Thursday 31 January 2013

My Topshop Wish List


My bank balance isn't quite what I'd like it to be these days. But my lovely Vintage Fair bosslady gave me a week Topshop voucher for Christmas and I still haven 't spent it. I just don't know what I want. So I've made a wish list, what would I like to purchase from ye olde Toppeshoppe? I never usually buy full price things, this is a challenge. I've made a start with these three dresses.




Paisley Swing :  Bloody lovely. Following through the 60s vibe I've tried to create.
Black Bodycon: A classic. But is the fabric thick enough to hold me in and make me feel comfy?
Blue Floral: Sooo very pretty and unlike anything I own. But I could 50s this baby up come Summer.

But I really could do with some new shoes. I'm becoming a mean lover of the mid heel. In fact, I never realised how much of a shoe lover I really was until I moved them all into a new home. Oops.



Burgundy Loafer Big fan of the loafer. Classic.
Tan Leather Boot Yes...so, said lovely boss lady was wearing these the other day and I had shoe envy all day aaand now they're half price! Quite the snip.
Gold Heel Oh OK. I also love silly shoes. And I ADORE metal heels. But the sensible girl in me screams NO. 


Any Topshop faves out there on your wish list?
xxx



Wednesday 16 January 2013

Secretary Chic

Afternoon all. 

It snowed. It was cold and godammit it is still freaking cold! So the housemate and I went for brunch on our day off and braved the weather for tea for two. I never realised quite how much I loved coats until this winter, I adore this burgundy-ish 60s coat. It has a real fur collar and though a little bit big for me, it is my favourite of my sudden collection of vintage coats! Plus it was a steal at £12. 







I'd love to start wearing more blouses under tunics and shift dresses for a 60s/70s look, but I struggle to pull the look off with such an um...well with such a large bosom! But this is the direction I'd like to take my winter wardrobe if possible. 

I have my eye on another pair of Dead Men's Spex too...if you haven't checked his site out google him NOW. 


Dress: Primark
Pussy bow blouse: Charity shop
Shoes: Office sale
Glasses: Dead Mens' Spex
Coat: Charity shop
Bag: Freshmans Vintage 


LOVE
G
X

Thursday 10 January 2013

Progress


Fleur De Guerre recently posted about her relationship to blogging in this post here and suddenly cogs went a turning in my own brain. Now, I'm no super blogger, but I do read a load of blogs and absolutely love following other people's journeys through life, especially following the progress of the champions who set themselves goals and advertise that determination to the social networking world. I suppose I've made a fair few internet mates this way and gained a serious amount of inspiration and stories to tell other people.



Fleur doesn't describe herself as a blogger, but she is. She's fantastic and she's right when she says that the pretty picture posts aren't the ones with the most comments, it's the ones with the real honest rants. The open honest posts where Fleur emotionally lays herself open to the mercy of her followers and receives nothing but encouragement and praise. I think some people think I'm a bit too "into" social media as I'm forever saying things like "Oh this girl I follow said this about the year she's had so far and what she's learnt" or "There's this amazing girl on Instagram who posts progress pictures on her weight loss journey" but that opportunity to share your own achievements with the world is so bloody amazing, I'm so happy that people feel they can do this on the big old scary internet world where "haters" and trolls are so common place, because there are people like me who really respond to them in a wonderfully positive way!



For instance, my post on last years' Sheffield Half Marathon is in my top 3 highest viewed and shared blog posts ever. I like to think that people read this and thought, "well well, if she can do it then so can I!" because that's sure what I think when I read other such things. If it wasn't for my discovery of Bangs And A Bun and her girls OrsiiMiss MeiElles Bells,  and the rest I wouldn't have even considered running 5K never mind a half marathon.

Now I can't help but think this post is for my own benefit more than anyone elses', but I'd like to share some photos from when I was a little larger. I'm doing this because I now feel fat again. But we must all remember where we have come from and the progress we have achieved. So even though I'm not feeling 100% now about the way I look, I've still come a long way. This is me on the right at my graduation in 2010, I was a size 18 and approximately 16 stone but I had already made the decision to lose the weight by this point.


This is me at my smallest, July 2012 at around 12 st 5lbs from a gig at Tramlines festival. I've put on a little bit of weight since the Summer, around 7lbs, so naturally, I'm feeling a bit gutted at my lack of self control and inability to keep going or at least maintain this weight. However, I must look at the change I've made in these two years.  I'm definitely not done yet, but my goodness I'm over the moon I'm not where I was in 2010. Progress.  




So! Half marathon training, triathalon training, clean eating, 2 litres of water a day and fingers crossed I get back on it. I look at these photos and can't help but feel much better and determined to succeed. Soppy blog post over and out.

G x

Tuesday 8 January 2013

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go!

Better late than never. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this post, it's so lovely hearing about the plans people have for the future. Looking ahead is definitely the thing to be doing. So let's hop to it! What's happnin in 2013?


  • Kicking off with a respectable list of goals is Orsii. I started following Orsii when she was training for her first half marathon and following her journey was nothing short of inspiring. So I'm pretty sure these goals are in sight already. You can follow her on twitter @Orsii.





HEALTH:
- Finish my “bad stomach” treatment
- Run a sub 2 hour half marathon
- Become stronger and leaner by doing more cross training
- Share the fitness progress diary I have been keeping for a year on my birthday
LIFE:
- Travel more
- Get my finances in order so I can buy a flat
- Invest more time in myself
- See the people I love more often
WORK:
- Finish my MA degree
- Redo my blog and expand some areas of it
- DJ out more
- Do more radio related
  • Keeping it short and sweet is Emily from I've Fallen Out With My Jeans who says that in 2013 she will be less scared and use her brain! I like it. Fingers crossed you'll be hearing more from me and Emily this year with some Steel Style...Follow her on twitter @poufle.

  • Elles Bells Runs will be your go to blog to follow the running journey of @Broke_Grove. Simply put, her 2013 goals are to keep a healthy eating and keeping fit log. A blog needs readers. Go. Plus, she's travelling at the moment, so if you fancy running in the arctic, uhm, get some advice here!


  • Next up is Lucy from Fi & Me whose vintage and hand made business takes priority this year, and another runner! Amazing! Follow her twitter @fiandme:

  •   "In 2012, I started up a little handmade business with my sister, got a professional marketing qualification, learnt to crochet and ran a 5k. I also started training for a 10k but then hurt my back :(So, in 2013 I'm going to take part in a 10k (I'm joining a running club to give me a kick up the arse!), build on the business and start selling at some local craft and vintage fairs. And learn to drive - but I say that every year!" 




There are so many wonderful things on the horizon for so many of us. There are countless bloggers who have documented 2012 and their resolutions for 2013 so get looking through your faves for some inspiration. Hopefully you'll follow the ladies above and follow their progress on these goals set for the year ahead. 
Love Gina x

Friday 28 December 2012

2012 You've Been Grand, but here's to 2013.


Afternoon all on this fabulous Friday the 28th December 2012. We have but a few days left of what I think, has been an amazing year, but how about you? I'd absolutely love to gather as many reviews of 2012 as well as hopes for 2013 on my blog from as many people as possible. Let's all share the good stuff! 

I'll start the ball rolling...

  • My new years' resolutions for 2012 were to run a 10K and to begin my own vintage clothing boutique. In February I did my first 10K and figured, well that's too easy, so I entered the Sheffield Half Marathon and completed that in May. My own ASOS Marketplace went live in April and though it hasn't exactly taken off, it's been a learning curve and I hope to expand on it in 2013. 
  • In 2013 I would like to dedicate more time to this blog, beat both my 10K and half marathon run times and though I don't want to bang on about it, I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds too! But in general, I hope that at the end of 2013 I feel a lot more secure in my life, with plans and ideas for the future because currently, I'm a little lost. 

You don't have to go on like I did, just a bullet point for each one 2012 and 2013. If you would like to contribute to this post - and I really hope you will spread this idea far afield into the social networking stratospheres and beyond - then you can do so in many ways:

  • Tweet me @PUT_Vintage
  • E-mail me prettyusedthings@gmail.com
  • Leave a comment below on this post 
Make sure you leave your name, bullet points and your twitter name and website/blog so we can find you and what you're all about too. Please try and get these to me by January 1st so I can post the blog!

Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
Gina x





Monday 24 December 2012

A ridiculous weekend

Once a year, a group of my friends gather in a remote cottage and bring lots of food, booze, pyjamas and pretty much turn off our phones and ago a little mad. And this year there was a hot tub.

But at some point in this past mini break we decided to dress up and look seriously swish. There was the loose theme of the 1920s but I'l be damned if I'm going to wear a flapper dress, these curves weren't made for that era! So here are the girls, Lydia, me, Annie, Revis and Kate. As you can see, black was the colour of choice, accidentally!

 I'm wearing a 70s black maxi that I got from Bang Bang Vintage, a mink fur stole I nabbed on eBay a while back, Wolf & Moon art deco inspired earrings and my Gok Wan glasses (I lost my contact lenses the night before, frustrating!). The show stopping dress Annie is wearing is from Mango and it looked absolutely stunning on her, she stole the show most definitely. Revis kept things simple and added a pretty headband as a nod to the era. Kate kept things 1920s in a beaded flapper and curled her short blonde bob. And naturally, we all went for a dark red lip.



But it wasn't just the girls who made an effort, oh no. The boys outnumbered us in both actual numbers and fancy dress points. Oh by the way, I have a boy now (go me!) and I pretty much dragged him along to this messy weekend, he's at the far right wearing some fabulous Dead Mens' Spex and now I've got my Gok Wans', we match. And I'm more than OK with that. But don't these guys look handsome? Such a sexy bunch of friends.





If you want to read more about Annie's style and how I look to her for style inspo you should check out this blog post I did about her a while ago. I wish she would blog too!






It then started to go a little down hill...but I'm saying no more than the following photos! 








Friday 7 December 2012

Fur and Glitter


It's been too long guys, I know I know. Hopefully over Christmas I will be able to get back on the horse with my own blog, but if you want to see any of my Vintage Fair blog posts (which I do daily) then head over here to have a look see. The latest post is a very exciting giveaway!



I'm wearing:
 A black 1950s fur capelet,
 A sequin shift dress from a charity shop
 Pearl earrings from my Nannan





My hair stayed put all day! Well,m it started to unravel a tad, but I was pretty pleased with it. People always ask how to do rolls...greasy hair, back comb, hairspray and hair grips! Oh and practice.



It's the very last Vintage Fair of the season tomorrow in Nottingham. See you there?
Gina x