I'm Back in The (Blogging) Saddle Agaaain with a Year in Instagram!

It's been a year since my last blog post. An ENTIRE year. I just... I can't understand where this year has disappeared to?! It literally feels like yesterday that I was graduating from teacher training and preparing to enjoy a well deserved six weeks' holiday before starting my NQT year, and now? Well, now I have successfully completed my NQT year and I am about to embark on my return to education... 

So, what has been happening this past year as I have taken a sabbatical from the blogging world? A deluge of events - and not all good, which is why I stepped back from the blogsphere. 2013/2014, so far, has definitely had its' rough stretches - I've suffered loss and faced a lot of challenges, some that I am still struggling on with but I am hopeful that it will be more positive from now on. Saying this, 2013/2014 has had its' positives times too - and that's what my comeback post is going to focus on, through the eyes of Instagram, the better times of 2013/2014 (so far) with a fashion focus... 

September 2013 - Darker hair returns

Chilling with Sully in support of Monsters University

Some of my new 'must-have' products - Macademia Oil, Elemis Quiet Mind Serum; a day in sunny London; Jazz Age Pearl & Onyx Ring from Tiffanys and Co.

 My travelling outfit for a week in Nice/Monte Carlo - Oct 2013

 My first Parents' Evening alone... It required a tweed blazer.

A small selection of my outfits from 2013 - very much taking inspiration from Blair Waldorf. Outfits come from: Dorothy Perkins; Next; Forever 21; H&M; New Look; Accessorize; Red Herring; Sugarhill Boutique; Yumi.

 Return to red hair in Winter 2013.

Still with this guy - Christmas 2013

 Feeling like a Disney Princess with a wand at Disney on Ice

 Chinese New Year in London 2014

 Ombre Hair in 2014

 Making the marvellous discovery of Pinkberry with besties.

 Trying to survive preparing students for AS Exams!

 My terrified face at taking 26 students on a trip!

 Heading back to blonde for the summer and being with my favourite man.

 Some more outfits of 2014 - including some workout wear! The workouts did not last...

 Achieved one of my goals of having eyeliner look equally good on both sides - little victories people, little victories.

Celebrating our five year anniversary in Bath

 My most recent selfie - blonde hair is back! July 2014

 Flowers from my students as a leaving present - July 2014

And that's where we are now... I am finishing off my last week in my current position as a Tutor of History at a sixth form and it is certainly an emotional one having to say bye to the students and staff who I have bonded with over this year. I am preparing for an action packed summer before returning to university to complete an MA... It's all kicking off and I am going to be blogging about it all - so stay tuned, because Stephie in Wonderland is back!

... And it's good to be back. 

Love, 

Stephie x

Follow me on: Instagram (disney_stephie); Pinterest (disneystephie)

The Work Week's Outfits in Instagram #3

For this evening's weekly sum up of work outfits, I have tried to be fancy with the old phone and put them into a photo grid with an app. It looks quite good, but that is on a small-ish screen so if the pictures are not as clear as previous posts I'm sorry!

1) Skirt: New Look, Top: New Look, Shrug: New Look, Pumps: H! by Henry Holland. 2) Dress: H&M, Shrug: H&M. 3) Dress: ASOS, Cardigan: New Look. 4) Tunic: Dorothy Perkins, Leggings: New Look, Cardigan: H&M. 5) Dress: Red Herring.

It has been a real mix for me this week wardrobe wise, especially with bringing out all of my summer storage! I'm still too cautious to bring it all down and pack up the winter wardrobe, but have now made it slightly more accessible so that when the boyfriend isn't here I can actually reach it! The pictures are a little backwards as the week's outfits start with '5' then go to '1' as the week warmed up. I opted for a mix of skirts, dresses and even leggings which I haven't donned in a long while and tried out my new Dorothy Perkins tunic that I got on eBay.

I think, for me, the favourite outfit this work week has been a tie between the broderie anglaise nautical skirt look and the ribbon dress from H&M, both quite summery dresses that really brighten up my work wardrobe! For me, white is something that makes up quite a lot of my summer wardrobe and therefore I just associate it with sunshine/happiness! 

I'm hoping the hot weather stays and I don't have to go back to the winter wardrobe again this week, booohooo! 

Do you have any dedicated summer colours or outfits?

Love,

The Work Week's Oufits in Instagram #2

So this week's work outfits actually made a little change through the seasons - the week started with a Spring/Summer outfit with the promise of sunshine, then mid-week it was the return to a Winter favourite, and ended with a mix between the two seasons! It really is the epitomy of what British weather is - the tease of Spring, but the reality of a constant Autumn/Winter! 

1) Dress: Red Herring, Cardigan: New Look. 2) Jumper: New Look, Skirt: New Look. 3) Top: New Look, Skirt: New Look, Cardigan: Dorothy Perkins. 4) Dress: Next, Belt: New Look, Cardigan: H&M. 5) Friday's Frock: Vero Moda, Cardigan: H&M, Belt: New Look.

I actually switched it up a bit this week with ditching the dresses all week and going for a couple of skirt based outfits - watch out at me being adventurous! I've got quite the urge to pick up some skirts and tops at the moment as I feel this could really widen my wardrobe from just dresses, and if I could find the right sort of trousers, even get a couple of those. The skirt outfits I did this week both had their own period theme - the tennis style 1920s polka dot skirt & stripe jumper, and the 1950s full patterned skirt with petticoat.

Thursday I had an interview and so my favourite shift-suit dress from Next came out to play with a wide belt and casual cardigan (I found blazers to uncomfortable to move around in...). I love this dress from Next, I got it when I first started looking for jobs after university and just thought it fitted my style whilst being incredibly smart. It was a well worth buy at £45. 

Have to say though, this switching between Spring & Winter wardrobe is not good for space! Normally I would have switched my wardrobes over by this point, but each time I go to it begins raining again. When will Summer just come to stay?!

How do you dress for work? Are you a dress/skirt or trouser person?

Love,

Bow Ties & Flowers - Wednesday's Outfit

Hello lovelies! 

I am thinking that I might seriously have a bit of a shopaholic problem, with no room in my wardrobe for new items and the debit card crying every time I take it out of my purse, I still can't seem to stop buying a sneaky item here and there. Do you have this problem too? 

Well, with this problem in full swing during the half term break and sales popping up all over the place I then made the fatal mistake of taking a trip to Westfields in Stratford... Like that is the place to go for an addict! And that's where I found the cutest & softest cardigan known to man from Hollister... For £13.90! 

If only I could detatch this tie and add it to other dresses too!

I took it as a sign that it had to be bought when there was only one and it was in my size - it has a lace flower, a lace bow, and had gone down from £66 to £13.90. So, I fed into my addiction and bought it... Was that bad of me? Or was it fate telling me that it had to be bought? 

I paired this little beauty with my polka dot bow tie & peter pan collar dress & matching polka dot pumps:

Dress: Red Herring

Cardigan: Hollister

Shoes: New Look

I am thinking this is my new favourite cardigan, and being cream will be perfect for spring/summer dresses!

Do you like Hollister/Abercrombie products? 

p.s. my eBay items are finishing in just over a day, so if you want to have a peek just click here.

Love,