Thursday 25 October 2012

Vintage Craft Carnival with a spooky twist


Yipee off to Kilburn on Saturday for my first market at The Vintage Craft Carnival. Looking forward to the fancy dress although it's now Thursday and I don't have anything lined up which is not very clever!

If your in the North West London area do call in, we're open from 12-6 @ The Priory Tavern, 250 Belsize Park Road, there will be lots of amazing stalls.

New Accessories AW'12


I am launching a new line of cute new rings and hairclips this weekend at The Vintage Craft Carnival in Kilburn. I have sourced a new supplier who designs and makes the cool laser cut shapes shown in the image. The 'Hot Lips' rings are really cool, but I love the swallows too! 

The blue handpainted bird is my fave though :o) They will be available to buy on Etsy very soon!

Thursday 4 October 2012

Robin & Rose in a book?


It's been a busy Summer and I think I'm just getting back to normal now. Lots of exciting things have happened including being included in a cool new book that was published in September - I am in PRINT. 
It's a great book called "Make Money from Makes" by Brightword Publishing very cool and I am thrilled to have been included. 

I'm doing 3 markets this month so had a huge big clear up last night to get myself organised. I'm also working on a new range of candles, literally putting the finishing touches to them this week so they should be ready for sale in November, just in time for Christmas. But for now you can still but candles online at my Etsy shop and I am offering 25% Off all order until Nov 30th with the code JCW25.

Will be back soon with more news on markets, new products and random ramblings x

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Kentish Town Market


Pop-Up Market at The Abbey Tavern, Kentish Town
I am really looking forward to my first market at the lovely Abbey Tavern in Kentish Town, it makes a change from have drinks and a boogie there!
There will be a BBQ and lots of lovely stalls including vintage and gift - so get yourself on the tube/bus and get yourself to North London.

Sunday 15th July 2-7pm (you can even have a lie-in!!!)


Thursday 5 July 2012

Stateside Summer


Stateside Summer

Well I've some new product ideas and exciting news are in the pipeline - but you'll have to hang in there a little bit longer as I don't want to jinx thing by blabbing too soon! 

A recent trip to Chicago threw up some new ideas, it's always great to get away an chill out for a few days to see something in a different light,  let new ideas sink in and figure out what direction to go in. Chicago was fab, sunny, friendly, clean, some great eateries and we stayed in a lush suite in the lovely MileNorth Hotel, which was a skip, hop and jump away from Neiman Marcus and a plethora of other fine retailers...heaven!

My problem has always been too many ideas and reigning them in but I have ben trying very hard to stay focused and hopefully this will all pay off in the next year. 

All very cryptic I know but it will all become clear very soon x

Enjoy the sunshine!

Friday 1 June 2012

Holiday Time!

Holiday Time!

I'm quickly trying to eat my tuna salad + type at the same time which has proved unsuccesful as I now have hiccups eeek
In 4 hours my holiday begins.....well starts by staying at an airport hotel tonight due to crack of dawn start tomorrow morning. Toronto + Chicago here I come, my boyfriend is having a bit of a moan about the 8hr flight and possible risk of boredom....however I'm not an in-flight entertainment expert so told him to stock up on magazines, newspapers, watch a couple of films, eat and sleep.

My sister has the groundwork done on the quality cafes in Toronto so I'll be trying them out and she is going to take me round the vintage/inde shop scene tomorrow - very, very excited and can't wait to take pictures of all the new inspirational ideas I'm going to see.

Going on holiday has  to be one of the best feelings ever, apart say from when you miss the flight due to bad, bad, bad, London traffic (and partly because you were planting a Jasmine plant when you didn't have time) and then having to celebrate your birthday at Frankie & Bennys in Gatwick airport............not my best birthday/holiday memory ever I can tell you.
This year my feet shall be firmly on Canadian soil to celebrate and it's cocktails all the way :-)

Monday 21 May 2012

Summertime & the living is easy......


Summertime and the living is easy..............

Ah, finally summer is in the air! My favourite season of the year, I am a summer child hence the love of roses perhaps!  I've lots of new candle ideas floating around and a recent visit around the shops has given me some great inspiration.
My real favourites are Liberty and Anthropologie, and possibly The White Company just for it's lovely, sparkling whiteness. 
Fever on Eastcastle Street has a great vintage vibe and I loved their 'wildflower' window display with a cool mix match of old jugs, jars and bottles on the old trunk.....very lovely indeed.

Food for the soul.

Saturday 5 May 2012

17.08.12 Caffine


Last week's issue of The Stylist had a coffee, one which included  a top 10 cafe list - so In a moment of caffine fueled madness I decided I was going to try all 10! 
 Friday 13th is a good a day as any to start and so I did by visiting the vibey Kaffine on Great Titchfield St., given it's just around the corner. 
So one flat white later, Kaffine is 100% recommended and they do a really good laymington cake.

Sunday 15 April - next on the list Monmouth - in my opinion the mecca of all things coffee, as I dragged my other half along with the promise of tea we found the Borough Market cafe CLOSED, disbelief, confusion, a bit of moaning and complaining on my behalf.  We then in our wisdom decided to do the 20 min walk to the Bermondsey branch also closed - admired the lovely blue shutters, not a coffee bean in sight!
At this stage it was lunchtime, I had not had a coffee - there was nowhere to get coffee so we continued to the O2 to see the Thin Lizzy exhibition and ended up in.......Costa with a mocha, sharing a soggy sandwich, followed by a lemon & poppy muffin to 'lift' the spirits' Soul destroying. 


Mon 16th April was a better day, I finished work and having checked opening hours, trotted off to Flat White in Berwick St. I needed a no fuss kick so a Macchiato it was and it was good, better than good.... the best macchiato. ever. 
I don't have anything else to say, just go there and try it out.

2 down 8 to go and since my anger has subsided I will be trying Monmouth again ;-)

21.03.12 Crafty Fox Market, Brixton


The Crafty Fox, Brixton

This weekend I'm packing my bags and heading south of the river to Brixton for the Crafty Fox Spring Market.

40 designers, crafters, makers all under one roof! It's going to be a good one I can feel it....
Check out craftyfoxmarket.blogspot.com for details.

Having a little bit of  a wick drama - or lack of wicks as the case may be....no wicks no candles ahhhhh! Trying not too stress out and I have a back up wick plan just in case :o)

14.03.12 Landmark Occasions

Landmark Occasions

There are certain times in everyone's life that stick out as a moment in time, in my case my First Holy Communion, dropping my Aunt to Shannon airport to fly back to New Orleans in 1985, the day my first dog died.....the time my second dog died :o(, my first kiss, the day my little brother was born, my Deb's ball, my Leaving Cert results (with by big fat E in maths and A1 in Art), the first time I moved out of home to college and lots more.

On Saturday 10th March however was an extra special landmark - the first time I have stocked a REAL bricks and mortar shop AND one of my soy candle's was the first thing to sell, how exciting!

Roses & String is a fab pop up shop on Queen's Parade, Walm Lane, Willesden, North West London.....just a quick skip and a hop down from the underground station and also the area that is home to my favourite Indian restaurant - Kadiri's yum, yum.
Owned by partners Laura and Heather, Roses & String is home to some great handmade products and well worth a visit if your in the area (along with Nest cafe if your in need of a cuppa!)

Check out their website for details rosesandstring.com
 

08.03.12 Mothers Day March 18th


It's that time of year again, the one official day of the year where Mum's everywhere get spoiled (at least I hope they do)! This year I have got my Mother a beautiful handmade card by the lovely Lauren Robinson from LCR Designs and a cool handmade knitting needle holder by Heather Bottomley - which I bought at The Vintage Tea Party & Gift Fair in Highgate last weekend - topped off with a course from The Make Lounge in Islington. 

I always prefer to send and receive gifts when they are least expected, random gifts always have that great surprise element and a handwritten card, postcard and note means so much more than an email or is it me just being old fashioned?
I'm making my St. Patrick's Day cards tonight to send to my relatives - the shop bought versions are a bit naff and twee so I going to give mine the genuine touch and get posting this weekend. 

Also making a massive batch of candles tonight as I am totally out of stock bar 4 candles and with the much awaited, very exciting Muswell Hill Market on this weekend I need to get melting wax big time!

04.03.12 Spring Clean


Spring Clean - No More 'Keeping Things'
Having a lovely, lovely lazy Sunday apart from my energetic burst of spring cleaning this morning, which has left me feeling very smug (and wiped out) with two bags of 'stuff' discarded into the big black wheelie bin.
I really am working hard on my hoarding habit which my other half is very proud of, technically I do understand his point about me having to many things, but one of my Grandmothers had a motto of 'if you hold on to something for long enough you will find a use for it' and my other Grandmother just held on to things for pure sentimental value so I may be genitically programmed to keep 'important stuff'

On the flip side my Mother discards of EVERYTHING including my first pari of Levi's, my childhood giant Panda Bear, the list goes on. Poor Panda, just because he had a few holes where the stuffing was coming out, we could have patched him up but he was banished to the fire before I could save him!

Apart from my ramblings above, I have lots and lots of exciting things happening in the coming month including two new stockists whoohoo - watch this space for details :o)

The fab Muswell Hill Market is on next Saturday 10th March - the first of a monthly market in the heart of Muswell Hill
www.muswellhillmarket.com

14.02,12 Sniffles & Romance

Sniffles Ahoy!

This week finds me suitably feeling sorry for myself thanks to tummy bug and sniffles that figured it would be a good week to take me down. Plus I'm spending Valentine's at a trade fair, miles away from London all on my lonesome, sadness further induced by listening to Rod Stewart's Maggie May and an array of questionable songs that I don't recognise but would imagine come under the title of 'Gloden Era Easy Listening' and not in a cool retro way.

But every cloud has a silver lining and mine is the fact that my illness has got to the point that I cannot work so I'm getting the train back to London this evening for some TLC from my Romeo/partner in crime yipee. Must not get too excited though or I'll have a coughing fit - not pretty.

Duvet day for me tomorrow, how good is that? I've forgotton what my home looks like in working hours. Daytime TV, chicken noodle soup & Lemsip should have me back to my good old self in no time.

Happy Valentine's Day

06.02.12 - Cupcakes and snow



Another lovely Saturday spent with The Vintage Tea Party & Gift Fair ladies at the weekend.
I have to say it was a tad on the chilly side out in the Stables but I was well wrapped up!!!
A cup of coffee and cake seem to make everything better and I indulged in a yummy cupcake of mammoth chocolate proportions - Nutella and Ferrero Rocher all combined in one unsuspecting little cupcake....genius.

I also picked up the latest edition of The Vintage Mag Rag which I read and reread while tucking into my cupcake Saturday night, watching the snow flakes fall and actually stick (proper snow, not slush or sleet or hailstones, real sticky snow).
Yet another great issue with lots of tips, advise and intresting articles plus it's available to read online at www.thevintageragmag.com

www.vintageteapartyandgiftfair.co.uk

30.01.12 - Busy, busy, busy



Wow I'm exhausted and it's only Monday! I've had a busy weekend putting the finishing touches to my fizzy handmade bath bombs, I've opened my www.wowthankyou.co.uk shop and if that wasn't enough I made my first batch of scented soy tealights tonight.

Plus I've started my fitness classes again after finding every excuse know to man for the past few weeks, I dragged myself to Zumba on Wednesday and Danace, Fit & Tone on Saturday morning. I feel great...a few twinges in my arms and abs so at least I was working hard.
Big thanks to Jane @JCWFitness amazing teacher as always :o)

01.12.11 VTP Xmas Special



I'm so excited to be attending the fab Vintage Tea Party & Gift Fair Xmas Special this Saturday 3rd Dec. There have been rumours of mulled wine, mince pies and lots of festive fun......it's a great excuse to get the Christmas shopping done ;o)

I'll have my bestselling Spiced Cinnamon Apple soy candles on sale along with handmade Nordic style christmas cards and lots of great value gift ideas.
Hope to see you there!

 www.vintageteapartyandgiftfair.co.uk for details