Gibbs & Gurnell window display

A few weeks ago I was asked if I would be interested in designing a concept for a window display for the chemist Gibbs & Gurnell which is situated down Union ST in Ryde. If the owner liked my design/concept I would have the opportunity to complete my design in their window for everyone to see.......

She liked my concept....so over the last few weeks I have been busy making the props for my design.

First I started to brainstorm Spring and what it means to people. The best thing about Spring for me is the colours of the flowers coming into bloom, new life and the sound of birds singing in the morning. I remember watching a documentary (probably involving David Attenborough) which showed the weaver bird. These birds which can be found in South Africa & parts of Asia, are known for their elaborate nests. I found the shape and the fact that they hang from the trees really fascinating. Another interesting fact, if you ever find yourself lost in South Africa (highly unlikely but you never know) and find some weaver bird nests, well they only hang their nests on the west side of the tree to protect them from the wind. So your be able to work out from there which way is North. (Hopefully your know which direction you need to go in.)

Anyway back to my design. I really loved their shape and decided I wanted to incorporate the idea of the weaver bird nest into my design. So I started to think about how I was going to make them and of course went on Pinterest for inspiration. (If you are not yet on Pinterest, get on the case!!)

I found this tutorial on making hanging balls made out of wool and instantly loved it. 

So here is my final window display. 

I made a verity of different sizes but kept them all white so they didn't distract the customer away from the products. My idea was that perfume bottles would sit inside the nests on top of wadding, (the bed of the nest), becoming a substitute for the precious eggs.

I'm really pleased with the final effect, and think the perfume bottles look fantastic inside the nests. The nests were strong enough to hold the weight of the perfume but using fishing wire I still tied the perfume to the ceiling in case the nests give way. 

To add some colour I made some flower garlands out of tissue paper. I didn't want to hang to many, I wanted a good balance of colour so it caught the passers by eye but didn't distract them from the products. which obviously is the main reason for a window display, to promote the products. 

I then went down to their basement and found lots of exciting things to dress the bottom of the window. I love these old crates, they have Gibbs & Gurnell embossed onto the front & back.

If you would like to have ago at making the nests here is how i made them. 

you need:

• Balloons
• Wool
• PVA glue
• Corn flour
• Water
• A sharpie pen

 You start by making up the glue mixture by adding the PVA glue, corn flour and water to make a gloppy paste. I then added a small amount of the wool, covering it completely when slide it through my thumb and forefinger to get rid of most of the glue. I would then start wrapping the wool i had covered onto the balloon, once I had ran out of the wool which was covered I would start again by covering another section of wool then continued to wrap the wool around the balloon. It is important not to cut the wool and wrap it around the balloon in one continuous piece. Obviously this is extremely messy and you can get knots in the wool and then have no choice but to cut the wool, then start adding another piece.

Using a sharpie I drew a circle on the front of the balloon which would be my guide for the hole of the nest. Obviously if you don't want a hole at the front you won't need to worry about doing this. To be honest the process would be much easier without a hole at the front. People have made these so that they just hang from their ceilings or have made them for light shades.

 

 Once I had wrapped enough wool around the balloon I hung them up to dry. It was a lovely sunny day with no wind so I was able to hung them outside on my washing line. They need to be completely dry before you remove the balloon. I left them for 2 days to make sure they were completely dry. Then using the end of a pen I pushed the balloon away from the wool so it was no longer glued. Then I slowly made a slit in the balloon so the air released slowly, try not to pop the balloon.

And that's it, you have your hanging pieces ready to display as you so wish.

Please let me know what you think about my window display. The feedback is really important to me, good and bad. I hope I have inspired you to get created. They would be great to make for young kids this Easter, you could place small Easter eggs inside :) 

Thanks for reading and don't forget to go check out my display when your in Ryde next. Its only up for a few weeks so be quick! 

With Love.......

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The Chatuchak (weekend) market in Thailand

In 2011 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel the world for 6 months with my boyfriend. We had an absolutely amazing time, seeing some beautiful countries such Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and America.

 

 

Whilst in Thailand we visited the Chatuchak market in Bangkok, (most commonly know as the weekend market.) Now I am not exaggerating when I say this is the worlds largest market, because it is the worlds largest weekend market. It is MASSIVE!! It took us 2 days just to get around the clothing section. You can buy absolutely ANYTHING in this market, including live animals such as snakes, furniture, food, spices, plants, rugs, jewellery, shoes, bags, fake designer bags, and so on. It covers over 35 acres, contains approx 5,000 stalls and is estimated to receive 200,000 visitors each day.

 Now If you love to shop and if you are ever going to Bangkok then you must make sure you are there over a weekend so you can visit this amazing market. It is split into sections (as you can see on the map above) so you can easily find the items you desire. Me, I was only interested in one section......the clothes section. And the best part about this section is the VINTAGE section!! I know what your thinking Vintage?! in Bangkok?! Really?! But yes!! Asia have a huge amount of vintage products and its just as popular over there as it is here. A lot of it is imported from neighboring countries so there is a lot of it. I have yet to find a market or supplier in the UK that sells just half the amount of vintage I could get at the weekend market. So its probably safe to say I was completely in my element. 

Now the other great thing about this market is that the products are so ridiculously cheap!!! The image above of the vintage denim shirts stating that they are 100baht, well that's approx £2. I picked up vintage dresses for £1 each, maxi skirts for £3, lace shirts for £3, 100% leather pixie boots for £7, and gorgeous soft leather bags decorated with turquoise stones for £10. Now the problem with it being so cheap is that I went a bit crazy, but to be fair even David went crazy buying fake diesel jeans, van trainers, shirts & leather belts and he HATES shopping!!  We ended up having to get rid of some of the clothes we had bought with us from home as well as posting some of it back to the UK. It was so worth it though.

 It really is a great day out, there is a very strong chance you will spend more than you planned and an even bigger chance you will get lost!!

My advice.............

First off wear a money belt!! They are flat which you wear around your waist under your clothes so people cant pick pocket your wallet or take your bag. The market is known for its pick pockets. 

Second....Make sure you drink lots of water. Its extremely hot and extremely crowded and its easy to forget to keep hydrated. 

And last of all.....if you see something you like, buy it!! Don't think, ill come back later and get it, because you wont find it!! trust me!! I thought I knew exactly where a certain stall was but could never find it again. The stalls are so similar and are rammed in so tightly your have no chance. 

Oh and last of all, if you see any of these sweets in the picture below, buy them!! I have no idea what they are but they are AMAZING. we practically lived on these through out Thailand.

And here is one of the dresses I purchased at the weekend market.....

I love this dress, the print is stunning and the tee shape is perfect. I think i paid £3 for this little vintage beauty....bargain!! I paired it with my black faux fur gilet from Topshop and my vintage black leather belt.

My jewellery is a mix of vintage and high street. The silver daisy ring was purchased from My house which is situated down the same lane as With Love Betty.

So if you are planning a round the world trip and you happen to pass Bangkok, I urge you to visit the weekend market, you wont be disappointed!!

I hope to visit the market in the future to buy stock so watch this space. 

Thanks for reading.

With Love.......

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please note that not all images are mine.

Dungarees & polka dot

First off I want to apologise for the poor location of this post, but to be honest I took one step outside and thought bugger that!! Once again its peeing down, don't you just love living in England! So I got my lovely friend Anna, to take a few snaps inside With Love Betty so im also sorry about the poor lighting. 

I customised this denim dungaree dress by shortening it, it was originally past my knees so I decided to update it a bit. It is for sale (I only put it on for the purpose of this post, Im actually wearing my leather shorts today) and at only £28 I think that is a bargain. It is quite small, it would fit a 6-8 and maybe a small 10. 

I really like it with my polka dot blouse from Topshop, the outfit brings three trends together, denim, polka dots & monochrome!!

All types of dungarees are predicted to be huge this spring/summer, the dress versions look super cute yet don't make you look younger which I think the short dungarees tend to do. If your brave, this dress would look fab worn at a festival with a crop top. 

 

And here they are styled in store. I have paired them with this gorgeous white blouse with an extra large collar (£28)

A black & white brooch (£6)

And a black leather shoulder bag with colour detail on the front (£25)

What do you guys think of Dungarees? Will you be sporting a pair this summer? let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading

until next time

With Love......

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The 90's are back!

 

 

 There's no avoiding it, the 90's trend is back and its back with a bang!!

 This is the decade that brought you Kurt Cobain, plaid, a "Don't care" attitude, a love of all things baggy, denim & grunge.

Motif sweatshirts are a massive part of this trend and probably one of the easiest to portray. USA motifs, superhero motifs & university logos sweatshirts can be seen in all the magazines, in all the high street stores and even through out all the fashion weeks. What ever your style they can easily be paired with your current wardrobe.

 

We have a selection of motif sweatshirts, mostly American, they vary in colour and size and best of all are one off, unique pieces!! You will not walk down the street, risking the chance of seeing someone else in the same one. Have a look at some of the sweatshirts available in store. They are all £28.

 

 

They are extremely comfortable and can be styled simply with a pair of skinny jeans or a pair of Levi's denim shorts in the summer. Below are some different ways to wear a motif sweatshirt.

 

So if your thinking of buying into the 90's trend but not sure where to start, why not try a motif sweatshirt. 

Once again thanks for reading

With Love........

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Not all images are my own....