Fireball Cupcake

Fashion, Style, Life, Blog

[shiimadeit]

I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares.

Wow. This series has progressed way more than I thought it would. Who knew I hoard so much ‘junk’ that could be transformed into spectacular things. I really hope I have been inspiring at least one person to recycle, up-cycle, re-use and get into sustainable fashion. 😃

For this episode, I branched out a bit and made something that I have never made before but always wanted to. I was always a bit hesitant to try out for various reasons which would probably sound ridiculous once vocalized 😁 I think I got the courage to finally make it since I was up-cycling it from previously used fabric, so even if i botched the final product I wouldn’t have cared that much 😁.

But here goes… I made a swimsuit!!!!! A freaking swimsuit!!! You guys have no idea the endless happy dance that was happening during this transformation process. Also, it took such a short time to make it that I was honestly puzzled. Previously, this was a pair of stretchy monochrome pants that just had something off about them and didn’t really sit well once worn. Also, what I realized is such thick striped prints on a thick person is sadly a no.

Before: Pants

Essentials:

Swimsuit/ Bodysuit from your closet.

Seam ripper.

Scissors.

Chalk/Pen to trace.

Thread to match.

Sewing machine

N/B Your fabric should be spandex or stretchy enough to be worn without a zipper or fear of ripping the seams. I opted to make a high waist one piece monokini with a self-tying halter. The fabric was extremely thick and hence did not need a lining to it.

Steps

Remove the waistline from the pants.

Determine how high you want your bikini bottoms to be by wearing your swimsuit/ bodysuit and estimating the length.

Pin or draw the said area on your bodysuit/swimsuit.

Turn the pants inside out and lie it on a flat surface.

Place the swimsuit on this pants leaving seam allowance where applicable.

As you can see, i did not have any space at the sides for stretch and seam allowance.

Front

Back

Trace the front and back patterns on the pants.

Front

Back

I traced these on the back part of the pants since they were bigger than the front.

Cut out these pieces, not forgetting to add seam allowance. (I didn’t have enough fabric for a seam allowance. That shall be rectified later)

Front and back pieces

Pin around the crotch area and sew.

Next, I cut up 2 pieces of fabric measuring approximately 2″ by 6″ and pinned them to the sides of the bikini bottoms. (This was to cater to the previously limited fabric at the sides.)

Sew the sides.

I love how the shift in pattern unknowingly supplemented the look by breaking the monotony.

Fold and hem along the thighs.

After all this, you are left with fabric scraps from the back part of the pants, and the whole front part. The front is what makes the halter.

Using your seam ripper, separate the front part from the back.

Front of pants

Cut diagonally

Hem

Cut diagonally across the pants as shown in the middle photo above.

Pin and sew all round.

Turn your pieces right sides in and pin the top and bottom parts together. (I attached the top piece to the start of the horizontal part of the bikini bottom.)

Pieces before attachment

Pieces before attachment

Sew all round while hemming the entire waist area.

And that’s it! All done!

P.S Later on after trying on the swimsuit, i decided to thin the halter a bit at the top since I did not like how bulky it looked after tying it around the neck. Also, I wasn’t sure just how secure it would be with such a thick knot.

Finally got to wear it a few weeks ago while on vacation and i can’t get over how much I love it! You can also play around with the top part and tie however you please..similar to the  Infinity dress I made earlier.

I love it!!!!!!

Every body is a beach body.

xoxo

  Trash to Plush: 5 I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares. Wow. This series has progressed way more than I thought it would.

[shiimadeit]

I love trying to make unwanted things to be loved again – Tarah Allen Aloha humans!! Back when I was beginning this series, I mentioned how the hulk kept on tearing the shirts, and like the economy friendly human that I am, I would take them and transform them into something wearable again.

This is the second shirt that he tore at the elbow and he couldn’t salvage for himself. This is how the shirt looked before. As you can see from the photo below, the last button was having none of this so called thick tummy life.

  Front Excuse photos taken at night.

Torn area

The shirt fit me really well at the sides and did not need much adjustments. The bottom area wasn’t really having it though and looked ready to pop.

Essentials:

Shirt

Thread to match

Seam ripper

Scissors

Tape measure

Pins

Cut the bottom area around the last button.

Remove the sleeves using a seam ripper.

Cut across the shoulder. (Just above the first button)

Remove the pocket with a seam ripper.

N/B Don’t discard the first two cut fabrics (the bottom and sleeves) as you will need them later. You could dispose off the collar though.

Lower Part

From one of the discarded sleeves, measure approximately 4 inches by your waist circumference. (This is inclusive of seam allowance)

Fold this fabric into half and press with an iron while tucking the seam allowance in.

Attach the lower part of the waist in between this folded fabric with pins and sew. This will add to its length.

Shoulder Strap

Measure around your shoulder to get the strap length measurements and cut it from the scrap fabric. Cut the strap width to your liking. Mine was 12.5″ long by 2″ thick.

Pin and sew.

Bow

From the remaining scraps, cut out two pieces of fabric each measuring 12″x 6″. (This all depends on how much of your fabric is left)

Fold the fabric in half, right sides in, to measure 12″ x 3″.

Sew along this length.

Turn the fabric right side out.

Tuck a bit of the remaining frayed part in and pin lengthwise against the bottom part.

Sew.

Now that the shirt is fully attached, sew around the armhole where the sleeve was removed, and around the neck area both front & back.

Sew the whole way down along the buttons. This will prevent future unwanted gaps between the buttons, especially around the chest area.

That’s it! Now you have an extra outfit to flaunt in 🙂

And for those wondering why my face hasn’t featured in any of the posts in this series, I had on hair treatment and a shower cap and a whole lot of good mess that is definitely not feature worthy 😁. Multitasking is a great trait that I possess.

Whatever the problem be part of the solution.

xoxo

Trash to Plush 4 I love trying to make unwanted things to be loved again - Tarah Allen Aloha humans!! Back when I was beginning this series, I mentioned how…

[shiimadeit]

Trash to Plush: 3

Trash to Plush: 3

What a man can wear, a woman can wear better. – Shii

Hey hey hey!!!!! So I recently began a series on refashioning, and its been going well so far. Changing clothes from an undesirable state to a lovely state is what got me to fashion. If you haven’t read the previous posts, please go to the home page after reading this…:) or click on here Trash to Plush: 1 , Trash to Plush: 2

The previous posts…

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[shiimadeit]

Waste isn’t waste until we waste it – Will.I.Am

Bras. Bra oh bra…. Such a small and essential piece of clothing that never lacks in a woman’s closet. But at the same time, is it? Is it really that essential? I have a love-hate relationship with them. Always have. Probably always will. It’s the first thing I remove once I get home. There’s always this sense of freedom that comes with removing it! (I know I’m not the only one ladies…🙄)

The thing with bras is, they can make or break your outfit if you don’t wear the appropriate one for the outfit you have on. Thing is, no one really teaches us as young maturing women, how to choose and wear one that fits perfectly to our bust size. I know no one taught me! Why though? We end up going through life with the mentality that, as long as it covers the boobies (or part of it anyway), that’s it. Aesthetics aside, wearing a wrong bra size can lead to  damaging your breast ligaments, which in turn spoils the size and shape of the breasts, leading to saggy boobs. It can also lead to neck and back aches, this, especially for the big busted babes. We really do not want either of those problems. 

That being said, my top issues, are with those who wear bras that are;

Too small. By the time you’re getting boob spillage from all sides of your bust, honey, do away with that bra!

Too big. Your babies are supposed to fill well into the cups. They are not supposed to be floating and swimming aimlessly in there, nor is the bra back meant to be riding up!

Extreme push up. Sigh, let’s not even. All I can say is, acceptance of your small boobs is essential here.

Too tight. It should not cut into the flesh! At all!

Now, onto the bras themselves, you will choose the perfect fitting bra, wear it often and treat it good with all the love, wash it all the time…then boom! It decides it has had enough of you. Underwires start coming off by themselves and poking you, bands expand as if metals being smelted, hooks and straps start opening by themselves as you’re walking down the street,….smdh! It’s a whole battle zone in there. You can never win with them. This by the way, always happens to your favourite one, your cute go to bra for whatever reason. It’s happened to me. Severally. That’s why I’m here venting. Moreover, to show you how you can simply remedy this at home instead of throwing the whole bra away while in a public means of transport out of anger 😣.

I refashioned two of my black bras that I hadn’t let go of, but also hadn’t worn them in ages. One was strapless, with an expanded band and would just slide off down my body as the day went by 😒 

  The other had also an expanded band, and the straps had long gone disappeared.

Essentials needed:

Old bra that you’re still attached to 🙂

Elastic to match (mine is about 1/4 inch thick)

Needle & Thread to match

Pins

Scissors

Tape measure

Steps:

Get your body measurements depending on the design you’re going for. (I measured my back and the shoulder straps)

Cut said measurements on your elastic.

Strapless Bra: I cut off three elastic back pieces and the shoulder straps.

Bra with straps: I cut off two elastic back pieces, the shoulder straps, and two extra front pieces.

Cut your band along the boning (The hard ridge along the band).

Hard Boning

Pin the elastic straps to the bra, making sure they are properly aligned.

Sew. I opted to sew by hand due to the hardness of the boning, which could break the sewing machine needle.

That’s it folks! Now, you have two newly refashioned bras that you can wear without fear of embarrassment. Plus they are so cute that you’d probably want to show them off.

My photo angle made it look like one strap is longer than the other, but they are actually equal 🙂

This bra paired with a sheer over sized vest and short shorts is a definite look!

This kind of reminds me of the bralette previously worn in a previous post, though that was made from scratch.

That being said, make sure you’re wearing a perfectly fitting bra ladies! The internet and lingerie sales ladies are your friends.

Make do and mend

xoxo

Trash to Plush: 2 Waste isn't waste until we waste it - Will.I.Am Bras. Bra oh bra.... Such a small and essential piece of clothing that never lacks in a woman's closet.

[shiimadeit]

95% of discarded clothing can be recycled or up-cycled. Did you guys know that? I found that quite interesting. Those who know me, know I can be a bit of a hoarder especially when it comes to clothes. My closet could be full or I could detest an article of clothing but come time to discard them, I suddenly develop sentimental feelings or make up an excuse to keep them..😖. And not just clothes, noooo. My pinterest addiction also doesn’t help since you get all these ideas of what you can do with things you’d otherwise throw away. Even toilet paper rolls! For real though Pinterest, stop it!

Like a year or so back, the bf tore his shirt along the elbow as he was stretching after having his lunch at work..😱. Apart from laughing so hard I had so many follow up questions. One of them being “who even randomly tears a shirt along the elbow?!” I mean, really think about it. And not along the seam lines where one could perhaps resew it.. It was sad though, since it was one of his best shirts. 😁 Sorry boo.

I later told him that he shouldn’t throw it away as intended and that I’d figure something out to do to it. It just happens I was going through an off-shoulder phase so of course I made one. As shown below, parts that I cut include;

Below the collar/ shoulder area, (just after the first button), part of the sleeves (just above the torn area), and a couple of inches from the bottom

Shoulder

Sleeves

Waist

I wouldn’t have minded the bottom part remaining the original way but hips and all came into the picture so I couldn’t button the last two or so buttons 🙅 …yeah. so I had to cut it off.

I then measured my shoulders and elbow width and attached elastic to both parts.

Excuse the poor lighting. It was sunset time. 🙂

Months later, after this, he calls and tells me how he’s torn yet another shirt at the elbow while he was fixing his tie…Waauu dude! Who do you think you are? The hulk?

Part two of other refashioned shirts coming soon…

I wish more people cared about earth as much as they cared about who they believe created it. 

xoxo

    Trash to Plush: 1 95% of discarded clothing can be recycled or up-cycled. Did you guys know that? I found that quite interesting. 380 more words

[shiimadeit]

Hey Hey Hey!!!!!! I am back…After a while…I know…:D. Hope you’re doing good!!! 

So of late I’ve been playing around with DIYs to try ‘get rid’ of left over fabrics. You would not like to see how my work station looks like! Sheesh! My hoarder self for some reason avoids disposing them, unless its the really small useless scraps. I don’t like wasting good fabric so, for a while I was left in a conundrum. Hence, I’ve decided to do a series of DIYs using leftover fabric so as to reduce this mess!! Also, I’d missed posting tutorials. 🙂

I had to have a self sit down and think of what to make, that I might need to use often and is small enough such that it is a product of leftover fabrics. I came up with a few ideas….*applause*. This is a small foldable basket that I wanted to store small sized pieces of clothing that I don’t use often. 

Essentials needed:

Leftover Fabric 

Cardboard boxes

Fabric Glue

Scissors

Pegs

I started off by cutting out;

Two pieces of contrasting fabric, both measuring approximately 50cm by 50cm

1 piece of cardboard (25cm by 25cm)

2 pieces of cardboard (26cm by 12cm)

4 pieces of cardboard (12.5cm by 12cm)

Outer box

Place fabric I down.

Arrange the card boards on top of fabric; The two long pieces on opposite sides and two of the smaller ones on the other side. Make sure to leave a little bit of space between the card boards measuring 12.5cm * 12cm. This is to make sure the end product is able to fold.

    Glue the card boards onto the fabric. Pin them in place with pegs for maximum hold and to avoid the boxes from moving out of place.

    Place fabric II on top of this and glue them together.

      Next, attach the corner (indicated with my fingers below), and glue them together. Hold it in place until the glue completely dries up. Do this for the other three corners.

The final product should look something like this…

Cut the extra fabric at the corners.

            Inner Cardboard

    Cut the 25cm by 25cm cardboard into half.

Place it on the fabric also leaving a few millimetres in between.

Glue them together as done with the outer box.

      Next, cut up some of the fabric left and use it to line the edges of both the inner card board and the outer box.

Is it too evident I got carried away with the glue? Don’t get carried away like I did! 😀 A little goes a long  way and the table I was working on definitely did not appreciate it.

Aand that’s it folks!!! This is how it looks once you insert the inner box.

This is how it looks once you fold it.

This is such a convenient bag for home and travels and I honestly can’t wait to travel with it. I’ve used it to store my inner wears that I don’t use too often; (bralettes, bustiers, sports bras etc). 

I loved how it came out and I just might create a bigger one, but definitely with less glue.. Ha! Lessons learnt.

Stay Fabulous!

You are worth more than your darkness.

xoxo

          DIY MULTI-PURPOSE COLLAPSIBLE STORAGE BASKET Hey Hey Hey!!!!!! I am back...After a while...I know...:D. Hope you're doing good!!!  So of late I've been playing around with DIYs to try 'get rid' of left over fabrics.

[myhouseidea]

Aqua design is a project designed by Geometrium, covers an area of 72 m2 and is located in Moscow, Russia.

The project is ordered by a man. Only he will live in this flat on a permanent basis, sometimes his mature daughter will come to visit him. The main interior demands are: bright and cozy flat in a Scandinavian style, closed storage systems, wooden or wood grain stills, ceramic granite or stone floor, wooden tabletop of the cabinetry. Presence of the guest bathroom is important. Also, the client wanted to have entry to the host bathroom from his bedroom. The apartment should have climate control and smart house systems, with help of which the owner could control lightening scenarios and the whole flat power cut off (except refrigerator), also it should be possible to turn off the light from the bed in the bedroom. Photography courtesy of Geometrium

Aqua design by Geometrium Aqua design is a project designed by Geometrium, covers an area of 72 m2 and is located in Moscow, Russia.

[shiimadeit]

Him: Makes comment on my leg. Me: For real??!!! (cue shock as i look to check) Him: 📸 Sigh. New post up. Link in bio!!!

[shiimadeit]

Infinity Lookbook

If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree. – Someone wise and funny.

Well hello there! Long time no post. I remember how earlier on in the year I made a pact with Suza Crafts on posting and let me tell you she is whipping my behind like crazy. So, today I come to you with a gorgeous monochrome infinity dress I made earlier on in the year. I initially made it to wear at a…

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[shiimadeit]

Get someone who looks at you how I look at @suzacraftsworld. The summer to my winter heart. New post up! Link in bio!!

[shiimadeit]

It's Suza's World!

It’s Suza’s World!

Unexpected friendships are the best ones.

Ever had one of those friendships where you don’t even know how and where they “sprouted” from? Especially if your personas are completely different. Who talked to who first? What did you even talk about? At times I ask myself that question with so many of my friends.

Take Sharon for example, we met back in high school. I think we started talking because…

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[shiimadeit]

What do you think? How to make a reversible tote / shopping bag!!

[shiimadeit]

See how to make a reversible tote bag

[shiimadeit]

Shades of Teal

What holds you back is not what you are. It’s what you think you aren’t. 

Hi Amigos!!!!!! First of all, lets not get into the fact that I haven’t posted in the longest time. Yeah, let’s ignore and move on swiftly. If I could describe my 2017 journey so far, I’d easily sum it up in two simple words. PROCRASTINATION and SELF DOUBT. Self Doubt totally wins though. There are moments in life when one…

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[shiimadeit]

Hello good people of the world! Its been a minute. Thank you for the patience, and for all those who were asking when the next post will be, y’all are darlings. Here you go. So can I go all Kanye and rant for a moment about this fabric/ dress? Yes? Okay thanks.

So my totally crazy mind randomly decides that I need more vibrant colours in my closet. I mostly have grey and  the only bright colour I confidently do is red. All I’m thinking at this point is why not! I need to get out of this shell I always place myself in. After all I’m going to a wedding at the coast and what better time to rock YELLOW than at the beach right?

That evening I pass by the fabric shop and the lights were out. Maybe I should have taken that as a sign and turned around. But no..I’m a girl on a mission. So the shop guy and I struggle with my phone’s flashlight and decide on the fabric. I specifically asked for small prints and we finally got the perfect one. My phone’s light is showing me how subtle the colour is. Not too shouty hence the perfect colour to begin with. Getting home I look at the fabric again and I’m like “Hm, brighter than it was at the shop but oh well, could still make it work.” And I dump the fabric somewhere in my room deciding I’ll do the sewing on Monday since it was a public holiday.

On Sunday I decide to cut up the fabric and leave Monday to only sewing. My vision at this point is off-shoulder and totally short skater skirt. Well, not ‘totally!’ let’s not get crazy here it was just above the knee but not too much . But I mean these are Nairobi girls going to the coast. We kind of go a litu crazy in terms of dressing when we go south. Even the coasterians expect that so why disappoint them 😁.  After cutting up the top part I get to learn that my hosts are actually traditional people😨! What?!?! So I can’t wear my ‘kathing’!!? This people had already foreseen what my friends and I would have worn and decided to warn us :). Ha! You can’t be too sure with young ones though. Oh and to top it off my friends and I start discussing what we’re each wearing only to discover that basically all of us are planning on wearing off-shoulder?! Are we psychic? What kind of telepathy is that?? So we’ll end up being matchy-matchy all of us? Huh?! Though its pretty cool how we all thought of the same thing.

So here I am trying to think of how to change up to dress conservatively (the African type of conservative not other shenanigans people supposedly call conservative). The off-shoulder totally stays! I’ve always wanted to own something off-shoulder in my closet. I don’t care if we’re all doing it. Hence, I decide to do conservative and churchy. I cut the skirt fabric really long. Not down to the ankles but that weird length between the knees and ankles….”Why not throw in pleats for that extra maturity look June!” What was i thinking?

Monday comes through (remember Monday is the day dedicated to the sewing). I make the pleats but just as I’m about to sew mom decides to remove me from the house basically the whole day. #Sigh. I come back in the evening and decide to sew it with an elastic at the waist (this was to accommodate my projected over eating 😁). I think of everything guys. I saw how it looked on me and bleugh! I immediately removed the elastic and sewed without it. Putting it on again I looked at the mirror and 😱 I looked hideous! Or so I thought. I don’t like long skirts and dresses so my opinion was already biased, but maybe my mother would have thought otherwise since she dreams of the day she’ll see me in such dressing.

I was so disappointed by the look and so many things were running through my mind. Is it a sign? Are the gods trying to tell me to just not wear this dress? If I even finish sewing it! Should I just do away with it? What about the money I spent on the freaking fabric!  Will I just dump all that fabric? Am I willing to buy a new dress? Should I buy another fabric? If I do will I be able to sew and finish in time given my busy schedule from my day job? W.T.F!!!!!

I threw the fabric on the floor and decided to go eat some fries that I hadn’t eaten the previous night and had been thinking of whole day. But alas! Someone had eaten them already! At this point I was seriously ready to decapitate someone. I hate it when someone eats my food. Especially when I’ve been thinking about it the whole day! Like wth fam! I know you were hungry but really?! How do I forget to mention how my electrical socket has been acting up for a few weeks now hence connecting the sewing machine to it being a different kind of task in itself all while praying each time not to be blown up!

Guh! After all this I’m told that my original short dress design would have worked just fine…..👿. *burns fabric then goes to sleep!*

Lol I wish. Can’t do that. But I remember apologizing to the crew in advance. I was like “Yo I know we all promised to slay and all, but apologies in advance for looking hideous *cue the sweetest face*. “Y’all better not disown me” So I made the final adjustments which basically means reducing the hell out of that lengthy dress and changed a bit of the shoulder design to slope more on one side and put the dress away very fast before it brought on more juju.

front view

back view

Let’s have a moment of silence for that view.

  Final verdict: Yellow is a gorgeous colour. It turned out way better than expected. Darn you over-exaggerator of a mind! Not being vain, but I think I fell more in love with my collarbone and neck because of that design. I also added a head-wrap of the same fabric. So what do you guys think…. Is this color a yay or a nay? Should I add more yellows in my closet? I’m kind of afraid of your answers :-D. please comment and let me know.

Have a merry Christmas guys! Don’t over indulge and do remember the less fortunate.

xoxo

Scream!! and Shout!! Hello good people of the world! Its been a minute. Thank you for the patience, and for all those who were asking when the next post will be, y'all are darlings.

[shiimadeit]

Shame on you! Shame on me!

Shame on you! Shame on me!

Its 10 p.m on a school night. She is supposed to be asleep in preparation for school tomorrow. Mom thinks she is asleep, but she is laying there with dried tears on her face and a razor on her hand. No she does not want to slit her wrist. She wants to cut her stomach up and remove some of the layers of fat in her stomach. Terrified but determined she begins, trying to suppress and ignore the…

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[shiimadeit]

Hello good people of the world. Thank-you for stopping by yet again. If its your first time then welcome. Do follow and like to get more of this. So on Sunday my brother and I are in the kitchen making breakfast. Then I remember I’ve not told him about my new acquired baby. So I’m there all excited like “Yo! I didn’t tell you I got a new machine!” And his response is “why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” At this point I’m thinking how cool it is my brother is as excited as I in getting my baby….Only for him to start on a list of his shirts and trousers that need adjustments and repairs!!! You should have seen my face when he asked how soon I could start on all those repairs! All I was thinking at this point is boy I ain’t yo mama! while internally rolling my eyes. Older brothers right?! Sigh. But before all this like a month back after he saw my bag, Camo love, and learnt that I’d made it myself he said he also wanted one to carry his iPad which is basically what this post  is about :)

Essentials needed:

material

inner lining

foam sheet

thread to match

scissors

pins

button

So you first have to know how big you want your bag to be. I wanted him to use it to also carry his A4 books if necessary hence ended up with a total of 13″ by 25″ in size. It also had an inside pocket 13″ by 9″ which I cut separately. Obviously don’t forget seam allowance. For the camo material I had a two inch seam allowance while for the inner lining I had one inch. The foam sheet I cut it to the exact size since I didn’t really want to sew much on it if at all.

Pin the fabric together

I then pinned them together very carefully and sewed along the edges. I kind of tucked the black lining before sewing. This prevents the foam from moving around once you’re done. Do this for both parts. The photo below basically shows the two sides of the end product after sewing.

finished product

After this I folded the bigger piece to create a pocket then inserted the smaller piece between this. At this point you are almost done and after seeing how it had turned out this far I was thinking of keeping it to myself but I guess I’ll settle for sharing :)

  I decided to partition the smaller pocket into three parts. See where the small chalk marks are? Yes? No? I sewed along those lines. After that I pinned back the sides and sewed them.

After this step you’re basically done. The last step being the type of closure which was a big debate where we finally settled on a simple button.

So you see, perfectly fits the A4 and the three compartments fit the normal ‘tech essentials’ of a hard drive, cable and mouse. He totally loved it which was super duper awesome. Customer satisfaction is key! :D.

And sadly with all the love I have for this brother of mine I know I’ll end up doing all those adjustments and repairs. I actually did a t-shirt and trouser repair today.

xoxo

Paps iPad bag Hello good people of the world. Thank-you for stopping by yet again. If its your first time then welcome.