Sunday, May 2, 2010

DIY Jeans

So, I had originally planned to splatter my black jeans with bleach to make white patterns however the bleach turned the fabric red..then I decided to do it in the reverse order.

1. Bleach jeans white - I don't know where you live but currently there are no white jeans in stores anywhere! So I bought the palest pair I could find. Then I put them in a bucket and covered them in bleach. I used the concentrated form and put it on the jeans undiluted.



2. Scrub - I find that bleaching alone is not really sufficient so I bought some steel wool to help to further degrade the fabric which allows the bleach to absorb better. Wear gloves from this point on, I didn't and have ripped up most of the layers of skin on my hands (which means that it hurts to touch pretty much everything). Let the bleach sink into the fabric for around 10-15 minutes.

3. Rinsing - You must rinse all of the bleach out, then dry them. If you are still not happy with the colour, step 2 can be repeated. My jeans turned out this colour.
4. Painting - I originally tried it with fabric dye and when I washed it out, the pattern didn't stay so my lovely white pants went all gray! So, had to start from the beginning again.
Put plastic bags down the legs of your pants (this is so that the paint won't go through the fabric and stick the legs together) and hang the pants on the line. Make sure there isn't anything else on the line though.

5. I ended up using regular house paint to do the jeans because whenever I have been silly enough to get paint on clothes that I didn't want it to be on, I can NEVER get it out. Any old black paint would do I suppose but I used 'semi gloss enamel'. However, don't go out and buy black paint especially, just use whatever is around your house.

6. I painted large portions of the jeans black and then afterwards splattered them to create a different effect. After they have dried completely (can take up to a couple of hours), iron them with a piece of material over the jeans (this will seal in the paint), rinse them and dry them. 
Here is the finished product! 

If you have any questions, just leave a comment!

P.S here is what they looked like BEFORE the dye ran. I'm so cut they got ruined! :(

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

HUZZAH!
I got my new Jeffrey Campbell X Wedges yesterday. They only took about 10 days (including weekends) to get here which was amazing!

Of course, they arrived whilst I was out having lunch with my friend Bridget, so needless to say I practically ripped the package apart to get to them!

I wore them out op-shopping today (got some more weird looks but that was probably due to my entire outfit in the locality) and got some monster blisters. :( The outfit in question is on my lookbook:  http://lookbook.nu/user/155287-Ellen-N
However, they don't say suffer for fashion for no reason so I intend to persevere and wear those babies in :)

On a side note, found a new little shop I hadn't been to before and it had some ah-mazing clothes.
Have an awesome day! xx

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Saturday

I'm looking for some new black lipstick, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know.
So I tried out my new flower blazer today, the shoulders are fairly massive but I can live with it. You can check it out on my lookbook.
Got a few compliments which is nice as well :)
Intended to go op-shopping in Paddington but of course it rained..sigh but at least I got to see Laura, Sam and Tal and have some interesting conversation.

Australia is currently going mad over the "biggest sporting scandal ever" -> it's so ridiculous. The average Australian is being dumbed down just by watching news services such as Channel 10/9/7 which is really just another outlet for their community-centered inflammatory stories.
I mean, who cares if Stern Hu's trial is finishing in China if there is some bogan from the Gold Coast has been skiving off on debt payments. It is mind-boggling. (end rant)

On a high note, it is my first official day of holidays :D and I am so happy. I have my book pile to finish (which includes Anna Karenina and Shantaram) and many recipes to cook.

Happy ANZAC day for tomorrow!
x

Monday, April 19, 2010

monday monday monday

I am currently 'borrowing' my friend Julie's internet whilst mine is being sorted out. Thank God I have nice friends who don't mind me sponging off them.
On a side note, it's kind of scary how reliant I have become of the internet lately.

Mondays are often my worst day, mainly because I don't want to start another week of uni however from next Monday, I'm on holiday! Cannot describe the excitement to be finished with exams.

I also prepared my reading stack for the holidays..so I can basically become a couch potato, read books and eat. It's a fairly fun experience that I look forward to.

My friend Elspeth joined lookbook today, check her out: http://lookbook.nu/user/156779-Elspeth-D
;)

My new look can be seen on the lb sidebar -->

x

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Lunch with friends

Morning all,
Family friends are visiting from Hong Kong. I always love seeing to catch up with expats, they have such interesting stories!

On a side note, 18 days until I leave for Manila!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Lovely new winter coats


Floral blazer -> is a little big but only $5 so I couldn't pass it up!



Sorry for the horrid lighting but it's a lovely caramel colour in real life.
I tried it on and there was a pack of french gum and an italian transport ticket.
As my friend Elspeth rightly said, I now own a cultured coat! 



And another floral overcoat. It's not heavy enough to be a blazer.

So, there are a few of my great finds. 
Ironically, my mum refuses to spend money on clothes that are from normal shops but will pay for anything in an Op-Shop -> all the more reason! haha

Lookbook # 2



A day of op-shopping with my lovely mother. 
Got soooo many great new clothes. Photos to come x

Welcome all.

As I am spent from long hours of studying for my upcoming law exams, I am unable to think of anything witty.
Therefore, I will give you the basics :)
I'm from Australia but have lived o/s basically all of my life. 
I die without my family, my friends, good books, good music and coffee. 


Have a good one x