Mariella Maguire

February 26, 2019February 27, 2019

Best places for cheap furniture in Glasgow

I’ll cut to the chase and give you the answers now.

Charity shops
The Barrowlands market

My flat came partly furnished, just enough for it to function but not enough for a self proclaimed homeware hoarder like myself.

I enjoy nothing more than looking on made.com at their beautiful new in section and dreaming of the day I can furnish my own home just the way I want it.

Two of my favourite pieces of furniture I found came at under £50 ! Both second hand and a nightmare to get back to my flat and up three flights of stairs but both worth it!

This glass table was from the Barrowlands market and cost me £25, it works perfectly as a bar cart and is great quality. Way more affordable than all the ones I had been looking at online such as this one from Oliver Bonas.

The next best piece of furniture was found at a Charity shop near Partick. At £30 I couldn’t believe the price of this table and neither can anyone else I show it to. The only small catch was trying to get an Uber to let me take it up the road in! It has a couple tiles missing at the side but nothing a bit of super glue won’t fix.

table

February 21, 2019February 27, 2019

Top 3 Cheap Homeware Pieces of the Month

As we are about to come into March, the start of spring is (hopefully) on it’s way. At this time of year I enjoy nothing more than a spring clean and a refresh of my bedroom.

Although I am a student and on a student budget (unfortunately) so I gave my self a limit of £20 to by a couple new pieces for my room.

The first piece I found was such a bargain, and I wasn’t even looking for home stuff at the time. In fact I was in to get some cleaning supplies in Poundland and came across this zebra trinket dish. And yes! It was only £1!

I refuse to listen to anyone who says this doesn’t look like something you could find in Oliver Bonas .

zebra

The next piece was from Flying Tiger, one of my favourite shops. You can get EVERYTHING there! Candles,soap,pet toys, glassware, sweets! They have so much stock and at great prices. With spring in mind I wanted some fake flowers ( let’s not pretend I can keep real ones alive) to make the place look, well, more spring like.

I managed to pick these up at £2 a bunch, I bought three to give maximum effect.

blossoms tiger

The last last thing I found was a floral wall hanging from Primark, this was £4.50, in my opinion a bit expensive for what it is and for primark, but it really looks lovely positioned above a bed.

primark galrand

In all I spent £11.50 just over half of my budget and I am really happy with the results.

February 16, 2019February 27, 2019

Embellished shoe trend on a budget

We have seen loads of embellished shoes all over the cat walk from the likes of Gucci and Mui Mui these eye grabbing shoes have really taken over.

Covered in rhinestones, pearls, feathers , embroidery anything goes in this footwear trend, and it seems to be the more the better.

Whether they are completely covered in crystals or just a small embellished detail these heels come with a hefty price tag one of my favourites being upwards of £600!

And even the high street alternatives can cost from £50-£80 which is still a lot of money.

Here are some budget friendly options I have found, they may include a lot of hunting and some DIY but it is worth it.

Ah trusty Primark, back at it again with a designer knock off. I love these blue satin heels the flowers on them are so fun and they were only £14, they would be the perfect shoe for a wedding with their chunky sole you could dance all night!

primark blue shoes

Look for faults, some shops will give you discount or reduce their items greatly if they are not perfect apart from one missing pearl these were in great condition but reduced to £6 in TKmaxx due to the fault, and if you are handy with a needle and thread they are no problem to fix.

pearl shoes

The fluffy pair of shoes in this image I made myself for my sister as she couldn’t find shoes to match her dress for our cousins wedding, I got a plain pair of heels from a charity shop then picked the marabou feathers that would match at our local haberdashers.

Here is the tutorial I followed to get the effect

two shoes

January 28, 2019February 27, 2019

Best Vegan Cafe in Glasgow

Located on 380 Great Western road Serenity Now cafe is not only lovely to look at with its vibrant mint green exterior and pastel interior it really is one of the most aesthetically pleasing cafe’s I have came across.

I ordered the vegan blueberry pancakes as part of the vegan-uary challenge, in which you challenge yourself to have a vegan diet over the month of January.

pancakes vegan

If I am being honest I was prepared not to enjoy these pancakes, but wanted to explore some more exciting vegan options and recreate the food I would usually be eating.

To my surprise they were delicious, they were packed full of blueberries and came with maple syrup and some sort of sweet yogurt. They also had a vegan chocolate option that I will be going back to try as these were so tasty!

In order to recreate this at home I went on to YouTube to find some simple recipes I could attempt at home. This one is my favourite so far, and to make them more like the cafe’s I added heaps of blueberries and maple syrup, I also had them with raspberry jam which was the perfect snack.

I got all of the ingredients for my pancakes at my local Morrison’s and was able to feed all my flat mates with these great pancakes.

A common misconception about trying a vegan diet is that it’s very expensive, this is true if you were to eat out all the time, however, that is the same with a non- vegan diet.

I will be going back to Serenity Now again for sure ! But will be making my own vegan pancakes when i’m trying to budget.

January 24, 2019February 27, 2019

Budget Gallery Wall

One of the funnest trends in interiors right now is the Gallery wall. Whether it be a collection of prints or personal photos it brings a lot of life into any space.

At first I found the idea impossible for me to achieve as I live in rented accommodation I am not allowed to leave marks in the wall so I would have no way to hang the images.

The second hurdle was the cost of the prints, they can be so expensive! I was prepared for this at first, and as an art lover I appreciate the craft and all the time an effort it takes, but as I was mentally adding up all the prints I would need for the desired effect I decided I would rather eat that month than adorn my walls.

But overtime I’ve managed to crack it.

Renter friendly? Check.

Purse friendly? Check.

Really great backdrop for instagram photos? Check.

The biggest hurdle for me was getting the frames on the wall (as I previously mentioned the problem with nails and renting a flat). That is when I decided to try command strips and I was amazed by the results !

However this is also due to the fact I purchased plastic frames from IKEA they were light-weight and cheap so they were perfect for the strips to hold. Command strips leave no marks in the wall and can be used for a multitude of things. How to use Command strips.

Then when it came to the Art work I found some great sellers on Etsy that sold great pieces for affordable prices, it was nice to know the piece wasn’t mass produced and that you were supporting local creators. I also used personal things like postcards and magazine clippings.

January 5, 2019February 27, 2019

My 3 Fashion Favourites of the month

The resin earring trend

This is such an easy trend to get on-board with, resin earrings are everywhere and still going strong way into the new year. These earrings make a change from the usual statement earring as they are light-weight and friendly on the lugs!

I’ve been buying all of mine from Primark and I personally believe they have the best variety in shape and colour out there.

Patterned tights

Patterned tights are having a huge comeback and I couldn’t be happier. We can finally say goodbye to bare-legs as Scottish winter definitely does not end in March. This is such a great way to stay trendy and cozy. The return of this trend could of been predicted after the revival of fishnets in SS17 that kept going strong way into 2018. One of the best places to see a variety of patterned tights would be ASOS. But, if like me you are on a budget I would try TK.Maxx. They have some great brands such as Wolford and Falkes at a discounted price, I would personally go with this option as these tights in my experience last longer and do not ladder as easy.

tights

Satin Skirts

The last fashion piece I am loving this month is the satin midi skirt. I found this lovely watercolour effect leopard print skirt in Primark and it has become a staple for me. It’s so easy to dress down with a chunky knit and trainers, or dress up with a lace top or blouse and heels. Not to mention this £13 skirt is an great replica of the Relisation Par skrit that costs a huge $180.

skirt 2 — Skirt- Primark, Bag – Topshop, T-shirt – Charity shop

December 14, 2018February 27, 2019

No fuss up-cycling

The idea of giving a piece of furniture a new lease of life or turning your old t-shirts into works of art is always an exciting idea, but most of the time it stays like that, just an idea.

Once you’ve researched where to find the materials needed and calculated the time it will take you its pretty easy to say f**k it and go buy the real thing.

Furniture and home ware is my personal weakness. I spend hours looking at the new in section on anthropologie debating if the £20 cereal bowl is necessary for my £1 chicken noodles.

Here are some of the ways I have tried to do-up my student digs with minimal effort and money.

Go to your local Charity shops! I have picked up many great pieces of furniture from charity shops over the years, and with a bit of imagination and my favorite spray paint I have been over the moon with the results.

This dressing table was £30 at my local Barnardo’s and the spray paint was £7. This is probably one of the more pricey up cycling projects i have done but i was amazed and what a little bit of gold spray paint could do! WARNING KEEP YOUR WINDOWS OPEN IF SPRAY PAINTING IN DOORS

December 13, 2018February 27, 2019

The best high-street dupe for the initial necklace

One of the biggest jewelry trends for late AW18/19 is the initial necklace celine

being one of the first designer brands releasing this now extremely coveted piece.

With fashion bloggers and celebrities such a Rosie Huntington-Whiteley papped numerous times wearing the piece.

The beautiful initial necklace is made out of brass with a gold bamboo like effect on the metal.

Bamboo and personal touches on clothing also being a huge trend for the upcoming season.

So sounds great right, where can I get one? Well that depends, do you want to waste a huge chunk of your student loan on a brass necklace? Didn’t think so, as these necklaces come in at an enormous price varying depending on size and material, even on the resale market they can be upwards of £700.

However I believe I have found the cheapest dupe possible.

*drum-roll*

Here we have two contenders, the first one being the Topshop dupe. I like this one as it has a really great weight to it and a longer chain. This piece comes in at £10, which isn’t too bad for the quality of it.

big initial neckalce

And secondly we have the bargain of the century. From the old faithful primark we have this lovely dupe. Smaller in size but personally, I have found more wearable, it has a lovely texture to it really creating that bamboo effect. This little gem was also only £2! But good luck if your name begins in any other letter than ‘V’ ‘Y’ ‘X’ or ‘Z’ as these are flying off the shelf and it took me a few attempts to find one with my initial.

neckalces

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