1 HaberdasHer: presents
Showing posts with label presents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label presents. Show all posts

Sunday, 25 August 2013

August Haul - Bits, Bobs and Sappy Sods

Eh Up! Time for another round up of some of the thrifty bits and bobs I have procured this month. 


Tapestry Vanity Case
First  up was this lovely vanity case, which I got from Lockwood Car Boot for just £1. I used to love a good car boot, and having been inspired by some of the amazing bargains that some of my favourite thrifty bloggers have been picking up, I thought it'd be fun to get started again. Unfortunately for me, my nearest sale was more of a small gathering of grannies than a full blown morning fest, but I thought this would be sweet for holding my sewing projects in, plus it was in perfect condition, with a teeny mirror and pocket inside. I might even add some trays to turn it into a proper sewing box.


Mint Stripe Skater Dress from eBay
We all know I love a good eBay sesh, but I've tried to be good this month and have only bought a couple of things from the money I made selling some old things on there. A very modern form of recycling! First was this toothpaste stripe dress, originally from Miso, which I won for just £2.20. It looks really nice with converse and bare legs, although this doesn't look like much of an option in this rain! I'm hoping it'll still work with a denim jacket and tights as it gets colder. 


Primark Lilac Cardigan from eBay
Next was this Primark cardi that was mine for 99p. I bought it originally to cover in embroidered daisies as a DIY tutorial version of a cardi I saw on Pinterest, but it actually looks really nice as it is and is a great way to brighten up my wardrobe seen as all my other cardigans are either black or grey.





Primark White Converse pumps from eBay
I saw these in store and thought they were a great lookalike to the real thing at only £3, but unfortunately they'd sold out of my size. Luckily, I managed to grab a pair on eBay for £2. They're a really great casual shoe that works well with dresses and I'm loving the ease of low tops having spent the last four years stuffing my feet into my favourite black and pink high top connies. 





Vintage School Teacher Dress from Antiform at Beacons Festival
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I was working at Beacons Festival last weekend (my full review of it can be seen here), and had an amazing time. There were some really cool shopping opportunities there, including Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair and an Urban Outfitters tent with 20% off, but what really caught my eye was the Antiform vintage tea tent. With vintage items starting at just £1, it was ransacked by the time I got there, but I managed to snag this on-trend tartan style dress for a fiver  that will look really nice in autumn with the sleeves rolled up. 




Phillips Headphones
One of the stages at Beacons was sponsored by Phillips, and because of this, every band who played that stage were given a pair of very snazzy looking headphones each. I was pretty jealous watching them get doled out, until my boss Simon sent me one of the leftover pairs in the post as a thankyou for my work. Ultimate blag! The sound quality is pretty cracking and they're a welcome additional to my Journalistic equipment collection, thanks to the comfort of the over-ear cans and the fact that my old skull candy ones were on their last legs.



 Primark Tea Dress
Speaking of Journalism, a very exciting job interview has cropped up for me in London next week, so I decided to treat myself to something smart and office-weary off my Primark lust list for the interview. This tea dress was only £8, which is pretty good value considering it is brand new into store. The material is silky and comfortable, and although the waist is a little baggy in a size 12, it should look really nice with a belt, tights and a hair bow. Wish me luck! 



Office Mary Jane Shoes
Which brings me on very nicely to the last item in my August Haul. Avid readers will probably have noticed several mentions of a certain boy across my posts. Said certain boy (Kevin) and I recently celebrated our first year together whilst at Beacons Festival, but decided to do something special once we got home. I was quite happy with a cooked dinner, bit of wine and catching up with Made In Chelsea, and thought nothing more of it. Still, sneaky boy had to go to Manchester for the day to pick up some paperwork, and rang me to say that he was going to Office to buy a pair of trainers he was after, and did I want anything from town. I sent him off to pick up the aforementioned Primark dress, feeling a little mean for sending a boy into a MASSIVE girls shop, but hey ho. When Kev returned with my dress and an Office bag and told me to take a peek, I assumed he wanted to show me his new shoes. But OH NO. Out fell these bad boys. 




As you can see, WAY better than the Topshop pair I have been lusting after for months and bending Kev's ear about how I was going to buy them when student loans came in, not to mention perfect for my interview. Even three days later, I am in awe of how easily tricked I am and how thoughtful a boyfriend I have. I mean hey, any boy who buys you shoes has got to be a keeper right? Even after a year, every day feels like our first together (in a good way) and I have to regularly check he is not some sort of super-perfect cyborg person built purely for my happiness. Sickening, I know. Don't worry, his present is coming too! I won't mention it on here just in case he decides to take a sneaky peek at this blog. 





That should tide me over for the rest of summer and early Autumn! Definitely no more dress or shoe buying for now - winter woolies and layers will have to come out soon! What have you been buying (or been gifted!) this month?



Monday, 13 May 2013

Not Nineteen Forever - My very spoilt birthday!

This weekend I made the exciting voyage out of teenagerdom... that's right, I turned 20. Can't say I was too thrilled about it- being 19 means being cool and partying and all the rest of it, whereas 20 just seems, well, like you're on the path to proper adulthood. Scary stuff. But anyway, I wasn't intending on making much of a fuss so was amazed by the lovely gifts my friends and family bought me.

My birthday really started on the Friday night, when boyfy Kev and I went to Manchester to see Beyonce. I had bought my ticket as a birthday present to myself months before - there was no way I was missing out on seeing my ultimate icon live. Without getting too far into the feminist debate, I've always found Beyonce to be a great role model, particularly to young mixed race women, and it felt like such an honour to see her perform in the flesh. I would have liked to have heard a few more Destiny's Child songs, but to be honest, I was too in awe of how beautiful she is to mind too much.



I was pretty content to leave my birthday celebrations there, but ohhhhhh no. I woke up on Saturday morning to A LOT of post, and lots of pretty cards.


Cards from my mum and dad, my aunt, my housemates Will and Snowy, my friend Laura and my old housemate Charlotte. Look how amazing Charlotte's card is!


Foxes AND bows - surely the best combo ever!

So I opened up some of my packages, and here is what I got -


Simply Knitting Magazine from Willl and Snowy, as well as NME and Take A Break magazine (bit of  an inside joke, I'm hopefully going to be doing some work experience for them)

The history of NME from my Mum and Dad - can't wait to read this, I've heard so many great things. They also sent me a lovely little Owl necklace, which my Mum confessed was an absolute find at just 25p! I love a good bargain - I'm a firm believer that presents don't have to be expensive to be thoughtful. Here is a close up of the little guy.



My best friend Anna also sent me a very exciting package, marked up with the Cadbury logo...


 I opened it up to find one of every cadbury item, beautifully packed up with a little card. Anna Walker, what a legend. Birthday gifts from Anna always remind me just how fast time moves - I've been getting birthday presents from this girl since we were five years old!



And the gifts kept coming...


A lovely jar of handmade lavender and olive oil bath wash from my friend Laura, who came up to stay for a few days last weekend. Having already tested it out, it smells divine, I shall have to ask her for the recipe!

And a little girly Owl Watch from Charlotte, perfect as my old watch completely combusted a little while ago. It's so dainty and old fashioned, I love it. I completely forgot to take my own picture but here is a stock one from River Islands website so you can see the design



So I was feeling suitably spoilt, but then Kev took me into town and bought me this. Words cannot express how excited I am to be the proud owner of my very first sewing machine.





It's so, so pretty. Yes, it was pretty expensive, and I feel pretty guilty, but I have since given Kev back some money to ease his burden! Bless him, he knew how much I've been lusting after one and he said he wanted to get me something useful. I've been uhmming and aahing over one of the little John Lewis coloured ones for ages but this one was only a little more expensive and does so much more, plus buying it from an independent shop meant 2 years warranty and the promise of free sewing lessons whenever I needed them. My head is literally bursting with all the things I want to try out on it.

So that was the pressies, but Kev insisted on taking me out for dinner as well. He'd managed to bok a table at Discovery Bay in Huddersfield, an entirely Carribbean restaurant. I'd never been before, but spotting Saltfish Fritters on the menu was enough to convince me. Check out this food! 


Saltfish Fritters with Pineapple sauce!


Brown Stew Chicken (Kev had Jerk Chicken and Rice and Peas)



Free birthday Cocktail - whats not to love!


Beer in Hand Drawn Monkey after - Cherry beer is crazy delicious


So that was my birthday! I'm still drowning in all the love. Thanks so much to everybody who wished me a good day or bought me a gift, I feel so popular!