Like the proverbial bad penny!

Last week, I taught my KS1 Singing Assembly a song called Magic Penny. I loved this song so much, I wrote a blog post with it as the Title and talked about it: http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/magic-penny.html    I cannot believe that I haven't taught them that song since February 2013!!! That's five years! It's funny how seldom I repeat songs in Singing Assembly, particularly KS1!
I found that post as I was looking for a picture of me looking cold and it was filed under the same label,  Two Birds, I searched under.
It took me back to the early 2010's and all the outfit blogging I did, particularly due to the wonderful pair of sisters Nora and Megan Bird who organised Inspiration Monday, a challenge where they posted a picture of a celebrity in an outfit which you then had to take as inspiration and post and link up your own outfit for.  I loved that challenge! It was so nice to link up and meet other bloggers and it really made me begin to explore different sartorial choices- not just pairing obvious items together.
It was real bout of nostalgia for me to look at and to see some items of clothing that I had completely forgotten about and no longer own!

I thought I'd just select a couple of these to have a little reminisce about. Because, why not!?

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/magic-penny.html  

This is the outfit which inspired this post!  I LOVED this M&S striped tunic dress! It came with a navy turtle neck which I still have. What a shame I got rid of this. I suspect I decided that I'd put on weight and it didn't look so good which is a great pity- I would love to wear this still!

From http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/spots-are-stripes-right.html 

I totally forgot about this striped Tescos sweater dress!  I think I culled this one because I felt again, its shape wasn't totally flattering on my pear shape with more weight but it looks quite funky here!

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/the-6-degrees-of-separation-of-tardis.html

To be honest, I only got rid of this skirt last year because I just had too many items of clothing (I still have all the other items) - pity as I did like it! It may also have been harder to get on!

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/add-your-cat-hat-and-all-will-be-well.html

I LOVED this duffle cardigan! It was such a teacher cosy-cardigan. I think the toggles fell off in the end and I said goodbye. Wish I'd kept it as a back up at work. I have an old cardie of CBC's as my back-up cardie at work!

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/amazing-grace.html

I actually own all the items in the picture still but I just don't remember this outfit at all but I like it! Also, these jeans look much looser here than they did yesterday! These jeans are about 18 years old now!

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/she-wore-furry-hat.html

Ha ha, I remember this outfit was worn for snow like now really! I still own all of it except for the jumper- I seem to remember it was a bit itchy. And handwash only.

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/interpreting-animal.html

I included this outfit because....WHAT was I thinking!?  I was trying to match the inspiration as much as I could but sadly, my items didn't match!

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-dream-skirt.html

I loved this one so much! I looked so chilled. I think I still have the skirt but I honestly haven't worn it for a long time if I do still have it. Where is it!??

http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/bears-no-relation.html

I wish I still had this coat! It would be a great cosplay item!


I'd love to see the Two Birds make a come back in the blogging world. I still follow them on Instagram but wish I could still take part in this challenge!

Hope all is well with you!

xx

Checkmate and Ruby-slipper reminiscences



Dress:  Kush, Heart-shaped fascinator: ASOS, Bag: gift from Sophie, Shoes: Asda
Necklace:  Vintage Maison, Felixstowe,


























Continuing with Hazel's August challenge- Only once, I decided to give this checkered dress and fascinator/mini hat a try.

Again, this dress, I've had for a couple of years but I didn't wear it because it is every so slightly too big for me and is strapless (I'm not so keen on strapless) but I intended to find some check material and make it into a halterneck. Not happened.
I think this would be a nice lindy outfit once it is fitting snuggly, but definitely not right now! Though lovely to wear wandering around placidly in the sun, If I spun and twisted, there would be a serious case of too much underwear on show! Even when wearing the tightest strappy-dress, I end up all askew!

Checked-dresses always remind me of The Wizard of Oz! When I was a little girl, we had a Dorothy-dress, it really was just like the dress, but for some reason it disappeared when we moved house when I was about 5-6.  I'm always sad about this.  We still had a pair of glittery silver shoes though that served as our Ruby slippers when we played Oz, my sister and I.  Whenever we played 'shoe shop' at our new house, the silver slippers were always the ones I wanted to 'buy'!  In fact, I still crave a pair of Ruby Slippers!  I've got my eye on the Red or Dead ruby slippers which I wanted last year during the Autumn-term but feared they were too high.  However, I think it's worth it!!

Did you ever read the Oz books?  Did you know that Frank L Baum actually wrote 14 books in the Oz series, of which The wonderful wizard was number 1? As a child we borrowed, Ozma of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork girl of Oz and Tik-tok of Oz from a friend who had them- it was so exciting- there are so many exciting places in the land of Oz that the first film doesn't mention. 

It wasn't until I was in my first-year at University and discovered Amazon.com that I found out there were 14 all in all.  I ended up buying ALL the ones I hadn't read there and then on Amazon! I have to say that the first 7 books are much better than the latter ones (some of which are a bit silly) and the ones I read as a child better than the ones bought later, but it was still wonderful reading them after all those years! I always wondered how the Wizard came back to Oz (he was in The Emerald City of Oz) 

I'd like to read them again but I lent them to a little girl from church and I fear she might not still have them!?

Sadly not Dot nor Kneessaa!

Item rundown:

Blazer: M&S Per Una via Oxfam, tunic vest and necklace: White Stuff

Shoulderbag: Topshop.  Bracelet: Cath Kidston.  Ring: Primark. Ancient Phone: Nokia

Sunglasses:  Monsoon.  Shoes:  Dolcis.  Leggings:  F&F at Tescos.  Earrings: Unknown, gift.

CBC had this wonderful idea that Inspiration Monday could take inspiration from Dot from the Animaniacs (he said he'd found a song about me on Youtube!) or Princess Kneessaa from the Ewoks cartoon (remember it from the '80's?  To say I was OBSESSED with it is an understatement.  I was MAD on the Ewoks and actually wrote two full volumes of my own Ewok stories.  Wish I could find them now-but best not, quite sure it would have been a total cringe-fest!)

However, since Megan and Nora don't know about this thought/idea, and usually take inspiration from real people, it seems I must postpone this particular idea!

This week's inspiration at the Two Birds Boutique  is Jessica Alba I like this outfit a lot.  I took advantage of my Mum coming to mow the lawn (doesn't trust me with a lawn-mower) to be my photographer so I actually included some little detail shots and tried to match the pose! Please try to ignore horrid feet and hands! Go and check out everyone else's interpretations!

I'm really enjoying the sun- not necessarily being out in it, but it BEING warm and sunny when I do go out!  Right now I am on page 28 of my Guided reading notes typing up marathon.  It is not the most thrilling!

Hope you are well!

Date unknown

 Vix amazes me with her dating of items bought from 'second-hand sources' as to the wealth of vintage-dress bloggers I read.  I have no idea how to tell when or what something is.

I bought this dress in my local Salvation army some weeks ago and I liked it because of it's length and shape- it had a vaguely 'old/vintage' look about it, but whether it is 90's or 80's or whatever, I am unsure.  Does anyone have any idea?
It is M&S and it says, 'St Michael' the label is a big one.  Size 10.  It is Polyester, the seams have been overlocked.

(Excuse this one- just experimenting with a template.... Not quite worked out the cropping yet!)

When I saw it, it made me think of Star Trek, the original series, because of the dark piping against the red, though it doesn't have that 60's look of Uhura and the other Trekkie-babes!  I never forget in the 90's Jeffrery Rogers made a dress I saw in Just Seventeen magazine that was actually like a replica Star Trek dress in these colours- I always regretted not buying it when I was a teenager

 I laughed when I saw that Char had bought these shoes.  I bought these from George at Asda at the start of the holidays, they are the perfect height for me, just a little block heel! Like Char, I was totally impressed by the clothing in Asda, there was a polka dot lady-bird style dress and I even bought daisyprint leggings!

Hope you are well and happy! I usually hate close-up shots of me, but I quite like the cheeky-grin!