Hat Making Masterclass with Katherine Elizabeth

On Christmas day, I happened to see a little thing on the Time Out London website that got me instantly excited; a millinery masterclass! I did a bit of research on the milliner Katherine Elizabeth's work and was rather impressed by her fabulous Ascot creations. A video of Katherine magically creating an exquisite headpiece in no time at all had me assuming that this would be a rather effortless thing to do. And with £200-£800 and upwards for fancy hat, I thought I may be persuaded  to have a bit of career change myself! Needless to say, I was very much looking forward to the January session. My only worry was that the masterclass poster seemed incredibly cool and rather fancy too. Will I seem like a bit of an odd geek in the midst of a herd of Louboutin clackers, I nervously wondered?

My fear of not being cool or fancy enough was entirely unfounded. Our group of ladies were a very jolly and friendly bunch. And Katherine was very down-to-earth and loveliness personified. The masterclass started out with Katherine giving us a bit of history on the subject and describing a few basic techniques. We also learnt the virtues of sinamay, the millinery wonderweb sourced from the Phillipines. As part of our masterclass, we were to create a fascinator and a 1940's style sculptural felt hat.  All the materials were provided and there was plenty of tea, coffee, cake and even prosecco (shame I wasn't drinking) to keep us going. 

I learnt very quickly that becoming a rich milliner overnight wasn't going to happen. Moulding sinamay was hard work. In fact, none of this hat making malarkey was particularly easy. And there was plenty of sewing and self-jabbing too. Katherine, with her years of experience, made it all seem so effortless that I foolishly underestimated this whole millinery business. I eventually created a little pillbox hat which had a bit of gingham, leather and netting thing going. Even the felt hat making was quite challenging, partly because I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted as an end result. I eventually created something that looked like it could be part of the Star Wars costume kit (and it will no doubt feature on the blog one day).

But don't me put off by my lack of millinery skills, my fellow wannabe milliners did a pretty fabulous job. They also made excellent models! And Katherine and her lovely assistant were incredibly helpful. When I gave up on sewing through several layers of felt, Katherine stepped in to rescue the 'thing' that I was creating. Similarly, when my hands were getting sore from twisting sinamay, Katherine's assistant (Lucy) did a fab job of rescuing it. All of us did go home with two, atleast almost finished, hats!

If you are a hat person or need one for a wedding or event, I'd thoroughly recommend attending one of Katherine's sessions. Full details are available on her website http://www.katherineelizabethhats.com/home. Also worth checking out the Milinery Events website if you fancy booking a private or corporate event with Katherine.

Hope you are all having a lovely week!Ann x

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Higgs Boson and Disco Pants

The great thing about Edinburgh is that even on cold and wet days, there are some wonderfully light-filled and intellectually stimulating places to hang out. My favourite places include the the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh Central Library and now, The National Museum of Scotland. The latter has spectacular interiors with plenty of skylight, exhibitions on subjects ranging from particle physics to Japanese art, and enough inspiration to keep you coming back for more. Last rainy Saturday was spent absorbing the Higgs Boson theory, watching demos of the CERN Large Hadron Collider and listening to Prof. Higgs himself. I felt a certain pride in being able to live in the home city of the one of the main brains behind the Higgs Boson theory. 

 We wandered through the various sections of the museum marvelling at the numerous exhibits and watching educational videos.   It was an incredibly relaxing afternoon and I chose to wear my new favourite trousers, the American Apparel disco pants. I'm a bit late jumping on to the disco pants  bandwagon but I'm now their biggest fan. They are incredibly comfy and stylish and are great for catering to day-to-night type outfit demands. They are not cheap but mine were an eBay find and a great bargain.

Whilst I hold an engineering degree, it has been a very long time since I pondered about anything to do with theoretical physics or the history of the stars. Many of my fellow ponderers were half my age but that didn't bother me (or Ed for that matter); it was wonderful to be able go back to basics and to remember ( as Carl Sagan said) that we ourselves are stardust.

I hope you've had an inspiring weekend too! Ann x

Wearing: H&M premium silk shirt under Landsend cashmere jumper, American Apparel disco pants, Wallis crystal flower necklace, Ash Spiral boots and YSL Rouge in Danger red lipstick

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January Etsy Favourites!

January is often a time for new starts and I have one little new feature for the blog. I recently became an Etsy affiliate which is quite exciting! It sits well with my ethos of promoting local designers, handmade and vintage. With that I've decided to regularly share a selection of handpicked favourites every month that I hope will interest my readers.  This month I've been mainly decluttering and organising for our big move to Edinburgh. I've also been dreaming to bright colours, sparkly jewels and quirky touches for our new home. Unsurprisingly, Etsy has some gorgeous offerings.

Quirky cushions:  If Lulu Guinness feels a bit out of reach but lip smacking curious still get you excited, this beautiful cushion (a steal for £18!)  may be just what you are after.

Hand carved bookshelves: I love my books and am always on the lookout for unique bookshelves. Benjanim's Barn has some truly beautiful pieces that look like they will last a lifetime and still remain  stylish.

Eco friendly storage: As part of our move, we are decluttering, downsizing and organising our lives. It is very liberating. That said, these eco friendly storage units look like a very useful for keeping life organised whilst enabling mobility. And, they are so very cool too!

Funky art: Just because we are moving/decluttering doesn't mean we are going all bland. I love having art and colour around our house and this little framed piece is on my wish list for a our new home!

Ceramic plant pots: I am going to miss our garden and allotment but it doesn't mean I'll stop gardening altogether. There are plenty of options for playing green-thumbs indoors and these ceramic pots make a rather stylish affair.

Dressing up: This whole business of moving many hundred miles is a rather stressful affair to say the last. I figured little indulgences like these Jennifer Loiselle earrings or this bright vintage peter pan collar dress would make life a lot happier!

What do you make of my Etsy list? Which are your favourites? Ann x

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Isabel Marant and Candlesticks

So my plans for the holiday party season went belly flop. Oh well. Staying indoors due to the crap weather and poor health for weeks on end was driving me stir crazy and susceptible to an outburst or two.  The last one had me bawling my eyes out complaining about not getting any exercise and not having any fun. Ed quickly decided there was action required so he dragged me along for a very gentle round of racquet ball followed by encouraging me to dress up for a meal out at the quirky Candlesticks restaurants in Stamford. It is amazing how a little exercise and a bit of dressing up can be so therapeutic.

I finally got to wear my 'catch' from the Isabel Marant for H&M collaboration. It wasn't my favourite designer collaboration by any means but I thought this gold number would be great for the Christmas party season and versatile enough to be worn under jumpers for the rest of the winter. On the launch day, I joined the masses with the 'you are placed in a queue' situation for a little while before I remembered the old trick; call customer service. Not only did I get a nice little discount off the dress (unheard of for a brand new launch), I was also offered a super pair of sunglasses for a £1!

Candlesticks is a quirky restaurant in the heart of Stamford. It serves Portuguese cuisine in a very quaint and old fashioned manner. Think vintage crockery,  dessert trays and customer service with a personal touch. It is also a bit like travelling back to the seventies; I doubt the decor has changed much in the four decades the restaurant's been around.  The food was delicious and homely, even if it wasn't presented in a fancy fashion. The restaurant's speciality is fish and they even serve Madeira's famous Espada.  Unfortunately, we didn't sample any wine as Ed was driving and I'm staying off alcohol till I've got Methotrexate off my system.

Considering I was having a bit of a meltdown, Ed did a fantastic job in making my world better. He is  very brave himself as it has been really hard for him too. However, there is nothing that a bit of love, exercise and fashion indulgence can't make better.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Ann x

Wearing: Isabel Marant for H&M Metallic Dress; Margiela for H&M glove clutch bag; ASOS ankle boots; M&S tights; MuuBaa leather jacket.

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DIY Oversized Chunky Knit Scarf

Here's a fact; chunky wool and basic knitting have played an important role in keeping me sane in recent days. I'm no knitting expert as you already know. I learnt knitting at school but not properly. I had a go with a mohair knitting kit a few years ago; I mean what was I thinking! It was a recipe for failure. Thankfully, a session at Tilly's Vintage and the discovery of super chunky wool have entirely changed my perception of knitting. I'm still scared of starting off on more challenging projects but for now I'll share my recent production, a super chunky scarf.

You will need:
Super chunky wool 50g; I used Sirdar Big Softie in Mellow, 4 balls
UK size 10 needles
Satin ribbon, double sided

Pattern:
Cast on 36
Knit 36, Purl 36 continue this pattern for 70 rows.
Cast off
Fold the scarf in half ( width wise) , asymmetrically around the neck  ( such that you can slip it on or off) with the stockinette pattern on top and mark a location for tying both ends together with a satin ribbon.

Tie ribbon. Wear scarf. Keep toasty.

I hope you have fun knitting. Ann x

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Winter Bucket List

I thoroughly enjoyed creating an Autumn bucket list back in September;  it gave me focus and the process of checking things off the list was great fun.  It also proved popular with my lovely readers. I've been mulling over a similar (albeit slightly less ambitious?) winter bucket list and it is looking a bit like this. 

Declutter and organise: January is a great month for a bit of general detox. For me, it includes eating better (and overcoming the indulgent eating habits of the holiday season), streamlining my wardrobe and deep cleaning the house. The yucky weather in the UK is a great excuse to stay indoors and make productive use of this hibernation by decluttering.

Do something for charity: There was a time when I was involved in a lot of charity fund raising activities including hill walking, skydiving and even blogging. I haven't done much of that in a while for various reasons. This winter, I'd like to spend some time and effort doing something purely altruistic.

Discover a new tea room or restaurant: Whilst I'd much rather cook something fabulous rather than at out, I do love discovering exciting new cafes and restaurants. Obviously, the quirkier they are the more I love them. I also like the fancy ones.  Between Edinburgh and London ( and around Peterborough), I'm going to go on the lookout for a fabulous place or two.

Travel somewhere new: Nothing makes me happier than travelling somewhere wonderful and new with my husband. With us in the process of moving up to Edinburgh, the chances of travelling very far are going to be limited. Nevertheless, there are so many places around where we live ( and where we are moving to) that are waiting to be discovered and I'd like to get exploring soon.

Host a winter party: In this part of the world, most of the active socialising happens over the summer ( with the exception of Christmas and New Years). I'd like to organise something fun over the winter to change this pattern a little. It may not be a grand affair but it will include some my favourite people and that will make all the difference.

Create a signature winter cocktail: I'm not much of a drinker but I do love a good cocktail. Over the summers, Ed and I love making our own cocktails. I'd like to do something similar over the winter season too. Ideas welcome! And, the more exotic the better!

Make homemade presents: I'm no fan of the long nights and the cold days but they are good for crafting. I've had great fun knitting over the last couple of months and I intend to do that some more. I'd also like to get making more homemade candles, soap, chocolate etc. After all, shop bought goodies can never quite match the love that goes into making a handmade present.

Overcome the winter wardrobe blues: It is so very easy to succumb black and grey over the winter period. I'm definitely not the black and grey sort of person but I am going to make an extra effort over the winter to add a bit of colour and sparkle to everything I wear.

Go ice-skating : Despite having an ice rink not far from where we live, I've never been ice skating before. I'd really like to overcome my fear of falling over ( and general clumsiness) and go ice skating this winter. It may not be the most elegant of sights but at least I will have tried!

I hope you've found some inspiration from my winter bucket list and I'd love to hear your ideas too! Ann x

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