Friday 30 September 2011

How do you SWISH?

Swap For the Environment / Spend less Swap More /  or Swapping is the New Shopping

Clothes swapping (swishing) encourages recycling, it is a fun and affordable way of getting nearly new or sometimes new items but without the expense. The concept of recycled textiles dates back about two hundred years back, it was first made use of in Yorkshire Dales, England.  It is estimated that over 1 million tonnes of textiles and clothing are thrown away each year having a negative effect on our environment.  At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable.

SITCUK host clothes swap events with a relaxed social fusion of fashion, style and fun helping to encourage the recycling of textiles and for each event a donation will be made to a selected charity. In exchange the guests go home with an arm full of new items! Each guest brings 5 to 10 items of never worn or worn only once items. These can be clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories. On arrival you’ll receive a ticket with the number of items you have brought along which is to be exchanged for the same amount of items to take home. There are 2 rounds for swaps which allows you to try on items in between and with competitions, cosemetic boutique and food to be enjoyed it makes for a great social evening out.
It’s best to get your £10 ticket in advance with a glass of wine and goodie bag on entry

The launch will be held Thurs 13th Oct 2011 at The William 1V , Harrow Rd, Kensal Green London NW10 5JX
Bring your items from 6.30pm-7pm Swaps start 7.30pm

Tickets are available here:
http://swapinthecityuk.eventbrite.com

Enquiries:
info@total-renewal.com

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Dora Special 30th Sept 4pm





Do you little people love Dora?
Look after a budding dancer?
Then break out your dancing shoes because Dora the Explorer’s dance class is having a big show! In this brand new special Dora Ballet Adventure, Dora is opening the ballet show and she can’t wait for her family to see her perform. She just needs her dance slippers, but by mistake the Delivery Duck has brought scuba flippers instead! The show can’t start without the slippers. Can Boots help Dora find a pair of dance slippers and save the show?

To celebrate this special there are a number of repeats throughout the week, so fans of Dora won’t miss out on the show. Here is the full line-up:

Friday 30th Sept at 4pm and 6pm
Saturday 1st October 10.30am and 5pm
Sunday 2nd October at 1pm
Monday 3rd Oct – 8.30am and 4.30pm
Tuesday 4th Oct – 10.00am
Wednesday 5th Oct – 2pm
Thursday 6th Oct – no show
Friday 7th October – 4.30pm

For a sneaky peek at this fabulous episode you can find it here...

Do you littlies like playing games, find a fab Dora game here...

Got more artist minded mini people...

Or simply drop by the site...

Tuesday 27 September 2011

5 year milestone

So today was Emma's 5 th birthday. Glancing back 4 years i never believed we'd make it alive, yet here we are surrounded by MORE new toys, birthday cake and a very grumpy birthday girl!
She's taken to school like a duck to water, and as much as it pains me to say, she doesn't need me as much as i expected her too!
Selfish right? But once you have adjusted to the label that special needs gives you, you expect to be needed regardless.
Im proud, prouder than you can ever imagine. Im kinda glad in other ways she doesn't need me, maybe i just need her! She was a baby so long that the transition from baby to child never happened, she just kinda woke up BIG!
But seeing countless nameless children say hi to her on the way home from school fills my heart with warmth, who'd have thought she would be so popular. Especially since her elder sister deflects friends like its going out of fashion, she could pass from a stroppy teenager and she's only 7!!
So here's to you Emma, special in many many ways but always a baby to me :)



As birthdays usually do, more so when they are your own, it makes you take stock of your life, see where you have been and plan for the years to come. Today was no different. even though I'm not 5 and i didn't get cake, I've done nothing but think about what I've got and where I'm going.
Seems silly really, underneath it all all ill ever be is a mother and a wife. Best title anyone could have to be honest!!
My business is still pricking at me though, its like a flaming roller coaster! I wanna do it, i don't wanna do it, i wanna do something else, give me a job, fuck it I'm working for myself, i love what i do, i hate what i do..... and so on until i feel may brain may implode.
In all honesty, i DO love what i do, i love the flexibility, i love the spending money and i love seeing i can achieve something from nothing but i kinda feel its not enough but to achieve more i have to give me and i love the time off i can snatch with the girls and just waste the day shopping if i feel i wanna instead of clock watching for shifts or whatever. I don't envy you ladies that run a home and a career, a tiny bit jealous and completely in awe of your hard work but i also like the lazy days of pjs and baking!



I just don't feel like I'm getting out of what i do what i need to. Is handmade really the way forward or is being a stockist far more of what the shopper wants these days. No matter what you do or what you sell people want what they see in mags and on the tv. They like the copy style and to FIT IN! no matter how many times they scream, 'IM AND INDIVIDUAL' their spending habits don't reflect this.
High street stores sell their jewellery by the bucket load and every store stocks the same designs at varying prices but personally i hate the idea of wearing what the girl on the bus 3 seats behind is wearing, i like to own at least 1 item per outfit what no one else does even if its only 3 seasons ago item that everyone else has thrown out.
But are there really enough like minded people to make what i do worth the time and effort? Or should i be making my designs that little more commercial? I guess in this climate when people are living pay day to pay day you have to go with the masses!
Still in my infancy though i guess theres plenty of time to find my feet. Ive designed a more simple yet personal range for xmas. There will be sets and initialed jewellery, fresh water pearls and single charm necklaces, what with my necklace being used in Hollyoaks, The Vintage Life magazine subscription offer and the exposure in Daisy Green Mag and The London University Guide I'm hoping i can take it up a step to a more steady sale stream.

To be seen on 'Maddie' in Hollyoaks


L xx

Saturday 17 September 2011

Olive the Ostrich Review







Get ready for imagination and adventure as Olive the Ostrich comes to Nick Jr.
  • Launching on Monday 5th September and shown every weekday
  • Featuring artwork from schools across the UK in each episode
From the 5th September pre-schoolers can watch Olive the Ostrich, Nick Jr.’s newest animated show, every weekday at 8.15am and 6.30pm.
Olive is an ostrich with a huge heart and a big imagination. When she buries her head in the sand she goes on fantastical adventures, popping up somewhere new in every episode. She is friendly, enthusiastic and loves to solve problems wherever she goes.
Narrated by Rolf Harris, each episode of Olive the Ostrich features characters, props and backgrounds created by children aged 6 to 9 years. Selected schools from across the UK hosted workshops to inspire creativity and develop storytelling skills. Pupils learnt about the film making process and created artwork which was used in the finished episodes, after being brought to life by the show’s animators.
Olive the Ostrich is created in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts. 
Olive the Ostrich premieres Monday 5th September at 8.15am…
…only on Nick Jr. (Sky 615, Virgin 715 and TalkTalk 318).

The lovely people over at Rock and Roll Babyworld sent my girls 2 episode from the new Nick jnr show that started early Sept. 
My girls love kids tv as much as the next kid but oh how they laughed when they watched this!! A lot of it i think was lost on my younger two, i think the roll on the floor laugher from my 7 year old was what they found so infectious but i haven't seen her watch an animated programme were she has ever laughed so much!!
Personally i didn't have the pleasure of sitting through it (house work!!) but i got the massive thumbs up from my rabble and they are happy to recommend it to anyone!!
I did however clock the animation style, very charlie and lola, i totally love that whole 'cut out' style, where things are made from torn paper and fabric prints! 
So off ya go, get sky plusing it!! i can guarantee laughs if nothing else.



L xx

AphroditeNet Press Release

AphroditeNet Press Release

AphroditeNet Wedding Photography is pleased to announce details of our forthcoming autumn bridal fashion photo shoot.
We will be using wedding dresses from ‘Forever Yours’ bridal boutique of Rye, East Sussex, who have a large and stunning collection of designer wedding gowns. We have commissioned some gorgeous vintage inspired jewellery from Lizzie of ‘La Chic Unique’, and will also be working with the hugely talented Tiggy of ‘Tiggy Johnson Bespoke Florist’ and ‘Idyllic Days’. Accessories for our shoot have also been provided by ‘Vintage Amethyst’. The beautiful Jamie Collins has been cast as our model. We are looking forward to working with Jamie to create some wonderful images which we hope will prove inspirational to prospective brides when planning their wedding!
With such a strong creative team involved in this shoot, we had to look for a special venue, and have chosen The House Meadow at Biddenden, Kent. The House Meadow is a unique wedding venue - a working farm set in the beautiful Kent countryside, with plenty of rustic country charm!
Modern vintage continues to be big news as we go into autumn, with traditional country crafts being resurrected throughout the UK and retro style weddings, complete with vintage china table settings, continuing to be popular… We are hoping to incorporate some of this modern vintage style into our photo shoot, with an added Kentish inspired twist!
We will keep you informed as our plans for the shoot progress!
Aphroditenet Wedding Photography - www.aphroditenet.co.uk
The House Meadow - www.thehousemeadow.com
Jamie Collins - www.starnow.co.uk/jamiecollins7
La Chic Unique - www.la-chic-unique.co.uk
Tiggy Johnson bespoke florist - www.tiggybespokeflorist.blogspot.com
Idyllic Days - www.idyllicdays.com
Vintage Amethyst - www.vintageamethyst.co.uk
We are very excited to have supplied jewellery for this wonderful shoot! Ill be keeping you up to date on progress and a whole post as soon as the pics are ready :)

L xx

In the Spotlight-Slabads







Hi I currently help with a small business called SlabAds & do my best in bringing new business to the website,SlabAds.com is a new unique website for low-cost Business advertising, connecting people & business to bring the best quality service & goods locally all over UK. I attract new clients everyday to come along see the website in action & let them know that we promote, market & proactively look for possible business for our clients.
I must thank Jim & Irene for the opportunity as the business is very much a 3-way team, Jim creates & designs, Irene administers with the additional contact with clients, I work souly on bringing people & businesses to the site, as well as providing ideas on going forward.

I work full-time & have my wife & 5 kids to support too, this is difficult to concentrate fully on SlabAds, but I try doing most of the contacting after work, we're hoping when the income improves for the company, I can do the SlabAds full-time and meet more clients to promote & market more.
I really enjoy selling the product(SlabAd) because it let's me meet lots of people, & this is something I've always been very comfortable with, speaking over the phone or emailing just doesn't have the same effect,& you can really put your trust in someone or know if they are confident in me & my product, if you meet face to face.

The difference with SlabAds & other advertisers is quite a lot actually, but we strive on building relationships & make sure our clients have exactly the service they deserve, we are very low cost @ only £25 per year with no clauses, Our advert is unique which gives Customers a glimpse of what website they will be entering, images are taken from the clients website & added to the Ad template, any offers or promotions can be added, We promote every client everyday(sometimes more than once) 7 days a week via Twitter & Facebook, we also have a twitter live feed page to show our clients the promoting we are doing for them.

Clients can relax when they Advertise with SlabAds because its cost effective, easy to use for all, you can create your own if you wish, we Guarantee traffic to clients website & our website is fully written in SEO to create a much better search listing for all included in SlabAds, all this for only £25 per year or if you would like a larger chunk of the page its £50, We also help with website design & offer an excellent pay monthly scheme to get your business up & running.

Together WE are Stronger!!

John - John@slabads.com