A customised Cushion...

I love a good craft project, granted I'm not great at it and have been known to hem trousers using industrial parcel tape. But I do like to make and do presents for my friends, don't worry I'm not going to teach you how to make a sock bunny (although they are always fun) today's craft comes to you via a primark shopping bag.

And before you ask ladies I'm not talking about the paper brown ones that inevitably break as soon as you leave because 'you only popped in for black tights and seem to have bought three tops, two pairs of jeans and a pack of hair bobbles and forgot 120 denier tights' . I'm talking about the cotton ones that you have to buy when the paper ones break. They normally have quite cool patterns on like this.

So it is a cool shopping bag but it does say primark on it. So I thought I would make it into a cushion for my friend. Here is a step by step guide on how to make it.

To make it look more fun I sewed buttons onto the headlights and wing mirrors. As the bag has patterns on both sides I mixed up the colours. As the number plate said Primark I used one of thd handles and sewed Bella on each piece and then sewed it too the bag.

Once you have done this cut down the side of the bag (neater than I did) so you have pieces like this.

I then pinned the edges along each side like this

I then used a sewing machine to sew down all four sides, I sewed the sides inside out.

Once you have sewn each side leave a small gap to add your stuffing and fill your cushion. I used some stuffing that I already had but it should be available in all good haberdashery shops (ALWAYS wanted to say that)

Ok so here is where my craft skills come into question. Once you have stuffed your cushion you will be left with a gap, as I'm not great at craft I don't really know what to do here other than to hand stich it which is what I did. It's not great but I did it at the bottom so I figure no-one will see. (Shh don't tell anyone) If there are any budding crafters reading this then please let me know how to do this bit.

And here is the finished cushion....Ta-dah

Oh and proper Blue Peter moment but here is one I made earlier.

Same technique and a canvas bag from primark.

I would love to know what you think?

Gemma xx

Birthday fête....

This weekend I went to Bournemouth to see my very good friend Bella. Bella is totally opposite to me but I think that's what makes us such good friends, she is also the type of friend I can speak to everyday or not speak too for 6 months and we pick up exactly where we left each other. Bella and I went travelling to South East Asia a few years ago and we had the best time. Bella taught me that it's ok to make fun of yourself and that you can pretty much eat marmite with everything. So as the sun came out her boyfriend had organised an amazing surprise and turned their garden into a mini fête.

The games went down a treat, shots for the grown ups if they won and haribo prizes for the kids. It was a really fun to play these games and a lovely surprise for Bella (who is actually turning 27 but is the biggest kid I know)

I have decided to add on a little outfit post onto the end of this post as I'm not brave enough yet to dedicate a whole post to what I am wearing, so here goes.... *I haven't quite mastered the art of gracefully posing for photos yet, see below! Eyes shut, looking down and squinting, but check out this hilarious male fashion blogger Stu who has written a post on doing just this.

Head scarf home-made

Vest -New Look

Denim Shirt-Next

Jeans and Scarf -Primark

Shoes-Peacocks

I hope you had a lovely Saturday!

Gemma xxx

My Skin and Blister (sister)

This weekend was my sisters 30th birthday. We have pretty much been celebrating for the last week. Francesca (my sister) and I haven't really been in each others' lives all that much, a combination of her heading to university at 18 meant that we haven't lived within the vicinity of each other for about 12 years. That has changed recently as she made a big move and packed up her whole life and moved from Liverpool to Brighton and now lives about 5 minutes from my house.

Birthday girl having breakfast

Now Francesca will agree with me that we haven't always got on. We did try to play nicely as children (which normally wouldn't last long) and with only 18 months between us we constantly competed. I can still remember us watching Sweet Valley High and wondering if when we were grown ups we would have an Elizabeth and Jessica type relationship. Francesca and I are just very different, which we are both learning as adults that it's no bad thing. Francesca is very tidy and extremely organised. I am neither. She will wear heels that would give most people vertigo. I am more of a flats kind of girl. She will happily wear red tights to work because they make her happy and you will normally find her talking loudly on the phone.

She is also really kind, will always send letters, she can pretty much spell everything in the dictionary. (and will often make me feel like I am sitting my English GCSE) She is one of the nicest warm hearted people I know. She is fiercely loyal to all of her friends and they mean the world to her. Since she has moved near to me I feel truly blessed that she is a daily part of my life and I get to share my grown up life with her. If we didn't get on as children we are certainly making up for it now. Elizabeth and Jessica have nothing on us!

I wanted to share some photos of her birthday weekend 5 days with you, I hope you enjoy!

Karaoke on a school night (taken at about 1.30am)

Little Red Riding Hood

Me, Alice in Wonderland and Tinkerbell

Prince Charming and Captin Hook

For her party night out she had a Once Upon a Time Theme....I am the pumpkin from Cinderella (Obviously). On Sunday she had a party for all her friends and our family which was lovely.

Amazing cakes and our little niece Alice, her cake fell on the floor about two seconds after this was taken. For her 30th Birthday I wanted people to make some wishes for her. So I bought 10 red balloons and everyone who came on sunday wrote wishes on luggage labels of what they wished for her. We then read the wishes and let the balloons go on the beach. This idea was inspired by a really lovely blog called I love my house. We then went down to the beach and let the balloons go so the wishes would come true. The pictures we took were inspired by my friend Anna. She writes a beautiful blog for her sisters called Skin and Blister. Check it out they have a really lovey sisterhood.

Our Grandad making a Birthday wish

This is my favourite picture of the whole weekend, she looks so happy.

We had lots of fun despite the freezing cold British weather.

Did you have a funfilled bank holiday weekend?

Gemma xxx

#stylememay

Hello ladies,

I bring style news of the upmost importance. You are going to want to hear this! Back in March I took part in a style challenge called #stylememarch on instagram. It was set up by the most stylish stylist I virtually know. Miss Hilary Rushford from Dean St Society you can read her blog here. Hilary's style mantra is very simple! It's about being the best version of yourself you can be! You don't have to have an amazing designer wardrobe, just the confidence to wear a little lipstick now and again or a really pretty nail polish. Why not rock it like a rockstar or pull off Parisian Chic with a little red hat and a stripy t-shirt. I have included some pictures from my style me march so you can see how much fun it was!

Parisian chic, (so this was actually a fancy dress party but I think I pulled it off quite well)
Dots or stripes (I went with dots as I own A LOT of clothing with polka dots)

Sexy (I couldn't go sexy for work so figured I could be sexy under my work clothes and no one would know (apart from the you know, the internet)

Here comes the really exciting part, StyleMe is back in a big way! Below is the challenge for the darling month if May, I give to you #stylememay.

So ladies get yourselves 'twirling' in whatever you fancy, like the poster says wear, try and be! Also the lovely girls I met from style me March are all taking part again so check them out on instagram using this hash tag #stylememay or follow/find us on twitter. Hilary has a list of bloggers taking part here It really is a fun experience and it's like giving your wardrobe a fresh look.
I do hope you can join us :)
Gemma xx

The Grand Old Duke of York....(with an outfit thrown in for good measure)

A few weeks ago I went to the Duke of York cinema in Brighton, I love going to the cinema but the fact that the DOY is an old fashioned cinema with loads of history it kind of makes it more fun and less commercial. You can find out the history here (if you are interested in old cinemas. :) 

Taken with instagram, you can find me on @gembig

When we arrived we were met by this lovely couple who had just got married.  I love a good wedding and this vintage one looked like it was going to be lots of fun. I love that her heart shaped bouquet matches her hair, shoes and balloons. And the Mr was in keeping with the colour scheme as his cravat and pocket hankie were red and turquoise. 

So we went to see Headhunters which was actually really good, I didn't know anything about it and we both had a moment as it started and whispered down the line ''did you know it was going to be subtitles?" oops no! But we both really enjoyed it and I found it quite similar to the Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson.

As it wasn't raining I wore my newish jeans that I keep avoiding wearing because I don't know what to wear with them. I teamed them with a navy vest and this little primark cardigan that I found a few weeks ago.  I am trying to add a bit of fun and colour into my wardrobe and trying really hard to step out of my comfort zone of boring black clothes. 

the whole outfit is from Primark

I don't have a helper/photographer/boyfriend  as such to take my photos so I'm doing the classic 'I'm trying not to look at the camera while I take my own photo in a mirror look pose'  for the next outfit post I will try enlist my housemates to help. 

And after a busy Saturday afternoon what better way to chill on the sofa and play along with the voice. Our sofa is waay to big to turn around, we found this way much more fun!! 

Hope you had a lovely weekend, what did you get up too?   

Gemma xx

A Beautiful Beginning...

A beautiful beginning...

It all started on a rainy Easter holidays Tuesday, I found myself in the shiny apple shop in Brighton. I love apple products. I love the smiley helpful staff and the new-ness and streamline computers, the various I products and everything else that goes with it. It's the same feeling you I get when I am in WH Smith and look at new books and stationery and get excited about a new sharpie pen colour that I don't own....Just me? 

Well anyway, I bought myself a shiny new iPad3. Yes I did! & in a Carrie Bradshaw Sex & the City kind of way I thought, new iPad, new start and a new blog. I'd like a Jennifer Hudson type assistant to turn down my invites to parties and organise my wardrobe but we aren't quite there yet.

I digress.  I have wanted to write a blog for a really long time.  I had a brief attempt at one a few years back but I felt it was more like a tamagotchi that I had to keep feeding in order to keep it alive rather than something I felt really passionate about. I want my posts to start with 'Guess what I wore on Saturday night' instead of 'I'm really sorry I haven’t posted in ages'... I read so many blogs that I love for all different reasons. In my opinion you cannot beat a blog with a good outfit post, anything to do with make and do, baking and anything that involves a new product and a bargain outfit!

Anyway this blog will be more of a place I can share pictures, (lots of pictures) thoughts and general musings of what I like and find pretty. Primrose was the name of my sisters doll when we were growing up and I like all things pretty. I'm Gemma by the way, virtual Hi coming your way! 

So if you fancy joining me get yourself comfy grab a brew and have a little peek.