Friday 25 January 2019

Sunshine on a cloudy day

Courtesy of the Polar Vortex, we are currently in the middle of a cold snap, and we even had our first batch of snow earlier this week.

For the sake of this blog, however, I 'm having to take a few tiny steps back in time, to the Saturday before last.

One look outside Dove Cottage's window confirmed that it was going to be yet another one of those interminably grey and depressing January days, so that there was nothing for it but to create my own bit of sunshine.


Oh well, when life gives you lemons ... wear yellow!

My yellow cardigan and beret were complimenting the yellow and golden hued print of my navy blue Diolen frock. Its in your face pattern includes huge, blowsy flowers as well as a double border of seashells at the hem.

A posy of cheerful looking pansies adorns the brooch I pinned to my cardie. It was love at first sight when I spotted it in a Welsh charity shop a couple of years ago. The ochre plastic beaded necklace came from good old Think Twice.



The dress came with a tie belt but I chose to accent my waist with an ochre leather belt. I'm sure you're beginning to see a pattern here. Although I love it when a dress retains its original self-belt, I usually prefer to wear it with a different, contrasting belt.


The orchid brooch pinned to my dress's collar was a flea market find and doubles as a pendant. It matches the colour of the necklace and belt perfectly.

Apart from my burnt orange tights and my tan slouchy boots, all items are pre-loved.


Even my coat was a charity shop find. And here's the frilly turquoise scarf again. That too was charity shopped. It's the perfect lightweight yet surprisingly warm scarf and consequently it gets a lot of wear. Or maybe I'm just in a rut ... 

A mustard beret and leather gloves in the same delicious colour completed my outerwear.


It rained almost non-stop all day, so we only managed a quick dash to the charity shop near the park, where two more necklaces were waiting for me. 

I used to complain about the lack of great jewellery finds at our charity shops but, judging from the haul I've had lately, there seems to be a definite improvement


This kitsch faux wood wall plaque featuring the ubiquitous crane popular in the late 1960s to early 1970s was a snip at € 0,50. We already have quite a few of these plaques, but this is the first one we've come across in coloured plastic rather than just plain cream or brown. It needed some TLC, so it just needed to come home with me.


There's nothing much to tell about Sunday, when we continued our hard slog at my parents' house. 

The magnificent beech tree in the front garden was hosting a parliament of rooks. And no, I didn't know what the collective noun for them was, and had to look it up. They were chattering and seemed to be arguing a lot, so parliament sounded just about right!

The dullness of the day is making this look like a black and white photograph and I think it does look a bit sinister.


The week that followed continued to be wet and dismal, with only the odd short-lived ray of sunshine.

Antwerp's main shopping street was brimming with puddles, this one framing the topsy turvy top half of one of the city's landmarks, a 1930s Art Deco skyscraper.


During one lunch break, the relentless rain drove me inside a bookshop, where I spent a happy half hour or so browsing.  A book about Vintage Jewellery? Yes please!


There's a wealth of information and exquisite illustrations recounting over 100 years of jewellery design.


Decade by decade, the book explores key designers and jewellery houses, as well as technical developments and cultural influences that shaped historic design styles.


I'm sure it will be an invaluable reference for any future finds.

The rest of the working week was quite stressful, spent in preparation of a visit from my boss. One day, Jos was in town and came to my office, so I asked him to take a photo of that day's outfit for you.

It is a bit blurry as it was taken in the building's lobby and with my phone's camera, so I included some close-ups for a better look at my dress's fabric, as well as my brooch and necklace.



Oops, is that the time? 

I do have to leave you now, but not before showing you the wacky watch my boss's wife bought me!
I love its loopy script numbers and the hot pink second hand with its little pink heart.


Now that another stressful week at work has finally come to an end, my regular posting schedule is about to be resumed.

Thanks for bearing with me. Hope to see you again soon!


30 comments:

  1. Ooh, I love your Betsey Johnson watch! So fun! I love her stuff, although some of it is too over-the-top even for me.

    Lovely outfits as always, Ann - I really enjoy your aesthetic. That jewelry book looks amazing! I am going to keep my eye out for it.

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    1. I must confess I'd never heard of Betsey Johnson, but indeed when I googled her stuff I found some of it way over-the-top too. I do like my watch, though! xxx

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  2. You find such fabulous treasures Ann. I’m doing my best to resist things at the moment until I’ve got rid of some of the things that no longer give me joy.
    As for the weather, roll on summer and meeting up again dear friends xxx

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    1. I'm trying to get rid of things too, but I'm way too sentimental ... Oh, and I can't wait for Summer to arrive either! xxx

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  3. A lovely watch can help ease a stressful week. We don't get rooks, so was unfamiliar with the term, but yes, it seems appropriate.

    Hope the cold isn't too terrible or long lasting.

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    1. We don't have collective terms for groups of particular birds, but I quite like the different English ones. The cold wasn't too terrible, in fact it hasn't yet been really cold here this Winter. xxx

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  4. Lovely colourful outfits and fab accessories! I love the crane plaque - one of the most iconic birds, I think.

    The jewellery book looks amazing and I'd love to find something similar - I'm off to consult Professor Google...

    Fabulous watch!

    Hope the cold snap passes - we had a lovely mild day today; a bit of a shock after all the cold weather we've been having!
    xxxxxx

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    1. Thank you Veronica! The jewellery book is really worth checking out ... xxx

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  5. We are also experiencing some severe weather conditions. You'd think I'd be used to it by now but I'm not. Every winter it is a bad surprise.

    Love the watch. Her stuff is so much fun.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. Our cold snap wasn't too severe. It hardly ever is here in Belgium. We even have imaginary snow storms ;-) xxx

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  6. I know it got super cold here too. Luckily it was short lived. I hope it does not return for FW though it seems it always does. Color is fun way to beat the winter blues. That book is super fun. And good luck with your boss.

    Allie of
    www.allienyc.com

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    1. Thank you Allie! It did work out fine with my boss. xxx

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  7. What a fun watch! I love your colourful outfit with all of the yellow and blue too, it's a colour combo I like wearing as well ad I actually wore it yesterday (although definitely with less layers! )


    Sorry your week was so stressful. Hope that you are having a nice weekend :) We spent yesterday on the bay celebrating Australia day - despite the heat! Our heatwave continues!

    Away From The Blue Blog

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    1. Thank you Mica! I'm looking forward to wearing less layers too, but I'm not much of a fan of heatwaves! xxx

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  8. fabulous kitschy watch :-D
    thank you for wearing all your happy colors! although i rediscoverd black this season i´m still very into colorful clothing - mixed & matched in fun ways.....life can be much gray anyway.
    love your artsy photos of the birds in the beech and the mirrowed bulding <3
    wish you superpower for the work in your parent´s house!!
    fab book!
    hugsies!! xxxxxx

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    1. Thank you so much, dear! I think your wish has worked, as the work at my parents' house has now finished! Yay! xxx

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  9. Oh what a wonderful book.... and wooohooo you have a Betsey Johnson watch.
    A very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! I was very pleased to be given that Betsey Johnson watch. It does make all my other watches look quite boring ;-) xxx

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  10. Isn't 'parliament of rooks' just the most wonderful collective noun?!
    Lovely colour combo xxx

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    1. It is, isn't it, Sally! I love the English collective nouns for birds, something we don't have in Flemish! xxx

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  11. Oooh, you are a real ray of sunshine. I feel cosy just looking at you in that lovely golden outfit.

    We're expecting snow over the next few days... I hate it!

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    1. I'm glad to have made you feel cosy, Mim! Oh, and we did have some snow as well, but it was gone again in a day! xxx

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  12. I love your sunny outfit, Ann! That dress is gorgeous and I love the colour of your cardi. Fab accessories as always! ;) Sorry for my late reply: I've been without the internet for a whole week and it was just fixed this arvo! Hope you had a relaxing weekend! XXX

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    1. Thank you so much, Sasha. Glad to hear your internet has been repaired. A whole week though, that must have been frustrating! xxx

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  13. I love that you created your own sunshine wearing yellow and a fabulously printed floral dress!, it's a lovely ensemble and you look warm and elegant in your coat and accessories.
    Glad that you made some beautiful purchases that cheered you up! I'm in love with the book, it looks wonderful! and absolutely necessary!(I'm thinking on your brooch collection!)
    Lovely watch indeed!. Very 'Alice in Wonderland', I think!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! We do have to create our own sunshine on grey days, don't we? Oh, and that book is really helpful. And I quite like the idea of an "Alice in Wonderland" watch! xxx

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  14. Wearing sunny colours on dull days really does help to lift the spirits. I'm currently wearing yellow too!
    xx

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    1. I've been wearing extra bright colours lately, not only to lift the spirits on a grey day, but to alleviate all the stress I've been under! xxx

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  15. You look especially striking in yellow, and the dress has such a gorgeous pattern! I love your coat as well. The "black and white" photo reminds me of a famous Russian painting The Rooks Have Come Back by Savrasov (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B8_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8) which depicts and symbolizes the coming of Spring...

    The Art Deco building is wonderful in the reflection - you have such a great eye for photography! <3

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    1. Thank you so much, Natalia! That painting is gorgeous! xxx

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