Charity shops? I think of them more as boutiques...

The title of this post is a quote from a friend.  She says charity shops are like boutiques because you can always pick up something unique and there's always something different every time you go in.  Fortunately, though, the prices are always better.

Well, I did a bit of 'boutique' shopping on Saturday.  I usually avoid the town centre like the plague at the weekend, as it's always so busy, but an appointment meant I couldn't avoid it, so I thought I'd make the most of my time there.  I managed a few good buys:

Some books....

....because I don't have enough waiting to be read and then given back to charity shops!

A lovely skirt....

...which is nice and swishy

And a gorgeous snuggly cowl from ASOS at the bargain price of £2.95!

Hobbycraft in Cambridge opened well over a year ago and I still haven't been, so I thought a detour there was long overdue. I was quite restrained I though.

There was a 3 for 2 on all yarn, so it would have been rude not to....

Some sparkly felt - fabulous for jewellery making, when you want a bit of sparkle to shine through.  So much more time effective than sticking sequins on plain felt.

A 'modest' selection of jewellery making bits and bobs:

I loved this Buddha charm.....

....and instantly had to make it into a necklace, which has already become a firm favourite.

In the selection pack, you may also spot a blank square silver charm, which I turned into this:

I just stuck a couple of rhinestone flowers on to give it a bit of colour and added a chain and barrel clasp.

I have to confess, I went a bit mad with the necklace side of things this weekend:

I really like the last necklace - it's made with purple semi-precious stones, but the picture doesn't do it justice.




Finally, I have to confess to a shocking piece of plagiarism!  Helen from SewStylish made a gorgeous silver button necklace and I loved her design so much that I just had to make one of my own.  I love how it has turned out and I've already had lots of compliments on it:

It's pretty much identical in design to Helen's, because I so loved the original, so thank you very much for the fantastic inspiration, Helen, and I hope you don't mind me copying your design.