Clothing and fashion have always been lucrative markets and, despite a dip in high street sales here in the UK, the online clothing trade has remained fairly buoyant. And it seems that more and more people are realising that they too could be part of this online market. If you love
Designer clothes are not cheap but many women are willing to pay a high price for them in the name of fashion. Designer prices for ladies clothing vary with the different brands though there are factors that influence the cost of these clothes; if the garment is handmade or has
Take one plain pullover and make it into a Christmas jumper for less than £5. What a challenge! I was inspired to create a snowy scene on this knitted blue jumper so I popped out to pick up some supplies for my sewing project and now I’ve created a thrifty
What were you doing when you were 14? Going to school? Hanging out with your friends? Me too, which is why I was a little bit jealous when I read Blurb’s interview with Tolly Dolly, a 14-year-old fashion blogger who’s already been featured in magazines and on the BBC. Oh,
Earlier this week I was invited to join in with the Thriftmas Style Blogger Challenge, to buy a complete party outfit for the festive season for less than £75 online. Could it be done? There was only one way to find out… I was very excited to give it a
Just a month ago I was making my way to London to attend one of the most exciting events I’ve ever experienced; the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. As an avid reader of Cosmo magazine it was the highlight of my blogging career to be nominated in the blog awards and I
I don’t know whether it’s the weather, or the darker evenings, or just the fast approaching Winter but for whatever reason, I’ve had the urge to knit. I’ve tried knitting in the past but never really progressed beyond a knitted bow that my friend Laurie taught me to make using
Okay, I admit it. I’ve already started wrapping my Christmas presents. If you follow me on instagram you’ll have seen my piles of presents, neatly wrapped and ready to go. I’ve been in a wrapping frenzy this week but it’s not because I’m super-organised, it’s simply down to the fact
We all know I’m a fan of a good dress. Any time that I’m shopping online or in the stores, I always head straight to the dress section and simply cannot resist a well-fitting, figure-flattering dress. There are so many different lovely styles you can choose from and they work
As you know I’ve started learning to swing dancing, including lindy hop, charleston and now balboa, all of which are intrinsically linked to the 1940s era. I’ve been going to hangar dances and I’m attending another 40s dance this coming weekend. I’ve been delighted to find that there is quite a
Back at the end of September I travelled to a fabulous 1940s event at the North Norfolk Steam Railway and really enjoyed the whole weekend. Not only did I get lots of opportunities to dance, (check out last week’s Tuesday Shoesday blog post about my new hobby) but I also enjoyed
Scary, butterflies, lost, nervous, smiles, cocktails, friendly, giggles, girls, cupcakes, funny, happiness, joy, pride, fun, delight, awe, thrilled. These are the words that sum up my experiences at the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards last night and I’m sure that my fellow bloggers were going through a range of similar emotions too. As
The Cosmopolitan Blog Awards ceremony is one week away! Yes, this time next week I will be on my way to London to attend the biggest event in the blog world’s calendar and I’ve been worrying myself silly about what to wear. This is a super-fashionable magazine, and hundreds of
Have you noticed that the days are already feeling shorter just by the evenings being slightly darker than usual? I’ve actually felt more rushed than usual in my work, and I feel like it’s taking up all of my day and I just don’t have the time to relax in
This week’s challenge for the Great British Bake Off is advanced dough. I don’t know if I’d call this advanced (as I deliberately chose a recipe without yeast!) and I’m pretty sure it’ll be rather basic compared to all the extravagant flavours and shapes on tonight’s TV show, but I
I have some very long-awaited news for Autumn/Winter 2014 that I’ve been keeping under my hat for a number of months and now I can finally share it with you all – the new footwear range by Orla Kiely has launched! Clarks unveiled the new range at a press event
This week’s footwear trend focus is on buffalo boots and it’s quite possible that you’ve already owned a pair of these stacked-sole shoes in your youth – especially if you were a 90s teenager like me! Think back to the Spice Girls wearing platform trainers and you’ve got it! The
As you may remember, I’ve written a series of Tuesday Shoesday blog posts about other peoples’ shoes in March and April, as well as a special post on the favourite shoes of the National Blog Award winners! Today’s post is all about the favourite shoes of my fellow happy campers
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were out at an event with some friends when one of our pals drew attention to our footwear. There was pointing and a cry of ‘His & Hers!’ as they spotted that we had chosen, completely independently, to each wear a
I went to an Americana day at Horham airfield recently and had a wonderful time. You may have heard me mention the event last week in my vintage dress blog post: I picked up a lovely dress from one of the vintage stalls and although it needs a lot of
I’ve just got home from one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t a big festival, it wasn’t rowdy and – most importantly – it wasn’t muddy! But it was just right for a happy bunch of bloggers who traipsed out to Elstree this weekend where Aldenham
A really rather fabulous fashion trend for Summer shoes is iridescent uppers. Trend forecasters WGSN have highlighted (excuse the pun) this look as one of the key trends in footwear and accessories for summer. I think that one of the main reasons for this is that the reflective surface looks great
The school summer holidays are here and it’s the most popular time of year to take a vacation, which often means swimming pools and the dreaded swimwear! Even if you’re just taking the children for a swim or going for a workout swim, you’ll want to look as good as
I’ve been massively inspired by watching Dawn O’Porter’s This Old Thing show on channel 4 for the past few weeks. I know thrifting is nothing new to this blog and I’m sure you all know that I was huge fan of vintage long before this programme was launched, but it’s
Being self-employed, it’s sometimes difficult for me to know what to wear for business events – should I go corporate and professional or should I try to stand out from the crowd? Similarly if you’re working in an office and going to a sales call, making a pitch or meeting with a
I’ve just returned from a weekend break at a cheesy seaside resort here in the UK and it has inspired me to write today’s Tuesday Shoesday blog post. It’s not beach hut pastels or sandy-beach flip-flops that have inspired me; instead it’s the tacky footwear from my childhood – the jelly shoe.
I mentioned last week that I’ve been working on a project for the past few months to create my own collection of Cassiefairy t-shirt designs. I was so excited when I was approached by Got-The-T-Shirt.co.uk and they invited me to design a range of t-shirts. I had completely free rein
I like shoe supports, there’s something lovely about them. I think it’s the way that they keep your shoes looking great, how they ensure your shoe wardrobe stays neat and the fact that it’s a slightly old-fashioned thing to use. Don’t you think that shoe supports just are fantastic? Or is it just
Sewing. It’s been a while. The dust cover has been protecting my sewing machine for a few weeks now. Okay, who am I kidding? A few months. I don’t know where the time has gone, but I’ve simply not gotten round to doing any sewing for a long time. Considering
In the news last week was a discussion about the cost of keeping a monarchy in the UK and it was revealed that taxpayers pay 56p each to keep the royal family running every year. I know that not everyone will agree with me, but I think that’s fairly good
I’ve come across a new product and I can’t any longer wait to share it with you. As a thrifty blogger who is very keen to renew, reuse and recycle rather than subscribing to the idea of ‘throw-away’ fashion, this is the ideal product for me. It’s a makeover for
Last weekend I had one of the best days out ever: I visited the Mid-Suffolk Vintage Festival on Sunday so I thought I’d share my photos of the event this Sunday. Hubby, mum and I headed to the Mid-Suffolk Showground unsure of what we’d find at this brand new event
Excuse the bad pun in the title but I wanted to find a way of telling you that today I’m taking about summer shoes and, in particular, a pair of Hotter shoes that are perfect for this season! It’s also a bit of an excuse to share some feedback that
Summer is coming! With its long days and beautiful weather nobody wants to be short of money so that they are unable go out into the world and enjoy each and every day that the sunshine offers. There are many ways to earn some extra cash all year round, but
Summer, summer, summer. That’s the only thing on my mind these days, especially as we’ve enjoyed hot sunny weather for more than a week now and it’s led to lots of wardrobe reorganisation at this end:
Do me a favour? Have a look in your wardrobe and tell me which pair of shoes are your favourite and why? That’s exactly what I’ve asked my lovely readers to do over the past few months and I’m pleased to report that lots of you were able to tell
If your kitchen could do with an overhaul, now is a great time to start planning your brand new design. As I mentioned in my home inspirations post last week, I have been planning a kitchen makeover for some time but have never quite got any further than painting a few tester-pot
With all this talk of getting the garden ready for summer and high SPF suncare on the blog earlier this week, I’ve turned my attention to another problem that affects many of us as soon as the sun comes out: allergies! Spring’s allergy season can bring random sniffles, itchy eyes
Ok, I think I’m getting a little bit addicted. To blog awards. Yes, that’s right, I’m trying to get nominated for another blog award and this time is the elusive, fabulous and starriest of all blog awards – Cosmopolitan, yikes! Why am I addicted? Well, I LOVE the feeling of knowing that you’ve been
I can’t believe it but my little lifestyle blog has been featured in the local newspaper! They’ve shared news of my National Blog Award and the celebration of my 1000th blog post alongside a massive photo of my face – eek scary! I’m suddenly famous in my local area, with neighbours
Hello. Welcome to a day in my life. Wait, don’t go – it’ll be interesting, honest! After my ‘personal branding’ lesson last month, I realised that I really did want to share more about myself with my lovely readers and I think it’s only fair that I give you an insight
colour-matching pioneers Pantone have come up with a selection of colours that they think are right for this coming season, and we’ve got the details here, along with some of this season’s other interior trends.
I did it! I’m not talking about making a cake (although for me that is a massive achievement in itself) but I’m talking about making it to 1000 blog posts! And you’re reading it right now! It’s great so far, huh? I feel like I should really put a lot
After my blog post a couple of weeks ago about the creating a cosy French-style boudoir, I had such a positive reaction that I wanted to write more about this interior design style right away. I’ve done a little more research into the style and have picked out some lovely
One of the lovely things about being a blogger is all the opportunities and invitations we receive to have sneaky peeks at the next season’s collections before everyone else. It’s great being in the loop and it means I can shop frugally all year, already knowing what will work with
Have you ever spent years dreaming about an event, months working towards it, weeks planning your movements, days deliberating your outfits, hours getting ready, only to find yourself minutes before the big moment with your heart pounding, palms sweating, wishing that you’d stayed at home hidden under the duvet? This
I know you should be getting a recipe post from me this lovely sunny Friday, but it’s a big day in the Cassiefairy calendar today – it’s the National Blog Awards! And you’ll never guess what I’m going to talk about instead of cakes and pies 😉 Today I wanted
Did you know it’s the National Blog Awards this week? Did you know that I’m a FINALIST?! Have I mentioned it before..? 😉 Going to an event of this magnitude – the ‘Oscars of the blogging world’ – has got me excited and worried in equal measure and now that
If you’ve not heard me shouting about it already, I’m a FINALIST in the National Blog Awards 2014! I’m going to the awards ceremony on Friday night and it’s been described as the ‘Oscars of the blogging world’ so I’m expecting a fabulous night out in London and looking forward to
This week’s Tuesday Shoesday blog post is all about you. Today I’m featuring all the photos and stories about the lovely shoes that my fabulous readers have sent in after seeing my last article on YOUR favourite shoes. Do you have some favourite footwear that you’d like to share on
Just look at that sunshine out there! It’s amazing how lovely the weather has been all year so far and after such a mild winter I am certainly looking forward to a gorgeously warm spring and summer. Since December I’ve been telling everyone that it will definitely snow this winter
The shops are full of it. Everywhere you look there are red signs and blue crosses. Yes, it’s sale time again. What is it this time? Mid-season sale, Spring sale, Easter sale? I guess it doesn’t matter, all that’s important is that there are massive savings to be had on
Next month I am going to the National Blog Awards as a finalist! I am so excited to be attending the ‘Oscars of the blogging world’ and I can’t wait to catch up with my bestie Jenna who has also been shortlisted for her wedding blog Glitter Daze. Luckily, we
Well she’s already got me, so what more does she need?? haha! But seriously, it’s Mother’s Day on 30th March and I know you’ll all be wanting to shower the women in your life with treats for doing that most difficult job of all. So what can you make and what would
If someone asked you to show them your favourite shoes, which pair would you pick and why? That’s exactly what I’ve asked my lovely readers to do and I’m pleased to report that lots of bloggers were able to answer that difficult question! I’ve compiled the images that all you
It’s been a week of children’s clothing challenges on The Great British Sewing Bee – first the cute dungarees (that I am bursting to make for my nephew!) followed by the task to turn a pillowcase, children’s jumper and trousers into a fancy dress costume for the little ‘uns. As you
With reports of an approaching heat wave, the UK is already gearing up for summer. The supermarkets are stocking up on BBQ goodies and I’ve seen plenty of garden products being pushed in stores. It’s as if we’ve all forgotten that we usually get frosty mornings, sub-zero temperatures and sometimes
Oh dear. Here we go again… In case you didn’t already know, and have stayed away from my blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram profiles all week, I went to London Fashion Weekend 7 days ago. I may have mentioned it once or twice, I’m not sure. But this will be
Today I am sharing an exclusive look at womenswear fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2014 because last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to attend London Fashion Weekend at the world famous Somerset House in London. I took hundreds of photographs during the day in order to document the
The title of this blog post has two meanings today – firstly I’m going to be chatting about polishing shoes and preserving your leather goods and, secondly, it really is your time to shine, because I’m asking you, my lovely blog reader, to send me a photo of your favourite
I’m quite picky about the brands that I feature on this blog – I only ever talk about my favourites – and as a thrifty retail kinda gal, the products I share need to be the best bargains around. So when the lovely team at MyOptique got in touch with
Is it a big thumbs up or something you’d never ever wear? When colour trend experts Pantone announced the colour of the year I was in two minds as to whether it’s the colour for me…
Good news on a rather cloudy Thursday – we have finally arrived at the third segment on the subject of personal branding and I’m sharing the last set of questions in order to determine your personal brand purpose. I am so surprised by the great reaction I’ve had from bloggers, job-hunters, brands, tweeters and
What did you wear as a teenager? Were you brought up in the era of 90s neon, grunge, skater, goth? If you remember all the clothes that are currently being sold in New Look the first time round (and the music they’re playing too, for that matter) then you were
You won’t believe it but I’ve already been out and about in the ‘fresh air’ this morning for a walk in a frosty winter wonderland. Although it was freezing cold, I love chilly mornings when you open the curtains and see a white-out of sparkling frost on the ground. At
This week I got some amazing news: my best friends announced that they would be getting married this year! It will be a summer wedding and I can’t wait. Another of my best friends is also getting married this year in April (you may remember I talked about her hen
So today I’m sharing my new year’s resolutions with you. I’m hoping that in doing so it will keep me on track and I’ll be able to check back on my progress during the year. So here goes: Write a blog post every day – I did pretty well with
So Christmas is over but it’s still the holidays so you’ll be looking for activities to keep yourselves and the children entertained until they go back to school in January. I’ve already shared ideas for Christmas films to watch so now I’d like to suggest some options for a holiday
I’ve been thinking about last-minute Christmas shopping and what you can do when you receive an unexpected gift right before Christmas. There might not be time to pop to the shops to find a little something, and there certainly won’t be time for online stores to deliver before the big day. And
This week I’ve finished creating my Christmas sideboard display and I thought I would share the world’s easiest tutorial with you for DIYing your own festive tea-light holders. It’s simply a case of saving up some empty jam jars, soaking them to remove the labels and giving them a quick
