A letter from Emma about: More Jumpers

Dear Readers,

As promised, this is the post about the lovely items my flatmates brought from FARA during the week. 

Flatmate number 1 (Roseanna)

Originally from MANGO and cost £9.50 from FARA

Flatmate number 2 (Cat)

Originally from Topshop and cost £7 from FARA

The jumper I brought  is very different from these two, all of the jumpers are very different. I guess what I am trying to say is that charity shops can meet everyones needs. Contrary to popular belief, they have lots of choice and variation in stock, which I often think is a  negative taboo associated with them. Often many people say to me that 'they' never find anything in charity shop, I just wanted people to know I do not have charity shopping superpowers.  Charity shops really do have something for everyone and if at first you don't succeed then try the next one down the road.

The jumpers we brought were all brands of some sort, and often ones without brands go for a little cheaper, in the past I have brought jumpers for under £4 (so you can save even more money). As students charity shopping is a great way to save lots of money as well as staying fashionable, it's also a lot of fun!

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S. Quote of the day - When the bold branches bid farewell to rainbow leaves- Welcome wool sweaters.
B.Cybrill

A letter from Emma about: STYLIGHT

Dear Reader, 

This week I was introduced to  the lovely STYLIGHT  which is a wonderful international fashion community bursting with style inspiration, consequently I have reviewed their site: 

STYLIGHT can be best described as an online ARGOS catalogue for fashion lovers; created by fashion lovers themselves. You can can create your own outfits using products, these products are then linked to the store in in one click you can buy someones fashion creation. As a fashion blogger I signed up to the community, however, I did not use products to create my own look (this is ok too) I created it from my previous blog post outfits.

So Let's give this a go...

This is the Emma Dilemma profile which I created, as you can see it includes the link to my blog.

Then I created a 'look' this is from my 99p blog post. Under the picture I was able to link up my blog to the look and also add a caption.

It's these 'looks' that are at the centre of STYLIGHT. 

"Each look is a member’s collage of outfit photos, products you can buy, videos & more. You can mix photos from your blog, products from shops, videos from YouTube, quotes and songs to express every aspect of your personal style in a look. "

Once your 'look' is created it is then added to the STYLIGHT database, and on the home page you can search for other 'looks' to find inspiration.  These can be searched for by using the famous # (much like twitter) so for my 99p post  it can be found with #polkadots or #charityshopfind. 

These four are outfits under #fbloggers, therefore linking a whole community and our outfit styles together.



For example this is a look under #black

I can then 'heart this' and this add the 'look' to my favourites, and what do hearts make... prizes! The more hearts you get the more likely people are to view both your outfit creation and therefore your blog.

I can then 'heart this' and this add the 'look' to my favourites, and what do hearts make... prizes! The more hearts you get the more likely people are to view both your outfit creation and therefore your blog.

 "Millions of people see this page and can directly discover your looks and your blog. "

Also, if I like someone's "look" and they have created it out of products I can then 'shop this look' for further details which give you a break down on the outfit and an option to buy each piece.

I think that this is a great way to buy products as it's almost like trying them on before you buy them, also as a reader of fashion blogs I often would love to just click on a 'buy now' button on some of the outfits that view.... STYLIGHT allows me to do this!  However,  I found some of the items on 'shop for look' a little expensive, I understand that this is high end fashion but I think it would be great if more affordable or even second hand clothing brands got involved.

Overall, as a fashion blogger I think it's a fantastic international community since it allows you to see world wide trends as well as sharing your own. It's just really useful. I also like the incorporation of twitters notorious  #. It's a language that us #fbloggers know and understand; it's not trying to make up something completely different or alien.

One problem that I did have is that it was difficult to add a profile picture, this is a work in progress. But could possibly have something to do with me and my poor technology skills?! However, I found the rest of the site easy to  navigate and use, and I shall be going back for more.

All in all I defiantly think that this site has potential and I shall be working on updating and improving my profile.

What do you lovely readers think, have you ever posted a 'look' on STYLIGHT?

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S. Quote of the day- " Fashion is what you buy, style is what you do with it."

- Anonymous

A letter from Emma about: Winter Warmers

Dear Reader, 

Today my flatmates and I went searching for some much needed winter jumpers. Charity shops are great places to find these winter warmers, since they are often reasonably priced and high quality. Also the warmer we are this winter, the less we will need to put the heating on...so jumper shopping is a must!

Here is my warming cardigan purchase...I love it!

Cardigan £12 from FARA

I purchased the cardigan from FARA, which is a charity shop that raises money for underprivileged children in Romania. All the money from your purchases in this shop go to such a lovely and deserving cause. Oh, the store is filled with such lovely things to purchase! The cardigan is Sparkle & Fade which can be originally sourced from Urban Outfitters, so I was very happy with my £12 price tag.
FARA shops can be found throughout central and south west London and I highly recommend a visit!

A great tip for students, or anyone looking to keep heating costs low this winter, is to buy lots of jumpers and chairty shops are full of low priced and high quality ones. 

What do you think of my purchase?

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma

P.S. - Quote of the day- "Big sweaters are like portable hugs".
- Anonymous

P.P.S.- Watch this space for my flat mates purchases, I shall be blogging about them later in the week.

A letter from Emma about: An Act of Kindness and a Kitty

Dear Reader,

This post is about my beautiful ginger tabby cat Ollie and 16months of absence. 

We rescued Ollie and his sister Sandy from a farm two years ago. Farm cats often have a hard life and many do not live to be adult cats, so we rescued them in the hope of giving them a better life. 

From the start they were both wild! We would have to stop them climbing the curtains or carefully remove their claws from our legs, and when it came to food they ate so quickly because they were so used to a lack of food. However, they were lovely cats, and after a few weeks they turned into very calm and affectionate kittens.

A cute but very cheeky Ollie as a kitten!

Just over a year ago Ollie developed a skin condition, so a trip to the vets was needed. However, he was very timid and became anxious when going to the vets and meeting new people. Unfortunately, whilst leaving the vets the latch on his carrier clipped open and Ollie darted off, we still had his medicine treatment in hand! I was in London at this time, but after hours of searching for him he could not be seen anywhere, posters were put up and we returned to the area but there was no sign of him.

That was until a few weeks ago, after 16 months of disappearance. We got a call from the vets saying they had found Ollie! When he returned home he was 3x the cat he was before: he was huge! And was also a lot more affectionate then he had ever been before, maybe this is due to who was looking after him, but who had been feeding him and looking after him so well?

We got the address of the lovely lady who had been looking after Ollie from the vets and brought her some flowers to say thank you. It turns out she had been feeding Ollie for 4 months, when he first arrived he was very skinny, anxious and poorly however she feed him 3 times a day, until he not only gained weight but also became less shy and very fond of her. However, she did not want a cat so called the cats protection, they told her to phone the vets because he might be chipped...and the rest is history!

The flowers we bought the lovely lady. 

Ollie at home and as relaxed as ever! 

We are so grateful to this woman for looking after our cat, it is really heart-warming to know that there are some lovely people in the world. It's just so nice to have him home.

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

Quote of the day- "The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful then a thousand heads bowing in prayer."
- Mahatma Gandhi

A letter from Emma about: A Crop Top

Dear Reader, 

Back to charity shopping for today's post. This find was purchased from the lovely Acorns Children's Hospice charity shop.

£3.95 from Acorns Children's Hospice.

The top was originally from Topshop and it has a botanical-like tree design on the front, I love it when nature designs are incorporated into clothes. It cost be £3.95 so I had change left over from a £5: brilliant! I have worn it with jeans but I think it will look great with a pencil skirt or with dungarees. I'm over the moon with my find: it's not every day you find a t-shirt with a tree on it! It would be great to know what you think?

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma

P.S.  Quote of the day- "I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist."
- Tammy Faye Bakker

Silent Sunday

A letter from Emma about: Stationery

Dear Reader, 

September is upon us and it's the time of year where stationery lovers have an excuse (not that they need one) to indulge in beloved stationery. It's back to Uni for me which means it's time to get my stationary fix, yipeee! Notebooks are needed for new modules and handwritten notes and as the biggest fan of handwriting I think it looks so much prettier on nice paper and written with a lovely pen :).

Anyhow, I was lucky enough to be sent some Oxford stationery from Hamelin Brands stationery supplier, which I am going to review:

It arrived in this cute package and contained: 

A notebook

No ink show-through...whoop, whoop!

"Optik Paper - Feel the difference"... oh, I certainly can. I really dislike poor- quality paper, I really like handwriting notes and it is just so much more enjoyable writing on nice paper. Also, the notebook meets Paper By Nature standards which guarantees minimal environmental impact when resourcing primary materials to make the product, so I am a happy bunny. 

A Folder

Handy blank label...nice. 

Folders/plastic wallets are great for lecture handouts. However, what' s really useful about this folder is that the blank labels are provided. I always end up making my own labels which to be honest aren't to shabby but just involve a lot of hassle and these folders provide them for me!  Anything that save me time is a good thing, I am a student after all.

And free cinema tickets!?

And the icing on the cake of this stationary is the free cinimea ticket you get with your purchases. Oxford stationery are giving free Cineworld tickets in exchange for two promotional which can be found on their products. Not many stationery brands offer free cinema tickets = result. 

So, thumbs up to Oxford books!

 All opinions are my own and I care way to much about stationery not to be honest when reviewing. These notebooks are good and so are the cinema tickets. So, I shall be stocking up on both of them!

Yours, 

Emma 

P.S. Quote of the day - "It's the poor craftsman who blames his tools... but it's also the poor craftsman who can't tell the difference." 

-  extended by Shannon Jacobs

A letter from Emma about:The Liebster Award

Dear Reader, 

I have been nominated to do The Liebster Award today by the lovely Celia from Celia's Antics. 

So here are my answers to her questions. 

My 11 Questions:
1) Post a photo of what your day has been like today.

Today I have been doing a little lit of doodling... that and tea drinking. 

2) What is your favourite season to dress for? Summer or Winter?

My favourite season would ideally be somewhere in between...Autumn. It's cool enough to look nice without melting and warm enough not be wearing a huge coat and an excessive amount of jumpers. 

3) What's your favourite post you've written on your blog so far and why?

That would be my favourite charity shop find; which is the
£3 Dolls House I brought for my niece Libby, I cannot wait to blog about the finished result.
4) What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?  

The last book I read was The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell. I read it on holiday and enjoyed it so much that I had read it by the second day, I love it when you find a book that you just can't put down!
5) Who is your favourite blogger at the moment and why?

My favourite blogger at the moment is Allurescent.
 I love the alterations that she makes to her clothes, I think its a great way to stay fashionable at an affordable price.
6) Describe your ideal night-in.

My ideal night in would involve lots of painting and drawing if I was on my own. But if I had company it would involve cheese, wine and chattering!
 7) What is your go-to beauty product?
Clinique Superbalance liquid foundation. After years of trying different foundations I discovered  this one... it is a dream! Nowadays I would not use any other foundation on my skin.
8) Are you a cat or dog person?

Bit of both? At home we have 3 cats so I have always had cats around, but I do love dogs.
9) What is your Chinese zodiac sign and does it describe you well?

I am a monkey.  I think it does a little bit, I just googled it and found :
"You tend to spend a lot of time in your head, even to the point of thinking too much".
"You are naturally curious and develop a broad knowledge of many different subject areas."
Yepp that does describe me pretty well.
10) If you could only buy your clothes from one shop, which would it be and why?

I would have to say Charity Shops. I always find so many unique and reasonably priced items in them and all my money goes to a lovely cause each time.
11) What is your least favourite item of clothing to shop for?

Shoes! I don't like shoe shopping. Always have, always will. I have narrow feat so I find it difficult to find a pair of shoes that I like and fit me... and to be honest I just find it a bit boring. 

Hope you enjoyed my answers and here are my lovely nominee's: 

Natalie - http://plutoniumsox.blogspot.co.uk/

Kate - http://simplicity12.blogspot.co.uk/

Laura- http://www.smileatstyle.blogspot.co.uk/

Chloe- http://chloeposts.blogspot.co.uk/

Leanne- http://littlemadamalamode.blogspot.co.uk/

Sai- http://www.fabricatefashion.blogspot.co.uk/

Nicole- http://sleek-chic.blogspot.co.uk/

Holly- http://wolfemade.wordpress.com/

Jade- http://www.pintsizepixie.blogspot.co.uk/

Verity- http://beautyandthegin.blogspot.co.uk/

And here are your 11 questions:

1) Photo of what you have been doing today.

2) What made you start blogging? 

3)What has been your favourite blog post so far?

4) Who is your favourite blogger?

5) What is your favourite book?

6) Who is your favourite ethical company?

7)Name an item on your fashion wish list?

8) Have you ever thrifted an item, and what was it? 

9) What is your favourite item you have found in a chairty shop?

10)What is your go-to beauty product?

9)Name your favourite day of the week and why?

Remember to send me your links, I would really love to read your answers and I will be sure to follow all of you. 

Yours, 

Emma Dilemma 

P.S. Quote of the day- "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

- Albert Einstein

A letter from Emma about: Bagging a Bargain.

Dear Reader...Blogger (to be more specific for today's post), 

I have been reading lots of lovely fashion blags lately and have noticed lots of fashion bargain hunters out there, and I thought it would be great for us to stay in contact and share our bargain fashion finds. 

Which is what today's blog is all about. So how about linking up with a (new or old) blog post about a bargain hunt, fashion thrift or charity shop find.Hop between other blogs and follow other lovely thrifting bloggers.  It would be lovely for you to follow my blog, and I will follow all the linked up posts on both Google+ and Bloglovin'. 

And before you know it we will have a community of thrifters,bargain hunters and charity shop lovers. 

Just thought it would be lovely to share our thrifting and bargain hunting ideas. 

Link up below and I'm really looking forward to reading your posts. 

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S. "No one should drive a hard bargain with an artist."

- Ludwig van Beethoven

A letter from Emma about: Pants

Dear Reader, 

Today's post is all about pants.
Last weekend I went to Greenbelt festival which was full of lots of lovely ethical stores, all of the clothes were not only unique but also had great ethics too.   

I came across a lovely store called Pants to Poverty which makes very cool pants and pyjamas sets as well as doing there bit to make the world a little better.
They do this in so many ways, firstly they buy their cotton from Chetna Organic farmer company. Chetna Organic work with cotton farmers in India and encourage sustainable livelihoods for the farmers. They buy cotton directly from the farmers and also pay for education materials in the local village schools. Pants to Poverty then work with a garment factory in India called Armstrong. Armstrong ensure that workers have a real wage, and are carbon neutral. 

So here are my pants.. well to be more specific pyjama shorts.

 

Sexy Boxer Pants £10

"We’ve got a very English name. In England, in case you didn’t know, Pants are not trousers, but they are underwear. However, more than that, if something is pants, then that means it’s terrible! So, “Pants to Poverty” means Poverty is terrible, as well as saying that they are fairtrade and organic underpants! "

I just think that the pants and company are pretty cool. 

Yours,

Emma Dilemma

P.S. Quote of the day- "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business."
- Henry Ford