be inspire

This wonderful bench was once a boring dated looking piece of junk. But with a little magical this and that, it's been given a new lease of life. Something I would have bought in a heart beat. More of the DIY story here.

With the recent news of getting a new place with the folks(!), I'm so inspired to hunt for secondhand furniture (when the time comes) and give them new life. The reads at design*sponge are all so inspiring. White washed walls with a random pop of color here and there, a mix of modern and the old. It's all in my head just waiting for it to happen.



image source: oh... my bag, design*sponge

DIY: Tinted Carmex

I finally tested out this DIY post and the result is lovely. A sheer dusty coral tint in my tub of carmex! Extremely easy to handle and mess free. But i'll recommend this for ladies with lighter lips tone, it appears very sheer on my dark lips.

Sushi?

If you ask me, Jap is probably on top of the list for the type of cuisine I'd go for. Needless to say, this fascinates me, we even ordered it for a friend's birthday for kicks.

Now this knitted sushi is ultra cute! and I'd order a platter in a minute! You can get the patterns from needlenoodle

via black*eiffel

Make Up DIY: Secret recipe

How many times have we bought a pot/stick of lip balm and abandoned it before it finishes and proceed to the next found love? I'm quite certain many girls have done this at least once. I myself am guilty of abandoning at least 4 sticks of lip balm and they should be sitting somewhere in a pile. Hence when I came across this thread from cozycot, I thought it was plain brilliant! Make your own tinted lip balm at home, follow the steps below.

1. Prepare a bowl of steaming hot water (not boiling)

2. Sprinkle some make up pigments (lip safe) into the lip balm 

3. Cap the lip balm and put the pot into the hot water for 5-8mins

4. Mix the melted lip balm + pigments using a cotton bud. (Add more pigments if you want a darker color and repeat 3-4)

5. Let it cool or place in a refrigerator to set.

6. Vola, your very own customised lip balm

Sounds easy enough? Try mixing shades of colors for a more customised blend or add gold shimmers and dust for a glittery balm. You can also use a stick balm, just turn the stick to the highest and remove the balm into a small container, follow step 1-5 and pour the melted balm back into the stick to let it set.

Now is the time to dig those makeup pouches for abandoned lip balms. 

The photo you see is the DIY result of Honeylicious.

transformers

I saved this photo of Fay taken by The Sartorialist some time ago. I was intrigued by her outfit, the semi tux look + the horizontal/vertical stripe dress, it was love at first sight. In fact i was saving the dress pattern for a visit to the Seamstress. Just over the weekend, she was spotted again wearing this...

A totally different look altogether, very whimsical but chic. And if you look closer, she's wearing a bow tie collar bib-like thingy (i want!) that is identical in the previous outfit.  She uses it as an accessory to transform an outfit from nice to fabulous! It is definitely very inventive. This calls for a DIY project! :D

image source: the sartorialist

Shaded

I'm totally digging these ombre tights! Spotted in the Sept issue of Style, seen on the runway of Tsumori Chisato F/W 08 Collection. The ombre effect creates an illusion of depth and layer. Unlike the usual opaque tights (solid and stark), it has a softness to it. Wear it with floaty dresses in layers of chiffon and silk (go the romantic route) or juxtaposing it with solid structured pieces. Whatever you pair it with, it's gonna look fabulous. 

Now, the question is, where can you get one of these without forking out a Chisato pricetag? Hong Kong? Japan? I doubt any of the high street brands will be churning these out. I might have to DIY and try if it works if i really have to!

Project DIY-01

This necklace from ASOS will be my next DIY project. i love the layering and mixture of chains.