Mother’s Day and a Vintage Dress

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

I had a lovely Mother’s Day which started with a very rare chance for a lie in followed by card and cuddles from my girls (the best bit of all), breakfast in bed and then the chance to work on a little sewing project that I have been meaning to do for a very a long time.

I got the dress at Vintage Fashion Fair London probably about a year ago (in case you are interested, they happen to have a fair on this weekend and there are free tickets available on their website here). It is made from a lovely lace material and has been beautiful constructed with the seams finished, a complete contrast to some of the clothing that you can buy on the high street these day. As much as I loved the dress, it was made for someone with a long body, I have a very short body! The waist fell on my hips making me look quite strange. I decided the best option was to take out about 2 inches of fabric under the bust turning it into an empire line and raising the waist into its correct place.

The problem and part of the reason for the length procrastination was the zip. I assumed I would have to remove it completely in order to make the alternation and then replace with a new zip. I was a little under confident in my ability to sew in a zip from scratch even though I did do it many years ago a sewing class. Anyway to cut a long story short, I posted on the Good Wardrobe (a fantastic resource) to get some advice and low and behold discovered there was no need to remove the zip just unpick it a bit. You can check out the advice I got here. Whole project completed in just over an hour leaving time to cook dinner (a homemade chicken pie) with the girls and enjoy a glass of wine or two with Mr S.

I hope you had a lovely weekend. For now its back to reality, work, snow and freezing cold weather.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Goodbye Dragon, Hello Snake

Posted on February 10, 2013 by admin

This time last year when we welcomed in the Chinese year of the dragon, I decided that I ought to get on with a little project that I had been planning to turn a vintage dressing gown with a Chinese dragon design into a jacket. I bought the dressing gown a while before in a local vintage shop and it was one of those projects that I had kind of been meaning to do but never got round to. Of course being the procrastinator that I am, I fully intended to do it sometime during the year of the dragon but this weekend, it suddenly dawned on me that we were suddenly about to say goodbye the year of the dragon and if I didn’t get on and do it now, it would probably be the next year of the dragon before I finally got round to it. So I kicked myself into action.

This is the finished project. I have treated myself to little red dress on order from Oxfam which I am hoping will go perfectly with it.

This is what I started out with a vintage 70′s dressing gown in a shiny satin Chinese/ dragon design fabric that I couldn’t resist. I just shortened it and repaired a few of the seams that were coming loose. I may also add a button. I had so much fabric left that I am going to turn it into a skirt, hopefully it won’t take me a whole year to get round it this time.

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was pretty mundane, mostly working and cleaning the house and some yummy Chinese food of course. I am getting pretty sick of this cold wet weather and with a whole week of children home for half term, I am really hoping it doesn’t carry on all week. Still could be worse, could be snow!

Happy Chinese New Year and roll on spring!

With warmest wishes

Ceri

DIY – The Perfect Fit

Posted on December 2, 2012 by admin

I almost always find that there is some aspect of the fit of a piece of clothing that is just not quite right. Being short I find that I often need to shorten clothes but I also have problems with dresses and tops being tight across the shoulders, I am not a fan of wearing sleeves unless they are made of stretchy material. This months DIY round up on Ethical Fashion Bloggers was all about changing a piece of clothing for the perfect fit and I decided it was about time I tackled one of the pieces of clothing that has been hanging in my wardrobe unworn for a while.

I used to love wearing this dress because of the applique flowers around the hemline but it was a little tight on the shoulders and sleeves, so I decided to remove them giving me a little more room to move. In case you are wondering the headwear is by House of Beth.

I hope that you are having a lovely weekned. Christmas has officially begun in our house and Mr Style Eyes and the children have been busy putting up the decorations. Are you ready for Christmas or do you prefer to wait until a bit nearer the time?

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Upcycling – Better the Devil you Sew

Posted on November 8, 2012 by admin

I love upcycling or refashioning, whatever you want to call it! I think it is the best way to give old clothes a new lease of life and the perfect opportunity to get creative, make something a bit different to wear and of course, it is so much better for the environment than buying something new. I used to make clothes from scratch but by upcycling, you can often make something amazing in next to no time. If you are still not convinced of the merits of upcycling, perhaps that fact that it is a major trend at the moment might sway you, you can just check out the DIY section on Pinterest for evidence (and inspiration!)

Better the Devil You Sew is a new Collection at Oxfam Brighton made completely by volunteers from damaged clothes that are donated to Oxfam. Check out the video above for ideas and inspiration. It just shows what you can achieve with a few old clothes.

Do you like upcycling? please share your latest project.

BTW- you can check out my latest post for Oxfam Fashion – Our Top Picks for Autumn Winter.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Striking Vintage Scarf Tops

Posted on November 7, 2012 by admin

If you read my blog regularly, you will know how much I love beautiful scarves. I love the luxurious silk, the rich colours and eye catching patterns but if I am honest I don’t wear them as much as I would like to because they can get on my nerves a bit and keep falling off, especially on a windy day. So when I heard from Marilyn at Vintage Fashion Fair London that she had designed some tops made from genuine vintage scarves, I couldn’t wait to see more.

The three styles of top are Made in the UK from beautiful scarves that are mostly silk and some are even designer brands like Liberty. Each top is completely unique and two of the styles are made using two scarves, hand stitched together, one for front and one for the back giving a unique and interesting combination which really appeals to my love of pattern mixing. These tops can be worn either way, so if you fancy a change you can just turn them around. The other style of top is a halterneck style with a thin silver choker band that holds the scarf.

The full collection of tops will be available to see and buy at Vintage Fashion Fair London in Primrose Hill on 11th November (this Sunday). Prices start at £55.

You can find out more details about the fair and register for free ticket at www.vintagefashionfairlondon.co.uk.

I hope that you are having a good week.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

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A DIY Dip Dyed Cardigan

Posted on October 23, 2012 by admin

Cardigan – Charity shop/ upcycled
Dress – People Tree
Boots – Clarks
Necklaces – Made UK and New Look

This month the DIY/ upcycling challenge on Ethical Fashion Bloggers was all about knitwear. I never have enough knitwear so decided to invest in a cardigan from the local charity shop for just over a fiver and have a go at dip dying it. If you would like to know what I did, read on…

Before I continue with this post, would just like to say that this DIY is a little more messy than I had anticipated. Luckily I did it outside but I would recommend extreme caution if dip dying indoors and make sure you wear rubber gloves!

I choose Dylon navy blue dye and a cream coloured cardigan.

I mixed up a third of the Dylon Dye according to the instructions and put the cardigan in and stirred occasionally for abour 25 minutes. Obviously this wasn’t quite enough as the top part of the cardigan had a slightly mottled effect, although I quite like it like this.

I then rung the cardigan out (wearing the rubber gloves) added another third of the dye to the bowl, clipped the cardigan on the hanger and dipped the bottom to thirds in to the dye and left for about 25mins.

I then added the last third of dye, mixed and dipped in the bottom part of the cardigan for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally I rinsed the cardigan in cold water a few times and put on a rinse in the washing machine.

I am quite impressed with how this worked out even though it had a slight mottled effect. Despite the mess, it was quite easy and think I may well give dip dying another try, perhaps something like a trench coat or pair of jeans next time. What do you think? have you ever dip dyed anything or are you ready to give dip dying a try?

If you like DIYing or outfit challenges, why not join us at www.ethicalfashionbloggers.com?

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

An Upcycled Lace and Floral Dress

Posted on September 23, 2012 by admin

This months DIY/ upcycling challenge at Ethical Fashion Bloggers had the theme of lace. With no time to go charity shopping, I had to use something that I already had in my wardrobe. This lace top and floral dress were the the perfect candidates. I don’t really wear the lace top much as it is too see through to wear on its own and the dress being strapless had a number of issues for me including the potential for it to end up around my waist but I love the colourful floral print. I definitely feel much more elegant and safer when I wear a high neck.

So I decided to combine the dress and the top to make a high necked dress with the added bonus of a fantastic lace/ floral pattern clash slightly inspired by these dresses for AW12 at McQ Alexander McQueen.

All if did was try on the dress over the top (which I wore backwards to get the high neck) and pin it in place. The most difficult part was trying to take the dress over without injuring myself on the pins. Then I sewed along the along the existing stitching line with my sewing machine to attach the two together. I then trimmed off some of the excess material on the top underneath.

This project was super simple which is great as I very quickly lose interest if something takes too long. It was the perfect rainy Sunday afternoon project and still left me time to cook up some comfort food; a great big pot of vegetable soup of lunch in the week, rhubarb crumble for after dinner and scones for my girls who just dont seem to stop eating lately.

I am also entering this post in Ta-dah Tuesday at Faith Hope and Charity Shopping.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend despite the wet and cold weather.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

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Upcycled Fashion, Olympic Style by Queenie and Ted

Posted on July 17, 2012 by admin

The Olympics are not too far away and despite not really having any interest at all in watching sport (except the gymnatics) usually, I can’t help getting just a little caught up in the whole thing. When I saw a press release pop into my inbox for Queenie and Ted, I definitely started getting into the Olympics mood.

Queenie and Ted upcycle high quality clothing and sell it in their shop in London’s historic Columbia Rd. In celebration of the Olympics, they have created some quirkly motifs featuring synchronised swimmers and leaping gymnasts to embellish one off skirts dresses and jackets.

The two fine artists have a passion for sustainable fashion and use old
curtains, tablecloths and finds from the airing cupboard to embellish and breath
life into vintage and nearly new fashion. Old buttons, trimmings and
embroidered details add texture and colour. With prices starting at £28, they are also surprisingly affordable. They even have a bespoke service for turning your old clothes into something special, I love this idea!

Fun embellisments over eyecatching patters, I love them, especially the dress.what do you think?

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

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Lovely Links!

Posted on July 14, 2012 by admin

I have been seeing so many fantastic blog posts over the last few weeks, I have decided to start sharing them with a new feature called Lovely Links. Here is what I love this week.

Summer Rayne Oakes – this model is on a (sustainable) mission - another fantastic interview in the eco fashion series at Urban Times.

When costume becomes street cred - how amazing are these doiley leggings featured on the six items challenge blog?

A New Lease of Life for Tights - who hasn’t got loads of tights stuffed in a draw somewhere. I love this fantastic idea for upcycling them by Ms Castro on a Bike (Fashion Stylist, Lupe Castro).

Interview with Vintage Vixen if you haven’t already done so, you should check out this interview that I did for Oxfam Fashion.

Remade in Leeds – this article on the Ethical Fashion Forum Source Magazine tells you a little more about their shop of the month.

Red Carpet Recycler - it is great to hear that more celebrities are joining Olivia Firth in her Green Carpet Challenge as discussed in this Vogue article.

Tomorrow is the next update on my progress with the six items challenge. It has been a tough week now looking forward to the weekend. Hope you have a lovely time.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Image credit - www.vogue.co.uk

Ethical Outfit Competition – The Winners

Posted on July 2, 2012 by admin

Yet again we have had some amazing entries for the Style Eyes Ethical Outfit Competition. We also have some great prizes, please stop by and check out our sponsors websites for more beautiful ethical clothing - From Clothing, Bibico and Grassroots Fashion.

It was (as always) a tough choice to decide who the winners would be, but I have finally made up my mind. Please check out the links to find out and see more images of the bloggers outfits.

First Prize – Mel Wiggins with her very pretty floral skirt, t shirt and shoes all from a chairty shop - check out her post for more info on the outfit.

Second Prize – Hazel of World of Joy with her elegant second hand ball dress and clutch bag.

Third Prize – Vix of Vintage Vixen with her handmade shorts worn with charity shop top, boots and hat.

Fourth Prize – Kim of Sweet Monday with her vintage jumper and cute handmade necklace.

I also wanted to share all of the competition entries (in no particular order). A really big thank you to everyone who entered!

Florrie of Intrinsically Florrie wore a beautiful pink jacket and floral dress with some pretty accessories, her whole outfit is second hand including the Luella handbag.

Yasmin of Overly Selected wore a fantastic vintage dress with patriotic vintage dress for the jubilee.

Laila of the Kitten’s Whiskers choose a really unique and stylish outfit that featured a DIY’d and charity shopped top and skirt.

Sophie of Country Girl Does Norfolk wore a pretty second hand dress which she bought on ebay.

Dora of Vintage Passions Just Like Mine wore a fabulous vintage dress with a lace petticoat from a jumble sale and Melissa shoes.

I hope you are having a fantastic week despite the rain! I am on day 2 of the Six Items Challenge and already longing to wear something different from my wardrobe (I haven’t even worn all my six items yet). Never mind I have got some great accessories lined up to wear and might even have a little charity shopping trip to see if I can find any more. I will be posting on my outfits and progress at the end of each week.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

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