Customize your creations with Spoonflower

When I used to study Fashion at TAFE, one of my favourite parts of designing garments was choosing the fabric.  Different patterns, colours, textures, weave, and materials can drastically alter anything you have put on paper, and availability was another matter! If you wanted to be sure that a print existed, most of the time you had to design it for yourself, and find somewhere to quickly print it, and for a decent price!
Sadly for me back then, a wonderful website called Spoonflower hadn't been crated yet.

The basic concept is that site give you the ability to put any designs you might create and print them onto fabric, and not just quilting fabric either. Yes there is a large array of cottons and linens to print onto but there's also some gorgeous dress making fabrics too. You can order a swatch book to see what each fabric is like for $1.
They don't just sell designs on material either, you can also have them printed up on wallpaper. Imagine your own cute creation on the walls of your babies room? A feature wall created by you anywhere in your home.
The most awesome thing? You can sell your designs! Come up with something truly gorgeous, it doesn't have to be intricate, set up shop, enable your design to be sold and it's just that easy, your awesome creativity can earn you money. Of course if you want your designs to be available to just you, you can do that too. Best way I've ever know to have a one of a kind anything!

After discovering the site only this year it's already on high rotation. Because of its expansive array of indie designers you never know what you will find on any given day. Within seconds you can find something perfect, that speaks to you, that you simply have to have. With over half a million members, there's almost endless options!
Highly recommended for days when you have the chance to be sucked into another world. This is a hobby I won't be finishing anytime soon.

Go and check them out!

100 days of Thrift check in - Day 6

Hey would you look at that! I have a post to write! In all seriousness though it has been quite a busy week, lots of long days in the office leave me in a mood to do utterly nothing when I get home. In fact the boy has bitched me out since he cooked more then I did this week, though two of those nights were merely me asking him to cook, and then eating scrambled eggs around 8 when I decided I had waited long enough.

So how has the challenge been coming along? Well it is day six today and it's only early morning. So far I've found this weekend to be quite easy to get through, but that's because it's too hot to leave the house. During the week I had issues, I bought lunch more then I brought it, I'm just not used to having to having to prepare something to bring in. Leftovers are great and all but in this house they're normally snapped up by the boy, and even then we're moving offices in less then a fortnight, so I had to have last meals at some of my favourite places. I am going to be very, very sad when dumplings are no longer within walking distance.

I made a gift for my latest Niece/Nephew who is due in a few weeks, My sister is being a pain and won't let on the gender, We have a theory it's a boy though as her husband is way too happy for it to be another girl. Mind you, the gift is incredibly cute, and so easy to whip up, I bought the kit from Voodoo Rabbit over a year ago, and it was about time I used it. The results are rather cute.

Dr. Seuss Rattle Toy Cube

What I spent:
Dumplings - $10
Pizza - $10 (Boss shouted a beer to go with it)
Japanese Donburi: $12

What's in the kitty:
$60

Lessons learnt?
Plan ahead for lunch. No really, 8:00 am when you're already running late is not the time to scrounge around the cupboard.
Going through old project piles can yield surprising results.

Keep an eye out! We're going to be running a competition early next week and I'd hate for you to miss it!

The Best of Bought by Birdette 2012

Hello everyone! How did you enjoy the holiday period? We're glad to be back in business here at Birdette Headquarters to bring you all a wrap up of the most popular posts of 2012. Did your favourite make it in?

Most read Beauty Post:

How to Hair  - Serena van der Wooden's Ponytail

Always a goodie, sad to see it for the final time on TV last week but unfortunately for Gossip Girl lovers the show just wasn't what it used to be.

Most Pinned DIY:

Make Your Own Easy Fabric Bunting

A surprising success, and I do have to admit I still haven't entirely finished mine! It's about 7 metres long, I just keep running out of tape or missing flags to finish it off! I know there's a few more flags somewhere... lol.

Purchase of the Year:

Zara Plaited Leather Shopper Bag

Still a Favourite for readers all over the world, this classic bag is high up on many shopping lists.

Best Discovery:

Trilogy Rosehip Oil

If you don't already own this, I still highly recommend you give it a try, nothing else has helped me with my uneven skin tone more.

Best Tips and Tricks:

How to make your Eyes Brighter

How very well timed! I can imagine more then a few of us will be sporting bleary red eyes after partying tonight! Here's how to minimize the the appearance

It's been a good year here at Bought by Birdette and we're very happy to have you all as readers! You've been steadily growing and spreading the word and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you. If you don't already, please take this chance to follow us to keep up to date. You can choose from Twitter, Facebook, Google Friend Connect, or Bloglovin, and please keep in touch! We love to know what you're loving, and want to see more of. (Comments and Shares! Yay!)

Thanks again for an awesome year and your continued support, I hope you all have a fantastic New Year, Be the best you can be, and take care of yourselves.

Link Love - Web design help

Going to go in a different direction for link love this time around. It's not a topic I'd usually cover but web design is something that helps when you are putting together stuff like blogs, websites and even Twitter and Facebook pages, it's never a bad thing to learn in this technology based society called the internet! So here are four cute resources I thought I'd share. They're user friendly and at least partially free too, nothing to sign up to, just click and go! Just make sure you have a read of the terms and conditions.

1001fonts This is a really good resource to check out for fonts, as they've been created by a bunch of different people, it's worth checking each once you have downloaded them to make sure you can use them for commercial  use.

Call me Victorian You'll find heaps of great clipart shapes and labels for use on this site, great for labelling pictures, creating banners and all sorts of nifty graphics. they all have a nice classic edge to them, with a splash of detail to keep away the boring!

Pugly Pixel Is a Blog style resource site and contains a wealth of knowledge and tools for modern web design, I really like her flag labels and graphics, and that the site caters to not just those who just want the graphic and be off, but also those who want to learn a thing or two with tutorials. She also has a fantastic marketplace,and a very generous commercial use license, this is most definitely my favourite. <3

Subtle Patterns Lastly this is a really extensive textures site, again with a very nice commercial use license. Here you will find stacks of textures and patterns that are easily manipulatable into whatever layouts and colours you like. sometime you just need a little something!

I hope you have found something you like and can use here? Do you have any graphic resource sites that you love? Please reply with a link because I would love to check them out!

Link Love: Seven Amazing and Easy DIY Homewares

My inner craftster has been lurking lately, slowly coming out of hiding as I discover all these gorgeous DIY ideas! Here are seven of my favourite easy to do and full of impact DIY projects for your home.

Toilet Paper Roll Wall Art

Source: Made 2 Style

Don't let the word Toilet put you off, this is a genius idea to recycle something that every household has at one stage or another.

Painted & Stenciled Fabric Covered Padded Headboard

Source: Infarrently Creative

This one is a little more labour intensive and expensive but still stacks cheaper and more unique then anything you'll find in store. I love the chic look of it, and that it wouldn't look out of place in a glamorous Boudoir. (Hello Blair Waldorf!)

Turn a Chair into a Bedside Table

Source: Design Sponge

This tutorial was made specifically for an Ikea chair, but I think it could wok easily with any flat pack chair so long as it has a panel below the seat like the one used in the instructions.

Backlit Canvas Art

Source: The Scrap Shoppe Blog

A gorgeous and whimsical DIY the doubles as mood lighting, Make sure you have a steady hand for this one.

Doily Lampshade

Source: DosFamily

A variation of the popular strong lampshades and ornaments that are floating around the internet, this casts a dappled light around the room and you can make it any size you desire. Or make a bunch of them in different sizes to create a cluster with real character.

Recycled Glass Candle Chandelier

Source: CasaSugar

I'm going to rig up one of these our my patio using Moccona coffee jars, I have so damn many of them and I've been saving them for a good suitable DIY Project.

Fabric Bunting

Of course I couldn't do this post without including my favourite project that I made myself! Bunting is cute, very simple to sew and very flexible, you can make it any shape you can sew, any length you need and easily match it to any theme or decor.

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Tip of the day: Mistake proof nail art

Perhaps I should start this post off by explaining that I had my first ever Shellac Manicure and Pedicure last weekend. I am impressed, I'm rough and tumble with my hands and often have chips within a day of my nails drying, but more then a week later, nope nada, not a chip in sight. Perfect nails!
Mistake proof nail art may be a slight exaggeration, but it's only a slight one. When I started out doing designs on my nails I made more of a mess of my nails then successes, and to clean any errors was so painstaking or I'd have to take the entire nail of polish off. This is a much easier method.

This is where the Shellac comes into play. To avoid having to take off your entire nail of art when you make a mistake, get a base of Shellac applied. This trick works because Shellac requires more then a bit of elbow grease to get off, (In fact they recommend you only have professionals remove it in salon) and you can change your art however often you like. I decided to get a dark purple colour on my nails, I did a gorgeous galaxy nail over the top, then removed that after a few days and applied some nail stamping with my MLS 301 plate.

Now you see it

Now you don't

Oh Hai ice-cream and lightning!

It's worth noting that glitter is even more of a pain to remove with this idea though, because you're still trying to remove it without damaging the Shellac underneath. 

Do you have any hints and tips for making nail at easier? Or perhaps an awesome mani you'd like to show me? Let me know in the comments!

Tip of the day: Applying Liquid Foundation

Over time I've come to learn that different strokes work for different folks, and this is especially true when it comes to liquid foundations. There are a stack of reasons to use either your fingers, sponges or brushes, and ultimately it all depends on you as the individual. Here are some notes for each method.

Fingers:

• The warmth from your fingers help make your foundation blend on your face easier.
• Easier to work around your nose for a better finish.
• Uses less product then other methods.
• The acidity in your fingertips can sometimes alter the colour of your foundation.
• Effective for lighter coverage but less so for fuller coverage.
• Quick application.
• I find it easier to hide pores with my hands
• Free! They come already attached.

Sponges:

• Easier to blend with then a brush.
• Comes in different shapes depending on the job to do.
• Soaks up foundation.
• Can carry bacteria if washed infrequently.
• Need replacing more frequently then other tools.
• Inexpensive, you can buy bags of these without forking over much money.

Brushes:

• Creates a gorgeous airbrushed look with ease.
• Last forever if properly taken care of.
• Stippling brushes are better to work with then flatter foundation brushes in my opinion.
• Can be hard to use around nose edges.
• Can be expensive.
• Fun! I personally love painting my foundation on.

A good trick to remember with all three of these methods is to apply your foundation to the back of your hand to warm it up before application, the product will go further and look more like skin. The method I use the most would be my stippling brush, followed briefly by my fingers to smooth over any problem areas like around my nose.

Which method do you use? How do you find it works for you?

All products shown are available from Manicare

How to Hair: Gorgeous summer waves

I'm really in a summer mood. Here in Brisbane the weather has been beyond wonderful and already reminding us that summer is just around the corner. I love how hair and makeup becomes much more natural and relaxed, so here's is how I do a loose beachy look for my hair.

Source

Step one: Put some oomph in freshly washed hair by blow drying it upside down with a texturising sea salt spray, comb the product through with a wide tooth comb and then use fingers alone while drying hair, as a brush will smooth hair out too much. This step alone may give you the look you're after but if not ...

Step two: Take a curling iron and curl random sections of your hair by wrapping pieces around the tong and not using the clamp. You do not want clamp marks for this look.

Step three: Just to groom and finish off, pull apart the curls lightly by combing your fingers through, then use a little more salt spray and pull hair out a bit to piece it up.

Quick tip: To glam this look up a little for the evening I like to put a side part in and wear it over my shoulder like Miranda Kerr has here.

Source

How do you wear your hair in the summer? Let me know in the comments!

Link Love: 9 September 2012

DIY Elastic Hair Ties: A cute DIY by Reese Kristal on how to make those cute hair ties that have been popping up in stores lately. Cute gift idea!

10 Shapes for your Eyeshadow: A great page for anyone that needs a helping hand understanding eyeshadow application.

Pimp an Old Tee: Five Cute ideas to take some of the old and boring shirts you might have lying about your wardrobe, I especially like the screen print idea.

Link Love: August 25 2012

Styling tip: Bandannas Article by Erika of Asuyeta. Don't giggle! I've recently acquired a small collection of bandannas and headscarves and this has saved me styling block, it's a very cute way to finish of a hairdo.

Laser Nail Tute By KRetroK on totally loving it. Now to just find some nail art tape and away I go!

Paint your walls Ombre by Erika of PS I made this. It amazes me just how daft I can be, I never would've thought of applying this technique to my walls!


Also don't forget about the great giveaway happening on my blog right now! Also, if you like what you're reading, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter or on Blogger to stay in touch!

Quick style updates for items you already have

You guys are no doubt aware of my love for a a cheap fashion update, but what's better then a free one? Chances are you have the items to do any of these already in your wardrobe, the trick now is to style them in a few different ways to how you're used to and you'll come up with looks that are huge right now.


Hold your bag like a clutch.
A lot of high fashion labels sent their models down the runway with their handbags folded over into a clutch shape, and held on the side of the body with the hand scooped underneith. You can do this very easily with a bag you already own, it just has to have a sturdy base to hold some of it's shape (it helps if the bag can be totally zipped up as well, or you might get the contents of your daily life spilling out everywhere!
Do-ability rating: 3/5, This look works so well, so long as you use the right bag, but it can also be a little annoying not having that arm free, and annoying again having to fully seal your bag up every time you want something.

Original Source

Cuff your trousers
This will work the best with trousers that taper at the hem, or straight legs so things like your skinny jeans.The trick is to keep rolling them up just the once, look in the mirror, and if it's not flattering on your legs, either try another roll up or down until they do.
Do-ability rating: 5/5, I barely know a person without skinny jeans.

Nishe Blouse & Shorts Available from ASOS

Wear all your pastels at once.
A few seasons ago we started with the 'gelato' trend, lots of gorgeous pale colours, mostly in block items. It took a little while but now pastel colours are everywhere, and will be massive this Australian summer. lots of key looks this season are all over looks and this is another great one to try. Try pairing a pair of pastel skinny jeans with a floaty pastel print top, perhaps a white singlet with a light kimono style cover up? Nude heels too and top the look off with some nude or pastel coloured nails. Perfection.
Do-ability rating: 5/5, Because pastel colours can suit a myriad of skin tones and colours and styles of fashion, it's really quite failproof. You can also style them suitably with tan and beige coloured accessories.

Source

Learn to fishtail braid.
Braids are becoming the new top knot, (Hurray! The trend of looking like a pre-schooler at a dance recital is coming to an end!) You can find a stack of videos out there explaining how to do this hairstyle, but like anything else, practise (and the right tools!) make perfect. And this look is so much better messy then perfect anyway. Regular braids are just as good for the time poor (or just uncoordinated like myself).
Do-ability rating: 5/5, only thing standing in your way is the length of your hair.


Head to toe prints.
We've been wearing a lot of these in the past few season so I assume you have at least a small collection? As I bought mine I tried to buy ones that would suit the wardrobe I already had, so unsurprisingly they mostly followed my usual cool colour palette. My advice is to not wear the same print, as it is sort of reminiscent of pyjamas and growing up in the country, only daggy people wore their pyjamas out of the house. Wear maybe a top and a bottom, with a block coloured third item to break it up a bit, if you work with the colours in both the print, and they share perhaps a colour or two, you can't go too wrong.
Do-ability rating: 4/5, It's really not as hard as it looks, if in doubt, ask a friend or try again.

Sister Jane available from ASOS

Button your shirt to the top.
As a girl with a large bust this trend is something that still kind of feels odd to me, but with the right shirt it works! (just make sure it's big enough not to gape!) Button your shirt right to the neck and then pop either a statement necklace, collar chain or a tie over the top, there are some very cute bow ties out there, or one of the gorgeous 'look at me!' necklaces from recent seasons work perfectly too.
Doability raiting: 5/5, cuff your sleeves into whatever length suits you as well.

I hope I've given you some ideas for updating your style into the upcoming season. Don't be afraid to try something new if you haven't seen anyone else on the street wear it yet, it just means you're way ahead of them.

What are you doing differently to style your clothes this season?

Product Review: Parissa Warm Wax with Strips

Lets face it, this is one of those things that no lady likes to admit to, but I have hair. Shaving just doesn't give me results for long enough to make it worthwhile, so it's only effective in a bind. Because of my European ethnicity I have dark hair, noticeable hair, and it grows rather quickly too, 3-4 weeks between waxes? Yay.
Because of this frequency I find it beyond expensive to do all of my hair removal at a salon ($120+ per month to get my legs, arms and lady parts done? And even more expensive to get a good job done??Yeesh!) So DIY is certainly the way to go.
This brand is one that I've only seen recently so I thought I'd give it a try, Parissa are a Canadian brand started 25 years ago, for that longevity, they have to be doing something right! With an emphasis on using natural ingredients and keeping as many nasties out of their formulas as possible, they have a stong social resposibility that they are proud to uphold.
Also no animal testing!

This is the variety I tried if you want to pick some up yourself.

Kit contents

The Kit I bought was the Warm Wax kit with strips which is the style that you slather on with a spatula tool, smooth a strip of cotton paper over and then zip off again. I find this technique to be quicker then the strips that come pre waxed.
The product itself come with a complete kit of everything you'll need to get the job done, the wax, strips, spatulas, instructions and Azulene oil, You need the oil to get rid of any excess wax after the job is finished but it doubles as an excellent post wax treatment to soften and protect your skin from any post waxing problems like ingrowns and rashes.

After using the wax on my legs I'd have to say I'm happy with it, the smell is not offensive, it warms up quickly in the microwave to a good consistency, is easy to work with, and it does what it's supposed to do. Afterwards, the only thing left were the odd barely-out-of-my-skin hairs and gorgeously exfoliated and smooth legs. the strips work well, and the Azulene oil was a great finisher.
There isn't a whole lot of product that comes in the kit, I used up half of it on my calves alone, but I think that's fine for the price. If you are going to be doing a big job in one go, it might be worth buying a few kits though.
The other thing worth noting is that the wax is incredible. It was sticking to everything and it doesn't wash off with water, water just makes it more sticky! lol. The oil removes it but you still want to be very careful and even lay down newspapers over your work area, even if you are quite experienced at waxing. All the better to grip your hair with! I wound up with newspaper sticking to me, but better that then the carpet.
In the end I would recommend the Parissa Warm Wax Kit to anyone who likes to work with strip wax, it's easy to spread, highly effective at gripping hair and ultimately, as I've found a problem with some others, it does what it's supposed to do!

Have you tried any of Parissa's range? Tell me what you thought!

Link Love: June 2 2012

It's been a while! Lets have some fellow blogger love!

DIY Backlit Canvas Art: Michelle of The Scrap Shoppe takes us through this DIY project, you really have to take a look at how gorgeous it is! I would paint the canvas is pastel colours to make it more interesting with the light off.

Splatter Nail Art Tutorial: Awesome tute by Lisa of Nail Art 101. I am going to buy some straws. As soon as it stops raining!

Lemon Blueberry and Yoghurt Loaf Recipe: How totally yum does that sound? (And finally I found a recipe for my loaf tin!) from Christina at Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Link Love: April 3 2012

Sometimes you just have to share the love.

How to deflate puffy eyes - Has anyone else been having these issues lately? I get seasonal allergies every Autumn, which is a pain because it's my favourite season. (Who doesn't like the colour of the leaves and the extra excuse to buy warm and new clothes?) Katrina Lawrence of Primped shows you how to fix them up.

Mad Men Makeover: You work hard for the wolf whistles - Journalist Marion Power tries out dressing up like they did back in the day to see what it's like how how the public react. It's not as easy as it looks!

Ten uses for Coconut Oil - Coconut oil is becoming a buzzword in the beauty and food industries, here Siobhan O'Connor talks you through ten uses she's found and whether she rates them or not.

Galactic Manicure - Love this look, and it's super easy too! Check out how Adiel does it.

Even easier half moon nails

Ah, the benefits of working in an office don't normally enter my thought process while I type up a post but in this rare case it does.
I posted months ago about a way to get that half moon nail look, Dita Von Teese is usually spotted with this style of polish on her nails, and now I've found an even easier tool you can use to do it at home.
The thing was, those little paper strips you use for French tips were always too straight, and didn't give a nice curved line you need to cover up the base of your nail while you apply your main colour to the rest of the nail, but you know what does work nicely? Binder hole reinforcers.
You can pick them up at stacks of stationery shops, but best to go for the bigger "We have everything!" ones for a better chance of finding them. Yes you do get some strange look asking for them, and if you decide to tell your friends about them (and me!) they'll probably crack up laughing.
To use them for this manner it's much better to go for the opaque white ones and not the transparent ones, as I found the sticker did a better job of adhering to the nail bed.

Want to have a peek at how I did them?

Easy how to make fabric bunting

This really is one of the greatest learn-to-sew projects I think there is, you only sew in straight lines, and you end up with something totally unique, cute and usable.
Bunting is a fantastic home decoration that is coming back into fashion, and it can be brought out on any occasion or just hung about your house year round, for me this will probably live on a huge blank wall in my kitchen.
So often people dive in head first and end up scared off because the spectacular frock they envisioned in their mind is nothing like the interesting ... thing they've created. It can be really disheartening so this is why I encourage simple projects to start off with.

Want to make some bunting? After the jump.

Bake it! White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Something a little different to read.

I made these up for a friend of mine who mentioned that you really can't go wrong with them, It was her Birthday on Thursday and I stupidly forgot that she wasn't coming in to work that day. Silly me, she had told me last week. They were enjoyed none the less by everyone else, especially my boss who ate a quarter of them himself before I had to tell him to share! I couldn't find a recipe in my books so I mangled one I already knew.
Follow the jump for the method!

Bought! DIY Pillow by Sportsgirl

Make your own embroidered cushion by Sportsgirl x Beci Orpin

Beci Orpin put together some cute stuff for the Sportsgirl Gift ideas table this year and this kit was part of that.This was probably my bargain of the day from Boxing day, their price started off at $29.95, but in the sales I picked two of them up for $6.65 each! I wasn't going to pay full price for them before Christmas but I had to stop myself a few times in fear they would sell out. Basically it's an 'embroider your own pillowcase' kit, Kind of nana-ish I know but didn't you know that DIY is awesome? I've been sitting on the couch while my boy plays video games for the last few nights trying not to stab myself in my fingers. But it's looking good so far. The kit comes with everything you need with needles, embroidery thread in a range of colours and the cushion insert (fun to lug around on boxing day!) but I'm going to go one step further and insert zips into my covers

The Project in process, I picked up the embroidery loop from Lincraft for a couple of bucks and recommend anyone with this kit do the same.

How to Hair: Serena Van Der Woodsen's Ponytail

My recent post for an easy bad hair day solution was pretty popular so I'm going to talk you through another favourite and easy hairstyle of mine. It's a very chic up-do that looks great on everyone.
On Gossip Girl, Serena has an iconic hairstyle. Blake Lively looks fabulous and instantly done when she puts her hair up, (but wouldn't we all if we had hairdressers on our beck and call?) It's actually quite easy to do at home too.

Source

Step one: If hair is a little on the dirty side spray some dry shampoo through it, and if it's clean, apply some mousse and blow-dry upside down, this will give the hair some texture to play with.

Step two: Without brushing too much, pull hair back into a ponytail at the lower crown of your head, about halfway down the back of your head. You don't want it to look smooth, it if is looking a bit too smooth, rake your fingers from your face, back to the pony to rough it up a bit.

Step three: Rough up the pony a bit by getting a few chunks of it and teasing with a tail comb, spray the pony and make sure it still works as one piece, not a strange tangle.

Step four: Pull aside a small bit of the ponytail and wrap it around the hair-tie to hide it, then pin in place, for a hard to spot job, pin underneath the pony, and aim the pin back into the pony.

Step five:  Mist with hairspray to finish.


All you need is a pair of bold earrings or a statement necklace and you've got a 'done' look in no time at all.

What styles do you do to look done in a hurry?

Tip of the day: Easy half moon nails

I'm just discovering nailpolish, normally I can't be bothered at all, but with a little daily TLC they can look really groomed and well presented. But I'm not a fan of excessive nail art, there's just something about it that makes me think 'cheap'
One of the looks I've adored lately is the half moon, it's in a similar vein to a french manicure with the two tone effect. but instead of having white tips, you draw on a semi circle of polish at the base of the nail. Like below.

Probably the most classic way to wear this is with the colours above, red and white. But I think it looks stunning in pastels and brights. Most of the time the base colour is white, but use any constrasting colour, with the ligher of the two as the base colour.
It's damn tricky to apply by yourself, and it can be a little hard to explain what you're after to your manicurist without a picture. My tip? Nail art pens.
Sally Hansen makes a great budget friendly nail art pen in 11 different colours. For longevity and flexibility I'd recommend buying it in either silver or white, but the sky is the limit.

A sample of available colours.