Monthly Archives

September 2018

Joe Browns clothing autumn 2018

Joe Browns clothing, Autumn / Fall 2018

September 28, 2018

I always love it when a catalogue of the new season’s clothing from Joe Browns lands on my doormat. (Metaphorical doormat. We actually have a damp patch of concrete below the letterbox.) And this particular time, there was one item that made me get online to make an order. And it was a purple coat….

craft storage solutions

Craft storage solutions for organising and sorting out my crafting stash

September 27, 2018

Craft supplies multiply when you’re not looking, don’t they? Well mine certainly have, and they were taking up too much space in my sewing room. That’s mainly because my fabric stash is currently doing the same thing! However, I decided it was time to separate the business from the hobby, and relocate my crafty bits and bobs….

Afternoon tea in Bath

Afternoon Tea with Mr Darcy at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, Somerset

September 21, 2018

We asked what Jude would like to do for her Twentieth birthday (yes, you did hear me correctly: twentieth birthday) and she asked to go out for afternoon tea. I’ll be honest, when I agreed, I was thinking more like at a National Trust cafe, but Jude had in mind the full afternoon tea experience. Apart from on a cruise, I’ve never done this, (it’s the sort of thing I’ll do when I grow up) so was looking forward to experiencing the proper deal….

40 plus fashion blogger in Bath, Somerset

Styling a short cord skirt (autumn/fall 2018 trends)

September 17, 2018

On Saturday we went to Bath for afternoon tea to celebrate Jude’s birthday. Of course I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity for a lovely Georgian Bath stone background, so I dressed in an outfit I knew I wanted to feature on the blog and Chris brought the camera with him! I had in mind a fashion video for my YouTube channel where I styled this cord velvet skirt three different ways, so I picked one of them….

making a new patio area

Making a social outdoor dining area

September 16, 2018

We have been dragging our heels for ages over buying a new set of outdoor furniture. Our old wooden table and chairs are well and truly rotting away. We have also had it in our minds to build a verandah at the back of the house, leaning against the kitchen wall. However, each spring has come along and we’ve ended up spending any spare money we’ve had on a holiday instead. So it hasn’t happened, but the idea was still there, and it made a choice on the garden furniture difficult to make…..

how to transition your wardrobe from summer to autumn

Do you need me to tell you how to transition your wardrobe from summer to autumn / fall?

September 10, 2018

‘How to transition your wardrobe from summer to autumn’ is a typical title for blogs and YouTube videos at this time of year, but really the cynical side of me wonders why? Why on earth do we need someone to tell us how to dress? It’s not rocket science: As the weather gets colder, our clothes get warmer. Right; let’s go home! However, as you probably know by now, I love all things fashion, so I absorb this sort of content all the same. So here’s my take on how to transition your wardrobe from summer to autumn…..

Pink fairytale dress

Making a flower fairy dress for Threads of a Fairytale

September 6, 2018

I haven’t shared my work for Threads of a Fairytale here for a while, so I thought it was time I changed that! I’m also planning on blogging more often and linking more blogs with videos on my YouTube channel. There’s something about September that feels like a new year isn’t there? Even though this is the first autumn neither of our kids are starting a new term! So this dress is perfect for princess flower fairies off to the ball or alternative brides who would like to wear pink on their wedding day…..

Vintage suitcases - planning emigrating

No longer living in limbo-land! 3 tips if you’re thinking about emigrating

September 5, 2018

I feel like I’ve been living in limbo for the last two years. If you watch my YouTube channel, you may have noticed the odd subtle hint of something big changing soon. That change was a move to America for a year. At first it was a small idea that went away again when we found that we couldn’t take our dog, Loki with us. However, after our trip to Connecticut last July, we looked into it again….

Tesco F&F dress worn by fashion blogger

Styling an end-of-summer summer dress

September 3, 2018

I’m slightly worried because I had another of those, ‘Yes I’ll just buy it without trying it on’ moments the other day in Tesco. I loved the mustard yellow colour (something that’s creeping into my wardrobe more and more lately) and the ditsy blue and red floral print over it was so pretty. The ruffles confirmed the purchase in my mind. Because, you know, I just love ruffles….

black and white photography project

What to do when your photos don’t match your Instagram! (A black and white photography project)

September 1, 2018

The use of Instagram means something different to different people, and I’ll write more about my feelings on that in another post, but briefly, I’ll tell you that my Instagram, @HelenHobden is fairly curated with some of my best photography included. However, whilst away in Connecticut, slouched on the hotel-room armchair, having a break from typing; I realised that the simple scene with my feet up on the arm would look great as a square-cropped photo in grainy high-contrast black and white….