Winter Haul & Becoming a More Conscious Shopper

Some of the first blog posts that I ever wrote for my blog were haul posts. I used to share what I had been buying in the hope that you might find inspiration from my items to buy yourself or someone else a little treat. They were simple, honest and I loved hearing what you thought of my new bits & pieces. With that in mind as I sat down to write this week’s post, I began to think about my recent shopping habits and about how I’ve been really trying to be more conscious with what I’m buying. From my ponderings I concluded that now was the perfect time to bring back the haul posts. Why? Partly because I love sharing what I’ve been buying and loving with you guys, but also so that you can see what I am choosing to buy & why – and you can also hold me a bit accountable, writing these posts definitely makes me think about my shopping choices (yes, there is a Primark purchase in the mix and, no, I’m not proud of that!).

So, there we go. The haul is back and for the reasons I’ve just talked about, I think it is more relevant than ever. Let’s see what I’ve been buying…

The first thing I wanted to talk about is my growing love of accessories. For a long time I wasn’t really one to accessorise, the most you’d get from me would be a necklace, sometimes a watch and maybe on the odd day a ring too (I know I really pushed the boat out there). However, recently I have started to realise that using accessories doesn’t have to be weird and tacky, a belief that for some reason I used to have, and that they can really make a cool outfit more special and even help you to stand out. With that said this haul features some beautiful vintage, clip-on hoop earrings, which I picked up at a local Christmas earlier in December, and the dreaded Primark purchase, this gorgeous velvet, leopard print headband.

I have previously had a few pairs of clip on earrings, but this pair are far more appropriate for the everyday and I know that I will get a lot of wear out of them, at least until I grow the balls to have my ears pierced properly! I picked up the hairband at one of my local Primark stores and it is the first purchase that I have made there for at least a month, since I watched Stacey Dooley’s documentary about how harmful fast fashion can be. I hope that it will be one of my last purchases there & that I can exercise a bit more self control next time. If you are after a similar style of headband I’d urge you to visit an independent shop like Rock N Rose, or Etsy, both of which have plenty of great sustainable alternatives to this piece.

From headbands to hair combs, this little beauty crept into my basket when I was visiting Tiger a few weeks ago. It is pink, brown & gold tortoiseshell in pattern and is almost pearlescent in finish. It is perfect for keeping in my bag to sort out my fringe on windy days.

Earlier in the year I went to see Florence & The Machine and if you read my recent post about the gig, then you will know that I adored it more than anything. I’m not normally one to be sucked into an impulse t-shirt purchase at a concert, but when I saw this gorgeous artsy teatowel (yes, teatowel) with the title of one of my favourite Florence songs, The End of Love, I knew I had to have it. This may sound odd, but I hope to frame it as a momento of an amazing evening and I think it is going to look pretty cool.

Another flowery item that I picked up, at the same Christmas Craft fair as the clip on earrings, was this beautiful original card by Nevil Road Designs. I adore collage art and so when I saw this I knew I had to have it. It is such an individual design and one that I know  I could send to so many people for so many different occassions.

There are also a few things that I have forgotten to feature in these pictures, including a gorgeous stone beige trench coat that I bought in the sale in TKMaxx. It is such a timeless piece and after looking for one for a long time, I knew that when this one from Noisy May caught my eye I had to buy it. I’m sure it will be coming to an outfit post near you very soon.

Continuing on the theme of clothing, I also picked up this gorgeous burnt orange, velvet dress in one of my local charity shops. It was a real steal and I just couldn’t leave it, it is floor length and SO well made. When I got home & tried it on, I decided that it didn’t really suit me, which was such a shame. It is still beautiful though and I have put it up on depop (@theartofbeingholly) to find it a new home with someone who will be able to pull it off!

I really hope you enjoyed my haul and that you can see that I am making an effort to be more conscious about what I am buying, why I’m buying it and where it has come from. I know I still have a long way to go with that, and that it might be tough to transition away from buying from all of the big stores doing harm, but I am excited to see where the journey takes me and I hope you will come along.

If you have any tips on making the switch to becoming a conscious shopper, then I’d love to hear them! I think we could all use the help!