A Christmas Market in the Snow

This weekend my boyfriend came to visit, and on Saturday we walked into town to look around the Christmas Market. Our route took us along an icy canalside walk - the cold air stung our cheeks, snow crunched under foot, and everything was quiet, still and idyllic. It was nice to snatch a few moments like this, trying not to slip over whilst watching the sun go down behind the railway bridges, and studying the reflections on the frozen canal.

In a way, I quite like wrapping up warm in winter, even if it means you can barely move your limbs for the amount of layers you're wearing! On this particular day I sported my vintage fairisle jumper, my beautiful new River Island coat, a chunky bobblehat from H&M and my mum's old leather gloves. I should have worn a scarf too, as we discovered that the temperature had dropped by the time were on our way back home (after watching Harry Potter!).

In complete contrast to the canalside scene, the Christmas Market was warm, bright and bustling with people buying sweet german delights, wooden toys and mulled wine. The crowds were so thick that it took about 20 minutes to move 10 metres, not that we were complaining - because it was much warmer this way!

As it was rather expensive, we had to be a bit choosey about what we bought. In the end we sampled some mini doughnuts, cooked before our eyes. They were served in a paper cone with a dusting of sugar. They were like a hug for your mouth - still warm from being freshly cooked, and all puffy and delicious! We also purchased some caramelised peanuts, which lasted approximately 3 minutes... yum.

As you can see, I got a bit snap-happy with my camera. I thought I'd try to convey the sights, sounds and smells of the market, as it was such a lovely Christmassy experience (and I'm not even a massive fan of Christmas!).

Has anyone else visited a Christmas market? What did you buy there?

Sadie xxx

The Wellington Boot Voucher Winner!

 

As selected by Random.org, Comment #57...

Olivia from What Olivia Did!

Congratulations!

Sadie xxx

Emily and Fin

It isn't very often that I treat myself to clothes that cost over £30... or even £10, for that matter! But something about this dress just made me part with my money. It wasn't a spontaneous decision - I saw it when I first visited Pop Store in Birmingham at the beginning of October, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I eventually decided that me and the dress were meant to be!

The dress is from Emily & Fin, a brand I hadn't heard of before, but they seem to be making a presence both online and in little independant shops. I chose the 'Alice dress', and it's my idea of perfection; nice and neatly tailored, with a smart high neck and a pretty, but subtle, polkadot design. I'm hoping it can work in several different situations; dressed down as day wear for uni, something demure enough for work experience (don't worry, I will let the hem back down a little!), and of course, a nice little number for nights out!

Here's a snippet about the brand from their website:

"The design duo behind emilyandfin met in London whilst Emily was studying at Central St Martins and Fin was managing an independent boutique. Sharing an interest in all things vintage and quirky they soon began making their own one-off pieces inspired by their travels to faraway corners of the world. In discovering their passion for beautiful clothes, and encouraged by their friends and family, they produced their first collection which was quickly snapped up. Sourcing beautiful cotton prints is their starting block from which they'll cut their collection, striving to flatter all silhouettes to create colorful, creative and wearable designs. The ethos behind emilyandfin combines simplicity with individuality. Gorgeous dresses for day and evening to beautifully cut skirts and pretty tops are all designed to complement the everyday wardrobe."

Oh... and guess who bought the glasses? hehe. With an overwhelming majority of 'yes's', I took the plunge and I'm now rather happy with them!

Sadie xxx

P.S. If you haven't already, enter my jewellery voucher competition (for The Wellington Boot etsy store)! The deadline is this Sunday, and it's open to international readers too!

Win a $15 e-voucher for The Wellington Boot!

Some of you may remember that last December I hosted a giveaway for The Wellington Boot, a charming online jewellery shop filled with quirky delights. Well, as a special treat, Fern, the jewellery designer, is offering another brilliant giveaway!

Fern has now moved her store over to Etsy, and now has 5 pages of beautiful necklaces, earrings and charms for sale. They vary from classic cameos and little brass woodland creatures, to something a little more unusual - that London taxi particularly caught my attention!

So, without further ado...

The Giveaway! - Now closed

Fern is kindly offering one lucky reader a $15 voucher to be spent on anything in the store!

All you have to do is pop over to The Wellington Boot shop on Etsy, browse through the items, and let me know which one is your favourite by leaving a comment on this post! Simple :). Make sure you leave a way to contact you in your comment - blog/email address is fine!

The best thing is - the competition is open to international readers too!

I'll pick the winner using a random number generator on Sunday 28th November at 9pm GMT.

Good luck!

Sadie xxx

I need your opinions!

I've never really mentioned it on the blog, but I'm a secret glasses wearer (shh!)... that means that during my photoshoots, I actually can't see a single thing - barely even the camera! For the last 3 years I've worn a horrible pair of half-rimmed metal glasses, which have left me feeling rather personality-less, at least in terms of glasses. I really dislike them.

Anyway, the other day I tried on this fabulous vintage inspired pair from Pepe Jeans, and I'm pretty keen on them, to say the least. I'm in a bit of a quandary though, because I think they might make me look a bit pretentious!

What do you think of them? And do they suit me?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Sadie xxx

The Sunday Carboot

Last Sunday I went to my first ever city-centre carboot. When you're used to carbooting in a huge grassy field set in rolling countryside on a warm summer morning, its a bit of a shock to the system to find yourself in a grey concrete industrial estate on an icy winter's day! Nevertheless, I found many a bargain - although admittedly, it took a while to find them amidst stall-upon-stall of wholesale household products and dodgy electronics.

The find of the day was this little leather suitcase, for... wait for it... 20p! I pounced on this case when I saw it - I don't know how it hadn't already been snapped up by vintage buyers earlier in the morning. It now resides on top of two other leather suitcases on my wardrobe; you think I'd have enough of these by now, but I'm not going to say no at 20p!

I was also lucky enough to find a working 1975 Roberts radio! It's a true piece of eye candy; the red leather panelling and wooden sides are reminiscent of an era that I so wish I was a part of! It's a shame that some of the buttons are missing on the top, but it still tunes in perfectly and has a lovely tone.

Sat next to my radio in the '70s corner' of my room is a Sadler tea (or coffee?) set. I loved the tall upright design and the retro styling, which, funnily enough, almost matches my gaudy curtains! The lady was selling a whole set - with pots, more mugs, and a jug, for £3, but I had to persuade myself not to buy them all as I'd never have been able to carry them home. I feel a bit guilty for breaking up the set...

And finally, a pretty sleeveless lace top with brown shell buttons. It really reminds me of something that Zara might sell! It needs a bit of taking-in, but I can foresee it being a summer staple of mine (yes... already thinking about the summer...). I can't wait to wear it buttoned up and tucked into my brown shorts!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I've got a brilliant giveaway coming up - open to international readers too! Keep checking back!

River Island: Turning over a new leaf?

Image Credit

River Island is always a high street shop I’ve avoided – on so many occasions, I’ve wandered into the shop and then walked straight back out again, disappointed by the quality of their clothes and also their weird tendency to over-embellish things. After multiple trips to the shop which served to confirm my feelings about their clothes, I didn’t go back for a few seasons and they were mentally noted down in my mind as a ‘not worth looking’ shop.

So when I popped into my local branch a few weeks ago accompanying my best friend, you can imagine my surprise (and delight) when I discovered a shop filled with rails of 60s inspired tops, dresses and coats, as well as mock-Alexa bags and stunning knitted cardigans and jumpers. It seems they’re reverting back to their 60s roots, when the brand went under a different name – Chelsea Girl.

A photo of the Manchester Chelsea Girl (photo credit)

I would so love to have lived back then - you don't get shop fronts as cool as this nowadays!

Their new stock is a far cry from the items I remember from my last visit – out with the diamanté, and in with the retro tailoring and quirky pieces that I could easily see slipping nicely into my own wardrobe. I hope this new River Island image is here to stay!

Here are some of my top picks from this season's stock:

Gold Peterpan Collar Tunic - Blue Floral Fairisle Jumper - Navy Pompom Jumper

Leopard Fur Vintage Coat - Blue Fairisle Cardigan - Navy Swing Coat

I may have made a sneaky purchase of one of the above items... I'll leave you in suspense until I visit home next weekend, where I plan to do a little photoshoot with it :).

Has anyone else noticed a big change in River Island over the past year?

Sadie xxx