A New Direction

At least a few of you out there might have noticed I've been very quiet lately. Not only was I working my butt off getting everything ready for Bloggers & Blogging week, but I've been quietly working on another big blogging project for a long time now. I have some sad news - at least for now, this is going to be my last post on Miss Peregrin's Secrets. But I also have good news - I'm still going to be blogging, from my new haunt: One Owl Obsessed Oddity.

I've been mulling over the idea of starting an entirely new blog for a while now. I just wasn't feeling like Miss Peregrin's Secrets was really the right fit for me anymore. I started this blog almost three and a half years ago now, and I had a very different idea about what kind of blogger I wanted to be & what I wanted my blog to accomplish. I haven't been feeling as passionate about writing content lately, more like I've been running on autopilot a little bit. I thought about staying on this blog and just changing my blogging style, but it felt better for me to start over with something new. I really wanted to start a new blog with a clean slate but I didn't want to take down all of the posts that you guys have loved over the years! So, I decided that I would start a whole new blog to get my fresh start - that way, any posts from this blog that you want to read again will still be here.

One Owl Obsessed Oddity is going to be a more personal blog. I want to focus on personal style, DIY projects & my photography aspirations more than "Fashion" and celebrity style. I'll still be writing about positivity & self-love, but I want to approach the topics from a different perspective. You can expect more outfit posts, more of my photography, and more of my daily life, alongside DIY tutorials, photography techniques, personal style musings & general ridiculousness.

I just want to say a big thank-you to everyone that has followed, supported, and loved Miss Peregrins Secrets (and The Secret Life of a Retail Assistant) over the years. You guys are amazing, and it has meant so much to me to get all your postive feedback & hear your thoughts on my writing. I hope that some of you will follow me over to One Owl Obsessed Oddity, because I love your company. But even if you don't, thank you so much for everything! I have loved every minute on this blog because of you. Every single one of you rocks like crazy.

Until next time, xo.

Five Minutes With: Helga Von Trollop

Hello there lovelies,

Boohoo, it's the last Five Minutes With... of Blogging Week! I've enjoyed this week, and these posts in particular so much. It's so great being part of this awesome community of people, and I've loved learning a little bit more about everyone. Luckily, we're finishing the week on a totally fabulous note - hearing Helga Von Trollop's two cents on blogging! Helga is the lady who taught me all about brights on brights, frocking up just for the hell of it & leading a damn fabulous life, no matter what other people think of you. Here's her thoughts:

Describe your blog in five words.

Frocktacular funnage and drinks!

Why did you decide to start blogging?

I felt I had something to offer, being over 40 and still loving to frock up fabulously, and I want to show that being over 40 does NOT mean being over!

What is your favourite thing about blogging?

The amazing people I have "met" and the inspiration/encouragement I get from them!

If you had to recommend five blogs to someone who had never read one before, what would they be?

O,mine of course....but just another 4?!

Pretty much I'd recommend my entire reading list of fellow frock lovers!

Where do you see your blog in five years?

Shizzer, no idea, hopefully it'll still be entertaining and maybe I'll get lucky and it'll make me millions!

Do you have any advice for those new to blogging?

Be yourself, and take the time to make your blog pleasant to look at and easy to read.

Obviously, you should visit Helga's blog & leave her lots of comments about her amazingness! Otherwise, you could follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Blog Lovin'.

Until next time, xo.

What I Wore: The Helga Von Trollop Edition

Hello there lovelies,

Gather around, let me tell you a story. Last weekend, the day after I wore my yellow & polka-dot combination, I was feeling a little drab. There aren't many "out there" people in Clermont. There aren't many people who wear colourful clothes, or rompers, or anything that draws attention to themselves. So I get a lot of attention up here. All the time. Everywhere that I go. Sometimes it gets me down a little bit that so many people point & stare & whisper things about me behind their hands. For a second, I considered dressing down a little. But then I stopped & thought, "What would Helga do?" And, of course, the answer is that Helga Von Trollop would never dress down because of some stupid, small-minded people. So, I looked at my wardrobe for a second time, and thought again, "What would Helga do?"

Of course, the answer was, "blow their bloody socks off." So that's what I did. I wore: my favourite dress ($20) from Crossroads, tights ($10) from Jay Jays, wedges ($20) from Target, owl necklace ($24.95) from Mombasa, and some gorgeous little hair flowers that I got when I won one of Sarah Misfit's giveaways. I felt absolutely fabulous all day, and didn't give a crap about what anyone else thought. So, if you're having a crap day, just think, "What would Helga do?" Works for me!

Until next time, xo.

P.S. Don't forget to check back this afternoon for Five Minutes With... the fabularsehole Helga herself!

DIY Friday: How To Make A Cute Garter Skirt with Max California

Hello there lovelies!

I am so excited for this DIY Friday post, you wouldn't even believe it! Max has done such a great job that I'm not even going to say anything else - I'll just let her get on with the awesome!

Hi! I'm Max from Max California. I'm a DIYing mama from Australia and I like to do everything myself from my clothes to my hair! I first started sewing things for myself, but when I had my son Vinnie three years ago things got really fun {and adorable!}. Now I'm expecting a baby girl in July and things have gotten even smaller and cuter!

I love writing tutorials for the things I make, and I love seeing what other people make. I love being inspired so when people tell me I have inspired them it really makes me happy! My blog is full of DIYs and tutorials for little boy clothes but also clothing for me! Today I thought I'd share this super easy tutorial I wrote just for all you lovely lovers of Miss Peregrin's Secrets!

A few days ago I made this cute mini skirt with garter clips attached to the bottom to hold my thigh high socks up. I love mini skirts, I love stripes and I love thigh high socks! This skirt also rocks without socks, the garters are a cool feature!

Do you want to know how to make it? You're in luck! Tutorial time! It is really really easy I promise!

You're going to need:
a skirt that fits you well
stretch fabric
garter/suspender clips. I got mine on etsy
sewing supplies - scissors, thread, pins, machine etc etc etc



Here's the skirt I'm going to use to make a quick n nasty pattern out of

Fold your fabric and your skirt in half. Lie the skirt over the fabric and cut around it, making sure to leave a seam allowance all around! I folded down the waistband on the skirt because I wanted a wide separate waistband. Cut two of this for the front and the back.

For the waistband, cut the width of your skirt on the fold {so it wraps around you} and make it doubley as tall so you can fold it over.

Place the front of your new skirt face down on the back of the skirt so the right sides are together. Stitch down one side seam.

Fold your waistband piece in half lengthways

Open up your skirt and pin the waistband to the top of the skirt. The folded edge of the waistband should be pointing down toward the bottom of the skirt.

Zigzag across the top, stretching a little as you go. If you have an overlocker, finish your seam with that, otherwise it's fine to leave it. I epicly killed my overlocker today and after trying to bring it back to life several times I'm just going to let it rest overnight. So no pretty and neat finished seams for this skirt!

Now we're onto the garter clips. Cut a scrap of fabric about 20cm long and about 4cm wide, depending on the width of your garter clip. If you fold it in half, it should be a bit bigger than the wire piece of the garter clip.

Fold this strip in half lengthways and stitch along the long side.



Turn it the right way out so you have a tube.

Slide the end of the tube through the garter clip, folding it back on itself. The raw edge of the tube should be on the BACK of the garter clip...

Pin it yo, then do the same for the other side. Stitch close to the garter clip.

Cut the tube in half so yo have two garter straps! Hurray! Oh when you're sewing, if you're doing stripes like me, try and make it so the stitching camoflages, like in the strap at the bottom, and not through the obvious part, like the strap at the top.

Now hold the skirt up to you, find where on the hem you want to put your clips. Mine ended up being about 10-15cm either side of the centre. Mark or pin.

With your garter clips face down, pin the straps to the skirt and secure with a few stitches.

Like you did with the waistband, make a smaller band for the hem of the skirt. Mine was about 5cm high and a bit smaller than the hem length of the skirt. Stitch that onto the bottom of the skirt, making sure your garter clips lie against the skirt and aren't flipping the other way.

Now just fold your skirt in half and sew down that last sideseam!



Oh hey you're finished!

The cool part about this skirt is that if you make it a good length it can be a mini skirt.

Or a waisted skirt!

Although the waisted skirt might not look so great if you're 7 months pregnant...

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Hi I'm a circus tent!

But it is an excellent maternity skirt too!

Thanks for having me fiends! Stop over my place some time, but I'm pretty sure most of you already have because sweet Stacey links to me often!

I love you girl, you keep doing what you do - you're the only one who can do it as well as you!

DIY Friday: How To Make A Bottle Into A Necklace Charm with Meghan Edge

Hello there lovelies!

I've got something special for you on this lovely DIY Friday - beautiful Meg of Meg's Ragged Edge, and the infamous Max California are both guest-posting with awesome tutorials for you today! These gorgeous ladies have done a great job of introducing themselves, so I'll just let Meg get on with things!

Hello! This is Meg from Meg's Ragged Edge with an easy DIY for you! In addition to making a lot of my own clothes, I make almost all of my own jewelry. It's been my goal since I was very young to make everything I wear every day and most days I do come pretty close. So to inspire you and maybe even help you think of everything as wearable, here is how I took a teeny bottle and wrapped the top to make a pendant.

Step 1. Gather supplies. Wire clippers, a teeny object (like a bottle) and 24 gauge wire. I used green to set off the cobalt color of the blue bottle.

Step 2. Make a teeny hook at the end. This is your loop. You will wrap the wire around this later.

Step 3. Wrap wire around the neck of your bottle. You can also use more wire to make a fancy cage for your bottle – I just didn't do that.

Step 4. When you get to the back of the bottle, where you started, wrap the wire tightly around the base of your loop to close it off. Then bend the wire and clip it very tightly so it doesn't rub against your skin.

Step 5. Thread your new pendant on a string and wear!

Check out my blog where I share everyday outfit posts, opinions on life and DIY's.

You heard Meg! Go forth & DIY guys - don't forget to leave Meg some love over on her blog, or on Twitter or Facebook. Also, don't forget to swing back this afternoon to check out Max California's DIY tutorial. If you follow her blog on Facebook you might have even seen some little sneak peeks of the tutorial!

Until next time, xo.