Live fast, dye young.

Today I had no plans, which is odd because I’ve been pretty busy this summer most of the time. Any free days I’ve had though have been spent upcycling clothes, and today was no exception from that pattern. I’d had a pair of white jeans for a while but had probably only worn them about 3 times, so I decided to put them to better use as shorts. I’ve also been researching tie dye techniques, and since I had two different colours of dye and everything else that I needed I thought I’d give that a go – Blue and purple tie dye shorts. They turned out even better than I thought, take a look.

 

The colours work really well together in my opinion and for a first attempt I don’t think they’re bad at all. The shorts also have a 5% elastin content meaning that they fit like a glove which is an unexpected bonus. Another thing that means they fit amazingly well is the elasticated waist which warrants them to be worn high or low waisted really easily. I also had enough dye left to give two t-shirts a new lease of life too.

If you ask me, that’s a day well spent!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

Discovering the beauty of boucle

Chanel’s little black jacket is one of the most classic pieces of fashion history. Everything about it, from the sophisticated and minimalist cut through to the boucle fabric, is truly iconic. It’s every fashion lover’s dream to own the classic black Chanel jacket. It’s so versatile and I honestly believe that it can finish any outfit amazingly. Unfortunately the jacket is reserved for the very elite or those willing to save for a long  (and I mean long) time, with a rather large price tag of around $3000. Obviously I can’t afford that, but recently I’ve noticed that the ability to get a high-street priced slice of Chanel style has become far easier. Boucle fabric is on the rise and is bringing class, without it becoming “Granny”, along with it.

The boucle best:

Dorothy Perkins:

 

Black sparkle boucle jacket - £49

 

 

Topshop:

Fluorescent Boucle Peplum Top - £22

Co-ord Mint Boucle Skirt - £38

Co-Ord Fluro Boucle Jacket - £65

Fluro Boucle Bralet - £16

 

 

 

 

Although I’ll most probably never own a Chanel jacket, or any Chanel in fact, I can dream. Until that day comes I shall have to make do with high-street copies of the little black jacket and the use of boucle in other clothes.

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

Life's too short.

Hello gorgeous people, hope you’ve all had a lovely day! As you may know I’ve been “upcycling” a tonne of shorts recently. This is just a quick post to show you guys my two latest creations, which I’m really proud of. I’m hoping to sell some of my shorts and other pieces, so if you’d be interested in buying anything I’ll soon be opening an ASOS market place account where they will be available for purchase. I’ll give you all the link once it’s up and running, which will be soon I hope!

Purple dip dye effect ripped shorts:

These took so long to finish, about 10 hours in total! Either way I’m super happy with the result.  I think the colour came out really well.

Two tone high waisted shorts:

This second pair didn’t take quite as long but I’ve wanted to try this effect for a while now. I’m hoping to stud them too, but it’s another 10 days until I get my studs in the post. It is torture waiting!

I can’t wait to get my ASOS account sorted and hopefully sell some of my pretty little things. I put so much effort in to the design and making process, I just love doing it. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

Liebster award.

Hello everybody! I’m so happy to say that I’ve been nominated by the wonderful Ashely from Totally chic for the Liebster award. I actually got given this tag a while ago (about two days after I wrote my post on the versatile blogger award), but decided not to write the `post until now. So this is a little overdue but here we go. Firstly thank you Ashley for giving me The Liebster award, it’s always lovely to get recognition for my blog since I put so much work in to it. You should all go over to Totally Chic and check it out.

Here are the rules for this tag:

1) Each person must list 11 things about themselves.
2) Answer the 11 questions that the tagger has set for you plus you must create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award.
3) Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post.
4) Go to their page and inform them of the nomination.
5) Absolutely no tag backs.
6) Remember to only tag bloggers with less than 200 followers

I’ll dive straight in and get started.

Eleven things about me…

1.       I took 3 of my GCSEs a year early and got the results a few days ago. I got an A in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. I’m so happy!
2.       I only got my ears pierced at the beginning of the summer, I’m 15 so it’s considered as little weird.
3.       I want to grow my hair down to my waist.
4.       At the moment all the money I have is going on dye and bleach for clothes DIYs.
5.       I have an obsession with fashion magazines. All of them! I read Look, Vogue and InStyle all the time.
6.       I’ve been to see Bruno Mars in concert twice.
7.       I love France and really want to visit Paris as soon as I can.
8.       I have a little sister who is only 17 months old (yes, that’s a 14 year age gap). She’s technically my half sister, but I would never think of her like that. To me she’s just my sister.I love her to pieces.
9.       My bedroom is painted lime green and I have a wall covered in cork tiles that I can pin pictures to.
10.   I never drink squash, I’m a water girl myself!
11.   Friends and family are the most important thing in my life.

Eleven question answers…

1) What's your most prized possession? My IPhone, I’m a little too attached to it.
2) If you could rename your blog, what would it be? This is hard, I love the name of my blog. I honestly don’t know sorry!
3) If you could rename yourself, what would it be? I love my middle name Paige, so if I had to I’d probably have that as my first name. I also really like the name Daisy.
4) What motivates you to keep blogging? I just love fashion! That’s my motivation.
5) If you could do any dare devil stunt, what would you do? Blimey…eat fire. That’d be pretty cool.
6) If you could work for any magazine what would it be and what would you do?   Fashion editor of InStyle magazine.
7) What's your favorite clothing store? Topshop.
8) What's one of your beauty confessions? I use vasaline for everything, my lips, eyes, hands, everything!
9) Who's your celeb crush? Bruno Mars.
10) If you could change one thing in this world, what would you change and why? I’d get rid of cancer. That’s pretty self-explanatory; it’s a horrible thing that ruins lives.
11) What's your favourite character trait about yourself?  I talk a lot!

My nomintations…

Since I only did one of these award posts a few days ago I don’t have too many people to nominate, but I have some. Firstly, Hannah from Daisies and Dr Martens, who is one of my favourite bloggers  (go check out her blog and be amazed). I’d also like to nominate Millie from Pretty Little Envies who is just adorable, and finally the blog Live love inspire fashion

My eleven questions…

1.       What’s your favourite food?
2.       How many brothers and sisters do you have?
3.       If you were stuck on a dessert island, what would the one item you could take with you be?
4.       Who’s your fashion idol?
5.       Flat or heeled shoes, which do you prefer to wear?
6.       What are your makeup essentials?
7.       What’s one thing in the world that really annoys you?
8.       Designer or high-street labels?
9.       If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
10.   What’s your favourite smell?
11.   Who would you invite to a dinner party (anybody past or present) ?

 

Just before I go I’d love to know your opinions on my last blog post, it’s a little different to the usual so let me know if you like it or not. I love getting comments so don't be shy!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

The dark side.

After being so used to the sugary sweetness and bright colours of summer 2012 it seems strange to consider the huge transition of styles set to appear come autumn. It’s time to bid farewell, although not forever, to pastel tones, digital florals, and print clashing. In its place will appear an altogether more gothic feeling wardrobe. Think deep reds, inky blues, and hints of gold against black bases.  If you were to mix together the wardrobes of Taylor Momsen and Elizabeth I, this is what you would get. It doesn’t sound too appealing, but trust me when I say, it is!

Jean Paul Gaultier:

Versace:

 

 

 

Jean Paul Gaultier and Versace have achieved this gothic glamour through the use of heavy fabrics and intricate detailing. Velvet or leather has been introduced to every outfit even when paired with sheer chiffon. I think the use of length in both of these collections is also genius. Jean Paul Gaultier has mainly used floor length dresses with either leg slits or sheer materials. In a completely different way Versace focused on shorter dresses with either knee high boots or fish net black socks.  Both collections show leg without losing the glamour shown on the top half of the outfits. Perfection.

 

I love this look and I'm hoping to write a post on how to acheive it tomorrow or as soon as I can, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X



Twisted Grunge.

In yesterday’s post I mentioned my love for the 90s fashion revival.  As autumn begins I really want to channel the whole grunge feel in my wardrobe, and so have been looking around high-street shops to see what I can find. I can’t wait to get more of an edge on my every day outfits, I’m getting a little bored of my summer pastel wardrobe now. Studs, plaid and lots of denim… I can’t wait!

So, here are my favourite finds:

Topshop:

 

 

Burgundy bomber jacket - £50 / Grid Neoprene sweater - £36  /Mario Black Hiking boots - £40 / Cutout shoulder check shirt - £32

 

Urban Outfitters:

 

 

 

Blurry check mini - £28 / Plaid shirt dress - £49 / Crop roll neck - £16

 

 

 

 

No doubt I'll post again about some kind of grunge fashion, so stay tuned!

 

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Style nostalgia.

Saved by the bell, The fresh prince of Bel Air and Clueless. I love them all. There’s something about the 90s humour mixed with crazy outfits that makes them the perfect thing to watch, for me anyway. One of the best parts is seeing what the characters are wearing, and although there are some rather questionable ensembles, there are some totally amazing ones too. Recently I’ve noticed the 90s fashion revival, especially 90s grunge, and frankly I can’t get enough of it. I’ve been drawn in to researching 90s fashion and trends and it’s been so much fun! I found some truly out there but beautiful 90s originals, as well as some modern day takes perfectly executed.

Plaid, ripped tights, pvc and leather, crop tops and loads of layering, that's what 90s fashion was all about. At least those are the bits I like!

I'm off to watch clueless for the third time this week, have a nice evening all.

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

This is the hotest.

If you live in south-east England then I’m sure that you’ll empathise with me when I say, today I felt like I was going to melt. It was so hot! I’m not complaining. I’ve been waiting for the sun all summer, so it was a welcome surprise. It also gave me the opportunity to wear a new maxi dress of mine, which is by the way, the coolest piece of clothing I own (in both senses of the word). It’s made of a material that’s super thin, but not so thin that it’s see through. I found it whilst thrifting for just £3. You all know I love a bargain. It’s red and white tie dye, but the red is very soft and summery. I paired it with a gold braided belt that I’ve had for years, my heeled high tops, and an oversized envelope clutch bag. I bought the clutch this morning at a car boot sale, which I couldn’t stay at for long because it was too hot. Who’d have thought it? It was only 50p, and I’ve wanted one for ages so it couldn’t be more brilliant really. I love mixing looks and I think that the boho/street mix works really well. I kept the rest of the outfit simple and didn’t wear any other accessories except my sunnies pictured here. Miraculously, I didn’t burn either.

Today’s outfit:

I’ve also enjoyed spending today reading this month’s issue of InStyle magazine. There are some amazing articles in there so give it a gander if you get the chance. So many pages full of fashion and beauty.  In fact, I think I’ll finish reading it right now!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

I wish for...

I love Topshop with my whole heart. Keeping that in mind I decided to create a wish list post with all of this season's clothes that I simply need. Obviously I had to seriously cut down my choices which included, well, the whole shop.



 I love dog tooth print at the moment and so this jumper is perfect for me. I'd team it with a black or white collard shirt and maybe a leather skater skirt or simple jeans.

Dip dye and I are slowly becoming firm friends. This skirt just seems like one of those pieces that you can chuck on and look effortlessly amazing.

 I've wanted a bomber jacket for a while now, and this is jaw dropping. It would be the perfect addition to my autumn wardrobe,

I don't know what it is, but I just love this jumper. I wonder if I could make one myself...?

I've only noticed cut out shoulders very recently. At first I was sceptical, but after seeing this beauty I'm all for it!

I don't own much silk, it's never really been my thing. However, dip dye it and pow! I love.

What are your favourites? 

 Thanks for reading guys,
Bethany Paige X

Belly buttons, angels and an award.

I’d like to thank my mother, Father and … Okay so this isn’t an Oscar, but I’m still very happy. Today I was nominated by the absolutely lovely Hannah from Dasies and Dr Martins for the versatile blogger award. You should all check out her blog, it’s one of my daily reads. I love writing my blog but it makes it even sweeter to get recognition for it.Once nominated it's customary to nominate another 15 blogs that you really enjoy reading and think deserve recognition, some of the blogs I wanted to nominate already had the award though. I wasn’t able to find 15 but I’ve got a few blogs that I really enjoy reading and deserve the award, but as far as I’m aware don’t have it yet.  I chose, Sarah from Constantly Confused, Laura from Suffer in style, Katie from Talk FFashion and Caitlin from The Chic Street. I also have to tell you 7 facts about myself as part of getting the award, here it goes...

1.   I have an obsession with moustaches and draw them all over my wrists almost every day.
2.     If I ever feel tired or upset I brush my teeth (I don’t know why) and I hate people who have bad dental hygiene.
3.   I have an absolute hatred of belly buttons – it’s hard to explain.
4.   I’m too impatient to wait for normal nail varnish to dry, so I have to use quick dry. I end up smudging it like crazy otherwise.
5.    I believe that I have a guardian angel.
6. Someday I hope to move to London and work in the fashion industry.
7.   I’ve recently got in to watching shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel air and Saved by the bell

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

DIY cross shorts.

I’ve recently been going crazy with DIY projects, so I decided to put up a tutorial of my most recent endeavour. Yesterday I made a pair of shorts with black velvet crosses on them, inspired by the Urban outfitters’ shorts on my last post.

You will need:

• Scissors (fabric and paper)
• High waisted jeans
• Velvet fabric of some sort
• Paper
• Bondaweb (can seem pricey but it lasts a long time and is worth it)
• Pins
• Needle and black thread

Firstly buy yourself a pair of cheap high waisted jeans. These were bought at a local charity shop for £3.95 and were perfect for the job.

Then cut the jeans to the correct length that you want, depending on the length of short you’re comfortable wearing. The bottom will fray which is the look I was going for, but if you want a neater finish just hem them using a sewing machine. Remember to cut them a little longer if doing so as creating the hem will make them shorter.

Grab some paper or card and cut out a few different sized crosses. Be creative and experiment with different placing of the crosses until you find a design you like.

Now pin your paper to the velvet and carefully cut the velvet so that it is a tiny bit bigger than the paper cross. Then unpin the paper leaving behind velvet crosses.

Now use a form of fabric bounding, such as bondaweb to stick the crosses on to your shorts where desired. Follow the instructions on the packet. Once all of your crosses are stuck on, stitch around them with black thread. You could use a basic running stitch but I used a backward stitch as it’s usually stronger. You don’t have to  use both bondaweb and sew, but it really will make them last longer.

Finished! A pair of gorgeous shorts which you can pay for with spare change.

Obviously you can use any type of material for the crosses and customize to your taste. I plan on wearing mine to the beach tomorrow!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X

Cross eyed.

Urban outfitters:

Asos:

 Topshop:

Dorothy Perkins:

As you can see, crosses are all over the high-street this season, and I for one, am a huge fan. Leather, studs and crosses are all part of the rock star look that I adore, and that is so huge at the moment. With Versace designing a more gothic feel collection covered in crosses for autumn 2012, it looks as though this trend is going to stick around too.

Today with a few hours, a huge bottle of bleach and a boyfriend blazer to spare, I set out to create my own take on the trend. I cut the sleeves of this blazer a few months ago when the weather started to get a bit warmer and today added the bleach detailing. It’s so easy to do, and I guess you could try any shape really if you can cut it out of cardboard. So, I chose a cross shape, placed it on the back of the blazer and sprayed around it with bleach – simple! It worked really well and the bleach effect is so edgy. It brings a punk touch to my everyday outfits.

If anybody would like me to do a full , more detailed DIY tutorial, let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to oblige!

Thanks for reading guys,

Bethany Paige X