Bling-a-ring

One thing that Charity shops are great for is jewellery. It can be a bit hit and miss sometimes, with cheap beaded necklaces and broken watches often being plentiful. But if you look hard enough you can  find some cute little trinkets, and  often at as cheap as 50p an item.  Below are a couple of the MANY rings I have collected from charity shops over the years. I tend to get obsessed with one or two rings at a time, wearing them everyday until my finger goes an odd colour/shape or when I find a new trinket to wear.

 

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I Heart You

January. The worst of all months. Like most people, I got a little giddy over Christmas – presents, nights out, food, train journeys, musicals, more food.  At the time this is great, you’re loving life. But in reality it leaves you a cereal for dinner eating, antisocial, ‘I’ll walk’ rather than get the tube mess 6 weeks later in January.

And so it was, last week I was faced with a challenge. My housemate and girlfriend were ‘just popping into Dalston’ on a Saturday afternoon, and ‘would I like to join them?’. Now, I know what popping into Dalston means. It means charity shops, which would be filled with unwanted  Christmas presents and treats, and usually this would be music to my ears. But pay day was two weeks away, and I was barely able to afford my food shopping, let alone a charity shop binge. But I went, with a promise to myself that I wouldn’t spend anything. Not a penny….. unless it was AMAZING and under £10.

You all know where this is heading readers. I went into Oxfam in Dalston, and low and behold I did find something AMAZING, and it was well under my £10 limit at a mere £3.50. I didn’t even feel guilty.

I’m a sucker for a cute dress, and cute this one was. A very simple, but wonderfully fitted tulip dress in a navy blue colour with a white hearts pattern. It’ll be fabulous for nights out, but also for important worky stuff too. Teamed with some tights, little black boots and bit of pink lippy, I have a feeling this will become one of my firm favourites amongst my collection.

Lady in Red

Mostly, when rifling through the rails in charity shops you find primark rejects and once loved topshop delights.  Every now and then though, you stumble across a designer gem. This is one of those occasions. I found this stunning Camilla and Marc dress for £15 in Oxfam, Dalston. A little more expensive than your average charity shop purchase, but considering it’s retail price is about £150, you can’t complain! The dress is made of the most sumptuous wool and it feels amazing on. A wonderful winter dress.

Puuurdy Presents

My best friend and housemate Kirsty bought me this wonderful dress for Christmas, bought from a charity shop in Glasgow. A keen charity shopper as well, she can’t remember which one, and obviously I don’t know how much it cost, but I just LOVE it. The colour is so lovely, and the white buttons are cute too. best of all it has Daisies on it, my favourite flower.

Thanks Kirsty!

Dresses, dresses, dresses

I have collected so many dresses from charity shops over the last few years I am losing count! And getting them all up on this blog has been on my to do list for pretty much the whole of 2013….so now we are in a new year and there is no better time than now.

To help I bought myself a present, a dress makers bust! Now I can take pictures of all my fabulous charity shop purchases more easily, and without looking like a total goon in them too.

This post is all about floral (surprised?) dresses, some vintage, some Primark rejects, but all bought for a mere few pounds.

The first is a lovely pale green/grey number originally from H&M, but bought in a Cancer Research shop in Welshpool for £3.

The next one is a primark number, bought from Scope in Hackney for £5. I absolutely love this dress, the cut is gorgeous and it has these lovely little buttons on the bust.

This one is a Topshop number, and is a great summer dress, with very cute detailing on the back. Also bought from a Hackney charity shop for £5.

The next is a gorgeous silky dress, originally from Next, bought for £6 from Helen and Douglas house in Didcot. the autumnal colours are lovely, and the fit is perfect. I wore this out to an afternoon tea with my housemates Kirsty and Fee.

This next one is another primark number, but I just fell in love with it. Another purchase from Scope in Hackney for £6, it is a little tight on me, but I couldn’t help myself. The pattern is so cute, and the lattice detailing on the back gives it a little something extra.

This dress was bought from Mind in Stoke Newington for £9. I love the floral pattern and that it could also be worn as  a smart dress for work.

This next dress is an international purchase, bought in a jumble sale for 1 euro in Ceglie Messapica, Itlay. Bought at the same time of one my other favourite dresses, this looks lovely in the summer worn with a brown waist belt.

Lastly, this dress is one of my all time favourites. Not actually bought from a charity shop, but from a garden sale in Clapton, Hackney, for £5. The length and cut is gorgeous and I wore it several time last summer, including posing on a Vespa in Brighton 🙂