DIY project: Necklace organiser

The other day I was scrabbling to find the perfect necklace to go with my outfit and realised that grappling with this giant knot of jewellery was not an ideal scenario:

The previous state of my jewellery drawer - Chaos doesn't even cover it!

So I got to work with a few simple items to assemble into a nifty little necklace hanger. (Assemble is the operative word here, this is as simple as it comes!)

All I used were:
1. A rustic chunk of drift wood. I picked this bad boy up on a trip to Hayling Island at Easter (yes that is exactly how long it took me to get round to putting this altogether!)
2. A fluro lace I picked up with my trainers and was saving for a project just like this!
3. Some hooks I found in the toolbox

Drift wood, laces and hooks

All I did was knot the lace around the drift wood at either end and screw in the hooks along the wood. I hung it up by the lace neck to my dressing table and, voila! Luckily this chunk has a number of protrusions that are perfect for hanging on, bingo!

I love the character of this wood, it's nobly and gnarly and fun! Get out and see what you can find!

Ok, this isn't my entire collection of necklaces, but I need to spend some time untangling them first!

It looks lovely above my dressing table! :)

DIY project: Crystal embellished sweater

So to go with all this Autumnal weather we're having it's time to spruce up the wardrobe. I am useless at layering, far too complicated! So one big snuggily cover-all sweater is right up my street.

I was super lucky to spot this giant GREEN (swoon) sweater in a thrift shop in the Lanes in Brighton on a girly weekend away. And even luckier when we found out that everything in the shop was half price, bin-go! So I nabbed myself this bargainous deal and my diy mind went into overdrive:

It's a giant size XL and super snuggly, but my favourite thing is that is has someone else's name ironed into the inside. So XXXX if you're out there, your old sweater has gone to a great home and is making me very happy right now! :)

I decided some further embellishments were required to give this the bling factor. I already told you, I'm obsessed. What I used:

Swarovski sparkles! I know you've already seen these, but they are just TOO pretty!

Plus some nifty tweezers and fabric glue.

The comes the fun bit! Get crafty with the sparkles and glue to embellish the eagle! Careful with this glue, it's toxic so use in a well ventilated area and the tweezers really help you avoid getting glue EVERYWHERE!

The tweezers were a godsend! 

As well as embellishing the eagle I added some bling to the lettering.

This was a pretty simple project and the results are bling-tastic! Now I feel I can wear this sweater out anywhere, it's given it a big lift and a smidgin of fashion qudos! This is what the finished article looked like - I popped it on with some patterned leggings and little black boots, yummy! I'd wear this to hit the shops, indulging in a long sunday roast or just relaxing with friends.

The finished article!

Worn with patterned leggings

Or hang out with the cat! :) Ok he's the neighbours', but he likes to visit us when they're out! 

Wishes: for a life full of sparkle!

Oooooh, I have a new diy obsession: sparkles! I am feverishly covering everything with these fantastic Swarovski crystals. Aren't they beautiful? The colours are so deep and intense and they all are so shiny and shimmery and pretty! Surely there is no way that life could seem dreary or drab when decked out in a wardrobe of encrusted sparkly diys? So here's to a life full of sparkle!

DIY inspiration: Oversized green sweaters

I am loving these monster green sweaters. Giant comfy greenness, with a hint of the glam! Perfect for autumn weather me-thinks and ripe for a diy!

Killer green Kenzo sweater! From here.

Caroline's fab Urban Outfitters sweater in a popping green. From here.

Well hello autumn!

Walking round in flip-flops, the freedom of shorts and tee, the delicious smell of sun cream, leaving the house with no coat, clobber or cardie...all these things make me happy. The chilly breeze, dismal drizzle and dreary greyness are just not my bag baby! But on a little bike ride we took along the river last weekend it was like the light fantastic! The low golden sunshine gave a magical feeling to the river and the trees, it was gorgeous!

So, hello autumn! I'm gonna open my arms, welcome you in and give you a chance.

The lush autumn sunshine in Wandsworth Park

Today it's another one of those crisp but sunny autumn days, so here goes. We are going to make the most of it and explore a few new areas of South London to see if we can find somewhere we'd love to live, how exciting! 

Edinburgh Autumn Style

We were lucky to take a little trip up north just as the weather was turning for our first taste of autumn. While I shivered in my summer silks, Izzy nailed autumnal layering and totally owned this look. Here are a few of my favourite street snaps of her pretending not to pose!

And that there behind Izzy was our digs for the night - yep right inside the Castle! Thank you Guv'nor! :)

In the grounds of Edinburgh Castle

Looking grand on the Royal Mile

  

True Scottish style! (grimaces and all!)

DIY: Studded Friendship Bracelets

Now this project took me back! Yep, right back to the school bus, when safety pining an in-progress friendship bracelet into the back of the seat in front was the height of cool. (Nope, you're right I didn't have an inch of cool, it was geek chic all the way back then, had that term even been invented back then!)

I had so much fun on this project that I'm really excited about sharing it! As an added bonus you can pretty much do this anywhere, you just need something to pin it to! I did most of mine on the bus across Mallorca! So lets get stuck in.

What you'll need:

1. A selection of embroidery skeins in your favourite colours

2. A big safety pin

3. Some embellishments, I went for golden studs but you can be a creative as you like!

Choose your colour combination

Take about 24 inches of each skein, leave three inches at the top, knot and pin!

Starting from the outside, knot inwards twice over each skein

For a great how-to on friendship bracelets including really detailed advice on the knotting process check out the guide on Honestly, WTF, these guys are the pros!

Once you get going you'll soon get into the swing of it and it's hard to stop (this could almost qualify as therapy). Keep knotting to your heart's content until the bracelet is the right size for your wrist. Then simply plait the remaining strands at either end and knot to finish. Simples!

Then we get the exciting part of embellishing our beautiful bracelets, I popped the studs on evenly along the middle of the bracelet and squeezed the backs flat to protect my mits.

Finally, team with your other favourites or wear your new bracelet it solo glory. Better still, make a second and give it to your bessie! :)

Simply knot together the plaited sections around your wrist.

And wear with pride!

Camouflaged amidst the cacti.