Pink Tiger's Den

We've Moved!!

2010-07-07T22:28:00.000+01:00

Hello!

It's been a while! I've been working on lots of behind the scene things in recent months for the business and one of them is a new blog!

Visit us here and follow us for all our updated news!

Our New Blog!

Our new blog links directly from our website now, and we've also linked our Flickr gallery from there too. Just visit the site and click on Gallery at the top to see what we've been making.

TiarasAndFascinators.com

You can also follow us on Facebook for lots of info. We're currently holding a giveaway! When we reach 100 FB fans we're giving away a pair of our gorgeous Romance Earrings in a colour of your choice. Visit us, Like us, and suggest us to your friends to be in with a chance of winning!

Our Facebook Fanpage

We're also on Twitter!! We've been busy! Follow us here!

Tweet With Us!

I've loved PinkTigersDen and I want to thank all of you who've read over the last few years and hope to see you over at the new blog soon!

Have a great day!

N x

Wave

2010-03-01T23:39:00.000Z

I'm still here! I've had a February blogging hiatus. I realised it's exactly a month since I blogged!

But it's good to have a break, right??

Anyway, big wave! I'll be back soon...

Oh, and well done Amy Williams for providing GB with our only Gold medal at the Winter Olympics. We came a resoundingly crap 24th in the medals... obviously saving our best for 2012...

N x

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-02-01T10:16:00.000Z

My Mom was 60 last Friday. She's on a cruise in Dubai with my Dad for her special birthday, and although I found it very difficult to not see her on that day, I spoke to her which was brilliant, although very emotional for me and I did have a few tears when I put down the phone!! My sisters and I arranged for her to have some champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in her cabin, and for it to be decorated with happy birthday things to make sure she knew we were thinking about her, even though we couldn't be with her which I know she loved!!

Anyone who reads my blog will know that my family are the most important thing in the world to me and my parents have been my rock during pivotal points in my life, from petty fallings out with school friends when I was a kid, to the amazing birth of my baby, and the awful time I had when my husband left me and P when she was 6 months old and my consequent divorce and the hard times, both financially and emotionally that accompanied that. Throughout everything, they've put their own life on hold to make sure I was supported, loved and cared for, from taking 10 minutes out to dry my tears whilst sitting on my sister's bed in my school uniform, to cancelling major holidays and making unbelievable personal financial sacrifices to ensure that I didn't lose my mind or house during the worst times. For them, I know that these things are second nature. They would do exactly the same for all 3 of their children, and love us all equally and unconditionally. It's not even a question of whether they would do anything for us, it's a question of how soon they can do it for us to make it all better. My dad's famous quote is "You're only as happy as your unhappiest child." Something any parent can associate with, I'm sure. (Wise old bugger, my Dad...)

I was thinking this morning about how my family knows we love each other and my conclusion is that we show and tell! All the time. When we leave we say 'I love you' and hug and give each other a kiss, when we text we say 'I love you' when we're done, when we do things for each other, the silent 'I love you' is always there behind the action and for me, those acts and words mean the world to me. I know if anything happened to any of us, we would all feel like we'd been totally loved by our family for our whole lives, and I'd have no doubts that my parents, my sisters and my daughter know how I feel about them and how much they mean to me, even if we have disagreements! Our love as a family has no barriers and that's the way I like it. We're not overly exuberant, we just have this energy that says that no matter what, we'll be there for each other.

My parents have taught me a lot about how to be a good parent and it's something that I'm constantly trying to emulate in my role as a mother. My Mom has been the best mother I could have ever wished for. She's my friend, my confidante, my sounding board, my cooking instructor, my childcare, my role model, but most of all, she's my Mom, and I couldn't love her any more if I tried. She means the world to me, and I don't know what I'd do without her constant support, advice, love, guidance and understanding.

Happy 60th Birthday, Mom.

I love you more than you could ever imagine. And then a little bit more. :)

N xxx

Enquiries and Custard

2010-01-28T10:16:00.000Z

It's been a quiet winter on the wedding front, but this week I've had several enquiries for multiple orders which is really encouraging. I guess spring and summer brides are starting to tie all their loose planning ends together now and making sure that they have the right accessories to complete their looks. I can't wait to get making again.

One of my friends lives in Prague, and his wife is having a fascinator off me for a wedding in February which I'll really enjoy making. I used to really dislike making pieces for friends as I found it a lot of pressure and as a perfectionist was always worrying that they wouldn't be pleased with what I'd done for them, but after doing a few I've realised that everyone's been more than happy, so now I love it! J has the most gorgeous dress to wear with her head piece. I love the ruffles and the way the gorgeous fabric reflects the light. This is her dress.

And this is the Joanna fascinator she'll be having to go with it, in Wild Rose to match her accessories.

On a positive note about my newly found lactose and egg intollerance, I've found out that I can replace eggs with Bird's Custard Powder in my baking! I'm going to try it out this weekend with a batch of cupcakes and cookies. Hopefully the vanilla flavour will enhance the flavour of the baked stuff because the egg substitute powder tastes disgusting! I'm not sure if you can get this outside of the UK, but I totally love the flavour of this stuff and I'm excited that this might be a good substitute! My Mom always uses this powder and mixes it with milk to make custard and it's been a staple in our family ever since I can remember. One of my favourite puddings is bananas and custard, although I'd have to make it with lactose free milk now!!

Yummy!

N x

True Love

2010-01-25T10:02:00.000Z

My daughter is in love. She's 6. He's 6. She writes in her diary how much she loves him and that his best friend is called Luke. It's very cute. She showed me her diary yesterday, giving it to me with a giggle and as I read it, I realised why I am so in love with my girl. Her affection for her beau is real. She feels her emotions, and she's not scared to write them down, with accompanying pictures of stick people looking smiley and happy. Her youthful naivety melts my heart, and I hope that when she grows up she feels love with all the intensity she feels it with now, at 6, but with passion, and that that love is returned back to her with the same vigour.

N x

Hello Ducky...

2010-01-18T11:47:00.005Z

Well, it's a bit all change here. The cat's had her collar off and is absolutely loving her new found freedom after 10 days, doing flying leaps onto our big cat and generally jumping about all over the place. The operation obviously hasn't phased her one bit, although she still has a big bald patch on her side where she got shaved. I think it's going to take months to grow back!

P is off school again and has a chest infection. I took her to the drs last week and could have told him that then, so as he didn't give her any medication we've ended up going back again today. Very frustrating. She'd be well now if she'd have had those meds last week, and consequently she's missing another day off school. She's paparazzi shy...

The benefit is that we have Zac Efron on the DVD and he's getting his head in the game! Gotta love Zac bustin' some cool moves on a Monday morning!...

I've finished knitting my cousin's little girl a duck with a big fat 'F' on his bum for the first letter of her name. Now the snow's all gone, I can get to posting it! She loved the penguin I did for P, so hopefully will love her new ducky!

Follwing on from my new obsession with food blogs, feast your eyes on THIS baby!

(Photo credit to notsohumble.blogspot.com)
Isn't she the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen? She's a lemon meringue lamington made by my favourite blogger Ms Humble. Be sure to catch her blog here and join me in daily salivation. She is like a food deity, producing the most edible pictures and text, coming up with amazing recipes and generally making me want to move to Seattle to live with her. A sugary, cakey, moussey, meringuey, lemoney, chocolatey inspiration. I love her. And that lemon meringue lamington.

Dad, P and I managed to do some sledging and build a great snowman at the end of my parent's road last Thursday when it snowed ALL day and we had so much fun. P was ill after this, so I guess all fun has its downsides! Here's my Dad sledging! We haven't done this for years! And our snowman with his sprout eyes, carrot nose and red pepper lips!

Apparenly the UK hasn't had snow like this for 30 years. It's been great, but I'm so glad it's gone now... although it's forecast to come back later this week so I won't hold my breath!

N x

No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner...

2010-01-12T19:16:00.001Z

My new obsession is reading cupcake and cookie blogs. It's not the baking that floats my boat, it's the genius artistic ability these women have to turn some sugar and butter and eggs into the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Their creations are absolutely beautiful and it makes me want to bake. Therefore, I am setting out on a cupcake and cookie mission. I want my cupcakes and cookies to be beautiful. I want people to think I'm a cupcake queen. And it might give me something to do whilst I wait for the wedding season to pick up. Who knows, I might get so good I can offer wedding cupcakes to my brides...

Talking of bridal cupcakes... get this. I found it on a fabulous blog called IronCupcake and it's probably a sugar fiend's dream!! How could you say no?

In honor of Since1910.com’s 100 year anniversary, Since1910 is offering a $106,794 cupcake.

The diamond cupcake is available in vanilla or chocolate and features a 5.48 ct Round Diamond on top of the cupcake. The diamond advertised is a GIA certified 5.48 ct round diamond – F color – Si2 clarity – Good Cut. There are many diamond options for the cupcake, which will affect the total price of the cupcake.

“We are thrilled to offer this amazing proposal dessert for those discerning patrons who want to create a once in a lifetime memory.” – says Eric Peerless, Vice President of Since1910.com

Peerless states that they will ship the cupcake and diamond via Free Fedex overnight anywhere in the world.

After hearing a surprising amount of engagement stories from men who proposed using dessert as the proposal vehicle, Peerless decided to offer this incredible dessert via their website.

For more information contact http://www.since1910.com at customerservice@since1910.com or 1-800-979-1910

I'll take 2!!

N x

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

2010-01-08T19:22:00.000Z

...and we've had some! This is the worst winter I think the UK's seen for a while. The snow has stayed around for the last 3 days, and some parts of the country are -17 degrees which is colder than Russia! My walks to school have been beautiful and really refreshing and the roads look super white. Really beautiful. Pity it's so dangerous and this country is not cut out for heavy snowfall, so I've not taken the car out all week. It does have the downside that you can't do what you want to because of the trecherous conditions, but it makes you walk more which has got to be good, and apparently walking in snow is the same as walking on sand, so I'll have thighs like a championship tennis player by the end of the week....yeah right!!

Here's the road I walk down to school in all it's sparkly glory, and my road underneath.

I found my Christmas photos on my camera and wondered how it could have been nearly 2 weeks ago since my daughter sat down in front of this monumental pile of presents! (these were for 8 people, not just her!)

And my little sister riding away into the sunset to find her Prince Charming...(snigger)

My short hair is starting to grow out a bit and I bouffed it up into a mini beehive for Boxing Day! I love this picture of P, me and my Mom. :) 3 generations of us girls. Love P's face!!

N x

Proper Winter!

2010-01-05T22:50:00.000Z

Atchoo!! Cough, cough, cough. Ouchy!

:( pooooorly Tiger

Oh, plus it's snowing! We had about 2 inches in 40 minutes this morning and it's been on and off all day. The kids came home from school early and played in the garden, making snow bricks. I had to wrangle 3 of them home, but only got to keep my own!! Bring on a closed school tomorrow so I can stay indoors with my cold and my girl :)

N x

Branching Out?

2010-01-04T21:26:00.001Z

My kit Lola's been spayed today, and when we went to pick her up, she was wearing this! A cat fascinator!

It's pink and sparkly (no joke!) and she has to keep it on for two whole weeks! I think she looks fabulous and the colour is just her! She's not so sure. She's backing up a lot to try and cunningly de-collar herself, and walking around all top heavy with her head dragging on the floor, and I have to admit, sleeping and eating is a bit of a problem, but she's a tough cookie and she'll be bouncing around in no time after she's got used to it. I'm thinking about branching out into cat head accessories... what do you think??! They are obviously all the rage when you've been for a spaying, and cats have loved hats for a loooooooong time...

The vet said 'definitely a calm and quiet house' to go back to... so, what happens? Charlie walks down the stairs, sees this thing with a pink sparkly collar on, all wide eyed and semi drugged up from the anasthetic, dragging her head around and goes completely nuts, sending Lola skidding off into the kitchen where she promptly bashed herself up against the units... the joy of a crazy cat household! Lucky for Lola, she gets to sleep in the lounge tonight, not the kitchen as it was -7 this morning when we woke up, and I think a post-op feline needs some comfort in a slightly warmer room!

P wouldn't go to bed tonight because she was worried that Lola couldn't sleep and that she was in pain. Too cute. My girl loves her kitties.

I, after all the post-vet commotion, managed to cook a gorgeous mushroom and pea risotto. Yes, I of the 'I don't cook' school of finishing, stood slaving over a hot stove for more than 20 minutes to do our tea tonight! It got the "I hate it" vote of disapproval from P, but Kris loved it and said I could make it again! (If this becomes a habit, I may stop altogether... don't want to be cooking things that are actually nice meaning I have to cook more!)

Oh, and Penguin's finished after a bit of help from Lola last night!

He accidentally supports Aston Villa Football Club though in his claret and blue strip!... good job they're local!

N x

25 Seconds of Bliss

2010-01-03T21:01:00.000Z

Every Sunday, P and I go to my parent's house for Sunday lunch. Sometimes my sisters are there, sometimes not. Today was a not. Just me, P, Mom and Dad. After lunch they went to watch a film in the back of the house, and I was left in the lounge. I had my knitting with me and sat down, in the warm, with no TV on, and just the whirry slurpy noises of the dishwasher coming from the kitchen, and the hum of the central heating and a sense of complete bliss. I was surrounded by my most comforting things, all the smells and feelings of the house I grew up in, my little bit of crafty, and a warm drink, and I can honestly say, at that moment in time, if I'd got a million pounds in my pocket, I couldn't have felt any happier. I'm not a rich person in monetary terms, but in terms of being surrounded by a loving family and a happy home, I'm definitely a millionaire...

... of course this only lasted about 23 seconds before my 6 year old and her Grandad came in shouting and play fighting and I had to succumb to the madness of my family life!

I wouldn't have it any other way... :)

N x

Twenty Ten

2010-01-02T21:43:00.001Z

So, the dilemma... what are we calling this new year? Twenty ten? Two thousand and ten? Two zero, one zero? It's so complicated, I can hardly keep up! I think I'll stick with twenty ten... or maybe two thousand and ten... who knows... ask me in 363 days time.

I was thinking about what the year might have in store for me and what I need to do to make it a good one. If I had to choose a buzz word for 2010 it would be focus. I tend to get very distracted which is made worse by working from home. There always seems to be a million things to do, but I am determined to make more structure to my days and focus on doing little things each day which are important. Sometimes I find it all to easy to have a million things to do but actually get so consumed with thinking about them that I get nothing done.

I've also promised myself that this year I'm going to do one thing for myself each month. A massage, a facial, a head rub, you know the thing. I really never do anything for myself as my home, business and daughter take up so much of my time, and I think it would help me to focus better if I took time out to do something special for myself.

More focus on saving up for my new kitchen this year too... must stop frittering money away on things I don't use or need. My worst vice is buying stuff for the business. I find it hard to resist that gorgeous feather, or that amazing bead, and have a workshop full of things that I could make but never seem to get the time! I'm like a magpie. If it sparkles, I want it!

But I guess I want a new kitchen more. Mine is SO old and the only room in the house that isn't refurbished. I'll have lived here for 7 years in May and I really don't even like going in the room now. It's cold, old fashioned and small. And there lies the problem. I need to knock through into the utility room and have a complete new roof for it to be worth while, hence not just an easy job. Lots of ££'s. Better sell more fascinators this year!

Talking of magpies, I love this Steampunk Cuff by edmdesigns on Etsy. $225 but fabulously gothic and beautifully made! Such a clever girl!

I hope you have some good reso's yourself and you manage to stick to them for January at least!!

N x

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T21:47:00.002Z

Happy New Year's Eve! I hope you have a great night, whatever you're doing and you're warm and safe!

Thanks for reading in 2009, you've been very welcome! See you in the '10!

N x

P-P-Pick Up A Penguin!

2009-12-28T22:13:00.007Z

What a strange inbetweeny day. Not Christmas, not the New Year yet. What do you do on 28th December? Not much happened historically today... check out Wiki for some light (?) reading... and so, I decided that 28th December was my 'get out the knitting needles and make a cat toy' day.

I got some catnip the other day for the cats, and to much hilarity, my eldest (that sounds like he's my child!) went totally nuts for it. If you don't know, catnip is a plant that 'pleasantly stimulates cats' pheromonic receptors, typically resulting in temporary euphoria', and I'm not joking when I say that Charlie is on a trip when he smells it! I put some onto a knitted toy that he plays with and he was rubbing the toy all over his face with huge dilated pupils and a proper look of love for that knitted kitty! So, I'm knitting him a penguin with the catnip powder inside with the stuffing now! Lucky Charlie. He's been totally demasculated by being neutered when he was 6 months old to stop him making kitty babies with the local queens, (very responsible), so the next best thing for him is a love toy just like the one below, I think which is a Jean Greenhowe design. I love her knitted toy designs. What a lucky boy!!

Well, I guess I should get on with tidying up the bombsite that is my lounge since P came back and decided to get ALL of her Christmas presents out at once this afternoon! Oh to be 6 again!

N x

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T16:11:00.000Z

Wow, I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already! I've been getting food ready most of the day for our little family drinks and nibbles party tonight. I love having my family round altogether. My Grandad is coming too, and a couple of friends so it'll be a lovely night, before we have to usher them all out, sprinkle Rudolph's magic oats on the garden (so he knows where to stop), and get to bed for an early start in the morning!

I've actually baked 3 batches of Christmas Ginger Cookies today, taking inspiration from the blog and programme I watched yesterday! Some are to hang on my little cookie tree from the garden, and the others I boxed up with ribbon and a christmas tree label for my parents and sister as a little extra present! I love making things for people.

Here's the recipe if you want to try it:

*50g unsalted butter
*2tbsp golden syrup
*100g light brown sugar
*1 egg
*150g plain flour
*1tsp bicarbonate of soda
*1/2 tsp ground ginger
*icing sugar to decorate

1- Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas 4. Mix the butter, syrup, sugar and egg in a large bowl.
2 - Sift the rest of the dry ingredients together and stir into the mixture. Form into a dough, adding more flour if it is too sticky.
3 - Roll out the dough on a floured surface until 6mm thick and cut out your cookie shapes.
4 - Put the cookies onto a non stick tray or one lined with greaseproof paper and use a skewer to make holes in the top if you are going to hang them.
5 - Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and take out of the oven and cool before threading with embroidery silk or ribbon and dusting with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, lovely people. I hope yours is healthy, happy and without hangover!! See you on the other side!

N x

Don't Assume I Cook!...

2009-12-23T08:13:00.006Z

It's no secret in my family that I don't like to cook. I can cook, but I just don't enjoy it. I'd actually do most things to get out of having to rustle up something from scratch which takes me 30 minutes to chop and prepare then 45 minutes to wait for it to cook. I'm far too impatient! An added problem is that I can't stand mess... or ready meals. The amount of added salt, sugar chemicals and what not in some of those things scares me to death, plus there's the fact that they taste like plastic once you've cooked them.

I'm not a great 'foodie', in the way that food doesn't give me pleasure and I think that's at the root of my apathy for cooking. I recently found out that I'm highly intollerant to cow's milk and whole eggs, with cashew nuts featuring high on the 'eat these and you'll suffer' list of produce. It was a really interesting experiment that I did with a home testing kit from a reputable company that supplies hospitals and clinics with testing equipment and I was in the middle of having one of my frantic searches for a cure for my daily headaches which have plagued me for the last 20 years. So, I guessed that as I consume cow's milk every day in one form or another I'd give it a go and go 'cold turkey' (very seasonally apt!), and guess what... I'm on day 6 of not having a headache or taking pain killers!! I'm not counting my chickens (or turkeys) yet but if cow's milk and eggs are at the root of my headache woes, then I'm happy to substitute them for something else!

So, lately I've had to read labels on food for the first time in my life, and have realised that milk in one form or another is in most products, from tomato soup to Pringles crisps, to nearly every chocolate, so I've been making my own stuff more so that I know that I'm not consuming some sneaky lactose or egg and I've actually been secretly nearly enjoying it! (oh, plus I've dropped a few pounds from having to cut out bakery stuff! Win all round!)

Somthing that I've realised too, is that I might not actually like cooking but I sure as hell LOVE watching cooking programmes with a whistful dreamy twinkle in my eye wishing that I was Nigella Lawson. I lay on my sofa watching her Christmas Kitchen programme last night, and her velvety voice, total passion for food and gorgeous voluptuousness makes me just want to jump up and bake these chocolate cookies and give them to everyone I know with Christmas music playing in the background and twinkly lights adorning every surface of my whole house! You just can't help but fall in love with Nigella. I want to be her friend. She makes me happy and everything doesn't seem so bad once you've spent half an hour with her!

As I was reading some random blogs last night I came across this one which made me swoon with excitement! Not So Humble Pie is the most fabulous diary of a Seattle Sweetie who takes basic ingredients and transforms them into works of art with a fun element to her cooking. The reason this tickles my taste buds, and nudges my creative gene is that she bakes cookies! Now, if there's anything I love baking it's cookies. Just the thought of baking something special that I could actually decorate makes me have a big smile on my face... although P does all the decorating in our house when we bake cookies so I never get a look in! Have a look through her older posts, she makes some amazing stuff which looks like it would last about 3.2 seconds if she put them on a table and asked everyone to help themselves! I love the layout of this blog and the way she writes, but it's the photographs that do it for me. Talk about visual merchandising! These Snowflake Cookies are to die for!!!

I guess I'l have to make 2010 the year I start to enjoy cooking, using lactose free milk and whole egg substitute of course!... and I'm starting with watching more Nigella! I'm off to buy some cookie cutters!

N x

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

2009-12-20T22:54:00.000Z

Let it snow... (just a bit though because I'm not that keen...) We woke up to a smattering this morning, but still went out for a play. P loves throwing snow at me for some reason. Can't think why!

The Queen's grandaughter, Zara Phillips attended a wedding this weekend wearing a fabulous fascinator in steel grey which looked amazing. I love it when the royals get dressed up and wear great head wear!

I particularly loved the Duchess of Cornwall's (Prince Charles' wife, Camilla), wedding head piece. An amazing plume of feathers that suited her so well and worked perfectly for her age and for a second wedding. Classy but fabulous showing that fascinators can be worn at any age.

P and I have been on a Christmas baking spree this weekend. We've made vanilla cookies which she had so much fun decorating for everyone, and has made a special one just for Santa for Christmas eve. Bless her!

I've been making presents for my sister and my two friends who I don't see as often as I should. I made Chocolate Brownie Jars! Basically it's the dry ingredients of the recipe layered into the jar, and finished off with Christmas ribbon and instructions on how to bake! I think they look amazing and I'll definitely be doing more of these for other presents throughout the year now. I love home made presents, and you can't beat ones that you can eat!!

I've actually had time to complete all my orders too this week, making a fascinator for Hong Kong, some jewellery and a hair comb for a client in the UK and I forgot to show a fascinator that went over to the States a couple of weeks ago for a repeat client who has lots of children who are all getting married around this time so I'm sure I'll see her again!

For the States. Laura design in English rose with blue and purple feathers:

Jewellery and hair comb for the UK:

Jane design in daffodil yellow with fluffy yellow feathers:

We went to the candlelit carol service in the church tonight which was lovely and walking home in the snow made it feel really Christmassy. Roll on Friday!!

N x

More Pics

2009-12-16T11:04:00.000Z

John has worked fantastically hard to get me my new product shots within a week! Thanks John! I've finished writing up 95% of the descriptions for the site now, so I'm literally waiting for some artwork to be done for my new look site, then I can put everything together and 'Hey Presto', we're in business for 2010!

Here's the rest of my new shots.

N x

What A Week!

2009-12-13T22:24:00.003Z

I've had THE best week! Talk about packing it in! It started on Tuesday when I made the 3 1/2 hour drive down to Kent to finally do my photo shoot for my 2010 fascinator range with John at Waterham Studios. After a quick cup of tea when I arrived, we went off to the most gorgeous little seaside town called Whitstable. It genuinely is probably one of my favourite places. Every shop is tiny and a boutique selling flowers, craft stuff, clothing and toys and it was all lit up for Christmas. I LOVED it! John and I went on a hunt for flower props in the fab flower shops, and ended up getting some amazing gerberas and the most beautiful ornamental cabbages! The colours were perfect to compliment my new pieces.

After having a look at the sea and breathing in all that amazing fresh sea air, we went back to John's house to spend the night with his wife and kids who are like my adoptive family when I'm in Kent. They are the most amazing people and I love them to death. I feel very lucky that one of my loveliest friends is also such a wonderful photographer who enables me not only to get some brilliant shots for my products but lets me get totally pampered by a professional make up artist and pose my heart out as my own model! I totally love it! Here's me with my lashes on! These are the second lot, the first lot were so big I could hardly lift my eyes up but they look great on camera!

My make up artist was an amazing young talent called Emily-Rose. She did 2 amazing looks for me which make all the difference to the shots. One 40's style for the big fascinators and a softer look for the wedding pieces. Here's a sneak peak at some of them...

Can't wait to put them all on the site!

Then, as if that wasn't enough excitement, I've just come back from celebrating my friend's 40th birthday at a swanky hotel! We drank champagne, ate gorgeous food and chilled to the max over the weekend... there should be more weeks like this!!

N x

All I Want For Christmas...

2009-12-07T20:51:00.000Z

... is my two front teeth...

P had her wobbly front teeth smacked out today at school by a friend who was swinging her lunch box around and hit P in the face. Nice! She's now got a big gap, but her new teeth are already breaking through so it won't be long until they're in! What a shock. I had to pick her up from school, and she thought it was great that she got to come home and watch a movie rather than go back to class!

'Gappy Go Lucky!'

N x

Health & Safety!

2009-12-07T10:43:00.000Z

Someone sent me this today. It's too close to reality to laugh at really, although I did snigger!

Equalities Commission / HSE guidance on 'festive' songs

The Rocking Song
Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir;
We will lend a coat of fur,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you:

Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants, both due to risk of allergy to animal fur, and for ethical reasons. Therefore faux fur, a nice cellular blanket or perhaps micro-fleece material should be considered a suitable alternative.

Please note, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock baby Jesus. Persons must carry their CRB disclosure with them at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before rocking commences.

Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

While Shepherds Watched
While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around

The union of Shepherd's has complained that it breaches health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year that they should watch their flocks via cctv cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts.
Please note, the angel of the lord is reminded that before shining his / her glory all around she / he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory.

Little Donkey
Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road
Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load

The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load that a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry, also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled 'little' and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr. Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights.

We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable - as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as 'cash for gold' etc., gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipients name or perhaps give a gift voucher.

We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC routefinder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Facemasks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves.

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose?
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

You are advised that under the Equal Opportunities for All policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment with regard to the ruddiness of any part of Mr. R. Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from the Reindeer Games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. A full investigation will be implemented and sanctions - including suspension on full pay - will be considered whilst this investigation takes place.

N x

Aaaaand, Relax...

2009-12-05T17:48:00.001Z

I've been quite stressed for a couple of weeks, what with putting together the stuff for the impending photoshoot for my website, getting ready for Christmas and generally feeling a bit under the weather. So, when I found this today, I took a couple of minutes out to just sit and chill.

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is located in Japan and is the world's 2nd largest aquarium.

Full screen it for a moment and enjoy watching the scuba diver!

N x

Hip To Be Square

2009-11-29T19:11:00.001Z

I'm happy with my bridal stuff for my 2010 collection so far, although need to create a couple more to finish off the collection, and I wanted to do something very different to what's available out in the stores and on the net for the Race Day pieces. After trawling through some wedding and fashion pages, I got the idea of doing a square design, and this is sort of it half cooked! I love the colours, and the shape. It needs more tweaking and some more weight at the back to balance it out, but I think it's a great design! Not for the feint hearted, but for someone who wants to be noticed! It's hip to be square, so Huey Lewis and The News told me when I was a kid!

I've used cerise and english rose sinamay with a beautiful false flower and some gorgeous green stripped quills to give dimension and an extra wow factor. What do you think?

I was also asked to make a piece for a client who's purchased from me in the past. The brief was that she had a champagne coloured dress, with black accessories, and wanted something light, not too bold, and delicate. This is what I came up with, and she loved it! (I loved it too, so much I might make it to go on my site!!)

Next week is a busy one, getting all my props and pieces finished for the shoot the week after and organising how I'm going to package them all so they don't get damaged 'en route'!

N x

My Current Crush...

2009-11-24T21:22:00.000Z

... is Joseph Fiennes. I can't lie. I am in love.

Joseph and I have had a thing since I saw him in Shakespeare In Love in the 90's and my little heart has been pining after him for all these years. So, imagine my delight when my most favourite current guilty pleasure, FlashForward made him a staple of my weekly TV viewing! Excellent casting, ABC!

Yum...

ABC Studios also produce my other guilty pleasure, (what? I'm allowed two? Yippee!) the most fabulous Desperate Housewives! Season 6 is totally fab, as usual, and I'm gutted that for some reason episode 9 isn't available here until next week! The torture!

Just to mention that the amazing hand made heart necklace is by my friends over at Clutterfly Jewellery. They make some fab stuff and I love them! Have a look at their site if you want a great Christmas present for someone you love this year. As seen on uber-chic girls about town, Lily Allen and Jamie Winston this Autumn. :)

Right, must dash, I'm off to snuggle up to Joseph... don't get all jealous on me now!

N x

Pen Pals

2009-11-19T12:50:00.001Z

When I was a kid, around about 14 years old, I remember we got given the opportunity at school to get ourselves a pen pal. One was through our French lessons, so that we could converse with a French student. I thought it was a great idea to have a friend in France, so signed up. Her name was Nathalie. I remember her sending me a photo of herself, and she had short mousey brown hair. We wrote letters to each other for a couple of years, and I still have all of those letters somewhere even though 20 years have passed. They accepted me for who I was, what I told them and what I looked like.

I signed up for another pen pal called Anita Pearson. She lived in Arkansas, and I had a dream that she was just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, clicking her red sparkly shoes and being whisked off into another world of adventure. I remember my Dad saying that her name was funny. A neater person. Anita Pearson. Weird how some things stick with you.

Those pen pals mean a lot to me. I never met them but I felt like they were part of my life, and that at 14 years old I'd branched out from my safe family and school environment and had a little bit of grown up in me. I was friends with someone from another country, and I felt like I was finally getting to experience the tiny bit of adult I was craving. I have no idea what those girls are doing now, whether they kept my letters like I did theirs, or whether they ended up on some scrap heap somewhere, blown around by a foreign wind and forgotten.

Things don't change. It's 20 years later, and I have a new pen pal. He lives in San Diego and is probably one of the coolest people I know. We email instead of write, but we chat about our lives, what we do, where we go, who we see. Joe and I met 2 years ago through a social networking site. We chatted, then he left and gave me his email address to keep in touch. We didn't. Then, a few months ago, whilst looking for something else in my mailbox, I found his address. I mailed him. He replied. We whooped that we'd found each other again. We talk nearly every week and I daydream about him living his chilled out life on the beach with his dogs, and how lucky he is that he's able to do yoga and go to beach BBQ's (vegetarian) and playing his guitar whilst I sit here in all my Englishness drinking my tea and moaning about the weather.

What do I know about Joe? We've never met. I know what he looks like and that he's into KISS, heavy metal and music magazines. I know he loves his dogs and that he dresses up at Hallowe'en and gets candy for kids. I know he supports the Boston Red Sox, I know his dad is still alive and in his mid 90's, and that his niece, Grace, rocks! I know we both have pets called Lola, and that he makes me laugh with his American phrasing and that he meditates and works in finance although it's not what he really wants to do. The thing is, I don't know much about Joe, but I know that he's in my life for a reason. We're meant to be talking to each other right now in 2009.

Maybe we'll never meet. Maybe we will fade into each other's backgrounds and one day he'll tell his grandkids that he once had a pen friend from England, long after our emails have been deleted and set free into cyber space. Or, maybe we will meet and our lives will take in another person who we'll physically be able to see and hear, rather than looking at photos and imagining voices.

I know for certain that people are and have been in my life for a reason. Everyone gives me something, whether it's good or bad. I learn something off everyone and those people have allowed, and are allowing me to be able to shape my life into something resembling fulfillment and happiness to the extent that I've never experienced before.

My most precious people are those who accept me as me and don't want me to change. They help and encourage me to be who I really truly am. My true self. They love me and want the best for me. They are unselfish and grateful of my company. You don't find people like that when you're looking, they are attracted to you by the force of nature. You put out a vibe and they find it, like a bee finds pollen. Some people call it cosmic ordering. I call it fate. I believe that my life is already planned out and I'm following a pre-set path. I feel really strongly that in my future something positive will happen. I don't know what it is, but the feeling is always there, wriggling around in my stomach, reminding me that everything I experience is one step closer to reaching it.

Joe wrote this on his blog the other day. It made me really thing about how we should try really hard to surround ourselves with people who love us and want the best for us, and ditch the hangers on. I've done a lot of ditching in the past few years, and my life is far less stressful for it.

Being a parent, this piece is very powerful. It reminds me that I have to love my child unconditionally and accept what she wants to do and how she wants to live her life, not impress on her how I would like her to live it. Big words.

"When I want for you what you want for you, then I truly love you. When I want for you what I want for me, then I am loving Me through you.

So, too, by the same measure, can you determine whether others love you, and whether you truly love others. For love chooses naught for itself, but only seeks to make possible the choices of the beloved other."

-Neale Donald Walsch

Hey, Joe... you rawk! :)

N x

Remembrance Day

2009-11-11T13:47:00.003Z

It's the anniversary of my Grandad's death today. We always go up to the crematorium to look at his name which is in the remembrance book and lay some flowers for him and my nan. I cried this year. I never cry. Something just triggered my emotions this time and I miss my nan. I never knew my Grandad. He would have been 101 this year if he'd have lived but he died when he was 53. A long time before I was born. I still feel close to him though, because he's my Dad's dad. If I'd have had a son, his name would have been Joseph, after my Grandad.

I often wonder what Grandad would think of the world if he came back today. Mobile phones, the internet, microwaves, digital cameras, Wii, Skype... the list goes on. How weird that I've been able to sit at my computer in the UK and talk to my cousin in New Zealand via my computer. I can see him and hear him, and he's half way around the world! We really do live in exciting times.

It's also Remembrance day. This passage sort of sums up how I feel about today. My cousin has served in Afghanistan and I'm very aware of all the people who are fighting for a better world, and all of those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of it, including 3 of my Grandad's brothers...

'It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, pray for our men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.'

We had our 2 minutes silence today too. It's important to acknowledge all the people who have lost their lives and loves for us to be able to live as we do today.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,

though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

I'm so lucky. I feel blessed that I get a Poppy day, every day. :) Rest in peace, Joe and Hannah xx

N x

Little White Book

2009-11-10T15:09:00.002Z

I've been featured in a beautiful blog by a lovely lady called Laura who runs Little White Book which is a wedding and event management company. She's done a really nice job and as ever, I'm so grateful for the feature. Thanks Laura! You can read it by clicking here.

I've worked hard today to finish off 2 of my fascinators for my new collection. I have to think of names for them now so that I can list them on my site after the photos are taken!

Talking about naming things, I often wonder if people actually have the job of naming nail polishes. I imagine them all sitting around a table coming up with the most random names. I bought one the other day that was by OPI and called All A-Bourdeaux The Sled. It's dark wine red. Who actually thinks of these mad names? It's a great colour though, and part of their 'Holiday Season' range so get it whilst you can! I recommend OPI varnishes (I'm a nail technician in my other life) as they are so densely pigmented and give a lovely coverage!

I've decided to abandon Linux and go back to Windows. I can't seem to download my photos easily and it's driving me mad! Does anyone use Windows 7? Is it any good? Hopefully I'll be back to uploading soon!!

N x

Berry Nice!

2009-11-09T22:51:00.000Z

I was walking back from the school run the other day, and have a beautiful road to walk down. I noticed that all the berries were out on the trees that lined the street and they looked so lovely and I had to take some photos. They reminded me that I have some artificial berries that I'm going to use to make one of my 2010 fascinators, so I fished them out. They are in gorgeous browns and creams and will work really well with some crin or sinamay.

I've had a meeting with a business advisor today who's given me some great advice about wholesale ideas for bridal boutiques which I'm going to follow up, and I've decided to add a blog to my T&F website to update customers on what I'm doing and what I've made recently, plus photos from people who have purchased from me too to make the site more active. Should be fun!

We had our annual bonfire on Friday night which involved my Dad digging up a big patch of his garden to have the fire, my Mom cooking all the food, and me making a scrummy banofee pie which went down well! We had fun with fireworks (courtesy of my pyromaniac brother-in-law :)) and sparklers and it was lovely to all get together and wrap up warm on a chilly night. If you're not aware why we celebrate 5th November with a bonfire and fireworks in the UK, you can read all about it here :)

Dad, Rachie, P, Pyro, Loz and Mom warming themselves by the fire...

P and Mom sparkling!

Mom scoffing the banoffee pie for a pic to send to their friends in Portugal. Dad looks amused!

I'll write the recipe for my Banoffee Pie for my next post... I dare you not to love it!

N x

Karma Chameleon

2009-11-05T21:43:00.000Z

Do you believe in karma? I do.

I've spent the last 6 years being in a situation where I felt like the underdog through something that was out of my control. I felt like I'd lost out in the game of life. Like I'd been bowled a great ball but been looking the other way and it ended up hitting me on the head.

But... lately things have changed, and in a bizarre twist of fate, I've ended up being the person whose ball hit them on the head, did a freaky curve and caught the edge of my bat as I swung it in a rage and it got whacked out of the stadium to tremendous applause and great accolade.

Ahh, yes, I love karma... yin and yang, what goes around comes around, cause and effect, you reap what you sow... whatever you like to call it. Eventually everything evens itself out and eventually, if you're a good person, your bad turns good. And it feels good! :)

If you read my blog, you'll know that my family and another very important person who I don't blog about, are the most important thing in the world to me, and over the last 6 years they've been my rock. I couldn't possibly even for one second imagine how I would have ended up being the sane, happy person I am today without their constant love, care, guidance and commitment to me. So, thank you, to all of you for being there for me. I love you.

So, Dad, if you're reading this. I told you it'd all work out in the end :)

Oh, and Joe, the Sox pic is in your honour :)

N x

Snazzy Titles And A Bird!

2009-11-04T20:39:00.002Z

I have to share this amazing site with you. I wanted some snazzy handwritten titles for my blog and stumbled upon these guys. Again, such an easy walk through tutorial. Download your favourite handwritten style... (there's loads!), do some super easy layout changes, and you're there, looking smug with your new fancy titles! Make sure you have some time on your hands because it does take a while, but it worked first time with me and now I'm the proud owner of 'Pea Susela'. All the fonts off this website are true type fonts and will appear on any computer that loads your pages, not just on your own. Read it and weep! (then go and get your own on KevinandAmanda.com... here!)

The rest of Kevin and Amanda's site is really worth reading, with some amazing recipes (I know what you're thinking, Mom...) and some lovely scrapbooking stuff, so hop over and see!

I've been working on my summer sunflower fascinator today which now has beaded sinamay leaves with rolled edges, and almond colour sinamay swirls. I'm going to add a light green stripped spadona for height (imagine an ostrich feather, with the feathers removed so you just have the centre sword) and I've chosen an ivory straw base to compliment the yellow crin fabric which forms the brim. It really is an organic process, this one. I'm just going with the flow to see what I create. Sometimes I find that's the best way to work. Add a crystal here, a feather there and see what the outcome is!

Happy Wednesday :)

N x

Pimp My Blog

2009-11-03T20:47:00.000Z

Ta-daaa!

I've finally pimped my blog! What do you think? I've been wanting to change the background and the header for ages but never found one that I like, then I stumbled upon ShabbyBlogs and I was in template heaven!

There's some beautiful background templates with gorgeous girly themes, and lots of extras such headers, tabs, dividers and blinkies which you can add easily through Megan's amazingly simple tutorials. It means having to change some HTML code, but if you want to bling up your blog, it's well worth it. I even learnt some coding on the way!

I've also added a great widget called LinkWithin which shows 3 random archived posts at the end of each post which allows people to have a look at what I've been up to previously. How clever! I'm really happy with the results and my blog feels much more personal now. Please feel free to follow me by clicking the link on the right hand side of the page and it'll keep you updated on what I'm up to. :)

Fascinator wise, it's been a good day. I'm currently making a big design for the summer which includes a sunflower and some beautiful yellow crin. I'm making some green sinamay leaves, some twisted sinamay sticks and I might even bead the leaves to make them extra special. Photos on their way. I think we could all do with some sunshine in our lives right now in the UK as it's getting really cold and dull. Roll on summer!!

This is what I'm talking about! Big + Bright + Bold + Yellow = Summer! I might even add a butterfly too!

N x

Happy Hallowe'en!

2009-10-31T20:25:00.002Z

I'm not a great fan of Hallowe'en, but this year I've been captivated by my Etsy friends' ability to turn beautiful materials into fantastic jewellery!

These Crackled Pumpkin earrings are from Karmelidesigns and would be fantastic teamed with your witches outfit!

This fantastic Silver Bat Necklace by ANORIGINALJEWELRY is gorgeous sterling silver and adds some spook to your day!

Love, love, love, love LOVE this Hallowe'en Jack Skeleton ring from Carneen ... so much I'd buy it if the seller shipped to the UK :( but I can admire from afar...

And this spidey tie pin/brooch from Isueszabo is just fab! Just the right amount off 'Ewww' and 'Ooooh' mixed together!

So, Hallowe'en made more fun for me this year! (I'm still not opening the door to the Trick or Treaters though...)

N x

More Features

2009-10-31T14:17:00.000Z

I've been featured in another couple of lovely blogs this week, of which I'm very grateful!

Amy found me on Etsy and featured me in her wonderful 50's Inspired blog with some other very talented artists. You can see the blog here.

and...

Wedding Dresses Magazine, and online mag which covered fascinators featured me too! You can read that here.

I found this photo of an amazing wedding idea. I love that she's wearing a fabulous flower fascinator with a birdcage veil, and that her shoes are zingy orange and match her flowers. The groom's Cons and jacketless look really make me think that these guys would be having a great time at their wedding! I don't have a big ivory flower in my collection yet, but I think one is on the agenda!

It's been half term week from school so P and I have been mooching around, watching movies and we went into Birmingham on the train to get Krispy Kreme donuts, which was sugar-liscious!

Back to school next week so I can get concentrating on finishing making my new collection for 2010 which is being shot in 5 weeks time!

N x

Another Immodest Feature!

2009-10-23T09:12:00.000+01:00

Wow, I'm featured in another Blog today, which is singing my praises. I'm so, so thrilled when I find out people like my work! Today's little gem is by KnitsMcGee and you can read it here.

I've been brainstorming like mad for my new burlesque costume ideas, sourcing pictures that I like and thinking of how I can put a more glamorous spin on things. I really love burlesque. I was lucky enough to go and see a show a couple of years ago which had Immodesty Blaize in it. She's amazing and the show was so much fun! Here she is in all her feathered glory!

I've started making my new Races Collection of fascinators for 2010 which are being shot in December by my wonderful friend and commercial photographer extrordinaire John Burgess at Waterham Photographic Studios. We always have so much fun when we shoot and I'm really looking forward to seeing him and his family again, they always make me feel SO welcome! I'd better get a move on I think so that I actually have something to shoot!!

N x

A Month!

2009-10-21T21:31:00.001+01:00

It's been a whole month since I've blogged! I need my wrists smacking! I really don't know where the time's gone. (I find this is a particularly common thread in my life!) but I have lots to share!

I had an email today telling me that I'd been featured on this amazing wedding website. They picked me off Etsy obscurity and did a fantastic write up about my work. It couldn't have come at a better time, as I've been feeling very down on myself lately, thinking that my work isn't good enough and I should be doing more, even though I have some wonderful testimonials from clients who have purchased my stuff. I really should have more faith in myself!

This is the website that featured me. It's called WeddingChicks.com and you can see the article here.

Work has slowed right down over October and I've not had many orders, which is quite normal in the wedding business. It picks back up about Feb time, so I'm trying to think of things to do to see me through this period next year. I'm really interested in working with Burlesque dancers to create fab headpieces for their costumes, and have some contacts in that industry, so watch this space!

Here's a little preview of what I've been up to work wise over the last month...

Far too much to not blog! I promise I'll be back regularly from now on! Not sure what's happening with my wonky pics either. Must get myself more tecno-savvy!

N x

35!

2009-09-23T20:26:00.001+01:00

Yes, it happened. I'm 35. I spent my birthday in bed with a cold virus and a sore throat. I had lots planned and did a big fat zero! So much for birthdays, but now I'm officially middle aged and can have a midlife crisis! Yippee! Oh, and that's Lola, our new kitten above. Commonly mistaken for a bat due to the size of her ears, and a VERY excited P!

I've been busy with the tail end of the summer wedding season and lots of fascinators have been flying out. I've had a reinstall on the comp, so all my photos seem to be everywhere and it's difficult to find them, but here are a few.

Claire design in Royal with white feathers:

Swarovski Butterfly earrings and necklace set I did for a secret swap for the Etsy Wedding Team:

Grrr, I can't find the other pics! I will have to try and sort them and get them posted!

N x

LOVE Derren!

2009-09-10T18:02:00.002+01:00

I am in love with Derren Brown. Check out his newest illusion. He correctly predicts all 6 balls in a live National Lottery draw. Tomorrow he tells us how he did it.

You gotta LOVE Derren!! He is the master of misdirection...

Watch it here

N x

Still Here!

2009-09-08T20:49:00.002+01:00

I'm still here, but trying to organise back to school, finishing off orders and welcoming our new kitty, Lola! It's all hectic! Back soon!

N x

Nutfield Weaver

2009-08-31T13:04:00.006+01:00

My lovely fellow Etsy Wedding Team friend Kate from Nutfield Weaver has just featured me on her blog. Thanks Kate! You can see it here or on the little button on the right under my favourite blogs.

I've mentioned Kate before on my blog. She hand weaves amazing lace wedding accessories which are perfect for something different than the shop bought things you can buy, and can be a fabulous reminder of your special day. Her website is here.

I love this hand woven ivory lace ring bearer pillow with purple posy. Click the link to take you to Kate's Etsy shop.

Our fruit and veg is growing and the strawberries are starting to ripen and the tomatoes are finally turning red! We're very excited. We've also had lots of beans off our bean plant and our mini cucumbers are delicious. Next year I can't wait to do it all again!

This is a killer strawberry we got in our punnet from the supermarket the other day! P wolfed it down, I didn't get a look in.

N x

On the Mend

2009-08-26T20:10:00.006+01:00

It seems that once someone gets wind that you make stuff, everyone brings you something to fix! I've had 3 people bring me pieces of jewellery to fix over the last week or so which is so funny because I could do it before but never told anyone. Anyway, because I'm nice like that, I've fixed it all. A bracelet and 2 necklaces for my lovely clients. What would I do without them?

It's still all go on the fascinator front and I've just finished the tiara that I was talking about a few weeks back. The client made various tweaks to it, including a whole re-hash of the pearls, but I'm so pleased with it. You can read the original post here. I'll post a pic of the complete one soon.

Here's some more orders that have gone out. I must start using my actual camera to take photos instead of my phone, and I might give 'Polly' the head some hair for a change! Better sort out a wig for her!

Jane design in chestnut with chocolate and ivory feathers with additional guinea fowl plume on a comb:

Jane design in royal with black feathers on a comb:

Jane design in pewter with ivory feathers on a band:

Jessica design in black with silver and black feathers on a band:

Claire design, reduced size, black with ivory and silver feathers on a comb:

Sparkle tiara with ivory feathers:

I've just downloaded 100 pics off my phone because I'd lost the USB wire, and there's about 60 of the cat that P's taken, some orders and some holiday snaps! I'd forgotten about most of them!

Me and Mom in the sunshine:

My beautiful sisters waiting for our plane home:

P wants a new kitten, so we're on the look out. Preferably a short haired black female for Charlie to woo! It'd better be chilled too because P likes to look after Charlie like a baby!

N x

Work and Dinos!

2009-08-21T18:04:00.006+01:00

Phew! Busy busy! Here's some of the work I've posted out in the last week.

Joanna design on a comb in all black with black feathers:

Tamara design on a band in Old White (ivory) with ivory feathers:

Jessica design in silver with silver and purple feathers:

Jessica design on a comb in pewter with silver and ivory feathers:

Jessica design on a comb in royal with tangerine feathers:

Rachael design in cerise with geisha and silver feathers:

Jane design in silver with silver and pervenche feathers:

Jessica design on a band in pewter with geisha and purple feathers:

Lots of work but lots of satisfaction too :)

I was also lucky enough to be taken to Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular, and it was spectacular! An hour and a half of fabulous life size walking, roaring dinosaurs curated brilliantly with the most amazing anamatronics. If you can get a ticket, it's well worth seeing.

Here's some shots off my phone, it was dark but you get the idea.

T-Rex (she was about 20 feet tall!), and the gang:

Grrr!

N x

Googleiscious!

2009-08-19T21:18:00.004+01:00

Oooh, I'm so excited. If you Google the word Fascinators, my site is on Page 1!!! No wonder my page views and sales have gone a bit bonkers!

Been really busy all week making orders which have come in on tight deadlines, gotta get back to making... post pics soon :)

N x

Royally Fascinating!

2009-08-15T11:29:00.003+01:00

This is Kate Middleton, she's Prince William's girlfriend. She's my hero. LOOK at that fascinator!!! Fabulous jacket too. Gotta love the royals!

Chop Chop!

2009-08-14T20:10:00.004+01:00

Well, I finally had it done. It's taken me 5 years of talking about it, but the hair is off and it feels.... short! I love it!! It's taking some getting used to though! And I'll need a fraction of shampoo which should save me enough over the next 9 months for a Mouseketeer Bar at Disney because we're booked up for 2 and a half weeks holiday next April!!! (excuse me, just have to jump around the room with excitement for a minute... )

OK, I'm back. Phew! I've just had 4 wonderfully relaxing days off whilst P was with her dad, and me and a friend drank wine, watched movie after movie, went on daytrips and out for dinner, got up late, stayed up late, and now I'm having serious withdrawal symptoms being back in real life... if only every day could be a no responsibility day... (I'd soon get bored!)

I'm back to lots of fascinator orders and so back into the swing of things straight away, although all this doing nothing has made me so tired!

N x

Treasured

2009-08-08T20:38:00.010+01:00

Today I found 2 Etsy Treasuries that feature my fascinators. As always it's so lovely to have my work recognised by people and appreciated enough to put it into a collection. Thank you to Arippke who runs Izzy and the Bean a wedding stationery shop on Etsy and is a fellow Etsy Wedding Team member, hence the title of the Treasury. She featured my Joanna Fascinator. Check out her work if you're planning a wedding, it's absolutely gorgeous. Her Addy invitation is my favourite. The colour stands out a mile for me and I love the peacock feather!

And thanks go to ArtistryByRamona for this flower Treasury featuring my Viktoria Fascinator. This design has been the one that's been picked the most for Treasuries that have featured me. I think it's the bold colour and the huge flower that catches people's eye. Ramona is a fantastic jewellery artist who creates beautiful pieces from metal and beads. My favourite piece of hers at the moment are these brilliantly titled Chocolate Mousse Drops Earrings. Love those lampwork beads!!

I've been working hard on orders this week so that I can have a few days off next week whilst P is away with her dad. Here's some of the stuff I've been creating.

Claire Fascinator in Tea Rose with black feathers for the UK
Sarah Fascinator in Old White with Guinea Fowl and White hackle feathers for the UK
Jessica Fascinator in black and white on a comb for the UK
Small Claire Fascinator in Royal blue and white for the UK
Jessica Fascinator in Hyacinth with Seabird feathers for the UK
Jessica Fascinator in Royal with Silver and White feathers for the UK
I've also had a bit of an obsession with getting my hair cut this week. I've had it long for years and fancy a drastic change so I've had to go shorter in stages... this is how much was cut off the first time:

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3... is next week and this is what I'm hoping for... along with the gorgeous husband and the healthy bank account! (look away now Mom, you'll only tell me off!)

I met one of my lovely old friends who has lived in the US for the last 10 years and we went out for dinner twice with some other friends. It was so lovely to catch up and I'll miss him now for another couple of years until we manage to see each other again.
I have another fascinator to make tomorrow then I'm free for 4 days! Yippeee!!

N x

P.S - if you're wondering if the happiness test worked... to be honest I'm not sure, but I'll post the official results when they're out :)

The Science of Happiness

2009-08-02T19:08:00.003+01:00

I'm taking part in this experiment which is being run by Professor Richard Wiseman. You can take part too. It's worldwide and anyone can join in. Check out here for his website.

Keep smiling :D

N x

Etsy Wedding Team

2009-08-01T08:26:00.012+01:00

As you might know I'm a proud member of the wonderful Etsy Wedding Team who are a group of people who produce the most amazing pieces of handmade wedding articles ranging from gorgeous bespoke stationery to fabulous jewellery and everything in between. If you are looking for something special and want something unique made with love and care, not mass manufactured in a factory, you would be advised to head straight over! Some of these craftspeople have THE most amazing talents, it will want to make you get married over and over again!

We have a great blog that's recently been updated and improved and we have monthly giveaways and focuses on members which are really insightful. I've added a click button on the right hand side of my blog to make it easy to find, so please go and have a look, I'm sure there'll be something you fall in love with straight away!

Don't forget that a lot of crafters also supply for other events such as races, proms and other special occasions and are not just limited to weddings and there are lots of items

where you can choose your own colours and designs, so we appeal to everyone!

Here are some of my current favourite items that are for sale from my fellow Etsy Wedding Team members. Their talents never cease to amaze me...

Handwoven ivory lace ring bearer pillow with hidden pocket for rings - $30 - Nutfield Weaver

Jenny Collection lined in Royal Purple Silk - $65 - Fiazco

Your Vows or Lyrics and Photo on Canvas 12x16 - $99 - GeeZees

The Fresh 4x9 Tea Length Layered Wedding Invitation with Square Rhinestone Buckle Detail - $6 - GlitzyEvents

Black and White with Turqouise Damask Round Wedding Card Box Holder - $30 - CreativeBridal

Happy shopping!

N x

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-07-25T15:14:00.006+01:00

Happy 1st Bloggy Birthday to me! Yes, it's been a year since I started my blog. I can't believe it and I must go back and re read it all to remind myself what I've done this year! Time flies! I'm going to celebrate by watching The Godfather. Are they linked? I think not, but I'm not sure i can justify a birthday cake for this momentous occasion, but what I can do is watch some Pacino and laze around all day! Sounds like a perfect birthday!

Kazowie have featured me in a lovely article on feathered head wear for weddings. Check out the link! It's so lovely to be featured by other people and I'm so grateful.

I'm adding some more tiaras to the T&F site today and some beautiful Swarovski jewellery is going on too, so keep your eyes peeled for more products going on soon!

Here's a couple of teasers...

I'm feeling much better today so I think that I'm safe from Swine Flu for another day...

N x

Oink..

2009-07-23T17:51:00.003+01:00

Ouch. My throat hurts and I feel so tired. I hope it's not the nasty Peppa Pig Flu...

P is recovered from her illness now and you can bet that I'm coming down with it now.

Oink...

N x

Photos!

2009-07-17T13:15:00.007+01:00

Ah, I've installed my software. Here are the pics of the tiara so far. The idea is to follow the pattern off my client's wedding dress so that it all ties in.

First tier

Second tier

Third tier

The wedding dress embroidery

It needs crystals and pearls encrusting around the band, and the third tier needs attaching to the second one and bringing down a bit and then it's finished, although looking at these pics it looks a bit ridiculous! It's amazing how the final tweeking makes such a difference!

I've picked out a light colorado topaz crystal to incorporate into the design as it's the crystal used on the wedding dress, and my client chose light cream rose pearls and crystal crystals to complete the look. I used silver glass seed beads to trim the wire as my client didn't want to see much wire on the final design. I'm so pleased with how it's turning out!

Oh, and these are my first tomatoes! Yay!
N x

Featured!

2009-07-16T21:03:00.004+01:00

Just found out I've been featured in an online bridal magazine called Derinaud.

Click here to read the article.

P's been ill all this week and missed the last 3 days of school, so things have been hectic with looking after her and getting my fascinator orders done. I've also been thinking about whether to look into teaching some of my skills to art and textile students in the future, or making some PDF books that would be available to buy which would detail how to make your own fascinators, tiaras and jewellery. I think I might think some more about it and let you know. :)

I want to show you the first bits of the tiara I'm making up from the design from the client's dress... I'm LOVING doing this as it's a bit of a challenge, but I've just had a Windows reinstall on my laptop and my camera software isn't installed yet! Soon...

N x

Long time no see!

2009-07-04T21:05:00.010+01:00

Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it?!? I don't know where the last few weeks have flown to, but the last time I blogged was on 14th June!! I do have an excuse though... I have been busy making fascinators and hair accessories, looking after my poorly sick daughter and spending a week lazing by the pool in Spain!

Yes, we went on holiday with my parents and both my sisters which was fab. We had such a great week doing absolutely nothing except for swimming, sleeping, eating, swimming, sleeping and eating! What a great way to spend a week.

Taking off...

Me and my sisters having cocktails in the bar

I had a quite a few orders to get out before I went, and have been working on orders since I got back and my blog has taken a back seat for a while, and for that I apologise. Here are some of them. The others are on my camera, but I need new batteries to upload them!

Jessica Design in black with ivory and black feathers, to the UK

Bespoke Bridal Swarovski crystal and pearl Haircomb for a client in the UK Pewter and fuscia flower and veil cocktail hat for my friend Joanna for a wedding in the UK
Joanna Design in Navy with lagoon and ozone feathers for a client in the UK

I've also finished off the lounge and hall decorating (at LAST!) and my house is now in some sort of normal state again! I'm so pleased with the way that everything's turned out, and it's like living in a new house! I love it and it really feels like home now. It's all come together better than I could have ever expected.

The lounge, before...

... and after

The hall, all finished with the radiator cabinet and the newly waxed floorboards and rugs

I've been commissioned to do a bespoke tiara for a client who has a beautiful vintage style antique lace wedding dress with an amazingly long train. She lives locally so I've had a couple of design meetings with her and have come up with an initial design based on a pattern in her material. Can you guess the design from this swatch pic? I'll show you later when I've constructed it. I'm also doing her wedding jewellery too which will use elements from the tiara so it will all match. I'm really looking forward to this project.

The other good news is that Jordan doesn't have to worry about finding a new husband now her and Peter have split... Prince Charlie loves her...

N x

Happy Birthday P!!

2009-06-14T21:32:00.004+01:00

My P is 6 today! I can't believe it's been 6 years since I went through a 26 1/2 hour labour to meet my little girl. The first words I said to her were "where have you been!" because she'd taken so long!

We've had a lovely day at the Butterfly Farm in Stratford, the butterflies are amazing, a picnic by the river, and dinner out at Frankie & Bennys. We're all exhausted, but here are a few shots from the day. More soon.

Happy Birthday to my best girl. I love you! xxx

New friend

Picnic by the river

Happy Birthday!

Mommy gets a love in the garden on the new trampoline

On Safari

2009-06-10T15:06:00.005+01:00

I took P to the Safari Park during half term. We love it there and the animals were so active because it was sunny. (Difficult to believe seeing as I'm sitting here with torrential rain outside now!). We took my Mom and had a lovely picnic too. We got a free ticket so Dad's coming next time and that was the bribe to keep P off the rides... "Grandad will go on with you next time!", haha!.

We got very close in the car to a lion who was sunbathing, and the elephant that was out was absolutely beautiful and very funny the way he was pulling up grass with his trunk.

Grrr...

Here's P with a not so alive elephant...

And a real one...

P with her new best goatey friend

No fascinators made due to the nightmare of the virus but viewing stats are back up and I've already had an order which is promising. Oooh, actually I do have a pic of a mini Jane design I did for a lady in the UK in pewter with old white feathers but it's on my new camera and I have to work out how to get it onto my computer!

Oh, and my Twitter account has been suspended due to suspicious activity... I think I linked my blog too much... whoops!

My decorating is nearly all done thanks to the hard work of both my parents, and it looks amazing! Pics to follow!

N x

Virus...

2009-06-08T21:28:00.003+01:00

Oh dear, oh dear. The last week has been a complete nightmare. My website's had a virus in its code and has been down for 9 days. It's been really really stressful and it was touch and go as to whether all my months of hard work building up the site and my reputation would be completely gone or whether we could retrieve it. Fortunately it's back up but not running properly yet and it's stressed me out beyond belief, so excuse the lack of blogging. I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself. :(

Here's a happy picture. The first strawberry on our new plant!

N x

I Hope To God That's Batman...

2009-06-03T13:23:00.003+01:00

Blimey, time flies! I haven't blogged for a week and a half! I do apologise!

Last week was half term for P and we had such a lovely time. I love having her all to myself sometimes and I've really tried to make sure that we always get some quality time together. I have 2 sisters so there was always someone around to play with, but as P is on her own, I take the sibling place. Luckily I've renewed my childhood love of computer games. My sister Rachael and I would play for HOURS on our old Playstation and even before that on our Vic 20 that had games on cassette tapes! Mom would put us to bed, and then Rach would sneak into my room and we'd play games whilst Mom and Dad were downstairs. We always thought they didn't know, but I'm sure half the time they did.

Things have moved on since games on cassette tapes and P and I love our Wii and have been playing together on our games for hours which really helps us to bond. We have to share ideas and work together on some of the games which is great for her as she learns to work with other people and obviously realise that Mommy is quite rubbish at pulling secret levers in the Lego Indiana Jones game and she's quite brilliant! After supervised gaming, we've watched movies at home, been to the cinema twice to see Hannah Montana and Night at the Museum 2, eaten ice cream, been to McDonalds, slouched around in our PJ's until noon on some days and generally had a fab week!

Unfortunately back to reality this week and the usual chaos of getting dressed early, not having time for the Wii and finishing her school Strawberry Project have overtaken laziness, but we've had glorious weather in the UK this last few days, so we've read in the garden, played in the tent and painted outside too.

Life's always much better when it's sunny.

I went to see a kitten the other day. I'm thinking about getting a girlfriend for Charlie... although not a girlfriend in the conventional sense, as he's been neutered! She was 8 weeks old and the tiniest thing I'd ever seen! Very cute, and you can't help falling in love, but I'm being very sensible and waiting until we come back from our holidays to make a decision. If you like cats, you'll love this site. It always makes me laugh!

N x

Indy Fever

2009-05-24T18:25:00.008+01:00

Ah well, no takers for the Jimmy Choo Hunters, but there's still time!. Plus it's been the hottest day of the year today so no wellies needed! Hurrah for the sun!

We've been whizzing around on our new chair that was delivered with the sofa this week. It's like a Waltzer at the fairground so P has been spinning round until she's nearly sick. Lovely!

I've been making some fascinators for Malta and the UK this week. One Laura design in chocolate with chocolate feathers and a Claire in whispering blue with bonsai and saffron feathers which both looked great.

We've also being playing Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii and I thought it was time that I introduced P to the gorgeousness that was Harrison Ford in the films, so we've sat and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark today! I forgot just how fabulous he was! Good old Harrison.

This week is decorating the hall stairs and landing week, so I'm off to get paint in Wedgewood Lilac for the feature wall going up the stairs:

with the same Ivory Lace off white colour that I've had in the lounge for the rest of the walls. It's all coming together!

N x

Jimmy Who?

2009-05-20T20:37:00.002+01:00

I have nothing to say apart from this...

I NEED these.

If anyone would like to buy them for me as a present for my 35th birthday please get in touch... :)

Exotic croc-printed rubber makes a rainy day more interesting. Hunter Boots for Jimmy Choo. $395.

Make your purchase here... many thanks. :D

Summer's here...?

2009-05-17T11:56:00.008+01:00

This week I've been working on some great fascinators. You can tell it's nearly summer as I'm getting orders in bright daffodil yellow and cool green! I've absolutely loved making these. There's something about someone being really bold with colour choices and designs that makes me really happy :)

This is a Claire design that's gone to the UK:

This one is an April design that's in Daffodil and Ambrosia and is going to New York tomorrow:

The decorating is now finished in the lounge. All painted and papered, although we did have a DIY SOS when half of the paper had to come back off because of a bubble issue, but it's all on now and looks fantastic! Sorting out the fireplace is the next job.

The carpet's being cleaned tomorrow, the sofas delivered on Tuesday and then everything will be nearly straight again!

Kris and I have finished cleaning the hall floor and it's ready to be waxed after the sofa delivery,

and I've narrowed my hall colour down to 2 colours. An olive green or a raspberry pink... decisions, decisions!! Oh, and I changed my mind about the rug... I went for a stripy green one in the end :)

And to top off this week, P's starring role in the new Halfords Child Seat brochure which is country-wide as from now! She has a half page shot and a little one on the next page! I'm SO proud of her! My little star :)

N x

All Change!

2009-05-11T20:08:00.006+01:00

Ok, ok. It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind!! I got the duck egg blue paper (my Mom swears it's green) but after having a really good think about it, I'm not sure that I can live with a big wall of blue, and my room doesn't get much sun so it might be a bit cold, so I've opted for an amazing mocha brown design instead. The flowers have a slight sheen on them, and I've chosen Ivory Lace paint for the other 3 walls and they tie in perfectly! I promise, no more changes! Definitely... maybe...

Kris and I have been sanding the floor in the hallway and it looks amazing! We have stained wax to brush on in a medium oak colour when my sofas have been delivered so they don't damage the wood in the process of hauling them about, and I am going to order a green runner to go with the green in the material of the curtains which I am going to cut up and make into blinds for the front door and the landing window... I think... although I might get the mink colour... who knows!

Anyway, amidst the chaos, I have actually been working too! I've got a few orders in for all over, and I just did a fab Jenny fascinator with a birdcage veil for a client in Canada, some rose organza hair pins for a bride in Berkshire in the UK, and a Tamara fascinator in Poppy red with black feathers for the UK too. I've also finished a Jessica in black with white feathers for the UK and they are all on their way to their new owners.

Jenny

Tamara

Jessica

My camera is broken and I have to get a new one, so I'm open to suggestions from anyone who has a good small, easy to use compact.

N x

Reflecting

2009-05-02T10:02:00.005+01:00

Oooh, I think I've found my paper! I've had about 20 samples bluetacked to the wall over the last couple of days and this one is the one we all like. It's a gorgeous shade of duck egg blue with a bold pattern on it for my feature wall.

I've decided to have some cupboards built into my 2 alcoves to bring more symmetry to the room and create some much needed storage and some floating chunky shelves above one of them. My brother in law's father is a carpenter so hopefully he may do the job.

I have my crafty eye on a very cheap fire surround on ebay which I would paint white and use some slate tiles to go around the fire place to create a focal point in the room, like this, but my fire is a real one.

I ADORE this amazing mirror which I'm going to treat myself to today with some of the money I've made off my sofa which I sold on ebay too! It's a metre in diametre and will make a great focal point to my room.

I saw a great idea for housing my laptop which is compact and slimline and would give me more storage too. It's an old writing bureau which can be picked up quite cheaply and refurbished with a rub down and a coat of paint, and my laptop can be closed away when I'm not using it! Looks like a trip to the junk shop is in order!

I've made 2 fascinators for clients in Floss coloured sinamay, one Hayley design with silver biot feathers, and one Rachael design with chocolate brown stripped coque feathers. Both looked fab and are for May weddings.

It's a Bank Holiday weekend here and the sun is shining! Have a good one!

N x

Befores and Afters

2009-04-30T12:22:00.005+01:00

It's no good. I've totally confused myself with paint and pattern. The green is out the window, because it's too cold, and I'm sitting here with wallpaper samples stuck up on the wall and in total confusion about which one to choose! Some are too bold, some are too insipid, some the pattern is too big, and some the pattern is too small! I think I'm slightly closer to finding a good one, but I wanted something reflective to bounce light back into the room and the paper I like doesn't have that. I think I need to search some more!

On a better note, my garage workroom is nearly finished!! Rich finished my desk, and I now just have to cover it with a PVC type material so I don't damage the wood, and I'm away!

Before

After

My fireplace has been plastered and is ready for the surround to be fitted (when I get it!) and looks great.

Before

After

Oooh, and I think I just sold my old sofa and chair on Ebay, and I have a funky fascinator to make in Poppy Red!

Good times!

N x

Paper and Paint

2009-04-27T17:42:00.001+01:00

Well today I'm waiting on an order for sinamay and feathers to make 2 fascinators, so I've been very productive. I've got paint and wallpaper samples after finding a theme I like in a magazine for my lounge. I LOVE this paper, and the colour is Cooking Apple Green from Farrow and Ball. Yummy! My new sofas are going to be a light chocolate brown and my carpet is a biscuit cream colour so I think it will all go well. I might, of course, change my mind before committing to the green walls, but I can't wait to make a feature of my fireplace wall with a patterned paper.

P came home and cooked fruit cakes (I measured out the ingredients, she mixed it all together and spooned it into the cases), and she's already eaten a big one! Topped with chocolate icing and Smarties! Yummy!

It's rained all day here, so my friend Richard came over to put my new garage desk together and I sorted out all my feathers and sinamay into boxes, so now everything is completely organised and it feels great! I can't wait to get everything else in and start working in there but there's still a lot to do! I'll post my 'before' and 'after' photos soon!

N x

The Days Are Just Packed!

2009-04-24T17:45:00.006+01:00

Ahhh, Calvin and Hobbes... my favourite.

I feel like I haven't stopped this week, what with knocking out the fireplace, painting the garage, making fascinators, sorting out photos and messing about with my website, doing my nails clients and generally messing about, I feel exhausted!

This Jane fascinator in blue iris sinamay and lagoon and navy feathers went to Denmark

And this one in pebble sinamay with silver feathers went to the UK

Time for a weekend of doing nothing I think. We're off out to Frankie & Benny's tomorrow for tea for some nice food, and I think a cinema afternoon of watching Kung Fu Panda is in order. If you haven't seen it, you must!

Charlie, on the other hand, is kicking back and taking it easy. No change there then!

N x

Create...Destroy

2009-04-20T14:59:00.004+01:00

Create...

Destroy!

:D

N x

Crafty Transformations

2009-04-19T21:24:00.005+01:00

It's all go in my house. I've decided to transform my garage into a work area for my fascinator stuff because everything is starting to spill over into everything else and I'm getting all confused as to where things are. So, I thought I'd document it.

This is the before picture:

This is the during picture:

I'll post the after picture when I've finished! It's a big job but it will be SO lovely to be able to put my hands on everything now I've accumulated so much stuff!

Tomorrow I have decided to knock out my fireplace in my lounge, (or rather my dad is knocking it out). It's an old stone one which is a bit ugly and has a big hearth that takes up too much room. I have a gorgeous real fire which I am keeping, but I'm going to have it flush to the wall I think, with some slate tiles as a hearth, and maybe a mantle shelf, but I'm not sure yet.

This is what it looks like now:

I'll keep you posted on the mess...

We took my Dad to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on Friday at the theatre. It was great, and my whole family went. P thought it was fab and kept laughing. I love the theatre. There's something about watching a live performance that's really endearing. One of my favourite musicals is Les Miserables. I saw it in London when I was in my teens and I have never forgotten the power of the whole thing. I'm not sure if you've seen our recent Britain's Got Talent programme, but this lady was on it a week ago. I can't embed the video as YouTube have disabled the option to do so, but click here and watch. It's amazing and this video has over 27million hits.

N x

Tomayto.. Tomaaaaarto

2009-04-11T21:26:00.005+01:00

Yes, I've gone back to nature and P and I are growing our own tomatoes. We planted the seeds 2 weeks ago, and look!!! We're very excited!! Our little babies are growing very quickly and we're looking forward to having enough of a crop for some nice salads in the summer! We'll be buying our own farm next and living off the fruit of the land!!

:)

N x

Petals and Blossom

2009-04-08T11:20:00.004+01:00

Ahh, I see Jamie Oliver and his wife have called their daughter Petal. Very cute, if not a bit out there. I like Jamie. But... Blossom Rainbow as her middle names? A bit bonkers I think! Congratulations to them all, though. Look here for the Daily Mail's article. Jamie and I are linked in a big way. Those of you who know both of us will know the connection :)

Talking of blossom, the tree opposite my house is nearly bursting with buds and in a couple of weeks will be full of the most gorgeous pink blossom. It doesn't last for very long but it is absolutely stunning. This is what it looked like last year in full bloom.

I've also been making my own blossom... well, they are petals to go with the orchids on my client's tiara and hair combs and I learnt a new technique to finish them off. It involves a lighter which is always fun and feels just a bit naughty that I can play with fire! I have to singe the edges of some voile material to stop it from freying, which involves passing the material through the flame quickly so that the heat melts the very edges. In the process this also shrinks the edges so that the leaf shape rolls in on itself to form a petal. It's very impressive! These will then get attached to the back of the fabric flowers I am using for the items and all get squished together to give a layered look. I'm really happy with the way they have turned out.

My client also ordered 5 of my pearl hair grips which match all the jewellery and hair accessories I've made. I love these. They are so simple but really effective when slid into a hair doo.

This is her completed tiara with the orchid and a decreasing in size row of ivory pearls with Swarovski crystals. All of these items were custom made for this client for her wedding.

I have a new mobile phone. At 34 I still get excited when I get one! So, I've spent the last couple of days messing about with that and I'm still looking around wondering what the noise is when it rings as I'm not used to the new ringtone!

N x

Birthday Greetings...

2009-04-06T21:56:00.007+01:00

My amazing Daddy is 64 today! Happy birthday, Dad. You are, and always have been my hero, and I love you more than words can say. In fact, Lennon and McCartney sing it much better :)

P made Grandad lots of presents today which he unwrapped at our house before we went out for breakfast. He also got a water pistol for the summer, of which P has an identical one... I see lots of shouting by me and my Mom as the gruesome twosome do some dastardly soaking of both of us!

We went out to the Safari Park today with P's friend and her Mom and brother. Lots of great animals out and about, and as it was the first day of the holidays and the weather wasn't brilliant it was quite quiet which is fab! We fed lots of animals and some even tried to get into the car to come home with us...

Rhino... obviously

Feeding a giraffe

This was a small giraffe! I love this shot!

And this was a HUUUUGE one!

P makes a new friend in Pet's Corner

Happy days...

I posted 2 fascinators today. This one is a Jane design in chocolate brown and went to the UK, and I also posted my Rachael design in red out to the US but forgot to take a picture!

N x

Orchids

2009-04-03T07:45:00.008+01:00

A lovely lady from the USA called Pauli has included me in her blog this month. She got in touch with me through Etsy and www.thefathatcat.vox.com is where it's at! Have a read. She's obsessed with hats and has great taste! Thanks, Pauli. I really appreciate you featuring me. :)

I'm half way through doing my custom order with my orchid client. This is what's finished at the moment.

Jewellery

13mth old's Hair Band (which I made from scratch from voile, elastic, Swarovski pearls and crystals and a flower, and is modelled here by a very miserable teddy!)

I'm just making a start on her tiara and her bridesmaid's hair combs, then that order will be complete.

I also have 2 fascinators to complete from website and Etsy orders, one a Rachael design in poppy red and the other a Jane in chocolate brown.

It's the Easter holidays next week and the week after so P and I are planning to do some exciting things such a going to the Safari Park, getting new school shoes and going down to Kent to see my friend John and his family by the seaside!

N x

I love my Mom

2009-03-29T14:05:00.006+01:00

My Mom has been complaining that there are not enough photos of her on my blog, so these are for you, Mom. :)

N xxx

Snap, Snap...

2009-03-28T21:10:00.010Z

I am very fortunate to have some lovely friends who used to live in Birmingham,but moved to Prague when they got married. James, who happens not only to be a great friend, but a fantastic photographer who I've worked with lots of times in the past, was on loan to me this weekend by Jitka his wife, and he flew over yesterday to shoot my jewellery and tiara product shots for my websites. This is an image we shot together in 2006 which ended up on the front cover of Dental Update, a UK trade magazine which is circulated to 8000 dentists all across the country. That's me, that is!!!

So, after the catch up, and the obligatory meal out and a fab glass of red, we started shooting early this morning and 6 hours and 200 shots later managed to complete the mammouth task that I'd set ourselves! We had to improvise with some comic props to enable James to shoot the products correctly, so I thought I'd share our little set up.

We had a professional light tent, and an amazing black reflective tablet to work off which gave the products the most amazing mirror images which will look great on the site, but to shoot the necklaces we used my wine rack, my ruler and my tub of pliers to construct a gantry to hang the chains off, and the earrings were shot using the same set up but with invisible cord forming 2 nooses which the wires hooked through to suspend them in midair. We also redid my fascinator product shots which turned out great! I think we did a good job! Amazing what you can do with some lights and a camera. All I have to do now is wait for James to edit them and I can put them on my sites!

Earrings being shot Unedited Image

Rough Edited Image

I've been busy making fascinators this week too. All for the UK and the USA.

Viktoria
Dita Anna

I've also been in colaboration with a lovely client for the last couple of weeks who has asked me to custom make her tiara, her bridesmaid's hair combs and her jewellery for her wedding. These are some rough mock ups of what we've come up with so far which have been fun to do. We're just finalising designs now and then I will start making them up for her.

This...
Or This...?

P was at Nanny and Grandad's last night, and missed her pussy cat, so made sure he got some quality time with her today. He's such a push over!

Busy week! I think I need a nice restful one next week... the last before the 2 weeks Easter school holidays... eek!!

N x

The Bonnie Bonnie Banks...

2009-03-23T20:23:00.010Z

Another week's flown by but last week I've been having fun! My family and I have been to Scotland for a few days. We have a lodge up there on the banks of Loch Lomond and we all go up there together every year. My little sister, P and I flew up on Wednesday to meet Mom and Dad who got there the Sunday before and Mr & Mrs P drove up from the Lake District where they were having a little break. We had such a great time, and the weather was amazing. It's ALWAYS freezing cold when we go, but this year we were so lucky and the sun shone on us!

The scenery is breathtaking and our Lodge looks out over the Loch which is so beautiful. We actually went out on a boat trip on it this year and it was so atmospheric with the mist and the 630feet of water below us! It's 5 miles wide at the widest point and that's how deep it is in the deepest part. The water is inky black and either as smooth as a mirror or as choppy as the sea depending on the wind.

The view from our Lodge:

On the boat out on the Loch:

We did our trip to Luss which is the most beautiful tiny Scottish village where we went to our favourite tea shop and had home made soup (I had celery) with HUGE chunks of bread, and Mat and Rachael had mega hot chocolates piled high with cream and marshmallows and managed not to be hyper from the sugar rush afterwards!

Rach and Mat with their Mega Cups:

We spent all our days walking, feeding the geese, eating and in my case reading! I managed to finish the most amazing book. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I have the film on DVD but there's something about the book that is far more personal than the film and I was completely captivated by the romance of it all. It's made me want to visit Japan. If you're stuck for something to read, I highly recommend it. I couldn't put it down. (I got told off this morning by Mom who said I was very antisocial at some points!)

It took us 55 minutes to fly up and 6 hours to drive back! The scenery on the route back is amazing and we have to drive through the mountains which are so smooth and round, not like the craggyness you would expect.

So, in conclusion, what were we doing last week?

Sleeping...

Eating...

Walking...

Chilling...

Bonding...

And Playing...

I didn't want to come home...

Although... I came back to a fab piece on wedding fashion by a fashion designer who wrote about fashionable headwear for weddings. She featured my April fascinator, and you can read it here. Scroll to March 13th's post.

I'm back to making tiaras and fascinators this week along with shooting on Friday with my photographer friend James who is coming all the way from Prague to shoot my products! I can't wait!

N x

Spring Bud/Clean

2009-03-16T13:51:00.004Z

I've finished off two more fascinators over the weekend and posted them out today. The first one is in a gorgeous almond colour with cranberry feathers in my Anna design for a client in the UK and the second is a Hayley design in chocolate with springbud and silver biot feathers which is a great colour combination too. My clients have good taste!!

My little sister stayed with me last night in P's room and this morning when I went to wake her up, she had a little friend with her. Luckily he'd only been there a few minutes and didn't stay long as she's alergic to him, but it was very cute!

I've been very good today and done lots of tidying up, both in the house and tidying up my email inbox. I've added filters (woohoo) so that my orders are more organised and deleted old unwanted mails. It's amazing how they all add up! I feel cleansed. A proper email spring clean!

N x

Give Away!

2009-03-15T10:48:00.004Z

I'm a proud member of the Etsy Wedding Team, and this month I am sponsoring our blog by giving away one of my Jane fascinators to the winner in a colour of their choosing! The theme of the blog is Hollywood Glam and there are some amazing artists who produce some gorgoeus wedding accessories in our team, so if you know anyone who is getting married, or going to a wedding, or if you fancy winning one of my designs yourself, click HERE and you can enter the competition.

To enter to be in with a chance, simply leave a comment on the blog post, with your first name & Etsy shop name, or if you have no Etsy shop, leave your email address (only one entry per person.)

Good Luck!!

Proud Peacock!

2009-03-14T10:17:00.005Z

My peacock-themed fascinator is complete and after lots of liason with the client to make sure it was perfect for her I've been out and shipped it this morning. I was really pained to let this go as it has taken so much time and construction and I absolutely loved the design. I'm really proud of myself for this piece, and the client's colour choice was perfect.

Amazing how 2 pieces of flat simamay can go from being blocked into shape like this:

To become this, in a few hours.

You'll be pleased to see that 'Polly', my polystyrene head has been resurected for this photo and I think I'll take all my photos on it for my blog from now on. She had her nose bitten off by P when she was younger, so I've stuck that back on, and she's as good as new (although not as good as Polly 2 who I used for my website shots... she's got a swan neck and is much more refined!)

I've nearly finshed my Anna fascinator in Almond, so that will be the next to be shipped out and I've got another order for a Hayley design in chocolate. I've also had quite a few enquiries this week too, which is lovely, and a recommendation which is always exciting. I'm off to wrap a headband in ribbon! Have a good weekend :)

N x

Blood Red and Tartan

2009-03-10T12:29:00.003Z

I've finished my Hayley fascinator designed with the special tartan that's going to Idaho in the States. I'm really pleased with it, and the blood red feathers match perfectly with the red of the Flower of Scotland tartan and this is the first time I've edged the sinamay in this design and it's worked out really well, I think. This is on a hairband which makes it easy to wear and was to the client's specification. I'll be posting it on first thing in the morning.

I have a few more orders to complete now that this one is finished. The custom colours April peacock design is the next in line, and then an Anna in almond and cranberry is after that.

I've been catagorising my new photos for the website today, checking John has given me all the photos we shot with the correct jewellery and tiaras on it and I've been organising my friend to take the product shots so they will be the next thing to be shot. I have to start putting the products with descriptions onto the website this week with a view to go live in about 3 weeks hopefully. Here's a couple more shots.

I'm in love with the colour blood red at the moment and I got some great suede effect lamp shades for my bedroom which match my wall art and look great!

Plus, P is dressing up in red for Comic Relief at school on friday, so red is in!!!

N x

Fascinating Fascinators!

2009-03-07T08:47:00.007Z

Wow, I can't believe it's been nearly a week since I blogged. It's gone so quickly and I've been really busy working on orders this week.

I had an order from Pennsylvania last week for 4 fascinators for a 1920's themed wedding. 3 Joanna designs for the bridesmaids, all in different shades of blue, and a Hayley in buttermilk for the bride. I had lots of fun making them but they are the most difficult and time consuming to make so I've spent quite a few hours rolling sinamay edges, sewing and sticking this week.

I also completed a Rachae l design in a gorgeous colour combination of yellow and navy which looked fab, and an Anna in wisteria which was gorgeous.

I'm about to start work on my tartan Hayley design for the Scottish wedding now. This is the mock up:

The peacock themed fascinator is now confirmed so I have the to make, and I took a shot of some of the colours to send to my client. I love this colour pallate, it's a great choice.

I've been featured again by TwoSeasideBabes in one of their Etsy Treasuries, this time using my Viktoria fascinator with a crimson red theme called Love, Fire, Passion, which I'm really chuffed about. Thank you so much!

P's been to a High School Musical birthday party in her cheerleader outfit and had a great time and they were given red noses for the upcoming Red Nose day next week. Cute!

I have most of my tiara shots back now for the website so there's lots of checking to be done and then I have to put them onto the site with descriptions and prices so that'll take me most the week. Busy, busy! These are the flowers we used on the shoot. They were gorgeous!

N x

You Wait For A Bus...

2009-03-01T20:57:00.006Z

...Then 3 come at once! (click to enlarge pics)

I haven't seen myself in an Etsy Treasury for ages, which is partly my fault as I don't check the list every day, but today I have been in 3 fabulous ones! For those of you who don't frequent Etsy, these are little compilations of favourite stuff that people put together for perusal of those others using Etsy. A wish list, or a favourite list, of sorts.

The first is called 'The Classic Black' and Etsian T woSeasideBabe s included my Rachael fascinator. They make some wonderful croched hats and this is one of my favourites, but that might be because of the very cute baby!

0 - 3 Month Cotton Flapper Beanie - White with Pink Daisy Flower - $20

The second Treasury is called 'Always A Bridesmaid' and Etsian littlebrownbird included my Tamara fascinator. This shop sells the most gorgeous jewellery and I could browse for ages. I love this because it's of the same era as my new pin up book I got before Christmas in the sales.

Telephone Trixie Vintage Pin-Up Girl Pendant - $26

The third is called 'And, yes' and is by Etsian ShinyAdornments. They featured my Jane design. They sell great bead and wire wrapped jewellery that amazes me with the detail. This is amazingly intricate and beautiful.

DNA Double Helix - Artisan Handmade Gemstone Wire Wrapped Necklace - $119

Thank you so much too all 3 of you, I really appreciate it and it's lovely that my work gets noticed and is liked enough for you to choose these items out of the thousands that are on Etsy.

:)

N x

Here Comes The Bride

2009-02-26T12:08:00.004Z

I'm far too excited to keep these to myself, so here's a taster of a couple of my tiara photoshoot shots for my website.

Ta-daaaaa! I look better on these than I did on my own wedding day. Now all I have to do is secure a make up artist and hairdresser to primp me every day and I could look like this all the time!

I can't wait to get all of them back and get them up on my site. I am so pleased with the results.

Thanks, R, for pointing out how rough I looked on my last blog shot... :|

:)

N x

2009-02-24T20:26:00.003Z

I'm have bloggers block today.

Here's some photos of what the last few days have consisited of.

Making things:

Getting my hair highlighted - very attractive...

Making fascinators for a client in Texas

Entertaining 5 year olds after school

I've also been taking more fascinator orders and answering queries about designs and I'm really happy to have an order for a wedding in Scotland that will be using the Flower of Scotland Tartan design to match the male's kilts. That will be great fun to make.

I have to take the cat for his booster injections tomorrow. That will be fun! I think I need to get out more!

N x

Shoots and Flowers

2009-02-20T08:49:00.008Z

What a lovely week! I went down to Kent on tuesday (a 3 1/2 hr drive) to see John for my tiara photoshoot and had such a great time. He lives by the sea on the north Kent coastline so we went for lunch overlooking the sea and had a blustery walk along a little bit of the seafront.

We also went into Canterbury to see the cathedral which is absolutely enormous and we saw the Archbishop of Canterbury's house and then went back to his house and I met his wife and children and we sat and had chinese and chatted the night away. Then the hard work started!

On wednesday we went to the studio (which feels like my second home now), and Sarah our make up artist came and made me up to look all bridal with some beautiful make up. It takes SO long to get professional make up done but it's really worth it for a photo shoot. The base is really heavy and by the end of the day i'm sure it's about an inch thick with all the touch ups that are done throughout the day. On tuesday John and I got some flowers to use as props, 3 gorgeous long stemmed roses and 3 sunflowers which we used quite a lot. I also had the silk bouquet that was a mock up of my sister's wedding bouquet which was great.

I ended up wearing the massive tulle underskirt from my sister's wedding dress with the strapless bodice of my wedding dress which I wore 7 and a half years ago... and it still fitted! (although I couldn't breathe for most of the day because it was a bit tight!) I always knew it would come in handy one day. The images looked amazing on John's laptop and I can't wait to get the final edits so that I can put them onto the website. I've now realised I have a lot of admin work to do before then though with write ups, getting the products photographed on their own and adding them all to the website... looks like the fun's over!

I'm so lucky to have a good friend like John. I just wish we lived closer so we could see eachother more often. 3 1/2 hours is a long drive, especially when you're negotiating the M25 around London!

John has some original film set props. This is me in an actual Im perial Guard helmet from Star Wars. How exciting!

It's been half term this week so P's been with her dad for the days I was away, but today we are going to see Lazy Town Live at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and we're going with her friend and her friend's mom. We're all looking forward to it and it's been a long time coming. All P's said since we woke up is "what time are we going?" and it's not until 5pm!

I've been making this week too. I shipped a double band tiara for the UK and I have 2 fascinators to make today for Texas which will be finished and shipped later. I also finished my Crown Tiara in time for the shoot. It ended up like this.

P's also been learning to ride her bike without stabilisers with my dad, and she's doing really well! I nominated him to undertake the task as I don't think I can cope with the stress!

All good fun :)

N x

Work Work Work...

2009-02-13T21:34:00.004Z

I've been busy this week working on my fascinator orders and with my nails clients, and also making a start on spring cleaning my house! Everything looks such a mess and I hate working in a messy environment so tomorrow I am off to get myself some storage. I have too many crystals and beads and not enough room to store them all now so I need to get organised and get everything off my dining room table!

This week I've finished both Jessica Fascinators, both were for the UK, but strangely both were ordered by Brits who live abroad and are coming back to the UK for weddings. I also completed some butterfly hairclips to go with the second order.

I have 2 more orders to complete on monday when I get some stock I've ordered in, and I have my tiara shoot for my website on tuesday and wednesday next week! Yippee! I can't wait to go and see my lovely friend John who is my photographer and we're doing some other photographic stuff and will most probably go out for a meal and a nice glass of red!

I need to complete another couple of tiaras over the weekend and I decided to do a dramatic crown type affair. Here's the framework for it, but I have no idea how to embellish it... will be interesting. I'll keep you posted!

We're off to see friends tomorrow and then to a 6th birthday party for P's friends who are twins. Jelly and ice cream all round!

N x

Playtime...

2009-02-10T20:51:00.007Z

I've been out! Woohoo! After 2 weeks of illness and nasty snow weather I actually went out last night to see my friend, Rich, who is an artist. He has a new studio and we hung out and drank tea and I had a little reality break and we got immersed in arty stuff which I love. He did some body painting on my wrist which looked like a big cut! He's so clever and used to do make up and prosthetics for TV and films, so we laughed a lot and I sent this pic to my friend who thought I had nearly severed my wrist! Ahhh... the fun we have! My mom actually thought I'd had an allergic reaction to the paint when I showed her, it was that good!

Rich painting my wrist...

The finished result... eww!

I'm a bit obsessed with Love Hearts at the moment and keep taking pictures of relevant ones and sending them to people. Just as little reminders. :) If you eat too many they make you feel sick though so I have to ration myself. All that fizz is no good for you!

AND... P's second tooth has come out! Hurrah! It's been holding on by a hair for days and last night it came out before bed. She was VERY excited as you can tell by her expression and the Tooth Fairy was very kind and left £1, which she promptly spent on sweets today after school as a treat... a bit silly really, but she loved spending her own money.

I've been busy with fascinators and have two of the same style, Jessica, to finish making and post on. One is silver with silver and springbud green feathers on a comb, and one is pebble and ivory which is half made, and will be on a band. Everything is hand rolled and sewn so these take a bit of time to do, and are quite fiddly but I love them and they look so cute! Both are for weddings.

I've had a request to do a fascinator for a lady who is going to a wedding in Scotland and she wants to incorporate the family tartan into the design so that will be lots of fun to make. I'll keep you posted.

AND... ALL THE SNOW IS GONE! Yippeeee!! I can actually get back on track with my plans now without feeling like I have cabin fever and am stuck in the house!!

My new motto... "Say NO to snow" (although it is beautiful)

:)

N x

Snooooooooooooooooow!

2009-02-05T09:14:00.004Z

MORE snow! I know this is a normal winter for the UK, or it used to be before global warming messed up our seasons, but it's ridiculous! We haven't had this much snow for years! School's been closed for 2 days this week and everyone is staying at home because even if they get into work, they can't get back!

I managed to make and post the rest of my fascinator orders but in the rush to get them to the Post Office forgot to take pictures. I have another order to work on today inbetween nails clients, or those that can make it because of the weather so that will keep me busy!

I did a photoshoot for Halfords yesterday which was well timed because there was no snow about! It involved me and Rob pretending to pack up a car for a family camping trip. We had 2 kids and a dog called Scooby and it was lots of fun. The shots are going into a camping and touring leaflet that will be in all Halfords stores in April on page 3 and maybe on their website! Woohoo! I didn't realise how much I missed modelling until yesterday, and I should do some more. I'll post the pics when they are published.

We're going out to build a snowman later, although P is still not 100% well, but she's convinced snowman building will cheer her up.

I've just given into the fact that my plans will have to go on hold until the snow goes and we're all feeling better! How frustrating!

N x

S'No Fun... :(

2009-02-02T20:43:00.006Z

So I've been ill, and I mean so ill I couldn't get out of bed for 3 days, and my fascinator orders have really picked up which is brilliant but really tiring when you're trying to sit in bed and sew, and then today it snowed so bad it's the worst snow in 18 years! On the day I feel better! And P now has the bug and has been off school and the school is closed tomorrow so it's another day indoors!

I have plans to go and see a friend tomorrow which is an hour's drive away and we had to postpone from last week because of my bug and looks like we'll have to postpone tomorrow because of the weather! It's snow fun! I really don't like the snow when it ruins plans.

I've managed to get some fascinators made but can't post them because I'm snowed in and it's turned icy now.

These 2 Jane Fascinators went to Los Angeles:

Along with this Glimmer Tiara adapted for a French Barrette:

And this Double Band Tiara for the UK:

So at least I've been constructive whilst ill! We've sat in and P's watched The Chronicles of Narnia twice today. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I remember listening to that being read by my class teacher when I was about 8. It's weird to think my daughter is watching the same story now all these years on.

I have some more fascinators to make tomorrow whilst P is off school and hopefully I might be able to get out to post them!

N x

Bugged Up

2009-01-28T21:05:00.003Z

I am ill. Too much snuggling with my new surrogate son over the weekend means I've caught his cold bug and I've been in bed all day feeling very sorry for myself.

I got up to package up a Jane fascinator in Butternilk with ivory feathers I made yesterday for a client in Nashville in the US, but forgot to take a photo. My mom had to come over and post it for me as well as take P to school this morning. Thanks Mom x

I'm waiting on a big crystal order and some sinamay for two other orders to complete before the weekend so I hope I feel better tomorrow. All sympathy welcome :)

N x

Catching Up

2009-01-25T21:06:00.007Z

When I went to University I had a wonderful close friend who I lived with in halls who I kept in touch with for years after, but somehow we lost touch 8 years ago, down to geography, difficult personal times and general life. I've thought about her a lot over the years and decided in august that I would set about finding out where she was and make contact. I used the usual Facebook, Myspace and Google but nothing came up under her name. I'd had an email from Friends Reunited a few days before from a man who I didn't recognise and for some reason I decided to try the website to see if I could find her. When I logged on and read that message it was from her husband's account and it was her finding me!!!

We've exchanged lots of emails and spoken on the phone and this weekend I drove up to see her and her husband and 15 month old son (who I now adore) in the Lake District, and we had such a lovely time! We chatted about old times, laughed at old photos, caught up on new ones, shared the last 8 years and ate and drank and generally had a really chilled out weekend. It felt like we'd never been apart.

Us waiting to pass a road block:

Said road block!:

Spooky things have happened though. There's that email, then we both have the same first and middle names and we found out that our babies were born at exactly 6.26am! I believe in fate and I am so glad we are back in touch. Thanks Nic for a wonderful weekend. I've missed you loads and I know we'll never lose touch again. I'm so glad you're back in my life, and although we have missed out on some important things, the future is bright! Good luck next week, and you know I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you in the coming months. See you soon xxxxx

Going out for the afternoon with W, my new surrogate son:

John, Nic and W:

Pink Tiger's Den

We've Moved!!

*Wave*

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Enquiries and Custard

True Love

Hello Ducky...

No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner...

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Proper Winter!

Branching Out?

25 Seconds of Bliss

Twenty Ten

Happy New Year!

P-P-Pick Up A Penguin!

Christmas Eve

Don't Assume I Cook!...

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

More Pics

What A Week!

All I Want For Christmas...

Health & Safety!

Aaaaand, Relax...

Hip To Be Square

My Current Crush...

Pen Pals

Remembrance Day

In Flanders Fields

Little White Book

Berry Nice!

Karma Chameleon

Snazzy Titles And A Bird!

Pimp My Blog

Happy Hallowe'en!

More Features

Another Immodest Feature!

A Month!

35!

LOVE Derren!

Still Here!

Nutfield Weaver

On the Mend

Work and Dinos!

Googleiscious!

Royally Fascinating!

Chop Chop!

Treasured

The Science of Happiness

Etsy Wedding Team

Handwoven ivory lace ring bearer pillow with hidden pocket for rings - $30 - Nutfield Weaver

Handwoven ivory lace ring bearer pillow with hidden pocket for rings - $30 - Nutfield Weaver

The Fresh 4x9 Tea Length Layered Wedding Invitation with Square Rhinestone Buckle Detail - $6 - GlitzyEvents

Black and White with Turqouise Damask Round Wedding Card Box Holder - $30 - CreativeBridal

Happy 1st Birthday!

Oink..

Photos!

Featured!

Long time no see!

Happy Birthday P!!

On Safari

Virus...

I Hope To God That's Batman...

Indy Fever

Jimmy Who?

Summer's here...?

All Change!

Reflecting

Befores and Afters

Paper and Paint

The Days Are Just Packed!

Create...Destroy

Crafty Transformations

Tomayto.. Tomaaaaarto

Petals and Blossom

Birthday Greetings...

Orchids

I love my Mom

Snap, Snap...

The Bonnie Bonnie Banks...

Spring Bud/Clean

Wave