Colourful, Cooler Summer Weather Dressing (and the 100th #iwillwearwhatilike)

How crazy is this: This is my 100th #iwillwearwhatilike post - it's been going for nearly two years now...!

It's quite apt that today is the link up's centenary as over the weekend The Times published an article called "What not to do, wear and say over 40: Take the age limit test".

Yes, it was THE TIMES. Not the Daily Fail or The Sun, but The Times. One of the broadsheets, and one that's (generally) considerably classier than the aforementioned rags. I was very proud to have appeared in their Sunday Times Style magazine a couple of years ago. Anyway I won't go into that now, I can see it becoming the subject of this week's Saturday Share post (sign up to my posts by email so you don't miss it)!

So, 100 link ups celebrating women wearing whatever they damn well like, and for the 100th I'm simply featuring what I wore at the weekend. And it's one of those outfits that you don't think too much about at the time - sure, I thought it was nice enough - but when I saw the photos I liked it a LOT more. It had some really stylish elements and the colours all worked beautifully together.

Isn't it weird how the mirror does that to you? Just like it doesn't tell you when an outfit isn't working, it also doesn't tell you when an outfit really IS working. That's the beauty of fashion blogging - as I said only last week: Trust the camera, not the mirror...!

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JUST LIKE IT DOESN'T TELL YOU WHEN AN OUTFIT ISN'T WORKING, [THE MIRROR] ALSO DOESN'T TELL YOU WHEN AN OUTFIT REALLY IS WORKING. 

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As for colours, the outfit can be broken down into reds, purples, pinks and white. (With a big dollop of orange on my head, but we can blame that on my hairdresser - my hair was freshly coloured this weekend and I love it when it's this vibrant.)

Why Saying Goodbye to a Family Home Can Be Heartbreaking #SaturdayShareLinkUp

This week was a bit of an emotional one in our family - yesterday my parents moved out of the house they'd lived in for 24 years. I don't think any of us quite realised how much we'd miss their home until it all got very real a couple of weeks ago and we started doing all the "this is the last time we..." in the house.

It's weird for me because it's not the house I grew up in. They moved to this house in Devon when I was 21 and had already left home to go to college. This was the one they moved to soon after they both retired, and yet somehow I was starting to feel very, very sad about this no longer being the house we go to to see my parents.

As you can see it was a big, red brick Victorian house in about half an acre of land with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Probably about half of my outfit photo shoots have been taken right outside their front gate, the last ones being this one looking right up the lane from their driveway, and this one looking left. Check out the cows (their next door neighbours) in the latter. Their mooing is going to be missed.

How to Choose Glasses That Suit You | Specsavers Summer Style

Something I've become more interested in in recent years is my eyewear - I do love a pair of glasses. I will admit that when I was told several years ago I needed glasses for reading and close work I was more than a little excited: That meant choosing frames, hurrah!

Since I had my first pair I've gone through many different styles and looking back, I perhaps didn't choose glasses that suited me all that well (in the same way you get to know your own style in clothes, I've got to know what suits me frames-wise).

Of course fashions come and go in glasses as much as they do in clothes, but there is such an amazingly wide range of styles to choose from these days. Therefore I was really excited to be asked by Specsavers to choose three summer styles from their current range: I've been going there for a few years to get my eyes tested and to be honest I now wouldn't go anywhere else.

The Specsavers eye test and service

Aside from the huge range of glasses available, this is probably the best thing about Specsavers: Their service is second to none. I've honestly never had anything but super helpful and friendly assistance and I've been to both my local store in Exeter and the Tottenham Court Road store in London.

The Tottenham Court Road store visit happened because I was invited to go the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards event at the end of last year, and part of that trip was to not only cover the event on social media but choose and style two pairs of glasses. As my eye test was due I had it done all in one fell swoop while I was up in London for the event.

Believe me when I say Specsavers are THOROUGH. Compared to other opticians I've been to in the past, the whole experience is swift, easy, well organised and actually quite fun. There's always a nice atmosphere in there. As I had my eyes tested quite recently I didn't need to have them tested again so for the purpose of this post it was simply a case of choosing glasses and getting them glazed and fitted [to my somewhat small head].

Although I'm skipping ahead here (pretend I've chosen the frames already), the chap that served me was incredibly friendly, gave me all the options but wasn't at all pushy sales-wise. Like I've always found at Specsavers, he knew what he was talking about. In fact I've told my husband he needs to go to Specsavers, the service is so good.

How to choose the best frames

This is the fun part: Choosing frames. As well as designer ranges (Love Moschino, Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Lagerfield, etc.) they also do their own range, and they are equally as stylish. And being Specsavers' own brand range they're often more affordable than some of the designer frames so you can get yourself a very cool pair from just £25.

16 Unmissable Reads - The Best of the Blogosphere (July 2017)

In my Best of the Blogosphere this month I have a mother's body positivity, a £90 foundation review, clever styling tricks, inspirational older female role models and more!

(In case you've not seen these posts before my Unmissable Reads are a monthly round-up of things I've seen, watched and liked in the blogosphere that I'm sure you'll love too.)

I'm just LOVING all the summery content that's out there right now - I SWEAR people are more positive and glowing overall. It's tricky because people read blogs less but the quality of blogging goes up in the summer, I'm sure of it.

Do have a read of these great links - you never know who or what you might discover that makes your day/week/month!

WHAT LINKS DID YOU LIKE - AND HAVE YOU FOUND ANY FABULOUS NEW BLOGS TO FOLLOW? COMMENT BELOW, OR TWEET ME @NOTLAMB!

(Photo credits: Top left | Top middle | Top right | Middle left | Middle | Middle right | Bottom left | Bottom middle | Bottom right)

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Allison Kinney has been teaching her young daughter about positive body image and this response to her daughter calling her own mother fat was inspired.

If you ever find yourself thinking you might be too old to follow a dream, these 10 female role models prove it's never too late.

6 ways to style a bandana for summer - I especially love number 5, and must do it more often.

How to Add Interest to an Outfit With Pattern and Texture #iwillwearwhatilike

Last week I showed you what I wore to the Olympic Park to watch the World Para Athletics Championships at the Olympic Park and Stadium, this week I'm showing you the second outfit I wore on day two of our London trip. I needed something comfortable as well as bold and breezy...!

I also must say thank you SO much for all the lovely birthday wishes after publishing my birthday and blogiversary post yesterday - in the end, we didn't go out and celebrate as such. My parents are moving house this week and we realised getting their house and garden packed was far more important (there was more to do still than we originally thought). But it's okay, we'll celebrate my birthday with our dog-friendly pub lunch either this weekend or sometime very soon.

As I'm such a fan of birthdays I'm happy to extend the celebrations - it was still nice spending it with my family, despite me looking like a hot, dirty mess all day (sorting and packing a large house that's been lived in for nearly 25 years is HARD work)...!

The outfit: Some of you may recognise the pattern of the trousers - they're the matching pair to the pyjama-style top I last wore under my long check jacket in May when it was still somewhat chilly. I'd always wanted the whole co-ords set but the trousers had long since sold out when I bought the top last year. It seemed a pair miraculously turned up in my size AND on sale... What are the chances?!

However, they're now sold out again but I've linked to some great alternatives below.

My Birthday and 6th Blogiversary | What a Difference a Year Makes

It's my birthday, it's my 6th blogiversary, it's my annual birthday and blogiversary post!

This is an extra post for the week - I don't normally publish on a Sunday - but like my annual bloopers and outtakes post, I always have a little bit of a retrospective look back at the past year when my blogiversary rolls around. So go grab yourself a cuppa and get comfy, I'm going to tell you a story...

As some of you may know, I started my blog on my 39th birthday as a one-year project to see if I could improve my style in the run up to my 40th. My fortieth arrived, and as I was enjoying blogging so much I simply decided to carry on with Not Dressed As Lamb as a personal style blog, throwing posts about health and beauty, ageing issues and lots of musings into the mix.

Within two years I'd given up my job as a Sales & Marketing Manager to go full-time with the blog. If starting the blog was the best decision I ever made, then deciding to do it as a career was an even better one.

Six years on from when I first hit "publish", I've modelled for Fever London.

I've won a blogging trip to Paris.

I've worked with iconic brands such as NIVEA, Jaeger and Avon.

I've met Twiggy.

I've met and formed a professional blogging group with six other badass midlife women.

Isn't It Time Blogging Was Taken Seriously as a Profession? #SaturdayShareLinkUp

So what I've been pondering this week that I thought I'd share with you... As our house insurance runs out next month I had to get some new quotes this week (yep, my life is THAT exciting!), and it struck me that YET AGAIN I couldn't accurately describe my profession for the purposes of the quote.

The options I was given, that could possibly be sort-of-similar to what I do, were writer and journalist. In the industry of communications or media. Hmmm.

None of those really describe what I do in the field that I do it in. Yet there are thousands of bloggers (and when I say bloggers I mean all digital influencers) all over the country having the same problem: The profession of blogging is just not officially recognised, and until it is it probably won't be taken 100% seriously, either.

It doesn't help that the HMRC (the tax office) doesn't see it as proper work, either. Last year a blogger was rejected for tax credit because she couldn't prove how many hours she worked. Apparently it's the same for actors and other creatives - when you don't work a 9-5 it's almost as if you give the impression that you're not reeeeally working, are you? Aren't you just tapping away on a laptop now and then in between watching Jeremy Kyle and stalking ex boyfriends on Facebook whilst wearing a onesie?

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UNLIKE FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS OR JEWELLERY MAKERS OR INTERIOR DESIGNERS YOU CAN'T DO TOO MANY PAID JOBS, YOU HAVE TO PRODUCE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF UNPAID CONTENT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY. IT'S A DELICATE JUGGLING ACT. 

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Believe me, if I had the time to do any of those things I'd know I was doing something wrong. Professional blogging takes up an INORDINATE amount of time. Hobby blogging is no less demanding, but when blogging is your only source of income and you take on as many worthy paid jobs as you can whilst still maintaining your integrity, then there's the added pressure of delivering quality content, and on time.

Any freelancer will know this scenario all too well. However, unlike freelance graphic designers or jewellery makers or interior designers you can't do too many paid jobs, you have to produce a certain amount of unpaid content in order to maintain integrity. It's a delicate juggling act.

I currently start my working day at about 8am and often finish around midnight or 1am, breaking only to walk the dog and eat (sometimes I forget lunch and realise that OH MY GOD it's now time for dinner). Not all weeks are this busy, but the last few weeks have definitely been crazy for me.

If I were applying for tax credit and was told no because I couldn't prove my hours, I'd be pretty cheesed off.

What It's Like to Be a Guest Editor for a Fashion Brand's Magazine | The JD Williams Magalogue

In the past month I've been up and down to London and Manchester on a couple of special assignments, and I'm excited to share with you what it was all in aid of!

I'm sure many of you may know fashion brand JD Williams - I'm really honoured to be the first blogger to be asked to be guest editor of their monthly "magalogue", LIFE.Style. Well, if you've ever looked in the front of magazines where you get that little intro from a guest editor and wondered who they are and what went into the whole process, then you're about to find out!

You can see the magazine below - I couldn't be more pleased with how it all turned out. Every part of the process has been so much fun and I won't lie, it's been very hard work, but it's definitely all been worth it and I couldn't be more happy with the finished product.

Just a little bit of background...

JD Williams are going into a bit of new direction, and I was asked to collaborate with them to be part of that new direction and bring them to a new audience. I will be honest and admit that I wasn't really familiar with their actual collection - I know the brand itself well enough but I've never really shopped there before.

However... I absolutely LOVED what they had to offer. That totally surprised me, and in a really good way. I know I harp on about good matches between bloggers and brands being so important and being a fan of the brand first is important, but I don't think there's a problem when you're introduced to a brand you're not familiar with (or don't shop at) but you take a shine to straight away.

Part 1 - Choosing three outfits

Before the photoshoot took place, I had to choose three outfits to wear to accompany the three sections of LIFE.Style I'd be appearing in. And this is where it got really crazy - we had an early start in the studio on a Monday morning so I stayed in a hotel in London the night before. There had been no time to get me the clothes to choose from to my house (or send them back), so a suitcase and one huge bag full of clothes were couriered to my hotel room where they were ready waiting for me.

A Blogger's Guide to Nofollow Links and When You Should Use Them

Last week I talked about things bloggers must do when accepting freebies, and it touched on the subject of using nofollow links. However I know it remains a very confusing subject for many of us, so I thought I'd dedicate a whole blog post to the, er, joys(!) of nofollow links in a handy blogger's guide.

I'll try and write it all in layman's terms wherever possible as some bloggers may be completely unfamiliar with the term "nofollow" links - and likewise with "dofollow" links - if you're thinking "Huh?! What on EARTH is she talking about?" then this post is for you... ALL BLOGGERS need to know about this, so keep reading!

The use of nofollow links is something that many bloggers are completely unaware of. After all, no one hands you a guidebook when setting up a blog to tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing (but they should! I believe blogging platforms should send you Terms & Conditions that you read and sign when you start a blog, and all these sorts of rules should be included in there. Anyway, I digress).

Nofollow links can be a huge bone of contention between brands/PRs and bloggers, and if you are offered payment for "a dofollow link" then my advice is simple:

DO NOT WORK WITH THEM. They are asking you to break the rules and put your blog at risk for their own benefit.

And here's why...

What are nofollow and dofollow links?

First of all, all links are theoretically dofollow by default. So this is what all [dofollow] links do:

Adding a link that sends people to another site results in Google actively following the link. This will then increase the other site's trustworthiness and PageRank (what Google uses to determine the importance of a web page). It boosts the site's SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), in other words.

The bigger and more reputable the site that featured the link, the more it'll boost the SEO of the site it points to. Remember, all links you create on your blog are dofollow unless you purposely make them otherwise. Make sense so far?

A Rainbow Graphic Print Maxi Dress Styled the 90s Way #iwillwearwhatilike

Okay, so this is a trend which has come back that - like chokers and roll necks - I swore I wouldn't wear again. Wearing a strappy maxi dress over a t-shirt just SCREAMS nineties to me, but look what I wore over the weekend when we went to see the Parathletics at the Olympic stadium... classic 90s!

I think what's made the difference, however, and brought it somewhat up to date is the pattern of the maxi dress. This rainbow graphic print makes it nothing like the small-floral-on-a-black-background prints I wore so much circa 1993 (with those folded brim denim hats, remember them?! If those come back with a flower pinning up the brim I'll probably kill myself).

Anyway I got this Warehouse maxi dress in the sale at Asos after a recommendation by Lisa AKA The Sequinist - she was right when she said it was a great hot weather dress (she featured lots of maxi dress picks in that post so do check them out). I'd ordered it just at the end of last week and barely had time to try it on before I was due to pack an overnight bag to stay in London, but it fitted perfectly and I loved the pattern so into my weekend bag it went.

I took my fave white t-shirt from Yunion T (sellers of the best plain white t-shirts ever) and a few other white tops with me as I knew I didn't want to wear it with nothing underneath. When we go away and we're driving - as opposed to me working away and having to go on the train carrying a case - I tend to go nuts and pack three or four of everything. So three white t-shirts it was. I had the 90s in my head when I pictured the t-shirt and maxi dress together but somehow - SOMEHOW(?!) it worked.

What made the difference was the addition of the belt. I know it's much more "now" to leave 'em loose, but I know on me it just looks a little better with some waist definition. It's one of my best features, I might as well make the most of it, eh?

The other standout item of this outfit is the striking backpack which I was gifted by Beara Beara, a luxury leather bags brand - I chose the Koey backpack and it's made from 100% real leather. This bag is absolutely rock hard SOLID and the quality is out of this world. But what really sold it to me was the antique brass plaque and the fact that they offered me embossing - I forgot to take a photo of it (*rolls eyes*) but I had my initials put on the bag just under the flap.

12 Weird Things That Fashion Bloggers Do (That Only Bloggers Understand) #SaturdayShareLinkUp

I firstly wanted to say that last week I had the highest number of link ups ever on either a #SaturdayShareLinkUp or an #iwillwearwhatilike link up - thank you! And if you're one of the new linkees then welcome, it's great to have you :)

Last week I talked about how the mere act of just DOING can inspire others, and I loved the knock-on effect that the post had (which was the actual subject matter itself - is that life imitating art?). You inspire others to do things, they do things, they inspire others to do things, and so on. However this week I decided to talk about things I do that others may consider as weird, though I'm pretty sure bloggers - especially fashion bloggers - won't find them strange at all...

You know what I'm talking about, all you fashion bloggers reading this!

So here's a fun list of stuff I do that's just a bit weird. They may apply to some bloggers, not necessarily all, but I'm sure most will at least relate to some of them at least.

And if you're thinking of starting a blog: Take advice from last week's post about "just doing", and then heed the behaviour that you may find yourself doing eventually (Instagram tends to rule our lives)... You have been warned!!

7 Things You Must Do When Accepting Freebies As a Blogger

This week I was contacted by a blogging friend who asked for some advice where a gifted item was concerned. She had been offered some freebies in exchange for this, and this, and this, and this, and this...

In fact the list was so long, I couldn't quite believe what I was reading. The PR had made it clear it was an unpaid project, yet the list of deliverables was as long as my arm. My friend (whose name I won't disclose in this instance) sent their email to me and asked:

"NO MONEY, 5 free XXXX that I probably don't want, and an unbelievable amount of "do this, and do that" as well as sending my blog post into them for approval! My gut reaction is that I haven’t been made to jump through hoops like this for paid posts let alone freebies. I just wonder what your thoughts are."

It made me cross because this is a classic example of a PR* asking for something for pretty much nothing. No, make that EVERYTHING for almost nothing.

What many non-bloggers (including PRs and brands) don't realise is just how much time and effort goes into writing a blog post. It doesn't take an hour or so. Good bloggers that take pride in their subject matter, photography and writing will take hours and hours to produce a blog post, and that doesn't include the time spent promoting it on social media. Depending on the subject matter, a blog post can be up to a day's work - I don't mean an average 9-5 kind of day, I mean the WHOLE day, all through the evening until bedtime. It might be double if a photo shoot takes you out and about for the day.

My blogger friend was asked (told) to do the following:

• Write a blog post that includes everything outlined in the blogger brief
• Include the requested hashtags and handles, as well as ensuring that XXXX is spelt a specific way for branding purposes
• Not obligatory but they'd be "grateful" if she could include an Instagram post
• Do not mention it being a collaborated or sponsored post as it was unpaid and do not use #ad or #spon
• Ensure the content goes live between Monday 24th - Friday 28th July
• Send a copy of the content for pre-approval 48 hours ahead of going live
• Sign a contract agreeing to do all this

Apart from the time that I was contacted by a Chinese jewellery company who wanted me to produce two videos, a blog post with minimum six quality photos plus posts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter in exchange for a $20 bracelet (I kid you not), this is probably the most ludicrous list of demands I have ever seen in exchange for NO MONEY.

As you can probably imagine I told her to politely tell them to get stuffed.

*When I say "the PR" I mean brands/PR companies/blogger outreach programmes, etc. as a whole, not necessarily the actual person who contacts bloggers. The actual contact is often not the person who decides what they want to offer bloggers - the contact is either working with a non-existent blogger outreach budget, simply following instructions or are sometimes interns and very inexperienced.

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IF A PR OR BRAND APPROACHES YOU AND OFFERS A FREE GIFT, THEY SHOULD NOT MAKE ANY DEMANDS UNLESS THEY ARE PREPARED TO PAY A FEE. AS SOON AS DEMANDS ARE MADE IT BECOMES SPONSORED CONTENT, AND SPONSORED CONTENT SHOULD BE PAID FOR. 

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My simple formula for gifted items

After six years of blogging and much trial and error and questions posed to other professional bloggers and key industry influencers about this, I have come up with a very simple formula when it comes to dealing with freebies:

If a PR or brand approaches you and offers a free gift, they should not make any demands unless they are prepared to pay a fee. As soon as demands are made it becomes sponsored content, and sponsored content should be paid for. Otherwise what you do with the gift is entirely up to you.

After all, it was their choice to offer it to you - you're under no obligation to do anything at all.

I'm not saying that every blogger should be charging fees. I know that many are happy to stay as hobby bloggers, and I totally get that. But making a list of demands when you're not prepared to pay a blogger for the amount of free promotion you are going to get out of that blogger, as well as the work they will have to put into it, is totally unreasonable.

Therefore I've written this post to show all bloggers - both professional and hobby alike - that there is an easy way to know how to deal with offers of gifted items, and I've listed 7 things you should do when accepting them.

These are guidelines, not rules

Remember these are NOT rules, they are guidelines, and this is what I do because over the last six years of blogging I have found this works best. It's all through trial and error - I simply don't want you to make the same mistakes I made... I learnt the hard way!

A Gorgeous Colour Combo of White, Mint and Tangerine #iwillwearwhatilike

I'm still loving summer and all the floaty, sheer and pretty clothes that come with it. This weekend I wore one of my favourite "summer only" tops that really only comes out when it's lovely weather... it provides no warmth and you can't wear anything over the top of it like a sweater or coat - strictly for summer days, this one.

Today's link up is finally here, which is a MIRACLE considering our WiFi has been seeeeeriously slow for several days now. Every page I open takes an eon to load - it's reminding me of the days of dial up with all those pinging and beeping noises (remember them?!) you used to get while it was loading.

So apologies for my tardiness, but I had to take several breaks throughout the day to avoid throwing the monitor out the window (of course taking breaks slowed me up even more)...!

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REMEMBER WHEN MINT WAS THE COLOUR TO WEAR? 

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Anyway, the outfit!

The top is really kind of fabulous as the rose design is printed in the same place on both layers so you get this lovely 3-D effect. I've looked for alternative sheer white tops for you (with and without embroidery/designs) and featured them at the end of my outfit images. There are actually a lot of super pretty tops out there right now so do check them out.

I still love my mint trousers/chinos from Marks & Spencer that are also a few years old - remember when mint was THE colour to wear? I've tried to find similar trousers online as an alternative but I tell you, no one makes mint anything anymore... It's a shame as it's such a nice colour for spring and summer. Sea green and pale green was the nearest I could find.

How the Mere Act of Just DOING Can Inspire Others #SaturdayShareLinkUp

A couple of weeks ago I read a rather wonderful blog post by a new blogger who has recently taken the plunge and started to post outfit photos of herself. It's a recurring theme that I often see on the internet - women (especially midlife women) taking a deep breath and finally putting themselves out there. What they often don't realise is that they're not only doing something cathartic for themselves, but they're potentially doing a LOT to help and inspire others.

The blogger was Sharon of Best Before End Date (great blog name!) and her blog post The Positive Side of Social Media & How It's Helped My Confidence was poignant for many reasons. It echoed the voice of so many women who have lost confidence in themselves and in their appearance, women who have been afraid of social media and the negativity that so often precedes it. Sharon gave me and several other bloggers a lovely shout out as women who have inspired her to simply give it a go - she mentioned the post I wrote after being trolled on Facebook had disheartened her but wanted to do it anyway.

And the wonderful thing was this: Sharon not only received positive comments about herself and her outfit, but she started to receive comments about how she, in turn, had inspired others (she'd posted the outfit on her Instagram as well).

What she said was so touching: "At this point I’d like to say don’t expect daily #whatimwearingtoday posts. Little steps! I don’t have enough clothes for one but for me it’s not really about that. For now it's about the fact that you know what? I should love myself more and never be frightened to take the plunge in anything."

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FOR NOW IT'S ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW WHAT? I SHOULD LOVE MYSELF MORE AND NEVER BE FRIGHTENED TO TAKE THE PLUNGE IN ANYTHING. 

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- Sharon, Best Before End Date

And therein lies the little secret that myself and so many other women who blog and vlog and post to social media are privy to: The little steps add up to so much more. Blogging is SO much greater than the sum of its parts.

Some of the comments left for Sharon on her post explain exactly what I'm referring to:

"After reading your blog and that I had even the smallest influence to make you feel more confident, makes me much more confident to continue to do what I do"

"I love supporting and encouraging other women to feel and be confident"

"I believe in faking it… Confidence that is!… and no one can tell the difference anyway"

"I felt like that when I started my little style account on Insta, I thought I was too old to do style then I said to myself, *** it! And just did it! I've had so much fun since then and I'm sure you will too"

"I’m a size 16-18 and have recently started sharing my daily outfits and have been really inspired by the lovely comments from people who don’t know me"

"Posting my #everydaystyle photo on Instagram most, but not every, day has made a huge difference to my confidence. It is such a self-affirming thing to do"

And this one, which is my absolute favourite and what inspired ME to write this blog post:

"Keep it up, Sharon. Do post outfits and know you are providing ideas and inspiration to others"

Red and White: A Bold, Breezy Summer Outfit

Although it might be a mini one, the heatwave is back (who KNOWS for how long?)... this red and white outfit is bright and bold for summer and perfectly breezy for hot days!

This is actually what I'm wearing today (meaning, TODAY today): We shot these photos early this morning and I've edited them and got the post up quicker than you can say Jack Robinson*. I think I may only have ever done that about three times in the entire history of the blog (if that). Keith has taken a week off work so I have my photographer on call any time of day or night... Shame he's not around all the time, really!

I knew it was going to be a hot one today, so it called for linen trousers and a very loose lace cotton top. Loads of little holes to let the air through is niiiiiiiiice. However I have since swapped my Stan Smiths (worn for walking the dog, which we combined with a photo shoot #multitasking) for sandals. The fields can often be wet early in the morning before the sun dries them out, hence the Adidas. I think this time it was too warm overnight for the fields to even retain a drop of moisture this time. Not like England at all...!

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AS I WORK FREELANCE I CAN ENJOY THE SUN AND THE GARDEN DURING THE DAY AND WORK AT NIGHT. THOUGH THAT SUGGESTS THAT I DON'T NORMALLY WORK AT NIGHT... I DO. I JUST CHOOSE TO WORK LESS DURING THE DAY IN THE SUMMER. 

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We got back and my feet were starting to get HOT. And I tell you - I'm not complaining in the slightest. I love, love, LOVE hot weather, and as I work freelance I can enjoy the sun and the garden during the day and work at night. (Though that suggests that I don't normally work at night... I do. I just choose to work less during the day in the summer, except when I'm writing a same-day-as-a-photo-shoot outfit post.)

Anyway - sunglasses! Must mention them. I'd had my eye on two pairs in the Asos sale, and it was the ones I liked less of the two that turned out to be the most fabulous ones.

SHOP THE LOOK:

21 Things I Wore on the Blog, Now Reduced in the Summer Sales

The summer sales are in full swing and once again I'm bringing you the best of my SS17 (and a few AW16) picks! 

As always I'm mostly featuring things I wore on the blog so you can shop the outfits I've posted at a reduced price (up to 70% off in some cases). Each January and June I research all the items I wore that are still available online and now reduced in the sales. I've included a few AW16 items in the sales that are still left over, and at these prices it makes sense to get them now and save them for the colder days - buying out of season is really sensible and something I do quite often.

What to Wear to a Windy Beach in Cornwall in Summer #iwillwearwhatilike

I thought it was about time I went back to my warm colours as I've been wearing a lot of neutrals and cool colours lately. Time for red, orange and pinks again (it is summer, after all)!

We went to Perranporth beach in Cornwall on Saturday: There was beautiful sunshine in the morning, but by lunchtime it clouded over and got rather windy. Nothing unusual about that for a British beach in July, but considering it was 30°C+ the other week we'd kinda hoped for maybe a little bit of sun...?!

Anyway luckily it wasn't too hot for Riley, he rather enjoyed splashing about in the water to keep cool and we didn't have to desperately search for shade to stop him collapsing from exhaustion, so in that sense the cloud was a welcome break. However it made dressing for the weather difficult: What DO you wear to a windy beach in Cornwall?

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IT WAS MOST DEFINITELY NOT WARM ENOUGH FOR ANYTHING SLEEVELESS, AND THE CROPPED TROUSERS WERE HANDY FOR SPLASHING ABOUT IN THE SHALLOW POOLS AND STREAMS ON THE BEACH. 

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Thankfully I think I got it just about right with my orange Breton-stripe top and floral trousers. It was most definitely NOT warm enough for anything sleeveless, and the cropped trousers were handy for splashing about in the shallow pools and streams on the beach. I'm surprised I hadn't paired these two together before: I think I'd always thought of the trousers as having a pink floral print. Although I'm someone who'd normally pair orange and pink without a second thought, I guess I was thinking Shall I wear orange with pink today... Oh look, the roses on the trousers are actually orange now they're with those orange stripes. Who knew?!

Maybe I'm better at this colour thing than I actually thought (or maybe I'm worse)...

I love the accessories I chose for this outfit, namely the tassel earrings (US link). Mine are from Mango, who have an amazing selection of statement earrings (including their own version of the much-coveted red tassel earrings which have been so popular this summer).