Polka Dot Dresses For The Party Season!

Vero Moda Polka Dot Empire Dress
ASOS - £28

Christmas is only round the corner, so it's time to get some brand new polka dots! Although, if I'm honest, I don't need an excuse to increase my polka dottage - but of course that's not going to prevent me from being tempted to buy a couple of new dresses. It certainly didn't take long for my class to realise my polka dots obsession... a matter of minutes I think! Here are a few lovely dresses that I have found to get you started on your party season dress search!

Lace collared polka dot dress

Dorothy Perkins - £25

Polka dot lace dress
Alice By Temperly - £425

Tulip polka dot dress
ASOS - £45

Black and white polka dot dress
Paul Costelloe £59

A Break in the Blogging Silence - Polka Dot Dresses!

Some of you may have noticed a distinct lack of posts from my blog of late... I've started my NQT year, we've had a visitation from Ofsted, I've moved house and renovated and decorated it, so it has been slightly action-packed in the All About Abbie household! As a bit of a treat to myself for getting through the past few weeks in one piece (just about!) I decided I would treat myself to something a) pretty, and - most imporantly - b) polka dot! So I have been scouring the web for some delightful dotty dresses to share with you all! Enjoy!

Polka Dot Sailor Dress - H! By Henry Holland at Debenhams
£30.40

I think this is my favourite of the dresses I have discovered... and it's in the sale too! Bonus!

Polka Dot Sweetheart Mesh Dress - Dorothy Perkins
£30

Polka Dot Mesh Prom Dress - Peacocks
£20

Polka Dot Navy Sleeveless Dress - Emily and Fin
£65

I promise to blog again at some point in the next few weeks. Hope everyone is good and is continuing to inject polka dots into their lives! What is the best polka dotty item you've bought recently? Send me a tweet or email and I'll feature it in my next post!

Clothes Shopping for The Gambia!

I cannot believe how quickly time is flying at the moment. It really is quite terrifying! I'm three weeks away from finishing my degree, (potentially) a week and a half away from officially securing my first teaching post and I'm three weeks away from the big trip to The Gambia! For those of you who don't know, I've been fundraising since before Christmas to raise £1000 to go to Bijilo in The Gambia to help improve a school there by painting their resources onto their classroom walls and by teaching some phonics there. It's incredibly exciting and I just know it will be an unforgettable experience! I've almost had all of my essential vaccinations and now I need to get some suitable attire for the occasion: comfortable and cool. It will officially be the nearest to the equator I've ever been and I'm not reknown for my adaptation to extreme heat! Oh dear!

Gambia by abbiehayden featuring keyhole tops

I need some good everyday knee-length shorts so I can keep cool and be comfortable when climbing up ladders and painting classrooms in the hottest part of the day and some plain tops and a cardigan for the colder evenings.

All I've got to do now is stock up on insect repellent, sun cream, dehydration tablets, stomach-upsets remedies and Malaria tablets! Still a lot to get yet! Can anyone recommend some good products for my trip as it's my first visit to Africa!?

Double Dose of Polka Dots - Weddings!

I absolutely love weddings! Everyone has such a great time, all the ladies wear gorgeous dresses and there is yummy food, free wine, and a lot of dancing! This week's double dose of polka dots is dedicated to my friend's lovely summer wedding...

Dose number one: I wore this lovely black and white polka dot dress (from the sale in Dorothy Perkins) teamed with a pink cardigan, some pearls and a white flower in my hair.

Dose number two: Another great thing about weddings is the headwear... There are usually some beautiful hats, head bands and fascinators around. I love this polka dot head band from Ferlies Etsy shop - $14.50 (£9.60).

A Weekend in Dresses... Floral and Vintage

I spent the bank holiday weekend visiting my lovely sister in London, we visited Camden Horse market, the alternative village fete on Southbank and Notting Hill Carnival - blog posts on those fantastic events will follow. But first, here is a weekend in dresses!

My favourite vintage floral dress!

Black rose print dress from New Look.

Black floral dress from Dorothy Perkins.

Floral Tunic from Zara.

Vintage dress from Marhsmallow Mountain.

Floral dress from Blue Inc.

Shopping in Lakeside

I had a day off work an decided to toodle up to Lakeside for a spot of shopping with my younger sister... I had a lovely day and had a scrumptious lunch in Las Iguanas: chicken fajitas and a banoffee pie to share for pudding... it was gorgeous!

But back to the shopping... I didnt buy very many things. I bought this little top from Primark for £4 a nice summery item to add to my wardrobe, and this little brown tea dress. Granny chic is "in" so I'm told, but I just loved it, and only £18 to boot!

£4 top - Primark and £18 dress - Yours

I found an amazing little cardigan in Dorothy Perkins, a short sleeved grey cardigan with pink flamingos on it and fell in love... but to my utter dismay they did not stock my size! So, of course, once I got home from my little Lakeside trip I had to seek it out on the internet, and it is currently on its way to me via royal mail.

£15 Flamingo cardigan - Dorothy Perkins

Overall, a very nice little shopping trip, not a huge amount of stuff (everything I bought fit into the large paper Primark bag) but it was quality not quantity that mattered.