Upcycled Vintage Pants | Just by adding cuffs to your pants and some belt loops, you can turn an old pair of pants into something vintage chic. See the step-by-step sewing tutorial in this blog post.
DIY FashionTutorial

Retro Leopard Print Pants – thrifted, cuffed & refashioned

Printed pants are a total fad.  I probably won’t be wearing them in 6 months time, but that’s ok, because these only cost me $4.  Actually, the look I got at the church fete where I bought these was, “You’re really going to pay money for these pants?”


Initially I wasn’t going to wear them; I just liked the fabric.  It’s leopard print, but a muted dark copper tone, so it doesn’t scream “cougar”.  I tried them on and it had a great slouchy cut, so all it needed was shape, which I added by sewing a cuff and then adding belt loops from the fabric I cut when I adjusted the length.

I have posted a tutorial on How to Cuff Pants.  This was one of the quickest refashion projects I have ever done.  Happy cuffing!

DIY FashionTutorial

Tutorial – How to Cuff Pants

You can easily and quickly “tailor” any pants for a cuffed, smart look.  I did this for a pair of retro leopard print pants, but I think this would be fab on a pair of mens suit pants as well.  I’m sure you’ll agree heels are a must to pull this off.

1. Measure, Press & Cut

Put the pants on with shoes (heels!), then place a pin to mark the final cuffed length.  This will be Line A on above photo.  From A, measure to Line B, which is the width of your cuff.  I made mine 3cm.  Finally, add an extra 1.5cm to your cuff width and draw Line C (4.5cm from B in my case). 

Press all 3 lines, then cut along Line C.  Keep the fabric remnant to make belt loops if you like.

2. Turn Cuff and Zigzag Stitch

Turn the garment inside out, and fold along line B.  Press.  Zigzag stitch the cuff into place.  When you turn the garment to the correct side, it should look like below.

3. Stitch the Cuff into Place

Turn up the cuff (my cuff was 3cm) and press.  You shouldn’t be able to see the zigzag stitching.  Straight stitch with the sewing machine back and forth a few times along the red line.  Do this for both ends of the cuff.  Finished!

LifestyleRin's Life

Krishna’s Chocolate Cupcakes – egg-free but delicious

It was a gorgeous winter’s day in Sydney, perfect for a family gathering at Dave’s Mum’s place.  The occasion?  His brother and wife were permanently moving back from India to settle in Australia.  This lovely couple, who also happen to be Hare Krishna devotees have a thing for sweets, so I wanted to make cupcakes which they could also enjoy.

This recipe is actually for a big chocolate cake.  It turned out moist and airy, and you would never have known that it contained no egg.  I halved the portions to make cupcakes, and used a Women’s Weekly chocolate ganache recipe to to create decadent swirls on top.  Topped with chocolate sprinkles and a strawberry, it was a hit with the whole family.

Egg-free chocolate cake recipe

Dark Chocolate Ganache (courtesy of The Australian Women’s Weekly)

  • 1/2 cup (125mL) cream
  • 200g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely (I used Lindt 70% Cacao)

Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat.  When bubbles subside, add chocolate; stir until smooth.

Decorating

Hoot – Owls Graphic Art Drawing: Free Download!

During my uni days, I dabbled in graphic design during a stint as a marketing coordinator.  It was for a food distribution company, and I basically taught myself how to use Illustrator to make posters and labels for seasonal fruit and vege.  The best poster I designed was for a cross promotion of avocados and corn chips – I included a recipe for nachos and it was a hit!

I no longer do any graphic design in my line of work, or get to think up for recipes to put on posters (how unfortunate!) but I still enjoy doodling in Illustrator in my spare time.  It’s a pretty handy skill to have!  I drew these owls because I wanted a retro drawing to display above my piano.  I used the yellow and grey to coordinate with the colour scheme of the room.

Whilst I’ve put my owl photos on the wall above the piano, I think it would work really well in a kid’s room or nursery as well. I really love simple, minimalist decor for playrooms; that way you can let all the toys add colour! If you are after some interior design inspiration for nurseries, check out this Japanese website, Homify’s Kid’s Room Selection. They curate photos of beautifully decorated homes, many of which have that minimalist Scandinavian look.

This poster is available for free download in my downloads page.  I hope you are all having an absolute hoot this World Cup weekend!

* This is a sponsored post with Homify.

LifestyleRin's Life

5 Things You Need to Know to Buy & Sell Clothes on eBay

Secondhand shopping for vintage clothes, shoes and accessories is definitely one of my favourite things to do.  I used to have a lot more time to do this as a student, but it’s a different story now.  As with most people, window shopping has been slowly replaced by web browsing.  I have been an ebay devotee for 6 years with majority of my 100+ transactions being the buying and selling of clothes and accessories.  These are the 5 things I think everyone should know to enhance their ebay experience.

Buying on eBay

1. Buy off season

Sure, secondhand is cheaper, but you get an much better deal if you buy out of season.  By this, I mean things like coats and snow gear should be bought in summer, and vice versa for surfboards and summer dresses in winter. I have bought cashmere coats in the middle of summer, with myself being the only bidder.  Definitely requires foresight, but if you are buying classic items, it’s a good thing to keep in mind.

2. Know your favourite brands

The pitfall of online shopping is that there is no fitting room.  It’s a wild guess at the best of times, especially when it comes to things like pants and suits.  You can minimize ill fitting purchases if you know what size you are in your favourite brands.  Go to the physical store and figure out what size you are, as fashion houses tend to use the same measurements for their range.  By knowing which brand’s sizing is for you, you can best avoid disappointment

3. Setup a favourites search

Save yourself time and setup a favourites search on ebay.  You can have ebay email you auction items that fit your criteria.  For example, if you have figured out your favourite brand and size in tip 2, make a favourite search and let ebay do the work for you.  You can know about new items straight away and place your bid asap, or better yet, snap it up quickly if there’s a Buy it Now option.

4. Search in description

Unfortunately, not everyone can spell, nor can they put crucial item information on the title of their auction.  The size, brand, material (eg leather), colour, etc are all essential information on which you’ll be basing your search query.  You can improve your search results by ticking the “Include title and description” box which appears below the search button in ebay.  This searches the item description for your keywords, ensuring you don’t miss out on auctions which have the features you are looking for.

5. Ask questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or request additional photos.  Sellers can inadvertently leave out details which could greatly influenced your purchase decision.  When buying shoes, it’s good to ask for a photo of the sole, so you can see how much wear it has had.

Selling on eBay

1. Importance of photos and gallery picture

Make sure you take good photos and enough of them to give the buyer a good idea of colour and condition of your item.  Have a look at how fashion magazines photograph clothes and shoes when they are not on a model, and you can imitate this to look more professional.

It’s definitely worth inserting a gallery picture for your listing as well, which means that a photo of your item shows up in the search listing.  People are fundamentally lazy so if they have to go an extra click to view your item, you can lose a big chunk of potential buyers.

2. Descriptions and measurements

Keep your description simple, in point form.  It’s a good idea to include measurements, not only because it’s handy for the buyer, but it saves your from having to answer lots of questions during the auction period!  Make sure you insert the brand name (if it’s a branded item), material it’s made from and any faults.  For unique, quirky items you can put in a styling tip, but this is up to you.

3. It’s all about timing

Try to have your auction end in the evening, when people are more likely to be in a position to be able to bid on your item.  I like to try to time my auctions to end on Sunday evenings, to maximize the number of last minute bidding.

4. Auction end date

You should also remember the seasonality rule when selling, and save things to auction off in the correct season.  I have actually seen a secondhand foam surfboard go for a higher price than new on ebay, in the week leading up to summer school holidays.

5. Leave feedback

Part of being a good ebayer is to leave feedback.  It’s encouraged to thank good buyers and hopefully get on their favourite sellers list.  It’ll encourage them to leave a positive feedback for your as well.

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