Art Is Smart

So, my two week sewing vacation has come to an end and I feel so much better. Taking a few weeks to myself, to relax and get back to my first love- drawing.

I love to draw! My qualifications are in textiles AND fine art. My love of drawing began as a young child at the kitchen table with my dad. We used to pour the crayons and pencils on the table and create masterpieces for the fridge and we would practice drawing each other.

Art is great therapy and I was told by one of my m.e doctors that if I didn't have my art then I would still be in bed making no progress. He believed my passion for art pushed me to make more of an effort. Whenever I draw I go into my own little world and completely relax and unwind. My thoughts and feelings gush out of me on the page in front of me and I then reflect on what I have created.

I went to my parent's house this week to spend the day with my Dad. We talked about how I have been struggling with balancing life and sewing. We came to the conclusion that sewing has been completely draining me mentally and physically which is extremely bad for me. I have now decided to take an extended break and just sew for fun, not for business.

Art has now completely taken over and it's great therapy. I am much happier and determined to progress. I thought I would share some of my doodles with you all.

My Two Week Sewing Vacation

The last few months I have busy sewing new projects, blogging like crazy and trying to get my shop ready for it's relaunch. Unfortunately, my health has taken a real knock and I was constantly getting sick due to the stress. During these down times I contemplated putting my business on hold to focus on other things, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the things I want to make and share. My boyfriend came up with an excellent idea to take a business sewing vacation, two weeks of relaxation and fun projects.

The first few days of my vacation were hard and I was tempted to abandon my plan and start work again, but I persevered and started to enjoy myself. I am now a week in and feeling much better. I have been watching movies, taking walks in the sun, making gifts for family and cooking yummy treats. I had forgotten how to enjoy the energy I do have on myself and not spend it all on my work.

I have had some amazing support from my readers and followers, which is greatly appreciated and spurs me on everyday. I am a stubborn Missy and I am determined to make this work! I will make it work!

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you for all your entries! 


Annnnnnd thhhheee winnnnerrr isssss...... 

LUNA! 

Congratulations! 

I will be contacting you shortly :) 

Abbey 

x

Giveaway!!!

The giveaway has finished

Hello readers! Great news! I am having yet another giveaway to celebrate new beginnings. I have an awful lot of past stock sitting in the office, things I have made that have not gone on sale. These accessories are all made with love but I have decided to move with my business and develop a new path.

I want to celebrate this with you all by giving you a chance to win lots of goodies! This is a chance to win something I made when I started out and began dreaming of starting my own business.

I want to thank you all for reading and supporting my blog this last year and I hope you enjoy whatever comes next.

Pink & white brooch! Pink skull fascinator! Skull earrings! Pink skull hair slides! Wowza!

How to enter

Simply leave a comment below

Extra entries

1) Follow me on Twitter

2) Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect, RSS or BlogLovin

3) Share this giveaway via Facebook, Twitter or your blog

4) Like me on Facebook

Please make sure you leave a comment for all extra entries.

The deadline date for this giveaway is the 14th May 2012! The giveaway is open worldwide! Hooray! I will choose the winner at random and announce the winner right here on my blog! I will contact you directly if I can or please check back here on the 14th to see if you have won!

Good luck!

Abbey

x

My Weekend In a Photographic Nutshell

I Love Dress Making

I thought I would share some photos of this week’s dressmaking adventures. I love making clothes but it is extremely tiring at times so I don't do it very often. I have gained skills over the years which have become extremely useful in making my own clothes. I remember when I made my first skirt, it was a complete disaster, however I learnt a lot from my mistakes and the skirt turned out well. Looking back I do laugh at some of the things I have made. My best advice for anyone wanting to start making clothes is to take a class! Books are great but having someone there to guide you is invaluable. If you can't afford to attend a class (they can be pricey on top of materials) then it’s best to use YouTube! I recently needed to refresh my concealed zip knowledge and found a great tutorial to help me. 

The blue dress was made one afternoon after a trip to my favourite shop for a zip. I ended up leaving with a big bag of fabric! Whoops! I love vintage fashion and as you can see the two dresses below are very 1950s in style. I find it really difficult to find clothes I like at an affordable price, so making my own is a great alternative. Dress making can be expensive but if you're clever about where you shop and what fabrics you you use, you can make savings. My top tip is to try and recycle fabric, zips and buttons from old clothes if you can. I have been pretty lazy with that recently, giving my clothes to charity when I moved house. 

The cream dress was made for a photo shoot I am going to do soon. I make bridal accessories and I needed a dress for a model to wear. I spied a dated wedding dress in need of TLC in a charity shop recently and even that was £100. I can't afford to buy a dress or even hire one, so I made one which was actually a really good idea! It fits the style of my future brand and I made it for around £20! It is made from satin and has spotty lace type fabric over the top which reminds me of my Mum’s wedding dress. Ohw I love how a basic cut can look so stylish and chic! 

I managed to make two dresses for around £40! Kaaapowww! I doubt I could buy on decent dress for £40! 

Abbey

x

Unique Bride Magazine

It's here! Since I stumbled across 'Unique Bride' I have been looking forward to getting my hands on a printed copy of the magazine. I am not getting married but I have a keen interest in bridal fashion. I have recently been working on my own bridal range and have needed a great magazine to give me some idea of my target market. I dislike the usual bridal magazine in the shops, full of weddings that look clean cut and frankly quite boring. 

I have never conformed to 'the norm' always dreaming of celebrating my future special day in my own unique way. I am over the moon that I am not the only one and it has all been laid out in this fantastic magazine!

From the first page I began to get excited, reading the editor's intro I could tell that this magazine was for girls who have felt pressured to conform to others expectations. It's a magazine to inspire people to do things their way, to get ideas and find their own wedding style. 

Flicking through the magazine my eyes were darting around the page. It is full of fantastically bright and interesting photos of weddings, gowns, accessories and fabulous ideas for your big day. I don't want to give too much away because you won't get the same surprised and excited feeling as I did. If I was getting married this would be the perfect reference for my big day. Ok, so some people may think it's a little far out and non-traditional but that's the best thing about it! Why can't you have a non-traditional or traditional wedding? Keep the church but wear something different or have your wedding in a random place? Do what makes you happy the magazine screams! Brides of Britain! I urge you to go out and get a copy of 'Unique Bride', You won't be disappointed! 

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Find Unique Bride Magazine in WH Smiths Or Online 

Abbey x