Peplerm?

I love this Orla Keily x Uniglo blouse.  It is made out of really comfortable soft cotton and the print is lovely (I also have it in the grey and orange) BUT, I find it hard to wear it stylishly-

It is slightly too big for me but the sort of Peplum-style (that's what my deputy called it) just isn't flattering, it makes me look larger than I actually am!  On past occasions, I have tucked it into a higher-waisted/tight-waisted skirt so you just see it as a tucked in blouse without the floaty bit down the bottom. BUT, I want to wear it with trousers too and it just hangs there.

I wore it here with black tighter fit ASOS trousers and a knitted button-down tank- but I'd like ideas for how to wear it in more ways and with what!  I really really like it but I don't think I am doing it justice- it would be nice to wear it without the tank too! PLEASE, can you offer any suggestions?

When I wore it this time, I wanted to team it with my Miss Simmonds says mustard beret and I recently have been trying to add different accessories to this beret (and a few other hats) to give them a bit of a restyle/interestinger edge. Thus I added this purple crocheted flower to pick out the colour of the top. And added a black velvet ribbon to the shirt.  Not so sure I got that cute Sheriff look that most other people manage by adding a ribbon.

My music room is gradually taking shape!!! I put up the sea shanties today- they look really cool all ramshackle all over the board. The Musical Elements posters arrived too (sorry, new National Curriculum, the inter-related dimensions of music) and they've gone up plus my Harry Potter 1, Dumbledore quote has gone up at the top of the display board. I am going to try and find some inspiring quotes related to music to go up around the room too- not overt, but something to catch the eye.  It's looking quite nice thus far.
My day was actually, despite feeling VERY bunged up and coughy, very good- my year 5's were completing their Sailor's hornpipe tunes (you can tell the theme this term is water, sailors etc?) and actually came up with some very successful performances. This year, I am trying to take a bit more time with some things that otherwise I would have rushed in one lesson and I can see the benefits of this in the quality of their music-making and enjoyment! The afternoon is my time out of class, so I got lots of little bitty jobs done (like the displays, no hoovering this week), and then in drumming club, we continued to write our 'Ghosts v federation' battle drumming which sounds pretty cool! Despite all this, I am VERY glad it is almost Saturday (a very very tiring Friday to get through- remember my Wednesday? This has now transferred to Friday instead, except that I get no break whatsoever now as there is no assembly for my classes every other Friday and since I am swapping Keystages between lessons 1 and 2, they have breaks at different times which works out badly for me.  Worse still, I have year 1 for three out of the four curricular lessons- my LEAST favourite year group to teach music to.  SO immature still but have to do the National Curriculum! Sigh.   Just got to get through.)

I've been messing around with Picmonkey. REALLY should be doing better things than adding purple daisies to pictures of myself!

Hey Baby, welcome to the 60's!

Clearly, I was channeling my Mum in my choice of outfit this morning!  When I pick up anything by Orla Keily, I always think of the 60's with the psychedelic flower patterns!!!  I'd really recommend the Uniglo heat-tech range, they really do keep you warm- I was just wearing this top outside and I wasn't at all cold!
I decided to go with my Mum's 60's bunches and a baker-boy hat with added daisy!


You may even tell that I am wearing turquoise-blue eye-liner to celebrate the 60's, and I wasn't even going anywhere!! One of my favourite (and only) make-up looks of my twenties was the wearing of turquoise eye-liner and turquoise mascara. 

I intended to spend the day doing school-work but instead spent the day on Operation Mouse and found the turquoise eye-liner during the process!  I am not supposed to be moaning during Lent but am fast getting really annoyed with the mice! How dare they visit uninvited to my house??? Why are my neighbours not doing anything about them!?  I have purchased all manner of mouse deterrants and ways of ridding but they are still visiting!  I discovered from my neighbours that they have them too (and I should be able to tell that from the scamperings I can hear under floorboards from one end of my house to the other!) but they haven't done anything about them, or at least they hadn't at first!!!

I am so excited tomorrow I get to see my best friend from primary and secondary school who I haven't seen for at least 6 years!  She lives in Denmark now but we're meeting up tomorrow to go to Vivien of Holloway!  She's also getting married! 

Hope you are all well.
Lots of love,
Kezzie xx

Orla Keily's in da house!

Big Hello to the lovely Katie, cake-maker extraordinaire who has kindly decided to follow me! Thank you! Also to Angela and Lora who I didn't formally say thank you and hello to! 

 My much-mentioned friend M, is really into Orla Keilly- she has several bags, a wallet and various home items!  I thought it was really pretty but apart from my Tescos reusable bag, there wasn't much chance of me buying anything else Orla.  Then I saw reference to the Uniglo collection on someone's blog and got myself over there to have a look!  I was really impressed by what I saw, really lovely patterns, colours and shapes of items and a surprisingly good price.   I thought I'd share the items I bought together and what I thought about size and materials etc.
The top in the picture above was just under £15.  Excuse how awful I look in the picture- I really really did have the most dreadful headache when I took the pictures above (stupid really to take pictures, should have just gone straight to bed, though I did just after these!) I love the bright rainbowness of it- teamed up with orange tights (oh dear, usual problem, I am Nora Batty!) and an orange belt- I thought the top needed a collar so I added the pearl collar. The skirt is a Kew one (thrift).
The material is good quality cotton and it looks like it will last.  It's not the softest of cotton, you know the cuddly stuff, but it feels well made and like it wont fade.  I ordered a Small (supposedly size 8-10) which worked out fine for me - it's not one of those evil tops that is really tight around the armpits or two tight at the wrists or waist. I felt rather autumnal here!

There was a lovely selection of Peter Pan collar dresses when i was looking- several went into my basket at first whilst I perused (I tend to shove everything I like in my basket so I don't have to search again and then talk myself out of it at checkout and decide which I like best).  The sizing seemed to suggest that an XS was size 4-6 and the S was a 8-10- pity there wasn't something in between.  Most dresses only had the XS left and I worried it might be too small on my bottom half- I think it would have been fine, the S is a tiny big baggy on me and it has a loose botton-half so it would have been fine- it needs the belt I think. Anyway, this is the only one that actually made it through checkout - it was available in the S.  The material is lovely and it feels gorgeous- not too tight anywhere, a nice muted shade of blue and beige, but still interesting!  I do feel like a pupil of Erinsborough High in this dress, it reminds me of their uniform (is it just me that would totally like to wear the uniform of the kids in Neighbours and Home and Away?)

My third and final garment choice (I bought a stole also, not featured here) was this 'Peplum blouse' with a Peter Pan style collar, which my deputy head is totally jealous about as she's been stalking the site daily to get one in her size (she's forbidden me from talking about Orla at Uniglo because she's bought Christmas presents for staff members from there- she spotted my leaf-top instantly!).  Again, I bought a S which is far too big for me- however it is comfy and I like the ballony sleeves- it's just not hugely flattering on me as I am pear-shaped.  The material is very nice and comfy and the patterning is bright and distinctive.  I had to avoid my friend M on Sunday when I wore it because she kept saying, "I really like your blouse, where did you get it from?" which I didn't want to tell her since her Birthday present (November) is from the collection!

I really like the collection and I do think it is good value and very unusual and distinctive and very glad I managed to get in before the Ebay sharks nabbed it all (grrrr, apparently according to aforementioned Deputy Head, the Peplum blouse is selling on Ebay).

How was your day anyway?  Mine was surprisingly good for a Wednesday!  I'm liking Wednesdays recently, excepting headaches.

My year 3's are really enthusiastic about learning the recorder and it is making a difference learning it in the classroom with an interactive whiteboard instead of the poky music room!  We listened to some Anton Webern today which I think the Educational Psychologist who was observing a child must have thought was totally bizarre!  They are taking very well to reading music notation so far!  The year 5's were really really good in their lesson- we were learning Masmoudi drumming and then they created their own cylic patterns and they cooperated really well in their groups, just got on with it and produced a good result- composition is really really hard work in such a tiny, loud space as the music room so when we have a really lovely lesson at it, it makes me so happy!  Choir is growing and growing- 2 new children asked me if they could join today which takes us up to 27! My largest in 5 years! Hope they all stay!

Sometimes, I just reflect and think how lucky I am to have my job- it is exhausting, straining to my ears and voice, frustrating when the children just won't listen or are rude to each other or you  but there are so many things I love and appreciate about it!  Hope your day was equally fulfilling!

xx