April here! I’m back with another monthly blog for The-Thrift! This time, it’s all about getting creative and personalising your pre-loved finds. So, let’s get right to it!

Denim finds are my favourite to get creative with. It’s so easy to jazz up old denim with a quick DIY fix, and from the comfort of your own home.

I got these Mom jeans in my local Barnardo’s in Brixton a couple of months ago – a bargain at just £7.99! They fit perfectly but I wanted to make them unique. I knew they would look great distressed and decided to give it a go myself. Here’s how I did it. 

Tools needed:

• A pair of scissors.
• A regular Stanley knife.

You could either cut or slash your material, I decided on both because I was set on making them look grungy. All together it took roughly 30 minutes; the timing will depend on how stressed you want them. I put them in the washing machine to further the messy look.

HEY PRESTO! This was the final result which I was ecstatic with. It felt so rewarding knowing I had one-of-a-kind jeans, customized by yours-truly.

I love dressing them with fishnets to further enhance the rips. I love the grungy vibes they give too.

This oversized denim jacket caught my attention as soon as I saw it in Barnardo’s. It was also perfect for customising. Again, I used a normal Stanley knife; I didn’t think too much about it and got creatively happy, resulting in this:

I added slits to the collar, the left and right arms plus a few in the pockets. I was happy with my result but I felt it needed something a little extra. So, using my newly found creative streak, I found a small pot of fabric paint that needed to be used and, I decided with to add a quote to the back of the jacket.

Tools needed:

• A pencil.
• A ruler.
• Black fabric pen.
• Paint brushes.
• Black fabric paint. (I bought the paint and pen from a haberdashery.)

 

I decided on  ‘normal people scare me’ quote, I feel this really suits my personality. I sketched the lettering in pencil and went over it with a fabric pen once I was happy with the positioning, using a ruler to section each row.

Finally, it was time to paint within the lettering. This took four coatings of paint. You could use less, but I wanted it to really stand out.  The final results looked like this:

It was just how I envisioned it and is currently one of my favourite items in my wardrobe. You could easily dress it up and down. I love wearing it with ripped tights and a loose baggy black t-shirt.

Be sure to get creative with your future denim finds! You won’t regret it what-so-ever! I hope I’ve inspired some of those following this blog. Never be afraid and just go wild!

Stay tuned as, next month I will be blogging about my top five favourite outfits that I purchased from Barnardo’s.

Thanks for reading.

Peace & love.

April.

Want to share your top Barnardo’s looks with us and feature on The-Thrift? Comment below and we’ll get in touch!