Miss Magpie buys 2 & 3

Miss Magpie and her beau are up in bonnie Scotland visiting Daddy Magpie (though i'm sure his stomach would churn at being called that). Edinburgh is a treasure trove of culture, architecture, beautiful scenery and SHOPPING!!

Miss Magpie's bargain hunting isn't always confined to designer outlets. Sometimes a good charity or vintage find can do the trick. So, first stop today was Living & Giving - Mary Portas's (Queen of Shops) charity venture.

I was literally brimming with excitement on our approach to the shop - who knows what sartorial treasures lay in this most fashionable of charity shops. With celebrity donors backing Portas and an incredibly tempting window, I just knew this was going to be a fun afternoon.

Or not.

Article 1: "Look here for designer labels donated by Grazia". What did I find? An H&M waterproof jacket and matching skirt (blurgh!), a topshop sun dress circa 1996 (not even vintage cool) and a Maria Grachvogel peach satin number donated by Carole Smillie (enough said). Not exactly chic, certainly not exciting and definitely not entering my wardrobe. It was a real disappointment after all the hype surrounding Portas. I'm sure it was just a bad day for Living & Giving, but I won't be going back any time soon.

Next came Shelter, Oxfam, Cancer Research and the only contestant was a vintage fuschia Jaeger coat with fab buttons...but at several sizes too big, it was never really going to work.

So, I was left with one last resort...TK Maxx. I'm always up for a treasure hunt and sometimes old TK can put the smile back on my face. And look what it turned out this time:

A patent black leather tote courtesy of Calvin Klein. I am desperado for a new day bag and this baby is big enough for all my kitchen sink needs, wipe clean and totally chic. At £49.99, I am loving TK Maxx today.

Since I was on a bit of a roll, I thought i'd try my chances at the antique market. Miss Magpie is always sourcing crockery for her soya candles (if you haven't tuned in recently, see the below post) and where better to look than the best antique market in well-to-do Edinburgh.

I love this bone china cup and saucer, especially the dazzling gold pattern - it'll make the most beautiful candle. (If you love it as much as I do, place your order at stephieholding@hotmail.com asap).

All in all, a very good day for Miss Magpie. And with my sartorial needs sated, i'm retiring to the sofa for an evening of movies, wine and my dad's mental dog. Perfect.