Notonthehighstreet.com brings together over 2,500 independent small UK businesses that sell over 45,000 products. it's like etsy but a little more uniform in postage prices and return policy because you buy through one checkout rather than from the individual seller. Each business has been chosen by notonthehighstreet.com based on style, quality and originality.

I was given a budget of £50 to spend on the site and I was excited to get a nice print for my bedroom as I knew that notonthehighstreet.com sold some lovely and unique homeware. When I took a good look at the website I was suprised to find out that they also sell clothes.

Here is what I chose:

The dress is by a brand called Rise who I had not heard of before but I've now got my eyes on a few of their pretty last and embellished dresses. The dress fits wonderfully and the lace is soft and not scratchy at all. It's a lovely light dress even with a jersey slip underneath. It was delivered very quickly and arrived wrapped in lovely pink tissue paper. There are some great dresses on the site with a vintage feel, plenty of tea dresses and 50s shapes, all perfect for a special occasion.

My final pick was a print which I hope to get framed for my bedroom. I'm a huge Ben Whishaw fan and I adored the film he starred in called Bright Star about the poet John Keats. The film prompted me to read his poetry and I'm now more than a little in love. There are so many gorgeous prints to chose from on the site and lots of them can be customised to make great gifts or remind you of a special day.

I think notonthehigstreet.com cuts out a lot of the hard work for you as it searches for the best sellers to include on their site and they have so many products available. Do you try and buy from independent retailers?

I never know what to wear to work when it's warm outside. I always wear black tights and something to cover my arms but sometimes it's just too warm. I picked up this dress in Peacocks a few months ago and this is the first time I've worn it. It's long enough to wear without tights but I feel a little on show on my top half.I added the belt which I picked up in a pack of three from Primark and my favourite shoes from Tuk. Not entirely sure that it is work appropriate or totally flattering yet.


I picked up these guides on sale in WH Smith and worked myself up into a frenzy about where to go and what to see. I'm going for three days so I can fit quite a lot in. I'm planning on eating lots of lovely macarons, visiting the Louvre(free for people under 26 on Friday nights) and hanging around in Shakespeare and Company. I'm going to frolic around like I'm in À bout de souffle, I can't wait!


Are you enjoying the sun or planning a summer getaway?

p.s. there is a giveaway running on Where Are My Knees and I'm selling clothes size 16-22 on eBay for Paris funds.

I think you will notice a theme with all of the items on my A/W wishlist... I'm more than a little obsessed with anything black at the moment and if it has studs on it then it will be making its way into my wardrobe. A/W trends are usually far too sparkly for me but this very rock and roll studded trend is just up my street. I'm looking forward to mixing it with velvet and possibly a military style jacket in khaki but I'm going to be avoiding roll neck jumpers and padded/quilted items, yuk!

The t-shirt is a Orphan's Arms design which you can buy on ASOS or through their own site. I want to thank Caroline for introducing me to the brand through her blog, really can't get enough of them. I think the witch design is perfect for autumn and I was a kid who was obsessed by witches, I used to get in trouble for adding water to plant pots and stirring dirt in and pretending it was my cauldron. I always wanted to go to Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches too... The hat is another ASOS buy, I've never really worn a hat before so I might need to try this one on. The bag and bracelet are real budget finds. The bag is only £8 in Select and the bracelet is about £3 in F21.



I've been on the lookout for the perfect winter shoes that I can wear to work or on a night out and I think these Blink ankle boots are just the right pair. They are real leather and will be really long lasting, can't wait to get my hands on these.
I wasn't entirely sold on the pleated Primark pleather skirt that lots of people have, I think it would stick out on me and I like my skirts quite long so I'm tempted by this Select one. It's £15 but I would get 15% off with my UniDays discount which makes it a bargain. The dress is from Topshop and is under £30, I love the zip detail and I will be getting this for nights out and paring it with some studded shoes and red lippy for a splash of colour.

Are you looking forward to Autumn/Winter fashion or are you hoping for an Indian Summer?

Phew, it's been a pretty busy week for me so far. It was my brothers 21st on Monday and we went for a big family meal to celebrate. I ate waaay too much ice cream and driving home over speedbumps after the meal was not pleasant. I wanted to get my brother something special for his birthday but he was far more practical so I gave him money for his MOT, so boring right? I did make him a funny birthday card in the style of OK magazine with embarrassing photos on.



I didn't wear anything fancy to Madonna because it was in a field and it was boiling hot and raining so I wore my new Topshop t-shirt and denim shorts.




I will be spending this weekend having a big lie in and taking my brother out to paint the town red for his 21st, can't wait!