New Blog Design

You may or may not have noticed my week long hiatus from blog-land (sorry!), but it's because I've been working on something very exciting - redesigning Awake + Make! It's something that I've been meaning to do for a while now, and I've only just mustered up the courage to face coding. So, let me talk you through the new design...

Mid-Week Treat: Clinique Chubby Stick Dupe for £1!

Have you heard that you can get a free Clinique Chubby Stick with this month's edition of Glamour Magazine? Well, it appears that the whole World and his dog also knows, and I failed to find an edition that came with a Chubby Stick. Sadface. Actually, this did me a favour, as I was in need of a new mascara, and simply picked up an issue with the free mascara (which I cannot rate enough, by the way). Just me who finds mascara shopping boring? I still felt cheated out of a Clinique Chubby Stick however, but when I found these look-a-likes in Poundland, I thought I'd give them a try.

How to: Turn an Unwanted Tapestry into a Cushion

One thing I'm really loving at the moment is embroidery - especially vintage style pieces that positively scream kitsch. However, when it comes to embroidering something, I am a right lazy so and so - it takes a long period of time, is very repetitive, and is not particularly something I enjoy in large doses. Is anyone else the same? My antidote for this is buying other people's embroidery cast offs, which I can then use in my own way, even pretending that I did the embroidery myself (I am just so talented, you guys). This cushion is one way I've been using up my collection of embroidered fabric.

Fashion, Fur, and Fairtrade

If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I don't really do 'serious' posts over here on Awake + Make. It's normally a case of gushing about a nice dress I've thrifted, or talking about my latest DIY project, having a light-hearted chat, and sharing the photographs. However, something happened this week which caused me to re-evaluate my consumer choices, whether I'm buying something new, second hand, or even purchasing supplies to create my own clothes.

Tapering a Pair of Trousers

Get out the violins - I'm about to tell you a sad, tragic story that features a certain pair of Topshop trousers. I loved them - they were a light, cool, grey linen, tapered at the ankles, and had a paper-bag, pleated waist. They were simply my favourite pair of summer trousers, and I wore them bazillions of time. In fact, I wore them so often that eventually, they broke beyond repair. Insert your choice of heart-broken emoji here.

 At the time, I didn't realise how hard they would be to replace - I specifically wanted a light grey linen pair (hard to find, it seems), that were carrot shaped, and could be rolled up to ankle length (I love me some ankle grazing trousers). Fast forward a year, and I've only just got around to replacing them, however it wasn't quite so straightforward - I ended up buying a pair of straight leg trousers (which were perfect in every other way apart from the fit), and tapering them in. Here's how I did it...

Nail It: Pressed Flower Manicure

I might not have spoken about it lately here, but I'm still into pressing flowers in a big way. It's the laziest form of crafting ever - pick some flowers, shut them in a book, and rediscover them a few weeks later. No effort whatsoever. And the end result is always pretty spectacular. However, besides from sticking them onto a piece of paper, it's tricky to find other uses for them. So, I've started to think outside of the box, which is where this pressed flower manicure comes in...

What I'm Wearing: Stripes + Bikes

Stripes are such a wardrobe classic, that you can hardly ever go wrong with them. However, stripes are something I've only recently let into my wardrobe, mainly because I used to be more of a spot person. I am slowly building up a collection of stripes though, simply because they are so easy to wear, and look great for any occasion. Here's how I am wearing stripes at the moment...

Thrifty Finds - No. 3

This time of the year is the time when I'm most likely to make dubious buying decisions. I like to call it 'Summer Shopping Fever' - maybe the sun gets to me, or I get caught up in the holiday spirit, but I definitely buy things that I will not use (mainly crazy clothes). It has not happened yet this year, so hopefully I've learnt from my Summer shopping mistakes. So, this is what I've been buying, instead of buying a ridiculous pair of flatforms.

Nail It: Easy Gold French Tips

Metallic French - tipped nails have been all over the catwalks recently, and it's a look that I really like. More elegant than an all over metallic, and more edgy than a traditional French manicure, it surely has to be the nail art of the moment. Of course, the main problem with this look, is that it feels out of reach for the less steady handed amongst us (including me). But never fear, I have been desperately trying to come up with an easy way to achieve steady(ish) French tips, and I may just have found the answer...

How to: Sew a Zip Up Bag

I am a fabric hoarder through and through, and my main problem is that I have tiny, tiny remnants of lovely fabric that I struggle to use. Whether they are pieces left over from another project, or a whole bag of remnants found in the bargain bin of my local fabric shop, I simply cannot let them go. I am trying to find ways of using some of my favourite remnants, and here is one I recently came up with - making a zip up bag.

Craft Books I Love: Material World by Perri Lewis

When it comes to crafting, I consider myself a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. I know a lot of people have one true craft that they will always go back to, which is great, but just isn't for me. I like the challenge of learning new things, and love how each craft is unique and offers different possibilities. So for me, Material World by Perri Lewis is a joy to behold. I have been eyeing this book up in Waterstones for the past few months, so when my local library finally stocked a copy, I had the chance to read it in the comfort of my own home. Although, in all seriousness, if I spend any more time in a Waterstones cafe, it might well become my second home.