Wardrobe Revamp | Collect Inspiration

The last post in this wardrobe revamp series was to detox my wardrobe. I managed to get rid of a whole garbage bag worth of clothes which I will donate, and another bag of clothes and shoes that will be thrown away. As I said, this will be an ongoing process for me, but I am happy with the result so far.

The next step in Into Mind's 10 Step Wardrobe Revamp is to collect inspiration for the kind of wardrobe you would like to have. This was a very easy step for me as I have been collecting pictures of inspiration via Pinterest for a while now! 

My ideal wardrobe is one that has a mixture of pieces I can wear layered in many different combinations as well as a few beautiful key pieces.

Here is a look at some of my inspiration photos from my fashion Pinterest board...

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

Follow my Pinterest board to see what else I have pinned! In the next post, I will be discussing my personal style and how these pictures (and more on my Pinterest) fit into that.

xx

 

Megan-Clemente Combination | DIY

This dress is my second garment from my Love at First Stitch book by Tilly Walnes. It is a combination of the Megan dress and Clemente skirt. You can find the post on my first Megan dress here.

I was inspired by this pin on Pinterest. 

I made a few changes to the Megan top including making the top longer and replacing the dart tucks with straight darts. Originally I was just going to take the darts out all together, but realised the top looked frumpy and had no shape, so I decided to add in longer straight darts. 

I love the gathers in this dress, however because this material is quite stiff and the Clemente skirt has a lot of material, the skirt was very flouncy. I decided to take the skirt in slightly which made the it sit a lot nicer.

After undoing this zip 3 times I decided it was finally time for an invisible zipper foot! As I have an older style Bernina, it was harder to find the right zipper foot to fit my machine. There were a few stores in my area that stocked them, but I wasn't prepared to pay the $50 they were asking! I finally found this one on eBay for $27 (including postage) and received it within a week.

I am so glad I finally invested in one as it was so so easy to use. I used this great instructional video from Craftsy (free!) to install the zip.

Tilly always stresses the importance of finishing off your garments properly. By going that extra mile to finish off the raw edges, press the garment and hem it neatly, it will always look like a professional job.

I am really happy with how this dressed turned out! It will become a favourite during Spring and Summer.

Have you made anything from Tilly's book? I love how easy it is to customise the patterns to suit your needs.

- J x

Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.

facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' 

Sewing Projects | Insight

inspiration image - Pinterest // pattern - Megan Dress & Clemente Skirt by Tilly Walnes

pattern - Mathilde Top by Tilly Walnes

inspiration image - Sew Independent // pattern - tank top

pattern - Swing Dress by Merricks Art or Coco Dress variation by Tilly Walnes

inspiration image - Pinterest // pattern - existing maxi skirt

Inspiration - Ripcurl skirt / dress // pattern - DIY

inspiration & pattern - Coolirpa

A quick little insight into a few sewing projects I (hopefully) have coming up. Look out for blog posts!

- J x

Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.

facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' 

Yoga Goals | LIfestyle

If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, you may have seen my post on the benefits of yoga and why I love it. I have been practising yoga for two and a half years and have recently been trying to incorporate it into my everyday routine.

I came across this pin on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought the goals were such a great idea, so I tweaked a few of them and made 5 of my own yoga goals. 

Even if it is for just 10 - 15 minutes, I believe incorporating yoga into my daily routine will be very beneficial. I find it helps me to stop and concentrate on myself and stop worrying about all the things going on around me.

I usually attend two classes a week, so I would really love to keep that up. Going to a class at least once a week helps me to progress in my yoga journey and ensures I am getting the most out of my yoga.

You are forever developing during your yoga journey, so I think it is essential to let your yoga practice develop along with you. Incorporating one new yoga pose a week into my practice will ensure I am challenging myself and really getting the most out of my yoga journey.

I don't usually include Savasana pose (laying on your back in relaxation) in my yoga practise at home because I am always thinking of all the other things I could and should be doing. However, I think it is really important to take time out for yourself and take a breath, so this is definitely something I will be trying to include.

As I mentioned above, I believe your yoga routine should develop with you, so trying out a different routine from week to week is definitely something I am going to do. As you grow in strength and flexibility, change up your routine to continue challenging and developing yourself and your yoga practice.

If you would like to join me on this yoga journey, please feel free! You can pin the images above if you would like for inspiration. I would love to hear from you about your goals and your progress. I will be keeping you up to date with my yoga journey!

Also, if you would like to try yoga at home, I highly recommend Yoga by Candace on YouTube. Candace is fantastic at talking you through each pose and has a large selection on videos ranging from beginner to expert.

Namaste.
 - J x

Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.

facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' 

Cleaning out your pins | Advice

image from pinterest (where else!)

Hands up if you are addicted to Pinterest *raises both hands.* How can you not be? There are so many pretty, amazing, interesting and yummy things to look at. As I am writing this post, I have 22 boards and 2,286 pins! (Feel free to stalk them here if you do not already)

This year I have been making it a habit to clean out my boards on a regular basis. There are 2 main reasons for this...

1. I forget about what I have Pinned!
How often do you actually go back and look at your pins? I find that by making myself clean up my boards, I am looking back at my own pins more often and rediscovering pins that I have totally forgotten about.

2. My taste changes.
There are quite a lot of things I have pinned previously that when I look back on them now, are no longer what I want / like / need. I believe your Pinterest boards should be kept up to date like everything else in your life. What is the point of keeping things that no longer apply to you anymore?

Just like when I clean out things in my home or life, I personally gain a real sense of satisfaction from cleaning out my Pinterest boards.

How often do you go back through your Pinterest boards? Do you need to have a clean out?

- J x


Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.
facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' // etsy

Advice | Colouring Your Hair for the First Time

I finally took the plunge and coloured my hair. Yes - I made it into my 20's with my natural hair colour! I have never been interested in colouring my hair as I really like the colour of it! It is slightly darker in winter which is great and in summer I get slight blond / red streaks in my hair.

For a while now, I have been wanting something different with my hair. I have the thickest hair and I cannot cut it because I will look like a triangle head (picture Grug on my head! And if you have never heard of Grug then shame on you!) I really like the sublte ombre look so I headed to Pinterest to find some inspiration.

image from pinterest

image from pinterest (cannot find the link sorry)

I really liked both of these looks but it is a bit too much blond for what I was after.

Then I found this one and loved it! It is subtle enough not to be too blonde, but gives the hair a little bit of colour and definition.

Image from Pinterest

Here is my hair during and after!

My hairdresser used a "mocha" coloured brown on the ends because it was a much warmer tone than blonde and blended nicely with my original colour. One of the things I really loved was that because I had not coloured my hair previously, she was able to use a toner and not bleach! 

Below are a few of my tips on colouring your hair for the first time.

1. Find a few pictures of colour / looks you like. 

It is better to have a few as one may not be perfect for your hair. Make sure you show them to your hairdresser so that you are both on the same page.

2. Less is more.

My hairdresser agreed that the above colour was a good idea as it is not too much colour for a first timer, and because it is not near the roots I can grow it out easily. It is also more manageable as I will not have to tend to the colour as often.

3. Talk to your hairdresser. 

As step 2 shows, they will know what will look good and what won't on your hair. 

4. Trust your hairdresser.

I think this is one of the most important things when it comes to doing something different with your hair. If you are not sure your hairdresser will do the greatest job, or that they won't be honest with their opinions (see step 3), I suggest you look elsewhere. I fully trust my hairdresser (I have been going to her since the early 2000s) and knew she would do what is best for my hair and make it look great. 

Do you colour your hair or is it still natural? I was so scared to take the step of colouring my hair but I am so glad I did! 

- J x

Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.

facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' // etsy

On Trend | Upcycling

 

Over the weekend I read a great article in the Sunday Mail Home lift out titled "Move On Up" which talks about the trend towards upcycling furniture. If you have been reading this blog for long enough, you will have noticed my love for upcycling items and reusing them (a few items include: serving tray, side tables, and my bike - post finally up this week!)

The article talks about a few of the reasons why furniture upcycling is such a great idea. This includes the fact that it is eco friendly and the furniture is usually built tougher than the furniture we buy today (hence why it has been around long enough to "upcycle") It also give you a few tips when it comes to upcycling furniture.

One of the main reasons I love upcycling (apart from those listed above) is the satisfaction from taking an object that may or may not have been used for a few years or is no longer wanted, and turning it into an item that is loved once again!

I thought I would also leave you with a few of my own tips I have found along the way when it comes to upcycling.

1 | Check the condition of the item
When I purchased my bike for example, I really wanted to make sure that most of the bike was working and that I could keep and reuse most of the parts. The point is not to rebuild the item from scratch (you might as well build a new one yourself or buy a new one!) Obviously as you will see in my blog post about my bike makeover, I did have to buy a few new parts, but we managed to keep 70 - 80% of the bike itself.

2 | Have a vision
I think it is really important to have a vision of what you want to do with the object before you buy it or start working on it. I get a lot of my inspiration from Pinterest. Usually I find a few different pictures and decide what I could do to my chosen object (such as the photo above for my bike). I believe it is important to also follow this process before you buy an item so that it isn't left sitting in your shed waiting for you to decide what on earth you are going to do with it!

3 | Consider the use of the item
Do you only want the item as a decorative piece or are you wanting to use the item once you have upcycled it? This is a really important question to ask as it can affect how you finish off the piece. If you are wanting to use an item, the finish of the piece is really important as you are going to want it to last! For my bike, I knew I wanted to use it a lot after we were finished so we used a primer before we painted the bike and a tough gloss paint so that the paint would not scratch of easily.

Once you have considered the above - you are ready to upcycle! I have so many upcycling projects I want to do which I promise I will share on the blog!

Have you jumped on the upcycling bandwagon? Where do you love to shop or where do you find your items? I am currently loving Castle Collectables (for those of you who live in South Australia) I have mentioned them on the blog before!

Ps. Please excuse the pun of using my bicycle as my example of "upcycling" (get it!)

- J x

Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.

facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' // etsy

Moving out of Home | How to Stay Tidy!

Moving out of home is a very exciting, liberating time for many young people. No longer under their parents watch, they can do what they want, when they want and how they want! Don't want to make the bed? Don't worry about it. Can't be bothered doing the dishes? Who cares! Why did our parents want our rooms so tidy when, lets be honest, nobody sees them during the day anyway?!

When I was at home, I could never understand why my parents kept our house so clean and insisted we make the bed each morning. I was so excited to move out for a number of reasons, but one of them was so that I could leave my house however I wanted without the nagging from my parents.

Having lived out of home for over 2 years now, I have come to realise that Mum and Dad might have been on to something and I find myself getting annoyed when the house is untidy - who would have thought!

Over the years, I have learnt that getting into good routines will mean the house stays tidier and there is less work to do on the weekends! Obviously things don't always go to plan, and there are still some weeks where I just cannot be bothered! But believe me, you will be thankful in the long run.

I wanted to share with you some of the strategies / routines I use at home. You can employ these in your house whether you are living with your partner or especially if you are living with friends!

 

image from pinterest

Do the dishes straight away
Yes - a boring job I know! But wouldn't you rather wash a few dishes at a time rather than having to wash your whole dinner set?

you can find these at Woolworths here

This brush is definitely a must buy. It means you do not need to fill up the sink when you only have a few dishes to do as you put the detergent in to the handle.

image from pinterest

Do the washing every week
Again, you don't want a massive pile of dirty clothes to wash (and iron if you do!) I tend to wash my clothes throughout the week and whilst I am cleaning the house on the weekends, I will wash the towels, sheets etc. I still have no desire to iron, so my pile usually sits there for a week or so while I pick clothes out of there! I never said I was perfect :)

image from pinterest

Tidy the house throughout the week
Keeping the house tidy throughout the week will mean there is less to clean on the weekend! I tend to leave my major cleaning (vacuuming, washing the floors, cleaning the bathrooms etc) to the weekend as I have no time during the week, but if the house is tidy it takes no time on the weekend to complete these jobs.

image from pinterest

Clean every week
I know this is a job that can be put off because it is soooo boring, but if you clean every week it will be easier to keep the house tidy, and it will not take you as long when you do your big clean. I know that if I skip a week of cleaning, the next time I do it, it takes me twice as long and makes me regret not doing it the week before!

I hope this post inspires you to make your own cleaning routines - and has maybe helped you realise your parents might have been on to something!

- J x

Please click here to see my disclaimer policy.

facebook // twitter // pinterest // ravelry // bloglovin' // etsy