Soap Making Part 2 :)

A lot of these are in the big give away so if you see one or two you like ,follow away :)

(I'll be doing it in stages so you'll be seeing photos of what you might win periodically for a while now) 

I would of posted loads more this month if I could but I've just been too poorly

Back to happy things;

I wrapped it to look like a sweet, if you can see that...

 This is a wrapped up fairy that you can't overly see... but it is really pretty in real life

 Cupcake soaps are now my favourite things to make :) Especially now that I have so much cosmetic glitter...

 My new white roses are my favourites :)

 I like adding heiight and sparkles and more interest to le cupcakes :)

 A line towards clean ;) and glitter attacks, and smiles...

 Loveeee, loveee, loveeeeeee

 Glitter invasion :)

 A collection of the things I have made with help from Jazz (not Jazzy Jazz) There's a second fairy in this collection that's slightly easier to see, can you spot it?


Follow to win these and so many more items, and as I've had questions, you can follow le blog via twitter, facebook and by having a blog yourself, or a google ID? I think, so no more emails of 'is there any other way I can follow' should be needed ;)

Hope you like :) My health is a bit all over the place, as am I ;)

Also! Last few days to order the pendants at their introductory price :) So get ordering if you haven't already, email me for multiple orders :)


Love and sparkly glitteryness

Chlay xxx



Disclaimer*
They're all either SLS free or Palm free (why do they not do a mixture that is both?) and I've been fine with them :) So hopefully those that win some will be too, but I can't take responsibility if something goes wrong as I've ordered ingredients from respected companies and followed their instructions

Playground games...

 Her nails match her shoes and her dress ;) amazing


 This is so sweet, someone do it with me ? :)




 The contrast of primary colours and monochrome mixed with the nature background = <3


Candy Cane Love







 I want this stool;) or climbing frame if you're as tiny as me,  and the girls look beautiful , as do the dresses , I love the cut out detail



 The matte lips are so gorgeous

Koray Birand

Olive & Rose

The wonderful interview from the Lovely;

Olive and Rose
When did you first get the idea for starting your own business & where were you when the thought first hit you?

I never even thought of starting a business! I had been given a book for Christmas “The Thrift Book” by India Knight, which is all about being thrifty in the nicest possible way, basically making everything yourself! (This wonderful book also got me into composting, jam-making and knitting). What happened was, in one of the chapters India talked about using brown sugar and oatmeal in the shower as a simple body scrub. So I did this, and then started to think, maybe some olive oil with this would be nice, and then maybe some essential oil with this would be even nicer! It all just grew from there.

 
This is one of the products I'm reviewing, they are the sweetest things and are packaged in such a simple but sleek way, preserving the product and keeping excess packaging to a minimum. They smell really light but really beautiful and they make your skin so soft and silky.

Who is behind your business, is it a solo project or do you have a team of staff, or is it simply helpful friends & family ?

It is just me – and a very helpful mum, Jean, who is happy to do all the label-cutting, and my helpful and creative friend Vicky, who sticks labels, ties ribbons and glues little extra bits. Also my 12 year old son Matthew, who helps at my stall (very good at adding up, unlike me!)

This is the second product I'm reviewing, it's got such an amazing fresh and unique smell and I love that it's exfoliating ingredient is sugar, as so many companies use salt which I find too harsh.
The scent is perfect for summer ,and for keeping your feet clean,fresh and fragrant.

What values did you want your company to have when you first started out

(eco friendly, fair trade, no animal testing etc)

I was adamant that all the ingredients should be natural, no artificial colours, no artificial fragrances, no animal testing, and that all the packaging should be recyclable, and where possible recycled. I have also tried to make it affordable.
I'd really love to try both of these, they look so pretty in their brightly coloured organza bags

What do you think sets your work & company apart from others?

The products are natural, effective, eco-friendly and affordable. The formulas are uniquely created by me (not made from pre-manufactured bases, or pre-assessed recipes) and are handmade with love and care, not mass-produced.


This is the cutest gift! The ridged cardboard looks really craft inspired and eco-friendly simultaneously and you get a double sided loofah brush too

What was the idea behind the name of your company?

I thought of some of the ingredients in my products, and came up with “Olive & Rose” because I thought they were nice, as they are girls’ names as well. I frequently get asked “Which one are you, Olive or Rose?” so I just say I’m both!




These are just the most adorable little things and the rose petals around them just emphasize this


Were you a creative child? If so what were some of the artistic activities you used to enjoy?

Yes! My sister and I grew up without a TV and we used to put on plays, and draw and make things and play the piano and bake. We have a very tolerant mum who allowed us to hammer nails into the walls and spread flour all over the kitchen. I think I have been more creative in a craft-y way as an adult, I used to design craft activities for my boys’ toddler group, and bring the makings along each week (a lot of recycling, up-cycling and re-purposing went on!). And I always want to be making something, whether it’s knitting or jam or Christmas cards…


I've got an extremely tolerant mummah too just like Eleanor and I feel so lucky to have such a way of being artistic creative and expressive, it's so important

What part of the process do you enjoy the most ( as in, coming up with the ideas, physically making the item, testing things out, packaging and image, promotion and so on)

I don’t think I could pick one thing! I love the whole process, but I did particularly enjoy designing my logo and the packaging. I love researching the oils and finding out the amazing properties they have, and also finding something knew and thinking about how it could be used to benefit our skin. I also really like thinking of how to package things seasonally, eg for Christmas, I just love all the pretty things you can get from Hobbycraft!!




I love the packaging , especially the the card boxes, lip balm colours and the big jars, it's so classic, simple and pretty

What inspires you , creatively & as a person, and do you think you see the world in a slightly different way to your peers & if yes, how so?

This might sound strange – but what inspires me is - “being frugal” – by this I don’t mean being stingy or shoddy in any way, I mean making the absolute best you can with the minimum wastefulness. That means looking after the world we live in, growing your own veg, recycling everything, and finding pleasure in small things made and given with love and care. That’s why I love recycling, love natural products, and love homemade, handmade things that might not even have cost anything except someone’s time, thought and effort. That all sounds a bit preachy, but I think a great and growing number of people think and behave this way

This answer is so encouraging and smile making for me



What is your favourite thing that you have ever created

I don’t think I have a favourite, although I am quite pleased with a scarf I knitted for my mum with beautiful chunky wool from a charity shop.


What are you dreams for your company?

Well, I would like my products to be more widely known and used, but not so widely that I have to go all corporate and get a factory to make my stuff! I basically dream of being able to give up my day job and do Olive & Rose all the time!




In your opinion, what is the most rewarding thing about owning your own creative business, and what is the biggest compliment a customer can give you?

The most rewarding thing is knowing that I have created something that people love and find effective. And the biggest compliment is when they say “It was lovely, I’ve used it all up, can I have some more?”
Olive and Rose

http://www.folksy.com/shops/OliveandRose

Thankyou so much
Love Chlay x

Marc Jacobs SS11

Love this dress, and the gold glitter in the wedge

Sunshine hats and pretty beachy dress

Yay for big sunglasses, and I swear I had trousers like this as a kid...

Make up & hair close up

Although it reminds me of Missoni rather than M.J it's nice to see knitwear for SS; Especially  when you live in the northern hemisphere and the colour palette would look good on pretty much any skin tone

I just found my DKNY Midnight blue flares , so I thought I'd post this, I got it together ages ago but ah well :)

We've had even more wonderfully generous donations for the give away, I'll try and get some photos up soon :) but I want some things to be surprises! As surprises are fun :) 10 Entries if you follow le blog, how easy is that.

Come talk to me on formspring or facebook or email, your messages brighten my days and I could do with le sparklyness of them

Anyways,
Much love
Chlay x

(:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace , whatever you conceive it to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 I thought we might need some inspiring worlds, and you need all the positivity when you're poorly, or just struggling in general, Anyways..

Thankyou so much to everyone who's ordered a pendant, We sold out! but we're back now :) & The price is an introductory one for M.E Awareness week and the Whole of May :) So get your orders in 

I love all of you a lot.

The give away is going to be Huge! The Miss Patina Items are Stunning, as are the Dotcomgiftshop and liz earle and darcy joy and everyone really, so get following, 10 entries per follow :) I am so excited about this, and I hope that by the end of May/Beginning of June I'll have given you a bit of knowledge on this illness so that when someone asks what it is, you can give them an accurate and informative reply :)

Love & Sparkly Fairy Dust, 

Chlay x

M.E It's a Hard nut to Crack- Pendants now on Sale

These are the pendants that I hope will raise awareness of M.E, and in particular, severe M.E and how it needs help and resources and funding, and I want to do it in a simple way :) You may even see someone on the street with one on and be able to spot either someone who is poorly or a campaigner/supporter, and the idea of that blows my mind

 

You don't just have to wear them on ribbons, you can wear them on keyrings or keychains,bracelets,necklaces, in your hair , on pretty chains on your jacket or shirt keys or  on the zips of your rucksack (hi boys! Look my girly blog is being inclusive)

 I'm growing strangely attatched to mine and they're so easy to wear and pretty much go with anything

 

Yay sitting up Chlay (in severe M.E world, this is a big deal, especially without fainting)

Maybe layer them for a different look :)

 

Goldy greeny sparklyness

I thought this shot would point out the whole reason why I am doing this, you can see the make up, my new favourite brightly coloured dress, the pendant, my big hair and all of that, but rarely do people look further into my smiling face and bubblyness to see that underneath I am suffering, my bones are excrutiating, I'm shaking, and in between shots I'm fainting and laying down, and I had to spend the rest of the day recovering from that 5 minute moment out of bed 

Photos and first impressions can be so so misleading.

Especially as it's M.E DAY let alone week today, I thought this would be an appropriate time to ellaborate a bit more on my health and what I deal with on a daily basis, as I have done above

For the last 12 days I haven't been able to swallow water or eat any sort of proper food, and I've been threatened with hospitalization due to my kidneys shutting down because of dehydration, and I'm walking on a thin line between staying at home or being brought in

This is not about tiredness, this is not about acheyness, this is serious. This is real.

If you could draw a blue heart on your face or hand, and tell others to do the same or even just talk to people and remind or inform them that it is M.E Awareness Week 2011 you'd be helping to make our battle towards tolerance that bit easier

It would mean so much to me for these to be a success, every golden glimmering nut represents a golden glimmer of hope towards a cure, a treatment or a prevention, as currently ,there is no agreed method of treatment, and especially as I'll probally be in hospital soon, it means that research, biomendical research can be done with the MEA