homemade christmas gifts don't have to be twee...!

so, i have been thinking about christmas presents already as im in a very different financial situation this year. i cant simply turn up at selfridges on christmas eve and throw a wad of cash at the situation. i need to be a little more creative, clever, and that hated word...FRUGAL. grrrrrr.
sister first. so, after tailing her through topshop to see what she was currently lusting after i picked up on 2 trends that are ticking all her boxes. denim and studs.
a little bit of a rummage through my vast wardrobe and a root around the internet uncovered these little gems of inspiration...

balenciaga

ritas rockin' a stud or 2!

balenciaga again

so, having unearthed a denim jacket from the depths of my closet i laundered it. while it was drying i sifted through my filing cabinet of wonder and collected studs of various sizes and shapes (bought previously from studsandspikes.com. its an american site so the delivery time is quite long but its far cheaper than any UK based sites that i have found.)

and to work i went....




blank canvas

ingredients

the first 3 lines

its taking shape

adding balance

safety pins

finito!

im thrilled with the result although my finger tips are KILLING me! i really like it. i was going to bleach out some areas of the denim as well as i really like that effect (see the balenciaga jacket above) but im not sure if that would be to my sisters taste. also, thats something that should have done before i started studding like a whirling dervish. im really tempted to do one of these for myself....new jacket for what probably cost me £4!

halloween hair

as my friend and i went out to the local beer festival on the saturday after halloween we decided that full-blown fancy dress was probably a little bit overkill, so, we went for makeup and big hair. she made the most of her natural curls by backcombing them to within an inch of their life. i went for a gaga inspired devil horn/kitty ears. alot of backcombing, alot of pins and a decent application of eyeashes and we were good to go......please excuse the crude photography. enjoy!

beautiful people

Emanuelle Alt - Style GOD

this woman must be worshipped. i love that its effortless, stylish, dressed down and yet sooooo sophisticated.
 good lord.
she rocks my world.

Currently lusting after.....

\topshop midi jersey dress £24

Andre Nicole jacket £55

Converse high tops £45

Topshop ring £5

topshop ring £5

Alexander McQueens ring £145

Adidas bobble hat £20

This, my loves, is my current dream outfit. It is, for me, a perfect mix of glam, casual, funky and with gothic touches from the rings. having dreamt this outfit up from window shopping both online and on the high street, these would be my first choices. However, since i am a penniless artist now - its rather more boohoo.com and ebay than alexander mcqueen. this is not to say that they are any less impressive i might add. i just recieved delivery of a black jersey midi dress from boohoo.com today for the, quite frankly, BARGIN price of £12 and the fit is remarkable. Once styled, i will upload a picture of it.
happy bargin hunting....if you have any money saving tips to share - please feel free, the more money saved = the more we can buy!!!

heres my latest offering fo work. it took about 3 days and im really pleased witht he finished piece. its as dark and moody as i wanted, a little bit halloween themed, but mostly dark and moody because i love how the purples and blue hues compliment the grey of the pencil.
all the lettering was done freehand, getting the proportions to match on each letter was very time consuming but worth it; i like that you can tell that it was free hand drawn rather than the perfect symetry of computer aided work.

mapping out the sketch

adding colour

finished

we've got to get up and try.. and try..and try

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try try try

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCDVfMz15M    if you havent already seen this video, have a look at this link. its incredible, extremely emotive and powerful. the choreography is extrodinary and teamed with the staging just delivers such a punch. i challenge you not to watch it more than once....!