a little bit like topshop.

I have had a pretty busy week for a girl with no job, I started volunteering in the salvation army op shop which was a lot of fun! I will tell you more about that once i am a bit more settled there and have some photos to share.

A few weeks ago Dave and I were in Auckland. whilst we were there I got to have a poke around in topshop which I love! When I was there I saw this jumper and thought that it was very cute, sadly they didn't have my size boo. (Available at www.topshop.com.)

Then I remembered that I had a plan cream wool jumper which i brought from a op shop with the intention of making it a little more interesting.

So I got to work. I decided to go for a light Grey bow and trim after considering green, mostly because it will go with pretty much ever thing. I cut out a bow and ironed it into place with double sided stiffener then I edged it using a tight zigzag stitch.

here is the  finished jumper, I like it so much I almost wish it was winter... ok so that i a lie but winter will be more bearable with this in my wardrobe!

Thanks for reading x

take one brown coffee table...

When I married my lovely husband Dave I also married a few less than beautiful bits of furniture that he is inexplicably attached to. The main one being his coffee table, apparently it is the perfect size.

Here it is, It is not offensive but it is not awesome either. so I decided I wanted to spruce it up a little. The first thing I did was change the legs so that it is a little shorter, originally it was as high as the seat of the couch.

Next I found a cool image, I went with a old map of the world because I like maps a lot. I think i may have pirate blood in my veins. I also got some rubber lugs and a sheet of perspex. I got my perspex in an op-shop fortunately as it is $40 from bunnings.

 I put it all together and TA DA! 

A much improved table!

 Thanks for reading x

A Lamp revamp

It feels like this week has lasted for ever, what with the long weekend two weeks ago and going to NZ last weekend. However considering the length of the week I haven't done very much, ekk.

One thing I did get around to doing is giving a new lease of life to old lamp I picked up in a second hand shop for $5.

I had already started painting before I remembered to take some photos Sorry. The bits that I painted yellow were a discolored silver which wasn't very nice, so I masked of the glass and started painting using a mix of cream emulsion and yellow and red acrylic to make a warm yellow.

In between coats I covered the lampshade in some fabric I had left over from the cushions in my living room. first i cut a rectangle of fabric 4inces wider than the circumference of the lampshade and 2inches longer.

 

next I ironed one end over to make a neat edge, then I put glue around the top and bottom and down the side seam. I used silicon glue, but I think a hot glue gun would have been better.

once the fabric was on smooth and the glue had dried, I put more glue around the inside of the top and bottom and folded the fabric over to neaten the edges.

once it was all dry I took of the tape and put it all back together an here is the finished lamp.

This wont be its final spot but it will do for now.

I also painted my nails this week, which in it self is not very exciting. but I have been playing with low tack tape and I love the results!

 Thanks for reading x

 

A Long long long weekend.

This weekend has been fantastically long, because of the melbourne cup. Tuesday was a public holiday in Victoria, and most folks seem to take the Monday off of work too.

Dave and I have had a lot of fun this weekend - but we also got some bad news. Dave's Gran passed away Tuesday evening. Anne was a great lady who loved her family well, she will be missed!

The main theme of our long weekend seemed to be dressing up as we hit a 1920s jazz event on Sunday and then got our fancy clothes on for the Mildura races on Tuesday.

The 'Roaring Twenties Back Lane Jazz' was a fun event that was apart of the Mildura Jazz Food and Wine festival. Dave and I had a great time getting dressed up in our 1920s gear and listening to some jazz with our friends.

I wore a black dropped waist dress with a pleated skirt which I got from the op shop last week. Dave wore a jacket from Zara, my grampa's hat and some home made braces.

My favorite thing about getting dressed up for the 1920s was doing my hair. I was pretty chuffed with the result.

We got all dressed up for the Mildura cup, but unfortunately we didn't take many photos because we got swept up in the day. Here are two we did manage to get. I made this skirt and top a few months ago to wear to a wedding, but had to change my outfit because it was too cold for bare legs. I was glad for an excuse to wear it!

And here is Dave surrounded by ladies

 One final photo of the fascinator I threw together in about half and hour the night before. Not to shabby even if I do say so myself.

Thanks for reading, Sarah x

op shoptastic

One of the great things about moving to a new place is getting to explore all the second hand shops.

Mildura has quite a few Op shop and because I don't currently work I have lots of time to go and rake through looking for treasure.

Op shopping can be very hit and miss most times I don't find anything very exciting and then some times like Thursday last week, every thing I touch seems to be gorgeous and in exactly my size.

This is my loot - well most of it.

I have shortened the Blue Dress a little, and I had to take the black dress in, I am going to a 1920s jazz thing this weekend so the dress is perfect with the pearls

I love these Steve Madden shoes and they only squeeze a little bit.

 check out these awesome mirror pictures.

And finally look at all the lovely vintage fabrics! I have made some shorts out of the checks any suggestion for the rest?

Thanks for  reading

Phew it has been a long time!

I have recently move to Australia which is very exciting, we now live in a wee town in northen Victoria called Mildura. So far we are loving our new home, the weather is awesome and we have met lots of lovely people!

Photo from Mildura Development Corporation

As exciting as the move was we have been without internet for what felt like 6 years but was actually 3 months, still a very long time!

I was also without my sewing machines for a lot of that time as they made there way across the ocean, on what I can only assume is the slowest boat on the whole planet!

However I have survived all of that and now intend to up date this thing once a week and to try and get a few readers, big goals I know I think the heat has gone to my head.

One of the exciting things about moving house is that I have a new canvas to work on! Our new house is bigger and brighter than our last one so I have been busy making things to fill the space. The first project I want to share with you is some of the art I have been making! I must apologise for the poor photos my husband is away and he has the camera.


First up is this rainbow dribble which I created using two boxes of crayola crayons glued to down and then blasted with a hair dryer. the rest was gravity. I am chuffed with this I think It is my fave piece in the house.

This one Is made up of 100s of used postage stamps, which I got off of Ebay for a few dollars. I then traced the out line of the UK (my home country) and got to work gluing the stamps down! I have tried to glue the stamps with places on them in the appropriate place, like the London eye is in London and the giants causeway is on the north cost of Ireland. It was really fiddly but the the end result is worth the hassle.

Thanks for reading Sarah x

Fun gift for awesome person number 2

My Friends Rachel and Dave recently had a beautiful little boy, he is very handsome and for a new born pretty suave.

So I decided that he needed a tie, unfortunately small children and neck ties don't go hand in hand. To get around this problem I decided to sew one on to a onesie.

first I bought a plain white onsie and some blue checked fabric (actually it was an old shirt)

next I cut a tie shape out from the checked fabric and some iron on interfacing.

I ironed it in to place to hold the tie whilst I sewed and to stop it fraying in the wash. Then using a small zigzag stitch I sewed around the edge. I think it turned out pretty well and he is going to look champion in it.