DIY: mission accomplished

Hey!

On Sunday night I finally got on with the two DIYs I had been contemplating, the bow brooch and the leather bracelet. I hope this post doesn't come across patronising because both of these are very simple but some of you had asked for a step-by-step to the bow brooch so I thought I'd give it a go!

The leather bracelet:

I got this belt for £1 in a charity shop.

You need to begin by putting the belt on and pulling it quite tight (a bit like shooting up, I guess, not that I'd know!). Guess how long it needs to be and leave a little extra for mistakes (it also makes it easier to put on!). Make a hole in the appropriate place with a screwdriver or scissors, this part is probably easier if you're belt isn't leather.
Then snip of the end and you're done! I've kept the extra, not too sure why but it may hit me at some point!
The bow brooch: The tools; fabric scissors (sharp!), needle and thread in a similar colour to your chosen ribbon.

I went for this petrol-blue colour but I have no idea why, it's just pretty. I got quite a thick ribbon, maybe about 2-3 inches thick.
Firstly, you need to cut a little square off the bottom of your ribbon and hold onto it. Then tie your ribbon aroung the non-opening side of your safety pin. You need to make sure and do the kind of bow where both "loops" end up at the top and both "tails" are at the bottom, I think it's the kind where you make one loop and the other one goes around and through it, rather than the "bunny ears" method...did that make any sense?!
Ok, should've rotated this picture! Next, you use the little square of ribbon to cover up the knot - I would probably recommend sweing it but I assume that glue would also work.
Then tidy up your ends, I favour the fold it in half and make cute pointy bits method.
Done!
I hope you enjoyed fashionsqueah's first foray into the world of DIY! I enjoyed it a lot actually, I find crafty things very soothing. Doing something creative every now and then lets me release the part of my brain that diminishes with each year it spends in libraries and long lectures. Last year I was really into making jewellery (especially bracelets), this year seems to be a bit more random!

Char x

Tired.

Hey!

Very fun night last night; drinks at mine, then to my favourite pub for Parma Violet vodka, a flat party and finally a club! Tired today but that was made better with bacon rolls and sausages and the Sex and the City movie with my three best friends from school. This shoddy photo is the only one I have of my outfit last night; note to self, take outfit shots before vodka shots...

Disclaimer: I didn't actually do shots last night but it sounded kinda catchy!

You can kinda get a better view of the dress/skirt thing here. It's originally from H&M but I got it from ebay, the bangle was a gift and the belt is also H&M. The denim jacket is Moto from Topshop, I have had it since I was 14!

This was my outfit from Thursday; just boring lectures and a tutorial...

H&M pink peep-toes, black tights from who-cares-where, Primark skirt and floral top, Dorothy Perkins bustier. This bustier is so versitile, it literally goes with everything!
This was Friday's outfit, morning lecture then lunch at our student union (awesome burgers - and uber cheap!).

Black peep-toes - H&M, H&M tights, Topshop dress, I heart NY tee from New York (duh!), cardigan which was a gift and hairband which I think is H&M.

Oh! I went into a charity shop t'other day and found the perfect belt for this project!

Char x

Happy birthday to me

Hey!

Last night was my birthday party! I had possibly the funnest night ever and got some amazing presents (I shall share the presents later as I won't get most of them until Wednesday, my actual birthday!). We started with drinks at my favourite bar/pub - it's cheap but classy and has hot barmen and random decor; bee wallpaper, mexican wrestling masks and an animal head in 3D glasses...I'll be back there soon enough and maybe I'll get photos of the decor! We headed to a club afterwards which turned out to be awesome too, which is good! You may have to excuse the outfit pictures, Sea and I took them in the bathroom after having had a few drinks!

My vintage shoes were from ebay, 100 denier tights from H&M, Topshop dress and vintage pearls. The hairband is from Topshop too! Traditional toilet shot, mandatory on all nights out:
The fashionsqueah myspace picture, it's really just Sea's fringe and my eyelids!
Shoooes! Mine are the black ones, of course!
Taken in the club by some girl who was drunk enough to point the camera the wrong way but it actually turned out pretty good!
I wanted to show you guys my fur, me and F thrifted them (hers is on the left) yesterday, don't hate but I totally love that thing!
Token crazy drunk photo. I actually wasn't that drunk, even though I had drinks bought for me all night, the magical thing about birthdays!

Thought I'd share that randomness with you!

Char x

Come with us now on a journey through time and space...

Hey!

Oh my god, last night was so fun! We saw The Mighty Boosh live and it was the first show of the tour, it was awesome! If you haven't seen the Boosh, please do so immediatly! The only thing that ruined my night was waiting in the merchandise queue for ages for a cute bag, only for the last one to be sold to the girl right in front of me! I got a mug instead though so it's all good! There were not as many people dressed up as I thought either, don't worry I didn't dress up! I was tempted though...I didn't take outfit photos but I basically repeated this outfit; checked dress, big yellow bow, tights...Oh, and we hung around the stage door afterwards to see them come out. In the words of my friend M, "You were like 10 cms from Noel? That's like 1cm from his awesome hair!". Amen.

This was my outfit from during the day, my friend F and I went thrifting but I didn't buy anything 'cause I am poor! F got me an awesome bracelet though as part of my birthday present! It has pearls, I hope she brings it tonight so I can wear it to my party tonight! My party is tonight even though my birthday's not till Wednesday, I'm making my birthday a week-long event this year, apparently!

I love ankle boots but they are so not flattering! Thunda thighs! So these are my new thrifted boots, my usual tightsplease tights, H&M dress which I wore like two days ago and H&M tee. I think the headband is H&M too but it is truly ancient, pre-Gossip Girl! My new flatmate arrives on Sunday, eep! My mum freaked me out by putting the idea into my head that her Mum would like check every nook for dirt so I'm off to clean the fridge! Very glamourous on the day of my big party!

Char x

Cocktail time

Hey!
Saturday night was spent celebrating a friend's 21st, I wore the pink dress thusly;
A few cocktails had been consumed by this point, if that's not already entirely obvious. The toilet photo is an homage to Sea, for some reason we always take bathroom shots. The dress I thrifted a while ago, generic black tights and ancient New Look wedges (I'll admit I chose these more for comfort than style, I was anticipating a long night!), the bangle is a gift but I happen to know it's from Dotti.

Char x

Flatmate wanted

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Today was kind of tiring, showing 5 potential new flatmates around and keeping the flat tidy in between! My current flatmate is being an ass about leaving, which doesn't help, and when showing a girl round last week he stayed in bed (didn't bother getting dressed or washing) with the curtains closed...wonder why she didn't take the room? This was my outfit anyway;

I don't have any shoes on because I was mostly just staying in the flat! Generic black tights as always, the dress/pinafore thing is from H&M and I don't know why I don't wear it more often because it's so comfy! The belt I got from ebay ages ago and I'm wearing my J'aime Paris tee from Dolly Dagger in honour of Sea's departure for said French captial of all that is chic tomorrow!

I took a little trip to my local shoe-fixing place, I suppose cobbler is the right name! It is so fabulously kitcsh in there, with a little key-shaped clock that says "It's key cutting time!" and a little doll in the window who hammers away at a tiny shoe all day...ok the doll is a bit creepy but still! The guy fixed my absolute favourite vintage red leather boots, which were ruined from being worn non-stop last winter, a pattern that will, no doubt, be repeated now that they are restored to their former glory. It did cost six quid though, the actual price of the boots to begin with! While he was working on my shoes I had a little thrift trip and I must say I did very well! I got this pink dress for £2.79 then when I got home I realised it was Love Label, fits like a dream too! 'scuse the grey tee, I was feeling rather lazy!

It has this cute bow detail at the neck, I don't actually know what you call that neckline either but it's cute!
Buttons up the back, which admittedly need some attention. I plan to wear this dress to a 21st I'm going to this Saturday.
I also got these suede boots, I love the cherry red colour! They are maybe a size too small but I suppose my hooves will stretch them out, in any case they're not uncomfortable. I wish they were maybe a tiny bit less pointy as they do have a slight elf feel to them!


Char x