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


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My Coco | DIY

I was introduced to the blog Tilly and the Buttons by Michelle from Coco and the Girls a few months ago and have finally gotten around to making Tilly's Coco top. It was such a lovely top to make and the pattern was so easy to follow.

Saturday Bargains | Haul

I found some seriously great bargains today. Mum and I decided to have a look in Spotlight as they had a fantastic promotion - spend over $100 and get $40 off! This was perfect timing because there were a few things that I really wanted to get.

 

 Olfa Cutting Mat

originally $84.95 // VIP sale price $63.71 // price after promotion $41.33

I have wanted a cutting mat for soooo long however I have been putting it off and putting it off because they can be quite pricey. There was a lovely lady (also a customer) who gave Mum and I some great suggestions for which one to buy and why. She told us the Olfa cutting mats were very top of the range and hers has lasted her at least 20 years! They are a great quality mat and they are self healing (so cuts will not show up on the mat after use). For $40 this was an absolute bargain! 

 Olfa Rotary Cutter

Free!

I was lucky enough to grab this Olfa rotary cutter from my Aunty (it was originally my Grandmas) as she has never used it.

Fakefur Fox 

originally $34.98 (0.5M) // price after promotion $22.69

I am absolutely in love with this material. I really wanted a faux fur vest but there were none in the shops that were to my taste and they can also be quite expensive. In the end, Mum and I decided we would try and make one! (I will be sure to post about this once we have gotten around to it.)

 
Sunsilky Lining in Charchol

originally $9.95 (1M) // price after promotion $6.45 

 Not very exciting - but this is the lining for the jacket!

Sure Sew Interfacing in White

originally $5 (2M) // price after promotion $3.24

Again - not that exciting! I will be using this to trace patterns on to and use as pattern pieces.

 

Ribbonz in Black

originally $0.20 // price after promotion $0.13

This will always come in handy! And for $0.13 it was a total steal.

 

 Klasse Dress Serrated Scissors

I also needed better quality dress makers scissors as mine were very cheap and not the cleanest cut for material as they had also been used to cut paper (which blunts the blades!) These were purchased separately from the above with a voucher I still had left over from Christmas.

We also made a quick trip into The Shoe Shed as I really needed new black flats that were not suede. I have had a really hard time finding non-suede flats, but I fell in love as soon as I saw these! And I also had 25% off voucher from The Entertainment Book which meant these only cost me $26.20!! 
 

London Rebel "Pebble"

How nice is the leopard print!

And the cute black and gold bows!!!  ** (can you spot me in the picture above? hehe)

Love, love, love! They also come in a stone colour which I will be on the look out for in my local Shoe Shed (they did not have my size in the one I was at today!)

I am so pleased with all my bargain purchases today! It makes you feel so good when you can save money on the things you want!

What have you been up to this weekend!

- J x

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Bowerbird Bazaar | Adelaide's Design Market

I had another sucessful trip to the Bowerbird Bazaar a few weekends ago with Michelle from Coco and the Girls (you can read my post about last years here.) There are so many great stalls and a lot of local talent. Here is a look at what I ended up purchasing.

DEAR MABEL
Necklace - $35

I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful colours of the items at this stall and ended up buying this beautiful necklace. Lisa and Kylie are two sisters based in Adelaide who made beautiful clay pieces for themselves and family/friends before deciding to sell to the public. Their pieces are just that little bit extra special and will add some colour and individuality to an outfit.

You can shop their gorgeous pieces here.

TRUSO
Scarf / Shawl - $40.00ish

There were a few things that I really liked about this accessory. The pattern is gorgeous and can be worn with numerous colours since it is black and white. Also, the versatility of it is so handy. It can be worn as a scarf or shawl and is also reversible! The cute bobbles at the end of each side were also a big draw card.

KUTO
Jumpers - $65 each

I am officially in love with this label - and to think we nearly missed the stall! We were on our way out when we walked past and were drawn in by the beautiful, soft knits. They have a "one size" theory which actually works amazingly well. The owner told us that they try to design the pieces so that they work for women of all different shapes and sizes. I really loved the quality of the knit and compared to a few other stalls we had been to, their prices were very reasonable.

I had to try this jumper on three times before I was fully convinced I liked it. As you may know from other posts, I am not a huge fan of "baggy" items on me because I am smaller, but I am so glad I purchased this jumper. I love the way it hangs, the colour and the cute cuffs at the end of the sleeves.

I had already purchased the jumper above when I saw this one on the racks. I love the way it fits (a bit more snug than the other one) and the colour is gorgeous. I could have spent a lot more money here, and will be on the look out for them from now on.

COLOURED PEARS

"Mum" Image - $5.00

My sister and I wanted to get Mum a little something extra for Mother's Day and I was very happy when I found this print. For $5 it was a bargain! They are made to fit into the Ikea Ribba frames.

Coloured Pears have a range of art, vintage items, gifts and homewares. Some of their abstract prints are gorgeous - I might have to look into purchasing one or two!

You can browse through their items here.

All in all it was a very successful trip. There are so many fantastic stalls with great items available. My tip is to have a look around at what is on offer before you go ahead and purchase anything.

Did you make it to the Bowerbird Bazaar? What did you think?

- J x

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Bike Makeover | DIY

A while ago I wrote this post about the vintage luxury ladies bike that I picked up from Castle Collectables. The makeover has finally been finished thanks to my very helpful partner (who did pretty much everything!) I am so happy with the results (considering we have never attempted to makeover a bike before!)

 

Before the makeover - in good condition but quite rusted
 

To remove the rust, we used a combination of coke and aluminuim foil! Weird I know but it really works as the pictures below show. See this video for a run down of the process.

Before

After

Once the rust was removed, we used a crome polish on the rims & other crome parts to make them stand out.

Before & After

My partner then had to remove all of the paint from the frame of the bike. For this step he used Selly's Kwik Strip which is a metal paint stripper. Gloves and being in a well ventilated area are a must for this product. You apply the product with a paint brush and once it starts to blister / bubble, you remove the paint and the product with a rough sponge / scrubber. This step took a while as he had to keep going over it a few times (especially where the stickers were.)

Before

 

Paint Stripper at work

  

After



 

To paint the bike, we used a spray gun which my lovely dad got for me! (I am beyond excited about this and have so many projects lined up using this already!) If you are painting a bike you seriously need one of these. It made the whole process so much easier! We used a primer firat and then applied a gloss top coat in an off white colour. You need to leave the gloss paint to dry for at least a couple of days - after this it will be pretty scratch resistant.

Putting it back together!

It took me a while to find the perfect basket for this bike - I ended up getting one from Super Elliots Cycles in Rundle Street (for those of you who live in South Australia!)

We were able to keep around 70 - 80% of the original bike. Some of the screws had to be replaced as they were rusted quite badly. I also purchased a new seat, new wheels and new handle bar grips. We were planning on keeping the wheels but unfortunately they fell apart when we put air in them. I managed to get the bell and the stand from my sisters old bike which Mum and Dad still had in the shed!

I am so happy with the end result - but I don't think we will be "upcycling" another bike anytime soon :)

- J x

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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

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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

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