Happy Feet

Happy Sunday! After almost 6 months of hard work, I finally finished my case study and practical project and couldn't be more relieved. Now, there is only an essay and two features standing between 3 weeks of work experience at NME, lots of exciting summer projects and mini holidays, lots of reading time and perhaps most excitingly, graduation! (more on that in a bit)

With most of the hard work over, Kev and I decided to treat ourselves this weekend. His mum ever so kindly sent us up a sainsbury's voucher to pick ourselves some shopping so we indulged in the ingredients for homemade cocktails and ended up with a delicious concoction of cherry brandy, amaretto and cranberry that tasted just like Cherry Bakewell cakes. I thoroughly recommend! 

On Saturday morning, we got up bright and early for a bit of retail therapy. The sun was shining and we had a lovely long peruse around Huddersfield Market before stopping off for a massive chippy lunch. It always baffles me when so many of my coursemates say they've never visited the market - it really is a treasure trove of all sorts of stuff, from crazy cheap furniture and vinyl records to amazing vintage buys, often sold by lovely Nana's who are up for a chat.  

However, the single best thing about Huddersfield Market has to be what is colloquially known as 'The Topshop Stall'. Basically, it's an amazing stall that sells all manner of out of season items from Topshop, Miss Selfridge and occasionally, H&M. I'm not sure how they do it and it can be hit and miss as to the variety of sizes on offer or the conditions of the garments, but I'm pleased to say that this saturday, they made my shoe dreams come true...

 You guys will have seen me harping on about these on the blog multiple times, but finally they are mine, allllll mine! (evil laugh). They were sat all innocently jumbled along all the massive heels and clutch bags and nobody seemed to be looking at them, but when I saw that flash of white I leapt on them and was ecstatic to find that they were first in a size 6, and second, only £12, a massive £26 less than they were in Topshop last summer. Good things come to those who wait eh? My day with topped off even further when I picked up a beautiful Topshop beaded dress for just four pounds because some of the beading was a little off. It's exactly what I wanted for graduation and as it was selling originally in Topshop for £70, I'm feeling pretty thrifty. Sadly, putting pictures on here of it so many months in advance feels a little like posting your wedding dress before you wear it, so you will all have to wait till July to see that one.

Here are my shoes with a couple of wired hair bows I also picked up from Primark for £1.50 each - I've been planning on buying some for ages. they're a lovely way of girlying up a simple jumper and jeans combo and I love the way the wire holds the bow in place. I'm very happy with how my spring wardrobe is shaping up, and on such a great budget too. You can also see a little polka dot number that I picked up last week from eBay for just 99p - the floaty chiffon will be perfect for pub garden trips or the university awards night I will be attending in the week.

What have you been treating yourself to recently?

NME Office Attire: a week in outfits

Happy Sunday Everyone! I'm very excited to share this post with you all because it comes a day before I'm due to start a week's work experience in London at NME Magazine. Having been an NME reader since I was 14, this magazine was my gateway into all the music I love now and a big influencing factor on my decision to study Music Journalism, so needless to say I'm pretty excited (and a little nervous!)

Not really knowing what to expect, I've tried my best to be prepared; making sure my dictaphone has batteries, lots of working pens, notepad and lots of ideas for content etc etc. I've also gained some control over the situation the only way a fashion blogger knows how: my pre-planning my office outfits. Even though NME appears to have a pretty casual dress code, I figured there's no harm in making a good smart first impression, and I know an outfit I'm comfortable in will put me in the right mindset for the long days of work and commuting. So, assuming it doesn't snow (fingers crossed!) and ruin my plans, here are my outfits for the week, featuring as per, lots and lots of Primark!

MONDAY 
Polka Dot Denim Blouse - £5, Primark

Black Skater Skirt - £3.99, Topshop via eBay

Burgundy Loafers - £13.50, New Look For ASOS

TUESDAY
Green Aztec Print Skater Dress - £8, Primark
Burgundy Cardian with Military Buttons - £5, Primark
T Bar Patent Shoes - Office (gift!)

WEDNESDAY
Cream Floral Dress and Matching Bow - custom vintage, £5
Mustard Jumper - Primark via eBay

THURSDAY
Fluffy Beige Jumper - Hand Me Down
White Blouse - 99p, eBay
Check Pleated Skirt - 99p, Bon Marche via eBay
Red Mary Janes - £30, Topshop

FRIDAY
70s Print Blouse, £5, Primark
Black Corduroy Dress - £5, Primark
Black Glitter Socks - £1, Primark
Red Mary Janes - as above

What do you think of my outfits? Wish me luck! 

October/November Haul

For the past couple of months I have been somewhat chained to my computer desk doing work, so I'm afraid this two month haul is mostly random little online buys. Hope you might enjoy a little insight into my purchases anyway.

Topshop Skater Skirt (via eBay)

My first purchase of October, this came about as I realised how much I had been neglecting all of my old favourite band t shirts, simply because I never wear trousers anymore and didn't have any plain skirts that would look nice with them. A good simple skater skirt has been missing from my wardrobe for months, and now I can't really see how I lived without one - the fit is so much more flattering than straight skirts on my body shape. It's was only a couple of quid and is a great 'throw-on' piece for work, adding a touch of smartness to my otherwise pretty simple cafe uniform.

Vintage Cream Blouse via eBay

Again pretty plain and boring, but a definite necessity in Autumn when layers are less of a fashion statement and more of a health precaution. This blouse was just 99p and fits perfectly on it's own or under dresses for a more retro look, which has allowed me to revive some of my old favourite pinafore style frocks.

Wax Coat - Tesco

For those who don't know, Huddersfield is the rainiest place ever. I ventured out to uni one day in October and got caught in a rainstorm, resulting in a drenched backpack and most unfortunately, a passport in the front pocket that had soaked up so much water than my picture in it was totally ruined. An incredibly irritating waste of £70, but a proper wake up call that I could do with dressing more appropriately for the weather. Luckily Tesco turned up the goods with this lovely Barbour-style wax coat, complete with hood (a surprisingly rare attribute in fashionable winter coats) and for only £35. There was only one left in my size in this colour, so I like to think that it was my reward for having such a rubbish rainy day. Stupid passport.

Care Box from Ma and Pa!

Having not had a chance to visit home properly since July, I REALLY miss my Mum and Dad. Third year of Uni is really full on and sometimes I miss the days where I had somebody else to be the adult for me. I guess they must have realised that I was feeling a bit down because just after Halloween, I received this lovely little care package which included sweets, my favourite Revlon nail varnish, new squishy socks, craft paper and my hideous Year 7 school photo (I guess that one was to amuse Kev). Mum also put in this lovely necklace/collar which I can't wait to wear over a plain dress. They know me so well and it really perked my day and reminded me that I CAN do whatever I set my mind to. I can't wait to see them over Christmas.

Boots Gift Card from the in-laws

 Speaking of Mum's, my boyfriend Kev went home to visit him Mum recently and she was lovely enough to give him a £10 Boots gift card to give to me. How sweet and kind is that? I'm not sure exactly what to spend it on yet but I'm thinking smellies - I love Boots's natural collection body sprays and moisturiser but my Passion Fruit spray has just run out. Maybe I'll try Vanilla next...

Freebie promo Cd's

With our uni set to move their SU building over to a new multi-million pound development, we've been made to clear up the Student Magazine's offices ready for the move. In the process, we unearthed a stack of cd's that had been sent to various Music Editors over the years that had been left behind, encountering more than a few blasts from the past. Whatever happened to Klaxons?

Primark Navy Polka Dot Kagoule - Inherited from lost property!

There are many perks to working at a Cafe (yummy cake, hot drinks to perk you up on a morning shift, overhearing customers gossip) but the best thing is that often, people will leave their possessions behind. Yes, I know this sounds awful, but we do have a lost property policy and we do keep things in case people come back for them, but sometimes though, things are left for so long that they just need a new home. Such was the case with this Primark Kagoule, which must have been left with us for well over a month. Everyone knows I'm a sucker for a good polka dot and it's so useful how it all fits back into it's own pocket. Still, if you are the Kagoule-less student and would like it back (sob), please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Business Cards from Moo.com

With graduation getting ever closer, our uni have set us a module this year called 'Professional Development Portfolio', where we are required to put together a Media CV, Cover Letter, examples of our best work and a business card. I had so much fun designing mine that I thought I'd share it here. Using my favourite printing service (Moo.com) and some voucher codes online, I managed to get 50 cards for just over £13, which isn't bad at all considering the high quality of the paper and how carefully they have been cut.

Magazines

Other university work has sent me on a bit of a magazine spree. I LOVE magazines but I normally deprive myself as they seem like a bit of a luxury. Still, since I enrolled on 'Writing For Magazines' this year I can justify it a little more and splashed out on Company, NME and The Times Higher Education Magazine to give me some inspiration for assignments. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in with this weeks NME - My big case study project this year is centred around Women In Music Journalism so I can't wait to investigate how they have approached M.I.A's big comeback.

Bon Marche Tartan Skirt (via eBay)

The tartan trend has been all the rage for a little while now, and as a child of the 90's I've been itching to try it. It's mad how people will pay so much for stuff on the high street when you can get in on the eBay for 99p. Now, Bon Marche wouldn't be my first choice (although my Nana used to love it), but the colours on this skirt are so perfect for autumn and the material is far better quality that I was expecting.

Primark Mustard Jumper (via eBay)

I've never been quite sure about wearing yellow as I was scared it might hollow out my skin tone, but after experimenting my £4 bargain Topshop mustard maxi, I thought I'd take the plunge into some bold knitwear. Mustard is such a great shade for this time of year anyway as it matches the leaves, and I managed to snag this off eBay for just over 3 quid. I normally find cropped jumpers pretty annoying as they tend to just make me look as if I'm wearing something that doesn't fit properly and often leaves slopping hems hanging out underneath, but as I'm planning to wear this over collared dresses hopefully it will work a bit better.

September Shopping

Ola readers! How have you been? It's been a bit quiet on the shopping front this month - student loans are still a week or so away and I've been focusing on getting rid of lots of my old stuff on eBay rather than buying. With graduation looming in less than 12 months (eek!) I'm making an even keener effort to put some of my wages aside each month and watch the spends on things I don't really need. Sorry justeat.com, no more saturday night fun for you.

Still, I did make a few purchases this month - little treats or things that I actually could justify as needing!

Collection 2000 Nail Varnishes and Make Up Bag, Poundland - £3 for three lots of each colour, £1 for the make-up bag

One of my favourite things about being at a uni so far away from home means that I don't get to see my parents and brother that often. Wait, I'm not being heartless, stick with me. It means that when I do go home on visits, I get to spend some proper quality time with them and appreciate the time we have together. One of the things I miss most when I'm away is shopping with my mum. We're both savvy shoppers and invariably end up going to town and then coming home four hours later empty handed, but it's the looking and the laughing at how tacky lots of modern clothes are that I love. Luckily on our latest trip, Poundland yielded some true bargains. As we all know, my nail varnish addiction is well and truly alive, so I was thrilled to find some Collecton 2000 bottles (my favourite brand!) in lovely shades of brown ('All That Jazz') pink ('Milkshake') and Grey ('Angel Wings'). Each colour came in a pack of three, so mum and I bought a pack of each colour and split them. 9 varnishes for £3 - can't complain!

Mum also treated me to this satin russian doll make-up bag, which is super roomy for only £1. My old cherry print bag was looking a bit stained and sad so I was desperately in need of a new one. I'm not that big of a make up wearer compared to most girls my age, but I do love a good mascara, eyeliner and of course nail varnish, so it made sense that I had somewhere nice and girly to keep all my bits and bobs. 

Granny Cardigan, Matalan, £22 (£9.20 for me with student discount and a Matalan voucher- winnng!)

Anyone who follows matalan on twitter will know that they do something called #fashionfriday, where they give away £10 vouchers to their followers who come up with the best way of spending the money instore. I was lucky enough to win one a few weeks back for my summery festival suggestion of their adorable gingham cropped trousers and an ice cream coloured vest. Sadly for me, the beautiful summery weather has taken a bit of a dive, so rather than buy my suggested outfit I put the £10 towards a well needed autumn cardi. With four shades to choose from, I went for this lovely faun which goes perfectly with dresses or jeans. Don't expect me to be taking it off any time soon!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Varnish in Lilac, B&M Bargains, £1

I know what you're thinking - another bloody nail varnish! Still, I have been searching for a lilac one for ages and now my pastel collection is complete, I feel I can give it a bit of a rest. What can I say, I love varnish - painting my nail is one of the my favourite therapeutic things to do and it's a great way to modernise an old outfit.

Filofax Diary Pages, WH Smiths, £5.50

A pretty boring way to spend £5.50, but much needed. My friend Georgie bought me a beautiful Filofax when I started University and I decided that the start of third year was the time to do it. Now I've got all my lectures, work hours, gigs, journalism deadlines and little note-to-selfs all safely and neatly jotted down in one place, and I've got to admit, I love feeling this organised. 

Dresses, £5 total, Huddersfield Market

These were a little but naughty, but hey, freshers week is coming up and as it's my last I'm determined to go out. This means party dresses! Anybody who lives in Huddersfield knows that the go to place for bargains is the market, and my favourite stall is the one that sells the most amazing old or damaged Arcadia stock at next to nothing. Both of these dresses are Topshop (the Aztec was originally £30 in store, the mustard £46), but I got them for just £4 and £1 each! The mustard maxi dress was £4 but only has a really tiny rip in the strap, nothing I couldn't easily stitch up. Despite being a really summery dress I think it'll look lovely this winter with warm leggings underneath, a jumper and some boots. The Aztec dress was £1 due to a broken zip, but considering that it won't cost me more than a fiver to buy a replacement I think it has to win as best bargain of my blog so far! It looks really cute worn as a pinafore over a band tee with converse - ideal for lectures or a casual night out.

What have you been buying recently?

Lust List: August 2013

Sorry sorry sorry it's been so long since I did a proper lust list! So here goes...

1)Badge collection by Angie Garland - Festival season always reminds me how much I love music. I am lucky enough to be a music journalism student and get to go to lots of gigs and festivals for free, and I love anything that merges my love of music and crafty fashion. These Angie Garland badges have got a touch of the riot grrrl about them plus are super bright and unique. Fun!

2)Oversized denim shirt - This one is currently four pounds in the sale from Matalan, so when my voucher that I won from their Fashion Friday twitter competition comes through, I might have to treat myself! I think it's technically a maternity blouse, but I love the collar and cuff florals and I'm sure if i buy it in a small enough size it'll be fine. It looks like the perfect item to throw over a dress to take me from summer through to Autumn.

3)Local Natives T Shirt - They've been one of my favourite bands for ages, but watching Local Natives headline Beacons festival last weekend just cemented them in my heart even more. I really regret not buying one of their T-Shirts at the gig but hopefully I'll be able to pick one up at their winter tour - I love a simple white logo band tee.

4)Cheetos - Growing up, I was exceptionally lucky and visited America over many summers.  Although my fear of flying has grown over the years and now the idea of a 9 hour flight is frankly terrifying, summer always makes me miss Florida, the shopping malls, downtown Disney, drugstore sweets and cheap makeup (trust me) and most importantly, the food! I don't know why the only cheetos you can get in this country are the wotsit type ones rather than the really delicious knobbly crunchy ones, but boy do I miss them. Oh, and Denny's Breakfasts. And Jello. And Applebee's Mozzarella Sticks and Cocktails. And Columbia's bacon wrapped shrimp. You get the idea.

5)Naturally dark and sheer tights in olive - As a mixed race girl, this is something I am incredibly passionate about. Excuse me for a moment -WHY CAN YOU NEVER FIND SKIN COLOURED TIGHTS IN ANYONE SHADE THAN BEIGE?! I have been incredibly frustrated this summer about my only options being bare legs or opaques, especially loving dresses as much as I do. After scouring the internet, I have found these Debenhams tights that look a similar shade to my skin tone, although I couldn't find them anywhere in store. Regardless, I think it's pretty terrible that they're not more readily available, and will hopefully be spending some time this year campaigning for a change.

6)Rymans A3 Pocket Wallets - Bit of a boring one, but one of my favourite hobbies is scrapbooking. Namely, scrapbooking gigs and festivals I go to, putting in pictures, ticket stubs, the confetti that flies out at the end...whatever I can get my hands on. I have a lovely a3 pink suede scrapbook but unfortunately it's been a bit neglected, with things shoved in their willy-nilly until I get time to sort it properly. A new shipment of plastic wallets would help significantly!

7)Opi Lilac Nail lacquer - My passion for nail varnish has been well and truly reignited with the discovery of cute shades in Poundworld, but my search for a lilac varnish has been left well and truly fruitless. I've never owned an Opi Varnish, but I've heard such good things about them that I am strongly considering an investment. What do you guys think?

8)AM by Arctic Monkeys - Having bought tickets to see my favourite band in the entire world in their hometown of Sheffield on November 2nd, I am about as excited about Arctic Monkeys new album as a Geordie Shore cast member is in a club. If you haven't heard their new single yet, do it here - Indie RnB mastery.

9)Cambridge Satchel in Oxblood - Another long term lust. I have put off buying one for so long because they're pretty expensive, but certain changes and opportunities that are coming up in my life are suggesting that a sensible, decent sized and smart work bag is probably a good idea. We'll see what happens when the student loans come in...

10)Topshop Martina Geek Shoes in white - Yeah, I know, you've seen these on here before. But I still adore them, they look super comfy and my best friend Anna has a pair which she wore around Paris and I am insanely jealous of how effortlessly chic she looks in her facebook pictures. Enough said.

11)Charlavail Deer Patches - I discovered the work of Charlavail years ago through the band VersaEmerge, and have been wanting to buy something of hers ever since. She's a very talented artist and confectionery baker, and also runs a really cool blog over at http://charlavail.tumblr.com/. A lot of her work incorporates woodland animals, and I think these deer patches would be a really sweet addition to a bag or denim jacket.

12)Tresemme Curl Definer Mousse - A bit of a hair experiment. As I mentioned earlier, I am mixed race, White and Black Caribbean, and my hair is the bane of my life. Neither curly nor straight, more just a massive frizz. Last summer I had it relaxed and really enjoyed how easy it was to manage but I'm now at that awkward half-grown-out phase, and getting it done again is so expensive, not to mention not very good for your hair. Inspired by Lianne La Havas, I think I'm going to try, for the first time since I was about 14, to embrace my natural hair and work with it. With this in mind, I'm after a good curl mousse which can hopefully enhance my natural waves rather than slather them in chemicals. I've heard decent things about Tresemme, but if anyone has any recommendations, let me know!

My first mini bargain haul - the pastel edition!

Hello team! Hope you're all well. I've had a bit of a stressy couple of weeks what with a broken laptop and various other bits and pieces not going to plan, but, determined not to let it get me down, I thought I'd cheer myself up with a bit of retail therapy, pastel style! In typical Jenessa style, the whole lot happened over a period of about 10 days and only added up to just over a tenner but I still feel a teeny bit guilty. Still, on to the bargains!

Sally Hansen and Revlon Nail Varnishes

These were £1 pound each from poundworld. I normally favour rimmel or collection 2000 nail varnishes as a rule, but after hearing that you could get branded varnishes in poundland of all places, I thought I'd give some others a go. It always disgusts me how expensive nail varnish is! The colours were a bit hit and miss instore, lots of crackle varnishes and ugly reds, but after scouring a few branches of poundland and poundworld I settled on these two. The Sally Hansen 'sea' coloured mint was a bit runny but after three coats that were easy to apply thanks to the super wide brush, they came out a really sophisticated shade that was summery but not too in your face. Sadly I think I might have applied it a little too thick as it started to peel round the edges two days later, but I shall have another go. The 'electric' yellow from Revlon was a lot better - two coats and you could see it glowing from the other side of the room! the high pigment is great, especially for a yellow shade - I don't want my nail to just look like they've gone mouldy! I'm very happy with it and looking forward to wearing it with...

Juju Hello Jellies for TopShop

I'm normally pretty good at resisting the Topshop summer sale, but these were crying out to me at the lowly price of £5! With the british summer all over the place(heatwave one second, thunder the next), i figured a waterproof sandal was the way to go. Costing me only £6.50 after opting for the instore click and collect option and using student discount, they are a great happy medium between a cheap sandal and the more expensive traditional juju gladiators which I love but would almost certainly never wear. Plus look at the colours, they're so happy! the jury is still out on how comfy they are but I am very impressed at the speed of TopShop's instore delivery - i ordered these friday afternoon and picked them up at my local topshop branch at 3pm the very next day. I just wish I was going on holiday now...

Papaya Mint Short Sleeved Sweater 

 This was a little ebay bargain at only £3, including postage. Clearly tired of how long it takes me to choose outfits in the morning, my boyfriend pointed out recently that it'd probably do me good to get some more plain things to work my love of patterns around. Wise boy eh? I actually tried one of these super-soft knits on in Matalan about 6 months ago and loved it, but never actually got round to buying it, so I'm very glad it popped up online! With it's gentle hue it's a very versatile piece, although it's going to need a run through the wash as it still smells a bit smokey from its previous owner. Still, that's what you get with ebay isn't it? I'm looking forward to pairing it with jeans, a white undershirt and ankle boots come uni in autumn. Back on the hunt for the lavender version.

And last but not least...

Vintage Pink St Michaels Skirt 

For anyone that hasn't been to Huddersfield, it's worth it if only for the sunday market. I've recently discovered a new favourite stall that sells amazing granny chic at ridiculous prices - my friend charlotte got an incredible satchel for a pound that upon reflection, i probably should have nabbed first! Still, on our last visit i saw this skirt peeking out and thought it was perfectly twee - even better when I spotted the label of my favourite vintage brand, St Michaels,closely followed by a label that said £2. The elastic band means it fits perfectly worn at both waist and hips and has a great demure length that should see it last me all the way through summer and autumn.

Not a bad haul for £11.50! Have you bought any bargains recently?

Lust List June 2013: shoes shoes shoes!

Firstly, apologies for the fact that June's lust list is coming a little late, but hey, I'm sure we'll all live! This month, I have been slathering over the humble shoe. As someone who grew up with tootsies that were described by Clarks  fitters as a particularly 'flat and wide' (yeah I know, charming thing to tell a child), shoe shopping was never my favourite thing, as it normally resulted in high expense, ugly boyish fits and long arguments with my mum as she tries to persuade me to try just one more shop in the search of the elusive affordable school shoe. Yeah, that's right, I remember when all the other girls had pretty little ballet pumps whilst I was rocking (or not) some black imitation kickers loafers that could have belonged to a 45 year old business man. Not cool.

Now I'm older, and can shop for fashion rather than school worthy practicality (sorry mum), I find myself coveting the type of thing that Carey Mulligan could have sported quite reasonably in An Education. Geek Chic has been 'in' for quite some time, and whilst I don't tend to worry too hard about trends, I am certainly a sucker for girly, youthful dresses, bright leather and all in all, a look of  sturdy, reliable durability.

In the search for a cheap and cheerful summer 'geek' sandal to wear with socks, I found Topshop to be the place for all things imitation vintage. So without further ado, here are a selection of their beauties. Mummy, if you're reading this, think of the good old times...I'll have a pair of each in a 6 please!

From Top to Bottom

Topshop Martina Geek T Bar Shoes £30.00 (these ones are my absolute faves!)

Topshop Happy Close Strippy Sandals £28.00

Topshop Faze Two Part Trim Sandals £45.00

Topshop Hanna Flatform Sandals £32.00

Topshop Mantle Heavy Sole T Bar Shoes £32.00

How To: Frilly Lace Socks

I love socks, I love frills. Inevitable combo for a tutorial? I think so. Ever since Topshop introduced the various beauties you can see above, plus plenty more besides, frilly socks have been a must have accessory  Jellie Shoes, Mary Janes, Wedges, Heels... you name it, they work with it. Teamed with a cute dress and satchel, they are the epitome of schoolgirl chic that manage to cover up those pesky holes in the toes of your tights with ease.

However, I for one refuse to pay £3.50 for one humble pair of socks. Sorry Topshop. Call me a tight wad, but I am a student, and £3.50 is equivalent to two ready meals and half a malibu and cranberry on student night.

With that in mind, and having been inspired by various sock DIY's on blogger and pinterest, I thought I'd try my hand at making my own whimsical foot friends. Armed with some plain coloured socks from Primark (£2.00 for 5 pairs in assorted colours) and a bit of lace I had knocking around in my sewing box, here is what I came up with.

Not bad eh? Without further edo, here is my step-by-step tutorial. Geddit?

You Will Need:

• 1 pair of socks (whatever colours you fancy, I went with a bluey/purple to complement the blue lace I was using)
• Lace trim (The lace I used here was just what I had in my sewing box, and with hindsight, it would have looked better if it was a bit fatter. Aim for lace trim that is about 15-20mm wide. Crochet trim would also work well. You will need less than 50cm but buy a metre, because these are super easy to make and you will get addicted!
• Pint Glass (to stretch your sock around to make sure you don't rip the seams when you put the socks on. If you are sewing the socks using a sewing machine, skip this step - you can use the sewing machines built in arm)
• Needle and Thread/Sewing Machine
• Pins - to keep your lace in place (in the face space base... the rap career starts here)

1)Gather your material together for an instagram worthy 'before' picture

2) Stretch the sock over a pint glass - this will keep the ankle nice and wide whilst you attach the frill, which will help it bunch nicely when you wear the socks, without splitting the seams.

3)Pin the lace into place (still rhyming!) - you want to get it perfectly in line with the top of the sock, with the frilly scallops facing downwards.

4)Use a simple loop stitch to sew the lace onto the sock, making sure to pull the thread nice and tight. Sew all the way round and fasten

5)Repeat steps 2-4 until you have two matching socks

6)Pull 'em over your tootsies and get wearing! Can't say I'd go out wearing these colours socks with my red Topshop shoes (clash overload) but you get the idea.

So, as you can see, there are only three real steps to this and the whole thing takes less than 20 minutes by hand - hardly brain busting. With eBay boasting crazy amounts and types of lace, ribbon and crochet for next to nothing, and trusty Primark offering a myriad of multi-coloured multipack socks, there really is no excuse to skip the high street versions. I love Topshop even more than the next person, but when the alternative is this easy, I'd rather have creative control over my ankles.

Lust List: May 2013

I feel a bit bad starting my lust list feature just after I received some amazing gifts for my birthday, but hey ho, I guess that is the beauty of blogging - collaborating pretty things without seriously feeling  like a spoilt brat. Just a little note to self of things I've loved this month or want to remind myself to make versions of. So here goes...

Bunting - Who doesn't love bunting? I have some really cute tiny bunting strung up around my room here in our current house, but now we're moving to a new, more homely student house in a month, I'm feeling the urge to buy or make more to deck out the living room. I'm going to be living with three boys: I need to stamp some girliness on the place somehow.

Jelly Shoes from TopShop - As a child of the 90s, I can't believe these are back in fashion, they used to be so comfortable and stayed practically glued to my feet between the ages of 6 and 10. Wish I was going abroad this summer to make full advantage of their inherent summery-ness, but I guess they could be rocked here in blighty with a pair of frilly socks (Which, note to self, I hope to put a tutorial up for on here, seen as  I've got metres of lace and a plethora of pastel coloured Primark socks just waiting to be experimented with...)

Sass & Belle Fox - I've absolutely adored Sass And Belle ever since I discovered their owl cushions in Urban Outfitters, but Paddy the Fox has now won over my affections. Last month I finished one of my second year magazine projects in which I designed a crafts magazine, and Sass And Belle were one of the companies I contacted for potential advertising because I just love the fabric they use. They had really encouraging things to say about my own design work which was so nice to hear. Pairing together my love of foxes and florals, this cushion is a dream, and will inspire a little foxy project of my own that I have in mind for this summer.

Topshop Pinafore - Another 90s favourite, the humble pinafore is back in fashion. I absolutely hated them in my youth - I have distinct memories of my mum dressing me in one ofr school when I was 7, and feeling all odd and old fashion because all the other girls had trousers. Now, I couldn't thank mumma williams enough - I was well ahead of the trend! With a few pinnies notching up in my wardrobe, this denim one from TopShop would be perfect with an old tee for days when you just want to shove something on but still look well put together.

Apple Crates - Bit of a random one I know, but Pinterest and a wander round Huddersfield market has given me some really good ideas for storage in our new house using apple crates. Couldn't be simpler really - just sand them, paint them and stack them, and you have instant open shelving to display all your bits and bobs. Would be great for shoes, or even a makeshift, quirky bookcase. I abolutely love the idea of upcycling  thingsl ike this that you can get for free if youk now where to look... I shall keep you posted on my adventures trying to nab some!

Urban Ears Headphones - I've had a pair of pink skull candy headphones for years, but according to my radio lecturer, some of the wires in them has 'fazed'. Can't say I know what that means, but if it calls for a new pair, I've had my eye on these Urban Ears in Mint. I tested them in Urban Outfitters when in Manchester a few weeks ago and wasn't too impressed by their bass quality, but they sure are pretty. 

Modcloth Blouse -Ah, Modcloth. Bound to be making an appearance on every lust list form now on. Put simply, ModCloth make the most gorgeous vintage influenced dresses I have ever seen. Every single time I go on their site, I see a million and one things I would love to wear. This blouse is just one of the things I have been staring at for months, a simple, versatile chiffon topped off with delicate little floral buttons. It's nearly £60 dollars, but think how much wear you could get out of it...

Company Magazine Subscription - Doing tons of market research for my magazine project meant reading tons of womens and craft magazines, of which Company is definitely my favourite, blending affordable womens fashion with articles about bloggers and crafting and all sorts of other things that matter to my age group. I've been buying it religiously since Spetember but a subscription would save me a lot of money, not to mention the hassle of trying to grab a copy in the shops.

TopShop Nail Art Pen - I love a good polka dot, and that extends to my nails. Whilst I've got a good system down with a pink base coat and a delicately dotted black paint on top, a nail art would make my life a lot easier, and give me the chance to try some more intricate designs.

Laura Ashley Sausage Dog draught excluder - Anybody who knows me knows that it is one of my greatest ambitions in life to own a Daschund (when I'm no longer in student halls and have a decent job so I can afford to feed it). His name will be Maurice, he will be black and brown and will possibly wear a knitted beret at all times. Until then, this super-sweet draught excluder is about as close as I am going to get. Maybe I could try making my own...

Owl necklace - I love Owls just below Foxes and Daschunds, and thanks to my Mums' birthday gift, I have a nice little collection of Owly necklaces coming along. I'm not much of a jewellery wearer but I do like a good statement necklace - it can really lift a block coloured dress or cardigan, especially if it is a long chained one like this. I especially like the detail around the eyes - they look like flowers! Or those jammy biscuits...

Clothes Rail - Another boring house essential. Argos seem to do a pretty affordable range, which will mean lots of free up wardrobe space in the new house if I put my nice dresses on a seperate rail. I've always liked the idea of putting clothing on display - for lots of people it's a massive expression of their personality, so why hide it away!

Beg Bicycles 'Bella' Bike- Having finished uni for the summer two weeks ago, I have a vast expanse of summer ahead of me to enjoy and hang out with the boyfy here in Huddersfield. Having pretty much ignored all forms of excercise during deadline period, we're both hoping to tone up a little this summer by joining the local gym - he fancies the standard machines, I'm more into the idea of aquarobics and possibly some zumba. He's currently trying to convince me that the best couples exercise we can do is bike riding, but having failed cycling proficiency in year 6 (I know, nobody EVER fails that), I'm not too keen. However, if I were, this bicycle from Beg Bicycles would fit the ticket perfectly. Just imagine riding through around the yorkshire hills, a little wicker basket on the front. With Maurice the sausage dog tucked in...oh I'm in love.

Fat Quarters - As you may have read in my last post, my stupidly lovely and generous manfriend bought me my first ever sewing machine for my 20th birthday. With so much time on my hands now with no uni and only a part time job, I can't wait to get started with it. With dressmaking on my long term agenda, I want to get good at steady stitching first, so I think some cushion are in order, maybe a small patchwork throw that I can work on over time. Some fat quarters would be ideal, although my hand sewing has taught me there arep lenty of places where you can get decent sized fabric samples for free, so there might be a good place to start.

What items are you lusting after this month?