A Morris-Wood Wedding : Alivya V Free

When one of your best friends is as ridiculously talented as Alivya V Free is, you have to make full use of her talents. She is an incredibly talented makeup artists, you can find her website here http://www.livfreemakeup.co.uk/ and she also makes the most incredible hair accessories under the name Liv Free Creations. I had several requests of Liv, I wanted her to do my hair and makeup for the wedding, to make me an incredible flower crown and veil... and to also be my bridesmaid! She had a huge amount to do on the day, and could not have been more help!

My flower crown was a mixture of purple flowers, along with some fake succulents to tie them in with the real flowers in the wedding. It was everything I could have dreamed of! I gave Liv free reign because I trust her implicitly, and I was so in love with the results. I wore it all day long, and as someone with chronic headaches and migraines, that says it all about how comfy it was.

We opted for purple tones in the makeup to tie in with the colours of the wedding. I'm also really partial as to how purples make my green eyes look. I wore my hair in a half up sort of style with long tendril curls, and extensions I dyed myself to thicken my hair out and add a bit more length. I wanted to be a mermaid!

Liv also did hair and makeup for herself, and Roswell Ivory, and my Mum's, so she had a really busy morning! She was a total pro and was so relaxed the whole time. Everyone was ready and perfect well in time for the ceremony.

My veil was made of soft tulle, that was also in my underskirt. Liv put silver glitter throughout so it sparkled gently, and it sat in my hair on a comb. Save for my standing on it, it did not budge! It looked so amazing draped down the back of my dress.

I didn't want a traditional veil that covered my face, whereas my Mum really wanted me to have one, but Liv made it so that I had the option of either so I could change my mind on the day even! 

My makeup did not budge throughout the day, and it was so warm. A touch up on lipstick was all that was needed. Liv made sure I had a little pot of the same colour in my handbag so I could touch it up whenever I needed it. My skin was absolutely flawless, which is really, really isn't!

Alivya was a total dream. To be able to book one of my best friends to be such a big part of my day, as well as be my bridesmaid, was such a pleasure. She made the whole day run smoothly, from doing all the things I'd booked her to do, to also lacing my corset, helping tie my shoe ribbons, and generally being a total star! Whenever someone needed help, Liv was there, going above and beyond. I cannot recommend her enough to be part of your wedding day. Liv is prepared to travel, so book her!

When we got our photos back, every pair of helping hands in every photo was Liv's. She did so much for us that we never even realised, I can't tell you how much I adore her.

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

WedFest : Flowers by Fleurations

Photoshoot with Paigey Christie

I've had the gorgeous Paigey Christie on my facebook for a little while, and when she posted some lush new selfies I told her to come and get in front of my camera instead. And as luck would have it, she happened to be only an hour away from me at that particular moment so a few messages later, and the next day she was on a train to come and work with me! I love it when a surprise shoot happens!

As it was a rather last minute shoot and Paigey wasn't expecting a photoshoot, I provided the outfits from my own wardrobe, which I think worked out rather well. Depending on where you work, this may well be considered NSFW due to lingerie and implied nudity.

Pastel rainbow tutu - Tutu Factory*

Rainbow flower crown - Tutu Factory*

Bra - model's own

We went for a very un-Paige like look to start with, a cute pastel rainbow look! Isn't that tutu just gorgeous?

She's like a beautiful candy Princess.

As we shot such a cutesy look, something totally the other end of the spectrum was needed....

Black tutu - Tutu Factory*

Gothica flower crown - Tutu Factory*

Pentagram - Malice

Isn't Paige the perfect vampy gothic goddess?

And last up, we went for a bright lip and a bra with jeans. Very reminiscent of the old 90's jeans adverts.

I loved shooting with Paige. Photographing other plus size babes is so important to me, and as a photographer I feel it is my responsibility to ensure my work is diverse and celebrates all kinds of beauty.

And if you want to work with me, get in touch! kittyramblesalot@yahoo.co.uk for booking.

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

Roswell Ivory Adventures : My Favourite Photos of 2015

*these items were gifted to me in my role as plus size brand ambassador for Tutu Factory.

November Favourites

November seems to have been a month that couldn't have been over soon enough. It's so close to Christmas now so I am concentrating on that!

First up, I'm nominated for a Navabi blogger award! I've never won anything for my blog, and I don't imagine I will this either, but it's super fun to be nominated. If you want to vote for your favourite bloggers, click the picture below

I got a few exciting bits in November, so here are my faves.

First up has to be this Candy Strike dress. I ordered it a few months ago when they announced they were sadly closing, and I am so glad I managed to get something from them before they closed. I wrote a full blog post about it here.

Part of my Crown & Glory Glitterati box, this amazing painted rose flower crown was part of their Alice in Wonderland theme. And I am obsessed! It almost looks like blood which I love. This was exclusive to the Glitterati so isn't available for sale, sorry! I filmed an unboxing for this on my YouTube channel.

Ashen's new hi-vis jacket! As a furbaby Momma, their health and safety is top of my concerns list, and especially in winter I worry about how easy it is to see my babies. Ashen is predominantly black as a rottie cross, so whilst I always walk him on the lead in areas with roads/populated areas, there is always that risk that something could happen and he could get loose or panic unexpectedly. It's so dark at night now, that a hi-vis is a must for him. I want him to be incredibly visible just in case. I also have a light up collar on order for him that hasn't arrived yet. This one is really bright and the reflective parts are crazy bright! I got it from Amazon, and it is available in different sizes, Ashen is wearing the X Large.

Another Crown & Glory Glitterati box goodie! Our boxes were slightly late this month due to a delay in something being shipped to them, we were told right away and in our secret Glitterati group no one minded the extra wait, we knew it would be so worth it! They popped this silver moon hair clip in as an extra way to say sorry, which was so sweet. And I was thrilled. I'd seen a similar clip on ASOS and loved it but it was only available in gold, which is not my thing, so when I received the silver version I was so pleased. It holds really well in my hair.

I won a voucher from The Serpent's Club and bought this gorgeous Sabbat necklace. It is so striking and pretty, it comes in different stones, but I opted for the opalite as I adore it. I was worried it would rotate but it actually sits perfectly all the time which I was impressed with, the skull is weighted just right.

I buy a lot of my clothes second hand, from Ebay, Depop or other bloggers, and I snagged myself this dress from Kate London-James. It was originally from Yours Clothing, and it is such a 'me' sort of dress. I love a midi for autumn, especially with 3/4 sleeves, and the rose print is lush. This is so the perfect autumn dress. I bought this back in October but it arrived in November so I wanted to feature it in here.

So these are actually from October's Crown & Glory Glitterati box, but I've been wearing them so much more this month. I love butterflies, and I love the versatility of these clips. They have them in more colours I'd love Santa, just in case you are reading this! I'm quite surprised I've managed to keep hold of these, my Mum is always eyeing them up.

What are your favourites from November? Let me know!

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

Check out October's favourites.

OOTD : Candy Strike

So before I get on with the actual blog post, I wanted to tell you guys I've been nominated for a Navabi blogger award! You can vote for me (or all your other faves) here.

It is so sad when a truly innovate and wonderful independent plus size brand closes it's doors. When Candy Strike announced that they were doing one final run of their dresses before closing, I was gutted and had to order myself the dress I had been lusting after. I hope one day they will be back, but in the mean time they have a small etsy store with some t-shirt designs here.

Dress - Candy Strike

Pleather jacket - Matalan

Leggings - ASOS

Boots - Demonia

Flower crown - Crown & Glory

Necklace - The Serpent's Club

Rings - BloodyMary Metal

You might have noticed by now that I have a bit of a thing for moths, so this dress was an easy choice for me. I went for the pink version of this dress, and I am so thrilled with it. It is so soft and comfy. Patches my old lady cat is obsessed with it and won't stop sitting on me! I'm 5ft 11 and the length is great on me.

I wanted to give the dress a more 'rocky' look, so paired it with my pleather jacket and favourite boots. I so love contrasting really girly looks with rock and roll twists, it's so perfectly me!

I think someone was thinking of me when they made this.

I had to share a close up of this gorgeous necklace from The Serpent's Club. I was lucky enough to win a voucher on their instagram and I knew immediately what I was going to get. Opal/opalite is one of my favourite stones, and this skull carved from it is lush. All rings, save for the two with black stones on my ring fingers are BloodyMary Metal. I wear all of these every day and even sleep in them. Love!

Who are your favourite independent plus size brands? I am always looking to support more!

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

Check out my last outfit of the day post here.

September Favourites

I tend to start writing my monthly favourites blog as soon as I get anything I want to include in it! So I generally start writing it about the 10th of the month and add to it so I don't forget anything. I get so excited to share my favourites, it's the videos I love the most on Youtube, and my favourite sort of blog too!

So technically this is an August fave, but I got it done so late that I didn't manage to include it in my blog. My beautiful, one session off being finished, leg sleeve by Keely Rutherford of Jolie Rouge. Read the full blog post about it, including lots of progress shots, here. It's a London based studio, but well worth the travel. They have such incredibly talented artists, and are a bunch of sweethearts too!

One of my selfies got featured on the Eff Your Beauty Standards instagram and facebook was pretty awesome! I took these mirror selfies in my local feeling super cute and was so thrilled to see them shared! I'm also wearing a new fave dress in this photo from Pink Clove, that I loved so much I bought the black version too!

Crown & Glory Rainbow Rose Headband

When I saw this headband on Crown & Glory's Depop at £12.50 I immediately bought it! Apparently it is a 'slight second'. I have no idea how! I bloody love it.

ASOS Curve Dress

I bloody love this dress! I love how 80's it is, and I love that it is such a different colour from anything I've ever worn before. I wore it to a wedding (full blog post and more photos here) and felt amazing. It also comes in orange, which is seriously tempting me!

Brave Soul Sneakers from ASOS

Stu really loves this style of shoe because they are ridiculously comfy, and whilst eyeing him up a silver faux snake skin pair, I spotted these and had to have them. £7 in the sale! Since I got them they've basically been glued to my feet. You can see how I wore them here. If I don't have to wear socks, I'm happy!

Crown & Glory Lotta Rosie Headband

Part of my Glitterati box (full blog post here), this is the piece that stood out for me. The colours remind me of berries and hawthorn, perfect for autumn!

This Missguided dress that I blogged about here. I feel so cute wearing it!

My first Lindy Bop dress, read the full blog post here. I felt so cute!

I went to Hull New Theatre to see Northern Ballet perform their version of Madame Butterfly, and just wow. I've been lucky enough to catch the Northern Ballet perform a few different pieces, and this has to be my favourite. It was so incredibly well done, utterly heartbreaking and devastating. I had been curious as to how an opera would translate into a ballet, and they did the most incredible job. That last scene.... just wow. It moved us all to tears. Stunning use of lighting and music really amplified every emotion.

My photoshoot with Charlotte Hatt and Mary Burgers, which you can find the full details of over here. A true plus size collaboration! They are both such bad ass and inspiring babes. Mary has moved back the the USA for now and I miss her so much!

And finally...

The Curve Fashion Festival, which I have blogged about here, and here! It was so much fun, and I met so many wonderful people. I can't wait to go to another event and see these babes again.

What were your September faves? I love autumn, so share with me please!

Much love,

Kitty xxxxx

My First Crown & Glory Glitterati Box!

Before Botox, I dreamed of wearing flower crowns and hair accessories. So now that thanks to Botox my chronic head pain is under control, there was one thing I simply knew I had to do. And that was sign for up Crown & Glory's Glitterati. Glitterati is a subscription box that is posted out on the 1st of the month containing a themed mix of hair accessories! It is £23.95 in the UK, and you get over £50 worth of goodies in the box, which makes it a total bargain.

I was so excited to get my first box, I had to document it!

The September box wasmy first box, and it came beautifully wrapped in berry coloured tissue paper, with green shredded paper and the box was sealed with glittery silver tape, so cute! It came with a list of all the goodies it contained, so here are photos!

The first thing I saw instantly had me in love. You guys know I adore butterflies, and these are perfect autumnal colours! So gorgeous. I paired them with a messy high bun and felt like it was perfect for this time of year.

Now these are a little less me because I generally only wear silver, but they are so subtle, I think they'll be fun to nestle in my curls.

And the classic Whole Lotta' Rosie headband! One of my favourite trends for autumn is berry tones, so this was just the perfect addition. I love it! It is such a gorgeous, deep colour. 

And finally, a more traditional flower crown, in my favourite colour! Isn't it so pretty? I love the little purple buds that are almost like blossom, I'm looking forward to styling this one.

I already can't wait for October's box. Such great value for money, and such beautiful pieces! My hair accessories collection is gonna grow rapidly now I can finally wear them!

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

Hen Do OOTD & The Comfy Duck Review

What do you wear to a hen do? I've been to a couple, mostly years ago, and these days a hen do can consist of drinking aaaall of the cocktails, or go karting, or crafting, or a European adventure, or, as was the case for the one I attended recently, afternoon tea!

Dress - Polly Grace Katrina*

Sandals - Evans

Handbag - Gift, unknown

Flower hair piece - Roses and Clementines

What could be better for afternoon tea than a cute pin up dress? I absolutely adore the print on this dress, it's like an explosion of blossom. It always gets complimented, it is really comfy, and it fits so well. The fabric is really light which is always a good thing! I twisted my hair over to one side and used my hair to hide the back of the bun crown so it looked like a slide. I felt so girly and cute.

We went to The Comfy Duck at The Oaklands. It was a very reasonable £15 a head which included a glass of prosecco (which I donated to my Mum as I don't drink).

The food was served in these adorable wooden trays, we had sandwiches, plum bread, huge blocks of amazing mature cheddar, and scones with clotted cream and different jams. I usually find clotted cream too thick and sweet, but this was so light and delicious.

I'm not a fan of plum bread, but the cheese. Oh the cheese. I love cheese, and this was lovely tangy mature cheddar, in incredibly thick and generous slices.

As I am vegetarian, rather than eat from the box of sandwiches, I was given my own chopping board with cheese sandwiches with watercress in a mix of brown and white bread. They were so fresh and yummy. The other sandwiches including prawn, ham and mustard, chicken and more. My Mum loved them! She's not much of a bread person, but she ate about 10 slices quite happily which says it all!

It was a lovely day, I love the chance to get dressed up and celebrate with a friend, and with yummy food thrown in it was such a treat! I'd never eaten at The Comfy Duck before but I will certainly look at going back.

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

ps. Don't forget, you can get 20% off at Polly Grace with my code kitty20

*this dress was gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this affect my opinion on it, which is entirely my own.