ipad sleeping bag

after i received this book for my birthday from some ever-so-thoughtful girlfriends i have been thinking non-stop about all the things i wish to make from it, and this just happened to be the first. i have a cover for my mac book, (which these days rarely leaves the house given that i have a more compact version in my ipad) i figured i'd make myself a pretty cover for my ipad.

seeing the ipad is a lot more compact than the measurements supplied by the book, i had to measure it, and only ended up buying 1/2 metre of each printed fabric. i went with green seeing as i have a green screen protector. my lovely sister supplied me with the cotton wadding as she had some left over from a project she made earlier this year.

first, i measured and cut the fabric and wadding, and sandwiched them together.

then i sewed lots and lots of rows of straight stitching to get the quilted effect. (this took forever! and i was lazy and only loosely measured the lines so they look a little more 'rustic')

then i sewed the bias binding around the edge, and added the trim. and hand stitched the press studs onto the inside.

 

voila! i am really pleased with how it turned out. and love the colours!

(please excuse the fuzzy photos, i took them on my phone and didn't fix them up!)

you got nailed

wowee its been a while between posts, stress and being insanely busy are the main things to blame. when your heart's not in it, you can't force your head into it! anyways i'm back with a little manicure post, inspired by this which i saw last week and instantly wanted to try.

black is my go-to nail colour when i am unsure of what to choose, or if i need to simplify things (lately i've been rocking lots of glitter) so that had to be my base colour. and instead of doing every nail with gold i just did one finger on each hand.

while trawling the isles of bunnings on the weekend looking for diy inspirations i found a pack of 50 (yes 50!!) sheets of gold leaf. i was so impressed, i only used 1/4 of one sheet so have SO MANY more to use!!

i have to say, having never played with gold leaf before, everyone says how delicate it is but i had no idea. it is so fragile, i recommend not to have the air-con on or too much air flow cause it WILL fly away from you! and be careful not to get it stuck to your other nails if they are tacky when you're using it...

anyway here is the end result, i am wildly impressed!

happy leap day!

i kind of just wated to publish something on feb 29th seeing as it'll be 4 years before it happens again and who knows where or what i'll be doing then! just know we all worked today for free, only 365 days are actually accounted for (my very calculative accountant boyfriend asked to be paid for the extra day, his work said no). the good things about leap years: olympics (need i say more?!), everyone who was born on the 29th actually gets to celebrate on their day of birth (would you go 28th or 1st for the other years?), and you get a whole extra day to accomplish something (those don't come for free!).

i hope you have had a wonderful day

(pictures: flickr, google)

favourites list - oscars fashion

i'm not really one to formally comment on fashion, seeing as i believe everyone is entitled to their own style and choices when it comes to expressing yourself through your dress. however, seeing this is a favourites list of mine, i'm more than happy to comment on what i thought were the best dresses on the red carpet at this years oscars.

kristin wiig.
love her hair a little darker and longer and think that this dress fits like a glove and looked just stunning on her. if i were going to a formal event this is the look i would try to emulate.

michelle williams.
that colour! michelle is such a beautiful girl and normally dresses a little more conservatively than this, however i am loving this sidestep from her usual style. i love her hair a little blonder and think that pairing a pink clutch was a great idea.

jessica chastain.
this dress is remeniscant of what beyonce wore to a costume gala a few years ago and struggled to walk in, yet looks more comfortable and she could actually walk the red carpet so full points to her! at first i wished she'd done something different with her hair but its grown on me, the dress speaks volumes so the hair was kept simple.

sarah hyland.
this is such gorgeous, flowy, ethereal perfection! the colour looks amazing on her and i love the gathered detail at the hips. i wouldn't change a thing!

glenn close.
i adore this outfit! i think its age appropriate, suits her and makes her body look incredible. she sure lets the fishtail style work for her pulling in her waist giving her the ultimate hourglass shape. the colour, the matching blazer, the hair, make up, awesome!

milla jovovich.
old hollywood glamour at its absolute best! she posed the hell out of this dress but why wouldn't you? if i were getting married tomorrow i'd do this exact look, the make up and hair go perfectly and she looks classy, glamourous and all round stunning!

i could probably go on and on so i'll stop there, these are definitely my favourites and my 'go to' outfits for whenever my brother-in-law (sort of) gets us all invited to the oscars. he's a film director, and i'm sure i made chloe promise to take me when they inevitably get invited!

(photos: huffington post and gofugyourself)

storage solution: jewelry display

so, it turns out my crazy busy lifestyle of late has been put on complete hold by a throat infection and a head cold that have developed in the past 3 days. i was given the week off by the doctor and told to rest, and only now do i understand just how important that rest is after my condition has deteriorated in the last 24 hours (i know that sounds overly dramatic, i intended it that way!).

when told to have the week off work my immediate thoughts were "great, diy time!!" so i have been pottering (lazily) and working on a few bits and pieces to pass the time. i must say, i find it realy difficult to fill days off with enough things to do, i am used to working 12 or more hour days so the idea of 5 full days at home is a little bit of a nightmare for me! anyway the first project i worked on this week was a way to store my jewelry. i wanted to have it in one place, and easy to see to make the getting ready process a little easier.

i used my left over cork tiles from this project a few weeks ago, got a few sheets of pretty paper and some drawing pins that i already had in the stationary draw. the most expensive part was the 3m velcro picture hangers, but at $7, they were well worth it.

firstly, i measured and trimmed the paper...

then i pinned it onto the cork, you could always glue it, but i like the temporary nature of the whole thing. plus i like that i could get a different colour paper when i feel like it and update the whole look for less than $3...

then, measure and place the pins for the 'hangers'...

meanwhile, attach the picture hangers, and stick to the wall. then go ahead and hang the jewelry! i made 2 different boards, one to put my rings and long necklaces on and the other for shorter necklaces and bracelets...

i stuck them up inside my cupboard, they're not on show but i like that it makes them a part of my outfits by having them right next to my clothing.

my favourite things - blogosphere

hey, so its been a little while between posts, i blame my crazy work schedule and all the birthdays and engagement parties that have taken up my weekends. now that things have slowed down a tiny bit, i thought i'd share with you my favourite blogs. these are the ones i trawl weekly, and have grown to love the writers as though they are friends of mine, catching up each week over a cup of tea, only we don't even know each other!

cupcakes and cashmere.
this one has been a long time favourite and i could safely say that this was the one that kicked off my blog obsession. emily has an incredible eye for fashion, beauty and food and this blog perfectly encapsulates her modern, feminine and chic lifestyle. you only have to look to the front page to see that this girl has got it going on, and her recent collaboration with estee lauder further cements the fact that she's hit her mark and is here to stay.

(pictures courtesy of cupcakes and cashmere)

rockstar diaries.
what an adorable family! this one drifted into favourites territory back when naomi had her little girl, eleanor about a year ago. they seemed to snap the most amazing pictures of their baby and are a truly happy little family taking all the simple pleasures from life and posting them onto a blog. this one is an inspiration for the family i will one day have, and i often read it to bring my over-the-top thought process back down to real life!

 

(pictures courtesy of rockstar diaries)

a pair and a spare.
this is a new favourite of mine, which came along when i received my sewing machine for christmas a few months ago. trawling the web for inspiration on what i could make (and finding far too many potential projects than i can sink my teeth into) i stumbled across this blog. the writer, geneva, is a sydney girl living in hong kong, and writes about the most amazing diy transformations using anything from old ugly thrifted clothing to $1 rugs found in street markets in hk. once again, i love how this blog brings me back down to earth and lets me realise what potential a pile of ugly old clothes have to one day be recycled and brought back into regular wardrobe rotation.

(pictures courtesy of a pair and a spare)

ps i made this.
want inspiration? get it here! this blog features endless pages of "saw it then made it" diy crafts, in the way of fashion, accessories and the occasional homeware. this was one of the first diy themed blogs that i came across and is still an old time favourite, and i love how it shows images from runway shows or fashion magazines then attempts (and succeeds) in making the equivalent out of affordable items that you probably have lying around your home. i like how it takes disposable fashion to a new level by making it recyclable, attainable and affordable for anyone with a little creativity under the surface.

(pictures courtesy of ps i made this)

paper bunnys.
last but certainly not least we have my first foray into the blogosphere with my very own sister's blog. chloe started this blog some time ago and being the loyal big sister that i am, i have read and re-read every post! i am so proud of her, she does such a great job and it shows her character and interests so incredibly well. during her holidays last year and over christmas she asked me to do some guest blogging which i really enjoyed and, inevitably, turned into me writing my own. i love how our blogs have little similarities but show just how different our personalities, interests and hobbies are, and we often dream of being full-time bloggers and opening a cute little shop that sells our wares. one day chlo, one day!

(picture courtesy of paper bunnys)

birthday love

my birthday has now officially been and gone for another year and despite having a fairly shaky start to the week involving a midnight trip to the emergency room with a gastro-ridden Ben, a sleepy day off work and a few long days following, when it finally arrived it was an enjoyable day (or 3 days!).

cake anyone? yep i'm wearing minnie mouse ears, thanks chlo!

celebrations began on friday night with a severely over-catered dinner at my parents house, and i was blessed to have an old friend and her husband visiting from sydney for the week. there was mexican on the menu followed by a hummingbird cake that i made during the afternoon (it was delicious). ben got me some beautiful orange shoes which i am so pleased to introduce to the rest of my shoe collection!

ben brought me my current favourite breakfast in bed, fruit salad and greek yoghurt.

mmm breakfast!

we started puppy school with henry on saturday morning which was enjoyable, we learned a lot, henry got to showcase both his annoying self and his beautiful well-behaved self and we quickly realised just how much work we need to do to convince him to listen to us! at least he wasn't the naughtiest puppy there!

the boys before training. too cute!

mum and dad and my sydney friends visited for lunch and then i had a little nap before getting ready for a night out at the royal. i tried nail foils for the first time and have to say i am more than impressed with the results! i was thoroughly spoiled by my friends that came out to celebrate with me, and my girlfriends got me the most incredible present! queen of crafts book, a tool box with little compartments to sort out my bits and pieces. i also got spotlight gift cards and have already started compiling my shopping list, shame i am away for work all week and can't get to the store till saturday.

 the cotton pad had a heart shape on it after i took of my pink polish

how cool?

i took a few more instax photos to add to my photo boards which are slowly filling up, and look fantastic.

all in all, turning 27 was pretty cool! my favourite part was getting to catch up with all my friends who came out to see me.