A lot can change...

Well hello lovely readers! Over the last couple of months a lot has changed, so I shall update you briefly on what’s been going on in my life.

Firstly I took my annual holiday to a remote village in Scotland with my best friends. One of the girls has a family house up there so we take a trip every year and behave like students again. It’s a tiny little village with a pub and a local shop that opens for a few hours, a few days a week. Ibiza it is not. Wine, face masks, films, grass sledging, nightly pub visits – Although it wouldn’t be most peoples cup of tea, we have great fun and can enjoy each others company for a full week, every year.

Secondly, I have moved back home to Milton Keynes. I headed up north to go to University in 2007; I met my lovely boyfriend up there during that time so when I graduated last July, I decided to stick round for a bit longer. Alas, the south (and my friends) called me home so back I travelled with the boyfriend and my pet fish, Howard, in tow.

After 2 weeks of job searching I got an interview and the very next day they offered me the job! I start on Monday as a ‘compliance officer’ for a recruitment company – a fancy job title I know. Although nervous, I’m also very excited (more so about my new ‘workwear’ wardrobe) hopefully things will work out and it’ll be lovely to have a few spare pennies to spend on my Autumn/Winter wish list.

I’ve also been working very hard on my jewellery. I’ve got some necklaces and earrings made and I can not wait to get them up online. Fingers crossed, I’ll have them on Folksy soon and will pop some pictures and links on here as well.

In other news, my car failed its MOT on Thursday so I’m officially stranded until some point next week when it will be fixed. Meanwhile I’m having to sweet talk my way into getting lifts anytime I want to leave the house. It’s like being a teenager again!

Just a quick post today, the next one will be dedicated to my handmade jewellery so keep your eyes peeled (or subscribe so you never mss out!)  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

X

Friday Favourites

My blog is forever changing. I’m one of those people that are never 100% happy with the aesthetics. The Layout, the colour, the images… I just can’t seem to find one that fits perfectly. As you can tell, I’ve been having a reshuffle today! I’m a bit happier with this one but it’s not perfect and I won’t be resting until it is!! I wish I was more of a computer person, I would be much better at getting it to look like the image in my head :)
Any who, today I thought I would post about some of my favourite blogs. I love to read other peoples blogs and see what they get up to. Some of these people really inspire me, both in the writing and style of their blog but also in everyday life. I thought I would share them with you as I love to get a heads up on a good blog :)
 How many times can I say ‘blog’ in such a small paragraph??!

1)       Sofia’s Journal – I discovered this lovely blog a few months ago and simply can’t get enough of it. She writes about some pretty inspiring things and I always feel more positive after I’ve read one of her posts. The fact that she likes a good DIY home interior project also helps! Read it here.

2)       LLYMLRS – A girl with the most incredible style. I love her photos and her jewellery. ‘Nuf Said. Read it here.

3)       Vivatramp – A recent discovery, a lovely read with some really beautiful photos. Her ‘Snap Happy’ series is always inspiring me to take more photographs. Read it here.

4)       Tuula – This lovely blog always satisfies my fashion craving. I love Photos of what other people are wearing. The pictures are stunning, the outfits are stunning… what else can I say! Read it here.

5)       Theoriginalisac – Ok so I may be slightly biased on this last one as she is my best friend. BUT it is still a fab blog that I love to read. Fashion, home interiors, crafts. Its pretty damn perfect :) Read it here.

These are just a few of my favourites. It’s always nice to share the blog love and suggest a good read to someone else! Hope you all find some new favourites in this list!!

A Guide to Charity Shopping

As promised this post is all about charity shopping. I spend most of my life in charity shops, on the hunt for another bargain. I find the whole experience enthralling. I love to delve into other peoples discarded things and find treasures. Each piece has a story behind it and the thought of giving old clothes a new lease of life is exciting.
Granted, some days the hunt doesn’t amount to much. But other days, I come home with bags of goodies.
Luckily for me, the majority of my closest friends also enjoy a good hunt in a charity shop, so we can rummage around together and swap stories of our greatest finds.
I know that many people hate the idea of rummaging in a charity shop and wearing other people’s clothes. But in a time where money is tight and high street prices just seem to be getting higher, recycling and re-using is surely the best way forward.
In this post I will share my top tips for finding those treasures, my favourite items bought in charity shops, and a mini how to guide for those who find the experience daunting.

My Top Tips:
1) Unlike shopping on the high street, you can’t really go with a shopping list or a set idea of what you want to purchase. Keep an open mind.
2) Don’t rush. Take your time and look through each rail, shelf and basket. You never know where that perfect buy will be hiding.
3) Never forget to try things on. Most charity shops (that sell clothes) will have a fitting room. Most charity shops also have a returns policy but there’s no reason you can’t try things on before buying as you would in a high street store.
4) Bring a big bag to pile all your new purchases in.
5) Use your imagination. Get creative and use the sewing skills you learnt in school! If you love something but its too long, too big etc. Get to work and customize it yourself. Or if you’re not so confident with a needle and thread get a relative or friend to help you out.  
6) Have fun! It’s about the hunt, and the feeling that you get when you find an amazing bargain.

I currently live with my boyfriend and his family. Luckily for me, there is a small town just a few minutes down the road that has some fantastic charity shops. I visit them at LEAST once a week as they’re constantly rotating stock and receiving new donations.
I’ve had some truly unbelievable purchases from these little shops. Beautiful pieces at rock-bottom prices, though I’ve found some label-less wonders too.
Here are some of my favourites that I just couldn't live without:

The bag on the left is a black clutch that I picked up for just £2. It’s a staple for any evening outfit and has been borrowed many times! The Chiltern Satchel was just £4.99. I use this bag ALL the time. It’s a great everyday bag and is a lot bigger than it looks. The scarf was just £2.50 and is originally from New Look. A great accessory to jazz up an outfit!

This mac was a great find. Originally from Next it cost just £4. It’s a great little jacket for throwing over outfits in Spring and Autumn AND its tidy enough (despite how scruffy it looks in this picture) to wear to the office.

I squealed when I saw this book on the shelf. I bought the prequel (“How To Walk In High Heels”) in WH Smith for £7.99 last year and loved it. The follow up cost me£1.49. Bargain!

 

As strange as it sounds, I love tins. Old, rusty tins. When I saw this one for just 50p I had to have it. It’s a handy little storage pot, currently being used for some jewellery. If you want to see the inside – check out the header for this blog.

Finally this little china pot cost 50p. I knew immediately it would be perfect for holding make up brushes and would look lovely on a dressing table. Although I’m saving this for my own house, I popped it out of the wrapping to show you :)
The mirror you can just make out on the left is also from a charity shop, for £1.

These are items that I have purchased over the last year or so. Charity Shops are very good at displaying the most seasonal and relevant stock available. I picked up a beautiful picnic basket just a few weeks ago and I’ve seen some lovely sunglasses on the shelves recently. So find your nearest charity shops and have a good old browse. After all it is for a good cause!

One last thing….. If you find yourself having a spring clean or a wardrobe clear out, think of your local charity shops. I know the ones near me are desperate for some new donations (possibly because I’m buying everything they have).

Hope you found this post interesting and/or helpful! If you have any tips you’d like to share then please leave a comment below or Tweet Me.

My life over the last month

First and foremost I would like to apologise to all of you lovely readers for being so patient with me. It’s been nearly a month since I last blogged. I have so many things that I want to write about but have struggled to find both the time and the motivation to do so. I’ve already got a few draft posts written so hopefully you’ll be hearing more from me over the coming weeks.

For now I shall do a simple ‘catch-up’ on what’s been happening in my life over the last month.
In no particular order:

1) I went for a week long holiday break in Cornwall with the boyfriend and his family.

2) Have been shopping a number of times.
3) I’ve started going to Zumba classes.
4) I won £1 on a scratch card.
5) Had a BBQ at my sisters house.
6) Decorated a plate at the Emma Bridgewater factory shop with Emily.

7) Picked up said plates from the factory shop.
8) Won the pub quiz.
9) Gone home to Milton Keynes.
10) Purchased the new Mcfly album.
11) Started reading Michael Mcintyre’s “Live and Laughing”
12) Purchased a new camera!

Yes readers, that is how exciting my life has been over the last month that I decided to tell you about my £1 scratch card win! Hopefully you’ll be more enthralled by my next post which shall be entitled “Teecey’s guide to Charity Shopping”.

What I Love Wednesday

These are my 5 favourite things of this week. Hopefully this will become a regular feature.

1) Sweet Pea Candle

£1 at Primark

I stumbled across this candle in the home ware section. I liked the packaging so picked it up to have a sniff. It smells A-MAY-ZING! I didn’t even bother trying the other candles as I liked this one so much. I decided that I should stock up on this particular scent as it’s only a small jar but when I returned just a few days later they had none left!! I’m keeping my eyes peeled so that next time they refill the shelves, I can snap a few more up.

2) Yop Strawberry

These are on offer in Tesco at the moment, 2 for £1.50
I love yoghurt so having it available in a bottle that I can sip on is brilliant news to me.

3) Thor

I went to see this at the weekend with my boyfriend and his brother. I love films based on comic books (I know, I’m like a 12 year old boy) and really enjoyed this one, would definitely recommend it!

4) Etsy.com

Although it’s been around for a while now, it’s a recent discovery for me. There are definitely some things that I have my eye on. I may even put some of my handmade jewellery on there.

5) Made in Chelsea

 

I absolutely love this show, much more my cup of tea than ‘The Only Way Is Essex’.

Ollie is definitely my favourite person in the show. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

A Shopping Rampage

Recently I have been on somewhat of a shopping rampage, buying up beauty and hair products like they’re going out of fashion. So I thought I’d give you an insight into my collection and let you know what I think of some of them.

Some of the products that I have bought recently have been on my wish list for months, some I have bought simply because other bloggers have recommended them. I’m such a floozy for a good review.

One of the first products I bought was the ‘Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish kit’. Everyone in the blogging world seems to be raving about this cleanser and for that reason I’ve wanted to try it out for a long time. I haven’t used it yet but am very excited to start.

Next on my hit list was ‘She Laq’ by Benefit, another product that I have wanted for a long time. I wear gel eyeliner on my lids, pretty much everyday. I also use an eyebrow pencil everyday. Although both my eyeliner and eyebrows tend to stay put, I would feel much better knowing that they were protected by something. My only fear with this product was that once applied, it may look wet/crispy (No one needs crispy eyebrows). So I asked the very helpful Benefit girl if my fears were justified. She explained that, as long as I didn’t put it over layers and layers of eye shadow that it shouldn’t go ‘crunchy’. She also showed me that by mixing a little bit of the product with ANY powder eye shadow, it would form liquid eyeliner! A really handy tip that I shall be trying (I’ll let you know how it works out).

I then ventured into Superdrug with the intention of browsing the shampoo aisle. Browsing however did not satisfy me and I came away with 4 things.

I feel the first thing doesn’t count as it’s a staple in my hair collection and I had run out, which is why I bought ‘Batiste Blush’. I love the smell of this particular Batiste and it’s definitely my favourite one.

The next product I picked up was a detangling spray from the Superdrug kids range for just 99p. Anyone who knows me will understand my need for this product. I have long hair with lots of layers, it’s full of peroxide and has half a can of hairspray emptied onto it on a daily basis. Because of this the ends are in terrible condition, it tangles and knots far too easily and is such a pain to brush through. I’m hoping that by using a detangling spray, the experience of brushing my hair won’t be so unpleasant.

The next 2 products were inspired by Zoe whose blog you can read here. I purchased The ‘Volumising Mousse’ and the ‘Firm Hold Hairspray’ from the ‘James Brown Scandalous’ range. Originally I only planned on getting the mousse but this range is on offer in Superdrug at the moment AND I am running out of hairspray so I thought, what the hell, lets get both!

First impressions? The packaging is gorgeous but I’m undecided on the smell. It smells almost like cupcakes but I do find it a little bit overpowering at times, especially with the amount of hairspray that I use! That said I have used the hairspray everyday since I bought it. I have tried quite a few hairsprays on the market and this one is quite possibly the best. I’ve also used the mousse a couple of times and it is fantastic for volume if applied to damp hair and blow dried!

If you want a detailed review of the Liz Earle Cleanser and the James Brown Range then I’ve left some links below to some of my favourite bloggers who have done just that. I feel like there is no need for yet another review on the same products and these girls can say it far better than me.

For James Brown Scandalous range:

Zoe's Blog

Zoe's YouTube channel

For Liz Earle Cleanser:

Sarah's YouTube channel

Sarah's Blog

Two Little Ducks - 22!

I realise that this post is rather late as my birthday was last Tuesday. However I have been celebrating my birthday in all sorts of ways over the last week and I thought I would sum it up in this blog post.

On Tuesday I awoke to a cup of coffee and a pink bag of presents from my lovely boyfriend. One of these gifts may seem quite random, lets see if you can guess which one; a Cath Kidston clip-on Blackberry case, ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest’ by Stieg Larsson and the box set of Meerkat Manor Series 1.

I love Cath Kidston. Literally, anything they make I will buy. They could sell Cath Kidston Bin Liners and I would buy them.

I have got the first 2 books in this series (which my boyfriend also bought me) although I have only read the first one. BUT I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to everyone.

I know this may seem like a very strange thing to buy someone, unless they were a wildlife fanatic which I am not. However, I absolutely love this show. I cannot get enough of it. It’s like a soap opera but set in Meerkat world. If you haven’t seen it yet then seriously you need to check it out. Another marketing point - its narrated by Bill Nighy (who I also love).

So after all that excitement, we drove up to Ashbourne (a little town outside derby) with the sole intention of browsing the charity shops. This may seem mad but we had been told that this particular town had very good charity shops and anyone who knows me, knows that I simply cannot get enough of them. So it seemed like the perfect trip to take on my birthday.

While we were there we had some lunch in a café/antiques shop. It was a very sweet little place with antiques scattered around the eating area. You could actually buy some of the tables and chairs that people were eating their lunch on.

I saw some lovely things in a few of the charity shops but didn’t buy anything from them. To be perfectly honest (I know this may sound like I am a complete nutter) the trip revolved around one purchase. A beautiful, Cath Kidston walking umbrella (I told you I’m obsessed)

I’ve wanted one for quite a while but could never justify spending so much money on an umbrella that I would probably only use a few times each year. Also it’s so large that you can’t just pop it in your bag, so it currently lives on the parcel shelf in my car (they match). It was a treat to myself on my birthday.

That evening we went to the cinema to watch Arthur. I absolutely loved it and laughed so loud for most of the film (embarrassing Matthew horribly). I am such a fan of Russell Brand.

The day after my birthday I headed out to town with my sister who treated me to a lovely lunch. We had a browse round the shops, though we were both so full from all the food that we moved at a rather glacial pace. She got me some lovely little gifts including a gift voucher for my favourite haberdashery!

Later in the week, the boyfriend and I went out for a drink and a meal with some friends. It was really fun and I got some lovely gifts from them including chocolates, some bath/shower goodies, Starbucks Coffee and a wine stopper in the shape of a monster - something that I have wanted for a while (a wine stopper in general, not necessarily in the shape of a monster) .

Then on Friday we headed back home to see my parents and little sister, a picnic with friends and a drink at the pub. More gifts included make-up, money, a ‘Me to You’ bear, a tea set, a purse, a home-made tea cosy and a Cath Kidston top. It was a lovely day and we were very lucky that the rain decided to hold off for most of the afternoon.

So much thought and love was put into each gift given to me and I am so grateful to everyone for my birthday gifts and birthday wishes. I am a very lucky girl.

Bring on my next birthday!

"Living in a caravan... I could get use to this!"

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog. I’ve been off on my holidays and celebrating birthdays all over the place. But I’m back now and have so many posts that I want to write, so expect to hear from me more frequently over the next few weeks!

For now though, I’ll write about my holiday. Warning; this post is long and full of pictures!

It was a holiday obtained by collecting tokens from the local newspaper. It worked a bit like a lucky dip. We entered using the tokens (kindly given to us) and wrote down a few places and dates of our preference, they picked from what they had available and that was that. We were assigned to a caravan holiday park in Paignton, Devon between 2^nd and 6^th May. We didn’t expect much but were excited to have a few days by the seaside. We managed to get 2 extra days added on when we phoned up to confirm the booking. So when Sunday morning came, we packed up and set off on the 4 hour drive down to Devon. I was well equipped for the journey with the new issue of Elle, a huge Evian bottle and a bag of Werther's Original tucked inside my satchel.

Once we arrived at the caravan park, we got our key and headed up to our new home for the week. Now maybe my expectations were a little high, maybe my mum and dad spoiled me with our caravan holidays in my younger years but this caravan was NOT what I was expecting. It was rather small and the décor was very dated. Overall, it was a bit….disappointing. Its not even like it was a dodgy caravan park, they had some lovely caravans (some even had decking and picnic benches!) It appeared to be just ours that was not up to scratch. So we sent the boys down to cheekily ask for an upgrade, explaining that we wouldn’t mind paying a bit more. Luckily, they agreed and the new caravan was MUCH nicer.

So we unpacked and made it look more homely, with a few magazines and our own mugs. We then settled down in front of the TV with a Dominoes and some wine. As it turned out, the rest of the holiday followed a similar pattern! Some days we took it easy. We watched The Only Way Is Essex and Jeremy Kyle and listened to Karl Pilkington pod casts. Other days (when we were up, showered and out of the house before 12pm) we explored the local area. Our first day of real exploring entailed visiting Paignton Zoo, where we witnessed some rather randy baboons and a very lonely elephant.

Later on in the week (the one day that the sun was shining) we visited the beach, where the boys accidentally assaulted a couple with their Frisbee.

But one of the best days by far was when we went to Torquay, a much bigger town with much better shops. I bought some lovely things from H&M and Primark. We also came across a little shop selling goodies from across the pond! I picked up some Welch’s Grape Soda and some Milk Dud’s.

On our last night we decided to dress up and go out for dinner. We couldn’t decide where to go so drove around until we found somewhere. How glad I am that we did. As what we discovered on that night will stay with me for a long time, resurfacing each time I go out for a meal.

You could barely see the building, hidden behind the stone wall that surrounded the car park. The only thing visible was the name ‘Bistro 46’. It was raining and we didn’t want to walk far, so quickly headed towards the restaurant to see what food they offered. The menu seemed to please everyone so we went inside and took our seats. The walls were covered in African souvenirs and fairy lights. The tables had tiny cactus plants at the centre. It was only small but the atmosphere was cosy and we were hungry.

All 4 of us had a starter, main course and desert. In fact, everyone in the restaurant did (except the guy that was throwing up outside – nothing to do with the food). The food was the best I have ever tasted in my life. 2 of the other couples felt compelled to thank the chef and explain how amazing the food was upon leaving, as did we. I whole-heartedly recommend EVERY person who ever visits Brixham, Devon to go to Bistro 46. I promise, you will thank me for it.

In other news, it’s my Birthday tomorrow!! I am really excited as I love birthdays, especially mine!! My boyfriend is taking me to a little town outside Derby that has a reputation for amazing charity shops (my love for charity shops is on par with my love for him) and we’ve just bought a Rocky Road cake from Tesco to enjoy tomorrow evening. Sadly I don’t get to go home tomorrow BUT my sister is taking me out on Wednesday to a ‘treasure trove’ that she has discovered (so excited to see what it is) and I am heading home on Friday for a weekend of fun with my girls including a picnic (fingers crossed for good weather) and a vintage fair! I shall post whatever goodies I find over the next few days and my next post will have all the goodies that I have discovered over the last few weeks. So check back soon!