Clothes for your feets

Lets be honest. I never liked those slipper style, loafer, boat shoe type things people have been so uppity about the last couple of years. I was all 'Psshhh. Please. Those shoes are soooo not flattering. Who in their right mind would wear them?!"

Well... I would, apparently... I don't know when exactly I warmed to this style of shoe, but now all I can think about is rocking a pair of these rich suburban white-folk footwear. I want some of my very own, I don't even care which particular style it is!
Top shop is only fueling my desires with a whole range of different variations. Can't you just imagine yourself wearing these around on the weekend? Running errands, going to barbeques, boating with the Henderson's and generally being all stylish and comfy as hell. (Excuse my language, I'm just very passionate about comfortable footwear!)

ONE/ Manor Scalloped Edge Loafers / Topshop / $60

TWO/ Kansas Eva Sole Loafers / Topshop / $96

THREE/ Vectra3 Studded Slippers / Topshop / $56

FOUR/ Trapeze Canvas Boat Shoes / Topshop / $44

FIVE/ Kapsize Moccasin Boat Shoes / Topshop / $90

SIX/ Macau Suede Slippers / Topshop / $60

SS 15.04.12

 

I've never really been into embroidery as a whole, but this week the internets have shown me that embroidery doesn't have to be just stitching landscapes and flowers!

LINE ONE: I Didn't even realize that some of these pictures were embroidered the first time I saw them! Who thinks of great things like toast embroidery? 

LINE TWO: Wow! Now, embroidered car doors by Severija Incirauskaite-Kriauneviciene are pure art!
 

LINE THREE: Love love LOVE this Embroidered Calendar. So simple and elegant.

LINE FOUR: I don't know if they ever ended up selling these DIY Stitching pendants but what a brilliant idea! I love the thought of being able to customize my own necklace in what ever colour combination I like!

Flipbook Fashion

 one / two / three

When ever I start to get sick of my wardrobe or feel the need to mix up my style a bit, I find street style photos are always completely inspiring. True, unlike myself - half of the girls seem to be off-duty models or actresses. And quite often their style is a little too dressy for a trip to the supermarket, but I always find something new to try. Whether it's a new piece to work into my wardrobe or a combination I never thought of before. 

You may remember a while ago I shared The SartorialTwist, a totally addictive website in which remixes parts of photos from the Sartorialist in the style of those old flipbooks you had as a kid where you could change the head, torso or legs to make funny characters. Inspired by both of these things I have started putting together outfit ideas from pieces I spot in street stye photos. The silver glittery boots above are probably one of my favourite picks. I think they would go together brilliantly with this belted yellow dress and some skinny jeans. I'm totally on the look out for similar items to make this outfit a reality!

sebastian bergne

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

One of my friends recently sent me a link to these awesome dice pencils (no.5)  - which incidentally are perfect for playing boardgames that require you to keep notes. Now while I loved the pencils, I was immediately smitten with the adorable cheese board (no.1) and then the memory boxes.... and well, pretty much all of Sebastian Bergne's collection. All of his designs are just the right amount of stylish and clever wrapped into one. I don't know why I need a wooden spoon that is also a pencil; but I all I know is I want one.

DIY: Upcycled Bottles Display

 

I have a tendency to buy something for a single use, but instead of keeping it stored away for the next time I need it, I devote hours to finding random uses for said item. 

Which is pretty much exactly what happened when I recently purchased a can of spray paint. Originally, it was purchased to touch up a couple of scratched palings around my house. However, it wasn't long before I starting thinking: "What else can I spray paint?” 

In my defence, spray painting is stupidly fun. There really is no other cheap medium in which you can get such a smooth even finish so easily.

I had actually wanted to do this DIY for ages, inspired by these beautiful painted bottle - I had intended to create something similar. I popped down to my local thrift store to find a few bottles to use, only to find that they were having a sale on glassware! I picked up all you can see here (with the exception of the wine bottle – which I ‘emptied’ by myself) for a measly $2! Bargain! My good luck inspired me to get a little more exciting with my DIY-ing (especially as I only had white spray paint).

What you will need:

Old glass or plastic bottles/jars/glasses

Spray paint in your choice of colour – I stuck with my trusty white

A drop cloth/newspaper - something to spray over

Washi/decorative tape

1. First things first, you need to clean your bottles and soak off any labels. You want the surface of your glassware to be free of dust and dirt. Make sure they are completely dry before you start painting. Tape up any areas you don’t want painted.

2. In a well-ventilated area, put down a drop sheet or newspaper to spray your bottles on. Remember that paint will spray everywhere so be careful you’re not going to ruin your floors! Put your bottles down on the paper, any cups or jars should be face down. 

3. Shake the paint can well and spray your bottles/jars in short, thin, even strokes. Spray from around 30 cm away or else your paint will be too thick and start to run. Let each coat dry in between painting.  Be patient and do as many coats as you need to get the depth of colour you want.

If you have unusual shaped glasses/jars, you may need to turn them over to ensure you are getting all areas evenly – just make sure they are touch dry before handling them! Once you are happy with the colour, let them dry properly – overnight if possible. 

4. Once dry you can (carefully) remove the taped areas. I chose to leave the metal neck around the wine bottle, so I had taped it up prior to painting. You could also do this if you wanted to leave clear bits.

5. If you have chosen a more vibrant colour you can leave your bottles as they are at this point and have a lovely simple display. I was tempted to leave them all white to sit on my mantle – however, I decided to jazz them up a bit instead and busted out my collection of washi tape.

6. I chose 4 colours to use and started to cut strips and applied to each bottle/jar/cup in different patterns.

Take your time applying the tape slowly and smooth it down gently as you go. The best thing about washi tape is that it isn’t super adhesive, so you can take it off and reposition it without ripping your paint.

7. When you are happy with your designs you are ready to display your new fancy bottles around your home! The insides are paint free so you can still use them as a vase or for a small plant - just remember the washi tape will peel away if you get it too wet.

I filled mine with plants, art supplies and some paper flowers I have collected, but depending on your bottles/jars, you can put anything you want!

SS 08.04.12

HAPPY EASTER! I Hope the Easter bunny brought you lots of delicious chocolate and you haven't made yourself sick by eating most of it in one day... 
LINE ONE: I love how many different awesome egg decorating ideas there are out there (1, 2, 3, 4) So many ideas to try next Easter!
LINE TWO: OMG these Easter recipe's look delicious! (Easter Egg Brownies, Easter Cupcakes, Easter Bread and Peeps Sunflower Cake)
LINE THREE: Bunnniiiiieeeeeesssss!  (1, 2, 3, 4)
LINE FOUR: I can't even express how impressed I am with Frank Grom's amazing sculpted eggs - Talk about intricate!

This or That?

(Kind of) Continuing with the Easter theme for this week, how adorable are these carrot lingerie bags and rabbit pillowcases from LA based Satsuki Shibuya (Btw now that I have actually been to Shibuya, anytime I hear the name - no matter in what context - I'm like "OMG I've been there!!" like its the most exciting thing ever. #dork) All of Satsuki's prints are so perfect and elegant I think just about anyone would incorporate a piece or two into their home. She also has a fantastic blog that is totally worth visiting. 

Now if I could only decide which colour combinations I like the most....

OE 05.04.12

Easter is all but here and that means the Easter bunny is not very far away. Apart from the copious amounts of chocolate, I also love Easter time for all of the bunny themed items that pop up around the place. We had a few rabbits over my childhood. They are definitely one of the more underrated pets. They are so soft and adorable. Every rabbit I ever owned had its own unique personality traits that made me love them all the more. Easter only reaffirms my bunny love....

1. Le Dust Bunny by le animale
2. Jumping bunny rabbit Sir Hopsalot by forest blue
3. Miniature Spring East Jar Necklace by Peaches and Pebbles
4. Cottage Chic Terrarium: The White Rabbit - Alice In Wonderland by Doodle Birdie
5.  Thank You From Little Rabbit - A Set of 2 Handcarved Rubber Stamps by Love Sprouts
6. Leaping Rabbits Mobile by ARTISANIEeurope

Easy Peasy Easter Project

Remember when you were a child and you used to do little experiments at school that were actually very simple, but at the time you thought they were totally amazing? One of my favourite's was growing bean sprouts in cotton wool. I was so excited with those seeds started to sprout. Growing something from a scratch still excites me to this day, so I have been looking forward to Easter so I could pull out this DIY from my childhood...

A few months back I stumbled across Egglings. Naturally, I was smitten with the idea of ceramic eggs in which you could grow your own herbs and plants. It's pretty much the most adorable idea ever! While the 'real' egglings are obviously a little more permanent, my little brother and I used to make something similar every year on the Easter holidays when we were kids.

You will need:

Egg shells (as many as you want to grow)

An egg carton to house your eggs while growing

A pin or sewing needle

Potting mix

Bean, grass or Herb Seeds (I used dwarf butter beans)

A piece of A4 paper

1. Step one should really be: make some breakfast. That's what I did! Be careful to only crack the small end of the egg as shown, so that you still have 80% of the body intact. Rinse well.  I wanted my eggs to be a whiter colour so I gave them a light coat with some matt spray paint. Once dried, I gently, using a pin, poked 4 - 5 holes for drainage.

2. Using a piece of paper folded in half, roll a funnel and carefully prop inside the egg shell. Then pour small amounts of dirt in through the funnel. You want to do this slowly and carefully so that your shell is mostly full of dirt but you do not crack the shell.

3. Poke a hole in the center of the soil with your finger and plant your seeds. If you are using larger bean seeds, you will only need one or two. If you are using small grass seeds use a few so that you will have many teeny sprouts.

4. Water well and place in a sunny spot to grow. Depending on the type of seeds you have used, your plants will take anywhere between 2-3 days up to a week to start sprouting. Lightly water daily, making sure the soil is moist, but not too wet.

Once your egglings have started to sprout you can place them where ever you like (still making sure they get plenty of light and water). Don't worry if all of your seeds don't sprout. Only 2 of the 3 egglings I planted actually sprouted properly.  The ones that did, I popped them into some eggcups and now they are living happily on my kitchen window sill.

SS 08.04.12

LINE ONE: I love Florian Imgrund's black and white photography, in particular the amazing double exposures. You can see the whole collection over at In Thoughts.

LINE TWO: In a perfect example of how we can recognize figures in popular culture by little more than the combination of colours associated with them, a German advertising company created this brilliant campaign showing TV shows represented by Lego. Do you recognize them all? 

LINE THREE: Handmade Type is a typographic experiment, where shapes are drawn on hands and then formed into uppercase and lowercase letters by manipulating the hands into different gestures. Definitely check out the Behance gallery to see the animated images and the videos of the full experiment.

LINE FOUR: It must be the little kid in me, but I love this Tumblr stream Microwat? where they show before and after pictures of things microwaved. Nothing like a little childish destruction!