21/05/2015

Pleated Skirt | Fashion







I really needed a few new work skirts, so I was excited when I came across this Super easy box pleated skirt tutorial. Miranda from One Little Minute Blog makes this skirt so easy to make with her easy to follow tutorial - colour pictures and all!

I love how easy it is to make a number of different outfits with this skirt. It is so versitile and I get so many comments on it when I wear it. 

If you have been reading the blog for a while you might have come across my love for invisible zippers. They not only make this skirt super easy to get on (considering it is high waisted) but looks great!

I used a cotton duck drill for this skirt which helps the pleats to sit properly. I will definitely be making more of these in the future. The only thing I do not like about this material is it attracts a lot of fibres.

Have you made a box pleated skirt before? I would love to hear your tips!


 

11/05/2015

Re-establishing Yoga Goals | Yoga


Recently I have been experiencing a rut with my yoga practice. I am down to one session a week at the moment and to be honest - I feel like I could miss that too!

Last year I made these yoga goals. I feel now like I put too much pressure on myself to meet all my goals each week. Whilst I was hoping making these goals would help to extend my yoga practice, they have made me not enjoy my practice as much as I used to.

I think it is good to take time to re-evaluate your goals (in all aspects of your life) so today I am sitting down and re-establishing my own yoga goals.

Here is an overview of my own re-established yoga goals for my home practice.

1.  Practice yoga at least 1 morning on the weekend and every night before bed
I know now how difficult it is for me to try and attempt yoga throughout the work week at home. I find it much easier to fit in my yoga practice on a Saturday / Sunday morning. I would also like to include more night yoga to relax my ever-racing mind before bed.

2. Push myself to attend both my yoga / stretch classes even if I do not feel like going
Sometimes I find it is very easy to find an excuse not to attend a class. I really want to push myself to go to all my classes as I always feel better afterwards. It is sometimes just the thought of going that is so hard!

3. Include more meditation into my practice
This is one of the hardest thing for me to incorporate into my practice. I enjoy relaxation at the end of my classes, however I can never seem to sit still for long enough. My mind races with all of the other things I should be doing. I am going to try a few guided meditations to help me stay focused and clear my mind. 

4. Keep a consistent yoga routine, adding in new poses every-so-often
Last time, a couple of my yoga goals talked about adding a new pose every week and trying a new routine every week. I thought this would be a good way to help me extend my practice - I was wrong! Not having a consistent practice routine has meant I am all over the shop and as a result I have lost a lot of interest in my yoga practice as it all became too hard. Now I want to try and keep a consistent yoga practice, and slowly add in new poses when I feel the need. 

You will notice these are quite different to the goals I had set out last time. I am in a completely different head space at the moment and need a more consistent / basic approach to my yoga practice.

Are you a goal setter? Maybe it is the list maker in me that loves to set myself goals.

xx


 

08/05/2015

The Perfect Leather Jacket | Fashion







As you may have seen in this post, I have been on the lookout for a good quality leather look jacket. I have actually wanted one for a couple of years now, but have not been able to find one that I liked. I am here today to let you know I have found my perfect leather look jacket!

My sister and I were shopping in Forever New not long ago, and decided to try on a few items we had spotted that we didn't think we would purchase on the day. However once I had tried this jacket on, there was no way I was going to put it back on the rack! It was exactly what I was looking for, and fitted me perfectly. It was so perfect, my sister decided she wanted one for herself!!

One of the things I really love about this jacket is the quilted shoulders and cuffs. I believe they really add something special to the jacket. I know I will get so much wear out of this during winter.

Do you have a go to leather jacket?




1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 
xx

 

29/04/2015

Gift Ideas | Mothers' Day

There will be no featured shop of the week today. Instead I have compiled a round up of Mothers' Day gift ideas from our previous featured shops.



1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 


1 // Two Cheeky Monkeys has a lovely range of one of a kind jewellery in their Etsy store.

2 // Susan from Pea Green Sea has introduced a gorgeous range of jewellery into her Etsy store. I particually love these gorgeous earrings.

3 // Jentik Manis has a beautiful range of jewellery available for your Mum this Mothers' Day.

4 // Made by Joni have these lovely, simple watercolour cards available in their Etsy store Paperie Love.

5 // This gorgeous combination from The Swatchmaker is a perfect pamper gift for your mum. Tara has a range of other balms and washcloths in her Etsy store.

6 // Instead of real flowers for your mum why not gift her with a beautiful bouquet that will last her for years to come. Rachael has some gorgeous designs in her Etsy store Pulp Petals.

7 // Don't forget to check out my Etsy store Little Miss Lorraine for great gift ideas for Mum! We have you covered from a gift, to gift wrapping and also gift cards!

What are you doing for your mum this Mothers' Day?

xx

 

28/04/2015

Cheap & Easy Wall Calendar | DIY




This DIY whiteboard calendar was so easy to make! I loved the idea of using one of these in our office so that it was easy for everyone to see when things were happening, when bills were due etc.

Materials


White Board - The Reject Shop, $8
Permanent Texta
Whiteboard Markers

Step 1 | Draw your Calendar






Decide on your spacing and then use your permanent texta to draw in the grid. I worked on 7 boxes across (for the 7 days) and 7 boxes down (1 line of boxes for the days and 6 for the weeks as there are a couple of months that take up 6 weeks)





Oops! I didn't actually want the lines all the way to the top! But I used permanent texta! Not to worry - did you know that if you draw over permanent texta on a white board with whiteboard marker it will simply rub out? No joke! Try it out for yourself.


Step 2 | Mark in the Days



I found these gorgeous letter banners from Kensie Kate - how cute are the colours!




I applied Mod Podge to the back of the banners with a small paint brush - any craft glue should do the trick!


Step 3 | Add in the month & the dates




All you will need to do now is fill in the Month and the dates in whiteboard maker. This way you can change the whiteboard each month. I have also started using the last row to mark in important dates for the next month.

Only 3 steps! Super easy and super cute.

xx

 

17/04/2015

Office / Craft Room Inspiration | Home

I am writing this post sitting at my new desk and I could not be happier. We finally installed it today which means I can start organising our office / craft room. I have pulled together some inspiration pictures and a wish list of items I would like to include. I will do a full blog post once I have finished it all!

INSPIRATION


I love everything about Leanne Barlow's new office / craft space. You can read the full blog post with more pictures here. 

Swooning over the gorgeous neutral simplicity of this bookshelf - image from Pinterest.

Love the idea of the whiteboard for important reminders and the extra shelf storage - image from Pinterest.

We really loved the idea of an inbuilt desk. Such a big space! - image from Pinterest.

One day! Love this sewing space from Tilly Walnes - especially the cutting table. You can read the full blog post here.


WISHLIST



1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8


You can find more office / craft room inspiration on my Pinterest boards. Make sure you are following me on Instagram @littlemisslorraine for behind the scene previews x

xx

 

16/04/2015

Sheer Curtains | Home


When we moved in to our new home, I was certain I was not going to have sheer curtains underneath my outer curtains. We had them in the unit we rented and whilst they were not the worst sheer curtains I had ever seen, I thought the windows looked much more modern without them.


After a few days of being in our house however, I knew we needed to add sheer curtains to the bedroom windows. We live on a main road and as our bedroom is at the front of the house, it faces the road. Therefore my main reason for getting sheer curtains was the privacy! We were having to close the outer curtains every time we got changed or didn't want passerby's to see us.


As soon as we put the sheer curtains up last weekend I knew we had made the right decision! Not only did the sheer curtains provide us with some much needed privacy, but they also made the room look softer. It made the bedrooms feel more homely and warm.


These sheer curtains were definitely worth the money. They were not the most expensive at $15ish a meter, however they are certainly much nicer than the cheaper lace ones (in my opinion!)

A few tips on adding sheer curtains to a room

1. You may need to spend that little bit more than you want to get a nicer finish. Sometimes sheer curtains may not seem like the most important curtain, but in reality we spend more time looking at them than we do our outer curtains (which we tend to spend more money on!)

2. If you are making the sheer curtains like we did, measure the width of your window and times this by 3. This allows you to get the beautiful gathered / draping effect. We chose to have one large curtain, however you may like to split the curtain in to two so you get the split down the middle. These curtains came with the top placard (the place where you put the rod / hooks) so all we (or should I say Mum!) had to do was hem the sides and the bottom.

3. Before you hem the bottom of your curtains, I would suggest you put them up in place first so you can ensure they are the right length. We did measure the drop of ours, however when we did a trial hang, we found we needed to let them down slightly. Sheer curtains look much better when they are just off the ground. Mum hemmed a double hem (folding the bottom up twice) which finishes them off nicely.

Yes - I know I can sew! But with the craziness of moving and having to set up my sewing machine, my Mum was happy to help out and sew them for me! 

You can buy pre-made curtains if you do not wish to sew them. 

What are your thoughts on sheer curtains? Would you have them in your home?

xx

 

15/04/2015

Pulp Petals | Featured Shop of the Week

This weeks featured shop of the week is Pulp Petals. We chat to Rachael about her product, processes & what she loves about her shop.


Tell us a little bit about yourself
Hello, I’m Rachael. I live in Adelaide with my Husband (and soul mate) Michael, our two little ones Edith and Angus, and our very crazy cat, a Devon Rex named Basil.


Meet Rachael - the talent behind Pulp Petals

What made you want to start Pulp Petals
I originally set out to make petals for myself and as a thank you gift for a dear friend of mine. My family and friends loved them so much that I found myself making 'petals' for them all, and thus Pulp Petals blossomed! My shop has been a way for me create, learn and grow whilst spending time at home with my young children.


Where did the idea for the name Pulp Petals come from
I wanted the name of my shop to be simple and reflect what I do.  I played around with a few ideas until I chose pulp (which you can make paper from) and then pieced it together with petals to create the name Pulp Petals.


Tell us about the products you sell and your processes
My aim is to create beautiful flowers to enhance life, home, and celebrations. The best bit? Their versatility. They can add a bit of fun to a little girl’s bedroom/party, or can create a unique style for an event.



The flowers make a fantastic gift for a birthday, thank you, thinking of you, or maybe just because. They can also be used for all manner of occasions! Weddings, parties, bridal showers, baby showers, events or functions. 

They also look amazing around home, on a mantle, hall table, in a bedroom or nursery.



Real flowers only last for a small amount of time. These flowers, with the right care, will last for years to come.

I take great care with each and every flower. They are all hand-cut, rolled and glued by me. I like that each one is different in its own way, and putting different colours together gives them a personality of their own.



What is the most useful piece of advice you have been given in regards to Pulp Petals
The most useful advice would been that you need to have great photos & to always respond to customers enquires as soon as possible.  A potential customer needs to be able to see your products in their best possible light, given they cannot see the item in person. Your photos are the first glance someone sees and you want that look to be professional.  Also, none of this comes without a lot of hard work, trial & error.



What do you love most about Pulp Petals
I love my shop. I think it is mostly because I know every photo and word has been created by me. It represents everything I have learnt in the past two years (and, possibly still have to learn). Every sale is so wonderful and there is a wonderful story behind every purchase. 



Tell us where we can find out more about you and Pulp Petals
You can find me here:
Instagram: @pulppetals



xx

Previous Featured Shops

If you would like your shop to be featured on A Little Bit of Jess, flick me an email me at alittlebitofjess04@gmail.com and I will be in contact with you!