d.i.y. sunday : shortening pants

Today was more of a crafty day than a DIY. I bought some dungarees from Vintage Lover this weekend with only one flaw; their super awkward length (since when is mid-knee an acceptable for denim?). So I altered them quickly. So many people ask me to shorten things for them which is firstly SO BORING so please don't ask, and secondly SO EASY so do it yourself, my friend!

The two mistakes most people make when shortening pants/skirts/dresses are not measuring properly, and cutting off too much fabric.

MEASURING: put on your item and put pins in the front and back where you'd like the new length to be. Take them off and measure how far up you pinned (if they're at different points find the mean number - this is where my A+ for Maths Literacy really comes in handy). Then place a few pins along your measurement.

CUTTING: Cut along your pin-line but don't be lazy and try cut through both layers or things could go all skwonky. Don't forget to add a centimetre or two at the bottom so you can hem nicely, unless you are a barbarian and don't hem things.

YAY dungarees!

P.S. how nice does the afternoon light look on my bed?

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List : Great Glee Screen-Shots

are you enjoying the new Glee? I am lovin' it. I couldn't resist a screen-shot of Britney's World's Best Grandma sweatshirt (I must own it!) and then realised I have a LOT of Glee screen-shots.

Ms. Pillsbury's 'So You're a Two-Timin' Ho' flyer

Kurt's awesome collar-tips (it's not so clear here but they're HORSE HEADS!)

Sue and Beiste's wedding hats

This episode was boring, but those outfits got me!

Remember when they re-made MJ's music video for 'Black or White', including the bit where everyone's faces morph into one anothers…I paused between people; can you guess who these grotesque hybrids are?

1. Artie/Quinn 2. Santana/Rory 3. Mike/Rachel

Locker art at it's cutest

this is my best one. I can't remember the context, which makes it even better…look at that face!

Have a lovely weekend everybody, I hope to see you at tomorrow's market ♥

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Puppy Club | September '12

shot and edited by Jacob Claassens

featuring Justin Davenport

LookBook : Mens Shirts

Model : Justin Davenport

Photographer : Ian Reeves

Shirts : Puppy Club

SHOP ONLINE

or come to the City Bowl Market this Saturday

all shirts are R250.00 and limited edition (no more than 3 per print)

p.s. watch the video HERE

a little taste...

Puppy Club Teaser from Puppy Club on Vimeo.




more later

☺

water, baby

here are some of the bikinis I've been working on ♥

come to the City Bowl Market on Saturday if you want one for yourself :) there are only a few in each style and are going for R200 per costume / R100 each for the bikini separates

d.i.y Sunday : cat alice-band

Gemma Correll

Today I felt like bringing some feline fun into my life/onto my head. Grab a black alice-band, some wire and some black fabric (I used velvet, for that Expensive Cat look)

1 : cut 4 house-shaped bits out of your fabric (triangles with a bit extra on the bottom)
2 : stitch them together, leaving the bottom open
3 : cut your wire to fit along the stitch line, turn the ears inside-out and pop the wire in
(cute cat polaroids by Sofie Fagerlund)
4 : stitch the bottom closed, trapping the wire inside (ignore the wire's screams of "'help! we're trapped!")
5 : bend the ears around your alice-band so just the triangle bit of your house-shape sticks up. position them as you please (closer together for a curious cat, further apart for lazy cat) and glue them in place if you want this alice-band forever (but the wire should stay in place quite well without glue)

i'm fighting the urge to end this off with a cat pun…

mee-wow!

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here's that sunny day : september shoot

today the sun was kind to us and we shot my men's shirts. 

The lookbook + a little film are coming soon; in the meantime enjoy this peek at the sailor-print shirt ♥

me being behind-the-scenes-y / playing with the model's radical camera

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the magic of buttons!

I get as excited about sewing machines. Seeing an overlocker work for the first time is pretty wild, but today I had the opportunity to work on some machines that a few hundred years ago would've been burned at the stake for obvious witch-craft and magic.

 me and my booties went to the CTFC in town to use their industrial machines. I don't think enough people know but they have a workroom where you can go and sew whatever you like using all their resources! 

I needed to finish some things off with a cover-seam machine, and sew on some buttons and had no idea how easy and fun this would be. The machines basically do it for you; all your have to do is line it all up and press your foot on the pedal. I couldn't resist video-ing how it all works 'cause it kinda blew my mind, but maybe it's just me?

magical!

they're nearly finished…I can't wait to show them off : )

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collage : tapestry

1 : wall hanging

2 : amazing hot air balloon scene on a cardigan

3 : booties

4 : Bebe Zeva

5 : cat pockets

6 & 7 : Chapel backpacks

8 : floral tapestry Litas by Jeffrey Campbell

9 : headband

10 : bulldog handbag by Dolce & Gabbana

11 : flatforms

12 : hot pants by Dolce & Gabbana

13 : glasses !

14 : Olivia Harrison

15 : dress

16 : another dress

17 : seat made out of an old suitcase !

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d.i.y. sunday ♡ : ice cream !

WOW how hot was it today? I think the whole of Cape Town was celebrating the return of summer. I didn't have the guts to venture outside and found myself, for the first time in months, grateful for my freezing cold room.

I was in the mood for making something delicious and refreshing…ICE CREAM! I've always thought it was totally impossible if you didn't have an ice-cream machine but I was wrong; there are so many alternatives out there. I found this surely-too-good-to-be-true recipe which suited me perfectly as it required only 3 ingredients which I already had at home and resulted in a delicious banana/peanut butter flavour which is my favourite combo, yay!




















YOU WILL NEED:
- 4 ripe bananas
- 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder

STEP 1
Cut up the bananas into discs

STEP 2
Place the discs in a bowl and into the freezer. Once they are frozen solid (i.e. hard and not squishy) they are ready for the next step. 

The original recipe said this would take an hour but if you have a cheap fridge like me then it could take up to 4 hours..! Truth be told I didn't leave my first batch in the freezer for long enough as I got too impatient and it still came out perfect so don't worry too much : )

STEP 3

Throw your discs into a food processor and get mixing. You'll have to stop and scrape the sides quite often, and at first it'll seem as though it's never going to go all soft and creamy, but persevere! When it's done it should look something like this

STEP 4
Add the peanut butter and cocoa and mix again. Now it should have the texture of frozen yoghurt which suits me just fine but if you want it more ice-cream-y then pop it back in the freezer for a bit. Once you take it out again to eat let it sit and soften for a few minutes before scooping.

…and you're done!

Next time I'm going to try substituting peanut butter with raspberries…How lovely would that be?

List: 50 Amazingly Sad Songs

When I saw NME had put together a list of 50 Beautifully Sad Songs I was excited to take a look as I truly love a good  and depressing song. I didn't recognise most of them, however, so was prompted to make my own playlist, of songs from all genres, decades and artists that give you that sad-in-a-good-way kinda feeling.

Go and have a listen on 8tracks and tell me what you think, have I missed anything crucial?

I hope you enjoy listening to tear-jerkers whilst gazing at Sophia Loren crying tears of glitter.

click Read More for the full track-listing…

1. With or Without You - Keane (U2 Cover)

I love this cover: the simple keyboard, the shaker coming in after the first chorus, and the lack of Bono's distracting glasses make the song all-the-more gut-wrenching. Also better than the original as it reminds you less of the Ross and Rachel break-up (it still hurts too bad).

2. In The Sun - Joseph Arthur

3. Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

4. Goodbye Kiss - Lana Del Rey (Kasabian Cover)

The original by Kasabian is nice but Lana makes it beautiful with that soulful voice and that face...it's just so sad-looking!

5. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

6. The Animals Were Gone - Damien Rice

Damien Rice is my favourite sad song-writer ever. He's so good I don't allow myself to listen to him very often for fear of full-blown depression; it's that powerful. "Woke up and for the first time the animals were gone" - what does that even mean? I don't know, but it makes me feel sad.

7. Skinny Love - Bon Iver

Do I need to elaborate?

8. Signs (Acoustic Version) - Bloc Party

Kele's soulmate has died, but he keeps seeing signs, "signs that you're not dead, you're sleeping". The simple line "at your funeral I was so upset" really gets me.

9. Love Is Just A Game - The Magic Numbers

10. World Spins Madly On - The Weepies
"I woke up and wished that I was dead" - they're not called The Weepies for nothin'.
11. Last Request - Paolo Nutini
12. The Scientist - Coldplay
Coldplay's older music was perfect for broken-hearted 16-year-olds to doodle in their diaries. Then he met Gwyneth and stopped feeling sad I guess, so I cling to classics like this one.
13. I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
14. My Good Girl - Old Crow Medicine Show
This one really appeals to the country-bumpkin in me. Poor Mr Crow's girl ain't no good to him, "she don't have the courtesy to shut the door when she's been playin' whore, I don't wanna see his rags piled on the floor"- doesn't sound like a very good girl to me, my friend. In the end he wins though by killing her (in true Country style) but, alas, "my good girl ain't no good to me, not even in her memory".
15. Burn - Usher
We all know that sad feeling, you know the one, when the party ain't jumpin' like it used to. You gotta let it burn.
16. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
17. Love Is A Losing Game - Amy Winehouse
18. Send In The Clowns - Barbara Streissand
"and where are the clowns? There ought to be clowns" I love to ask the universe this when I'm feeling melodramatic.
19. I Miss You - Blink 182
20. Drugs Don't Work - The Verve
21. Warning Sign - Coldplay
22. The End Of The Movie - Stornoway
I already advised you to give this song a listen. Hear a boy's tale of waiting for the credits to appear as it's the end of the movie (i.e. he's been dumped).
23. Whatever (Some Folk Song In C) - Elliott Smith
24. A Lack Of Colour - Death Cab For Cutie
Another group with a knack for lyrics "All the girls in every girl-y magazine can't make me feel any less alone, I'm reaching for the phone…and on your machine I slur a plea for you to come home", poor guy.
25. If I Have To Go - Tom Waits
Waits' gravelly voice plus a simple piano melody creates the mental image of the last man at the bar, drunk and singing the sad tale of having to leave his love behind. "I'll leave my jacket to keep you warm, that's all that I can do"
26. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
The story of a couple in a terrible car crash. She doesn't make it but he does get to hold her close and "kiss her our last kiss".
27. Mad World - Gary Jules
28. Sad Song - Oasis
Clue's in the name
29. My Hallelujah - Sweet Talk Radio
Who knew a banjo could be so sweetly sad? "Loved my baby, ain't that enough? Why'd you have to go and make a widow of [me]" she sings to God, the big meanie who took away her husband.
30. Ode To My Family - The Cranberries
31. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
32. Rewind - Paolo Nutini
33. Slow Dancing In A Burning Room - John Mayer
I feel like I'm not supposed to like John Mayer, but I don't know why, do you? Well, I'm saying it now; I think he's got some great songs. Phew. Now I've got that off my chest I can listen guilt-free to this story of a dying love.
34. Jolene - Ray LaMontagne
He loves Jolene but he's too into drugs to get it together. "I've been living out of this here suitcase for way too long" - I know the feeling, Ray, it sucks, but I can't relate on the whole "I found myself face down in a ditch, booze in my hair, blood on my lips" part; probably a good thing.
35. Set Fire To The Third Bar - Snow Patrol
36. Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis
37. Nothing Better - The Postal Service
Maybe the dramatic description of heartbreak ("will someone please call the surgeon who can crack my ribs and repair this broken heart") is a bit much, but the harsh female voice cutting him off and telling him to get a grip pulls at my heart-strings (but only gently, no surgery needed).
38. Ashes Everywhere - Joseph Arthur
Joseph has a gift for descriptive and oddly beautiful lyrics. "Your ashes must be blowing everywhere 'cause I can still feel you when you're nowhere near" he sings to his lover who killed herself. Also "Oh Darling since you've been away from me I know how the pins feel in the bowling alley" - lovely!
39. Lua - Bright Eyes
40. Against All Odds - The Postal Service
41. We Get On Kate Nash
Some find Kate's simplistic lyrics annoying but this track is just so accurate and sweet. The story of her going to a party only to find the boy she fancies getting off with someone else ends with her staying in on a Saturday night singing "I don't ever dream about you and me, I don't ever make up stuff about us that would be considered insanity…I don't know your timetable, I don't know your face off-by-heart".
42. Tonight - Lykke Li
43. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
44. Never Ever - All Saints
45. Do You Remember The First Time - Pulp
"I don't care if you screw him just as long as you save a piece for me" pleads poor Jarvis, caught in a love-triangle.
46. Rainy Days And Mondays - The Carpenters
Sure, rhyming "some kind of lonely clown" and "nothing to do but frown" sounds a bit silly, but oh boy, it works. Who doesn't get down on rainy days and Mondays?
47. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday describes the "strange fruit" hanging on the trees down South; "blood on the leaves and blood at the root". This metaphor-filled song conjures a heartbreaking image of "black bodies swinging in the southern breeze" (if you still don't get it she's singing about people being hanged)
48. Transluticism - Death Cab For Cutie
49. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
50. Angie - The Rolling Stones
"Angie, you're beautiful, but ain't it time we said goodbye?". Grown-ups used to sing this to me when I was little, cleverly changing 'Angie' to 'Andie'.

Please feel free to send me suggestions of songs I might've missed!

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feeling crafty

I've been keeping myself busy this week with lots of fun + crafty odd jobs (in between all the bikini and shirt sewing!)

1 -3 : mint green cross-stitch Puppy Club hoop

4 : heart nails

5 : a new cover for our tea jar (I also made an apron out of this fabric)

6: floral high heels ♥

7 + 9 : I know my old ironing board cover said FOREVER on it, but it lied. I used some wood glue + Biggie Best material to make it look pretty

8 : I bought these candle busts of Queenie and Phillip at last year's Kamersvol and still haven't had the heart to actually burn them

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i wanted to say

words + pictures

(PART 3, more HERE)

CEREAL 

SHE MAY BE YOUNG

SPONGEBOB SOUP

LEMONS

BART

SORRY

SUPER DUPER

STUPID

LIGHT

ANTI-SOCIAL

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