love at first sight! Plus I must have been fated to have it because there was only one left in my size! This is definitely the glitziest item of clothing I own, and I love it for its sparkle, as well as for its individuality...I haven't seen anything like it in any other shop (although I did see someone wearing it once...lucky I wasn't too!) I also like the fact that it has an all over design...I think it's nice that as much work has gone into the back as the front! As this is such a special dress, I think it deserves to be worn for a special occasion, and I'm planning for it to make its debut at my birthday night out next month. Because it's so detailed, I think I'm going to let it pretty much speak for itself and will probably wear it with my black extra opaques and black ribbon tie heels and just the jewellery I'm wearing in the picture. What do you think?

Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my wardrobe...haven't decided what my next post in the series will be yet, so if you've any ideas...let me know!

Happy Birthday!!

Today I'm really excited to be able to say Happy Birthday to not just one, but two of my favourite ladies of all time!

First up is my little sister Amy, who's celebrating her 16th Birthday today!

She's a gifted comedian, with aspirations to be an actress and knows more random facts than almost anyone else I know! On the whole, I think she's got great taste in music (we both love Michael Buble and Maroon 5) and TV, and I love the trips we take to the cinema and museums...next up will most probably be "Sherlock Holmes" in the Christmas holidays! We do have our differences though...for example, she's about the least girly girl I know, not having worn a dress since she was old enough to choose her own clothes and taking no interest whatsoever in makeup! And that's Amy; all that's left for me to say is that I love her lots and I hope that she has a fantastic day, even if her 16th is making me feel very old!!

And secondly, celebrating a birthday which is a bit larger than 16 is my best friend J. I first met J on the bus we used to get to high school. I was about 12 when we met, she was a year older and we've been best friends ever since. I've celebrated many of her birthdays with her; the most memorable ones include her 16th where I went to my first ever concert and slept over at hers afterwards and her 18th when her parents hired a function room at a local pub, and being unused to alcohol, I got drunk really quickly but still had a fantastic time, as did she! However, as we've got older, things have changed. She moved about 2 hours away to attend university, and, over 8 years on, she's still happily settled there, meaning that we only see each other about 3 or 4 times a year. Despite that, our friendship is still going strong, and I was touched and honoured when she asked me to be her chief bridesmaid last year, even though she has a whole group of close friends in her new(ish) town. And in the same way, I know that if there comes a time when I'm picking bridesmaids, she'll be the first on my list!

So Happy Birthday J! You're one of the most caring and passionate people I know, and a true individual! I also love the fact that you've never lost your sense of fun and your quirky sense of humour despite the fact you're now a grown up, and I'm happy that you've found a husband who shares that with you :-) Hope that you have a fantastic birthday and am looking forward to hopefully seeing you over the Christmas holidays! :-)

Spot the difference!

Just a short post today...I know I said last night that I'd do a "What's in my Wardrobe" today, but now this evening's come around, I'm feeling quite tired and not in the mood to dress up (no matter how sparkly the clothes are!). So I promise that I'll post it on Thursday...I'll even take the photos beforehand so I've got no excuse not to! Tomorrow's post is still going to go ahead exactly as planned and I'm really looking forward to doing it...it's going to be the first one of its kind and I'll be posting for a very good reason :-) And that's difference number 1...why my blog post today isn't anything like what I thought it would be this time yesterday!

And as for difference number 2...well, can you spot it?? Everyone who guesses correctly will win a prize! Well , technically at least. It won't be an actual physical prize...just a lovely warm feeling inside that inevitably comes with the sense of enormous satisfaction that you feel when you get the right answer! :-)

Monday Monday

Well, it's Monday and my day has mainly been spent:

• not working...it's the last week of term, so I was expecting it to be quieter than usual. I do have a half day booked for tomorrow, but that's it so far.





• on the Internet...Facebook (I'm currently addicted to Cafe World!) and Blogger have been my main websites of choice today!





• being domesticated...I made this dessert:

(nothing too complicated, just mandarin oranges on a biscuit crust...basically a cheesecake without the cheese!)

• I also washed up, and cleared my summer clothes out of my wardrobe and put them away for the winter!

• and listening to the radio...my songs of the day have been Tik Tok by Kesha, Bad Romance by the Gaga, Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo and Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

This is what I've been wearing:

Black and charcoal 2 in 1 pinafore : Lime at Next, Black leggings: Peacocks, Grey boots: Rocket Dog via Amazon, Watch: Present, Pearl bracelet with butterfly detail: Primark, Diamond cluster ring: Asda (present off my Mum and Dad for my 21st)

(Except for this morning, when I was wearing work trousers instead of leggings and black flats instead of my boots!)

After I post this...I'll be going to rehearsal for an hour, then spending the rest of my evening relaxing and getting my stuff ready for work tomorrow morning!

Tomorrow...I'll be posting another "What's in my Wardrobe" post, all about sequins. I know it'll be a day early but there are a couple of special things happening on Wednesday that I want to blog about then and I'd rather be early than late lol!

So that's all for today! Hope you've had a great start to the week...and remember, only 4 days till the weekend! :-)

She's Googling herself!

Nicole over at You Had Me At Hello posted this a couple of days ago, and I thought it would be really fun to do for myself (I have done a similar thing before but never blogged about it!) and also an ideal weekend post...quick, simple and not requiring too much thought lol! So without further ado, here goes:

Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search

Julie needs cards for hospital visit for transplant
(I really don't know what to say about this one except no I don't and I hope that the other Julie got what she needed)

Type in "[your name] looks like" in the Google search

Julie looks like an oriental version of Bridget Fonda
(I really don't...although I suppose it would be rather interesting!)

Type in "[your name] wants" in the Google search

Julie wants a job
(Yeah, that's SO true!!)

Type in "[your name] does" in the Google search

Julie does Japan

(Visiting Japan sounds pretty cool...maybe I will do one day)

Type in "[your name] hates" in the Google search

Julie hates, just what she doesn't know

(Now does this mean I hate things that I don't know or I don't know what I hate?? Confused much!!)

Type in "[your name] asks" in the Google search

Julie Asks - Am I an Adult Yet?

(This is something I often wonder...I think the answer is physically, yes but mentally, hell no!!)

Type in "[your name] likes" in the Google search

Julie likes silicon

(I can't honestly say I have strong feelings either way!)

Type in "[your name] eats" in the Google search

Julie Eats Babies

(Ewwww...that's horrible! I really, really am NOT a baby eater, well except for jelly babies!)

Type in "[your name] wears" in the Google search

Julie wears silk busk front corset and cross over frill skirt

(That outfit sounds pretty cool...am just imagining what it would look like!)

Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in the Google search

Julie was arrested for the crime of deliberately exposing children to porn

(I actually clicked on this result and felt really sorry for the Julie in the article. She was a substitute teacher and she was working in a school when a porn pop-up storm occurred on the computer. There was a whole dossier of evidence to show that there were a raft of technical errors that led to this happening...the IT department didn't keep anti malware software and content filters up to date, the school had no Internet security policy and the school administrators didn't provide internet training for teaching staff, meaning they were unable to respond in situations such as this and no proof that the teacher had introduced the porn herself. The situation was dealt with by the school district, but a few parents complained to police and Julie was arrested, and at the time the article was written (23rd February 2007), she was facing up to 40 years in prison. I'm unsure of the outcome but feel very uneasy about the story as a whole.)

"Type in "[your name] loves" in the Google search

Julie Loves Books

(Yeah, Google is speaking some truth there!)

So this is what Google says about me! Hope you've enjoyed reading...it's been mostly fun, but also illuminating for me at the same time. Why don't you give it a go?? This card needing, book loving, corset wearing, job wanting, baby eating(!) oriental Bridget Fonda lookalike (according to Google!) looks forward to reading it!

Pointless nostalgic?

Over the last couple of weeks, I seem to have been spending a lot of time reminiscing about the past, both individually and with friends. I've been thinking about the past, talking about it, looking up websites I used to frequent and almost obsessively searching the Internet for products and places that were well loved but have long since vanished! And the more I reminisce, the more things I find to be nostalgic about. Here's just some of them:
I'm nostalgic for:

• the excitement I felt when I was going out with my first real boyfriend and the openness of my heart back then. I wasn't the bitter cynic I am now; I was fuelled by happiness and and optimism about what the future would hold.
• the hours I used to spend on the Internet in my college lunchtimes: taking quizzes on emode, having my very own animals on Neopets and creating personalised email addresses on another.com. Although I suppose the dropdeadgorgeous.co.uk domani wouldn't go down very well on CVs and application forms nowadays!
• listening to my music on a personal CD player or even a Walkman!
• my favourite chocolate orange lip balm from Boots...I've even tried to ebay this but can't find it anywhere!
• the way the Trafford Centre used to be...I used to be able to watch cheap movies in the morning, grab tuna mayo baguettes from my favourite sandwich bar, have a fantastic night out and soak up the atmosphere and individuality of the "Festival Village" market. Whilst I still love the place, the days of being able to do any of those things are long gone! :-(
• the time when my idea of dressing up for a night out was black trousers and a sparkly top...oh how times (and fashions!) have changed! That said, I'm still a magpie...I love glittery things!
• the thrill I got when being served alcohol underage (such a rebel lol!)
• being able to see my best friend J every week, instead of just a few times a year.
• a time when life was simpler, and seemed more certain... at 17 I thought I knew which direction my life would go in, now I don't have a clue!

However, I know I can't look back forever. As Michael Cibenko so neatly put it: "One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn round to find the future has run out on us." And I know that's true. I may look back fondly to my times in college, but there are many things that I am grateful for now and things that I have to look forward to in the future. My family and friends and the enjoyment I get from spending time with them, my future career and relationships, plans for study and travel and the hope that eventually I'll fall in love, marry and have children...it would be a crime if I let the past obscure the good that is now, and that is to come. That doesn't mean I'll stop the nostalgia, after all it's always good to reminisce, but I think I'll try and bring it down a notch from now on. After all, you never know what I could miss out on just because I wasn't looking in the the right direction!

What's in my wardrobe Wednesday - Beautiful bracelets and bangles (and a pair of earrings!)

Well, I haven't done a Wardrobe Wednesday post for quite a while...I always seem to remember on Friday and by then it just feels too late to write one! But by some miracle, I'm online and it's Wednesday, so it feels right that I should restart the series! This week is all about beautiful bracelets and bangles... I love all kinds of jewellery, but gorgeous wristwear is my favourite. I've already shared some pictures of my newest acquisitions in the shopping posts I've done, but I also have some older favourites that I rely on too and these are what will be in the spotlight today!

Copper leather look bangle

This was a gift that I found in my Christmas stocking a couple of years ago. I love this because it's quite simple but really different too, and it looks good worn with a wide range of colours.

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Pearl triple string bracelet with butterfly detail

This caught my eye in Primark earlier this year and I knew I had to have it! I love pearls (real or imitation...I'm not fussy!) and liked the vintage look of the butterfly detailing. Plus it was ridiculously cheap, so it really was a match made in heaven. Again, as it's quite neutral, I've worn it with a whole range of outfits for many different occasions. The only downside is that butterfly has recently broken, so I don't wear it as much as I used to :-(

Brown and gold enamel bangle with diamante detail

This was a present from my mum and dad...although I'm not 100% what for! I'm sure it was something to do with my education...either passing exams or graduating from my degree or post grad course, but I just can't remember the exact occasion! I mainly love this as it's so unusual...I've never seen another like it, and it makes me feel really unique! The colours also fit in great with much of my wardrobe; I own lots of brown, beige, and neutral clothing and the bangle matches well with all of these.

Black and white swirl bangle

I picked this up from a local low cost store to go with a 60s themed outfit for a fancy dress party. While I don't wear this as much as some of the other things featured today, it's the perfect match for any of my black and white tops that often make an appearance during the warmer months as they're all short sleeved! It's also good to wear as it opens at the back meaning I don't
have to force it over my hand when I put it on or take it off!

Gold effect bead bracelet with gold flower detail

I bought this from Dorothy Perkins to go with a black dress and black/gold clutch for an 80s themed murder mystery. Not only was this a real bargain in the sales, it also co-ordinates well with most of my wardrobe, meaning I'm never short of occasions to wear it.

Blue and grey multi gem bracelet with black enamel and diamante detail

This is probably the "blingiest" piece of jewellery I own and I LOVE it! I bought it from Debenhams last year to match with a blue and black dress that I was going to wear for my work Christmas party. It's from the EB diffusion line by Erickson Beamon, and whilst it's a bit pricier than most of the other costume jewellery I buy for myself, I think it was well worth it :-) I wear it with my party clothes but also to add a little spin to more casual outfits...in my mind there's nothing better than dressing a casual outfit up with some fabulous accessories!

Brown and gold textured bangle set

This was the Secret Santa present I received at work last year. I later found out that my line manager (head of my age group team) was the person who got them for me and can I just say she got me SO right! I love my browns and golds and I love bangles and these are just so pretty...it was love at first sight! They're one of my most frequently worn accessories (in fact, they're jangling away on my right wrist as I'm typing this!) and I think they look great for both work and play!

And finally, here's a little gatecrasher making their way into the post...

Wood and turquoise hoop earrings from Barefoot Maiden!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I told you that I'd won a giveaway that Holly at Her Southern Heart was running? Well, those little beauties above are my prize! They arrived yesterday, courtesy of Barefoot Maiden's Etsy shop. And while I haven't worn them yet, I already love them! So thank you Holly and Barefoot Maiden!

Fingers crossed, I'll be able to keep up the habit of posting on a Wednesday now! Next week I'm thinking of doing a post on party wear...maybe focusing on sequins, and possibly one on winter woolies after that, but I'm open to suggestions! If there's a particular post you'd like to see, let me know!