Necklaces in Magenta

As I promised, here's a sneek peek into what I've been up to on the jewellery front!
It's been a week full of creating, which is the best kind of week, really!





















I've been on the lookout for statement necklaces for a long while, but never seemed to find a perfect one. Bulky necklaces usually weigh a ton, which makes them difficult to wear throughout the day. So I thought and thought and came up with a really light but very eye-catching idea...





















I made the flowers first, then played around with colourful buttons and felt to match, then sew on a chain and fastened the back piece. Using a chain is great, as it makes it easy to adjust the lenght of the necklaces, so they can be worn with different necklines.

A good statement piece for me would work with a simple t-shirt and jeans, as well as a little black dress, or an outfit that's thought up around it.

I couldn't stop at one, so since I made the first piece, I've been making them non-stop, in different colours, using different materials...





















Here's another prototype, with a cat cut out from an old bicycle tire, and the usual colourful buttons. It makes me insanely happy to use recycled and upcycled stuff! This necklace already found a new home with Sophie, who came up with the idea of a rubber cat in the first place, and cut some out for me.






































I've always loved buttons, vintage or new. What's more, I actually won my first online auction for more buttons, so that I can create on! I'm planning on assembling a starting set and work out a cool way of packaging, then find some little shops in Budapest that would store them... And of course I'm planning to open an Etsy shop too, so that my necklaces could travel the world!

I do hope you like them! :)

Wearing: necklaces made by me, handbag from Jojó Art Shop, thrifted skirt and top, 

Tamaris sandals and Calzedonia tights.

Pictures taken right after a huge rainstorm! Just in case you're interested. :)

Double Glitter and More Colour

Two things to lift your spirits when it's cold outside and you're ill and need some cheering up.

 
You might be surprised to find me painting my nails with glittery nail polish, as I'm really not the glitter type of girl. But when you're coughing your head off and missing the Christmas spirit, it works, believe me.

I used two layers of a bluish nail polish already loaded with glitter, plus another golden one, with bigger glitter bits added.

Sorry for the poor pictures, my camera cannot deal with the amount of shine my nails emit.
To tell you the truth, me neither, I keep staring at my nails and turning them in the light.

Taking pictures of my nails totally makes me feel like I'm 16, so just to be on the safe side, let me add a foolproof DIY as well that you can happily do even in bed, and to inject some colour into the winter gloom!

Take a simple black blazer (which you thrifted in the hope of maybe creating some outfits that are at least a bit grown-up and sleek). Choose some colourful buttons you have collected over the years (or bought a bottleful of them in Liberty when you were in London and felt a strong urge to get something that wasn't gonna hurt your budget but would still have Liberty patterns on).

Cut off the black buttons and sew on the colourful ones, preferably with colourful thread. I chose bright pink, of course. When in doubt, choose the harshest colour available!

I'm trying my best to cure myself and dare the cold to take some outfit pictures, preferably with my newly re-buttoned blazer, but till then, have a colourful and happy winter! :)

Stuff used: Essence Colour and Go nail polishes, Second hand blazer and Liberty buttons.

P.S.: I've created a Google+ profile, so if you're using Google+, look for Madeline Quaint!
I still haven't figured it all out. :)

It's the Buttons

I'm sure you remember how much I've praised the V&A in my previous post. Well, I got these buttons/bagdes there - they were designed by Yohji Yamamoto for the V&A as he had an exhibition there which unfortunately closed a few days before I visited. I couldn't see the exhibition but the museum shop was still full of little souvenirs connected to it, these fun badges among them. Figuring I would probably never be able to afford anything else by Yamamoto, I thought I'd get these badges for half a Pound each.

I'm a big fan on buttons/badges, they can transform a simple piece of clothing to something much cooler. My winter coat has huge lapels and I usually cram them with badges, prompting comments from random strangers like: "Are you a scout or what?". :P

I wore this ensemble to an exhibition opening and a party held by one of my friends, Sophie, and I was really happy to get a few compliments on it. I guess it's fine to keep stuff simple sometimes - most of my rather elaborate outfits fall into the "man-repelling" category. :)

Please disregard my belly. Thanks. :)

So what I wore: Yohji Yamamoto badges plus one from New Yorker, Takko jeans, 

second hand top, H&M bolero and shoes from a random boutique.

I'm slowly but surely approaching my 50th blogpost which I aim to celebrate with a giveaway, so stay tuned! :)

Peonies in Bloom

This is my Mum's garden, or to be precise, the garden of the house where my Mum's flat is, and where I grew up. Do certain places inspire you to dress in different ways?

I think this dress definitely matches the peonies well! It's second hand, and according to the label, a petite size, so it's out of the question for me to wear it on it's own - enter new skinnies to save the day! It's hard to see, but it has a bow on the front (Sarah? :), and I love the cut, as the back runs a bit lower to accentuate the waist, while it's higher on the front so as not to accentuate the wearer's belly. Mine, in other words. :)

I don't know about you, but I love buttons. I used to have a backpack in secondary school that I covered with them. That's why I got this purse with a giant button on, ages and ages ago, but I still love it. My bracelet is made out of buttons too. :)

Dress: second hand, Jeans: Takko, Shoes: Humanic, Bag: Promod, Hat: C&A, Bracelet: gift

Look, I turned and turned into a cat.

This is Nyafi, our not very photogenic but actually very handsome and smooth-furred, and also very intelligent "cat that walks by herself". She found us on the street and she's generally pleased with our performance to feed and adore her, so she stays to rule the flat and neighbourhood, and ocassionally bring dead mice and birds to feed us. Very nice of her, isn't it?