Second-hand bargains

I love a bargain and you can't beat ebay and good old British charity shops. I don't purchase many items "full price" anymore as £50 for a dress, just cannot be justified.

These are my most recent bargains (all originally topshop!)

Floral dress - £4.95 in Cancer Research



Yellow shift dress - £10 on ebay



Bustier dress - £6/7 on ebay

Death by photos

As promised, here are the other photos I took on my digital camera.

     

Yesterday, the weather was not great (rain, wind... did not feel like summer at all!), so myself and the boy went down to an old childhood haunt: Chelmsford Museum. I have not been there for years and 3 years ago, they added a new section to the museum. Did not take many pictures as you're not supposed to haha.

 

 

spotted rain coat - tesco (£12)
black plimsolls - h&m (£7.99)
floral dress - topshop (via a charity shop - £4.95) - this is a recent find!

St Boltolph's Priory in Colchester

I booked a rare friday off work so myself and the boy decided to pay the lovely town of Colchester a visit. Its only a 20 minute train ride away and is a lot cheaper than London so instead of jumping in the boys car, we jumped on a train.



St Boltolph's Priory (the remains) is right outside Colchester train station. The Church was founded in 1103 but was ruined in the English Civil War (1643). I am quite surprised some of it is still standing.



After we rambled about there taking pictures of the ruins (i'll post more pictures in my next post as the boy has the digital camera), we grabbed a coffee in Costa and had a look around the charity shops. I found a Hives album and a horrible histories dvd :D I then found a lovely cat t-shirt in Topshop (£16) and a Queen Victoria bookmark in Waterstones.



jumper - topshop (via a charity shop - £4.50)
skirt - h&m (£3.99)
loafers - kurt geiger (via a charity shop - £3.25)
bag - tesco (£8 in the sale)

Outfit post

The blouse in these pictures was purchased a few weeks ago on ebay and is originally from Topshop (petitie) its opaque so its perfect for work.

 

Myself and thee boy watched The Mask last night with a few drinks and some peanuts. Its one of  my favourite Jim Carey films and takes me right back to my childhood (myself and my brother watched it almost everyday!). Am planning to purchase the original Flintstones movie at some point.

We're off to the ancient town of Colchester on friday so expect lots of pictures in my next post!!

skirt - topshop (£16)
blouse - topshop (via ebay £12)
tights - primark (£1)

Work Outfit

I work in an office and it can be very easy to repeat outfits. I try to mix and match skirts, blouses and cardigans, trousers make an appearance occasionally, but as I have a petite figure they can look ridiculous.
For casual fridays, i dig out my trusty black topshop baxters and pair them with a blouse, a comfy cardigan and my £7.99 H&M plimsolls.

Here is an outfit from about a month ago.



cardigan - forever 21 (£16.75)
blouse - topshop (via asos marketplace - £16)
skirt - primark (via a charity shop - £1!!!)

Speaking of jeans, I won some pippa jeans on ebay about a month ago for about £8. They are a waist 25, leg 29' and they fit beautifully. I also bought some black Joni jeans from a blogger, also waist 25' but in leg 30', they're an okay fit but as they are not very good quality they will not get much wear, the seams just feel so thin at the sides...

Kentwell Hall

A few weeks ago I was browsing the National Heritage website wondering what myself and the boy could do, when I remembered the delightful Kentwell Hall. We had been there on a school trip in year 3 but obviously did not appreciate the beauty of the house and gardens.
From the 25-27th May, Kentwell Hall is opening its doors to the public, think WW2 vintage stalls, a Victorian fete, a Medieval village and a Tudor House. The gardens are also stunning, with winding footpaths, wild flowers and wandering animals, so picturesque.

We stopped for a bite to eat in a war-time cafe, but without the rations! I got a coke and a scone with jam and the boy got an elderflower and apple juice and a gingerbread man; scrummy.



Blouse - Vintage (£4.99)
Skirt - Topshop (£16)
Cardigan - Topshop (£20, 4 years ago!)
Tights - Primark (3 for £1)
Boots - New Look (£30, 5 years ago!)
Necklace - Ebay (£11)
Bag - Tesco (£8 in the sale)

The Anne Boleyn replica necklace and the vintage blouse, are recent purchases.
I also purchased other clothing items yesterday, but will blog about them another time.

Purchases

Here is me in my bargain topshop dress found on ebay



Forgive me if I am wrong, but this dress was a sell-out item about 2 and a half years ago and I did not have the money to purchase it (poor student syndrome). At teh moment I am scouring ebay and buying items i could not afford originally.
Since leaving college and working, its been difficult to part with my well earned money... £38 is a ridiculous amount to spend on a cardigan that gets bobbles after a single wash (topshop you are worst offender). Wandering around charity shops and finding bargains is a thrill, and you're giving to charity at the same time! I think i spent a total of £30 in Cancer Research at the beginning of this year!



^ Another one my bargains, a tenner on ebay...the price was extortionate a few years ago.