Boscombe Vintage Fair

Hello, toasters!
So yesterday, my housemates and I went to Boscombe Vintage Market!


My housemate looking around the Market...
Not sure that E.T. plushie is technically 'vintage'
but oh well...

It was actually recommended to us by our tutors, as for our homework task we needed to find vintage items from different decades- best homework ever, right?!

Despite the annoying bus schedule- there was only one every hour- we made it there in reasonable time and had a good look around.
It wasn't a massive market- probably about 20 stalls in all- but in true Vintage style, every surface was crammed with beautiful wares.
Now when going to a vintage fair, I feel the best way to approach it is similar to how the majority of us approach Primark- the trick is to sort through the crap.
Yes, that blotchy shirt may be from the 1970s, but there's a reason the guy is so desperately trying to sell it to you.
Just because it's old doesn't mean it's fantastic.
However, once you sort through the stuff that was definitely never in fashion, you get some pretty amazing finds.
For example, my housemate found an amazing dress that was an 80s reproduction of a 1950s evening dress- she has no idea where she'll actually be able to wear it, but it still doesn't detract from the fact that it's beautiful and only cost her £35!


My new baby! From now on, EVERYTHING will be
typed, even my shopping list for Lidl.

And I found a beautiful 1950s Princess 300 typewriter in fabulous condition! It came in its original case, which I can lock with a small key (to stop those oh-so-common typewriter thieves we hear about all the time) and it came with a typing course instruction manual which was published in 1963.
I had a quick look through the booklet when I got home, and as well as words that have fallen out of use- such as 'ist'- I found random derogatory racist terms scattered casually through the typing exercises... I just found it funny to imagine a man from 1963 tapping out the N word 10 times over to practice his typing and him not thinking anything of it! Definitely a sign of how the times have changed...
I need to buy some new ribbon, and oil the moving parts, but I am so happy with my find.
When I was little, I used to have a plastic toy typewriter, and I've wanted a proper one for years. I think the lady knew that it would be going to a good home, which also helped me get the price down from £45 to £35!
(The use of the 'I'm a poor student' plea worked wonders too)

The problem is, coming home from the vintage market, I now want to re-style my whole room to have a vintage feel.
The problem is, most of my room uses bright blues and reds, so it would take a little more than my student budget to cover it. (To the left is a scale model version of my student room to give you an idea of how it currently looks)
Also, I don't really dress in a vintage style, so I'd probably feel a little out of place.
So now my problem is this- how can I combine my existing room with new, inexpensive finds to give it an old-fashioned feel?!
I'll have to get back to you on that one...
Sammie
xoxo

My New Haircut!

Hello, toasters!
So today I had my haircut.
I always love going to the hairdressers.
Not so much the trying to stay awake when they're blow-drying your hair oh-so-rhythmically, but the idea that I can try something new.
Take a look at the vlog to see the new style :)

While I didn't want to go for anything too outrageous, I opted for a centre parting, with tousled layers and a fringe that I'm still learning how to see out of.
What do you think of the new cut? Let me know!
Sammie
xoxo

P.S. Don't forget to subscribe! Because then we can be friends and I can make us cookies.
I make good cookies.
Cool.

Five annoying people on holiday & Challenge no.15- Tie Die EVERYTHING

Hi everyone :)
I hope you're enjoying summer so far and the unusually hot British weather! Oh, and Andy Murray winning Wimbledon!
Having just come back from a family holiday in Kos- which was beautiful and sunny and all things a holiday should be- I couldn't help but notice a few people that.... well.... these people grind my gears.
The people that I picked out weren't just the average obnoxious holiday makers, oh no.
These are the people that bring a boombox to the pool and play foreign, low-quality drum and bass while everyone else is trying to relax. These are the people that have dieted for months to skip along the beach in their skimpy bikini saying how fat they are. These are the people that shake their sandy towel out right next to you so that you get a face full of sand!
I don't know what there is to be done about these people (we all know who they are! And if you don't know who I'm talking about, I'm afraid its you) but I decided to record all of my thoughts in a vlog so that all of you sane people headed overseas this summer can identify and avoid these 'human beings'.
So without further ado, here is my list of just Five annoying people encountered on family holidays...

....deep breaths....
Okay, well now I've got all of those frustrations out, I have completed another challenge!
*congratulatory music*
Two of my friends came down to my student house in Bournemouth earlier this year, and we decided that we needed to it was our destiny to become hipsters. As you do.
So we donned our skinniest jeans and our most ironic snapbacks, and drove all the way to Matalan. Recording everything on instagram, obviously.
We bought the cheapest skirts we could, and the loudest dyes we could, and set to it...

 

And here are the results.... TA DAAAAA!

 



We then set off to the Harvester looking like a fabulous Gay Pride brigade, and had a beautiful, reasonably nutritious meal.
I still use my shirt to sleep in (its so comfy!) and tie-dyeing is probably the most fun, unique way of jazzing up old, bland clothing- if you haven't tried it already, I'd definitely recommend that you channel your inner hipster and give it a whirl.
Sammie
xoxo

I've finished my first year!

So it seems I've finished my first year of uni, and it's the summer holidays already... and it's only 4th June?!
I have no idea what I'm going to do for the almost four month break, but I am certain of a few things...

1. I will probably go to quite some length to try and cure my boredom, including the possibility of watching some television series' that raise questions about my cultural tastes.
2. I now have no excuse to comfort eat, like I did when it was getting close to the deadline and everyone sort of lets you off. This said, I did buy 2 pots of Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream (they were on offer!) and had a Chinese last night. Something tells me I may be unhealthy....
3. I will leave my summer project to the last few days. Regardless of the fact that I am actually working on it as we speak, and am interested in it. Because, if we look at the way I've handled previous summer projects (or, in fact any project), I always leave everything until the last possible minute. So, I wish myself luck, but am not setting my expectations too high.

This will also give me a heck of a lot more time, which I can use to get through my list of 101 Ways to Procrastinate :)
 And if you'd like to see what I've been up to the past 2 months, here are some photos of my finished costume....

 

And here is a photo of me (and my friend Cara) wearing our costumes that were made for us! :)

 

 

This project was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see what's in store for next year!

Watch this space, guys and gals

Sammie

xoxo

Let me introduce myself...

First things first, I thought that I had better introduce myself, just so you know you're not spending your time reading the psychopathic ramblings of a nutter. Or are you? (Mwahaha!)

My name is Samantha Louise Lovatt, but I prefer to be called Sammie for short. That's Sammie with an 'ie' at the end. It's fair to say that I get ever so slightly peeved when people write 'Sammy'. I have no idea why, I just hate how the name 'Sammy' looks on paper.

I was born June 23rd, 1994. Not a lot happened in 1994 to be honest (unless you're a big fan of Kurt Cobain) and I was probably not the most interesting human being for the first few years of my life, so I like to think that I matched the times. I mean, the 90s are so.... bland? My friend recently went to a 90s themed party, and the only thing they could think to dress up in was double denim. But think about it.... what the hell did the world actually do for ten whole years style-wise? The 80s were garish, yes, but at least it was something. Oh well, rant over.



As arguably the most memorable dress of the 90s, i've got to say that i'm a little disappointed. Its basically what would now be classed as a horrendously chavvy clubbing outfit.

I've always been into arty stuff- drawing, painting, collaging, trying (and usually failing) to be as good as Neil from Art Attack. I swear some of my stuff came out looking like the talking head had made it... and he doesn't even have any hands!



However, all the years of watching Smart, Art Attack and of course, Fingertips must have paid off though, because now I am a first- year art student at Arts University Bournemouth! I study Costume with Performance Design, which basically covers costume and set design, and the actual making of the costumes. It's a lot of work, but it's also a load of fun.

 

A massive bonus of being at Uni is that i've met so many lovely people- everyone seems to be so friendly and insanely talented. As well as my amazing housemates (and future housemate Beth), I have what I have always wanted- a gay best friend!

 



 

He's absolutely lovely, and hosts amazing Miranda Nights- where we order some beautiful indian food and dedicate a whole evening to the goddess of what-I-call comedy. I'm not going to write too much about his crazy self, in case I get too sentimental and he reads this and then i'll get all embarrassed.

I've also been lucky enough to meet Dan, my boyfriend, who is very sweet and kind, and he makes me laugh a lot which i love!

 

A huge personal goal for me is to become a domestic goddess. So far i've discovered i'm pretty good at tidying up my room (took me 18 years to actually turn on a hoover but oh well, i'm there now), and I'd like to think my cooking is okay. I mean, when I first got to Uni, I literally had pasta every night. Now I cook more complicated things. I think the most adventurous- and successful- i've been is cooking a whole roast dinner for me and Dan, which I got extremely nervous about!

 

So, that's a quick overview of me & my life, and i hope you guys will keep reading as I steadily procrastinate my way through life!

 

Sammie

xoxo