goodbye ruby tuesday

Hello! I was going to post this in a few days but I have lots to share with you guys and I have had an awesome Friday so I figured I may as well write it now. Today was officially my last day of school, and so my friends and I spent the day (freezing) hanging around the local park in various fancy dress costumes (I was Pebbles from The Flintstones). It was such a fun day especially as I have grown up watching the Year 11's last day parade (it looked like a parade when we all walked out of school together) and so it was sort of surreal to finally be a part of it.
I then arrived home and found out that I have been shortlisted for Company Magazine's Style Blogger Awards under 'Best Teen Style Blog.' I know I've been going on about it for ages but to actually be shortlisted out of so many amazing blogs is such a big deal for me - and I can't thank you all enough for voting and making it a reality for me. Voting (to actually win this time) is now open, and so you can vote here for me (and all the other categories, mine is about 8th) or you can click the image in my sidebar. I really appreciate the support!

Anyway, last weekend I went to a local vintage fair to take a little break from revising. It was so nice to get out of the house, and obviously even nicer to spend the time surrounded by cute, kitschy vintage finds. I was surprised at just how nice everything was - small fairs like these are usually more like jumble sales, with people just selling old Marks and Spencer shirts from last year's sales. This one was much more impressive; although small, the old community church hall was packed with stall upon stall of quirky pieces, each one overflowing with antique frames, teetering towers of yellowing books, jewellery spilling like water out of novelty china teapots. Even the clothes on sale were well selected...authentic 60s, 70s and 80s pieces were displayed alongside matching accessories and era-appropriate vinyls. The clothes were not as cheap as I would have liked - but the pieces on sale were really worth it.

My obsession with secondhand and vintage books is spiralling out of control. There is something just so exciting about reading something old; it's like reading two stories, the one actually in the book, and the one about the book...who owned it, if they liked it and so on. I also love children's books from the 40s, 50s and 60s, as they just express such a idyllic representation of childhood, with the characters running free, exploring and discovering things without the need of the technology the younger generation has today. I'm not one to dismiss technology - I'm a user of social media and the internet and appreciate how useful they are, however I do feel that there is a time and a place...I think very young children should maybe be exposed to more first-hand experiences and books to encourage linguistic development, instead of just an iPad App.

It took a lot of self restraint to not buy all of the teacups and plate sets on sale...I absolutely love matching vintage china and kitchenware, but if I'm not careful not only will I be completely skint but I will also not have any more space, as there are already a good few lingering about on the various shelves and surface tops in my room.

I wore my favourite black velvet trousers from Beyond Retro. I love the sort of loose Levi 501 shape, especially as they're high waisted (absolute best thing). I wore them with a black top from H&M, embroidered cardigan from Asos marketplace, waistcoat from To Be Worn Again, belt from Blitz, socks from Topshop and shoes from Rokit. The necklace belonged to my Mum.

I bought the coolest patterned shirt/jacket...I am obsessed with orange (if you follow my instagram, you'll probably have already noticed). I also got two cute frames for my little workspace in the spare room, and a book to add to my growing collection. I like the way they all look good together.
Anyway, here are a few quick pictures of today's The Flintstone's fancy dress - I wore a top and jumper from New Look with a super cute tennis skirt from Beyond Retro. I ordered them so last minute and the fact they all arrived in time was amazing.

Thank you so much for supporting me with the Company awards...if you do have a moment to vote, it would be much appreciated!
Hope you have a good weekend (and good luck to everyone doing exams!)

Ellie xo