This is how we do...

Leather Jacket (seen in other images): TK Maxx//Tshirt - DIY dip-dye//Disco Pants: GlamorousUK// Shoes: River Island// Satchel: thrifted//Necklace: ASOS//Cuff: Chelsea Doll*

 I thought I'd style my dip-dye shirt to show you all how well the dye has taken. I'm so pleased with it! I've got a few more bits I'm going to dip-dye and so I've bought some studs off Ebay (£2.99 for 100 = bargain!) so that I can recreate my own versions of the gorgeous pieces seen in Topshop, which I can't afford at the mo!

My birthday was on Tuesday, I was the big 2-0 (shock horror!) and I've been really busy organising my night out etc, so this outfit was put together a few days ago before the madness descended. I popped out to my local town to do some window shopping and, as comfort is a priority for any shopping mission, I popped on my glamorous disco pants, my newly-dyed top and my leather jacket (My prize possession!) I also dug out this satchel which I bought for about a fiver in a charity shop wayyy before satchels started appearing on the catwalk. I think it goes really well with the look, what do you guys think?

Jewellery-wise, I stayed safe, opting for the little cross I bought off ASOS teamed with my beautiful new cross cuff from ChelseaDollx which arrived in the post with the gorgeous armlet I received from them a while back. The armlet is a much more intricate piece, so I've been wearing the more simplistic cuff non-stop, and saving the armlet for evenings out!

Before I forget...THANK YOU LOVELY FOLLOWERS! I've finally got fifty of you! (Well just over at my latest count) so I'll be hosting a giveaway very soon. I was thinking that a little vintage Suzy Smith handbag would be a good prize - a recent find in a vintage store. What do you think? I didn't want to go down the line of more generic items for my first giveaway, I wanted something unique. Hopefully you'll all approve.

Happy Thursday - I'm out tonight with the girls, for a belated birthday celebration, so will post soon!

D.I.Y Dip Dye shirt

So, dip-dye is all the rage and can be seen in so many high street stores at the mo, it's basically a term for clothes which have been dyed gradually, creating different shades of the same colour, from dark to light, or light to dark.

I popped into my local Topshop the other day and saw so many dip-dyed items that I wanted! Unfortunately, as a student I can't afford everything I want even with my 10% discount so, using Rosie Glow's awesome Dip-Dye DIY, for Boohoo.com, as inspiration, I thought I'd try my own. 

Here are my five steps for dip-dye virgins:

                                                                       

Find a top that you want to dye, this dipped hem beauty which I dug out of my wardrobe a few weeks ago, recently got a horrendous pen mark on it, so I thought a dip-dype would be a great way to cover the stain. I popped my top onto a metal-topped hanger and pegged it, so it kept secure. 

                                                           

To dye the top I needed salt, a pack of dye (I used black), a bucket, some rubber gloves and something to stir the mix! 

Once I'd followed the instructions on the back of the dye, I submerged my top to the level which I wanted my dip-dye to start from.

Then, as the dye began to stain the fabric, I gently dripped water down the front of the top to create a rippled effect, so that the dip-dye looked more professional. Then after 10 minutes I lifted a small portion of the top out of the dye so that I could create a gradient effect with the colour. I then added two minutes to each period of time e.g. 12,14,16 to help the colour stain intensify and create my dip-dye. The pegs came in handy here and helped me to hold the top out of the dye. 

After the allocated time my top was finished! I lifted it out of the dye, rinsed it thoroughly in cold water and then left it to dry for a couple of hours. I then popped my top into the wash on it's own so that any excess dye would be washed away. (After this you need to clean your washing machine through by setting it to wash when empty, so that dye doesn't sit in the drum and stain your washing!)

Here's the finished top!

The colour took really well and I'm planning to try another dip-dye very soon! 

What do you think? Do you like the new dip-dye trend?