A Timeless Gift*

Despite everything having been a total whirlwind over the last few months, Matthew and I have had a lot to celebrate lately. We bought our first house and became homeowners in May, celebrated our two year anniversary in June, and Matthew finally started his new job at the end of July, so its been exciting times all round.

Of course we celebrated all of these wonderful moments at the times they occurred, but with all the craziness going on, I felt they were a little rushed, and I wanted to commemorate them with the right gift, which I was really struggling to find. Matthew has always supported me in everything I’ve done, and he’s worked so hard over the last few years to get his dream job, I wanted something that wasn’t just an every day sort of present, I wanted to get him something that was special. So when I was contacted by the wonderful team at Jord Watches, I instantly knew that this was an opportunity I wanted to share with him.

A watch makes an amazing gift for a special occasion, but these watches are in a world of their own. This stunning Hyde watch is just one of the wonderfully unique wooden watches that Jord have to offer – and no, you read that right, its actually wooden!

Matthew chose the Ebony & Iron finish, which is beautifully subtle but every time I see it I’m absolutely amazed at how intricate the design is. The darker colour makes styling the watch effortless, and it goes well with everything in his wardrobe. It was custom sized to his wrist measurement, and came in this incredible presentation box, which just added to the whole unboxing experience.

And while I did let Matthew choose the watch itself, I did surprise him by opting to have the back of the watch engraved with our anniversary date to add that extra personal touch to commemorate the last two years we’ve spent together.

This watch just made all my gift choosing worries disappear. Being able to have it engraved meant I could use it as a way of celebrating our special day, but also what’s wonderful about giving a watch is that in Matthew’s new job as a pilot, he’s actually required to wear a watch at all times, so I could also use this opportunity to gift him something that he’ll wear and use all the time, but that’s more than just practical, its stylish.

Jord make these incredible wooden watches in both men’s and women’s styles, plus they also do amazing wooden straps for Apple watches, so there’s really something for everyone, and with that in mind, how do you fancy winning $100 credit towards a watch of your own, or so that you too can give someone a truly timeless gift? Simply fill out the giveaway form here – plus you’ll get a 10% off code just for entering! Giveaway closes September 9th at 11:59pm.

Wooden Wrist Watch

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*This post contains gifted items. All views are my own.

What I’ve Made Lately

So back at the start of the year (can you believe that was almost 3 months ago now?!) I announced my plan to have a Creative-18. Well, the concept has been a little fluid since then, and while I may not have done something every day as I had planned, the last few months have been wonderful and I’ve never felt so confident with my creative abilities, while also throwing myself totally out of my comfort zone.

My Etsy has somewhat taken over my life in the last two months, and I’m certainly not complaining. January was my best month for sales ever, and I made over triple of what I set as my goal, but it wasn’t until February that things started to get interesting for me.

I was contacted by the wonderful Natasha from EarsEverAfter, who commissioned a custom order unlike anything I’ve ever made before, but what came out of it was something that I am so incredibly proud of, and has sparked further orders for similar items. That’s right, I’ve been making a bunch of little co-ord sets..

Upon finishing Natasha’s set, I instantly decided that I was going to need one to wear to Aulani next month, but rather than a Disney print I found this gorgeous lightweight cherry blossom fabric in my local fabric store and without wanting to blow my own horn too much, I just threw this together one evening! In fact, I wore the top to work with a pair of jeans yesterday I love it that much.

I’ve also had another Disney set commissioned, this time an adorable Winnie the Pooh print! I’m having so much fun being totally out of my comfort zone, and I have a load more custom work in the pipeline so stay tuned for those designs when I finish them!

Another out-of-the-comfort-zone creation was this adorable little girls dress which I made last weekend. I haven’t made kids stuff since my cousins were quite a bit smaller than they are now, so maybe 3-4 years ago, so it was quite strange working on a much smaller scale to what I’m used to, and also going back to using a pattern – for my own designs I make my own patterns or work off the cuff, so a proper pattern is a rare thing for me. HOW CUTE THOUGH? The fabric was chosen by the customer and I decided to do the sash in a single colour as a contrast and I just love it so much! I’ll be making this style of dress available to buy on my Etsy store this weekend if anyone’s interested!

Now right back into my comfort zone – skirts.

This is a custom order and how stunning is the fabric that they chose?!

I fell in love with this holographic silver fabric that I found in my local store and within an hour of getting home it was already a skirt – although I’ve yet to have an excuse to wear it! This is available for custom order on my Etsy too.

And finally, a little different from my usual skater style skirts, I’ve fallen for chiffon a little bit because its so lovely and flowy! This skirt is also available on my Etsy now in both mini and midi length.

It may be taking a lot of my time, and I’m probably annoying all my social media followers with constant photos but being creative makes me so damn happy and I can’t wait to see what else I’ve got in me and what else I can do.

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Oh Mickey, You’re So Fine

I swear every year I say I want to do more outfit posts, and then either I don’t have someone to take the photos, or I’m not feeling confident enough to do it, or whatever excuse I tell myself at the time, and then my good intentions go downhill a little and I get to the end of the year realising that I’ve done only maybe 2 and I end up wishing things had been different, then the cycle repeats..

Confidence has been a big thing for me lately. I seem to either have an abundance of it, or none at all, and it can go from one to the other in half a second with no real reason. This shoot, for example, took two attempts; Matthew and I had wandered over to Barton Square from the main part of the Trafford Centre, when I decided that this was going to be the perfect location to shoot the outfit I was wearing, but for some reason as soon as it came to standing in front of the pretty stone pillars and posing for the camera, I just couldn’t do it. I blamed the sun, saying that the lighting just wasn’t right, and there were quite a few people around and as I always do when this sort of thing happened, I talked myself out of it and walked away disappointed.

Matthew, on the other hand, is becoming quite used to me having these little wobbles, and suggested that we came back in the morning when it was nice and quiet, and bright, and although I hate admitting these things, he was right. Although it was VERY cold (I mean, it was 2C and I stripped down to a t-shirt for some photos), when we went back the next morning I was in the right mood, and felt totally comfortable posing in my entirely Mickey themed outfit despite early shoppers appearing behind me every now and then!

So pretty much this entire outfit is H&M, with the exception of my well-loved Converses, trusty coat (Pretty Little Thing but years ago) and the adorable Alex and Ani Mickey bangle from Walt Disney World. The beanie I actually picked up a few years ago now but I keep seeing it pop back up in stores and I’m pretty sure its around the £7.99 mark price-wise! The t-shirt was one I saw several people on Twitter and Instagram share, and I knew straight away I had to have it – I don’t think you can tell from the photos but the rainbow part is actually glittery too! – its a size S, but has quite a lot of room in it so if you prefer a tighter fit then you may want to size down from what you would normally go for. The jeans are a different story.. These are the jeans that I’ve been ranting about both on Twitter and in Saturday’s blog post – having ordered a size 12 originally (a size larger than I am), I went to exchange them in store and could actually only fit into a size 16 (well, I could just manage the 14 but only if I had no plans to eat or breathe whilst wearing them), so if you do fall in love with them like I did, I suggest going to try them on in a store, and just prepare yourself for not fitting into your usual size, and maybe not even the next size up. They are, however, my first pair of mom jeans, and I do love feeling a bit 90s in them!

Oh, and the hoodie is from the kids section, I’m wearing a 14+ years but its still got plenty of room in it!

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Let’s Talk About High Street Sizes

So yesterday I was super excited when I got notification to say my H&M parcel had been delivered. Well no, that’s not exactly true because the email came from Hermes and I knew that there was a strong possibility that my parcel would be closer to the moon than my letter box, but that’s not what this is about.

I had ordered three items from H&M: a ladies t-shirt, size ‘S’, a pair of mom jeans, size 12 – because I’m a 10-12 and I figured I’d size up because jeans can be notoriously tricky to get right – and a hoodie from the kids section, aged ’14+’ – because I loved it, I’m quite petite so there was a possibility it would fit me, and I figured worst case scenario I’d just return it. Quite a mixed bag, right? Well, I figured I had a pretty good chance with everything fitting.

The first thing I thought I should try on was the kids hoodie, and I was super pumped to find that it fit me perfectly, yay! From the photo on the website, it was supposed to be a loose-fit style for kids, and it was a little more fitted on me, but it definitely didn’t look like I’d squeezed myself into a kids shirt. Win. I had no worries about the t-shirt fitting, but if anything it was a little looser than I expected, and then there were the jeans..

Remember how I said that I sized up? From the moment I stepped into them, I just knew that they weren’t going to fit. Despite being ‘mom jeans’, they just barely made it over my thighs, and there was absolutely no chance of them doing up. So tell me, why can I fit into a kids size item, and then not an adult size from the same store?

But this isn’t just about me complaining about my H&M order, this is about what high street stores are doing to girls and women every day. The industry is typically infamous for producing unrealistic body expectations with the use of tiny models, photoshop and various other things that make the average woman feel like a slug, but even if you take away all of these things, you’re still left with something that can be potentially so harmful, and that is the massive discrepancy between the supposed same sizes, not just between different brands, but even within the same store.

Let me put it this way: I bought those jeans a size bigger than what I am, and the size bigger than what I am did not fit me. Some of the thoughts that instantly go through my head are ‘oh my gosh, is it me?’, ‘have I gained weight without noticing?’, ‘could I actually be 2 or even 3 sizes bigger than I think I am?’. After this flood of negative thoughts about my own body, I talk myself down and remember that H&M is particularly infamous for big sizing issues, but before I could get to that explanation, I spent a few minutes feeling like absolute crap.

One time, I bought two pairs of skinny jeans from New Look – both size 10. One pair was a good fit, although actually a little looser in some places. I still have those jeans to this day. The other pair wouldn’t even go up my calf. My arm barely fit into them. Same number on the label, same shop, two completely different actual sizes.

I mean, I get that it might be completely possible to have a totally unified system, for whatever stupid reason the stores always give when challenged on this, but its not the fact that I can vary from a size 8-14 depending on where I’m shopping – I can live with that – its what this does to my confidence. Even Asos now has a ‘size recommendation’ feature, which is designed to give you a better idea of what you should order based on your personal details and previous purchases, and when I first saw it, I thought ‘hey, what a great idea!’ Well, that was until one time I saw something that I liked, selected my size, and the little message popped up saying, and I paraphrase, ‘um, you’re probably not gonna fit into that, why don’t you get the next size up?’ – yes I exaggerated what was actually said, but it actually made me feel so bad about myself that I just stopped shopping and closed the window.

In case I haven’t made my point clear enough – this is damaging. Brands can use all the curvy, un-edited models in the world, but if the size of their products doesn’t reflect some sort of consistency, girls and women everywhere are still going to be subject to the effects that the fashion industry has on body image.

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How I Upped My Disney Style

You don’t even have to know me particularly well to know that when it comes to planning Disney trips, one of my top priorities is outfits, which I guess is a little bizarre considering I don’t really think of myself as a fashion blogger as such, but honestly nothing gives me more of a buzz than putting together the perfect park look, and the comments that I get when I’m wearing it.

As with anything in life, my Disney style is something that has progressed and developed with time, and I was totally honoured by the number of people who mentioned me in a recent #disneybloggerschat as someone who’s style they really admired/loved, because ultimately its something that I love, and its so nice that other people appreciate it too.

Let’s go back 2-3 years *reminiscent harp sounds*

The funny thing is, I still look back on some of these photos and think ‘wow, this is a LOOK’, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve come so much further since then, and here are a few of the ways I’ve upped my Disney style.

Finding inspiration

I plan all my looks around the day, whether its the park I’ll be in, the characters I want to meet, the walls I want photos in front etc – I even take it as far as thinking about the poses and photos I’ll want. This might sound silly to lots of people but its a big part of what makes me happy and its driven me to want to improve my looks so much more.

It doesn’t have to be all Mickey ears

Sure, I’m the girl who in the past has been known to take 6 pairs of ears on a 2-3 day trip, but more recently I’ve been enjoying mixing up my headwear with some cute baseball caps, hair clips and bows, and even just different hairstyles. My head feels a little bare without, but it opens up so many more options!

Think outside the box

This Sorcerer Mickey Disneybound from November is probably one of my favourite looks of all time. The whole look was born out of a skirt design that I’d had in my head for maybe 2 years, which when I finally got round to making I fell in love with. This high-low chiffon midi drapes just like Mickey’s red robe and its got a dramatic element to it too, but its also super comfy, kept me nice and cool in the Florida heat and its just something a little different from my normal style.

There’s more to park style than just Disneybounding

I often get caught up in the idea of Disneybounding, but not every outfit has to be a Disneybound. I generally go about 60:40 Disneybound to non-Disneybound, but it all depends on how I’m feeling and what my plans are. For me personally, I’m not much of a t-shirt person, so that’s why I tend to lean towards bounding, but I do like to balance things out.

Don’t be afraid to make your look (or get someone to do it for you!)

For my Disneyland trio back in May, I took inspiraton from my childhood Minnie Mouse dress, and made myself the perfect Minnie skirt!

A few years back, everything that I wore in Disney would have been something that I’d bought, but now probably 1 in 3 of my outfits features something that I made myself, whether its the ears, the skirt, or a t-shirt I designed, and the main reason I started making things for myself was because I had ideas in my head that I couldn’t buy in reality, so I turned into my own fairy godmother.

Just being yourself

I can be in tulle skirts one day and denim shorts the next, I’ll probably always be in Converses regardless. That’s just who I am as a person. I have an incredibly varied personal style, and I never wear anything in the parks that I don’t feel completely comfortable in, which means you’ll see me in all sorts!

Growing in confidence

As cheesy as it sounds, one of the biggest boosts in my style is the boost in my confidence. Even two or three years ago I would not have been the girl who could stand in front of hundreds of passers by and go through a range of poses while having my photo taken. My style and my confidence have grown side by side, and while to many people I’m sure planning Disney outfits and photoshoots seems ridiculous, its 100% helped me grow as a person.

I can’t wait to share more looks over more trips!

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My Aulani Wardrobe Wishlist

Aulani

 

So as of Monday, its officially less than 8o days until our trip to Aulani!!!! (I normally hate more than one exclamation mark but one just isn’t enough to show my excitement)

Even when we first booked the trip, we only had about 100 days, which is pretty short notice by my standards, so of course I was immediately struck with the thought that I’d need to start planning outfits asap. Well, I’ve been a little sidetracked with other life stuff going on, and the fact is, I really haven’t put that much thought into it yet, not helped by the fact that I have put myself on a pretty strict spending ban for the whole of January and February while I continue to worry about paying off Christmas, various birthdays and booking everything else involved in this trip.

Problem is, whenever I put myself on a spending ban, I instantly start to window shop, and find more things that I want when I can’t spend than I do when I can, which is typical me, and of course I’ve started to think about my Aulani wardrobe. Cue wishlist..

So despite already having a bunch of cute swimwear, I’ve got my eye on more! I’m having a little dip in body confidence post-Christmas, so I’ve mainly been looking at one pieces, but just because its not a bikini sure as hell doesn’t mean swimsuits can’t be cute! I love the waterfall cut of the blue halterneck from Glamorous and I can definitely see myself lazy around on the beach in that, and I love how fun this cut-out striped piece from River Island is – its definitely got some island vibes to it! And finally, I’m a sucker for pastel and candy stripe, and while I don’t have a chest quite like the model in this swimsuit (I mean, wow!), this Missguided design has my face looking like a heart-eyes emoji.

There’s something about going somewhere warm and beachy that always make me think maxi-dress. I really love this one from Dancing Leopard, and also love the style of this red starry-print mini dress too, I think they’ll both be perfect for wearing to dinner at the resort.

And of course, I’ve gotta have my accessories! How stinkin’ cute is this coconut cocktail bag from Skinnydip?! I feel like that was made for this trip. I also figure that seeing as its technically a Disney resort, I’ve gotta bring some ears with me, right? I was searching Etsy for some more floral crown style ears, and came across this pair from MadMadamMimCo which I think are so perfect for a island look, without being too in-your-face Disney – not that that’s ever a problem for me!

I’m also hoping that I’ll be able to throw a few things together myself for this trip, but as I’m still in the early stages of planning (just without much time to go!), there’s still lots of thinking to do!

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Sailor Belle

Ahoy there shipmates! I’m really missing being aboard the Disney Magic, and so I’m sharing my favourite outfit of the trip, my Belle Disneybound.

Yellow is my absolute favourite colour, so when I stumbled across this adorable sailor-style dress in the New Look sale a few months back, I just had to have it – it was only £7! It wasn’t until a few days later that I realised how perfect it would be for wearing on the cruise and doing a sailor-inspired Belle look. Sure, the dress did most of the hard work, but I needed something to bring the outfit together, so I got my thinking cap on..

.. And bought a hat! This is, in fact, just a costume sailor hat which I bought off eBay for about £3, but it seemed to be missing just a little something, so I decided to style it up using one of my Chip patches (available on my Etsy store here!) which ironed-on just nicely!

I love the hat so much that I decided to wear it to dinner too!

I timed this outfit just perfectly, as that evening was our first dinner at Lumiere’s, which was the Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant on the ship. For dinner I traded in my sailor dress for this strapless number from ASOS, which is one of my favourite purchases of this year because its super comfy and flattering, and also so versatile because it can be dressed up for an evening out, but I can also throw on a cardigan and some Converses for going to the shops.

Anyone else suffering from Disney blues at the moment?

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Return to the Sea

Hey guys, today I’m sharing another of my Disney Cruise outfits, and while this outfit was mermaid-inspired, its not Ariel who I’ve been Disneybounding as!

As part of my Disney Sequel Challenge, I finally got round to watching The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, which features Ariel’s daughter, Melody, and so I thought I’d take a break from the classic purple and green mermaid combo!

I was mainly excited about this as Melody’s look is mainly coral, which is one of my favourite colours, and it also gave me the opportunity to dig out my favourite Daisy Street seashell bag. As we were on the boat during the day, my daytime outfit was pretty casual, pairing a seashell print tank top from H&M and my scalloped shorts from ASOS. Oh, and I changed my Fitbit strap to match too!

For my evening/dinner outfit, I wore my urban mermaid crop from from Adorkable Apparel and I made this coral polka dot skater skirt to match.

I’ve made this style of skirt in a few different colours now and its probably my favourite skirt to make so I might at this to the Etsy repertoire as a simple Disneybound component, would you be interested in seeing this available in a full range of colours?

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I Just Want to See the Floating Lanterns Gleam

Hey guys, today I’m sharing another of my Disney Cruise day to night lookbooks, and this was inspired by the lost princess herself, Rapunzel.

My daytime outfit was a very holiday standard tank top and shorts combo, featuring this lantern design from Maple and Whisky, my comfy candy-stripe denim shorts from Forever 21 and my hand painted Tangled inspired Vans which I got from Disney Springs back in February, and I’m also wearing another of my Lillian and Co bangles.

This day was actually semi-formal night, and the night that Tangled The Musical was performed in the onboard theatre, and despite knowing this when I planned the outfit, this outfit tied in perfectly! This is my favourite little black dress, which is a few years old now from Missguided, and accessorised with this gorgeous scarf from Redbubble, and these adorable ballet-style flats from Asos.

I’m probably thinking about dinner or Flynn Rider in this one..

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You Know Who You Are

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know I love planning the outfits for my Disney trips, and I love sharing them with you, but you may have also noted that prior to my recent Disney Cruise, I didn’t share any of the outfits I had planned for this trip. Well, that’s because I wanted to wait until I could showcase them in all their glory on the beautiful ship that was the Disney Magic.

Cruising produced a whole new world of outfit planning for me, because rather than just one outfit per day, I had to have an outfit for during the day, and then another outfit to change into for dinner and our evening activities! I saw this as the perfect opportunity to do some creative Disney-styling, and each day I took inspiration from one character, and produced both a casual daytime look, and then an evening outfit inspired by said character.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing each day’s looks, and the outfits I’m sharing today are inspired by Disney’s newest addition to the princess family: the ocean princess herself, Moana.

My daytime outfit was pretty cruise casual, and rather than a traditional Disneybound I planned the outfit around a few products of my own design. Here I’m wearing the Ocean Princess tank from The Happiest Fitness Co which I’ve teamed with my favourite denim shorts, decorated with my Ocean Princess iron-on patch, which you can buy from my Etsy store!

I’m also wearing the beautiful ‘You Know Who You Are’ rose gold bangle from Lillian & Co – better pictured below!

My evening outfit was a proper Disneybound of lace on lace and I love it. I combined my red lace bardot body from New Look with a creamy lace a-line skirt from Hollister (a few years old now!) to create Moana’s outfit from the movie, with the lace adding the texture to represent the pattern of her top and skirt.

I’ve written before about how much Moana meant to me as a film, and why this beautiful movie is just so special in my eyes, and stood onboard of this beautiful boat having the time of my life, the line where the sky meets the sea was calling..

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MK and Chill

Considering that this outfit is quite different to what I normally tend to wear in the parks, I’m so excited to wear this look!

Rather than a traditional Disneybound, I’m opting for a comfy t-shirt and shorts look for my first day in the Magic Kingdom, sporting this INCREDIBLE t-shirt from Great Adventure Supply Co. I knew from the moment I saw this t-shirt on Instagram that I had to have it, and I was not disappointed when it arrived – in fact, I wear it all the time!

Keeping on the relaxed look, I’m pairing it with my pastel candy stripe shorts, which I’ve Disneyfied with my iron-on teacup patch (which you can buy here!), and rather than my usual Mickey ears, I’ll instead be sporting this adorable embroidered baseball cap from Just Peachy.

Hub grass, here I come!

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My Disney Small Biz T-Shirt Haul

When it comes to Disney, there are two things that I love that go hand in hand: planning outfits for Disney trips, and supporting Disney small businesses, and this month, I seem to have only bought shirts!

Despite being purely coincidental, it made for a perfect haul post, so here are the shirts, and small businesses, that I’ve bought from this month:

Maple and Whisky Clothing Co

Most people know Maple and Whisky for their amazing Disney inspired candles, but did you know they also have a sister-store that sells cute Disney inspired clothing? I’ve been eyeing up a few designs for a little while now, but when I saw that all of their tank tops were down to £6 each, I jumped on the offer and bought three! My favourite design of theirs is the Pirates of the Caribbean dog, but I also decided to nab the Tangled and Up! inspired designs too.

Thrift Co

I got chatting to the lovely Danielle from Thrift Co through Instagram and we organised a little t-shirt swap in which I received this adorable Halloween pocket tee and I can’t wait to wear it to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in November!

Cheery Human Studios

Another t-shirt that I can’t wear to wear on my trip to WDW in November is this amazing Magical Foodie t-shirt from Cheery Human Studios, which I’ve already featured in one of my pre-trip outfit posts! I needed something to wear to Food and Wine Festival, and this is perfect!

The Happiest Fitness Co

Ok, so I didn’t technically buy this because its my own design, but I love it so much that I figured I can still share it, right? This shirt is so comfortable and I’ve been practically living in it since I launched the design, plus of course I’ll be wearing it to meet Pooh in November!

What are your favourite t-shirt stores?

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Magical Foodie

Would you believe I’m already 11 weeks from my trip to Walt Disney World? This year has just flown by and this trip has really crept up on me!

So as per usual, I’m counting down to my trip by sharing some of the outfits that I’ll be wearing on my visit to the most magical place on earth, and I’m kicking off with the outfit that I’ll be wearing to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

It all started with these INCREDIBLE burger ears from ShinySkyRainbows on Etsy. I saw them on Instagram and I just had to have them, and Food and Wine was the perfect excuse. To keep to the foodie theme, I got this adorable Magical Foodie t-shirt which is from one of my favourite designers, Cheery Human Studios. They create the cutest Disney inspired art, which is sold both on Etsy and on apparel via Threadless, so I decided to get this v-neck tshirt, which I’ll be pairing with my Black Milk Pooh and Friends shorties, which are a trip staple for me.

I’m super excited as it will be my first ever trip to Epcot Food and Wine Festival so I can’t wait to eat ALL the food, I only hope I don’t spill anything down this outfit..

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4 Things I Never Thought I Could Wear

The official definition of fashion from the Oxford English dictionary is:

‘A popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behaviour’

but I personally feel that over the last 10 years or so, fashion has very much moved away from this definition. In fact, I truly believe that in the society we live in now, while we may not all agree on some things, personal style has become much more widely accepted, and you don’t have to be wearing what’s on the cover of magazines to be rocking your own look, and for people to respect you for that.

For many years, there were certain things that I didn’t think I could wear due to certain features of my body, but as people’s views on fashion and style have broadened to become more accepting, I’ve started to realise that the clothing I never thought I could wear without facing judgement, are actually items that I not only love wearing, but that do actually suit me.

Crop tops

While I’ve never really strayed from size 10-12, I always have been and will probably always been a little bit squishy around the edges, and because of this I used to think that crop tops would never be for me. Well about 3 years ago I decided to hell with that, and not only did this do absolute wonders for my confidence, it introduced me to one of my wardrobe staples. I discovered that wearing a crop top doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stomach is on show for the world, and even if it is, I’m much more comfortable with that being the case.

Midi skirts

I’m the tallest in my family at a not-so-staggering 5ft 4, and thus I felt that If I ever wore anything that wasn’t essentially a mini skirt, I ran the risk of looking ridiculous. Back in 2013 I got over my fear of the maxi dress, although I still don’t really wear them often, but last year and this year for me has been the time of the midi skirt. No, they don’t make me look shorter, and I actually feel pretty damn cute in them thanks. Ps. I normally wear them with crop tops..

Soft cup bras and bralettes

I always thought that with my boobs sitting pretty above a B cup that I would have to spend my life in wired contraptions in order to keep everything under control. Wow, have I ever been so wrong?! Not only have soft cup bras and bralettes become my favourite inventions ever, and my go-tos most days if I can help it, but I’ve also discovered that some days its ok not to wear a bra at all! This has been freeing in so many ways.

Anything off the shoulder

Bardot-style tops, strapless dresses, these always felt like items that were never ‘everyday’ convenient. In fact, only until a few weeks ago I never thought that I could wear a bardot top, until I took the plunge and bought a pretty lace style bodysuit on a whim and when I tried it on I fell in love! And when it comes to strapless, I’ve actually found myself gravitating to those dresses and playsuits in my wardrobe during the summer months. I can’t explain this one because its not like I’ve ever had any issues with my shoulders, I just think I figured I’d always look a little out of place in them..

I guess what I’ve learnt from this more than anything else is to ignore any stereotypes that the fashion industry may set, but also that fashion really is about you doing you and being happy with that.

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A Week In Work Outfits

After over 4 years of working in a uniform, when I started my current job back in November I was faced for the first time by the prospect of daily outfit decisions, which was pretty exciting for me.

Well 6 months down the line, I’ve definitely got into the swing of office apparel, and because we keep it fairly casual at work, I’ve really loved putting together outfits that are smart-casual and cute, and really reflect my personal style, so this week I thought I’d share my looks from every day this week!

Monday

This skirt is an all-time favourite of mine. Its a few years old now, originally from Missguided, but I just adore the little cloud print. I teamed it with this multi-layer Daisy Street bodysuit and my favourite light cardigan, along with some lace up heels.

Tuesday 

Your girl took the plunge and wore her Mickey shirt to work!! This blouse from H&M got me so excited but I was a little nervous to wear it in the office, but I’m so happy that I did because I love it! With the shirt being the main event, I just paired it with dark blue jeans and the comfiest plain black flats (psst! £4 from Primark!)

Wednesday


I really love these trousers – would you believe their from F&F at Tesco? They’re so comfy and the print isn’t too in your face, plus you NEVER have to iron them and they always look perfect! I’m also loving this blouse which I bought recently from the H&M sale, its really light which makes it perfect for the upcoming summer weather and the colour means it goes with everything.

Thursday



This outfit made me so happy! I love that my office dress code allows smart shorts – not that most people even realise that my Black Milk galaxy shorties are actually shorts! I also wear my ‘unicorns are real’ t-shirt to work more often than I care to admit, but when you’re also wearing a blazer it still counts as smart, right? The blazer is AX Paris!

Friday


 Can you tell I was posing in the rain on Friday? I got fed up of grey skies so figured my car would make a brighter backdrop! I’m not usually one for frilly or fancy sleeves, but I really love this blouse from Blue Vanilla, even if I do look a little bit like an Abba reject.. I also love any excuse to wear my chelsea boots to gain a bit of extra height!

So that’s a week in the life of my wardrobe! Depending on my mood I can go a lot more casual than I have done this week, and if I do work weekends then that’s always super casual!

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Toontown Lookbook

Ears by me (LottieBounds on Etsy), t-shirt from The Happiest Fitness Co, skirt from Poprageous

Its no secret how much I love planning my outfits for Disney trips. If I told you exactly how much time and thought goes into it, some of you would probably think it a little bit sad, but honestly it makes me so happy.

On my last Disney trip, I was particularly excited to put together amazing outfits because I knew that Sarah and I would take every outfit photo opportunity that came our way, and the most fun we had was definitely in Toontown. We sat and waited for half an hour for it to open so that we could be some of the first people in and get nice empty photos.

I just love Toontown; everything is so cute and it actually feels like you’ve stepped into a cartoon, especially with a clear California blue sky backdrop. It was my first time properly exploring every nook and cranny of TT, and I was pretty excited to discover a gym and a post office – two places I seem to spend the majority of my real life at – as well as hanging out on my new favourite mode of transportation, the Jolly Trolley.

I honestly loved this outfit so much. It was such a beautiful day out, and an all-white outfit actually made me look like I had a little bit of a tan (which I definitely didn’t). By some miracle, I also managed to not spill anything down myself all day – after I refused to eat until after the photos were taken!

The t-shirt is my favourite product from the Oh Boy collection from THFC; I’m not always one for a unisex fit, but I love the fit of this shirt and it meant I stayed pretty cool during the day. Plus it went so perfectly with my Mouse Splatter skirt, and I’ll admit that the ears that complete my look were originally made to sell on my Etsy, but I loved them so much I decided to keep them!

What’s your favourite place to take photos?

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My Top Tips for Disneybound Planning

While the concept of Disneybounding has been around for a while now, it seems to be growing in popularity more and more over recent years, and its something that I especially love to do on my Disney trips.

What is Disneybounding? Quite simply, its when you use everyday fashion items to create a look that reflects a particular Disney character, like so:

Disneybounds can vary from the very subtle to the very obvious, and I love spotting people bounding in the parks because styles can vary so much and its pretty cool to see how others interpret their looks! Its also amazing when other people, especially cast members and the characters themselves appreciate your Disneybounds – the characters get so excited and it always makes for a great interaction.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I go about planning my Disneybounds for each trip, so I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks that I use when I do my outfit planning!

Google your character

You might know your character’s style inside out, but do a quick Google image search. You might find that there are slight variations on your character’s outfit, or come across some great fan-art that inspires a look that you didn’t think about originally

Scroll Pinterest

I am constantly scanning Pinterest for new Disney outfit ideas. You don’t have to copy anything like for like, but there’s a world of inspiration out there!

Colour filter your searches

My first go-to site is always Asos, because it has such a vast array of clothing of brands. I hit each item (skirts, dresses, tops, shorts, trousers etc) then filter the search by the colour of the product – eg. for Rapunzel, I’d search pink and purple. Anything that catches my eye goes into my saved items list, where I can them compare them all in one place.

Look for the little details

Bounding as a princess who wears an off-the-shoulder dress? Try and find an off-the-shoulder top. Is there a particular pattern in the fabric? Try and find the best match. You don’t have to get every detail perfect but sometimes including little extras can make an outfit even better!

Accessorise!

Hair bows, Mickey ears, shoes, bags, the works! I love an excuse to find cute little extra pieces to bring a bound together!

Make it yourself

If you’ve got a vision in your head that you can’t seem to get right from what’s available, why not bring that vision to life with a creation of your own? And if you can’t..

Hit Etsy and shop small

Etsy is packed with small businesses that are just dying to help make your Disney outfit dreams a reality. You might find that missing piece for your look, or find a talented person who can bring your vision to life!

Have fun with it and make it your own!

The great thing about Disneybounding is you can totally put your own spin on a particular look. I’m talking steampunk princesses, gender-bends, vintage styled looks, whatever you want, you can do it!

Feeling inspired? Here are a few of my personal favourites:

I’m always happy to help with any Disneybound queries, so drop me a message if you’re in need of any advice!

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Rock The Dots

Would you believe that despite years of Disney outfits and Disneybounds, I’ve never once paid tribute to Minnie Mouse?

Well, I decided it was time to change that, and when I came across this spotty fabric in my local fabric store, I knew what had to be done, and within a few hours of working my magic, I had created this classic red and white spotted beauty, which I’ll be pairing with a simple black strappy top cos y’know, California weather, and my pom-pom ears.

If you love this skirt, please get in touch about custom orders via my Etsy store!

Oh, and the true inspiration for this look..

Yep, that’s me on the right, and I do still own the dress in question!

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Adventures with Pooh

So I’ve been struggling a little bit putting together outfits for my upcoming Disneyland trip (TWO WEEKS TODAY I LEAVE OMG), mainly due to the fact that I told myself I wouldn’t buy anything new to wear on this trip. I didn’t, however, say I couldn’t make myself anything..

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I’ve been sewing cute Disney pockets to sell on my Etsy store, and my most recent design is this cute honeycomb Pooh print, which made me think that its been ages since I wore my Black Milk shorties in the parks, and voila!

The pocket is available in an iron-on format, kinda like an embroidered patch, so you can attach it to any top you fancy, or pre-attached to a t-shirt or tank top, and due to the California sun I think it’ll be a tank top for me! I might even have to make myself a new pair of ears to match..

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Pastel Mickey Bar

Primark are constantly releasing new Disney t-shirts, but its very rare that I see a shirt on Instagram or Twitter and thing ‘OMG I NEED THAT’. Well, I had half of Twitter hunting for this t-shirt for me, because I just fell in love.

Firstly, its adorable. I mean, Mickey shaped ice-creams in pretty pastel shades are cute enough, but I knew it would go perfectly with my new pastel shorts, which you may have seen in my pastel mermaid haul last week, and with my local Primark rarely stocking anything I’m actually looking for, and just generally being a total minefield, I knew I’d stand no chance finding it, and turned to the wonderful Twitter community who took on the challenge, yay!

And what is ice-cream without toppings? I’ll be topping this look off with my favourite pastel design ears from Elephant and Mouse, and how cute is my party ring handbag?

Only 3 weeks to go!

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A Pre-Summer Pastel Mermaid Haul

While it may seem a little overplayed at times (I’m looking at you, Primark), I’m still a real sucker for the mermaid style trend.

I’m also a sucker for cute swimwear, and despite telling myself that this year I wasn’t going to buy anything new, I then discovered South Beach, and this beautiful pastel seashell dream of a bikini just fell into my online basket.. And so did these adorable colour block shorts.. What can I say, I’m weak.

The bikini is just the prettiest and really great quality for a really reasonable price, although I’d recommend sizing up if you tend to fall between sizes, or if you’re a little larger up top, just to be on the safe side! I’m generally a size 10, but my B/C cup boobs only really fit in once I took out the removable padding, as there was no chance they’d fit with padding in there! The shorts on the other hand are a perfect fit. The fabric is lightweight and ever so slightly stretchy which is ideal for pulling on and off down the beach or frolicking in the sun without feeling constricting, and I’m super excited to take them to Disneyland with me next month!

However, a not so accidental purchase was my GORGEOUS new yoga mat from PopFlexActive, which is the fitness brand from Blogilates founder Cassey Ho. I’ve been lusting after the Mermaid Couture mat for ages now, and I’d set it as a little reward for being good with my fitness, so with the summer approaching and to encourage myself to get back into yoga going into the warmer months. I love that the mat is eco-friendly and latex free, its feels absolutely top quality and of course its such a stunning and unique design and I’ve been wanting a cute mat to replace my boring grey one for almost a year now.

Is it summer now please?

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I Love Spinning

You may have noticed that I’m drawing on park attractions and areas as inspiration for my outfits for this trip, and today its a real Disney classic: teacups. I’m actually not the biggest Alice in Wonderland fan myself, but I adore the pastel shades and crazy patterns of the Fantasyland attraction, which inspired the I Love Spinning tank from The Happiest Fitness Co, matched up with the adorable teacup skirt that I bought from Wishes and Wands on Etsy ages ago but haven’t actually worn yet!

To complete the look, I made myself a pair of Alice in Wonderland ears, which are also available from my Etsy shop!

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To the Court of Miracles

Esmeralda Disneybound

Esmeralda Disneybound
Esmeralda Disneybound

So this was possibly the coldest outfit shoot of my life, it was about -3C out and I had to take my coat and hat off and get these photos taken as quickly as possible haha!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was one of my favourite Disney films as a child, and probably still is. I loved Esmeralda, and I remember having a doll and a full playset which I adored, and something that upsets me a little is how forgotten this film is, and especially how it isn’t featured in Disneyland Paris, despite Paris being the setting of the movie.

So I decided to honour one of my favourite characters in the form of a Disneybound. It was a spontaneous sewing project that turned into an outfit – a half-circle skirt, with the addition of a tie-round sash, and I had to hand sew the yellow trim which was a nightmare, but I’m so happy with the results, and despite spending the whole day with my coat done up firmly so no one else could appreciate my efforts, at least I’ve got it to wear again now!

Are you a Hunchback fan?

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Mama, There’s A Girl in the Castle

Chip Disneybound

Chip Disneybound

Chip Disneybound

Three weeks today I’ll be on my way to Walt Disney World, and as excited as I am about that, I’m more excited about this outfit. I think its safe to say that I’ve never been prouder of anything in my life. Yes, I MADE THIS SKIRT.

After running the Glass Slipper Challenge at the Princess Half Marathon weekend, all I really wanted to do was have dinner at Be Our Guest so that I could wear all my medals, and that became even more of a necessity since the medals were announced to be Beauty and the Beast themed. Everything fell into place, and I had the idea of this skirt in my head, so after a long length of time umming and ahhing over the details, I finally sat down a few weeks ago and ran it up in an afternoon, and it came out so perfectly!

Because I wanted the skirt to do the talking, I’ll be pairing it with a basic while top, and my little Chip bow from Mickey Waffle Bows on Etsy, and it’s going to be the most perfect outfit for dining with the Beast!

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Backyard with Mickey

Mickey's Backyard BBQ outfit

Mickey's Backyard BBQ outfit

Mickey's Backyard BBQ outfit

One of the things I’m most excited for on my WDW trip next month is going to Mickey’s Backyard BBQ! Buffet food and dancing with Disney characters – what is there not to be excited about?!

With a slight cowboy theme in the air, putting together an outfit was pretty easy, and a combination of some of my favourite things: flannel shirts and denim shorts. Keeping with Mickey’s black, yellow and red colour scheme, it had to be a classic red shirt, paired with the Oh Boy v-neck tee from The Happiest Fitness Coand I customised my classic Levi shorts with iron-on patches that I bought from Depop. Add some Converses and my favourite black sparkly ears from Tokyo Disneyland and I’m ready to line dance with the gang!

If you’ve ever been to Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, let me know what you thought of it, I’m so excited!

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Bunny Cop

ZPD t-shirt outfit

ZPD t-shirt outfit

ZPD t-shirt outfit

Who didn’t fall in love with Zootropolis last year?! If Judy Hopps hasn’t become a role model to thousands of adults, let alone kids, all over the world, then I’d be really surprised.

That being said, of course I had to put together a Zootropolis themed outfit, especially when I received the cutest Judy inspired ears from Le Ears. I’ve been toying with the idea of a few Zootropolis inspired designs for The Happiest Fitness Co for a while, so I designed the ZPD Training Academy t-shirt (which is available for pre-order now here!) and I’m pairing it with this navy lace skirt from Forever 21. Nancy from Le Ears also sent me this cute little Judy badge to match my ears!

You can get 15% off all orders from Le Ears with my discount code ‘LOTTIEREP’!

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Make It Pink, Make It Blue

Make it pink, make it blue

Make it pink, make it blue

Make it pink, make it blue

I think this might be one of my favourite outfits for my upcoming Disney trip! It is, of course, based on Sleeping Beauty, which was my favourite Disney film and favourite princess as a child. I also love a flannel shirt and an excuse to get new Mickey ears.

The shirt is from the awesome Cakeworthy, which I bought towards the end of last year. I’m so glad I got it when I did because I’d been looking at it for a while, and its actually sold out now so I definitely timed my purchase right! As soon as I decided that I wanted to turn it into an outfit for this trip, I knew exactly the top I wanted to pair it with – this Make It Blue tank from 2319 Threads, which I’d seen on Instagram and I had a discount code!

To top it off (quite literally!) I commissioned these GORGEOUS custom ears from ImagineEars. I’d been thinking about getting a pair of sequin ears for some time, and I’m so glad I did because I love these!

Oh, and if you were wondering, I’m Team Blue!

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Tea with Pooh

Another year of Disney trips has begun, yay!!

I feel like I’ve been looking forward to my trip next month forever, so now I can officially say that its this year is so exciting!

Hot Topic Pooh outfit

Hot Topic Pooh dress

I really wanted a pretty dress to wear on the day that we’ll be visiting the Grand Floridian for breakfast, and I found this beauty on Hot Topic. The pattern is so pretty and subtle, and its got a lace up back which is a nice little detail too! Instead of classic ears, I’ve paired the dress with my yellow bowler hat – technically they’re cat ears, but I think they’ll work as bear ears too!

I’m extra excited to explore the Grand Floridian; I’m not sure I’ve ever actually been inside it before and its such a dreamy place. I predict hundreds of photos will be taken, and I have no shame about that!

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Amigo Donald

Its another Disney outfit day, and today’s is a Disneybound with a slight difference!

My love of Donald Duck is well known among my friends, and I’ve done a Donald-bound before, but something I’ve never done, and always wanted to do, is meet Donald in his Mexican pavilion outfit at Epcot, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do this trip!

Mexican Donald Disneybound

The inspiration for this whole outfit actually came from the ears, which were made by the lovely Maggie from Elephant and Mouse, who I was lucky enough to meet back in January, and thus the outfit idea was born!

I found the skirt in the H&M sale months ago – its a little large, but it matches Donald’s poncho so well, so what’s a little alteration! I’ll be pairing it with a blue top and my favourite yellow and white Converses, and the amazing fluffy ears to complete the look!

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Team Minnie

Every outfit post means I’m another week closer to my next Disney trip, and that makes me so excited!

Team Minnie Disney Outfit

I love a character breakfast, so I’m really looking forward to trying one I’ve never done before: Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. Its hosted by Minnie Mouse and her friends, and who doesn’t love Minnie?

This outfit is two-fold. Firstly, the blue skirt matches the theme of the restaurant, and secondly, it reminds me of a cheerleaders skirt, so makes the Team Minnie t-shirt from Primark even cuter! I’m not sure if I’ll be wearing these ears with this outfit or not yet, but as they feature Minnie they’re kinda perfect for it!

Beach Club is my favourite resort, and hanging out on the Boardwalk after breakfast will be a dream!

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Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Tulle

I leave for Walt Disney World in 10 weeks. 10 WEEKS!!

Its become part of my trip countdown tradition to share the outfits I have planned, but this year I decided to try something a little different in the set up of these posts because a) it saves me having to go outside and take countless outfit photos and b) I’m hoping to get lots of photos of these outfits on the trip, and they’ll look much better in situ in the parks than they would in my back garden.

So instead, I’m gonna rock the flatlays!

Bibbidi-Bobbidi Tulle Disney Outfit

Day one of our trip is going to be super magical. We’ll be twirling down Main Street first thing on our way to breakfast reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table, so I’ll be leaving the glass slippers at home and opting for Converses instead, but I still want to be a princess nonetheless. Sarah’s planning a Rapunzel-bound which also involves a tulle skirt, so it was a perfect excuse for me to dig out mine again!

The t-shirt is from Redbubble (as you’re probably aware most of mine are!), and I made the ears to match – any excuse for new ears! I also always look forward to being able to wear my Alex and Ani bracelets again when I go on Disney trips – I think they’re so beautiful but I don’t like wearing them when I’m not in the parks.

I can just imagine the day being full of princess meeting, twirling and happiness, and I’m so excited!!

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Oh Boy!

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that for the last few months I’ve been frantically retweeting about The Happiest Fitness Co‘s new collection, which released on the website this morning!

The Disney savvy of you will know that today, November 18th is the official birthday of Mickey Mouse, after his first official appearance in Steamboat Willie on this day back in 1928, so I was looking at production timeframes and realised that it would be possible to have the collection ready for sale today, it had to be done! Fun fact: its also my dad’s birthday today!

So here it is, the full collection!

The Happiest Fitness Co Oh Boy! collection

The Oh Boy! Logo Tee

The Happiest Fitness Co Oh Boy! collection

The Oh Boy! Tank Top

The Happiest Fitness Co Oh Boy! collection

The Oh Boy! Unisex Tee

The Happiest Fitness Co Oh Boy! collection

The Oh Boy! Women’s V-Neck Tee

The Happiest Fitness Co Oh Boy! collection

The Oh Boy! Snapback

The Happiest Fitness Co Oh Boy! collection

The Oh Boy! Beanie

This collection is super exciting for me as its one of many firsts: the first male/unisex t-shirts, HATS.. Its simple, versatile and I’m dying to get a chance to shoot a proper lookbook for it!

All of the shirts are 100% cotton, making them suitable for workouts or lazy days alike, and perfect for park days!

I’m really just so happy with this whole collection, and I hope you all like it as much as I do! Stock is limited, so don’t miss out!

PS. I’d love you all if you went and followed THFC on Twitter and Instagram!

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It’s a Small World OOTD

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like It’s a Small World, and those who don’t. I am most definitely heading up the pro-Small World team!

Its a Small World outfit

Its a Small World outfit

Its a Small World outfit

Its a Small World outfit

You might have seen me talk about my Small World dress before, but I was putting off an outfit post because there was really only one place for me to shoot this, and that was on my trip to Disneyland Paris back in September. I was really lucky to meet up with the lovely Gaetane, who had offered to shoot this outfit for me, and we headed over to the attraction to take these photos. I definitely think that Disneyland Paris has the prettiest Its a Small World out of them all. Its just so pretty and colourful; its 100% me.

While the dress is the main component, the actual inspiration for this outfit were my ears, made by the lovely Nancy from Le Ears – they’re so perfect they deserved a whole look to really show them off!

Le Ears has loads of adorable designs available, and you can use discount code LOTTIEREP to save 15% off your order!

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Seawitch OOTD

I’ve been waiting to post this outfit for AGESSS, and I finally decided that Halloween was the perfect time to share this villainous look.

Seawitch Ursula Disneybound

Seawitch Ursula Disneybound

Seawitch Ursula Disneybound

Seawitch Ursula Disneybound

Seawitch Ursula Disneybound

I’ve never really been one for Disney villains, but about 18 months ago the idea of this Ursula-inspired skirt came to me and I took to my sewing machine. About two days later, I had one finished skirt (or semi-finished, as I’ve never actually hemmed it!) and I’m so proud of it! If I was going to DLP for Halloween (which I’m pretty gutted I’m not to be honest), I’d definitely be packing this!

As I think the skirt is the centrepiece of this outfit, I just paired it with a simple black crop top and chunky black Chelsea boots, and the lipstick is Winky Lux Stella Marina. This is also the first time I’ve been able to use my remote shutter control, meaning I’m finally in focus for a change, yay!

Who is your favourite Disney villain?

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Disney Dad OOTD

So I put some feelers out on Twitter while on the way to my trip to Disneyland Paris at the end of September, and got a pretty overwhelming number of people voting that they wanted to see this post!

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll have read about my dad in all my RunDisney training posts, and my January Disney trip diaries; he’s the ultimate Disney dad, with a wardrobe to match, and here’s a typical Disney trip outfit for him:

Disney dad outfit

Disney dad outfit

Disney dad outfit

Disney dad outfit

Big monorail fan that he is, this is one of Dad’s favourite trip t-shirts, which he got from Walt Disney World in 2014 – I mean, who doesn’t love those monorail announcements? The alien backpack is a recent purchase from our trip to Hong Kong Disneyland in July, and goes to work with him every day (you’re seeing where I get my Disney genes from now, aren’t you?) and he’s wearing his limited edition RunDisney New Balance trainers, inspired by Mickey’s red carpet outfit, and featuring the main mouse himself!

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OOTD: Looking Rad

Sometimes it takes a sale to push you to buy something you’ve been eyeing up for months!

Rad.Co

Rad.Co

Rad.Co

Rad.Co

Rad.Co

In this case, it was this sweatshirt of dreams, the Marshmallow from Rad. I’ve been thinking about it for maybe close to a year now, but when having another browse through the website at the end of last month and noticing the glorious little ‘sale’ sticker in the corner of the image, I finally hit add to basket without a second thought!

I also grabbed the mouse espadrilles from the sale, topping off this adorable little ensemble, with my new jeans from New Look. I’m normally a dark denim kinda gal but I’m enjoying a change with these stone-washed skinnys and while I do have an issue with the sizing of New Look jeans, these ones fit me pretty well.

As the weather has thrown us well into Autumn now, I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this sweater!

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Recent Disney Purchases

So I thought I’d do a little haul post today to share some of the Disney goodies I’ve picked up over the past few months, yay!

Poprageous and Forever 21 Disney

First up, the Disney clothes! I’ve been eyeing up the Forever 21 Pixar collection for a little while, and having never purchased anything from them before I decided to take a chance on this cute Toy Story crop top. There are matching shorts available that I might have to get as well! The skirt is from Poprageous and I absolutely fell in love with the splattered Mickey print – its a perfectly subtle!

Cakeworthy flannel

Adorkable Apparel pixie crop top

Next up, my lovely friend Lizi put a request out on Twitter for people who would be interested in doing a joint order from Cakeworthy, and as I’d been looking at buying one of their flannel shirts, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to save on shipping and customs! I ummed and ahhed over which design, but something kept telling me that I needed this nod to Sleeping Beauty – my favourite princess as a kid – and its even nicer in person than it looked on the website!

As we’d set up a little group message for everyone doing the order, another of my Disney friends Sammy had asked if anyone wanted in on her Adorkable Apparel order, so I got the Rose Pixie crop top, although I’m a little gutted I didn’t go for the Frost fairy one as its sold out now! BUT they are releasing more pixie designs soon and I’m really excited for Fawn’s!

Redbubble a-line dress

Even though this isn’t a great photo, I am so excited about this dress! Its a new product available from Redbubble, and the Its A Small World design goes so perfectly with a pair of ears I bought earlier in the year! I’m going to be wearing it in Disneyland Paris when I’m there this weekend and doing a little photoshoot in front of the ride which hopefully is going to look great!

Disney tsum tsum and patches

Finally, a few little bits and pieces! I picked up the Tsum Tsum water bottle and Donald, which is a phone holder, from a toy shop in Kuala Lumpur airport on my layover to New Zealand; the bottle has a combination of some of my absolute faves, including Tangled, Big Hero 6 and Toy Story! The Mickey and Minnie tsums came from a seller on Depop – I’m actually not 100% sure if they’re authentic, but they are so damn cute I don’t really care!

Last but not least, I fell for the recent craze of patches and bought all these from Depop. I’m not really into denim jackets, so I think I might customise some of my shorts in preparation for next year’s Disney trips!

Have you bought anything good recently?

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Five Ways to Add a Subtle Disney Touch to Your Outfit

Something I’ve really loved about the Disney blogging community is everyone’s responses to the 20 Facts About My Disney Life Tag, and something that loads of people have been saying is that they always try to make sure they have a touch of Disney in their outfit every day.

Add Disney to Your Outfit

Now I know that while I do it very often, going out in a full Disney themed outfit isn’t always entirely appropriate, but there are a few little ways that you can add a touch of magic to your outfit without looking like Mickey Mouse threw up on you!

Jewellery

Disney jewellery is everywhere, from Alex and Ani bracelets from the parks and Disney Couture UK, to bunch of super talented crafters on Etsy, like Alice Vitrum.

Hair accessories

About 70% of my hair accessories are Disney inspired, my favourite items being my collection of Mickey Waffle hair bows!

Phone cases

While some Disney phone cases can be hella pricey, eBay has a huge selection of adorable ones for next to nothing, hence my ever growing collection..

Socks

There are loads of places on the high street that have cute Disney socks – Primark even has cute Disney tights from time to time!

Scarves

I am 100% in love with my Tangled lantern scarf from Redbubble – I even wore it as a shawl to a wedding earlier this year and got so many compliments! Redbubble scarves are totally beautiful and amazing quality, but can be a little pricey, but Primark also has a nice little collection, or Hot Topic – if you can afford the UK shipping!

How do you add Disney to your style?

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Disney Style: Paint the Night

Paint the Night

Pinwheel BAE shirt from Redbubble, Paint the Night button from MyParkFlair, Pom Pom ears from Disney Darling, Flo’s V8 pencil skirt from Redbubble

So obviously I am crazy excited that my 2017 plans are bringing me back to my true love, Disneyland, and we all know how much I love planning outfits!

Besides the parade itself, I took my inspiration for this outfit from two things: the Flo’s V8 skirt, which is actually a design from my Redbubble portfolio that I’ve sorta fallen in love with, and one of my favourite Disneyland Instagrammers and CM Francis Dominic (@frncissdominc on Twitter and Instagram) who is the BAE of the Pinwheel Baes! I just think Spellerific nailed it with the shirt design!

And when it comes to accessorizing Disney outfit, buttons and Mickey ears are absolutely foolproof. Let’s just talk about this beauty of a button from MyParkFlair; I mean, it actually sparkles and I bet it would look so magical with all the parade lights flashing around you. Pom pom ears are also always perfection in my eyes, and the back of this pair is black and sparkly like the night sky, ahh!

Who votes I make this outfit happen for real when I visit next year?

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What I’m Wearing – The Main Mouse

So I had a little rethink on my last Shanghai outfit.. I couldn’t decide on a final princess to Disneybound as, so I thought, given that its a brand new park full of fresh Disney magic, I should really do a little something to honour the boss mouse himself!

Mickey Mouse Dress

Mickey Mouse Dress# Tokyo Disney ears

Mickey Mouse Dress

Once again, self timer and auto-focus aren’t always my friends..

This outfit is entirely from my trip to Tokyo Disneyland. I couldn’t resist buying the dress, and although its a tad short for climbing on and off rides, that’s what shorts are for, right? Plus I think it was under £20! The ears are also from Tokyo, and have fast become one of my favourite pairs of ears because they go with everything and they’re sparkly without being too out-there!

By this time next week we should have just about arrived in Hong Kong (I think!) before we get the train to Beijing, but don’t worry, I’ll be sharing our full itinerary with you guys on Sunday! I am literally so excited for this trip, you wouldn’t believe it!

Are you excited to read about my Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland adventures?

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What I’m Wearing – Dumbo

Switching it up from the Shanghai and sharing one of my Hong Kong outfits today, woo!

Dumbo outfit

Dumbo outfit

Dumbo outfit

Dumbo outfit

Dumbo outfit

This outfit takes inspiration from Hong Kong’s daytime parade, Flights of Fantasy, which features my favourite little elephant, and its the perfect opportunity for me to showcase my beautiful Dumbo skirt!

While I did make this skirt (fabric from Etsy!), I feel like I can’t take all the credit because after I screwed up the waistband, the lovely Bel from Closet Geek was kind enough to sort it out for me, and she also sent me these adorable ears to tie the outfit together!

Don’t you just love Dumbo?

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Working Wardrobe Dreams – The Blazer

Blazers

 

I used to think that blazers were the epitome of boring when it comes to fashion, probably due to being forced to wear ugly ones throughout school. Now though, the blazer is a total power symbol in the professional world, and I’ll admit they’re growing on me!

Colour always helps attract me to an item that usually classed as ‘dull’, so the pink and yellow options were obvious choices – I actually have a yellow blazer – and I think the print and cut of the Asos Africa jacket is the perfect smart-casual option for summer.

I’m also a huge fan of simplicity, and the classic style of the grey blazer from Miss Selfridge makes it really versatile, and the black lapels on white blazer from Missguided is a subtle twist on an old favourite.

Are you a fan of the blazer?

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Beach Days Wishlist

Beach Day Ready Wishlist

 

I dunno about anyone else, but I am so ready for summer to properly start!

I mean, I know that strictly speaking we are officially in summer now, but no one seems to have CC’ed the weather in on that information and I just want the sun to come out to play, especially with one of the UK’s best beaches just a short walk from my house!

If you read my Summer Bucket List, you’ll have seen the first point was getting my girls down to Bournemouth for a good old fashioned day at the beach, fish and chips and ice-cream not optional, and my desperation for this to happen has inspired a classic Wednesday wishlist of fun beachy bits and bobs!

First up is a bit of a cheat because I’ve bought it second hand from a friend of mine, but seriously how cute is this Hello Kitty Instax?! I’ve been going back and forth a bit with the idea of getting a little one, and I couldn’t resist this for beach days as well as my trip to China next month! And along the tech lines, I think this beach radio from Sunnylife is amazing, and I love that you can connect your phone or mp3 player and use it as speakers.

Next up: beach activities! A donut frisbee? Yes please! I mean, I’ve got no hand/eye coordination for throwing and catching, but I think a donut would motivate me to try at least! Once you’re exhausted from all the throwing and running around, food is next on the agenda, kept cool in this multicoloured beauty of a cool bag from Bando.

Now I already have too many swimsuits, but that doesn’t stop me from checking the Asos sale every now and then anyway.. I’m a sucker for an usual design, and this v-shaped ombre beauty is gorgeous! I’m also absolutely obsessed with Spectrum brushes right now, and I’ve got my eye on two different sets: the 10 piece essentials and Siren Smoke eye brushes; I mean, they’re basically meant for mermaids right?!

What are your beach trip essentials?

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What I’m Wearing – Rapunzel Disneybound

In just three weeks time we’ll have actually arrived in China, eek!

Rapunzel Disneybound

Rapunzel Disneybound

Rapunzel Disneybound

Rapunzel Disneybound

I don’t keep it much of a secret how much I love Tangled. Rapunzel is the epitome of positivity and free-thinking and, as silly as it sounds, she just inspires me.

I really like this outfit; I think its fairly clear what princess I’m representing, while also being super subtle and most importable, crazy comfortable! The top is from Boohoo, and made of a sort of thick crepe material which means its really light and cool, and although its a crop top, the shape of it is really flattering. I obviously chose it for the criss-cross front as a nod to Punzie’s dress! The shorts are from Asos, and again I really like them. I’m not really sure how to describe the cut; they’re sort of pleated in the front which makes them just the right kind of baggy for the heat of summer – can you tell I’m not a fashion expert? Ha!

Finally the outfit is completed with the most beautiful pair of custom ears that my friend Amy made for me – she’s got a shop here! I’ve been looking at wire ears for a little while now, and saw this as a perfect opportunity, and she nailed them! They’re so pretty, so comfortable and so right for this Disneybound, I couldn’t be happier!

Pascal agrees too!

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What I’m Wearing – Belle Disneybound

The start of weekly Disney outfit posts can only mean one thing.. I’m counting down to a Disney trip! YAAYYYY!

Yes, that’s right, I’m now properly in the run up to my Shanghai/Hong Kong trip, and with 5 total park days during my 2 week trip, I’ve got five outfits to share!

Belle Disneybound

Belle Disneybound

Belle Disneybound

Belle Disneybound

(sorry for out of focus shots, I work with a self timer..)

Its no secret how much I love outfit planning, but I really struggled with ideas for Shanghai, so I took inspiration from the part of the park I’m most excited about: the castle. You see, the newly built castle consists of elements of all of the Disney castles combined, so it only seemed right that I represented a few of my favourite princesses, starting today with Belle!

I had my eye on a pretty yellow dress on Asos, but its forever out of stock in my size, so when I stumbled across this gorgeous playsuit on Romwe, I decided to take a chance on the ‘one size fits all’! I really love it; its super comfy and represents Belle’s ballgown so well! The Belle inspired bow is from Mickey Waffle Bows on Etsy.

Adventure in the great wide somewhere, anyone?

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The £20 Ebay Challenge

I love it when a blog post gives me an excuse to shop!

This post stems from my curiosity for Ebay ‘dupes’; are they just as good as the real deal, despite being a fraction of the price? Well I wanted to find out. I set myself a £20 spending limit, to include p&p on all items, and went searching from cute products that I’d never be able to find for that price on the high street, and this is what I got:

Triangl bikini dupe

First up, inspired by my Summer Vibes wishlist, I bought two Triangl bikini dupes. I knew I wanted the pink, orange and yellow design, and I picked another multi-coloured three toned one, but the seller contacted me quickly to tell me that they were out of stock and offered me an alternative, and I thought the turquoise was quite nice. The mix up with colours did mean the order arrived a little later than originally predicted, but only by 3 days so I was still quite happy with that. As for the products, they look great! I went safe and ordered a large, which is a tad roomy but not significantly enough that I think I’d risk falling out, and the colours are just as bright as pictured. I’ve yet to wear them into any form of water, but they feel like they’ll hold up pretty well. For 2 bikinis, I paid £10.09 including postage

SONY DSC

Next up, a pastel yellow suspender skirt that caught my eye on Pinterest! Its available in a few different colours, but I couldn’t resist yellow, and actually arrived way before the predicted delivery date. I had imagined it to be a heavy, stretchy fabric, but it was in fact very lightweight, with a zip fastening at the back, and the suspender straps are attached by large plastic buttons inside the waistband, so you can remove them. I checked the size guide on the listing and ordered a large, but considering I’m a size 10, it was pretty snug! I actually really like it, but it is very short so I don’t know if I would wear it without leggings. I paid £4.49 including postage.

Cat bowler hat

Lastly, I bought two hats. I’ve been looking for a cat ear bowler for a while now, and figured this challenge was the perfect time to get one on the cheap, and as well as a classic felt one, I also got a summery straw version in yellow! I love them both; the black felt is snug but stays in place nicely, and the yellow is a little larger, making it perfect for summer and I can’t wait to wear them both! Two hats cost £4.25.

I’ve not included any links to the specific items that I bought, purely due to the fact that listings end all the times and lots of the items are available from loads of different shops.

Overall I paid £18.83 for 5 items, all of which arrived within one month of purchase! Not bad, huh?

Wanna take the challenge? Let me know how you get on!

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Working Wardrobe Dreams – The Bag

Working Wardrobe Dreams - Handbag

 

Self-confessed bag addict right here! To me, a bag is the epitome of practicality and style rolled into one, and a bag that can fit all my day to day rubbish as well as my ipad and laptop if I need them is truly perfection in my eyes! The right bag can make not only your outfit cuter, it can also make your day so much easier.

If you’ve kept up with this series so far, you’ve probably got a pretty good sense of my style by now; I like simple but bold designs, and I think all of these bags are so perfect! I’ll admit I’ve broken my high street trend a little bit by including the stripy beauty from Kate Spade, but could you resist it?

I’m a big fan of River Island bags, and this colour block tote is no exception, and the laser cut panels of the New Look cross-body bag are perfect for spring/summer looks!

What do you think makes the perfect bag?

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Friday Favourite Five – Summer Dresses and Playsuits

The sun is starting to creep out, and I’m starting to spend more time with my legs out and less time in long sleeves, yay!

While I now that the Great British summer is far from reliable, I can help but pray that its time to start breaking out some of my favourite summer outfits, and just in case it all goes downhill from here, I thought I’d share some of them today!

Blue Vanilla dress

I love everything about this dress! It was from Blue Vanilla (last year) and I fell in love with the print the moment I saw it, and I love the fabric too – its super light and floaty!

Nasty Gal dress

This dress just screams summer to me. It was from Nasty Gal a good few years ago now, but I still love it and its perfect for everything from beach and bbq to cocktails with the girls.

Pompom playsuit

I stumbled across this adorable playsuit from LJCDesignss on Etsy and it was everything I hoped it would be or more! Its a super lightweight cotton, and the pom poms and tassels make it so fun.

Missguided playsuit

A Missguided sale snag, this strapless playsuit reminds me of neopolitan icecream for some reason, ha! As well as being cute from the front, has an open back that ties up at the top, and it has pockets, yay!

Asos dress

I’m not normally one for an a-line, but I really like this Grecian style and the colour, and its really easy and comfortable to wear!

What are your summer wardrobe staples?

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Mini Primark Haul

Call me crazy, but I’m not a huge fan of high street shopping. I like to shop from the comfort of my sofa in my pyjamas and avoid the public as much as possible. I think that’s reasonable, right?

There are a few exceptions to this rule: H&M, because I can always find so many more amazing things in store than I can online, and Primark, because they aren’t online, but because I never seem to find the time for regular trips, I tend to do big shops whenever I do make it into town. I’m also always seeing amazing Primark finds posted on Twitter and Instagram so I normally have a little shopping list ready, which is what today’s haul is primarily composed of!

Primark homeware bedding

First up, a little bedding haul! I have a slight addiction to bedding, which can be really pricey at times so I always love when Primark have cute stuff in because its always so much cheaper than elsewhere! The donut duvet set was £11 for a double, then I got the prettiest pastel throw for £5 (its SO SOFT), a double fitted sheet for £6.50 and pillowcases for £2.30; a total steal if you ask me, especially when even IKEA bedding can be £30 for a duvet set at times!

Primark Mickey Mouse shorts

Primark sports bra

Next up, my two £4 bargains! The Mickey Mouse shorts are a little thin in terms of fabric quality, but for wearing round the house in the summer they’ll be perfect, and for the price I really didn’t mind. I’m also totally loving the criss-cross back of this sports bra and the pretty blue band. I don’t imagine its supportive enough for running, but the quality feels good and it’ll be perfect for the gym or beach yoga.

Primark unicorn pyjamas

Lastly, a little bit of unicorn love with this cutesy PJ set – just look at the little sprinkle shorts! – and a three pack of unicorn socks, because if you go to Primark without buying socks, did you really go?

Have you found anything good in Primark recently?

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Summer Vibes Wishlist

I can’t be the only person who, when completely broke and on a total spending ban, spends all my time putting together wishlists, right?

In fact, I’m fairly certain that its this habit of strict budgeting when living for the next payday that leads me to blow my money on everything I’ve been looking at in the past month, and the cycle goes on.. SO ITS SUMMER WISHLIST TIME!

Summer Vibes

So for starters, I’m a bit of a nail varnish snob. For me, its got to be Barry M because a) I think they’re great, and b) it means all my nail varnishes match nicely. The Gelly range is so nice and high shine, perfect for summer, and wouldn’t this shade go so perfectly with this ADORABLE Skinnydip tote bag?! I love Skinnydip, its all just way too cute and this bag is no exception.

This next one’s a little bit of a cheat.. Triangl bikinis are beautiful and as much as I’d love one, they run pretty pricey.. I did, however, read a great post by Georgia from Rent or Chanel about a dupe she bought off eBay, and it looks so good that its giving me the confidence to risk buying one; plus the copies are less than £10 so I kinda feel like I wouldn’t be wasting much!

Next up is this cutie-pie unicorn phone case from Missguided – I’m a real sucker for a silicone phone case, and also for pom poms, hence the addition of this straw fedora, also Missguided. Last up, pastel, ombre and Converses are three of my favourite words. I wear hi tops all through summer, no matter what the weather is doing, so these would be perfect for the beach!

Are you feeling those summer vibes approaching?

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