24/06/2013
I was so excited to create some nail art for laura ashley recently! they're one of my favourite stores and their home department kick started my love affair with all things floral when I worked for them as a teen.
the lovely peeps asked if I could create some nail art inspired by their fabric and wallpaper designs; I couldn't have asked for a more fun project! the hardest part was picking from their range of adorable vintage inspired collections but I finally settled on their clarissa print- a gorgeous pink, yellow and grey themed floral concoction.
Step 1: Begin by painting a pale pink/cream base colour and leave to dry. Take a dark pink polish and paint a rough circles on some of your nails.
Step 2: Take a few pink nail polishes varying from dark to light in shade, you'll be using these to add depth and turn the pink circles into blooms! Wipe any excess from the polish brush and lightly sweep small stokes inside
the pink circles you painted in step 1 to suggest petals.
Step 3: Take a lemon nail polish and apply several circles to alternate nails, we're now creating some yellow tone flowers. As in the previous step sweep on some darker colours in peach and pink to suggest petals.
Step 4: For the final flowers start with grey circles and apply more pink and white highlights using the same petal stroke technique. You don't want the grey to be too visible, it's just to peek through as a contrast!
Step 5: Finish the flower design by adding the green leaves! Take a dark and light green polish and dab around the flowers, it will frame the flowers and bring the whole design together. Once you're happy with your design seal well with top coat to protect it!
Step 3: Take a lemon nail polish and apply several circles to alternate nails, we're now creating some yellow tone flowers. As in the previous step sweep on some darker colours in peach and pink to suggest petals.Step 4: For the final flowers start with grey circles and apply more pink and white highlights using the same petal stroke technique. You don't want the grey to be too visible, it's just to peek through as a contrast!Step 5: Finish the flower design by adding the green leaves! Take a dark and light green polish and dab around the flowers, it will frame the flowers and bring the whole design together. Once you're happy with your design seal well with top coat to protect it!I hope you like them!
back soon!
caroline x
22/06/2013
yikes my iPhone has been snap happy of late, here's a look at some of it's latest adventures..
working on some nail art for laura ashley | little pretties seaside charm bracelet | fragrance direct goodies | sunny afternoon in the garden | rosie fox delivery | grazia fashion blog love feature yipeeee! | issue 4 of crafty magazine with my animal head coat hook feature- a brilliant mag for anyone who loves DIY | punktured jewellery bracelets | pink daisy nails
boss jour perfume | holy moly, refinery 29 gave my nails wraps a great review *happy dance* | superdrug nail art supplies for a feature I'm working on | liquid gold- finally mine! | fish & chips after a stressful day! | bright nails courtesty of essie fear & desire | black daisy nails, my go to easy nail art when I'm busy! | flower crown day | my bow nail art tutorial is most pinned in company mag this week hurrah! thank you lovely people of pinterest!!
surprise delivery from scratch, my nails wraps are nearly sold out so grab them before they go! | love cleo antique key bracelet | first bbq of the year, fingers crossed not the last! | button hoarding | new gladiator boots | grazia manicure monday with my great gatsby nails | giving my dry skin some lovin' | laura ashley wallpapers | barry m impulse buys
I didn't realise quite how many snaps I had.. if you've made it this far you deserve a medal aha!
happy weekend!
back soon
caroline x
19/06/2013
I've been reviving my love affair with h&m this month. I didn't really buy anything from their ranges for about a year and only recently started popping back in regularly to see what's new in.
I saw this grey jersey dress and decided I needed to purchase it immediately! I love basic cuts and this little number is so simple and classic (not to mention comfortable) I knew it would be a handy everyday option. the only downside is you have to be really careful when you wash it as mine shrunk, luckily I was able to exchange it and opted to go a size up, lesson learnt!
I'm also sporting some frankly gorgeous vintage inspired jewels delivered from rosie fox! rosie creates the most beautiful items and I've been itching to share them with you especially my aztec arm cuff! if you're a fan of all things vintage and quirky you'll love her collection, from hair accessories straight out of the great gatsby to statement cuffs and necklaces, a veritable treasure trove for fellow magpies..
grey t shirt dress: h&m
aztec amber cuff: c/o rosie fox
tourmaline vintage necklace: c/o rosie fox
arrowhead necklace: urban outfitters (old)
bag and frilly socks: primark
converse: office
back soon!
caroline x
18/06/2013
I thought I'd show you a few new colours in my collection; both are essie polishes which I know are a popular choice with you guys!
I opted for two bright shades fear & desire which is a vivid orange and mojito madness which is a cool green shade.
fear & desire really pops on your nails, you can get full coverage in two-three coats (if you're in a hurry I'm certain two coats would suffice I'm just a fussy devil and wanted mine to look really bright!)
mojito madness is one that I've had my eye on for a while, I fell in love with it when I saw a sales girl in sephora wearing it whilst I was on holiday! the formula is good, two coats gives full coverage for this shade and it's nice and glossy!
the beauty of these two polishes is actually the price; £1.99 KAPOW! (I'm now looking at my essie polish collection and kicking myself for paying full whack for them!) you can pick up quite a few of their shades here (although the selection isn't massive it'll certain stop me going to pick them up anywhere else for a while!)
do you have any essie colour recommendations? I bought a few new barry m colours/glitters today which I'll pop on instagram for you guys!
back soon!
caroline x
17/06/2013
I love hunting for old pieces of furniture! I never buy shabby chic distressed furniture -I've always found old pieces and done it myself (it's more fun and a lot more affordable)
I found an old pine bathroom cabinet for £3.. a perfect DIY candidate! the technique works on all pieces of wood furniture, I've upcycled wardrobes, dressing tables and chairs in the past.
lots of people have asked me how I've distressed my furniture so I thought I'd do a little tutorial for anyone who's curious to try it themselves!
start out with your pieces of wooden furniture, whether it's a chair, table etc
the most important part is sanding! I use a small electric sander to rub down larger furniture but something small can be done by hand with regular sandpaper! this part is really important as it removes any varnish and provides a 'key' or grip for the paint to adhere to.
once you've sanded you need to apply a coat of primer (I've taped off the mirror on my cabinet so it doesn't get covered in paint spatter) let the primer dry before you paint the wood!
you can use any colour paint on your furniture, I've opted for a pale grey/blue. I use eggshell paint as it leaves a lovely chalky matt finish perfect for shabby chic furniture! (farrow and ball are my favourite eggshell paint manufactures and you can find them in most homeware shops or just google eggshell paint to find stockists)
apply as many coats as necessary and leave the paint to dry.
the next step is to distress the furniture (this works best within the first 12 hours of the paint drying!) take some sandpaper and lightly rub along the edges to remove some of the paint and expose the original grain.
think about where the furniture would naturally age from wear and tear (mostly around the edges) and concentrate on these areas!
you can give your furniture a lick of clear varnish or furniture polish to protect it when you're happy with the effect.
I lined the inside of my cabinet with some ditsy print paper from paperchase and painted the inside of the door with some blackboard paint! now I can leave soppy chalk messages to my other half when he goes to brush his teeth in the morning (I'll pause here so you can contain your nausea)
that's it! not too tricky it just takes a little time but once you get the hang of distressing and repainting furniture it becomes addictive!
it works really well on bedroom dressing tables and old chairs, if you spend time rummaging about car boot sales you'll probably see lots of old pieces perfect for a make over!
I hope this has been helpful to a few of you! it's a rather geeky post but something I love to do when I get a free day..
back soon!
caroline x
16/06/2013
it's father days and true to form I'm about to make a frantic dash to the shops for an hour of panic buying! I always struggle with fathers day gifts as pops hates us spending money on him (which makes us want to spoil him all the more)
so before I embark on mission 'what to buy dad' a quick outfit post..
this candy coloured number is from karma clothing who've kindly invited me to be involved in their summer look book; the theme was festival ready so I thought it would be the ideal time to wear my flower crown.. yipee!
I umm'd and ahhh'd over what clothes to pick and finally settled on these adorable pink dungarees. I really wasn't sure if they'd suit me; I've tried on loads of dungarees and often find them too tight and short for my liking! these have completely restored my faith in dungarees shorts and playsuits, hallelujah!!!
the cotton is really light and wearable, perfect for daytime, I'm glad I opted for pink as it's not a colour I wear often (I feel like a big slice of angel cake aha!)
the little monochrome body con crop is also great; unfussy and just the right length for summer. I love the silhouette of dungarees so I decided to keep the jewellery to a minimum, just a bundle of bracelets so my arms didn't feel too naked!
pink dungaree playsuit: c/o karma clothing
flower crown DIY: here!
monochrome crop: c/o karma clothing
belt: urban outfitters
nike blazers: office
hope you're all having a good weekend, back soon!
caroline x
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