Goodbye HaberdashHer, hello Jenessa Likes To Write

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to say that I will no longer be updating HaberdasHer. All my posts have been migrated over to my snazzy new site www.jenessalikestowrite.com, where I will be blending my crafts, lifestyle and fashion writing with posts about music, film, tv and snippets of my personal life.

So, to summarise;

www.haberdashher.blogspot.com is no more

www.jenessalikestowrite.com is the future.

Hop on over now!

Outfit: Silly Sparkles

Getting ready for the Huddersfield University SU Awards a few weeks ago I wasn't entirely convinced that my year old eBay bodycon midi dress was quite exciting enough, prompting a flurry of uhmming and ahhing in front of my wardrobe and culminating in this picture where I demanded like a true diva that my boyfriend take a picture so I could 'see how the glitter looks on camera.' Move over Beyonce, we have a new drama Queen Bee in the house. Whilst I possess none of her RnB Highness's confidence, fabulous hair or riches, luckily in the end I think we both scrubbed up pretty well.

June Lust List

Another month, another lust list! Here are all the things I'm dreaming of in June...

Tripod

Now that I have a huge house, huge white bedroom and a summer stretching out in front of me, I'm determined to start putting more outfit posts up on this blog - might as well make use of all these clothes I'm buying right? Unless I can convince the boy to put up with my ludicrous poses (and I'm sure I'd feel a little too self conscious anyway), a tripod is the way forward and they're surprisingly cheap. 

Chevron Duvet from Tesco

Moving house has inspired me to inject some bolder and less fussy prints into my bedroom and this Chevron duvet is bang on trend and a steal from Tesco - just £9.50 for a double.

White Midi Skirt from Primark

Nothing says impracticality like a pure white skirt, but this Primark number would look ever so pretty on a summer holiday with wedge heels, vest and a simple 50s round neck cardi.

Pink Gingham Blouse from New Look

I'm not sure I've quite gotten over walking out on H&M's Pink Gingham top in Leeds Trinity the other week, but New Look's version comes pretty close and is about a fiver cheaper. 

Milkshake Tumblers from Habitat

Unfortunately my beloved cheapo ikea tumblers got broken in the move, so what better excuse than to replace them with pastel perfection in a glass? These Habitat ones comes in beautiful ice cream shades and look a darn sight fancier than my 50p ones.

Twisted Sista Curl Activator

Deciding to put down the straighteners and relaxers and work with my natural hair means a hell of a lot more product. This twisted sista curl activator seems to work really well to define my curls  and is only 99p in Home Bargains, but the bottles are so teeny I'm desperately seeking a bigger version.

Primark Pastel Beach Tote 

£4 I was itching to spend but just couldn't justify last time I was in Primark, my need for this tote has become entirely validated by my upcoming beach holiday (round 2) to Dorset. Plenty of space for my camera, sunglasses, and a weeks worth of reading material.

Matalan Canvas High Tops

My trusty black converse gave out a little while ago and I am still mourning their loss. I can't really justify £40+ on a pair of trainers at the moment but these £12 pink cuties from Matalan could plug the void for summer at least.

H&M Baby Blue Tote

October will hopefully bring with it a PhD and a lot more time spent lugging paperwork to University, so a bag big enough to cope with this and still look adult and stylish is firmly on the agenda. This lovely specimen is from H&M and is a little pricey at £40, but looks sturdy enough to justify the price tag.

Wireless Festival Ticket

Drake, Kanye and Outkast. Need I say any more? I think not.

Mollie Makes Blogging Special Edition

At the top of my 'to do' list this summer is to pay some more attention to my poor ailing blogs - more posts, better content and a slightly more regular approach are all on firmly on my agenda. The Mollie Makes Blogging special might be a tad pricey for a magazine at £10, but it looks like it'll contain lots of handy hints for injecting a little more fairy dust into my blogging approach.

Betty Magazine

Despite being a bona fide magazine addict and lusting over the flawless page design for months, I still haven't gotten my hands on my very own copy of Betty magazine yet. This month might be the one...

Notebooks from mochithings.com

The perfect size, shape and complete with customisable tags, these mochithings pads are perfect for people like me who insist on order for everything. I'll take five please...

What are you lusting over this month?

'A good place to think of the future is when you are sat at the sea'

I've just returned from a beautiful week of nothingness in Bournemouth with three of my best friends. Much food and drink was consumed, laughter was had and as much serotonin as possible was absorbed. The perfect way to celebrate finishing my degree and ease myself into a summer of preparing for the next adventure. 

Yer A Wizard Harry - A Tour of the Harry Potter Studios

Yet another birthday themed post (come on Jenessa, it's June now, give it up!), but I couldn't resist sharing the last brilliant bit of my big day. When I turned 21 I really wasn't expecting anything other than a Chinese takeway and maybe a few cards, so I was super excited to go out for lunch in a lovely pub with my Mum, Dad and Brother, plus my Aunt and Uncle. Imagine my surprise when my Dad's 'nice countryside drive' after ended up here.

Seriously. Anyone who knows me can attest that I am a massive Harry Potter fan, and after seeing endless friends visit the studios, I was tres jealous. I practically skipped from the car to the entrance, ready to collect my birthday badge and immerse myself in the wonderful world of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

I shan't write too much more so as not to spoilt it for anyone who hasn't yet been, but it was definitely worth every minute. To read every plaque, take in every piece of handcrafted design and really immerse yourself in the experience, you could be there all day, which really surprised me as I initially had my suspicions that it might just be a bit of a money spinner. What a lovely way for a legacy of stories to live on.

Have you visited anywhere fun recently? 

East End Thrift Store Haul

Image Sourced from http://lenkabari.blogspot.co.uk/

As part of my birthday antics in London, I finally got to visit The East End Thrift Store. Whilst my job as editor of Judy's Affordable Vintage Mag means I'm pretty loyal to their kilo sales, it's always nice to check out the competition and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found at The East End alternative: a £10 and a £20 sized bag, and the challenge to fill as many as you liked with as many goodies that could fit inside (provided the handles met!)

Warning: this is not a thrift shop for the faint hearted. There was stuff literally EVERYWHERE, and a lot of it was pretty damaged, dirty, smelly or all three. Still, if you fancy a good fixer-upper and are the type of person who enjoys looking for items with potential rather that the finished article, you could do a lot worse than visiting. We stayed for well over an hour sifting through huge jackets, endless flannel and plenty of hipsterlicious t shirts until I found a selection of pastel gems perfect for summer-ising my wardrobe. 

And here's my treasure! A blazer, cardigan, jumper, skirt and a pair of shorts for £10, can't really say fairer than that! Everything is a little crumpled because of how hapharzardly it was thrown in the bins but it's nothing a good iron couldn't sort out - the Blazer in particular came up a treat after my mum ironed it out and scrubbed up the cuffs for me. The shorts may well be my favourite vintage find ever - when Kev pulled them out I loved the colours but wasn't initially sure they'd fit me, but I'm so glad I took the risk because they are amazingly comfy, high waisted enough to be on trend but with a long enough leg that I don't feel as I'm Miley Cyrusing if I wear them without tights. I wish they had a co-ord jacket - Clueless worthy 90s chic.

Have you been vintage hunting recently?

H&M Lust List

Happy Saturday! Whilst I was thoroughly spoiled by all manner of lovely gifts for my 21st birthday, you can't beat a good gift voucher. Kev's mum was kind enough to send me a £10 card for H&M and as a shop where I have picked up some great bargains in the past, I'm looking forward to getting down to my nearest branch and having a good old rummage. H&M's basics are always really good quality which is important to me at the moment as I'm really trying to introduce some more plain staples and sedate colours into my wardrobe to break up all the mad patterns! Here are some of my top picks that I'm contemplating at the moment, all currently under £15...

What have you got your eye on at the moment?