I was going through some looks on Pinterest and came across this one. I pinned it a little while back. Not the most inspired - a stripey top and a pair of jeans but this one is quite interesting to me because I actually have all the components to put this together.

I said I wasn't going to go there with the old ugly fugly shoes. Or so I thought. Until I went to visit my sister at the weekend and she fished out a pair of Birkenstock Arizona lookalikes in lilac(!) and told me to try them on. How could I resist? I needed to see what ugly fugly shoes looked like on little old me.....

.... and they looked alright actually even if they were lilac. Besides, throw enough pictures of ugly shoes at me and eventually I will come round. 

So that got me going on the old Birks hunt then. I saw a few discussions going around and the general consensus is that the black ones are the ones to get. So I got the white.

Because I might be a sheep but I'm not a total sheep. Baaa! Besides, I'm still of the general impression that I don't get on with black shoes unless they're ballet pumps or courts.

They were on offer on ASOS this week and discounted so I put my order in for my regular UK Size 4, Eu 37. They haven't arrived yet but I did have my doubts that they would be too big as I know from previous experience when I've tried Birkenstocks before, they have always seemed too big in my usual size and the UK Size 3, tends to fit better. So I did some extra digging around and then found some on Sports Direct in the size 3 and ordered those the day after the ASOS order. They arrived today. And .... yay! I like them. I almost went so far as to say I love them but I think they need to be worn properly before I can say that. Ask me at the end of the summer to see if these have the been the footwear du jour or they were totally pants.

Now I have to say I got these for a bargain price of £19.99 compared to the £45.99 being asked by most places. These are not the leather ones but the Birko Flor which is their alternative to leather. If you are thinking of buying a pair, have a good look at the composition to see what you are buying. There's usually a £10 difference between the leather and the Birko Flor version - it's up to you - I know some people will only wear leather footwear. I'm not one of them.

Can you see from the picture above that they are a leather look upper? They have a slight sheen - almost pearlescent. Almost. Plus point - they will be wipe clean at least.

I'm expecting it to take a few wears to break these in as it will take a little time to get used to the raised cross arch support. This is the bit which I've never taken to previously and dismissed the sandals as uncomfortable but I guess this is the bit where once you've worn them enough so they mould to your feet, they will turn out to the comfiest things you could hope to wear. Fingers crossed that I will get that far this time.

Anyway, here I am commune ready.

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Last Note :

• ASOS still have the white Arizonas discounted as of 20/03/14. But not the black.

• Sports Direct have the white ones in a limited number of sizes but no black. Just incase you were getting all excited. Because if they had the black, I would probably also be showing you a pair of black ones if I could get them for £19.99. Just to test them out and just to make sure that black really doesn't suit me.

• Next are offering lookalikes for £20 which look really nice actually if you want the look but not the financial hit. These are a leather upper but the footbed is manmade (a sueded fabric).

I did consider it in the first instance but I was worried that I wouldn't find anyone who would do the job as well as I would want it done (me fussy? YES), so I was a bit reluctant to go down that route but after you all said it, I thought - yep - that's the only way to go.

And I found a cobbler. A nice man. A polite man. A friendly man. A man who knows about good old fashioned customer service. And he did my bag for me. I knew I didn't want extra holes punching in the strap as that would still leave me with an overly long strap with extra holes - we definitely needed the strap cutting down. So we did - by 10 inches believe it or not. And didn't he do well? I did tell him that it was my birthday  present - so no pressure then ;o)

Before (smooth domed rivet)

After (different rivet)

Well actually he did pretty good but I made it better because I'm like that. I smoothed off the end of the straps with the obligatory nail file (yes that toolbox essential we all know so well) so they were a fraction neater and then touched up the raw leather with a little dark brown polish.

Looks good - yes? How much do you reckon this little job cost me? Go on - have a guess.

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£3.50!

Whoop whoop! Guess who's a happy bunny?

Yeah yeah - only a week late. It took a bit of doing but I got there. I finally found myself a birthday present! I didn't spot anything in London town when I was there on my birthday weekend but to be honest, I wasn't really looking. I was busy meeting people and shopping really wasn't on the agenda though everyone did their best to coax my credit card out. The thing is, I'm a lone shopper. I don't like to be influenced by anybody else. It's easy to get swayed (yup I nearly bought some Chanel sunglasses) but there was nothing that floated my boat enough. I didn't know what I was looking for but I knew I hadn't found it that weekend and I also didn't want to buy something for the sake of it. And then it just so happened, that I came across the Elinor Half Moon Bag from Toast. And not a moment too soon either as the Grumps said he was just about to go and choose something for me if I didn't pull my finger out. Argh! 

It's a cute little bag. Not big by any stretch of the imagination but it fits a small camera, purse and a phone in. Maybe some pocket tissues, a pen and a lip balm as well. And that's it. Like I said, it's not big. I was eyeing up the APC half moon bag which TK was carrying when I met her and this is a similar shape.





I also like the black and dark tan contrasts - the tan strap adds interest to what would otherwise be a plain black bag. But it is ridiculously long - even though it's on it's shortest setting. I can't see a way to shorten it so it doesn't flap too much so I've decided to treat it as a "feature" and let it just hang. If it starts to annoy me, I think it will have to get jiggy with some double sided sellotape or a glue dot.




It's a thick grainy leather - not beautifully finished like some high end bags I've seen and touched recently and it even strikes me a little rough and ready (rustic for a more charming description) around the edges but I don't mind - it's a little like me :o)  And according to the notes on it on the website, the leather should age well with use and will adopt a nice patina.



So considering that it has a verging on too long strap, and it's not the best finished bag I've ever had, I have two good reasons for returning it but guess what - I'm not going to! I'm keeping this one, yes I am!

Besides, it goes a treat with my Uniqlo shirt. See - finally my shopping luck is changing!

I have had the most appalling time trying to shop just lately. Nothing is going right and nothing that I like fits as it should. Look at my rate of returns. Even the things that I thought were wonderful and keepers didn't turn out to be.

Remember the lilac v neck jumper? I thought that was going to be a real keeper. Something nice and different for me for the summer. Returned.

Why? Because I went and tried on the navy version and realised there was a whole two inch difference in the length of the jumpers. The navy was two inches shorter and didn't need me to do any kind of invisible tucking in to my jeans and sat at the perfect length on me. Not too long, not too short. After trying the navy, I didn't want the lilac - it wasn't perfect enough. And yes, I went in to the store and tried on all the lilac jumpers they had in my size just to make sure that what I had was the freak of nature one, but no, they were all long. Hmm. The irony is if I'd never tried on the navy, I would have been happy with the lilac and my wardrobe would be a much more colourful world. As it is, there is no lilac jumper for me this summer. But there is a navy one instead :o) .... I think. Or I could still change my mind again and go buy the lilac one again and return it ... and buy it ... and return it and repeat the process many times over till I'm absolutely positively sure I don't want it or I find one which is two inches shorter.

But look! I have actually taken delivery of something which is a keeper. I have even taken the tags off ! It's another one of those classic "not exactly going to set the world on fire" items that I like to buy. Meet my Uniqlo cotton lawn check shirt.

It's one I spotted a little while back but didn't go for straightaway. I needed to see what other offerings the High Street were throwing out for this spring/summer first.

This is a cotton lawn shirt - a fine woven cotton - soft and easy to wear. Cotton lawn to me is something I mainly associate with Liberty - their most famous and popular fabric being their Tana lawn. The Tana part of it is associated with Lake Tana where the cotton was originally sourced from. Just call me Sue Wiki So So :o) Anyway, I digress - what I wanted to say was - cotton lawn? Lovely. Or at least in my books. Smooth, light, soft and not too creasy.

It's also a good length on me for wearing untucked even though I'm short - 5ft 2 at a push. Some shirts are just that couple of inches too long and elongate my body too much which makes the old short legs look even shorter. It is very gently fitted - flattering yet quite accommodating of a poochy tum and a good layering shirt if you like to top off with a jumper as it's not too bulky or stiff. It's a good basic. Actually thinking about this, having bought 3 shirts from Uniqlo in total - they fit me quite well in a size small. Granted the sleeves are a cuff too long but that's par for the course and I can't possibly hold that against them - I am short - I would look ridiculous with baboon arms.

So just a little shirt to start me back on track. Black gingham instead of a traditional navy to give it a little edge. Simple and easy to wear. 

A winner. And a keeper. Like I said - I took the tags off :o)

Whoa - that was some weekend I had just there. I can't cut it these days - I'm usually found happily snuggled up on the sofa with a cup of Earl Grey (yup that's how I roll) and a laptop on my knee and instead I went out two nights in a row partaking of alcoholic beverages in London. Phew. I'm all worn out ... speaking of which .... 

.... can I introduce you to some of the Allwornout girls?

For those of you who know the Allwornout girls, you will know the majority of them blog anonymously, So no grand exposé from me then for those who are a little curious. Blogging is a weird thing - I started out keeping my face out of it totally and honestly it was so much easier. Sometimes I wish I'd stayed that way but I know that people like to put a face to the voice so I pop my face up now and then again like the proverbial Jack in the Box. Anyway, I had a lovely evening meeting up with  the girls on Friday along with Joanna from Poppys Style who had flown over from Atlanta. We both felt very priviliged to be allowed in to their inner sanctum. 

Saturday started off with meeting the lovely Marlene from Chocolate Cookies and Candies as I was dragged (just joking) around some lovely quieter parts of London - away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street.


And then to meet with some more lovely blogging ladies which some of you may or may not be familiar with - Avril, Helen, Kat, Natalie, Fiona and Joanna. We met last year and this year there were a few new additons - lovely to meet you Michelle, Frances and Donna! Marlene was our very own Ella von Unwerth for the day and was kind enough to take our photos - not many of us ever get the opportunity to have a photo taken of us which is not done via a tripod and a timer, a mirror or a spare child so this was a wonderful experience for us all. Marlene barked orders and papped away like a pro. Thank you Marlene. Your patience is endless as were all our neuroses.



Lots of Prosecco was consumed - apparently it's good for not giving you hangovers, lots of gossip was exchanged and a lovely time was had by all. And then Marlene and I had to say our farewells and move on to the next little bloggy meet with the lovely Amanda from Assembled Hazardly and TK (formerly Dead Fleurette) who both happened to be in London that day! The funniest thing was Marlene pre-checking the table for good lighting so we could get the best Instagram food shots and there was much chuckling as we photographed our food to death before we ate it. Come on - admit it - you all do it these days! There are more shots of the evening here.



The morning was meant to be spent at Columbia Road Flower market but instead, Marlene and I thought it would be more fun to properly catch up with Avril over a late breakfast before she boarded a plane back to Ireland. It was the perfect relaxed ending to a fabulous weekend.

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Last Note :