DIY Home: Striped Walls Inspiration

We are in the midst of a home makeover here at TWS HQ & one of the biggest decisions we have to make is what colour to pain the walls.

While block colours are necessary for the most of the house, one look I hope to experiment with is the striped wall.

What do you think, modern & fresh or OTT?

DIY: Complete Blazer Refashion

Have you ever bought something that doesn’t fit quite right knowing that you will DIY it later? That’s what happened with this blazer. I have been searching for a leopard blazer for what feels like forever but all of the ones I found were too cheap-looking, too bulky, too orange or just plain wrong. I loved the fabric & loved the pattern on this one but the shape was all wrong. Sleeves so long you could trip on them, way to much fabric hanging around on the front & shoulder pads?? Why….just, why? But with a few quick tricks I turned this into my second favourite blazer {nothing beats the classic black.}

You’ll Need:

• An ill fitting blazer/cardigan
• quick unpick
• scissors
• pins
• measuring tape or ruler
• elastic
• needle & thread or sewing machine

Here’s how I did it…

Remove the Shoulder Pads

Use a quick unpick to remove the pads from the seams of the blazer.

Shorten the Sleeves

1. Try on your blazer. Mark where you want the sleeve to hit on your arm & put a pin in the fabric here so you don’t lose the spot.

2. Take your blazer off. Mark 3cms down the sleeve from where you put the pin & cut off the excess fabric. {if your fabric is likely to fray, sew a zig-zag stitch around the sleeve at this step}

3. Make an elastic bangle by measuring a length of elastic around the same spot you want your sleeve to sit on your arm. Make sure the elastic has to stretch a little to stay in place on your arm. Cut your length of elastic at the right spot & sew the two ends of your elastic together to make a bangle.

4. Turn your blazer inside out and place the bangle on the inside of your sleeve.

5. Fold up your sleeve so if covers your bangle and sew around the sleeve to make a cuff.

Change the Shape

1. Put your blazer on & hold out the front of your blazer. Fold in half. Sew to hold in place.{Take a look at the pic below, I folded the fabric inwards, along the dotted line, then sewed it in place.}

See It, Want It, DIY It: Banjo and Matilda’s Love Crew – A Valentines Day Special

I find that true creative genius strikes when you are up a certain creek without a paddle. Like today, I come home from work to realise it’s Valentines Day tomorrow & lo & behold I have nothing to wear.

That’s when Banjo & Matilda’s gorgeous cashmere jumper popped into my head. No, my version is not Banjo & Matilda & it’s not cashmere but its super cute, cost next to nothing & is the perfect last-minute Valentines Day outfit.

What you’ll need:

• A jumper
• Scrap fabric {preferably in red or pink.. workin’ with the love theme here}
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Paper
• Pins
• Double sided fabric tape, or needle & thread {depending on just how permanent you want your heart to be}

How it works:

1) Lay your jumper flat. Sketch your heart onto the paper laid on top of your jumper.

2) Cut out your heart & pin it to your scrap fabric. Cut it out again.

3) Use double-sided fabric tape to stick your heart onto your jumper. If you want your heart to last more than the night, feel free to either hand sew it in place, or use a machine if you are that way inclined.

Voila, now to sit & wish for my very own Banjo & Matilda jumper.

DIY: Christmas Tree

This year I’m not spending Christmas at home & I don’t own a Christmas tree so I couldn’t justify the time/money/effort involved with buying & erecting one if no one is going to see it. However, this is my favourite time of year & Christmas isn’t a holiday without the tree… right!?

I also rent, so permanent & potentially flammable tree options were out of the question.

So I developed this renter-friendly Christmas tree.

What you’ll need:

• Pom-pom ribbon
• Blue-Tac
• Something to put on top (I used some left over Christmas ribbon to make a star)

How it works:

1) Find a clean & empty wall & put your Blue-Tac up in a Christmas tree shape.

2) Push your ribbon onto the Blue-Tac to make your Christmas tree.

3) Put something vaguely Christmassy on top.

4) To remove, simply rip away from the wall, with a giant smile on your face knowing that your landlord will never know it was there.