The Joy of Charity Shops: Marks and Spencer nautical-style jacket

I like to torment my boyfriend with the immortal words "Give me five minutes" whenever we pass a charity shop. He rolls his eyes, and says "I'll be outside/over there reading my Econimist/at the bus stop" and I run in a little wild eyed looking for the amazing bounty that I'm convinced lies undiscovered.

This weekend, I said my line (The Boy opted for waiting at the bus stop), and found this beauty; a very 1980's looking black boxy nautical jacket from Mark and Spencer. It's a bit Lady Di, but I can live with that. It's 100% wool, in amazing condition and sporting some lovely brass buttons. I'm thinking of a skinny jeans and jacket combo, or with my tiered mini skirt, or over a cute jumper dress....all these possiblities, and priced at the £6. Bargainous.

I made this! Fascinator 2

I made another one - i recycled an old alice band, and used the left over feathers from my first 'creation' and some pearl beads i had been meaning to use for years. The result is...a little fashion forward.

I mean, as gorgeous as it is, where the hell am i going to wear it to?!

I made this! Fascinators

I've always had thoughts about designing hats and fascinators. This week, i decided to stop thinking and start doing. So, i took a trip to Barnett Lawson - an excellent haberdashery supplier on Little Portland Street (http://www.bltrimmings.com/).

Not only do they have anything you could want to do any crafting and designing (I was like a kid in a sweet shop - decided i really didn't need the maribou boa..), but they were also very helpful for novices like me; i was given advice and was patiently talked through the basics for how to make a simple fascinator. Also, which i really appreciated, was the advice:  "on the first visit, customers should just look, take it all in and then come back and get started at their own pace". And that's exactly what i did.

I came home armed with the simple components - alice band, fascinator base, veiling, some feathers...

I found a little bit of scrap fabric to add a little colour...et voila:

The Boy's verdict? "You bought this, no?" Even he was impressed - though i had to explain what a Fascinator was...

I made this! Knit-tastic.

Knitting is all the rage at the moment. There's a fashion for the 'Make Do and Mend' ethic which i commend, but do feel it will be soon forgotten and a new fad will be embraced. That being said, i love the it, and it's not just a money thing, it's the creativity and the pride in making something by hand, myself.

And so, here's my first finished knit project - and i don't think it's so bad! I knitted a long scarf, and attached a bobble fringe to finish it off. I'm pretty chuffed with it. What to knit next....

For the bobble trim, i went to the fantastic Barnett Lawson  - an Aladin's cave of buttons, trimmings, ribbon...the works. Be warned - you won't leave empty handed. http://www.bltrimmings.com/

I made this! Cupboard lining

More 'waste not want not'. I vowed to use all the remaining wallpaper i had left over from the lounge. I'm really happy with it - i love the idea of a little surprise when i reach for something from the cupboards. Though i am slightly worried about sufferering from EUOOKS (Excessive Use of Orla Kiely Syndrome).

Before:

After:

                                                                                

Nice, no?

The Joy of Charity Shops: Vintage London postcards

Here's a great set of vintage postcards of London that I found in a charity shop near my flat. It's quite amusing to look at the pictures of Piccadilly, Carnaby Street, Oxford Street and the like from the late 1960's.

But the real treat for me - and what made me buy the set - was this one:

It caught my eye, because it looked familiar...i turned it over and saw that it was Croydon's Whitgift shopping centre - just 10 minutes from where I live! I love things like that - not only do they look good, but there's a connection too. Not bad for £2.

The Joy of Charity Shops

These days, what with too much work and not enough time, Saturday mornings have become the magical window of opportunity to browse my local charity shops.

As always with charity shops, you have to be patient; there are certain things you are guaranteed to find (Primark rejects, over-stretched jumpers made of synthetic fibres, cook books on 'How To Microwave' from the 1970's), but be patient and you might just find yourself a gem for your wardrobe or your home (like great 1950's cookware, a fantastic leather frame handbag, or a designer dress priced at 50p - but that is rare).

I love the unexpected - the thrill of what could be in there and what bargains are waiting to be discovered. Don't you?

So I'll be dedicating regular posts to the goodies that i find (which gives me an excuse to keep on rummaging).