Clueless.

Usually when I pick up something second hand, be it from a charity shop, a car boot sale or eBay, I know exactly how it will fit into my life. With clothing or accessories, I've developed the art of only buying things which are 'me', things I know I'll wear.

But with these two - I just have no idea!

First up is this sequin jacket-thing I got from PDSA in Preston when I was about seventeen, long before I worked there! I've tried everything; dressing it down with jeans, up with a dress for a night out. Part of the problem is that it's so unbelievably small! Even when it first came into my life when I was about seven stone and a size six, it was a little on the small side - I think it may even have been made for a child. I think it's handmade and there's no denying that it's incredibly beautiful, I've just never been able to integrate it into my wardrobe!

Secondly is this wooden chest which I disgustingly picked up from the bin store downstairs. Yes, really. I find it incredible the types of things people will throw away! Over the past few months there have been TVs, bookcases, lamps - you name it, someone in my building has tried to throw it out! I fell in love with this instantly. Yes, it isn't perfect but I just find it so beautiful! I've given it a damn good clean but now I'm a little stumped. My original plan was to use it to store some of my vast quantity of clothes in but I'm really adverse to folding things and stacking them because I can never find what I'm looking for! I would also like to display some bits of jewellery and stuff on top of it but then I'm going to have to keep opening it to get things out and that will get really annoying.

Maybe I could store all my out of season clothes in it?

There's also no getting away from the fact it definitely does not match the fake wood of my floor...

I know everyone is getting into upcycling at the moment but I really do not have a creative bone in my body and I think it would just go badly wrong.

I got the idea for this particular post after responding to an Instagram request from Barnardo's Retail for bloggers for their new blog 'The Thrift'. The first assignment was something along the lines of 'What item I own would be the first thing I'd donate'. I'd say it would be the jacket but it's just so pretty! I'm living in hope that one day I might find something to wear it with and give it the wearing time it so deserves! Until then, it will continue to sparkle in my closet, or maybe in my new wooden chest!

Talking of Barnardo's, did you catch my piece for them? You can find it here.

Char x

Best deal in town.

This time last year, when I was really getting back into charity shopping, I did a search of shops in Manchester city centre. Google brought up Mustard Tree which I hadn't heard of before. I was amazed on my first visit at all the excellent bargains to be had and my love for the shop hasn't diminished since!

Ever so often they run an incredible sale where you fill a bag for £2.50 with as many shoes, clothes and accessories as you can. I saw they were running the sale again on Twitter (find them at @mustardtreeshop) so took my opportunity to have a browse this morning. On my way up to the shop, which is conveniently about 2 minutes walk away from my flat, I saw a man carrying three of their trademark fill-a-bag white carriers crammed full and I knew it was going to be a great day! 

As you can see, the bag is about the size of a standard supermarket carrier but that's deceptive as you can really squeeze quite a lot in when you try! Here's what I picked up:

Limited Collection grey jumper.

Grey cropped jumper - only from Primark but it's cute!

Vintage white wooly vest jumper.

Topshop swan print skirt.

Handmade checked skirt.

White M&S trousers (not sure I'll wear these but needed something to fill up the bag!)

Doing the maths, each of these items cost 42p which is just incredible, even by my charity shop standards! The shop had put all their stock into the sale and there were more excellent pieces which I'd've snapped up had they been my size. 

The Mustard Tree shop is a great charity retail space with plenty of inexpensive furniture, music and books in addition to all the clothing they stock. You can find them at 110 Oldham Road and they also have a shop in Eccles - details on the website here.

Have you been to Mustard Tree?

Char x

Second hand Sunday.

Last night I went to bed early in anticipation of my first car boot sale in ages! My last experience of the boot-sale world was when I was about 18 and I had a pitch to sell all my excess clothing and raise some extra cash before uni. That was about eight years ago!

I've been looking for a Manchester car boot for ages but everything I could find online was either in the middle of nowhere (no car) or had bad reviews. On the recommendation of Gemma from Cheadle Barnardo's (find her at vintagecheadle on Instagram), I decided to make today the day I would visit the weekly Sunday boot-sale at Burnage Rugby Club. The site is not too far from East Didsbury Metrolink stop/East Didsbury train station and just off the Stagecoach number 42 route to Stockport (for any public transport lovers). Here's the website if you want anymore info!

I was genuinely surprised about how busy the site was - all the roads nearby were completely taken over with customer cars but as you can see from the photos, it was a lovely morning weather-wise.

The site is divided into two fields - as far as I could see there was no difference in the types of things people were selling in each. I've got to admit, at first I was a little hesitant...it's a bit of an awkward interaction browsing someone's stuff while they're standing staring at you! I tried to move in a collective of people and stop when they stopped but I managed to shake my boot-sale inhibitions after the first row or two! So, I set myself a £10 limit and here's what I bought:

Brand new boots £1.50 - no visible brand

River Island ankle boots £2

H&M cream top £1

Crazy Topshop leggings £3 (don't know when or where I'm going to wear these!)

Accessorize necklace 50p

Piggy bank £1

Creepy hand ornament £1 (I'm going to put in on my bedside table to house all my everyday jewellery)

Exactly £10 well spent. I was really impressed with the quality of most of the things people were selling and I'll definitely be returning (probably next Sunday). I was quite shocked by the sheer amount of pushy people though - some sharp elbows were out in force!

Does anybody know any other good Manchester car boots? Any tips for me?

Char x

A day out in Mossley.

I first heard of the charity Emmaus when I was living in Preston - they have a shop in the city centre which is predominantly furniture but alway had a few clothing gems at great prices. I'd always loved the shop so when I saw on Twitter that they had a shop in Mossley near Manchester, I decided to schedule in a time to visit.

I took the train from Manchester Victoria which cost £4 return and got me there in about twenty minutes. The scenery in Mossley is nothing short of picturesque and as I navigated my way down the cobbled street, I knew I was about to witness something special! 

Emmaus in Mossley is everything a charity shop should be. Situated in Longlands Mill on Queen Street, the shop boasts two floors of second hand furniture, bric-a-brac and clothing in great condition and at such excellent prices. It's a traditional charity shop - friendly, welcoming and obviously doing so much good in the community it supports. There's no attitude and nothing pretentious about it. 

The ground floor houses a multitude of modern pieces of furniture. Up the stairs, there are two more rooms full to the brim with goods. The first room contains an immaculate book section of both fiction and non-fiction. The majority of the books are only 60p and the alphabetical order and categorisation make it easy to find what you're looking for. The comfy chairs make for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere - I had a chat with a lovely lady browsing for something to read with her dog!

Also on the second floor is a up-cycled section. This table had been refashioned with this beautiful bird print to make a truly individual piece for only £20. If I'd had a car, I think I would've been in danger of taking it home! 

The second of the upstairs rooms contains bric-a-brac and a large clothing section. For me, this was the best part of the shop - my eyes just lit up when I walked through the door! Table upon table of crockery and trinkets, stock lines all the walls, like the most perfect jumble sale/car boot/shop rolled into one! There's also a large film and music section with DVDs at £1 and CDs at 50p.

All clothing, shoes and bags are a remarkable £1.50 per item or 4 for £5. It would be rude not to take up some an incredible offer - I came home with 8 items for a tenner. That's £1.25 each for these beauties...

 Patterned skinny trousers.

H&M envelope clutch bag.

M&S Limited Collection tan bag.

Zara canvas pumps.

 Grey zip-up jacket.

H&M jumper.

Wallis top.

H&m animal print dress.

Other attractions include a cafe and a heritage centre. There's also a collectables room which is open on Tuesdays and Fridays which I'm just going to have to take leave from work to visit!

I would recommend a visit to Emmaus Mossley to anyone - there really is something for everyone. 

Have you visited the shop before? Let me know what you thought!

For more information, check out www.emmausmossley.org.uk or give them a follow on Twitter - it's @emmausmossley!

Char x