I got this dress from Dolly and Dotty back in October, and instantly loved it. The last time I featured it in a blog post I wore it with a burgundy polo neck underneath to bring out the corresponding colour in the dress, but I had also considered a navy blue polo neck as an alternative. I really like both variations as I feel like it gives the dress quite a different look and I do like having that kind of versatility in my wardrobe. I didn't wear it with a petticoat last time as I keep my petticoats stored at my parents house (they are too bulky and I don't wear them often enough to justify trying to store them in my little flat) but I was pleased to find that my red petticoat looks as good as I hoped it would.

Happy Christmas everyone! I hope you have had/are having a wonderful day. I've been spending my day at home with family and it's been lovely and peaceful. I didn't get my camera out as I've been busy with other things, but here are a few phone camera snaps of my outfit.

The dress is a late 50s number (I think, although I've seen similar ones online dated earlier). The ruffles on the skirt are actually a lovely copper colour although it doesn't show very well on the photo here. I chose it to match my necklace which was a Christmas present from my parents. I also tried to match up my eyeshadow. The necklace was really hard to photograph due to the way the light bounces off it, but it's a beautiful iridescent beetle (Rutelinae sp.) encased in acrylic.

My outfit and makeup today are designed to match this beautiful beetle necklace that was a Christmas present from my mum and dad ❤

A photo posted by @helenmaegreen on Dec 25, 2016 at 4:10am PST

I don't know what my plans are for the next few days but I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas period so far. Not long now until the big day...

I've been having a great time with friends and family in various places and saw Rogue One on Sunday which was absolutely fantastic and I'd highly recommend seeing it if you haven't done so already. Today I'm wearing this outfit for a trip into town for lunch with my family, some shopping and a nail appointment. I also have to get some more work done for uni which is a lot less fun, but hopefully I'll be finished soon and not have to do much else for the rest of the holiday.



Unfortunately although I'd planned on getting as many blog posts as possible done while I'm back at my parents' house for Christmas, I am pretty sure that I have left my camera charger back at my flat, and my camera battery is almost dead! I'll try to go ahead with writing my blog posts anyway, as I'll be disappointed if I can't, but it will probably mean taking my pictures either on my phone or on my old point and shoot camera so I'll have to see how it goes. I normally remember to pick the charger up but that's life I suppose!



I've thought about putting together a beatnik inspired outfit a few times and for some reason never really gone ahead with the idea. I've worn these trousers a lot since I bought them but it wasn't until I saw them paired with a black turtle neck that I saw the potential for them to be styled in a beatnik fashion. Since vintage style is a little alternative anyway I may as well go ahead and embrace 1950s counterculture. Actually I think the style now seems very classic and stylish and works well in modern and vintage wardrobes alike.

So this is the first of my blog posts for this year featuring a moderately Christmassy outfit and our Christmas tree! Although my cardigan isn't specifically a Christmas one, fairisle patterns always seem a little bit festive to me, especially when combined with tartan in seasonal colours. I also curled my hair for the first time in a while, which feels really nice. I've been really busy recently and curling my hair is always one of the first things to get moved to the bottom of my priorities list when I am. Thankfully I get a decent break for Christmas and although I still have to do a few things for uni, it should be much more relaxed for me until I start back again in January.

Here I'm wearing my Evelyn dress from Dolly and Dotty, which I've owned for a little over a year now and which has become one of my most worn items. I really love the fit and shape of it; I think it really flatters my figure and hangs well on the body. I normally wear the dress with the matching belt, but I can't find where I've put it at the moment so I improvised with another belt that I happened to have around and actually I don't completely dislike it - although I'd rather continue to wear it with the matching belt if possible.

Well if it wasn't Christmas before, it definitely is now right?! I got to stroke a reindeer!

I know I've mentioned before how much I love this kind of event near Christmas time. I couldn't find all of the blog posts I thought I'd made, but here are a few from previous years:

Melton Mobray 2012 | 2013
Portsmouth 2015

A photo posted by @helenmaegreen on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:30am PST

Disclaimer: This ring was provided free of charge by BregjesDesign in exchange for a blog post. All opinions are my own, and you can read my full disclosure policy here.



It's starting to feel like Christmas which is a bit crazy but also quite exciting. I don't feel entirely prepared for Christmas but I do have most present shopping finished, thanks mostly to my very organised brother who helped sort some things out for my parents. These photos are from the last weekend that I spent with my boyfriend and his family, which was completely lovely both because we did a few nice festive things (and I managed to get almost completely caught up on Planet Earth 2!) and because we're still doing long distance so any time spent with him is extra special.

I took advantage of the Christmas tree to take some photos of my new ring from BregjesDesign, which is made of a shard of vintage china. I think it makes the perfect background to show off the design. BregjesDesign has a great variety of jewellery made from vintage china in many different patterns, but I chose this beautiful dark green and gold design because I thought it would be perfect for the Christmas season.  









The ring features a sterling silver band which is not adjustable. While I appreciate this from a quality standpoint, I did find it a little difficult to figure out what size I needed as buying online is obviously a bit different to being able to try something on in a shop. To get around this, I simply measured a ring which I already own that I wear on the same finger which I was intending to wear this one on.

The gold reminded me of something I'd heard a long time ago about the practice of repairing porcelain items using a gold adhesive. I did a little bit of Googling to find out more, and discovered that the Japanese have a tradition of repairing broken pottery using a lacquer mixed with powdered gold or other precious metals. This is called Kintsugi, and treats the breakage of the item as part of the object's history. Other countries have also used similar techniques, resulting in very beautiful and unique objects.  





Of course I'm really enjoying my Christmas coffees at the moment, and absolutely did not insist on going to a coffee shop where they have Christmas cups just so I could show off my ring... ;)

A photo posted by @helenmaegreen on Dec 4, 2016 at 4:58am PST

Hi! Today I am sharing just a very few snaps from my holiday over the summer. I didn't take many photos while I was away with my family for the week, but I wanted to just put a handful into a blog post to remember the beautiful scenery and to take my mind off how cold I've been feeling recently! I'd love a summer holiday right about now...