Oh, hello there Mr Saint Valentines, Sir. Do you like my tights?

Just a quick outfit post. You can find the DIY and full post for these heart-print tights here.

 

Wearing:

Blouse - here

Tights - DIY

Bag - oasap.com

Belt - Vintage

Shoes - Forever 21

Hat - here

Side note: I'm not blonde again. I would be mad had I changed hair colour yet again. And bald. No, these were taken just before I went blue again, after bleaching out the lovely green :)

Hope you have/have had a super day!

xxx Annika

DIY Floral Brogues (a neat way to update your shoe collection)

 I bought some fairly basic but nice shoes the other day from Rubi Shoes, then promptly went mad and half-destroyed them. Well, what I was trying to do was to paint them and make them look all oxford-style and elegant, but all I managed to achieve was... well... this.

It wasn't pretty. Paint + shoes + the place where your foot bends so that you can walk = a flaky, crumbling, crappy looking mess which look like you've walked through a construction site then through wet paint then back through the construction site again for some reason.

LUCKILY, as I also used a really crappy paint, it washed off. I was on a mission though, and still wanted to DIY these shoes SOMEHOW. So, from my ever-expanding hoard of fabrics I grabbed this quilter's fat-pack I bought the other day at Spotlight (because it was on sale for $1.50, and the pattern was pretty). I cut out 4 strips measuring 28cm x 12cm (11in x 5in) , removed the shoelaces and then glued them (using craft glue) very carefully to the top parts of the shoes (the parts within the pre-made borders).

I didn't risk covering the toe area again, as I had learnt that that area gets very creased by walking.

Then I used my precision knife to cut out very carefully along the ridgey bit of the shoe, and glued these edgey bits down with craft glue.

Get one of these knives, they're very good for this kind of thing, and for general DIY-ing. Don't try and use scissors for this DIY, it will either be very very very hard, or won't work.

I then had a bit of an issue poking back through the shoe-laces hole, but managed to eventually fix it all up. And look how they turned out!

 

Well, they're at least much better than my genius painting idea. And no one else owns a pair like them. I was pretty happy with my DIY shoes in the end!

Find an old pair of flats or basic brouges that need an update, and try it out yourself!

Have a stunning day!

Annika xxx

50s Polkadots & Petticoat

I got this sweet polka dot dress three years ago from one of my favourite Vintage stores where I live. It never, never ever fit me properly because I was too thin. I've gotten much curvier lately (relatively), and it fits! So I'm celebrating my new curviness with this 50s bombshell style photoshoot.

Wearing:

Dress - vintage

Petticoat - I made it!

Bag - OASAP 

Stockings - wholesale-dress.net

Shoes - wholesale-dress.net

Have a gorgeous day,

Annika xxx

DIY Heart Print Valentines Tights

Here's a little DIY just in time for Valentines. I feel so schmaltzy making a Valentines themed DIY, but I've actually gotten into the Valentines "spirit" as it's my first Valentines with my lovely guy. I've become lame and schmaltzy, I guess. Don't judge me!! And enjoy the DIY! Firstly, supplies you will need: - Arcrylic paint - Clear Nail Polish - Sheer tights (anything from 10 to 30 denier is best, mine are 15) - Paintbrush (forgot to include that in the photo there... but very necessary!) - Scissors - Cardboard (can be from anywhere, an empty ceral box etc) - Sticky tape (also forgot to include that in the photo...) - Lots of time is also required (DIY not for the impatient) Next, make your stencils: Draw one large love heart and one small love heart (or however you'd like to do it, maybe several sizes, or maybe only one? I'm not here to tell you exactly how you must do these things.) onto two squares of cardboard, then cut them out. Seal up the bit where you cut into it with sticky tape. Next, put on your tights and place the stencil on your leg, wherever you think it'll look nice. Paint thickly, filling out the stencil. Make sure the layer of paint is fairly thick, but not goopy. You can then remove the stencil and fix up any edges that look a bit dodgy with the paintbrush. Now do as many of these as you like on the FRONT of your legs. Have a look in the mirror (while trying not to move your legs too much, and avoid bending your kness - walk around like a robot if you have to) to make sure the placement looks good. When you're done the fronts of your legs, use a blowdryer on each heart for about 20 seconds to speed up the drying process. It's very important that you don't begin the next step until the paint is BONE DRY. Next, paint over each heart with clear nail polish (in a thin layer). If paint is coming off and going into the nail polish, you have rushed it. WAIT UNTIL IT IS DRY. Next, use your blowdryer again, or wait for a loooong time if you have the patience. When you can touch each heart and it doesn't feel at all wet or tacky, you are ready to take your tights off. When taking your tights off, peel very carefully around each painted heart. If there is any paint left on your legs (other than a faint outline), STOP. It is not dry enough, and it won't work. Chill, sit back down, and WAIT another 5 minutes or so (I can't stress this enough). Once you take the tights off, turn them around and put them on backwards. Begin process again. Now you're done! Whether you're a single lady or spending valentines with a beloved, you will surely enjoy your sweet looking legs. Wishing you all a super lovely day,

DIY Patterned Tights

Hello! Another day, another DIY. It almost seems like that anyway – today’s are these Miu Miu inspired patterned tights. Me and my friend Clare had a chill craft afternoon, and ended up with paint stuck all over our legs, but it was well worth it. I'm going to be making more of these, using different stencils. I'm thinking jellyfish for one, and daisies for another :)  For these, I followed the DIY on the Haute Pursuit's blog, but added my own step - you should make & use stencils. This will make sure you get the right shape, and you don't have to worry if you're not great at hand painting or lack any kind of skill with a steady hand (like me). Another tip - DEFINITELY don't take off until COMPLETELY dry. Very important. Here's some photos of my outfit!   Wearing: Skirt - Temt Bag - Oasap.com Belt - Vintage Tights - DIY Shoes - Rubi Shoes Blouse - Chicabooti Have a beautiful day, Annika xxx

Mint & Bubblegum

 

My outfit today is a clash of the 60s and 70s, with my 1960s style leather bag from oasap.com and my many bows, combined with this amazing vintage dress from the 1970s. Until my hair is re-blued, I’m sticking to pastel greens and pinks. (I actually really like it as a colour palette, it’s very spring-like, no?)

My hair bow I also DIY'd: after I hemmed my dress shorter, I used the left-over fabric to make some hair bows. So my hair bow and dress match! 

Wearing:

Dress - Vintage

Bag - oasap.com

Blazer - Vintage

Belt - Vintage

Hair bow - DIY

Shoes - forever21.com

Socks - Tutuanna

LOVE!

Annika xxx