Quick Share ~ Blogging Style

I discovered this post on No Sign Posts in the Sea on Thursday, and found it such a good read.  I often wonder about my reluctance to take outfit photos when I think the outfit isn’t good enough ~ where does that hesitance originate from?

What is the point of outfit posting for me?  Is it merely a chance to record the clothes I wear on any given day, or something more than that? 

In commenting on this post I actually discovered something about myself, my blogging and my outfits!  For me, blogging outfits is more than just recording an event in my day {I get dressed; this is what I wore}.   For me is a chance to explore different looks or styles, or even just to have fun with the clothes I am in.   Sure, I stick pretty closely to one given style, but that’s because I want too ~ because I have seen what other people are wearing and although I think it looks great on them; it’s not for me.

I also adore the opportunity that outfit posting affords me to revel another way of creating art.  Putting clothes and photographs together is fun.  I like to take the artistic medium of photography and use it frame the practical medium of clothes.   Even when Husband is taking the photos I am always asking him to take a shot of this pose, with that angle, etc, etc; I am always a part of composing the picture and I do all the editing and polishing to get the final results. 

Some people don’t like the fantasy aspect of the editorial style of fashion blogging and I understand that ~ they want real life inspiration from realistic records of outfits and style choices.  But I guess as an artist I tend to be looking for style inspiration that I can twist and use in a way I want to.  I don’t need to see the same item worn one hundred different ways, I want to think up the hundred different ways to wear it myself!

I also want to absorb pictures and images I consider to be beautiful and combine them into something new.   So for me, I find that easier to do with fantasy styled fashion inspiration/photographs/blogs than with what some people consider the more accurate/honest/truthful outfit photographs. 

I did not even know I thought like that until I read this post, so sorry for the long essay, but please do read this article.  It’s very interesting!

On personal style, blogging, and our narratives

For the past couple of days wearing clothes has felt very organic to me, just natural. I haven't thought twice about what to wear in the mornings; I've just grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt and gone with it. The interesting thing is that I have felt really good about the clothes I have worn, but that I haven't thought of taking outfit pictures, because the clothes have not felt blogging-worthy, and this worries me a little. Actually, it is not even the blogging-worthiness. It is more about the problem I am starting to have with style blogging in general. I feel like the style blog narrative is starting to escape from my grasp, or perhaps that my own issues with personal style are escaping from the world of style blogging altogether.

I have often wondered what long-term style blogging does to our style. I started blogging a little over three years ago because I had become a clothes hoarder and a bit of a shopping addict. I felt like I needed to get my head around what I really thought about fashion, personal style, shopping and body image….

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  Here is the link to Part Two  if you are also interested:   

On personal style, blogging, and our narratives, part 2

Apples & Autumn Leaves ~ Outfit Thirty Two

*Heavy Picture Post Alert* 

 

I do not know how I did it, but I managed to pull off some decent photos with the self timer and now I have a huge picture post!  From one extreme to the other; but oh well.  : )   Looks like I am getting slightly better at this whole “take your own photo” thing.   Mind you, I did take a lot of photos over and over again, particularly at the beginning of this shoot, so that helped a lot.  If you think you’ve got the shot you want, my advice is to just make sure and do it again!

 

I was going to put these shoes up for sale; but then I wore them again and realized that even though they are a size to large for me, they really are too cute to let go….  So they’ve been reclaimed for my wardrobe.   ~ __ ^

 

My manicure for the week:

~  L.A. Girl Nail Lacquer  in “Lemon Ice”  ~
~  Konad stamping plate m71  ~

Accessories  ~  Hair Bow  {Best&Less}   Strawberry Earrings  {Best&Less}    Belt  {Thrifted}
Blouse  ~  Thrifted     Skirt  ~  Thrifted     Tights  ~  Random Stall Vendor {Florence, Italy} 
Socks  ~  Best&Less     Shoes  ~  DFO

Above:  Blooper reel!  Amabelle decided to come and play ‘coz it looked like I was doing something fun.  But then it was too boring so she ran away.    >  u  <

Left:  Baby bump at 37 weeks.  Hip, hip, hooray ~ we have made it to full term! 

~ * ♥ * ~

Yes, our house has blue sheds, blue fences, blue gates and a blue chimney!  Actually, the whole house is blue, except for the roof.   That’s why we decided to call it Blue Birch Cottage {as we also have a lone birch tree in our front yard.}!  I like this corner of our back yard; I am so glad we have an apple tree too.   >   <  

Anyway, enough babble from me, this post is already long enough.  Adieu!

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Sew your own wheat sacks

Last week I stitched myself some wheat sacks to use {pregnancy = sore back in a major way} and I thought I would show you all how I made them.  ^ ω ^

It is the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down at a sewing machine in months ~ and I must say it felt good!  I do like sewing, and I cannot wait to expand my skills {especially to the point of being able to sew a straight line. I am thinking that would be good….  = __ =; }. 

I have plans to sew basic things for the house and myself; like cushion covers and curtains, pouches for my handbag and then I want to move onto circle skirts so I can expand my vintage styled wardrobe.  But enough rambling; I am sure you just want me to get on with the tutorial, so here we go!

Note:  These are easy to sew, but time consuming if you aren’t a practised seamstress.  It took me around 3 hours to make two.

Gather your materials:

• Fabric {I used the flannelette on the right with the pandas on it ~ it was leftover in my stash from when I made my panda pants.}
• Measuring Tape
• Scissors
• Thread
• Velcro {or hook and eye tape as they called it!  > . >}
• Decorations {I bought lace and the left-hand purple fabric to make pretty, girly wheat sacks.  Unfortunately I did not have the time to sew them this week, I want to do them this Thursday.  I’ll add pictures when they are done.}
• Sewing Machine {or you could do it by hand if you are really keen!}
• Iron & Ironing Board

Step 1:  Measure out your wheat sacks.  You can make them any size or shape you want {think hearts, flowers, etc..}.   I just went with a basic square about 10 inches in diameter.

 

 

 

Step 2:   Measure an extra piece of material for the velcro to attach to on one side of the square.

 

 

 

~ * ♥  Pattern of the wheat sacks ♥ * ~

Step 3:  Iron your fabric; it makes it looks much more finished and professional if you iron EVERYTHING as you go.  Iron, iron, iron!

 

 

 

Step 4:  Cut your velcro to size.  Cut it smaller than the width of your fabric ~ you do not want it going all the way to the edges as this will make the seams too bulky.   I cut mine with about a 4cm gap on either side.

 

 

 

Step 5:  Go back to the ironing board.  Measure the edge you marked out for the velcro and fold the material over.  As you can see I added 1.2 inches to my 10 inch square. 

 

Step 6:  Press the material as you measure the fold over.  This will crease it and hold it in place so that you don’t have to worry about pins!

Plus it will give the material that nice clean edge. 

 

Step 7:  Pin your velcro in place.

 

 

 

Step 8:  Sew the velcro down, removing your pins as you go.   Just run a straight seam around every edge. 

 

 

 

Step 9:  Place the other piece of velcro on the other half of your wheat sack so that they line up.  Pin & sew.

 

 

 

Step 10:  Sew the three edges of your wheat sacks together with straight stitch.

 

 

 

This is what your wheat sack should look like after sewing the sides together.

 

 

 

 

Step 11:  Over lock the raw edges of your material.  Use a wide zigzag stitch and aim to have the stitches hit right on the edge of the material. 

If the zigzag goes just off the edge, that’s even better, because you want the thread to ‘wrap’ around the raw edge for the best protection against fraying.

 

Step 12:  At the top of the wheat sack you want to stitch a three-sided box crossing over your edge seam, going down the side of the velcro, and back across the edge seam.  This is to stop any wheat/rice grains from falling out that gap up the top.

 

 

Step 13:  Clip the bottom corners of your wheat sack on a diagonal, but be sure not to cut the straight seam!!  Turn the right way around and iron.

 

 

 

~ * ♥  Finished wheat sacks!  Fill with rice or wheat grains and enjoy. ♥ * ~

Well, that was a bit of a marathon!  I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and if you have any questions at all, please let me know.   Plus, I would love to see your own wheat sacks; I bet they are better than mine, so show me!  : D

xox,

bonita

Cleaning out my closet ~ *gasp* Pruning shoes???!

I am a shoe addict.   There is no doubt about it.  I like belts, hats and bags but if you are to add those up against shoes ~ my shoes win: hands down.

No, I do not have any designer shoes {Ah, Jeffery Campbell…. One of these days…}.  And no, my shoe closet is not as large as it could be, nor as large as I would love it to be! 

But at a healthy 30 + figure {Of course I am not including speciality shoes such as riding boots and snowboarding boots} I think I can put myself firmly in the shoe lover camp.

And just like any shoe lover I tend to collect, but never throw out.   When do you prune your shoe closet?  Should you ever throw out any of that precious foot wear out?  Well, I have actually thrown shoes out {once in a blue moon!} and these are the guidelines I have used in deciding what to keep and what to toss or donate.

When do you throw your shoes out?

~  Space & Storage

Okay, I admit I am a shocker with this one.  No, I do not have enough space in the bottom of my wardrobe for all my shoes.  No, I have no idea how I am going to fit them all into my new closet.  However, shoe addict as I am, even I admit there is a certain point where you have to draw the line.

• When you cannot put all your shoes away; now is the time to reassess your shoe collection.
• When you do not wear certain pairs of shoes for an extended period of time {about a year in my case!} because you have forgotten that you had them and they were buried under all the other shoes.

~  Wear & Tear

• When there are holes in the soles, top, lining or other significant structural damage to the shoe.  If they are a favourite pair, you might like to take them to a cobbler; but consider the cost of repairing them over finding another brand new favourite pair of shoes.
• When they are uncomfortable and you do not want to wear the shoes.  So far I have met few pairs of shoes that cannot be broken in, but if you do not have the time or the inclination to break them in, it is time to get rid of them.  Guaranteed you will pass over them every time for a more comfortable pair!
  

~  Out of Style

• When the shoes are out of style.  This one is tricky ~ your personal style may not be in fashion at the moment, but you still love your shoes.  For me, if the shoe is out of style and I do not like it any more ~ then it is time to get rid of them. 

I hope you found the last segment of Cleaning out my closet useful ~ as always, if you have any of your own tips and hints, let me know! 

xox,

bonita

Dig it up; my thrifting treasures!

~ * ♥  Happy feet!  A sneak preview of a pair of shoes in my video ♥ * ~

Yay! Thrifting!

So this is a mixed bag of thrifting jaunts ~ I bought the shoes in Perth, and the clothes in Canberra.   Mostly the clothing came from a thrifting expedition that was, in reality, a complete fail!

I had a mission to find some curtains {our poor house looks very naked with all the bare windows!} and ended up with a everything BUT curtains…..   A lamp, a wardrobe for baby’s things, clothing for me.  Yup, no curtains.  

Still I had some great finds, so all’s well it ends well yes?

xox,

bonita

Sunny Days ~ Outfit Thirty One

Why hello there!  It feels like it has been an age since I last posted, and I suppose three weeks is ages in blogland.   How is everyone?  As you can imagine I have been excessively busy.  I have unpacked about a billion boxes and a bags of stuff and I have cardboard and paper rubbish all over my deck!
Everything is mostly all away, but I still have a few rooms to organize {particularly in the office where I am waiting on a bookcase to be put together before I can finish putting some of my craft and art things away.} and we still have furniture to move, but I am so happy that almost everything is where it belongs; away or in the bin!   

Lots of exciting things have been happening over the last three weeks besides arranging my house ~ I had my baby shower a weekend ago and had a marvellous time catching up with all my friends.  Gosh; baby things are so small though!  It’s still hard for me to actually picture a baby at the end of all of this…  It feels like I shall just be pregnant forever!  

The Parenting Information sessions Husband and I have been attending at the birth centre say otherwise, but I guess as it is my first baby it just seems too surreal to be true!

I also managed to do a classic Boni and twist my ankle when I was out with my friends one evening.  Pregnant lady + uneven ground = bad things happen.  It has pretty much healed now, for which I am so thankful for.  I could not imagine how painful it would be if I couldn’t move around during labour.  Eek!  Not fun…

    

Accessories  ~  Flower Earrings  {Equip}  Jade Bracelet  {Hong Kong}  Tights  {Valley Girl}

Dress  ~  Thrifted     Shoes  ~  Betts

This is my Easter outfit ~ I wore it on Easter Friday and Sunday.  I know ~ outfit repeating in the worst way!  But I want to enjoy this dress whilst I can.  One, the weather is getting colder, and two, it’s maternity wear only; my one piece of vintage maternity wear.   Technically, I don’t think it’s supposed to be a maternity dress, but when I thrifted it a couple of months back I knew that it would look great later on when bump was bigger and I was right!

It only fits me when I am carrying a baby, so my philosophy is to wear it while I can.  I love the floaty sleeves and the teal~blue floral print.  It is by far my favourite ‘pregnant lady’ dress!  
I hope you all had a great Easter {and Anzac Day if you are Aussie}.

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  These photos were taken in my backyard with the self timer…  I know, I am still so awkward using that thing!   But it is as they say, practise makes perfect.

Cleaning out my closet ~ What to Keep, Throw & Other Big Decisions!

Well, you cannot do a series on cleaning out your closet without facing the biggest part of reorganizing your wardrobe ~ getting rid of clothes you do not wear. 

I always have a huge dilemma trying to decide what and when I should purge the clothes in my closet.  It is not that I particularly want to hang on to everything, it is more that I am petrified that as soon as I throw a piece of clothing away I am going to want it again!

That being the case I love hearing other people’s ideas on what to keep and what to throw/give away, so I thought I would compile a few ideas for anyone else out there in the same boat as me.

Generally, the suggestion is to choose a specific time and set aside a few hours to do the job.  I would do it at all at once because I hate stretching a job like this out.  However, I do think that if you did not have the time to get through the entire job, do not just put it off but section your wardrobe into categories and work on each category as you have time.   For instance, you could divide your wardrobe by tops, bottoms, dresses, outer wear, under wear, etc., whatever works  best for you.

The other thing you can do is schedule this clean out at the same time as you change your summer/winter wardrobe over.  You may only want to do a tossing clean out once a year, rather than bi~annually.   I have been rather remiss, and have not done one through go through of my wardrobe in years{!}, but I have one scheduled for this seasonal swap over. 

So on to the big decisions ~ how do you decide what you keep, toss and donate?

Keeping Clothes ·

Besides the obvious pieces you wear all the time, there are often other items in your wardrobe that you might want to hold on to.  Remember that even if you do not wear something, it does not means it has be thrown away or donated ~ storage is a great option to clear out some more space.  Just remember if you store things there will be a time when you have to move them and/or sort them again so think hard about it before you choose to store.

When to keep an item:

• You still really love it and cannot bear to let it go; but it is out of date.  I would put these pieces away in storage if you have the room, because what goes around comes around.   All fashions refilter in some way, and even you do not use them again, maybe someone else would, like a daughter or niece.   
  
• If it is a high quality, basic item such as a blazer, suit or shoes {only keep the shoes if they are in excellent condition though!}.  Again these can go away in storage, but really think about these items.   If you really just do not want them; sell them!  Ebay is a great source of a bit of extra cash for that new jacket or pair of shoes that you will really love.  
  
• If it is a unique item such as a beaded top or special occasion dress.  You may not wear these items that often, but remember you do not go to those special events that often, so keep them for later.


• If you want to upcycle or repurpose an item.  DIYs and crafty people are generally always on the look out for supplies and materials, if you think you could use the clothing in another  project, put it in your supplies stash.   The other idea is that if you are handy with a sewing machine {or even just scissors and safety pins!} you can always recreate the garment into something new.  
  

Tossing or Donating Clothes

When you make up your toss/donate pile it is important to consider the last time you wore the item.  Some experts say that if you have not worn something within 6 months to a year, you should get rid of it, but personally the best time frame I have used was two years. 

The other trick I have used is to down grade the item ~ so if I used to wear it out, but am not sure that I want to any more, I use it for around the house clothing, doing chores, painting, gardening ~ that sort of thing.  If you find you do not care what happens to it, then you have made the right choice.  If you hesitate wearing the item because you do not want to ruin it, then you might need to upgrade back to ordinary wardrobe wear, or just simply donate it.  The same principle of down grading can apply for ‘special’ outfits ~ although extremely formal wear usually does not work as everyday wear!

Also, it is a good idea when you downgrade to throw out a piece of around the house clothing, working with a replacement system so that you do not collect too many old tops/pants/etc.   You do not need more than two or three old tops to do the dishes in!

When to toss/donate an item:

• If something is ripped, stained or worn out; throw it out.  If it just has a little hole in it, it is more than likely that someone else may still find the garment useful, so you can donate it.  Just use your discretion ~ if you think it is ruined, there is a good chance that someone else would too.
  
• If you are only holding onto it for sentimental reasons.  With this tip I think there is definitely leeway as long as you have the space!  For instance, keeping your wedding gown, or perhaps your prom dress.   You cannot keep everything; but that does not mean you have to throw everything out either.   That denim jacket from high school may come into style again ~ so if you have the room you can hang on to it. 
  
  However, do not hang on to sentimental items that you cannot wear again ~ like your lucky socks that are in holes.   Unless you plan to cut them up and use them elsewhere, like in a quilt or something, do yourself a favour and toss them!
  
• If something noticeably does not fit you.  Again, there are exceptions ~ you might like oversized t~shirts or sweaters, and belting a dress can often take it from a tent to looking completely new and completely cute.  It is harder to get away with pants and jeans that are too big, so use your discretion here.
  
  On the other end of the scale, too tight clothing is really not a good look, so toss or donate anything that is straining at the seams, popping buttons/zips or bunching awkwardly.   If you want to keep a special dress or garment for weight loss inspiration ~ I say go for it!  But you do not need a whole ‘weight loss inspiration wardrobe’.   Chances are that once you reach the size you want to be, you will also want to celebrate with new clothes, so hang on to one or two items, but get rid of the rest. 
  
  And maternity clothes do not count unless you have decided that your family is large enough, in which case there may be a mother~to~be that is grateful for your donation to help with the budget costs of babies! 
  
• If you do not love it anymore.   This can be a little hard with basic items, because you do not always ‘love’ these pieces, but if you wear them a lot than that’s a good indicator that you need to hang on to them.

I hope you find these guidelines helpful for the next time you are cleaning out your closet ~ do let me know if you have any other tips and hints that you have found helpful.  I love hearing your ideas too!  ^ u ^

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ DIY Vintage Style Beaded Collars

A cute accessory is the quickest way to perk up a vintage wardrobe that can often times be limited {thanks to rising demand for vintage clothing which as we all know creates high prices & less available items}.   No one knows this better than Charlotte of Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage and Brittany of Va~Voom Vintage. 

If you can make the vintage styled accessory yourself, even better, so they have collaborated with this fantastic post!  Now you can have a truly unique piece to wear with your outfit.  And on that note I am DYING to try this DIY craft out for myself.   Click through for details and free patterns!  

{Jewellery Week}  Beaded Collar Tutorial

…Since the beginning of fashion history, ladies have used removable accessories to create different looks in their wardrobe. Depression era and wartime fashions demonstrate the importance of using a few lovely frills to make the most of what you have. A vintage beaded collar is a perfect accessory for dressing up a simple frock or cardigan. A decadent collar may also be worn as a necklace….

xox,

bonita

Artistic Shenanigans

~ * ♥  My Baby and Me; How we live together! ♥ * ~

~ * ♥  What I did in Perth  ♥ * ~

I have been up to a bit of scribbling over the last few weeks ~ a few pictures have turned out really nicely, and I am quite pleased with them.  Unfortunately, I could not do them justice because I don’t have access to a scanner, so I have held them back for another post.

In the mean time, do you like my little illustrative comics?   I have a lot of fun doing these quick sketches.   Oh and for the update ~  three days until we go home!!!!!!  

*squeeeeeeeeeeeeee*       > ___________ < !!!      I am so excited!

xox,

bonita 

Amongst the Trees ~ Outfit Thirty

I wore this outfit on the weekend when Husband and I went to AQWA, which is Perth’s Aquarium.  Unfortunately, I totally forgot to get any photos!   I decided to repeat it exactly the same for today’s outing to the Salvation Army, a charity shop fondly known as Sally’s to most Aussies.  
I hope to find something awesome to share with you later, but it’s really the luck of the draw so we will see how I get on.   ^ u ^



Personally, I have found that Vinnie’s {St. Vincent de Paul’s ~ you have got to love Australian colloquialisms; mozzies, barbys, gummies, trollies…  It has got to end with an ‘ie’ sound, ‘o’ sound or ‘ah’ sound.  As in Davo,  Robbo, Timbo, Daza, Jeza, etc.   Sorry, side track!} have a better supply of vintage.   I am hoping to uncover some treasures none the less.   Wish me luck! 


Also, I am sorry for the photo fails ~ I think I look a bit like a deer caught in the headlights….   =___=;      I really have to work on my self~snapped photographs!  I am so used to having Husband behind the camera that I seem to lose all ability to take a good shot without him.  Grr…..  So annoying, but what can you do?   At least these next two pictures turned out well. 

Accessories   ~    Filigree Hair Bow  {Target}   Silver Hoops  {Christmas’08} 

Pearl Marquis Flower Necklace  {V’Day’11}    Rose Bracelet  {Equip}  

Lacy Scarf worn as Belt  {Valley Girl}

Top  ~  Tempt    Skirt  ~  Thrifted    Shoes  ~  Betts 

Baby Bump at eight months!   Ohmygoodness, so much to do and so little time to do it in….   *freaks out!* 32 weeks and four days into baking the bean sprout and I haven’t even begun to unpack our new house, let alone set up a nursery….

Thank goodness we are booked to fly home this Saturday night  ~ I really cannot wait to get cracking with everything I need & want to do.   > o <

xox,

bonita