We love neon!

Left image Erena Te Paa (me) and right image my house via alotwithalittle.com

This is me, Erena and thats an arco lamp I painted for my living room makeover.  You don't normally see me in person on the blog but Mereana and I were playing dress ups one day and she snapped this photo of me at her place in one of my favourite colour combinations.  Neon yellow and white.  It's a fresh look and this kind of yellow always brightens my mood.  The white helps to make everything more vibrant creating a stop traffic kind of Pow!  I bought this crop top from a store called Dotti.  If the truth be told it's actually 2 sizes too big for me but I don't like clingy things and I think it still works - it was also ON SALE so no surprises that I just had to get it.  The skirt I bought in Wellington at a secondhand street stall for $20.  I don't know if you can tell but it has pleating right the way around which gives it a little formality and adds a certain retro great gatsby vibe - I actually used it for a gatsby inspired photoshoot I styled recently.

Naturally this colour combination inspired the post as I am more than a bit obsessed with neon accents and namely fluoro yellow neon at the moment, can you tell...

Left image: via  undeclaredpanache.com & right image: via cocokelley.com

I love love love the dress above. The neon limey yellow accent draped along the lower skirt is to die for. I think perhaps the most intriguing thing is the fact that the designer has paired this with a very nude muted palette.  Which if I'd only heard about the dress from just a description I just couldn't envisage it working but clearly it works so well and it gives the dress an edge.  I love bright yellow accents in any space - I did it at my own place with the arco lamp that I painted and it works really well in the eclectic style interior above. 

Left image: via  foxxfoe.blogspot.com & right image: via freshome.com

Fluoro yellow is an of the moment kind of trend and its not something you'll want to throw on everyday but it really does leave other colours in the dust.  I mean why just have a white mini shirt dress when you could have a fluoro yellow mini shirt dress and why just have a white cabinet when you could have a white and fluoro coloured cabinet.  Its just so refreshing.

Left image: via  vogue.com & right image: via desiretodecorate.com

A clawfoot bath in fluoro green is such a great idea for injecting modernity into your space which is especially great if you favour modern spaces while your partner might love vintage pieces.  There is always a way to find balance and merge the two, love it! 

Image via milkfarmroad.com

I couldn't end this post without showing you a simple DIY effect you can do at home.  Dipped bottles, utensils, plates (you name it, if it is tangible you can dip it).  I am definitely trying this one at my place very soon when I take on the kitchen! Simply take your item and proceed to dip it, dip it good, di-dip it real good (note the Salt & Pepa reference) but head to milkfarmroad to get all dipped out with this style tip.

Til next time

The faux show

Fur throw over bed end - pic by favim.com

I am in love with faux fur!  Sometimes I get a really strong sense for a trend and after styling a shoot recently I had that 'I want it' moment with faux fur.  It was a fur stole to be exact but the model happened to be wearing a vintage dress of mine for this particular shot and that dress combined with the photographers 'prop' - a faux fur stole just took it to a whole other level. so I've been in love with the idea of faux fur ever since.  So much so that I've dedicated this whole post to it!

Fur capelet by kollabora.com

Faux fur in an interior sense (or faux anything) is always hard to get right as it can come off looking too fake or just plain inappropriate for the setting.  I think the key to getting above this wee challenge in any case is always to go for quality and that doesn't necessarily mean spending exorbitant prices from a high-end boutique but merely thinking outside the box, looking in secondhand stores or online auction sites.  If you were wanting to create your own  faux fur stole for instance, just visit any second hand store for a fur collared jacket and choose one that would be easy to disassemble the collar from the jacket as often this is easy to do.  See the tutorial I have posted below from Transient Expression.

Fur collar tutorial and image from transientexpression.com

How to transform a jacket with a faux fur collar tutorial

Fur collars are so luxe - so they can really take what would otherwise be a non differential jacket or dress to something that oozes interest and sophistication. They also photograph well.  I especially love the idea of contrasting textures - as in leather and fur.  We are coming into Winter here so I'm always looking at ways to make the transition cheaply (as in using what I have) while giving people a new perspective.  This year that new perspective might just be a faux fur collar or accent.

Image by creatorsofdesire.com

Leopard accents - image by luxereport.blogspot.com

I love these leopard print accents above.  I think the interior designer has done a great job of staying under the line of being too OTT by keeping everything from the lampshades to the furniture both light, sleek and modern so that the personality of the print can shine.

Cosy fur bedspread and image by nikjillb.blogspot.com

Despite the fact that one of the bedside lamps is on the bend in the pic above (only just noticed this!) I really like (again) that everything is white and light in the bedroom above and yet the faux fur animal print bed spread gives it a warm, inviting and interesting feel.  Imagine how much colder the room could feel without it!  We have a guest room that gets no light during the day so everything is going to be light and white but I'm worried about the room looking cold, so this is great inspiration for that bedroom!

Image by candycake12.blogspot.com

In fashion, as with interiors.  One solid contrasting colour (think black, white, red) is all you need and then your faux fur jacket, throw or collar will do the rest.  I mean, how chic does this woman look in all black and leopard.  This kind of look never gets old in my book.  Actually this also demonstrates another tip, that if you want to look coordinated from top to toe, try matching your shoe to an accent colour that you're wearing, (the less predictable the better).  She has chosen the nutty brown of the middle of the leopard print to accent in her heels.  She could have gone black but I love the contrast here.

In a funny coincidence, my husband and I are trying to declutter 10 years worth of personal belongings and we uncovered a shaggy fur throw from 5 years ago that I fell out of love with but you'll be pleased to know I am so in love with it again.  I guess because we are in a new place but I can see so many new possibilities for it in our interior space so 'it stays'.

Til next time, go faux!

Made from scratch

Recycled grain sack chair, seatbelt cushion - pic from livingetc.com, doily dress from etsy.com

I'm a creative soul and so I thought I would celebrate a skill that is dear to my heart.  Some call it upcycling others call it recycling, DIY even and if you were a New Zealander you'd call it good old Kiwi ingenuity.

To turn something that had a life served as something else, be it a seatbelt or a coffee sack or a doily - and then transform it into something that is not only useable but stylish, functional and flattering for the home or for you is a feat to be commended.

I guess it's all about seeing beyond what is

   Suitcase table pic from bywilma.com

And seeing what it could be

Recycled pallet office staircase image from decoist.com

Chalkboard splashback interior pic by camillestyles.com

Pallet daybed image from decoist.com

Decoupage french sidetable image from fitasebabados.blogspot.com

Wakefield chandelier from Pottery Barn - image from indulgy.com

Upcycled summer house made from old windows - image from retromania.co.nz

From a fashion perspective - the term that best describes this type of creative experimentation is upcycling.

The reason behind this can be to give something old a modern touch,  to save some moolah or to be eco-friendly and use what you already have.

Being able to recreate the wheel in the fashion sense gives you creative license to make something uber original and flattering to your shape because you are manipulating it to your style and tastes.

Recreating a Prada trend with spray paint and black pumps - image from psimadethis.com

DIY dip-dyed hair - image from tessted.com

Transformed black dress - image by psimadethis.com

As you can see creativity knows no bounds and I admire the skill and foresight that goes into making something ordinary extraordinary.

I wouldn't be me if I didn't give you a couple of vid tutorials to have a go at at home, one requires long hair and some serious 'mirror time' and the other just requires a rainy day - like it is here today!

Doily lamp - image by blossomvintage.com

To make this amazing lamp at home head here for instructions:

Emily Lizzy's doily lamp tutorial

DIY bow bun by Mr Kate 

Try this bow bun, it's pretty cool and whatsmore Mr Kate is really fun to watch!

Have a good week everyone and next time you're looking at those naff curtains, or that old hideous scarf in your wardrobe think outside the square - it might just need some creative juices to be fabulous once more.

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