NEXT summer sale goodies

Last Saturday marked the biannual 5am feeding frenzy that is the NEXT sale. I have to admit to quite enjoying the early morning trawl around next - but don't get me wrong you won't find me queuing the night before, even I won't prioritise securing a front of the queue spot over at least a few hours of sleep beforehand!

I had arranged to meet my boyfriend just before 5am at the store (it was his first experience of the madness and I had already shown him the things I wanted to pick up!) unfortunately I forgot to set my alarm that night and didn't wake up until 6.30 am when I noticed I'd missed two phonecalls from him - I had inadvertently stood him up, oops! (I felt awful but luckily he had seen the funny side of it and had even picked up everything I had pointed out to him a few days earlier, I was very impressed!) by the time I got to the store it was nearly 7am and the crowds had left so I had a leisurely browse without being nudged or getting in someone's way which i preferred (I just need to convince the bf to do the early shift next time too haha). I haven't actually got round to photographing the clothes I bought, but here are some of the other things I picked up:

The printed bed sheet is so pretty, it's a pale lilac colour with a rose print and comes with a matching pillow case. I think it will look fresh with a white quilt cover on top and makes a change from boring plain sheets. This was reduced to £5 from £10.

I also bought two candles, one was fragranced in 'just pink' which is NEXT's signature scent which is floral and feminine and was just £2 down from £5. I can't remember the name of the second candle but it was white and again smelt lovely. That one was reduced to £3 from £9.  

The l'eau Rose gift set seemed like a bargain at £4 from £10. It contains a 30ml edp spray, a roller ball and a solid fragrance. The scent is floral but also quite fruity which I didn't expect. The lightness of the fragrance makes it a great scent for summer. I also bought a 30ml boxed edp for £3 which will make a nice gift. My only complaint is that the scent seems to fade quickly but. At. That price you can afford to reapply it throughout the day.

I needed some new black heels for work and these were only £16 from £32. I had tried them on before the sale and they looked nice on so I was pretty pleased to spot them in my size on sale.

I also wanted some new navy loafers as I wore my last pair out. These are so comfy. They were £20 from £40. 

I also bought a bird feeder for just £3 but I've already put this I'm the garden.

I didn't buy a lot from the clothes department but did get a nice navy suit for work and a t-shirt. I did pick up some other things but unfortunately had to return them as they didn't fit...too many sweet treats at work I think! Nonetheless I was pleased with my little haul and look forward to seeing the new autumn collection filter in (and not just so I can start planning what I went to get in the next sale haha).

Another attempt at something creative...the reupholstery edition

Yesterday I decided to reupholster an old dining room chair for my bedroom. I've been looking for a nice bedroom chair for a while, and found one from Next shown below that I like a lot, but at £199 it's a bit out of my price range at the moment, so for now it's been stuck on my computer "bookmarks" and I'm trying my hand at another crafty project.

Mayfair chair @ Next, £199

 If you've read any of my previous posts (including but not limited to the recent two-tiered leaning tower of cake) then you may be sceptical at my chances of success. I am too. But I'm not the sort of person who'd let something like having no upholstery experience or a history of craft-related failures get in my way. (I wish it would). So anyway I've removed the old fabric - which required taking out about 200 staples (my hands still hurt), and made a start on sanding down the wood with an electric sander (at least my aching hands are super smooth now). I keep asking family members to "show me how to sand" as "I don't think I'm doing it right", but unfortunately no one has fallen for it yet, so no doubt it'll be another day or two of sanding before I can prime it. I'll write a proper post up on my upholstery adventure when (and if...) I finish it! In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the wildlife I snapped in the garden whilst I was sanding...

Sale Shopping

Being paid just a couple days after Christmas meant that I could hit the sales and pick up a few bargains, though this year I haven't bought a lot, I must now be used to saving such that I've become less of a spendthrift! Although most of what I have bought has been gifts for upcoming birthdays, I did pick up the following for myself:

I saw this office dress from NEXT a couple of months ago and was pleased to pick it up from the sale on boxing day (though I was not one of the early birds there at 6am!). It has a tweed pattern and a lovely olive green velvet bow on the waist which manages to be quite subtle, so its pretty but professional too. The dress was reduced from £45 to £16 so didn't make too much of an impact on my purse either!

After browsing the shelves of Marks & Spencer and leaving empty handed, I then popped into Boots and picked up a gift set containing my favourite No7 moisturiser that I've previously blogged about. This was half price in the sale at £12.50, and seeing as it contains a bath essence, scrub, and candle too and the moisturiser usually retails for £9 it seemed like a good price.

I've also spotted a nice gift box of beauty goodies by The Sanctuary, but at £20 still I shall be waiting to see if I can pick this up in the 75% sale in a couple of weeks time!

I have also browsed the accessorize winter sale this week, and all sale jewellery is now 70% off, so i picked up a pretty navy crystal beaded bracelet as a birthday present for my mum who had tried it on before Christmas, but it's already wrapped up and waiting to be gifted :)