I had a great day, just to let you know...

I took this photo this morning- as it stands, the countdown is at 3 days, 4 hours and 45 minutes! I'm super excited but as I have such a short amount of time left before I leave for FL, I've been trying to see as many of my friends as possible. Today I headed into town and met up with two of my closest- it was a lovely day but as we're in England, the weather had a little something to say too. It affected my outfit choice marginally but I still think it looked fab (if I do say so myself...)! 

To cope with the constant downpours I decided on my floral print DMs- I've had them for about 18 months now and though the print is beginning to wear away (after some pretty treacherous weather in NYC last year), they're holding up well. I used to think DMs were way too chunky and down right ugly but over the last couple of years I've began a love affair with the brand; one which is likely to never end. I believe that anyone who has anything to say against Doc Martens just needs to give them a try- there are so many styles available; it's impossible that you won't find at least one pair that you like.  

Seeing as I was dressing for the weather, my shoes were the first thing I thought about which meant that the rest of my outfit spiraled from there. The best thing to team with my DMs is tights (not just tights- don't worry) so from there I decided on one of my many pairs of vintage high-waisted Levi's. I went for the plain indigo pair again as I wanted to wear a dark coloured top. The top I chose is a reworked, vintage Tom & Jerry tee from Motel. With the arms cut off to create long slits down the side, it looks great tucked in to anything high-waisted. I love the baggy, tucked in look- it's so casual but creates such a flattering outcome as the shorts cinch in at just the right point. 

To finish the outfit off, I decided on my GAP denim jacket- it's comfy, looks good and baggy enough that I can fit a lightweight black cardigan underneath for warmth in our English summertime. I really love the overall look. For me, I know I've done well when I look at my outfit and think whether or not people would be able to guess where everything was from and the answer is no. Today I feel, was a success! The fact that it was practical was a huge bonus. 

To tie in the bright colours on my boots and my top, I chose my Bobbi Brown lipstick in Cosmic Raspberry- not only does it look beautiful, but it's so long lasting too! Except when it comes to Starbucks time that is...

As I was in town, I of course did a spot of holiday shopping. I picked up some bright pink ankle grazer jeans from Topshop for only £18 (original price £38)! I said to myself as I was trying them on; "if these jeans fit I'd be an absolute idiot to turn them down"- after that and some encouragement from my friends, I left the store with a slightly lighter purse. I also found a really nice tank top by Truly Madly Deeply in Urban Outfitters- it's completely plain, purple, with huge armholes (just how I like them) and a slight pink grain. For £10 it was a complete steal and it goes perfectly with my new jeans and my high waisted Levi collection! I'll post some photos tomorrow...

A few posts ago in "Do we have any Hufflepuffs..?" I mentioned that I had found the perfect thing to customise my already customised dip dyed Levi's. Well, believe it or not, I found this patch at the Warner Brothers Studios Tour (more info in  "Do we have any Hufflepuffs..?") and though I'm personally a Hufflepuff, the colours matched so well with my shorts that I had to buy it! I couldn't resist. I'm also hoping that it helps my case in attracting Tom Felton..? What do you guys think!? I can't wait to wear them when I visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Monday- I have a feeling they'll attract some attention!

Time for some Zzzzzzs I think- surprise surprise, I have to be up early for work, again... But, tomorrow is my last shift before I jet off to Florida! I can't wait to get it out of the way and begin preparations for Saturday properly. Sleep well everyone!

Do we have any Hufflepuffs..?

I am knackered. You aren't supposed to get up at 7am during the summer holidays, are you? Well, today I did. As you saw in my sneak preview post, I spent my day at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour- The Making of Harry Potter. Totally worth the lack of sleep! I had an amazing time; it was so incredible seeing the props, sets and especially the costumes in person.

I finally got to wear my shorts too! I teamed them with a vintage Sea World  oversize tank top (Urban Outfitters; slightly overpriced but I couldn't help myself) and my Gap denim jacket (men's, bought in the sale for £10). I felt so summery with my round Topshop sunglasses too, especially when the sun came out just as we arrived. However, I played it safe and wore tights (even if they were slightly laddered...)- such a shame it wasn't hot enough for bare legs because tights always take away from such outfits! As I knew I would be on my feet all day I opted for my beat up old Vans. Even though they're wrecked, I think that items like that add something to an outfit that you don't find from brand new clothes- no, not a tramp-ish look... Character maybe? With me, I took my H&M pleather bowling bag- I swear to you, it may as well be Mary Poppins bag, good for all occasions!

Here's a few shots of my outfit-

As I mentioned, a lot of what I enjoyed most about the studio tour was the costumes. The detail that goes into them is just incredible! I particularly love the Yule Ball costumes from the Goblet of Fire- I actually think I'd wear Hermione's dress... Or maybe not, but there's no denying that the design is beautiful. And of course, Ron's hand-me-down dress robes. The costume design team seemed to be able to make even the most unattractive outfits look fabulous. If high street stores made clothes this well, we would be replacing outfits so much less!

At lunch time (prepare to be jealous...) I had some butter beer! Okay, so it wasn't my first time trying it as I've been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando but it was definitely a treat being able to have it again, even if it does give you a major sugar rush after a few sips.

Having butter beer made me so excited to go back to Florida next week... 10 DAYS EVERYONE!

Another reason why I love Harry Potter so much (if you hadn't already guessed) is the props. There's so many different things to pick out in the films that it becomes a totally believable world. My favorites; the jewellery which once again, I'd definitely wear in real life! I particularly love Xenophilius Lovegood's Deathly Hallows necklace, it's so similar to something that you'd find in Urban Outfitters right now. They sold a replica in the gift shop for £40... I had to stop myself because as you know, funds are low right now, but once again my creativity prevailed. I found a Deathly Hallows key-ring which I plan to put onto a cheap chain or suede strap; it might not be a perfect copy, but it shall certainly do. I have a feeling it's going to look great with high waisted shorts or my new Motel maxi skirt.

Xenophilius Lovegood prop necklace...

...my (soon to be) necklace!

Besides all the cute (strangely) fashionable things that I found around the Harry Potter studios, I of course snapped the classic props that couldn't be missed. It's a slight deviation from the usual topic of my blog, but I'd love to share them with you all!

And finally...

P.S I found the PERFECT thing to customise my Levi's so watch this space!

How I spent my evening...

So I said in my last post that I would do it, and I have! After a hard days work (and several arguments with my sewing machine) I got to work on dip and tie dying two of my old pairs of shorts. I picked up some Dylon fabric dye from John Lewis- these small packets for hand use are perfect for dying just one or two items. They come in so many amazing colours but I went for "Intense Violet" and "Bahama Blue". 

Dylon Hand Wash Packets

Pink Levi's AFTER tapering 

My flamingo pink Levi's required some tapering before they were fit to be dyed. The bottoms of the shorts were originally turned over which meant they were ridiculously unflattering! I used my denim hot pants to get the measurements exact and the result was some great fitting shorts. After sewing the bottoms of both pairs of shorts (we can't have them fraying!), the first port of call was to soak the shorts in warm water. However, prior to this, I dip-dyed my pink Levi's in bleach (29p from Tesco)- it created such a nice effect that I was tempted to stop my dying there! The bleaching meant that not only did the shorts absorb the fabric dye far better, but they also had an awesome striped effect by the end of the process. 

 

For my pale denim shorts, I decided on tie dying which meant bunching up the shorts into elastic bands like so....

                                                

... followed by soaking them in a mixture of 6ltrs of warm water, 250g of salt and the fabric dye mixed w/ 500mls of warm water. The hardest part of the whole process is not splashing dye everywhere- my kitchen was covered in small purple and blue splodges and I successfully dip dyed two wooden spoons by the time I had finished! Once in the mixture, I left the shorts for 45 minutes and stirred regularly. 

For my pink Levi's I chose dip dying, which was a HUGE success! Following the same method of mixing the dye and water etc, I held the shorts into the dye so only the bottom few inches were submerged- this allowed the dye to soak up the shorts but still left a stripe of bleached material. I left them slightly beneath the water for the whole 45 minutes, but ensured that the dye was not continuing to rise- I was desperate for that bleached stripe...

 

These caused my kitchen some problems...  

I'm really pleased with how my shorts turned out- the best part about doing this was that it only cost me about £8! So worth it considering the fun I had and the fact that the Topshop equivalent are a shocking £34.

Here's the finished result- I hope you all love them as much as I do! 

Tie dyed hot pants!

Dip dyed Levi's!

Here's a quick list of instructions for the tie dye method;

1. Bunch up garment using elastic bands- the more the better! 

2. Soak garment in warm water until wet all over 

3. Fill a bucket with 6 litres of warm water, then mix in 250g of salt

4. Mix the packet of dye with 500mls of warm water

5. Add the mixture of dye to the bucket of salt and water

6. Submerge garment in bucket completely- stir for a couple of minutes 

7. Leave garment in bucket for 45 minutes and stir at regular intervals (every 15mins) 

8. Remove garment and rinse in cold water until dye no longer runs 

9. Wash garment, then leave to dry and your done! 

As soon as I get hold of some money I plan on ordering some studs and embellishing the back pocket of my Levi's, perhaps with a cross! I can't wait to style an outfit to wear with them- I have a feeling they're going to look great on holiday in Florida. I also spotted some colourful, half price, day of the dead skull bracelets in the Topshop sale which would look great with them- I'm going to sneak in before work tomorrow to see what I can find... 

You can definitely expect to see some more of my creations in coming posts!