Me, Myself and I

I just though I'd update my blog with newer pictures of myself and life :) I recently purchased an iPad, and yes ... I know.... I'm one of the those! I have finally joined the crowd, and I didn't realise what I was missing out on!

I purchased the App called Instagram and I can't believe how good it makes photographs look, instead of being the usual standard pictures, you can add affects to them to make them look old, vintage and chic.

I love this app, so here's some personal pictures I'd like to share with you :)

Below is my border terrier dog called Jake who was playing in the snow this weekend in Wolverhampton and me and the pooch taking pictures :)
I only have around 2 weeks of university left so it was good to see the family last weekend and then I can go back to Cornwall for summer!!!
And below there are also some pictures of myself :)

My D.I.Y patchwork notice board for jewellery #shabbychic #vintage #cathkidston

   

Good morning everyone! It's a beautiful sunny day at university in Bristol, but unfortunately I'm tucked up in bed trying to be 'productive' and do my essays! 

I haven't been blogging for a while as my computer has been broken and I have bee commuting for the university library's with my tonnes of workload. 

But today I want to share with you my home made DIY notice board :)

I purchased this notice board from Argos for less than £10 but you could probably find a cheaper one depending on the size you desire, I wanted a pretty big on to store all of my jewellery.

This is VERY easy to make. All you need is scrap pieces of material, tatty string which you can buy from craft shops or B&Q and a hot glue gun which you can buy on EBay for less than £5!

I placed all the material on the notice board until I was happy with the way it fitted together and then I glued it to the cork. I glued string around the edges to tidy the sides of the material as a lot of them began to fray... And there you have it :)

I used a mixture of Cath Kidston oil cloth and old vintage fabrics which I purchased from craft shops for a couple of pennies. Many craft shops also offer small bags of scrap material which is ideal for making a patch work feature.

Instead of traditionally using this as a notice board, I decided to use it for my jewellery. As many of you girls know, it is soooooo hard to store and this is a great way of keeping them on display and having them tidy in your room :)

So what do you think? Please leave me comments as I love to hear your feedback :)

OOTD My New Lipsy Dress. Ideal Wedding Guest Outfit

I thought I would share with you all, my new Lipsy dress which I purchased at a bargain price of £18, thanks to the sale and I needed a new dress to wear to a wedding.

As many of you know, I love a good bargain, but finding one is Lipsy really is a true 'finders keepers'. Lipsy fashion is usually super stunning, but very dressy, and I rarely ever need to get dressed up for an occasion, so I didn't want to waste money buying a gorgeous dress that never gets worn. However, I did decide to buy this fancy going out dress!

I picked this gorgeous light pink coloured ruffled bandeau dress It was in the sale for £18, reduced from £60. It's a gorgeous colour, and the fit is amazing. It really makes me feel like a fairy princess! It's fitting in the right places, but the floaty ruffles and layers covers up my bad bits :), The sheer fabric is lovely and light. The black detail,  and support gives it some edge without the straps. I love it and I couldn't wait to wear it !

This is me and my wonderful fella at the wedding :)

This is all of us girlie's, including the beautiful bride.

 

With my outfit, I also wore suede black heels from New look £20 and a Matt finished silver clutch bag which was £6 from the New Look sale with matching silver jewellery (pre-owned). I also curled my hair and pushed it to one side (I usually have it straight and fancied a change).

 

 

What do you think of my new bargain dress? Have you ever purchased any bargains from Lipsy? Please share :)

 

 

DIY Vintage Levi Short Cut Offs

 

 

Good Morning :) I have been up and early at the crack of dawn today! And I would like to share with you my new DIY Vintage Levi Shorts!

I love cutting my old jeans into shorts and I always get questions about how to do cut-off shorts. I have never done a tutorial because I thought it was really simple but I have been asked several questions about it so here it goes. I am focusing on standard Levi distressed cutoffs :)

 

What you will need:

1 x pair of jeans that are one or two sizes larger (for the standard levi cutoffs, mine are LEVI 501)

1x good pair of scissors that can cut through fabric

*8x cups of bleach (optional)

Washer & Dryer*

 

1) Pick a pair of jeans that you would like to cut. I always choose pants that are a size or two larger than my normal size because I dont want it to be so tight around my thighs!

 

 

2) Use a pair of shorts that you already have whose length you like and match the crotch of those shorts with the pants. Then use a ruler (or a book) and a pen to mark a line going accross. After you have made this line cut across.

 

 

3) Then fold over and line up the side you have cut to make sure both sides are even.

 

 

4) And now you should have something like this :) Try on the shorts to see if they are short enough if they look a bit wierd they probably need to be shorter (who wears short shorts?). I also cut about 1 inch slits on the side of the shorts so that they don’t stick to my thighs.

 

 

5) Now, you can either cut them slightly shorter for your desired look and frey the edges. You can do this by taking the end of the scissors with your right hand and hold the shorts tightly upwards with your left (the hand holding the scissors should pull the other end). Now scratch along roughly with the scissors. You will start too see the fabric shaving off. Or, like me, you can just fold up the edges.

 

 

 

6) Many people like to bleach wash there cut offs, I haven't bothered this time as you can see, they already have the tatty bleached affect already. But here's how to do it if you desire :)

If you are going for the cutoff and not fold up look, I advise putting your shorts through a wash after you have freyed the edges as this makes the 'tattyness' come out more.

 

Put about 8 cups of bleach and enough water to submerge them. Levis 501′s are already treated so it takes a long time to change the color. I would leave them in bleach for 5 minutes then let them hang for 30 min and repeat this until you achieve your desired colour.

 

 

 

It doesnt matter if you mess it up, because you can always buy another pair from a charity shop for less than £5!!

So, what do you think? Have you made any DIY clothing before?

If so, paste a link in the comment box below, i'd love to see it :)

Rachael x

OOTD Bargain Purchase, my not too shabby Rubbish (s**t) Shirt Night.

Well, I apologise for the lack of posts recently, I have been ever so busy with the amount of university work deadlines! But I do have to share with you my bargain purchase of the week, mainly for my flat mates birthday, Rubbish, (s**t) shirt night! I know my blog is all about Shabby Chic, but as you can see, my shirt is definitely that!

 

Basically, the title 's**t shirt night' means you and your friends have to buy the worst shirts you can get your hands one! A shirt with the most awful, clashing and terrible patterns on that make you stand out...pretty much the similar kind of shirts your dad would wear in the 1980's!

 

 

So, what do you think? :)

 

I purchased my shirt from a local charity shop, near my student house in Bristol for just £3.50. First of all, many charity shops sell really old fashioned shirts with crazy patterns on. Secondly, you can buy them at a reasonable price but most importantly, you are doing something good as all costs go to charity!

 

My shirt is a mixture is blues with french writing all over it and funnily enough the clothing label was called 'banter'. (what a coincidence). It is a mens shirt with poppers along the front, and I must say, it is very warm to wear, not that it makes it any more appealing to wear!

 

You can buy some unusual shirts (like my friend on the right) from Primark, and all other leading shops but unfortunately the price tag is a little off putting for one night only!

 

It is definitely great fun to dress up with your friends :) and even though I thought my shirt was ever so bad, the amount of people that kept asking me where I purchased it from was crazyyyy!

 

With my shirt, I also wore a Dickie bow tie, knee high socks, vans and denim shorts.

#number one rule: make sure you stick together, as many members of the public genuinely thought I would dress like this normally :o

 

 

So, have you every wore any crazy shirts in public before? And what do you think of mine? Terrible... I know!

 

Rachael x

Disaster Designs. My new vintage style purse and weekend bag ♥

Not too long ago, my mum was in Wolverhampton visiting my Gran and she came across a purse, of which she fell in love and wanted to buy me for my Birthday. Unfortunately, she saw the bag in a boutique shop window, and the shop was closed & she had to come home the same day. When she arrived home, we sat and tried to search for the purse, typing into Google the description of it. Soon enough we came across a few on Ebay, but none new or cheap. It was becoming increasingly apparent we wouldnt be able to find a site that stocked it. 

 ♥
 

 December 17th was my Birthday, and so my mum set about on a mission to track down the purse so she could give it as a surprise. Funnily enough, Amazon now stocked it.

The Company is called "Disaster Designs" and they have a handful of different ranges within it. This is the "Paper Planes" range (The cutest in my opinion). It is somewhat in the more pricey range, but nothing too extravagent, and totally worth it.

♥

I just wanted to share with you how pretty some of the items were. Of course I got the purse, and also a cute envelope vintage style weekend bag. (which im pretty sure will com in useful, travelling back and fro from university!). If you're looking for something utterly adorable (Passport Cover, Coin Purse, Wash Bag, Compact Mirror...)

I'd highly reccommend you give this company a little search on the interwebz (Or check stockists as it can be stocked in independent shops & Boutiques)

 

♥

                                                                               



This is my beautiful tape measurer purse :)


 

& This is my vintage love letter weekend bag £60

 

 

♥

 

Have you purchased any cute vintage style accessories before like Disaster Designs?

 

Rachael x

Shabby Chic Valentines Day Gifts For Under £10 #bargain #ebay

 

 

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It's less than 3 weeks until Valentines Day, and even if you're single this year, I've put together a few little treats that are less than £10 each! You could buy something for your loved one, best friend, or maybe for yourself without breaking the bank!

 

♥

Maybe you could create your own personal message in a bottle, or even buy some chic heart coasters for the tea lover! These are all available from eBay and are under a tenner including delivery! Wow.. bargains! I love the personalised wooden hearts and might just have to buy it for myself! And how cute is the wooden quote sign?

Happy Valentines shopping!

 

 

1. Wooden Personalised Heart

 

2. Wooden Personalised Heart

 

3.Wooden Quote Plaque

 

4. Hanging 'LOVE' Photo frame

 

5. Heart Glass Candle

 

6. Wall Plaque 'LOVE'

 

7. Chic Heart Coasters

 

8. Personalised Message In A Bottle

 

♥

 

 

Rachael x

My New Vintage Style Stopwatch Necklace ♥

 

You wouldn't believe how crazy the last few days have been for me! I moved back up to university in Bristol on Sunday and the amount of things I had to unpack, literally took me all day! Then my computer decided not to work! So the last 4 days it has been in repair (hence the lack of blogging!)

Anyway, I'm back now and the first thing I HAD to share with you is my new cute vintage styled stop watch necklace, which I purchased over the weekend :]

 

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I love my necklaces, I literally have over 100 unusual designs, but so far, this is my favourite! At the moment, all things vintage is in fashion, whether it be granny jumpers or 1950's suitcases. I have always wanted a vintage watch necklace. As a lot of you may already know, genuine vintage items are extremely hard to afford but luckily, thanks to my favourite shopping site Ebay, everything is made possible! I purchased this necklace for only £6 from China, and the great thing is about buying things abroad, is they are soooooo much cheaper, not only for the item but for the postage as well. the only problem is it takes long in the post, but it is definitely worth the wait!

♥

 

This is a 30''chain necklace and comes in a bronze chic colour. It is a working clock so the design is a little heavy. The front of the watch flips open to reveal its vintage style arms and numerical face. It arrived in a cut velvet pouch and is from a seller called Holy Sins.

♥

The great thing about this necklace is that it goes with any outfit! It is a nice colour that doesn't clash with certain items of clothing. I especially love wearing it with my tea-dresses as it contributes towards my vintage chic look!

I highly recommend you give Ebay a stalk and see the other bargains they have available :)
♥
 

 

So, What do you think? Have you ever purchased any bargain jewellery on Ebay?

 

Rachael x
 

 

The Best 'Hand-Me-Down' Ever! My Dads 1980's Levi Jacket ♥

 

Well I have had a very busy day to say the least! I am heading back to university tomorrow, so I have been packing my mountains of clothes, make-up and deciding what bags I should take back (I have wayyyyy to many!!).
Whilst I was packing away, my dad walked into my room and gave me this denim jacket, I didn't think much of it for a second until he said it was his Original 1980's Levi Strauss jacket. OMG! I have spent months trawling through charity shops, Ebay and car boots trying to find one, and as many of you know they are in popular demand, making them more expensive than ever!

 

♥ 

 

 

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I couldn't believe my dad had an original 1980's one, making this the best hand me down ever! This jacket is in great condition but still shows is general denim wear, adding to the vintage look which is currently in fashion!
It is dark blue with faded patches, giving this jacket more character. It is a males jacket, but I don't think this matters as it looks great on whoever is wearing it.

 

I am so excited to start wearing it, especially as I am now a proud owner of a vintage Levi jacket.

 

 

 

♥

 

 

What do you think?

Have you had any amazing 'hand-me-downs'?

 

Rachael x

My New Cath Kidston Sewing Box ♥

 

Well what a day I have had! Despite the lack of snow where I live, I stayed indoors and decided to be crafty again! I am going back to university this weekend, and I have spent all afternoon online searching for a new duvet cover for my room. I saw a few, but duvet covers are becoming ever so expensive, so in the end, I decided to make my own! I will release a blog about it when it is finished, but apart from that, I wanted to share with you my new purchase!

♥

 

Here is my new Cath Kidston sewing box, isn't is pretty!

 

I purchased this sewing box from the Cath Kidston store. Not only is it vintage styled,  it was also rather cheap (compared to most of Cath Kidston items). It was £50 but I managed to purchase it for only £25. I have been needing a new sewing storage for a while now, as I have been keeping everything in a small plastic tatty box!

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It is the perfect size and it made out of oil cloth material. It also opens up to have a few cute compartments, a pocket in the lid and also a pin cushion. The first layer also lifts open, perfect for storing your spare material underneath, but also a handy organiser on top to keep your pins, buttons and reels of cotton in order :)

♥
 

 

I also purchased some Cath Kidston scissors which came in an oil cloth material matching the inside of the box for only £5 in the sale instead of £10!

I love my new sewing box, and I am sure it is going to used quite a lot over the next few years!

 

♥

 

Have you ever made a bargain purchase in Cath Kidston before?

 

 

Rachael x

Create your own Shabby Chic homemade Dangly heart ♥

 

As the weather is cold and wet outside, I thought I'd stay in and make sure pretty shabby chic hanging hearts :) They don't cost much to make and they look ever so cute hanging anywhere in the home ♥
All I used was a sewing machine (or you can hand sew), some vintage style fabric (don't feel afraid to steal your nans tea-towels!), scissors, stuffing, tacking pins,tracing paper, tatty string and buttons if you wish to decorate it.
 

 

The first step I took was cut a heart shape into the tracing paper and transferred it twice onto the chosen material .

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I then put the two heart together making sure the pattern faced each other so it is sewn together inside out ready to be opened out.

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I then stitched all around the edges but make sure you leave a 1cm gap or even smaller if you want, so you have a hole to turn the heart inside out and eventually fill with stuffing.
 

 

#Tip - Make sure you double stitch the edges each side of the 1cm gap or the stitching will come undone.

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Next I turned the heart inside out and began to fill the heart with the stuffing through the 1cm hole.

 

You can put in as much stuffing as you wish, depending on the desired look. I put in a good hand full so the heart was heard but also soft to squeeze.

 

 

 

I then hand stitched the 1cm hole with the same colour thread I used with my machine. I would recommend using white depending on the material used as this colour is less visible.

  

 

The next step I took was creating this cute little bow made out of tatty string. They are very easy to make and fix to the heart. I hand sewn my bow to it or you can use a hot glue gun. I decided not to us any buttons as I think this looks cute without one. I also used another piece of tatty string and threaded through the top and bottom of the hear and tied in a knot.

 

 

 

And here we have it :) My cute homemade hanging heart. Cheap, Cheerful and ever so chic. These would make cute little gifts for family and friends, Or you could simply add lavender inside and use them as scented heart for your draws!
So what do you think ?

 

Rachael x