Charity Shop Purchases

I'm really lucky to live across the road from three great charity shops and about a five minute walk from another five. The ones closest to me always seem to come up well for glassware, clothes and soft furnishings whereas the ones a little further out are the ones I mainly head to for furniture. I've grown up in a thrifty family and while my teenage years were spent avoiding the Sunday rituals of boot sales and my worst nightmare was a charity shop, I feel like I've found my footing with them now. I know my style, I know how to look at the bare bones of something to see if it has potential and I'm a dab hand at getting that musty smell out of fabric.

Yesterday the afternoon seemed to drag. I wasn't feeling too bright and boyfriend spent from 10am until 3pm sleeping on the sofa thanks to a hard night shift so I popped on a pair of loafers, grabbed Amelia by the hand and said we were going on an adventure. This may be what I picked up but Amelia came home with a not-too-shabby haul of a dolls pram with carseat and hair accessories - a girl after my own heart. I spent less than a note on everything thanks to the ridiculously cheap prices here. I keep hearing about the charity shops in London and their prices and feel rather thankful that ours are very much budget friendly. I don't know anyone who's struggling and in need being able to afford a £20 pair of worn in shoes. Let's face it, while it may be trendy to shop in charity shops now it will always be a lifeline to those in need (and has been to me in the past).

Everything in these photos were £1 or less each. The heart shaped miniature plate? 25p. Perfect for rings and stray bobby pins! I love these little jars so much. They were originally part of a Christmas preserves set but I'm going to soak off the labels, cover the lids in fabric or paint and have them hang out on my kitchen table with honey, strawberry/blueberry jam, maple syrup etc in them as a little addition to breakfast. They'd be perfect for little token gifts of homemade food too (if I were that way inclined - I'm not. They're mine). The cushion was tucked away in a corner near some old photo frames and since it's quite long it'd fill the gap on my sofa that used to be full of mismatched throw cushions. Sadly they're now a bit worse for wear so I'm building up a collection again and even making a few of my own from old bed sheet material that is just lovely but unused.

Do you manage to find any gems in the charity shops near you? What's your best purchase? Mine has to be an Isabel Marant for H&M piece with the tag still on for £6!