Peru Day 7- Cusco

After many early mornings and days of travelling, we decided to have a really lazy start to the day. I still wasn't feeling to well, so this really suited me.

In the morning we just slowly ambled through the shops before taking a look at the cathedral. I must admit I've never seen so much Gold in a church before.
For lunch we, on my request, where really boring by going to McDonald's. I just really wanted something that my body knows and wouldn't make me feel any worse.

We then went onto the Inka museum, which was brilliant at help us understand the pre- Incan history of peru. There where also some really interesting Incan artefacts.
Inside the museum there is also a great tapestry shop that sells beautiful pieces for a good price.
After the museum we went to the arch-Bishops palace, which is also the museum of religous artifacts and sits on an old incan building. The inside is so ornate and beautiful, the tiles and the carvings where the most beautiful aspect for me.

We then made our way to the church of san blas.
The rest of the group then went to the planetarium, whilst I stayed in bed at the Hotel, in the hope that it would help me to recover faster.

Peru Day 6- Ollantaytambo to cusco

The taxi arrived at 9:00am and took us to Moray. However at this point I really wasn't well enough to even think about getting out of the taxi, but I did take a good look at everyone else's photos.
Then we drove to Maras, where I was well enough to enjoy the salt mines, which really do look amazing from above.
After that we went onto Chinchero for lunch at Meriendo which was just a super relaxed place with great food. We also watched an interesting weaving demonstration. Before finishing the day at our Hotel in Cusco.
Because of how ill I had been, I wasn't able to take any photos and the person who did take photos that day, sadly never emailed them across to me. Hence the reason why there have been no posts for so long. I had hoped to have the photos by now but decided to post this without them. If I do finally get the photos, I will update this post. 

Peru Day 5- Machupichu

All I can say is how amazing Machupichu is. In the morning we had to get up at 4:00am to be in the bus line by 4:30am. However even then we weren't on the first batch of buses. We didn't miss them by much, so if we'd have been in line for 4:15am we'd have been at the site 40 minutes earlier.

Of course by the time we got to Machupichu dawn had broken. Due to being high up it took longer for the sun to rise, so we were able to see the sun rise over Machupichu.

Then we spent the rest of the morning exploring Machupichu. At first we where with our guide Carlos, but then we were able to explore by ourselves.

We also hiked to the Inca bridge. I have a fear of heights and although this was hard, it was do able.
Once we where getting hungry, we decided to head back down to the town and leave Machupichu behind.

We found a place in town that seemed to be called 'fast food', which sounds great to hungry travellers. So we each got the s/15 a head burger meal.

Then we just ambled around the town until two o'clock when we made our way to the train station for our 14:30 Inca rail train to Ollantaytambo.
Once in Ollantaytambo we had dinner at the Hotel because I was suffering from a head ache.

Day 4 Peru- km 104 to Machupichu

We started the day at 5:45 and caught the 7:20 train from Ollantaytambo station to km 104. From there we 'basically' hiked to Machupihu.

The company we used for this trek was the Lama Path. Our guide was amazing, he was so helpful and willing to go at our pace. He was also very good at sorting out the small problem of a forgotten Isic card. If you do go with the Lama Path, ask for Carlos as a guide, he was so friendly and informative.

Of course the Inca trail was beautiful. The views made the sometimes tough hike well worth it. Finally the deal we had with Lama Path included dinner.

Peru Day 3- Ollantaytambo

This day was a bit more relaxed. We chose to really explore Ollantaytambo before starting the Inca trail. We got up at a reasonable time of about 8:30 before making it out at around 9:30.

In the morning we explored the Ollantaytambo runes, so that we could avoid the crowds that arrive in the afternoon. The runes where great! At the entrance you can find both English and Spanish speaking guides. It's important to remember that like most things you have to haggle when it comes to the price.

However we found that our guide wasn't the best, as some of the facts she gave us were wrong. That being said we wouldn't have spent nearly as much time at the runes had we not had a guide.
Afterwards we had lunch at the main square. Although good, it didn't come close to the amazing food at the blue magic restaurant.

Having had lunch, we ambled back to the hotel, were a few members of our group, still struggling with altitude, chose to stay in the hammocks, while the rest of us climbed up to Pinkylluna. These runes are completely free and well worth the hike.

Later we attended a chocolate making course at the Choco Museo. This was a really interesting experience. We got to roast and shell coco beans, taste various hot chocolates and make our own chocolates. It made for a great evenings entertainment.
Of course for dinner we went back to the blue magic restaurant!

Peru Day 2- Cusco to Ollantaytambo

We landed early in the morning in Cusco and promptly found our pre-booked taxi. The taxi driver was brilliant at stopping at beautiful view points along the way.

We had already arranged to stop off at Pisac, so that we could see the market and the ruins.
Sadly some of us were struggling with altitude , so we deiced to take it easy and only went to see the market. The market was amazing!

Our driver gave us an hour and a half, my only wish would have been to have an extra 1/2 hour, so that we could really explore the market.
We had lunch at Ulrika's cafe. Although service was slow, the food was brilliant. and the place had a really layed back atmosphere.

We finished off our day in Ollantaytambo and ate dinner at a wonderful restaurant, Blue Magic. The prices were reasonable and the food tasted super good.

Peru Day 1- Lima

For our first full day in Lima, We wanted to take things slowly so that we could recover from the journey. We only planned two events.

The first was to go on a cycling tour of Mirafloras and Barranco. The company we went with was 'bike tours of Lima'. I was extremely impressed with this tour. It was safe, informative and a fun way to see and explore a small part of Lima. I was worried that the tour may be a bit strenuous, however it was far from it.

The route we took, used mostly well established bicycle lanes and the tour guide went at a leisurely pace.

Sadly by the end of the tour one member of our group was really struggling with jet lag, so we decided to go back to the hotel for a while, with the hope that this would give them time to recover.
As I said before, we had planned two activities for the day. The other activity was to go to the Circuito Magico. However this wasn't possible due to us not wanting to leave the member of our group who was struggling with jet lag. Therefore we all had an early night, which wasn't a bad thing as we had an early start the next day.

Sewing inspirations- How to create your perfect modest swimming costume

It's finally here! I released my very first Ebook about a month ago and now I'm able to share the second Ebook, that has been written especially for those wanting to sew modest swimwear. If you'd like to read it follow this link.

I hope this has inspired you!

My second Ebook!

So after a long wait, I'm finally in a position to share my second Ebook in my sewing inspirations series. I must admit that I had hoped to get the Ebook out earlier but that just hasn't been possible.The link should be going live tomorrow, so stay tuned!

My Super Simple Pirate Outfit

Recently I needed a pirate costume. Of course there was no way I was going to buy an expensive outfit when I could easily sew my self one.

All I did to create this outfit was to buy a second hand large mans shirt from my local charity shop. Then I cut off the top, created a casing and inserted elastic.

Then I simply paired it with my old ripped jeans, black boots, a red belt, an eye patch, a red bandanna and a puppet parrot. These where all things that I just had lying around the house.

I hope this has inspired you!

Sewing Inspirations- How to create your perfect swimsuit

It's finally time! I can share my new eBook, which you can get for free by following this link.

There will also be a modest swimwear version that I'm still working on but should be out soon, so stay tuned.

New eBook!

So you may have been wondering what I've been up to recently and I'm finally in a position where I can share with you exactly what I've been doing!
I've written an eBook!

The eBook, is all about giving you tips on how to sew your own swimwear and even better, it's completely free! Can you tell that I'm really excited about this? The eBook will be available tomorrow. I've also written a modest version, that gives hints and tips on how to make a piece of modest swimwear. I'm not sure when I'll be able to share that. It's almost finished so stay tuned!
I hope you come back again tomorrow to read my new eBook, Sewing Inspirations- How to create your perfect swimsuit.

London on a budget (Day 3 and 4)

On day three, we decided that we should just chill out a bit and have a day of window shopping. So we spent the day ambling down Oxford street. It was fun to play the game of, if I had this budget what would I get.

Then in the evening we had our (fancy) meal out for our final full day in London. For this meal we went to pizza hut on Leicester square.

Finally we finished up the day by going to Shakespeare's globe to where we had standing tickets (£5). It did hurt to stand up so long but was well worth it. The actors where amazing and we got to see an iconic tourist attraction for a super cheap price.

For our final day in London we went to Camden market, where we got some good (and not so good) deals.

London on a budget (Day 2)

Today, was all about doing some more stereo typical Tourist attractions. We started off the day by going to the horse guard parade to watch the changing of the guards. We got there 20 minutes early and where able to bag ourselves a good spot. If we'de been any later then we would have been a good couple of rows away from the front. The changing of the guards was very spectacular due to all of the soldiers being on horse back.

After that we went on a lovely walk through James park, so that we could have a picnic in Hyde park. However when we got to Buckingham palace, we where just in time to see the changing of the guards there. We where able to get a front row view by standing to the right of Buckingham palace and looking from the edge. Considering that we had already seen the changing of the guards at the horse guard parade, we where extremely happy with where we were standing.

After seeing the changing of the guards we carried on to Hyde park where we had a really nice laid back picnic.
Once we'd finished our picnic, we took the tube to the British museum. We where just in time for the 14:30 free tour about Ancient Egypt. The British Museum have lots of free tours going on through out the day, so it's well worth having a look when and where they are.

We were planning on going to the Curzon cinema in the evening to watch a subtitled film but decided that we were all too tied. So we just went back to Camden and had an early night.  

London on a budget (Day 1)

Hey! Recently I went to London with 3 of my Friends. All of us are students, which meant that we had to be careful with our money. So aside from a few things we desperately wanted to see, everything we did was either free or extremely cheap.

We arrived by train at mid day. Firstly we went to where we were staying to unpack and to buy all the food we would need for our stay. We based ourselves around Camden, so that we could easily get around London.

Once we had settled in and eaten, we set off for the south bank. My friends really wanted to go to the London dungeons (£28 per person), where as I fancied going to the Tate Modern (free). My Friends got a cheaper rate for the London Dungeons by using the Kelloggs 2 for one vouchers. It actually worked really well. My Friends finished their tour at at around 6:00 pm, which is when the Tate closes, so we just met up again by the London eye.

We were quite tired by 6:30 so we decided to eat out at an all you can eat Thai buffet (£7.50), which was just down the road from Camden tube station.
As a first day, it was fairly expensive for my friends but not that expensive for me. However the London Dungeons was something they really wanted to do and they had a really good time.

Misses Top (Newlook 6816)

Well hello again! I know it's been ages since I last posted but I'm back!
I've almost finished all of my exams. I've got one more, tomorrow and then I can well and truly welcome in the summer.

Today I wanted to share a top that I started to make a while ago, with a piece of fabric that was only 20p. When I started making this top, I was completely in love with this pattern and to be honest, I still am. If you want to see the first Newlook 6816 top that I made, you can find the post here.
This top has been lying in my to do pile for a good couple of years however I finally got around to finishing it when I went to this craft evening.

I pretty much followed the pattern to the letter, except for the fact that I added in a jersey strip along the back, as otherwise the neck hole would have been too wide. I do really like the way that this top turned out, however if I do regret not being able to pattern match the sides, due to not having enough of the fabric.

Overall this pattern is great for an easy sew, that has nice wearable outcomes.

I hope this has inspired you! 

Cousins New Swimsuit

I hope you all had a good Easter mine was a little chaotic but great fun no the less. For Easter my family generally give small gifts to each other, whether that be chocolate or something else that's small.

So this year I gave my little cousin a swimsuit that I not only sewed but also designed. The swimsuit was originally meant for my little sister but I've only just finished making it in fact it's the one of the projects I spoke about in my previous post.

Also when I started making it last year, I used one of my sisters old swimsuits to trace round by mistake, so it was already going to be on the small side and then I never finished it in time.

It may be a little big on my cousin at the moment but I'm sure she'll grow into it in no time. If you interested in more swimming related post you may like to have a look at these posts:

• The Meer Dress
• My Sisters Swim Dress 2014
• Our Modest Swim Dresses

I hope this has inspired you!

The Joys of Productivity

It's almost Easter! In fact it's good Friday tomorrow, which means that there are lots of events going on at my local church.During the week before Easter the church that I go to team up with other local churches to create a series of out reach events. One of these events was a craft evening that I went to with my Mum.
 Although I may have seemed a bit anti-social with my sewing machine in the far corner, I still found the fellowship amazing. Being surrounded by not only people who share the same hobby but also the same passion for Christ is truly wonderful.
During this time I was also able to finish two sewing projects that had been on my 'needs to be finished' pile for a year or two (or maybe even 3). Yes, you heard that right, I finished a top about 3 years after I first started it!
But at the end of the evening I was so joyful, that not only had I been productive, when it came to my 'needs to be finished' pile but I'd also been productive in finding out more about Jesus (thanks to the amazing speaker).
So this got me wondering, what are your traditions at Easter? Do you follow lent and if so how's that going for you?

And as always,

I hope this has inspired you!

10 Random Questions

Hey Guys, I realise that you probably don't now that much about me, so I thought I'd share some random facts that you may not know.
1. Do you like your hand writing?
Not really, I think it's a little too functional and not elegant enough.
2. What is your favourite lunch meal?
Probably something quick and easy like pasta or sandwiches, as I'm usually in a bit of a rush.
3. Would you bungee jump?
No way! I'm absolutely terrified of heights.
4. What is your favourite ice cream?
Definitely anything with chocolate in it.
5. Red or pink?
Red
6. Favourite sports to watch?
Gymnastics, the gymnasts are always so graceful and elegant.
7. Any Tattoos?
No, sorry not my cup of tea.
8. Where were you 3 hours ago?
In my room.
9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Yes, I went to watch Star Wars again!
10. When was the last time you went for a run?
A couple of days ago, I struggle to stay on top of exercise in the winter. I mean who wants to go for a run outside when the temperatures at 1 to -1 degrees? Although now the weather is starting to pick up again.

The jumper dress

Hey guys! So today, I want to share with you a dress that I made for a photo shoot last weekend. The dress was super easy to make. In fact I made the dress I'm about to show you in one afternoon.

 I sourced the jumpers that I used from my local charity shop, so as to save money on the cost of the project and because it meant I would be using items that where already finished along the edges. This made the whole project a lot faster and made the final outcome look more professional.

If you'd like to make one for yourself, here's what you'l need:

• A sewing machine
• thread
• 2 jumpers
• 2 cardigans (or 1 if you skip the part where I replace the arms)

So with out further to do, let's get onto how I made the dress:

1. Firstly I took the first cardigan and carefully removed the sleeves at the shoulder seam.
2. I then removed the sleeves (at the shoulder seam) from the other cardigan.
   
3. I then placed the sleeves of one cardigan on the other by simply reattaching the arms at the shoulders.
   
4. Next I measured out the width of the cardigan (this includes both the front and back) and the divided the measurement by 4. This measurement will be the top width.
5. Using this measurement as the top, I created trapezium like shapes from the two jumpers, making sure that I used the full width of the jumper at the bottom of the pattern piece. At this point don't forget to add seam allowance. 
6. Then I cut out these trapeziums, which left me with 4 pieces to make the skirt from.
   
7. I attached these pieces to each other, making a complete skirt.
8. Finally I attached the skirt to the cardigan (when doing this, it's important that you make sure that the cardigan is buttoned closed)  

And there you have it, how to make a jumper dress. So as always,

 I hope this has inspired you!