The Up-Cycle Project: The Perfect Errand Bag, the V Neck Dress of My Dreams and a Furry Surprise | Zafira
Hey!
So, it’s been a while. It’s so been so long in fact that we’ve rejoiced a new year and are already somehow halfway through January. I hope you all had the loveliest start to your new year and are slowly but surely getting out of that post-holiday slump.
Anyway, I made a few New Years resolutions and shared them on a post over on Instagram and one of them was to stop shopping and make more of my own clothes.
This is definitely one of those things that are easier said than done because making your own clothes requires many skills and a whole lot of practice. However, much like photography, I can 10000% say that clothes are a passion of mine and in order to understand the process a bit more, I have to start right from the very beginning.
My mum is the most talented tailor to have ever graced this Earth. She’s made me the curtains in my room, quilts and a bunch of clothes so I’m taking a few tips and tricks from her and obviously, some handy dandy YouTube tutorials to educate myself on my new found hobby.
What is up-cycling you may ask? Up-cycling is where you take products and turn them into something else. I know that a lot of vintage/thrift stores do this such as Cow and Blue Rinse so I wanted to see for myself what sorts of things I could make out of neglected clothes.
V Neck Black Dress
I think we should probably start with my absolute favourite thing in my wardrobe right now which is this black v neck dress.
You’re either 1, too focused on my amazing top underneath to care or 2, asking why this boring old thing is my favourite out of all the contents of my wardrobe. This is top stunning, I dream about it every night and I will be wearing this every day for the rest of my life but I’m planning to do a whole other post about this top and some more stuff very soon!
So back to the dress, I think something like this is fundamental in a person’s wardrobe. Especially if you’re trying to be a bit more conscious about stopping shopping. A dress like this can be worn and styled in so many different ways. I get incredibly excited thinking about the endless possibilities.
I thought this would be a lot more difficult to make but it really wasn’t. I began by sketching out my V neck on the front and back. I did make the V a lot deeper in the back so measuring all of that and making sure it was somewhat even was a little bit of a challenge since numbers and I do not get along. I made the dress slightly shorter by decreasing material from what is now the straps of the dress and then finally hemmed all the raw edges.
You can see here that I’ve styled it with this top with big sleeves which is basically a piece of art (again, I’ll get into everything about this beauty in another post) but I would wear this with pretty much anything you can put on the top half of your body. A plain white tee, a turtleneck, a blouse, a white shirt, like I said, endless possibilities.
The perfect ‘i’m just heading out to run some errands’ bag.
Honestly, I’m not much of a bag person. I either carry my tote bag with my favourite painting of all time on which is ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’ by John Singer Sargent or my basic but ever so handy Kanken black backpack.
When it comes to bags, I’m more on the practical side versus it looking pretty on my shoulder. Two things I always carry around with me are my camera and a water bottle so I knew when making this bag, it would have to be a decent size and not miniature like a Jacquemus Le Chiquito Mini Bag.
This bag is definitely a little on the smaller side than what I’m used to but I can still fit all my essentials in here and I love coordinating this bag with my ever so famous and my all time favourite pink shoes.
I think you’ll be surprised to know that this bag was once a woven mini skirt. I picked up the skirt a while ago in TK Maxx for a solid £4.99. My goodness do I love TK Maxx.
the original skirt
I really do wish I took better before shots of the skirt but here’s a little shot from my story archives.
As you can see, it’s a fitted, woven mini skirt with fringe detailing at the bottom. I can’t really say I’m much of a mini skirt wearer but this was most definitely a very cute skirt.
I have a rule where I will get rid of anything I haven’t worn in over two months. Whether that’s donating it or selling it over on my Depop. However, I did not want to part ways with this gem and I am glad I kept it and made it into something I use all the time.
The making process was fairly simple. I didn’t have to sew as much since it was a skirt but I sewed the bottom where the fringe is, cut about an inch or so off the top to keep for the straps and added a zip.
A little something extra…
I wasn’t sure I wanted to put this in with this post since it isn’t an up cycle item but it’s just too cute to leave out.
the ‘i only made this so i would have something to nap on when i go out’ bag
I never thought true love was real until I made this.
I love anything soft, most people do but this, this is like next level soft. Imagine carrying around a chinchilla with you, this bag is exactly like that.
I got the material for this bag at my new favourite shop, Abakhan, and I knew after one slight stroke that this was the material I needed. It’s so so so nice.
I think the making process of this was great, I had a lot of fun making this one.
I used one of my totes as a guideline when cutting the material. I did decrease around half an inch to an inch because I didn’t want it the same size as tote but something a bit smaller. I also made it wider horizontally which is something I prefer in bags.
I wish I lived in a less wet city or else this would be my go to accessory every single day.
I’m so excited to be starting a new series and project, thanks for reading as always!
Lots of love,
What's in My Bag? | Zafira
Hi!
I think that one of the very first YouTube beauty guru-esque videos I watched was a 'What's in My Bag' and I think I've been dying to do one ever since. A couple of months ago, I was kindly gifted the most beautiful satchel from MAHI Leather and ever since then, I've been using it pretty much everyday.
This has been my life saver since mid November. It fits everything I could possibly need for a busy day at college or even shooting. This is the Harvard Satchel in black. I decided on black because I knew that it would match my outfits a lot better than brown. It has a small compartment at the front where I dump stuff that I need easy access to so my bus pass, keys etc. It has a small zipped compartment at the back which I use occasionally but it's mainly full of receipts. Inside, there's so much space I'm sure I could fit a small child in there. It has two big compartments and then a little zipped compartment which I use for some back up film rolls, SD cards and anything else along those lines.
Here's a shot of it on film, I think it truly helps to fulfill the whole photographer aesthetic I'm aiming for. (and it matches my Doc Martens so well!)
Here's a few things I carry on a daily basis...
1. Lip balm
I don't think I ever leave the house without lip balm, even if I don't have a bag with me I'll usually slip one in my pocket. This is the watermelon flavoured lip balm from Oliver Bonas. It's smells so good, like if summer had a scent, this would totally be it. It's has such a good consistency and looks super adorable. It's my perfect lip balm.
I can only find the pomegranate one online so you can buy that here:
https://www.oliverbonas.com/gift/pomegranate-lip-balm-50676
2. Film Camera
I'm trying to get into the habit of carrying a camera around to capture memories, moments and anything cool and exciting really. I've been in love with this baby for so long now I can never seem to leave the house without it anymore. This is the Canon 300 and it most likely has a roll of the Fujifilm Superia 200 in it. I adore film. I finish college in a few weeks and I've just been trying to capture moments with my friends and they're just somewhat more special when I take them on film.
3. Lipsticks (usually about 20 shoved into the front pocket)
I don't really touch up on my makeup throughout the day but the one thing I will end up re-applying a couple of times a day is lipstick. I drink coffee a lot and my lipstick usually rubs off on the coffee cups so I'll always have a nice selection of lipsticks to re-apply. Here I have NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Rome and Budapest, Barry M Lip Paint in Genie which I don't even think I've worn yet and then an old Nina Ricci lipstick that is ancient but the colour is too pretty to throw away.
4. Mirror & Keys
This vintage mirror was actually given to me for free at a car boot sale. it's really pretty and I just love vintage items. I carry a mirror because I can't stop staring at myself and my keys are quite self explanatory. I need to them to get in and out of my house.
5. Purse
This bright mustard purse was a completely random purchase. I needed a purse so I went to TK Maxx and this Visconti purse caught my eye and I impulsively ended up buying it. I'm usually not a bright colour wearing person but something about this purse really captured my gaze.
6. Body Mist
I enjoy smelling nice so I'll have a couple of random body mists or sprays in my bag. I'm not a huge fan of carrying perfume bottles around just because they're so bulky and I'm always scared they're going to end up breaking and spilling all over my work. This So...? body mist in Fresh Floral is just a very cheap body mist I picked up in Superdrug to throw into my bag. Considering it cost under £2, it smells amazing and so clean and fresh which is something I'm always looking for in a scent.
7. Bobby Pins
The bottom of my bag consists of so many of these. No matter how hard I try to be organised and put them into little bags or pouches, they always end up escaping somehow.
8. SD Card & USB Stick
I think most students carry USB sticks with them, it's just very handy when saving work. Since I do photography as a subject at college, an SD card is a necessity but also great when I'm out and about shooting. Just like the bobby pins, there's usually so many just piling up at the bottom of my bag.
8. Pencil Case
As a photography, English Language and English Literature student, there is never not a moment where I don't need a pen or some sort of writing/drawing material. I got this pencil case a couple of years ago in Wilkos.
9. Hand Cream
I think I wash my hands more than anyone ever should. I wash my hands before and after everything I do and they always end up feeling pretty dry. This is the Zoella Wonder Hand Mosturising Hand Cream and it's okay. I was using one that I picked up at TK Maxx which was my absolute fave but that ran out a few days ago and this is just my back up for now.
10. A Book (sometimes several)
I used to be a huge book worm but these days, I can't seem to find the time or patience to read. However, there are moments when I feel like reading and it's just very handy to have a book in my bag just so I'm not completely bored. I wanted to start reading more of the cult classics and I thought 1984 was a pretty good place to start. Since I'm a literature student, I'm usually carrying books that we're studying alongside whatever I'm reading in my own time too.
11. Sunglasses
I'm aware that currently in the UK, the mini Beast from the East has hit us and it's covered in snow outside, but sunglasses are such a perfect accessory for any and every outfit. It's just handy to have them in case the sun decides to come out of hiding or to complete my look for that particular day. These are some very cheap sunnies from Primark that I've had for years.
12. Glasses
So I'm a bit blind. I've been wearing glasses on and off since I was 3 and they're a necessity because I'm short sighted and can usually never see anything. These have a very grandma vibe which is something I'm quite liking at the minute. These are from Specsavers.
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