Spring up!

Owing to a frustratingly manic two weeks in which giving the blog the attention, love and what I would consider worthy entries has proven impossible, I haven't been too busy or, you know, trapped in a cave in a place hitherto undiscovered by western civilisation as we know it, to follow what's been going on during the recent fashion weeks, especially in the fashion capitals but I'm not there yet with my take on it and would rather do that the justice it deserves.

So, now that we've got disclaimers and related niggles out of the way, here's what I have been getting up to over the past fortnight (along with turning 32, getting asked for ID on my birthday and thus undeniably winning at life), I thought there would be no better time to celebrate the 'springing' of the new season than now and no better way than to share some easy-but-effective craft projects to inspire you, in the form of a necklace and some customised flip flops (yes, yes, I know it's still spring and far from tropical but still dreaming, right?).

A photo posted by Charley H (@chiccheatcharley) on Mar 28, 2016 at 9:02am PDT

When DIY met denim

This season's quirky customised jeans trend was too tempting not to try myself, so I thought I'd share some tips with you from my latest project. One among many advantages of having your own place is to have the luxury of bleaching jeans, like the dangerous rebel that I am, without aggressive parental opprobrium and disapproval. Never mind the carpet-mauling potential bleach has for sending the neurotically house-proud into a frenzy, it was more a case of having to sit through my dad's classic anecdote of his failed attempt to bleach his prized pair of 'baggies' back in the '60s; after dousing them in bleach and leaving them out to dry, they disintegrated in his hands as he picked them up from the washing line! Thankfully - and perhaps because trusty denim essentials are made from tougher substances these days - it was never enough to put me off. I have ways of avoiding such a scenario, which I thought I'd share, along with a few more ideas for re-purposing a pair of old jeans.

Elle, yes - Metallic jacket DIY inspired by Louis Vuitton

Celebrity Style (clipped to polyvore.com)

This Louis Vuitton metallic jacket, worn by Karlie Kloss on the cover of Elle magazine, whetted my fashion appetite and inspired me to craft a version of my own - well, customise a £5 electric blue PVC jacket I rescued from a charity shop! It was a lengthier-than-expected five-hour project but it was worth it for the result. It's possibly the easiest project I've ever done, as it didn't require any skill, except for a bit of paint blending. It's a fun, straightforward project but be warned - things are going to get messy!