Adventures in a VW bus part 4: Intrepid explorer in the Lost Gardens of Heligan

Last post of our Cornwall holiday in a vintage VW camper van... another cold but bright day, this time spent exploring acres of beautiful gardens rediscovered and restored after 90 years of neglect. As with the rest our holiday I was dressed for chilly weather, loads of walking and a sense of adventure!















For some reason I felt as if I was dressed as if I was in a film like Twister or Dante's Peak - like I should have some sort of scientific equipment with me to measure the viscosity or solar activity of some strange, gloopy substance (can you tell I'm not a scientist). These gardens were so beautiful, and I photographed the most stylishly dressed scarecrow I think I've ever seen. As the day went on it did warm up a fair bit so I was able to shed the parka (but not the scarf or hat)... we had our final photo taken with Barbarossa before our last night and returning him to the hire place. We said that if we had the space and the money we would absolutely buy a VW camper van - it was just so much fun and we'd definitely rent one again.

Hope you all liked the holiday photos - normal service resumes from Saturday. Happy Thursday everyone!



Parka: La Redoute similar, Cap: La Redoute, Snood: Seasalt Cornwall (bought on holiday!), Sweater: ASOS, Jeans: Gap, Boots: Debenhams similar save similar splurge, Glasses: eBay similar, Bag: Debenhams

British summer dressing in spots and stripes

It's summer!!!!! After weeks of rain, cold and downright miserable weather, it finally became summer about a week ago in Blighty... at last! So the problem I then have with the office I work in is that it gets incredibly hot when the sun is out and the temperature rises - no air con of course - so I have to be dressed to stay as cool as possible. It's proper freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer in there; the temperature is so rarely just right.

Anyway enough moaning...! Although I never need an excuse to break out the brights, it's nice to pile on the jewellery and try a new updo - this time I've done my hair in the side plaits and up on top of my head rather than using the fake plaited hairband I wore here. I think it's my new fave hot weather hairdo; you may be seeing it a lot more, folks ;)

Happy, happy Tuesday, hope everyone is well!



Tank: La Redoute, Trousers: Oasis at ASOS also I like these floral ones, Wedges: ASOS similar, Necklace: Mimco at House of Fraser, Bag: Next, Bracelets: Accessorize / Urban Outfitters / ASOS / New Look / H&M, Watches L-R: Debenhams / Debenhams / Debenhams, Rings L-R: H&M / ASOS / H&M / ASOS, Nails: Barry M Bright Purple / Nails Inc Black Taxi, Toenails: Barry M Cyan Blue

Adventures in a VW bus part 3: Bowler hat on the beach

It wouldn't have been a proper summer holiday if we hadn't gone to the beach... except that a black bowler hat and a corduroy blazer aren't the most likely items of clothing to be wearing there!















If you've been reading my other holiday posts you'll know that it wasn't warm in Cornwall the week we went there (unlike the current hot weather in Blighty - typical)! But I love the contrast of idyllic beach with what is, effectively, an autumnal outfit. Like the last post, I think the pictures speak for themselves - I don't need to describe just how devastatingly beautiful the sun, sea and sand were. It was the private beach at the Mother Ivey's Bay campsite near Padstow; had the weather been hot I'm sure it would have been teaming with people.

The photo with the sailboat in it is actually Padstow beach and I've shown Padstow harbour too. If you're wondering how I got the miniature style effect in the photos, it's tilt-shift photography; offically you need a (very expensive) lens to create it, but as always there's a great free website where you can manipulate your photos to create this model photograph effect: tiltshiftmaker.com. It's super-easy to use and makes reasonably standard landscape pictures look incredible. If you want to see a few others we've tilt-shifted, click the following links to see my own pictures of London's Blackfriar's Bridge, Postcard Row in San Francisco, Macy's New York and Fifth Avenue New York. (Tip: ones taken in bright sunlight, from a high viewpoint and including people and/or cars, boats etc. work best.)

There'll be one more holiday post to come... hope you've been enjoying the pictures so far:) Here's wishing everyone a great start to the week!



Bowler hat: ASOS, Blazer: Dorothy Perkins (old, dyed and buttons changed), T-shirt: Topshop, Jeans: La Redoute, Loafers: ASOS, Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers, Necklace: Debenhams

Linking up to:

Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style
Monday Mingle at Glamamom

Italian flag under florals

Whilst compiling this post I've realised that I've done florals with a flag before... see my American flag and floral jacket outfit here - though that one was a slightly more obvious flag motif. Half way through the day when I was wearing this (after the penny dropped about the colours I was wearing), I walked back into the office and said to the girls I'm dressed like the Italian flag...! To which they agreed ;)

Jacket: La Redoute similar, Tanks: Topshop / La Redoute, Skirt: River Island similar, Wedges: ASOS, Clutch: Forever 21 similar splurge or same, available only in jade green, Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters, Watch: Fossil, Bracelets: H&M / Debenhams / ASOS, Green apple ring: ASOS, Nails: Barry M Matt White NP66


I'm really pleased to say that I have been given my second blog award - huge thanks to the lovely Rachel the Hat for awarding this to me! What's extra nice is that it's the Sunshine Award which means my blog brightens Rachel's day... how lovely is that :)))

The amazing co-incidence about this award is that I picked Rachel (via random.org) as the winner of my giveaway just minutes before she tweeted she'd given me the award... spooky!

So I have to answer ten questions about myself (be warned I'm rubbish at coming up with just one answer for anything) and then pass on the award to five other bloggers who brighten my day, so here goes:

1) Favourite colour: I really don’t have just one! But I love coral, mint green, cerulean blue, teal, golden yellow... anything bright in other words.

2) Favourite number: Is it 19?*

3) Favourite animal: Giraffes, I LOVE them! More because if I had to choose to be any animal it would be a giraffe - you get to live in hot weather, you have lovely long eyelashes and a beautiful pelt and you don’t get hunted (that much).

4) Favourite non-alcoholic drink: Fave cold drink - chocolate milk. Fave hot drink – hot chocolate. Do you see a trend there?

5) Facebook or Twitter: Neither really, even though I’m on both. I only have them for my blog, not for any kind of personal stuff. I told you I can’t make just one choice for any of these questions…!

6) What is my passion: Astronomy, theatre, fashion, art, Audrey Hepburn, travel, photography, music, cinema... I’m into a LOT of things.

7) Receiving or giving: I know it’s a cliché but giving!! I get so excited giving presents to other people, especially to Mr. Summers (he’s so easy to buy for).

8) Favourite pattern: Polkadots, stripes, and gingham – all together. With florals.

9) Favourite day of the week: any day that begins with the letter “S”.

10) Favourite flowers: Peonies (even before I realised they were uber fashionable, in fact I bought some just yesterday). But my favourite wild flower would be bluebells… a big carpet of them in a wood. Gorgeous.

*private joke... sorry ;)

And as far as the five bloggers who brighten my day are concerned, I would happily pick more, but I've broken the rules (if there are any?) and picked six to whom I didn't pass an award last time - those I think deserve lots of recognition!

A Southern Drawl Grace is a darling, and she looks just as chic either dressed up in gorgeous blouses and jewellery or dressed down in denim cutoffs.

Lella Victoria Where do I begin? Daniella is uber-stylish and has a designer wardrobe to die for - and she lives down the road [motorway] from me! :)

Love, Blair If you want to see the queen of the manicure, look no further than Blair's blog. She also does hip, bohemian chic brilliantly.

My Thrifty Closet Another queen - this time thrifting: Mongs creates and refashions the most amazing thrifted outfits ever. She has such creativity and I'm always amazed at the ideas she comes up with.

Porcelain Complexion Julia is as serenely beautiful as her blog name suggests; she wears the most perfect colours for her fair skin, looks stunning and is always in skirts and dresses.

Postgradchic Just knowing Shermineh lives in my favourite city - San Francisco - makes me smile. I love to check out her latest looks which are effortlessly cool but so wearable.

Hope everyone has a great weekend - and to all Brits: yay it's a barbeque weekend at last!!!!!!!!!!



Linking up to:

Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style

Adventures in a VW bus part 2: Red jeans and Arthurian legend

Hi everyone! Here's the second lot of photos from our holiday driving our vintage VW camper van round Cornwall, hope you like them :) These were taken at Tintagel Castle which is where (legend says) King Arthur was conceived - the castle is all ruins now, but the landscape in which they're set is just breathtaking.













As mentioned in the previous holiday post, the weather in the first couple of days was sunny but cold and windy - my hair got blown about so much on the first day the cap had to go on for the second day at Tintagel, and my capsule wardrobe was a rotation of layers, layers and more layers. In fact it was quite liberating having a very limited number of clothes to choose from. You've heard of the 30 for 30 challenge - this was more like 5 for 5 ;)



And here he is again - the real star of these posts: Barbarossa! (Click to see the image larger)

There'll be a couple more posts from the holiday, with my everyday outfits in between (i.e. what I wore to work). Have a wonderful weekend everyone - more in a day or two!



Parka: La Redoute similar, Jeans: La Redoute, Scarf (reversible!): F+F at Tesco, Cap: Unknown, Boots: Debenhams similar save similar splurge, Sunglasses: New Look similar, Bag: Betty Jackson at Debenhams similar

Style Icon feature, plus giveaway winner

Thought I'd share an interview I did with Yes and Yes - Sarah features a Style Icon Interview each week and I was so flattered to be asked! Click here to read my interview - it was posted whilst I was on holiday so I've only just had a chance to share it with you!

It would be lovely if you read it and left a comment...?

Drumroll........

I have more good news to share! The winner of my ReVintage Jewellery giveaway is...

             

Congratulations Rachel - the Classic Silver Crystal, Vintage Charm and Curio Bracelet that you chose is yours and will be in the post to you soon. Thank you everyone who entered, and of course a really big thank you to Rebecca Gill of ReVintage Jewellery who sponsored the giveaway!

*Exclusive discount* Rebecca is offering 20% off ReVintage Jewellery to all Not Dressed As Lamb readers till 13 June 2012! Quote "LAMB20" at the ReVintage Jewellery Etsy shop to get your discount!

More holiday photos tomorrow ;)

Adventures in a VW bus: Part one

At last I have the first of the photos of our holiday to share with you! We rented a classic split screen 1965 VW camper van (named Barbarossa) and drove around Cornwall in South West England, going wherever we fancied each day... what a couple of hippies! ;) Normally I plan holidays to the enth degree, so it was nice to be free and make it up as we went along. Just to warn you all, you will not be seeing any cute, floaty summer outfits or bare flesh in these posts... the week was bright and sunny, but mostly cold and windy. Hence my capsule wardrobe of jeans, scarves, jackets and sunglasses ;)















I've done a mixture of outfit shots and holiday snaps to show over 3-4 posts to (hopefully) keep it interesting! My outfits were pretty dressed down because I had to be warm and comfy for both driving and walking everywhere, plus every item I took had to co-ordinate and fit in a medium sized weekend bag; no luxury of dressing in a mirror either - every girl's nightmare!!! My hair got blown about everywhere we went so I just had to go with the rough n' ready look for the week.

Here we were in a place called Bude on the north coast of Cornwall - if you look at the sea you can see why they hold surfing competitions in this part of the country. The landscape is just stunning as you can see - and it only gets better in the next holiday post! The final pic of Mr. Summers and I is a tradition of ours: for the last seven or eight years we've been taking a photo of ourselves whenever we go somewhere, always with me on the left and him on the right. To watch yourself change hairstyles and age (unfortunately) is both fascinating and a bit scary... maybe one day I'll do a post of the best self portraits of the last few years...?

Happy Wednesday everyone - another post tomorrow!