Summer to Autumn Wardrobe Declutter

As sad as it may be...Autumn is nearly here and Summer will become a distant memory.  Don't despair .... this is the perfect time to declutter your wardrobe!!

Here are a couple of steps on how to reorganise, get rid and get wearing your winter woolies again:

1. Take out all Spring/Summer inspired clothing items/accessories from your wardrobe and lay them out on your bed or floor
2. Create a yes, no, maybe pile of these items.  No items (such as things you haven't even worn this summer or items that you would be embarrassed to give to a friend can go to the charity shop or a clothing recycling point).  Be ruthless and try and decrease the items in the maybe pile
3. With your 'yes' pile sort into categories like skirts, shorts, beachwear, dresses etc.  Set aside a vac pac bag (try these from http://www.lakeland.co.uk/p20960/Pack-Mate%C2%AE-Stack-%26-Vac-Bags from Lakeland) or plastic boxes (so many boxes to choose from http://www.plasticboxshop.co.uk/home-storage-109-c.asp) and fill each container with the same category. Make sure you label the bag or box
4. Find some space to store your Summer clobber - perhaps you have some space under your bed, in another wardrobe, shelving or even the garage/loft (make sure the boxes/bags are completely sealed) and completely forget about these items....unless you plan to go away to an exotic location during our colder months!
5. At this point you probably have so much more space available inside the wardrobe! Get out your winter warmers - jumpers, cardigans, scarves, tights, jeans etc.
6. Try and hang everything up in category or colour to make your job easier in the morning when you can't quite figure out what to wear!
7. Make sure accessories are easy to reach but neatly stored in storage boxes or drawers
8. Sit back, relax, have a cuppa and admire your decluttered wardrobe :)

Hope this helps to get you organised...why don't you try and declutter your wardrobe this weekend?  Would love to hear from you if you do!

Until next time....

Olivia x

How to make a fabulous food cover!

Sam Vaughan-Stephens has kindly given some instructions to make a great food cover! Sam runs "Eclectic Avenue" where she sells Vintage, Retro, Restored and Handmade loveliness for you and your home. Check out and like her Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/Gotoeclecticavenue/info

Image 1. Ordinary Glass fruit bowls  

 

 

Image 2. Using masking tape mark the centre of the bowl with a pencil. This will be the guide for your drilling.

 

 

 

Image 3. Place the bowl (right way up) onto the surface of where you will drill, placing a block of wood under your bowl so as not to damage your table/surface. Using a diamond drill bit – Slowly and carefully begin to drill through the centre of your bowl, holding the drill steady. Whilst you are drilling be sure to keep the drill bit wet as this will keep it cool and prolong the use.  This process can be tricky so take your time.  

 

 

 

Image 4. Once you have drilled through your bowl – using a funky drawer pull of your choice, screw through the hole.

 

 

 

Image 5. You may find that the thread is too long on your drawer pull, and you don’t want it squishing into your cakes or cheeses!!  Very carefully you will need to saw off the excess thread using a hacksaw or angle grinder.  (Tip. When sawing keep the nut on the thread- once you have finished cutting unscrew the nut to re-set the thread)

 

 

 

Image 6. The Result- A Funky homemade food cover, teamed up with a pretty Vintage plate or chunky wooden chopping board. Will make a great conversation piece at any Vintage Tea Party!!

 

 

Hope you enjoy making the above - I think it looks great!

 

Olivia x

 

 

Focus On: Lily Iris Bookkeeping

Good Evening Everyone,

I am sure you are all enjoying the Olympics - team GB are doing us proud :)

I'm now into the second week of my "Focus On" blog posts and this week is the turn of Lily Iris Bookkeeping owned by the lovely Samantha Nelmes.

Samantha is my bookkeeper and actually I know quite a few people that are her clients too.  I think a lot of business owners find the financial side of their business fairy daunting but Samantha really takes the stress away from you when looking at "the books".  Samantha doesn't use complicated jargon or processes.  You feel totally at ease with her friendly and relaxed approach - Samantha even gave me some hints on networking and general business ideas!



Samantha has kindly written some information if you fancy giving bookkeeping a go yourself:

Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions by an individual or organisation.  The financial transactions are sales and purchases, receipts and payments.

If you prefer to do your own bookkeeping here are a few tips to help everything run smoothly:
- Have 12 envelopes or a 12 pocket concertina file to put your purchase and sales invoices in......one for each month
- Keep a separate bank account for all business transactions and reconcile your bank account on a regular basis
- To ensure your customers pay on time make sure you set our your expectations in your terms and conditions and include your bank details on every invoice
- Complete your bookkeeping regularly (monthly if not weekly) to ensure you don't miss paying suppliers or miss chasing customers that haven't paid

If you prefer a little help with bookkeeping - give Samantha a call!:

With 20 years working in the finance industry Samantha has built up a vast amount of experience supporting individuals and businesses with the recording of financial transactions and running of finance terms.

Samantha strives to deliver the service you deserve, understanding how time consuming it can be running your own business .  The services Samantha provides range from converting bookkeeping into a self assessment tax return to a full bookkeeping service including bank reconciliation and payment. 

You can contact Samantha on 07981419154 or sam@lilyirisbookkeeping.co.uk www.lilyirisbookkeeping.co.uk

I would wholeheartedly recommend Lily Iris Bookkeeping - please contact Samantha for an initial consultation and let her know that you found this review on this blog!

Back next week to rave about another great small business.

Olivia x

Focus on: The Little Printing Company

Hello everyone and happy Summer (finally!),


I haven't written a blog post for nearly a month....whoops! Wedding season is now in full swing and I have been involved in planning a few.


I have also had a massive amount of writers block, so I thought I would provide you with some recommendations on some businesses in the areas which The Lifestyler covers, businesses that feature in my "little book of life savers".

So today I start this "focus" section with "The Little Printing Company" a specialist print and design company based in Gloucestershire.

The company is owned and run by the lovely Jamie Mccuiag and is in it's 7th year of trading.

Jamie gives us a little insight into how his company operates here:


"We very often get artwork that has been produced in word/publisher for example. Personally, we would look to use these files as an indication of how the customer wants the job to look and then re-make it in using Adobe Creative Suite - placing individual elements such as logos/images etc and making sure they are of print quality (not pulled from a website for example).

Whether artwork is supplied to us as a 'finished' piece, or if it is something that we have put together with the help of the customer, we always give it a 'once over'. This can help to spot typo's, incorrect grammar, areas that are the wrong colour, and check to see if the job 'bleeds' off the page.

We go back and forth with PDF proofs until the client is happy with the design/look of the job. For us this makes no difference if it is a 100 page book or a business card - there is no point signing a job off that you are not 100% happy with the design because you will be left with cards/leaflets/books etc for months and years to come that you do not like.

All of this is at no extra cost as far as The Little Printing Company is concerned - the price we quote is the price you pay (as long as the spec remains the same)."




To contact Jamie for a no obligation quotation, please email: info@littleprinting.co.uk  or call 01453 844228.  


Visit the website at www.littleprinting.co.uk. 


I would highly recommend The Little Printing Company.  Jamie and the team are exceptionally professional and go that "extra mile" to ensure that the finished article is perfect.


Come back next time for another "focus" section on another business that I rate!


Olivia x

Wimbledon Themed Party

Following on from my post about hosting a Jubilee themed shindig, I thought, why not post something about Wimbledon.  I don't know about you but I don't feel that there has been the usual hype about this popular annual championship.  I guess this is due to the impending Olympic Games due to commence on 27th July.

If the Jubilee celebrations weren't enough for you - just throw another party in honour of the famous Wimbledon games!

Here are a couple of ideas to help when organising this event:

Date
Make sure you pick a date with a good match being played - choosing a date when Wimbledon is all over is probably not the best!

TV
Make sure you have a television or projector to watch the match on and make sure it is viewable to all guests

Decoration
Yes you've guessed it....get that bunting out again!! Why not buy a load of tennis balls and scatter around in bowls/garden.  Get hold of some cute deck chairs like the one below from www.conranshop.co.uk

Food & Drink
Pimm's (obvs)
Strawberries and Cream (also obvs!)
Scones/cake/tea
Picnic foods

Swat Up! 
Here are some facts about Wimbledon to impress your pals!

1) Don't complain about rain
During World War II, a bomb ripped through centre court and 1,200 seats were lost. Fortunately, they weren't filled at the time. Play finally resumed in 1946 but it wasn't until 1949 that the area was back in top shape.
2) No time for matchmaking
The last married woman to win the women's singles championship was Chris Evert Lloyd in 1981. Married to the jobs perhaps?
3) A short introduction
In 1930, Brame Hillyard became the first man to play wearing shorts. That was on court 10 - and Bunny Austin was the first to do so on centre court three years later.
4) By the letterGoran Ivanisevic is the only Wimbledon champion whose entire name alternates consonants and vowels. We're not sure who did the research into that, but we're glad it wasn't us!
5) British bad boysTim Henman was the first-ever person to be disqualified from the men's doubles in 1995, after hitting a ball in anger and striking a ball girl in the process. Andy Murray, in turn, became the first British player in 106 years to be fined after swearing at a match official - although that was in a different tournament.
6) Champion eats words
Despite predictions of half a million visitors this year, when Spencer Gore became the first Wimbledon champion in 1875, he said he doubted whether the game would catch on - perhaps unsurprisingly since it cost just one shilling to watch the final and Gore received 12 guineas for his triumph. (If you're wondering? The pot now stands at 12.6m)
7) Name that game
The name 'tennis' is thought to come from the French 'tenez!' ('take' or 'receive'), a server's warning shout.
8) New balls please
Ever wondered why tennis balls are yellow? They weren't always - white balls were replaced in 1986 because they are more visible to TV cameras. Incidentally, one ball is only in play for about twenty minutes of an average two-and-a-half-hour tennis match.
9) Not just a pretty faceMaria Sharapova, one of the top earners in female sports, broke the record for the loudest grunts on court - recorded at a deafening 101.2 decibels!
10) Time for a breakVenus Williams won her 2005 final against Lindsay Davenport in the longest ladies' singles final ever played at Wimbledon lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes. Time for a sit down? Chairs were only provided for players to rest when changing ends in 1975.
11) Young starters
British player, Laura Robson, is not only the junior champion but, at 15 years and 152 days old on Monday 22nd June, was the youngest woman to play in the senior competition since Martina Hingis in 1995.
12) Strawberries and cream
Last year, 23 tonnes of strawberries were served to visitors. When laid end-to-end, these berries would stretch almost 60km (37 miles), i.e. from Wimbledon to Reading. A slippery slope when you include the 7,000 litres of fresh cream racked up each fortnight.
13) String theory
At least 40 miles worth of string are fitted to 2,000 rackets over a fortnight at Wimbledon. That's just under six laps' worth of centre court - what? We were curious!
14) Hark the halk!
Hamish the hawk flies for one hour every morning of the championships before the gates open to ward off the local pigeons. He starts his duties at 9am on the dot.

Hope you enjoy turning your home/garden into centre court this week! Come on Murray!!

Olivia x

What a wonderful wedding!

With the wedding season now in full swing, a very special wedding was to take place on Friday 15th June 2012 at Old Down Manor....

I knew that I was going to write a post about this one many months ago.  I have been waiting patiently for the big day to commence actually!  The bride, my good friend and fellow wedding professional Liz (she is a very talented photographer check out her website www.lizzy-may.co.uk), was going to marry her long term partner and father of her two beautiful children, Dan.

I'm not going to diarise the day as I think it is special to keep the actual happenings within peoples memories, however, what I am going to do is show you how utterly stunning the wedding was.  The attention to detail was second to none.

I walked into the main hallway (where the civil ceremony was to commence) on the Friday morning and saw this:

I must admit I shed a tear.  It was just me and the room and I thought to myself "This is why I do what I do, for moments like this, knowing that in a few hours two people who love each other will be making the ultimate commitment to one another in front of friends and family".  I feel so lucky to be able to help couples have their dream day..it makes me happy helping others.

Here are some snippets from the ceremony room:

My favourite decoration was the jam jar flower arrangements placed on the aisle chairs using gorgeous English garden flowers.  I must mention the florists at this stage Maria and Lorna from Sorori Design Florists (www.sororidesign.co.uk).  They are so relaxed and professional.  Many of the flowers that they use are actually grown in their own garden! They spent hours the night before decorating the venue and then returned on the day of the wedding to make last minute finishing touches.   I would recommend Sorori Design Florists to any bride to be. Maria's daughter, Lauren also helped make the venue look stunning.  Lauren and her friend Adele are just about to start a new venue styling business (LA Styling) - watch this space!

Bunting and Chinese lanterns were used on the galleried stair case as well as a gorgeous archway intertwined with fresh flowers (from the Mother of the Bride's very own garden!) to really frame the room.

Dotted around the hallway and the rooms that lead off were some quirky little features which made the day so unique:

 Goodies for the ladies to use

 Styled table with guest book cards, vintage suitcase for cards and Polaroid camera

Lemonade jar which was filled with Pimms

 Table plan using embroidered plaques

Dancing shoes for the evening party for the ladies to use

 Photos of couples in the family

So many great ideas here and really personal to both the bride and groom and the guests.  The venue styling was conducted by the very talented Kirsten Butler A.K.A. The Little Wedding Helper (www.littleweddinghelper.co.uk).  Such a creative lady who specialises in turning your wedding venue into a unique and visually stunning area.


Here are a couple of photos from the dining room where a delicious wedding breakfast was served:

The room was adorned with colourful overhead pom-poms, more English garden flowers, vintage napkins and table cloths, handmade favours of jams and chutneys courtesy of Selinna (who was also the fabulous dress maker!) www.alissiacouture.com.  The place names were created by Lorna www.lornasdottiedesign.co.uk which were so personal and different - so clever!

The cakes were just incredible.  One of them (see above) looked like a real plant pot with flowers inside!  This collection of scrumptious delights were made by Julie (www.cakecreationsbyjulie.co.uk).

Keeping with the "sweet treats" theme, Liz decided to have a dessert buffet (I know what you are thinking....yummy right?!).  In true "Liz fashion" this spectacle was revealed with announcing DESSERT with the doors of the adjacent room slowly open to reveal the most amazing croquembouche I have ever seen (complete with choux pastry swans!), mini rhubarb crumble's with tonka bean anglaise and raspberry cheesecake served in cute jam jars.

There was no resting from the gluttonous behaviour though...oh no.  The guests were to be entertained by a band named Dysfunktional (I like it!) www.dysfunktionalband.co.uk.  They played some great sets (3 in total) and entertained everyone well.  In the breaks and towards the latter half of the evening Mr.Ben Hall from www.uniqueweddingdisco.com played some real dance floor fillers!

Just a few more mentions....
Make-up - My very talented sister Jess www.jessicamillsmakeup.co.uk
Hair - Amelia at www.thestylinglounge.co.uk
Photography - (can't wait to see the professional pics!) the lovely Alex Beckett www.alexbeckett.co.uk
Venue - Old Down Manor headed up by Matthew Rees (Front of House) and Manuel Perez-Monzon (Head Chef) and the very smiley bar and waiting staff www.olddownmanor.co.uk
Vintage linen - Sue at www.auntiesvintagechina.co.uk

I wish Lizzy and Danny the most beautiful and happiest of lives together :) xxx  p.s this wedding will be featured in some national magazines and blogs - will keep you posted when they are published!

I love what I do and I aim to help my brides and grooms along with their guests to have the most memorable experience. If you are getting married soon and require a little help pulling everything together - whether it be on the day or 6 months prior, send me an email info@thelifestyler.co.uk and we can arrange a meeting to talk about your special day in further detail.

Until next time...

Olivia x

Organising a home office

Happy Friday people! With the weather being pretty fowl and the weekend coming up - here is a little post for you about some items I have come across which will help you to organise your home office (if you have one!).


With more and more people working from home or persuing craft hobbies, the work room/study/home office is a popular room in many peoples homes.


I really like the following office related products:


Jam Jar Storage:
Collect old jam jars and stick the lids to the underside of your shelving - I love this.  Put buttons, paperclips etc. 

General Desk Storage:

This great storage container can be found at http://www.theholdingcompany.co.uk/palabox-3-drawer-storage-box-prodpf_pal002/

File those papers away!
Keep your important papers tidy and in order with this mirrored filing cabinet - so chic! Can be found at http://www.heals.co.uk/office-furniture/heals-spirit-filing-cabinet/invt/735688?htxt=%2FUvRjc0xAaKk26JwgsxcsV6E2gjpK53ITJCPcypNRrR6jhjYX3SDlEUFWaOdTpLU0xVcTayKYYOc%0Aw4t9gBa9qg%3D%3D

Hope you have enjoyed reading :) and why not use this rubbish weather to get organised!

Olivia x

"We're All Going on A Summer Holiday" - Packing Tips

Happy 31st May 2012 to my readers.....today is my birthday :)


So.... I have 11 days annual leave away from my full time job as General Manager, so this means  I have some time to write blogs and run The Lifestyler (www.thelifestyler.co.uk) :)


I am having a lovely day so far.  It started with a professional make-over by my very talented sister Jess.  www.jessicamillsmakeup.co.uk.  Jess went for a natural day look with a slight smokey eye.  It was lovely to be pampered on my birthday.  I then went to the hairdressers for a quick cut and blow dry.  

Later on today I am having a meal with my family and then I am off to Devon for one night with Mr B.  We are hoping to visit The Angel in Dartmouth, a Michelin starred restaurant on the harbour (which I will probably write a post about next time).  My little trip away gave me some inspiration to write about packing.  If like me you end up taking the whole contents of your life away with you and you need some tips on "packing light" have a butchers on this:


Tip 1
Good Luggage is Key
It is a good idea to invest in a strong, light, wheeled suitcase that has lots of pockets.  Try a reputable brand like Antler.  I like this Union Jack medium case (very Jubilee inspired - but probably not the best for a business trip!).

http://www.antler.co.uk/luggage/medium-suitcases/antler-union-jack-medium-case


Good luggage will expand when you need it to, will keep your clothes safe and neat, is easy to wheel around, is light, easy to maneuver and to spot.  It doesn't even need to be expensive.  


Tip 2
Think your outfits through

Now that we have the luggage covered, on to the actual packing.  A lot of people just throw everything in, thinking that they may need that particular item.  In today's world of baggage fees and lost luggage - this tactic just won't do.  


Chart out the number of days you are away for, and the number of outfits per day that you will need.  Something casual during the day, and some "going out" clothes and accessories for the evening.  If you plan what you are going to wear than there is less room for "ooohh I MIGHT need this top that I haven't worn for about 3 years!".


Pack versatile day-to-night items that you can dress up or down, whatever the circumstance.


Tip 3
Think your Airport/Travel Outfit Through
Try wearing the heaviest or bulkiest items on the day you travel - this in turn gives you some precious extra space in your case.  Also these items are usually the comfiest (jeans, jumpers etc) and will keep you warm on the plane or in the car.  Try not to wear too much jewellery (unless you want to be frisked by airport security!).


Tip 4
Don't Bring Too Many Pairs of Shoes
Shoes are heavy and bulky.  Also the amount of pairs you pack depends on the length and type of your stay.  For a weekend city trip I would probably take some flip flops, wedge heels (for the evening) and perhaps some comfy pumps for sightseeing.  It really is up to you but try to wear the most heavy pair whilst travelling.  Roll socks and pop accessories into your shoes so no empty space goes unused.


Tip 5
Keep it Organised
I obviously would include this tip as I organise things as part of my business, however a little thought can save you a lot of hassle later on.

• Use packing cubes like these above from Lifeventure.  They keep your clothes near and organised - really useful  http://www.lifeventure.co.uk/htm/ultralite/packing-cubes.html
• Things that crease easily pack at the bottom of your luggage with less wrinkle-prone items on the top.
• Put your shoes (stuffed with socks and undies) in shoe bags at the bottom of your case
• Pop all your jewellery in a clutch bag

Once you have packed just enjoy your holiday feeling so much more organised and ready to party!.


Hope this has been useful - have a fabulous holiday whether you are enjoying a "staycation" like me or going somewhere more exotic.


Olivia x

An Evening of Fashion

Had a lovely evening running a fashion event for local ladies. John Lewis provided the outfits, with models strutting their stuff on the runway, Clinique showcased their cosmetics and demonstrated some key looks on some of the lucky guests!   The event saw around 130 people joining us with £1 from every ticket sold going to Cancer Research UK.

Here are a few photos from the event:

Right off to bed after a long but successful day!

Olivia x

The Diamond Jubilee is coming...!

Been very naughty and not blogged for over a week! I have been moving house, so have a good excuse :)

With my love of event management, I wanted to post something about the Jubilee fever that is about to sweep the nation.  So Queen Liz is going to celebrate 60 years of her time on the throne ... BIG congratulations to her!  Love the royals and love the patriotism.  Bring on the red, white and blue colour schemes, flags, national anthem, cupcakes, tea and fun times.

If like me you are attending a Jubilee party at the beginning of June with family or friends or are organising one, here are some ideas to make your party extra special:

1. Bunting Oodles of the stuff. Bunting is brilliant and this is the perfect moment to go bananas with it. Personally, I like the old-fashioned fabric kind but there are all sorts of options out there now, from beautifully embroidered stuff to nicely weatherproof plastic. Use it in copious quantities indoors and out. Try the below from http://www.theflagshop.co.uk/red-white-and-royal-blue-bunting-981-p.asp

2. Red, white and blue You may not want to plaster your house with Union Jacks, but any terribly British party should really have a colour scheme that incorporates the colours of our flag. This has the added benefit of leaving you with some items that you might actually get to re-use at some point before the next big Royal event. Ask your guests to dress in our nations colours perhaps?

3. Best of British Feed your guests a selection of traditional regional classics in miniature, from a regional cheese board to mini fish & chips in newspaper print canapé cones. And for Drinks? It’s got to be gin & tonic!

4. More tea, vicar? Reference our national obsession with tea by serving tea-based cocktails in teacups, poured from tea pots.

5. Cake In the UK, we love our cake. Make gingerbread princes and princesses, and biscuits shaped like crowns with jelly tot jewels. Why not get any children attending to make some cakes to bring with them.  Check out these cake toppers http://www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk/hunkycat/queens-jubilee-cupcake-toppers-p-1785.html?cPath=127&osCsid=v7f39o8a294nhcuflch85qblv7

6. Great British music Fortunately for us, the UK has a rich and varied musical heritage, which means that you can make an all-Brit soundtrack to suit every taste, from the Beatles to Queen.

7. Queen for the day Party guests love to dress up - it’s a great ice-breaker - so get online and order a big pile of cheap novelty crowns, tiaras and jewels from party suppliers. Throw in a few grey wigs, and purple sashes and you’ll be up to your ears in royal impersonators before you know it.  You could hold a fancy dress competition. Check out some Union Jack inspired fancy dress from http://www.fancy-dress-forever.co.uk/search.php.

 

   

8. Lawn games No British summer party is complete without lawn games - whether croquet, lawn tennis, cricket or badminton, they’re perfect for a lazy summer afternoon’s socialising.

Well that is it for this evening.  Hope it has been interesting for you.  Have a fun Jubilee party!

Olivia x