A letter from Emma about: A Little Blue Top

Dear Reader, 

Today's post is about a lovely top which I brought from a charity shop for £1.99.

I love the pale blue colour of the top, and the small little flowers sewn into the delicate material... cute! This is top is so versatile too, in the picture I am wearing it with a pencil skirt, but I have also worn it over a maxi dress and with jeans- there are so many different ways to wear it! 

Oh, I really do think charity shopping is the way forward, I have saved so much money but also the money I do spend goes to fantastic causes; which rely on donations in order to continue their amazing work. So, you could go shopping as well as helping out a great charity this week... what a great reason to go shopping!

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma 

P.S. Quote of the day- "Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations."

- Jean Paul

Silent Sunday

A letter from Emma about: 99p

Dear Reader,

One of the reasons I love charity shops is because the money from sales is donated to a lovely cause, but another great advantage of them is that they are amazing value for money. This post is about what you can get for 99p in a charity shop:

This navy polka dot top is originally from H&M, I remember seeing it as part of their collection last year but avoided buying it because I wanted to save money. Patience really does pay off in this case, because I found it a year later in the Geranium charity shop for the blind, did I mention it was only 99p? I wonder what you could find in your local charity shops this bank holiday weekend...

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S. Quote of the day- "I don't think there is ever a wrong time for a polka dot."
- Marc Jacobs

A letter from Emma about: An Orange Top

Dear Reader, 

Today's find was purchased in the lovely Oxfam Charity shop in Torquay.

One of the best things about this top is that it was brand new: the ASOS price tag was still inside! I picked it up for the reasonable price of £5.99. This lovely Oxfam store also stocked other brand new clothing brands such as Jaeger and this seasons Marks & Spencer's wear, YAY! Not only is the brand new stock great value for money, but also every penny you spend is donated to a fantastic cause. 

I wore this top with a crop to underneath (the lace is not included), it's such a great top to dress up or down. The black straps form a cross like shape across the back, so great for a night out. I love orange too, with the weather a bit gloomy this week I find wearing bright colours cheers me up a bit...well, that and charity shopping:  I highly recommend them!

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma 

P.S. Quote of the day- "Orange is the happiest colour."

- Frank Sinatra

Silent Sunday

A letter from Emma about: Festival Fashion

Dear Reader,

With some of the best festivals of the year on the horizon, today's post is about sourcing that festival fashion look from charity shops. Pearl & Butter are running a festival fashion blogger competition. I thought I would apply with a charity shop sourced entry, festivals after all are all about embracing your inner hippie. 

My festival outfit is all about flowers and clothes that make dancing effortless.  Not only does sourcing your look in charity shops mean that ALL your money goes to a lovely cause but also because charity shops are so reasonably priced your festival look wont cost you a fortune so a bit of mud and rain can be taken more light heartedly!

So here it is, enjoy!   

 

 

Top

I brought this top from St Richard's Hospice for £3. The collar means you can display any lovely jewellery which is partularly on trend at the moment. Sometimes I wear this shirt over jeans, but for my festival look I have undone a few buttons and tied it around the waste for a self-made crop top. 

Skirt

£2.49 from Oxfam,what a bargain! My local Oxfam has a half price summer sale on at the moment (as if charity shops weren't reasonably priced enough!) and I found this floral gem. It's nice and floaty, perfect for dancing and also the fabric is nice and cool which makes it perfect for warm summer weather. 

Bag

I brought this bag for £4.95 from St Richard's Hospice, (see Acorn's blog post) this bag is particularly great for festivals because of the variant straps: hand bag and side bag.  So you can fling it over your sholder when dancing. The other great thing about this bag is that it's large enough to hold my cardigan...
Cardigan
This is an essential for the evening, at festivals most of the big acts play late at night and it can be quite chilly! I brought this for £3.50 from Break Charity store, it's so nice and warm and has lovely buttons. 

Headband

Refuse & Reuse! I got this for £5 from a previous festival, buy one and you don't need to buy one again, just keep re-using it. Every festival outfit looks great with a flower headband... that and wellies

Flowers
No festival is complete without flowers, you can grow your own and take them with you.

***

So, that's my festival outfit, hope I have inspired some charity shop shopping.

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma

P.s. Quote of the day- "Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." 

- Anna Lappe

A letter from Emma about: A Wedding Dress

Dear Reader,

Today's post is about a wedding dress. When my sister Natalie got married she brought her wedding dress from the charity shop; Barnardo's Brides by appointment. This is a specialist wedding dress charity shop located in Wellington in Shropshire. It is appointment only, and stocks a vast amount of unique pre-loved wedding dresses. Often when choosing a wedding dress, many people's first preference would not be to buy from a charity shop but with this particular dress if Nat had not gone to a charity shop then she would not have got a dress as unique and well made as this one: 

All the photos were taken by the talented Melanie Chadd

The dress cost £500 and was donated to the store, although the dress was pre-loved it had technically never been worn as a wedding dress; it was worn on the catwalk at the vintage wedding fayre in Birmingham and subsequently donated. Although the dress was a little big it was no problem for it to be altered (which as far as I am aware is a common thing for most bride dresses even when brought brand new). When Nat got it dry cleaned, the staff said that they had dry cleaned one similar (although not as ornate) a few weeks earlier which was valued at £3000. They would value hers at around £5000. I adore this dress I just think it is just so beautiful and ornate,  I love the lace! You really can tell the high quality of craftsmanship that has gone into this dress. Nowadays , weddings are so expensive so to be able to buy a beautiful wedding dress and donate £500 to a charity at the same time, well, its just lovely!

Something old,

 Something new,

 Something borrowed,

Something blue...

Something charitable too?

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma

P.s. Quote of the day: "Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress."

- Coco Chanel

Silent Sunday

A letter from Emma about: My Top 5 Holiday Fashion Essentials

Dear Reader,

This year I was lucky enough to jet off to Madeira and Greece, so here are my tried and tested Top 5 Fashion Essentials for the summer. You guessed it, most of them are from charity shops! Well, it would be rude not too...

1

2

  3

4

[Trainers]

5

1) Beach Kaftan

I got this from a charity shop before I went on holiday, it cost me £4. For ages I had wanted a kaftan but could not find one that I could afford. Luckily, this one was reasonably priced, previously from Warehouse and in my size! I would recommend a Kaftan to anyone going abroad, they keep you cool when it's really hot, and they are great to throw on after you’ve had a swim.

2) Crochet Top

I brought this from St Richard's Hospice for the grand total of £3.50. This is a holiday fashion essential is because it's so versatile; you can wear it to the beach and also out to dinner. With flights charging more and more for luggage we have to unfortunately sometimes pack lighter, and this doubles up as a day time and night time pleaser. 

3) Fat Face Cardigan

Normally I cannot afford a Fat Face clothing, but once again I picked up this in a charity store. It cost me £4.50...and it's just so soft! It's a holiday essential because often in hot places the nights are cold, so a cardigan is a necessity when the sun goes down. Also, when you get home it makes a great summer cardigan. Hooray! 

4) Fat Face Cotton Shirt

This was a winter charity shop buy, if I find an item I know I will love in the summer I buy it early. Since, it only cost me around £3 it's hardly breaks the bank either. This shirt is great for aeroplane flights; it's warm enough when it's cold but also keeps you cool in the warm heat (i.e. when you get off the plane)... it lets you breath. This is an essential because it keeps me comfy when travelling, and I think looks pretty nice too. 

5) Trainers

This summer my sister encourage me to take up running, whilst I am a long way off from being the next Paula Radcliffe it's a great way to keep fit without the costly gym fees. When on holiday I would recommend bringing a pair of trainers’ for running, when the evenings (or even mornings) are nice and cool. Going for a run is a great way to explore the area you are staying in, plus when you get home you feel relaxed and vitalised rather than sluggish.

Strangely enough I have never brought shoes from a charity shop, so I can't blog about any that I own.  However, here is a link to a website which sells pretty cool trainers  http://www.hi-tec.com/uk/zuuk-pink.html

So there are my Top 5 Holiday Tips! This was a sponsored blog post, but all opinions, charity shop items and summer time tips are my own.

Also, I have only just noticed the excessive amount of beige and white in my wardrobe?! I think it's time to head to the charity shops and find some colour!

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S, Quote of the day - "Summer's lease hath all too short a date."

- William Shakespeare

A letter from Emma about: Bird Feeding Safety Tips

Dear Reader,

Today's post has more of an eco-theme, as a student living in London this year I have really missed the nature and wildlife of the countryside. Anyhow, in my flat we have a small back garden and I would like to encourage a little bit of nature into the garden. Birds are a fundamental part of the food chain and help minimise plant lice without the help of horrible pesticides.

So, here is are my top tips along with my favourite bird feeders from http://www.gardenhealth.com/products/feeders to help encourage the pretty singing birds to south London! 

1

2

3

4

1) Daily Goodness Nugget Feeder
Squirrel resistant! As much as I love squirrel’s, this is for the birds, which is something to take into account when enticing birds into your garden. The stainless steel design means that this bird feeder does not need to be replaced anytime soon, yippee!

2) Royal Squirrel Proof Feeder

 Another Squirrel resistant one, however this one has a luxurious design. I wouldn’t say no to adding a bit of royalty to my garden this summer. Thus, leading to my next tip: style! Pick a bird feeder that's pretty, then you can enjoy it as well as the birds.

3) Royal Peanut Feeder

 This leads to my third tip, peanuts! Peanut's, literally cost peanut's so choose a bird feeder which won't burst the bank for you to refill. As a student, we love nothing more than saving money! However, when hanging a bird feeder a tip is to keep them away from fences or sheds where cats may have easy access to the birdies.

4) Royal Peanut Donut Feeder

 How cool is that design? Design aside, it is a durable design which means the pennies I spend on one will last longer. After all it is going to spent most of its life outside I want one which will outlast storms, hail, rain and very hungry birds :). Also, there are no wires, no birds will get stuck or tangled in this stylish bird feeder.

A final tip, and a reason which attracted me to all these feeders is that all of them can be hung out of reach from any predators...i.e. Cat's. The birds need to be safe when visiting the garden.

This is a sponsored post, but opinions and welfare for birds and wildlife are my own.

Hope I have helped out any bird enticing wannabes out there. 

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S. Quote of the day- "I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs." 

- Joseph Addison

A letter from Emma about: A Skirt

Dear Reader,

This week when walking home from the station, I could not resist popping into the near by charity shop. This blog post is about the lovely leopard print wrap skirt which I picked up from St Richard's Hospice charity shop. I think it's purrrfect... (sorry I couldn't resist)

Skirt £4

So when I got home I did a little bit of research and found that the skirt is from the brand Episode, in Debenhams. Which is quite a pricey brand, and a very nice one. All in all one happy buyer made even more happy because my £4 goes to a lovely cause which is St Richard's Hospice. 

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma

P.s. Quote of the day-  "Being good is good business."

- Anita Roddick (the founder of the body shop).