Yaay! Christmas Shopping Done

I am so excited as my Christmas shopping is finally done! No more standing in the queues for thirty minutes and no more worrying about what to get your loved ones...

How much shopping or preparation do you have left to do? Are you feeling excited about Christmas yet?

Let me know in the comments!

Aleks xx

DIY Christmas jumper

The Christmas celebrations are just around the corner and some of you might still be planning on where to get a new Christmas jumper. In my current job we have a 'Christmas jumper competition' which is why I created one. I also managed to get one of the top prizes for the second time in a row of my participation so felt pretty delighted for my creation's recognition. 

I am going to show you how to make your own and how to have a bit of fun along the way.

To make your own Christmas jumper you will need: 

jumper

decorative stickers

jingle bells

sparkly ribbon

glue & cotton wool (which I couldn't use but you could!)

The first step is to try on the jumper you bought and see how it fits on you so that you have some sort of idea of where the folds are visible or how high/low you should place your center piece. I bought my jumper in Primark for only a couple of euros. It is actually a nice quality jumper so I will be using   it after the festive season for a normal daily wear.

When you have established how the jumper sits on you then lay it out on a flat surface and spread around the stickers so that your creative brain can begin the fun process of exploration and creation.

Once you have the pack of stickers open, observe the different shapes and colours that are available to you. Play around with the ribbon fabric to see how it can be folded and used to complement your theme. As you can see I began by placing some snow flakes on what would be my shoulder area and added 'HoHoHo' message sticker which would sit above my heart. 

In my sticker pack I pretty quickly noticed the Christmas trees as they were the opposite colour to my jumper and would look good in terms of colour which played a big part when I was selecting the decorative pieces in the Euro shop. 

Based on the colour I took out the Christmas trees and thought 'Why don't I make a Big Christmas tree? The shapes would allow me to!'. So I did and also realised I have a yellow star which could be stuck on a silver one to create a more affective top for the tree. I then added the jingle bells on top and saw that they worked well with the tree despite the oversised look. I was also going to use a cotton wool for the bottom of the tree however the glue that I bought was not working well with the fabric of my jumper.

After deciding on your centre piece add in some extra stickers and see how they look with your main piece. I really liked the reindeers with their 'flying' appearance so I placed them on either side of the tree. The gingerbread man and candy canes also looked fun so I placed them over the  actual tree as if they were Christmas tree decorations. 

Add gold, white and silver snow flakes for a wintry and festive feel. The silver ribbon also adds an extra notch of extravagance so place over the ends of the sleeves and secure with a pin.

Keep playing around with your shapes and figures to see where else you could add them. Don't be afraid to move around the existing placements as the only way to achieve something brilliant is through trial & error.

When you are happy with your design and layout turn around each peace one at a time, remove the protection on the sticker and place them back to the each designated place. For the jingle bells to stay safe on the jumper I tied them around each christmas tree for extra security.

Try on the jumper once again when all the stickers are stuck on to see if you need a final touch.

I added a santa shaped clip and a reindeer clip from my previous Christmas jumper to fill in the empty parts of the jumper as I was not able to use the cotton wool for a snow effect.

Some extra candy canes also came in handy to fill the bottom of the jumper.

So that's really it guys! Tried on one more time and I was happy with the results. 

Here is the picture of the complete look.

Let me know if you like it! 

And here is a sneak peak to a Christmas jumper I previously made.

Which do you prefer?

Aleks

Festive season

December is a great month for catching up with friends, attending various charity events and meeting up with relatives. Everyone is in great spirits coming up to Christmas and New Year's Eve and most of them are looking to catch up over a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate. However the nights are quite long and cold so what could be a better way to brighten up your mood than adding a bit of sparkle to your wardrobe!

That is exactly what I did in this look for one of such occasions.

The sparkly skirt is from Forever 21 which is one of my favourite shops for getting dressy outfits - the prices are very reasonable for the amount of times you get to wear the clothes. As the skirt is so shiny and has a flowery patter I decided to pair the bottom part of my look with a plain white shirt from Zara and a very delicate piece of jewellery. I also went for black tights to complement the skirt and black shoes. The skirt itself is a quite exquisite garment with a pretty golden pattern on the front and a full leather look at the back.

Here is a closer look of the beautiful decorative design. 

I have seen various skirts, shorts, blouses and dresses with a sparkly sequence on other people as well this season and all of them always make the outfit look that little bit extra dressy compared to the ones that are plain. If you find a shiny outfit that suits your shape and style then go for it girl! When else if not now!

A walk along the sea

I have to admit some of the happiest moments in my life are days spent outside in the nature. The sea has always played an important role in my life and drawn me to spend time on the beach. I don't think I can ever imagine living  far away from the beach. There is something magical in the sound of the waves... Your thoughts just drift away with motion of the waves leaving your mind crystal clear by the time you decide to return to the hustle of the city life.

Here is me looking completely delighted with my life during Bray to Greystones walk in October.

In this photo I am wearing H&M shirt and Mango jacket.

What makes You happy? Let me know in the comments below!

Aleks

Girls night

Last night me and my friends were out to support one of my friend's singing in the choir. It was a nice way to ease into the Christmas season while watching a group of people perform cheerful and heartfelt songs in a beautifully decorated space.

For this type of event I chose to wear a pair of comfortable black jeans with a black jumper layered over a black top (to cover the cleavage) and I paired my outfit with black suede boots. I add a little bit of statement piece in form of a black belt with golden buckles to tie the look together and accentuate my wasteline. The look seemed to work its magic and drew some wondering eyes, with a nice compliment received. My mother used to always say that the belts can change your look completely so they are a great accessory to have in your wardrobe if you want to play around with your style. I have forgotten about the bag of belts that I own and now that I have rediscovered again I will probably play around a little more.

And of course the look wold never be truly complete without a bag! Last night I wore  my classical Coach bag that goes literally with everything. If you don't own a statement bag I would suggest investing into one - every true lady should have at least one good bag that she can always rely on. Aaaand you will receive a lot of compliments as well as carry great conversation starter for other  bag admirers(wink)!

The make-up I went for was dark eye, defined eyebrow, golden glow skin and nude lipstick. I will upload a full make up tutorial onto my youtube channel so stayed tuned!

About La Aleks

Hello,

Welcome to La Aleks blog!

I am a person who enjoys being inspired, expressing creativity and sharing my passion. I love adding value to other people's lives and I hope my blog will move you in one way or another.

Here you will find posts covering various topics including fashion, beauty, make-up and lifestyle.

This is me and one of my casual party looks in one of the nicest places in Dublin - Sophie's bar/restaurant in the Dean hotel. The view in the bar area is stunning, the food is lovely and you can rediscover your inner child while waiting for the elevator, just like I did in the photo!

You will also definitely get to see more of my dog Snoop. He knows how to pose for a great photo and has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep my family's life entertained!

In the meantime checkout my Instagram: aleks_la for more photos.