It’s not even spring but the flowers on this street are in full force already. Perfect for twirling under in drop waist dresses like this great marble print one that’s made of silk and a dream to float about. My last week was so messy and I think its because I didn’t work out properly thus my schedule became completely off kilter. So! A new week begins and its time to start everything up again and make it a stellar one.
//Dress: Country Road / Booties: Forever New //
The palm leaves on my skort are for summer, the pastel collared top is for spring, the rainboots are for autumn and the plaid is for winter. The Sydney weather has been wild these past weeks. In the Blue Mountains it was snowing one week and then the next there was a bushfire?!?! Regardless, I prepare myself for these wild days ahead by layering and repeating. I also cope by eating beautiful pastries like those croissants … mmm layers and layers of viennoiserie. How is everyone else doing weather wise?
Outfit Photography: Adela + Styliminal / Other Photography: Me
Thought I would up my bed side table game by hopping on the marble trend in the least expensive way possible. Considering marble will be out of trend within the next few years, I wanted to do something that would cost me next to nothing. I have been contemplating ordering marble contact paper for a few months now but some rolls cost up to $50 on Etsy which is ridiculous since my side table was probably less than half that price!
ONE To create this side table, print off several copies of this marble print (download here). Take out your drawer and unscrew the knob. TWO Then, trim off the whites of your marble paper and affix it to the surface of your drawer using a gluestick. THREE Neatly, cut away all excess paper and fold it behind. FOUR Measure a piece of contact paper large enough to cover the surface of the drawer and the edges too. FIVE Slowly peel back the contact backing and smooth it over your drawer. If you fail at contacting surfaces, maybe practice contacting some old magazines to ensure your final product is always bubble free. SIX Trim off excess contact and re-pierce the hole where the knob is meant to go. SEVEN Screw knob back into place and you are finished! EIGHT (option lol) Artfully style your DIY, take many photographs and boast to family and friends 😉 Make sure they always stand 5 metres away so they can’t tell if its actually marble or not.
OPTIONAL: Before attempting this side table, I actually made a jewellery holder first. I printed off the marble sheets, glued them to card stock, contacted the whole thing and affixed it to my cork board using white push pins.
I’ve actually been on a three week shooting hiatus so I decided today was the day to get off my behind and and put it in this wild midi number from Lil Muse. I have to admit, I’m not a big animal print person … I think this is the first animal print that has ever made its way into my wardrobe. Animal print frankly scares me but I threw myself in the deep end by trying out a double animal print mirrored midi body con skirt. What a mouthful! All full of words that usually do not exist in my closet vocabulary!
Making a statement can be terrifying. Committing to pink hair, a sleeve tattoo or a house made of glass would be impractical for most of us. For those brave souls who have that level of commitment, I applaud you. That doesn’t mean the rest of us can shy away from standing out every once in a while and I honestly can’t think of a better non-permanent form of expression than the way you dress. So go on, try that tucked away piece in your wardrobe and let that feeling of liberation wash over you.
Initially, when I started SS I was determined not to put outfit details at the bottom. I wanted SS to be simply a source of inspiration not an add to cart type of a site. More recently, I have been receiving messages and emails asking me where certain details are from so from this day forth, I will try my best to put details at the bottom. Keeping in mind, I’m just a broke student so sometimes my stuff is from two seasons ago and will not be available anymore. Today’s outfit however is still available online so I definitely recommend you check out the top and shoes since they are heavily discounted!
Top: Cotton On KN Alanis Cut Away Crop Skirt: (c/o) Lil Muse Snake of Paradise Skirt Shoes: Betts Slave Heel in Stone
We are all guilty of getting something new and then wanting something more. Except if you took the time to reflect, this greediness could be zapped (or at least leak out) from your system. I have a 365-day journal from Kikki-K that I write in every day. It’s a very healthy way of letting stuff out of your system or being thankful for what you’ve been able to do a particular day. Sometimes, I’ll just write a recipe down or attempt to write my name in different fonts. You don’t need to have an epic day for it to be worth recording because some of the best days are those lazy days where you don’t do anything but you appreciate everything. If you don’t think you have the enthusiasm to keep up a diary for that long, why not try do it just for the summer?
If words aren’t your forte, then maybe photos are? I saw a quote once that constantly resonates with me: “The photographer takes photos of things they are afraid to lose.” This quote troubles me because of the nature of my blog and social media. I take so many pictures of myself and inanimate objects that the ‘afraid to lose’ part becomes weirdly egocentric!
I have also had another great internal conflict for far too long. That is whether to buy a Polaroid camera or not succumb to the trend. I’m just not cut out for leaving things to luck and with a Polaroid, that’s exactly what you have to do and I’m sorry but I’m just not hipster enough.
Wait … but here’s the thing, today I have a DIY that’s different and less mainstream so I guess I can just say I out hipstered all you hipsters. HA! The other day I realised I had never printed out any of my photos from high school. That’s six years of photographs that have never made it off my screen. That’s a lot of cringe …which leads me to my third and final installment of my New Year series: Reflection – a DIY.
Start off by gathering all the pictures you want to use. Instagrams are the best because they’ve been squared already but by all means squarely crop all your other pictures and pop them into a folder.
Download Pixlr if you want to give your pictures that faded, timely, accidental look. I like my pictures brightly lit and sans filter but go ahead and filter that baby out till your heart desires. Pixlr in my opinion has the best filters but if you want to throw some better ones out into the ring, comment down below!
Open Photoshop or Gimp (free but very powerful) and open a new file that is 4 x 6 in size (standard photo printing size). Then centre your photo and don’t be afraid to give it a lot of white space.
Print your pictures out and trim to size. Then take a Sharpie and write the date, a song lyric, the location, whatever!
Your fake Polaroid is good for all kinds of stuff. If you have heaps make an entire feature wall filled with them or hang them up on twine. I think printing off a whole stack, writing cute messages on the back and boxing them makes for a cute, personalised gift.
No vanity mirror? No problem! I would much rather stare at my beautiful friends and family instead.
I have a bit of a fetish for Moroccan prints. Those tiles look equally good in a Moroccan bath house as they do on a kitchen splash back. Don’t get me started on Moroccan tapestry: the patterns, the colours; its the perfect example of order meets disorder and you know how much I adore my juxtaposition.
Naturally, I had to eventually acquire some kind of Moroccan top. I’ve been digging this kind of cut particularly – the high neckline, the flowy hem and the thin straps; it would have been such a shame to hide it so I pulled my hair back nice and sleek into a low pony. For pretty much my whole life, I have always thought low ponies were on the same level as sweaty bangs, Hawaiian beaded braids and crimped hair but I’ve recently decided that I like them for their simplicity and hey-im-in-control-here message.
This top is actually quite difficult to style because of its high low hem and impossible to miss print. Actually if it wasn’t so hot, pants would work quite well but I needed something that’s heat appropriate so I snuck on a pair of loose shorts in a bright cobalt blue and prayed the final look wouldn’t be too unforgiving. I also threw on my layered coin necklace which I love because its something that I didn’t think I would like initially but I adore it now because its a statement without the shiny and the bling. Then to give my outfit some body, I cross bodied a little black bag – something I would have never done before but now I do because a) it gives your hands freedom and b) I don’t think I look like a tourist doing it anymore.
A lot of newly embraced things in this post, I’ll say! I think it’s always important to continually try new things and since the new year is just over a week away, its time to start doing! Start with the little things and try, try and try again. I didn’t like avocado for ages but I kept forcing myself to try it once in a while and now I put it in everything including my smoothies. Try it sometime – your blend becomes a thousand times smoother and theres no strange flavour at all. I like a good banana, coco powder, milk and avocado smoothie for breakfast!
STYLE SMORGASBORD 