Friday Finds (on Saturday!)

It's Friday Finds. On Saturday. My internet was refusing to cooperate last night, so here we are.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Mella Fina and her amazing little Etsy store of delights!

Mella Fina offers an eclectic mix of vintage treasures and handmade and 'up-cycled' treats, with all sorts of one-off goodies for the home. I scoured her selection and came across these absolute beauts, which include a  stunning vintage pewter hand-held mirror, a modern sleather studded bracelet (had to slip that one in there!) and some more vintage goodies such as this gorgeous aftershave bottle which masquerades as a clock, and a pair of Italian leather shoes.

I just love sifting through random stores like these, and I love the fact that they make charity/thrift shopping that bit easier for you and group together all the best finds in one place! The great thing about vintage is that you can often guarantee that no one else is going to have the same thing as you have bought, and stocking up on such lovely little trinkets and other bits and bobs is a great way to add some character to your home or to add a personal touch to your outfit.

You may have noticed a little pattern here in that my Friday Finds posts are often linked to Etsy stores. Well, that's just because I have come across so many wonderful little stores, and I really want to share them with you!

Hope you have all had a wonderful start to the weekend! I will be posting my Weekend Wishlist later on today, so do look out for that, and do also click on the links above to visit Mella Fina's store and have a little browse, if not a sneaky purchase or two!

Have you ever bought anything from Etsy, and if so, do you have a favourite store?

If not, do you know of any other great little sites on which similar bits and bobs can be found?

xx

Friday Finds

How ridiculously cute are these little treats from thebeautboutique on Etsy?

I came across them by chance after their creator, Ruthy (@beautboutique) retweeted me on Twitter and I ended up having a little look at her shop to see what she was selling.

All these pieces are so kitsch and original, and I absolutely love them, especially the little teacup necklace at the top.  All of Ruthy's pieces are really affordable, ranging from about £2.75 to £7.50 (sorry I'm not being exact, but the prices were showing up in dollars so I had to convert them) and what I thought was even lovelier about her store was how gorgeous her stock photos are! They are so well thought out. And everything is made by hand!

If you haven't checked out Ruthy's store yet then I strongly suggest you do so, as there are many more items to choose from, including jammy dodger earrings, cameo jewellery and Alice in Wonderland inspired pieces. To go directly to her store, you can click on the link at the top of the page.

Thank goodness it's Friday!

What have you all got planned for the weekend?

xx

Last Week in Pictures

1. Sunset on the river

2. Cute cupcake money box

3. Pretty flowers at the garden centre

4. Vintage suitcases

5. Healthy breakfast! Porridge, chia, linseed and raisins.

6. A goat and her baby :)

7. Antique owls

8. Hubby Instagramming

9. Sunset on the way back from a road trip

Not a very rock and roll week for me last week! 

I'm off work at the moment as I've got some holiday, but unfortunately won't be doing anything particularly exciting as funds are running a bit low! Well, actually, it's not really that, it's just that I've got to save as much as I can for a trip at the end of the year. Note the lack of shopping-related photos!

On Wednesday, we went on a little road trip, not to anywhere in particular, just to explore the nearby countryside. We also went to stay with the other half's family for a couple of days and, er, climbed a mountain...pics of that to come soon! Other than that, I feel like I've just had a really chilled week, although I have, of course, been doing a little bit of exercise each day, as I did promise myself I would. Go me!

How was your week?

Did you do anything exciting?

xx

Friday Finds

Hello Treacles. I'm sorry to be bringing you this week's Friday Finds on a Saturday, but we have been away visiting the hubby's parents for a couple of days. I had prepared all my blog posts in advance, ready to upload, knowing that I wouldn't have a chance to sit down and write one while we were there, but as it happened, we ended up staying an extra day. Cue, my careful planning being scuppered. But these things happen!

Feast your eyes on these little beauts from Shabby Chic Originals . This is a gorgeous little site, full of cute little vintage treats for the home, and something I came across purely by chance while looking for some pretty bits and bobs to add some character to my new house.

Garden Mirror, £40

Decorative Hanging Heart, £6.

Birdcage Lamp Shade, £13.99

Egg House, £16.

Three-tier Regency Cake Stand, £13.99

Set of three stacking tins, £10.50

Regency Sugar Bowl, £8.50

Two Drawer Botanical Chest, £15.99

Floral Party Bunting, £10.

Well. after looking at this little lot all over again, I know where I would like to be kitting out my house. I actually think that Shabby Chic Originals ' prices are really reasonable, and while you could probably find yourself some similar goodies by rooting through a few charity shops, this little site will save you the time. It will also save you plenty of pennies if you are someone who doesn't have the patience for thrifting, as you are going to pay a lot less here than some other places I could mention.

My absolute favourite of the bunch just has to be the little egg house! What a cute idea. It's basically a little wooden chicken house, but instead, you pop your eggies inside until you fancy scrambling/poaching/frying them up for brekkie, which in my case, is often on a lazy sunday morning :)

Hope everyone is making the most of the weekend so far! Don't forget to check out Shabby Chic Originals' website by clicking on the links above if you have enjoyed my little selection here. It's always fun to have a little browse!

xx

Friday Finds

Bonjour my lovelies, and welcome to the very first 'Friday Finds', a new series of posts in which I will be sharing with you the random treats that I have stumbled upon each week.

This week, Etsy takes the stage.

Candle Tart Melts - Hand Crafted Soy Wax Bakery Candles,

Pookaberrys

How cute are these little cupcake candles? They look good enough to eat, and would be a fantastic addition to anyone's dressing table, or vanity, if you are in America.

Snowcap Mountain Nail Polish,

f4polishes

Speaks for itself really. I can't get enough of glitter polishes at the moment, and this bad boy needs to get on my nails now. This seller has a gorgeous selection of unique, colourful, glittertastic creations, so I highly recommend you pay them a visit if you are bored of always having the same polishes as everyone else.

Hand Crafted Artisan Solid Perfumes, 

JOANSGARDENS

I'm not normally one for solid perfumes, but the pretty vintage-inspired packaging won me over. Plus, they come in a vast array of scents (below), with Jasmine, Gardenia and Honeysuckle top of my list.

-Jasmine

-Lily of the Valley

-Magnolia

-Lavender

-Honeysuckle

-Lilac

-Tuberose

-Gardenia

-Snow Drops

-Amber Musk

If you are like me, and you enjoy a good old potter and a rummage around the interwebs, then Etsy is highly recommended by moi. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Etsy describes itself as the 'world's handmade marketplace', and is a treasure trove of handcrafted goodies and bespoke treats. You can find some amazingly kitsch bits and bobs and one-offs, from ceramics and jewellery to furniture and vintage quilts, and it is unlikely that you'll bump into anyone in the street who has the same thing as you.

Hope you enjoyed the first 'Friday Finds'!  If you like what you see then do go ahead and click on the links below each picture.

Have a lovely weekend!

xx

Little Catch-up

Hello lovelies, hope everyone has had a great weekend so far. For me, it's been a pretty chilled one, hanging out in coffee shops and having lunch with the hubby, drinking huge cups of tea and catching up on blog reading, and browsing the internet for new finds. This morning was hugely self indulgent, as we got up and had breakfast, watched TV for a bit, and then crawled back into bed for snuggles and a siesta. I absolutely love the fact that on Sundays, things like that seem to be totally acceptable.

I had several blog posts planned for over the weekend, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling very well yesterday and so I didn't get very far with them. However, I hope you all enjoyed reading my 'Lipsticks I Can't Live Without' post, as I had been looking forward to sharing my favourites with you for a while, so I was happy to have got the photos together for that one.

This week has been a pretty hectic one again, as I've had lots of paperwork to get through. It's also been one of those weeks where the house just won't seem to stay tidy, so I feel like I've been trying to sort it out every day!

On Wednesday, the hubby and I went out for Japanese, which was amazing as always. I know raw fish is not everyone's cup of tea, and I have to admit that I was totally against it in the past. But being the sort of person who will try anything once, I gave it a go, and now it is one of my favourite foods. And I'm not just talking about the California rolls (rice rolls) - I really go for it when I get the chance to have sushi, and love it all, even the Sashimi (which, for those of you that don't know, is literally just raw fish slices). My other half loves it too, so we always get a big combo and wash it down with some lovely hot Sake - perfect!

I got a few little bits in the post this week that I had ordered online. One of them was a Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, which I mentioned in my previous post, and I also got some vintage shorts and some aztec-print ones from Ebay. I love getting things in the post, it's so much more exciting that way. Although it's not quite the same when you know what you are getting! Anyway, I will take some snaps of those bits for you when I get the chance and pop them in a post later in the week.

The other thing I bought was this cute vintage tin (pictured above) to keep my earrings in. I have got so many earrings, but whenever I go to put some in, I can only ever find one of them, and it drives me mad. I did already have a big case that I keep all my other jewellery in, but it was becoming a bit chaotic, so I decided I needed to keep my earrings separately in order to actually be able to find them! I absolutely adore vintage tins, and the fact that this one is a) heart-shaped and b) covered in strawberries meant that it just had to be mine. I'm planning on scouring some charity shops and car boot sales now, to get a few more to store my rings and other bits and bobs.

In other news, I have been enjoying trying out my new Mac Matchmaster foundation this week, and my little website is coming along nicely. I will tell you a bit more about that at a later stage, I promise, but for now I'm just going to say that I'm very excited about it and can't wait to launch it!

I think that's all for this week really, it's been a pretty standard one. I'm going to compile this week's Weekend Wishlist for you now, so expect to see that post up before the day is out! I'm also going to do some more blog reading this evening, and try something new on my nails.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Sunday. How have you been spending  it?

xx

Weekend Favourites and Little Catch-up

Beaded Vintage Bag, £199.99

,Vintage Nautical Striped Blazer, £14.99

Vintage Totem/Baroque Print Dress, £15.73 (+£11.33p&p)

Baroque Print Hotpants (with wet-look panels), £2.99 (+£11.50 p&p)

Flat Studded Pumps, £19.99 (+£8.50 p&p)

I have been finding quite a lot of absolute treasures on Ebay as late, as some of you will probably have heard me mention before. This week has been no different, so I have collected together a few of my favourite finds to share with you in this week's Weekend Favourite.

Now, unfortunately, some of these products are not at the best of prices, and one in particular would break the bank a little bit. However, just because I'm not going to be buying them myself, it doesn't mean you lovelies shouldn't have the chance to do so!

I love the studded pumps in all the colours, especially the mint ones, and the totem/baroque dress is just beautiful. As for the vintage bag, well, I would have snapped it up by now if my purse so permitted, but alas, it did not.

Excuse the small pictures please, but in larger size they were of rubbish quality, so here they are in all their tiny glory.

So, aside from these goodies, what can I tell you about my week?

Well, I have been very busy as I am soon going to be launching my own online shop, so I am hugely excited and equally nervous about that! I don't want to say too much about it at the moment, but as soon as I am ready to unveil it, which will hopefully be at the end of the month, then I will spill the beans and fill you in on it all!

This afternoon, the Mr and I went out for a lovely lunch and some Acai, and then came back and watched some of the Jubilee coverage on the TV. Bless the Queen, eighty-six and on her feet all day. She didn't seem to be smiling all that much, but then again, would you be, at her age, after standing in the rain watching boats going past for hours on end? Don't get me wrong, it's lovely that the nation is going all-out to throw her such an extravaganza of a celebration, but it must be a bit tiring for her. Still, if it hadn't rained then it wouldn't have been a very British celebration, would it? I love that we still have a monarchy though, as I think it's lovely that our country's history is still going so strong. It's something we often take for granted, but elsewhere in the world, it's something the UK is very much admired for!

Anyway, sadly there were no Pimms, cakes, scones or other quintessentially English fare involved in my afternoon, but at least the cups of tea were flowing! I would have loved to have had a party and covered everything in bunting and floral tablecloths and cute vintage china....maybe next time!?

Have you done anything to celebrate this weekend?

Did you do any Jubilee-themed nail art or put together a patriotic outfit?

xx

Weekend Favourites

It's that time again!

This week's most wanted list features a variety of things, from a variety of places! I haven't really gone for a theme this week, so instead, I've just put together a little collection of beautiful things for you to peruse. Enjoy!

Patchwork Persian Quilt, £120, Urban Outfitters Home.

Tin, £5.99, Ebay

Tokyo Doll Pink Tropical Jeans, £24.99, New Look.

Vintage 'Tea for One' set, £17.05, Ebay

'To Kill a Mockingbird' poster, £18 (pricey!), Urban Outfitters Home.

This is my favourite book!

Nails in Gilted, £6, Topshop.

Co-ord Bird Print Shorts, £35, Topshop

Graphic Beaded Clutch, £45, Accessorize

Leaf Tree Jewellery Stand, £18, Urban Outfitters Home

Floral DIY Shorts, £35, Miss Selfridge

What's on your wanted list this week?

Weekend Favourites: Ebay Essentials!

So, as promised, this week's Weekend Favourites post is all about the wonderful little gems I have found on Ebay, and their even better prices.

I don't know about you ladies, but I absolutely adore vintage and costume jewellery, and I love having a scout around charity shops to see what I can find. A lot of the high-street stores do do some lovely 'in the style of' pieces, but the drawback about those is that often, everyone else has the same things! At the end of the day, I like what I like, and I won't let other people having something stop me from getting it if I really want to, but at the same time, I love knowing that the beautiful piece of jewellery I am wearing is unique. With ebay, it's easy to find gorgeous jewellery that you are unlikely to come across anyone else wearing. Yes, there are some sellers who sell lots of each item, but even then, it's unlikely you will bump into someone on a night out who has exactly the same thing.

Now, personally, I have currently got a bit of a thing for vintage pocket watches, which you can wear on a chain around your neck. I am also a big fan of animal themed jewellery at the moment. I don't really wear silver jewellery, I'm more of a gold or bronze girl. So, with all that in mind, here is my pick of the most beautiful bits that Ebay has to offer. (You can snap each of these up for less than a pound if you're quick enough, but I have noticed that these sellers are always adding new stock anyway, most of it equally gorgeous).

I hope you all like this selection and agree that they are absolutely bargainous! For more information on any of the pieces, leave me a comment in the box below, and I will tell you what I know and how to find the item.

Sorry there aren't any silver bits in there, I just happened to save the pieces I personally would like to own while browsing on Ebay, but if you would like me to do a post focusing on silver pieces then do please let me know, as I would be more than happy to do so!

So how has everyone's weekend been? Feel free to leave me a comment, I'd love to hear your stories, or your opinions on this post!