What's In My Bag?

I've been struggling with writers block a bit lately; my life pretty much consists of going to work, sitting in pubs or seeing my boyfriend... hardly ground-breaking blogging material. However I made a commitment to myself to post regularly and so I decided to jump on the bandwagon (about a year late) and do a "What's In My Bag?" post. I'm not really sure what the point of these posts are, I guess they're just for nosey people who like to know what personal items people lug around with them on a daily basis. In which case, this could be pretty disappointing as I've just reviewed these photos and realised that I am in fact a rather dull person. So on that note, let's begin!

Halloween Make-up Tutorial: Evil Fairy

Today I was playing around with some ideas of what I wanted to dress up as for Halloween and I finally decided that being an evil fairy was my calling. As much as I love fake blood and inventive costumes, this year I wanted to go for something a little more dainty, that allowed me to utilise some of the make-up that I don't wear day to day.

Major Make-Up Organisation

For ages now I've fantasised about owning a huge vanity case with all sorts of compartments and pockets so that I can have a nice neat, organised make-up collection. It took a while but I eventually found this one on eBay which answered all my prayers. I don't have a particularly huge selection of cosmetics but what I do have needs to be organised or else I go a little bit crazy.

InstaDiary: Week 7

Newly organised dressing table | Cosiest duvet EVER | My vintage finds in Oxford | My ever-expanding wall | Making use of my fairy lights | Attempting cane rows but I have too much hair | Reminiscing on Newquay | Sunset on the way home from Oxford | Organising my make-up in my new vanity case.

KJ xo

Visiting Oxford and the Death of my Camera

A catchy and positive title, I know.

Yesterday me and my mum took a little road-trip up to Oxford to visit my brother, who is currently in his second year of university. This trip excited me for two reasons; he had promised to take me to Christ Church where a scene from Harry Potter was filmed, and Oxford seemed like a prime location to take lots of beautiful photographs. 

I was snapping away all morning, completely in awe of the beauty of the buildings. Everything from the university was undeniably grand, whilst the town itself was rather quaint. Once again, I was mocked for wanting to photograph my macaroons, and eyes were rolled when I stopped to capture a lamppost; but I didn't care because I was in my element. 

After stopping for lunch, visiting some vintage clothing shops and looking round some of the colleges, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. Christ Church. In Christ Church there is a staircase which features in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. You know, the one on which Draco and Harry first meet and Harry gets his sass on and is all "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." There is also a Great Hall, which was JK Rowling's inspiration for her own Great Hall, and also where Alice in Wonderland was written.

After gaping in awe at the magnificent staircase for a few minutes, I whipped out my camera and tried to snap a few photos. Nothing happened. I turned it on and off again, still nothing. I took the battery out, still nothing. I detached and reattached the lens, still nothing. My auto-focus was well and truly buggered, meaning my only option was to use manual focus which scares the crap out of me, because I don't know how to use it. There was tears, there was sour faces, and there was a lot of anger at the insurance company who gave me what I have now discovered is a faulty lens. 

So the fun stopped there for me because, as my mum says, I can only really see things through a lens. I mean, if you dumped me in the middle of a Cathedral I'd be bored to tears but if you gave me a camera then I'd have the time of my life in there. Anyhow, here are some of the pictures I did manage to take, I hope they capture the essence of my trip nicely.

10 I Want

Being the enthusiastic gal that I am, I have always had a thing for strongly expressing my love for TV shows/films/singers/generally everything. Whether it be emblazoning Taylor Swift lyrics up my arm, or wearing a t-shirt with a Blair Waldorf quote sprawled across it, it doesn't matter; I get mocked either way. 

However, it seems the fashion world has finally caught up with me and has decided to start producing items with great big stinking photos of Daniel Radcliffe's face on the front, and I love it. I do believe we all have Tumblr to thank for this; I'm pretty sure it was their photoshopping geniuses that first put some of our most beloved characters on to clothing, before Black Milk took over and did it the proper way. You know, with actual fabric and all that. 

So far, I have only really found two brands that are producing good quality, striking pieces; Glitters For Dinner and of course, the infamous Black Milk (links below). Both have Harry Potter and Star Wars ranges, whilst Black Milk also has a Lord Of The Rings collection, and I am coveting a lot of their pieces. Who wouldn't want to walk around proudly adorned in their Gryffindor stripes? And, let's face it, if you're trying to tell me you don't want Orlando Bloom on your body then you're only lying to yourself. 

I found the other four jumpers on a glorious Tumblr called SweaterJunkie. They have an Etsy shop (link below) but unfortunately only stock a small range of jumpers, none of which feature the likes of my best pals Serena van der Woodsen, or Mary-Kate and Ashley. I'm holding out hope that they soon begin to produce more of the designs that feature on their Tumblr page, because there is nothing I need in my life more right now than a jumper with Taylor Swift's face in the armpit crease.

What do you think of these collections; super cute or just kinda lame? Would you wear your Hagrid on your sleeve?

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Jumper - Glitters For Dinner, £30 // 2. Harry Potter "Let The Magic Begin" Jumper - Glitters For Dinner, £30 // 3. Gryffindor Leggings - Black Milk Clothing, £50 // 4. Marauders Map Leggings - Black Milk Clothing, £50 // 5. Tatooine Swimsuit - Black Milk Clothing, £60 // 6. Legolas Swimsuit - Black Milk Clothing, £60 // 7. Aria, Pretty Little Liars Jumper - 8. Serena, Gossip Girl Jumper - 9. Taylor Swift Jumper - 10. Mary-Kate and Ashley Jumper - Sweater Junkie, not available for purchase.

KJ xo

"Beauty Things I Suck At" Tag

I was tagged by Jasmine to do the Beauty Things I Suck At tag, so here it is...

DIY: Upcycling Old Skirts

Upcycling old clothes is one of my favourite things to do. Whether it be bleaching denim, attaching studs or simply adjusting something I bought in the charity shop so it fits; there is something extremely satisfying about taking a mundane item of clothing and making it fabulous.

A few weeks ago I had a real craving to go digging around in my local charity shops. However, as I mentioned in this post, it is nigh on impossible to find anything wearable in the charity shops of Bristol. This mid-length skirt caught my eye because the pattern is pretty groovy, and the shape of it means it can easily be adapted in to a little skater skirt (and we all know how much I love those!)

As I began to work on reinventing it, I decided that I would photograph the process so I could do a tutorial on it - if you'd like to see more tutorials on upcycling clothes then comment down below!

The original skirt had an elasticated waist and is a circle shape so it falls nicely. This is the kind of style you want to look out for if you want to make a skater skirt. 

InstaDiary: Week 6

Annual wardrobe organization | 8oz beefburger with hand-cut chunky fries | Joe bought me a cabbage for our anniversary | A glass of rosé wine in a very British pub | Jamie's Tuscan Salad a la Sarah | Birthday card for my brother | Showing off my sewing skills | Marinated chicken breast with patatas bravas | My new dress is adorable.

KJ xo