Thought I would share my bargains with you and an do an outfit post (which is a bit blurry because my mam can't take photos)
The dress is ASOS curve and the cardi is from asda. I got the shoes in the sales in New Look for £8 and they are wide fit so I hope they will be nice and comfy. My brother usually takes all the photos but it's his turn to trawl the sales today and I'm staying with the dog so you get a nice blurred photo.
This eyeshadow wasn't in the sale but I wanted a neutral colour to wear to work and this fits the bill, it's a nude shade with a bit of shimmer, there was a bit of glitter fall out around my eyes but other than that I'm pretty happy with it. I tried to take a photo of it on but my camera couldn't focus properly.
I tried to buy loads of things on the Accessorize website and everything in the sale sold out in about in hour but my mam too me to the Cwmbran branch yesterday and I got a lovely collection of brooches and a few purses. The sets of brooches are about £5 each which is a great deal for three.
The purse was only £3!
This is a pencil case but it's lined so I might use it as a make up bag to put in my handbag, just £3 :)
I got this really cute cushion in Matalan for £4, doesn't really match my bedroom decor but it can go in the garage with all the other bits and bobs I've been collecting for when I get my own place.
I'm pretty happy with all my bargains, did you get anything good? Do you prefer to shop the sales online?
I'm waiting for ASOS to drop the sale prices even lower so I can swoop in and buy loads from the curve range.
xx
I had some really great stuff from Santa (Mam) this year and a super surprise gift which I didn't think I would be getting was my new hp laptop which means I can blog at home and not just on my breaks in work. I have been without a computer for about a year which is more difficult than you might think, especially because now you have to deal with everything online from banking to shopping. It has a built in microphone and camera too so maybe I could do a video post one day?
I'm on blogger :)
I had lots of the usual things like pj's and perfume but these are my two favourite things I had for Christmas-
My brother got me these green candlesticks which I love and they remind me of Return to Oz. I really love coloured glass so this was a great present.
I also had this Cath Kidston cake stand from my Mam, I didn't have any cupcakes so I put all the chocolates on it. I have cups and bowls to match this stand and it will be great for a tea party.
Sookie had lots of nice presents too and she's totally destroyed them all now.
I am the luckiest girl, I got the best Secret Santa present ever!
I joined up to take part in Cupcake Couture Secret Santa and I'm so glad I did. I had such fun finding and wrapping the present for Kimberly at http://kimbersfiddlesticks.blogspot.com/. Here is what the present looked like all wrapped up-
I joined up to take part in Cupcake Couture Secret Santa and I'm so glad I did. I had such fun finding and wrapping the present for Kimberly at http://kimbersfiddlesticks.blogspot.com/. Here is what the present looked like all wrapped up-
Here is the present I got from Gina at http://theculturephox.com/.
Isn't this Paperchase box beautiful?
It's gets even more exciting, there is a mug and mulled wine instant tea peeking through ...
Hiding inside the mug were these lovely little cupcake cases which are from the Truly Scrumptious range which I adore.
Love these doilies, so cute!
It's me, loving my mug :)
Thank you Gina!
Thank you Gina!
Merry Christmas!
Hope you have all had a lovely day. I am stuffed full of calorific food and I shed a tear whilst watching Dr Who. It's been a fantastic day and I got some great things, most exciting of all was my bloggers secret Santa present (THANK YOU sooooo much to the lovely lady who got me the amazing presents, all will be revealed tomorrow)
I will post photos tomorrow, enjoy the rest of your day.
Much love,
Gemma
I will post photos tomorrow, enjoy the rest of your day.
Much love,
Gemma
xxx
I don't do outfit posts very often because I feel a bit silly taking photos but I got all dressed up to go out last night for 'Black Friday' so it was a good chance to take a photo. I suppose it's not really festive but it is red!
The dress is from ASOS curve and I got the brooch in the ASOS sale in the summer for £1.50!
The scarf was a steal at 50p from the Ty Hafan charity shop in Caerphilly and I tried wearing it in my hair but it looked a bit Cher Lloyd and it's a bit small to wear around my neck so I tied it around the strap on my bag and it looked great.
I really need a haircut but I can't get anywhere to get it done so I curled my hair with my ghd's. I'm wearing Lancome artliner liquid liner, Ruby and Millie gold eyeshadow and YSL Perfect Touch Radiant Brush Foundation.
I've seen these lovely paper decorations at weddings this summer but I thought they would be equally as nice as Christmas decorations and they are both cheap and fun to make. Here is my step by step tutorial-
1. You will need to get scissors and string ready
2. Lay out about 13-16 sheets of rectangular tissue paper on top of each other. You can either make the ball one solid colour by stacking sheets of the same colour tissue or you can stack 2 varying colours (red/green/red/green) to incorporate multiple colours in one ball.
3. Make 2″ wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.
4. Tie string around the middle of the tissue making sure it is long enough to hang your decoration later.
2. Lay out about 13-16 sheets of rectangular tissue paper on top of each other. You can either make the ball one solid colour by stacking sheets of the same colour tissue or you can stack 2 varying colours (red/green/red/green) to incorporate multiple colours in one ball.
3. Make 2″ wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.
4. Tie string around the middle of the tissue making sure it is long enough to hang your decoration later.
5. At this point you could curve the edges to make more of a flowery ball. Fan out one half of the tissue.
6. Separate the layers, pulling away from the centre one at a time.
7. Keep pulling down all the layers on both sides until you have a full ball.
8. Ruffle the tissue until you are happy with the look and hang your decoration.
I think this size decoration would look best hanging from the ceiling but you could make smaller ones to hang on the tree like little pom poms :)
6. Separate the layers, pulling away from the centre one at a time.
7. Keep pulling down all the layers on both sides until you have a full ball.
8. Ruffle the tissue until you are happy with the look and hang your decoration.
I think this size decoration would look best hanging from the ceiling but you could make smaller ones to hang on the tree like little pom poms :)
Look at my dog in her snow suit! hahaha
Not much to report this week, I've not had any time to shop for exciting things or go snooping around charity shops.
I thought I would bring your attention to this-
There is going to be a UK and Europe fashion blogger meet, taking place in London on Saturday February 5th! There will b
- Lunch and networking/mingling
- The daytime event will either be shopping or sightseeing
- A cocktail and canape party in the evening.
For more information check out the facebook page.
Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I've been ill, slipped in ice and been working 9-9 all week. What a complete nightmare! I've done loads of shopping and have some great outfit posts to show you which will hopefully be up on Sunday.
I found a great shop in Cardiff recently, it's been there a while but I'm so busy with work I didn't notice! It's called A Vintage Affair and you can find it in the Morgan Arcade in Cardiff.
Here are a few pictures of what's inside...
Run as a cooperative by four local vintage dealers and designers, the boutique is spilling over with trinkets, charms, homeware, textiles, curios and clothing.
I adore it! I'm going to try and pop in again in the week and have a proper look around because I'm sure I will come out with sack fulls of lovely things.
The shop also started to stock Calon products which are lovely home accessories, handmade in Wales.
My favourite product they make is this Christmas bunting-
(Nadolig Llawen is Merry Christmas in Welsh :) )
If you want to get Calon products online you can get them here.
I like that this kind of thing has a permanent base in Cardiff. As much as I love all the vintage fairs going on at the moment I can't ever attend any of them as they are all held on evenings and weekend and that's when I work :(
You can visit the shops facebook page here.
We can't find our main Christmas tree base anywhere but I have put the small tree and made a cheap/rubbish table decoration and this is what they look like-
A few people commented that it is rather tricky to buy for men so I came up with a few more gift ideas-
Gifts for Men/Dads
Buying stocking fillers and Secret Santa presents can be just as hard as finding the right Christmas present for friends and family, so I thought I would give you a helping hand. Here are a few ideas I hope you will find useful...
Girls are pretty easy to buy for but here are a few ideas-
Gifts For Girls
Button Rose Key Fob £4 Cath Kidston. Cute and cheap, can't go wrong!
Personalised Initial Coin Purse £12 http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/
Floral Face Metal Watch £24.00 Urban Outfitters
Teapot tea towel £8.00 www.adrahome.com The tea towel is super cute, it has got instructions for making the perfect cup of tea on it written in Welsh.
Gifts for Boys
White Skull Hot Water Bottle £8.95 www.dotcomgiftshop.com
Red Bobble Beanie Hat £12.99 River Island
London Mug £8 John Lewis
Junky by Burroughs £8.99 Penguin Classics
The is a Northcote Lane Market tomorrow night and it's the final one of the year so it's going to be a big event. It's in Milgi on City Road, Cardiff.
If you have been to any of the events that I have mentioned and you have any great finds share them with me and I can post the pictures :)
There are over 25 different vintage and handmade stalls to be found there. It has the best market holders in the city selling the finest in hand made, customized, original boutique, vintage, speciality and curio so pop along and grab yourself a bargain!
If you have been to any of the events that I have mentioned and you have any great finds share them with me and I can post the pictures :)
I was inspired by What Katie Found to dig this out.
A rubbish looking Santa don't you think?
A rubbish looking Santa don't you think?
Season's Greetings everyone!
Don't laugh but I tried to do a mini photo shoot in the woods with my rubbish camera because I thought it would be festive and a bit more professional than taking photos in my living room but it felt a bit daft. I'm not good as posing and I'm not a good photographer so wont be doing that again...
I've got a few purchases and some charity shop finds to share with you.
This bag was from Topshop and was bit pricey at £25 but it's for the big Christmas eve night out which is a big deal for my friends so I splashed out.
I'm going to pair it with my black lace dress but I will post photos after the night out.
I'm going to pair it with my black lace dress but I will post photos after the night out.
This velvet bag was only £3 in New Look, I liked the look of it when it was full price but thought I would wait until pay day to buy it which worked out great because it was originally about £15. What a bargain!
This is my find of the week, this cardigan was £3 in St Davids Foundation charity shop in Bargoed. It's so warm and has lovely gold buttons. I will definitely be wearing this over the Christmas period. It's really cold in south Wales at the moment so this was a great purchase.
I'm taking part in a bloggers secret santa this year organised by Rani at www.cupcakecouture.co.uk and I have already bought some of my gift, I'm now looking for a lovely box to put everything in. I love secret santa!
Just a brief post to let you know about the next Buffalo Boutique and it's little sister event Buffalo Lounge Boutique.
It's a good way to shop and enjoy some cocktails at the same time. Stalls sell vintage bargains, hand-made crafts and all the best from local designers.
You might find a great, unique gift which is better than giving someone a gift that you got in a 3 for 2 offer from Boots!
Putting together and outfit post for you all ready for the weekend and I've got a few new lovely buys to show you.
I am also currently writing a contribution for We Are Cardiff which is pretty exciting.
I would like to introduce you to Rhiannon from Vintage Extraordinaire.
This is her guest post, enjoy...
Name: Rhiannon Derbyshire
Blog address : www.vintageextraordinaire.blogspot.com
A little about me : Born and raised in Cardiff, but I saught for the bright lights of London as soon as I hit adolesence. I’ve since moved to Epsom (don’t worry no-one else’s heard of it either) to study fashion journalism, and the obvious added bonus is that London is a mere 30-minute train journey away. At the age of six, I told my mum, “I won’t be wearing those Doc Martens” and ever since, I’ve been in charge of my own fashion decisions. Some choices have inevitably been ill thought out (my “sporty spice” phase at the age of 11 for example) but since then I’ve developed a huge appetite for the latest trends and am constantly on the lookout for the ‘must-have’ item of the season. Quite obviously though, I am not Paris Hilton, so I tend to keep an eye out at local charity shops and am an eBay expert, bidding in the last 10 seconds on a pair of battered old brogues. Nevertheless, I’ve come a long way from being a stroppy 6 year old that refused to wear Doc Martens (I’d love a pair now actually...).
Oh, and I secretly wish I was a 50’s housewife baking cakes all day.
One of my favourite vintage finds :
On my blog, I do a regular feature in which I show off my favourite vintage finds, but the one I’ve had the most wear out of has to be this navy jacket. Bought last September at Beyond Retro (just off Carnaby Street in London. If you haven’t checked it out yet you simply must! It’s brilliant!). It was a steal at £17. As I reached the till, this is approximately, what was running through my head: “Oh my God! How come this is so cheap! It’s brilliant! Ohh I love it. God I’m starving” I added the “God I’m starving bit” because I utter phrase roughly once an hour. Nonetheless, I skipped out of the store with a carrier bag on my wrist and a song in my heart, but there was a down side to this tale of glee. It wasn’t until I collapsed in a cafe to fulfil my stomach’s needs that I noticed that the jacket was just a bit tiny. In my haste, I hadn’t studied the jacket properly, and a glance at the label gave me an idea of the size – “GENUINE SCHOOL UNIFORM.” Well this can’t be good “Size‘s’ – age 7/8”
I instantly had the sinking feeling that I get when I realise I have a deadline by tomorrow morning and all I’ve done is sit by my laptop scoffing crisps. I didn’t want to have to take it back so I tried it on, hoping for the best. The fit was snug, but not unbearably so, and I decided to keep the jacket. The ride home was a bit awkward, our relationship was like with someone you’d had a whirlwind romance with, only to later realise that we hated each other. A few months later, the big chill hit Cardiff, and I found the jacket hidden under a pile of old hats and scarves. The snug fit actually worked to its advantage as it stopped the breeze fluttering through to my pale skin. And the occasional lack of circulation to my wrists was worth it for the warmth. The whirlwind romance was back on track.
This is her guest post, enjoy...
Name: Rhiannon Derbyshire
Blog address : www.vintageextraordinaire.blogspot.com
A little about me : Born and raised in Cardiff, but I saught for the bright lights of London as soon as I hit adolesence. I’ve since moved to Epsom (don’t worry no-one else’s heard of it either) to study fashion journalism, and the obvious added bonus is that London is a mere 30-minute train journey away. At the age of six, I told my mum, “I won’t be wearing those Doc Martens” and ever since, I’ve been in charge of my own fashion decisions. Some choices have inevitably been ill thought out (my “sporty spice” phase at the age of 11 for example) but since then I’ve developed a huge appetite for the latest trends and am constantly on the lookout for the ‘must-have’ item of the season. Quite obviously though, I am not Paris Hilton, so I tend to keep an eye out at local charity shops and am an eBay expert, bidding in the last 10 seconds on a pair of battered old brogues. Nevertheless, I’ve come a long way from being a stroppy 6 year old that refused to wear Doc Martens (I’d love a pair now actually...).
Oh, and I secretly wish I was a 50’s housewife baking cakes all day.
One of my favourite vintage finds :
On my blog, I do a regular feature in which I show off my favourite vintage finds, but the one I’ve had the most wear out of has to be this navy jacket. Bought last September at Beyond Retro (just off Carnaby Street in London. If you haven’t checked it out yet you simply must! It’s brilliant!). It was a steal at £17. As I reached the till, this is approximately, what was running through my head: “Oh my God! How come this is so cheap! It’s brilliant! Ohh I love it. God I’m starving” I added the “God I’m starving bit” because I utter phrase roughly once an hour. Nonetheless, I skipped out of the store with a carrier bag on my wrist and a song in my heart, but there was a down side to this tale of glee. It wasn’t until I collapsed in a cafe to fulfil my stomach’s needs that I noticed that the jacket was just a bit tiny. In my haste, I hadn’t studied the jacket properly, and a glance at the label gave me an idea of the size – “GENUINE SCHOOL UNIFORM.” Well this can’t be good “Size‘s’ – age 7/8”
I instantly had the sinking feeling that I get when I realise I have a deadline by tomorrow morning and all I’ve done is sit by my laptop scoffing crisps. I didn’t want to have to take it back so I tried it on, hoping for the best. The fit was snug, but not unbearably so, and I decided to keep the jacket. The ride home was a bit awkward, our relationship was like with someone you’d had a whirlwind romance with, only to later realise that we hated each other. A few months later, the big chill hit Cardiff, and I found the jacket hidden under a pile of old hats and scarves. The snug fit actually worked to its advantage as it stopped the breeze fluttering through to my pale skin. And the occasional lack of circulation to my wrists was worth it for the warmth. The whirlwind romance was back on track.
Whilst popping into Looby Loo's Boutique this week I came across another great shop called Lunacy. There are two Lunacy stores, one is in the High Street Arcade in Cardiff and the other is in Royal Buildings in Port Talbot. There is also an online store http://www.lunacyboutique.co.uk/
A bit last minute I know but I thought I would let you know that Vintage Pretty is at Buffalo this tomorrow!
There will be 10 goody bags to the first through the door and they be stuffed with money off vouchers and free trinkets!
Even though the venue has chnaged there will still 16+ stalls, selling handmade jewellery and accessories, customised clothing, homeware, original artwork, and paper and fabric craft.
Entry is free, and they are open for business 12-5pm.
Make sure you wrap up warm because it's freezing!!
Just a quick post to let you know there will be a jumble sale on the 29th of November at the The White Rose Information & Resource Centre, New Tredegar. You can get a train to New Tredegar from Cardiff and on the way back you could stop off at Bargoed which I assure you has the best charity shops in the valleys.
It all kicks off at 11am and there will be bric-a-brac stalls, jewellery, books and eastern cuisine on offer.
It all kicks off at 11am and there will be bric-a-brac stalls, jewellery, books and eastern cuisine on offer.
It's only 31 days until Christmas. But who's counting?
I know it's not December yet but I'm already thinking about Christmas. The items above are at the top of my list for Christmas (hint hint if any of my family are reading this)
I adore watching Nigella on TV, I find her show engaging and her recipes seem easy to follow and don't need too many fancy ingredients, she tends to use a lot of things that you would have lying around in your store cupboard. I also adore her make up and she inspired me to get an eyebrow pencil. I would love to be a full time Nigella.
I made her Spanish Chicken with Chorizo recipe on Sunday and it was so easy to make and tasted amazing! You can view it here for free on the BBC food website for a limited time. My effort doesn't look quite as good as Nigella's...
The cute cushion is from Cath Kidston but I would be happy with any lovely cushion really but that one is my fave.
I know I bought an apron yesterday but I want an oil cloth one which is easy to wipe clean.
I love my digital camera but I really want a Diana Camera, you can do some really cool things with them and I might take a photography class. Take a look at the Flickr group here, how cool are those photos?!
