Gift Guide - LunaDesigns

Continuing the gift guide theme my next find is a first for me in terms of jewellery. I tend to wear earrings and big chunky rings because I find that necklaces irritate me and bracelets can get in the way while I type at work. Enter LunaDesigns...

 

 

Emma at LunaDesigns recently sent me one of her bracelets and it was something of a revelation! The thin cord and simple charm are small enough to not get in my way, but quirky enough to still make a statement. Emma sent me the 'You're just my cup of tea' bracelet which normally sells in her shop for £3.25 which is an absolute bargain! The bracelet I got was red, but when purchasing you can choose from many colours and even add more charms if you would like.

 

 

 

The bracelet came on a card with the saying as do all of her pieces and it really put a smile on my face. I can just imagine receiving this as a gift from a friend and it totally making my day!

 

One of the reasons why I love LunaDesigns is that there a lot of items with a gothic feel, and very topical pop culture references that will have everyone interrogating you as to where you picked up your quirky bracelet. Here's some of my favourites:

 

Harry Potter - It Does Not Do to Dwell on Dreams

£3.00

 

I used to be an adventurer till I got an arrow to the knee

£4.00

 

PS I Love You

£2.70

 

 

 

I really urge you to check out the shop, because I guarantee you'll find something you really want for less than a fiver. Win!

 

 

 

Gift Guide - Karen Walk Design

After my recent hiatus I'm back with another Gift Guide post. My profuse apologies for the delay in getting this up here.

Karen Walk is from Bristol, a former Graphic Designer and now owner of Karen Walk Design.

Karen recently sent me one of her personalised hanging bird decorations and I absolutely fell in love with it. It's a gorgeous pink and white polka dot fabric, in a kitsch litle bird shape, stuffed and hand stitched with a gorgeous lace motif with my name on it and can be hung on it's cream satin ribbon. The stitching is so neat and it's just a really lovely decorative item, currently hanging on one of my cabinets in pride of place. People visiting always admire it, and ask where they can get one!

This is just one of the many prodcuts that Karen has available via her Etsy shop, here are some of my favourites;

Personalised hand made fabric covered mini notebooks (would make perfect wedding favours)
In your choice of fabric - £3.50

 

 

Baby bunting personalised card or invitation (contact Karen to get yours tailored for your event!)

£5.00

 

 

Baby personalised heart ornament

£9.00

(a gorgeous gift for a new mum, or even a birthday gift for a child already with us)

 

All of Karen's items would make fantastic gifts, or treats for yourself and your home. I really can't urge you enough to check out her shop here. I would also point out that if you have an idea of what you would like that you can't see in the shop, get in touch with Karen and see if there is something she can do for you!

 

Kitsch Devine by Amy Gaston

This is the second of what I hope will be many product reviews. Having scoured the internet for great products, that are quirky, handmade and affordable that would make the perfect gift for your loved ones, or more than likely, yourself! The first was featuring the amazingly talented Alexandra Snowdon and can be found Here
 

 

 

Kitsch Devine is run by Amy Gaston who lives in Buxton in the Peak District. 

Her shop features so many gorgeous accessories, from pencil cases, messenger bags , phone cases, keyrings and hanging decorations, all hand made by Amy. 

This is Amy's story in her own words:
'I started sewing about 4 years ago after my parents brought me my first sewing machine for Christmas, I didn't actually start making things until about a year later. I had bought myself a handmade phone case from Etsy and remember thinking how well made and professional it looked and how much I wished I could make things like that. So I set to and trawled the internet for free sewing patterns. After hundreds (or what felt like it!) attempts, me and my mum finally came up with something that looked pretty good - our first phone case! Kitsch Devine was born!

Since then over the last two years I have improved at sewing and I'm now designing my own products and making my own patterns. I use everyday items as inspiration, like what items do I need, and how can I make them as functional as possible. For example, my Iphone wallets that allow you to carry all of your essentials in one place.

At the moment I run Kitsch Devine alongside my day job, using evenings and weekends to get my orders done, which can be tough at busy times such as Christmas. Fingers crossed one day I will be able to run it full time.

I'm currently working on some new travel accessories for 2013 which I can't wait to get up in the shop, and I've got some gorgeous new fabrics heading this way from Japan!'

 

When she offered to send me one of her items I knew it had to be the Cakes and Sweets Pencil Case which can be found here. It's made of water resistant fabric and fully lined, with the sweetest (literally!) pink printed fabric. It arrived beautifully packaged and I couldn't be more chuffed. Considering Amy has 100% positive feedback I'm certainly not the only one!

 

One of the things I really like about Kitsch Devine now that I've received a product for real is the photography. That might sound a bit silly but her items are so well photographed you can clearly see every detail of each item including the lining, zips etc. You know exactly what you're getting which is a massive bonus when you're buying handmade goods online.

 

 

Nothing that comes in hot pink tissue paper can be bad can it?

 

 

It most definitely wasn't! I'm so pleased with it, the colours are bright and the fabric is a wonderful quality, not too thin and I think it will take alot for even me (serial zip breaker) to break this bad boy.

 

 

 

The lining is gorgeous and the colour fits the outer fabric perfectly. The corners are incredibly neat and there are no stray threads anywhere!

 

 

It's already been put to good use!

 

Here's a few of my favourite products available at Kitsch Devine;

 

Zakka Colourful Dot Print Zip Up Pencil Case - £8.00

 

 

Steampunk Octopus - IPhone 5 Case - Charmed Collection - £15.00

 

 

Vintage Style Paris Print - Travel Pouch / Mini Messenger Bag - £16.00

 

 

So a massive thank you to Amy, and to the rest of you please please check out Kitsch Devine for yourself.

30 Day Shred... Ouch!

Those who know me will know that me and exercise are not the best of friends. I drive everywhere, literally. I sit at a desk all day and don't really see the outdoors unless its a pub garden. I always used the excuse that I had no time to fit in proper exercise. But recently travelling with my job has slowed right down so I've found myself with a lot of spare time.

A couple of years ago I bought Max and Paddy (comedian Peter Kay's characters) Power of Two workout. I honestly thought it was a comedy programme so imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a hilarious, slightly rude, but very real workout DVD. It made exercise fun and I've done it regularly ever since. I've seen various other celebrity work out DVDs but nothing has really appealed to me, until now!

I've recently seen The 30 Day Shred a lot in the blogging world (although it came out in 2007!) and thought I would give it a go. It's fronted by Jillian Michaels who is the trainer from the Australian and American versions of The Biggest Loser. Each workout is 20 minutes long (everyone has a spare 20 minutes if they're honest) and consists of: a 2 minute warm up, 3 circuits of the 3-2-1 interval system and a 2 minute cool down. The 3-2-1 system is 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of Cardio and 1 minute of abs. The workouts start at Level 1 and go up to 3. You can progress whenever you are ready, in my head 10 days on each sounds right but I will move up if I feel ready before that.

I'm currently on Day 2 of the programme on Level 1 and it's safe to say I can feel it working! The first one made me feel like I was about to die, apparently that's a good sign! The steps are logical, well explained and on screen is always a beginner, normal and advanced version of every move so you never feel out of your depth.

I was a little worried it would be too American for my taste, but it's not over the top and if anything a little over enthusiasm doesn't really go amiss when you're considering turning off the tv and going to get a chocolate bar!

I'll let you know how I get on but at the moment it feels good, my stomach muscles hurt and my thighs ache so it must be working!

Snowdon - Handprinted Paper and Textile Goods by Alexandra Snowdon

It's that time of year again where your funds have recovered from Christmas, the spring clean and redecoration is in full swing, Mother's day is just around the corner and it feels like every day is someone's birthday. This will be the first in a series of many product reviews. I have scoured the internet for great products, that are quirky, handmade and affordable that would make the perfect gift for your loved ones, or more than likely, yourself!

 

 

 

Alexandra Snowdon from the countryside surrounding Manchester is a designer, illustrator and print maker with a range of beautiful prints, cards, bags and accessories for your home all for sale across her two Etsy shops Snowdon (for the bags, cards and accessories) and Snowdon Prints for the fine art prints that she does by hand.

 

 

 

When I contacted Alex to tak about being featured here she kindly offered to send me the print of my choice and I knew straightaway that I desperately wanted the New Experiences Hot Air Balloon Print. She popped it in the post to me and within 24 hours it's now hanging on my wall!

 

 

As soon as I saw this when I walked in the door I knew I was in for a treat!

 

 

 

(Now I want that Washi tape too Alex!)

 

 

The print arrived in a hard backed strong board envelope which was ideal for two reasons - absolutely no marks or creases, and also, no having to fiddle with a poster tube and ripping or marking the edge of the print. Poster tubes are a pet hate of mine! Then once out of the envelope the print was safely covered in a polylope type plastic envelope as well.

 

As soon as it was unwrapped I laid it out and just admired it for a good few seconds! The detail is absolutely fantastic, and so sharp. It's the perfect size for the image, not too big that you can't hang it anywhere and not so small that you can't read the text from across a room. The paper quality is fantastic and the finish superb.

 

 

I already had the perfect frame for it, a white plain wooden frame from IKEA - I'm so pleased, because I couldn't wait to put in up!

 

 

Apologies, my photography skills aren't the best and it's hanging right opposite my window. Please be assured, I am very picky when it comes to art - and I love this print.

 

These are a few of my favourite's from Alex's shop:

 

 

 

 

There are many more prints in a whole range of designs on Fine art prints by Snowdon, and as a special offer just for you lovely lot, Alex has kindly offered a 15% discount on any print purchase, just by entering the code 'MINDPURGE' at the checkout.

 

Thank you so much for my beautiful new print Alex and I hope many more of you pick one up too!

Crafty Creatives Box 8

I'm a day later than promised, I'm sorry!

So Crafty Creatives Box 8 has arrived. Damn my job for making me miss the delivery every month.

I don't think I really need to rave about these guys any more than I alredy have, if you haven't signed up, frankly I think you're a bit of an idiot. For the price of two starbucks a month you get a wonderful suprise box of crafty goodness, items of supreme quality and a whole network of like minded wonderful people. Who wouldn't pay a tenner for that!?

Here's my look through Box 8..

 

 

 

Spots and Stripes is the theme this month.

 

 

 

 

The Kit is fimo jewellery. I'm not entirely sure I will actually make the kit this month which is the first time ever, the items are great (bonus points for the excellent pliers!) but I'm just not generally a fan of home made jewellery, and I'm certain I haven't got the skills to make anything I would wear. So I will be looking for inspiration on what else I can do - perhaps a Glue Gun Girl esque Macaroon keyring?

 

 

 

 

I also got, red stripey cotton, navy tissue paper and green spotty oil cloth. I already know I'm going to make an oil cloth mat with this for my bedside table, so I can wipe away the drinks I always spill in the night!

 

 

 

Washi tape and foam sticker pads will always come in handy, and I've already covered a little wooden box in the Washi Tape.

 

 

Bakers Twine, Beads and GORGEOUS paper straws really put the smile on my face. The straws are amazing and I've alredy got them displayed proudly in a litle milk bottle on my dressing table!

 

 

Cupcake cases were swiftly donated to my pastry chef brother in law, but I've since seen a tutorial for making flowers out of them on the crafty creatives blog and I could kick myself!

 

 

Fab art card - I have a sneaky suspicion I will be be cutting this up shortly to use on a card!

 

So thank you ladies for another brilliant box, and I can't wait to see what Box 9 will bring.

Have you made anything with your box yet?

 

 

Oh Deer!

Oh the dangers of seeing something cute, pug related and pricey on the day your new credit card arrives!

I recently picked up this Oh Deer Pug and Poodle Cushion from Urban Outfitters (you can see more here) I've admired this cushion for ages and chanced upon it the other day, I couldn't resist!

It arrived yesterday and I am so chuffed with it, it's a lovely soft suede type fabric, tan coloured on the back and with the gorgeous print on the front. It's very good quality and a really good size.

I managed to get the last one - it's fate! but they have other designs from the same brand Oh Deer! and I'm sure it'll be back in stock soon. Pricey at £40 but worth it in my eyes!

I Give It A Year

A bit different to what I would normally write about here but it's not often I enjoy a rom com this much!

I recently went to see the new movie from Dan Mazer the writer behind Borat and Bruno; I Give It A Year starring Rafe Spall, Stephen Merchant, Rose Byrne, Anna Faris and Simon Baker.

I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised, it's a rom com, but an anti rom com! The film starts with the Wedding of Nat and Josh, the main couple played by Rose Byrne and Rafe Spall. It's clear to everyone from the outset that they're totally wrong for each other. The film progresses with the story of how they come to realise that, along with meeting the people they should be with!

Stephen Merchant is fantastic as a hilarious best man and hap-hazard best friend to Rafe Spall's loveable Josh. It was for me, one of the few films recently that made me genuinely laugh out loud the whole way through (along with everyone else in the audience) and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone, male or female!

 

As an aside, I went to see the film using my new Cineworld Unlimited Card. Is anyone else a member? It costs me £14.99 a month and you can see as many films as you like without paying a penny! I've worked out that if I see two films a month it's a saving, and you also get 15% off food and drink too which actually makes a big difference. My friend has had hers for 7 years and has worked out that she has saved over £10,000! You can find out more here

Have you seen any good films lately?

 

 

Just a P.S - I was in no way incentivised to write this about I Give It A Year or Cineworld!

Marc B - ASOS - E-tailPR Blog - Competition Entry!

I will openly admit that I hadn't heard of Marc B before I saw this competition on E-tailPR's blog.

Having recently signed up to EtailPR (and now an approved blogger for them, eek!) I thought this competition looked amazing and I couldn't not give it a go.

 

I had to put together a dream outfit from ASOS based around a Marc B bag, and once I'd taken a look at the bags, oh my, it wasn't hard! I can't believe I've never heard of them before, competiton or not I will definitely be making a purchase!

 

Here's my dream outfit;

 

I based this around the amazing Lottie Camel Ostrich bag, which is a gorgeous nude colour, that would go with pretty much anything! To go with the bag it had to be, black skinnies (everyone needs some right?) and what better brand than Religion. Up top I went for this beige lace effect blouse (perfect for work or pleasure!) For the shoes I had to go for something sky high to make the skinnies look even better, so I went for these Black parade platforms. No outfit is complete in my eyes without a timepiece, and I've been eying this one up for quite some time..the most amazing Vivienne Westwood leather watch, elegant, understated, ah I want it now!

 

 

What do you think of my outfit choice, and more importantly, what's yours?

Enter the competition yourself by finding out more here

 

 

Crafty Creatives Box 7 - SPOILER ALERT!

First up - SPOILER ALERT!

 

Now that's out of the way, it's that time again, Crafty Creatives box number 7 arrived with most of us this week. Here's my little look through this months box.

 

 

After the first glimpse you know immediately it's going to be a good one! This month's is a Nature/Woodland theme and boy is that a good choice! This may well be my favourite box, the quality and quantity of the items gets better every month, this one is so packed!

 

The art card this month is so pretty, it's definitely going on my wall!

 

The first thing I pulled out was these three birch hearts. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them but I LOVE them, we had a huge silver birch tree in my garden when I was growing up and I always got told off for peeling the flaky silver paper-like bark off. These are so tactile and they look lovely, great start!

 

 

Next up, two lovely porcelain fox beads. I think these would make great earrings!

 

 

5 metal leaf charms - I'm thinking a tiered droplet necklace for these babies...

 

 

Loads! of wooden leaf buttons - I'm already planning a tree on canvas, with embroided trunk and background.

 

 

Owly fabric - this is so cute! This would make gorgeous childrens clothes, maybe bunting!

 

 

Large metal owl pendant - This would obviously make a lovely necklace, but has anyone done anything else more original?

 

Pinecone - This is definitely being spray painted!

 

Skeleton leaves - These would lovely on a notebook or against some dark fabric

 

I love these! Glass toadstool beads, so sweet, these are definitely going on a bracelet!

 

Flower soft - I'm not entirely sure what this is, but it looks fun! Time for some research....

 

 

And this month's kit is...

 

 

Needle felting! This is fab and right up my street, I can't wait to get felting, but I am a little scared about the barbed nedle!

 

 

I officially now have two favourite days - Pay day, and Crafty Creatives day!

 

Roll on the next one, maybe a valentines theme..?