There have been a lot of new things in my life recently. Most prolific are the changes and deteriorations to my health and fitness. This has brought about many changes too in a domino effect of sadness. I have lost friends who I thought were dear and true to me alongside friends who were just out to grab what I could give at the time. Both hurt as much as the other actually, I'm not sure why but being left out of parties and play dates of people I was just starting to know cut as deep a wound as being ignored by friends of 15yrs+. I think it's because it made me feel that this.was.it. Now I was ill, no ne else would want to make friends, put up with my occasional flakiness, bother to understand me... why would they? Too much hassle for someone you barely know when there's a wealth of healthy individuals who can stay out all day running around parks, London museums, restaurants, nights out. To top it off I'm a horror sci-fi fan who is into metal and hippy stuff. Still a taboo in the general world of 'mummy dating' it seems...
...but it also brought about a domino effect of happiness that I wasn't expecting. I DID meet new people. People who understood what it was like to feel chronic pain and be left behind like the lame dog. People who understood what it was like never quite fitting in with the popular group. People who understood how it felt to have a bit of a 'what the fuck' life moment and are still not quite sure how they're going to pick their stuff up and get it all together. These people have been part of the backbone that has helped me pull myself back up (alongside my fantastic hubster, children, parents and very close friends). I'm really thankful for that. One of these people is Tamz from The Fit & Fluffy Mama. This lovely lady is a true inspiration to me and we stumbled across each other quite randomly one evening in a parenting forum on Facebook which is based around a love for slings and babywearing. She was in hospital on Mother's Day and posted a gorgeous photo of her LO's handprints given to her as a gift from her friend. We got chatting about the hospital thing and realised that we are sharing the same specialist hospital (UCLH). Now, we have different health things going on, Tamsin is coping with an extremely painful and rare condition that I can only imagine how hard it is dealing with but she took the time to write back, to be positive and shine love, to think of others when she is going through the most terrible time... like I say, a true inspiration. On top of that, through our chats and reading her blog, I've discovered she is one cool cookie too and wanted to share her ramblings with you all. So please, take some time out to pop over and check The Fit & Fluffy Mama out. Tamz has just made her debut into vlogging and is currently writing some ace pieces about re-useable cloth menstrual pads. Definitely informative, important and eye-opening reading! Say 'Hi!' from me! Xx
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I've been playing with my striping tape recently, it produces some really effective nail art with limited technical difficulty and is extremely versatile. I thought I'd show you a little photo blog of my latest mani using both striping tape and ombré effect. Firstly, get your materials together. Make sure your nails are clean, filed and ready to go. It's advised to apply a good base coat first however i'm naughty and don't usually. Be better to your nails than I am, people! Next, apply a base colour. This helps your ombré nails look evenly spread. I chose gold but other popular choices when creating an ombré nail is white or black depending on the colours chosen. I find it's best to chose a varnish that has pretty great coverage with just one coat, to avoid having heaps of product on your nail. Often if you have too many layers of varnish, it'll just peel off after a few days. That sucks. Ok, now wait for your nails to dry. Once dry, grab your sponge. This is an old washing up sponge, fine in texture but foundation sponges work great as well. Paint the two colours of varnish horizontally on to the sponge how you wish them to appear on the nail. Quickly, press the sponge on to the chosen nail as if you are sponge painting on to paper. During this step, I always feel like I'm three and thoroughly enjoying messy play at pre-school! It takes a bit of practice, you have to dab a few times and WILL get a messy finger around your nails. There are various methods of reducing the excess on your fingers (Vaseline, cello tape) but hey, it's only varnish and it comes off, so again I'm naughty and I don't bother. Be better to your fingers than I am, people! Don't forget to leave your accent finger plain gold and wait for your nails to dry. For this mani, I only wanted an accent finger in stripes - so I chose which finger (ring) I wanted to prep and went ahead and cut some tape. I find it easiest to cut off a good few lengths and stick them to my fingertip or wrist, then I can pick and chose where I want to place each one without having to stop each time to cut more lengths. Once you have placed your striping tape on to your accent nail in the desired pattern, paint over it with your chosen colour. I debated doing ombré over this too but I decided to stick with plain orange this time, to make it stand out a little more. Whilst you're waiting for this to dry, clean up around your other nails. I use a cotton bud dipped in nail varnish remover and a Barry M nail varnish remover pen for the really close edges for a nice sharp finish. Look, a nice bit of Vulcan for you. Once you're all cleaned up around your ombré nails and your top colour over you striping tape is dry, gently pull off the striping tape, strip by strip. Make sure you try and take them off in the order opposite to how you put them on (last to first) as this will make peeling easier. All that needs to be done now, is to put an ace top coat over your creations, let it dry... and you're done! I also created this last week, which was popular over on IG. I really love the diamond effect on my index finger and am thinking of doing a mani based around this next week. If you have a go at these or have another creation with striping tape/ombré to share, let me know, I could feature you here! I'd like to write a little about my life. My health, to be precise. I've
finally come to terms with the fact I have incurable chronic illnesses, some of which are degenerative... and I'm ok with that now. I'm still really angry... but ok. Aged 5, I suffered a severe attack of Henoch Schonlein Purpura which left me with a damaged kidney and rubbish immune system. My immune system attacked my internal organs, something I later discovered it would continue to do silently for the years to come. After I recovered, life became normal - I was your average surly, music-obsessed teenager. Sure, my hips would lock out of place and have to be clicked back, I twisted my ankles every 10 seconds, I regularly chipped, bruised and fractured small bones, my skin was so sensitive to the point where I was once bedridden and on 2 types of medication for 10 days due to blisters... yeah... BLISTERS (The heeled jelly shoes were so worth it, I love you 90's). I suffered bad growing pains, ribs that would feel like they were stabbing me, legs feeling ready to fall off, throat infections that would never leave me, horrendously heavy monthly cycles... but that was me and it seemed normal. My mum was pretty much the same, as was my nan. We were clumsy, broken, forgetful, tired, we had 'women's problems', we just made do. I did ok at school, we moved to the South coast. I got a job but had to quit training to be a nursery worker as I was just too sick. I caught everything off of the children and just couldn't shake it. Crap immune system as usual. I stopped going to the dentist as the injections didn't numb me and they didn't believe me. Just me panicking. I had a stick I borrowed from a friend as sometimes my leg and knee would cramp and make it unbearable to walk on for a day or two. Swellings would appear behind my knees, in my arms. Just me overdoing it. The palpitations I'd always shrugged off as being a top class panicker like my mum, like my nan, got worse. A GP said I needed to wear less black and get out more, thanks for that. If i got up too quickly, I'd have to sit down or face fainting. Just me overdoing it. Just a small panic attack. Just tired (but why can't I sleep? Ever?) I was exhausted. The birth of my first son distracted me. I was all about him. I had this stuff going on in the background but I never thought of it or of myself, as my life was his. I became a single parent, he was suffering with an eye problem which has left him with limited vision in his left eye, I did as much as I could, I settled him in to pre-school followed by a lovely primary school and watched him flourish. I met a fantastic man who became my dear husband - who laughed at my cack-handedness and ability to catch every illness under the sun yet supported me through it all. I was still exhausted. When I fell pregnant with my second son, everything went downhill. It was a hard pregnancy, I lost almost two stone in weight and suffered terribly with Gestational Diabetes. Both my labours we're extremely quick with a lot of post-birth bleeding. I recovered well though, and was informed as the nurse was seeing to my first degree tear that I was immune to the local anaesthetic used for numbing (take that, stupid dentist!). It wasn't until about 18 months after that I realised just how awful I was feeling, I just couldn't shake it. A terrible lump had developed in my throat making it unbearable to swallow and sometimes breathe/talk. My hair was still falling out in clumps, my body ached all over. All the time. I couldn't sleep, I was over exhausted, my heart was permanently racing, I would be sweating yet hands and feet purple and freezing. I finally went to my GP. Zoom forward in time, after piecing together the Impossipuzzle of my life over the last 33 years through countless back histories, research, tests, crying, more tests, more crying, PAIN, a team of specialists finally think they have me sussed out. And you know what? The answers were there all along. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (type 3, investigating type 1): I have more than likely had since birth, is genetic and probably passed through my maternal line. My mum's chronic fatigue, joint, heart and mobility problems? Probably this instead. My Nan's chronic fatigue syndrome, spinal fusion, heart probs? Yeah probably this too. Ditzy? Clumsy? Bendy? In agony with it all? It all ties in to the one thing this condition is about... collagen. The reason I ache all over, have uncontrollable twitches, weird rashes, horrible pains and stupidly bendy joints. The reason why I have flamingo knees and hips that pop back into place, the reason my body sounds and feels like bubble wrap, why I fall over and drop stuff and rip my skin open by unscrewing a blinkin' Pepsi lid... This is incurable, degenerative and can badly affect mobility. Although you can slow down the onset with correct physio and support in youngsters, I've had 33 years of low level damage - coupled with the illnesses below, my body is starting to throw its hands up and surrender to it. I however, won't. If you'd like to read up about this, take a look here. POTS: The reason why I can't walk too far for too long without feeling like I'm never going to recover the next day, why I can't stand up too quickly or hold my hands above my head for a longer period of time (oh, the up-do on my hair, how I miss you!) The reason I need to have my legs and feet pummeled into life as I watch them turn shades no skin should ever turn, why I feel like I'm having a heart attack whenever an unexpected telephone call or doorbell ring occurs... we are still yet to work out of this has always been with me and has been agitated by the shock of my second childbirth, as it can be brought on by trauma and is related to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome too. If you'd like to know more, take a look here. Hashimotos Disease: The simplest of my chronic illnesses. And we come back full circle to my Immune system. My body thinks my Thyroid gland is a threat (just like it did all those years ago with the Henoch Schonlein and my internal organs). It's obviously not, the Thyroid gland is one of the most important parts of your body, it regulates so much and the hormone it produces is vital to living. So when my immune system attacks mine, it swells and works extra hard to fight back and produce more Thyroid hormone... which makes my system attack it more... you get the picture. This is balanced now with medication to take control of my Thyroid and make up for the lack of hormone it is producing synthetically. This doesn't stop my body attacking it but it slows it down. The swelling has stopped and although I'm left with a small goitre and scar tissue from the attacks, it hopefully won't get to the horrendous stage it was before medication. I will be on medication for life with this badboy which is controlled with 6 week blood tests to up or lower my meds depending on whether my immune system is feeling fighty or loved up with my thyroid. If you'd like to read up a little, take a look here. So, over the last few months especially I have had to fight for diagnosis as these are some pretty specialist subjects - none of which I would have known about if it hadn't of been for my brilliant endocrinologist at Princess Royal. My GP (who knew nothing of any of these condition but DID tell me off for not coming to see her years ago) has been brilliant and willing to refer me to everyone and anyone who would help, whilst learning along with me. Each step further to a diagnosis filled me with joy that I wasn't a freak or making stuff up, these results were legit and correct... but they also filled me with the weirdest feelings of anger and dread. Why me? Why our family? We had some young sudden deaths on my maternal side, were these related? They wrote them down and gave me the 'look'. It's genetic... my kids... Incurable. Chronic. Pain management. Wheelchair. I don't want to be looked after. I don't want to not be who my husband married. It's hard not to go to a dark place and think of the worst. A pain you just have to live with. No one can fix it, this is your life from now and it will probably get a bit more painful and a bit more rubbish, sorry and all that. I did cry. And I did wish it wasn't me, again and again, mainly at night when I was up with a racing heart which won't stop palping because my toddler had *coughed* unexpectedly. But, I'm ok with that now. I'm still really angry... but ok. I wrote this to break the on-going taboo of 'invisible illnesses' and to raise awareness. I'm often told I look well and normal, I don't look disabled or in pain. Just like mental illness, often we don't get to see what is truly breaking people on the inside. Thank you for reading, you lovely lot Xx Hi lovelies! I thought I’d write up a little nail art tutorial. I got given some nail tape from a friend and decided to give it a whirl, documenting as I go along. First, there are so many designs you can do with nail tape! Have a think of what you’d like to do before deciding on a pattern and colours. I always scour instagram and Google images for ideas and colour combinations before taking the plunge. Today I decided to go for a rainbow effect under black, with a black chalky accent nail. Here’s how I achieved it. After removing my old scraps of varnish, I cleaned my hands and nails with soap and water and applied my base coat. Whilst this was drying, I chose which colours I wanted for my first layer of rainbow effect colours. I lined them up making sure the colours looked great together and would have a nice flow. I then took each colour one by one and painted a splodge on each nail. Now, splodge as I’m sure you know, isn’t really a technical term but it sums up this technique pretty well! You don’t have to be super careful with lines and shapes, just as long as you end up with all your chosen colours on your nail that’s all that matters at this stage. Wait for your nails to dry. Next, grab your striping tape. This cute stuff can be bought online from eBay from about a squillion shops for dead cheap. No particular brand is better than another, it’s basically just a low tack very thin masking tape. I prefer to work out how many strips I will need for my pattern per finger and pre-cut them - sticking them to my table as I go along, ready for me to take off and apply to my nail. It saves trying to cut out a load of strips from the reel when you’re half-covered on your fingers. Make sure to leave enough at the end to make the tape easy to peel off. Place your tape in the desired pattern of your choice. I’ve gone for a criss-cross pattern on mine today but you could do horizontal or vertical stripes, one stripe on its own, random placement… whatever takes your fancy. Don’t worry about any messy edges yet, there’ll be plenty of time to tidy up once the final effect has dried. Once you’re happy with all of your tape placement, grab the colour you want to go over the top. I have chosen a black here as I think it will work really well with the bright colours popping out underneath when the tape is taken off. Take care not to pile your nail full of colour, just one or two light coats depending on how opaque your top layer of varnish is, will suffice. Wait for your nails to dry. Carefully and gently peel off your tape pieces, one by one. If you layered your tape as I did in a criss-cross they will be interlocked, so make sure you remove the top tapes first, moving down to the bottom ones, to avoid smudging or pulling them all up in one go. Once all of your tape is removed, you should see your first base of colour splodges showing from underneath! Finally, finish off your look with a good quality top coat and decorate your accent finger as desired. I have gone for a chalk dust effect on mine. You can then tidy your edges with a cotton bud or cleaner - I use Barry M Nail Corrector Pen, which has replacement nibs and a gorgeous smell compared to your average nail varnish remover. Job done! This look reminds me of my childhood! It brings back memories of brightly coloured clothes, tacky headbands, chalk and blackboards at school, scribbling with pastels on the warm tarmac in summer... I'm really pleased with how it came out. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tutorial. If you give it a go, I’d love to see the results! Equally, if you have any requests just let me know.
In the 9 years i've been living in and around Beckenham, i've noticed our wonderful little town loves a good old-fashioned fair and market. We've had seasonal fun, local school-based frivolties and overseas foodies, all of which have been a great success. There's something about Beckenham that welcomes the warm, traditional joy a fair can bring; whether it's bonding over a hot toddy, trying not to laugh as your little one screams to get off of the ride he's begged to go on for the last FOURTY-FIVE MINUTES or just a chance to sit back, enjoy and take stock for a wee while. On Saturday 18th May, Market On The Green took place, on the, aherm, green. This time round Beckenham was host to local produce and craft Kent-based companies, including some scrummy food and drink, on stage entertainment, Morris dancers, stilt walkers and fairground rides. The aromas flowing from the food stalls were mouth-wateringly tempting from the moment i stepped off of the bus and made my way to the Green. I had my two kids and was a little concerned with the sheer amount of people i could see streaming in and out of the area, however, everything was superbly placed that customer flow was very easy. We decided to have a good old look round before deciding what to purchase, as there was so much to choose from and see. The weather was lovely, warm yet a little overcast to take the edge off. The trees had little pullovers in case they got chilly. Quite thoughtful of the organisers! Whilst wandering around i bumped into a few friends, my parents and the gorgeous Lynda from Beckenham's very own award-winning hair salon, Baccarat. Everyone had a smile on their face and were enjoying the delights that these great local businesses were offering us under brightly coloured canopys and tempting tasters. After buying some delectable cupcakes from Munchkin Kitchen, we headed over to the Howards Of Kent stall. I have known Howards Of Kent's very own Vodka Lady on Twitter for some time yet have always missed her at tweetups and other local markets. It was really lovely to finally touch base with her, have a little natter (as the stall was extremely busy, rightly so!) and pick up some absolutely delicious vodka. The lovely Vodka Lady herself says 'They say if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well life gave me lemons but I decided to make Limoncello instead and it was delicious!'. Believe me, it is delicious. I was lucky enough to win a small sampler of this tastebud tingling vodka over on Facebook. The difference between shop bought 'flavoured Vodkas' and Howards Of Kent vodka based fruit drinks is immense. All fruits used are fresh and natural, no hidden nasties, it makes such a difference. The intense flavours and richness of their drinks are just something else. Whilst picking up my Limoncello win, i bought a Damson too. I am now
excitedly looking forward to catching them at another fair soon to make some more purchases! I have since used about a third of the bottle in shot form, carbonated drinks and fresh fruit juice. I highly recommend Howards Of Kent as a great local, individual company selling something naturally naughty, which will genuinely make you turn your head away from any other Vodka based drink. Myself and my boys had a great afternoon at Market On The Green in Beckenham. I urge you to keep a look out for any other events happening here and to pop along. You can meet some great people, buy some fantastic products and, most importantly, see trees wearing pullovers. I mentioned earlier I’m partial to the colour black and stripes. Well, another of my slight obsessions are skulls. You can imagine my joy then, as I browsed through Orissa Boutique’s array of gorgeously unique accessories to find (amongst numerous other fab things) heaps of them! I first came across Kent based accessory business Orissa Boutique on Twitter. They are relatively new to tweeting and quite a new business themselves, so it’s still a bit quiet over there. (Follow them and help get things going!). They have a great Facebook page which is regularly updated and full of photos of their available stock - this is where I spent my evening drooling over bags, earrings, bracelets and scarves… so many beauuuutiful scarves! Orissa Boutique say they “pick out simple & unique pieces that will help you stand out from the crowd, not blend in with the masses” and this is entirely true. I’ve always been one for wearing what I think looks great, coming up with individual ideas and ways to wear things - Orissa Boutique support this way of thinking too, which can only be a good thing in a day and age where cost can force people into ‘cheap’ shops to buy clothes that everybody else is wearing. I was very generously sent an item of my choice to write about here. After having a mini-breakdown (everything was too good to chose between!), I picked a beautiful wheat coloured scarf with printed skull design. Communications between Orissa Boutique and I were lovely, postage of my item was extremely speedy and safe. Enough of my ramblings… on to the pretties! My scarf was wrapped in deep purple tissue paper complete with cute stickers and a little business card. Always handy to have! On opening, the scarf almost dripped out of it’s wrapping, like waves lapping at the beach, it was so soft! I could not wait to get it on! Now there are many ways to wear a scarf depending on the length, thickness, outfit, weather etc How do you like to wear yours? Orissa Boutique suggest grabbing the scarf by one point/edge and giving it a shake out before draping round yourself however you desire. This is the optimum way to make sure you have maximum length to style with. I’m partial to just draping my accessory-style scarves lazily round my neck, perhaps secured with a vintage brooch… …or triple knotting it for a more structured look. The weave of the scarf is delicate enough for summer wear however it has a LOT of length and width, so can easily double up for colder weather too. I love how it is so versatile. Now I’ll admit, I wouldn’t have thought to put these colours together - a soft beigy-wheat with oranges, yellow, white, turquoise and pinks but it works stunningly well. The weave of the scarf means when worn more pashmina-style in one layer, it almost looks pastel. Squished together, it illuminates to eye-popping brights. Again, so versatile! One problem I have with having a bit of a scarf collection going on, is how to store them. There are various ways (hanging, stuffing in sleeves, shoving in a box, laying flat) but I’ve recently been made aware of a new technique I thought I’d share with you. This is a link to Emily Chapelle’s video on how to braid a baby wearing wrap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtrfKLxZL4Q I figured the same thing could be applied to scarves for ease of storage. It makes your scarves look really pretty too, doesn’t cause massive creasing and is pretty therapeutic to do, if you have quite a few as I do! The result: Pretty, no? The scarf also inspired me to do a bit of matching nail art. The colours go really well on the nail too, it’s definitely a new palate to play around with again. Of course I had to get a skull in there. So. I am an Orissa Boutique convert - not that I took much converting in the first place, I was already a fan! The fast send out, great communication, quality of the product AND idea behind unique, affordable fashion that Orissa Boutique have really makes me happy. Everything (minus their bags) is under £20, which means anyone can grab themselves a little treat. We all need one of those once in a while. I’m off to flounce around in my scarf some more and work out which piece I’m going to buy for my mama, as it’s her birthday soon. Follow Orissa Boutique on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Orissaboutique Like Orissa Boutique on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OrissaBoutique Visit Orissa Boutique’s website: www.orissaboutique.co.uk/ Today I thought I’d blog about my OOTT - Outfit Of The Day! I had a bit of a rubbish nights sleep worrying about an ECG I have to have tomorrow and my toddler (he’ll be known as Fluffy, here) kept waking with what I assume are night terrors. So this morning, with the sun shining, I was determined to make myself feel a little better with clothes, accessories and a cup of tea. I’ll start from the floor and work up. My hi-tops are actually my hubster’s! He bought them a good few years back from a small shop in Bromley I believe. They aren’t a named brand but I adore the white/red combo and they are so comfy. Not to be worn if there’s any chance of April showers though (I know we’re in May now, but we all know the weather has had some issues recently!) as they get quite soggy being made of canvas-type material. I couldn’t leave my socks out, I just love these cuties from Tesco. They come in a pack of 5 for £5 in different animal prints, based around the colour grey. I am wearing the leopard print pair as I’m feeling very leopard-ish. Rawr. I’m wearing my staples of black leggings and a black v-neck skinny fit t-shirt from Peacocks, teamed with a black jersey mini-skirt from UNIQLO. Yes, a lot of black. I’m trying to move in to colour but unless its on my lips or bra I can’t bring myself to do so! Blame Nine Inch Nails. Anyway I’m sure you can imagine what they look like. Over my carefully matched blacks, I’m wearing a white and black striped cardigan from Primark. I found this little beauty in a charity shop in Eltham last weekend for £3. Again over the course of this blog, you’ll see I’m very fond of a stripe or two (blame Kurt Cobain for that one) and charity shops, too. I’m accessorising today with My first attempt at comic book style nails! I’m really into nail art and experimenting with different techniques which I will share with you as and when I try them out. I didn’t use any tutorials for this one, just drew from a few inspirational photos on Instagram and took the plunge. I used a range of Ciaté colours, an Avon dotting tool and a Barry M nail art pen in black to create this look. I’ll go into more detail on products I use for my nail designs when posting solely about them. Feeling a bit kick-ass with my nails, I opted to wear Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick #028 Cherry Blossom. I don’t usually wear lipstick, but when I do, I adore deep reds, purples and blacks. Cherry Blossom is a gorgeous moisture filled lipstick with great lasting power, highly recommended for all you lipstick wearers out there. I’m also wearing a fantastically gorgeous Cameo necklace by the lovely PipAndSqueak. I am in love with her jewellery! Yasmin carefully picks and crafts each piece to be perfectly individual and beautiful. She also makes bespoke pieces such as charm bracelets completely tailored to your desires. Speaking from experience, PipAndSqueak has a fantastic customer relations that’s rarely seen these days. Take a peek over at www.facebook.com/pipandsqueeak My last accessory of course usually never leaves my side. Fluffy! Today he’s loving stripes, corduroy, polka dots and skulls. And Jaffa cakes. What were you wearing today?
Socialising through #BeckBromFL on Twitter I have found great local businesses and lovely people. Ami, of Angelcasts happens to fit both of those criteria! I have been in awe of her wonderful casting creations for a long while. Coming from an artistic background myself, I can appreciate on many levels the kind of talent, hard work and love that goes into each and every cast Ami takes. I’d been thinking for a good while what I would like to have and hearing about Ami’s Imprint Kits I instantly knew it was this that would work for us as a family. I met Ami at the SE20 Craft Fair, had a natter, pawed over her gorgeous array of multicoloured casts of teeny weenie feet and picked up my kit! The kids and I decided on a crafting day to imprint both of their hands as keepsakes, which I documented for you, so… here is our experience with the wonderful Angelcast’s Imprint Kit. First things first, the packaging is gorgeous, thick textured card and wire-rimmed ribbon make this product feel and look luxurious. Plus, I’m a big fan of green in design - so I’m bound to be biased! Inside the box, we had everything we needed. A protective sheet to make sure my surfaces weren’t marked whilst rolling the clay. A wooden knife and rolling pin (which were both simply adorable in their slightly mini-size), some beautiful ribbon for hanging/decoration and of course, the clay - securely wrapped in plastic wrapping and an organza bag. The most important thing of course is the instructions, which were easy to follow and clear for both I and my 10 year old to comprehend. I decided to remove my rings and roll my sleeves before cutting and rolling, which is a good tip as my hands did get a bit mucky. It’s easy to wash off of course, but I’m a bit of a drama-queen when it comes to having grit or dirt (or clay!) in my rings. Cutting, rolling and moulding the clay was super-easy. It was the perfect consistency and easy to fold up and roll again when I hadn’t given myself enough the first two times. So once we had rolled out a sufficient amount of clay for my eldest’s hand print, we decided to bite the bullet and try a print! Ami explains in her instructions that if you make an imprint you are not overly keen on, you can simply roll or fold the clay and start all over again. It really couldn’t be easier (or more fun!). Making the imprint was again as easy as described. We started by applying pressure from the base of the palm of his hand, working our way to each individual finger. Once we were satisfied he’d pushed as much as we could, we gently peeled back my eldest’s fingers one by one, then palm… to reveal our imprint! We were both really happy with the result! We then rolled out another piece of clay and got my toddler involved! I have to admit I was slightly nervous that he’d throw a tantrum, refuse to touch it or even it eat it (all three highly likely) but once he was sat on my lap and had had a good look at the clay, he was intrigued and surprised enough by the doughy cold texture that he let me press his hand firmly into it, just as I had done with my eldest. Gently peeling back his hand revealed another super print! We sat as a three in our kitchen, huddled over our imprinted pieces of clay discussing the fingerprints, shapes and textures on both of their hands, it was truly fascinating and a really bonding, fun experience! As I type this, our imprints are drying in the kitchen, a simple process
which just involves leaving them until they turn white and hard on one side, then gently turning them over so that the back dries in the same way. It seems such a simple thing but I am so chuffed to have a little piece of both my boys life as they stand now. I can imagine looking back at the imprints in 5, 10, 20 years, when memories of just how *tiny* their hands used to be are fading. Putting my own hands in their prints and reminiscing about all the hand swings, rounds of applause and kisses I’ve given those little paws… so thank you Ami and Angelcasts for allowing me to capture that moment in time. Find out more about Ami’s work at her website: www.angelcasts.co.uk Follow Angelcasts on twitter @angelcastshelp Like Angelcasts on Facebook: www.facebook.com/angelcastshelp I remember my first experience of Garden Of Pomegranates well. The #BeckBromFL Twitter hashtag was alight with locals raving about a wonderful woman who had true healing hands and an amazing setting where these magic hands do their work. Over weeks, then months, of Tweeting and sharing I began to feel like I’d known Nathalie for a lifetime. The positive reviews kept on coming for her unique Ayurvedic massage therapy and I was now a regular visitor to her website Garden Of Pomegranates pouring over the wealth of amazing treatments to be had, whilst building up a lovely friendship. On Friday the Of March, I was lucky enough to experience the true healing of Nathalie's hands myself! I was booked to have an extended Pada Abhyanga (foot and leg massage). On arriving at Garden Of Pomegranates, i was instantly made to feel at home. Nathalie, just as i had imagined, is a wonderfully warm, friendly, caring and attentive host, looking after my coat, offering me tea and water and being patient with me when i took forever filling out the pre-massage forms on my health! I also made friends with Nathalie's gorgeous fluffy cat, who sleepily watched over me as i filled my forms and sipped some delicious ice cold water. Once my history and health was all wrapped up, Nathalie took me into the treatment room. The rest of the house had already been gorgeous but this, this was something else. Plush fabrics and rich colours filled the room, the mood lighting was amazing - soft light and warmth beaming from an open fire. I was stunned. Nathalie left me to get prepared, on to the treatments table and under the gorgeously soft blanket. Once i was ready, she came in and began. I will not describe the massage process here as it is something i cannot explain with words alone. The soft ambiance of music trickling in the background coupled with the glow from the fire, whilst being gently massaged over my aching legs and swollen feet can only be described as true bliss. For the hour or so i was being treated, i drifted in and out of light sleep, images flowing through my mind of times past, colours, patterns, my pains drifting away. Nathalie had a fantastic intuition and knew where every ache and sensitivity was in my legs and feet. I could have laid there all day, chilled out in my own little piece of paradise. The time came for my treatment to end and i felt amazing. I was sleepy but refreshed in a way i haven't been for longer than i can remember. I felt as if were floating out of the treatment room. Nathalie offered me a cup of tea and to have a relax before venturing into the cold grey world outside but sadly i had to leave due to other commitments that day. I will definitely be taking her up on the offer on my next visit! Garden Of Pomegranates is a true hidden Nirvana in South-East England. I have recommended Nathalie to all of my friends and family and urge you to treat yourself to an experience with her, it is one you will never forget and will not regret. Follow Nathalie on Twitter @gardenofpomegra and Facebook www.facebook.com/GardenofPomegranates ...pink. I feel great when i wear pink. Today i have on manky mummy school run jogging bottoms but on top a pink lacy vest teamed with a bright cerise long-sleeved jumper. It's just the boost i needed after a good week of feeling like death warmed up from this blasted cold.
Which colours make you feel good? This online quiz is a bit of fun revolving around colours. It's supposed to help define your personality traits via the colours you chose, why not give it a go. Valentines Day has been and gone but i'm still holding on to my card and the left-over chocolates, again continuing with the pink theme, i love being surrounded by love and hearts and pink! Did you get/give anything nice? |
Who is Julie?30 something, mother of two gorgeous boys, lover of one gorgeous husband, perpetually living in a dream world full of wine, chocolate and artsy crafty things. Archives
February 2018
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