Operation Summer Clear Out for more Denim Thrift My Style Purchases!!

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great month so far-I've been busy working so it's not left a lot of time for regular blogging unfortunately! Like everyone else though, now the weather is getting milder and sunnier I've been wanting to shed some layers and think of wearing some more Spring like items.

 I decided to have a complete sort out of my wardrobe and looked through all my summer and winter items to purge. Funnily enough I didn't find any winter items that I wanted to get rid of, only summer items that I don't envisage wearing again.

So after having a good delve into my wardrobes and big summer chest I managed to clear the following-one jacket, one pair of shorts, one summer blouse, three skirts and four dresses:

Ten items to go to the charity shop and having done 'operation clearout' it's given me a better idea of what items I want to try and get to add to my wardrobe.

It may sound like I'm jumping on the blogger bandwagon, but I really want a denim dress. Choosing the right one is the hard part but I'm going for one that won't date in style and can be worn any time of the year. In my mind I'm thinking of a tunic style, just above the knee. I really like the Topshop dress below:

The reviews say it is quite short so I'm not sure if I'll order this one but I would like something fairly similar. I don't really want a denim shirt dress but if I find a fabulous one thrifting then I would get this style.

Here are what's really ticking the boxes for me from pinterest too:

Love this unique and refreshingly different style,the cut is amazing!

A real summer dress, very cute for a hot hot day

Love this look, I wouldn't mind something like this 

Just adore this last one too, the white embroidery and cut and style overall is a winner for me!

Another item on my wardrobe wishlist is a faded denim Levis jacket. There is one currently in the house which belongs to my older son but it is one of his favourites (out of the zillions he already has- I think he got his jacket obsession from me) and has adamantly refused to hand it over permanently, so the sooner I find my own the better!

Another item I want too is a quality leather red bag- I've been hunting on ebay, in stores and charity shops to no avail. I'm not sure what style I'm after but when I see the right shade and style out there then I'll be snapping it up. It has to be leather though, as again this item will be a long time keeper once it's found.

Have you done a seasonal wardrobe purge yet? What items are you after this coming season, I'd love to know! Wishing you all a lovely weekend whatever you are up to!!

Thrift Inspiration....School Gate Style for the March Charity Challenge

Hi everyone! I've been eagerly awaiting the lovely Avril's March Charity Challenge as you all may be aware that practically 90% of my wardrobe is from the charity shops.

It's the 8th of the month today and because I've been working I hadn't really been thrift shopping this month-well I did have a look in my local town's ones on Thursday but I didn't find anything worth buying. 

As Avril says in her latest post, it's always worth making a beeline to the coats and jackets rails first and for me the bags, shoes and denim are all priority to check out too. 

After dropping hubby at work this morning I headed straight to a neighbouring town for a spot of thrifting-it's the same town where I found my Yves Saint Laurent vintage cheesecloth shirt in my last post. I also went there as they had a shoe menders and I had to put in a couple of pairs of ankle boots to be reheeled (£10 a pair- is that a lot??).

Anyhow, I went into the Richard House Childrens Hospice and immediately hit the coat rail where they were having a sale. I came across a style of jacket that's been on my radar for a while now- a sheepskin biker style jacket and at a bargain £7.50, I couldn't leave it behind:

It's completely sheepskin lined and thankfully is not one of those really heavy jackets either:

I love the sleeves slightly shorter as I can show off my cuffs which is a look I'm really into lately:

Like Avril, I love jeans and this pair of River Island jeans were a charity shop thrift find from last year and are definitely one of my favourite pairs-not only are they super comfy but i just love the acid wash finish too.

Also on the rail this morning was a vintage black faux fur Opera style coat by makers Glenn Models Ltd-the coat was made in the UK and I'm guessing is from the 60s, possibly 70s:

It's in a faux Astrakhan textured material and is not overly thick, so perfect for Spring with a sweatshirt underneath:

This was reduced to £10 so again it had to come home with me and is a perfect fit. I've been after a black vintage coat for a while now, so this one fits the bill perfectly and is ideal for wearing with skinny jeans during the day and is lovely for evening dressing too:

Of course I will be linking upto Avrils challenge for the month with this post and it would be great if you also can link up any fabulous charity shop finds to her post here

After a long absence I'm also linking up to the lovely Claire Justine for her weekend blog hop here and she is also showing off her charity shop find too, do check out if you get the chance!

Wishing you a fabulous weekend whatever you get upto, my shopping budget for the week has been all spent up today what with my boots needing to be repaired so the rest of this weekend will involve catching up with housework, rest and relaxation, reading and catching up with lovely bloggers!

Thrift Inspiration....Singing The Blues in All Saints, Reiss and Vintage Yves Saint Laurent

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great week so far-my day today has been so up and down, I don't know if I've been coming or going! Firstly this morning saw me running late for work, completely run out of petrol on the way, problems parking which led to me being late and then on my return to the car park later a parking ticket! I was rather stressed by the time I got home early afternoon but it got better with a meet up with girlfriends for a meal and catch up at a local restaurant and with hubby cooking and washing up for himself and younger son I feel like I'm now fully calmed down, hehe!!

I was really chuffed to have been nominated for 'best thrifty blog' by The MAD Blog Awards for Mums and dads 2014 this weekend. I've displayed a 'Nominate Me' badge on my sidebar and would deeply appreciate it if you could take time out to nominate me please! IF I get through to the next stage then more voting is required and I could be in with a chance of attending a lovely finalist awards evening and winning an iPad Air, woo hoo! Anyhow, it's been lovely to have been nominated and any further nominations and votes will be much appreciated!!

Back to style matters in hand, I thought I would show you some fairly recent thrift finds that seem to be very much on a recurring theme-blue to be precise.

As you all may be aware I am very much a denim enthusiast-ok, addict might be a better word if 25+ pairs of jeans is slightly more than the norm! I'm thinking that it's not so much jeans I'm into but the colour more so? I pretty much love denim jackets, waistcoats, skirts shirts and jeans and all in different shades of blue but particularly this year faded blue has definitely been on my style radar a lot, very evident on my denim inspiration pinterest board if you fancy taking a look!

My latest thrift finds were from a couple of Saturdays ago- I found this fabulous vintage cheesecloth Yves Saint Laurent mens shirt in a neighbouring town's St Francis Hospice charity shop for just £2.50!!

It's such a great fit and is definitely my current favourite go to shirt for summer, to be paired with faded jeans, cut offs and white jeans (if I find a pair that I like):

My next find that day was in the afternoon at my own local Sue Ryder charity shop, which was a pair of Reiss high waisted skinny zip ankle jeans for a bargainous £1 in their sale!! In my size too and another pair of perfectly shaded blue jeans that I can't wait to start wearing!

The middle pair are some Gap boyfriend jeans that I thrifted in January for just £3.99-again the perfect distressed lighter shade of blue that will be perfect once ankles can be shown in warmer weather!!

The 3rd pair are some Levis demi curve straight leg jeans which if I can remember were also less than £2, thrifted last year in Autumn from a neighbouring towns Sue Ryder charity shop:

Left to Right: Reiss, Gap, Levis

The last picture features more shirts that I've thrifted and been gifted since Autumn last year:

From top to bottom: All Saints checked shirt, £2 from the St Francis Hospice,  River Island acid light wash shirt from the DEBRA charity shop for £3.99, my gifted degrade denim shirt from the swap shop party and dark wash thrifted H&M chambray shirt from the Sense charity shop for £3.50.

So you've seen a sneaky peek into my denim obsession and what sort of items are making their way and staying in my wardrobe.

What style and items are actually making their way into your wardrobe this season? Please share I'd love to know! 

Bomber Jackets- Two for All Seasons!

Hi everyone! It's the time of year where for some of us the sun is shining, the weather is milder, the daffodils are popping up and blossom is appearing on the trees-well my one is anyway and thoughts of lighter outerwear are being experimented with. 

One style of jacket that is perfect for trans-seasonal dressing are bomber jackets and there certainly many styles and colour combinations on offer. Lovely blogger Michelle snapped herself up a fabulous Topshop one which is perfect for day to night dressing as well as for any season too.

Here are some bomber jackets in action, which really range in pattern, style and colour:

Pictures: Google images

Well for me, the perks of having a son working in fashion PR means I get treated every now and then. Last year he brought home this grey leopardprint bomber jacket by Danish brand LeFix. I barely wore it last year but now the weather has been milder I've started wearing it more and it's lightly quilted, waterproof and very lightweight too:

It's currently my go to jacket of choice and I even wore it to the swap shop party last week over a tailored jacket for the journey which kept me nicely warm and covered until I was inside. The length and thickness of this jacket make it perfect for early Spring and Autumn wear.

A couple of weeks ago my son brought home this gorgeous bomber jacket which is just right for Spring and Summer as it's not thick at all and has such a vibrant print and great colours, ideal for wearing with denim:

I loved it as soon as I saw it and have it stashed away for warmer Spring and Summer wear later this year. 

What style of jackets are on your radar this year, are you wearing bomber jackets this season?

Voucher Code Swap Shop Clothes Party!!

Hi everyone! Earlier this week I attended a clothes swap party held by Voucher Codes UK, #VCSWAPSHOP14 

When I was invited by the host Fleur, I was instructed like everyone else to bring 5 items of good condition clothes and/or accessories that I don't wear anymore and depending on whether it was high street or designer each item was awarded a certain amount of stamps. My plus one for the evening was my eldest son who came straight from work so I brought his 5 items of clothes and on arrival I received a grand total of 18 stamps to shop with!!

 It was held at the Gallery Soho on Charing Cross Road and on arrival I had a cocktail and decided to take part in one of the craft events which was embellishing tights. In good time it was then upstairs to the clothes swapping and boy, was there a fabulous amount of clothing and accessories to choose from. During the evening there was a lady making balloon headbands, a photo booth, catered food being brought round, cocktails and the craft sessions. Here are my pictures and some from the event organisers:

Here I am about to start shopping!!

There were a good few rails with a really great choice of different good quality items in lots of different sizes too:

Fleur, the lovely host from Voucher Codes

Lovely cupcakes which unfortunately I didn't sample!!

In the photo booth!

Sitting down doing my embellishing before the clothes swap

So many lovely people choosing their items!!

Meeting lifestyle and style bloggers Shanika Says, Nataly of Sand & Sugar and not pictured, LucyJLoves 

I was fortunate to receive a goody bag which included a gift voucher from Matalan and which I've already used to purchase a couple of ballet pump shoes for Spring. Amongst other things included was a lovely two tone leather purse and some Nair body clay cream:

Of course I had to show off my haul of goodies-unbelievably I came away with nine items and by the end of the night I still had stamps spare! But I was very impressed by what I bagged, which included a fabulous degrade ASOS denim shirt, a River Island speedy style canvas bag, a brand new Ted Baker cobalt blue and tan leather belt, a River Island sequin tee, a Topshop dress and skirt, a bangle and some brand new with tags Topman skinny jeans for Christopher-he had to have something for coming, hehe!!

My embellished tights which I can't wait to wear!!

The event itself was a major success and so enjoyable- I met some really lovely bloggers and it seemed to go too quickly- a sign that you've thoroughly enjoyed yourself!! Here is myself and Fleur with my bag of goodies!!

The best part of all was that the following day all the left over clothes were donated to Oxfam charity shop, so a perfect way to round off the event!!

A big thanks to all the lovely people at Voucher Codes for making the night go so well, I can't wait for the next one now!!