Magpie Monday - Purple Dress

I love the colour purple.  I don't mean the book (although I do actually love that too), I mean the actual colour.

It must be a hangover from my goth days, it being the only hue I would deign to wear other than black.

Purple cheers me up, it makes me smile.

I spotted this dress on the mannequin of a charity shop in town last week and bought it on a whim.  It was only £3 so even if I only wear it around the house, it will be worth it.

The positives:

• It's from Apricot - a label I buy often and I know fits me well
• It's purple!
• It's a jumper dress (I spend approximately 6 months of the year in jumper dresses)
• It was only £3
• I love the folksy forest print 

The negatives:

• That weird braided yolk thing it has going on.

I'm really not sure about that.  I fear it will make me look like an ageing hippy.  I might have to take my quick-unpick to that.

Thoughts?

Linking up with Frugal Fashion Friday.  If your 2nd hand buy is clothing or fashion, why not link up there too? x

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Sammy's Great Escape - A Turtley brilliant movie!

The last time we went to the pictures we had the usual bombardment of trailers - you know, those that go on so long you've actually finished your popcorn before the movie even starts...

One such trailer totally caught Ruby's imagination and she's been banging on about it ever since and badgering me to go and see it.

Well, I'm pleased to say that 'Sammy's Great Escape' is scheduled for release on 15th February and I'm pretty sure I know what we'll be doing that weekend.




Sammy and Ray, leatherback turtles and friends forever, are enjoying an atoll’s water and sand, shepherding new hatchlings Ricky and Ella out to sea. Suddenly, a poacher swoops in and ships them off to be part of a spectacular aquarium show for tourists in Dubai. The kingpin of the place, Big D the seahorse, enlists them in his plans for a great escape. But with their new friends Jimbo the bug-eyed blob fish, Lulu the snippy lobster and a whole family of penguins, Sammy and Ray hatch breakout plans of their own. That is when little Ricky and Ella arrive, determined to break in to rescue them. After a series of thrilling adventures and narrow escapes, our heroes head south to meet up with Shelly, Sammy’s first and only love.

It's the follow up to A Turtle's Tale which we haven't actually seen yet - guess I'll have to get that on DVD!  But still, she's adamant that it's THE film to see.

We've recently been watching The Reef, another Warner Bros underwater animated adventure, so maybe that's what's sparked her interest?

Do your kid's enjoy going to the cinema?  What films are you looking forward to this coming half term?

Magpie Monday - Baby Bluebirds

How are you enjoying the snow?

My promised trip out on Saturday with an afternoon mooching around the charity shops didn't turn out as expected.  To say I was disappointed is something of an understatement.

So, really I've not been able to get out and find any treasure - I might be forced to eBay at this rate.

Luckily, carrying on my study re-org, I found a little box of bits and bobs that still hadn't been unwrapped from our house move.

Two little newspaper packages were nestling in the bottom, and revealed these little china beauties.

I have a vague recollection of buying them at a car boot sale, so I suspect they would have cost me about a quid (knowing my tight-arsed tendencies).

Aren't they gorgeous?

I just need to find a place for them away from clumsy little hands.

Did you manage to do any thrifting this week, or has snow stopped play?

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Sleep better with Lenor - a dreamy giveaway

Ahhhhhhh.  Sleep.  Bed.  Sleep.

I adore my bed.  I'll be honest, I think I can safely say it's my favourite place in the world.  The only thing nicer than collapsing into bed after a hard day, is collapsing into a freshly laundered bed.  There's nothing quite like clean sheets is there?

I've been trying out the New Lenor fabric softener and their 7 day fresh sheet experience - delicate fragrance that lasts the whole week.  I've been pretty seduced by the subtle scent of Pink Topaz and Magnolia which wafts as you move - it's released by touch - and while I'm not sure I was still getting it for the full 7 days (maybe my nose was just used to it by then), it certainly remained a lot fresher for a lot longer than usual.

Much as I love my bed and my sleep, I'm plagued with constant tiredness.  So I jumped at the chance to have a personal analysis of my sleep patterns by Sammy Margo, a physiotherapist and sleep expert, author of The Good Sleep Guide.

With the help of some goodies like delicious hot chocolate; a relaxing CD and a silky sleep mask, I set about  kipping hard and keeping my sleep diary.

My week's results were sent off, and I received back my personal suggestions and recommendations.

It doesn't seem to matter how early I go to bed, how late I lie in, whether I get an unbroken night or whether a small person wakes me up at 2am needing a wee...I'm ALWAYS knackered.

Sammy has suggested some useful hints which I will try.  Suggestions like keeping my bedroom a little cooler; getting more fresh air and spending more time outdoors; rearranging and positioning my pillows to help with my ever-present backache.  All good stuff.  Whether I can go the whole hog and reduce my caffine intake remains to be seen...I do love my tea!

If you have trouble getting good sleep, I have just the giveaway for you.

One lucky winner will be able to experience the Lenor 7 day freshness, and a whole heap of other sleep related goodies to help with their slumber.

Lenor are giving away a 'sleep sack' to one of my readers, which contains the following:

• New Lenor Pink Topaz & Magnolia
• A doodle pillowcase and washable pens so you can jot down those inspired thoughts that strike in the middle of the night
• A plain sleep mask
• Hot chocolate and a very cool mug
• A relaxing sleep sounds CD
• A copy of the Good Sleep Guide

So, if you want to win this dreamy set, simply leave me a comment below offering a tip on how to get a restful night's sleep.

For an extra entry, please tweet "Yawn. I want to get a better night's sleep with a dreamy prize from Lenor and @missielizzieb http://bit.ly/WbhJjJ".

Please leave an extra comment to say you have tweeted.

MAKE SURE you leave a method of contact with your entry.  Anonymous comments without an email or twitter ID will be invalid and removed.

The closing date is 12:00 midday Friday 1st February 2013.  Open to UK only.  One winner will be selected at random from valid entries.  The prize will be fulfilled by Lenor.  Failure to respond with postal details within one week may result in winner forfeiting their prize and a re-draw.

Disclosure:  We were sent a sleep sack as described for the purpose of this post.  No financial amount was given or  received.

Summer Holidays - thinking ahead

As I sit here watching a blanket of white snow envelope my world, my thoughts are drifting to sunshine and holidays.

Don't get me wrong, I love the snow and I don't have any desire to go jetting off halfway around the world to escape it.  But after 2 lovely weeks of family time together over Christmas, I'm looking forward to us all relaxing and having fun again.

This will be the first summer where we are affected by school terms and the associated rise in prices, so maybe booking a few weekend breaks is the way forward?   There are great parts of the country I've never visited and lots of deals on offer to keep my feet firmly in GB, and besides, Ruby's child passport expires before the summer anyway so we'd have the hassle of renewing that - aren't child 5 year passports just the biggest swizz ever?

Ruby's been consumed with all the holiday adverts that appear on the telly at this time of the year.  She sits there wide eyed and open mouthed at the activities; pools; lodges and cottages.  The idyllic summer holiday.

The other day she came rushing in to me while I was doing dinner, begging:

"Mummy, mummy pleeeeeeaaaaassssseee can we go to Butlins?"

I laughed and told her I wasn't sure what we were up to this summer, and I wasn't sure if we could afford it as we've already committed to a couple of other things this year.

Quick as a flash she came back with "but Mummy, we can afford it.  The first child goes free.  I'm your first child aren't I mummy".

Fair dos.  I can't really argue with that can I?  My little queen of the back-chat.  Little Miss I-have-an-answer-for-everything.

We have a trip to the Lake District planned already for Easter time, and a trip away with friends that we've already agreed to do this year, so I guess it is time to start thinking about a main holiday.

There's a new holiday park opening about a mile from our front door later in the year.  I was rather hoping to bundle her into the back of the car, drive round and round a few roundabouts, and 'ta-dah' we're on holiday!! She'd never know would she?

Him indoors is keen for us to invest in a family tent.  Something more practical than the poncey Cath Kidston flowered effort I was seduced into buying a few years ago, but which, realistically won't fit 2 adults, a small child and a dog in.

I can't say I have any desire to go camping.  Trudging across a field to use a dubious toilet or a communal shower block gives me the willies.  Sharing a confined canvas enclosure with various family members farting and snoring is not my idea of fun.  But with his new found enthusiasm for outdoor swimming, I keep catching him sneaking onto Google Earth looking for suitable places to pitch a tent near large lakes. Oh if only he'd been bitten by the 'staying in boutique hotels with spa grade toiletries and gourmet meals' bug...

I'm not looking forward to seeing the prices rocket when schools break up, and I guess now I'll finally understand what everyone moans about.  Best get checking out those 'free child places'.

What are your holiday plans this year?

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.

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Magpie Monday - Gilt frame upcycled memo holder

Whenever I'm in a charity shop or at a boot sale, I'm always on the lookout for pretty picture frames.  Intricate gilt ones; unusual wooden ones, ceramic frames...it matters not.

I have a whole stack in the garage waiting for me to find the time to get to work on them.

Some will be turned into chalk boards, some will be re-sprayed, a collection will be arranged together to display old photographs in, some will house Ruby's works of art...

All I need is a few spare hours...

This weekend, I found half an hour to do a quick makeover on a little frame I picked up for a couple of pounds a while back.  Since I'd re-arranged my office/study/craft room, it seemed like the perfect time.  It's super-simple to do and looks really effective (I think!)

These are great as desk organisers, or to hang in a hallway for mail - you could label up each pocket for each family member's post.

You will need:

• A frame (it doesn't have to be gilt, any would do depending on your style.  You can paint or spray it a subtle pastel colour, or a bright, vibrant gloss if you prefer)

• Fabric (I've used hessian - burlap to our American friends - but you can use linen or patterned cotton, again, depending on your style)

• Staple gun

Carefully remove the original picture and glass if it has any.  Put aside in case someone informs you at a later date that it's a Renoir.

Measure out a strip of fabric at least 4 cm wider than your frame and double the height - you will first need to work out whether you are having it portrait or landscape.  I tend to cut my fabric AFTER I've finished, but if it's a large piece you may need to trim it down first so it's not too unwieldy.

Iron your fabric to remove creases.  Then, working from the bottom, start folding upwards to create 'pockets'.  Iron the folds as you go to make them nice and crisp and keep in place.

Keep folding until you have the desired amount of flaps.  Place the frame over to check it fits ok and you are happy with the look.

Flip over and staple gun onto the back of the frame, keeping the fabric taught but being careful not to distort your folds.  Trim if necessary, and if your fabric is prone to fraying like hessian, fold over and staple the  excess again.

Et voila!  It's ready to hang on the wall or stand on your desk.  Get ready for your new, organised life.

What second-hand gems have you found lately?  Do you have a stack of 'projects' waiting to be tackled?  Grab the badge and link up.

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Linking up with Ta-Dah Tuesday.