The Brighton Collective

As well as doing my bit for www.doilydays.co.uk I can also be found huddled over my laptop seeking talented local designers to write about for The Brighton Collective blog. http://www.thebrightoncollective.co.uk/blog/ I love researching the subjects, it makes me feel a real part of the cool creative scene in Brighton.... (even though I live seven miles down the coast and hardly ever venture into the city!) I mainly write about vintage inspired products as that is what interests me. I've added some pics here of products I've featured on the blog (Dress by www.digforvictoryclothing.com. Mr B Moustachio man and floral bag by www.stridedesigns.co.uk. Russian Doll cushion by www.lovefrankie.com. And burlesque cushion by www.dupenny.com)

And guess what - lovely Hannah Bradbury (a fellow blogger) has written about my Doily Days cakestands. Okay - I asked her to but that's besides the point. She wrote a fab article and you can read it here http://www.thebrightoncollective.co.uk/blog/2010/02/doily-days-%E2%80%93-vintage-china-cake-stands/

Bows!!!!

Well who would have thought tying a bow could be so complex! I've been tying bows in my shoe laces for years....

In my quest to earn an honest bob while avoiding the perils of the 9am-5pm drudgery I applied to do a few hours work for 'Handmade by me'. The company is based in Peacehaven and they specialise in handmade invitations and cards for all occassions.

Samantha, who runs the company, is busy busy busy so she needs help putting the orders together. I was put to work - firstly sticking labels at the bottom of some beautiful textured card. This is not too hard I thought. Then I moved onto attaching a transparant sheet to the beautiful card. This was done by poking a heartshaped, gold pin into the top... again - so far so good and it was satisfying work. Then it was time to roll the scrolls. This was a bit tricky but I think I could have managed it. But the bow tying stage was to come - and could I do it? Could i hell.... My bows came out floppy, twisted, upside down. So I was taken off bow tying duty and put on twisting mini roses duty. I then pushed the roses behind the bows (that were expertly done by Samantha) and slipped them into postage tubes. Job done....

The next batch of invitations also involved bows - as these weren't scrolls I was more confident and the first couple came out okay! Much to Samantha's delight. But when I realised I was supposed to be tying a knot before the bow it went to pieces again.

So I was sent off with practice ribbons and card and I'm waiting to hear whether my bow tying career is over or whether it's just beginning!

Wedding Favours and Nametags

I had a meeting with a client on Monday and made some sample favours to show her and some rustic, handmade namecards. I wanted to share them with you! The wedding favours are small pots of homemade jams and chutneys, personalised and topped with vintage fabric. In this case the client has asked for honey because she is such a fan.... she was even talking about naming her tables after different types of honey! We can do anything you like - chilli jam chutney, lemon curd. Your guests will remember the big day when they dig into their condiment!

The nametags are made to look like glamorous luggage tags. They can be tied to the napkin or onto a vintage teacup. See more pictures and read more about Doily Days www.doilydays.co.uk

Oh and I picked up some Rhubarb and Custard and Cola Cube sweets from the post office to display in bowls on the table.... and while I was there I picked up a quarter of Toffee Crumble (it was my boyfriends - ex-boyfriends... whatever, it's complicated - birthday yesterday so I decanted it into a cute (Jamie Oliver) jar and popped it back in the bag. And made good use of one of my namecards! Ahhhhh. All in a days work xx

New Campervan Available!

Hi there, After Doily Days' recent article in wedding magazine I have been inundated with requests fro Campervans. I outsource most of the bookings to a VW owner in Eastbourne - he has a gorgeous camper called Poppy and a Beetle called Florence. But he also has a job and a family and sadly can't fulfil all Doily Days requests.

But behold... today I talked to Craig who has a sexy, shiny splitscreen camper from the sunny state of California. For hire. For Weddings. Wooooooooo hoooooooo. What a beauty. www.doilydays.co.uk

Fifties Style Wedding

A friend of mine from uni is getting married in London this summer. She's having a 1950's theme - prom style wedding dress, Rat Pack band and a red double decker bus to transport her guests!

She has asked me to help with invitations to go with the theme so I've been doing a bit of research. I saw a fab idea where you personalise records - I think that could work really well. She is only having 30 guests to the ceremony. I'm sure I can rustle up 30 old records from charity shops - Elvis, Buddy Holly etc! And I'm sure my designer Charmain can come up with something equally as fabulous as the design you see in the picture.

The bride wants a different design for the evening guests so I found this fab image of a 'just married' sign on the back of a fifties style car. We could personalise this image with this wicked fifties style font!

While I was at it I came across some beautiful images from ruffledblog.com - I think they give some great ideas for pattern and colour to inspire the fifties theme.

Caravan Project!

Hello again - I'm very excited because I got a phone call today from someone who has a 70's caravan and wants to work together on a project! He bought it for £100, fixed a leak, made it watertight and now he's lost interest and can't be bothered to do the inside.... music to my ears. His parents are happy to keep it on their drive so I don't need to worry about storage. I am going to beautify the interior in true Doily Days style - retro curtains, rugs, cushions, quilts, crockery etc etc and Steve will be on hand for the technical things that I don't understand! When it's finished I hope to feature it on my website, get some PR coverage and hire it out for photoshoots and festivals. Here is the first picture - you can track the progress as the Doily Days makeover unfolds!!!!!

Vintage China Mosaic

I must share with you some pictures of the fantastic Brighton based designer I have come across. Her name is Anna Tilson and she creates beautiful mosaics using broken vintage china! - imagine my excitement.... I have a huge box of damaged china that I can't use - what a fantastic use for it and a chance to further unleash my creative side! To add to my excitement I've found out she's running a workshop on 27th February. Where do I sign????

To read more about Anna please follow this link http://www.areaatlas.com/mosaic/index.html