Charity Shop Found Outfit

As I said, Here are my charity shop finds! A Topshop Grey Spotty Dress, Think that was abou £5.50!
Fringed Boots, They were even cheaper at £4, Rucksack, £5 and the biggest Bargain, Brand New Coat, Tags on saying £65, I paid £8!! And no one would have thought my whole outfit was so cheap.

Blogging

Remember to have a look at the Shop Blog
Oxfam Stowmarket Blog
To keep up with the latest shop news and how it is all going!

Charity Shop Queen....Apparently

My boyfriend always calls me the queen of charity shops, because he think thats basically where I get all my clothes from. And I have to aggree with that. Yesterday when my Grandma was asking about my outfit and where I got my dress from, I said ooh, a charity shop but it is a Topshop dress. She was impressed, like me she has a passion for a bargain and an even bigger passion for shopping (Think its genetic). Then I realised nearly my whole outfit I got second hand from charity shops or off e-bay or in a sale of some description. I probably only paid £20 for the most expencive thing I was wearing. I got great pleasure in anouncing to the family and probably the whole restaraunt about my bargains!
This just proves you can literally live off second hand clothing, And I will be posting pictures of my fab charity shop and e-bay finds on here to share with you.

Some of the new stock! And some of my Faves!

Long Long Day

Being the mad woman that I am, decided to get to work for 8.30am, why, well I dont even know that one. I took the shop keys home by mistake, so had to get up at the crack of dawn to be the first person in! This does always work in my favor, I have an extra half hour to crack on with any tidying or organising from the previous day.

Am finally sitting down relaxing with a nice glass of wine, watching one of those house programmes with my mum, Not the way as a student I was used to spending my Tuesday evenings, Sitting at a bar was more like it, But these long days and even longer weeks have taken their toll, Now leave those type of evenings to the weekend where I can lie in bed untill lunchtime!

But this is not a complaint about my work, I love it! Have been incredibly busy organising the New Fair Trade products that we sell over christmas, Using my design talent, co-ordinating the visual merchandising of the products.

I was in my element, Not just being in charge, But being able to use my passion for merchandising and visual design in a retail envoronment! I try my upmost to pull our shop out of that charity shop haze, a haze of judgement of what people think traditionally of a charity shop, cheap and cluttered, possibly smelly too! I want the shop to look professional, be proffesional, To make money as a buisness and make money as a charity, while being fair to the customers.

I have the rest of the week to look forward to, Currently trying to get in touch with a man who can hekp me set up a market stall, Will keep posted on that!

Visual Merchandising

 Working at Oxfam Stowmarket gives me the freedom to try out my Visual Merchandising Skills and Try to Promote our stock. I moved the Scarfs around, This is where the necklaces used to be but since they have been switched, Three scarfs were sold in just a few hours, This Display is Colourful and attractive, appealing to the customers to brighten up these dull Autumn days!

At the moment we have a bag sale on, all marked sale bags are £1.99, This is a great way to clear old stock to make way for new fresh stock between seasons.

 When the shop first opened I used to display the jewelery like this, but when I went away back to University it somehow became pushed to one side and ignored, thus the customer ignoring it too! The display will help impulse buying while the customers are browsing at other things.

 This is our shoe corner, consisting of a wall and a free standing unit we can more around. This means the shoes can be hung on the wall or sit on a shelf, or On the unit. The shoes are part of out accesorie category and this is the part of the shop which I want to improve sales on.

 Hangers are used in the windows, I used this idea once and since everyone has liked it and it has been a perminant thing, However over time the windows should change, I feel I need to re think the space and do something completley different.

 We tend to mix some homewears and the clothing together, using the same colour.

 Recently having had a mass of donations of beauty and health, So bubble bath sets, lots of candles, even one of those funky themometers. I have created a section due to the lack of glass wear out I could do this.

Doing the Visual merchandising at Oxfam is Great, So much freedom and very much enjoyable!

Huge Thank you!

Thank you for all of the amazing page views! More to come I hope!

Paralympics

A Huge Round of Applause for the End of the paralympics, 75 countries Oxfam works in took part! And what a closing ceremony!

The end of my first week

So it is the end of my first week at Oxfam Stowmarket and as I settle down in front of the Paralympics with a nice glass of wine, I have the urge to address my Oxfam loving audience

You may be thinking, But its Thursday, Yes, I am taking a nice long weekend, naughty naughty

However, coming from getting up at lunchtime most days and bumbling around, galavanting off around the country, typical student on Summer leave, going to getting up at 7am every day, well try 8.30am maybe

I have had a wonderfull week, I have even met some volunteers I have never met before, and volunteers that I have repeatadly

Been writing up a new volunteer guide

Apparently it is very comprehensive

So all in all it has been a progressive and good week

Taking on Managerial duties in my stride, I am ever so glad most of the volunteers respect me in my new position, and want to thank them all

I have a nice feeling about this next 12 months!

Working at Oxfam

Visit my Oxfam Blog at

www.oxfamstowmarket.blogspot.co.uk/

Or on Facebook

www.facebook.com/OxfamStowmarket

  Been Experimenting with Photography

and Flowers

How far I have come since then...

 Have been browsing my files on my laptop while I am not at University and thinking how much I have learnt and how far I have come as well as the whole class of 2010.

These first pictures are from a Marketing and Promotion project, where I learnt what I want to do for the rest of my University time.

I designed and made headbands, then created packaging and promotion publications for my brand.

From then onwards I have Followed the route of Marketing, Promotion and Visual Merchandising, Which I  hope to begin a carrer in after university.

These were the final Designs, Products and Promotions.

 

Looking back to the first ever few thing I made at University, A Shoe inspired by Print and a Dress which took a painsteakingly long time to sew together!

 These follwoing photographs are of the end of year fashion show which was when I was a First year student, It was on location in an airport hanger under a huge aeroplane. Was a chuffing cold day and I was a dresser for the models who were cold with blue lips, however the fashion show went off without a hitch and my garment went down the run way perfectly.

This was my Garment, Inspired by Sculpture, created from bright yellow plastic, what you would use to make a rain mac with. I took some photos on location at yorkshire sculpture park where I initially gained the inspiration.

 My Illustration/design of the garment.

After looking at My work I can asses my plans for my third year and what are my strengths and weaknesses.