I may be a girly girl when it comes to collectables and homeware, but my wardrobe has never been dominated by feminine colours. Black is my saviour, and navy and green rank the highest in popularity.
So when I spotted this top in a charity shop, I was instantly drawn towards it, but I just couldn’t figure out why, when pink is way out of my usual comfort zone.
Maybe it’s the intricate print that intrigued me, it’s not quite Liberty (it’s actually H&M) but it sure has a fine resemblance to such glorious design. And let’s face it I am a lover of lightweight polyester, easy to wear, easy to wash and doesn’t even require an iron.
On my arrival home, I was in two minds whether I had done the right thing in purchasing this top, I really didn’t want to revert back to my childhood days of being made to dress in pink, when all I wanted to do was reach for my denim dungarees. But as soon as I tried it on, I just knew it was the perfect addition to my wardrobe.
Priced at £3.65 it’s quite the bargain.
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There is nothing I love more than accessorising my home with quirky bits and pieces. More often than not it’s the smallest of touches that make for the biggest impact. I sure do find a lot of pleasure out of adorning my home with such like beautiful things.
I have recently turned my attention towards the kitchen area, because let’s face it, it’s where I spend a lot of my time, and I love preparing homemade food for the Mr and I, and I often can be found occasionally delving into the world of baking. Good housewife me?
When I was asked by All Tea Towels, if I would like to add two gorgeous cotton tea towels to my collection, I was thrilled to discover a whole selection of towels to suit any kitchen, colour scheme or taste. I was quite simply spoilt for choice!
But of course, I stayed loyal to my tastes and opted for a stunning Butterfly Chart and somewhat insightful Russian Doll design...
This towel is made from organic and unbleached cotton, and the design motif has been carefully screen printed on, a craft close to my heart, which means the print won’t wear away with use.
My love for butterflies never fails to enchant me, I am forever fascinated and to be able to have my favourite species on a tea towel sure does make for a happy girl.
Both towels are machine washable, and have sewn in hooks so you can hang them up to dry once you've mastered the art of washing up!
These tea towels are defintely the most gorgeous ones I have come accross and really do make for the best quality cotton.
Both towels are available at www.all-tea-towels.co.uk along with many more beautiful prints.
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I don’t consider myself to be very lucky, I’m still hoping for that win on the lottery and dream trip to Hawaii, but for now it’s the little things that really do make me very thankful...
I was lucky enough to win the lovely Char’s giveaway, a girl after my own heart, I couldn’t have asked for a more thoughtful package! A lover of all things cute, I was quite besotted by this wee little penguin necklace...
And to accommodate all my beauty needs I received some amazing bath crystals complete with quirky tin, Barry M nail paint, a manicure set and a Witch liquid concealer.
The book and assorted stationary is right up my street too, what with my love of all things handwritten.
Thank you so much Char for gifting me with this splendid prize! ♥
And Gem, my faithful and wonderful pal sent me this sweet little package, she knows me far too well, combining my love of children’s fiction and sought after perfume samples!
Thank you Gem ♥
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You know my love of all things kitsch; well I just couldn’t quite hide my excitement over finding a beloved Care Bear. My Mr displayed quite an alarming distaste to such a friendly creature. Though I must admit my love of cuddly toys has gotten a little out of hand lately, therefore I quite understand the depths of despair.
I have always been loyal to my soft friends, and don’t see this love ever dying off to be quite honest. I could quite happily share my life with a whole host of make belief characters. Only now I realise how much of a child I can be at times. But at 99p I just couldn’t find it in my heart to leave him behind.
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The Boots sale always entices me, their expanding gift range is always sure to have some real treats in, but I always wait for the sale, because the prices are always slightly out of budget before Christmas. It also means that I can get double (or even triple) the amount of stuff for the price that I would originally have paid.
I blogged about a few sale bargains just after Christmas, but the bargain hunter that I am knew that inevitably there would be a further reduction sometime around the middle of January. There are always leftover bits and bobs, don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t chance something that was more likely to sell out, as knowing exactly what will be left is anyone’s guess.
Last night I pretty much got confirmation of the 75% sale starting today and therefore I was shamefully quite prepared! Prompt for my arrival at 9am. Here is what I bagged:
My obsession with Hello Kitty never seems to grow old, the fact its Liberty means I am hopelessly devoted to this range. I did hold out on buying these at 50% off, and the gamble did pay off which makes it all the more sweet.
I had already bought my favourite Celia Birtwell pieces after Christmas, but there were a few other bits I had had my eye on also, but couldn’t justify buying at the time. So being able to get them today sure did make my day, this black photo frame is so gorgeous.
Of course Jasper ended up with the toy mice! This was quite predictable really.
These bedroom hooks are my favourite find; I had not seen these previously before Christmas or after Christmas so stumbling upon them on 75% off day sure was a bit of luck! These were down to £3.00.
The boot cuffs again, unexpected, I didn’t even realise Boots sold these! Mine for £2.50.
These Cute or What goodies were £1.50 each, I just couldn’t quite resist the cuteness. I didn’t even realise the little case came with a lip gloss until I got home.
The Cookie tin was rather frivolous admittedly, but again the £1.62 price swayed me.
I only ever get to do this once a year, so I always make the most of it! I did hold off on buying everything, even if I may have been ever so tempted to do so.
One thing is for certain: patience is a virtue!
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You know when something inspires me... I suddenly become so incredibly absorbed and obsessed in a way I can only describe as finding your true love. Disney Pixar films have always had the ability to enchant me, right from the start, I’ve long been a Toy Story fan, and will always be fond of such amazing characters.
I always get attached to the sweet nature of these films, and when I sat down and watched UP for the very first time, this warm feeling of love came rushing over me and I just knew this was going to be a good one.
And from that moment on, I just had to track down a Grape Soda badge, just like the one Ellie owned, so I too could wear it with pride and treasure it amongst my most fond possessions.
The search took me all over the world (via the World Wide Web) and I stumbled upon many a replica and home-made version, but it was this one that I set my heart on owning. Simply because it’s retro appeal had me right from the start. It came all the way from America, from this incredibly whimsical Etsy Shop.
I am quite so taken by this little connection to such a wonderful little film.
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I have spoken of my unashamed love for free gifts before; I am always drawn towards anything that seems like a good offer, regardless of how many tokens, multi-buys and forms I have to go through to get it.
When I spotted this magazine yesterday, I knew instantly it had to be mine, for the free gift attached more than outweighed the 99p asking price. I have in fact no intention of buying any further issues regularly priced at £3.99. I will go on to use these supplies in my craft kit and the magazine itself will be lovingly read and recycled.
Over the years I have always been fascinated by and gone a little crazy for freebies, you know I was the kid at school who collected all the Tazos, pen toppers and various other bits of glorified tat. I ate my way through dozens of bowls of cereal in hope that we would soon get through another box and I would then in turn retrieve another Puppy in My Pocket.
As an adult (you would think anyway) competition for obtaining free gifts is tough, we are all as wise as each other and so are the companies. There will most likely be some sort of annoying snag or inconvenience attached, so it’s always best checking all the terms and conditions out first.
That said me, the Mr and Jasper between us scored a handful of freebies in 2011. Here are my favourites:
Meerkat freebie with insurance through Compare the Market
Felix treat jar freebie with World of Felix tokens
Polar Bear freebie with Birds Eye fish fingers tokens
Yorkshire Tea caddy freebie with purchase of Yorkshire Tea
Lindt key rings freebie with purchase of Lindt bears
Like anything, if you go looking for a freebie, you might just find one if you’re lucky enough! ;)
Once upon a time I met a wonderful girl called Jenna. She was a true free spirit, a singer in the making and all round rock chic. We once shared a similar fond love of the Ashlee Simpson Show, we coveted the Olsen twins and often a time swapped tutus. Her long term love for Blythe dolls never failed to enchant me. We danced the night away on her twenty-first birthday and we always turned to each other for the best advice.
I’m so lucky to be able to call her my friend.
I sure do hope you visit her blog, she’s a real sweetheart.
♥
Here’s my best of the sales, I’ve somewhat over indulged this past week or so, but it more than makes up for the fact that I hardly ever shop at full price, and more so always second-hand. So when the sales start, I admittedly turn into a bit of Shopaholic!
Scented Candle & Pencil Case £3 each at M&S
My beloved Kirstie Allsopp was sadly destined for the sale, although not the whole range, only snippets. I picked up this pencil case and scented candle for a fraction of the original price.
I headed straight for Celia Birtwell’s timeless range at Boots, I picked up a treats jar, something that wasn’t featured in the catalogue, so was more than thrilled to stumble upon by chance. I also couldn’t quite resist coming home with a photo album and keyring. Jasper also got lucky, with a Celia Birtwell cat bowl.
Treat Jar £5, Photo album £4, Keyring £3 & Cat Bowl £3 at Boots
I also bought the Liberty Hello Kitty eyeshadow compact. Combining my love of Hello Kitty and Liberty together, this makes for a great collaboration.
Hello Kitty Liberty eyeshadow compact £4 at Boots
I made a bee-line for this particular range in Wilko’s sale, unfortunately I was just too late for the bird box I had admired before Christmas, but I did pick up this little lot…
Set of 3 storage tins £1.50 at Wilko
We may already have a kitchen full of tins, but that didn’t deter me from buying these cutesy tins. I've already stashed one of them full of ribbon and fabric scraps.
Set of 2 Cake tins £3 at Wilko
The doorstop sure is a beauty; I can’t help but admire the embroidery and wish I lived in a house just like this.
Doorstop £3 at Wilko
I had no intentions of purchasing perfume, but when I spotted these Smurf perfumes selling so cheaply, how could I possibly resist! My boyfriend was slightly concerned about me smelling like Papa Smurf, but hey I don’t reckon that’s such a bad thing after all.
Smurf Perfumes £2 each at WilkoTotal Savings: £44.50
I knew I wanted this Hello Kitty Liberty alarm clock as soon as I saw it in Boots before Christmas, of course I waited until afterwards and got it for half the price. How I love a good sale.
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