And the winner is ....

A big huge thank you to everyone who took the time to enter my blog giveaway comp.  The winner of the competition is Charlene E.  If it you get in touch with me and I sort out your prizes.  

Laura 

xxx

DIY Jewellery Display

I have been looking for something to display my jewellery on at fairs for a few weeks as I am running out of space on my tables.  I had an idea in my head what I wanted to do so I thought I would share it with you in another DIY post.  

To create this at home you will need:

 2 corkboards - Mine were from ASDA £3 each but you may be able to find smaller ones cheaper if you are looking for a smaller holder for your own jewellery

2 hinges - bought a pack from B&M for 59p bargain!

Paint to decorate - I used a small tester pot from B&Q because I had it in the house, you could use spray paint or maybe even a glitter mix using glitter and PVA.

Start by attaching the hinges to one side of the board.  The hinge should open up like a door, practice opening the boards before screwing in the hinges.  

When both sides are attached the boards should fold together easily for storage when you are not using them.  

Paint the board using your desired colour or spray paint it.  I chose a really light pink as it goes with my business cards and logo.  

Leave to dry and then personalise.  I am going to have a think of what I am going to include on my board tomorrow I can't decide between customising sections with some vintage fabric or leaving it quite plain with a few tiny details.  I will post a picture soon with some of my jewellery displayed on the board.  

I can't wait to use this in my first fair of the year.  Birmingham's biggest and best fair, on March 3rd.  I will trading at Sutton Vintage and Arts Fair, it really is the best way to spend a Sunday! 

One last thing, if you haven't entered my giveaway to win some jewellery it ends today so head across to the blog post for full details of how to enter.  

Laura xx

Product of the Week

I can't believe how fast this year is going, its February next week scary! I have been working hard to find new artists and their collections are fitting in perfectly in the shop.  This week I am going to be working on a love themed display in time for Valentines Day.  I have had a few more men coming in to the shop over the last few weeks buying gifts and I am in the middle of completing a few custom embroidery orders.  

So on to my product of the week, this week it is the 'Endless Love' bracelet by Tallulah Rose, I hope you are all picking up on the theme!

I picked this one out because I love the red bead detailing.  The faceted edges of the beads really reflect the light and the beads have a gorgeous ruby red tone that reminds me of Dorothy's shoes from the Wizard of Oz.  The bracelet also incorporates a figure of eight charm to symbolise infinity.  For those of you not feeling the love you could look at the symbol as karma 'what goes around comes back around'.  

I will post a few updates of my Valentines display later this week, I am off now to carry on uploading products to the website which I really cannot wait to launch. 

Laura xxx

The Liebster Award

I have been invited to take part in The Liebster Award by the lovely Rebecca and her Belle-Amour blog.  I have been invited to take part in the award before but as I was fairly new to blogging at the time I was unsure about what to write or ask others but I thought I would give it ago.  Huge thanks to Rebecca for inviting me to take part it is really appreciated.  

Award Rules:

* List 11 facts about yourself

* Answer the 11 questions by the blogger who nominated you

* Ask 11 new questions for bloggers you nominate

* Choose 11 bloggers with less that 200 followers

* Let them know you have nominated them

* Thank the person who nominated you

Facts about Me:

1) I opened a shop in Mr Birds Emporium in Birmingham in October.

2) My favourite film is the Lion King. 

3) I have a collection of over 3000+ buttons and I cannot stop buying them even though I am running out of places to store them!

4) My favourite food is Nandos. 

5) I graduated from BCU 2 years ago.
6) My favourite magazine is Mollie Makes, if you haven't read it go out and by a copy.
7) I am an instagram freak, I love taking pics and uploading them.
8) I love NYC I went there last year and I am looking forward to going back soon.
9) I love cheesy music, my CD collection is like the Heart FM playlist.
10) I love shoes, Irregular Choice is my favourite brand.
11) My favourite alcoholic drink is Captain Morgans.

Rebecca's Questions:

1. What is your biggest ambition? 
My biggest ambition is to try my hardest in everything I do.  Ideally this year I would like to launch my website and for it to be a huge success.
2. Worst Fear?

This was super hard to answer so I thought I would go for something that most people are fearful of, spiders yak!

3. Whats your favouite vintage shop?

Again another hard choice, I am going to say all the shops in Mr Birds Emporium, by far the best vintage shops in Brum!

4. Most loved item of clothing? why?

My favourite item has got to be one of my Pretty Poppet dresses handmade by the lovely Sophie Keegan.  

5. What beauty item do you swear by?

At the moment it has to be YSL mascara, a bit on the expensive side but a fab fab mascara. 

6. Dream holiday?

NYC, I went there last year and I can't wait to go back!

7. Favourite type of cake?

Red Velvet Cupcakes mmmm!

8. Best memory of your childhood?

Too many to mention, probably family Christmas parties.

9. Biggest blog moment so far?

My followers taking the time to leave comments on my blog posts.

10. Guiltiest pleasure?

A long soak in the bath with a nice scented candle lit. 

11. Favourite Era of fashion?

Another hard choice but probably the 50's I love the fashion styles and shapes from that era.

My Questions to you:

1) What music are you currently listening to? 

2) What is your favourite piece of clothing? 

3) Where in the world would you most like to visit? 

4) What is your biggest achievement so far? 

5) Do you have any ambitions or resolutions for this year?

6) What is your favourite blog?

7) Favourite restaurant? 

8)Favourite accessory? 

9) Which item can you not leave the house without? 

10) Favourite book? 

11) Best tip you have been given about blogging? 

I would like to recommend the following blogs for this award:

Belle Glamour 

Pretty Little Fashionista

The Offbeat Girl

Impatience is a Virtue

Just a Pretty Face

Rebecca Alice

SamwichBox

Pooches and Cream

Little Paper Swans

Nicki Fannings Blog 

Beginners Beauty 

Website Feedback Please

Hi everyone, I have been working on my website and I should be ready to launch in a few weeks. If you have a spare few minutes will you pop over and take a look and let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions that I can use to make sure it's looking good for the launch day? 

 www.lauralovesboutique.com

Thank you, 

Laura xx

Leia Lingerie Bra Bargains

Hi Ladies just a quick blog post to review some underwear.  I placed an order last week with Leia Lingerie and it arrived today.  The delivery was really quick and I am really pleased with the bargains I picked up in their sale.  

If you haven't used the website before I really recommend it.  I used to shop in their bricks and mortar store in Liverpool until it shut down and it was my one stop place to go to pick up underwear and swimwear.  This is the second time I have used the website and I can't praise it enough.  

I ordered four bras from the Freya collection that retailed at around £30-£32 each full price.  With the huge 70% discount available on some of the ranges my total order including postage came to £38 so I managed to grab an absolute bargain.  Here are some of my top picks from the sale, head over there and take a look and see what you think.  

Laura xxx

Carys  £9.00 reduced from £30

Ivy £9.00 reduced from £30

Martha £8.70 reduced from £29.00

Bunting Workshop 21st February

Just a quick update on the workshop Lucy from Nothing New and I are running this year.  If you are Midlands based and you want to brush up on your sewing skills or practice a new skill our workshops are for you.  Our aim is to show you how to up cycle to create something new and our first workshop is on the 21st February.  We will be showing you how to make double sided bunting using a number of different fabrics.  It's perfect for beginners upwards.  

At the end of the night you will take away 2 metres of your bunting and a detailed instruction sheet so you can make more at home.  If you would like to book on get in touch as we now have limited spaces.  Email us at rethinkremakerelove@hotmail.com for more details xxx

Product of the Week

I thought I would add a regular feature where I feature either one of my products or a product I stock in store at Mr Birds Emporium.

This week I have chosen one of my own.  This product was really popular in the run up to Christmas and lots of people purchased them for gifts.  I am currently making another set of hearts in red and pink for Valentines Day.  

Product of the week this week? My handmade Resin Heart Rings £7 

Not feeling the Valentines vibe? Why not pick an alternative? Every time I wear my Black Heart Ring I can't help singing the Stooshe song in my head!

Perfect for those of you who's motto is Think Pink!

I will be back next week with a new product. 

Laura xxx

Calling all Independents

Hi everyone, hope you are all well, I have a had a few busy weeks having a good move around and sort out in the shop and I am really pleased with how things have gone.  I have changed the shop quite a bit, I no longer stock clothing but I have started to introduce the work of a number of independent artists and begun working on my own new ranges of cards, gifts and bags.

If you haven't already popped in my shop is in Mr Birds Emporium in Birmingham's Custard Factory just a short walk away from the City Centre.  There are a number of other independent traders in there that stock a huge range of vintage clothing, new Brum based brands, jewellery, art and much more. If you can't make it in to the shop, keep an eye out for my new and improved website.  I will be launching it in the next few weeks.

I have also begun stocking my work in a number of other retail outlets and I would love your help.  I am looking to extend the number of places I stock my work and I wondered if anyone knew of any places that sold the work of independent designer makers.  If you know of anywhere or you could point me in the right direction such as website or email address I would really appreciate it.  Drop me an email at lauralovesboutique@hotmail.com

Thank you, 

Laura xxxx

Music to work to ...

"Only miss the sun when it starts to snow"

Today I thought I would share what I am currently listening to ask work with you. I have been really busy working on my new ranges and I like nothing better than locking myself away in my room, getting the sewing machine out and putting some music on in the background.

Before Christmas I went to see Ed Sheeran in the Birmingham Ballroom which has sadly closed this week which is so disappointing for Birmingham as it was a really good place to watch live music.

 Ed Sheeran's support act was Passenger and whilst I was there I bought the album, All the Little Lights which has very rarely been out of my CD player since.

This song is one of my favourites, have a listen and let me know at you think.

Laura xx

My Week in Instagram Pics

 Well its been a busy old week and I thought I would share some of my Instagram pictures with you.  If you are on Instagram and you would like to follow me my username is lauraloves__

1) Spray Painting some new shelves for my shop, spray painting is fast becoming my favourite hobby!

2) Updated my embroidered initial pendants collection.  

3) Brand New Cards in stock in my shop. 

4) Gorgeous badges by Witty Hearts now available in store. 

5) My shop has had a makeover my new shelves are stuffed with gorgeous gifts. 

6) Pesky Snow - 2 hrs to get home! Usually a 20 minute journey. 

7) Lots of people have booked into the bunting workshop yippee!

8) A quick trip to London Town.

9)Necklace, Necklaces, Necklaces I have been a busy bee this week. 

10) Updating the website, hopefully ready to launch in the next week or two. 

11) Working on embroidered quotes. 

12) Brand new ranges coming soon, can't wait to share. 

How has your week been? Hope you have all had a great week. 

Laura xxx

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint Review

I picked up some of Barry M's Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint today and I am really really impressed with the product.  I chose Shade 9 a gorgeous Pomegranate colour whilst in Boots and paid £3.99 for the bottle.  At the moment Boots are running a Barry M promotion, if you buy two products you get an effects nail varnish free and there is a wide selection of glitter, gelly and magnetic polishes to choose from.  

The application of the polish is easy, the polish covers a large surface of the nail in the first brush and I only needed to use one coat for a very dense coverage.  I found that the polish dried within 5 minutes which is always a plus point with me and the finished effect was very smooth and shiny.  

I have taken a few snaps of the finish, the colour slightly different to real life in the picture, the actual colour is slightly darker.  

I am really impressed with the finish, it reminds me of a Shellac finish and I am confident that the colour will remain chip free for a number of days.  I have been making a lot of jewellery today and my nails are still chip free!  I am definitely going to purchase some more with Blood Orange, Plum and Grapefruit being top of my wish list.

Laura xxx 

Soap and Glory Love at First Blush Review

Hi everyone hope you are enjoying the snow, I am probably in the minority but I really do not like snow, I like how pretty it looks when it first falls but I really dislike the chaos that comes with it.  A few years ago I got stuck on my way home from work in a flurry of snow that resulted in me abandoning my car and walking around 2 miles to get home.

Anyway on with today's blog post, I wanted to share another beauty product with you.
I picked up this Love at First Blush blusher (£11) just after Christmas in a gift set in Boots and I wanted to share it with you as I love it! 

I am a huge fan of Soap and Glory and I usually get the large gift set they put together in the Boots range for Christmas and I was really glad to see it sitting under the Christmas tree again this year.  I haven't used Soap and Glory make up before and I was really impressed with this product.  

The packaging is gorgeous, I really love the vintage style they have gone for.  The packaging is also really durable which is a huge plus point for me as most of the blushers I have previously owned in plastic cases have ended up in pieces as a result of getting bumped in my bag or in my suitcase when travelling.  

The product inside is a wheel of different shades with a shimmer.  When I loaded my brush the first time i used it I could hardly see the colour on the brush, I decided to brush it on my cheeks first before loading more on the brush which was wise as it provided me with a peachy pink glow with a shimmer. A little of this product really does go a long way.  It is perfect for day wear as it is light although it could provide a more intense colour if you layer it up.  

I then used a eyeshadow applicator pad to use some of the lightest colour on the wheel as a highlighter. I placed at the end of my brow line and I also used it on the top of my cheekbones and I was really happy with the results.  

At £11 it is a little more expensive than other brands such as Rimmel and Maybelline however it is much cheaper than some of the higher priced brands.  I always find that Boots often place Soap and Glory on 3 for 2 most of the year so it might be a good product to stock up on some of your usual favourites and get this as part of your offer.  

If you head over to the Soap and Glory blog they are currently running a daily competition.  After that make sure you enter my competition too to win some new jewellery.  

Laura

xxx

Rethink, Remake, Relove Workshop Dates

Hi everyone, we have released the list of workshop dates now.  If you would like to join us please get in touch to book in by emailing us at rethinkremakerelove@hotmail.com

I will be uploading some pictures of some of the workshops to let you know the results and I would love to see some of you there.  

Laura xx

Thought of the Day

I found this lovely image today so I thought I would share it with you.  Have a good day everyone.  Don't forget to enter my giveaway.  I will be picking a winner at the end of January.

Laura xxx

January Giveaway

I can't believe we are in the middle of January already, time has really flown.  Lots of people seem to be having a case of the January blues probably a combination of December's excess and waiting for January payday.  

To cheer you all up I have decided to have a small giveaway.  I have been changing my store in Mr Birds around a little and I have taken on the work of lots of independent artists, designer makers and jewellery.  

I have just received a fab selection of new jewellery from Tallulah Rose.  The jewellery is part of their new collection.  The infinity and peace symbols are recognised around the world and they have incorporated it in their new range of jewellery.  

I have selected some of my favourite pieces from the range and decided to hold a raffle using Rafflecopter.  It is really simple to join in and there are lots of easy ways to gain extra entries.

Prize Details:

The lucky winner will receive a set of jewellery which includes

*A choice of either an infinity or peace beaded bracelet. 

* A beaded wire wrap ring

* A cord adjustable heart shell bracelet

The competition will run until the 31st of January and you can enter daily.  You can get extra entries by following my Facebook pages, Twitter or by joining my mailing list.

So what are you waiting for? Enter below and spread the word.
Laura xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rethink Remake Relove

Today I was able to announce an exciting new venture that I have started with Lucy who also has a shop, Nothing New in Mr Birds Emporium.  Over the last few months we have been very busy planning a series of up cycling workshops that will be starting in February.  The workshops range from the complete beginner to a designer in the making and will concentrate on using waste materials to create beautiful and useful items.  

Our first workshop is on the 21st February and begins with a bunting making workshop.  If you would like to find out more please join our Facebook like page.

Super Fat Eye Marker Review

I thought I would review a little gem I picked up in the Urban Outfitters sale a few weeks ago.  I love trying out different ranges of make-up but I have always struggled to perfect eyeliner.  

I saw this eyeliner in amongst a number of sale make up items and it was reduced to £4 so I though I would give a try.  The eyeliner is exactly as described and reminds me of the thick Berol felts from primary school.

The eyeliner is really simple to use and glides on easily, so far it is probably the easiest eyeliner I have come across to apply.  The line is easy to draw and its intensity, size and shape can be increased depending on the intended look.  

I have included a swatch of just the tip of the point and the edge of the marker below so you can get an idea of how it applies to the eye.  

I am really pleased with the product especially as it was such a bargain in the sale and I will definately look out for some more of the NYX Cosmetics products in the future.  

Laura xxx

DIY Above the Knuckle Ring

This year I have decided to add a few more posts to the group and I thought I would start uploading some simple DIY posts that you can follow to make your own crafts and jewellery.  I have been making jewellery for a number of years now, most of the techniques I use are self taught or from trial or error.

I thought I would start with some thing really simple yet effective so I decided to make an Above the Knuckle Ring.  

The rings need a minimal amount of equipment.  I picked mine up from The Birmingham Bead Shop which is based in the Custard Factory.  If you haven't been in before you should pop in or take a look at their website as they have a treasure trove of beads and findings and the staff are very helpful. 

I picked up some thick beading wire and a mini set of pliers, you don't need the whole set you can make the knuckle ring with just a set of round nose pliers.   I used round and flat pliers when making the ring as the twisting of the wire is fiddly and I find it easier to do with two pairs but it is personal preference.  To shape the ring I used a ring mandrel, it is not an essential piece of equipment for making the ring I have it in my toolkit for making my other pieces of jewellery.  The mandrel helps to shape the ring but you can also achieve this by using a marker pen or lip balm container depending on the size of the ring you are making.  

Step 1 - Cut off around 3-4inches of wire using side cutters on the pliers.  Wrap the wire around where you would like to wear the ring.  

Step 2 - Slide the ring off your finger .  It doesn't matter too much about the shape at this point as you will be able to fix it later on.  

Step 3 - Use the pliers to pinch the pieces of wire together slightly.  Hold the pliers and twist the pieces of wire so they loop round in an S shape.

Step 4 - Place the ring around the mandrel if you have one or your rounded object.  Continue to twist the wire to make your preferred design.  To make the one pictured I continually twisted the wires around each other in the S from the beginning.  

Step 5 - Using thumb apply pressure around the ring to smooth out any dents and correct the ring shape.  

Step 6 - Place the ring on your desired finger, wear it with style and listen to your compliments. 

If you give it a go I would love to see your pictures.  I am thinking of doing 1 or 2 DIY posts each month.  Is there anything you would like to see?

Laura xx  

Witty Hearts

I am pleased to announce that I now stock a range of items by Witty Hearts, a Liverpool based artist who creates a lovely selection of unique and bright prints with a heart theme.

My sister first alerted me to Witty Hearts after she bought some cards and a print for her new house from an arts and crafts fair and I could not wait to get some of the fabulous range in store at Mr Birds.

If you are looking for a valentines gift, piece of artwork to brighten up your home or an original card design rather than usual things you see on the high street why not pop in and take a look and support an independent artist?

Laura xx

Personalised Gifts

2013 is going to be a great year if the last week has been anything to go by.  One of my resolutions this year is to do more of what I love so I have been working on creating some brand new items.  I have decided to bring out a few new ranges this year and I thought I would share what I have been working on over the last few weeks.  

I have decided to extend my personalised range further.  As you may already know last year I began embroidering quotes and messages and framing them and they were very popular gifts.  I have had lots of requests for baby names and dates, weddings and favourite quotes and song lyrics and I am looking to extend this range even further in the coming months.  

I also started a range of personalised initial jewellery.  I have been embroidering letters on to a number of different fabrics and setting them in pendants.  Again they were very popular gifts for Birthdays and Christmas and I had lots of fun completing custom orders including a lovely pendant encasing two initials as a special order one of my Instagram followers picked up for his girlfriend.  

I will be working hard for the rest of the week on the new ranges and I will make sure I take plenty of snaps to share with you later on this week.  

Laura xxx

Irregular Choice Love

 "If the shoe fits, buy them in every colour"

So I kind of have a shoe obsession and Irregular Choice shoes are one of my favourite brands.  I have started to gather a collection of them and they are usually a talking point when I wear them.  My younger cousin shares my love of shoes and she spent most of New Years Eve trying them out for size!

One of my favourite pairs are my 'Patty' shoes, I love the design and I like to wear them with a plain dress.  Every time I wear them people ask me where I got them from.  The Patty range has been extended and I have got my eye on the same pair in a floral fabric.  

I have been browsing the website this week and I have now got my eye on a gorgeous pair of cat shoes which are part of their new range.  I already have a gold and black pair of IC's with a cat but these are super cute.  

Finally another pair caught my eye.  Since going to New York last year I am drawn to all things NYC and I spotted this pair which have the New York skyline stitched on to them.  There is also a matching handbag!

Laura xxx