1,000 Followers Giveaway

Here it is! My promised giveaway to all you lovely people who read and follow This Fashion Is Mine. Last week I reached the massive 1,000 mark in my GFC follower list and was so over the moon I decided I had to give one of you the chance to win lots of amazing prizes.

The following prizes are listed below - and there will be one lucky winner who gets the lot! This giveaway is open worldwide, so no matter where you live, as long as I can send you a parcel - you can enter. All the rules, details and instructions for entering this giveaway are listed at the bottom of this post.

What You Could Win

There are seven items in total - (and I may throw in some extra goodies too) But lets have a closer look at them...

Cream and Brown Satchel from bagitstyle7

This beautiful quality satchel bag is the perfect size for day trips, taking out to lunch or even using for quiet days at college. This comes from one of my all time favourite eBay sellers - the same people who supplied me with my Hermes inspired handbag. Their shop is full of beautiful designer inspired bags and this one is a popular seller. It has plenty of room inside, comes with an adjustable shoulder strap and an inside zip pocket. Or you can tuck the shoulder strap inside and carry this as an oversized clutch.

Sideways Cross Long Chain Necklace from gemsinvogue

A new take on the popular short sideways cross necklace is this delicate long version, perfect for layering or wearing alone with a simple outfit. It's been spotted on a whole host of celebrities including Audrina Patridge.
The entire necklace is constructed using 14kt gold filled which will not peel or flake and the cross is polished on both sides. Visit gemsinvogue for more beautiful jewellery items. 

Essie Nail Polishes

Three classic colours that everyone needs in their collection. Essie quality polishes mean a beautiful application and they're long wearing. These were bought brand new in a set and although they are genuine products - the labels have been mixed up! Which means I can't tell you the exact colour names but included in this giveaway is a deep red with purpley-blue undertones, a pale baby pink great for a french manicure or natural look and a hot bright magenta pink which is made for the summer.

Gold Studded Spiked Collar Necklace from Kukee.co.uk

These spiked necklace have been hitting the highstreet and there are different versions everywhere. I've also spotted them all over the blogsphere and think they look wonderful. This is a chunky gold plated solid looking number but which surprisingly is as light as a feather! It looks amazing with a simple black dress or worn in the day time with a high necked cropped vest and leather jacket. Kukee also has a matching bracelet!

DIY Dreamcatcher Tie Dye Tote Bag made by This Fashion Is Mine

If you remember one of my recent DIY Friday's was showing you how to make these dyed and illustrated canvas tote bags? Well I'm giving one I made away! This hippy dreamcatcher design will suit everyone's taste and is perfect for carrying library books, laundry or nipping out to the shops with. Never again will you need to use those horrible plastic carrier bags!

How You Can Enter This Giveaway

You must enter through the widget below - Rafflecopter. It is completely free! There are a few ways to enter - but Rafflecopter will lead you through them. I've kept it all very simple. (Comments on this blog post will not count as an entry.)


The number 1 rule is that you must be a follower of This Fashion Is Mine through Google Friend Connect - over there in the right sidebar...

The giveaway will run for 2 weeks from today (that's 14 days) and end on Sunday 12th August. One winner will be selected at random by Rafflecopter. This winner will be announced on my blog on Monday 13th August. The winner will also be contacted by email and expected to reply within one week. If I do not hear from the selected winner after one week, a new winner will be selected. So keep checking your inbox!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter using the form above - follow me on Twitter for updates about the giveaway.
Best of luck to everyone!

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DIY Leather Sleeved Parka Jacket

This DIY was inspired by the legendary Zara jacket - the khaki parka with leather sleeves, which is now sold out everywhere. These jackets are going for around £200 on eBay right now so I thought I'd make one and save some money. My own version, including all the materials used, costs under £10!

This Friday I'll be showing you how you can make your very own. The steps are simple but the sewing can be  a little tricky.

Fabric Scissors

Needle and Thread 

Pins 

Sewing Machine 

Faux Leather Jacket

Khaki Parka

I purchased both of my jackets on eBay for a few pounds each. They're originally New Look jackets and both in good condition. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and end up ruining two brand new jackets so spend wisely. Charity or vintage shops are also great for finding bargains. Or you can dig out an old coat from your wardrobe and spice it up.

Start by cutting off the sleeves. Leave one inch extra after the seam on the parka and one inch extra before the seam on the leather jacket. This is important for when it comes to sewing the jackets together.
Discard the khaki sleeves and the leather body (save these items for a future project!)

We're going to attach the leather sleeves to the parka. It's best to buy two jackets in the same size and hope that the sleeves match up fairly well. Turn your jacket and sleeves inside out. Then match up the sleeve to the arm hole and pin, right sides together. You need to pinch together and pin your material all the way around.

Before heading to the sewing machine it's best to make a tack stitch. This is a quick hand stitch following the pins to secure the material together. Use a thread that will stand out (such as white) to make it easier when it comes to using the sewing machine.
On the machine, using black thread, sew the sleeves to the parka - following your white tack stitches. You can do two lines of machine stitching for extra security if you like. Remove white tack stitches and turn your jacket the right side out!

And it's complete! I won't lie, this isn't an easy sewing job and a few times I was ready to give up and throw it all in the bin. The lining of the leather sleeves made it trickier and my finished jacket is not perfect. I still like the end result and for such a bargain price who can argue with a few dodgy seams!

I posted an outfit of the day including this jacket yesterday - so if you'd like to see the rest of the outfit photos click here for that blog post.


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*For more DIYs from me, visit the 'DIY Fridays' tab at the top of the homepage.

Leather Sleeves

Leather Sleeved Parka - DIY

Grey Drop Arm Vest - New Look

Denim Shorts - Vintage Levis

Sunglasses - H&M

It's obviously not been the weather for this jacket but I wanted to show it off to you anyway - I just finished making it and yep, the DIY will be up on my blog tomorrow! It's based on the famous sought after Zara jacket and has been one of my favourite DIYs recently. I'll definitely be wearing it in the Autumn and on cooler summer days.

The weather is lovely at the moment and calls for shorts and a vest. I'm also wearing a bright aztec bandeau which I didn't photograph here but I uploaded a pic to Instagram (thisfashionismine) if you fancy a peak. I'm feeling very glamorous in my sunglasses - I should start including them in more outfit photos!

I hope everyone's well and enjoying the recent sunshine. If you're wondering how I made this jacket don't forget to come back tomorrow when all will be revealed! A quick update on my upcoming giveaway is that I have now photographed all the prizes and it should be coming to you by this weekend...


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Neon

Grey Tee - H&M

Mint Green Skirt - Primark

Neon Orange Trainers - ASOS

Watch - River Island

Bracelets - H&M
Nails - Essie Haute as Hello

These trainers arrived last week (you might have spotted them on my instagram) and I'm in love! They were a little uncomfortable at first but I think they just need a good wearing in - maybe even a run. I wanted some more comfy footwear for my holiday in August. I'll be walking pretty much everywhere and pretty sandals through city streets will only hold up for so long. Originally I wanted them in lilac but these seemed to sell out within minutes of ASOS posting them on Facebook and they have never re-stocked my size. 

But after seeing Audrey of Frassy fame style them I knew the orangey-pink pair were for me! And how close of a match are they to Essie's Haute as Hello!

The skirt is a bit old now so I don't think Primark sell these any more but you can pick similar stuff up everywhere. It's very short and tends to ride up all the time so it's probably why I never wear it. The colour and material are lovely though. This look was inspired by a street style photograph I saw of a girl wearing grey with neon. I think it works in a strange way and definitely makes the bright shades more wearable.

I'm off to see the new Batman tonight! And grab a bite to eat in Manchester so I better go finish getting ready...

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Ice Box

Ice Cube Print Tee - Illustrated People

Black Leggings - H&M

Denim Jacket - Topshop

Rings - H&M, Fashionology, Vintage Jewellers 

Short Silver Necklace - (was a birthday present)

Moonstone Necklace - Kukee.co.uk

My new t-shirt arrived! The one I've been lusting after for ages. I'm so glad I got the small instead of a medium as it's huge. Of course, it's meant to be oversized and loose fitting. I love the extra long boy sleeves too. I've paired it with simple black leggings for the day but I could easily wear this tee with my Disco Pants during the evening or a pair of denim shorts when on holiday (mooching about the city streets of San Francisco eee!)

The big news is I'm so happy and excited to say I have now reached 1,000 blog followers! Wooww! It's been creeping slowly up over the past few weeks but now that I have those 4 digits it doesn't seem quite real. I must say a humongous thank you to all of you who read my blog and leave such lovely comments. To celebrate reaching this milestone I'm going to host a big giveaway with lots of goodies for one of you lucky followers to win! The giveaway should be coming mid next week to next weekend (once I've organised all the prizes and photographed them etc.) I know the number of followers is not everything when it comes to blogging but it's amazing to know that so many people want to come here again and again. Crack open the champers! 

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p.s. Anyone remember Ice Box by Omarion? Class.

DIY Dip Dye Illustrated Tote Bag

Canvas tote bags are so useful for so many things, I use mine for library trips at Uni as they're surprisingly strong and can carry many a heavy photography book. They're also brilliant for supermarket shopping - you can take your own bags and stop using the nasty plastic ones which is saving the environment too! But I'm so bored with plain beige canvas totes I decided to jazz mine up a little. Dip dye is the latest trend and its everywhere. So why not dip dye a bag yourself at home for half the price?

What You Need...

White Canvas Tote Bag 

-I found mine on Amazon for 75p!
Dylon Fabric Hand Dyes in 2 colours

-I'm using Bahama Blue and Powder Pink
Table Salt

Black Fabric Pen

How to Dip Dye Your Tote Bag...

Mix your dyes as the packet instructs in two separate buckets. Dylon require you mix your powder dye in hot water with 5 tablespoons of salt. Firstly dip the bottom half of your bag into the blue dye bath... let is rest for a few moments then pull the bag out a little so the dye is just touching the bottom section of the bag. You want to create an ombre effect. The areas left in dye the longest will be the most saturated in colour.

Keep the dye bath water moving every so often and higher or lower your bag so the layers 'blend' into one another. The whole process took about half an hour.

When your bag has reached your desired shades of blue - wring out the dye (wearing gloves) and wash your bag in clean cold water to rinse off the blue dye. Wring out excess water.

Now it's time to dip the opposite end of your bag into the pink dye! You can let the two colours meet in the middle or leave a white space. Repeat steps above - leaving the bag straps and top of the bag submerged in the dye for longer. Again this process took 30 minutes or so. 

After this time I decided to add a jug of the blue dye into the pink dye! This made a lovely purple colour (as you can see in the photo above) and I just left the very top part of the bag including straps in this purple dye for 10 minutes. 

You can just stick to two colours - but if you choose wisely your two fabric dyes will mix to create a third colour! I then rinsed out all the dye out in cold water before throwing my bag into the washing machine.

I dyed three bags in total. Two with a double dip dye effect and one in a tie dye style. You can keep your bag as it is but I quite like the idea of adding my own personal illustration on top of the dip dye. For this you need to either sketch out your design or print one out. 

I'm using this drawing from Natalie Ferstendik - one of my favourite artists. I traced the image onto an A4 sheet of paper and then popped it into the tote bag so I can see the design through the material.
Tape everything down with masking tape so it doesn't budge. Use a fabric pen to trace on your illustration...

Your design should be set and the Sharpie dries really quickly - but I gave my illustration a quick iron to seal everything. Here are my final bags! You can really let your imagination run wild with how to illustrate them. Don't think you have to stick to one image, you could draw on a pattern all over the bag front and back!

I'll always be keeping one of these in my handbag for times when its needed and I'd be happy to pull these out and show them off. They make great gifts too for friends or family and they have that personal touch that makes each one unique. Which is your favourite?

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I post new DIYs every Friday. Click here to see a full list of my past DIY tutorials.

Bleached Out

Denim Shirt - DIY

Navy Dress - H&M

Sandals - H&M

Gemstone Necklace - Kukee.co.uk

(These outfit photos were taken last week when the weather here in the UK actually was warmer!)

The title of this post refers to my shirt and my legs. I was obviously not prepared for a blast of warm sun. But whatever, I'm rocking the pale look. I'm in love with my new hand-bleached shirt! You can see my DIY tutorial here if you haven't already. I think its the perfect item to throw on over a dress especially in the British weather. I picked up these sandals in the H&M sale (online) and they are super comfy. They quack like ducks whenever I walk but I don't care, they are the perfect simplistic sandal.
I wouldn't normally pair brown with navy, it's like pairing black and navy, but I think it works ok - anything goes when the suns out!

This gemstone necklace is from Kukee.co.uk - my new favourite jewellery store. It's listed as Opalite/Moonstone and as Opal is my birth stone I thought I should go for this one. Plus I liked the colour and the way it catches in the light. It was so cheap at just £5 but great quality, it reminds me of the fashionology ones.  

I've been embracing my hippy as I've had a very crafty sort of day. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have seen what me and Alison got up to this afternoon. (I'm considering making a DIY tutorial on how we made them!) We pottered down to our local 'we-sell-everything' sort of store and spent a while oohing and ahhing over the craft items like we were 11 but picked up a few things for a great price.
Uni students with a huge summer holiday have to do something to keep busy!

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The Best of Printed Tees

Peace Tee by Project Social T £22.00

Buffalo Tee by Fifi's Factory £22.00

London Map by Tee and Cake £25.00

Digital Floral Printed Vest by Miss Selfridge £30.00

Mirrored Leopard Tunic by Miss Selfridge £32.00

Graphics Mirror Print by Miss Selfridge £32.00

Tribes Triangles by Illustrated People £35.00

Eye Vest Top by Illustrated People £35.00

Ice Print by Illustrated People was £35.00 now £10.00

Cloud Print Cami Top by Topshop £22.00

Unicorn Crop Top by Topshop £15.00

Cross Tie Dye Vest by Topshop £18.00

I'm currently lusting after lots of printed or illustrated tshirts. The more loose fitting and oversized the better. I've had a scout around some of my favourite websites to find you my top picks... 

What I've noticed more than anything is that these basic tees do not come cheap! The more unusual the design the more expensive it is. Illustrated People are one of my favourite brands for their unique printed tshirts, vest tops and sweaters. I got very excited back in March when the press release for their new collection landed in my inbox. 

Their new 'digital' prints were designed with textures in mind including Ice, Pavement and Glass. I immediately wanted the Ice Print Tee with its boxy fit and 'elbow' sleeves, but £35.00 is quite a lot to splash out on a tshirt. I recently visited the Illustrated People website to discover they had sold out in this design - so you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon it on Topshop in the sale for just £10! It will be flying through the mail on its way to me right now!

Other favourites include these mirror-image colourful tops from Miss Selfridge. I like how they blur the lines between a photograph and a graphic print. Topshop have two map tshirts in stock at the moment, this zoomed in streets and roads version in black and white and a green and blue continents map. (Seen on Cherry Healey in the latest How To Get a Life episode.)

I like wearing printed tees with skinny jeans, a leather jacket and little black boots. A pair of heels and red lipstick creates a perfect night out look. They're also great in the summer or for festivals with denim shorts and wellies. Anyone can pull of a printed tshirt and they are the easiest items to style! 

Which is your favourite from my picks?

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