Snake miniskirt / scarf / bolero

Hi Sweethearts!

Remember my snake mini (H&M) that I wore as a scarf?

Today I decided I didn`t have enough boleros lol,

so now my mini-scarf is a bolero.

I braved the snow in it today, mixed with a purple scarf (Indiska),

leopard dress (my design), feathers and ring (H&M).

 

I am sorry to say that I have lost some followers. I don`t really know why,

but I want to thank you all once again for reading, and let you know that I adore you all.

<3

xxx Anika

Taupe / blue leopard /snake-covered hourglass - hips, tummy, positive attitude and all!

Hi Sweethearts!

I sewed this figure-hugging dress yesterday,

and with my improved inner monolouge saying

 "Yes I can tell you that I like my shape without being too unabashed" (lol),

I don`t mind telling you that I love the way it follows my hourglassy curves.

It is all a part of this self-bloody-well-rejoycing-project/

succumbing to the fact that these hips and my tum tum ain`t going nowhere but horizontal, so

I might as well get on with making the most of it all.

(To be fair my hips and tummy are very handy for getting bus-seats to my self,

or even getting a seat when the bus is full. You know, when people very graciously offer their seats to me

thinking that I am preggers, and me, not wanting to embarass any of us further graciously

say thank you, hold the small of my back and wiggle my self into the flippin`seat, leaving

the helpful passenger feeling quite the gent and me quite the fattie.

Ever had one of those moments?

All I am saying is,

don`t knock it, just enjoy the seat.

LOL)

I always try to make the best of what I am handed,

so in life and in fashion alike I am a true believer that knowing our selves is key.

Know your self!

(3 things I know about my self that I like: My sensitivity. My generousity. My sense of humour.)

Know your shape!

(3 things about my body that I like: My eyes. My hourglass shape. The girls. LOL)

I do really think it is all about the shape not the size in terms of what suits us fashionwise.

If I was 30 kilos lighter I would still wear the same shapes I do now.

In fact, it was when this finally hit home with me that I decided to stop waiting and wanting to be thin (which is as good seing as how I can`t even be bothered to unwrap the Zumba dvds I ordered, but am using the weights they included for booksupports, very handy lol) – and just get on with dressing up in colours and prints, finally having fun with my fashion!

I don`t ever want to put my self down again for not finding clothes that don`t fit me, screw that. 

Now I buy two dresses that don`t fit and make my own, and I bloody well wear white on bottom.

Damn right!

The outfit:

The dress I made from a taupe tee (H&M) and a dress that I had reworked a year ago. I like the ruffled detail of the back so much that I made the back of the dress the front. See, now you can`t really tell if that is my tummy or the ruffles :). Ok, maybe you can tell, but nevermind :D

The bolero is my design

Tell me, what do you know and like about your self?

xxx Anika

My inner monolouge says... that is a lot of print!

Hi sweethearts!

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting!

I am a firm believer that our thoughts can help us define how we feel,

making our inner monolouge a powerful tool to use

in terms of our perspective on our selves and

the lives we lead.

To have power brings the responsibility of using it wisely,

even when the power in question is that of my own

perception of my self.

My inner monolouge used to put me down, critisize my weight and highlight my mistakes 24-7.

I have taken the power over my inner monolouge,

and now the record that is playing in my head says:

Yes, you can.

Don`t worry.

It turns out my inner monolouge is right,

be it facing the challenges in my life, laughing at my own jokes, asking you to be my friends

or wearing any prints I damned well please.

Can you relate?

The outfit:

Leopard dress by H&M that I have reworked (and is the dress I feel the best about my body in LOL, pretty incredible seing as how it is anything but discreet)

Bolero/jacket that I cut from a dress by Gina Tricot that only fit nicely over one buttock at a time before I

used the top of it for a few dresses until this morning when I got my scissors out

Scarf is a dress that I forget where I got that I now am resewing

The shoes are untouched by my hands LOL

The bracelet I sewed from a sequin scarf

Tell me, what record do you have your inner monolouge playing?

xxx Anika

To be cast into a mixmatch of the most perplexing prints and emerge victorious - in fashion and in life

Hi Sweethearts!

The beautiful bloggerista of The Merry Traveller paid me the most wonderful compliment

on my previous post, she had me laughing out loud when I read this:

"You my dear can be cast in a mix match of the

most perplexing prints and emerge a victorious and gorgeous being! Kudos!"

Looking at this outfit that I wore a few days ago I see that she does has a point about

the perplexing prints! LOL 

You know me, I am such a thinker with a sensitive heart,

always observing and pondering the big and small things of life.

It struck me that her comment also applies the human experience. 

Surviving, getting by, living, redefining, overcoming, growing, really feeling,

really being present in our lives.  

My own growth is mirrored in my fashion.

For most of my life I have battled depression and anxeity beacuse of things that happened to me

growing up. For over twenty years I was so deeply ashamed of my self,

wanting to remove my self all together,

believing that I was a burden to others, that just looking at me discusted others.

I cloaked my self in black skirts that dragged on the ground, wore clothes that hid my body,

walking around grieving my uglyness and shortcomings inside and out.

I still have those thoughts sometimes, but as you know,

this is not what is prominent about me these days.

I have fought long and hard, still am, to get to a state of

self love,

self acceptance,

dignity.

I am emerging, I am done apologizing for being me, I am celebrating my self with my fashion

 - colours, prints, figurehugging dresses and all.

I am a self worth activist, fiercly standing up for all of our right to define ourselves by own standards,

both in my professional life and blogger-life. 

I was cast into a perplexing mix of obstacles, and I am emerging victoriosly.

Didn`t think I would see this day.

The outfit:

I designed the dress my self. Remeber the snake dress? I combined the top with a

belt taken from a miniskirt (H&M) that I wear as a scarf, but that is growing smaller in size lol.

I layered the dress with my olive leopard number (H&M and reworked by me), a tribal print scarf (Zara),

feather, ring and hairband (H&M) and leopard booties (Nilson).

Sweethearts,

I want to thank you each and every one for reading my blog, for commenting,

for becoming my friends.

You are impacting my life in a tangible and beautiful way.

I love you.

xxx Anika

Dressing up for the moments that really matter

Hi Sweethearts!

This weekend I sewed four dresses LOL.

This is me at work today in one of them.

I love dressing up,

each and every day.

For me, dressing up is about taking care of my self,

about respecting my self, and about trying to be present

and make the most of all of these moments

that pass by so fleetingly,

all of the small moments that in total are my

life.

They matter, you know. Each one of those moments.

We might as well make the most of them, no?

The dress I made from a top that I wear backwards, and fabric left over from two other dresses.

I love the combination of the colours, and I love the sound of the silky dress

swooshing as I sway my curves walking LOL

(might as well put these not-so-understated-hips to good use, cause I

sure can`t seem to get rid of them HAHAHHA)

(I haven`t really tried very hard to minimize them, in all honesty.)

(In fact I have cultivated them, shall we say,

by keeping my sneakers nicely wrapped in their box and enjoying

a generous banana split every now and often hahahhaha.

Remember, it`s all about making the most of those moments that add to my figure too ;D )

Tell me, do you save dressing up for the special days,

or do you make every day special?

xxx Anika

Speaking of exiting moments, on February 5th I`ll be in London, enjoying the fab company of

some wonderful bloggers, thanks to Lauren of Pocket Rocket who is organizing a blogger meet-up!

Want to come meet me?

<3

Go to the facebook-page for the event for more details.

Eccentric layering / bonkers look. It is a fine line

Hi Sweethearts!

After reading your lovely comments, where several of you commented that only I could pull of a look like the one with the studded winter-jacket, it got me thinking:

Chic or crazy.

It`s a fine line, you know! :D

I have to say I am not always sure I am on the chic side of that line, and I have certainly had those

OMG-why didn`t someone put me in stable siderest as soon as I walked out the door in THAT outfit-moments,

but the truth of it is, I don`t care.

Chic, sure! Crazy, I`ll take that too. LOL

I don`t go out of my way to dress bonkers, it just happens. That is me being me (you can read that any way you like LOL). I don`t dress up to get noticed either, I dress up for my own pleasure of it.

And also, I only own dresses, and am therefore always overdressed.

It is more fun this way, and if all else fails I am betting on my charm to get me through. Hahahhahahah :D

The outfit:

Dress, my design

Bolero, cut from a dress from H&M (I loved my other one so much I couldn`t touch it, so had to buy a second dress to make this bolero. The rest is a scarf, for now :D)

Scarf, dress used as scarf (It was a maxidress that I reworked from H&M)

Leopard bonnet and big purple ring, H&M

Watch, Ice

Leopard booties, Nilson

Tell me, do you ever flirt with crazy-chic?

xxx Anika¨

I only do practical if it is cute. Impractically.

Hi sweethearts!

It is freezing here in the beautiful land of Norway,

but you know me, I still need my studs and prints :)

I can`t honestly say that I am a practical dresser.

I do realize that this might seem surprising to some of you LOL

This is one of my ok-fine-it-is-bloody-cold-and-clearly-I-am-not-that-well-insulated-but-I-don`t-want-to-wear-something-boring-and-not-feel-like-me-when-braving-the-freakin-horizontal-storms-compromises.

I used to think I couldn`t wear tweed with pattern (I`ve had all sorts of funny ideas) but when I found this one (that FIT!!! hahhah) I thought screw that, let me use another one of my funny ideas and add studs from a bag to it. Logical, no?

                    Jacket, gloves, miniskirt come scarf and rosy bag, H&M. I love mixing textures!

Tell me, how do you translate your style into a practical look for winter?

Thank you all so much for your comments, I am answering you at your own lovely blogs :)

xxx Anika

In full bloom - front to back

Hi Sweethearts!

You know how some dresses make you feel va va voooooom?

This is one of those dresses for me.

(va va VOOM baby! LOL)

Thinking back to all those years I walked around feeling fat, ugly and crap makes

my joy of now being able to love my self and enjoy dressing up every day even stronger.

It`s not so much my body that has changed, it is my perspective on my self.

Every time I have a negative thought about my self I let it go and replace it with a supportive one.

Such hard work, totally worth it.

So here I am in all my glory (oh dear), in full bloom as it were.

The outfit:

Dress (Indiska) that I have reworked by wearing it with the back as the front. I wanted the rough detail of the zipper to show, and also I simply can`t zip it up HAHAHAH.

I added the belt from a miniskirt that I wear as a scarf. 

The scarf (H6M) is another miniskirt (of course :D). I love the golden snake fabric.

Owl earrings (Gina Tricot)

Huge purple ring (H&M)

Watch (Ice)

Leopard booties (Nilson)

Double chin (Ben & Jerrys LOL)

Thank you each and every one for your wonderful comments.

I take them all to heart and love surfing over to your lovely blogs. <3

xxx Anika

Ps. I am considering changing the commenting system to Disqus because it is very important to me to be able to answer each of your comments directly. Tell me, which system do you prefer?

Sequin tie/ Humble pie

Hi Sweethearts!

Let me say how much I appreciate you guys! Reading your comments I feel warm at heart,

like hearing from friends :) you mean so much to me! Let`s all meet! Oslo might surprise you ;D

<3

You know, I don`t always have something new to show you, and seing as how I don`t have a big bugdet I don`t have all kinds of fancy shoes or a huge wardrobe, but I figure if you want to

take a look you are welcome :).

This blogging-business is so much fun, but I do feel shy about it too,

questioning if I really have something to offer. Do you ever feel like that?

A bit of humble pie is a good thing, especially mixed with a bit of spunk.

And I do have spunk! LOL

Anyways, today I wore a favourite ensemble, mixed with a sequined scarf worn as a tie.

The outfit:

Dress, my design (made from a scarf)

Bolero, my design (made from a scarf)

Sequin scarf, have no idea where I got it

Booties, Nilson

Ring, Lindex

Bangle, H&M

Kisses and hugs all around!

xxx Anika

Working girl

Hi Sweethearts!

The summer is coming to an end and I am back to work.

This is my take on the professional look today.

Need councelling? Step into my office! LOL

The outfit:

Dress, my design (made from a scarf from Indiska)

Ruffled vest, H&M (I added the spotty waistband)

Sandals, DNA

Ring, Lindex

Earrings, Accessorize

Glasses, H&M

Bag, Accessorize

Tell me, how do you bring you style into a professional look?

xxx Anika