December's What I Wore...

First up, panic not - this is not a blog post with 30+ outfits. Short days and unwilling photographers make for infrequent outfit shots at this time of year. I got an iPhone attachment for my tripod though so hopefully I can manage a few more photos myself during 2018.

I share my outfits regularly on Instagram so anyone who follows me there may have seen these already but the algorithm does mean that you've likely missed one or two and I'm told it's useful to have the direct links to items I'm wearing. 

So here goes...starting with one from early December when we had snow and my Christmas jumper had one of its outings...it got worn LOTS in the lead up to the big day and I might still wear in January.

Jumper - Sugarhill from The Bottom Drawer, Portadown (bought)

No longer available in TBD but currently in the sale on the Sugarhill website

Jeans - MiH (inherited from Sue as per this blog post)

Necklace - Pandora

New boots next and these camel ones by Alpe, from local boutique AQ Shoes in Magherafelt, were a welcome addition to my wardrobe in December. I've worn them loads. All their winter stock is half price now but that discount is not showing online - you have to phone to order. Check out their instagram for details of what's left

Boots - AQ Shoes Magherafelt (bought) 

Skirt - Marc Cain (preloved from DejaVu)

Jumper - LK Bennett - Outlet Banbridge (bought)

Scarf - Dunnes (old - bought)

My Jaeger camel coat from the Outlet came into its own during the snowy time. It's really lightweight but so warm thanks to the wool/cashmere mix. And look - the Alpe boots again!

Coat - Jaegar at The Outlet, Banbridge (part funded with gifted vouchers)

Grey Jumper - Benetton Sale AW16 (bought)

Jeans - Topshop Jamies (bought)

This was my main Christmas night out with the lovely mums from school and I wore this bargain two-way sequin dress that I got in a charity shop just a week or so before, dressed down a little with some wedge boots from local shop, Honey. I decided to walk to the venue so I needed appropriate footwear and I like how they take down the sequins a notch or two, so I didn't feel overdressed.

Dress - AX Paris (charity shop buy)

Black Suede Wedge Boots - Bruno Premi from Honey, Lisburn Road (bought in the sale)

Brought the kids into the Christmas market and managed to negotiate a picture in return for a serving of Dutch pancakes (the only reason to go to the market). This navy pea coat from M&S has filled the navy coat gap in my wardrobe so nicely. It did go into the sale but there are only orange ones left online. Worth hunting out in-store if you're in one before the sale ends.

Navy Pea Coat - M&S (part funded with gifted vouchers)

Handbag - Zohara (gifted)

Scarf - Bella & Bessie (bought)

First day of the school holidays saw us at the library stocking up on books. The Lisburn Road library is absolutely gorgeous now. If you've not been since it was done up, I urge you to. Such a stunning renovation of a beautiful building.

Coat - Ilse Jacobsen from Sarah Jane Boutique, Magherafelt (old)

Jeans - F&F at Tesco (old)

Jumper - bought in Alana Interiors in Lurgan (in the sale)

Snow Boots - White Mountain (preloved from DejaVu)

Second Christmas outing and this was my daytime lunch with the girls from work. It was such a mild day - about 10 degrees warmer than just a few days previous. I got my dress in Alana Interiors, part funded by a voucher they gifted me when I brought down their Field Day candles that week. It's by a brand called Anonyme and I'd admired it the last time I was in the store so I was delighted to snap it up at 30% off. I've worn it 3 times in as many weeks now (including on New Year's Eve). I just adore the print and colour.

Dress - Anonyme at Alana Interiors (in the sale - pm on Instagram)

Cropped Biker Jacket - H&M (old)

Boots - Ilse Jacobsen from Sarah Jane Magherafelt (bought in the AW16 sale)

Bag - Yoshi (gifted - sale now on!)

Another day, another walk with the kids - I think this was the 23rd. Wearing another new scarf that I'd bought just that morning from Pollyanna in Templepatrick, another stockist of Field Day candles. I called up to get some more of the Jenny Glow perfume from her and saw this scarf while I was in the shop.

Scarf - Pollyanna, Templepatrick (bought)

Coat - Benetton (bought in the AW16 sale)

Long Line Cashmere Jumper - AllSaints (ancient charity shop find)

Skinny Jeans - F&F as before

Boots & Bag - as before

I think my Christmas Eve outfit has pretty much been covered off already. Apart from the hat which is from Dunnes and my old New Balance trainers (bought 2 years ago)

Finishing with Christmas day itself and the first outing of my constellation dress. I know, I know, it went into the sale on Christmas Eve but I didn't want to wait and I had a voucher from Sprucefield Shopping Centre to thank me for the work I did on their Instagram Stories the week before Christmas. You can't get all the bargains all the time....it's too stressy!!

Dress - M&S (wearing a 10)

Boots - Seven Boot Lane (gifted - now on sale!)

I'm feeling all organised and caught up now! Ready to start 2018 with a bit more blogging.....possibly? I do see blog websites as a bit of a dying entity. The demand for fast and brief content has seen most bloggers migrate to Instagram but I'll stay put here, don't worry. Frequency might be the challenge but I've a few posts in the pipeline that I'm hoping to get fully written in the next couple of weeks. I'm especially keen to publish the post about my back as so many of you have gotten in touch to ask about the things I tried/what worked and didn't work for me. I feel the need to write it too - kind of like drawing the line under what was a dark part of 2017. So thankful to have ended the year in a better place in that regard.

So I'll finish this post with a belated Happy New Year and thanks for all your support during 2017. Each one of you reading now makes all the hours spent online worthwhile. It's the most time consuming part of my life but I LOVE it!

Ax