Lifescouts.

A few days ago, I came across a new wee something called Lifescouts. 

This is for all those who miss the days of Girl Guides or Scouts, where learning a new skill meant gaining a badge - except, as the name suggests, these badges are awarded for life experiences.

A website has been set up, where a new badge is released everyday, and people are encouraged to reblog, tweet or even share them on Facebook, telling their story about how they achieved the badge. There's even a web store where you can buy your badges in the physical form!

I think this is a really great way to share stories and create a community, and encourage people to go out and experience things. Here's a video from the creator of Lifescouts, Alex Day, in which he explains the concept in a bit more detail. (Excuse his ramblings and tangents)

YouTube channels and tumblr blogs have already been set up, chronicling peoples stories of how they attained their badges. I'm really keen to blog my stories, which I will do on my tumblr. I encourage you all to do the same, on whatever social media platform you prefer, or even in the comments to this blog post. 

Here's a sneak peak of all the badges i've achieved so far, stories coming soon. 

Top Knotted.

A hairstyle that has proved very popular is that of the top knot. Although a quick and easy way to sweep all your hair off your face, adding hair accessories can give it that special wee something, and dress it up a little bit more.

Continuing on my love affair with studs and flowers, another summer project was this top knot ribbon.

This is an easy enough DIY project if you'd like to try it at home. I bought the studs from Studs and Spikes (the same ones I used here as collar details) and the ribbon and flowers were from Spotlight, but i'm sure similar ones would be available from any craft store. 

Because of the delicateness of the ribbon, I was scared sticking the studs on would cause it to pucker, so I super glued them on instead. (It is possible to get 'stick on' studs from Amazon, but because I also wanted to use them on clothing, I opted for nailhead studs) 

Once I have my top knot, I simply tie this headband on, leaving a small bow at the back. You can customise this to the max, from changing the colour of the ribbon, flower, to the amount of  studs etc. 

If you're thinking about giving this a go, let me know how yours turns out!

Feeling like Alice.

For quite a few years now, I have been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. I collect copies of the book and pretty much everything else that's Alice.

Last year I stumbled across a website called White Rabbit designs, and fell in love with all the beautiful jewelry. Handmade in New Zealand, the pieces are whimsical and gorgeous, and I could honestly say if my money tree would grow, I would buy every single piece of their collections. (Their French seamstress necklace being first)

From bird cages, to penny farthings, to teacups, there is something to suit any girl's taste, and these necklaces make beautiful presents. For Christmas 2012, I was luck enough to receive the Alice tea party silver pendant and I love it to pieces. Even the hook is a gorgeous wee heart. 

Handcrafted jewelry always exudes love, and White Rabbit designs are no exception. I encourage you all to go and check out their stuff - though I warn you, you may leave their website with an exhausted wee visa card...

Flowers in her hair.

A big trend I've noticed this summer is floral head pieces. From crowns to daisy chains, wearing flowers in your hair is perfect for summer. 

While home over Christmas, I rummaged through my mothers sewing boxes and found some cute flowers I couldn't wait to put onto a headband. (Which I found in a $2 type store)

The next step was how to attach the flowers to the headband, and for that I used super glue.

I wore this headband on Christmas Day 2012 with a navy blouse and maroon skirt and it really tied the outfit together nicely. 

I was a bit apprehensive to try this trend at first, but now i'm so glad I did! I really encourage you all to try and make your own headband like this, headbands and flowers are readily available in craft stores, so go get creativity on. 

Hanging on.

I've always been a bit of a hoarder when it comes to pretty clothing tags, or pretty things in general. 

I had the idea to hang clothing tags on my bed head while prepping for my fresher year of University, and just happened to find a bed where that idea fit perfectly. 

I think this is a novel way to display tags and I like how they look and fit within the design of the rest of my bedroom. 

I know i'm probably not the first person who decided to do this, but I wanted to share it with you all anyway, in the hopes it inspires you to do something similar. 

Studs, check.

I'd like to think that sometimes i'm quite a creative person, except usually my creativity just stop at ideas. 

This summer however I've decided to follow through some of those ideas, and this shirt is one example. 

This was originally a long sleeve mans shirt from The Warehouse, and with the help of my mothers sewing machine, I chopped the sleeves off and added cuffs to give it cleaner edges. Then I added a few studs from Studs And Spikes, just for affect, and incidentally, I am now going a wee bit stud happy...

I'm hoping come winter time this will look just as good with some skinny jeans and a long sleeve black top, but for now it's great in the Wellington wind, which adds a slight chill to summer days. 

Summertime.

I think I first saw this idea on Pinterest, and being summer, I couldn't wait to give it a try!

The beautiful thing about it is that you can add any summer fruit you want, or even use water if you don't like lemonade. So you can customise it to be just the way you like it. 

All you need to do is put the fruit in the ice cream mould, fill it with lemonade/ water, place the ice cream stick in and put them in the freezer.

I used a nectarine, a peach, a granny smith apple and and orange, and Charlie's old fashioned lemonade to tie it all together. 

You only really need to leave them in the freezer for a few hours so it would even be a cool idea for a kids party if you had enough ice cream moulds. 

These tasted amazing, and I can wait to make another lot with different fruits. I'm thinking maybe watermelon and mango, or perhaps using rasberries and Charlie's old fashioned pink lemonade! Endless possibilities...

Commence.

So i've decided to start a blog. Like a proper one. 

Somewhere where I can share creations and things that inspire me, in the hopes that I can inspire you too. 

Bear with me as I get started, and please let me know what you think, your opinion will be greatly appreciated.

I suppose all thats left to say is thank you, and I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship.