Wishes: Throw some shapes

4. I shall endeavour to throw more shapes. In the shower...in the kitchen...or on the tiles!

I simply cannot resist a great beat. Any excuse for a shimmy! But occasionally if I don't put on the radio or just leave my iPod at the bottom of my bag it's easy to forget to lighten your step and put in a quick spin as you trot down the street.

DIY project: Hey stud!

The latest addition to my wardrobe: diy studded cut-off shorts

Everyone is going crazy for studs, and I'm no exception. My favourite pair of skinnies recently got wounded in action when my scooter misbehaved, resulting in an irreparable rip down the calf. Rather than abandoning them completely I chopped off the bottoms and turned them in a fab pair of cut-offs. 

Not content with that I decided they needed some embellishment. And so this is the story of what I did.

Take one pair of your favourite skinny cut-offs....

and a handful of metal studs...

plan your target spots...

And then get studding!

This is my finished product, I love the result!

A few tips from what I learnt - if you have stretch jeans, image what your design will look like once stretched a little, you can see that once I popped on these shorts the studs separated a little. I actually prefer that a little, but it's something to bear in mind. 

The inside of the studs could get a little scratchy, luckily on the areas I covered there was some thin cotton between the studs and my skin, but if not I'd be a great idea to cover the inside with something soft to protect your pins!

When cutting off your shorts take a guideline from a pair you already love - that way you should get the length just right. I kept a slightly longer length on mine so that I an wear them long or roll 'em up if I'm feeling a little braver!

Happy studding all!

There are tons of cutoff diys all over t'internet. Here's a couple of great examples:

From the talented hands of Geneva at a pair and a spare: http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/diy-studded-denim-cut-offs.html

Five fab different ways to diy your cut-offs from the lovely ladies as a Beautiful Mess if you want to mix things up a little:
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/07/5-ways-to-diy-summer-shorts.html

Wishes: beach time!

3. Wishing for a few days at the beach.

Not likely to catch many rays in this lovely beach on Hayling Island, where we had the coldest picnic ever! But it would certainly blow away a cobweb or two.

Gearing up for a summer hol any time soon? Just starting to plan ours - and it's only 3 weeks away, super exciting!

Project: A Teasing Taster

This is a little taster of something I have up my sleeve. But this is all I can say for now as it's for a very special occasion and meant to be a surprise!

One to dream of: The green bug

Minty green chairs and chunky textured white walls - a dreamy combination!

Industrial chic at it's absolute bestest.

From: vosgesparis

Wishes: sunshine

2. Wishing for a few rays of sunshine

Like these late evening ones gracing the common. Sorely lacking in old Blighty right now. 

Wouldn't it be marvellous if you could capture a few of these rays in a little jar and release one or two to brighten things when you're having a flat day. 

The Grand Tour

The start of a mini series of peeks inside our pad. Can't argue with that, everyone loves a good old snoop. Launching off with this shot of our gorgeous little neighbour, Tiger. He like to pay a visit every now and then for a bit of a sniff. Maybe I should call this series The Grand Sniff.

Oh yeah and that's my mini indoor greenhouse in the bay window where I nurture/torture a series of long-suffering plants.

Wishes Series: Posting

1. I wish to post once a week.

Modest baby steps until I get the hang of this bloggin' malarkey. Not calling this a resolution, 'cause those things are made for breaking baby! But a wish I reckon won't make me run a mile in the other direction.

Full to bursting with ideas to share, just need to turn these grand but whimsical notions into hard fast actions and posts. That's the whole point of all this!

Project: Oil Tin Can Makeover

A super simple oil can makeover to get us started. I constantly badger the folks to collect printed tin cans along their travels. However, I managed to rustled up this one all on my tod after an age of particularly oily dinners. But hey, it's darn yummy and super good for you to boot, right?

Take one empty oil can

Take one tin can opener and whip off the top

Be sure to get a clean cut, or take a pair of pliers to squeeze down any sharp bits.

For some uber neat drainage holes (!) grab a nail and hammer and bash the base of the tin to your heart's content (being super careful of your mits of course). Great therapy if you're having a tough day.

Then simply fill 'er up with the fuel, some wholesome dirt.

And gently pop in your favourite herb. Hey presto!