Princess For A Day

The day has finally come for me to fulfil my side of my fund raiser and dress as a princess for a day! In true Blue Peter style here's some photos I took earlier or, in my case, last week! I've been stressing the last few weeks about getting these photos taken on time and to say my health hasn't been good recently would be an understatment. In fact its been going down hill this last year dispite my best efforts but this is why I am fund raising.

Being a princess for the day isn't just an excuse to wear a fancy dress. Like I meantioned in my frist post about Team Princess, the likeness between us sufferers and fairytale princesses is pretty strong, we live in hope for a mirical, for a cure in our life time. I personally feel like I am standing still while the world carries on around me, like I'm Rapunzel viewing the world from this ugly tower. This ugly tower has a name, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - ME.
ME is a neurological illness that affects the immune and nervous systems. I suffer daily with a multitude of symptoms including nerve pain, headaches, migrane, brain fog (not being able to think straight, or find words and somtimes I can't talk because of it), extreme fatigue which is unimaginable to a healthy person, sensitivity to light and sound, insomnia and non restorative sleep. I could go on and on - sadly.

From my blog it's hard to tell that I suffer from ME, which is incurable and therefore a chronic illness, which is why I want to be more honest in this post. I want to tell you that I actually struggle with my blog but I put a lot of effort into it because it helps to keep me feeling sane and gives me an identity. I can understand how someone who appears to go out taking outfit photos can hardly seem that ill, but the truth is I am very sick. I spend a lot of my time housebound and when I feel up to it I will get dressed in something pretty and go out somewhere local for twenty minutes to take photos, only to go home and take it all off again for something more comfortable, sadly sometimes my pyjamas. My aim has always been to post an outfit a week but this is something I am struggling to achieve right now, I am so envious of those bloggers who take impromptu photos on their way somewhere, or who can blog their outfits daily. I am trying to learn not to compare and I am so proud of what I can achieve on here, even if it isn't as often as I would like. A day where I leave the house for however short the time is an achievement. I do this for my own sanity, to make me feel like the girl I really am and not the sick girl who's body has been taken over and made very ill everyday for 5 years.

So here I am. Princess Emma. Ready to take on whatever this Tuesday has to bring. I can't tell you exactly what my plans are as they change by the hour depending on my health. I've got my fingers crossed for a cup of tea and slice of cake out with my mum this afternoon because if I'm going to dress like a Princess I might as well eat like one too!
What do you think of my outfit? When it came to organising my princess outfit, I called upon Forever Unique, a fantastic brand that make the most stunning dresses. I was so delighted when they agreed to collaborate on my fund raising outfit. This dress is a true Princess dress and like all their dresses it fits like a dream. I've been a fan for a long time and this is my third dress by Forever Unique. The detail that has gone into this dress is incredible. To wear such a beautiful dress meant only one thing - I needed a stunning Tiara to go with it. I looked all over the Internet, from ebay to Etsy but there wasn't anything that really caught my eye until on Instagram I stumbled upon Samantha Walden. Samantha makes the most stunning one off vintage inspired Tiaras. Each one is unique, beautiful and handmade. Samantha agreed to lend me some Tiaras, which is so kind of her. The Tiara I'm wearing is called Isobel, it's made with Swarovski crystals and pearls with a sparkling vintage brooch forming an asymmetrical centrepiece. It is truly stunning. I feel so lucky to be wearing it. I'm hoping, fingers crossed, to do another post featuring the other two stunning Tiaras.

I just want to say a big thank you to both Forever Unique and Samantha Walden for making me feel like a true Princess!

 Dress - c/o Forever Unique - here
Tiars - c/o Samantha Walden - here
Shoes - New look
Bracelet - Accessorize
Ring -  Swarovski - same style different colour - here

To this date I have raised £1035.57 which is incredible! All the money goes straight to ME Research UK. The generosity and kind comments of friends, family and people I've never even met has been over whelming. Sometimes it's easy to feel like I've been forgotten, that all ME sufferers are forgotten, but this fund raiser has shown me that is not true. I was also worried that people wouldn't take this seriously, most fund raising these days involves jumping out of planes and running races. I can't do those things, but I can do this. My brother was the one who put the worry in my head, but after remembering that I sponsored him to grow facial hair for Movember I felt a lot better!

So after having such kindness from designers to donations I was feeling the pressure about getting this post out on time, my health and the weather wasn't on my side but I did it! I'm sorry I'm not looking especially happy in these photos. The truth is I was suffering badly on that day and didn't have much choice, it was a 'get it done in time or not' situation. I'm super happy that I can relax now and just enjoy my second day of being a Princess! My biggest worry now will be keeping my cat Alfie away from this dress and Pixie away from the Tiara - she loves sparkle!

I would be so grateful if you can spare whatever you can to this worthy cause. Please help, so that one day other ME sufferers and I can live a normal life. You can donate (here) on my Just Giving page or text EMLA80 £1, £3, £5, £10 etc to 70070. Thank you!

Emma Xx