What I'm Loving: September 2014

Pictures from my Instagram account

September always rolls around and makes me think of new beginnings - probably a remainder from my school days, even though it's been a good few years since I had to prepare myself for a new school year. That's all about to change though, as in a week's time I will be starting to work my way towards getting a degree (which I am really, really excited about). Don't worry though, I'll still be regularly posting here, and I've got some posts coming up which I am super excited for! Before I get ahead of myself though, here are my favourite things from September...

How to: Make a Leather Charm Bracelet

If there is one piece of jewellery that has stood the test of time, and will continue to do so, it has to be the charm bracelet. A truly timeless classic, wearing charms can be dated back to the early days of mankind (see, this blog is educational too!), but the charm bracelet as we know it today emerged in the reign of Queen Victoria. Well, if it's good enough for her...

Stuck in a Creative Rut

It happens to the best of us, regardless of what it is you do for a living, or what it is you do as a hobby. At the moment, I feel like I am well and truly stuck in a rut. For approximately the past week, I have been left feeling rather uninspired when it comes to a lot of projects - those I've got planned, and those I'm halfway through. Although it inevitably happens to all of us at one time or another, I am determined to get over this bump as soon as possible, and am going to be trying a few things to help me snap out of it...

How to: Biscuit Motif Sweatshirt

I like biscuits and I cannot lie. Sorry if you now have that song in your head. If you're a long term reader, you'll probably know of my love of the tea break staple (you can even see my all time favourite, custard creams, in my blog background). It was only a matter of time before they made their way into my wardrobe, and now seems the perfect time to introduce a new jumper into my wardrobe, ready for the cooler weather.

Wearing: Burda Square Neck 111



Let's talk about my latest project. I'm pretty sure if I was on Sewing Bee, that this top would see me immediately disqualified from the competition. The fabric is facing the wrong way up, I had a complete disregard for pattern matching, and it's rather obvious that my pattern isn't central either. Oops... But if the amount of wear I've got out of this top since making it is anything to go by, it is a anything but a failure.

Mid-Week Treat: Wisdom Tooth Necklace for £2

"Enchantment means to want something, and also to know, somewhere inside yourself, not an obvious place, that you aren't going to get it." Does this strike true with you? This quote from author Rachel Kushner certainly strikes true with me, for a lot of things. I am rather enchanted with the idea of moving to Paris, and opening up my own little knick knack shop. Will it ever happen? Probably not. However, for me, this quote resonates strongly with my shopping wish list - namely things which seem even more desirable because I know I will probably never own them.

Dressmaking: 10 Rules I Should Be Following

Dressmaking is still one big learning curve for me. Whilst I really enjoy the process of sewing, it still feels sometimes like I'm a long way off reaching the level of confidence I have with knitting and crochet. But it's something I'm determined to crack, and the more I sew, the more my confidence grows. I'm in the middle of a project at the moment, which has had me thinking about the rules I should be following when I'm dressmaking. These are things I know I should be following, but sometimes forget or try to skip in order to save time. Yet every time I break one of these rules, I kick myself afterwards for not learning my lesson. Here are the dressmaking rules I hope to stick to in the future...

Turning a Purse into a Handbag

It's been a while since I posted a good ol' DIY post here, and whilst this is hardly a full blown DIY post, I thought I'd share it here anyway, mainly because it's such a cute little project (which only takes 10 minutes!!!). Mini-bags were all over the catwalk in the past few months, and this is a great way of creating your own. All you need is a purse, and a spare belt that you no longer need...

A Weekend in Anglesey

Last weekend saw our second visit to Anglesey this year, and it's one of those places that never loses it's magic. I took about 2753734 photos, ate copious amount of bara brith, and just generally enjoyed the relaxed vibe of the beautiful island. I'm sharing some of the highlights here, and I'm already getting wanderlust for Anglesey all over again...