How to: Rockpooling

Here are some top tips about successful and safe rockpooling on a North East beach.

Firstly-make sure you dress appropriately!

Shorts are best, or leggings that can be rolled up as you never know how far you'll want to go into the water. Take a jumper for your top half though; it is England after all! 

Bare feet are the best for rockpooling - feet are the hands of the legs. This means they have much more grip than you might think! You can cling onto those rocks much better in bare feet than in your flip flops

Be careful when you're climbing on seaweed or wet rocks, they can be slippy!

This is (I think) Bladder Rack. This one is very slippy even when it looks fairly dry!

This one is softer on your feet and generally not as slippy, I always stand on this one where possible.

How to find stuff!

I always check in small corner areas of pools like this, small animals often tuck themselves away here.

Pool with lots of rocks in them are good too, there might be creatures under there.

My top tip is to lift up any large rocks that you can manage, if there is anything hiding underneath it will dart out and you'll be able to see it and maybe even pick it up!) If you don't want to put your hands into the pool, use a long strong stick to turn stones over and move them out of the way, e.g the handle of a fishing net.

I liked this little area that I found today, it looked like a theatre curtain on a stage!

But sadly there was nothing hiding there :(

What you might find

A sea anemone with its wiggly bits out!

A bird having a swim in his own private pool

I found lots of crabs today (one was really big!) but unfortunately they were all dead ones that had been washed up by the tide. I found this pretty big crab claw too.

Amazing shapes and patterns that the sea has created on the stones!

A little mermaid...

Oh no, they were just posts with seaweed on them!

A shy sea snail who didn't want to come out for a photo

Amazing patterns on rocks, I think this might be made by mussels sticking to the rock and then being pulled away?

Bonuses of the beach

This type of seaweed makes an excellent Lion tail, and is also great to chase people with!

Free natural foot ex-foliation!

Make sure you end the day right!

This is the Rendevous Cafe - gem of the north east coast, which was recently on a bank advert (I can't remember which one). I have been coming here since I was born. You cannot visit this beach without also visiting the rendevous (I'm pretty sure that's now an actual law).

Oh no...melty!  O_O'

Finally...

I love the feeling of sand on my feet. Top tip- don't bother brushing it off with a towel, it never works anyway and you ruin the magic of the beach.

Heading home! 

Thanks for reading, have a great summer!

THRIFTED DAISY DRESS - OUTFIT

Today I am wearing my new daisy print dress that I got yesterday from a charity shop. It's so cute and has buttons up the front. Cost: £3.99

I also got my loafers from a charity shop a couple of summers ago. 

I love my backpack satchel so much! I've wanted one since I saw Hairspray and Amanda Bynes' character had one! Also, since I saw the Cambridge Satchel advert where the Mum says "They don't make them like this anymore," and the daughter encourages her to start making them and then the mum builds a whole company based on that conversation but fails to actually make any backpack satchels -.- 

I finally found one on eBay last year and it's great because you can unclip the straps and change them so that it can be worn as a backpack or a messenger bag.

This is my 'going for a meal with family - must look nice' outfit. 

I hope there's lasagne or pie where we're going!

(Luckily the dress has an elasticated waistband!)

Thanks for reading!

The Weekend in Pictures

Here is a photographic account of my weekend.

This weekend I have been staying at my Dad's house.

Friday

On Friday:

I wore my new jumper that I got from Small Change, the vintage shop (see previous post)

I did ridiculous selfie faces.

I met my Dad in the afternoon and went over to his house.

Saturday

On Saturday:

I wore my new purple shorts which I found at a charity shop- win! 

Click here to see what else I thrifted!

But I had to use my little brother's belt to keep them up when I discovered I had no belts at my Dad's house; fail.

The weather was amazing! Which was good as I was helping out at my brother's school fair. (I was running the children's tombola!)

Unfortunately the lovely (and unexpected) weather led to me getting this ridiculous farmer's sunburn -.-

My Dad found my old gardening gloves when he was tidying out the shed! I couldn't even get y fingers into these now! Strangely we didn't even have a garden when my Nan bought me these...

My brother made me a loom band. MY FIRST LOOM BAND! 

I was very sleepy after the fair (and being out in the midday heat- slowly melting away) so I had a little lie down and started reading Caitlin Moran's book which I've been meaning to start since Christmas! 

I was laughing out loud (or 'lol-ing') after two pages!

I rediscovered these sandals in my wardrobe which I thought I would bring back into use seeing as Birkenstocks are now 'cool' instead of only being something the socks and sandals generation wears (over their socks).

I got a bit dressed up to go next door for what I was told was a 'chef night'. My curiosity, and the temptation of free food, persuaded me to go along.

It turned out our neighbour was hosting a Pampered Chef party, which I hadn't heard of before but it turns out is the kitchen version of an Avon party. We got shown how to make a risotto using the Pampered Chef products and then we all got to try some. It was delicious! Cherizo and sun dried tomatoes, which isn't one I had had before. I'm going to add it to my list of make-able risottos though! We also got some devil's food chocolate cake with fudge sauce which was gorgeous ^-^

Thanks for reading! oxox

'Small Change: The Newcastle Vintage Shop' Haul

Yesterday I went to Small Change vintage shop for the first time and it was lush! ^_^
My new favourite vintage shop! They have really low prices and so much stock to rummage through!
 Check them out on facebook: Small Change: The Newcastle Vintage Shop

What I bought:

Golfer print tapestry bag - £5

This is so cute, I love golf themed stuff, it reminds me of my Grandad.

Towel material jumper - £3

I'm wearing this today! So soft! There were loads of jumpers for £3 (long sleeved) and £2 (short sleeved) absolute bargain! 

Children's Christmas jumper - £1

This is the cutest thing! I had to get it, even though I'm not sure who's going to wear it. 

Children's knitted skirt - £1

Same with this little matching skirt! I thought this and the jumper would make such a cute little outfit together. 

Pink velvet top - £2

I can't wait to wear this with some high waisted denim shorts or mom jeans. I love the little tie at the bottom. 

Harley Davidson vest - £1

I love the studded detail on this! Small Change had a big selection of Harley Davidson tops, all £1 each!

Vintage shirt - £2

Thin summer vest. I'm going to wear this with high waisted denim shorts or black tube pants.

Bird patterned collar sweatshirt - £5

Small Change had a huge range of animal print sweatshirts all £5 each! I love this one because of the attached collar.

Total Spend: £20

Can't believe how much I got for my money when normally you would be paying £20 for just one vintage item! There's so much to look at too, me and my Mum spent 50 minutes there checking out all the stock!

Definitely worth a visit

Make sure you check out their vintage Barbies too, they'll bring back some memories!

Thanks for reading oxox

Charity Shop Haul - Shorts

I went round my local charity shops recently and I scored big on shorts! Originally I thought I might add some of these to my etsy shop: RosieBits but I decided because it's summer I would be greedy and keep them all for myself!

 ^_^

Amazing shorts - details:

Vintage Velour Fred Perry shorts - £3.49

I was so excited when I saw the little laurel leaf on these! I was searching through the swimwear and sportswear to see if there was anything cute and retro to add to my shop when I found these! 

I love Fred Perry stuff, especially when you find it at a bargain price on eBay or in charity shops.

Vintage Green&Blue Check shorts - £2.99

I love these ones! I think they're my favourite out of everything I got. They're a bit high waisted and I love the button fly on them. They're also a nice stretchy sort of denim material which makes them comfy to wear because they don't press on your tummy when you're bloated :') I can't wait to wear these with a cute denim coat and white plimsolls.

Vintage Black&White Gingham shorts - £2.99

I got these in the same shop as the previous pair and I wonder if they were donated by the same person? This pair is also high waisted and I like them because they're not only wearable in the summer. They'll also look good with tights and boots when it gets colder. Cute!

Purple denim Frayed Hem shorts - £2.99

These shorts also came from the same shop as the previous two pairs. I love this pair for summer, the colour is so nice! I already have a pair of lilac shorts but they're a bit tight on me now so I'm really pleased I found these to replace them. They're actually a nicer pair than the ones I already have because they're high waisted. I might get my boyfriend, who is a great artist(!), to draw Lumpy Space Princess on these ones. I'm still deciding though :')

I'm so pleased I got such a good haul as charity shops are often a bit disappointing these days :( 

Instagram gives me too higher expectations of all the treasures I'm going to find! 

I have to say though the three high waisted pairs are pretty amazing, I think. They remind me of Baby from Dirty Dancing before she gets too sexy and into dancing, but when she first arrives and it just chilling in her general holiday clothes. All I need now is some white plimms and a watermelon!

Let me know what you think of my finds! 

Thanks for reading oxox

TROPICAL MIX - outfit post

Here's another outfit from while I was in Spain!

Watermelon Crop top - H&M - £3.99 this season!

Aztec print shorts - Primark 

Banana beach bag - H&M - &7.99 this season!

I am loving all the fruit themed stuff that's out this summer! Can you tell?

I think H&M get their best stock in during the summer too, I treated myself to a load of stuff from there before I went to Spain. 

The banana bag is great, it was the perfect size for carrying my towel and all my day to day stuff down to the beach. It fastens with a magnetic clasp too which makes it more secure.

I'm so in love with the watermelon top too, I just want to wear it every day for the whole summer! 

I definitely recommend H&M for holiday clothes this year

Thanks for reading oxox

How To: Be Market Ready

Planning on doing a car boot sale or market? Want to make the most of the day and improve your stall? Then read on for handy tips on how to be 'market ready'!
I do markets and table top sales fairly often and I've learnt (often the hard way) some tricks of the trade.

What to wear:
Check the weather forecast the day before and use this as a rough guide but DON'T take it as the gospel truth! Especially if you will be out of doors and not under some sort of cover.
Try to wear layers that you can add to or take of depending on how the weather changes through out the day. Take a pack-a-mac if you are going to be outside and there is any chance of rain. Wearing leggings under your trousers is very handy to add a bit of warmth, gloves and ear muffs are very useful too. Make sure the gloves are fingerless though so you can still give people their change!
I usually take sunglasses if I'm going to be outside because I don't want to be squinting at my customers.

What to take:
Make sure you have a 'float' so that you can give people change. I find £25 is the perfect amount. Make sure this includes a mix of £1 coins, 50pences, 20pences, 10pences and a maximum of one £5 note. If you are going to be doing a lot of markets always keep this money together in a box so you know you have it ready, rather than having to get it out of your purse. I keep my float in a 'lock and seal' tupperware box but bum-bags are also good as it means the money is on your body which keeps it safe.
If you are planning on putting up signs or price labels make sure you take scissors, sellotape or bluetack and a pen in case you need to make adjustments to them.
REMEMBER - take plastic bags to offer your customers!
I always take a packed lunch and a drink with me as burger vans or food stalls at car boots/markets are often expensive! However it is worth investing in a hot drink if you are working on a cold day. This can really make a difference and warm you up! Also handy for this, if you have them, are 'hand warmers'. These are small gel packets that, when activated, heat up and can be used to warm your hands or even tucked up your top! Hand warmers are not expensive and can be re-used.
You also need to decide whether you want to take a chair or not. Consider how long the car boot/market is on for and whether you easily get a bad back or legs from standing for long periods of time. If you do take a chair I would recommend a picnic/camping chair that folds up and goes into a bag with a carrying strap.

Storing, carrying and displaying your stock:
This is really up to you- you can pack your stock in boxes or bags. The advantage of boxes is that they can be neatly stacked and stored at your house. But the advantage of bags is that it's easier to carry them from your car to where your stall is. Personally I prefer bags. It is also handy to take some small-ish boxes and plates or trays to display jewellery and other small items on. I use 'glossy box' boxes, they're a really good size for packing with jewellery!

Getting home:
My advice for when you get home is to put the kettle on, make your favourite drink, relax on the settee and count up your earnings! ;)
I often have a bath after doing a market because I'm achey from carrying the stock and sitting in the same chair all day!

Thanks for reading! I wish you all lots of luck and hope you make lots of money! oxox