Magazine Freebies alert!

 There are Multiple freebies and vouchers in the November issue of Marie Claire (£3.70 )contains a limited edition L'Occitaine hand cream worth £8.00 and some Dove colour radiance hair conditioner(not in the handbag size mag). Vouchers inside include £10 off Molton Brown with no minimum spend (In store only)and a 20% off L'Occtaine voucher!Be quick though it wont be on the shelves for much longer!

Under a Fiver Creation of the Week!

This is a really simple, yet effective way to make a colorful recycled place mat or coaster using old magazines.
You will need some old magazines, a roll of tape ,Scissors or guillotine and some P.V.A glue.
Choose pages  from the magazine that have lots of color on them. Cut the paper into strips about 4 cm wide and the length of the magazine,fold the strips over a few times till about 1 cm then roll it up into a spiral(think snail shell) then use a small piece of tape to secure. Attach the next folded strip to the spiral with tape then wrap around then tape again,Repeat this until you reach the desired size of your coaster or place mat. Paint a medium layer of P.V.A glue all over the front and back of the mat to seal it.
These cost almost nothing to make and dont take much time to reach a decent size,this one took me about half an hour!

Half Price Alert!

If you want whiter teeth for half the price try this Beverly Hills  Formula Whitening tooth paste for £1.49 at Superdrug!

I tried it yesterday for the first time and as I drink loads of tea my teeth are badly stained ,you leave it on your teeth for 1 minute before brushing to get a super quick whitening effect or just brush regularly with it !I noticed the difference straight away!

Tried and Tested!

I'm a big fan of Berocca for a concentrated vitamin quick fix (especially to kerb a nasty hangover!).I spotted this version in Poundland and would definitely recommend it. The ingredients are the same ,the only downside is the tropical flavour isn't as nice as the Berroca Orange but the overall effect is the same. Berroca is £4.69 for 15 tablets. These are £1.00 for 20 tablets.So you could get 80 for the same price of one Berocca pack!Bargain!  

Art Corner

I spotted these silhouette pictures whilst enjoying a delicious roast in the recently re -furbed Victoria Pub in Battersea.

There is a whole wall to enjoy with various different characters such as Kermit the Frog , Miss Piggy and Family guy.

I asked where they were from and it turns out they are handmade by the landlady Philipa! What a great Idea! So Go have a Pint and enjoy the art for free ! I highly recommend the roast dinner and great news if your wheat intolerant like myself. The Gravy is gluten free and I even had a chocolate truffle dessert that was wheat free! 

The Victoria

166 Queenstown Road ,

Battersea

SW8 3QH

0207 819 9888

Poundland Beauty Product Bargain Tried and Tested!

Yes, Yes I do Love this vanilla body scrub from Poundland! Nice packaging and gorgeous smell.It left my skin soft and smooth. 

They also have a strawberry milkshake body butter which smells great and would also make a lovely stocking filler.In Superdrug these cost £2.05 so not exactly a super expensive product but if you can get two for the same price why not?.
The advice on the back did make me laugh though: "Warning I am not a food" which gave me the visual of someone putting strawberry body butter on toast!

Under a Fiver Creation of the week!

So I am back from my summer break and have come up with a creation which is not even close to costing a fiver! This make works out at around 50p ! You will need some buttons from a haberdashery or even use some nice spare ones that come on the label with a coat or jumper. Next you will need a tube of super glue for a couple of quid and some plain earring backs from a jewellery shop . These ones cost 50p for a set of four. Glue the buttons on and voila! Some cute as a button earrings!If you are giving them as a gift cut up an old greeting card with a nice pattern into a small square and poke the earrings through and put the backs on!A Kitsch little gift on the cheap!

Under a fiver creation of the week!

To make this comic book diary I bought a plain black diary from Poundland and an old comic book from a charity shop for £1.50.I cut the page to size then applied a thin layer of PVA glue(from pound land) to the front of the diary and placed the paper on top . I then put another thin layer of glue on top to seal it!

 The possibilities with this idea are endless! You could use old maps or  wrapping paper with a vintage style print.A nice diary can cost anywhere between £10-25 pounds.A home made one cost me £2.50 and makes a great personalized gift.

Nailed it!

 Occasionally we all need a little treat, something guilt free , and more importantly something that doesn't break the bank!
 What other essential beauty product could you buy for £1.00 - £3.00 that will cover a whole seasons trend ?


This months it's all been about pastels! 


Living on a lower income: I consider the chances of finding something to wear in the charity shops that will follow a current trend is very low . (But)
Nail varnish is one key piece that you can use to change a look and follow a trend. 


For example: I cannot wear any pastel color clothing because I end up looking four years old and it does nothing for my skin tone.But can I get away with the colors on my nails or toe nails ,Hell yeah! 

What other product comes in thousands of shades and can update an outfit for less than a fiver. Can't Think of one !

Under a fiver creation of the week!

 

Ok blogger has crashed on me twice and I've written this for the third time so I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.
Ingredients for a low budget gift/ wedding table decorations.
: One jam jar ,One tea light, One broken necklace (Buy your own to break from primark or charity shop)Less than a £1.00 gift and Boom , simple pretty and effective !!!!

Contain yourself!

I will never forget a remark made to me by an older gentleman when I was standing at the bus stop.I was sipping out of a plastic water bottle.He turned and very in a very charming manner said how he couldn't understand my generations obsession with bottled water ,as he always felt so lucky to live in a place where we can get water out of the tap for free!Plus all the plastic bottles end up polluting the planet and need to be recycled.A very fair point!
When I got home I thoughtfully re filled my plastic bottle with tap water and put it in the fridge for next time.I then thought about what other things I could refill around the house to save money.
I'm not ashamed to say that design and aesthetics are important to me!
Does my 40p value rice look so value in the glass container?Is it really fairy liquid in the vintage bottle?(Nope once i used it I refill it with cheaper washing up bubbles.)
For the label lover you can bid for designer bottles for bathroom products on Ebay and then refill them with cheaper shower gels,shampoo's etc.( don't fill them up and then try and re sell them on Ebay :thats fraud naughty monkeys and Brassictoymonkey does not approve!)
The Davelarr cookie tin was a gift !It is so pretty and you can get them from waitrose for around £3.50 .They make a lovely cheap gift and once empty ,a very pretty place to store other biscuits.
Free refill ? Yes please!

Under a fiver creation of the week!

I saw a record clock like this in a shop recently for around £40.
So I had a little riffle in the records section of the charity shop and found a design I liked. It's a 12 inch and you can normally pick them up for about a £1.00 and 45's for 50p.
I had a look at clock mechanisms on ebay ,I found a nice plastic one for £3.50.It was very simple to put together and one cheap battery and tick tock I got me a clock!If you wanted to make it a more special gift you could look for someone's favorite song or look out for limited edition colored vinyl or even spray paint the whole thing gold or silver.

Le Plastic Tres Chic!

A piece of statement jewelry can make a dirt cheap outfit look super expensive. The problem with some cheaper metal high street pieces is that after a few wears they turn a brown copper color or even worse leave your neck and fingers with lovely moldy color green marks! For a cheap long term investment I prefer chunky plastic jewelry as it doesn't age or show tell tell signs of wear and tear. You can find some really unusual shapes, some stunning colors and I love the way they catch the light.

 Over the years I've found some really nice pieces in the sales and in charity shops.I have one black cocktail ring that I can wear with almost anything it cost around £2.00.

Some people when they hear the word plastic jewelry may shudder at the thought!It can conjure up images of the kind of bracelets you used to wear when you were five or something you would find in the bottom of a cereal packet. Fear not ,Chunky jewelry reoccurs frequently in fashion and well made plastic pieces are a good way to experiment with trending colors without having to make a huge financial sacrifice. 

From Brassic to Classic!

 Ok just because your skint doesn't mean  you have to go around looking like a tramps breakfast.I have a huge passion for fashion  and nothing gets my heart racing more than finding something fabulous for less than a fiver.I have now almost completely given up on "Proper "clothes shops(except for the odd special occasion) . I'm lucky to live in a very affluent area and I can usually find everything I need in my local charity shops. People really do give away the most amazing things!It takes patience and persistence and endless trawling through buckets and rails,but when I get a compliment on what I am wearing it makes it all worth while, plus the money i've spent is going to a good cause. Classic wardrobe staples, Such as the pencil skirt for work or your basic black cardigan can usually be found for around £4.00 and with a bit of clever accessorising you can make something basic look off the chart.

What is Brassic Toy Monkey ?

To put it simply ;Brassic Toy Monkey loves a bargain! Living on a low income in times of a recession can be so tough, but a little creativity and a change of perspective can really help stretch the pennies.I want to share a few tips and ideas that have really helped me through tougher times and meant that I still have money  left in my account before payday. These ideas may not be for everyone and they do require a little discipline but are ideal for those who love a challenge!

Brassic : To be broke ,penniless  or without means. Comes from the cockney rhyming slang :Boracic Lint : Skint . What is a Brassic toy monkey you may ask ? You will find out soon..........