what katy did next...

Moving on up...

2011-11-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, just a quick post to tell you that my blog is now moving to the address - what-katy-did-next.co.uk/blog

Simply to tie it in with my fancy website ;) all the posts have been transferred across so you won't lose track of any old posts, and my next post will be on the Autumn photoshoot i organised with photographer Kat Timmins last month. See you there!

Whinstone View Bistro & Lodges

2011-10-11T01:05:00.000-07:00

I have skipped ahead on the blog posts today to share with you a shoot i got involved with thanks to Tees Valley Weddings. The shoot took place at
Whinstone View Bistro & Lodges, Great Ayton - which tonight is showing off their beautiful Wedding Venue with a spectacular Wedding Showcase. From 5.30-8.30pm expect to see the venue prepared for your magical day with local hand picked suppliers - Including me!

Other suppliers include Tees Valley Weddings, Hair by Chocolate & Make-up by Jo - all of who i worked with on this wonderful shoot.

Joanna from Tees Valley Weddings had rounded up a team of local suppliers from models to hair & make up to dress hire. There were two sets of photographers on the scene, Joanna wanted the shoot to have a vintage versus modern feel which worked really well. The Vintage style images i have shared with you today are all taken by none other than Sally Thurrell - who i feel is my own personal photographer. Those of you who have already been on my website will have marvelled in her photographic talents already ;)

The shoot has been featured on Sally's blog and also Brides Up North already so do have a look for more images, here is just a selection of my faves...

Fingers crossed for a lovely turn out tonight, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed! Will i see any of you there?...

Photo Shoot Suppliers:

Whinstone View
Joanna Tees Valley Weddings
Sally Thurrell Photography
Kate Fearnley
Dolly Mama Boutique
Make-Up by Jo
Hair by Chocolate
Bex Brides
Michael Cartwright Photography
Primitive Angel
Affleck & Moffat

Time of Autumn...

2011-10-08T02:01:00.000-07:00

Ok... So i disappeared entirely on you all and for that i am truly sorry. There isn't really a proper excuse really other than that of me throwing myself into my first collection, planning, promoting and getting overwhelmed like crazy. I would like to thank everyone for the support they gave me - family, friends and followers. My first collection has been really well accepted and has been an amazing journey so far :)

For those of you who haven't already been over there, get onto my site and marvel in the technichal genius of my other half - MY WEBSITE

I will be blogging about my collection, the shoot & the wonderful vendors involved, but today because i have about ten million things to do in preparation for the Danby Castle Wedding Fayre tomorrow I will treat you to a Moodboard ;)

I have never been a huge fan of purple, but recently little flashes of beautiful smokey grey purple keep popping up everywhere and i absolutely love it. The board has a casual boho autumn feel to it which i love, with touches of cosy from the Birch Bark Heart Lantern from This is Pretty to the bramble bouquet - yum!

The dresses are completely amazing. I have a new obsession with designer Jo Fleming, her dresses are like works of art and hopefully i will be able to collaborate with her in my Winter collection photoshoot - yes Winter collection on it's way ;) The other dress was a superb etsy.com find! That distressed ombre effect has me going weak at the knees, from Uye Surana

I also managed to fit in all time favourite stationer Vicky Trainor's lovely work too after she bullied me into getting my blog back on track ;) Check out her etsy she has a mountain of wonderful new items including brooches, cards and bookmarks - perfect for christmas? I think so!

Speaking of Christmas - i definitely want those earrings on my list from Pretty Petal Handcrafted Jewelry Store Their jewellery is amazing!

1.Cecilia free-flow dress - Uye Surana
2. Eucalyptus Bundt Cake - via postcardsandpretties blog
3. Smoky Quartz Earrings - Pretty Petal Handcrafted Jewelry Store
4. Lavender Stationary - Vicky Trainor
5. Dahlia Dress - Jo Fleming
6. Blackberry Bouquet - via The Natural Wedding Company blog
7. Lavender Harvest Boots - BHLDN
8. Niamph Boho Hair Wreath - What Katy Did Next
9. Birch Bark Heart Lantern - This is Pretty
10. Burlap Ring Pillow - Which Goose

Le Freak, C'est Chic...

2011-06-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! I haven't quite disappeared yet, although my blogging has been abysmal. I am rushed off my feet getting everything ready in time for my shoot and trying to organise my vendors too. My shoot takes place next Sunday and i have already had a dozen freak outs over just about anything. My favourite thing last week was playing about with props for the shoot's dessert table, of which there is a sneaky photo above. Since i have been such a terrible blogger i have decided to treat you all to a peek of the wonderful vendors i have confirmed so far...

1.Sally T Photography 2.Vicky Trainor 3.CakesbyBeth 4.Lauren Crawford Textiles 5.Papaver Designs 6.The Cupcake Boutique

Double Feature

2011-06-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

On my return from a mini break with my other half i was pleasantly surprised to find my work had been featured on not one but two blogs. The first was from my blogger chum Sarah-Lou Evetts of Boho Bride and Dressed with Love, who had purchased a pair of my red sparkly heart shoe clips to feature in her Alice and Wonderland themed wedding shoot photographed by Lucy Shergold. You can see the clips being used as hair accessories in the image above - see full post here.

The second was a pair of my personalised peg doll cake toppers, made a couple of months ago for a May wedding. The bride was very particular about how she wanted the peg dolls to look and i reckon the hard work paid off. They look spectacular in the below images taken by photographer Rosie Parsons. The wedding looked spectacular - be sure to check it out on Rosie's blog here. Also a big fan of the little video snippet from the big day by company Memories on Film. (see below)

kelly + raph /// coming soon from Memories On Film on Vimeo.

Finally, a huge congratulations to my friend Heather who tied the knot last Friday wearing one of the headpieces from my upcoming collection. Can't wait to see more pics she looked fabulous!

Wish you were here...

2011-06-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Just a note to tell you all that i will be taking a mini break till Saturday so any emails and orders won't be responded to until then :)

I also thought i'd share a wish list moodboard with you all, which i promise to credit when i return. Also some exciting news - i have finally set a date for my Bridal Collection Photo shoot! Just a few loose ends to tie up and i will be completely ready to share it with you all. Yay!

Enjoy yourselves whatever you're doing...

Classy Lady...

2011-05-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Fourth and final Moodboard for my collection - which f.y.i. is 3 pieces away from being complete now (aaaaaaaah) This last part of the collection is for what i call the Classic Bride. Whilst it is becoming more and more popular for today's bride to stand out from the crowd and wear something a little different, there will always be the brides who aren't as daring as to wear some of the pieces in say my Boho section. The ladies who want that white wedding vibe and who truly are classy ladies - this section is for them. Of course the pieces have my spin on classic pieces so they slot nicely into my collection as a whole :)

And for the sneak peek - a finished piece! Thsi piece was actually a custom order at the beginning of the year which earned so many compliments before i finally handed it over to the bride, that i decided it had to be part of the collection...

Happy 18th Birthday Helen!

2011-05-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Due to a super busy schedule i didn't get the chance on Saturday 28th May to 'blog wish' my little sister many happy returns on her 18th, so now i am - a belated happy birthday with lots of love xx

(L-R Me, Helen)

Busy Lizzy

2011-05-21T05:50:00.000-07:00

I have had an extremely busy week and managed to create some of my favourite pieces of the collection - although everytime i create a new piece it becomes my new favourite :/ Anyway, the most exciting bit of my week was being featured on the lovely Annabel's Love My Dress blog. See the feature here.

Last month i was lucky enough to be asked by the Amazing Sarah of Boho Bride & Dressed With Love, to be part of the very first photo shoot she had been asked to help style. The theme of the shoot was Eco Chic so i set about making up some head pieces for her to use. She did choose my favourite from the bunch to use and i think it looked absolutely fabulous and styled to perfection. The piece will also feature as part of my collection in the Boho section so keep your eyes peeled for that.

You can read of Sarah's involvement in the shoot over on her blog here (well worth following).

The shoot which can be seen in full on Love My Dress blog was spectacularly styled around company Hooe's Yurts who provide Yurt hire for special events including Weddings. They specialize in decorating the yurts with exotic textiles creating beautiful ethnic style venues. I had never really warmed to the idea of Yurts for a wedding but this shoot has opened my eyes completely.

It was amazing to be included alongside some great vendors and a special thank you shout out goes to Photographer Rosie Parsons & Amy of Hooe's Yurts as well as Sarah for including me in this magical shoot...

Glitter and glamour...

2011-05-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

So here is the third moodboard for the third section of my coming collection (which is really starting to come together - exciting!). Considering the Romance and Boho boards were very much alike this Vintage board has taken a different turn leaving colour behind and turning a little more glitzy. Hopefully you will agree that the boards still sit well together and we still have Classic Bride left to create a board for!

As usual a sneak peek of my collection is below. One of my favourite pieces in the collection - a large russian net and tulle bow with a beautifully beaded centre. Hope you'll agree...

Kitsch is a beautiful word

2011-05-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

- For some reason this post disappeared on me and wasn't saved so i'll update it with the links etc when i get chance over the weekend xx

Wonder Emporium...

2011-05-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sure the majority of my local readers are already informed of the Corner Emporium in Middlesbrough. The Emporium is a scheme to help find uses for empty town centre shops while giving new businesses a great opportunity to grow. Early in the year a handful of companies moved into The Mall in Middlesbrough and were given up to six months’ free retail space, access to individual professional or business development support, branding and PR support to raise awareness and attract customers and promised dedicated support to help find suitable premises once the incubation period is over.

With only a short time until the Corner Emporium closes, i thought i would post about my favourite shop in there and urge you to visit...

A former Textiles and Surface Design student like me, Lauren Crawford specialises in Kitsch and contemporary homewares, producing an amazing array of handmade cushions, reworked furniture, jewellery and framed artwork. Her quirky style sits perfectly with the huge trend for retro and vintage for the home and Lauren's perfectly presented area of the Emporium is hugely inspiring.

Lauren also sells vintage finds in her store including vintage suitcases, scarves, tins & trinkets boxes. She also has an eye for amazing modern vintage styled items selling products that are relevant to her shop's character. Everytime i pop in Lauren has something different and a new display so even if you have already been i would highly recommend a second visit. The Corner Emporium is situated next door to HMV in The Mall, Middlesbrough and is open Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm

For those of you not in the area Lauren has a fabulous blog with shop updates as well as an etsy store she hopes to update once the emporium closes.

Email: l.crawford@hotmail.co.uk
Blog: http://laurenecrawford.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/LCrawford88
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaurenECrawford
Arts Thread: http://www.artsthread.com/viewer/graduate_portfolio.aspx?p=1096&a=p

On the Carousel

2011-05-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

A theme that is so very far from the Royal Wedding, which was so fabulous, i present you with a board inspired by 'fairground' - an idea brought to me by one of my facebook followers. I decided to steer clear of the bold colours of the fairground and work with the classier lighter shades you might find on a carousel, still injecting hints of fun all over the place!

The dress is designed and handmade by Veronica Sheaffer, writer of a wonderful blog i have followed for quite some time now. Her blog is filled with so much inspiration from her hand made wedding to her handmade wardrobe - there is literally nothing this lady won't put her hand to and her amazing collection presents some of her best work. I chose her design Tuliipe with its cute ruffles and shorter skirt to reflect all the fun of the fair, which perhaps the more daring bride could team with those magical glittered heels from Irregular Choice.

I remembered a tutorial posted on Ruffled a few weeks ago on making your own caramel popcorn favours, and i had to include them. Not only is it a wonderful idea but the simple design on the packaging had just the right amount of vintage funfair to work in this board. Whilst pouring through the amazing work of Mathew Dickinson Flowers i stumbled across a fabulous pinky bouquet that almost looked like popcorn, i love its pom pom-like texture.

There is so much to choose from for favourite part of the board, i do love the kissing booth banner and the vintage ticket save the date and cake. However, my favourite part has to go to the pink gold carousel ring. It is more than perfect for a wedding of this theme, and whilst you may not want a ring as fun and bulky as that for the rest of your life - you could always just have it as a keepsake to remember the day by, or a fabulous gift for your bridesmaids!

1. A Sort Of Dream Photography - Integrity Studio
2. Kissing booth banner - Little Retreats
3. Pink Gold Carousel Ring - Rakuten
4. Pink Bouquet - Mathew Dickinson Flowers
5. Tuliipe Bridal Dress - Veronica Sheaffer
6. Caramel popcorn favours - via Ruffled
7. Vintage Ticket Save-the-Date - Cheer up Cherup
8. Pearl Petel Dress by Rare Opulence - Topshop
9. Wowie Zowie Heel - Irregular Choice via ModCloth
10. Carnival Ticket Cake Image - via celebrations.com
11. Wedding Balloons Image - Anneli Marinovich via Love My Dress

She's Royal...

2011-04-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have no doubt that the Royal Wedding will be absolutely nothing like my etsy treasury (seen properly here) but in a bid to show my patriotic streak i thought i'd share my take on William and Kate's big day. Albeit with a twist of vintage and fairytaleism.

Enjoy tomorrow whatever you're doing...

Colours like candy

2011-04-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

My most recent custom made Bridal headpiece was for the lovely Lynsey whose Summer Garden party wedding is set to be a very Vintage affair, with hints of Vintage in the decorations and even the Photography, which is being done by Sally Thurrell. Lynsey told me that she wanted a Vintage looking floral head piece that added a splash of colour to compliment her cream dress.

After forwarding this amazing image of candy coloured Larkspur i set to work on making up the flowers to match the shades, keeping Lynsey up to date via email images. After the Bride was happy i packaged it up pretty and posted it off to her. She was thrilled with the final outcome and is even considering me for Bridesmaid accessories...

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T00:57:00.000-07:00

Have an amazing break whatever you're doing over Easter!

1. Colored Eggs Print - Alice B Gardens
2. Hug Me Bunny Ring - Ching Chin Jewellery
3. Easter Cupcakes - Cooper's Cakes

Posts to come later on a recent Custom bridal piece...

A Certain Romance

2011-04-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember the post i did in January on the start of my Bridal collection which featured a Bohemian inspired moodboard. For those of you who don't know - I am aiming to create a collection of twenty or more bridal head pieces splitting them into four style groups - Classic bride, Vintage, Bohemian and Romance.

The feel of this board isn't that different to my Bohemian inspired moodboard which hopefully means my collection will look like it belongs together. However, the Romance selection will be more girly including florals, lace, embroidery, hearts and a little sparkle.

As with my Bohemian post i will give you a sneak peek of the first piece in the Romance collection...

Cake Catch up...

2011-04-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post to show off the cakes i've made recently...

The 1st was for my Mam's 50th birthday and was a four layer Victoria sponge covered in lemon yellow icing and decorated with edible pearls and icing daisies. It was my 1st attempt at a cake of this height and i might have had a nervous breakdown if it wasnt for a tip i came across on the Martha Stewart blog, which suggests applying a 'crumb coating' of frosting and then refrigerating overnight. This kept the cake nice and stiff which meant the final icing was much easier to apply :)

The second was a smaller and easier cake i made for my friend's birthday. She's mad on penguins so i created a baby penguin cake covered in roll out icing and added a fluffy layer of grey frosting for added cuteness. The rest of the cake was used to make the surroundings - which was going to be an igloo but i was working to a schedule :P The whole thing was then covered in edible glitter and i added my friend's name in edible pearls. Ta daaa!

Cuba Cuba...

2011-04-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, so i asked my followers over on my Facebook page if there were any specific themes they could suggest for my next Moodboard and one request was help needed for a Cuban Beach Wedding. I've never ever considered having a beach wedding, mainly because im a bit of a home bird and the nearest beach is a bit of a dump - i'm talking sewage pipes, litter and boy racers cluttering up the car parks. However, this moodboard challenge really opened up my eyes to the idea and i loved working with bright vibrant colours for a change.

I did a little research into Cuban style and came up with this colourful take on a Cuban beach wedding. My first thought was shoes, glamorous as heels are they just don't work well with sand. So i compromised with these suede woven sandals with a wedge heel, following the trend of colourful bridal shoes i find the shoes are practical while still looking amazing. Another point on beach weddings abroad is the heat, i've been wanting to use parasols in a moodboard for ages and this theme gave me the chance to do not only that but team it with the amazing idea of printing the Order of Service onto fans. A nice touch for your guests!

During my research i also found that Cuba is the birthplace of Mojitos, i managed to find an image of some wonderful looking pink grapefruit Mojitos, the colour is amazing and i loved how the shade of pink faded. Which set me on the hunt for bridesmaids dresses with a similar touch. I couldn't believe my luck when i came across the fabulous Monsoon 'cocktail dress' - pretty close match to the Mojitos! - well i was impressed :P

I was pretty much amazed by everything in the moodboard so to pick a favourite part would be too hard. I will however 'big up' the hand beaded hibiscus flower headband. Great value for money and would look amazing in short hair or attatched to a clip in a simple loose bun for some amazing beach chic.

Feel free to keep requesting themes, i've had a few great responses i'll work on soon...

1. Wedding Dress Image - via Style Me Pretty
2. Pink Grapefruit Mojitos Image - via The Knot
3. Jade earrings - Lucifer Vir Honestus
4. Cuba Postcard - Cafe Press
5. Tropical bouquet - Direct2Florist
6. Wedding Fan Program - Wedding Fans
7. Cayenne Plaited Sandals - Anthropologie
8. Noah Cocktail Dress - Monsoon
9. Beaded Hibiscus Headband - Handmade by Meri
10. Beach Parasols Inage - Marcie Franich Photography
11. Hibiscus Wedding Cake - Cake Central

Mellow Yellow

2011-04-11T05:23:00.001-07:00

Browsing my blog list its clear i'm not the only one who has developed yellow fever - check out Danni from the wonderful 'Oh, Hello friend' blog and her post on her addiction to Mustard yellow. The inspiration behind the board started when i spied this amazing Lilly Pulitzer bridesmaids dress on Style me Pretty (another addiction of mine). It looks amazing - classy but still fun and would be perfect for a Spring/Summer wedding.

Another new obsession is pom pom-like flowers, Craspedia or Billy Buttons are a particular favourite and they seem to be popping up everywhere as a staple wedding decoration. They go amazingly well with daisies in that gorgeous bouquet as well as the skeleton leaves and poppy pods on the boutonniere. Mirroring the pom poms are the chinese paper lantern decorations which look gorgeous among the fairy lights (another image from style me pretty...)

My favourite part of the board is the fabulous range of ring bearing pillows i recently found from Anna Whitford. She creates stunningly 'sculptural' collections of these pillows that come in so many different colours and textures that you're sure of finding one you'll love to tie in with your big day.

p.s. a quick shout out to the wedding stationary on the board which is actually made from fabric!

1. Yellow Bow Wedding Dress - via Green Wedding Shoes
2. Summer Retro Modern Boutonniere - Faye Marie
3. Yellow Wedding Ring Pillow - Anna Whitford
4. Fabric Wedding Invite - Merriment Design
5. Yellow striped Bridesmaid dress - Lilly Pulitzer
6. Hydrangea image - via Style me Pretty
7. Yellow & White Lantern image - via Style me Pretty
8. Patent Yellow Heels - Topshop
9. Mustard Wool Flower - Hummingbird Road
10. Yellow & White Bouquet - Weddingbee
11. Yellow Wedding cake image - via w-weddingflowers.com

Window Shopper

2011-04-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

Again i have been meaning to post on this for over a week now... After my friend and fellow designer Poppy of Papaver Designs contacted me and told me she was making a range of bridal products for a shop in Hexham, she told me that the Shop owners were looking for more bridal products for a window display and that they were interested in my work (woop!) Unfortunately my bridal collection won't be ready till next month (hopefully) but i managed to pull a few things together and took them down to the lovely Paula who immediately started display my products.

The Bodywork Centre is a natural health clinic connected to a coffee shop, with a fabulous gift shop up front so hopefully me and Poppy will generate interest from a few angles. I managed to snap a few photos before i left, make sure to click and enlarge on my favourite piece, the birdcage veil headband with pearl and rhinestone beading (photo three)...

I also managed to pick up the nickname Mrs Pegdoll from a rather chatty 'Milkshake maker' - (not exactly sure that was his job title) who asked me just about every question under the sun about what i was doing in Hexham and what products i made.

Je Suis Un Rockstar

2011-03-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

A while ago now i was stumped for a moodboard idea and whilst talking to my friend Alex she challenged me to attempt a 'Rock Chick' theme without making it completely tacky and cheesy. Hopefully you'll agree that i have managed this! Although maybe leather bridesmaid dresses and studded peep toes are a step too far for those of you who love my neutral floral moodboards?

The temptation to take Alex up on the challenge grew after i saw those lovely cupcakes from a Wedding on Style Me Pretty with the cute plectrum toppers stamped with the couple's initials and electric guitar 'wedding logo' an idea which is new to me but sounds amazing. The next thing that captured my imagination was the styling for the latest designs from Maria Lucia Hohan. The super hero-esque mask along with the long sleeved leather gloves screamed rock chick to me and that dress is deliciously modern with a vintage twist - perfect for a rock n roll bride.

I had real trouble picking out a suitable bridesmaid dress for the board, i didn't want to go gothic and i didnt want to go cheesy 50's rock n roll. The leather bridesmaid dress did cross my mind early on but i thought i couldn't possibly find a leather dress classy enough for a wedding. The one i chose from Karen Millen is amazing, not tacky and not too biker chick and with the studded Louboutins would create a 'fierce' look for your girls. To cuten the look up a bit i picked that fabulous sequinned lips fascinator by the Libertarian.

Favourite part of the board? Possibly the polkadot stationary. Love vs. Design specialize in modern vintage wedding stationery and have some pretty amazing stuff ready for you to personalise to meet your own taste and needs. They even offer ready to print designs that you can print from your own home. There is something for everyone and the one i have used is a personal favourite!

So, do you all reckon i should stick to the pretty girly stuff?

1. High Contrast Save the date - Love vs. Design
2. Gothic Clutch - Alexander Mcqueen via poshposh.com
3. Red Hot Lips Fascinator - The Libertarian
4. Plectrum Cupcakes - via Style Me Pretty
5. ZELDA gown Nude - Maria Lucia Hohan
6. Baby's Breath Arrangement - via Style Me Pretty
7. Leather Dress - Karen Millen
8. Electric Guitar Cufflinks - The Crossings
9. Rock n roll bridal fascinator - Janine Basil
10. Ruby Red Crystal Heart Earrings - Misty Aurora
11. Studded Peep Toes - Christian Louboutin via redcarpet-fashionawards.com

REmarkable...

2011-03-28T01:37:00.000-07:00

This post has been well overdue! After visiting this magical shop in early feb i keep reminding myself to get the pictures posted, i even promised i would in my Valentines Day post. Browsing the lovely Vicky Trainor's blog the other day i noticed she had posted it and that was the final push, so i figured it's now or never folks...

I was so overwhelmed by the amazingness of this shop that once i had had a look around i had to go out and come back in again to appreciate it. Luckily for me there were a few antique shops nearby to distract me till i got my head screwed on and went back in.

The shop is called RE - a small converted workshop at the back of a filling station in Corbridge. I have briefly mentioned RE before on my blog and linked to their website which is full of wonderful finds. Nothing can prepare you for the shop itself though, it truly was my Aladdin's cave of wonders, i think i scared my fiance slightly. After spending possibly over an hour in there (which really was necessary to appreciate everything) i eventually left with some pretty bobbins of baker's twine, a rusty crown silhouette shape and a large rusty letter 'K' which now resides on top of my vintage mirror.

I wish i could afford to buy everything instore but my room is getting progressively smaller with all the vintage tat that i buy, but i still can't wait to REvisit the store - see what i did there ;) haha

Fallen Floral

2011-03-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the warmer weather and beginning of Spring i have finally gotten round to finishing off this fun and quirky floral wedding moodboard with a mismash of floral pattern and different textures for you to fall in love with.

Firstly i will have to apologise for the top left bouquet image. When i started this board i had the intention of bookmarking this wonderful wedding featured on one of the many wedding blogs i follow, however after becoming busy with my collection and other side projects i appear to have lost the link. But aren't the flowers amazing and they're all made from fabric! If you can help me with a link please speak up...

The dresses! Are particularly short, but short re-wearable wedding gowns are bang on trend and are growing in popularity amongst the more daring brides. I love this polka dot number from Sarah Seven. The bridesmaid dress featured is from Topshop and would definitely make a wonderful start to your spring wardrobe ;)

I am in absolute awe of the cakes i came across on Sweet and Saucy Shop's website. They have a variety of cakes in their gallery and each one is amazingly beautiful, definitely worth a check out, although i'm not the first to blog about these cakes - the one i features has been on just about every wedding blog i follow.

I'll refrain from gushing about Vicky Trainor's Vintage drawer collection, i have been desperate to fit those into a board somewhere and i have finally managed it! My favourite of the board has to be the little bow tie. I'm normally a bigger fan of grooms in full ties but these floral ones from Forage are delicious. With just the right amount of manliness in the colour scheme to make floral seem less girly these bowties are perfect.

1. Floral Fabric Bouquet Image - Unknown Source
2. Vintage Inspired Stationary - Vicky Trainor
3. Floral Bow Tie - Forage
4. Ditsy Floral Dress - Topshop
5. Wedding Dress - Sarah Seven
6. Four Tier Floral Wedding Cake - Sweet and Saucy Shop
7. Vintage Inspired Reception Signs - Vicky Trainor
8. Garden Pink Floral Heels - Office
9. Magnetic Notepegs - What Katy Did Next
10. Handkerchief Ring Pillows - Image via Martha Stewart Weddings
11. Wildflower Hair Image - Source Unknown

Bits and Pieces...

2011-03-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

Again, apologies for my disappearing act! I have been extremely busy creating a bunch of stuff for a Bridal Window display so i thought i'd treat you and let you have a peek. Some of the things you'll recognise and some are completely new, for example my wedding cake topper Love Birds are now available with a top hat for the groom! Let me know what you think...

Better than ice cream...

2011-02-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

Possibly my favourite colour combinitation at the moment is nude peach amd a pale teal shade of green - you may have already picked that up from various blogposts. i thought it was about time i combined the two in a moodboard that is right up my street. I actually adore everything on this board, it's hard to pick a favourite.

The inspiration for the board started with the image of the Love Notes suitcase, captured by Wildflowers Photography. Their blog is dangerously addictive and i still haven't finished snooping through their portfolio! I also couldn't make a moodboard without one of Myra of Twigs & Honey's pieces from her amazing new collection. The detail of her work is amazing and she has been a big inspiration behind me starting my own.

New obsession Anthropologie also get a feature in there too. I was lucky enough to visit the London store last week - just before my Flu and my very kind Fiance bought me a few bits and pieces as a gift for our 3 year anniversary :D I found some amazing heels on their website and the colours went so well with what was already featured in the board - jackpot! They are a perfect match to either of the dream dresses i featured and the heel isn't 'break your neck' high either.

Ok, if pushed for a favourite i would have to choose the floral wreath artist Adam Prest. I only discovered his site a few weeks ago but i have trawled his blog drinking in the inspiring work he does. As per usual i am drawn mostly to the pieces that are a little different. I have a serious crush on some work of his that i saw using what looks like little pumpkins and hydrangeas - check them out here! What is also amazing is that we live in the same Village yet have never met! Maybe i'll hunt him down and see if he has some tips on what flowers to accessorise my bridal headwear with for the shoot...

1. Double layer teardrop veil - Twigs & Honey
2. Bunting Suitcase image - via Wildflowers Photography
3. Nelumbo Kitten Heels - Anthropologie
4. Marchesa Beaded Clutch - image via ladypym.wordpress.com
5. J.Mendel Gown - via thelittlecurlygirl.blogspot.com
6. Stella Silk Dress - French Connection
7. Peonies image - via lapetitemaisonblanc.blogspot.com
8. Vintage paper calligraphy valentine card - Star Lizz
9. Wedding Cake - Call me Cupcake
10. Floral Heart Wreath - Adam Prest
11. Swallow Bird Earrings - SilkPurseSowsEar

How does your garden grow?

2011-02-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

Just thought i would empty my thoughts and put them down in a moodboard for you all to see. Being ill has given me plenty of thinking time on how to figure out where to go next with no venue for my shoot. I have a close by potential area that me and the model are going to check out on Sunday but for now i just have to imagine how i want the props to look for it.

What do you think? Any favourites?

I will post links later in the week - im too lazy to do it right now so apologies!

I heart.... Fisherman's Friend

2011-02-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Somehow! I managed to get ill... Somewhere between my extremely busy Valentines week combined with a Vintage adventure in London to plot and carry out, with the added bonus of the Venue for my upcoming Bridal Headwear shoot pulling out, i have managed to pick up a terrible flu bug. So now instead of planning and creating more of my bridal pieces, i'm fighting off a temperature, sickness and what seems like a neverending bunged up nose! (i definitely need to get me some fisherman's friends)

To add to my misery, yesterday was me and my fiance's 3rd year anniversary of being together for which we had a nice romantic day planned out. This was scrapped for a picnic on my bedroom floor and then me falling asleep through bargain hunt and other daytime television programs.

On a much happier note! I received this wonderful bundle of handmade goodies as part of the Secret Valentines Swap, created and curated by the lovely Alicia Rose. I was lucky enough to receive a knitted bow headband in very 'me' colours, a knitted bow ring, Howell the owl plush and several fabric covered button pins. All of the amazing items were sent to me by i heart... so thanks for cheering me up and sorry it took me so long to post a pic!

p.s. they have a brilliant website so please check it out here.

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T01:38:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish you all a great Valentines Day and also thank my amazing other half for a funfilled Saturday and my wonderful gifts :) We had an adventure day and went to a gorgeous little village full of Antique shops and the best shop ever! (Will blog later on this.) Daniel treat me to Thornton's chocs, a Will Ferrell DVD and a mixed tape (cd just doesn't have the same ring to it :P) Of course we had agreed not to do presents so i looked like a complete pig - but promise to make it up to him next week on our 3 year anniversary!

Also, i've been at the etsy treasuries game again and created a collection of lovely items in Vintage Valentines Shades. Please check it out here.

1. Heart Cupcakes - Taste of Heaven Bakery
2. Hand printed tote bag - Chocolate Creative
3. Holding on to love image - Chelsea Victoria

Deep Purple...

2011-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm really enjoying getting back into my Wedding Moodboards this year, there are so many amazing things to feature, so if anyone has any themes they would like me to try just give me a shout! This board came about after i heard what my boss's daughter had planned for her bridesmaid's dress - the gorgeous amethyst dessy dress in the centre. I'm not sure if the dress is exactly the same but from what was described it's pretty close. The bride marries at the end of Summer and already has a lot of ideas for what she would like but i thought i would put my inspiration together in a board just for fun!

My friend Poppy recently messaged me with a link to this amazing bakery Cotton & Crumbs, feeling they'd be right at home in one of my moodboards. Their work is amazing and they have creative cakes for just about every occasion. Luckily for the bride - her younger sister also has her own Cupcake business (The Cupcake Boutique) and can turn her hand to just about every style you can imagine. Working alongside the cakes she makes at work is a trial in itself! I'm told she will be making the Wedding cake, which i think is a really cute personal touch.

I have added a hint of boho styling with the outdoorsy garden feel including those beautifully illustrated packets of seeds which are popular summer favors. Another touch is that amazing centerpiece in the top left corner, which i plucked from an amazing farm wedding featured on Once Wed - the colours are amazing and such a nice change from using flowers. I have spread the purple shades through into the groom's party corsages - the combo of green with the lavender makes it less girly than some of the purple boutonnieres i came across.

Picking my favourite part is tricky, there is a lot to love in this moodboard, but seeing as i have already mentioned the centerpiece and seeds i'm going to go with those beautiful shoes, the peacock feather is such a simple addition to the shoes but so effective. There is also a huge trend for having colourful shoes on your big day and you'd feel super special hiding those babies under your dress!

1. Purple Vegetable centre piece - via Once Wed
2. Amethyst Chiffon Halter Bridesmaid Dress - Dessy.com
3. Purple Satin Peacock Shoes - La Plume Ethere
4. Pleated chiffon empire column gown - Jewel by Priscilla of Boston
5. Chocolate Rose Cupcakes - Cotton & Crumbs
6. Vintage Mix of Hair Grips - Anthropologie (Now Sold Out)
7. Eggplant love paperie a garland of handcut hearts - Paper Polaroid
8. Curled Bride hairstyle Image - via Bunshairstyle.blogspot.com
9. Favor idea: Butterfly Garden Seeds - The Balcony Gardener
10. Silk Lavender Boutonniere - Garden Side Studio's Flickr

Vintage Queen

2011-02-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

Frequent readers of my blog will have already come across my love for Vicky Trainors designs. A regular among my Moodboards as well as a former tutor, her work is simply fabulous - not to mention versatile. Vicky has pulled out all the stops with her newest collection The Vintage Drawer which was released last week and i'm sure you'll agree that her hard work has paid off!

The attention to detail in her designs are amazing with colour combinations and vintage touches to die for. Inspired by the huge bridal trend for vintage tea parties, the make do and mend ethos and the pretty florals of english country gardens Vicky's work provides unique, personalised pieces that bring a whole new twist to wedding stationary and already has several orders from excited brides.

Each product is made from vintage and retro haberdashery and linens therefore items will differ in detailing and colour. The more personalised side to this collection, such as invitations, menus, place names, will be made to order but Vicky does have lots of products that are already made and ready to go to new homes such as the reception signs and table numbers.

I was lucky enough to win one of the Vintage Bookmarks featured in Vicky's frequent giveaways - so i have my own little taste of what the rest of the collection is like in real life. The packaging alone is beautiful! If you like what you see don't hesitate to get in touch with Vicky, she is an incredible lady who is a great help when i need creative advice, full of fantastic ideas.

Links:

The Vintage Drawer - Vicky Trainor
Blog - Vicky Trainor
Printed Collection - Vicky Trainor
Studio Snippets - Vicky Trainor

Email - info@vickytrainor.co.uk

Fifties Child...

2011-02-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Evening all! Thought i would share my latest custom moodboard with you. The theme was a cute personal fifties style wedding for a 'bride to be' who shall remain anonymous by request. I attended college with the lady in question who almost always seemed to know exactly what she wanted and have her head screwed firmly on. However, i was more than happy to offer her a helping hand for a little bit of inspiration when planning her big day :)

The bride told me she pictured a fifties style tea party with vintage crockery, florals including Peonies and not a lot of fuss. I tried to keep the board to that brief introducing colour with Vicky Trainor's gorgeous stationary, beautiful florals and even some Vintage hankies to catch the tears of joy from Hello Darling Vintage.

I love the lemon yellow shade of those glass earrings from Shelley's South Shore Jewellery, and whilst the bride has decided against bridesmaids - i couldn't help sneaking in a Yellow 50s style floral dress which could simply be worn after the ceremony! The bride fell in love with the white wedding dress when i showed her the moodboard earlier - but unfortunately i found it on a blog that shared no link to where it was from... any ideas where it is from or has anyone seen similar?

My favourite item is the burlap 'just married' bunting from Victorian Station. I stumbled across the etsy shop after seeing the Love bunting used in a wedding featured on Ruffledblog.com. Their bunting is amazing and they don't stop there, they also sell gift bags, ring pillows, cushion and more. Well worth a check out if you are stumped for decorations!

1. Roses and Birdcage Headpiece - Dame Chic
2. 1950s Wedding Dress - Unknown
3. Peonies image - via Wedding Bee
4. Vintage Glass jewel Earrings - SSSJ
5. Wedding cake image - via Weddingupdates.net
6. Tea Cup Flowers - tutorial from Ruffledblog.net
7. Burlap Just Married Bunting - Victorian Station
8. Yellow 50s style dress - Dorothy Perkins
9. Fontant Vintage Rose Wedding Stationary - Vicky Trainor
10. Shoes image - via lovemydress.net
11. Vintage Hankies - Hello Darling Vintage

Certain shade of Green...

2011-02-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

It seems like forever since i made my last Wedding Moodboard and seeing as i have neglected my blog to concentrate on my bridal collection i thought i would treat you to a lovely fresh board full of mint greens and teals.

The inspiration came from a dress spotted on 100 layer cake worn by a guest at an amazing rustic vintage looking wedding. I loved the shade and the ruffles and knew it would have to feature in my next moodboard. The teal ruffles reminded me of a piece from the hugely talented Vamoose - i was lucky enough to get one of her necklaces for Christmas and am already plotting my second purchase ;)

The dress in the center was brought to my attention by the lovely ladies at Rock My Wedding Blog in a trends post. The dress is understated with just enough glam for my liking, it has an amazing grecian look to it which i love, and because of its simplicity it would look fabulous teamed with either of the Vamoose's necklaces.

My favourite item from the board is the Green American Milk Glass Cake Stands. Im a sucker for Vintage homewares and the colour of those stands are perfect for this board. As much as i love the unusual chocolate moulded items in the image - for a wedding i feel those gorgeous sparkly mint cupcakes would look much better... or not, depending on how 'out there' the bride and groom are!

1. Teal Shoes - Irregular Choice
2. U & Me Photographic print - Lola's Room
3. Teal Dress image - via 100 layer cake blog
4. Baby's Breath Bouquet - via realsimple.com
5. Issa Silk Chiffon Gown - via Net-a-porter
6. Pompom Necklaces - The Vamoose
7. Vintage Green Glass Ring - What Katy Did Next Vintage
8. Mint Cupcakes - The Cupcake Bar
9. Mint Playsuit & Shrug - Mrs Press via Eat Drink Chic
10. Green American Milk Glass Cake Stands - RE
11. Personalised Wedding Invitation - Eva Paul

Surprise, surprise...

2011-01-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! Some people's are about to get even better with the announcement of my Birthday Give Away!

The Winner is...

Congratulations to Gemma who will receive a surprise parcel in the mail full of goodies all handmade by myself. Email me your address to katyhowieson@hotmail.com and i will pop your prize in the post a.s.a.p!

As a runner up prize i am offering these three entrants 25% off any order placed with me via email:

1. Nikki Ward
2. Andre of Morning Blossom
3. Caroline Kelsey

Orders can include any items from:

- What Katy Did Next Etsy Shop
- What Katy Did Next Vintage Etsy Shop
- Items you have seen on my blog
- Custom orders
- Items in the photo albums of my Facebook page

Thanks to everyone for taking part :)

White flag...

2011-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Not the best kinda post to inspire our new year healthy eating schemes but still very pretty! I have been looking for props inspiration to decorate my Bridal Headwear shoot - fingers crossed taking place at the end of April...

Much as i do love cupcakes i wanted something a bit different and thought i would share with you my favourite pretty cakes which hopefully i'll be able to feature atleast one in my shoot.

Sources: Herriott Grace, Kiki La Ru, Better Sent, The Found Blog, Ladies Home Journal, Ready Go

p.s. Forgot to mention a winner for the Give Away beneath will be picked at Random on Sunday 23rd January.

Happy Birthday To Me...

2011-01-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

(Image above not give away prize)

Hey folks! For those of you who are unaware - its my birthday! Thanks for all my friends and readers who have already wished me via text or facebook ;) So seeing as i have been spoilt rotten today and received an array of wonderful gifts - i have decided to give back with another give away!

This one's theme is 'Suprise Birthday Gift'. For those of you who are bummed out that it isn't your birthday and would love a treat i am giving away a secret parcel of gifts that will include atleast 3 items from my etsy shop and possibly some other fabulous made up on the spot type gifts. Everything will be handmade by me of course and there are three ways you can enter:

1. Leave me a comment on this post saying anything at all. (nice things ;) )
2. Follow me on my brand spanking new twitter page here.
3. 'Like' me on my facebook page here.

- People may enter in more than one of these ways for a better chance of winning but must state in your comment here that you follow or like my pages.
- Competition is open to International followers too :)
- Any questions please email katyhowieson@hotmail.com

Bohemian like you?

2011-01-09T03:20:00.000-08:00

And they're off! I've made a great start to my Bridal Collection and can't sleep for excitement. I have started with the Boho part of my collection first, simply because that is the section that i have had the most ideas for so far. I thought i'd let you have the first look at my moodboard for 'Boho' to get an idea of the flavour i am aiming to achieve as well as a sneak peek at the first piece in my collection 'Daisy Chain' below. Hope you like...

Twitterpated

2011-01-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

You may or may not have noticed my new Twitter 'widget' in my Sidebar. Those of you who haven't do take a peek by clicking the link here or on the widget at the side. I'm a complete Twitter newbie and already addicted but do make sure you follow me for regular updates on the progress of my Bridal Headwear Collection and top secret Give Aways - I'm toying with the idea of having a giveaway on my Birthday (10th January) Any idea what i should give away? Ideas in my etsy shop here.

I would also like to introduce you to the newest creation of mine, Christmas gift made for my Mam...

I have been dying to show this off but had to keep it under wraps so My Mam didn't find out. The Necklace doubles as a hairband and ties at the back with ribbon. I thought this was a great idea as a gift to give to your bridesmaids as a keepsake so when i get a chance i will make this up in a few different colours! Opinions?

Just whip it...

2011-01-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

So i have finally run out of excuses to get started on my Spring Bridal Headwear Collection and have found i'm actually quite excited about it - in theory atleast. I have just placed several orders for lace, beads, pearls, gems, ribbons and diamantes and now can't wait for the postman to drop them off (much appreciated if you'd back off now snow).

My head is swimming with ideas that i have to keep noting down before i forget. I find it a huge help when designing if i actually picture the finished product on a model - in this case my friend Alex - so the two of us spent pretty much all last night thinking up possible styling and a lot of it resided on wedding hair. So i scoured the web for possible bridal 'dos' and decided to make myself a little collection with hairstyles that would be perfect with my themes (above).

So far i have split my designs into four groups - Classic, Romance, Vintage & Boho. Hopefully the above styles reflect the look i'm going for ;)

p.s. Apologies for the crude post title - i just couldn't resist...

Sources: wishwishwish, Untamed Pearls, The Knot, Mignonne Handmade, bride.ca, j4fashion.com, Glamour

Double the Treasure...

2010-12-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks! I seem to have gotten caught up with all the festive frolics and again neglected my dearest bloggers. As a special treat i have put together my first ever etsy treasury as you can see above ;) the items can all be viewed here. It was terribly fun and brought me back to the inspirational creative world and away from the chocolates and disney movies marathon - as fun as it was! I will even leave the house in the morning to post some orders and see my fabulous friend for lunch - also hoping to catch a film!

Now, as my title suggests i have another set of treasure for you...

Vicky Trainor is hosting another give away of her fabulous work - Isn't she good to us!? Take a look over on her blog at the wonderful prizes to be won and get your comment in before the competition ends on January 1st!

p.s. I have updated my etsy store too so don't forget to take a peek here...

Happy Holidays...

2010-12-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

To all my wonderful friends, family and followers have an absolutely fabulous Christmas! Hope Santa is good to you all...

Pink and Glitter...

2010-12-09T08:30:00.001-08:00

Just when you thought i had forgotten about Christmas Glitter i bring out this bad boy! Now i'm not the biggest fan of pink, but when i came across that wonderful image of tiny vintage baubles in the top left i felt i had to base a board around the wonderful shine and shades. The shoes i found to match are absolutely spectacular! I am in love with what i have seen of Kurt Geigers work - very glam glittery and girly - quite the opposite to me - and i would never dream of wearing heels as high as he fashions his but they are very pretty to look at and went ever so well next to those baubles.

The Star crown is my favourite - its almost nativity angel chic! Perfect for a fun contemporary Winter wedding. It is so simple but effective and comes in a few different colours - do check it out at Giant Dwarf. I also very much love the combo for the bridesmaids that i came up with. The fabulous hot pink 'fan' style dress is from asos.com and the cute glittering cardi is actually Chanel - much of a contrast?

Carrying on my berry obsession is those wonderfully simple bouquets. I think they are positively charming and a great alternative to flowers in the Winter. You could even have your bridesmaids carry little bunches of mistletoe for a really quirky touch!

Ok so i have had my Winter Wedding fun in these three wonderful Moodboards, it is time for me to stop denying how quickly Christmas is coming and get my act together on finishing up presents instead of getting distracted with magical moodboards. I hope you have enjoyed the boards as much as i did making them and i'd love you all to come up with theme requests for the new year whether your a bride to be or not! Just drop me a line when you think of one...

1. Christmas Baubles - Via Faith, Hope & Love
2. Wedding Dress - Johanna Johnson
3. Star Crown - Giant Dwarf
4. Glitter Platform Sandals - KG by Kurt Geiger via Shoeperwoman.com
5. Berry Bouquet - via Martha Stewart Weddings
6. Alphabet Cup and Saucer - Leaf
7. Snowflake Wedding Cake - Pink Cake Box
8. Sequin Bolero Shrug - Chanel
9. Pink Fan Pleated Dress - Asos
10. Vintage Pink Stone Necklace - What Katy Did Next Vintage

Dusky Jewel

2010-12-09T08:28:00.001-08:00

I'm back folks - full to the brim with bangers and mash! Letting you see my idea of a more classical romantic Winter Bride with touches of lace, cool clean colours and chiffon ruffles, yum!

My first piece of inspiration came in the form of that glorious bouquet. It was a sneak peek on a bridal blog - possibly Style Me Pretty, and once i saw it i couldn't get it out of my head, the shades in it were fab. I immediately thought of a dress i had archived away in one of my folders - stupidly un named, i think i recall it being pronovias but i can't seem to find the link, the dress was too beautiful and well matched to the inner colours of the foliage not to include.

Then i felt the need to add in that amazing lace veil headband - unsure of who makes these but i fell in love with it whilst browsing photographer Jonas Peterson's work. It is such an unusual design but it works so well and will suit an array of hair lengths and styles among brides. Almost matching this is that wonderful cake made by Linda at Call me Cupcake. I love how intricate the lace pattern is but how simple and elegant the cake looks from a distance.

My last but not least mention is the bridemaid dresses. I was stunned at how beautiful Topshops dresses were this time of year, i love how something off the highstreet could look so brilliant as a bridesmaid dress. The chiffon ruffles on this pair are absolutely goooorgeous and the shades are so classy. Unfortunately i shan't go to the ball - i am unaware of any sort of glam christmas shindig in my area, so will be spending the festive season in my fabulous fleece pjs!

1. Natural Shades Bouquet - via Style me Pretty
2. Pewter Satin Shoes - Big Shoe Boutique
3. Smoky Quartz Solitaire Ring - One Garnet Girl
4. Dusky Pink Chiffon Gown - Pronovias
5. Smoky Quartz Gemstone Earrings - Broadway Beads
6. Lace Wedding Cake - Call me Cupcake
7. Fluffy Layered Mesh Silky Dress - Topshop
8. LIMITED EDITION Ruffle Dress - Topshop
9. Wedding Stationary - Vicky Trainor
10. Pine cones Glass Cloche - West Elm

A Winter's Tale

2010-12-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Hey all! I am back from my crazy market preparation mode and back into my wedding moodboard binge! I was lucky enough to prepare a guest post for the lovely Sarah of Boho Bride this week so keep your eyes peeled for that - due next week. However to get myself fully into the Christmas mood i have created you not one my friends but three very different Winter Wedding Moodboards and i can't for the life of me pick my favourite!

This very festive treat is a rather traditional Winter wedding with my contemporary taste twisted in here and there. Im not shy in admitting how much i adore the work of Sarah Seven - she specialises in unique pieces that are vintage inspired but decidingly modern. Her romantic ruffles are absolutely fabulous and to top that off 10 percent of her earning go to 3 different charities! I couldn't resist teaming this with my bride and groom peg doll cake toppers just because the dresses were almost identical! i am able to customise the peg dolls to match your big day too so if red and ruffles isn't your thing i'll try my best to match your requirements.

Those sweet 'pie in a jar' treats are a wonderful idea for an informal dessert to warm up your guests at a winter wedding, i found the tutorial over on Green Wedding Shoes' blog. The deep red inspired my next pick - the fabulous red chiffon gown by Carmen Marc Valvo. Slightly daring for a modern adult bridesmaid but i think this dress would be fabulous teamed with a red berries wreath like the which goose beauty top left. Berries are my new winter obsession - i cannot get enough, they are steadily taking over my pinecone obsession but not so much so that they aren't in my next moodboard ;)

To finish i thought i would just give a mention to that lovely little doily pillow box. I am obsessed with packaging this time of year and stumbled across etsy shop Packagery through another blog. They have just about everything for packaging up your gifts in a contemporary fashion with a vintage twist and i felt these little beauties would make amazing favor boxes. Snap up some of their amazing products just in time to wrap up your christmas prezzies - i am spoilt for choice!

1. Red berries Wreath - Which Goose
2. Ruffled Strapless Gown - Sarah Seven
3. Custom made peg doll Wedding Cake Toppers - What Katy Did Next
4. Pie in a Jar - via Green Wedding Shoes
5. Deep Ruby Earrings - Ella Belle Boutique
6. Red Chiffon Gown - Carmen Marc Valvo
7. Red Suede Heels - Carvela via Shoeperwoman.com
8. Red Green & Ivory bouquet - Fleurs en Fleur
9. Red Berries Wedding Stationary - Emily Ink
10. Gift packaging Kit - Packagery

p.s. stay tuned for the other two boards which will be posted after i have slaved away over a hot stove...

Wedding Feature: Jim & Amy

2010-11-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

After featuring the wonderful photography of Amanda Borozinski in my 'You can be my Treat' Moodboard, the lovely lady herself got in touch asking what i thought about featuring wedding submissions on my blog. At first i hesitated thinking - that's not what i do, i specialise in accessories for women's fashion and bridal - but after spending a few moments on her website i fell in love with the idea as well as her gorgeous photography.

I wanted to hurry and get this amazing first wedding in before Autumn disappeared but unfortunately with my hectic schedule Winter has reared its terrifying head and i am all but snowed in due to this freak weather consisting of inch upon inch of snow everyday complete with thunder and lightening??

Anyway welcome to my very first wedding feature of the lovely Jim and Amy who managed to create a spectactularly beautiful handmade and stress free day with the help of their friends and family. Their day took place in Amy's Grandparent's backyard in the picturesque White Mountains of New Hampshire. The couple opted to loosely base their wedding around the theme of the Frightened Rabbit song 'Old, old fashioned' keeping their style simple and reflective of their personalities. It was important for them to put their stamp on the ceremony and not get tangled up in the hype of commercial weddings, this was hugely helped by the creativity of their friends and family.

The amazing bridesmaid dresses that complimented the autumn shades so well were picked out by Amy's sister and Maid of Honor. The couple picked out only vests, hats and ties for the men and then allowed them to coordinate with clothes they already owned. Numerous antique bowls, jars and vases were loaned from Amy's Grandmother to decorate the backyard but what stands out for me is the amazng collection of flowers that were gathered from friends and obliging neighbours' gardens to accompany those collected from markets.

A favourite for me has to be the amazing connection between bride and groom that shines through in Amanda's photography. The closeness of the couple towards each other and their guests sines through in the images. The couple agree that if it wasnt for the help of their friends and family - be it the picnic dinner provided by Amy's Great Uncle and pies baked with love by Amy's Mother and Friend or the fact that morning walks leading up to the big day turned into leaf and acorn collecting expeditions - the day wouldn't have been half as successful, stress free and fun and i love that about this wedding.

Couple's Best Bits

Jim: How do you encapsulate all the love and support and great food and great beer and music and dancing and singing, and laughing and kids playing soccer and people enjoying the weather and hula hooping and the weird and quirky things (like our bartender ditching her duties to hit the dance floor or a drunken best man slurring his way through Paul Simon's "Still Crazy" or a random stranger plugging his iPhone in to the speakers at one point to play a favorite song of his) that would be disastrous at any other wedding but somehow worked at ours, and all these things that took place? It's kind of difficult to sum up. You just had to be there.

Amy: I loved using local vendors and picking my flowers at Parlee Farms. I loved having so many wonderful people helping us out and having fun in the days leading up to the event. For the day of, we wanted the event to feel like a picnic more than a typical wedding and I think everyone got into that. At one point we looked out at the whole scene and saw a few kids dancing, a few playing soccer, people chatting, others eating and some just strolling around the pond. It made me truly happy that everyone was able to relax and have fun.

Get the Look:

1. Pie Pops - Pink Peach Cake Blog
2. Fall Wedding Dress - The English Dept
3. Autumn Boutonniere - Erica Cavanagh
4. Floral Shoe Clips - The Shop at No 144
5. Handmade Lace effect Lanterns - Papaver Designs
6. Burgundy Vintage Dress - Dear Golden Vintage
7. Happily Ever After Nest - Dearjes
8. Copper Oak leaf Necklace - Enchanted Leaves
9. Autumn Romance Hair piece - DeLoop

For more images of this wonderful wedding visit Amanda's Website & Blog.
Also check out Groom Jim's Blog The Sly Oyster here.

I would also love to hear your opinion on my first wedding feature so don't be shy...

Made for Market...

2010-11-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

I do realise that i have neglected the blog dearly for just under a month but i have been rushed off my feet trying to get things ready for the christmas markets (i may have mentioned this). On top of this i have been frantically trying to sort out christmas shopping and project presents for my nearest and dearest and i have just about got back on top of things.

Don't forget for those of you in the area that i am taking part in the big opening of The Designers Marketplace's collaboration with The Biscuit Factory gallery in Newcastle. The event takes place this Saturday 11am till 4pm and is the perfect place to buy your last minute christmas gifts or even treat yourself to something handmade and unique!

The market on Sunday was a great success and most stall holders managed to make it through the terrible snow falls and icy roads. The hall was busy right from the start with my Shoe Clips being a huge hit with the customers and a huge bulk of business cards being taken from my stand. It wasn't long before the Snow started up again and we decided it would be best to head home.

I managed to avoid most photos but did take a few of my stall to share with you...

If anyone can't make it on Saturday, or wished they had bought something on Sunday and is interested in placing an order with me before xmas send me an email - katyhowieson@hotmail.com I'll send parcels out first class to make sure they arrive under your tree in time ;)

In these shoes?

2010-11-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hello my lovely readers! I am spectacularly busy making new and wonderful things for the Designers Marketplaces i will be attending over the festive season. I will now be showing at:

Middlesbrough Town Hall - Sunday 28th November 11am - 4pm
The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle - Saturday 4th December 11am - 4pm

I thought i would introduce you to my new favourite items - Shoe clips. I can't believe i didn't think of them sooner if i am honest. I currently do them in two designs - Heart & Flowers and they clip onto your shoes securely without leaving a mark or damaging your beauties. A perfect way to jazz up an old pair without breaking the bank! I'm currently selling them for £12.50 a pair (one clip per shoe) But they also look fabulous with 2 clips (see the double flower pics.) The colours photographed are the only colours i will be selling at the Designers Marketplace but if you have a special request do get in touch and I will try and work to whatever shades you throw at me!

For those of you unable to make it to the marketplaces do get in touch via email and i can mail any items out to you :)

Also a special shout out to Larissa of The Sassy Bride blog who kindly made me one of her featured designers in a post about my moodboards...

You got me sewn

2010-11-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

Last night i showed you my newest hairband creations. Well this morning is a very special lady's birthday and i so happened to create her a bespoke version of the same style band - i used vintage paper sequins with a beaded trim for the heart and i hope she loves it! I also met up with her for luncheon last week and presented her with her very own birthday cupcake - complete with mini singer sewing machine model. I met Laura through our Textiles and Surface Design course and although she is an amazing, hard working surface designer that can turn her hand to just about anything, we did bond over our embroidery and it is her embroidery and embellishment that i love most. So i'd like to wish her a wonderful birthday and hope she has fun doing whatever she does!

Do check out her blog, the snippets of her work are fabulous...

You can be my treat....

2010-11-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Deepest apologies for the lack of blogging this past week or two, i have been preoccupied with orders for bridal accessories as well as attempting to create items for my Designers Marketplace stall and starting a part time job! I thought a wedding moodboard was way overdue and so i present you with this fabulous (week late) Halloween style theme. My newest blog crush is a fabulous, fresh and inspiring blog called Conversation Pieces. The author, Zoe is amazing - her writing, tastes and wedding planning posts are a breath of fresh air with her obsessions including green tea, interior designs and tin globes...

I took two of her obsessions - Yellow, a huge wedding colour trend and Halloween, coincidentally her birthday, check out her fun post on her recent halloween themed birthday party thrown by her fiance (who seems like a rather cool and creative bloke). The board itself revolves around her search for an unconventional wedding day, combined with innoccent touches of halloween and her want of a short wedding dress. The Dress i picked is a simply gorgeous vintage inspired number by designer Malene Birger. The detail of the pretty embellished bows carried through into the masquerade mask - what i thought was a great bridal take on the halloween mask and complimented by the sweet embroidered gossamer hair clips from Anthropologie. To funk up the bridal style i added those amazing mustard heels, something i would be likely to break my neck in but were too amazing not to include in this board.

My favourite part of the board? That precious little spider from Ann Wood, made from lace scraps off a vintage dress - who says you can't have these amazing spiders as a bride and groom on the top of your cake? I also love the october theme of using pumpkins for centrepieces in your wedding - makes me want to get married at this wonderful time of year!

And just because i neglected my blog for so long, here is a sneak peek at what has been keeping me busy...

1. Pumpkins Image - Keep Home Simple Blog
2. Gossamer Gardenia Clip - Anthropologie
3. Velvet Mustard Dress - Bleubird Vintage on Lookbook.nu
4. Masquerade mask - Venice Masked Ball
5. Ares Bow Dress - Malene Birger
6. Fall Bouquet - Boro Photos via Green Wedding Shoes
7. Mustard Heels - Blue Jean Couture
8. Vintage AMber earrings - Sara Riley
9. Havisham Spider - Ann Wood Handmade
10. Funky Yellow Cake - Chandelier Cakes
11. Halloween Invitations - Offbeat Design Studio

And the photos of my work are from my bridal custom order selection and the new feather hairbands i have created for the designers marketplace on 28th November Middlesbrough Town Hall. Please email me for details on purchasing or ordering custom items of your own from me - katyhowieson@hotmail.com

Victoria's Secret

2010-10-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

Something that is not so secret to frequent readers of my blog and moodboardaholics is my love of Vicky Trainor's Wedding Stationary. The lovely Designer herself is hosting a huge give away full of wonderful floral and vintage inspired treats to celebrate her blog's 2nd Brithday. Head on over to her blog here to enter this fabulous giveaway to win not one but one of seven amazing treats. Just don't expect me to talk to you if you win and i don't... only joking... i think!

Also worth noting, anyone that comments on her birthday post also gets 10% off her wonderful stationary! Bingo!

Autumn shade.

2010-10-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of moodboards and inspirational imagery but i have been keeping myself busy creating even more items for the November Designer's Marketplace - i do feel like i am working hard yet nothing gets done! I have also taken on a part time job at a Continental cafe in my Village to fund my own business and still have money for the festive season! I managed to slip this little moodboard together last night for you. Hope you like...

I know people think of yellow as a summery colour but i am so in love with the mustard shades i'm seeing used in weddings of late and that wonderful feathers image from American artist Danna Ray. The delicate use of the colours is amazing and i knew i had to shape my board around them!

I did concentrate on the mustard yellow, grays and that beautiful pale duck egg blue which i think shows the transformation of the Autumn shades to the Winter weather outside. I am in love with the idea of that fabulous bold 1950s floral dress teamed with the delicate feather shrug for bridesmaids. The colours are amazing. And the ring from Jean Jean Vintage i have used before in a moodboard but it went so perfectly i couldn't resist. Favourite part is the forever cute idea of wedding cake bunting - easily made yourself to compliment any wedding theme!

1. Tiffy Feather Cape - Monsoon
2. Couture Grey chiffon gown - J Mendel via Fashion For Styles
3. Feathers Illustration - Danna Ray
4. 1950s Mustard Floral Prom - Timeless Vixen Vintage
5. Yellow, Grey & Green Bouquet - via I do Inspiration Blog
6. Grey heeled pumps - Nod to Mod Vintage
7. Yellow Gold Branch Ring - Precious Jewelry Design
8. Duck Egg blue ring - Jean Jean Vintage
9. Lemon Tree Save the Date - Shop Olio
10. Gotham Lace head band - Court & Plume
11. Yellow & Blue Cake Bunting - via Wedding Bee blog

Two Love Birds...

2010-10-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you remember the post i did about the personalised set of love birds and wedding card i made for my Grandma to give to her Neighbour's Daughter? Well last week we got a lovely thank you card in the post with a lovely picture (if you ignore the horrible quality of my scanner) of the bride and groom with a lovely message from them both too. I thought i would post this up whilst i also show you my finished items for bride to be Sally Thurrell who has also ordered teh above love birds as her wedding cake topper...

I have also finished Sally's Bridal hairband which you got a sneak peek of in a previous post. Sally told me she wanted a floral headband for her that complimented her lacey vintage bridal style as well as highlighting the colours of her Bridesmaids Cath Kidston-like dresses. She is thrilled to bits with the final outcome and can't wait to get her hands on it!

Happy Birthday to you... Two

2010-10-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

Taking a quick minute to wish my lovely Dad & Nana a very happy birthday! - now back to the grindstone (not that i'm not having the time of my live creating lovely wedding pieces :)

Dawn to dusk...

2010-10-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have been scurrying away dying fabrics and matching ribbons and swatches to Sally's lovely bridesmaids dresses today with an inbetweeny trip to the post office to ship off some Vintage goodies from my etsy store what katy did next... vintage. I'm quite enjoying the old college routine - not so keen on the fact that my fingernails are now lovely shades of pink red and blue...

To dream of Caramel...

2010-10-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

Just knocked this board up in the past hour after falling in love with that beautiful nude caramel coloured dress that Lauren of Dear Golden Vintage posted on her blog. Lauren featured six utterly gorgeous dresses asking her reader opion on which to wear to a wedding. I immediately fell for this one thinking how nice it would be as a bridesmaids dress. I also teamed it with the lovely scalloped beaded dress from Dorothy Perkins, I adore mismatched bridesmaids dresses in similar shades.

I found that fabulous dusky topaz ring on a blog i have only recently come across that is quickly becoming a new favourite little winter bride. The ring is a rather expensive piece by designer Olivia Colling found on the Barneys New York website. My favourite item by far is the simple acorn escort cards from etsy shop Jennifer Aitchison. Her shop is filled with vintage-like forest illustrations from autumn leaves to pine cones that would make brilliant wedding bunting or something for your guests to scribble wishes on. Love them.

1. Caramel Chiffon Dress - via Dear Golden Vintage blog
2. Wedding hair wreath - Which Goose
3. Acorn Escort Cards - Jennifer Aitchison
4. Mink Couture dress - Elie Saab AW 2010/11 via Vogue.com
5. Harmosa Buttery Tan Heel - Aruna Seth
6. DIY Bird nest cake topper - Mel Hince for Ruffled
7. Dusky Topaz Ring - Olivia Colling
8. Custom Wedding Stationary - Atelier Isabey
9. Dried Hydrangeas Image - Faith Grace Crafts
10. Khaki embellished shift Dress - Dorothy Perkins

I have also been lucky enough to be featured on two amazing blogs this week. The lovely Vicky Trainor did a hand picked post on me and Sally Thurrell from my previous post shared her photographs of the hairbands i created for her bridesmaids. Find them here and here.

Long Tall Sally

2010-10-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

I have recently been fortunate enough to gain a rather large custom bridal order for a wedding next Summer. I must admit that with the cold weather and signs of Winter setting in it seems a little odd to be dyeing fabrics in such glorious summer shades. The bride in question (Sally Thurrell) has opted for a shabby chic, lacey, vintage, floral affair which is right up my street. I have already created four cream and white heart hairbands for Sally's bridesmaids and i am really looking forward to starting on the flower girls and her own bridal hairband.

Coincidentally enough, Sally is also taking part in the November 28th Designers Marketplace selling prints from her blossoming career as a photographer. She has a unique style of photography that comes from her study of fine art capturing beautiful close up shots as well as experimenting with artistic tecniques such as Bokeh alongside her business as a Wedding/Occassion photographer.

Sally is currently available for commissions such as weddings, child portraiture and event photography. All of the works shown on her sites are also available to buy so it is well worth a nosey on her blog & facebook page or if you are in the area pop down to the Designers Marketplace at Middlesbrough Town Hall on November 28th - with the added bonus that i will be there ha!

Get in touch with Sally:

Mobile: 07775 942 104

E-mail: sallythurrell@hotmail.co.uk

Art in me...

2010-10-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

I have been really inspired by a number of illustrations recently so i thought i would create a quick moodboard to share my favourites with you. I actually miss my college lifestyle in that i don't have to create visual studies and at the moment i have far too many other projects going on to sit down and have a good ink sploshing drawing session. I'll just appreciate the works of others for now...

1. Beth Emily - Birds of Paradise II
2. Slinky Malinki Cat Vintage Prints - Exotic Moth
3. Golly Bard - Nest No.33
4. via little winter bride - Maison Michel
5. Helen Stevens via Surface Philia - Owl image
6. Camila Do Rosario - View on White

Everybody loves a Winner!

2010-10-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st year of blogging!
You make such pretty things & thank you for featuring my work on one of your many mood boards.
Lisa x

Congratulations to Lisa Mariott who is the lucky winner of my birthday give away selected by the oh so clever random number generator, i can't wait to see which colour she picks.

I was so overwhelmed by all the lovely comments that i decided to award three runners up with 25% off any order placed before November 1st. - I also wanted to use the random number generator again ;)

Runners up:

1. Liz Foley
2. Kim Tillyer
3. Vicky Trainor

Well done ladies - contact me directly if you wish to place an order by emailing katyhowieson@hotmail.com

Final Call...

2010-10-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the final day to enter my give away competition. Two weeks ago i posted a competition to win one of my embroidered bangles. The bracelets are made from floral fabric, tulle, antique lace, sequins, beads and swarovski crystals and are all lovingly handmade by me. One lucky blog reader will have the chance to win their very own and get to choose which colour they want.

To enter you must leave a comment on my 'Birthday Give Away' post - you may enter twice if you add me as a 'like' on facebook or have done so already. I will pick a winner after midnight tonight, any entries after this time will not be counted so don't miss out!

Good Luck!

Mother of the Bride...

2010-10-10T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Katy
What about teal? I know it's not a million miles from blue... but it might be helpful for my mother of the bride angst! and more to the point - what would go OK against hot pink (mother of the groom)?!

Karen C

After receiving Mother of the Bride Karen's cry for help on my last post, i decided to put together a special 'Mother of the Bride' blog post including a few moodboards to help her out (and whoever else may be in a similar colour schemed predicament). I created a mini colour chart using the colours hot pink and gold which had been given to me as colours to match with and came up with a few others that i felt complimented these shades.

As Teal was Karen's original suggestion i went straight to etsy for some individual accessories which would spark my inspiration. I came across that fab peacock clutch bag from Red Ruby Rose - who i have featured before on this blog. Her Clutch bags/Purses are amazing and come in tons of different designs so are easily matched to just about any colour. My Lavaliere is a Chicago based designer with a gorgeous array of handmade vintage inspired jewellery and hair accessories. Her Teal glass earrings will add a perfect sparkle to any outfit.

The dresses are from Debenhams & Monsoon. The Monsoon maxi dress has a wonderful embellished waist band with the colours hot pink and gold - clever i know! But I can't get enough of the gorgeous material on the Debenhams Shift dress. The fabric looks so luxurious and the dress is a classy shape that will stay on trend to wear after the ceremony. Another plus is that it is currently in the sale with 50% off! I opted to team the dresses with something with a little bit of texture - my favourite is the black Chiffon ruffled bolero from Asos.com. The laser cut ruffles look almost like little feathers.

I also created a couple more moodboards from my colour chart to help Karen (the images will enlarge if clicked on). This Cadbury's Dairy Milk Purple board was so easy to put together - shops are full of purple occassionwear at the moment. Again the majority of the board comes from Debenhams, my favourite dress being the center pleated bust dress - i love the sparkle added by the black beading. My other favourite items are the bangles & circle beaded evening bag, both created by traidcraft. The company offer a range of unique fair trade accessories including bags, purses & scarves. The bangles and bag come from label Tara, based in Delhi they aim to provide disadvantaged groups with income-generation opportunities - now you can feel better about feeding your accessories obsession!

I love the shade olive and luckily for me there was a lot of beautiful olive accessories for me to choose from. I particularly love the little Crochet Knitting Gold filled Swarovsky Pendant from etsy shop Orit Hadad. Orit's passion is knitting and she creates amazing jewellery by knitting and crochetting metal - check out her shop, it is so clever. Another clever point is that i managed to find a dress that includes teal, purple and olive all in one, this time from House of Fraser. The Rose print dress is actually a day dress rather than occassionwear but you could easily glam this up with the sparkly black jacket from the purple moodboard - the Hannah Satin Jacket from Monsoon or the Vintage 1960's bolero sleeve jacket from etsy shop Light Years Vintage.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this little challenge and hope it has helped Karen and any other Mother of the Brides...

My Main websites used were:

Debenhams
Monsoon
Oasis
House of Fraser
M&S
Etsy.com
Traid Craft
Schuh
Asos
Hats from Oz
Weddings and Such Boutique
Black Satin Shoes
Enchantedly Yours
Sweet Everythings
Light Years Vintage
Orit Hadad
My Lavaliere

Feel free to contact me about direct links...

Tangled up in Blue

2010-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sticking with the blue theme - unfortunately not the colour of the sky today. After falling in love with Elie Saab again (do have a look at his Ready to Wear 2011 collection on vogue.com I was deterined to fit him in my next moodboard i just wasnt sure of a theme yet. I have recently been stalking the Studio Snippets blog of Wedding Stationary designer and former tutor Vicky Trainor. I adore her most recent muted shades used in her custom orders and fireworks went off in my head matching the forget me not blue of her invitations for Abigail and Mark with a beautiful beaded number i had seen in Elie's collection. Kerching! A forget me not blue coloured theme - also quite topical in the fact that i don't want you to forget to enter my give away competiton which you have a total of 4 and a half days left until i pick the winner. Leave me a comment by clicking here to enter and win the chance of winning the very bangle in the center of this moodboard.

It seems many of my favourite online shops/blogs are feeling the blue trend too with the likes of Twigs and Honey's Myra Callan's beautiful headpiece, Jeska Hearne of Lobster & Swan has the pretty circle bunting in her sold section and Brown Button Trading were the stockists of those amazing cupcake wrappers. I also always manage to fit a piece in from jean jean vintage who has EVERYTHING in the way of Vintage jewellery that you would need to match ANY wedding theme.

I definitely think you should give me ideas for my next moodboards to tear me away from my blue obsession so any thoughts?

1. Blue Bouquet - Wedding Paper Divas Blog
2. Blue Beaded Elie Saab Dress - vogue.com
3. Wedding Celebration Stationary - Vicky Trainor via her Studio Snippets blog
4. Embroidered Empire Jenny Packham dress - via Wedding Trends Watching Blog
5. Blue Baroque Cupcake Wrapper - Brown Button Trading
6. Hand embroidered Vintage Floral Bangle (Blue) - Me
7. Sea Spray, Bridal or special occasion mini hat - Twigs & Honey
8. Vintage JUMBLEBERRY PIE 1940s necklace - Jean Jean Vintage
9. Little collection garland - Lobster & Swan
10. Martinez Valero Zenith Pumps - via Pumpsicle.com

Midnight and the stars and you.

2010-10-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

There is just over a week left to enter my give away for the chance to win one of my embroidered bangles. To enter click here and leave me a comment.

I know it isn't quite Winter yet even if the temperature is just about getting there. However, i made this board as a gift/ideas board for the sister of one of my best friends. The couple recently got engaged and have opted for a Winter Wedding next December. The bride in question decided upon a gorgeous midnight blue for sister and bridesmaid Philippa so i set about creating a moodboard based on a Winter Midnight blue theme and this is what i came up with.

To add a bit of a mix in the conventional blue, silver and white theme i featured a wonderful peacock feather fascinator for the bridesmaid(s), when teamed with Monsoon dress beneath the gorgeous blues of the feathers take over the green and look stunning. Another twist i love is the blue thistles in that beautiful bouquet arranged by Lisa Marriott. I have only recently stumbled across her blog and found a beautiful array of really stunning flower arrangements for her store Fleurs en Fleur.

My two favourite pieces of this board are the wonderful ruffled bolero by Bonzie and the amazing pine cone wedding cake. Bonzie is an Irish Design Label with romantic vintage appeal. Niece and Aunty Bonzie & Ger work together to create wonderful unique bridal designs. Her gorgeous boleros are perfect for a winter wedding. Pine cones are a major winter wedding trend that i have only just discovered and i love them. I have seen huge vases full as centrepieces, wreathes, in bouquets and now on this lovely cake. I can see how they wouldn't be to everyones taste but i love how they create a winter woodland feel, gorgeous.

I hope Helen and possibly Nick love it and wish them all the best!

1. Vintage Peacock Feather Hair Piece Clip - Neva Plume
2. Dress, Marchesa Bridal Spring Summer 2011 - via notes-on-fashion.blogspot.com
3. Eloise Bridal headband - Jennifer Behr
4. White Anemones, Thistles, Rosemary & Eucalyptus bouquet - Fleurs en Fleur
5. Onyx Bridesmaid dress - Monsoon
6. Art Deco Sapphire Necklace - Deborah's Forget Me Nots Vintage
7. Anastasia Cocktail dress - Maria Lucia Hohan
8. 1940s Flocon de Neige Pins - Jean Jean Vintage
9. Navy diamante bow detail t-bar shoes - Debut via Amazon
10. Ivory Fallen Angel Ruffled Bridal Bolero - Bonzie
11. Pine cone wedding cake - Winter Wedding by IN Photography via Style me Pretty

I would rather be at the boathouse...

2010-10-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten round to uploading my mini break pictures! Yes i am now home and back to scurrying away getting products made for the designers marketplace and shop Tulip in Darlington who have kindly agreed to stock my work. The mini break was just what i needed and the riverside cottage we stayed in was near perfect! We picked The Boat Loft from a cluster of riverside cottages tucked away in the beautiful private grounds of Chainbridge Riverside Retreat in Ruswarp. The gorgeous village is about five minutes away from Whitby and it was so peaceful save the odd steam train passing on the other side of the river - very picturesque. The Village shop has just about all the basics you need to have a comfortable stay and from what we saw all the villagers were extremely friendly - aside from those geese in the above picture - they're not being friendly they are actually coming under the fence to they can hiss at me more closely!

The loft itself has the main living accommodation on the top floor - hence the name loft. The bedroom, living room and kitchen are all connected making it very cosy. The Interior design of the place is spectacular with the perfect mix of old and new. The Antique bed is spectacular and i would have loved to have taken it home with me if it was just a little bit longer - both me and Daniel are about 5ft 9 and had to sleep like a pair of bananas to get comfy. The downstairs had a large dining table and a cosy sofa area overlooking the very generous garden area. The Garden was absolutely huge - would have been great in the Summer however our weather was a bit cold and wet. We were still impressed with our own little bench overlooking the river.

We explored the village and spent a day in whitby - where i proceeded to spill fish and chips down my front and Daniel sniffed out an amazing old fashioned cafe called Sherlocks. The cafe was like stepping inside a the novel with antique clocks, violins and book cases and the signature hat and pipe - do be warned if you order a slice of cake do share it, the slices are the size of bricks and we both needed rolling back to our cottage - we also needed to go food shopping for the next day which left Daniel a lovely shade of green ;)

The trip was a lovely break and we would definitely go back. I even took my sewing with me to pull together hundreds of my flower headbands, tried and tested by my lovely fiance...

Birthday Give Away!

2010-09-27T01:49:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, i have actually been doing this for a full year... It does seem longer considering i was a blog addict well before i started my own but i feel proud to have stuck at this for my 1st year. 1 year 75 posts - mostly made up of dream Wedding Moodboards but still very very fun and to celebrate this i am hosting a give away right here, right now!

I have finally gotten round to adding a different colour variation of my beautiful embroidered bangles. You can now buy this bad boy in blue - i'm not sure which i prefer! The bracelets are made from floral fabric, tulle, antique lace, sequins, beads and swarovski crystals and are all lovingly handmade by me. One lucky blog reader will have the chance to win their very own and get to choose which colour they want.

Rules of the Give away:

1. To enter please leave me a comment below (it doesnt have to be anything flash just a smiley face or something?)
2. People who have added my facebook page get two entries - just leave an extra comment letting me know that you have 'liked' my page.
3. The Give away will run till Midnight October 12th and i will announce the winner in a blog post here.
4. The Give away is open to all countries.
5. Please leave me some way of contacting you such as an email address incase you are the lucky winner (if you do not want to give that out in a post just email me it - katyhowieson@hotmail.com)

GOOD LUCK!

- birthday cupcake print - Heather King Photography

Touch of Grey.

2010-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Before i start - just another quick mention about my blog's 1 year anniversary this Wednesday. I will be hosting my own giveaway right here so don't forget to check back for the chance to win one of my products. I am also taking a mini break with my fiance this week and renting an old boat house by the river (oh yeah) so replies to emails and orders will be extremely limited i'm afraid. I shall return on Thursday night though so don't fret! Anyway...

As well as being influenced by the major change of sunny into dreary grey weather, the reasoning behind my grey moodboard is the beautiful hints of grey that is appearing in the fashion world - inparticular grey woollens! I am on the hunt for a long and huge grey jumper to hide in all through autumn and pair up with my wonderful 'jombats' - thats jeggings and combat trousers mixed apparently... I have seen a couple of potential winners in h&m but none that i really really love so i'll continue to hunt for now.

I guess i have to thank Claire Baker again for my starting point, when she advertised on her blog the fact that i had included her in my previous moodboard she paired it with a wonderful image of what i assume is her embroidery? The mix of paper cutwork, embroidery and embellishment is absolutely gorgeous and definitely needed appreciating in one of my moodboards! It also didn't take me long to pair it with the amazing work of Mitchell and Dent - a company which provides customised and bespoke wedding stationary. Something i definitely love is their invitation examples that use famous couples names such as the above Amelie and Nino and Elizabeth Bennet and William Darcy, a great idea!

The centre dress is another of Maria Lucia Hohan's, a designer which is coming up close to overtaking my Elie Saab obsession. I am also loving the idea of avoiding the norm and going for a coloured Wedding dress and this one is so beautifully perfect. I also find the shoes particularly amazing. I'm unsure what started the idea but for a while now i have had the thought that i would love to wear grey suede shoes under my wedding dress. These shoes designed by none other than Paris Hilton. The feminine bow adds a lovely finish to the shoe but i think they are a little to high for me sadly.

Another pick is the artwork of Rachel Eva. Rachel is another artist in the area who has her work stocked in Changing Rooms, Middlesbrough and she creates a wonderful array of products ranging from cards, artwork and printed tea towels. A final mention goes to that image of the wonderful Vintage purses. It is becoming more and more popular for bridesmaids to carry a beautifully decorative bag than a bouquet of flowers and these three go perfectly with this theme.

1. Embroidery Image - Claire A Baker via her blog.
2. Woodland Crest Letterpress Wedding Stationary - Mitchell & Dent
3. Lace & Chiffon dress - Unknown (can you help?)
4. Wedding Cupcakes - Consumed by Cake via flickriver.com
5. NOEMIE olive grey dress - Maria Lucia Hohan
6. Vintage Filigree Cameo Ring - Lovely Dears
7. Vintage Evening Bags - via Countryliving.com
8. Embroidery and fibre art piece - Rachel Eva
9. Silver and White Bouquet - Snippet and Ink
10. Estate Earrings, Greige, Swarovski Crystals - Lara Lewis
11. Grey Suede peep toe pumps - Paris Hilton via yourfeetmakeyouunique.com

Something treasured

2010-09-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

A huge thankyou to the lovely Brittany of Pretty Visage, who has most kindly featured my Vintage Military style shirt in her treasury on etsy. The collection is called Fall Fashions and it pin points many of fall 2010s hot trends perfectly. Check it out here.

Who wants pudding?

2010-09-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

I do realise we are barely into Autumn but i have been requested by Changing Rooms in Middlesbrough to create some stock for their Christmas room. I am working on some card designs but to start off the festive products i have created these cute little decorations. Mr Robin has a tweed body with a gold star spotted red breast and beaded beak. The xmas puddings feature lace icing, sparkly sequin berries and ribbon holly. The decorations are priced at £5.50 ($9) and are currently available in Changing Rooms, Middlesbrough. I will eventually put them in my etsy shop but if any of you really early birds want to order one give me a shout on my facebook page or email me - katyhowieson@hotmail.com.

I would also like to point out that next Wednesday (29th September) is my blog's one year anniversary and to celebrate i will be posting my very 1st giveaway right here - so keep your eyes peeled for that folks!

Love is a bird.

2010-09-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Quick post showing off my latest completed creations. Personalised glitter initials wedding card with lace, vintage papers and pearls and Mr + Mrs Lovebird hanger complete with pearl encrusted veil and cute bowtie. Really had fun making these two and grew quite attatched. They were comissioned as a gift for newleyweds to be Aaron and Louise who I am told are getting married next week. Good Luck guys!

Grand Theft Autumn

2010-09-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

Yep that's right i'm still in the wedding mood. The changing of Summer into Autumn - with the changing weather, fashion and nature has me really inspired to create zillions of moodboards but i just don't have the time. So here is my 1st attempt at a board inspired by Autumn stealing what is left of Summertime.

I have been storing up this Claire A Baker Medal image for a while just waiting for the perfect opportunity for it to shine in one of my moodboards and i felt that it was well overdue - so i based my whole colour scheme around the beautiful combination that Claire has used in this one piece. Her blog is a wonderful treasure trove of her inspirations as well as snippets of her work in progress, definitely worth a follow. That beautiful pale Akris dress is so unusual but just the right shade of ecru to compliment the detailing in the medal wings - i would have been a fool to drop it in favour of a white gown!

Another stored up image was the lace necklace from White Owl. I particularly love the composition of their work and how they display their lace accessories - perfect presentation! Those gorgeously photographed lanterns by Braedon Photography, found on a recent wedding post from Ruffled, cast a beautiful cosy glow perfect for portraying that Autumn feeling and they come in all the colours of my moodboard - score. Last mention is those wonderfully simple olive shoe clips by the shop at No144, a top way to bring life to a pair of shoes and a brilliant gift idea.

p.s. i definitely want a rust coloured dress this season ;)

1. Hand embroidered ceramic medal - Claire A Baker for Line dry
2. Monique Lhuillier S/S 09 dress - Style.com
3. Calla & Kangaroo Paw bouquet - Van-go Florist
4. Vintage Bird of paradise earrings - Jean Jean Vintage
5. Rust cabinet Image - Unknown (Can you help?)
6. Lucia lace garden necklace - White owl
7. Mini Bow Shoe Clips Olive Green - The shop at No144
8. Autumn Glas Lanterns - Braedon Photography via Ruffled
9. New York Style Wedding Cheesecake - Daniel Saravia The cakemonger
10. Akris rust colored pleated dress S/S 09 - Fashionrules.com

This is Halloween

2010-09-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

The Moodboard strikes again! It had been a while since i created my last wedding moodboard and with starting the making of my bridal collection this week it has put me back in the wedding mood. I did however feel stumped at what to base my theme around. After chatting to friend Alex - co creator of Betty Frances (ha!) she challenged me to create her a board with the buzz words 'Tim Burton, Vintage, Victorian, Gothic' - now you get the title of the post right? ;) I was quite terrified of the idea of a Tim Burton Wedding and set about styling things together - adamant that this wouldn't turn into a cheesy Alice and Wonderland/ Willy Wonka nightmare. I stuck with Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas for my theme and tried to make it a classy Vintage affair.

The dress was the hardest part, i struggled to find a Victorian dress that wasn't over the top or frumpy, so i settle for this gorgeous modern dress i came across whilst browsing the Halfpenny London website. The way the dress is photographed and the styling of the model is so gorgeous and fit perfectly with the theme. The next big yes was the cameo wall art. I love the combination of the mismatched frames that Susie Cushner has captured and the way the light shines on the black frames gives off a purple tint which helped me add another colour to the board.

My Favourite item on the whole board has to be the crystal skull ring from The Three Graces. I love the way you have to look closer to the stone to see the skull image - very Tim Burton gothic! To add to the skull theme i used the skull ring bearer dish from a site i found a few months ago on etsy - Aphrodite's Canvas. Julie Angell Taylor makes an array of gorgeous customised wedding palettes that stand out from the crowd, well worth a peek. Alex kept bugging me for candles or fairylights and aside from the idea of pumpkin lanterns I couldn't find anything to compliment the board. Luckily for me i came across that wonderful lanterns image by Keiko Kanda Photography. The lanterns cast an eerie yet cosy glow perfect for a dark wedding like this.

In true Tim Burton style Alex stays up all night and sleeps through the morning so i haven't had a chance to show her the board yet. Hope she likes it... She is also looking out for her very own Johnny Depp so any lookalikes do get in touch ;) Or the real thing - even better! Highly doubt he is an avid follower of What Katy did Next though...

1. Day of the Dead Ring bearer - Aphrodite's Canvas
2. Globe Thistles Image - Unknown (can you help?)
3. Framed Cameo Wall display - Susie Cushner via countryliving.com
4. Beaded Dress - Styling & Costume from Halfpenny London
5. Valentino Lace Court Shoe - via Shoeper Woman
6. Golden Lanterns - Keiko Kanda Photography
7. Elie Saab Couture dress - via Style Hive
8. Lace Wedding cake - Photographed by Tara Donne via realsimple.com
9. Antique Memento Mori Stuart Crystal Skull Ring - The Three Graces
10. Purple Anemones Image - Photobank.ru
11. Black Art Deco Birdcage veil - Brenda's Bridal Veils

The Professional

2010-09-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

Hey readers! Helen Stevens creator of The Designers Marketplace was kind enough to interview me this week for their blog. Unfortunately it was also necessary to provide a photograph of me at work ha! So here is a link to the interview and a sneak peak of me trying my best to look like i am concentrating rather than constipated whilst starting work on my bridal collection... click here!

Wardrobe Wishes...

2010-09-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

I always fall in love with wardobe items just as Summer ends and Autumn begins. It is the most inconvenient time of year because usually i have spent a bomb having fun over the summer and then feel guilty spending anything on myself (boooo!) It would be much easier if i could feel this way around Christmas - my birthday comes just after and i can never decide what to ask for or spend my pennies on! Heres hoping the Autumn fairy leaves these beauties on my doorstep ;)

Topshop pretty have my taste bang on - the dress, boots and satchel belong to them. And I have recently purchased myself a Topshop replica of tht beautiful 14 point stag ring by Digby and Iona (yay!) I will most definitely be writing down many of the Vamoose's items on my Christmas wishlist when the time comes, that pyrite necklace calls to me in my sleep and i am so close to giving in!

Obviously i wouldn't be wearing that amazing feather print from Panteek.com via Moodboard (quite in love with this blog rigt now). Panteek is a website full of antique prints for sale - unfortunately this print is soooooold! Still gorgeous though.

It is no secret that i am an avid follower of the Dear Golden blog, and that i stalk her etsy shop for hours on end. The gorgeous Vintage floral skirt has already been sold (and wouldn't fit me in a million years) but i still love looking at it, check out the shop here. Last but not least is that wonderful cheval cardi from Monsoon's Fusion range. Monsoon isn't usually on my shopping list, i see the store as more of a special occassions dressy shop but you have to checkout their website - some of their stuff is truly fantastic. Just waiting for that fairy now...

Drinking in the sun

2010-09-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

Those of you already a fan of my What Katy Did Next Facebook page will have already heard the good news that another shop has agreed to stock my work. Sunkissed in Sedgefield have allowed me a cabinet to stock my work in and even allowed me to be in charge of presenting the display too! Exciting. Here are a couple of photos of the display, the shop is quite dark so you will have to excuse the quality of the pictures.

Wonder Wall...

2010-09-10T04:04:00.000-07:00

My fellow designer buddy Lauren Crawford has recently stumbled across a wonderful opportunity in the form of My Deco's U Design wallpaper competition. The designer with the most votes of the competition with udesign will not only win £750 but will also get their winning design made into three rolls of high quality wallpaper. The runner up will win £400 and 10% royalties will be paid to the all the designers on sales made thereafter from udesign.

Lauren has a brilliantly quirky design style and in our final year at university she created a couple of amazing printed lengths. She has decided to enter her very popular Presidential wall paper (shown below) which i think is absolutley fabulous. Her sweat and blood went into designing and printing this bad boy of a design and Lauren and I would love for you to head across to the competition website here and vote for her!

Don't forget to check out more of her work in her etsy shop here.

Teen-age-dream!

2010-09-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so i am aware that i am no longer a teenager but me and my friend Alex are going through a major Katy Perry phase/crush/addiction. And that makes sense because this post is about me and my friend Alex's dream to open our own shop - see what i did there ;) So it has always been a dream of mine to have my own little shop or boutique, but recently i found out that Alex would love it too and so we pinky sweared that if either of us ever won the Lottery that we would open a shop together using our middle names as the shop title - mine being Elizabeth and her Frances - we did narrow it down to Betty Frances which, in our opinion sounds so much cooler!

After a day of boredom and instant messaging each other links to really cool stuff we would stock in our dream shop I realised our tastes were pretty similar and so challenged Alex to make a moodboard of items we could stock and gorgeous styled shoots. I also made my own and so here are our combined efforts at a moodboard for the future shop Betty Frances! ...just have to start actually taking part in the Lottery now. Hmmmm...

First up is my collaboration which is quite pale, vintagey and arty. Those glass cloche's from Pale and Interesting are definitely on my christmas list! That website is amazing, full of classy interior decorations and quirky items - well worth checking out. Another favourite of my board are the artwork. I am completely in love with that owl image from Tabitha Emma Designs and have had my eye on it for a long time along with Dr Kennedy Jones' print which is brilliance, a perfect mix between vintage and modern illustration.

1.Shoes Image - The Cherry Blossom Girl (Flickr)
2.Vintage Forks - Sadie Olive Photography
3.Vintage Dress image - Unknown Tumblr (can you help?)
4.Glass Cloches - Pale and Interesting
5.Vintage Swimmer Illustration - Dr Kennedy Jones
6.Vintage Dress - Polyvore
7.Macaroons image - Unknown Tumblr (can you help?)
8.Time for tea Owl - Tabitha Emma Designs
9.Cotton Reels image - Lola's Room
10.Vintage 50s dress - Timeless Vixen Vintage
11.Felt Raincloud - Atelier Pompadour
12.Gold Heart necklace - Sora Designs

Secondly is Alex's board. Her taste seems a lot more fun than mine but equally as gorgeous with lovely highlights of my favourite... mint green! However tempting those bon bons look i reckon it would be a bad idea for both my teeth and figure if we were to stock them in Betty Frances :P I would love it if anyone decided to but me that teal alarm clock... just a thought!

Unfortunately i don't have any of the sources for Alex's board but if you spot something that is yours let me know and i'll give you a mention.

Sugar plum fairy.

2010-09-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

Thought i would give you a quick update of my latest cake creation. I was less prepared for this sticky adventure with the birthday girl asking for a suprise theme - which in a way was great incase it all went horribly wrong which it nearly did. Tantrums included the incapability of getting the right shade of red for the roof, a spilt cup of tea and a collapsing toadstool that was expertly rectified by my wonderful Mam who quietly ammended it whilst i threw a hissy fit in my bedroom.

The cake was gratefully received at the birthday party today though which did make it worth the stress and the party girl (another niece of my fiance) plans to keep the icing fairy - which seemed unlikely to me until i heard that the younger niece of Daniel's still has the mermaid kept in a tupperware at home! Not sure how eadible she is now, but it is always nice when my work is appreciated :)

Park life

2010-08-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

I did promise before i went to France that i would share some photos of my 'fun filled weekend' so this is them! Starting work on designs for my very exciting bridal collection, I decided i would have an inspirational trip to Hardwick Park near Sedgefield. I haven't been to the park since i was about 10 and it was definitely worth the wait. It's hard to believe that such a beautiful park is so close to home nevermind next to a main road. I dragged my fiance along with me kitted out in our wellies with a 'picnic' which consisted of a couple of meal deals and a packet of wine gums... romantic i know, but it was so peaceful even with a Roman battle event and falconry display going on in one of the main fields.

The park is absolutely huge, with winding paths following the river round. However, we did wander off the beaten track and found some glorious sights. I'm not completely sure if that was allowed - after deciding to run off into the trees looking for Edward Cullen me and my trusty fiance found ourselves surrounded by thousands of used clay pigeon shooting ammo. We made a swift exit after an outburst of hysterical laughter - unsure if that was from fear or amusement!

I did originally go to suss out if he park would be a good location for photographing the bridal collection once finished and it is an absolutely enchanting place - so that can go on the 'maybe' list. What also astonished me was how much wildlife i was able to photograph. There were literally dozens of dragonflies all over almost posing for the camera. The ducks were slightly less affectionate unless you were stood on the bank throwing huge chunks of Warburtons into the lake. All in all it was a brilliant day and i would recommend the park to any amateur explorers - just avoid the clay pigeon field...

All over the shop...

2010-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Thought i'd share a couple of pictures i took at the weekend of how my work looks in Changing Rooms, Middlesbrough. I absolutely love the shop and the owners Andrea and Lesley have done an excellent job of presenting my work so it compliments it's surroundings. My work is on the second floor so if you are paying the shop a visit don't miss out - the shop actually has three floors, with two rooms on the second floor all beautifully decorated.

Another heads up - i have finally got round to creating a facebook page for my business. It's very simplistic (i'm no wizz kid) but i'll work at it. So please give it a visit here and 'like' my page if you are a facebooker.

Home again.

2010-08-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

Back again folks and i promise not to return to France again until October - when i disappear for a week to Disneyland paris and then onto the flea markets of Amsterdam (hopefully) as a Graduation present from my parents :)

This trip to France was a little adventure to find beautiful scenery and hidden brocantes! Unfortunately the brocante/antique markets were a little well hidden in the area of France we visited but the trip was still lovely with beautiful sights to see whilst travelling. It also helped me get out of the rut i had been stuck in after sorting out items for changing rooms. I've started planning my time and designing a few pieces for a collection of bridal hair accessories and the odd dress as well as carrying on my smaller embroidered accessories for design fairs and my etsy shop which i plan to update. With this planned, hopefully i will keep myself busy and distract my attention from Vintage buys on ebay (ha!)

I managed to get my greedy fingers on the above macaroons whilst in france. My curiosity got the better of me after seeing multicolored blog trend for the little fancies. They were almost too pretty to eat so i had to capture some images stylised alongside the cute heart necklace that Daniel bought me from Topshop to celebrate a year of being engaged :)

The green fields of France

2010-08-16T01:13:00.000-07:00

Yup thats where i'm headed again today, hopefully to take loads of beautiful photographs and seek out flea markets! I will be returning next week sometime when i will post lots of photos of my fun filled weekend just past ;) Sneak peek of some of my creativness...

That's boredom for you, ha! Until next week, Au Revoir!

Is this love?

2010-08-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet post but just browsing through the Vogue fashion shows section and am again drawn to my favourite designer Elie Saab. He just doesn't disappoint. I love the way he uses embellishment to create new textures on fabric and i can't imagine how long these garments must take to make. I can't wait to start my new project and will definitely use Saab for inspiration!

Change me

2010-08-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

These are the little beauties i have been working so hard on for Changing Rooms in Middlesbrough. What started off as hairbands and brooches, then branched out into bangles and more hairbands. The lovely ladies who own the shop also asked me to create a couple of smaller products for about five pounds to compliment my collection - thats where the magnetic pegs and notebooks come in.

I spent the majority of my friday night (after finishing the mermaid cake) creating the packaging for my pieces and i must say it was worth the effort and everything looked gorgeous as i boxed it up ready to take in on the saturday. I haven't been in and seen how they have displayed my work yet but my little spies tell me it looks brilliant. Do go in and have a look (and buy something, ha!) the shop is a bit hidden away just out of the town centre on newport road opposite Sainsburys but is well worth the short walk. Enjoy!

Underwater Love.

2010-08-10T01:56:00.000-07:00

As soon as i was told about my fiance's niece starting her mermaid obsession my brain went into overdrive. I baked her birthday cake last year as a favour to her mam so i offered again this year with a vision of a spectacular mermaid cake. After hearing she initially wanted a hello kitty birthday cake i was slightly disheartened but managed to make a compromise of hello kitty fairy cakes as well as this beast of a cake!

It did land at a stressful time - the party was the day after i'd planned to drop my products off at Changing Rooms in Middlesbrough and i still had all the packaging to do, but i managed to plan my time well and created the cake the day before, and i do mean the whole day. I started at 9.30 and finished at 5.30. I did disappear to Tesco for 2 hours in the middle to stretch my legs but still. I really think it was worth it though, i am proud at how it turned out and the birthday girl approved of it too! I highly doubt i will change my career route into cake decorating but every now and again i wouldn't mind :P

A cabinet of curiosities...

2010-08-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hey strangers! It seems like a while since my last blog, and even longer since my last wedding moodboard. This is the new updated version of what i would like for my own wedding after i fell in love with that beautifully romantic bow dress by Maria Lucia Hohan. I am particularly in love with her bridal line after i caught a sneak peak of her work over on the cherry blossom girl's blog. Her dresses are absolutely breath taking and are brilliantly different from the usual bridal boutique pieces.

The second point of inspiration is the gorgeous still life photography of the sheep skull and taxidermy birds. I love the feeling of natural history that has been captured by D.S.Brennan Photography, and although the thought of a skull inspiring a wedding may be a little creepy i am completely taken with the composition and tones of the photo.

The hydrangeas in my back garden are in full bloom and creating delicious colours of pinks, blues and purples and i adore the white bouquet in the bottom right corner which belongs to Rock My Wedding creator Charlotte. Charlotte used huge pom pom like hydrangea creations throughout her wedding and they made amazing modern centrepieces. The thing i love most about hydrangeas is how much they change throughout the year and still remain gorgeous in every stage.

I suppose i have blabbed on enough about weddings and better get back to my creations. The shop in Middlesbrough who will be stocking my pieces very soon have asked me to create more pieces to tie together my collection and add little stocking filler-like items to my products. I am almost done so keep checking back for pictures i hope you'll love.

p.s. i think i need one of those dandelion light fixings from ikea to brighten my life!

1. Edwardian tatted lace camisole - Dear Golden Vintage
2. Curiosities Print - D.S.Brennan Photography
3. Dandelion Pendadnt Light - Ikea
4. Laser Cut L.O.V.E. brooch - Lindsey Murray
5. Jasmine bridal gown - Maria Lucia Hohan
6. Wendy Tulle Veil - Sara Gabriel Veiling & Headpieces
7. Dried Hydrangeas - Found via myonesweetday.blogspot.com
8. Personalised Vintage Letterpress Montage - Home & Glory (notonthehighstreet.com)
9. Bow Embellished Pumps - Chloe
10. Wedding Cupcake toppers - Goose Grease
11. White Hydrangea Bouquet - Image found on Rock My Wedding Blog

Mini mini mini

2010-07-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all. Any of you remember this? The gorgeous orange mini from my etsy vintage shop that i sold a few weeks ago to the lovely Kristen from St.Louis in the U.S.A. Actually my first sale outside of the U.K and i was really excited when she emailed me these wonderful photos. Im glad the dress has gone to a loving home - how cool does Kristen look rocking the mini style. Fabulous!

Purple Haze

2010-07-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the final outcome of my sister's dress for her friends wedding that took place on Saturday. This is one of the pieces that i actually didn't have a tantrum whilst making, it was quite theraputic sat embroidering on holiday. The only negative part was how many times my sister nagged me to get on with it (months before the wedding date).

I'm quite proud of it and Laura was really pleased with how it turned out. Hope you like...

I would also like to add that I did hair and make up as well as creating the hair pieces to match the dress - yes i know, modern day Cinderella (ha!)

Back home...

2010-07-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bonjour readers! Yes that's right I'm back home - for now... I do pop back for another week in france in a few weeks time, that trip will be more inspiration and ideas for new projects rather than the sun sea and sand of the past month ;)

I haven't had time to get up to date with my blog yet since getting back - i have mainly been finishing off my sister's dress, unpacking and sorting out to do lists. But in the next couple of days i'll have sorted out a post on the finished version of my sister's dress as well as a couple of photos to show you of a Vintage dress i sold to the lovely Kristen in St Louis.

It is good to be home and get a chance to see my lovely fiance, sleep in my own bed and eat english food, but looking at that gorgeous photo of sunset on the beach does make me miss it and my tan is almost wearing off already...

I love Paris every moment

2010-07-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! I thought i would leave you with a parting blog post before i leave for my french holiday tomorrow. I will be gone till the end of July so any emails sent about custom orders and such won't be replied to until then i'm afraid.

I have created a topical wedding moodboard to keep you going till i return so i hope you like! I've tried to make my own French style using the sleek simple look mixing it with pastels and splashes of colour steering clear of the usual monochrome Paris image. I fell in love with the image of the lady with flowers in her hair whilst browsing one of my favourite blogs. The blog owner is Pia Jane Bijkerk - stylist, photographer and author specialising in interiors. Her blog is full of amazing imagery and this photo is a natural photo of herself at a book signing, gorgeous hair!

I added the french macaroons to the board first and worked from their colors, i love the natural shades highlighted by the fuschia and aqua which i matched to those wonderful strappy Chanel heels. My absolute favourite of the board is that beautifully simple wedding gown by Your Fairy Tale Wedding. The dress could so easily be dressed up with accessories or left simple white.

I'm afraid i'll have to leave it at that as i have some last minute packing to do and my sisters dress making to organise...

Have a lovely Summer whatever you are doing and i'll be back in three weeks!

1. Grey Silk dress - Topshop
2. French Macaroons - Such Pretty Things (Flickr)
3. Victorian Cameo Bracelet - Dagger Lane
4. Peonies Image - Unknown - anyone know?
5. Paris Eiffel Tower - isphotography
6. Sigaut Logo - Found via Claire A Baker's Blog
7. Black Nude & Lace Hair piece - Moi!
8. Floral Hair Image - Pia Jane Bijkerk
9. Chanel Strappy Heels - Found via Paris Parfait Blog
10. Allison Wedding gown - Your Fairy Tale Wedding
11. Beautiful Vintage Rose Stationary - Vicky Trainor

Custom made

2010-06-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Another product to show off! Just a quick post to show you the custom hair piece i have been working on for Donna to wear to a wedding in late July - the same wedding my sister will be attending in her customised dress, which i am still working on! I really love this piece which is a variation on a piece i did for my degree show that attracted a lot of attention. This is a smaller more delicate and girly piece to match Donna's Monsoon maxi dress of similiar colours. She told me she will be teaming the dress with pearls so i added pearl embellishment, topped off with a few swarovski crystals to add sparkle. Hope you like...

Hey life, look at me...

2010-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Finally, some blog time! I have been busy busy busy this week folks getting ready for my upcoming holiday and completing custom orders, meeting with people for custom items and meeting up with shop owners to talk about featuring my work in their shops - yay!

These flower hairbands have proved extremely popular so now i have completed the few orders for them i had, i might get round to putting them in my etsy shop. I make the smaller ones as hairbands and the larger ones are brooches, but if requested can be made into hair clips. I am still taking on orders for them so do get in touch - katyhowieson@hotmail.com

This week i made my 1st etsy sale in both my shops! My Sixties Vintage dress is making it all the way over to St.Louis, the buyer Kristen has very kindly offered to send a pic of her in it for my blog once she has it, which i am extremely excited about. I have added a bunch of necklaces recently so don't forget to check them out here. The other sale was from my handmade shop and went to my lovely GCSE and A Level Textiles teacher.

In other great news a shop in Middlesbrough has agreed to sell some of my more commercial items - the brooches, necklaces, hairbands and corsages. I am thoroughly thrilled about this and to add to that a shop in Yarm has asked whether i would be interested in selling pieces similar to my degree show leather items, exciting! I can only imagine how busy i am going to be when i come back from France...

Jesse buy corsage

2010-06-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Quick post to show off my first ever corsage style brooch, demanded by older sister Laura to match her black and nude going out outfit next week. Not too shabby if i do say so myself. If anyone wants one do get in touch for more details I won't bite and i can also make them into hairbands :)

katyhowieson@hotmail.com

Mint Condition

2010-06-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

After purchasing this absolutely gorgeous dress from New Look last week, i am afraid i have started an out of control obsession with the colour mint. I haven't abandoned my love of Nude shades just yet - luckily the two go so well together. I had intended on creating a mint chocolate chip inspired moodboard but i got carried away with mint so here it is...

How gorgeous is that organza Sarah Seven dress, i stumbled across her designs on twigs and honey's (designer and maker of bottom left headpiece) beautiful blog the other day and am completely besotted with them. I love the quirky way she has styled the photo shoots for her pieces and she even gives a percentage of her profits to charity! That beautiful embroidered dress at the centre top has been featured previously on my blog so i'm sure you are aware of my love for it. I had to put it in this board and i love the current trend for bridesmaids in different style dresses.

I am also in two minds over whether i should purchase those gorgeous vintage earrings from Sparkle Peach. I am definitely more of a stud earring girl but they are so pretty! What should i do? I was at a loss for a mint bouquet when i was saved by my favourite flowers of all time - hydrangeas yum! They make lovely huge pom pom-like bouquets and are just that bit different to your average bouquet. I love love love this board, i dont think i would do everything mint though, i'll have changed my favourite colour by then (Ha!)

1. T Bar tassel heels - moderno-estilo.blogspot.com
2. Embroidered mint dress - Unknown Source (Anyone know?)
3. Embroidered Heart Brooch - Me!
4. Silk Hydrangea Bouquet - Diane James Gracious Home
5. Robin's Egg Organza dress - Sarah Seven
6. Hint O' mint cake - ellenbloom.blogspot.com
7. Versace woven mint dress - Unknown source (Anyone know?)
8. Small Mint polka dot wedding invitation - The Little Stationary Company
9. Beautiful Mint Head dress - Twigs and Honey
10. Mint Vintage glass earrings - Sparkle Peach

Come on baby light my fire...

2010-06-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all those dads who i'm pretty sure do not read my blog!

I have had an absolutely brilliant long weekend already, starting on Friday - my wonderful fiance's birthday. I'm sure you can tell from his face that i made him get his photo taken on his birthday with his new top - purchased by me! Part of his present was train tickets to York. The weather was lovely, it wasn't too busy and i managed to make some lovely purchases even if daniel did not (ha!) We rounded off the day with a trip to his favourite bar O'neills for his long awaited Steak & Ale pie. Hope he enjoyed himself.

Approximately an hour ago we attempted to light and send off a sky lantern, which Daniel had bought as a gift for me on the night of my degree show. Although it has been rather warm lately, tonight was very much windy and after failing to get it to light in the open field down the road, we lit up in the back garden (do not try this at home - especially on such a windy night). After being chased around the back yard by it, the lantern rose up over the back fence and resided on the pavement for a little while. Deciding it would be best to extinguish the flame Daniel ran inside to get a bucket of water - however in this time the wind took the lntern and it rose way up high over the houses and disappeared into the sky. It was a lot of fun and i do recommend the lanterns - just be safe!

... Me looking proud and very much like a halloween pumpkin!

Also check out the newest addition to my etsy vintage shop, picked up in a Vintage shop in York.

Vintage People

2010-06-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Me again! Just a quick note for those of you who haven't noticed my second etsy shop (there's a little advert bar down the right hand side.) I have gathered together a collection of Vintage from shops, fairs and handed down items ready to sell on etsy.com. There are some really gorgeous pieces headed in there and i'm slowly building it up so go have a look and if there's nothing there for you keep checking back here :)

Caravan of Love...

2010-06-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

I was feeling the need for another wedding moodboard when i stumbled across a glorious image of those irregular choice emerald shoes over on the blog - kiss the groom. I've had my eye on those shoes for a while now - they feature on an early moodboard i put together for my dream quickie wedding - but i absolutely love the composition of the photo and the colours on the vase that they rest on. It put me in mind of the colours you see on travelling gypsy caravans so i set about working the colours around that theme. How magical would it be to have an informal outdoor wedding and ride off into the sunset in a gypsy caravan? Yes please!

I absolutely love the colours and variety of flowers in that bouquet from the wedding of Donna and Josh from California. The wedding looks absolutely fabulous and really unique - featured on Once Wed. Another thing i cannot get enough of is that custom keepsake cake topper made by Together Forever. I adore cake toppers like this they are so fun and a brilliant item to treasure for years to come. I also snuck a pair of beautiful vintage cufflinks for your special man in there from my second etsy.com shop what katy did next... vintage. Its a work in progress...

1. Fall Tree Custom made Cake Topper - Together Forever
2. Irregular Choice Emerald Shoes - Found Via Kiss the Groom
3. Apple Stand Escort Cards - Found Via Rock My Wedding
4. Gypsy Caravan Photography - Emma Bradshaw
5. Gypsy Boho Vintage Wedding Dress - Zwzzy
6. Beautiful Bouquet - Found Via Once Wed from Erin Hearts Court Photography
7. Autumn Rose Mini Dress - Bleubird Vintage
8. Vintage engraved gold effect Cufflinks - what katy did next... vintage
9. Vintage Sarah Coventry Green ring - Small and Mousey
10. Lonely Bee Autumn Hairband - On Your Head

Don't be a pansy

2010-06-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sneak preview of my current project! My older sister Laura asked me to make her a dress for a wedding she is attending in July. Being the busy bee that i am i told her it wouldn't be possible for me to design and make her a dress in the time after my degree show (which will come down tomorrow :( ) Therefore i came up with the compromise of customising her a dress. So i am currently customising a strapless black maxi dress with heavily embellished and embroidered purple pansies featuring hand dyed silks, antique lace and swarovski crystals. I am also making her a matching hair piece which is what the above piece is part of. Hopefully i'll update you with it's progress but i imagine i will end up taking the piece on my hols with me raising my street cred to complete embroidery geek - sat by the pool with her hoop and beads...

Hope you like?..

Season of Love.

2010-06-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

So these are my new collection of brooches I mentioned previously. I managed to create eight this week in my spare time - this grey weather hasn't exactly tempted me outside but i did manage a catch up with my friend Pippa who popped home from uni to see my degree show. I have attempted to make them in many colours but if there is something you want that isn't here just get in touch! These seven colours will be on sale for a special price of £10 in Hartlepool art gallery on Saturday from my stand (opposite the toilets - classy!) Any that don't get sold will then be put into my etsy shop for a slightly higher price, if you can't make it on Saturday and want one that you see on here email me - katyhowieson@hotmail.com

I also created this custom brooch for a friend to give as a gift. I have finally proven to myself that i can stray from my comfortable colour palette, woohoo! I think it looks quite nice personally... what about you?

Under the Sea

2010-06-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here it is as promised - my little mermaid inspired wedding moodboard. It is quite obviously an ode to Ariel who was my favourite Disney Princess growing up. I am hoping that i have managed to make the moodboard a bit more sophisticated rather than cheesy... fingers crossed you think so too.

What inspired me to do it was that beautiful sea green vintage dress from Dear Golden Vintage. Whilst catching up on my blogging from the past week i had a look in the etsy shop and found that beauty which unfortunately some lucky girl has already reserved. As soon as i saw it i knew it would have to be in a moodboard! The colours immediately made me think of an under the sea theme, and being the Disney geek that i am Ariel sprung to mind. I also remembered seeing a rather unusual red coral wedding stationary in Atelier Isabey's beautiful collection. I was unsure of the colour combination at 1st but as my board progressed i fell in love with it a bit more when i experimented with the shades.

I plan on being busy busy busy this week, meeting up with old friends and popping in and out of college. I am also creating another little collection of embroidered heart brooches to sell from my stand in the church on saturday, so if you are interested in buying one either pop down to Hartlepool Art Gallery or drop me an email - katyhowieson@hotmail.com

1. Sea Green Vintage Dress - Dear Golden Vintage
2. Anemone Boquet in Red - Whole Blossoms
3. Beach Hut Surfer Weathered Wood Sign - Potting Shed Designs
4. Beautiful Wedding dress Photography - www.dinofaphotography.com
5. Customised Coral Wedding Stationary (Cebu) - Atelier Isabey
6. Vintage Italian Coral Necklace - Treasure Trove
7. Starfish Feather Bridal Fascinator - Sherri Weese Designs
8. Starfish Cupcakes - The Cupcake Bistro
9. Teal Heels - Poetic Licence London via Booted & Suited
10. Oyster Silver & Pearl Earrings - Made by S.A.M.

All good things come to an end...

2010-06-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

We finally did it! After much stress and tantrums - not just from the students! We managed to pull it together for the opening night of our degree show. I was quite overwhelmed by the whole night, mainly because i hadn't recovered from being on my feet all day putting up my display and tweaking everything to perfection. I decided last minute to make some of my small heart brooches to sell on my stand which proved very popular and sold out in the first hour. So i'll be making some more of those for my etsy shop and custom orders.

The night was a real success and everyone kept saying how fabulous it all was, i had a lot of compliments from all the lovely people that came and it was nice to meet new people and hear their opinion of my work. I am almost sad that it is over but also hugely relieved that it is done and can't wait to start work on another project.
The show is open for another week so those that didnt come on the thursday night still have a chance to see the lovely work first hand, so come on down!

I neglected my blog slightly with all the stress of building the show so don't worry you'll be bombarded with wedding moodboards in no time (ha!) I am currently working on one inspired by the little mermaid which is rather interesting... Keep your eyes peeled folks!

It's all black and white for me baby

2010-05-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

aaaand i'm back onto moodboards. Ha! This is a board I made for friend and fellow student Heather who got engaged at Christmas. I've managed to catch snippets of her planning through college and whilst I'm slightly jealous it's not me planning my own I do think it sounds brilliant and can't wait to see what she comes up with.

If you've read earlier comments on my posts then you will already know that Heather is planning a black and white affair with pops of fuschia/magenta pink - the colour pink in my moodboard does vary so i'm sure she can imagine it in the shades she prefers. She has already purchased black candelabra's for centrepieces and wants a classical minimalist feel to her day but that is about all the info i know. She's keeping hush hush about the dress but she did tell me it wasn't traditional, so most of the board was put together blindly with my own fun touches added.

I have been waiting for an excuse to use those pink Gina shoes in a moodboard, i found the photo on Rock my Wedding blog and even though i'm not a huge fan of pink i found them absolutely gorgeous. Sticking to the black and white theme i then looked to the work of paper cutting artist Tina Tarnoff who creates these wonderful and whimsical silhoutte images. Her Autumn Kiss artwork would be lovely on invitations and wedding stationary and could probably be customised if you asked her really nice.

The amazing bouquet is created by DK Designs and is actually made from clay, making your bouquet a perfect keepsake for your wedding! Another cute touch is the romantic mini swan pocket purse handmade by British designer Rowena at Red Ruby Rose. The purses she makes are from her own textiles and leather designs and are perfect for carrying small items with style. You can also add a personalised silk label to your purse interior with wedding dates and names - a charming present for bridesmaids?

Hope you like it Heather!

1. Vintage 1950s Chiffon Illusion dress - Calendar Girl Vintage
2. Handmade Clay Craft Bouquet - DK Designs
3. Black and white feather Birdcage Veil - Twigs & Honey
4. Vintage Style Bird cake Topper - Le Petit Oiseau
5. Vintage Sterling SIlver Shell Ring - Jean Jean Vintage
6. Pink Gina Shoes Image - Rock My Wedding
7. Vera Wang Bridal Fall 2010 - Image from womensweddingdresses.com
8. Autumn Kiss Original Artwork - Tina Tarnoff
9. Anemone Cupcakes - Camille Styles (Flickr)
10. Mini Swan Pocket Purse - Red Ruby Rose
11. Black Candelabra - Melody Maison