Autumn Allure

Hi all,
I've been longing to write a bit so here comes a blog post.
In the latest post I wrote about what had happened in 2017 and the beginning of 2018, and since then really nothing has changed. I'm still waiting for therapy, I'm still on sick leave, I'm still not doing any research, and I still feel a bit hopeless. It's difficult to keep up the hope when you still have 6 months to go until you get any proper professional help.

The physicians, that only contact me by telephone, keep changing my medicine because I'm still not doing well, but in reality they know, just like me, that the best treatment for depression and OCD is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). The problem is that there aren't enough resources for mental illness. There is so much more funding for research of physical illnesses than there is for mental illnesses. I, myself, work with cancer research, but even I think that more money needs to be put into mental health/illness research rather than physical illnesses. I'm not saying that physical illnesses are unimportant, but if we keep saying that mental health is as important as physical health, but then do nothing to validate this saying the stigma attached to mental health issues will never ever come to an end.

Luckily I have the support of family and friends, and I'm dancing a lot to try and help me get out. I've also noticed that going into woods is very soothing. Anyone that knows me at all, knows that I am not an outdoorsy type of person not in the slightest. I much prefer to sit in my armchair at home with a nice book or a cuppa. However, autumn has a unique allure that draws me out into the woods.

Just a week ago my sister and I went out and photographed a bit. I was wearing my Son de Flor dress that in itself has an allure that can't quite be described. This dress makes me want to twirl to the end of the world and back. It a magical dress from an equally magical brand.

Dress: Son de Flor (here)
Cardigan: Lindex (old)

Belt: Can't remember

Scarf: Through LootCrate's Wizarding World Subscription Box (here)

Boots: A sporty shop in London that I can't remember the name of

Which season has an allure to you? For me, it is always autumn. The colours of the trees, the crunching of the leaves under your lace up boots. The cold sharp air and the pale sun, all have a special place in my heart.

I hope you are all enjoying the season. Much love,
Mona

Ravenclaw pride!

I'm really only posting this because I wanted to show you all my new scarf. If you follow me on Instagram (@curlsncakes) you will have already seen it.

The Harry Potter fan in me could not resist getting this Ravenclaw scarf from The Mad Girl Shop on Etsy. I've talked about this scarf previously, and I told you then how much I wanted this scarf and finally I got it. I suppose you could say it was another Christmas present from me, to me.

Anyway, the lovely and sweet Madison Steward (@madisonsteward) of The Mad Girl Shop makes these incredible Hogwarts scarves. It is knitted with a warm and soft yarn so it is super comfortable and perfect for cold winters (something that we used to have here in Sweden, but global warming happened). They are so accurate to how they look in the films. They look more like the scarves in the movies than the official Hogwarts scarves that you can buy at places that sell official Harry Potter merch. I know this because I also have one of those scarves. Of course...

If you're ever planning on getting a Hogwarts scarf I would probably say that the best one you can get is from The Mad Girl Shop. And besides, you'd be supporting a small business of handmade items! What's better than that!

Much love!

Standing out

Red is one of my favourite colours to wear. I think it flatters me and looks good with my dark hair, however up until a year ago I had no red dresses in my wardrobe. Red is an eye-catching colour, it draws attention and makes you stand out. Which were all things that I did not want for myself until a year or so ago.

I think many people can relate in that I wanted nothing more than to blend in, not stick out and go by as unnoticeable as possible. Some life events had made me not want to catch the attention of other people, especially men. But as time went by I noticed that the dark-clad version of me, that would blend into the background, was in fact not really me. I love to wear bright colours. I love to wear dresses with bows and cute prints. So I am glad to say that I have once again found myself style-wise and this dress from La Redoute is a testament of that. It is a bright orangey red colour and it has big bows. It's got a bit of a 60's feel to it, so I paired it with a polka dotted head scarf. And I felt magnificent in it!

Can you relate to not wanting to stand out? Or do you want to stand out with your style? Have you always wanted to stand out, or did it take time/effort to get to that point? I would love to hear what you lovely people think about this matter.

Dress: Mademoiselle R by La Redoute (here)

Headscarf: Old, can't remember where I got it

Much love to all of you!