Thrift Inspiration.....Net-A-Porter & Blogger Style!!

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great week-the weather overall has been pretty awful with some being a lot worse off than others in different areas of the UK. I do so hope you haven't suffered very badly with flooding and the like. It is so sad and soul destroying for people who have lost goods and treasured possessions because of the continuous floods- I hope and pray they will be able to get their lives back on track as soon as possible.

My week has been busy with working at different libraries but I have the weekend off-yay!! When I go to different towns for work I always try to sneak in visits to the local charity shops. Wednesday lunchtime saw me browsing at six during my lunch hour, bagging a bargain and still having time for a sneaky McDonalds before going back to work! 

Style wise I've noticed that I go through phases-if it's not denim and jeans, then it's jackets and coats and if it's not neither of these then it's handbags!! Like jeans and jackets, I can never have enough handbags- if I spy a quality one then I'm there like a homing device!!

I've been on a slow burning mission to get a slouchy hobo style leather bag- I have a good few totes, structured handbags, cross body bags and clutches but wardrobe purges over the years have seen me get rid of my slouchy hobo styles. Here are my favourites at Net-Porter of what's influenced me:

Elizabeth and James textured backpack, £445

 Anya Hindmarch Maxi Zip satchel £795

Chloe The Marcie £1195

Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier Hobo, £350

 Proenza Schouler PS1 Large Satchel, £1440

So this is what I found below- a gorgeously buttersoft, slouchy hobo style leather black bag by All Saints for a fabulously frugal £3!! It is actually so roomy-it has three large compartments, a front zipper pocket and inner compartments too:

To be fair, I most probably didn't need another black bag, but I really couldn't pass on this one and on days when I need to store my brolly, hat, scarf, lunch and other general bits and bobs it's great to have just one bag that doesn't look like you've stuffed your whole world in there and can't close the zip! I've culled four bags that no longer make the cut in terms of quality and size so I don't feel so bad buying another one!

On that note, another bag which has been on my radar thanks to the lovely Michelle of Myfashionable40s is this Autograph leopard and black leather cross body bag. She blogged about it here in November and I couldn't indulge at the time as I had bought the wedge boots in the same post when M&S were doing their 20% off. However last Sunday whilst browsing ebay I was ecstatic to find it for less than £25 on a buy it now!! 

It arrived on Thursday and I'm so pleased with it-everytime I've seen Michelle wear hers I've been thinking how it was 'the one that got away'. It really is so versatile and stylish and the perfect size too and the money I spent was gifted so I actually didn't spend my own money-yay!!

So two 'new to me' handbags for February and having bought a red woolly hat in Dorothy Perkins on Tuesday too, my total spends thus far is £8-not too bad, but I had envisioned a couple of weeks ago that I might be doing Avril's Frugal February style challenge-it's been an unfortunate fail there for me but I shall certainly be trying to be as frugal as possible for the rest of the month.

How is your February going style and frugal wise? Wishing you all a good weekend-i'm having a relaxing one with a dash of housework thrown in and also looking forward to Sunday evening when the next installment of Mr Selfridge comes on-my TV highlight of the week!

Thrift Inspiration.....Stockpiling Leopard Print this Autumn

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a great weekend, my one was very low key due to not feeling that well but I was very well looked after and fed with favourite and healthy foods and drinks, and sweets and magazines were regularly topped up too.

For this coming season I have been having a mild obsession with leopardprint-it hasn't come full force so far as I've not bought and kept anything new or thrifted as yet this Autumn. In my mind I have a semi wishlist of what I would like- I'm holding out for 'traditional' leopardprint, rather than the coloured variations and just key pieces like the ones I have from last year, that will roll forward every Autumn and continue to be items that I look forward to use and wear.

These items are what I already have from last season and are beginning to make appearances. This Autograph by Marks & Spencer leather tote bag is already a perennial favourite that I love using at this time of the year and goes with a variety of different coats and jackets:

The gloves were also purchased last year, another Marks & Spencer item that will just always be an Autumnal favourite and hopefully not get lost!! I love the mix of red leather and leopardprint, it provides a perfect pop of colour against khaki, brown, camel or black:

The perfect accessories that go great with all my jeans are skinny and normal size belts and the bigger one is a real staple in my wardrobe- it was a thrift find from my local Sue Ryder charity shop and is real leather by Topshop. The skinny one was a bargain buy from Primark last year:

I have already an idea of newly thrifted items I would love to try and get, so watch this space as the leopardprint obsession becomes reality over the next few months!!

What style has really grabbed your attention this Autumn-will you be searching out new pieces or do you have them already in your wardrobe?

I am linking this post to the lovely Claire Justine for Creative Mondays, wishing you all a lovely week ahead!

A Fashionable Collection Of Christmas Gifts

Hi Everyone! With the festive season fast approaching, those who like to plan ahead are already turning their attention toward their Christmas shopping. Finding the right gifts for friends and family every year can quickly become a headache, as we all tend to descend on our nearest shopping centre and the pressure of shopping can sometimes makes it difficult to figure out meaningful, personal gifts.

Of course, there are always the predictable gifts to consider. This season for example, there will probably be a new Xbox One or Playstation 4 wrapped up for a lot of people on Christmas Day and of course the latest Apple and Samsung devices always make nice choices. If however you're looking for a particularly fashionable, stylish, or personalised gift for someone, you might want to look into something more unique. Marks and Spencer has a wonderful tool this festive season to help with the task as the store's 'Presents They'll Love' Collection section features gift ideas to match different personalities and taste, particularly with regard to style, beauty and fashion. Here are a few examples from this exciting selection to help get you thinking.

For Fashion Followers

This is a particularly excellent section, as it incorporates some of the hottest autumn/winter fashion trends as gift ideas for all tastes and budgets. The suggestions here range from trendy scarves, to chic clutches and handbags, to an array of other accessories and can make excellent additions to any woman's wardrobe this season and work wonderfully as gifts. Giving clothes is difficult, as fit can be tough to guess on - but accessories make fantastic Christmas presents, particularly when they are this much in tune with seasonal trends.

For Beauty Addicts

This is a great selection, particularly for stocking fillers and smaller gifts. For those people on your Christmas present list who love to take advantage of the latest beauty products you'll find some perfect choices here. Hand lotions, bath products, lip glosses are all fabulous choices in beautiful packaging and in some cases are available as mixed presentation packs - all making wonderful festive presents.

Gifts For Her

If you want to step outside of specific fashion and style collections, the "Gifts for Her" section is excellent for providing some variety. This section not only has a good range of fashion accessories and beauty products, it  also includes jewellery, stylish home accessories and even some gorgeous lingerie choices. It's a first stop choice collection full of the kind of gifts you always want to find for others but can't seem to track down!

These are just a few of Marks & Spencer's innovative stylish gift categories and collections, so if you're starting to look for presents already for the festive season with fashion in mind, these three are well worth checking out first!

Marks & Spencer, Thrift Style-Another Thrifty Summer Dress Find

Hi everyone! I thought I would show you another of my summer dress thrift finds-this one is from the newly opened St Francis Hospice in my local town and I bought this about a month ago and wore it for the first time last week. It's by Marks & Spencer and was only £2.50-and it's only a size 10!!!

I really love the colours, the cut and the fit-it is so floaty and light and is a real dressy dress-but as I've no occasions as such this summer I thought I would wear it on a shopping trip with my youngest son to Westfield shopping mall to get a few things for him. I did look in Marks & Spencer as I'd seen a couple of sweatshirts that I had wanted to try on, but on seeing them on I decided they were not for me.

I used a new clutch that I bought a couple of months ago from Primark-it's a grey suedette one with diamante studding and was only £6:

It's a perfect neutral bag to wear when you haven't got a certain colour in mind to go with a chosen outfit and it will be ideal to use this coming Autumn too. The way the weather has been recently may be the last of my summer dress wearing, but I'm pleased to say that I've worn all the thrifted ones I've bought this summer bar one, so that's not bad going at all!!

I hope you are all having a great week so far and it's now countdown to back to school and Autumn-my, summer has gone so fast but it's been great to have had such glorious weather!!