Showing posts with label Charity Shops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charity Shops. Show all posts

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Makeup & Jewellery Storage Ideas/Alternatives

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I like to think of myself as quite a creative person, always looking for new ways to store things and pretty things to add to my bedroom. I'm a firm believer of the fact that a girls bedroom is very much a personal space, to dress up as she chooses, with whichever soft furnishings and bits and bobs take her fancy. Everyone has different tastes, but I think it's refreshing to see a variety of ideas and solutions. As most of you will know, I'm a huge fan of searching out unique and vintage items for my bedroom from charity shops, bootsales and home clearance shops, so it may not come as much of a surprise to you that I don't store my jewellery or makeup in a modern glass jar. The selection of things I have pictured here were all under £5. Unlike buying a plastic box for my makeup from a shop on the high street, I get such satisfaction out of finding pretty little trinkets that I know will make my room slightly more interesting. They really aren't that difficult to find either, you just need to open your eyes a bit more. Charity shops are always stocked with cute little plates and saucers & bootsales are absolutely FILLED with vintage, one off items.

Each of the plates you see above, cost me 20p. The tins are a more recent find. I got them from a house clearance shop, which if you ask me, is an amazing idea. It's like a permanent bootsale stand & everything is so reasonably priced. Each tin cost me £2.95. I used the Alice in Wonderland tin to store all my tiny studs and small stacking rings and the Typhoo Tea tin has all my cotton wool pads and cotton buds in it. The Jacobs Cream Cracker tin, as you can see, is used to store all my lipsticks, so simple & so effective. The Mrs Tiggywinkle tin, I have used to store more earrings & the tin beneath that, has my necklaces in it. The mirror on the wall cost me £3 from a bootsale & the cup & saucer candle was also from a bootsale for £2. The retro "Annual for Girls" book was bought on a day out with Louise in Market Harbourough Oxfam for £1.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to store your jewellery or makeup or to add a touch of personality to your bedroom, you just need a creative eye & the ability to make nothing into something.

How do you store things in your bedroom? Have you found any vintage gems?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Granny Chic on a Budget.


Handbag - Bootsale - £1 Silk Scarf - Bootsale - 20p

It became quite apparent to me, whilst strolling through Topshop on Oxford St, London (I literally get lost in there) that a lot of the things on sale for stupidly high prices, could be found at a fraction of the cost in charity shops all over the UK. I still have a very love-hate relationship with Topshop...
Affordable fashion? Really?
Long-Lasting? Questionable.
Unique? Not Always. Every girl & their mum has the same item.
Quality? Sometimes.


Overall it's pretty hit and miss, and i go through phases of wanting things from there, and then I go back to dissliking it again. If they dropped their prices slightly, I might be more inclined. Although the point of this post is not to go into detail about Topshop, it's simply to highlight other places you can grab similar things, for much, much less. This winter, I have mainly bought my jumpers and cardigans from Charity Shops. The prices in high street stores of winter clothing always shocks me. Especially if you want quality. I have had a bit of an obsession with 80's batwing jumpers. I wear them with leggings, or shorts, or a bandeau skirt.

Top photo: left - Batwing Jumper bought from Brick Lane for £5, Right - Cardigan from Charity shop for £6
Bottom photo: Vintage Beaded tops L-R - Charity Shop £5, Ebay £6


I'm also a big fan of the beaded "granny chic" evening tops. You don't really see anything similar on the high street the best place to find them is Charity shops and Ebay. I like to wear them with leggings. Just something a bit more exciting and different for a night out or evening do ;)

Top left photo: Both jumpers from a Charity shop, £3 & £4
Bottom left photo: Chairty shop again, £5 & £4
Mohair coat/jacket - Charity Shop £5


The mohair coat was such a find, I absolutely love it with my military boots and a messy updo, and it kept me warmer on minus freezing days than any other coats I own. I really can't encourage you enough to check out the Charity shops and bootsale's for vintage items, be it clothing or accessories. Even if none of this is your style, you will find something,to suit you and it's somehow a lot more satisfying.