Getting organised with HomeSense

Baskets £5.99 each and diary £6.99

Last week, I was invited to a Blogger's evening at HomeSense in Brighton. We were treated to lots of yummy Christmassy nibbles & festive drinks whilst we purused their wonderful wares and did a spot of networking. We were then set loose in the store with a £10 gift voucher and some tags to mark which items we would want on our Christmas Wishlist. It was extremely fun and I spent a long time choosing as there was SO much to see with 3 floors of goodies.

I eventually whittled my wishlist down to two items and chose this beautiful decorative Tagine, as I've always wanted to recreate yummy dishes I'd discovered whilst travelling around Morocco. And because you can never have too many cushions, I picked this extremely fluffy aubergine cushion!

This was the first time I'd ever visited HomeSense and was pleasantly surprised by the variety of branded quality homewares and gifts that were on offer. HomeSense is part of TK Maxx so has the same deals, offering up to 60% off the original retail price. Just too good to be ignored! I could've spent my £10 gift voucher on lots of things but instead I decided to be practical and resolve a storage problem that's been niggling me for some time. I walked away with 3 items: 2 beautiful hand-weaved baskets and a 2015 pink planner. Im so pleased with the baskets and were a bargain at £5.99 each! Just perfect as storage solutions in my workarea & bathroom!

A big thank you to HomeSense for helping me resolve my storage problems (and for a fantastic evening at your new store). These baskets have helped lessen some of the chaos around me so I should hopefully be more productive and organised! Perfect way to start 2015!

Big love,

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KATIE JONES: Granny Takes a Trip SS15

I love Katie Jones! She is a woman after my own heart. Her skill of combining crocheting and fashion is truly mesmerizing, always causing my heart to skip a beat. I was first introduced to Jones at Brighton Fashion Week's Zeitgeist show in 2013.  Her Slab City collection (read what I thought about the show in this feature I wrote for Pretty Litter Mag) stood out and I fell in love straight away. 

I've been following her since and she hasn't disappointed. Her stunning new collection, Granny Takes a Trip, takes inspiration from childhood visits to the Brighton seaside. Jones, combines colours from memories of eating ice cream, visiting the pier, carousel and Pavilion with this fabulous crochet ensemble. The craftsmanship she displays is of artisan quality and I just want to fill my wardrobe with each and every piece.

Which is your favourite item?

Big love,

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WHAT I WORE: Goodbye Summer, hello Autumn!

So, who's looking forward to embracing Autumn?

I have to say... I've been denying Summer is ending, but soon realised that I just need to come to terms with it, as it's happening if I like it or not ;) That said... have you seen what exciting fashion trends we have to look forward to this AW14? I'm in heaven! Say 'hello' to...

With ALL four of these trends you can incorporate vintage items quite easily and that is something I like to look for when I look at fashion trends. I've been embracing the 70s all summer so it will be nice to continue my bohemian look with the Almost Famous trend and maybe even add a bit of 70s disco to Empire Strikes Back ;)

WHAT I WORE  TOP > FROM SOUK IN MOROCCO,  FLARES > 18TH AMENDMENT,  BAG > THRIFT-OLA

Whilst out for a walk recently, Mr D, was in a snappy mood (the photography kind) and he created these beauiful shots!  I just LOVE how they turned out. To get the dreamy hazy effect, he used Hipstamatic, which I think works perfectly with the boho look I'm rocking. For those who don't know... Hipstamatic is a photography app you can download onto your smart phone, giving you analogue results. If your into lomography, this is a great app to check out!

Which trend will you be rocking this A/W14? 

Big love!

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REVIEW: Tai Hair & Beauty

Nestled in deepest-darkest Hove, there's a little secret safe haven amongst the hustle and bustle of Blatchington Road,where you can go and have some 'me' time. A suburban oasis where you can check all your baggage at the door, submerse yourself in luxury and forget all the woes of the daily grind. Tai Hair & Beauty have a fantastic team, offering you a range of treatments from manicures to waxes, cut & colour to massages. I was picked from a selection of bloggers to experience some of their treatments first-hand. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. 

Whilst pouring over Tai's available treatments I noticed they offered a Deluxe Crystal Clear Microdermabrasion and with new-found skin woes (thanks 30s!) I wasn't too sure what to expect. Perhaps this was the solution I'd been seeking? To compliment the microdermabrasion I also booked myself in for a one hour Hot Stone Massage. Divine! 

On arriving, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Having gone through a refurbishment 2 years ago. The decor was modern, clean and slick. The place was buzzing with lots of happy customers having their hair done and nails polished to perfection on the ground floor hairdressers and nail bar. Upstairs was very tranquil by comparison and this is where the other treatments are performed.

RECEPTION

NAIL BAR & HAIRDRESSERS

My therapist for the day, the lovely Alicia, was waiting to greet me and after a brief consultation we started off my treatments with the Hot Stone Massage. For those that don't know, this treatment involves using smooth, round stones heated up to 60 degrees and then cooled in cold water to get them to the perfect temperature. The stones are then placed on certain parts of the body to relieve and warm aching muscles. Alicia deftly used these as an extension of her hands to massage and knead any problematic areas on my back, using a grape seed and geranium oil that smelt A-MAZING. I was in heaven! I found it SO relaxing I almost fell asleep!

So, with me all sleepy and relaxed we moved on to the microdermabrasion. This involved using Crystal Clear equipment that sucks and blows crystals on to the surface of your skin. This gently exfoliates the skin (removing the top 3 layers), reducing wrinkles and any open pores resulting in a fresh, rejuvenated finish. A setting mask is applied to cool, firm and nourish the skin. The mask is left on for 25min, allowing me time to give in to the sleepy feeling from my previous treatment and have a little cat nap, taking in the calming sounds being played in our treatment room.

MOROCCAN OIL

CRYSTAL CLEAR

A week on from my treatment and my skin is feeling and looking amazing. It looks a lot clearer and small lines around my eyes and mouth have been reduced. It's the first time in ages I've been comfortable not wearing make-up, so I will definitely make the time to have further microdermabrasion treatment in the future. Have you ever had a microdermabrasion or hot stone massage before?

Ta ta for now,

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In Brogue Magazine

Recently, Molly and I, were asked to model in the latest issue of Brogue Magazine. There were several models featured in the 'Love' issue, including colleagues from Beyond Retro: Davey Coles, Joe McCarty and Izzy Bee Philips. It was such an amazing opportunity to be part of a big project with many talented people; including cinematographer, Mark Stubbs, and creative director, Spirit de la Mare. Mark has worked on features and commercials in the past and is now dipping his toes into fashion photography. These are the results...

 This is Brogue's third issue. It is an alternative, underground and arts journal made-up of almost entirely of public submissions. You can view the magazine in it's entirety here or there is a beautiful limited edition hardback version available to buy here.  Hurry if you want a hardback copy as there's only a limited supply and they are going very quickly!   

All the clothes featured are from Beyond Retro and was shot on the roof tops and streets of Brighton. The shoot was inspired by black and white street photography seen in Europe over the 50s and 60s. The focus being on the many kinds of love, from parental to camaraderie. The results? Beautiful!

Go and check out this fabulous magazine!


Big love,

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Interview with Daniella Christina Timms

Daniella Christina Timms is a local Brighton designer who makes beautiful, vintage inspired clothing. Her new collection, Made in Britain: Brocade Parade, has just been released and is available to buy on her brand-spanking-new website. The collection oozes with quality. A combination of 1940s - 50s silhouettes and British heritage fabrics. 

I caught up with Daniella a few days ago to talk about her new collection, new website and to try and find out a little bit more about just where her inspiration came from.

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Hi Daniella. So, the new website has launched and along with that you have designed your second collection, Made in Britain: Brocade Parade. Tell us about it...

The new website has been a work in progress for sometime and I've been lucky to have very talented, creative friends that have helped me launch the site (Matt - Southern Retro). It's like a baby that I am very proud of!

The new collection is inspired by British heritage and 1940s-50s silhouettes. Reflecting back to vintage 'Balenciaga', the designer's elegant design style captured the decade. Balenciaga designed a collection of evening gowns in 1952, with floral fabric, sculpturing the faminin shape of the time 

I like the fact your dresses are made to order, does that give customers a bit more flexibility with the design?

Yes, customers can choose from a selection of fabrics and designs.

How did Daniella Christina Designs start and what was the initial idea behind it?

The label started with support from The Prince's Trust organisation, helping young people start up in business, which I think is really the only thing left these days to support the new generation. The idea for the fashion label had been with me from a young age, I was always fascinated by 'old' Hollywood films and icons. Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich looked so elegant and charismatic, so I wanted to design clothes inspired by them for the modern  day woman.

What were your aspirations as a child? Did you always want to work in fashion?

When I was younger, I was always creative and intrigued by fashion history. My mum was studying Economics when I was a child so I would always get dragged along to the library, where I found myself immersed in fashion history books.

You seem to be involved in a lot of things: running a local magazine, designing your own label and also assisting amazing designer, Joanne Fleming. How do you manage your time?

What time, haha! I work about 12 hour day, leave one job and start another but I love my career, so every moment is a pleasure.

What advise would you give to young designers who might be looking up to you right now?

Work hard and have faith in your dream. It sounds cliche but people don't just wake up one day and have their dream job, you really do have to work for it.

What's been your favourite moment in your career so far? You've worked for some pretty big names (Burberry, Gresham Blake and American Apparel). Anything you're still aiming for?

I had some great experience and some bad ones. Working in the industry can be hard but this just makes you appreciate the good opportunities. My best experience so far, would have to be working for 'Preen' fashion label at London Fashion Week and launching my first collection.

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Like what you see? Well, Daniella is giving away a full-circle skirt from her new collection to one lucky reader. To be in with a chance of winning visit this page on Daniella's blog and share it on Facebook and Twitter. The winner will be chosen at random on 30th May 2014.

I think Daniella shows real promise with this new collection. The tailoring is exquisite and the fact that each piece is made to order means that the fit will always be flawless. With a label and magazine under her belt, it's wonderful to see so much success in such a passionate young woman. You can follow Daniella on her journey on Facebook and Twitter

Ta ta for now!

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Don't Touch the Kitten

I had the fabulous opportunity recently to provide some wardrobe assistance for Brighton band, Kitten and the Hip. It was for their new music video, Don't Touch the Kitten, which was released last Monday and you can view the wonderful creation below....

Whaddya think? Doesn't Scarlett and Ashley look A-MAZING?! I especially love the trumpets!! The clothes were sourced from Beyond Retro and the gorgeous cream coat is from Hope & Harlequin. Make-up was done by the lovely and gorgeous Gemma Wheatcroft.

Kitten and The Hip's new album, Hello Kitten, is available to buy now on iTunes at a swinging price of £7.99! GO GET IT!!!

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