Save the date! Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair 2012

Save the date for Melbourne's Craft & Quilt fair held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, 
Thursday July 26th - Sunday 29th. 

A couple of years ago I went to the C&QF and it was such a great day out. I left with a head full of ideas and gained a lot of inspiration from the many stalls on display. 

With a $17 entry ($17 = Adult ticket price. For other ticket prices or to purchase online please click here) you can take your time browsing through the 100+ exhibitors and take part in the many workshops available over the 3 days. I would love to check out Bernina's Mirrored Wallet, the 1pm session teaching you how to crochet flowers and the 1:30pm session on making your own teddy bear.

I'm hoping to leave with a few extra skills and a nice haul of goodies in my craft bag! I don't know much about cross stitching or crocheting so it will be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about these lovely little crafts

Will you be attending?

Get the look! Katy Perry lashes by Eylure

With lashes to die for, it's no surprise Katy Perry joined forces with Eylure to release her own stunning and wearable lash collections; Sweetie Pie, Oh Honey, Cool Kitty (below) and Oh My.

"My Eylure false lashes are one of my top beauty secrets.I've loved Eylure from the 
beginning and am so pleased to share with you the new range I created for them. 
When it came to having a range of my own, I wanted everyone to have a great 
experience with my lashes. As they have such an amazing history and great 
quality Eylure was really the best choice for me to work with." Katy Perry

This style is Cool Kitty and they'll make your eyes look amazing. Gorgeous framing with manicured tips, these lashes can be worn in the day to be daring or at night as the perfect finishing touch.

With cute-to-boot packaging and easy to follow instructions I couldn't wait to try them out! Eylure boast all their lashes are handmade, re-usable and easy to apply... being a complete lash-newb (this was my first ever pair of strip lashes) I was about to test this "easy to apply" theory.

I was a little worried about applying the glue as I didn't want to clump my brand new fancy pants lashes, to my surprise the applicator was very easy to use and I had no troubles at all..The hardest part was waiting the recommended 20-30 seconds before applying (I want my lashes on now dammit! haha) I was really nervous putting my first set on (my hands were shaking no joke) but I found them a dream (a Teenage Dream??..No. Just a dream).

The Verdict: The lashes are lightweight, super comfortable and really pretty!

Cool Kitty lashes are really natural looking and suit my everyday make up (black winged eyeliner). I will definitely get a lot of wear out of these as they don't look too OTT.

I purchased my set from Priceline, for under $15. I think that's an excellent price for re-usable lashes (who just happen to be by my favourite pop star!)

Have you purchased Katy's other lashes? Let me know what you think!

Diy Round-up: Brighten your home!

Home decor DIYs are my favourite! I love transforming objects around the house to add a little personality and cheer to my surroundings. With an icy average of 10 degrees during the Winter months in my hometown, I can't think of a better reason to try these DIYs and brighten my home!

Pastel bunny jars via Torie on her gorgeous blog

Geometric photo art via Elsie's blog, A Beautiful Mess

Spring inspired Bird Houses via Tonya's blog, Love of a family home

And lastly my favorite, Screen-printed curtains via from fellow Ballaratian, Steph Wallace, co-owner of, Red Brick Gallery

How do you escape the Winter chill and cheer up your home?

My new love - Amazon Kindle

I'm absolutely, undeniably in love with my Amazon Kindle.

It's a great addition to my gadget collection and goly gosh I never thought I would - but - I've turned into a neo-bookworm! Reading is now a breeze to squeeze into my day and the slimline design fits perfectly in my (overflowing) handbag. I have always enjoyed reading, but would never read more than 1 - 2 every couple of months...These days it's not unusual for me to curl up on the couch and read a book in 2 days!

Since receiving my Kindle I have read the following books:

1. Hunger Games Suzanne Collins ♥♥♥♥♥

2. Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) Suzanne Collins ♥♥♥♥

3. Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) Suzanne Collins ♥♥♥♥

4. L.A Candy Lauren Conrad ♥♥♥

5. Brave New World Aldous Huxely ♥♥♥

6. The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl Belle je Dour ♥♥

7. Currently reading - Salem's Lot Stephen King

Downloading new books is a simple "one-click" action and with access to amazon's extensive list of popular and new titles you'll never run out of things to read.

My favourite book to read would be the Hunger Games series as a whole. What an interesting, captivating and invigorating read! I would definitely recommend them. I am really looking forward to the release of the 2nd and 3rd movies.

To protect my Kindle I use a cute brown "leather" case I bought from Big W. Convenience was a big factor for me (I received my Kindle as a present and wanted protection asap) but if you have the time to wait for shipping, amazon (and for the handmade alternative, etsy ) have some super cute kindle cases.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Find them online here: one, two, three, four

Do you have an Amazon Kindle? How has it changed your "reading lifestyle"?

My wish list - 13/06

♥ Peter Alexander Deer oh deer pj top - $49.90

♥ Sims 3 Katy Perry Sweet Treats - $28 at JB Hi-fi
♥ Kikki.k Forest friends B6 notebooks - $14.95 (pack of 3)
♥ Sigma Beauty Mr. Bunny travel brush kit - $59
♥ Modcloth Noir We're Talking tights - $13.99

Diy - Studded loafer slippers

Are you a girly girl who wouldn't mind getting a little tough? If so, you're much like me! I can usually be found in cutesy ballet flats... But of late, have toyed with the idea of popping on some studded kicks and showing my inner wild child. Zara, Topshop and Jeffery Campbell have GREAT studden slippers you can buy online - but where's the DIY fun in that?

Today I'm going to show you how I transformed a plain pair of

 loafer slippers into your new favourite shoes!

Things you'll need:
♥ Affordable pair of loafer slippers (I purchased mine from Aussie retailer, K-mart for $12. BARGAIN!)
♥ 10mm Pyramid studs (eBay seller Beach Heya has a fantastic variety of studs at a nice price)
♥ Measuring tape

♥ Grey lead pencil

Take a good look at your current slippers, oh what a bore they are. Say your goodbyes because you are never going to look at these babies in the same way.

1. Measure the width of your shoe near the top section and mark the centre point with your grey lead pencil.

2. Take one of your 10mm pyramid studs and place where you marked with your grey lead. Gently push the prong spikes through the material of your shoe, remember - be careful of your fingers. When the stud is pushed through, carefully bend the back of the stud on itself (You may find a pair of small nail scissors helpful).

3. Evenly adhere 2 more studs (1 on each side) of the centre stud to create a straight line of 3 studs.

4. Place another 2 studs underneath the line of 3; leaving a small and even gap. Push and bend studs into place. You will now notice a slight triangle shape.

5. Centre 1 more stud underneath the 2 studs you just placed and yay, you have completed your first shoe!

6. Repeat on the other shoe.

Now you have your own DIY studded loafers! Hope you feel as badass as I did in these babies hehe!

Learn 2 Screen-print - I did and loved it!

Credit to Red Brick Gallery for this lovely image (one)

Over a year ago I had the pleasure of attending a screen-printing workshop ran by the lovely Laura Day of Learn 2 Screen-print. With over 7 years of screen-printing experience Laura's extensive knowledge and bubbly, enthusiastic personality made the class an absolute dream to attend.

I had no prior screen-printing experience but was super keen to learn a few new techniques. Laura's teaching method is very hands on and I was able to learn a lot about the screen-printing process. All materials were supplied, so all we had to bring was a head full of ideas and the patience to cut out our stencils.We applied our designs to a set of greeting cards, calico tote bag and a cushion cover.

I designed a leafy squirrel silohouette for my tote bag and cushion (I got inspirationg for the squirrel silohuette from shutterstock the night prior and took a print out to the class) and a smaller squirrel for my greeting cards.

Credit to Red Brick Gallery for snapping me in action (two)

I was super happy with my screen-printed goodies and couldn't wait to show my family and friends. It was so refreshing to get my hands a little "dirty" and channel my creativity away from the computer screen. Since the initial beginners workshop I have also attended Laura's intermidate workshop where we focused on printing on canvas (using stencils on ezy cut paper and paint loaded rollers) and I also helped develop a christmas line of greeting cards for Laura in late 2011.

Attending these workshops really opened my eyes to another avenue of the craft movement.. I'm no stitch-mistress so I was feeling a little lost with my lack of involvement... Then screen-printing came along and hooray it's right up my alley! I'm able to combine my skills in design and my desire to be more hands on.

Screen-printing is so versatile and your options are (almost) limitless. I can't wait to start printing my cusion covers (and hopefully much, much more!!) watch this space people! :: wink ::

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Thanks Red Brick Gallery for image one and two. All other photos taken on my iphone.

If you would like to learn more about Laura's Learn 2 Screen-print workshops click here

Home organisation: DIY nail polish rack

Painting my nails is a relaxing and almost rewardig process (finish the housework and you can paint your nails haha..) As my nail polish collection grew I found myself using the same colours over and over again. I had all my polishes stored in a bathroom draw piled on top of each other, with some fantastic shades never seeing the light of day... sad isn't it?? 

When I moved I decided to set up my polishes in a neat and organised manner using a spice rack I bought from a local storage store. 

I have organised my collection in finish (sparkly, top coat), colour, Revlon scented, China Glaze crackle, then O.P.I (and my baby Essie) running along the side. Although I have run out of room it's a great way to mix up my nail routine as I can easily view and select my colours for the week.

I quickly have to mention gorgeous little nail polish gate keepers; Penny Farthing and baby from the cute Sylvanian families! I have quite a few families so look forward to a post in the future!

If you're the more hands on type and would like to make your own displays check out the following tutorials


Dulce Candy's D.I.Y wall rack

Prettyfullz's D.I.Y tiered stand