Thrifty Finds #5

The charity shop gods have been my friend recently. I've been finding lots of lovely junk!

001. I absolutely love glass jelly moulds. Admittedly I don't really like jelly that much but they look pretty snazzy on display. The words of a true hoarder right?! This one was only a £1 and was calling my name.























002. This was the find I was most excited about! I dream of finding the perfect dressing table set. Alas there was only the mirror available but the pattern is so pretty. It's a great size and looks beautiful on my shelf!

003. A little treasure my mum picked up for me. She started to turn in me, unable to walk away from a charity shop if she sees on on her travels. I don't think this is vintage but it'll be a lovely addition should I ever entertain guests around breakfast time.



004. This cute sugar bowl and milk jug set caught the eye of my mother and she brought it home for me. It's going in the wedding collection if I ever should get married. I'd love to have afternoon tea instead of a three course meal and am also keeping my beady eye out for teacups and saucers.


005: I'm addicted to finding these little men now - it's the first thing I look out for when i'm hunting around charity shops. I think he's by far the cutest one I own. He was a little expensive at £4 but I think he was worth splashing out for. The red cabbage fellow is next on my list!  I can't wait for the bootsales to start up again.


Have you had any luck in the charity shops recently?

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Thrifty finds #4

I've not had the time to be trawling the charity shops and sadly it's not been car booting season so second hand finds have been a bit on the sparce side. Luckily my mum has been on the case

001: Brown cameo scarf pin
I have started to build up a collection of scarf pins when i'm out and about. They always look so pretty and you can always pick them up fairly cheaper. I'm like a magpie for any kind of jewellery. One day i'll get round to wearing them.

002: Celery, Onion and Cucumber pots

These have to be one of the ugliest yet amusing things around! I think they're fab and have been on the lookout for some for my bottom drawer since I saw my aunts collection. They remind me of my nan as her mint sauce version is one of my earliest memories as it was always on the table at dinner time. Funny how certain objects transport us right back to yesterday. I've got my parents to thank for these beauties.

003: Glass Tower Bridge salt and pepper pot

I adore quirky bits and bobs like this - things that look slightly out of the ordinary. This was actually given to my mum so we'll sharing! I love the fact it looks like the London landmark and has a little pot for mustard. Not that I eat mustard but I like little pots for EVERYTHING! It'll look so adorable for when I throw dinner parties. 

Have you found anything in charity shops recently?

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A sneak peak

Room tours are one of my favourite things to read on blogs - for a naturally nosy person like myself they're great! I thought I'd try one of my own and show everyone some of my favourite corners of my room. I'm a natural hoarder so so be prepared for a lot of things!

This is my perfume shelf - my beloved Chanel sits at the back - filled with little secondhand nic-naks. The gorgeous pink atomiser is one of my favourite finds and i'm on the hunt for more to add to my collection. The picture of Connor and I is from when we were whippersnappers at the tender age of 18. The massive picture college below was a 21st birthday present from my parents.

I aspire to be just like Audrey Hepburn so it's apt that a huge picture hangs above my bed.

 Like I said my room is full of random junk! My best friend brought me back the kangaroo balls bottle opener when she went to Australia, the signed Backstreet Boys photo was a very well recieved 21st birthday present and that graduation bear was something my mum picked me up from a bootsale. She went through a phase of buying me graduation-theme things when I completed my degree - more evidence below!

 Excuse my messy bookcase - it's due a good tidy up one of these days. The creepy looking tramp - freaks my best friend out everytime she's round - has sentimental value. At my grandparents house it used to sit in front of their TV and my grandad would always talk about it. So when he died it was one of the things I nabbed. The dressing table glass set holds my cameo collections, hair slides and rings. I have far too much jewellery! The brownie bear sitting in the glass was a present when I finally hung up my boots as a leader due to working in London. My boyfriends sister brought me the tin behind one birthday and it houses all my Lush bath bombs.

You may have spotted this pretty Orla Kiely candle sitting on my bookcase. It was very kindly gifted to me by Amara.  I opted for the fig tree scent to help remind me of Christmas and it smells absolutely gorgeous! With 50 hours of burning time, my room will be smelling lovely in the build up to Christmas. Nothing like a scented candle to help you relax after a stressfull day at work! The beautiful glass means that it can be reused for something else - i'm thinking to hold make up brushes just like Sarah.

I'm a sucker for brooches - I don't even want to know how many I own. I was given quite a few from my Great nan's collection but am too scared to wear them in public so I scour bootsales to find ones to wear. After all it's better to lose something that's worth 50p then lose something of sentimental value. I like to keep a few of my favourite ones on display.



 

I told you my mum went through a phase of collection graduation-themed trinkets. This owl teapot has pride of place on my dvd holder.

 

Finally despite having a kindle I can't get out of the habit of gathering books. I hardly ever buy new perfering to pick them up from charity shops or bootsales. You'd be suprised at what you'd find! I don't really have a favourite genre and will quite happily read anything. Actually i'm looking for a few Kindle recommendations if you have any please?

 

So that's my room! If you have any of your own room tours, i'd love to see them so please do leave me a link!

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Thrifty Finds #2

Another installment of some junk i've picked up along my travels. I've cheated a bit as my mum brought me two of the items while I was away in Bulgaria. Lovely woman isn't she?

001. My collection of Kelly bags is slightly getting out of control! But I didn't have a red one and mum kindly picked it up for me when she went on a day trip with her friend. It's not leather but its in pretty good condition and makes a nice addition. I just need to get round to actually using my collection'

002. One of my best memories as a kid - I was and still am a geek - was trawling around boots sales with my mum and picking up 1960's - 1970's Enid Blyton books. I've built up quite a collection over the years and couldn't leave these two behind for just 50p each. I have no idea if I have them as our loft full to the brim and a no go zone!

003. Call me a forward planner as I don't even know if I'll get married but at my wedding I want afternoon tea with mix matched vintage crockery so am collecting tea cups and saucers just in case. Failing that I want a Welsh dresser when I finally move out filled up with vintage crockery. Yep I will have Aladins cave as a house. This cute cup and saucer was something else my mum picked up for me. She's just encouraging me to love junk!

Have you found anything special recently?

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Top five charity shop buys

I thought i'd put together a mini series of my top five starting with charity shop buys. Much to my boyfriends disgust I love to have a rummage in a charity shop. I don't go that often - maybe every couple of weeks? But i've found some goodies, I should think i'd find more if I made it a more regular thing.

I have no idea if any of these things are actually from another era, if any of you know please let me know! I'd love it if i've brought some genuine vintage!

001: This necklace is a little grubby but I think it just adds to it's charm. Plus it was only £1.99 so it was a winner all round. I've found it's quite unusual to find silver cameos so was quite lucky to pick this up. It's fairly big so it makes quite the statement when it's around my neck. I don't know what it is about cameos but I just think they're so beautiful and elegant.
002. I brought this jar just because it was pretty and I had no idea what to do with it! I've ended up storing all my bangles in it on my chest of drawers so it came in handy after all! I think this was £2. I'm pretty sure it originally came with a lid but it was nowhere to be found in the shop!
003: I love this and am trying to find the perfect coat to pair it with! It's just plastic - i'm still waiting to find a real cameo in a charity shop - but it's still so lovely. At £1.99 it would have been rude to leave it behind! Brooches and jewellery are my first port of call in a charity shop.
004: I brought this for about £3 I think. Not actually used it yet as I brought it around October last year and it's much more of a summer bag. I'm planning to get it out quite a lot as the weather warms up.

005: This is one of my more recent purchases. I just love the colour of the stone in the middle, it's so pretty. Complete bargain too at only £2.50. I can imagine it would look lovely under a collar - just need to buy some clothes with collars! I don't think it's real gold which is fine by me!
What's been your favourite charity shop buy?

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Lady of the manor

Outfit:
Grey tweed blazer: Next
White v-neck t-shirt: Primark
Demin skinny jeans: Primark
Blue and brown bow pumps: Primark
Vintage navy kelly bag: Charity Shop

I bet you've all forgotten what I looked like due to my lack of outfit posts. Hopefully i'm back on track and have lots to blog about. I've just been so busy! Things will slow down a bit next week.

I nabbed this tweed blazer in the next sale, i've had my eye on it ever since it came in but even with 25% discount it was still a little steep so i'm over the moon I managed to get it for half price. I adore the elbow patches and feel so grown up in it! You can see a peek of the elbow patches in the first image if you really strain your eyes, they're pretty lush. The bag was a charity shop find and was only a £1 so it would have been rude not to add it to my ever growing Kelly bag collection. Think i'm on about six or seven now! I am craving a bit of charity shop binge, might try and fit a few in over the bank holiday weekend.

Hope you're all having a great weekend. I've just got back from some amazing pie, mash and liquor. It was the lunch of champions.

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Ethical Fashion

Outfit:
Orange full skirt dress: River Island via eBay
Black vintage kelly handbag: Carboot
Vintage silk scarf: Beyond Retro
Blue cameo necklace: Charity shop
Black cardigan: Primark
Black faux suede smoking slippers: Next

This post is part of a competition entry for the Ethical Fashion blog. The competition is open to all fashion bloggers so why not pop over to Style Eyes Ethical Fashion blog to find out more. The prizes are amazing! The only rule is at least one item of your outfit must be upcycled, vintage, second hand, ethical fashion shops, from a jumble, carboot or charity shop.

I must admit I have not fully jumped onto the ethical fashion bandwagon just yet. I am still in the stage of liking to have lots of things rather than just a few things. I am still a fast fashion kinda of girl. I have however fully hopped onto the charity shop and vintage bandwagon and can't see me getting off anytime soon.

It has always been a running joke amongst my friends that I dress like a granny. It's no secret that I lust over things from the bygone eras. As much as I love spending hours in a vintage shop I hate the prices. What do they have to be so darn expensive? Hence why I tend to get most of my vintage from charity shops and carboots. I love the fact that the items have a history behind them and the fact that they are originals. It is so much nicer actually owning a bag from the 1960's rather than having a replica from Topshop. Of course there is always the plus of wearing something that no one else has, I have often been out and spotted someone in the same dress as me. Oh the shame!

This post reminds me how I need to make more of an effort to visit charity shops to pick up some goodies! Nothing beats a charity shop binge.

What are your opinions on ethical fashion? Do you frequent charity shops?

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Video killed the radio star

Look what I found in a charity shop! Brand new! It was £25, not a massive saving as they range between £40-£50 in the shops but it was still a bargain in my eyes! Its in such pristine condition, the box is a little battered but this is more than likely where it has been in storage. Its a special Queens Golden Jubilee edition brought out in 2002.

It is so beautiful! It matches my bedroom perfectly. I went to my nearest post office to post off some ebay things and thought Id have a quick mooch in the two charity shops that are near it. I had no intention of buying anything as I am going to see Flashdance at the West End tomorrow and really need to save my pennies. When I spotted it I let out a gasp, literally! I ran out and phoned my mum to ask her if she wanted to buy it for me for my birthday, which is on Sunday. When she agreed I ran back inside to get my grubby mitts on it! She is going to give me the money back

It make me want to dress in 1040's clothes and huddle round it to listen for news on the war. I have no idea where I am going to put it yet! I need to find a plug socket that is not under my bed.

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