aka the adventures of blueskygirlie: I'm a part-time marketing consultant/social media content creator, a part-time style blogger and a full-time fashion obsessive! I am also a seller of fabulous vintage treasures via Etsy, a mum to a blended family & here to help to prove you can be over 40 & still look great! I dropped 5 dress sizes between my 30's and my 40's and now run 5k 3 times a week. I changed my life and this blog helps me to share what I'm discovering along the way…
Black and white – simple, flattering and VERY easy to wear.
Waterfall jackets – simple, flattering and VERY easy to wear.
Hmmm, hang on, I’m starting to see a pattern here.
I’d been looking for a lightweight duster coat/longline jacket for a while and after a bit of shopping around I went for this great waterfall jacket from M&Co. Its a fantastic piece, well made, stylish and do easy to wear. Best of all its in the summer sale!
For sizing I am wearing a size 10 but it is available in sizes 8-20. With no fastenings its a free fit but is structured on the shoulders so go for your usual size. It flows beautifully and has sleeves you can roll up to 3/4 length and large patch pockets.
For a simple, chic look I’ve styled it today with a striped breton tee, wet look leggings and black wedge sandals. Its super flattering and looks as good with jeans or a dress…I really love it.
Oh and I accessorised with a cute vintage necklace…
Currently in the sale for £24 reduced from £35, find it instore now and grab yourself a bargain! Its a piece you’ll wear again and again and always feel great in! I’m loving wearing mine and it will be great transitional piece too as we go into Autumn.
Waterfall jackets are the perfect shape for all body types. My advice is get one in your wardrobe ASAP.
Jacket – M&Co Necklace – vintage T-shirt – Papaya at Matalan Leggings – eBay Sandals – New Look
I love to dine outside in the summer and aim to do it as much as I can while the weather allows. I have a huge collection of outside dining items both new and vintage which I have amassed over the years and we have a family outdoor dining table placed at the far end of our garden (to catch the best of the sun) and small bistro set on our patio right by our kitchen french doors.
Ironically theres something missing at the moment…a BBQ! Our last one went to appliance heaven after many years of faithful service and I’ve not had time to replace it. I do love to eat outdoors with family and friends and if I got a new one I know exactly where I’d put it – I’d place it against the wall that runs alongside our patio. It would be near enough to the kitchen for practicality, but still in its own little ‘outdoor zone’ for my style aesthetics.
In todays blog I’ve styled up the space in my garden next to where I’d have the BBQ located and created a fantastic look on our bistro set using some of my favourite outdoor items that I hope you love!
I have kept the colours mainly neutral and gone for a stylish ‘grown up’ setting with a rustic feel including my new Kilner drinks dispenser and mason jar glasses. The bright colour of the orange fruit punch shines through and you just can’t help but feel summery (and thirsty!) looking at it.
The 5L dispenser is from The Range and costs just £14.99 which I think is a great price. They also do matching Kilner jar glasses with handles but they come without tops which doesn’t work with a house full of kids, plus I personally don’t like the handled version (they seem too heavy and clunky for my style) so I’ve co-ordinated mine with smaller, prettier mason jar glasses from wedding retailer Confetti.
I love the rustic simplicity of a mason jar glass and the metal screw cap and washable straw means it can be used summer after summer. Yet again we have Pinterest (and America) to thank for the inspiration!
A chenille throw and a few cushions soften the look – I love the message on this Asda hopsack cushion – ‘Enjoy the little things in life, for someday you will realise they were the big things’. Wise words indeed! I always like to have a throw or two available for guests to keep them cosy as the night gets chillier – why stop your BBQ when the sun goes down?
If BBQ’ing alone isn’t to your taste, how about setting up a pretty picnic basket, so that people can help themselves? This looks great but is also a clever way to display pre-prepared food such as sandwiches and cakes. Store loose food in quirky containers such as these mini mason jars again from Confetti – theres no tacky Tupperware boxes allowed here! And once the sun goes down, light your candles – the glow from the tealights looks just lovely. I love how pretty different sized candle holders look when grouped together – repeat this throughout your outdoor space to make any party look magical. Holders can be picked up cheaply and one of my favourite places to buy them is Store TwentyOne where they start at just £1.
So get cooking outdoors this summer, surround yourself with your nearest and dearest, put on your favourite music and enjoy. I honestly couldnt do summer any other way!
Create the look:
Bistro table & chairs – Tesco Direct
Kilner drinks dispenser – The Range
Mason Jar glasses – Confetti.co.uk*
Mini Mason Jars – Confetti.co.uk*
Picnic hamper – Vintage
Throw – Dunelm Mill
Cushion – Asda
Wood bowls – Vintage
Tealight holders – Store TwentyOne, M&S
This is my entry into the Style Your Space competition via Direct Stoves.
So, I’ve been doing a bit of shoe shopping…in fact I’ve bough six pairs this month! However being the bargain hunter I am they’ve all been in the summer sales in total I’ve only spent about £50. Cost per wear thats a bargain!!!
Want to know what I’ve bought and where?
Primark sandals – pink/navy £3 (was £6), aqua £3 (was £8), white platforms £5 (was £10). All instore at Primark. You can never have too many sandals and I love them to match my outfits.
F&F girls patent t-bar shoes (available in sizes 1-6) £5.50 (from £15). Available instore at Tescos or online here. Super cute and will be great for Autumn too to wear with opaque tights and dresses.
Baby pink Vans – £36 (from £60) these were from Littlewoods Direct and are now very low on stock but can be found at many Vans stockists. These are my first ever pair of Vans! Very comfortable and they are definitely drawing me away from my huge collection of Converse!
Peacocks red flats – £4 (from £10). I’ve been looking for some red shoes for a while and these cuties will look great with denim and for £4? I couldn’t say no!
Do you love a bit of shoe shopping too? Its even better if they are a bargain! Happy shopping in the summer sales!
I picked out a set of Cath Kidston ‘clouds’ print tea towels for mothers day this year. I adore a blue sky/white cloud motif in general and I just loved them. My business is Blue Sky Visual, my blog is called Always a blue sky girl, my Instagram/Twitter/ Pinterest name is BlueSkyGirlie. Why? Because ‘blue sky thinking’ people always strive for the most creative and ambitious solution and see everything from a highly creative perspective and I would like to think thats the kind of creative person I am! And if not, thats what I aspire to be.
Then I saw the trainers…
A collaboration between Gola and Cath Kidston that were just my style. I bought them with my birthday money and have worn them so much. Just looking down at your feet makes you feel happy and I blogged about them here.
I loved wearing them to Copenhagen on our last trip…seemed something so right about cloud prints and being up in the sky in a plane…and by then I’d bought a zip up purse too.
I decided with the Cath Kidson summer sale on another item had to be mine. I wanted a bag – nothing too formal or big, just something that would be great for shopping and wearing with jeans etc.
I went for something a bit different and tweaked it to what I needed…maybe I used some of that blue sky thinking!?! This is officially a craft bag (I guess for knitting/ sewing stuff etc) and was reduced from £35 to just £15. Its a soft fabric bag with large pockets on both sides and a tie to the top. To make it a bit more robust and tote-like I carefully opened up the small part of the inside lining and cut a hard base out of cardboad, inserted it in and re-sewed the lining. I’m thrilled with the outcome!
And here it is with its new friends! I do like a bit of co-ordination…
Find the bag online here or check out your nearest Cath Kidston store. Do you love the range as much as I do? Don’t tell my boyfriend, but I’m debating getting the lamp next…
So…I’m engaged now. At 42, divorced with a child, getting married again doesnt seem like something you need to shout about…except you kinda do! It is definitely a lovely feeling that makes you feel safe, very happy and most importantly very very loved.
Its fair to say Russ and I are a sickly sweet loved up couple already and making our love ‘official’ was always on the cards. We own a house together and parent four (yes four!) boys between us so we are already totally committed to each other. Plus we both have been wearing a ring on our wedding ring finger since we got serious…a committment ring of sorts.
After getting together after both leaving long term dead and pointless relationships, we promised each other we would really start living our lives. Properly living them, seizing each moment and as part of that each year would travel to a new and exciting foreign place. This year we decided to discover Copenhagen in Denmark which I blogged about here. Long story short – we absolutely loved the place!
on a boat trip exploring the sights
So back to the event itself – after taking (and leaving) a love lock as a surprise for Russ on a our trip to Barcelona last year, I’d read that there was a pedestrian bridge on the edge of the city where Danish couples came to express their love in the same way.
For those not in the know, love locks have become a global phenomenon. They are messages of love, written by lovers and locked onto bridges, fences and gates in prominent and iconic spots and the keys then thrown away leaving the message (and the couples declaration of love) locked there forever…
This time I said beforehand that I wanted to do it, and in a lovely touch Russ hand engraved our padlock himself.
The Bryggebroen bridge is tucked behind a large shopping centre, on a street called Havneholmen, and spans the distance between the Danish areas of Kalvebod Brygge and Islands Brygge. No cars can cross it, so its quiet, clean and elegant.
where it happened
We went to find it hoping it would be just as good as the other love lock spots we’d seen online. Walking over the bridge, gazing along the Sydhavnen (South Harbour) the modern architecture almost blends into the colour of the water and placed every so often along the railings are small groups of padlocks, a stark contrast with their mix of colour strewn across the bridge. Towards the centre of the bridge the numbers grew and the bridge became full of declarations of love.
Smiling, kissing and laughing (as ever) we placed our lock, declared our love and threw the keys in the river.
And here is our lock…❤️❤️❤️
And then the proposal! Suddenly looking very serious, Russ asked for my lovely emerald and diamond ring back, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! The feeling of joy was just overwhelming. As I got ready to answer a Danish jogger ran past smiling and shouted “say yes!” and we both burst out laughing. It was a perfect moment we’ll both never forget – and of course I said yes!!!
After quite a lot of kissing and cuddling, we then went out for a celebratory dinner, toasted our future, took a romantic walk back to the hotel and did a final bit of celebrating behind closed doors doing what we do best! The rest I’ll leave up to your imagination! 😉😍😉
I feel very lucky to have such love in my life and to have received such a wonderful proposal in such a romantic place and can’t wait to marry the man I love.
And now…wedding planning! I am a style blogger who is getting married!!! As you can imagine I want it to be fabulous, so watch this space…
Find my Pinterest wedding boards hereherehere and here for how its looking so far.
This week’s Featured Friday blogger is Sarah from Always a Blue Sky Girl. We’ve spotted Sarah styling some of our pieces fabulously on her social channels and though it was time to find out a bit more…
Do you ever buy something, after you’ve fallen in love with it but not know exactly what how you’ll be wearing it? Well I fell in love with a H&M beach cover-up dress when I was in Copenhagen and just knew I had to have it. It was only £14.99 so not a huge investment and I figured I’d work out how to style it later.
Well, here we are a few months later and I haven’t worn it yet and its breaking my heart! I decided to come up with a plan asap and luckily it coincided with a spell of very warm weather (well for the UK anyway).
The main problem was it was totally see through. While doing my food shopping I noticed George at Asda were selling very basic jersey mini dresses for £3 – basically long vests. I grabbed a black one (in a size 12 so it wasnt skin tight) and made it into an underslip for the dress. Voila, my dress was now wearable away from the beach!
The dress itself is from the ‘H&M loves Coachella’ range. I am wearing a size small which would fit UK 10/12 but it is sized from size XS to XL so UK 6/8 – UK 16/18. It is absolutely lovely and the crochet is beautifully done. This is from a new capsule range bought out to coincide with the Coachella festival in California which H&M has sponsored for the last 6 years. It has a bohemian, laid back, festival vibe to it, perfect for summer.
Make-up was all about a bright coral red lip colour with low key eyes and my hair was just its natural wavy self – I’ve been a bit lazy with the straighteners lately as my hair has been so dry in the sunny weather.
On my feet, gladiator style sandals in the same bright colour plus red painted toenails.
And if bare legs are a bit too much (and lets be honest bare legs and mini dresses are only going to work on a very hot UK day) , just throw on a pair of leggings – here I’m wearing my cropped black ones from Matalan. All of a sudden a dress becones a tunic top.
Why save your beachwear for the beach? Mix it with your daywear and enjoy it wherever you are…!
So, who has seen this bag everywhere from the arms of fashion bloggers to the pages of glossy magazines? Its the fabulously named Unicorn Tears Cross Body Bag and at £28 it wont break the bank either!
Its bySkinnydip London – an accessories brand launched in 2011 which has managed to open more than 100 concessions in over 60 countries in the last few years, whilst getting on every fashionistas wish list.
And now the first Skinnydip flagship store has opened at 10 Foubert’s Place just off of Carnaby Street in London selling exclusive products as well as the regular range.
I had to check it out and it doesnt disappoint! The products are wonderful, well made and lovely quality plus there’s photo booth to jump in and record your visit.
Its range is so fun and innovative too. One of the best selling ranges are the customisable products where you can buy a purse, bag or phone case and then add ‘plushie’ stickers to them to make them look however you want. Stickers start at £4.00 and you can buy everything from letters to spell words to emojis, fruit and retro badges and symbols.As well as the fab new store the range is available as before via Topshop, Debenhams, River Island, Selfridges and ASOS.
What would you buy? And if you’ve already fallen in love with Skinnydip London how have you styled your purchases?
A little while ago I entered the M&Co. summer blogging competition on holiday style (read it here) and came runner up. As a prize I was asked to pick one of items I blogged for a gift and I chose the Petite multiway maxi dress.
I thought it was a very wearable dress for summer – today I style it up for wearing on holiday and give my review on it. So the details – this dress is part of the M&Co. Petite range and is currently in the summer sale reduced to £16 from £29. It is available in sizes 8-18. Its made from a lightweight, silky material with smocked elasticated waist and slightly blouson top which has a tightly elasticated top seam.
The dress has multiway straps (a bit like a bra) which means you can wear it with straps, strapless, as a halterneck or crossed over. The straps themselves were a little fiddly at first and hard to get into place but once set worked well (although I found the end hooks came out of the dress a couple of times which was a little annoying). However a bit like a multiway bra, practise made perfect and I soon got them how I wanted them!
I ended up with a size 12 after the 10 was too small across the bust and had to be returned. My advice is to go a size bigger than your normal size in M&Co. (which is usually quite generous) if you’re buying from the Petite range and are quite curvy. At 5’2″, the length was just skimming the floor with flat sandals on, which is how I like a maxi dress – this range is for 5’3″ or below and I’d say just right length wise.
I teamed it with my cropped white denim jacket bought from M&Co. last season and Accessorize camera novelty bag. A perfect look for a bit of holiday sightseeing maybe?
Pinned back wavy hair, red lipstick and my favourite lucky sixpence coin necklace (£1.50 from Primark!) completed the look. All in all, I found this a versatile dress and liked it particularly as the strapless version – after all who wants strap marks as part of your holiday tan!!!
Are you going away soon? Do you plan your outfits beforehand? Let me know what your summer holiday styling looks like.
Maxi dress – M&Co. Petite* Denim jacket – M&Co. Necklace – Primark Bag – Accessorize Sandals – New Look
always a blue sky girl 
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