.: Competition

Sunday, 9 December 2012

It's CHRISTMASSSS!

This week we have been getting ready for Christmas in our house and it's fair to say "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

For me however the festivities started back in November with a plethora of Christmas coffees and cakes .....

Continuing at home with stollen; it is only Christmas once I

have had a slice or three!

And after realising I had been spending FAR too much at Costa I decided to start making my own fancy hot chocolates, frothy, cream and all that jazz which have gone down a storm, even if my presentation is lacking!

We have also had a few visits to Winchester Xmas fair to enjoy some bratwurst with sourkraut and outdoor skating as well as picking up a few little stocking fillers which of course I can't show or talk about because it will spoil the surprise.

However all my big presents were bought, wrapped and sent ahead to the mother in laws back in Movember (just call me Supermum!)

So while everyone else runs round the shops in a mad panic I have been able to enjoy the festive atmosphere and stock up on Christmas treats and decorations from JLP and children's craft projects at ELC.

That said I am still finding MORE things to buy! My maternity leave and additional time seem to have made for a generous Christmas despite my new sole breadwinner status - I also went back to work this week, Boo, but I will save that rant for another post!

Then came the decorations, tree and fairy lights galore.....

including my own little craft project. Having 3 holly bushes in

our garden is a pain during the summer months as you

step on the dried spiked leaves but for one month of the

year they are very useful for craft projects.

This year I decided made a table centrepiece.

So what about

Well my 9 year old cottoned on early on that there is no Santa but still plays along for the extra gifts or arrangement brings.

I must be a terrible mum because I am happy to keep it that way; she has always known that the pressies are from us but that Santa leaves his gift in her stocking.

Two reasons really, the first being that I like her to understand that we work really hard to give her what she wants as well as needs but also because I don't like the thought of children comparing how much Santa likes them or not based on what they got.

It seems to work as she is very appreciative of everything she gets as a result.

Finally don't forget that I have teamed up with KnottingElle.com to give one lucky winner some arm candy this Christmas.

Visit the WIN tab to try and get your hands on this little beauty.

Have a Merry Christmas one and all Mummy Loves Dress Up x

Friday, 23 November 2012

Blogger Comp

When I got sent an email from the lovely people at FashionVouchers.com to create an outfit for under £100 I couldn't think of a better way to spend my evening. Firstly I get to live out my fav I'm a "top stylist" fantasy and secondly there's an opportunity to win £100 of vouchers to spend on your chosen site. What's not to love?

The rules are pretty simple; select a site from the FashionVouchers.com homepage and

spend less than £100 on the perfect Xmas party outfit and furthermore you can use

any voucher code from FashionVouchers.com as long as its valid on the day that you submit your entry giving you even more bang for your buck. Then all you need to do is blog about it so here goes....

Its Christmas time and for me its all about Ssss appeal; Sparkles and Studs for that perfect mix of sexy, sassy and sophisticated. The only option for me therefore was to head on over to

FashionUnion.com

I knew that I wanted gold sequins on my dress to add that special Christmas sparkle and this gold and black bandeau dress was perfect for any sophisticated lady.

Rather than going for the obvious choice of classic peep-toes I instead opted for these green studded boots as I love both the contrast of the green against the gold of the dress and the rocky edge of the studded design in juxtaposition to the feminine flair of the dress. Of course the gold studs and sequins coordinate to tie the look together.

With regards to my accessories I didn't want to be too matchy, matchy so the pewter clutch bag is perfect for a tonal contrast to the gold of the sequins and studs whilst still sitting back well against the green of the boots. The extra studs on bag? Well I dont believe less is more.

On that note with regards to the tights I had to go all out with the suspender effect since coupled with the studs they gave me the sexy edge I was aspiring to.

With a little change left over I opted for these high shine red nail wraps to tie in with the sassy 50s pin up hair and make up that I would wear to finish of the look.

My outfit came to the subtotal of £94.65 and since the site itself is offering 15% off with code 15NOV12 my grand total was £80.44 leaving enough change for an Xmas tipple or two.

So here it is, my perfect Xmas party outfit;