DIVA ( Fashion, life, Music, Photography)

What to be in a video? - Skyeladder - Simply B-eautiful a song celebrating curves and fashion

2012-11-11T04:22:00.001-08:00

So a while ago we wrote a song called Simply B-eautiful, its a song all about celebrating curves and love of fashion. I've added to this song and will be recording additional parts to it this week.

http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/simply-b-eautiful-1

The intention then is to do a video, so if you would like to be a part of this video , leave me a comment and I'll get in touch xx

Copyright
Song Copyrighted to Jane and Paul Britton 2011.

Lyrics
I've been on the road for a long time
Trying to find the right clothes to be mine
Trying to find the clothes that make you go - you know!
I've been out of luck, couldn't find you
I've been looking around with out a clue
But now I've found the clothes that make me Be
Simply Be, Simply Be , Simply B-eautiful.

Links
http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/simply-b-eautiful-1

wwww.skyladder.com ( Band)
http://janie.skyeladder.com/ (modeling)
https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage
http://janiebritton.blogspot.com/ ( Blog, Band, Modeling)

Congratulations Gemma Cruickshank - Miss BBW International 2012

2012-11-11T03:55:00.001-08:00

So its now 11th of November and the event has taken place. The very beautiful Gemma Cruickshank has taken the Miss BBW International 2012 crown.

Well done and enjoy your year xx

Note: Photo copyrighted to Miss BBW International 2012

Look at the size of that crown, its gorgeous as is the lovely Gemma - xx

Congratulations also to all 5 winners 4th Katie-Anne Mumby Cole 3rd Georgina Hawes 2nd runner up Severine Spicer 1st runner up Kimberlea Randall and Gemma Cruikshank was crown Miss BBW International 2012

Miss BBW Website Links
http://www.missbbwinternational.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-BBW-International/217136901669469

Evans at the Trafford Centre "Whats your shape" Event 10/11/2012

2012-11-10T14:27:00.001-08:00

Evans Vintage

So I saw this event on the Evans facebook page, ( Evans at the Trafford Centre "Whats your shape". ) thought mmm not sure that I believe all this shape nonsense. However I figured I would go along and see what it was all about as I had a coat to take back.

Re the Coat.
Surprisingly enough it was the "Evans Black Faux Fur Trim Coat" that a lot of the ladies on the Facebook page loved. I bought the coat because I liked the way it looked on the model. Although not a massive fan of black, I bought it anyway. When I tried it on however, it just hung off me like a sack, shame really!.

I think with a few detailed tucks to fit the waistline a tad, and maybe a detachable collar, with a bit of different color detailing specific areas, given those alterations I think it could have been a good coat.

To be honest, this is the problem, that I often have, unless clothes are bespoke/made especially for me, I do find myself having to vamp things up a bit. I generally have to put a few alterations in here and there - good thing I can sew :0), but I shouldn't have to do this - Should I?.

Anyway back to the event, I was greeted by Carina the lovely lady who commented on my facebook query, and who is also located at the Evans Head Office. She recognized my name and my face which was lovely to be honest, I was quite touched :0).

I filled in a form detailing my contact details and I was pointed to a a lovely young lady who was there, to give me shape advice. So the session started and I was taken into the back to get measured.

Cardinal Sin Number One was committed, almost immediately, the first thing she said to me was "Oh yes I can see you are an apple shape" .

Now I knew after going on the Evans calculator that I wasn’t, but I let her carry on.

She finished measuring me and said actually you’re border line Hour Glass, which I think surprised her.
( Lesson Number One, here is to take a good look at your customer and don’t make assumptions)

The second half of the Shape session was getting an overview of what would suit me and what to avoid, this was basically read to me from a list on a card that the lady was holding. I didn't really see the value in this and pretty much thought I could have done that myself.

We did however look at some clothes hung on one of the rails. The sort of clothes that I was being shown were so not my style and I was also surprised that she didn't ask me to try anything on!.

This was when Cardinal Sin number two was committed, lovely though this young lady was she referred to a black cardigan ( one of my loathes at the moment is everything's black) , she pointed to the sequins around the collar and said even her own mother had this cardigan. ( Oh dear I thought , how can I run away without being nasty. Please don't ever tell your customers that your mother is wearing said object, you don't want your customers to feel older than they are. We all want to be told we look youthful and are beautiful lol) .

I was then showed a very matronly flowery top and advised it would be good way of reducing my bust. ( Errm okay, I'm quite happy with my bust and believe in accentuating my best assets) .

I was also asked if I ever considered palazzo (wide legged) pants, and was advised that a flower print with a plain top would look great on me . Again I disagreed, I had in fact tried the "Swan" ones on and they were definitely a contender for "is my bum big in this" and reminded me of pyjamas.

So not me and I have to admit feeling very very deflated.

So the session ended with me actually giving the young lady advice around types of customers, how everybody is different, what type of clothes goes with what and that assumptions shouldn't be made based on age/shape etc.

Now heres the good bit!

Fortunately for me , I then met the Manager of the Trafford Evans store, fantastic lady, totally clued in,.

She asked me for some feedback on the session , I explained the above and she was a little surprised I think but got it. I said to her that experience in this game really matters and that Evans need to ensure that they understand their customer set, that everybody needs to know the Shape thing off by heart if they are going to push it.

I also talked about how as an Evans customer I used to love the varied quality designers as well as the Evans own brand. We discussed the quality/cut and great value for money the clothes used to be. I wanted to understand why the online concession pieces took over , in my eyes this was a move in market for Evans and really effected the quality and fit of the Evans product and caused a lot of the issues that I see re fit that we are seeing today.

BTW , I have been told that Evans is moving away from having these online concessions, in my book I was glad to hear this.

Vintage Evans Tee

We then talked about the good old days of the amazing tees that Evans used to have, remember those Punky Fish and the tees with Blondie and David Bowie - everybody needs good trendy value for money basics.

Vintage Punky Fish Tee and Fur gillet

Evans Vintage

I also remember wool jumpers and cardigans, I personally hate all of this nylon stuff, I cant quite get myself to pay nearly £50.00 for nylon.

Evans Vintage

Remember "The Seven Collection", I remember driving so excitedly to Sheffield and buying everything, the collection was so me and I cried that I had hold of so many beautiful clothes.

I also remember in-store, items from "Anna Scholz", "Dawn French" and the amazing "Beth Ditto Collection", all amazing collections good quality fabrics and amazing for the money. It was good to talk to somebody so knowledgeable from the Trafford Evans store.

See below for Beth Ditto vintage dress and Shoes ( see moi 2nd to left in my band).

At the end of the event I was given some money off vouches to use in store - so thank-you so much for those and I hope you didn't mind me being totally honest.

I did spot a great top (Evans Red Animal Print Shirt) , perfect for most shapes, I think it would look great with skinny pants or a pencil skirt. Plus I saw some great pants Evans Black Coated Jeggings.

Good news for us , is that Evans are taking our views seriously, I think this type of event is healthy and constructive and a very clever marketing ploy.

So all in all , an interesting experience, I was chatting with Carina , at the end and she was very keen to get our views, so get commenting and I'll pass any comments through.

Links
http://www.evans.co.uk
http://janie.skyeladder.com/ (modeling)
https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage
http://janiebritton.blogspot.com/ ( Blog, Band, Modeling)
wwww.skyladder.com ( Band)
www.callmediva.info ( Band)

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Miss BBW International 2012 - 10th November - UK Heathrow Airport, Marriott Hotel

2012-11-10T01:11:00.005-08:00

So I've come to hear about another great event "Miss BBW International 2012" . that's promoting positivity, confidence and great self body image.

The events tonight at The Marriott Hotel, so if you're in the Heathrow London area, make sure you go along and support this great event.

The doors open at 6.30pm till 2am show starts promptly at 7.30pm.

So for all of you that want to enter this event ( me included) sorry all but you're too late for this year. However , why not enter next year, in order to participate in this amazing celebration of curves, you need to be over 18 and over a size 18.

Miss BBW Website Links
http://www.missbbwinternational.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-BBW-International/217136901669469

This type of competition is totally unpresidented within the fashion industry.

We would normally see models in the UK industry below a size 18 in order to be regarded as suitable to represent plus sized fashion. If you look at our most popular plus sized retailers , they are using size 12/14/16.

This event is a terrific boost in pushing forward and encouraging the use of , what I call plus plus sized models ( size 18 and over) in the industry and totally shows that curvy ladies are beautiful.

Tickets for the event, are a tad pricey at £67.00, however, it does include a three course dinner, champagne reception and live entertainment.

I believe the totally amazing Alison Hammond form ITV1s this morning is presenting. BTW Alison is an amazing character, I walked down the Evans catwalk at Liverpool Fashion Week 2011 with her and she is tremendous fun.

Also showcasing are comedian Junior Simpson, pop sensations The Diva Dolls, Fabia Cerra from Britain’s got Talent and vocalist Annaleigh Koch.

So lets have a look at our 19 beautiful ladies.

Note all photography within this blog is copyrighted to Miss BBW International 2012

Please come and support this event, these ladies are pushing themselves into the media for a reason - so please get to the event, if you cant get there blog and advertise this event.

Only then can we change the fashion industry perception of the types of models, we want to see out there in the industry.

I dont know about you ladies, but I personally would like to see size 18 plus models being taken as well as the 12/14/16s on via fashion houses to display their clothes at catwalks, tv ads, catalogues and general advertising bill boards.

BTW its also great to hear that these ladies are being sponsored ( provision of a dress for the event) by some great fashion labels such as "Dea London". As you know I adore "Dea London" clothes and would totally faint at the chance to own a piece.

.

Bianca Blundell

Cacherel Jules

Caroline Dawson

Cleo Peacock

Cloe Lipinski

Gemma Cruickshank

Georgina Hawkes

Kathryn Brady

Katie-Ann Mumby-Cole

Kimberlea Randall

Kirsty Evans

Maura Jackson

Michelle Blundell

Samantha Gray

Sarah Hadzipasic

Severine Spicer

Stephanie Shell

Sue Wadey

Trene Rama

Thanks for reading all.

Janie B
http://janie.skyeladder.com/ (modeling)
https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage
http://janiebritton.blogspot.com/ ( Blog, Band, Modeling)
http://www.skyladder.com ( Band)
http://www.callmediva.info ( Band)

Say hello to my mum in law on bonfire night - "Francis"

2012-11-03T11:14:00.002-07:00

On Monday its the five year anniversary of my mum in laws death. Shes called "Francis" , she was a fantastic person - she died of Emphysema ( a nasty disease that inhibits your breathing).

We'll be celebrating with the biggest firework we can find and also say Hello Mum when we set the fireworks going. Last November whilst up in the Isle of Skye we wrote a song for her memory and its simply called "November" http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/november-1

Check out http://www.breathoflife.org.uk/ they are a registered charity who actively help people in North Staffordshire who have breathing problems or lung disease.

They have a just giving page here, it would be great if a few generous souls out there would help. http://www.justgiving.com/lungcancerappeal

This great group are also on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Breath-of-Life/183349898354849

This blog goes out for everybody who has lost a mum or dad and whos missing them at this time of year.

Matalan - Beautiful Cerise blouse from the Rogers and Rogers range of Matalan

2012-11-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

So I was lucky enough to spend some time with the Matalan team recently and wanted to show you some great new looks from their Winter Collection.

Here's the first item, that I've reviewed.

Product Info:
Website - Matalan
Range - Rogers and Rogers
Color - Cerise
Fabric - 100% Polyester
Price - TBC
Item No - TBC
Size - 20

In a shocking pink/cerise with black contrasting trim , this blouse is a fantastic addition to your working wardrobe.

The neck line is very flattering and is brilliantly accentuated with the addition of a bib pin tuck effect around the neck line, which extends to the mid chest area. This gives the illusion of a wonderful floaty swing type look to the blouse.

The blouse is 100% polyster, this fabric is so light that it allows the blouse to skim your curves. Its also great at wash time as well in that its a quick drier, which is exactly what you need at this time of year.

This look is so versatile, so why not team it with a great pair of leggings and high heels for a great evening look.

My verdict:
This top is a winner , its bright its fun and made me feel very feminine, sexy and was just perfect. I wore it on Friday to an onsite customer meeting and I must say that I felt smart elegant and very confident.

Note: links to the top on the Matalan website and pricing will be provided at a later date.

Christmas Give Away

2012-10-27T04:05:00.001-07:00

So I am planning my first give away for Christmas - as soon as I reach 200 follower I will announce the first prize :0)

Search for a winter coat - its cold! - Open to reviews

2012-10-27T03:02:00.001-07:00

So its cold outside, first snow of Winter has fallen on the East side of the country and this is the time I start to think about getting a warm winter coat.

So before I start , let me issue a statement to all the shops out there that believe that this years Winters plus sized trend is all about Padded and quilted coats.

Wrong! errmmm no thanks it just makes bigger girls like moi, look like we're wearing our duvet and makes us look twice as big as well. I know some people like them but in my opinion its a big no.

I'm looking for a coat that is warm, preferably wool , non of this pretend wool stuff that I've seen a lot of online this morning. Also instead of designing a coat with straight lines , which by the way does nothing for us shapely girlies. Lets have elegant lines with some tailored fitting , designers we need you to have some vision and make the most of our curves, please do not hide us in a sack.

Also another of my pet hates!, believe you me, we are not afraid to be seen in color. We like other colors , so you dont need to stick to dark grey, navy and black, we are happy to wear for instance red or Turquoise or even bright pink, I know shocking , isnt it!. We will not run screaming into a cupboard and yell out unclean, unclean at the sight of a tailored colorful coat.

Looking at whats currently out there affordable coat wise , I really am losing the will to live. What I am looking for is a good warm , wool, tailored, colorful ie not black/navy coat that I feel good in. It also needs to be a reasonable price, I'm not rich and I know a lot of my readers are in the same boat, with regards finances.

Answer's on a post card please, happy to review any coats sent in, get in touch via superbabe_666@hotmail.com

Designers if you;re up for the challenge, I'd be happy to hear from you, I'm a size 20/22 in most things - here's my current measurements xx

Name: Janie Britton
Location: North West Lancashire
Hair - Dark Brown shoulder length
Eyes - Hazel
Height 5:8
Shoe - Size 8 EE,
Bust Cup size C - 125cm
Waist 118 cms
Hips 124 cms
Dress size 20/22 dependent on retailer

Chicken ala Autum Veg test crash - in progress people - Recipe Number - 1

2012-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

What could be better, than listening to some Skyeladder music on our cd player, singing along and inventing a new recipe from scratch on a lovely Sunday evening.

Well you're seeing is as its being made , so here we go, your ingredients and approximate price list is at the bottom of this page - so lets let cook.

Preparation

First of all prepare the chicken, you can get a couple of chicken breasts from your local butchers or supermarket. Ensure that you cut off all the fat first as we want to make this as low fat as possible.
Cut the chicken into strips of around 3/4 of an inch. If you're a bit squeamish most supermarkets will sell already prepared strips of chicken for you.

Chop up a small chilli and add it to the chicken , ( your preference, you can leave the chillis out of the recipe if its too much heat for you or you can do what we do and remove the seeds to reduce the heat).

BTW an interesting fact for you - according to a feature on the news last week , a bit of chilli each day promotes health/weight loss - I'm not guaranteeing this though until I've tested it :0
Oh and dont touch your face whilst touching chillies, because believe you me it flipping burns.

Then pan fry the chicken and pepper, with a tiny amount of oil and light coating of cider or white wine
Once the chicken is cooked , put it to one side to cool. (Very important - ensure that the chicken is white inside, no pinkness or blood we don't want you all getting food poisoning. )

So lets get on preparing the rest of the meal.

Next are the sprouts, we love them in our family so we are using a whole bag.

Peel the sprouts and then chop them into thin strips. As you are chopping you'll find that some more leaves will come off , but dont worry about this as they will crisp up beautifully in the oven.

Next take a whole bulb of garlic and grate it ( if you're not a fan then just try a couple of cloves) .
The great thing about grating it is that the skin is left behind, so no more having to struggle peeling the little devil !.

Oh shall we do the ginger next, same principle, grate the ginger , you can buy fresh ginger from most grocers.
Again we love the stuff , so use a big chunk, but its entirely up to you guys as to how much you want to use.

Mix the garlic and ginger together.

Next step is to Pop the sliced spouts into a baking tray and add the garlic and the ginger.

Add about a two desert spoon's of olive oil or if you haven't got it vegetable oil, stir ensuring that the sprouts get a good coating of the garlic/ginger mixture.

Next Chop up Carrots and one pepper and julienne them - for anybody who doesn't know what julienne is , its a method of cutting an item into thin strips or in my case chunky.

Add the carrots and pepper to the spouts ( garlic and ginger mixture) , toss until coated and add to a pre-warmed oven Gas mark 6 for around 60 minutes. Ensure you give the them a toss every 10 minutes to ensure they cook equally.

So whos for some celeriac chips then?
Take a Celeriac , you know the round hard thing you get from the grocers,. Chop off the root, peel it and slice into chip sized portions. ( a tip for you, if you are not using the celeriac chips straight away , pop them in a bowl of cold water with a plate on top to keep them nice and fresh) .

BTW if you dont have a celeriac and have a swede or indeed a pumpkin as its nearly Halloween then , they'll will do just as well.

Put the resulting chips into a baking trip, lightly drizzle and sprinkle some Garlic lovers grinder on (you can get it from Tescos, but its basically dried Garlic and Pepper).

Again when you've completed the above, pop the celeriac chips into the oven Gas mark 6 for around 50 minutes.The chips will take around 5 minutes less than the sprouts/carrotts/pepper tray. Again same thing toll them every 10 minutes to ensure they cook equally.

Okay we're now had the sprouts in for 20 minutes and the celerac in for 15 minutes - so its time for the 2nd tossing. You should start to notice that the sprouts are taking on a slight browny color.

On with the mushrooms !,
Take a small tray of mushrooms and roughly chop, the rougher the better :0) , add them to the sprout/carrot and pepper backing tray and pop back into the oven to continue their baking.

When you're about five minutes away add some Parmesan to taste to the sprouts/carrots mixture ( dont use too much otherwise you;ll drown out the natural flavors).

Next add the chicken and chilli that you prepared earlier to the sprouts/carrots mixture and pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes until the chicken is lovely and hot.

So heres the finished article , we've tried it and all I can say is yum , yum, yum.
Not bad for an experiment and super healthy :0), .

Ingredients to feed a family of four
2 x Chicken Breasts
1x small Chilli
1 x medium sized Pepper
1 bulb of Garlic
1 small bag of Sprouts
4 big Carrots
1 small tub of Mushrooms
Black Pepper to taste
Fresh Ginger to taste
1 whole medium sized Celeriac
Parmesan to taste
Veg or Olive Oil

Approximate Cost - £8.03
Chicken - £2.60 ( Fresh for 3 breasts its £4.00 or you can go for frozen which is slightly cheaper)

Chilli - £0.10
Pepper - £0.80
Garlic - £0.12

Sprouts - £0.90
Carrots - £0.20 - ( $1.00 for a bag)
Mushrooms - £1.00 ( tescos sell packs for £2.00)
Black Pepper - £0.01
Ginger - £0.10
Celeriac -£1.00
Parmesan - £1.00
Veg/Olive Oil - £0.02

Exciting Friday phonecall :0)

2012-10-19T08:22:00.001-07:00

So I've just had a very exciting phone call, I'll let you know more shortly :0)

Keep a watch on - http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/content/makes-fashion-sense/site-content

My lovely hubbie put me forward for a makeover :0)

Healthy Eating and moi Low Carb sort of

2012-10-18T10:12:00.001-07:00

Hello all I'm Janie Britton , I'm 44 ( 45 on Christmas Eve, dont forget the pressies :0) ) .
I'm 5:8 and have been overweight , well since I was born I think. I have high BP and Diabetes Type II and since hitting 40 I have been allergic to tons of stuff.

The reason I have embarked on this expedition I guess you could call it, is to improve my health.
I'm not necessarily bothered what size I am , however if I manage to open a few more doors to some of the clothes shops out there , then so be it lol.

For years I have been fighting with my weight, ask my sister she will tell you .
I've always been volumtious , or as my mum used to say when she was alive "you;re just big boned" or in everybody else's eyes Fat lol.

The amounts of times I've been on the latest fad diet were you seem to loose weight then pile it back on again and some. It seems that you starve your body of essential nutrients and then it hits you the next time around because it thinks your're in starvation mode and just stores more and more fat.Then it makes you feel even worse because you have lumps on your bumps and you eat more, oh its a vicious circle!.

The amount of money I have wasted joining gyms as part of my New Years resolutions and just let it slide, basically because I found it too darned boring . Or I was basically intimidated by all the "Beautiful People".

Well at least and this sounds a bit cheesy hey, but I seem to have found a good balance in loosing weight and controling my blood sugar count - result.
So over the next few weeks, I'm going to show you what I do for exercise and also publish meal recipes that seem to suit me.

Remember these are things that work for me, you may need to tweak them to ensure they work for you.
I've tried to add prices to the recipes so that you can see how cheap it is to make your own food and also added pictures and instructions.

I'm also going to take pictures of myself and tell you how much I weigh - blimey I'm brave.

Hope I can help some of you.

Remember this is not a diet , its a lifestyle change.

Disclaimer -this is my healthy eating plan, its something that works for me, I hope it works for you as well but be aware that you probably need to tweak, depending on what suits you re your dietary requirements ( allergies , medication clashes) /your fitness and overall medical condition. Same goes for exercise, I saw my doctor first to ensure what I was doing suited me and didn't stress or create any additional issues, I recommend you do the same.

Melon-ic Parts and blushing

2012-10-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

I was out with friends on Wednesday and we were talking about things and got around to swimming etc and I said I was too shy to be seen in a swimsuit.

To which one of the chaps replied saying you;re not that shy as you;re wearing a see through top.

At that point I covered my melon-ic parts and blushed very heavily.

Slink Magazine - Issue 7 Published article Plus North P71 - Dea London and Simply Be and Evans

2012-09-21T09:52:00.002-07:00

Well I've just had a nice surprise, the Plus North article that I wrote and my pics have been published in Issue 7 of Slink Magazine. Its page 71 - very excited. Thought I would share :0). There is also a mention about fav new fashion find, Dea London of course, lovely Simply Be and Evans.

http://www.slinkmagazine.com/

Laters
Janie Britton
http://janie.skyeladder.com/

Skye May Fall Demo and my encounter with a badger

2012-08-16T23:29:00.001-07:00

Another wonderful evening at Starring studio recorded the demo for "Skye may Fall" Vocals/keys and pretend trumpet.

Our producer Neil very kindly poped some driven overdrive guitar right under neath - lovely.

We need a trumpet player. Were are you when we need you :0) ,the one I'm thinking about has just returned from a trip around Europe so heres to hoping hes up for some recording as hes a mega talented chap :0).

This is Janie ( moi) on keys.

Got home around quarter to twelve and as we were driving down our hill we saw a badger.

Amazing I stopped the car and we looked at each over - felt like it was forever, such a magical moment, I think we we both so suprised to see each other. Then quick as a flash the badger darted up a path and disappeared out of my vision.

So check out the demo and let me know xxxxxxxxxx

http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/skye-may-fall-demo

Demo for Lost Horizons - Skye Ladder

2012-07-26T16:52:00.004-07:00

New demo, just back from recording the vocals and adding some weird chanting to Lost Horizons, still some cool organ to add into the break but you get the gist x
http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/lost-horizons-demo

Listen to more Skye Ladder here

Favorite trend Summer 2012 - King and Queen of Scarves

2012-07-15T12:51:00.004-07:00

I’ve always been a big fan of scarves, so it was no surprise to me when they came back this summer in a big way. Scarves are a great accessory, in that they add a level of color, beauty and sophistication to any outfit.

Look at my collection :0) , I have scarves from Skye Batiks, Tie Rack , Evans and M&S as well as lots of lovely boutique type stores.

It’s amazing how a simple scarf can transform your look.

For instance you could tie the scarf around your middle, adding a flash of color that pulls in and defines your waist line.

Or you could tie it around your forehead and produce an almost bandana effect.


This is a Skull scarf from Bury Market

Pauls Scarf is from Burtons (isnt he cute and how nice is he to let me play dress up lol )

Combination of Evans scarf around my head and Skye Batiks around my neck.

You can even use scarves to tie up your hair.

Or just wrap it around your neck in the standard way to keep those chills out.

The great thing about Scarves is that come in a variety of colors and fabrics. My favorite at the moment is faux fur, I just love the feeling of the fabric against my neck, so warm, comforting and luxurious, just pure heaven. Hint hint hubby :0)

Interestingly enough the scarf effect has also taken the form of scarf dresses, named predominately because of their prints, color and amazing fluidity within the cut of the fabric.

Check out the Simply Be one here for £24.00

You can even make your own scarf dress following these easy instructions.

Makeup
Foundation faker - Benefits - some kind of gorgeous medium
Bronzer - Benefits Hooler
Eye Lashes - Benefits Bad Girl lashes
Black eyeliner - Chanel
Eyeshadow - Urban Decay
Lipstick Chanel - no 14 Rouge Allure

So take a fashion tip and get rummaging around and find one that best suits you, xx.

Plus North July 2012 sponsored by Simply Be - Beauty, Curves and Confidence

2012-07-09T10:28:00.003-07:00

Plus North , what an amazing event.

Sponsored by Simply Be

As soon as I heard about the Plus North event and the fact that there was a bloggers catwalk , modelling Simply Be clothes, I knew I had to be part of it. A Brilliant lovely safe environment for people to accept the size they are and not be judged - perfect :0)

For those of you , who didn't make it, well shame on you lol,this was an incredible event celebrating Beauty , Curves and Confidence! The event was held on the 7th of July at the totally beautiful Aspire venue in Leeds, not that far from the train station so cracking location.

Say hi to the lovely organizers, Becky and Toni, fellow bloggers.

I live in Rossendale N/W so it took me about an hour to get there , parking was fairly simple,
I planted the car at Leeds Train Station, not bad all day price at £4.00 .

When we arrived at the venue we were greeted with a big smile and a hi via our organizers Becky and Toni.

They quickly found a comfy seat for my poorly hubbie ( who you've probably read in previous blogs has been quite ill recently and still using crutches).

As you can see the venue is so pretty, with high ceilings, arched Gothic type windows and wooden floors paired with the , lovely purple and white balloons table decorations. The catwalk was on the ground floor placed right in the center , with a big screen to advertise the clothing brands.

Also on the ground floor we had The Mighty Boof - a great photo booth where we could dress up and get our photos done. Such great fun :0)

Oh and cakes with sparkly bits - yum :0)

We also had the luxury of a free nail bar, were some lovely
ladies volunteered to do free nails in exchange for a charity donation.
Totally, loving the green x.

I popped up stairs to meet the rest of the bloggers and the Simply Be crew , I was very curious to find out what I was going to be wearing for the catwalk show. First thing I saw was the Simply Be merchandise area. the colors were great and it certainly stood out from the rest of the retailers. They showed a wide range of dress's, jumpsuits, and tops from Simply Be's own brand and a range from their designers, Zandra Rhodes, Joe Brown and many others. Coupled with a sample sale of hand bags, lovely and Gok and Simply Yours underwear.

It was an absolute delight for us fashionites.

Whilst browsing I spotted the lovely Anita, we have been planning to meet for yonks. Anita is a great ambassador for Plus Confidence and has a group that focus's on body image.Here she is on the phone lol, having her Benefit cosmetics applied to enhance her beauty on the catwalk.

Did you have the scouse eyebrows as well Anita? , I cant remember.

There were also some great retails on the 1st floor - Excite clothing were located in the top left hand side, They had some great clothes, unfortunately I didn't take any pics doh!. However I did love this dress which retails for £27.00.
Excite clothing Embellished Black stud Dress.

One great discovery at this show was Dea London, if you get to see their clothes you will understand what I mean. I tried a couple of jackets on, oh the quality was lovely. Great colors, fabrics and cut - just wonderful. I would love to model these clothes. On their website they say "Quality garments made for the everyday goddess in the working place." I couldn't agree more, there are no prices on the website so I haven't got a clue how much these clothes are , however these are pretty much tailored to your fit so you can imagine. However I am positive, that you would look and feel a million dollars, I'll let you know :0) .

Evans also had a display, the only thing I really saw that caught my eye was this lovely B&W dress.
I did ask if I could try the dress on but was politely declined - oh well!

So down to what I got to wear on the catwalk.

Whoooo to Simply Be.

Well here you see moi in my new play-suit from Simply Be.

I love it, its so colorful, funky, fun, a bit retro and so comfortable and me totally down to a tee :0)
Big thanks to Simply Be for letting me keep it xxxxxxxxx.

Simply Be - Ruby Rocks Print Playsuit - Size 20 £45.00

http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/ruby-rocks-print-playsuit/vx804/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=5227#colour:PRINT,size:

You'll see me below prancing along the catwalk, I was very excited and decided to twist turn, walk backwards and wave lol.

I also modeled some lingerie, there are some pictures here however you'll probably get a better view from the video below, so I apologize now for scaring you all lol. - https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage

Lingerie -
Bra - Eve - 40C - £9.50
http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/eve-underwired-lace-mesh-bra/qx011/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=5912#colour:BLACK,size:

and briefs - £5.00
http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/eve-spot-mesh-lace-briefs/qx012/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=5912&affinity=true

Grazia Floral Print Maxi Kaftan - £45.00
http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/grazia-floral-print-maxi-kaftan/vx336/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=5257#colour:PRINT,size:

Thanks to the lovely Sarah Cutts for filming the event and putting it on you tube for all to see, for that Sarah we salute you xx.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FoundOnFilm

I also just wanted to acknowledge the style of the following individuals, not that you all didn't look fantastic, but I just loved the way these people looked from head to foot :0)

I need that cardi in my life x

So that's it, I don't know how many people came through the door but it certainly seemed packed.

Everybody I spoke to said it was a fantastic event , I've never ever felt so empowered and proud of who I am and I wanted to say a big thank-you to Becky and Toni for making me feel good in

the skin that I am in xx.

Links
My music and blog links janieskyeladder.com
Plus North
Simply Be
Excite Clothing
Evans
Dea London
Benefits Cosmetics

Simply Be Joe Brown, we love you and a night out in Todmorden/Colne x

2012-07-01T09:16:00.002-07:00


www.skyeladder.com

Well this blog is a couple of weeks old now , since it was written my hubbie was admitted to hospital with a pulmonary embolism ( blood clots in your lungs). ( he'd previously had a shoulder operation and also managed to break his ankle )
If anybody has had one of these little devils then they will understand when I say how serious this was. Luckily hubbie is home , on warfarin and looking better by the day and definitely on track to making a good recover.
I just wanted to say a massive thankyou to the hospital in Blackburn for basically saving his life .
Thankyou xxxxxxx

Right back to the fashion, So, I thought I would blog about some fantastic pieces I've got recently from my favorite store Simply Be.

As you know Joe Browns is one of the great designers that Simply Be works with and is immensely popular with us plus sized girlies because of the great fit/color/choice and their use of vibrant colors and fabrics.

So here we go, first outfit is this gorgeous dress "The Incredible Jersey Dress" ,Product Code: JV745FE and priced at £30.00.

Its a lovely khaki color with the most amazing greens, purples and blues mixed in , as it says on the website it sits below the knee and has a fantastic train to one side. Another great thing is , the dress is cotton, our prayers have been answered we can at last look fantastic but remain cool and collated whilst we do lol.

I spent quite a lot of time twirling in this dress. Its girly, yet has that grown up sophistication. I totally love it and have worn it constantly since it came two weeks ago its so pretty. I've also worn it with my denim jacket from last season on nippier days.

Hubby also loves it and says he fancies me like crazy in it so result ha ha !.

Let me know what you think - I'm wearing a size 20 and I'm 5:8 and an apple shape :0)

So onto the next "Joe Browns in love Halter" dress, Product Code: JV753FE and priced at 45.00

This is such a cute, cute dress, its Red ( yeah) , pink ( yeah) mixed in with blue, yellow roses, its so girly and pretty and cute ( I know I have already said that lol). ( sorry about the white legs ). Cotton again ladies, in a fab crinkly fabric that takes me back to when I was a kid in the 70s when we wore cheesecloth and other cotton items, ( yeah :0) .

Seriously though this is such a lovely dress, its halter neck and I know that there are some ladies who hate showing the tops of there arms. But, I would really push the boat out and get this dress and get a wrap to go with it . I paired mine with this great shrug,Product Code: TQ721VN at £22.00, you can get it in a miriade of colors, this ones "Magenta" but I also have it in "White".

The dress is perfect for going out to dinner, romantic dates, long strolls in the country side, you get the message its a very romantic dress. ( in fact its getting some use at the Secret dinners club on Wednesday next week, I'd tell you more but its secret :0) )

As you can see , its a great length, sits just on the knee and has a pretty frill around the bottom.

Let me know what you think - I'm wearing a size 20 and I'm 5:8 and an apple shape :0)

Last years stock and dinner/live music

I love Simply Be clothes so much, that I hate throwing anything away,remember this little number.

If you remember back I wore it at the Zandra Rhodes launch July 2011:0) , oh happy memories.
Although I did get a parking ticket doh!

Well I was sat thinking, what can we do Saturday night, bearing in mind Paul's recovering from an operation and the silly devil also badly broke his ankle and two toes. Ah got it dinner and lets go and see our lovely mate Neil and his band "Steel Threads".

So off to dinner we went and ended up at the lovely Thai cafe in Todmorden called Hanuman Thai.

The actual restaurant it upstairs with the bar area and occasional live music downstairs.

I remember we launched our first single "Look into my eyes" here a few years ago :0)

The food is super authentic and low calorie ( I'm watching the calories and sugar intake trying to get my Diabetes well and truly under control and eating Thai food YUM does the trick ).

As you can see from the picie hubby took at the dinner table , my hubbie appears to like a specific part of this garment - yes you have guessed it! ( Men!) .

What a perve lol. If I remember rightly as well I had on the lingerie set that I purchased at one of the recent Simply Be Shop Launches.
I see its still on sale here as well :0) for £30.00

Service is also great at this place and tonight was no exception, even though it was mega busy and there was a party going on upstairs, we were served really quickly. ( they must have seen how starving I was) .

Paul in his Jacamo gear :0)

For starters, I had fried chicken and chill dip and Paul had chicken spring rolls - all very yummy.

For main I had a green thai curry , blimey it was hot but very tasty, Paul had a softie beef and ginger dish. ,together with some rice and noodles ( men , you see they cant handle the chillies lol). Both meals were so well prepared and totally scrumptious. It was super busy in there as well, somebody birthday party going on upstairs, with it being so busy I thought the service might be slow but I was wrong they were so quick.

Not sure why but the lamp was part doll, personally I was a bit freaked by it ( I mean body-less dolls, takes you back to that horror with the evil doll "Chucky" doesn't it who killed everybody)

After dinner, which by the way was very well priced for 2 drinks/two starters/two mains at £28.00, we traveled over to Colne to the Lord Nelson Pub to see our Neil.

Neil is part of a three piece called "Steel Threads" and they have an album out called
"Timing is everything" on Rock Sector records.

I'll be reviewing them properly but here's a taster of what they sound and look like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkdNSQkJUKw&feature=plcp

So finally
Don't forget as well that , Simply Be are sponsoring an amazing event on the 7th of July called Plus North.
Tickets are only a fiver ( diver) and there's going to be a catwalk show as well with moi and some of my fellow bloggers in it, how exciting is that :0)
http://plusnorth.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/183459828424024/

Finally Finally
Let me leave you with a bit of plastic xxxxxxxxxxx from our forthcoming Skye Ladder album

Also a link to my song about clothes :0) Simply-b-eautiful

Ta ta for now xxxxx

My Blogs

2012-07-01T01:05:00.002-07:00

http://janiebritton.blogspot.co.uk/

http://janiesstories.blogspot.co.uk/

http://janebrittonpublishedarticles.blogspot.co.uk/

Proving once a gain that Big is Beautiful - Plus North 7th July and Liverpool Fashion Week 15 - 22nd October

2012-07-01T00:31:00.003-07:00

Hi all last year I had an article written on me and it created some pretty interesting comments - take a look and see. http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/9291886.Janie_proves_big_can_be_beautiful/

It seems that some people out there think that because you are a certain size that its within their rights to poke fun, be rude and generally make an assumption that we are not within our rights to have feelings and answer back.

Well just to prove that the haters are wrong and we do care, we have two fantastic events coming up both in the North of our great country were we can unite and show our strength :0) .

The first is an event event called "Plus North" , its at a great location in Leeds called Aspire on the 7th of July. There are lots of plus sized retailers with such great brands as Simply Be, Evans , F&F Tescos, Benefit Cosmetics, including lots of others.

Together with a stream of bloggers and fashionites , its giving us the opportunity to discuss and debate plus sized fashion. There will be also be a goodie bag, prize draw and a catwalk put on by Simply Be of which I along with other bloggers will be appearing in.
More details here - http://plusnorth.weebly.com/ . Ticket price £5.00
Amazing hey!

The second is Liverpool Fashion week, a yearly event that is organized by Amanda Moss and her team at Lifestyle Magazine. The event runs from 15 - 22nd October and is being opened this year by the fantastic Sinitta, remember her from the 80s with such great hits as "So Macho" and "Toy Boy". No oh well guess I'm showing my age lol.

The Catwalk shows start with a bang with a lovely champagne reception on the 15th with the amazing Sinitta walking at the fabulous Leo Casino for Boohoo.com.

Cheers everybody.

Through out the week you will see fashion shows galore, including some great fashion retailers such as Simply Be, Matalan, Wallis, New Look, Jacamo, Next and tons of others.

Well I am also very pleased to tell you all that once again your very own blogger has been picked together with my husband Paul, to model in Liverpool Fashion week. I will be modeling Simply Be wear and Paul Jacamo on the 19th October more details here. Liverpool Fashion Week. Ticket price from £10.00 - £50.00 depending on which night you go.

Please all try and make it to these events, we need to show the world that we do have feelings.
That we do want to look/be fashionable and healthy, and that we don't just sit there stuffing our faces and feeling sorry for ourselves.

Ta ta for now

Janie B xxxxx

Liverpool Fashion Week 2012 - Plus sized shows 19th October Simply Be and Jacamo

2012-06-30T08:15:00.005-07:00

Great news, doing Liverpool Fashion Week again this year and its at the amazing VENUE: LIVERPOOL MARITIME MUSEUM Dining Rooms, Albert Dock.

So cool I will be modelling with my fella moi Simply Be and him Jacamo at the most fantastic event Liverpool Fashion Week Friday 19th October - cant wait :0) http://www.liverpoolfashionweek.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liverpool-Fashion-Week-Organised-by-Lifestyle-Monthly-Magazine/145063318848931

Plus North - 7th July

2012-06-07T13:23:00.001-07:00

Dont forget everybody 7th July Plus North - an event for the plus sized community.
Its gonna be great :0)
http://plusnorth.weebly.com/

I'm modeling so you have to be there x

Album Review - Artist " We love you winona"- Album "Get Happy"

2012-05-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Published again :0) - http://indiemusicnews.info/album-review-weloveyouwinona-get-happy/

The Art of Song Writing -with "The Selector" , " Emmas Imagination", "Skye Ladder" and "The Controversey"

2012-04-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

My article on songwriting on line :0) Take a read :0)
http://louderthanwar.com/the-secret-art-of-songwriting/

Pauline Black - The Selecter
Paul Britton - Skye Ladder and Call me DIVA
Emma Gillespie - Emmas Imagination
Laura Vall - The Controversey

The recording of "Just before the Dawn" - Skye Ladder

2012-03-20T16:49:00.002-07:00

"Just before the Dawn" - I do love recording , getting to be creative after a hard days work is the best feeling in the world. Check out our latest addition, we have still to add proper vocals and I need to work out a lead keys break but quite pleased with the results so far.

http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/just-before-the-dawn-demo

So to the song meaning, well its about dying , apparently most people die between 2am - 3am as the body is at the lowest point and in the Summer thats just before the dawn. So in other words its about meeting your maker and going into the light. I know, I know doom and gloom - but you have to have one on the album :0) .
Lots of love
Janie and Paul xx

Skye Ladder Band
http://www.skyeladder.com/
http://www.facebook.com/skyeladder
http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder
http://www.reverbnation.com/skyeladder
http://www.youtube.com/skyeladder
http://skyeladder.bandcamp.com/