Getting my Boden on

I've been away for a long time, and apologies, but I am back! I have been doing a few new things and have one or two exciting developments to share with you :)

Anyway, to the clothes.

For a long time I've liked Boden clothes but never tried them on or ordered. They only go up to a size 22 and as a 26 I thought it wouldn't be worth a shot. Silly Gina.

This first dress the Casual Jersey Dress and  is a really lovely thick jersey fabric. Nice length and cut really well. 

This second style, the Casual Weekend Dress appealed to me because it is a dress with POCKETS. I'm all about the pockets and the casual.

Urgh, looking at these last pics I realised that I need to lose the leggings. Not a fan and just need to accept my legs! 

At around £45 these are not the cheapest dresses out there but comparable to plus size brand prices and better quality.

Would I fit into a non stretchy Size 22? Probably not but Boden seems to do enough Jersey dresses each season to keep me happy.  Try them.

Copycat Challenge - Breton and Burgundy

Fellow blogger and all round lovely friend Claire and I were chatting the other day about how we seemed to own many of the same clothes. This isn't surprising, after all us fatties buy from a limited pool of clothes and there are some items out there that are probably in the wardrobe of every woman over a size 18!

The challenge for us all, therefore, is making these clothes our own. This is where the Copycat Challenge comes in. Claire and I are both around the same size, although shaped differently. We have different tastes and different lifestyles, so how can we look like individuals even when wearing the same items?

First up, a breton top, denim jacket and burgundy jeans. The top and jacket are classics, the jeans a big seller from New Look last year.

Necklace and top from H&M. Brogues from Hush puppies.

Close up of "statement necklace"

and on the move... bag from Boden

Don't forget to check out how Claire has made this look a bit different, or do we look like clones? ;)

Discovering Blinkbox

After being kindly offered some voucher codes to watch series 2 of Game of Thrones on Blinkbox, I decided to investigate what this actually was. Although we couldn't get the vouchers to work with GoT I signed up and got an offer for £5 free credit and started watching.

I had heard of Blinkbox, but never bothered looking into it. We aren't technophobes in our house, far from it, but I suppose since we have found a couple of streaming services we haven't looked at anything else.

We don't watch terrestrial tv. At all. In fact we can't as our free sat stopped working last week when we had new windows installed and we haven't bothered getting it sorted.

We have a PS3 and through this have discovered that it is easy to watch iplayer, the terrible 4OD and the joy of Netflix. We choose what we want to watch and then just end up watching endless episodes of Dora the Explorer for the 3 year old.

Blinkbox differs from Netflix in a number of ways. There is no subscription, which is good if you really want to pick and choose what you watch from there or it's going to just supplement either Sky or Netflix (which are subscription based). The interface with PS3 is clunky though as you have to go through the web browser as opposed to an application system like iplayer. You also can't sign up through the PS3 but have to create an account via a computer, but this is a one-off issue.

The viewing choices are great though, different newer tv series and more up to date movies than Netflix. The prices are comparable to the streaming Playstation system as well. I've got my eye on the Being Human back catalog, Homeland and a few other things that managed to slip us by. Episodes seem to cost about £1.89 each, movies around £3-3.50 each. Fine, and comparable to other services.

Blinkbox doesn't have a HD streaming option and this is where my husband and I differ in our opinions about the service. I'm not that bothered with DVD quality tv. He is and would rather buy the Blueray discs apparently and pay for that extra visual quality. I agree that Netflix is probably better in this regard as they have a number of shows that use Super-HD but if I want to watch something in particular it won't put me off.

Will I use Blinkbox in the future? Definitely. The range of viewing is excellent and I will hope that the service gets easier to use on PS3. Hopefully with Tesco behind it the system will smarten up.

International woman of stripes

Quick post this one. I spent the Saturday after International Women's Day helping out with the women's conference and presenting a workshop about life goals. Wanted to look casual yet a bit stylish. Came up with this. Talk about recycled fashion - the blazer was a swap with one friend and the jeans from another. I DID buy the top though from H&M and money was exchanged for the bling. If you are yet to discover Forever21 jewellery, get on line! Shoes - converse.

blurry bling and pink lippy

Work wear challenge - belated Popping my colour post!

So, I am a bit late with this one, but here is my Pop My Colour post. Neons and brights are all the thing this season, but I haven't been inspired yet - I need some heat to get me thinking that perky. I do have this old thing in the wardrobe though - worn very infrequently. It's red and I thought wearing a contrasting colour made both pop quite nicely. Dress bought when in Australia years ago, necklace a Brand Alley purchase for a stupidly cheap price given its quality.

So, what do you think?

Please check out all the members of the Plus Size Work Wear challenge!

Amanda of Cruella’s Curves

Beth of Tinkerbell and the Lost Girls

Claire of A Monkey Fatshionista

Gemma of Pinkgemma Plus

Hanna of The Wardrobe Challenge

Laura of What Laura Loves

Naomi of Diamonds n’ Pearls

Rosie of A Rose Like This

Sara of Scribblings of a Brit Girl

Plus size workwear - going outside my comfort zone

This week is a tricky one. I have a reasonably wide comfort zone, and I tend to buy all my clothes inside it. Because well, if I don't like it and feel comfortable in it.. I don't buy it.

Therefore for this week's challenge I have slightly cheated and worn something that I would never have thought to buy. I give you...Primark bodycon dress. Is this suitable for work? Yes, perhaps with a blazer but it is black and dressy enough and not an overly night-time look. Love the pattern and surprisingly ok with the complete clinginess.

Did I buy it? I was sorely tempted, but this is an size 18. If the size 20 had been in store I would bought it, especially as it is only £10. Why do all the size 20's disappear so quickly - is this the most annoying symptom of the obesity epidemic everyone keeps talking about???

Going spotty with Curvissa

Feeling like a very lucky girl this week after I picked up a lovely parcel from Curvissa.

I haven't bought any thing from this brand previously, mostly because I hadn't really heard of them. Having a look through their site though I have to say I'm impressed. They have a real range of different styles and looks. Loving their Vintage Americana Fashion, which 'Captures  the essence of America and oozes effortless cool and carefree style, making it a perfect look for any occasion.'

I've probably said this before, but I do like the relaxed style of Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, that sort of look. Not always the easiest to buy in fat sizes so I recommend having a look at Curvissa. 

This cardigan is a size 26-28, and it's a generous fit. Nice and thick for winter as well. Thinking of wearing it with skinny jeans and a long line navy top next time. I was also lucky enough to be sent some chinos, but they are a little more suited to spring than winter. Fingers crossed for warmer weather, and another Curvissa post, soon!

Cardigan - Curvissa
Scarf - Primark
Denim skirt - Onestopplus
Shoes - Converse