Charity & Vintage Shopping in Manchester- Cheadle

My wonderful flatmate and fellow bargain hunter Becky  and I have recently moved to Manchester and, naturally, the first thing on our agenda was to seek out the best charity shops in the area. After a quick google search we decided that Cheadle was a safe bet to find a few shops in one place- we were not disappointed. With around 10 charity shops to choose from on the high street we were spoilt for choice, especially as Cheadle is home to the only exclusively vintage Barnado's store, easily one of my favourite shops I've ever been into, (but more on that later, I've saved the best till last!)

Our first port of call was St Ann's Hospice shop which is directly opposite the bus stop (get the X51 from Piccadilly Gardens in Central Manchester and it will take you around 40  mins). This was a well laid out and colour coordinated store, Becky picked up a '70s style tan button up skirt and there were plenty of fashion forward pieces to chose from. But we really were in for a surprise when we spotted the sign for a vintage section upstairs.... 

The vintage section was completely surprising and had a gorgeous interior, look at that ceiling! The 'bar' area was topped with copper with French posters on the walls, glass and crystal ware on the shelves, and mirrors everywhere. There was some definite hints of art deco pieces dotted around which would look amazing in the right home. I found a 100% suede slouchy jacket here for £14, I fell in love with it but sadly it just didn't fit correctly on me. 

Our next stop was a Barnardo's store, in which most items were £1.99, the quality of some of the garments reflected this but there were still many a bargain to be found in here. I found this cropped, ribbed top with a keyhole detail on the front which will look great with a pair of denim shorts for a simple summer look.

Next up was the British Heart Foundation, the shop was jammed with loads of colour and prints for summer, there was plenty of good quality clothing here and you could easily deck yourself out for a holiday after a quick browse through their rails. The prices are a little expensive for some items but this is due to the fantastic condition of every item. Becky found a '90s meets '70s mesh crop top here with bell sleeves.

PDSA is a chain I've not often come across before but they had a great range of higher end high street brands such as Oasis and Marks and Spencer as well as a lovely homeware collection of their own.

Both Becky and I struck gold at Cancer Research, each snapping up French Connection dresses for less than a fiver, this is a small shop but with a large range of dresses, jackets and blouses. I love the neckline of this dress that I picked up, I've been after one for ages and this is just the ticket.

Drum roll please... Our favourite store by far was this vintage Barnardo's, it is the only vintage Barbado's in the UK, previously there were stores based in Edinburgh and Glasgow but I'm so pleased that we are lucky enough to have the only one left right on our doorstep. The store is beautifully laid out as you can see by the pictures with racks of real vintage clothes, homeware, haberdashery, records, books and even toys and dolls. The best part is, everything is genuine, quality vintage for fantastically reasonable prices.

The furniture was gorgeous inside and had knick knacks over every surface- look at this beautiful cabinet filled with cameras! On the left hand shelving there was also a shelf dedicated to vintage brassware- I was in heaven!

I loved the arrangement of these lampshades on top of the sewing and haberdashery area- how cute is the baby blue sewing machine?!

A whole corner of the store was dedicated to vinyl and vintage books, I have recently bought a record player so will be shuffling through these boxes on my next trip. 

Sadly, because I had to go and get a train we only had about 5 minutes to run around this shop in awe and so didn't get a proper chance to look through everything and make some purchases! I can't wait for my next visit though and I'm sure I will come away with armfuls of beautiful old treasures. I couldn't recommend this store enough with it's wonderful layout and unique items. The store can be followed on Instagram and Twitter @vintagecheadle.

If you're looking to charity shop in Manchester, Cheadle is definitely the place to go! 

P.S Vintage Cheadle Barnado's has recently updated their window for the summer and I am in love. The chair, the white suitcase, the floral dress- it's all too much! Head down on Saturday for their fundraising event with the chance to win some prizes.

The Great Indoors... The Bedroom

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I've been busily lusting over home ware items online and filling up bookmarks folders to share some of them with you. I didn't realise quite how many gorgeous things were out there so today I thought I'd focus on bedrooms. With it being so chilly it seems like staying  indoors is the much better alternative to braving the ice and snow, so why not do it surrounded by pretty things?

BEDDING

Personally, I'm a fan of keeping things simple when it comes to bedding and usually opt for crisp white cotton sheets but whilst searching I found some white bedding with a twist and have been converted!

ZARA- I am completely in love with this set with the luxurious rippling silk trim. 

MATALAN- I was pleasantly surprised to find that Matalan had loads of choice when it came to bedding and at such affordable pricing. I love this set with the black satin trim and this reversible stripey set with piping on the edges. 

CUSHIONS

ZARA- As always, Zara Home offers amazing quality products, look at these beauties! The first one  would go amazingly well with the white bedding above. 

H&M- These cushions are definitely on my 'must buy' list, I love mixing up textures with cushions and this grey velvet cushion will be a cosy addition to my bed. The yellow chevron print cushion is a no-brainer, yellow is my favourite colour and this is too cute to resist. 

MATALAN- Along with their Alphabet charity scarves, Matalan also stocks a range of monogrammed goods in their home ware selections, I think this cushion is nice and simple to add to any bedroom (and would go with my L mug!) 

RUGS

H&M- I love the African feel to this printed rug, this would look great in a stripped back room with white or varnished wood flooring. 

IKEA- Ikea has some quirky offerings in terms of floor coverings and I think this folk print would look lovely in a white-walled room. That texture on the grey rug looks pretty unique and would look great in any room. 

STORAGE

H&M- Everyone needs some storage baskets round their room whether it's for electronics (ahem, my many hair straightening, curling, waving, tools), records, magazines or just plain junk! H&M has loads of wire options in a few different colours and this gold bucket shape basket is my favourite. 

IKEA- I love the zig-zag print on this hand woven basket, another 'must-buy' for me.

ZARA- I adore these blue and white hat boxes, and again, I'm showing you my devotion to zig-zag chevron print with this cute wooden box. 

DECORATIONS

H&M- H&M really does have some of the best selection of  affordable home ware around and particularly excels in the 'knick- knacks'  department. As I mentioned in the previous post, I love brass ware at the moment and that goes for any kind of metal home additions, this twisted copper coloured hook is perfect for keys or the back of your door. I had to include the swan pot because we used to have one exactly like it in my family home! I also love this copper coloured glass photoframe and have included this green glass bottle which I think always contrasts nicely with metals.

MATALAN- This mantle clock is so cute! Again, the copper will look  great amongst some other trinkets on a mantle piece or bedside table.

Tartan for Christmas

I'm back home for the holidays and whilst here had my usual snoop round the charity shops to see if I could pick anything up for the party season (all my sparkles and winter clothing is still in storage since leaving uni, boo). When I was browsing I saw this gorgeous cream and red tartan peeking out at me on a rail, I pulled on the skirt and realised it was ankle length and a fair few sizes too large. However because of the amazing quality of the wool and the shape it was easy to take in the sides and make into a shorter length on the sewing machine, this was just £3 and I'm going to use the extra material to make a cushion cover for when Becky and I move into our new home in a few months time.

I was particularly thrilled with this tartan pattern because I've always loved F.R.I.E.N.D.S and particularly some of the looks Rachel is seen wearing in the first couple of seasons (first aired in the early 90s). I've always wanted to recreate this tartan skirt look with a cream and red patterned skirt and this skirt is just the ticket! 

I also paired the skirt with this cream velvety top with a flattering sweetheart neckline (also a vintage find- St. Michel) which I also found on my trip to the charity shop for just £1. What did you wear this Christmas? 

Charity Shop Finds IV

Yes, you guessed it; it’s another Charity Shop Finds post from me! The urge for bargain hunting remains strong as I try to seek out all of the bargains to be found on this island before heading back to the mainland (England) next week. This post features a few things I've found over the past few weeks…

This cute vintage button down dress was £4. It was originally a size 16, unflattering, above-ankle length dress so I whipped the sewing machine out and took in the sides and shortened it to a more flattering length. I absolutely love the print and the style of this dress (reminiscent of some of Motel’s recent cuts) - it will look great with some low denier tights and black boots. (Excuse the poor ironing). 

This silver engraved collar necklace was only £2 and has absolutely beautiful detailing which makes me think it’s probably vintage costume jewellery- perfect for minimal accessorising.

As we all know, winter is now fully on the way and making its presence loud and clear. Never one to shy away from knitwear (more like run round a shop with armfuls) I bought two quite similar high necked wool jumpers in a deep red and cream for £4 and £2. The red one will be great for December and cream really does go with anything so will come in handy for layering. I also got this grey silvery cropped eyelash jumper for £4 (originally from Miss Selfridge) which is on trend for some 90s glam and will be something a little different to my usual leather jacket cover up for evening drinks.

Other recent finds include a See by Chloe blouse £3, boucle pencil skirt £4, black work trousers £2, boxed Pretty Polly stockings £2 (so expensive normally and they ladder so easily!), gold plunge top £3, blue sparkly backless dress £3. 

Charity Shop Finds

Now that university deadlines are over I've decided to try my hand at regularly blogging fashion and lifestyle posts. I’ve come back to my home island for the summer (before moving to Manchester in the autumn) after graduating from university, and, like every time I pop home, I can’t resist a delve into the depths of my favourite charity shop- Les Bourgs Hospice. One of the things I love most about charity shopping is trawling through jumbled rails and delving into boxes of miscellaneous potential treasures. I never come out of there empty handed and this particular trip was no different.

My favourite find of the day (and possibly best find ever?!) was this gorgeous Vintage Yves Saint Laurent blouse for a measly five pounds. It’s a little big for me but will work perfectly tucked into something high-waisted or worn oversized over some skinny jeans or trousers. Its sheer material makes it current and the deep red will suit my favourite MAC lippy (Dubonnet)- I will definitely be wearing this come autumn.

The rest of my finds were also somewhat wintery. This black velvet top was only a pound and it has the most flattering sweetheart neckline and is something that I know I’ll be wearing as a wardrobe staple. I was drawn to this burgundy body-con style dress because of the flattering colour and unusual texture- a little something to save for a date night.

Lastly I got some cream linen shorts (which I definitely should have ironed before photographing!) originally from Mango which will be great all summer with a tan and can be dressed up or down with heels or with sandals. I can’t wait to give them a test drive- but first will take them up a few centimetres to make them more flattering on my little legs! 

I always find charity shopping to be so worthwhile, my best advice is to look out for things that you wouldn't usually go for and definitely check out rails of clothes in different sizes to your usual size-you might be pleasantly surprised!