Monday 30 March 2015

What's On My Bedside Table?

Today I'm going to do something a little bit different, and give you a little peek at what I keep on and in my bedside table.

This is the bedside table on the right hand side of my bed. Both sides of the bed are my own, (yep, I'm single), so I have full reign over the decor, and can be as girlie as I like. So, of course, I've gone to town with colour, polka dots, and bold prints- I dress my home the way I dress myself! Ha ha!

I use this side of the bed most often, and it's laden with books and essentials.

I love my Cath-Kidston-style bedside lamps. I bought them on sale from Dunelm a year or two ago for about a tenner each, and they were a brilliant little buy. They go perfectly in my room, especially with the matching bedding.


On the table are two red polka dot magazine holders filled with books. If I'm bored, I'll pluck one of the creative books at random and complete a new list or creative writing task. I've always enjoyed creative writing, and writing lists, so I'm a little bit obsessed with the 'Things To Write' and 'Listography' books. If you enjoy either hobby, you need to check these books out! 


Hidden in the blue floral case is my Kindle. I couldn't live without this thing! I like to read from him every day.


I don't often have a lot of beauty products on my bedside table, as my dressing table is close to my bed, but you'll usually find a few sitting on top. At the moment there is a Nivea Essential Care lip balm, Neal's Yard Bee Lovely hand cream, a coconut Body Shop hand cleanse gel (used recently when I had a bad cold), and the Kiko nail polish from my last manicure. It's my new favourite.

I've had the clock for over a decade, from the days when my room was painted lilac, and I had no taste. Metal decor really isn't my thing. I keep meaning to replace it with something more my style, but I've still not found one I like enough to buy.


I've had this Eeyore coaster for years, too. Gotta have somewhere to park my drink.

Here's a little peek at what I keep in the drawers...


There's nothing naughty hidden away in my drawers; the contents are actually really boring. The top drawer is my medicine drawer, where I keep my medication (painkillers for my back and spinal pain). I have to take my meds four times a day, so I need it all nearby. There are also non-prescription medicines, like ibuprofen and aspirin in the drawer, some balms for sciatica pain, heat patches, plasters; bandages, Yankee candles, matches, cough sweets, a light bulb, a couple of biros, a pack of note cards, drinking straws, and my current and old mobile phones. Believe it or not, this drawer is usually much fuller!

The middle drawer is basically filled with chargers and USB cords for all my gadgets- my iPod, Kindle, cameras, and mobiles. It's also where I keep my travel accessories like passport covers, luggage tags, travel document folders, a hand-held fan, and ear phones. 


And in the bottom drawer there are a few notebooks, note cards, and books of sticky notes. (This is only a small percentage of the notebooks and writing sets that I own). The Paperchase seahorse notebook is my favourite; the cover is so pretty. This drawer is also home to a few random things, including an eye mask, a fabric fan, 3D glasses from trips to the cinema, and a tape measure.


I also have a make-shift night stand on the other side of my bed. I can't fit a cabinet here, so I've stacked up a few pretty suitcases, and balanced a lamp and a few books on top, and it works just as well.

And, finally, these are the books that are stacked on the suitcases. My diary, a notebook, a cloth bound copy of Alice in Wonderland with the most amazing flamingo print cover, and a hard back copy of Stephen King's Revival.

What do you keep on your bedside table?

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Sunday 29 March 2015

Sunday Favourites #127


Who's up for some Sunday Favourites?



These happy kitties.



This peacock tattoo is lovely.


[Source]

Armadillos! 


[Source]

Don't measure a woman's worth by her clothes. No other words needed.


This look is gorgeous.



Loving this colour scheme.


A dachshund playing cops and robbers with another little sausage. Click through and you'll see a video of them in action.



Can you believe these detailed and almost life-like sculptures are hand carved from wood?! Amazing.




These macarons look amazing!



I love this pretty manicure.




Always remember that you are absolutely unique... just like everyone else.



I'm loving this decor and colour-scheme- especially the yellow scalloped shelving.



These macro shots of insects are both incredible and creepy.




Possum family!



Werewolf cats!



I love this tattoo.



This is so beautiful.


Lovely Links

 Kaylah wrote a brilliant and insightful post about why blogging (full time) is a real job.

 Becky wrote a helpful post on how to create an effective media kit.

 I want to visit Gods Own Junkyard after reading Danielle Vanier's post about her visit.

 I was fascinated by One Bunting Away's post on opening drawers.


♥ This comic strip about only having so many hands is really cute.

 Somebody out there has a giant t-rex statue in their front garden, and they even dress it up in outfits.


 Adult colouring books are taking the world by storm.

 21 tattooed seniors reveal what tattoos look like on older bodies, and I think they look amazing!

Thanks for reading!
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Wednesday 25 March 2015

Polka Spots and Freckle Dots Turns Three!


Three years ago today, I started a little blog called Polka Spots and Freckle Dots and nervously sent my first outfit post in to the void. I never imagined that three years later I would still be blogging in this little corner of the Internet; I guess a part of me thought I'd lose interest within a few weeks, posting less and less until I got bored and moved on to the next bright idea, like I often did.

Yet, this time, I didn't.

I'm still here.

By some miracle, I've continued to blog regularly for three whole years. And you know what? I'm so very glad I did.


When I published that first post, I never could have imagined the impact this blog and the wonderful world of blogging would have on my life; not for a second. It may sound cheesy, but I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through the last three years without it. It's been a real life line to me during three of the most difficult years I've ever had to face.

It's kept me occupied during the long hours I've been bed ridden, and it's given me something to do and aim for every day. There's always something to write, photograph, edit, promote, tweak, or reply to, so even though I've been house bound, I've rarely been bored since I began this blog!

It's offered a distraction from the pain when it's been raging, and during the moments I've struggled to deal with losing almost everything from my old life; all those things that made me who I was; even those little things I took for granted, like my freedom and independence.

It provided me with somewhere to go after so many appointments with doctors and physiotherapists left me frustrated, disheartened, and upset. It gave me a place to vent my emotions or just throw myself in to to shut those bad experiences out.

It may sound weird, but it's even given me a place where I feel less alone and less isolated, even though I am often alone, and almost everyone has stopped calling. You lovely guys make me feel so welcome, and I'm so thankful for the friendships I've made through blogging!

Polka Spots hasn't just helped me to deal with my health and the impact it has had on my life; it's done all that and so much more.

My self confidence and body-confidence have both improved enormously since I wrote that first post. I'd be lying if I said I was completely body confident, but I've come a very long way in the last three years.


Rewind a few months more, and you'd see a girl with pretty much no body-confidence or self-confidence. I was the girl who hid from cameras, untagged herself from photos, and cut the tags out of her clothes. I was the girl who didn't have the confidence to wear tights or leggings in public, so wore jeans under dresses instead. I'd spent twenty-six years hating every last thing about my body. I was self-conscious and embarrassed of my body from a very young age, and truly believed I was hideous. I don't think my painful shyness helped. I was so shy, I did everything I could not to draw attention to myself, and in the end, I just ended up shying away from life. It wasn't until I was twenty-four or twenty-five that I was beginning to come out of my shell. Then the spinal pain began in September 2011. I discovered body positivity and plus size fashion blogs on Tumblr soon after, and they helped me to see myself in a new light. It was as if a light had been turned on. I began to feel comfortable with who I was, my body confidence started rising, and it's those blogs that inspired me to start Polka Spots and Freckle Dots. They inspired me to share my personal style, and to start my journey down the road to body positivity, and the rest as they say, is history.

I could never have imagined how far I would come in the next three years. I can barely recognise myself sometimes. I never thought I'd be a person who voluntarily shared her outfits (and her face) on the Internet, and actually enjoyed doing so! It's you guys, my lovely readers, that have given me the confidence to keep sharing them. You guys have helped me along the road to self-acceptance, and that's something I'll always be grateful for. I'm further along the road to body confidence than I've ever been before, and though I'm not one hundred percent body confident yet, I have learned to accept myself for who I am. And that's something I never thought I'd be able to say! I never thought I'd learn to be comfortable in my own skin. That's the power of blogging!

Moving away from health, body, and mind, I think my blog has come a long way over the last three years, too. I think the quality of my posts has improved since day one. I try to write posts I think you'll enjoy, and I'm always striving to improve everything; that's the perfectionist in me! Blogging has helped me improve my photography, editing, writing, and computer skills, and definitely broadened my horizons.


I've been so lucky to have had some amazing opportunities over the last three years, and have worked with some fantastic brands. I'm not a famous blogger, I don't have a million followers, but I'm grateful for every opportunity I've had, and love where this blog has taken me. I've been able to share the things I love, the experiences I've had, and the things I know, with the most amazing readers and blog friends. I.e. you! I appreciate every last one of you for reading and commenting on my posts! It's you guys who make me want to keep blogging.

And I don't plan on giving up any time soon!

I want to keep blogging. I want to keep sharing my outfits, my experiences, and the products I love. I want to keep sharing the photos I've taken, and the thoughts in my head. And I intend to keep going! I've had so much fun blogging these past three years, and I can't wait to see where the next three years take me!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting Polka Spots and Freckle Dots and I over the past three years! I appreciate your support and love more than you'll ever know!

What would you like to see more of on the blog in the future? What posts do you enjoy best?

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Wednesday Wish List: 50 Lindy Bop Dresses

This week I've mostly been lusting after dozens of Lindy Bop dresses. (Nothing new there, then! Ha ha!) So, I'm dedicating this week's wish list entirely to the brand, and have picked out fifty of my current favourites to share with you. 


1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

The colours of all of these dresses are stunning, and so are the prints. One of each, please!


11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20

Dresses 14, 18, and 19 are three of my absolute faves.


21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26 // 27 // 28 // 29 // 30

Yes, I do need all nine of these navy polka dot dresses... And a plaid one for luck.


31 // 32 // 33 // 34 // 35 // 36 // 37 // 38 // 39 // 40

These frocks prove black doesn't have to be boring. They're all so beautiful.

Wouldn't dress 31 make the perfect bowling dress? Not for practicality; but just because it has that "fifties bowlarama" look. 


41 // 42 // 43 // 44 // 45 // 46 // 47 // 48 // 49 // 50

And the last ten are a real mix of colours and patterns. I want need 48 and 49 so badly!

I could have easily added 150 more dresses to this wish list, but I think I'll stop at 50 to appear less crazy! Is it working? Probably not!

I can't help it! 

Lindy Bop have become one of my favourite brands over the last year, and I'm definitely hooked on their beautiful vintage reproduction clothes. They make the most amazing dresses, in a variety of gorgeous styles, colours, and prints, and the best part is that they're all so affordable. Most (if not all) of these dresses retail between £29.99 and £34.99! You'd think for that price band the quality would be awful, but the fabrics and the craftsmanship are actually high quality. I have five LB dresses so far and I can't fault any of them! They're so beautifully made.

They're a great brand to try if you want to dip your toe in to rockabilly or mid century style without spending a fortune. And the good news is, they're cater to a decent range of sizes- UK sizes 8-26! Fantastic, right? Hopefully one day they'll extend their sizes even further.

Are you a fan of Lindy Bop? Which are your favourites from these fifty?

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