Bank Holiday Booting

This Bank Holiday weekend has involved a lot of car booting - we decided to have a much needed clear out and sell our wares at the car boot sale on Saturday afternoon.  It was a beautiful day, which meant crowds were plenty, and we got lots of custom and in turn got rid of lots of junk.

Of course as ever, I couldn’t resist a quick snoop around the other stalls, I didn’t venture round the whole field (it would have taken me far too long and I didn’t want to abandon Simon who was minding the stall), but I did manage to snag a few bargains from close by.

Saturday

It’s always common that however much junk we clear out, there will always be something to replace it with. These wooden Beatrix Potter magnets captured me completely, at 20p each I couldn’t resist them! 

These sport bits were super-duper cheap – socks 3 pairs for £1 and the Karrimor running belt for £1.50 all brand new.  It’s always good when you find things that you actually need and would have cost much more to buy in the shop.

   

Roxy a long standing favourite of mine, I’m always drawn towards the surf brand and this bag is the perfect size for taking on holiday with me. I managed to haggle the seller down from £2 to £1.50.

Sunday

Sunday morning I woke at 8am and had this sudden urge to go to the car boot sale, I think having caught the bug the previous day, I knew there was a local one nearby I could pop to.  I went alone and surprisingly had so much fun! (Whoever said you can’t have fun in your own company?)

Thinking I would only be there half an hour or so, I ended up staying 2 hours! Blimey, but I did find some wonderful things…

I tried to win one of these Diet Coke bags designed by Marc Jacobs a few months ago, but failed, so when I spotted this one on a stall I made an instant dash towards it, you know how I love a good gimmick/free gift/anything remotely tacky.

 The irony is I’d seen one at Saturday’s car boot, but when the lady wanted £5 for it, I politely left it behind. Less than 24 hours later I stumbled upon a second one and when I asked how much this one was, the stall holder said £1!  Of course I couldn’t have been more smug (patience always pays off).

More Beatrix Potter, this time the miniature collection for £1. These are incredibly cute books indeed; I adore the box they come in too.

Towards the middle of the morning stall holders tend to reduce their prices – which obviously means more bargains!

I got these various miscellaneous items for 10p each…which is madness….

Another Roxy gem and brand new with its tag! I was expecting and would have paid a couple of pounds for this, but when the lady asked for only 10p I was pretty surprised!

My favourite make-up brand ever Urban Decay – before I even asked how much it was, the stall holder had already offered it me for 10p! 

A Jacqueline Wilson book for old times’ sake, this one is sparkly, glittery and takes me back to the first time I made friends with Tracey Beaker.  On a stall where everything had been reduced down to 10p – I could not pass this by!

And finally I couldn’t resist some Madonna vinyl to feed my collection; I got the lot for £2.

Two days of booting has certainly reignited my burning passion for second-hand shopping!

♥

Save The Date

A year today I will be marrying my love, in the most beautiful setting: a quaint village church and stunning hotel reception.  I’m the luckiest girl in the world to be marrying my absolute soul mate, best friend and true love – the day I’ve dreamt of my entire life.   

Saturday 24th May 2014

 I have always known in life that no matter how unpredictable other aspects are, I am whole-heartedly truly, madly and deeply in love with you –

 

 Mr Taylor, I can’t wait to be your wife.

♥

I Love Birthdays

My birthday happened to fall on a Saturday this year, so it meant we had the whole weekend to celebrate and it felt really long- lasting and lovely. 

I was so thrilled with everything I received this year, I’m so pleased and grateful for all of these gifts.  Everyone seems to know my taste so well!

Simon spoilt me rotten with letter paper and the 3^rd Kirstie Allsopp stamp set (I'll never stop collecting and using these). He also surprised me with some lovely bath time treats from M&S...

He very naughtily bought me a new Toy Story figure to add to my collection – this time Rex! I know it’s getting a little bit ridiculous, but I don’t think I will ever not be besotted with the toys from the films.

My darling friend/blogger/penpal/amazing lady Sophie sent me the most adorable writing set, and cross stitch kit – she knows me far too well.     
 

      My Mum tracked down some amazing bargains – including this Anna Sui Paper Dolly Parade notecard set from TKMaxx - which I had been wanting and coveting so much after receiving mail from my lovely penpal Danielle.

Tins are another one of my favourite things, and it so happens I ended up with quite a bunch for my birthday. The Joules one is my favourite! It contains a baking set my Mum picked up on the 75% Boots sale day (Boots sale day bargains make great gifts).

 
I got two new books to read and cherish – Celia Birtwell's book I have wanted in forever (And believe it or not this was found by my Mum in The Works for £7.99!), and The Great British Sewing Bee book – I grew a little bit addicted to this programme! 
A little belated present turned up on Monday morning and I was truly spoilt. My darling friend and sweetest blogger Kat sent me the loveliest CK shaped parcel. She knows deep down where my heart lays and surprised me with the most gorgeous bag and purse.  I had only been looking for a new bag recently, and nothing seemed to fit the bill - this couldn't have come at a more perfect time.   
Birthdays always seem to be over before they have begun, unlike Christmas where it’s an on-going celebration, but this one has taught me to be grateful, brave and confident – and that’s more than what I could have asked and expected to receive this year.  

♥

Feeling 24

Yesterday I turned 24 – which I had been dreading for months, wondering where time had gone, worrying myself silly that I hadn’t achieved what I had wanted to by this age.  And then yesterday it finally hit me – I’ve achieved far more than I ever could have imagined and this alone is more important and invaluable than anything else.

I’ve always been shy, reserved, and lacked incredible confidence in myself – and I knew deep down this had always been linked to my appearance and weight.  I have never felt attractive, worthy or even worth looking at before.  I’ve always seen myself as fat and ugly.

  

In January of this year enough was enough – 23 years of hiding behind a shadow of insecurity.  I knew something had to change.  I never believed what people said about weight loss, that it’s hard to see a slimmer version of yourself in the mirror and for months now I’ve been staring back at the same reflection – still lacking confidence, still hiding in baggy clothes and not being able to see a change and up until yesterday I still couldn’t see it.  I couldn’t even dare to believe it. 

When I put on this dress yesterday evening I finally saw the reflection staring back at me – and something was different.  The girl staring back was no longer a scared little girl anymore – she was a brave, young, and attractive woman.  

I held my head high yesterday evening, and even dared to smile.  Because I was happy.  And if it’s taken me all this time to realise that the key to happiness is confidence, then I’m going to cherish every single moment from now on. 

♥

DIY Desk Makeover

A little while ago we made a trip to Ikea for a desk, I was looking for something small and lightweight to fill a corner of my craft room...

Not necessarily heavy duty, more decorative sake. I’d spotted this laptop table in the Ikea catalogue and once at the store found the desk built up in the showroom, and soon decided it was the one.

IKEA VITTSJÖ Laptop Table £30

 

 

 

 

 

My love for decoration goes a long way, and I instantly had an idea.  I knew that the desk had a glass panel and I soon dreamed up a collage to lie underneath – not too dissimilar to an idea I had years ago in my old teenage bedroom.

 

It wasn’t as straight-forward as it seemed, as I firstly had to locate a panel to sit underneath, once that was sourced and cut to size (thank you Mr) I then got to do my bit – get creative.

I wanted something personal and significant, so I decided to have a good rummage through my correspondence and suddenly had an idea – all those beautiful post cards and cards I’d received from pen pals, bloggers and friends over the years were all stuffed away for nobody to see. 

Funnily enough I spent a good hour or so re-reading each one – remembering who sent it to me.  I really do appreciate the art of letter writing. 

 

I then got a little bit fiddly with the fine details (perfectionist me) and added a few stamps I’d collected to tie in with the correspondence theme.  It felt almost like creating a scrapbook page, but on a much larger scale.

I’m really pleased with the finished result, and I love how I am always able to add to it or change it around over time, without causing damage to the desk or the cards. 

So here's my most treasured correspondence on display for me to see everyday whilst working at my desk.

 ♥