31/07/2014

Style Icon | Emma Watson














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I have been loving Emma Watson's simple yet sophisticated style. She seems to be getting it right pretty well every time. 

What are your thoughts on Emma's style? You can see a few more of my favourite Emma looks here.

- J x

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30/07/2014

Weekend Yoga Practice | Lifestyle



A little insight into my Yoga practice this past weekend. I love starting my Yoga practice with sun salutations as they are a great way to warm up the body and get your blood pumping. There are many different variations of the sun salutation and I would encourage you to include them in your yoga routine.

I had a bad cold last week, so I haven't been able to do a lot of yoga (you may have read about my goals here) but I am back up and running this week! Even fitting just 10 minutes of Yoga into your day will make a huge difference to your overall health.
Namaste.
- J x

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29/07/2014

Megan Dress | DIY



The Megan dress is my first project from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

This dress was relatively easy to make (Tilly includes fantastic picture instructions with all her patterns) however I would probably not reccommend this pattern for a beginner.




I love the way this dress fits. The darts and dart tucks ( a first for me!) ensure the dress hugs the body in all the right places.




I really like the use of the invisible zip. This was the first time I had used one, however it is not very easy (or cheap!) to get an invisible zipper foot for my machine. I watched a few YouTube videos and eventually worked out how to install an invisible zipper with my normal zipper foot. 

There are a few things I will work on for next time. The sleeves stick up a bit, so I need to work on my gathering. My dart tucks were far from perfect (I think I should have pressed them slightly better) and I need to get way better at installing an invisible zip. 

Overall I am happy with how this has turned out and I will certainly be making another one...very soon!

- J x

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20/07/2014

Natio Finds | First Impressions



I picked up three products from the Natio range at National Pharmacies a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to give them a try! Here are my first impressions.

Complexion Perfection Foundation Sponge



I had heard a pretty good first impression about these sponges by Amy from Bottled Beauty and couldn't wait to try them out myself. Personally I love makeup brushes as I think they give a more natural look and don't use as much foundation as sponges, however I was pleasantly surprised by how good these sponges are. It does take more time to apply your foundation, so I can see myself using these only for special occasions, however the end result really is flawless. 

Clear Pores Detoxifying Face Scrub with Jojoba Beads




There were a few mixed reviews about this product online so I was interested to see how this scrub worked for me. A few of the reviews mentioned the lack of exfoliating power due to the gentleness of the scrub. After only using it a couple of times (it should only be used 2 - 3 times a week) I quite like the way it has been making my skin feel. Acne wise - I will need to use it for a bit longer to see if it has any impact!

Intensive Moisturising Night Cream




My skin has been feeling quite dry this winter, so I decided to give this night cream a try. I have been using it every night since I purchased it and so far am pretty happy with the results. I wake up with a lovely, smooth hydrated face.

I use the facial scrub and night cream as part of my overall skincare routine. I find that by trying to stick to this routine, my skin looks glowing and healthy. Look out for an updated skincare routine post soon.

A little something to remember when reading skincare product reviews - all skin types are different. Something that might not have worked for someone else may work for you! Most products have a mixed reaction, however if a product has mostly negative reviews, I would usually stay clear.

- J x

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17/07/2014

Yoga Goals | LIfestyle


If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, you may have seen my post on the benefits of yoga and why I love it. I have been practising yoga for two and a half years and have recently been trying to incorporate it into my everyday routine.

I came across this pin on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought the goals were such a great idea, so I tweaked a few of them and made 5 of my own yoga goals. 


Even if it is for just 10 - 15 minutes, I believe incorporating yoga into my daily routine will be very beneficial. I find it helps me to stop and concentrate on myself and stop worrying about all the things going on around me.


I usually attend two classes a week, so I would really love to keep that up. Going to a class at least once a week helps me to progress in my yoga journey and ensures I am getting the most out of my yoga.


You are forever developing during your yoga journey, so I think it is essential to let your yoga practice develop along with you. Incorporating one new yoga pose a week into my practice will ensure I am challenging myself and really getting the most out of my yoga journey.


I don't usually include Savasana pose (laying on your back in relaxation) in my yoga practise at home because I am always thinking of all the other things I could and should be doing. However, I think it is really important to take time out for yourself and take a breath, so this is definitely something I will be trying to include.


As I mentioned above, I believe your yoga routine should develop with you, so trying out a different routine from week to week is definitely something I am going to do. As you grow in strength and flexibility, change up your routine to continue challenging and developing yourself and your yoga practice.

If you would like to join me on this yoga journey, please feel free! You can pin the images above if you would like for inspiration. I would love to hear from you about your goals and your progress. I will be keeping you up to date with my yoga journey!

Also, if you would like to try yoga at home, I highly recommend Yoga by Candace on YouTube. Candace is fantastic at talking you through each pose and has a large selection on videos ranging from beginner to expert.

Namaste.
 - J x

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02/07/2014

Dining Chair Reupholstery | DIY


We were given our dining setting by my Grandparents when they moved into a retirement village a few years ago. The table brings back so many memories of all the wonderful times we had with them, and all the amazing meals we shared with the family sitting around the table.

I recently got around to re upholstering the chairs to make bring them into a more modern era. I absolutely love the way they turned out! After upholstering one of our couches last year, this project was a dream - so quick and easy. Scroll down to see the process.



- Fabric
- Drill
- Thread
- Scissors
- Chisel
- Pliers
- Staple Gun




The first thing you will need to do is dismantle the chair. Flip the chair so it is upside down and use your drill to remove all screws. Remember to take note of where everything fitted so you are able to put it back together properly. You may like to take pictures to ensure you put it back the same way.



Don't be fooled into thinking your dining chair will only have a few staples. There were at least 100 in each of our dining chairs! You need to ensure you take out all of your staples. I didn't have a special tool, so I used one of my partner's chisels and a pair of heavy duty pliers to pull out each staple. I found it easier to use the chisel first and push up all the staples, then go around and pull out the staples with the pliers. 



Place the old fabric on top of the new fabric and cut it out. Make sure to leave a border when you are cutting. Now is also the time to sew any fabric you need to. I don't have a picture of it sorry, but the backs of our chairs also needed to be reupholstered. I used what they had done as a guide and sewed the new fabric where they had sewn the old fabric.



Pretty much the most exciting step! Using your stale gun, reattach the fabric to the cushion of the chair. This was a lot of trial and error for me especially when it came to the corners. Take your time and ensure there are no puckers before you staple. It is also easier if you have 2 people so you can hold the fabric in place. You can now reassemble the chair.

And you are finished! Super easy - the more you do the quicker you will get.



I chose this gorgeous nude leaf curtain fabric to reupholster the chairs and I think it looks really nice.

We also really want to paint the dining setting but are unsure at this stage what colour. What are your thoughts?

I hope this post has been helpful and might inspire you with your reupholstering projects.

- J x

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