Le Blog de Sushi

I ♥ your look: Eve Delf

2012-03-20T19:14:00.005+11:00

Usually I feature bloggers in the 'I love your look' posts but these photos of British model Eve Delf snapped after the Ruffian A/W show by Vanessa Jackman really caught my eye. The more I look at the details, the more inspiring I find Eve's outfit and makeup to be. I have a sudden urge to find myself the perfect red lipstick! Vanessa Jackman commented that Eve reminded her of a modern day snow white, which I think captures this look perfectly.

Images courtesy of vanessajackman.blogspot.com.au

P.S. I have just updated my blog shop tonight, so there's now over 30 items up for sale. You can use the code 'easterbunny' to get 25% off your order for the next two weeks!

DIY: heart shaped elbow patches

2012-03-15T21:40:00.001+11:00

It's been a long time since I've done or featured a DIY, which is something I definitely miss having on my blog. Making heart shaped elbow patches to update a few of my old cardigans and jumpers is something I've been planning to try out for a while now.

I found two great tutorials on how to do this kind of DIY from other bloggers; a more advanced one from Erica for those who are more crafty, and a simpler version from Bonnie, which looks just as nice. And there's always the option of just purchasing a ready made heart elbow patch jumper if you scroll down to the bottom of this post!

You’ll need:
♥ a wool sweater
♥ a 36 gauge felting needle
♥ a piece of dense foam cut to size or needle mat
♥ some wool roving
♥ a 3″ heart cookie cutter
♥ an iron

With the sweater on, place a piece of tape about half an inch below the elbow. Do the same with the opposite elbow. Remove the sweater and insert the foam block into one of the sleeves.

Align and center the bottom of the cookie cutter along the top of the tape. Pinch off a few tufts of wool roving.

Fill the cutter, spreading out the wool fibers evenly.

At the base of all felting needles are tiny, sharp burrs, which grab and interlock the wool fibers. While holding the needle vertically, repeatedly stab it into the wool roving and through the sweater. Work around the outer perimeter of the cutter first and then work my way inwards. Important tip: To prevent breaking the needle, always keep the needle upright and never at an angle.

Remove the cutter and use the tip of the needle to reign in any stray fibers. Don’t worry about the holes as they will be fixed later. Patch up any bare or uneven spots by adding more wool roving where needed.

Carefully peel the sweater away from the foam. Notice that the fibers have transferred through to the backside of the sweater. To smooth and set the patch, spritz with water and press with an iron on the wool setting.

Repeat the same steps on the other sleeve and you're done!

Images and DIY steps courtesy of honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-elbow-patch

You’ll need:

♥ a wool sweater
♥ 1/2 yard of felt (any color you want)

♥ a pair of sharp scissors
♥ a needle, thread, sewing chalk and sewing pins

Mark the place on each elbow where you want the patch to be with tape or a pin. Take the piece and fold it in half. Put a pin at 7 inches (half the width of the sleeve) to ensure you don't cut the heart wider than the sleeve is.

Use sewing chalk to draw half a heart onto the felt with the center at the fold, then cut out. This half heart method ensures both sides are perfectly even.

Trace around the first heart onto the remaining felt fabric and then cut. Place one of the heart patches over the sleeve of the sweater to make sure it's a good size for the sleeve. Next, use the sewing pins to pin the heart patches onto the elbow marks you made earlier. To make sure the patches are even on both sides, measure from the bottom of the heart to the end of the sleeve.

Thread your needle and sew around the edges of the heart patch, securing it to the sleeve. Repeat on the other side.

And the finished product!

Images courtesy of bonnielovescake.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/diy-heart-shaped-elbow-pads.html

For those who are short on time or not a DIY enthusiast, there's this cute option available from Asos. It comes in black with tan elbow patches or cream with pink elbow patches and is $57.00.

ASOS Jumper With Heart Elbow Patch $57.00 | available here

Forever New: Northern Lights

2012-03-12T19:24:00.002+11:00

Last week Forever New released their first Autumn/Winter collection for this season, named Northern Lights. With all the cuddly cable knit, pom poms, fur trimmings and touches of burgundy, this is my favourite collection from Forever New so far. Luckily the launch date of the collection coincided with my birthday, so I had some extra funds to splurge on a few of my favourites. Below are my picks from Northern Lights (and no, I didn't purchase the whole shebang!).

Theola cable knit scarf | Miranda satchel | Lauren cable knit jumper | Natalie prom skirt | Brissa textured ring | Pippa bow headband | Emma tweed shorts | Pom pom fingerless gloves | Willow faux fur tote | Rebecca faux fur vest | Heart basket bag | Nicole glomesh purse | Mollina peeptoe heels

Cream & mustard

2012-03-08T21:55:00.002+11:00

Here's a work outfit post I took photos of a few weeks ago before my blogging break. I was joined in the car park by this cute cat, who was very shy at first but then insisted in wrapping itself around my legs while I took photos. I'm also happy to see a new collection being launched at Forever New this week because I've been making do with two work outfits for the past couple of weeks and am thoroughly sick of both of them now! Favourite picks from the new collection are to come.

Forever New Helena sweater | Forever New Alicia dress | Forever New belt | YSL inspired ring via eBay | Forever New Ollie mini backpack | Cotton On ankle socks | Rubi Seega booties

Goodbye, February

2012-03-06T20:05:00.003+11:00

I'm back from my hiatus. Things are a bit different than before but I'm returning to blogging because it's something positive and creative for me to concentrate on. Since I've been gone, I've upgraded my camera to a Canon EOS 450D and am in the process of learning how to use it. I've also gone back to studying part time, having started a Master of Fashion and Textiles as of last week!

Images courtesy of weheartit.com/leblogdesushi

2012-02-18T08:12:00.005+11:00

Sometimes real life gets in the way.

True romantic

2012-02-11T20:00:00.007+11:00

This is the last set of photos I took for the Betts 5 Ways to Wear project, where I styled the Dixie wedges in five different looks. This one's quite sweet and romantic, so perfect timing for Valentines day! Speaking of which, I've created a Valentines day special for my blog shop so you can get 20% off everything until the 18th February with the code 'mypresent'.

Forever New plaited headband | Boater hat via eBay | Lover 'Lula' lace bustier romper | French kitty angora blend cardi | Betts 'Dixie' wedges in bone

Romwe favourites

2012-02-08T20:52:00.004+11:00

I just wanted to share some of my favourite things that I've received from Romwe, one of the lovely sponsors of my blog. Unfortunately, most of these are no longer available on their site as things sell out super quickly, but you can still buy the peter pan collar dress in the first photo!

Also, a quick thank you to Tuolomee and Cocorosa for featuring me on their blogs recently as part of their 5 blogs that I love and Top 10 fashion blogger website designs posts. I follow both of these girls myself and their blogs are definitely worth adding to your list if you're looking for new reading material.

Romwe peter pan collar dress | Romwe striped sun dress | Romwe giftbox keyring in rose gold | Romwe bobble ring | Romwe knitted snood & matching mittens | Romwe pearl collar | Romwe boucle shorts

Also, I've added more items to my blogshop today, including jewellery starting at $10.00!

Backpacker

2012-02-05T20:25:00.004+11:00

Eeek I just checked my blog and realised I hadn't updated in five days, whereas I thought it had only been two or three! Today some of our old furniture which was left back in Adelaide for the past year was delivered to us in Melbourne. It's so nice to have my dressing table again!

As for this outfit, the cute romper was a gift from Club Couture a while ago but I've only just found the time to wear it. I've also been using my new mustard backpack in place of my regular bag this week. It's a pain to get into when you need something in a hurry, but the straps are convertible so I can just turn it into a satchel when I've had enough back-packing.

Houndstooth romper C/O Club Couture | Forever New shirt | Forever New Ollie mini backpack | YSL inspired ring via eBay | Rubi Seega wedge booties

January shopping list

2012-01-31T09:40:00.004+11:00

Since returning from my trip to Adelaide, I've been sticking to my new years resolution of buying a lot less. I've also had a good look at the things that end up in the to sell/donate pile and have realised that the bulk of it is from online purchases that end up being the wrong size, colour, fabric, shape, etc.

So I've decided to cut down on my online purchasing and, wherever possible, to try on or at least see the item in store/on someone else before making the decision to buy. I've also unsubscribed from a lot of newsletters from online stores and deal sites such as Brands Exclusive as these often lead to impulse purchases!

Asos hand knitted mini scarf | Forever New Ollie mini backpack | French Connection raindrop mittens | Seafolly Sophia boyleg maillot | Modcloth All A-boat You bag | Forever New Helena sweater | Forever New Alicia dress (shown as skirt) | Romwe peter pan collar dress | Small bunny night lamp | Romwe pearl collar | Eggling mini plant in Lavender

P.S. I've added some new items to my blog shop!

Current/Elliott Spring 2012

2012-01-26T13:15:00.002+11:00

Having a lazy day off today and getting a bit of blog post organising done as well as adding some new items to my blog shop (check back later tonight!). I've also tweaked my blog layout to make the content section wider, something I've been thinking about doing for a while now. Did you notice the difference? Yay for more space and larger photos of the adorable Current/Elliott Spring 2012 photoshoot! Now excuse me while I go and hunt down a pair of saddle shoes...

Images courtesy of refinery29.com

I ♥ your look: The Tragic Sense

2012-01-22T22:54:00.007+11:00

Hi lovelies, I'm now back from my holiday! I was looking forward to sharing my holiday snaps and some outfit photos with my sister with you, but when I went to transfer the images off of my camera the other night I found that they had somehow deleted themselves. Very disappointing, though on the bright side one set of photos on a different memory card survived so I'll post those ones soon.

Now as for the lovely girl featured in this I ♥ Your Look post, I first came across Jessica of The Tragic Sense on lookbook.nu and am now an avid reader of her blog. Her winter outfits and gorgeous, vintage-looking photography are really inspiring and make me look forward to autumn even more.

For a while now I've been meaning to introduce a little shop the look collage for each I ♥ Your Look post, so here's the first one. At $36.00 I'm thinking the cute dress would be a perfect addition to my winter dress collection (it's so hard to find a nice dress with sleeves!) and would be easy to match with what I already have in my wardrobe.

Romwe peter pan collar dress | Topshop 50 denier opaque tights | Modcloth 'On Willoughby Street' booties | Modcloth 'My name is Pearl' fingerless gloves | Romwe retro camera shaped satchel

A place to call my own

2012-01-16T19:38:00.000+11:00

I find it really difficult living in a small apartment at times. Things seem to be constantly piling up, spilling out and just taking up too much room. I find it therapeutic to de-clutter the rooms of my apartment, with most of the cast-offs going to the second hand shop and a few making it into my blog shop. I'm usually left feeling a bit guilty about all the things I buy that are never put to good use, so one of my resolutions this year is to buy less and give away more.

I love seeing how other people make the best of their living spaces and of course before and after photos are great inspiration when freshening up my own home. I was particularly impressed by how the owner of this not-so-glamorous hunting cabin turned it into dream Victorian-inspired cottage. She scoured garage sales and second hand stores to find all the furnishings and finishing touches needed to complete the $3000 project and now uses the cottage in the forest as her own personal little retreat.

Images courtesy of nytimes.com

Meghan Collison for Vogue Russia

2012-01-13T18:38:00.003+11:00

I love the styling and hair/makeup in this editorial, featuring the gorgeous Meghan Collison. Why have I not seen her in anything before? She has a stunning look. I'll be back in less than a week now! It'll be so nice to have the internet again...

Images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Subtle colour blocking

2012-01-11T19:21:00.002+11:00

Here's my fourth and second to last look featuring the Dixie wedges from the Betts 5 Ways to Wear project. I tried a bit of subtle colour blocking by pairing a pink blouse with this red flared skirt I received from Romwe a while ago... and added some hearts for good measure!

♥ Dotti ruffle front blouse
♥ Pleated swing skirt C/O Romwe | available here
♥ eBay double layer petticoat

♥ Forever New heart print tights

♥ 'Dixie' wedges in bone C/O Betts | available here

Goodbye, December

2012-01-08T19:34:00.000+11:00

Here's a little photo collage from my We Heart It account with a collection of photos inspired by December and Christmas. Goodbye December and hello 2012! Also, a big thank you to all you lovely readers for following my blog this past year ♥

Images courtesy of weheartit.com/leblogdesushi

Ashbury Skies review

2012-01-05T18:00:00.001+11:00

This giveaway is kindly sponsored by Ashbury Skies, an independent San Francisco-based online shoe store stocking a hand picked range of designers such as Dolce Vita, Madison Harding, Haus of Price and Jeffrey Campbell. When visiting their website I noticed it looks very professional and is easy to navigate, with each product page including useful information such as heel height, fit of shoe, materials and size chart, plus a quote from the shoe's designer about the style.

After some deliberation over which shoes to purchase, I settled on the Madison Harding 'Rita' ankle boots as a) I could probably walk in them without too much trouble, and b) they look quite versatile. I'm usually size AUS/US 7.5 in shoes, which can make it tricky when they don't come in half sizes. The Ashbury Skies site suggests that this shoes runs true to size so as I like to wear socks and tights a lot I purchased a size 8.

Checking out was very straight forward and there is the option to send your order to different addresses is needed, which is useful if you want to do a split order with friends. I could choose from regular shipping via USPS (4-10 working days) or priority shipping via Federal Express (1-4 business days). As I didn't need the shoes in a rush I chose free regular mail by using the code 'freeship11', which saved me $38.00 in postage. On the next page the payment methods to choose from were PayPal or credit card, and I received a confirmation email immediately after completing checkout. I was very pleased when I received an email the following afternoon with a tracking number notifying me that my order had been shipped already.

I received my order five days after it was posted and was required to sign for it. It arrived safely in a sturdy cardboard box sealed with Ashbury Skies tape. Inside the shoes were well wrapped and stuffed so that they were protected and kept their shape during transit. An invoice was also enclosed in a bright orange envelope, which added a nice touch as it tied in very nicely with the colours of the website.

The first thing I noticed when taking the boots out of the box was that they were quite a lot darker than in the photographs on the Ashbury Skies website. The boots are a dark chocolate brown in person, while in the stock photos they look more like a medium chestnut brown, as you can see below. The Madison Harding boots are gorgeous in person and look well-made. The suede is very soft, they fit true to size, and are actually very easy to walk in!

♥ High quality products

♥ Free regular shipping worldwide with excellent packaging

♥ Very fast order processing

♥ Choice of PayPal or credit card for payment method

♥ 40 day period to return/exchange items
♥ All orders come with tracking number

- May be some variation in product colours

All in all, my shopping experience with Ashbury Skies was a very positive one and I'd definitely be happy to order from them again. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you very soon.

Giveaway winners & blog shop!

2012-01-03T19:25:00.002+11:00

I'm going away for two weeks as of tomorrow (better start packing!) and before I go I'm very excited to announce the winners of the Christmas giveaway! The winners are:
♥ Forever New heart basket bag: The Lust Laboratory
♥ Flaunt silk pleated dress: Daria P.
♥ Club Couture signature tank top & $50.00 voucher: Harakun Bedivere
♥ Ashbury Skies $100.00 gift voucher: Tuolomee
♥ Romwe $80.00 gift voucher: Just Like a True Star
♥ Sunglasses Shop £50.00 gift voucher: Nichelle

Congratulations to all six of you! I've already emailed you with details on how to claim your prizes. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and helped spread the word by tweeting.

I've been organised enough to schedule some blog posts to go live while I'm away. Also, I'm introducing a new feature to my blog this year, which is my very own blog shop! You can easily access it by clicking on the 'Shop my closet' link in the navigation bar.

Of course I ship worldwide and accept PayPal and Australian Bank Deposit as payment methods. There are about fifteen things listed at the moment (clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty products, etc) and I'll be adding more when I get back. My internet access will be quite limited for the next two weeks so please be patient if you're waiting on a reply to an email or message.

I'm giving my blog followers 15% off everything in my blog shop until the end of January just for being a Facebook fan! Just like my page and click on the 'Shop my closet' link in the Facebook sidebar to access the discount code. Well that's all for now so au revoir and see you in two weeks ♥

2011 in review

2012-01-01T15:46:00.002+11:00

So it's the start of another year. I always find that the beginning of a new year leaves me feeling anxious, like I'm leaving something important behind and running out of time to do the things I want to do. I worry so much about the things I thought I should have done by now that it's hard to be content with my life as it is. Yesterday I came across a quote which really stuck in my mind; it said the reason we find it so hard to be happy with our lives is the gap between our expectations and reality.

I've been thinking a lot about this and have come to the conclusion that one of the best things I can do this year is thoroughly sort through the ever-growing list of expectations set by myself and others and just let go of the ones that are making me unhappy. This, as well as making an effort every day to be thankful for what I have rather than wishing for what I don't, are part of my resolutions this year.

Now for those who came here to see some pretty pictures, I give you 2011 in review, starting from December and working back. It was actually really nice to go back through each month of the year and remember some of the happy times. I hope you all had a lovely new years eve and all the best for 2012!

I ♥ your look: Gary Pepper Vintage

2011-12-30T19:55:00.001+11:00

I've been inspired this week once again by the beautiful Nicole from Gary Pepper Vintage, this time looking gorgeous in a grey sweater, pleated white skirt, cute booties and amazing Sass & Bide metal waist belt. As the original belt costs a few hundred dollars, I sought out a more affordable version on eBay thanks to a helpful Voguette (thanks Pash!). Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Images courtesy of garypeppervintage.blogspot.com

Christmas for two

2011-12-26T21:37:00.001+11:00

I hope everyone had a really lovely Christmas this year! Here's a few photos from my little Christmas for two. I've never been very skilled in the kitchen so I was quite pleased with how well our lunch turned out as I made it myself this year.

Oh and very last reminder about the Christmas giveaway (I promise!): it's ending tonight in a matter of hours so this is your last chance to enter! Click here if you'd like to go into the draw to win one of the six lovely prizes.

My new diary for 2012! This year I chose the leather A5 weekly diary in pale pink from Kikki K. And I couldn't resist the icecream pen that went so well with it. Our families surprised us by sending a bunch of presents and cards in the mail since we couldn't be with them this year. Awww!

In typical Melbourne style, there was a huge storm in the skies most of the day, with plenty of lightening and thunder. In the evening I tuned on my little lanterns and saved the blog posts I was working on every few minutes because I was sure the power was going to go out any minute.

Christmas eve

2011-12-24T22:30:00.003+11:00

I'm a little bit excited that it's Christmas eve tonight, though it's strange being away from my family for the first time this Christmas. My boy and I are making the best of it by spoiling ourselves with a big lunch tomorrow. I'll leave you with my outfit from today! I also took a few close up photos to document how my braces are going. My teeth are the straightest they've ever been now and I can't wait til I get my braces off early next year!

♥ Forever New 'Leah' openback playsuit | available here
♥ Forever New bracelets
♥ Rubi 'Hallie' wedge in Marone | available here
♥ Le Specs 'Runaways' sunglasses in Black
♥ Sportsgirl 'All that glitters' nail polish (with glitter underneath)

xoxo

2011-12-23T20:50:00.002+11:00

Here's a work outfit I wore earlier this week. I snapped up these vintage-inspired tennis shorts as soon as I laid eyes on them and, paired with a preppy shirt and bow headband, spent the day feeling like a Gossip Girl extra. Two more sleeps til Christmas and only three more til the end of my Christmas giveaway!

♥ Alannah Hill 'I want it all' headband
♥ Forever New broderie tie front shirt | available here
♥ Forever New 'Sanchia' scalloped shorts
♥ Rubi 'Seega' wedge ankle boots | available here
♥ Forever New faux pearl set

Naty C. for LoveCat Magazine #3

2011-12-21T10:07:00.003+11:00

Only a few more days til Christmas! Here's a cute Christmas themed editorial I found from LoveCat Magazine featuring Naty Chabanenko. Also, there's still time to enter the Christmas giveaway and give yourself a chance to win gift vouchers from Romwe, Ashbury Skies, Club Couture and Sunglasses Shop, a Flaunt silk dress and a heart basket bag.

Images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

December shopping

2011-12-17T22:50:00.003+11:00

With Topshop opening up across the street from my work I've been very tempted by all sorts of Topshop goodies and purchased a few things instore and online. The Australian prices are quite good but of course there is a bit of a mark up. For example, the green cableknit jumper I purchased instore was AUD $77.00, whereas if I had purchased it online it would have been AUD $63.00. Hence I settled on the tights and jumper instore and purchased the rest online, borrowing my fiance's student number for an extra 10% off!

I've also made one or two Romwe orders (love their abundant discount codes) and had a few lucky eBay finds this month. I noticed I may be getting a bit ahead of myself, with a definite autumn theme running through this shopping list... oh well, I do live in Melbourne after all.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Christmas giveaway for your chance to win a $80.00 Romwe voucher and five other great prizes!

♥ Romwe retro camera shaped satchel | available here
♥ Topshop angora blend knitted tee
♥ Topshop bow suspender tights
♥ Stolen Girlfriends cable knit shorts in Rust
♥ Romwe bauble cluster ring | available here
♥ Topshop Jancey mid ballerina's in Leopard
♥ Romwe twist knit overcoat in Cream | available here
♥ Dhalia tennis dress | available here
♥ Topshop thigh high cable knit socks in Oxblood
♥ Romwe pom pom wool blend scarf | available here
♥ Topshop Petite knitted tweedy jumper in Green
♥ Romwe retro wool beret | available here
♥ Topshop nude and chain bow belt