DIY: 4 projects for your to do list

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Now that I’m fully settled back into my academic course and Dundee, the way I spend my time has gradually moved from marathoning episodes of Teen Wolf to ward shifts and socialising (a.k.a. adult life). I do actually appreciate it, as I’m ready to start back at medicine and see friends again, but I forgot what it’s like having no time, at all. Still, even if I can’t find the time to actually do them I’ve been dreaming of all the new projects I want to start.

My recent DIY interests have tended a lot towards interior design, as I’m currently decorating my new flat and remembering that decorating is expensive. I collect knickknacks the same way other people breathe, but there’s a lot of empty wall space for someone who is too skint for the picture framers – I realized that I have quite a few rolls of electrical tape though, and wondered about making a mural out of it, maybe in the shape of a stag’s head or more abstract geometry like the above pre-made one from Urban Outfitters. I also recently got a new/second hand desk (thanks, Uncle John), which (having been reading The Interior DIYer’s post) I might cover with some contact paper so it better matches the furniture the flat came with; contact paper and electrical tape are both perfect DIY tools for the renter, as they won't mark and can be changed whenever I feel like an update.

It’s probably no surprise that I own a couple of veils already, but it probably is that I don’t own a true bird cage one – I really like the vintage feel they lend to all outfits, but all of mine are actually attached to hats. Most DIYs I’ve found for this are on wedding blogs like this double clipped version, but you’d better believe that mine is going to be black and firmly everyday wear. For the coming months, I actually really like this vintage babushka pattern, but I’m so woefully inept at knitting I feel like it might be a daydream project for now. Experienced knitters, any advice? 

Is anyone else looking forward to future DIY projects? Can anyone train me up in knitting, please? Hopefully I'll be posting all my projects on instagram when I finish, so keep an eye for them on there! 

     

STYLE: Sportswear Elegance

When it first came around I swore to high heaven that I didn't get athleisure, in the same way that I didn't get normcore or why some people really love putting olives in their mouths. I liked it on other people certainly (Ivania Carpio of LOVE AESTHETICS comes to mind), but I always thought that I just didn't do the kind of casual that it seems to embody. However, it somehow managed to slink into my wardrobe nonetheless, the same way brothel creepers, 90s looks, and all those other trends I swore that I'd never wear did.

It started off when I decided to get my exercise by walking to university everyday, a 40 minute trek which my usual boots and brogues rapidly proved not to be up to the challenge of. Enter a pair of innocent looking sketchers, black and white to match the rest of my wardrobe. I started to like the unexpected twist they added to my outfits, and they made me think of health goth trends as well as  some of Rick Owens' stuff. It's definitely goth if it looks like Rick Owens, right? (I was already weakening.)

The second nail in the coffin came in the form of a bomber jacket which my local swing dance society started selling back in spring. I'm not usually one for screen-printed merchandise, but it was retro, non-threatening, and displayed a little society pride. What harm could it do?

I ended up wearing it everywhere for about two weeks straight. Turns out sport influences can get dangerously addictive.

This recent change of heart also has a more practical benefit; I'm constantly on the go, and sportswear as everyday wear means the way I dress matches my lifestyle. Obviously I can't totally cut out the overdresser in me, and I got this dress in a New Look sale about a year ago and first wore it with these trainers for dinner in Budapest, adding the jacket when I got back. It's got some strong Bardot vibes, which call for cat's eyes, but paring it with trainers means I can wear it more casually (and thus more often, the goal of everyone who doesn't like cutting down on clothes).  Remember the awkward days when I used to wear Victoriana casually? God, me neither.

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I know that this isn't s relevant to the topic of the post, but I'd like to say thanks to those of you who commented on my last post about my difficulties with blogging. It was touching knowing that people out there are willing to stick with my online exercise in vanity through thick and thin, and just getting it out there got a lot of my frustrations off my chest. 

Anyway, with that said, is anyone else liking the athleisure trend? Has anyone tried something that they didn't originally like and change their mind? Let me know below!