DIY Lace Bra

I'm sure any of you out there who have a Pinterest account (or if you follow Geneva over at A Pair and a Spare) know lots about the emotion that I have dubbed 'DIY Envy' . I finally got sick of staring at all the amazing creations on my computer screen and got up, walked to my car and made a spontaneous trip to spotlight. Now when I arrived I had a number of projects in mind that I had seen on various different websites but as soon as I saw the red lace I changed my mind and decided to create my own DIY project (an ambitious direction to take as I am certainly not very handing with a needle and thread) but surprisingly it all turned out alright. And thus was born my first DIY tutorial.

You will need

Half a meter of desired material  (you will not use it all but it's good to have extra in case you muck up)

2 adjustable bra straps

1 metre of elastic bra straps

1 bra latch

1 meter of desired elastic waist band

Scissors 

Needle

Thread (preferably the same colour as you chosen material) 

1. Buy your materials. I chose red lace and then a found this amazing red satin and lace elastic for the waist in the ribbon section of spotlight. Also make sure you pick up a bra latch, adjustable straps and elastic bra straps (Mine are 16mm in width). Mine are all by Birch. I chose black to go with the red lace but obviously you can choose any colour you want (or buy white ones and dye them yourself).

2. Cut out your 'cups'. I chose to do a triangle bra but of course you can cut it to whatever shape you prefer. Now this may seem like the hardest step but I actually just used another lace bra I had as a stencil.

Tip: If you don't own a lace bra a triangle bikini is a perfect substitute

I then sewed the edging of my material around the edges of the triangles to prevent raying (this isn't particularly necessary if you prefer a cleaner look).

3. Cut the elastic you chose for the waist to size. Again, I used another bra as a guide but mine was 55cm. Then sew your latch onto the ends. 

Tip: Make sure they're both facing the correct direction before sewing them on. I learnt this the hard way.

4. Then sew your triangles onto your elastic. Make sure (if you're using a thicker elastic like me) not to sew them from the bottom line of the elastic but from the top, otherwise your triangles will not be big enough when you go to put the bra on. Also make sure to reinforce your stitches as lace is delicate and will have a lot of strain on it when worn.

5. The final step! Sew your adjustable straps to the elastic waist band (make sure not to sew on the loop end). I used another bra as a guide, but they should sit around 8 cm from the latch. 

Then measure out your elastic straps (I cut mine to 30cm) and feed one end through the loop and sew the ends together. Then sew them onto the tip of each triangle. 

Et voilà! You have yourself a bra! 

Six-Steps

How many times have you looked at the clock and realised you probably should have paused Game of Thrones an hour ago and started to get ready? Way too many, that's for sure. I'm definitely a guilty party. Let's not even get started on how many times you've gotten that last minute call from that friend begging you to come out with her and hold her hand as she tries to flirt with that guy. So I've put together these 6 'save-me' steps that should help you out in these moments of need.

(Note: If you decided not to wash your hair last night because bed was too comfortable, then theses steps probably won't 'save you' as promised. Try to keep some of this around at all times and we're back in business)

Step One

The LBD. Everyone should have one. Some people prefer bodycon, some prefer maxi's either way grab yours from your wardrobe (or pick one up ASAP) and put it on. I personally favour the skater cut and got mine from ASOS.

 Step Two

Add a statement piece. This could be a stand out belt, some crazy tights or like me, you could choose a head piece (mine is by K is for Kani). It doesn't matter what you choose, just make sure people will notice it.

Step Three

Necklace time. Anything that catches the eye. Necklaces are definitely 'in' right now so I'm sure you'll have plenty to choose from laying around your bedroom, making this probably the hardest of the 6 steps. I chose one by Sports Girl.

Step Four

Put on a noticeable lipstick. I went with this brighter pink ('Kiss Me') Rimmel lipstick to match my head piece but you can go in any direction you like. It doesn't matter if it's dark purple or blue or matte red or bright orange, just choose something that stands out that you also feel comfortable in. Throw on some mascara and/or eye liner if you want defined eyes.

Step Five

Put on a neutral, simple pair of heels. (Preferably a pair that you can walk in!) Mine are by Nowhere.

Step Six

Grab your favourite jacket or coat. Because you've toned it down in the dress and shoe department almost any jacket will go. If you've chosen a crazy coloured lip you might want to make sure the jacket is going to the same party but that's completely up to you! I chose this vintage Country Road one that I stole from my mums wardrobe.

And you're ready to go!

Note #2: Go ahead and drink all the neon blue cocktails you want, no one's going to notice if you spill some on a black dress.

Photos by Paigge Frankie

CrazyNecklaceLady

I can see it now, me, a mug of coffee, Friends reruns and thousands of necklaces and no life in sight.

Anyone else in the same boat? No? Just me? Well all the more necklaces for me then.

(all from Colette, Diva & Lovisa)

M x

Inside

Oroton Handbag

Lipsticks: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter 'Tutti Frutti' Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain 'Lovesick', The Make Up Store 'Magic Spell', Rimmel Colour Show Off 'Kiss Me'

 OPI 'A Grape Fit' nail polish

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

Sabo Skirt rings

Vintage sunglasses and wallet

I hope you enjoyed stepping into my life for a few seconds there. Was it thrilling? Did you feel a rush of excitement and jealousy that you're not me? No? Well, you just don't know what you're missing. Although I suppose we can rule out 'being a vigilante' or anything cool like that, because the contents of handbag certainly isn't that awesome.

So this is what I carry around with me in my handbag (although I did save you the horror of having to see how many gum wrappers and receipts are in there as well).

I always have at least 5 lipsticks. There isn't any particular reason why, I'm just always in a rush and never have time to put my lipstick on, so I grab one as I'm running out the door and always forget to put them away when I get home. But I like to tell myself it's because I'm a spontaneous and creative person and thus might like to change colours a couple of times a day.

I carry whatever nail polish I happen to be wearing at the time because I hate chipped nail polish

I also always have an array of rings in the bottom of my bag. They're usually simple and gold and I carry them around in case I need to dress up an outfit (eg. Going straight from work to an event/party/dinner).

Eye liner I never ever leave the house without. I cant stand anything water proof because it gets too thick and who really enjoys rubbing there eyes raw before going to bed anyway? So this means sometimes my eye liner needs a top up. This Rimmel liquid liner is pretty good, but if it starts raining, I'm running late or I somehow get caught up watching The Notebook, then it's good to have a back-up plan. If one of your girlfriends has a pretty emotional night and you end up listening to her cry in a bathroom stall at some club, she'll also be pretty grateful when you can help her look pretty again (don't lie, we've all been there).

Ditto perfume. I'm never going to lug around an entire perfume bottle with me (I may or may not have had one smash open in my bag once and walked around smelling like a giant pot-pourri pillow for a month) so it's lucky I have an obsession with mini bottles. Invest in some now. Right now. Ebay has tons.

Everything else is pretty standard stuff. I always carry a pen for the diary I never remember to pack, although it still comes in handy from time to time. I have my keys and my wallet because they're pretty crucial parts of my day (not that that means I don't forget them at least once a week). Sunglasses, because it sucks when you sit down for cocktails by the water and have your retinas burnt out because you left them on your bedside table and my phone is there so that I can instagram every step of my day keep in contact with everyone.

And so ends this riveting exploration of my daily necessities. Do you guys carry anything interesting around? I have a friend who never leaves the house without a spare pair of shoes. I'd love to be able to do a super chic Anna-Dello-Russo-esque change over half way through the day, but to be honest I just don't want to put in the hard labour of carrying them around.

Also if you'd like (and you know you do) you can follow my blog here on Facebook and on Instagram at fashionismy_boyfriend. Saves you having to create a blogger account and/or checking my blog twice a day to see if I've posted (like I know you all obviously do). It'd mean a lot, so thank you in advance if you do!

M x

P.s. I've also loved getting your comments, thanks so much!