Back on the craft wagon!

Another post! Hopefully I won't fall off the blogging wagon again :)

At the weekend I felt inspired and went down to the garage ("studio") to see what I could hunt out in my sewing pile to tackle.

However, I got slightly side tracked by my vintage goodies and decided I needed to get them on eBay, so I started packing them away. While I did this I stumbled upon a skirt I forgot I had. In the lead up to Christmas I had been looking for some shorts that I could wear out around the festive season...Something a little like this:

Unfortunately, all the ones I liked were either FAR too short or not in my size, so I was sad.

UNTIL I found a black and gold lacy pencil skirt from the 1980s in my stash (no before picture, doh!). With some cutting and stitching, I managed to turn it into a pair of shorts:

What do you think (apart from the terrible photos, obviously)?

The shorts are fully lined (which is useful, for dignity purposes) and the lace has a floral pattern to it which is edged in gold. They are slightly high waisted, which I love!

I now just need to go out dancing in them! 

(Fitness update: Went for a run on Monday, did an ab workout on Tuesday, and had a day off yesterday... time for another run!)

xx

New Year, New Resolutions!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I had SUCH a good time and now feel refreshed and ready to start the New Year (a few days late, I know..)!

My New Year's resolutions all basically tell me that I need to get a life outside this course, which is easier said than done as it takes up SO much time:

• Go to WI! - I went for my visits (you get three free visits) and need to become a fully fledged member. I've only put off doing so because of how busy I have been - I absolutely LOVE it, and all the ladies are so lovely! Must must must subscribe and start going monthly! For more info on the WI, click here.
• Run at least once a week - Terrible, I know. Again, it's the time thing - ideally I want to run 2-3 times a week and do other exercises inbetween, but for now I feel once a week is much more realistic! I like to be able to stick to my goals! 
• Craft more - A bit general, but I've hardly done any crafting since starting at Cambridge, and I miss it so much! I did  a few bits and pieces over the Christmas holidays, but not much as I had a massive assignment due in. Living in this house also means I have the garage to use as my craft space, and I am looking at turning it into a craft studio this half term. I went out and bought a halogen heater today, which is promising! 
• Sort out my Vintage stuff! - I have a load of vintage clothes that I intend to sell at some point, I just need to get the time (are you sensing a theme yet?) to list it all (and then of course, post it out). 
• Blog more often - I'm hoping at least once a week to begin with, like the running, and then gradually more once I get into the swing of it. 

They all pretty much add up to better time management, and using that time in a more productive way (i.e. not sitting in bed watching musicals with my cats Maisie (Elvis doesn't like musicals)). This will hopefully lead me to actually getting started on a side project which I've had in mind for a while, and blossomed in my head once I had more room (i.e. garage) in this house. I want to start doing up furniture and selling it, alongside my handmade soft furnishings and vintage homewares. 

I love giving things a new lease of life! 

Here's some chairs Leanne and I got from Freecycle and painted and reupholstered (with Cath Kidston fabric, of course):

Before - old school staff room chairs! 

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Ta-da! Much cuter :)

I also thought our living-room needed a bar (of course it did), so we found one on eBay and I did that up too:

I sanded and prepped the wood, and then painted it in "blossom white". I added MDF panels to the front which were covered in a Cath Kidston wallpaper. I then sprayed the counter with a clear, gold glitter top coat. I also painted the inside and added wallpapered shelves in the bottom. I took off one third of the bar as it was just too big!

Let me know your thoughts, I'm off out for a run! 

xx