My £20 Charity Shop Challenge

Today I fancied doing a bit of retail therapy. I'd set aside one day and a budget of a mere £20. As with most charity shop visits, it the luck of the draw on what you'll come home with. 

Sometimes you come home with  nothing, other times you hit the jackpot.

This time I was exceptionally lucky. 

Metallic finish leather mesh heeled court shoes

Three bangles (the blue one was actually carved) 

A vintage hand painted silk parasol

A pair of cherry print peep toe slingback shoes

Today's charity shop finds came in well under £20. In fact these items only came to a mere £11.25. 

Two of those items came from  the British Heart Foundation charity shop situated in the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham City Centre

  Here's the shop. 

(It's one of my favourite city centre charity shops)

Can you spot my 'new to me'  cherry print shoes?

Me with my  'new to me' parasol in the security mirror

Rather pleased..... :-)

A Summertime Trip To Stonebridge City Farm

I took my daughter and her friend to visit this lovely inner-city treasure.

Stonebridge City Farm is a small slice of the  good old fashioned countryside in the heart of the City of Nottingham!

It's also excellent value for money... Free to visit and open every day

(As it's actually a charity, I always like to leave a small donation to help...)

The site is accessible to all – Young, old, those in between, families with young children, people with disabilities.

 The farm itself is  very wheelchair friendly. 

Really impressed!

Here are a few of the photos that I took of the day....

One thing for certain is that we'll be back.... I quite like the sound of the bee keeping course!

Another Catch-up Post For My Frock On Friday Challenge (Weeks 9 to 12)

This time, the dresses for the four weeks through the month of March

Week 9. Coffee bean print belted shift dress

Still in work clobber... but photo taken today in my conservatory.... (How posh!)

Sorry about the not so good photo quality.... I blame my mobile phone!

Week 10. A lace overlay wiggle dress

Pale cream with Black lace overlay wiggle dress. Had for ages (at least over 10 years) and is one of my favourites.

Worn in week 10 at the Space Cadets gig last Saturday.... & you will most definitely see it in a photo again

Week 11. An abstract large houndstooth print pencil dress

Almost didn't go out & do this, but so glad I did!

A photo of a hound-tooth print dress at The Selecter gig at Rock City. Photo taken by a lovely lady called Amanda that I met.

Week 12. A snakeskin print belted shift dress

Work clothing again. Snakeskin print shift dress. Taken in my Living room. Note: Spot my rather snazzy Zebra print cat bed & the essential retro- luscious leather bean bag.

Slowly getting there with my catch-up posts to this blog...

Next, the dresses around April time

My Very Own Mini Beauty Parlour At The Green's Windmill & Science Centre

I'm not actually a hairdresser by profession, but I did do a beauty and makeup qualification as a hobby many years ago. When I was asked to help out at a 1940's food swap & wartime event at the Famous Green's Windmill and Science Centre, I jumped at the chance.
Friends (and strangers) have always complimented me on how I style my own hair in   vintage styles, &  I'm used to having quite a bit of practice on both friends & family.

I was confident that I could do a good job.  I did learn a lot of styling techniques from my own mother, so when it was suggested that I  should run a mini beauty parlour at the event, I knew I should give it a go

My Mini Beauty parlour was very low key deliberately to fit in with the wartime theme of the day

...& was just across from the historical, working windmill designed by the famous Nottingham born Mathematician. 

Music & a food swap together with some great people, all entering into the spirit of the day.

(The food swap is a regular event at The Green's Windmill)

Street party on the cobbles

Tea & cakes

...even some incredible  three dimensional dinosaur biscuits 

(So OK, maybe not quite wartime, but the kiddies loved them)



Here's a selection of my fabulous customers

Thank you ladies.... XXX

So pleased that all of my customers loved their transformation... & they've  asked me back for their next event.

:-D

A Frock On Friday Catch-up (February 2012)

Here's the next four photos from the challenge

Week 5. Flapper style dress
(Taken just before watching the film, 'The Artist')

Asymmetrical dropped waist dress. Faux fur stole... & flapper style hair.... in keeping with the period of the film.

Week 6. Jasper Conran Wrap Dress

Braving the weather in a black Jasper Conran wrap-over dress, and Faux fur Pill box hat, collar & hand warmer... 

not forgetting the Wedge heel wellies & my red leather gloves....

Rather chilly.

Week 7 John Rocha Tea Dress

Photo taken at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield, at the Nottinghamshire County Council Showcase for Dance in Performing Arts. (Proud mummy moment alert: Poppy performed there this week).

Vintage style Tea dress: John Rocha (& I've had for over 10 years....) & then it was one of my charity shop finds...

Week 8 Red With Black Polka Dot Dress By Collectif

(Photo taken whilst watching the Carmen Ghia & the Hotrods at their album launch)

.....here showing a glimpse of the petticoat that's worn underneath in order to give the skirt it's fullness.

So another four posted ... 

 The next four from around march in the next post

Mrs Brown's Boys & Spotting My Print On The Wall

I've never actually watched the TV programme Mrs Brown's Boys until fairly recently, despite hearing great reviews from both the press & friends alike. Both sources mentioned how funny it was.

I've always channel hopped when Mrs Brown's Boys came on the TV. Tonight I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about & watch it on iPlayer.
... It did make me laugh. Mainly because I happened to spot one of my vintage prints on her wall

My Version of the Mrs Brown Print

....then later the same day my cat knocked an smashed two of the ceramic letters that spelled out the word home, leaving the word 'me' standing ...

How bizzare