Pink and Purple

I've joined tumblr and my link is above for those who are interested. I'm using it mainly just for collecting images of fashion and as a sort of addition to pinterest, so my use of it could vary a lot. Leave your links below so I can check out yours!

I feel as if I'm running out of outfit ideas at the moment and have run out of clothes (if that's possible!). I've been buying a few things on ebay but they're mainly going out dresses (which I will show you in the next couple of months) so I'll have to find some more cheap day clothes to re-inspire me. Anyway, I've chosen to do an Autumn version of an outfit that I showed in the summer. The dress was something that I made with the most wonderful fabric and influenced by something I saw in Topshop at the time. I've paired it with a plain white t-shirt here which makes it feel a lot more casual and also keeps you warmer in these temperatures! I really like it with the pearls and boots as well for a pretty yet edgy look. 

What do you think of my outfit? What have you been wearing lately?

 dress - homemade

t-shirt - old

shoes - ebay

Beaded top

Hello all! I got back yesterday from a holiday to Mexico, hence the 2 week disappearance. I had a lovely time there - mainly lazing around on the beach and eating enormous amounts of food...what's not to love!? and we even went a bit cultural and visited Chichen Itza (the seventh wonder of the world... only 6 more to go now!), Coba temple (we were able to walk climb up this to see the view of the jungle) and swam in the Gran Cenote (a sort of underground cave with water). Unfortunately I never actually got around to taking any outfit posts while I was there (something which I regret) so have no Mexican/holiday outfits to post. However, I've missed blogging a lot so decided to jump right in with another outfit post today. 

I've worn this skirt a few times already on my blog (most recently here, or way back here and here) as it's definitely one of my favourites. I've made a lot of use out of it since I bought it last summer and I'm sure I'll use it a lot in the future as well. I paired it with just an old plain white t-shirt. I'd quite like to experiment with plain t-shirts a bit more as often I just opt for a buttoned up shirt, and I've already started coming up with a few ideas of ways to style it. I'm also wearing a vest/waistcoat/cardigan thing which has beaded flowers on it. I was given it by my Mum when she no longer wanted it. I saw it in my wardrobe the other day and decided it was time for it's blog debut!

How was your summer? What is your favourite thing about my outfit? 

 skirt - ebay

top - old

cardigan - old

shoes - Office

Sleep all day

Hola! I got back from my holiday yesterday and had nowhere near enough energy in me to write a post, so here I am with one for you today. If any of you still don't know (though I'm sure I've mentioned it far too much) I've been away in Spain with some friends for the past week. It was a lot of fun and had a mix of everything in it so it was definitely a great experience. To tie in with this theme (and because of the fact it's unusually warm in England at the moment) I've worn a very summery, casual look today. I'm pretty sure this is only my 2nd shorts post so you'll be sure to see a few more of these coming up over the summer. This pair were an old pair I got given and just adjusted a bit. I'm wearing them with an old t-shirt and my sandals from Topshop (great to add to any outfit but they gave me the hugest blisters while on holiday). I have finally gone and made myself a flower crown (if you haven't done this yet, why not!?) which I really like but feel will only be worn in the confinements of my own house and garden (not really sure I can personally pull off the flower crown look in public!). 

(*cliche warning*) I don't really say thank you enough really for taking the time to read, comment or even just glance at my posts, it really means a lot. This is my 96th post so I'm reminiscing slightly over my blogging experience and I'm genuinely shocked I've lasted this long (with a lot of help from you guys of course!). 

What do you think of my outfit? Is anyone doing anything exciting soon?

 t-shirt - old

shorts - old

sandals - Topshop

flower crown - homemade

5 holiday outfits

I'm feeling pretty shattered today (late nights and early mornings really aren't great for me) but there's nothing like a bit of blogging to keep you awake! Does anyone know what's happening with Google Friend Connect? I've heard that it might be staying but others have said otherwise - it's all a bit confusing to be honest!

I have to second my friend, Katie's, recommendation of Vampire Weekend's latest album by the way - definitely have a listen when you get the chance as the songs are actually really catchy (in a good way).   

Also, there's only one day left to enter my giveaway to win a dress and a bag so enter here if you haven't already. 

I've only got a month left until I go away on holiday and it got me thinking about different holiday outfits. I picked out 5 ideas, let me know what you think...

top - New Look, skirt - vintage/buy it here, sandals - Topshop, fan - present

 1. I really like this simple outfit. I don't tend to wear midi skirts much (as being only 5'4 means that they tend to make me look quite short if I'm wearing flats) but I think when you're on holiday it's much easier to get away with it. I've had my sandals for a while now. They're nothing special but they're unlikely to go out of trend (are there even trends for sandals?) and will keep me going for at least another summer. How lovely is my fan?! You can't really see in this photo but close up the detailing is so nice!

 sunglasses - River Island, shirt - ebay, shorts - old/modified, sandals - Clarks

2. I've never actually owned a pair of high waisted shorts before now, so the prospect of pairing these with shirts and t-shirts is rather exciting! I think it looks great with this shirt (approx £3 - such a bargain!) though the shirt can also be worn on it's own as a beach cover up as it's quite big. Another pair of worn out sandals (I can't even remember when I bought them) but good enough for the beach or the evening. 

 sunglasses - River Island, top - old, skirt - ebay, flip flops - ?

3. I really like pairing a casual t-shirt with a skirt or pair of shorts for a more summery look. This skirt is by far one of my favourites (another bargain). Again, you can probably tell by now that my summer shoe collection is very old and limited (I actually sellotaped these together last summer and they're still hanging together just about!) but I can't bear to throw these ones away as they've got some really nice beading on the top. 

 bikini - Motel, shirt - vintage/buy it here, flip flops - ?

4. I really do like this shirt and I definitely think it would be great as a beach cover-up type of thing. It's got really nice embroidery detailing at the bottom which definitely adds a bit of interest to it. My bikini is new, from Motel, and I'm completely in love with the print and colour. 

top - New Look, skirt - old/modified, necklace - bought on holiday, sandals - Topshop

5. Last but not least, I haven't had the chance to shop you my new top yet in an outfit post (a bit too cold for that) but this is how I would style it if the sun was out. 

Which outfit was your favourite?

My favourite things - Part 3

It's been pretty hectic at the moment, what with lots of art deadlines and exams coming up (to be honest I should be working now). I haven't had much time for blogging, which is such a shame. I can't wait until my exams are over so I can properly catch up on all your lovely blogs!
This is the final post of my favourite things (part 1 here and part 2 here) and then back to fashion-y posts. Let me know what you think of these types of posts and I'd love to know if you have any other ideas.

11. My tin

Yes, this is a giant bourbon tin! My friends and family will know that my favourite biscuit has to be bourbons (they're so nice, aren't they!?), so my brother bought me this tin as a present. It's actually really handy, especially for storing my threads (they were originally in colour order, but I'm quite a messy person so they didn't stay quite like that!) and it's just a bonus that's it's in the shape of a giant bourbon! 

 12. My fashion books

The first ever fashion related book I got was probably Fashion Artist. I honestly don't think I'd be so interested in fashion, if it wasn't for this book. It was a Christmas present (about 4 years ago) and is a guide that teaches you and gives you tips on how to create fashion illustrations. Before I got this, I would draw out mini (extremely bad) sketches of clothes, but this book showed me how to make them so so so much better and develop my own kind of style. The other book is 200 projects to get you into fashion design. The clue's in the title really. It has sections/chapters all to do with the different processes of designing and creating a fashion collection. When I got this book, I had no idea how everything worked so it's really taught me a lot. 

 13. My t-shirt

Trust me to get sentimental over a t-shirt! This probably just looks like a manky old shirt to all of you, but it's not! As you can probably tell, I got it on holiday in 2005 (I was only 9). It's turned into a memento and I think there's only a couple of other things I've had as long as this. Even though I've had it so long, it still doesn't fit properly (and it now has holes in) so I always use it as a pyjama top (I haven't owned a real pair of pyjamas in years - I really hate the ones you can buy from shops). Over the past 8 years, this colour has really grown on me and the wonderful thing about the top is that I will never forget when I first got it as it's dated. 

 14. My overlocking machine

In case you don't know what this is, look at the seam on the top you're wearing right now. Do you see that stitching neatening the edges? Yep, well that's what an overlocker does. Basically it just finishes the inside of a garment to make it perfect and neat. I decided the time had come to buy an overlocker a while ago and I've never regretted the purchase since. Although, there have been many occasions where I've been found getting frustrated and shouting at it for doing the wrong thing or unthreading (god, that's the worst) or just generally breaking, it's incredibly useful. It just makes the garments seem so much more professional and well-made. It's also really handy for stopping fraying. If you're into fashion design or making clothes and you don't yet have one of these - get one, trust me it's amazing!

15. My wardrobe

What would I do without clothes? I could never survive. I refuse to throw any of my clothes away (even if I'm not going to wear them again) just in case I might need them at some point for some reason. I remember when I was younger, it was always a sad moment when I had to throw away one of my favourite tops because I'd outgrown it. Because of this refusal to throw anything away (and the fact that I buy lots from eBay for under £5), I seem to have built up a rather large collection of items (that's not my whole wardrobe in the photo by the way!). The advantages of this, however, are that you never have to wear the same thing twice and there's lots to mix and match with, so I see that as an excuse to buy more!

What have you been up to lately? What are your favourite things?