Glitter Jacket & Pleated Skirt Charity Shop
MTV Vest Top & Kitty Flats eBay

I suppose this outfit post is a testament to how much my shopping habits have changed over the past couple of years! I really enjoy charity shopping, and have found some great pieces during my time at university. I suppose being a student, and having to be thrifty (being on a fashion course, and giving up shopping completely is realllllly hard, when your constant focus is clothing!) gets you looking in new places for fashion fixes that won’t break the bank! You can get way more for your money by shopping this way, which unfortunately is probably why my wardrobe is seemingly bursting at the seams, haha. Its also true to say that most of my favourite items are charity shop finds.

I would definitely recommend charity shopping to everyone, because as I also found out on a recent visit, some stores like Tesco now donate clothing, which means you can find brand new pieces sometimes for really great prices. Bargain, right?!

I also find myself shopping more and more on eBay these days – I’m of the belief that anything you can find on the high street, you can find cheaper on eBay, and so it has kind of become my ‘go to’ for certain items. Also, I love that you can search for exactly what you want, rather than having to search shops endlessly… who’d have thought that we’d have become so lazy, even where shopping is concerned? When did shopping become a chore?? Haha : )

I’m going to be doing a post in the next week or so on some money saving shopping methods, so I suppose this is a little taster of that! These photos were taken by my friend Charlie, who will be helping me out with picture taking from time to time now I’m living back in Somerset – the whole tripod method gets me quite flustered at times, and being a bit of a perfectionist, the photos seem to come out better if someone else is snapping for you!

Dress Principles via Charity Shop
Glitter Belt Primark
Beige Patent Loafers F&F at Tesco
Jewellery Butler and Wilson

I always seem to have problems photographing shades of green like this; my camera always makes them too minty looking! This dress is a more vibrant, Emerald tone than can be seen in the images, I would say, but even colour correcting seemed to be turning it the wrong shade so I’ve left it this time!

I’ve been doing a lot of buying from charity shops recently – I like the fact that in these shops there’s nothing there to dictate a certain style for you, leaving you free to use your own imagination! This dress is by Principles, but was found in a charity shop for around £5… and as a student, and still wanting to be able to buy a few bits and bobs every now and then, this is the perfect solution!

You might’ve noticed that in the last couple of posts I was sporting a nose stud. It was something I’d been wanting to try for a long time, so I finally took the plunge. I didn’t mention it before because I wasn’t really sure whether I liked it or not, and wanted to be able to make up my own mind on it! As it turns out, I didn’t really feel like it suited me that much, so I’ve now taken it out – this might be me being overly fussy, but I somehow didn’t feel like it sat right, or something like that… my mum will be pleased, and will secretly think she beat me out on this, haha.

Anyway, I’m guilty of staying in bed a bit too long today, so I’m going to go and try and catch some sun before it goes in again! Bye for now : )

P.S I didn’t even notice how creased this dress was until I saw the pictures – I think my new high definition camera must be sharper than my eyesight!

Dress Charity Shop
Kitty Flats and Baroque Sunglasses eBay
Tree Frog Ring Cherry Humbug

Because us Brits are so keen to talk about the weather, you’ll know that we have been blessed with some beauuuutiful sunshine over the past few days! Being the outdoorsy countryside girl I am, when the sun’s out, I am completely compelled to get outside and spend as much time in it as possible so nothing makes me happier than some lovely hot sunshine : ) you could say it came at the perfect time too, as I have now officially *finished* university forever – how that happened, I will never know! I’m feeling liberated and excited to be moving back to Somerset for the time being, and am ready to work hard on Cherry Humbug as well as some other fun projects I have lined up – life is good!

You may have noticed that my hair is looking a little more red than in my last outfit post (which was a while ago, ooops!) I feel a bit wary of the fact that red hair is ‘the thing to do’ at the moment, but this isn’t the first time I’ve been a cherry red-head and is definitely not the last, and I actually really love having more of a vibrant colour, and although it might look cliche, I’ve never been one to worry too much about what other people might think! The only downside to having red hair is how quickly it fades… so if you too are thinking of going for a change, be prepared for the regular upkeep that it entails; for some reason unbeknownst to me, red is known to be the colour that fades the fastest, to quote my hairdresser… good choice Katie! Haha.

The dress I have on is one of my favourite charity shop finds as of late, and I feel super summery when I wear it! You can see that the sunshine also puts me in high spirits, as I felt the need to sit on a rock and impersonate my childhood girl crush and hair-icon, Ariel from The Little Mermaid – which got us some funny looks from a couple of men passing by, but hey… : ) I am also bit obsessed with animal themed clothes and accessories (mouse shoes, and now cat shoes… what more can I say?!) so its no wonder these kitty flats found their way into my wardrobe! I might also add that these are possibly the first flats I’ve ever bought that have never given me blisters in the first few wears, quite an achievement I’d say – so when these fall apart, I’ll definitely be purchasing some more : )

Anyway, the sun is calling my name, so I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am, and I will see you soon! xox

Sealion and Flowers Ring CherryHumbug.com
Aqua and Pearl Earrings CherryHumbug.com
Silk and Lace Top Monsoon
Sparkle Patterned Jacket Charity Shop
Camel Skirt Primark
Patent Shoeboots Primark
Tights Tesco
Baroque Sunglasses eBay

I realised lately that most of my favourite clothes comes from charity shops, so for the time being, having not much money works for me because it means I can look for some thrifty finds when I’m out, instead of heading straight for somewhere a little more expensive! That said, this skirt is from Primark, and was in the sale for £5 – am I the only one who finds it unbelievable that Primark even has a sale?? Its so cheap to begin with, it seems crazy to me!

Anyway, this little jacket (I’m not quite sure what to call it!) was a £3.50 charity find, I love the pattern detail as well as the splashes of sparkle that glitter in the sun. I really love pieces like this that can smarten up an outfit, and think I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of it this summer; the short sleeves mean I can wear it over my summer dresses, without looking too bulky. Also, for all of you in the UK, you’ll be able to empathise with the fact that the weather can be a bit up and down, which means if it does get a bit chillier, this will serve as a good extra layer that won’t be too much, when the sun goes in – great! For £3.50 this is a definite steal, I would say.

I would urge all of you to have a rummage around your local charity shops; I’ve had some really great finds in the last couple of years, and often the clothes are cheap enough that you can make alterations if the fit isn’t quite right, without worrying about ruining an expensive garment! There are always those certain gems that are out to be found, too, which makes it all the more satisfying when you find them. Also, not to mention, the money is going to a good cause… so don’t be afraid to charity shop, there’s nothing frumpy/old ladyish about it, and you could end up saving yourself quite a bit of money when it comes to making fun new additions to your wardrobe!

Peace out for now everyone xxx

Parrotdise Feather Earrings CherryHumbug.com
Baby Bear Ring CherryHumbug.com
Silver Heart Sparkle Ring CherryHumbug.com
Clown Collar Shirt New Look
Vest Top Unknown
Ruffle Skirt Next
Patent Shoeboots Mulberry
Tights Primark

First things first, how did the Easter Holidays come around so fast?? Not that we’re quite there yet, but it feels like Christmas happened two blinks ago – this year is going by so quickly! I will be putting together some unique little Easter gift ideas over at CherryHumbug.com so keep an eye out of you’re looking for something special for a special someone : )

I bought this shirt back in the Summer, and have been wearing it a lot lately. Now the weather’s warmer, I can justify wearing a half-see through shirt – up until now its simply been far too cold, and I wouldn’t want to hide it under a big jumper because its one of my favourite items at the moment. You’ll be seeing a lot more of it this summer, for sure!

I’m so excited to be back in Somerset in a couple of months, where I’ll be moving in with two of my best friends (I’m very excited about this!) and will be converting my old room in my parents’ house into my Cherry Humbug office – my room is a little bit chaotic at the moment, it has truly been taken over by all of my stock! Its worth it though, I’m really enjoying sourcing fun jewellery for you all to enjoy!

I’m off to watch Dirty Dancing now with my uni housemates, cue ‘Time Of My Life’ and those dodgy mullets… see you soon everyone, I hope you’re having a wonderful week : ) xxx

P.S Shout out to my housemate Gemma, since it was her turn to get roped into taking these pictures for me; and a very good job she did too… thanks Gem if you’re reading this!

Heart Drop Earrings CherryHumbug.com
Baby Bear Ring CherryHumbug.com
Baroque Sunglasses eBay
Cable Knit Jumper Ralph Lauren Polo
Collared T-Shirt Dorothy Perkins via Charity Shop
Skirt River Island
Lace Up Wedges Primark
Bow Belt from an H&M Skirt
Handbag Mulberry ‘Neely’

For those of you who have been following Cherry Humbug for a while, you might remember that I put the Prada Baroque Sunglasses on this Sunday Lust List last July. I’m afraid my craving for them never quite went away, and with Summer on its way again, and with all of my other sunglasses broken or lost, I felt it was time to indulge myself in their amazingness!

Needless to say, being the thrifty kind of girl that I am (and a student, living on a budget!) I could in no way justify spending £200+ on the real McCoy – and luckily for me, eBay fronted up the goods once again, and so here we are! I’m in love with them, and am determined to take good care of them so I can enjoy them all Spring/Summer long <3

Speaking of Prada, one of my friends compared this River Island skirt to some of the designs from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection; the same that the sunglasses came from. I suppose without realising it, I’m becoming quite the Prada fan! There have been a couple of pieces on my Lust Lists from both Prada and Miu Miu, so I’m guessing Ms Miuccia’s creations are really hitting my buttons at the moment – now all I need to do is win the lottery… shouldn’t be too hard, right?!

It was a joy to be reunited with my camera remote (last mention of this I promise!) so I could photograph my outfit today with my Canon 5D Mkii. As you can see, there is a vast difference between the quality of this and my trusty old 400D, which has found a new home with one of my best friends, and soon to be housemate, Stewart. You’ll probably be seeing more of him in posts to come, he’s quite the little poser! Haha : )

Today hasn’t been all that eventful, I had a couple of parcels to pick up from the Post Office (one ties in with the tutorial I’ll be doing soon!) and have just been running other errands and settling back in at my uni house. So not much to report on! The weather has been a joy, as you can probably tell because for once I’m not wearing tights or jeans – woohoo! Fingers crossed that it’ll last, everyone!

Katie xxx

Cute Snake Necklace CherryHumbug.com
Earrings Unknown
Paisley Shirt New Look
Vest Top Can’t remember
Lipstick ‘Mystic’ by Sleek Make Up

I wasn’t planning on doing an outfit post today, but my friend Charlie came round in time to catch the light so I got her to take a couple of snaps for me on the new camera! I can’t wait to be reunited with my remote control so I can take my outfit post photos myself easily – I’m going back to Rochester tomorrow so its all good : ) I’m hoping to train up my mum and my soon-to-be housemates so I can have some help with photo taking, it can be really hard sometimes trying to do it myself and I never seem to get the results I hope for, so with any luck that’ll change soon! This shirt was a Christmas present about 4 years ago. When I was little I used to have little Paisley handkerchiefs, so my mum bought me the shirt for nostalgic reasons. I still get a good amount of wear out of it even now, which is good – I’m not too fussed about whether something is ‘in’ fashion or not, as long as I like it, its all good!

The weather today has been absolutely gorgeous. I’m in Somerset, and since my parents are away I’ve been looking after Bug for the last couple of days; dog walking is such a pleasure when the sun is out! I managed to venture out today coatless, which was lovely – summer is on its way, I’m so happy! I’m also really excited to be moving home to Somerset once I graduate from uni; more about that later on : )

I have a really exciting tutorial coming up for you soon, which I think a lot of you will really enjoy. I won’t say anything just yet because I want it to be a surprise, so watch this space…

Hope you’ve all had a good week so far! xoxox

P.S the light/lack of shadow makes it look like I Photoshopped the snake necklace on afterwards… this isn’t the case, weird! Haha oh dear.

Jewellery CherryHumbug.com
Polka Dot Shirt Charity Shop
Skirt Next
Boots Emma Cook for Topshop
Tights Primark
Lipstick Vamp by Sleek Make Up

I know I’ve already done a post today, but I figured that if I have the content, I may as well post it up! This post is a bit of a testament to what I’ve been saying about my camera upgrade; there’s a stark difference between using the 400D with the kit lens, and the 5D Mk II with my 50mm lens! Like I said last post, I’m currently remote control-less at the moment, and have to use my wide lens on the 400D for outfit posts, and I’m using the 5D for any other shots that I can hand-hold.

No matter how long you’ve been visiting my blog, you may have never seen me with my hair up – but alas, it happened today! I feel a bit bare but as they say, a change is as good as a rest, right? As you may have noticed, I’m wearing polka dots again… what can I say?! I’m also wearing my parrot earrings which you’re probably fed up of seeing by now! I’m trying to be good with my CherryHumbug.com stock and not keep too much of it for myself – so far I’ve kept one necklace, one pair of earrings and three rings for myself, which is quite good given that I’m easily tempted, especially where jewellery is concerned! Haha.

I got this shirt from a charity shop, for a really good price. Its not my size, but I find that I’m quite lenient when it comes to that kind of thing, and oversized charity-shop-found shirts are fast becoming a wardrobe staple of mine! The skirt is one I got years ago from Next, and the boots are the Emma Cook for Topshop 2009 boots that I’m determined to get some more wear out of/wear them enough that they become comfortable. The problem is with my university campus, is that its up a reallly steep hill, so I rarely (if ever…) wear heels when I’m in Rochester. Also, strangely, the pavements seem to have some kind of slopey-ness going on around the Rochester area, which means 90% of the time when I’m wearing any kind of heels, I’m aware of the fact that I’m probably going to fall over and break my neck! Not cool.

If you haven’t seen Bug before, here he is! He’s become quite accustomed to having his photo taken since he’s my favourite subject… and I’m quite sure now that he even has a few poses he likes to do when the camera comes out! A little fun fact for you is that Bug helped inspire the name ‘Cherry Humbug’ when I first started my blog! By the way, if like other people, you’re tempted to ask me why on earth we’d call a dog ‘Bug’, we got him already-named from a rescue centre, so you’ll have to forgive me that one… I think it rather suits him, he’s a funny little thing!

Jewellery CherryHumbug.com
Polka Dot Shirt Charity Shop
Skirt New Look
Faux Suede Boots Primark
Tights Tesco
Lipstick Mystic by Sleek Make Up

Hey everyone! First off, I just want to say sorry if these photos look a bit ‘overly Photoshopped’ – as with any others that look that way on the blog, often the light in the photographs requires a fair bit of colour correction, and since I’m still using my old Canon 400D I struggle a bit to get good resolution/quality at 620px wide without images being grainy – hence the Photoshopping!

In other news, my *NEW* camera arrived today, yay! I made the foolish mistake of thinking the kit lens from my 400D would fit my 5D Mark II, which means for the time being I only have my 50mm lens and no remote control = out of focus self timer photos! So, I’m sticking with my 400D until I can get my hands on my remote (which I forgot to bring to Somerset from my uni house in Rochester, oops!) which is a little bit annoying because I’ve been so excited about using my new one, but hey ho : ) and on the plus side, I managed to find a tripod which isn’t broken which is a huge help! <3

As for the outfit, the polka dot shirt was a charity shop find, and for something like £3.50 it was a definite bargain! If you're a follower of my blog, you'll probably realise by now that I quite like polka dots, haha. The skirt was a gift from one of my best friends Charlie; she didn't think it suited her so she donated it to me, which I'm really happy about because I'd been eyeing these skirts up in New Look over Christmas, and burnt orange is a colour I really love – a match made in heaven, you could say? I love the 60's vibe it gives off. The boots are a few years old, but still a favourite item of mine – I get quite a lot of compliments on them, and no one ever believes me when I say they were only £15 from Primark! See ladies, there's solid proof that people can't generally tell how much of a cheapskate you might be! Haha : )

I'm currently planning my first video post – woohoo! I've been wanting to do one for such a long time, and so in celebration of the new camera I think its about time it happened, what do you think? Feeling a little bit nervous; its easy enough posting photos up, but there's a lot more to think about when it comes to talking to a camera without sounding like a loser… we'll see how it goes!

Don't forget, you can follow Cherry Humbug through Bloglovin’, just click this link! Catch you later guys, hope its as sunny where you are as it is here! x