Frump to Fab 2024

Makingabobor2

I gave up caffeine years ago when I was diagnosed with a heart problem and the dr said caffeine was no good for it. I also found that it helped my IBS a bit, so its good to give up for lots of reasons. 

twopenny

Hope to join in later. Love the idea of this thread.
 I have both tips from the days when i used to like myself and maybe some support from all your ideas to get myself that way again.

You'll have some fun getting into my current problems    but I'm hopefully off for a swim if the site hasn't been flooded then out this evening.
Exercise, apparently, the calories keep burning half an hour after you finish. 
Now that's an incentive if ever I heard one. As long as your not laying on the settee replacing them!

FlacosFloozie

I went for a haircut today and have had a bit of a change in style. I've gradually being going shorter since peri started my hair thinning. Think it's getting to where I want it to be now and certainly looks in better condition. Stay fab everyone!

2Scratters

It was a shock to find out there is more caffeine in tea than coffee.
My guilty pleasure is a morning cup of proper coffee made in the coffee machine. (This was an MSE purchase during covid as money had not been spent) and all 3 mantra questions were answered honestly. We couldn't afford to replace it now though 

Have a lovely weekend

2 Scratters xx

helensbiggestfan

Good morning lovely ladies.  

Beautiful day here.  Have been for a walk and it felt really warm.  One of those days when it feels good to be alive,  

Scratters I think caffeine content depends on several variables, what type of coffee and tea, size of cup etc.  Anyway I am now down to two cups of coffee per day, made with half decaf/and half regular and two regular teas.. I make it in a cafetière. Maybe not as good as a fancy coffee maker like my son has but it makes a pretty nice brew.  I have also made a determined effort to up my water intake. Still getting some headaches but not as ferocious.  Still no sugar so I think that's now an established habit.  

Good news today.  My car passed its MOT.  Wahoo. 😁.  I do still need to change it (she's 17 years old, bless her) but at least there's no mad panic. And of course it will be easier to sell with a decent length of MOT.  I've given my mechanic a budget and asked him to look for a replacement. 

Twopenny Welcome.  Hope you "start to like yourself again" soon.😉   I do think that making that little bit of effort with our appearance can work wonders for our self esteem and makes us feel a whole lot better.  And life just looks better when we feel better.  I call it the "the virtuous circle". Lol.  When we look good, we feel good and vice versa.  Same with my home.  When it looks a cluttered mess it drags me down.  So this month it's all about elevating my home as well as my style. 

Today I am going to tackle my wardrobe. Reorganise the drawers, dust the shelves etc, decluttering as I go.  I doubt I shall complete the task in one day, so will just tackle one section at a time.  I'm afraid I find the Marie Kondo way of decluttering eg emptying everything out a bit overwhelming so this time I'm just doing it in small chunks.  

Right off we go.......have a lovely weekend. 💕

sukeyboo

Not feeling very fab today as I have been cleaning the oven - I don’t enjoy that job one bit 😱.

Planning a nice soak in the bath later and then maybe paint my nails - they will need a bit of pampering after the oven cleaning - I did wear rubber gloves but it still makes my hands feel a bit yuk!

Good news on your car passing the MOT @helensbiggestfan 👏👏👏 - I did a big wardrobe sort out towards the end of last year so hopefully am all set up for a while - don’t need to buy any more winter clothes but may need to update my wardrobe a bit in the Spring.

helensbiggestfan

Good Morning Fabbers.  

How are we all doing.  

Sukey.....cleaning the oven is my least favourite job too, that and windows,  I pay a window cleaner for the outside but that still leaves the inside.  

This last couple of days I have been deep cleaning the house, decluttering as I go.  Aiming to be all spick and span by the end of January.

Caffeine reduction going well, and it's definitely improving my sleep. Last night I slept for 8 hours. Aiming to be caffeine free by the end of January.  

Fab wise. Can't quite decide what to do with my hair.  Trying to grow it but it's baby fine and quite whispy.  It's just at that straggly in between stage and trying to style it and make it look half decent is a right pain.  I need to at least get it trimmed and tidied up even if I do want to grow it.  Maybe next week.  

Today I am going to give myself a facial. My skin feels rather dry, the combination of cold winds and central heating.  

Decluttered some knitwear, still want to get rid of some more sweaters that are looking a bit past their sell by date but it's so cold I'm hanging on for now,  

As I went through my wardrobe I realised it was all a bit haphazard and I have decided I need to be a bit more focussed with any new purchases, rather than casually just buying clothes at random. I am not aiming for a capsule wardrobe as such but I do need to be a bit more organised with my clothes shopping so as I declutter I am making a list of items I need to fill in the gaps, rather than just adding willy nilly. Well that's my goal.  

Fewer clothes but better clothes, with items that all co-ordinate and mix and match rather than my usual scattergun approach.  😂🤣

artistlifestyle

Hello all. You’re doing well @helensbiggestfan, I’ve been caffeine free a long time. Red Bush Tea is my fav, although when out de caf or peppermint suffice. The bedtime tea from Yorkshire Tea is nice too, although I drink it in the day time. Occasionally I have real tea in the morning if out and there’s nothing else, and I don’t notice any difference so long as it’s in the morning. 
Recently tried line dancing, hilarious, and a new local venture. Very, very popular, almost all of us beginners and a good way to add cardio and leg strength to daily living. See how it goes. Found the same dances on you tube for practice. Upping my exercise is one of this year’s intentions. 

Just before the family came in December I shoved all the outstanding piles and clutter into a box and laundry basket in my bedroom… today’s job is starting to sort it out. Tomorrow I’ll start on outstanding admin. Always a struggle for me but must be done. Am treating it like work and scheduling specific tasks in my diary on my non work week days to get it done as soon as I can so I can go back to creativity. This also gives me some accountability with myself. Eventually the winding up of previous self employment will be done, thankfully it’s only to do once. 

My free weekends I’m trying to keep free for other things: going out or away and sometimes regular chores, as I do still work some weekends, but I also have some free now, and after many years that’s new to me. On Sunday I went to the matinee at the cinema, and got home just before dark. It was fun. 
I've been thinking about my hair too. Why are we never happy with the hair we have? Mine is very straight and fine, going grey naturally. Toyed with idea of going back to shorter with layers, but actually prefer not having hair on my face eg fringe. So likely stay the same, maybe it’s just time for a trim. 

Repeating a bit of the sorting and decluttering done early last year. Had a few clothes and shoes to sell on Vinted but they’re now on their way to the charity shop, I do sell things on marketplace from time to time. I give my self a time limit, and if not sold I take to local charity shops. 

Currently saving up for replacement phone as mine is 6 y old. The thread where I asked about new/reconditioned was quite enthusiastic about the latter. I’m still thinking on it and it’ll take a while to save up. 

Have a good week dear Frump to Fabs. 

2Scratters

I have dug out some clothes from the wardrobe I'd not worn for a while. They are absolutely fine to wear. I have some garments too that are fantasy me and do fit so they will be worn in due course. Working my way through bits of makeup and toiletries. Just read on MSE that Boots will recycle lipstick, shadow platters and something else makeup related (you need 5 items) and will be rewarded with 500 Boots points to spend £5 off a £35 (I think) spend. 
Small spaces are starting to increase as more items are used up or decluttered. I have a drawer and tend from time to time I will sit and look at it and see if there is anything else in there that needs working on one way or another. A small win is a win. 
I brought down from the loft a long lovely wool/cashmere/angora mix coat yesterday ( I have a bit of a penchant about coats) that I haven't worn for a while. Its back in circulation for a while now. 

Have a good week

2 Scratters xx

helensbiggestfan

Good morning lovely ladies.  

Artisteslifestyle.  Sounds like you are well on track on your journey out of frumpdom.  I too am starting to think about holidays, outings and little trips away. Just want to lose some weight first and get fitter so that I can have more energy to enjoy them.  Where do you fancy.  

Each year I try to think of a word or phrase to guide my efforts in achieving my goals.  I have been wrestling a bit this year trying to find the right one.  

For a number of reasons I have never felt really "feminine".....upbringing, being born with a birthmark and generally being a bit of a plain Jane, especially when I was continually compared to my prettier cousins and found wanting.  Not the greatest of ego boosters ......lol. So I just never felt particularly feminine or pretty and never dressed or behaved in a "girly" sort of way.

Over the years i have learned a few tricks to compensate for my plainness, eg using make up to cover the birthmark (no need now since it's removal) and learning how to dress for my height, body shape and colouring. So, although when I was young and in my prime,  I could never be accused of being pretty I think I was attractive enough to pass muster.  And, like a lot of plain people, my looks did seem to improve as I got older.  

Like a fine wine I aged well.  😂🤣. 

Anyway I was toying with the idea the word feminine but I don't think it's really "me" somehow.  It doesn't sit right.  But I think I have now found the right word.......thanks to a charity shopping trip today.  That word is "exotic". 

I knew I wanted to be a little more glamorous, chic and elegant but none of those words quite hit the mark and then today I found pieces for my wardrobe which just somehow hit the spot and which gave me a direction for my gradually evolving image change.  

The first is a beautiful dark green velvet evening coat, trimmed with black fur and with ornate black frogging fasteners......very Dr Zhivago for those who can remember the fashions from that film. £15 and in pristine condition, I doubt it has been worn worn more than a couple of times.   I tried it on and the shop lady just said "Wow".  The second item is a black silk embroidered changsom style evening dress, brand new, tags attached and just £2.50.  I love both items to bits. 

It struck me that both purchases could be described as exotic.   Some of my other recent purchases could also be described the same way too......a cashmere coat trimmed with faux fur, a sequinned evening jacket, a leopard print faux fur coat and a couple of maxi skirts, one black velvet trimmed with lace (very goth lol) and one navy and gold pleated silk.  I definitely think there's a theme at work there.  I think my subconscious has been quietly screaming for more glamour and is now guiding me in my choice of new clothes.  Oddly enough my DIL bought me some very glamorous costume jewellery for Christmas.  She obviously thinks it's "me". 

I would never have had the confidence to wear such attention grabbing outfits until now, I have always dressed very conservatively and discreetly.    I can't help but wonder if it's the prospect of finally getting my teeth sorted and being able to smile without a sense of shame or embarrassment that is giving me this new found confidence and spirit of adventure.  

Whatever.....I'll take it.  💃