Last week was always going to be a busy one, with working, blogging and preparing to go on holiday. But it turned out to be even busier than I expected. You may have seen the controversy surrounding Pipdig (many bloggers have themes from them) and the mass exodus to other theme authors. Basically, Pipdig have been accused of adding malicious coding in the P3 plugin to perform DDOS attacks on competitors. (You can read about it in detail on the Wordfence website.)
Well I’d been monitoring the noise amongst blogger Facebook groups and decided to sit on my hands for a while rather than react impulsively. I have almost no knowledge about coding so I couldn’t really make a judgement call on it, other than it seemed to be creating quite a sh*tstorm. Such is the strength of feeling in one particular group that all talk of Pipdig has been banned by the admins! As a temporary measure I did what was being advised as the very least bloggers with a Pipdig theme should do, which is upgrade to the latest version of the P3 plugin.
But after a couple of days I felt it was time to make the move and find an alternative theme for the blog. Of course, nothing ever runs smoothly, I should know that by now. Just when I’d ironed out all the teething problems after moving to a new web host I had yet another project on my hands.
In hindsight, attempting to install a new theme and make the necessary tweaks the day before going on holiday wasn’t the best idea. Frantically sending emails to my web host and theme author while the plane is waiting to take off isn’t the ideal start to a holiday! But when things aren’t right they bug me and I have to get them sorted.
Although I still have to make some changes to get the blog looking exactly how I want, hopefully you are finding it ok to navigate in the meantime. At first none of the links on the homepage were taking me to the correct post – it was like blog lucky dip! Pete had exactly the same problem on his phone too, yet my web host Stablepoint (whose customer service is excellent) said it was working fine for them. If you are having problems with the new layout please let me know and I’ll do my best to fix them.
Anyway, while all this was going on I had a million other things to do and needed a comfortable outfit. When we took these photos I’d torn myself away from the laptop, ran 10k and then had to go to the post office, do some shopping…and finish packing! I really don’t enjoy packing, I always worry that I’ve forgotten something extremely important – do you do that too?
I was also kind of testing out an outfit for travelling in, although ultimately I didn’t end up wearing this. But these Vionic Storm trainers are perfect for travelling – either to wear or pack. They are so comfortable, thanks to the arch support. They’re also incredibly light so they won’t add lots of extra weight to your suitcase. I need all the help I can get in that department!
The trainers are also available in navy in the UK, plus light pink and grey in the U.S. I chose black because I thought they would fit in more with my casual outfits, although it was a tough choice! I teamed them with a lace insert jumper, camo print jeans and a leopard print bag for a slightly dressed up casual look. After waiting ages to add some camo print to my wardrobe I ended up buying two pairs of jeans a few months ago. These are from Mango, but I also have some from Gap which are a lighter print, which I wore for November’s Style Not Age post.
SHOP THE LOOK
I added some fierce spiky jewellery in the form of a ring and bracelet (both very old), plus some mismatched earrings from Finery.
Laura Ashley jumper (old) | Mango camo print jeans (similar) | Vionic Storm trainers c/o (U.S link) | Finery earrings | Scottage bag (bought in France, similar)
Disclaimer: I was gifted the trainers in exchange for a review. All words and opinions are my own and complely honest. This post contains affiliates links which means I may earn a small commission for any purchases made through them, at no extra cost to you. This helps towards the running costs of the blog and is very much appreciated.
Last week’s favourites were…
Lisa of The Sequinist, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge and Carrie of Curly Crafty Mom!
Your site seems to be working fine Emma. I’m standing by Pipdig. Sad to see the brand sabotaged by competitors. I agree there was wrong doing but reasons for that have been explained. I just hope the company doesn’t go under because of what’s happened. Enjoy your holiday xx
Thanks Laurie. I was really torn over what to do regarding Pipdig. I contacted my web host about it when I installed the new theme and the person who replied said he thinks it was naive rather than malicious but there has been such a big uproar about it. I liked my old theme but was thinking about a change so it seemed like the time to do it xxx
Oh god, I’m so out of the loop having not heard a thing about Pipdig!!! I need to do a bit of research for sure. Hope you’re holiday gives you some valuable family, down time. You’re blog looks super and I was just thinking it looked new! Thanks for sharing today Emma, and look forward to hearing all about your holiday. Jacqui Mummabstylish
Thanks Jacqui! I need to make a few tweaks to the layout but I’ll probably wait until I get back. I didn’t realise how much I needed a holiday… sleeping in the sun is bliss! 🙂
I did not know about this big controversary. I had never heard of pipdig. So glad you were able to figure things out. Love this blouse and all of your chic accessories!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks Katherine! A lot of British bloggers were using Pipdig themes but many seem to be moving elsewhere now. It’s something I could have done without right now, just AFTER moving to a new host!
Oh no! I’m so sorry you had all those issues! I’m glad you have it fixed and it’s looking great!
Thanks Laura xxx
Thank you so much for the feature! 🙂 Oh gosh, that isn’t the way to start a holiday with blog problems. I haven’t heard of Pipdig, but that all sounds incredibly stressful! I just love the dark camo print on your denim and that top has the cutest sleeves!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Oh wow! I was thinking of using Pipdig when I change over to WordPress later this year—maybe I won’t now! Glad your site is ok—looks great to me!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
This is such a great outfit. I love the LEISURE look so mucg 🙂
http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2019/04/feeling-low-olive-green-will-lift-your.html?m=1
Emma,
Thankfully, I don’t know what pipdig is? BUt, omg, I can sure feel for you! Your page looks pretty good and will only get better as you play with it, so no worries.
enjoy your holiday!
xx Darlene
I am getting hot flashes of the idea only to have problems with my blog, again! I only got a email from my IT man saying that he solved any problem. Oh that man is worth his weight in gold! But that is not a way to start a vacation. I’ll bet you are enjoying the sun and a coctail at the swimming pool by now! have fun and relax!
Love that top. Dark green is such a great color and it’s so pretty with the lace down the sides.
Loving this outfit~ So pretty on you!~
This combination of camo and lace looks great and is so unexpected. Great idea.
these pants are perfect. At a glance, I thought they were black jeans and then noticed the fun camo print.
xx, Nailil
Can’t go wrong with camo!
xx Leah / http://www.leahbehr.com
I love your purse!
Lovely sweater dear. Cute lace details. Chic bag you have there too.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Hon, all blog issues aside ( i dont have my caps lock on, so dont know why its all caps?) The jeans look amazingon you! I have been going crazy on mango this month! I just bought pants from them and have no idea their sizing, so are yours tts? I love the trainers and this stylish comfy look.
sorry about all of the issues with your theme, i went through my blog being down last yearand it was stressful! your blog looks great and i hope you have a wonderful trip!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com