DIY || Personalised Pillow Case

 Hello lovely people!

Today I have another DIY for you!

This one is super duper easy (the first part anyway), and I think it is so wonderful to be able to fall asleep on something you put lots of time and effort into.

So let's get started!

 You will need:

- Fabric (Cotton)

- Sewing machine

- Things to decorate with eg. patterned fabric, buttons etc.

Steps:

1. Using your old pillowcase as a template, cut your material into a rectangle, leaving an extra 1cm on each side and ~10cm of extra fabric on one of the short edges.

2. Iron your fabric! (Even though I'm not very good at it)

3. Sew on any embellishments that you want. But make sure you don't put them everywhere because you still want to be comfortable when you're sleeping and there's nothing worse than waking up with a button imprinted on your face.

4. Sew up the two long edges and one short edge of the fabric, leaving the fourth edge open.

5. Fold both sides of the open edge of the fabric down the the front. (About 10cm down). Sew the two sides but not the top. (If you look at your original pillowcase you should see what I'm talking about.) This will create the flaps that you put your pillow in so it doesn't slide right out of the case.

6. Fold your pillowcase the right way out and put your pillow in. TA-DA! You're done!

I also saw this article on Rookie and really wanted to try it!

I'd never done embroidery before but I think I did alright. All you do is write on what you want in pencil and then go over it with your thread! It's time consuming but fun. (I would recommned not using such curly handwriting)

Also, The Fault in Our Stars and sleeping? What more could you need!

Have you taken up any new hobbies recently? I think embroidery may become on of mine!

 

Travel Diary || Pacific Islands Cruise.

Hello hello hello everyone!

I have a bit of a longer post for today, but I'm hoping you will like it! It's all about the cruise I just went on, as well as some OOTD photos from my best friend and I!

If you like hearing about travel stories then pull up a chair and get comfy...

First up, our boat was MASSIVE! We had to fly down to Sydney from Brisbane on the day we were boarding because boats that big can't fit in Brisbane's ports. Ash (my best friend) and I spent the day walking around Sydney Harbour getting lunch before we boarded, and I don't think anything could have prepared us for how spectacular the boat was! 

Now, I'd like to think I'm a fancy person but ohhhhh how wrong I was. Nothing could prepare me for this. All the workers were lovely too, and always smiling. We had the same waiters for dinner every night and they got to know us so well that they would order extra entree's for us because they knew we'd like them....(we ate a lot of food). We also watched a show before dinner every night, including a hypnotist one night, which was just amazing! I didn't really believe in hypnotism before, but I sure do now. 

The first two days were "at sea" so Ash and I did heaps of things, including rock climbing, Zumba, line dancing, swing dancing, running on the jogging track and relaxing in the spas. It was all so lovely, and after falling into bed at 3am on the first two nights we were thoroughly exhausted.

Noumea, New Caledonia.

 Our first stop was Noumea, New Caledonia. Ash and I didn't do much here, but we did find this wonderful jetty and spent our day swimming. The water and the weather were absolutely perfect, and we enjoyed hamburgers from a local cafe for lunch.

Mystery Island, Vanuatu.

 The next day, we arrived in Mystery Island, Vanuatu. I absolutely love the name of it! It sounds just like an adventure waiting to happen! Here Ash and I got part of our hair braided into cornrows, which I then weaved together on Ash's hair (top left) We sat on the beach and drank coconut milk while taking heaps of gymnastics photos on the beach! (Once a gymnast, always a gymnast eh?) The water here was so blue and gorgeous! The weather was a little bit overcast but not too bad!

The only bad thing about this island was that I could hardly walk! The afternoon before I got a little too excited dancing on the pool deck of the boat. I took my shoes off for 2 minutes and ended up with massive painful blisters on the bottom of both my feet! Not a good idea and I would definitely recommend wearing shoes when you're next planning on whipping out a bit of Gangnam Style...

Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.

 I feel as though the cruise company definitely saved the best for last, because wowowoowowowowow Isle of Pines was absolutely gorgeous! I could definitely see myself living happily ever after here. The water was gorgeous and right where the sand of the beach ended, the pine trees began. Ash and I did some exploring before going for a swim and you could almost feel the magic in the air. I don't quite know how to explain it, but everywhere you looked on this island was beautiful. There were so many little trails leading off the main road that I could have happily spent all my time exploring. I definitely did not want to leave!

We thought we'd take a few OOTD photos while we were away too. Ash and I had this thing where we would be matching but not quite matching: wearing jumpsuits, overalls or dresses on the same day as each other. I could not have thought of a better person to go on this cruise with!

 

The cruise had themed dinners every night, and the above photo was taken on the formal night. All of the staff were calling us "Princess" all night because of our circlets and Ash and I both felt like princesses! When we saw this photo, we just HAD to buy it. I'm currently looking for a frame so it can hold prime position on my bedside table.

I did not want this cruise to end. Firstly, because it was so much fun, and I felt happier here than I have in a long time. It also meant parting with the friends we made on the boat. The second reason I didn't want to leave was that Ash was moving to Melbourne 2 days after we got back. It feels like we've been best friends forever, and now that she's moved I don't know what to do with myself! We'll definitely be keeping in touch with letters & skype, but I miss her so much already!

Have you been on any holidays recently? Or where would you like to go most in the world?

Ash and I have already discussed and we're starting to save up for a holiday in Greece some time in the future!

You can read about my 2012 adventure to Nepal here.

I HAVE A BOOK!?

Hey everyone! I'm back from my cruise and it was so so much fun! I never wanted to leave. I'll be doing a post on it soon! I just thought I'd do a different post today, just a quick update on my life.

If you follow me on instagram you will know that I write poetry, and I have recently released my own book of poetry!

I am incredibly proud of it, and I still find it hard to believe that people across the world have bought a copy of it.

I in no way mean to push you, but if you think you might be interested in buying a copy, you can do so here and feel free to check out my poetry tumblr here.

I will be back to normal posts soon, I hope you've all been having a wonderful January!

DIY || Personalised Sewn Notebooks.

Hello you wonderful people! 

I am so so so excited to share this DIY with you today! I've never done a DIY like this before so I'd love feedback on how you found it. It might be a bit tricky to follow at some points due to my lack of ability to explain things, but I'd love for you all to give it a go and let me know if you need some more explanation! 

Notebooks are right up there on my list of things I love most in the world, and I'm sure they're high on some of your lists too. So without further ado, get your focusing hats on, and lets make our very own, completely customisable notebook!

Materials:

1. Wrapping paper, or patterned paper of your choice.

2. A cardboard box, or any sort of cardboard thick enough for the front cover. (Not too thick though, you want to be able to get a needle through it)

3. A needle and embroidery thread You want the needle to be pretty thick to be able to thread the embroidery thread on it, and also to be able to pierce the cardboard without breaking.

4. A5 photos for the front and back cover. These can be your own photos or just some that you like.

5. Contact to make your covers nice and smooth.

6. A4 Paper folded in half. You will fold 4 pieces in half to create one of the "segements" and then you can choose how many segments you make. Just remember, more segments = more pages.

7. The usual things: scissors, sticky tape, glue, pencil, ruler.

Alright, now take a big breath before we start....

1. Cut your cardboard into two pieces just ever so slightly bigger than A5. This will be your front and back covers.

2. Wrap your covers in your wrapping paper. If there's still cardboard showing (like mine) you can always stick another photo over the top for the inside cover.

3. Glue down the photos that you want on the covers. Then, using a ruler to ensure there are no bumps, stick the contact to your front and back covers.

4. Open each segment of 4 pieces paper to the middle, and using your ruler, mark a dot every 3.5cm along the fold of each segment. This will be your guide for sewing. Then, using your needle, pierce through the centre of each dot, all the way through all 4 pages. Repeat on each segment.

5. Repeat step 4 on the front and back cover

6. Ensure that all of the holes somewhat line up. This is also your chance to add more segments if you feel like you need more pages.

7. Thread your needle, and then thread it from the inside through to outside of your first segment. (This will actually be your last segment, as you are sewing from the back of the book to the front.)

8. Thread the needle through the underside of the back cover, through the hole that lines up.

9. Thread the needle back through the hole in the segment that you just sewed. Tie the two ends together on the inside of the segment. Now sew your needle through the next hole in the segment and repeat steps 7&8 until you reach the last hole in the segment. Once this happens, do not thread the needle back into the same hole you just came out of... instead, place the next segment on top and sew the needle into the hole of the new segment which is directly above the one you just came out of. MAKE SURE YOU ARE CONTINUALLY PULLING TIGHT.

10. This time, instead of sewing through the back cover, you are going to pass the needle underneath the loop that you made between the last segment and the back cover.

11. Repeat this for the rest of your segments, remembering each time you finish a row, not to sew the needle back through the last hole in the segment, but through the first hole of a new segment.

12. Once you reach the last segment you are going to sew it the same way. Once all your segments are attached, lay the front cover on top. Similar to the back cover, thread the needle from the outside to the inside of the front cover.

13. Once you have done this, pass the needle under the loop that you made between the first and second segment.

14. Then sew the needle back into the hole in the segment that lines up with the one you just sewed of the front cover. Repeat this down the entire segment until the cover is fully attached. Tie a knot in the middle of the first segment to secure the book.

YOU ARE FINISHED!

That wasn't so hard was it??

 

Now enjoy bragging to your friends about oh so wonderful new homemade, personalised notebook. I can assure you they will be jealous!

These also make great gifts, and before you contact the covers you can decorate them with stickers, photos, anything that the person you are giving it to will like. My favourite thing about these notebooks is that every single page lays completely flat, so they are perfect to use as sketch books. You could also swap up the blank paper for lined paper.

 I hope that wasn't too hard to understand, and maybe some of you will even try it out for yourselves! I would absolutely love to see photos if you do. You can tag me in them @thehalfwaypoint on instagram.

Hope you're all well and I will talk to you all when I get back from my cruise on Sunday!

Until then

Sewing || Overalls.

Hello all you lovely people!

Right now as I am writing this it is raining outside and rather miserable, but by the time you read this I will be sailing towards the Pacific Islands on a cruise with my best friend! I'm going to be away from the 11th - 19th of January so any posts you get during that time will be scheduled. Feel free to comment and I will reply to you when I get back home!

Anyway, to the actual point of this post now.

The other day my mum brought home two bits of fabric and I was so excited to get my hands on them and turn them into something new. I'll tell you what though; new fabric can give you quite some stress. What are you going to make!? Don't waste that fabric now! Lucky for me, I'm really happy with how the overalls I made turned out, so I thought I would show them to you!

I pretty much never use patterns, but I got a pattern for a pair of shorts for FREE from the thrift shop the other day, so I thought I would put it to good use! (I'm thinking of doing a giveaway with a pair of the shorts I have made, let me know what you think!) So anyway, I used the pattern for the bottom part of the overalls and then made the top similar to the one I made for my floral pinafore.  I made two long crossover straps, and then decorated them with mismatched buttons (yellow with red thread and red with yellow thread). I also made a big pocket for the front and found this "E" patch which I sewed on the front. 

I love them! They make me feel really childlike and I'm not saying that's a bad thing, because who doesn't want to be a little kid again!?

 

I absolutely love the E on the pocket, and I think it just adds something extra. They also remind me something but I just can't put my finger on what it is!

So what do you think of these overalls? Do you own any of your own?

I hope you're all having a wonderful January, and I will talk to you all when I get home!

Resolution Roundup || 2013 & 2014 Resolutions.

So 2013 is officially done and dusted so it's time to set our sights on the year ahead and the things we can achieve. With that being said however, it's also important to look back and celebrate what we achieved during 2013. Today I decided to show you which resolutions I stuck to in 2013, and the ones I am hoping to achieve this year.

 

I achieved 7.5 of the 10 things I set myself to achieve last year and I think that's awesome! That's the most new years resolutions that I have kept so far!

2013

1. I managed to stay off twitter for so long that I don't even use it anymore. It now just seems like a waste of time, especially when there's so many other social media platforms that are better.

2. I made a lot of acquaintances at uni this year, but not any that you could consider friends.

3. I wish I had tried harder on this one. I did improve, but definitely didn't achieve 1 compliment a day. I think I may have set the bar too high!

4. I gave myself a 1/2 for this one because I definitely did try new things, but not as many as I probably could have.

5. DEFINITELY achieved this one! 2012 I read 24, 2013 I read 42.

6. My favourite resolution. My diary keeping is still going strong, and I'm about to start on my 3rd diary soon.

7. I'd like to think I am much more appreciative now compared to this time a year ago.

8. I managed to send a birthday card to all of my friends last year, as well as some spontaneous letters here and there

9. I'm really proud of myself for achieving this one, I'm so much more fit now than 2012, and I'm definitely going to continue

10. I managed to wear clothes I would have been too scared to where at the start of 2013, and I definitely started to work out who I am and what I like!

2014

1. I could have gotten my P's almost 2 years ago now, and I still only have 2 hours on my learners. Woops. This needs to change.

2. I definitely started this last year, but I want to continue and completely accept myself as well as things that are out of my control.

3. I found lots of new hobbies that I enjoy last year, and I'm looking forward to finding more.

4. Going from being able to do oversplits on a box to not being able to even do it on the floor is a bit sad.

5. I missed out on a lot of opportunities last year because I said no to so many things. Here's to more YES in 2014!

6. I definitely want to do this, get outside more and enjoy the world

7. Does this need an explanation? spend.less.

  

So what are your new years resolutions, and did you achieve the ones you set last year?

If you have made your own new years resolution post link it in the comments because I would love to read it!

2013 || Dresses of the Year.

Hello wonderful people, let me just begin by telling you that I am very very sorry. I had so many ideas of things to post on my blog for the rest of December but instead, I hardly posted anything. I just had no energy or motivation to do anything. A bad excuse I know.

So here's my very last post of 2013 (or my first post of 2014 if you live in Australia like I do.)

At the beginning of the year I hardly had any dresses, and now?.... well let's just say that's not the case. I love so many of the dresses that I bought/made/altered this year, so I thought I would throw back and show you six of my favourites.

Please don't mind my horrible drawings, you have to start somewhere right?

 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 //6

 

2013 was a year of many ups and downs for me, but I am so glad I got to share the best moments of it with you guys. Here's to making everything we can of 2014.

For the last time in 2013,