Aussie Curves : Swimwear

I've been meaning to join in with the Aussie Curves Outfit Challenge for a few weeks now but I just kept getting distracted. Kind of interesting that the week that I do finally get around to joining in, the theme is swimwear.

One Piece : Lily & Lou for Best and Less
Sarong : Homemade

For a long time I've refused to don a pair of togs. It wasn't that I didn't want to go swimming, I was worried about what other people would think. I was worried about the potential snide remarks, sideways glances, snickers. I wasn't always like that though, I distinctly remember donning a cute little red bikini one summer when I was about 19. Post first child, I'd happily go swimming without giving my newly acquired softness a thought. But after the second one (kid that is) my body really changed and my self esteem just went south. I sat on the sidelines and watched my kids have fun in the water with Mr Mess, my SIL, everyone but me.

Something clicked last summer though. I was sitting watching the boys play in the local pool with my two SILs and thought to myself, why the fuck am I doing this. I was sitting on the sidelines missing out on having loads of fun with my boys all because of what some stranger might think?! As I said, things finally clicked.

Since then I haven't looked back. I happily suit up for a dip with the boys whether it's in our backyard blow up pool or at our nearest aquatic centre. I haven't had the courage (for want of a better word) to go board-short-less in public, but at home I do. Perhaps a swim skirt is the next step, next summer.

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Wardrobe Wishlist : Jackets

With summer close to its end, I've begun to think about my winter wardrobe. Jackets and cardigans are high on my list of my winter staples. Last year I only had two jackets and one cardi which I found just wasn't enough. I got to a point where I felt like I was wearing the same outfits all the time. This year I'm on the look out for a plain black fitted blazer, an over coat and another relaxed, comfy cardi.

 I love these pieces, they're definitely on my wardrobe wishlist.

City Chic - Ponte Peplum Jacket - $99.95

City Chic - One button jacket - $99.95

ASOS CURVE Waterfall Cardigan - $46

City Chic - Drape Cardi - $49.95

ASOS CURVE Fit And Flare Coat - $116

I'm looking forward to seeing what my other favourite stores bring out for winter.

OOTW : Coloured Jeans

I've had a busy week so this week's OOTW was a quick couple of snap shots with my phone.

Top : Kmart

Jeans : City Chic

Shoes : BigW

I love these hot pink jeans, I'm still playing with them to see what works and what doesn't. I'll definitely be adding more coloured jeans to my wardrobe this winter.

OOTW : RaRa Dress

I love this dress! I wore it for the first time this week since buying it just after Christmas. Such a comfy dress to wear and I love the ra-ra style, takes me back to my youth. I teamed it with some of the other bargains I got, to complete the ensemble. Total outfit cost = $40! Gotta be happy with that.

Dress : Autograph

Belt : Autograph

Shoes : Target

OOTW : Cool Summer

I'm making up for my tardiness this week. As promised I've got double the outfits.

So it's still summer and while Tassie hasn't had the same high temps as the mainland, it's been pretty warm. The boys and I went into town this week to restock the fridge. I slipped on this cool white almost-maxi sundress, my new tan belt and these cute acid coloured thongs. Sweet, simple and above all nice and cool.

Keeping it real for the second outfit. We've been hanging out at home this week and this is one of my go to to-hot-to-care dresses. I've had it for year and it's just so comfy, perfect for watching the offspring tire themselves out in the backyard pool.

OOTW : Black Maxi

Dress : Kmart (last summer) 

Belt : Autograph Fashion 

Wristlet/Clutch : Target 

Sunnies : Cheapies from ages ago

So you know I'm a SAHM, living in a regional centre in Tasmania. Fashion isn't easy here for straight sizes let alone plus size gals. My choices within a 30min radius consist of Kmart, Target, Best & Less, Autograph and BeMe. Not a whole lot of choice really and things don't get much better if I venture the 3 hour round trip to Launceston. I've gotta use what I've got, which means my wardrobe consists of mainly department store buys, boutique sale finds items, lucky op shop finds and the odd handmade piece.

For some reason I felt the need to explain that OOTW, for me is about making the most of my wardrobe as it is. It's also real. Each outfit is what I've actually worn, and as the seasons change hopefully you'll see how I make my wardrobe stretch.

I really am excited about my OOTW challenge because I tend to stick to what's "safe" and I'm hoping this will help me develop my own style.

Anyway, on to this weeks getup. This weeks main player is a staple, I wear it through spring, summer and autumn, acessorising it in different ways. This week I decided to through it on with one of my new belts and a pair of thongs.

OOTW The Christmas Edition

Hello lovely readers!

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing holiday. Our Christmas was great, we caught up with our great family and a few close friends. It was a very busy but relaxing break.

It was our turn to do the travelling this year, so I knew I needed something cool and comfortable to wear. I decided on one of my recent Autograph purchases. If you are following me on Facebook, you'd know about my pre-Christmas Autograph haul. I ended up with four great pieces that would have originally totalled $250 for only $30! Yes only $30. So I wore two of them over the Christmas/Boxing Day break.

This was my Christmas day ensemble. Super comfy and nice and cool. Asymmetrical top from Autograph (on sale for $10), black 3/4 tights from Kmart and thongs by Emerson/BigW.

We had family visit us on Boxing Day, so I went for this cute little outfit. This is the $5 denim skirt I got at the Autograph sale!! It is so comfy and fits really well. The top was a Christmas gift from my MIL it's from UnderCoverWear and the same thongs from Emerson/BigW.

I'm enjoying this OOTW thing and looking forward to getting stuck into it next year. I really need to sort out my photo setup though don't I?

Until new week kittens xxx

*Please note that this is NOT a sponsored post*

OOTW : Budget Buys

When I came up with my OOTW idea, I didn't really think the logistics through. The tripod I have for my dslr camera is a little low for full body shots, I don't have a remote (they don't make a cordless one for my camera, boo!) and one of the best spots for light in the house is my five year olds bedroom which looks like a tip half the time!So while I come up with a suitable setup, I'm keeping it real and using my iPhone for full length selfies.

 I snapped this the other night about two seconds before running out the door to my eldest sons choir concert at school. Pardon the chaos in the background, my children have don't understand the concept of a tidy room!

Top, Belt and Jeans : Kmart

Ballet Flats : BigW

Clutch : Target

Mess : The Dude

 I picked up the top at Kmart last week for on $8. It was quite shapeless so I added the belt to pull it in under the bust. It will be a great outfit for summer nights and I'll throw a black jacket in to the mix to take it into autumn and winter.

Hopefully next week you won't have to look at that mess again!

OOTW : Intro

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to experiment more with fashion. I've found that I have a bit of a "Mummy uniform" that consists of jeans, t-shirts and black. It's functional I guess, but the more I discover the 'fatshion' world, the more I realise there's so much more out there to wear.

So I'm getting stuck into this resolution early. Outfit Of The Week (OOTW) is my way of being accountable for this new years resolution. Each week I'll share my favourite outfit, I might even share more than one.

So I'm kicking it off with last weekend's outfits. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen these.

I wore this out shopping on Saturday. I've had this dress for at least two years. It was an op shop find and I absolutely loved the colours, but it was always such a departure from what I'd normally wear that I haven't had the guts to wear it. My first instinct was to wear black 3/4 tights with it, but a fab friend reassured me so I bared the pins. I added a black cami underneath to cover the ta-tas and slipped on a pair of strappy flats.

This was my party outfit. This dress is great, it's the right length for me, fits well and was super comfy. It has a sweetheart neckline with a fine see-through overlay. It's from the Lily & Lou range from Best n Less. The gorgeous shoes were a last minute buy from Target, but I love love love peep toe shoes!

Until next week Kittens xxx