Happy Birthday, This blog is not for you!

happy-birthday thisblogisnotforyou.com

Just a quick post to let you know I’m celebrating my 4th blog anniversary today! This blog baby has grown up fast! There are some exciting projects and surprises coming up this next year and I can’t wait to share them with you guys. (And there’s a new autumn pattern on the way!)

Thank you all so much for sticking with me and following this journey – you’re absolutely, mind-blowingly fabulous, everyone! xx

There will be a little giveaway this week, so keep your eyes peeled and makeĀ sure toĀ pop back in and leave an entry!

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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Our DIY Wedding

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)
DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)
DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)

OUR DIY WEDDING

When we got married in May we tried to make as many things as possible ourselves. This included most decorations, flowers, music, some of the food and last but not least, my dress (and hair & make-up). This allowed us to create everything exactly as we envisioned it and also save a lot of money. It took a lot of time and nerves. Although we had the help of friends and family, I did most of the projects myself, which was exhausting at times, I’m not gonna lie. So here are some of my favourite DIY projects for our wedding.

*Sorry, this is a very picture-heavy post! I didn’t want to split it up into a couple of posts, so if you have any questions about anything, leave me a comment below!*

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

TABLE DECORATIONS

Our wedding venue was a modern barn which didn’t need much decoration, so I could focus on decorating the tables. We went for a rustic, vintage look: burlap, wood, paper, lace and a pastell colour palette.

We and our mums collected jars for a couple of months which I turned into flower vases by decorating them with lace, doilies, twine and burlap. Although I used a couple of different shapes and sizesĀ I tried not to use too many different ones, but collected sets of the same to make it look a bit more consistent. I used the larger ones as centerpieces and smaller ones to fill in gaps and to use as candleholders.

We printed off our drinks list on white card and ordered blank place cards matching our invitations. The handlettering of the placecards took ages, but was a lot of fun. We made the placecard holders from branches, which we sawed to get cylindric pieces of wood (roughly 4x4cm). We then cut slits into the top to stick in the placecards.

The table number I designed with Photoshop and printed them onto white card. I glued pegs onto twigs and put them with the flowers in the centerpiece vases.

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

FLOWERS

Early on in the planning process I decided to do all the flowers – including my bridal bouquet – myself. (I’m a bit of a control freak I learnt during that time!) It was much more difficult than you’d think to organise the different flowers, because it’s something that has to be done JUST before the wedding. It’s nothing you can tick off weeks before. So that was stressful, because up until the very last day before our wedding I had no idea whether everything would work out the way I wanted. It was sooo much cheaper than havingĀ a professional organise everything, though.

So this is what we did: I ordered blush pink and white roses and well as baby’s breath from a local flower shop which we picked up the day before the wedding. Since we only had to pay for the loose flowers, it wasn’t too expensive. It was much more complicated with the hydrangeas. They’re pretty expensive if you get them in a flower shop and they wilt VERY quickly if you’re not careful.

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

In the end I decided to get potted hydrangeas from a garden centre and cut them the night before the wedding. I had practised all the bouquet-binding and vase-filling a couple of weeks before, but filling between 30 and 40 vases took A LOT of time. We spent the night before the wedding in our hotel room with the Mr’s best man, the whole room covered in roses, hydrangea pots, greenery and boxes full of jars and other decorations. THAT was exciting. Luckily we had some wine to calm my nerves. I think we finished 1.45 AM, which is not a good thing if you’re getting married in the morning. It was worth it anyway. Thinking back, the flowers are one of my absolute favourite things to remember from that day.

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

BRIDAL BOUQUET

I used blush pink hydrangeas (about five large heads), baby’s breath, and pink roses in two different sizes. I created the bouquet shape by first binding together the hydrangeas with florist’s tape. Then I stuck the baby’s breath in, again, fixing everything with tape. After that I did the same with the large and then the smaller roses. I bound the stems with peach satin ribbon and some pins.

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

CANDY BAR

One of the best things to organise was our Candy Bar. I left the ordering of sweets to my mum in law who’d outdone all our expectations by getting us about 18kg of mostly gummi bears and other jelly candy. It was crazy awesome. For the candy bar I made paper bunting from doiles and ordered paper bags and tiny ice-cream shovels. The candy jars are from IKEA for the most part.

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

OTHER PROJECTS

Here are some other DIY projects I did: some activities for the guests such as a lottery, alternative guestbooks, a photo booth backdrop made from napkin pompoms, a confetti basket and more.Ā It was so much fun to get inspired, create and make up new ideas for projects in the months before the wedding. I’m almost sad I won’t be doing that anymore!

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

We asked our grandmas and mums to bake the cakes for the day. They came up with a massive amount of different cakes, cupcakes and pies, it was incredible!DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

These garden decorations are simply Regolit lampshade from IKEA (2.95ā‚¬ each) to which I tiedĀ long strips of scrap fabrics.

I also made our ring pillow from some scrap wedding dress fabric and made a case for it from an antique book which I bought on the holiday during which we got engaged last summer.DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

OUR WEDDING CAKE

One of my favourite DIYs of the day wasn’t done by me. I asked my sister, who’s very talented when it comes to baking, to make our wedding cake. I wanted to have a ‘naked cake’ decorated with fruit and flowers, and what she came up with really outdid all our expectations:

DIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.comDIY Wedding by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

DIY wedding dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

It was a perfect day and we had so much fun preparing for it and now sorting through all the photos taken on that day.

Wow, that was a lot of pictures! Well done, you, if you were patient enough to stick through to the end! If you have any questions about any of these projects let me know in the comments!

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
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High-waisted Ultimate Trousers

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics and info)high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.comhigh-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com
high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Ā  ROCKS AND ANCHORS

I’ve been looking forward to sharing these pics with you since we got back from holiday. We took them on our last night in Sardinia at the beach of our hotel where we pretty much spent most of our time.Ā Compared to the previous post (we took the pics on the second day of our trip) I got quite a tan in just a week! I hadn’t been to South Europe in a couple of years and after living in England I forgot how easily I tan.

I love these trousers! You know I’m a big fan of Sew Over It’s wardrobe staple patterns such as the Ultimate Pencil Skirt or the Ultimate Trousers. As much as I love the trousers and their fit, I always had issues with how low they sat. Without a waistband (the orignal pattern has a facing) they get stretched out quite easily and sit very low which isn’t very practical at work, as I sometimes play with kids on the floor and don’t want my backside to hang out.

I had plans to raise the waist and add a waistband after seeing Lisa’s numerous, beautiful versions of high-waisted Ultimate Trousers. I found the perfect fabric, a stretch-denim with an anchor print just before the holiday in a fabric shop near Munich. I made up a muslin ad raised the waist by 10cm which turned out alright, but I lowered the waistline a few centimetres again as it was a tad too high. I love the look with this pair, but I might lower it just a tiny bit more for the next pair, which I plan to make from a very busy print.

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.comhigh-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.comhigh-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.comhigh-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com
high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.comhigh-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com
high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I really dig the raised waist hack of this pattern, it’s just so different from most RTW stylesĀ out there. The only downside is that it’s not the most figure flattering style – I’m certainly not a size zero but also not very big, but still you can see every lump and bump, especially with the tshirt tugged in. So after a week of feasting on Italian food pretty much non-stop, it wasn’t the most comfortable outfit to wear! But I loved it anyway – and who cares about a pizza-and-pasta-bump. It was absolutely worth it.

Oh, and I have to mention the hat – just because it’s fabulous! Especially since it’ll make another appearance in the next post as well. I’m so in love with this hat I can’t tell you. I always wanted one just like it, but never cared to buy one, because you don’t simply strut around with a hat like that unless you’re Audrey Hepburn. Right before our trip I went shopping for sunglasses and came across this hat at C&A (large German department store) and thinking of lying at the beach, sipping cocktails and nibbling olives I had a massive urge to just grab it, pay whatever they asked for (which luckily wasn’t much) and run with it. Which I did. I wore it every day on holiday, which makes up for the next few months where it will sit on my closet un-used, because – let’s be realistic – I won’t be wearing it unless I’m sitting on a beach in Italy somewhere. So that’s my excuse for that many cheesy sunhat pictures.Ā high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com
high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

high-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.comhigh-waisted Ultimate Trousers by thisblogisnotforyou.com

So what’s your favourite wardrobe staple pattern that you love to hack over and over again?

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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Chiffon maxi skirt & matching top

chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com (Click through for more pics & info)chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comĀ BELLA SARDEGNA

Ciao! We’ve just come back from our amazing honeymoon trip to Italy/Sardinia. (Sorry, for the photo spam, but the Mr took so many pretty pictures, I just had to share!) Just before the trip I managed to squeeze in some selfish sewing time and make something for myĀ travel wardrobe. The dress I’m sharing today I made for my birthday, which was mostly spent strolling through town eating ice cream and reading at the beach – which is pretty muchĀ my definition of a perfect day.

It’s actually a maxi skirt and separate top combi and therefore was a great addition to my capsule vacation wardrobe. The fabric is a navy chiffon with a mint & pink bird print that I got ages ago at Walthamstow Market, London, in one of the dodgy shops at the far end of the market (a couple of houses from Saeed’s). It was onlyĀ ā€ŽĀ£1/m and I snatched up about 3 metres (140m wide).Ā chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

IMG_7706
chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

The pattern is more or less self-drafted. That’sĀ because I didn’t make a proper pattern for the skirt. It’s a maxi half circle skirt and I drew the pattern right onto the fabric, no paper pattern needed. I hadĀ 3 metresĀ of this fabric, which was just enough for a half-lined top and a half circle skirt. I would’ve needed almost twice as much for a fullĀ circle skirt, but the half circle looks great, too, and was much more practical to wear on a windy island. The skirt has a knee-length lining I made using some poly satin scraps.

I attached a straight waistband to the skirt and added a mint coloured invisible zip. It matches the print perfectly, but for some reason we forget to snap a pic showing the zip. The side seams are overlocked and I used a rolled hem foot to machine-roll the hem. As I wasn’t dealing with expensive silks and also had a pretty tight schedule I skipped the whole hand-rolled hem business this time. It’s ok to cheat sometimes, right? And to be fair, it looks so pretty and even, I probably wouldn’t have achieved similar results by handsewing.

The top is from the Sew Over It Vintage book and it’s the first garment I made using the book. I drafted the bodice block as described in the book (same as the Anita Tie Top) and shortened it into a crop top. I used two layers of fabric for the bodice front, so that the back is pretty much see-through, but the front not so much. As I spent most of my time at work and not the beach, some decency doesn’t hurt, right?

The shoulder and side seams of the top are finished with french seams and the armholes are bias-bound. I overlocked and machine sewed the hem. The top was really super quick and easy to draft, cut and sew, just one of these happy projects I need every once in a while to keep my sewing mojo going.
chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

chiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.comchiffon dress and top by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

I really love the skirt/top combination and wore it loads on holiday. The skirt looks also great with plain white or grey t-shirt and the crop top looks super cute paired with some high-waisted jeans.

Have you made something for your vacation wardrobe? Do you like sewing garments for a capsule wardrobe or do you love stand-out pieces when you go on holiday? I’d love to know!

Charlie


Happy sewing!
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DIY Bridesmaids Gift: Bridal nail polish earrings

 

DIY bridesmaids gift: earrings in bridal nail polish colour. (Click through for tutorial)DIY bridesmaids gift: earrings in bridal nail polish colour. (Click through for tutorial)This is a super simple but also super cute and personal DIY project for all brides-to-be!

I spend my hen do with my sisters and BFF at a spa hotel and wanted to give them a little something to say thanks. I also wanted the gift to beĀ a little personal, something that would remind them of the fun weekend we had just before the big day.

Jewellery is always a good choice, and to add a personal and wedding-related touch, I chose to make the earrings in the colour of my bridal nail polish.

I wore “Worth The Wait” from Essie’s bridal nail polish collection, which matched my blush pink dress perfectly.Ā DIY bridesmaids gift: earrings in bridal nail polish colour. (Click through for tutorial)The project is super quick and easy. You’ll need earring settings (which you can order online on Etsy or Dawanda) and glas cabochons. I got mine from Average Pony and they’re really cheap.

I painted the back of my glas cabochons with two coats of nail polish and left them to dry. Once the colour was set, I used E-6000 glue to glue the glas stones into the settings. You really only need a tiny drop of glue. The glue dries within a few seconds. It’s very strong, so make sure you’re careful with the positioning.

Eh, voila! Done! It’s that simple.

DIY bridesmaids gift: earrings in bridal nail polish colour. (Click through for tutorial)

I used some wine corks and satin ribbon to have something to attach the jewellery to and it looked super cute! The ladies loved their gifts, and lucky me, all had matching dresses to wear that night.

DIY bridesmaids gift: earrings in bridal nail polish colour.

So if you’re looking to make something personal for your bridesmaids or friends, this is the perfect project to try!

I’ve made other jewellery using glas cabochons before. For more ideas check out this post about how to use paper and prints to back the glas stones.

xx Charlie

 


Happy jewellery making!
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