Best of eBay no.2: TOPSHOP Astrix boot copies !!!

Hello!!

Long time no blog! I have been so busy with starting my new job and finishing my old one. I really am so sad that I've finished working as a Teaching Assistant. It was my dream job and I met some lovely people, and some amazing children. I'm struggling with my new job, but just hoping it gets better and I can get some more hours. 

Anyway in order to distract myself from my woes, I turn to shopping (as usual). I have been lusting over the Topshop Astrix boots for ages now. I just think they are so edgy but also really casual and understated. The perfect mix of a statement shoe and the "I haven't even tried" look because they are basically a heeled plimsoll. But rather than paying £40 I have been scouring ebay for a cheaper alternative for literal months. And bingo I've finally found a copy, I would be bold enough to say an identical copy, for just over HALF THE PRICE. eBay and your bargain knock offs, I salute you. 

Can you spot a difference? Because I can't!!

There are loads of sellers selling these for around £25 and a few quid extra for delivery. But they are such a good copy!! I wanted a pair in white but every pair has sold out in a 4, so I bought black anyway- they'll be great for winter. For that cheap I would get both colours. There's also a pair with black canvas and white soles which could be cool! Get these here here here here

I'll let you know what I think when they arrive! 

Hope you're well and a huge thankyou for reading! I couldn't believe I had 6101 views when I came on to write this. It just gives me a huge push to blog more and make myself better at it. Thankyou again and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin!! You'll make my day!

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OUTFIT no.2 : Heatwave

Hey!
How amazing has this weather been? Its been so hot where I am I've spent the whole weekend tanning and I'm proud to say i have tan lines! Woo! 

I am loving white at the moment so so so much! These shoes are new, as is the bag. I wasn't sure I would keep the bag but actually it goes with quite a lot and is sooo bright. I wore it to a 21st on Saturday night and everyone was like woaaahhhhh so bright. So I'll probably keep it for that reason! You can't go wrong with neon, white and a tan this summer!

necklace - ebay

mesh crop top - New Look (sale/diy)

skirt - Boohoo

neon bag - TK Maxx

heels - ebay

lips - MUA Power Pout in Justify under Barry M Lip Paint 154

nails - OPI Nail Envy matte

earrings - Spangle

tan - NATURAL (for once) 

This is the kind of outfit I would love to wear on a night out! White is quite brave, also its impossible to keep it clean, but I think its so worth the risk as it looks so clean and bright. And I'm converted to white high heels, after thinking they were for strippers for as long as I can remember. These are an identical copy of a pair called Oxygen from Office which were around £65 but now sold out. Bargain! They also come in black which would go with loads of stuff. 

In other news I had my taster day at college today for foundation diploma in Art and Design, and had a really really good time. Met some lovely people and did a fun painting task. Feeling so positive now got lots to look forward to! I also managed to get tickets to see Arctic Monkeys (my all time favourite band EVER) in October at Earls Court and I still haven't come down from that high! Life is spectacular!

Thanks for reading, lots of love! 

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Best of eBay no.1: Victoria's Secret strappy bikinis

This post is inspired by my lovely friend Yasmin who just got back from a holiday in Marbella. As well as making me insanely jealous her holiday photos show some gorgeous girls in some amazing bikinis so I thought I would see what eBay had to offer. I found loads of cheap Victoria's Secret knock offs from China. I just love what that country does for fashion, and my pocket. 

strappy bikinis here here here

cross over bikini here

cage bikini here 

Sorry about the awful quality of the eBay photos! 

All eBay bikinis are less than £10 including delivery. Very very tempted by the last caged one. I know missguided were bringing one out like this but I doubt it would be as cheap as a tenner. I'm just slightly concerned about the dodgy tan lines you would get from these. I just think they look incredible on though. If only I was going abroad this year *sigh*.

Thanks for reading!

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OUTFIT no.1: white skort, BOY London crop and New Balance

Hey!
Now I know this is meant to be a charity shop and craft type of blog, but I havent been doing a lot of DIYing lately- been very lazy. So I thought I would share a little style/outfit post with you.  The skort and trainers were new additions today so I was really keen to get them on and make some outfits!

 

New Balance - Office (not online yet)

Skort - ebay here here

BOY crop - ebay

necklace - diy post here

Nail varnish - Maybelline Colorshow in Urban Coral

Lips - Barry M 154 (I think) 

So strange for me to be in proper trainers i.e. not vans/converse. Feel like I should be going for a jog... or not haha. Got these today from my old haunt Office. So unbelievably comfy and I love the colour pop. 

So so so in love with this skort- a cheaper version of the sell out Zara one which are going on ebay now for like £50 (WUT!). This cost under £7 and arrived so quickly considering it was from China. Just ordered it in black too! The quality isn't great as you'd expect but it does the job and I LOVE IT. Great for day time or night time. 

The BOY top I got a while ago from eBay before everyone and their mum had one. I had to cut it to a crop because I got hair dye on it- the fate of many of my clothes D: Very much over the whole BOY trend but I whip it out every now again. I'm loving the white on white trend at the moment! So hot for summer. 

Thanks for reading! I appreciate every page view so much! Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin here!

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Glastonbury style 2013

Now I am by no means a festival kind of girl, in fact I'm a festival virgin. The thought of sleeping in tents, not washing, having greasy hair etc. is my worst nightmare to be honest. But I love the idea of live music, drinking, fun and of course festival fashion. I'm all over some denim shorts, hunters and a floral headband as much as the next person. That being said festival fashion can get VERY boring and very samey. I'm all for a different festival look. 

But anyway here are some looks that I've been loving this Glasto:

(photo credit www.graziadaily.co.uk)

Millie Mackintosh - Cara Delevingne

Kate Moss and Stella McCartney - Bip Ling

Rita Ora - Cressida Bonas

Rita Ora - Iggy Azalea 

Some pretty obvious choices there! I'm not even particularly keen on Millie Mac's outfit but she just makes anything look incredible with that body, tan and attitude. Special mention to Iggy Azalea, love her performance outfit, especially her hair and makeup. She looks flawless. Not entirely sold on Cressida's (Prince Harry's gf) outfit. Dungarees and Nike Air Force 1s seems good on paper I just don't think the look really suits her.

I just want to be Bip Ling's best friend not going to lie.

What do you think of festival fashion?

Oh and also google reader is shutting down as of today so make sure you follow me on bloglovin to stay up to date with my pretty sporadic posts! Got lots of new clothes (naughty) so hopefully will do some outfit/styling posts soon if anyone is interested! The spending ban starts tomorrow!

Thankyou so much for reading!!

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DIY long vintage dress to dip hem tunic

Heya!
Thought I would share my latest dress transformation using a vintage St Michaels dress I found in a charity shop for £4. 

(Vans Authentics - Office, scrunchie- handmade)

I fell in love with the print and couldn't wait to make it shorter and more wearable. I thought I would do something different this time instead of just shortening it and cinching it in at the waist with a belt as I normally do with dresses like this. In my head I pictured a loose floaty smock/tunic style dress with a slightly longer hem at the back, that I could wear with lace cycling shorts and chunky heels. 

I started by getting rid of the elasticated waist which was stopping the dress from hanging loosely. This was hard at first as the elastic was sewn into the waist seam, so I had to make a new seam.

 I folded the dress over at the waist and sewed the whole way round just below the elastic. After this I could cut away the elastic and I was left with the flat, ungathered seam that I had created. I always overlock my seams and I sewed round this seam again just to strengthen it. 

This left me with waaayyyy more fabric than I had anticipated, and although I wanted it loose and floaty, it flared out like a tent, so I took it in at the sides. I did this by trying it on and feeling how much I wanted to lose each side. I then laid it out flat and pinned where i wanted to sew- I took out 2 inches from each side starting at the arm pit. This gave a much better fit whilst staying quite loose. 

Next I did the dip hem. I found the centre of the front of the dress and folded it down this central line and laid out. I then marked from the highest point at the front (try on and mark this first) and the lowest point at the back. Then i drew a sweeping line in between them to join them up. 

I then pinned the fabric up to this line and tried on. Once I was happy with the shape I overlocked and hemmed this edge. Overlocking makes the hem so much easier to turn on floaty thin fabrics like this.  I had a nightmare with this part because I stupidly started sewing next to a vase of flowers, managed to get the fabric caught round it and spilt the water all over the dress, my machine, the floor and myself. Far from ideal and I won't be making that mistake again!

Lastly I decided to do cut out sleeves. I laid the dress out flat and then measured 1.5 inches from the end of the sleeve and then cut a straight line right up to the shoulder seam. I then repeated on the other side and hemmed both. I just thought that added a bit more interest to the dress. 

And here is how I would wear it:

dress - vintage St Michaels 

leather bag - vintage

shoes - ebay 

lace cycling shorts - ebay

watch - Marc by Marc Jacobs

name necklace - ebay

lips- MUA lip liner in Red Drama and Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang 

What do you guys think? It was nice to do something different with a vintage dress and I particularly like the fact I can wear my new lace cycling shorts! Also I'm in love with this new vintage bag. Its the softest leather and cost just over a fiver from a charity shop. 

I am feeling very inspired lately after I went to the De Montfort uni open day in Leicester on Saturday. We visited the degree show and it was incredible. The standard of work was so high and it made me so excited for the future rather than scared and full of self doubt which is the effect some open days have had on me before. I'm trying to decide between a course like textiles for fashion, fashion fabrics and accessories or contour fashion (swimwear, underwear, corsetry). The contour fashion exhibition impressed me the most but I'm unsure whether that would be a good degree choice for me. I'm rubbish at small intricate things that need lots of little components and take lots of time. Oh well I still have a year at college to decide what I want to do. I'm absolutely distraught I will be a mature student by the time I get back to uni though. Oh life. 

Thanks for reading and remember you can become a follower of my blog on bloglovin (link below) or through google. It would mean the world to me!

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P.s. This is my last post with ombre hair. I just can't make myself like it. Its a nightmare to make my hair look nice when its bleached. I'm going to go a light natural brown so there's still a bit of a lightening effect towards the ends. My hair is trashed I need a good 3 inches off the ends wahhh girl problems. 

DIY American Apparel inspired scrunchies

Sunday afternoons were made for making scrunchies. I had so much fun making these and they are so quick and easy to make. 

I was inspired by the ones from American Apparel which are from £4.50-£7- a lot of money for something so easy to make. 

Photo from American Apparel

Here's how I did it:

I love the shiny purple one but its that annoying fabric that sheds everywhere. Looks like I have glittery purple dandruff. The black one though works fine!

I prefer scrunchies to hairbands because:

1. They are easy and quick to make
2. They reduce breakage because they are softer and don't snag
3. You can put your hair up wet without breakage
4. You can create some very big, voluminous messy buns you wouldnt be able to achieve with bands
5. Adds an 80s/90s twist to your outfit and takes you down memory lane
6. Easier to find in your bag
7. If you turn up a skirt, dress, trousers etc. you can make one from the excess material to match your outfit- my scrunchie always used to match my dress when I was little ha
8. A lot more interesting than a plain old hairband

What do you think? Would you wear a scrunchie?

Thanks for reading :)

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