You don't need deep pockets to buy designer or ethical goods

It feels like everything is costing more and more and the idea of buying a nice outfit for summer is enough to cause me to break out in a sweat. I don't want to compromise on quality, style or ethics but having kids means I am like most people on a tight budget. There are however plenty of options that allow you to purchase those wanted threads but at an affordable price which means less compromise. Here are my top tips on being able to dress with style as half the price. 1. Charity Shop Finds There is absolutely nothing wrong with shopping at charity shops in the run-up to the seasons changing, in fact it;s incredibly ethical way to purchase clothes as you can find lots of never worn or hardly worn clothes for a massively discounted price as well as stop them going to landfill and give them a new lease of life. I come across some amazing finds over the years from high street and designer brands that would otherwise be out of my price range and I, in fact, have a jacket f......

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#RidiculousPossibilities with TK Maxx Outdoors

Readers of my blog will probably know three things about my little family – we love spending time outdoors, we embrace the unexpected and we are always up for a fun and exciting challenge so when TK Maxx asked us to pop in store last week and check out their latest delivery of outdoor equipment and make this bank holiday an adventurous one, we jumped at the chance. I have been both a fan and customer of TK Maxx for many years as I love that you never know what you’re going to find and you have to approach any shopping trip like a treasure hunt and allow yourself to be open to the idea of Ridiculous Possibilities. The great thing is the stock is always changing as each store gets several deliveries throughout the week. What we picked up last week would be completely different from what’s in store today, so if you see something you love, grab it because once it's gone, it's gone and I have made that mistake more than once in my life. We had not been told exactly ......

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Doing our bit for Red Nose Day

So being from South Africa and seeing poverty first hand I know how important charities like Comic Relief and Red Nose day can be. In fact I have fond memories of red nose day in South Africa, I would bug my mother for ages for a red nose and one to fit on the car as well. I usually would do a 5km sponsored walk from around the age of 9 yrs old till I was into high-school - this was something organised locally to me every year. Now however times are hard for everyone, with the UK still deep in recession and the cost of living soaring it can be hard to be as generous as before, but there are still loads of ways to support the charity. Little Mr A and I doing our bit :) If you read Side Street you'd know that we support various charities and campaigns in whatever way we can - be this through helping promote campaigns, donating a small amount ourselves or getting involved with events. With Red Nose Day this year I have tried to make it practical and fun for all of us without u......

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Thrifty Fashion Tips

Wearing a vintage handed down Gerard Darel Jacket and thift store satchel bag I don't know about you but there feels like there is a bit of a change in the air with regards to our already fragile economic climate, just as things were starting to look up and then in the past week both Jessops, HMV and Blockbuster have gone into administration, putting a lot of young peoples jobs in jepody. This reminds me even more to be thrifty and economical when it comes to clothes shopping. I have always been a cautious and I always try buy fewer but quality items rather than cheap one season trend purchases. I am also lucky that my mother happens to be a very stylish and chic lady and we are pretty much the same top size so I am always thrilled when I get something passed down to me from her. I have a few key tips I use when shopping 1. Do I really need it, am I going to wear it - this is a question we all need to ask ourselves, everyone likes to keep up to date and fresh with each se......

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Goodbye 2012

It's been a good year....at times it didn't feel that way and when your in it it can be hard to see how much you have done but on reflection we crammed a lot into one year. It's been full of highs and lows and lots of change - in fact big changes - we sold our house and moved closer to the city, we are only renting at the moment and are on the look out for our new home, John has also settled into his second year of his new job and it's also the year little Mr A learned to talk and everyday we are learning more and more about our little man. 10 Amazing things that happened to Side Street Style this year 1. We moved home 2. Mr A turned 2 3. Laura shot the Cardiff Treasure seekers street segment for TK Maxx 4. Our blog was featured in Cardiff Life magazine 5. John finally got his Russian Doll tattoo 6. We were invited to the Guess Watches blogger launch in London - it was amazing 7. We went family Glamping in Cornwall 8. Had an amazing short break in......

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Making a house a home

For those who don't know we are in the process of selling/moving and all that stressful jazz. Emotionally I have already moved and I cannot help but keep picking up little bits and bobs for the new house and when I saw this simple and smooth fruit bowl I had to get it...I love well designed natural products. ...

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