The Big Oxfam Sale

Today I walked past Oxfam and caught sight of a photo frame I liked in the window. Even better it was in the 70% off sale.

I strolled into the shop with the sole intention of buying the photo frame, but came across a whole host of amazing items all at a ridiculously bargain price. 

It got me thinking... I had gone shopping today with a list of items that I needed for my new flat. And honestly, it didn't cross my mind to find any of my items in Oxfam. I was heading for high street; Debenhams, Next, Argos, Clas Olsen. 

If I hadn't have noticed the photo frame in the window, I would have continued my high street home-ware shopping journey and probably ended up paying four times the price for what I managed to pick up in Oxfam for just £10.

It's a win-win situation: not only do you save money but you also find some absolute gems (see below) and your money goes towards helping people out of poverty. It's a nice change to think positively about spending my money and as of today, I pledge that in 2013, Oxfam will be my first stop when I venture out to shop.

Below is a selection of what I managed to pick up:

Photo frame £2.90

Tealight candles £1.40

Tealight Holders £1.10

Coffee tin with ground coffee £2.60

Next time you head for the high street, why not have a look around an Oxfam shop first? You might be surprised at what you find. 

Felicity x

Vintage Fair 2012

We've got exciting news! Are you a lover of all things vintage? Enjoy a good rummage through the rails to find that oh-so-perfect 1950's dress? 

Well I have good news for you: this weekend we are having an amazing vintage fair in store! 

After sorting through masses of vintage items myself (and resisting buying the whole lot), it's safe to say there are some absolutely cracking items. Here's a few of my favourites:

White polka dot skirt £8.99

Russell and Bromley bag £9.99

Brown high life heels in original box £9.99

Purple oriental dress £8.99

1970s floral dress £9.99

We've got a whole range of items from the 1950's through to the 1990's. From only £4.99 per item, you need to get down here this weekend to make sure you don't miss out!

It's time to get your vintage on.

Oxfam Oxford Rd x

"Good design is no more expensive than bad."

One of my favourite things about volunteering at Oxfam Whitworth Park and about being a book volunteer in particular is being able to see the amazing range of books that we get donated. It's even better when the edition has a gorgeous cover design and nobody does this better than Penguin!

Recently, one of the supervisiors and my fellow book volunteer, Ben, was able to go down to Book Barn in Huddersfield to pick up a whole load of books for us to sell in our shop, including two big boxes of Penguin paperbacks dating from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Here are a few books that I picked out that are looking for a good home!

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber and Other Stories (1963)

Cat's Cradle (this edition 1965 featuring The Bullfight by Joan Miró)

Our Man in Havana (illustration by Paul Hogarth, 1970s)

The Guardian also had an excellent article on The Beauty of Penguin Books with a short history on Penguin design. We still have a large number of the Penguins left, including fiction and non-fiction.

Come on down to the shop and see if you can find a treasured classic or a hidden secret in amongst the bookshelves!

- Rebekah

The Freshers' Checklist

Yep, it’s that time of year again. We’d like to give a massive Oxfam Oxford Road welcome to the Manchester Freshers of 2012!

If endless partying, your first student loan payment and a heap of new friends aren’t enough to get you jumping up and down with excitement, remember that for the first glorious week of freedom, you don’t even have to think about opening a textbook. Joy.  

Here’s what most of you have probably sorted in the first few days of living responsible and independent lives:

Whole new wardrobe for freshers week? Check!

Enough Vodka and Red Bull to last a lifetime? Check!

Cupboard full of every variety of supernoodles? Check!

So, in light of this, we thought we’d write all you newbies an essentials checklist to make sure you have all the things ready for the start of term that you might have put to the back of your minds (they’re important too, honest!).

Pop in to our shop on Oxford Road and we’ll get it sorted without breaking the bank:

Stationary? Check!

Crockery? Check!

Textbooks? Check!

Enjoy freshers week and remember to pop in and say hello!

Oxfam Oxford Road x

Fashion, Fashion, Fashion!

...Heading to a festival this summer?


...Off on your summer holiday?


...Fancy treating yourself to a fashionable bargain?


Then what are you waiting for? Head down to Oxfam Whitworth Park now.....we are bursting at the seams with fashion gems!


Below are a few outfits we've put together using some of our fantastic donations!

Floral Playsuit £3.99
Black beaded necklace £2.99

Authentic Fred Perry Men's Polo Shirt
Why not team with a pair of cream/beige chinos?

Heading to a festival this summer?
This fab outfit teamed with a pair of wellies could be just the ticket!

Polka dot Dress £4.99
Customised sleeveless denim jacket £3.99
Floral Necklace £1.99

Why not team a pair of shorts with a colourful scarf?
Here at Oxfam Whitworth Park we have a huge selection of scarves for sale!

This is just a small selection of the types of outfits you can put together using products from our shop....why not pop down to the shop yourself and see what fashion gems you can find?

The Big Bra Hunt- Show your support!

Ladies, did you know that many developing countries don’t possess the complex technology needed to manufacture bras?

Hard to think that bras- items considered a necessity by most women and available from most UK High Street fashion retailers- are seriously sought after in developing regions of the world, in particular Senegal.

Oxfam want to do something about this, and show support for the women of Senegal and around the world in more ways than one!

So, what can you do help?

LADIES! We are asking you to donate any unwanted bras to your local Oxfam shop!

Any bras we collect will be sent over to ‘Frip Ethique’ in Senegal- a social enterprise set up by Oxfam which employs local women- their job involves sorting any donated bras and selling them to local market traders. By donating your bras you will be supporting these women by keeping them in a job and able to earn a good salary! Some bras will even be sold in our UK stores to raise vital Oxfam funds for such fantastic campaigns.

So, what are you waiting for?! You can make a huge difference in 3 easy steps…

1. Get hunting for those unwanted bras in the back of your wardrobe!

2. Collect those bras and drop them off at your Oxfam Whitworth Park shop

3. Give yourself a pat on the back, knowing that you have supported other women around the world!

Our window display here at Oxfam Whitworth Park

Vintage Fabric Bag

Hey, I'm Anna and I work in Oxfam Oxford Road as volunteer on Monday afternoons.

I study Fashion and Textile Retailing at the University of Manchester and love crafting and making things out of old fabrics and odds and ends.

A few weeks ago I spotted some old floral fabric which was donated to the shop and decided that it would be perfect material to make a bag!

So as soon as I got back to my flat I had a look through some of my crafting magazines and I remembered that I'd seen a pattern in one of them for a messenger bag.

If you've never heard of Mollie Makes then you should check it out. It's a new crafting magazine full of contempory and fresh ideas, great photos and inspiraition to get you crafting.I've seen it for sale in Sainsbury's, Fallowfield as well as W.H.Smiths and I guess in the more niche shops in the Northern Quarter too.

Ok, so it's probably something to buy as a treat (it sells at £4.99 per issue) but it will fuel your crafting thirst for at least a few weeks! That's if you're anything like me!

http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/

The magazine's designed to be really easy to follow and make things from and comes with templates which you can copy from the magazine or download and print from the internet!

Here's the link to the pattern peices see pages 2-5

http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/sites/molliemakes.themakingspot.com/files/attachments/mms10.blog_templates.pdf

The pattern and method I used is by designer Jane Hughes of teawagon.blogspot.com and it’s really easy to follow.

All you need is:

120cmx75cm medium-weight fabric (for the outside), 100cmx75cm lighter weight (for the lining), ric-rac, ribbon or lace for the pocket decoration, 1 button, small piece of velcro, thread, tape measure, pins, scissors and a sewing machine.

Method:

Outer bag

1. Cut out the templates from the link above and place on fabric.
2. Take the front pocket and hem over the top (1cm from the top). Mark the centre point 1cm down and sew a button hole.
3. Place ribbons and decoration on the front pocket and sew in the desired place.
4. Place the front pocket piece face down onto the front of the bag and sew together (right sides together) leaving a 5mm seam allowance.
5. Pin and sew the front and side panels (right sides) together and snip the corners to allow movement.
6. Press the seams.
7. Take the back piece and pin and sew to the side (like you did with the front).
8. Press a 2cm hem at the top of the fabric.

Lining

1.  Take the inside pocket piece and hem the top (1cm). Fold over the other three sides of the pocket (1cm) and press.
2. Place the pocket in the desired place on the back lining piece and sew along the sides and bottom of the pocket – leaving the top open.
3. Sew the side panel of the lining to the front and back panels of the lining (right sides of the fabric facing).
4. Press a 2cm hem at the top of the lining fabric.
5. Pin and sew the velcro to the centre front of front and back of the lining. Leave the lining inside out.

Strap

1. Take the strap fabric and fold under 1cm on both edges along the length. Fold in half lengthways, wrong sides together, press and sew along the edge.

Assembling

1. Place the lining (inside out) in the outer bag.
2. Pin and the lining to the main bag at the top inserting the strap between the outer and the lining. Make sure that the strap is not twisted.
3. Sew together along the top and then run another row of stitching 1cm below for strength.
4. Cut open the button hole and sew your button in place.

 

So here's the end product and I love it!