Tuesday 19 January 2016

Not Buying it - Day 16

 Day 16

Oops! I've only realised I hadn't posted this one.

I can't believe I'm on the third week of the challenge! Feeling quite proud of myself and so far no problems trying to find outfits.......


 I went to visit my son today so I wore this outfit. I bought this black jacket in Age UK for £7.00 a few months back. It's by David Emmanuel and goes with lots of things I have. It's not warm though but as I was only in and out of the car today, it didn't matter.


 The necklace was a Christmas present from my brother 2 years ago, the earrings are charity shopped and I'm wearing the bangle with the big blue stone I bought last week in the RSPCA charity shop. It matches my lapis lazuli ring so well!


I bought these skinny trousers from the British Red Cross for £1.99.  This picture was taken quite late in the evening and they had begun to bag a bit despite the bit of stretch in them! The top is from the La Redoute sale a few years back; the camisole underneath is charity shopped and the boyfriend cardigan is from Sainsburys, bought about 5 years ago. Boots are daughter's cast off's and currently one of my favourite boots.

I've been reading Books 1 and 2  of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series and it's wonderful. I'm enjoying them so much. There are 2 left to read but I'm going to have get on with reading the three books I got from the library on Monday starting with 'The Glorious Heresies' by Lisa McInerney - I heard her being interviewed on the radio when I was in Donegal last May and have been after the book ever since. I got lucky on Monday as it was sitting on the 'new books' shelf.

Monday 18 January 2016

Not Buying it Days 17 and 18

Day 17

I didn't have to go out today and as it was a Sunday it was the usual routine - housework and Sunday dinner with all the family. So, I had a sort of PJ day - about my third in ten years. I put a kaftan over my PJs and had a make up free day, too! So no pictures of Day 17's outfit. 

Day 18


I was at the Save the Children charity shop today where I volunteer from 9.30 to 1 pm. I am loving it and have been there for about 10 or 11 weeks now. I mostly sort the donations and our back room is not just at the back of the shop but across a courtyard; the need to be well wrapped is therefore important with all the toing and froing between shop and back room. I'm wearing La Redoute jeans charity shopped, the patterned jumper was my daughter's and was too large for her ,so she gave it to me and it fits! The white shirt was bought in an on line sale last winter and was £17.50 reduced from £70.00!


The boots were bought on line and I wish I had more pairs in different colours!



Earrings and pearl necklace charity shopped as was watch and bracelet.
I'm off to join in with Patti at 'Not Dead Yet Style' and see who else has turned up!

Saturday 16 January 2016

Not Buying it - Days 14 and 15

I know it might be appear a bit odd to entitle a post 'Not buying it' and then start with photos of of recent purchases, but bear with me. 


I always try to shop second hand. I have been looking for a pair of lamps for the tables on either side of our sofa for ages, so last Saturday I visited the British Heart Foundation furniture charity shop in town. I found these two matching lamps for £10.00 each.

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They are nice - don't you think? And what's more they are touch lamps, so you can go from dim, to bright, to extra bright with three small taps. Very clever. Can you guess which table is mine? Yes, it's the one with all the books on it. My TBRs (to be read) and the ones I dip in and out of such as the Quran, the Irish dictionary and the book of Irish slang.


Whilst I was in the same shop I also spotted this trio of pictures (£10.00) and as I was looking to fill a gap in my wall of pictures, these fitted perfectly. Very pleased with my purchases I was, and still am! No clothes, but goodies for the house instead. I did buy quite a few bangles that day as well.....

Day 14

I was going out in the early evening for a meal one of my two best friends, so I wore this. The leggings and the boots are from Sainsburys. The tunic was a Christmas present this year from lovely daughter and is from Next.




The chain, with what are wings I think, was bought in the Heart Foundation charity shop for £1.99. The earrings have a Celtic design and were bought many years ago for me by my ex mother in law. The green bangles are all charity shopped from a variety of shops.




 My lovely daughter also bought me this moto jacket - I have wanted one for a while now, so put it on my Christmas list and hey presto, daughter bought it for me. I know how lucky I am! The scarf was a Christmas present from the same best friend with whom I was going out for a meal.  Handbag charity shopped £2.75.



Because it was so cold today indoors I wore this brown fur gilet which I've had for about 4 years and bought from a charity shop for £3.99

Day 15



I'm wearing the plaid 
shirt I bought for 50p and  broke my pledge to Not Buy it! The pink cardigan is charity shopped. The skinnies are from Primarni and the boots another pair from the Tesco outlet shop and were £8.00.  I started out with black suede heeled ankle boots but it was too slippery underfoot and I needed something safer! I'm wearing pink bangles bought recently from charity shops - and I bought the pink earrings from one of those shops that sell everything but the kitchen sink!

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Not Buying it - Days 12 and 13


Day 12



I wanted to show you how pretty these flowers look (don't know what they're called) in my Ironstone pitcher that I bought in Huntingdon a couple of weeks ago. The flowers are from Lidl and were £2.00. I love Lidl and have been a faithful customer for 12 years.


This is my outfit for day 12 and I don't like it very much.  I am trying to keep it real so I have posted it! You know when you have a picture in your mind of what something will look like, then once it's on it doesn't look right? I love this dress, but it doesn't suit me. I'm apple shaped and have quite big boobs, so high necks and extra bits on shoulders don't suit me. This dress/tunic has both! I bought it from a charity shop a couple of years back because I liked the colours - beiges, and brown with splashes of blue and orange. It has an interesting bottom half, in that it looks like pleats, but it's just strips of material overlapping - and it has an underskirt. 

I wore blue tights to pick up the blue in the dress and the top underneath it is navy blue from M & S but looks black in this photo. The scarf (charity shop in Co. Donegal) is not right either; although it has a lovely bright blue in it. It's also too long. I started out with a blue and white polka dotted scarf and I should have kept it on! Turquoise earrings are from E Bay and were 99p.

So, I have consigned the dress to the charity shop bag along with the black jeans I wore a few days back. This 'shopping my wardrobe' challenge is making me think about my clothes in a more critical way and get rid of some! That's got to be a good thing hasn't it?

Day 13


This dress/tunic is from Sainsburys and I've had it for about 4 years now, Originally bought in a charity shop I love the colours and the design. I tried it with the greeny-blue belt on the right but it looked better without - I don't have a waist any more and belting things doesn't usually work for me.


The leggings were bought from E Bay and the top is from Primarni. Earrings were bought on a charity shopping expedition to Northampton about 2 years ago and were 99p. The boots are from the Tesco outlet shop and cost £4.00.

I'll be keeping this dress as it has so many colours I can wear with it and it suits me better than yesterday's one. It's more suited to Spring like weather, though. It was very cold today and I wore an extra thick cardigan all day to keep warm.

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks into my 'not buying it challenge'. I'm feeling confident that I have enough resources (!) to last at least another 4 weeks so I hope I can!

Monday 11 January 2016

Not Buying it - Days 10 and 11

Day 10



Here I am wearing the £1.00  green and blue cardigan I couldn't resist (oh - the shame)! I paired it with green skinny jeans from a charity shop and a blue top which I bought in Co. Sligo in the summer for 2 euros.


The boots are another pair of my daughter's cast off's - they have cut out sides so I have to make sure I have  plain black socks on when I wear them!


My necklace is from a charity shop, the earrings are from - where else? Sainsbury's! The cuff with the big blue stone was bought on Saturday from the RSPCA shop for £1.99. I've bought quite a few bangles over the past few days. I realised I didn't have some colours in bangles/bracelets and also I don't know why, but some of my bangles - one of which I've had for about 20 years - no longer fit! I couldn't actually get my hand through some of the bangles without some serious discomfort.  Surely my hands cant' have grown? Or maybe it's the joints getting bigger?  Anyway, by the time I'd sorted through my collection of bracelets and bangles to see what fitted and what didn't; I didn't have too many left!  The perfect excuse to look in the charity shops to replace them - and I didn't buy any clothes even after visiting 4 charity shops between Friday/Saturday. Feeling very smug....

Day 11


I bought this necklace from US on line retailers Sheinside - I love the colours and it should go with lots of outfits. It was £4.00. The earrings were bought in a charity shop for 99p ages ago and its the first time I've worn them.


This top was bought about two or three years ago in a charity shop; the jeans are M & S and are charity shopped. The top is from Primarni and the boots are my daughter's cast off's. They are extremely comfortable and as I volunteer on Mondays from 9.30 until 1 pm I'm on my feet for hours and need comfortable footwear.


The bracelets are part of the recent haul of bangles and bracelets. These are coral coloured, with one which is hard to describe, but I think it's the colour of Jasper - a reddish/pinkish brown?


You may have noticed that I've added a 'What I'm Reading in 2016' list to the right hand side. I'm an avid reader and have been since the age of 4. From June 2007 I've kept a list of all the books I've read, and what is interesting that I read less now I'm retired! That doesn't make sense in a way because I have the time, but of course since I've retired I've discovered blogs and blogging  (still reading, I know but I don't record it) and rediscovered crocheting. You can't read and crochet at the same time - at least I can't - what a shame! 

When I worked, I read most lunch hours and if there were quiet periods and I could get away with it (!) I read, so I did quite a bit of reading at work. I hope to get my reading levels up again this year; I averaged between 120 - 150 books a year when I was at work and in 2015 I only managed 57. Did a lot of crocheting though!

Currently, I'm reading the Neapolitan novels of Elena Ferrante - a set of 4 novels set in Naples about two women who are best friends. I got the set as Christmas presents and I'm on Book 2 at the moment and thoroughly enjoying them.

Saturday 9 January 2016

Not buying it - Day 9


I had planned to go walking with the Ramblers today but with all the rain we've been having decided not to - too muddy! I don't mind getting dirty but I'm scared of falling and breaking bones. OH and me will go for a long walk tomorrow whatever the weather and we'll be walking on pavements and paths so less chance of slipping.






I'm wearing an asymmetrical top from M&S, bought in Barnardo's in Ampthill for £4.00. Navy blue top underneath was from the £1.00 rail in Age UK in Wellingborough. Leggings are from Sainsbury's as are the boots. I bought them last year at 50% off so only paid £27.50 instead of £55.00. They still have them this year and when I was there on Thursday they have 50% at the moment.


For warmth I added this cardigan coat which I bought from on line retailer; Sheinside.


This is the the handbag I bought in Keech Children's Hospice shop for £2.75  some weeks ago and I really like it - the contrast of colours and the little cut out bird design. The heart necklace was charity shopped, as were the silver bangles and the watch. I bought the earrings but can't remember where - but it definitely wasn't Sainsbury's!

I'm heading over to Patti's, 'Not Dead Yet' here  to link up with Visible Monday. I haven't been for a few weeks - I wonder what's on the menu?

Friday 8 January 2016

Not buying it - Days 7 and 8

I've heard of bloggers who post photos of their outfits, but they don't actually wear them in their day to day lives. I just want to let you all know that I wear what I post - in all it's glory or shame. If I make fashion faux pas they're mine and no one else's. If you like them - great and if you don't - tough; go look elsewhere!

I can't tell you how excited I got when I first discovered fashion/style blogging. I read my first blog via Pinterest, which I discovered about 18 months ago looking for free crochet patterns. Sometimes pins were posted about older women's style and fashion and so I followed those links. And through those links what an amazing group of people I've found; all of whom are genuine, 'what you see is what you get' bloggers. To see real, actual women of all sizes, shapes, colours etc. wearing real, i.e. affordable clothes, was both a revelation and a joy!

No more stick thin, very young models and outrageously, ridiculously priced clothes!



Day 7. I usually wear this tunic with brown leggings but I got some new brown tights as a Christmas present from my daughter's ex partner and couldn't wait to wear them. The tunic is charity shopped and my brown ankle boots are from Debenhams; a Christmas present from OH last year. I'm thinking this tunic is too short without leggings, so I won't be wearing it with tights again!


For warmth I added a short sleeved cardigan in a sort of bobbly knit finish. I bought this in a charity shop in Exmouth when I went to stay with my best friend in Devon last year. My bangles are different shades of metal and are all in one piece - I bought them in a car boot sale for 50p. Earrings; which you can see better in the first photo above were from Bedford Market, many years ago. I'm also wearing a charity shopped ring with a topaz coloured stone which cost a £1.00.

So, it's been a week now since I pledged to try and 'shop' my own wardrobe and yes I've lapsed; I've spent £1.50 on two items of clothing from charity shops despite trying not to buy more, but for two new items in I've put two old items out so it's back to square one for the second week - must try harder...

Day 8.  8th January 2016


I went for a monochrome look today - I love colour but I'm very partial to black and white as well.
The oversized beads were from The Children's Society and cost £2.50. The gold earrings were bought from a lovely shop in Bedford called All Ears  about 15 years ago and were only a couple of pounds. I also have a silver pair the same.


The black jeans are from M & S and were charity shopped. about 3 years ago. The striped top is from H & M and was on the reduced rail in Age UK for £1.50. The waistcoat I've worn on a previous post and  is from Zara,  it was £3.00 in  Save the Children. The brothel creepers/beetle crushers were bought on line.

As I'm short and have short arms and legs I nearly always find that most jeans are too long. With skinny jeans its ok - you can roll/fold the legs up, but these jeans are quite thick and don't fold up so well. I'll either have to cut and sew a hem on them or I may discard them - I've almost got rid of them on two previous occasions but gave them a reprieve. The other thing is that  they're low rise jeans I've learnt not to buy low rise jeans as my tummy roll simply hangs over and creates a 'muffin' top. Thank God for high rise jeans; long may this trend last! I think I've just persuaded myself to recycle these jeans....

A weekend visitor and an exhibition

 Hello!  I'll soon be off to Ireland  so let me tell you what I've been up to over the last two weeks.  I'll start with a whinge...