The Second Hand Home Challenge – Upholstering Dining Chairs

Posted in Home, Second Hand Shopping.

My love for second hand shopping is well-documented. When we moved into our new home, I vowed to decorate it with thrifted bargains wherever I could. The Second Hand Home Challenge was born, and I’ve been scouring the car boots, charity shops and auctions of Yorkshire ever since.

I found a dining table that fitted in the small alcove in our living room, but getting chairs to match proved a little more difficult. When my usual haunts let me down, I turned to eBay. I can often be found hunting down cut-price Topshop on eBay (I even wrote a guide to shopping on the site) but buying furniture online isn’t something I’ve attempted before. I wasn’t disappointed though – there are lots of people selling beautiful vintage pieces, and by searching for listings within 25 miles of my postcode I bagged a real bargain right on my doorstep.

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1960s solid oak dining chairs, 99p for the two

These tired chairs were a steal at 99p for the two. I don’t mind a few scrapes and scratches (if anything, they add character), but I was less fond of the leather seats. So I got to work on a DIY project.

DIY – Upholstering Dining Chairs

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You will need some pretty fabric (mine was £5 for a metre from eBay), scissors, a staple gun and staples

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Pop the seat pad out of the chair and place it on your fabric. Cut round the seat, leaving plenty of excess fabric around each edge for folding.

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Fold each edge in and pull it tightly without stretching the fabric. I used the present wrapping method and folded the corners like an envelope, making sure the fabric wasn’t wrinkled as I went along. I’m not very good at wrapping presents (as you can see by this hot mess) but this is the underneath, so no one will see. (Except everyone reading this, obviously. Hope you can keep a secret.)
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Ta da! Easiest DIY ever.

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I wiped down the frames, popped the seats back in and placed my new polka dot chairs around the table, ready for their first guests.

Total cost, £5.99.

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Vision Express Prescription Glasses and Sunglasses

Posted in Fashion.

I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 11, but have only had five different pairs in that time. Considering the number of hair styles, shoes and handbags I’ve had since age 11, that’s pretty unusual. But, unlike with shoes and handbags, when it comes to glasses I have rather expensive taste. Well, my eyes are worth it!

My last pair of glasses cost around *gulp* £400. They’ve been going strong for nearly three years but I wanted an update and my eyes needed a little more help. Vision Express has been my opticians for a while, so I took myself off for an eye test and a browse.

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Ralph Lauren black plastic frames, £100

I choose these Ralph Lauren black frames – classic, hardwearing (important when you wear them for everything from TV watching to mountain climbing) (I have never climbed a mountain) and reasonably priced. As I’m so lacking in the vision department, I have a high prescription and lenses that resemble milk bottles unless they’re thinned. So I forked out £140 for thinned lenses. Ouch.

£240 for a single pair of glasses isn’t a particularly good deal, and definitely nothing to write home (or on blog) about. However, Vision Express have an offer on at the moment which really is quite good.

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Jigsaw plastic frames, free (out of deal price £85)

As I spent over £100 on my glasses, I qualified for free prescription sunglasses. The deal includes lots of really nice frames from designers including Ted Baker, Michael Kors and Jigsaw and tinted lenses are included. I chose this RayBan-esque Jigsaw pair.

I’ve heard lots of talk about online spectacle retailers being a ‘revolution’ for the visionary challenged, but an online service will never been as helpful as a knowledgeable optometrist who can help you choose a frame that not only suits your face, but is suitable for your lens type and lifestyle. Case in point – I originally picked out a pair of metal-framed sunglasses but the very helpful man at Vision Express (Meadowhall branch) advised me not to, because my high prescription with thicker lens would eventually chip in such a thin frame.

My glasses were ready in an hour, and although the sunglasses took a little longer (tinting takes a while on a high prescription) I had both pairs, adjusted to fit perfectly, within a day. And that’s why for now, I’ll keep choosing high street opticians over online services.

Do you wear glasses or contacts? What are your experiences with opticians? Would/do you shop online for a good price or prefer the personalised service of a branch? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Disclaimer – I didn’t receive any money, product or services as payment for writing this post. I was just really impressed!

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Blue on Blue

Posted in Daily Outfits.

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Vintage trousers, Topshop blouse, Primark cardigan and pumps, H&M ring

I love these high waisted vintage trousers as an alternative to my often-worn skinny jeans. I have a bit of a denim habit (let’s not call it an obsession, please), so it’s nice to rehabilitate with something a little different.

What do you wear when you want a break from the norm?

PS – Yes, I got stupid fucking hipster glasses. More on them tomorrow. In my defence, they have real prescription lenses and I need them to actually see, which I think redeems me just a little bit. Right?!

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Boutique Run – the winners!

Posted in Home.

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I’m very excited to (finally!) announce the winners of the Little Bird Boutique Run giveaway…

Katie of Katie Styles
Lucy of Lucy in Disguise

Katie and Lucy will be joining me and my real-life friend Laura on the 9th July at Battersea Park to take part in Boutique Run. We’ve got two months to train so it’s time to get serious – running shoes at the ready girls!

Want to join us? Little Bird readers get 25% off entry passes to Boutique Run with the code BLOG25, so sign up today and we’ll see you at the start line!

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One Year Ago

Posted in Daily Outfits.

One of my favourite things about blogging is being able to look back through my old posts (and other people’s!) to see what I was wearing and doing this time last year. It’s fascinating to put life 12 months ago parallel with life today, picking out the differences and similarities.

Here’s what I wore on Wednesday 5th May 2010. So not quite a year ago, but pretty close…

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H&M chambray blouse, thrifted silk dress, TK Maxx shoes, gold name necklace, Primark ring

I still have (and wear) the blouse and necklace. The dress went to a new home via eBay, and I rescued the shoes from a holdall just last week. The hair is different, the glasses are different (more on that later this week) but I think my style is about the same, give or take some brighter colours and bolder prints.

If you’ve been blogging for a year or more, go back to your outfit from this time (or thereabouts) in 2010 and email me your photo or leave a link to the post below, along with any comments on how your style has changed over the last 12 months and a link to your blog. I’ll put them all together in a collage and post it here later in the week, so get your shots over to me by Wednesday evening if you can!

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