Updates plus thrifting!

Sorry it's been so long since my last blog entry. Things have been sooo busy at work over the last few weeks. It all went a bit mad there for a bit.

A few updates:

I've been searching for the perfect purple maxi dress to wear to Mia's wedding and an Oxfam online purchase arrived yesterday that seems like it could FINALLY be THE ONE. I'll have to post about it on here soon. It needs taking in a tiny bit but once that's done I'll show you. I think we're also adding daisy trim to give it more of a vintage wedding feel. Speaking of Mia, have you seen her new red hair? It's AMAZING. She looks like Joan from Mad Men. Check out her wedding blog to see a picture. It's also her hen do next weekend which is Mad Men themed (I need to find something to wear quick!)



It's my boyfriend, Louis' birthday on Tuesday! I've booked for us to go out for a fancy meal and bought this rather delicious chocolate cake. I intended to make one but the last cake I made was a bit of a disaster, and I ran out of time! Boys are so difficult to buy presents for. I think I've finally found something that I think he'll like. Plus I purchased the most beautiful G plan desk for him. It's sitting in our living room looking all retro and lovely. I guess that was kind of more for me than him though (his old desk was an mdf nightmare from Argos)

I ventured into town today and had a shifty round my favourite charity shops. After a bit of rummaging I found this cute 90s dress for £5. Now, I'm not usually one for midi length dresses or 90s fabrics but this dress is pretty cute. I'm considering turning up the hem to make it a mini but sort of feel like I should embrace the new longer skirts. Also they're much more comfortable, especially for summer weekends in the park when you're likely to sitting on a patch of grass...







I promise not to leave it so long next time!

Corinne x

Vanessa Moore jewellery

When I saw this spike ring from Vanessa Moore it was love at first sight...






This ring is AMAZING.. and it was only $20!

Check out Vanessa's Etsy store for more beautiful jewellery and gorgeous clothing.

Corinne x

D.I.S.A.P.P.O.I.N.T.I.N.G.

You know when you have one of those days when you try a million things on and none of them look quite right? I had one of those days this week. The Pearl Lowe from Peacocks dresses arrived on the morning and I tried each one on only to remove them two seconds later in a fit of THIS IS TOO BIG AND ILL-FITTING based fury. The dresses, which were all perfectly cute and adorable in their own way were a bit disappointing. The one I liked the most, the cream lace dress with tie back waist had all the qualities of a great summer dress, but the nylon lining, and the fact that it was really see through made me fold it up and put it in a bag ready for return. The dresses all came in at around £30 each, which isn't that cheap for a dress is it?

On the same day my eBay purchased Whistles dress arrived but when I tried it on it felt too big around the drapey front part (which was even more cause for "MY BODY FITS INTO NOTHING' self loathing). I waited a day or two and then tried it on again and realised that it's actually the perfect fit. I think I was wearing the waist band a bit too high which caused the draping to fall unevenly/too much. The dress is the same as the one that Mademoiselle Robot spoke about recently here and I was really inspired by her post so spent a good hour searching for a similar one on eBay! The one I ended up with is the same shape but has pretty little swallows all over it. I'm really into patterns in a big way at the moment whether it be florals, polkadots, bows, butterflies... something about warm weather makes me want to buy these fabrics more now than any other time of the year.



In local news, I bought some more fringing (but longer this time). Watch out for my next fringing DIY experiment!

Corinne x

How to make a simple DIY fringe t-shirt

Hello there!

I saw this fringe t-shirt by Stolen Girlfriends Club (weighing in at a whopping £130) and thought I'd have a go at recreating it using an old t-shirt and some fringing purchased on eBay. I'm quite pleased with the results (and I'm generally not that great at DIYing).

For this DIY you need:

♥ An old t-shirt
♥ Fringing
♥ cotton and thread

I started off with this American Apparel t-shirt..



I measured the t-shirt and decided where I wanted the fringe to sit (it took me a while to decide but that's the great thing about chalk, you can rub it out/wash it off!). It doesn't have to be 100% exact but get it as close as you can!



I used one long piece of fringing and folded it over itself to make the v point. I placed it along the chalk lines and pinned it into place making sure it was as flat as possible. Finally I hand sewed along the edge of the fringing.

Corinne x

PS: If you love a bit of fringing then check out this awesome DIY tutorial from my friend Vanessa on how to make a DIY studs and fringe shirt!

Pearl Lowe drops at Peacocks

I was doing my monthly Peacocks website browse when I stumbled upon Pearl Lowe's new collection! This post should really be entitled PEACOCKS NO POLYESTER SHOCKER. These dresses are all made out of viscose and cotton which makes me wonder if Ms Lowe said a big no to itchy, sweaty fabrics...

Pearl Lowe at Peacocks by Corinne Roper on Polyvore.com

Anyone else a little bit in love with this collection? All the dresses are around £30-£40, which is a bit more expensive than the usual stuff you might find in Peacocks but presumably this is a reflection on the quality of the item and fabric (plus Pearl Lowe's name/expertise). I've order a few of these dresses as lazy summer wear so I'll post again when they arrive to let you know more about the quality.

To find out more visit the Peacocks site.

Corinne x

How to shop online for bargains

As you already know I am obsessed with bargains. I regularly attend car boot sales, bid on eBay and shop online to save money.

When I decide I want to buy something I'll search the web high and low for the best price I can find. There are a few things that I routinely do to ensure I get a decent deal and I thought I'd share them with you. I hope they're of some use to you, I swear by them!

Money saving tips

♥ For every website that you purchase from, check for a newsletter. If you sign up sometimes they offer a discount or free delivery.

♥ It's always a good idea to check eBay, it might be secondhand but if it's in good condition then no one will know but you!

♥ Always use a price comparison site. I usually use google shopping search. This site aggregates loads of different stores and you can filter by price or relevance.

♥ Check sites like Vouchercodes.co.uk for discounts. These sites develop relationships with businesses and offer exclusive discounts you won't find anywhere else

♥ Join a money saving forum. Other people on the internet like to share their bargains and often their discount codes too! Money Saving Expert is a good site if you want to talk savings and get advice about money too.

♥ Magazines can be great for discounts - Grazia and Heat magazine are my favourites.

♥ Some sites offer discounts if you spend over a certain amount of money. If you find a site that does this but you don't want to spend more money ask friends if they want anything. Buying together is a great way to save money.

♥ Save money on Twitter: Follow sites like Chiconomise, which regularly tweet freebie codes and discounts.

♥ Nectar points: I'm addicted to saving these, I usually save them up till I can afford to pay for an Elle subscription! You can now get nectar points for your eBay purchases too, which is fantastic if you're constantly buying stuff like me!

I regularly use Vouchercodes.co.uk to get discounts on items. This site recently set me the challenge to find essential summer items that are versatile and cost effective for under £40 each. It took me ages to figure out what to select, there's so much out there at the moment especially with the sales kicking off! I thought I'd share my faves with you.

In the end I went for the following items…

Summer Lovin' by Corinne Roper featuring Miss Selfridge skirts

Pearl Lowe Tea Dress - Pearl Lowe - Peacocks, 30 GBP
ASOS | ASOS Button Through Drop Waist Shirt Dress at ASOS, 32 GBP
All Over Heart Long Cardi, $80
Fearne Cotton insect wing print T shirt | Very.co.uk, 20 GBP
Floral Tierred Skirt, 30 GBP
Office Neopolitan Gladiator: Amazon.co.uk: Shoes & Accessories, 35 GBP
Urban Outfitters - Kimchi & Blue Printed Canvas Tote, 10 GBP
Urban Outfitters - Floral Print Sunglasses, 16 GBP
Pearl Lowe Belted Dress - Pearl Lowe - Peacocks, 25 GBP
Urban Outfitters - Pan RP HTX7E Pink Headphones, 50 GBP

I love baggy t-shirts in the summer and cream shift dresses with gladiator sandals. Anything comfortable but stylish is okay with me! The British weather can be unpredictable so anything you can layer is always great. I really like these Gladiator sandals which have a band over the toe and could be worn with tights when it gets a bit chilly on a summer evening. I included a cute floral tote, which if you're anything like me would be full to the brim with loads of junk in a matter of minutes - sunglasses, make-up, ipod, headphones, umbrella. camera, a hat, sun lotion…

I love summer!

VoucherCodes.co.uk offers tons of great fashion discounts for top High Street stores.

Corinne x

Grans totally have the best style #2

Some of you might remember I blogged about my superstylish Grandma - Gloria - a while back. Well I'm lucky enough to have two lovely, glamorous grans who've inspired my love of vintage, and I came across this amazing photo of my other Gran recently, which I thought I'd share with you all.

This is Eileen. In this pic she's on her way to the Queen's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in the early 1960's. She told me that she had her shoes dyed especially to match her dress, but the Queen almost didn't get to see them when she left her house in slippers by mistake. I always thought she looked a bit like the Queen, i wonder what they made of each other... I have major dress envy. Grans rock.

Mia xx