Kraft Wedding Matchbooks

Happy Monday! 

 I'm proud to show off my new Matchbooks, I've been doing these for a while now and they're really picked up in popularity, especially for Weddings, They make excellent favours for guests, and they're not too expensive either. They come staples with little envelopes to put a gift in for your friends. A popular choice is flower seeds, such as forget me nots, or poppy seeds. As you can see form the picture one client has gone for the flowers seeds and another has chosen a little mint to go inside. They're both chosen their own wording to make it personal and used one of my designs to make it stand out a bit more. I've just introduced the Kraft range! They're so  lovely and vintage, It's best to stick with darker hues on these as when printed things colours will appear darker due to the colour of the kraft. I really is endless what you can use these for and the wording you can have to change it up, if you have any questions or want something a bit different then you can email me. 

You can purchase them on my website here! 
from £30 for 50 Matchbooks

New Skirts and New Items

It's an exciting day! My new fabric arrived and i've been making my new cushions, glasses cases and pouches. I've also got a lovely new skirt from Zara, it's off white and pleated.  It's a little long, so i'm going to take it up to just above the knee.

I wanted in involve some of the things I make into my posts, and especially the fashion side of things to show how they can be used and styled. My glasses cases have been made with my kitty print on them as a prototype, i'm selling them for £10 on my website here. My phone fits in it too, so i'm popping that in there when I don't need the glasses. 

I'm working so hard to get lots of products together, i'm pleased to see some of them getting stocked in shops and i'm trying to expand my hand made items so I can try and be more self sufficient. Illustration wise I've been making lots of new prints and working with new companies which i'm really excited to talk about! until then, thanks for reading!

Primark top £2.50 Blazer (Given to me) Zara Skirt £39.99 Primark Slingbacks £7

Mom Jeans

Hello all! I must say i'm a little nervous to do my first fashion post! As an illustrator i've put my work out there to be criticised/praised and in a way i can hide behind that, but a fashion post is letting someone really jude your sense of style (obviously) which is a little scary as it's so personal. But I wanted to blog about different things so i'm going to give it all a go!  I've been pinning mom jeans like mad lately, and i've definitely been wanting to give them a go, I love how comfy they are and they're definitely a great piece to style up or dress down. I decided to pair them with some black heels and a basic blazer. The Heels are lovely to wear for half an hour, they they rub terribly, I love to wear stilettos but these are not kind on your feet, If I were going out in this outfit I would definitely grab my pair of kitten heels (below) which I bought for £5 from ebay, They're second hand Very shoes and are super comfy. The one thing I will say about mom jeans it that they can accentuate you in the wrong places, personally I don't think i've got very large hips but they do emphasise them so i've made sure to wear a tight t-shirt and tailored blazer to slim me out a little. I'd love to try styling these jeans in a few different ways to see how versatile they can be! unintentionally 90% of this outfit is Primark, Oooh LA LA

Blazer: second hand free - T-shirt: Primark Basic £2.50 - Mom Jeans: TopShop £40 -
Shoes: Primark £12 - Bag: Primark £12 - Glasses: Primark £2.50

I try to separate Gold and Silver as I don't think they work too well on me together, The only silver I have is the little frame on my sunglasses, but my watch, bag and shoe detailing are all gold.

my new shoes! super comfy, I forgot I bid on these and was very happy to find them on their way to me!
 Well, thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed my first fashion post :)

NEW YORK

So i'm sat here in the middle of the day, jet lagged and slightly dazed, Got home safely and ready to look through all of my photos of my week in new york! I filled up four memory cards so I have so much to write about :D  We landed in the evening and checked out our gorgeous Hotel the Hudson, the decor was just beautiful with ivy streaming off exposed beams, dark wood floors and just an amazing relaxed vibe, exactly what we needed after a 8.5 hour flight. I didn't want to bore everyone with millions of photos so i've only added a few of my favourites.

We could hardly sleep we were so excited to be in New York so we decided to go to the Empire State Building at night, (top photo) it's open til 2am so we knew we had plenty of time! It was really quiet and I was so surprised at how fast you get to the top.

The views are absolutely breathtaking, from every angle you can see beautiful lights bouncing off reflective buildings, sky scrapers dotted with thousands of little flickering lights, you can see planes, stars, the river, it's really hard to actually describe how gorgeous it is. We walked back through Times Square which is a crazy place, it is never dark there, enormous advertisements compete for your attention, flashing slogans, pictures and deals, there is always something going on and something interesting to see. There are so many great little novelties that a non native can appreciate, I loved the smoke coming from the subway and hailing yellow cabs (we had such beginners luck for the first few days) It's all exactly like the movies and so much more.

The next day we really wondered around, I wanted to go to Chelsea market to see all of the vintage clothes and stalls, it's a great market, if you're from Birmingham then it feels similar to the custard factory, but a tad more expensive. The fairy light walkway was really beautiful and really acted as the focal point for the market for me, if you're in the area then you need to check it out, there are lots of hidden gems in there, great food and surprisingly chatty stall holders. The second photo is from the high rise, everything is in the process of rejuvenating so it's a little bare, despite that the views are great and it's a really nice view of the city walking your own pace and out of the way of roads and hoards of people. I dragged my poor boyfriend along to perry street where sex and the city was filmed, carries apartment is actually a large house, it's a beautiful place where the architecture is different and you can tell it's an expensive part of town. It's really close to the tube station and we had breakfast across the street at a lovely cafe. Everyone seemed a lot friendlier this side of town, I also heard there are a lot of good music venues which i'd love to check out next time I go. Later we caught the Boat out to Liberty Island, it's a fast trip which offers breathtaking views of the skyline, I'm so glad we got to see the city from this angle, it's really odd to think we were walking amongst all of the enormous buildings that make us feel so tiny.  I will say you need to wrap up extra warm for this time of year, our cab driver told us "No liquor in New York city will keep you warm in this weather"

Over the next few days we saw the stunning Grand Central Station, NY Public Library, Ground Zero, Watched Lion King on Broadway (it's amaaaaaaaaazing) and so much more, Overall it was an incredible time, I really hope I get to go back again sometime soon, I'd love to experience NY in the summer, so many people told me it's like a different city,
Thanks for reading, All photo's are take by me, (if they're of me then they're taken by my lovely boyfriend) 

Lipsticks

I'm a huge fan of lipsticks, RARELY do I dare to do no colour, if i do i'm always wearing a moisturiser /chap stick for some comfort, I get asked what colours i'm wearing so I thought it'd be interesting to get some of my favourites together.

Loreal
I was given this lipstick by my aunty, as I usually wouldn't bother buying anything else until my collection 2000 has run out, But i'm glad i've had the chance to try something new,   it's a great Lipstick, lovely packaging and feels very luxurious, It also comes off easily on glasses and whatever you eat, but blotting should help that. This is an amazing intense red lipstick which is one of my must-haves.

Sleek - Mystic 783

This little lipstick is modestly packaged but it has become one of my favourites, in a beautiful bold purple colour it applies really well and has a very smooth moisturising feel, if you're worried about wearing a Matt lipstick which may make your lips look dry this really is a great find,  creamy and vibrant and surprisingly long lasting, at £4.99 it's a win win. 8/10

YSL Rouge 

it is far by the best lipstick i've ever bought, in every way it's exceptional, The packaging is beautiful and hardy, it's lovely to hold and it really feels like it's worth every penny, The scent of the lipstick is very fruity, and obviously the coverage and the feel is everything I want from lipstick, the colour is intense and only one/two applications is needed, the staying power is brilliant and it has a really nice mouse like texture. At £25 it is the top of my price range, but it has lasted a long time and i'd love to own more from that collection. 9/10

17 Lasting fix lipstick - Hot Chilli
This is one of my go to lipsticks, not quite a red as it has a gorgeous orange tint to it, it doesn't quite have the super human staying power as sleek Mystic though,  which isn't a bad thing as it's still brilliant, anyone who's not quite brave enough to try a full on red might want to give this a try one evening, you won't need to worry about re-applying and it won't look flakey. £4.29 8/10

Collection 2000 Volume sensation - Cherry Pop
When you get a Red lipstick you need a good one! and this is it,  (the search is over!) I'm always being complimented on this and for the price it's incredible value. It stays on so well, it's creamy, moisturising and had a really vibrant coverage, it goes everywhere with me i had no idea it was meant to be plumping but it does have a little glossiness to it which may add to that illusion, Great find and i can't recommend enough. £2.99 9/10

Rimmel Apocalips - Apocaliptic,
 Intense, vibrant and smooth, it' much thicker than a gloss and it's lovely to wear, the colour is super strong and really gives a nice edge to makeup, it can look a bit much if worn with heavy eye-makeup but it depends what you want to get out of it. I love this Lipstick/Gloss and it's one of my favourites, might be worth using a lip liner if colour bleeds on your lips. £5.99 8/10

This is my FIRST ever make-up post so i hope it wasn't too boring and at least a little interesting, Thanks for reading if you got this far, would love to know your fave lipsticks and what you thought of this post. All photographs have been taken by me.
 Nat x

   

My Holiday Accessories

If you follow me on twitter then you probably know that i'm going to New York on Monday! (EEEEK) I cannot wait, and i'm feeling so unprepared, the weather seems to be so unpredictable, sometimes snow, others it appears to be dry and just cold. (Wardrobe hell) I have no idea what to take so i'm putting a lot of varieties into my suitcase just incase.  It's a bit frustrating, those last few days leading up to a holiday as all the things I regularly wear are being washed and I don't want to wear them, My favourite coat is being dry cleaned so i hope it isn't destroyed when i get it back.

I managed to get some great things when looking at second hand shops, Ebay and my local boot market are places i'll go just before a holiday, I suppose i'd rather spend my money on things when I'm there than expensive things to take. A lot of things I have were either bought for me (for xmas or birthday), given to me, or I bought second hand, My best buy is my Tortoise shell cat eye sunglasses, I also have a black version simply because they were £3.69 from this Ebay Store. They look fab and they're simple enough to go with a lot of outfits, it's really difficult to find accessories which aren't overly embellished, but these are perfect. 

 I have two favourite perfumes, The one pictured is Gucci Guilty, and the other is Armani Diamonds (Presents, i'd never buy myself expensive perfumes) But i'm so glad I have them as they're really lovely.My watch is second hand, £2. My YSL earrings are fake! (I feel so ashamed) My favourite lipstick is Loreal, "Colour Riche 461" and as lipsticks go it's one of the best, stays on beautifully, has great coverage and it's a real poppy colour. Highly recommended.

So, i'm just getting final things together now and Pinning lots of places for us to visit, One being the High rise, I've heard it's a really lovely view of New York. Which I can't wait to see! Also we're going to watch some shows on Broadway, I reaallly want to go to some lovely little Cafes, so If you have any suggestions of places to go, please let me know :)
As always, thanks for reading,

Nat x

Street Style New York

Fashion weeeeeek! It's very exciting, and as much as I need to see what's on the catwalk I seem to really enjoy looking at the fashion from the front row and attendees lately, a street style frenzy has swept the internet in the last few years thanks to bloggers and independent fashion lovers,  It's really interesting to see the people who attend these shows and how their personal style is influenced by it, Obviously if I could buy designer my wardrobe would be crammed with Burberry, Lanvin and Givenchy, but unfortunately the life of a new freelance artist only allows a high street wardrobe... Which is fine! There are many stores  which really keep up with the trends and offer very well made clothes. For me, Zara has some of the best elegant pieces that are simple and beautiful. 

 Reading through Vogue online I came across New York fashion week street style images, All of the people chosen had such a unique sense of style, I had to draw a few of my favourites,

The first being Sonya Esman who is wearing my ultimate love at the moment... (Boyfriend Jeans) paired with a lovely textured coat and fluffy bag I really enjoyed the different surfaces mixed within this outfit, I think it works so well due to the muted colour pallets brought together, this is a look I'd love to try out, maybe with a nice white blouse.

Next is an outfit which really reminds me of something I wore when I was young. The skirt/trouser combination isn't something I'd be confident enough to try, but Veronica Gledhil wears this so well, if there's something I've learnt through fashion in the last few years it's never to say never, if you hate a trend and publicly bash it, prepare to eat your words when it's styled to perfection and you unwillingly love it (I'm still not going to say I'm unsure about trainers on the chanel catwalk...) I love all there is about this outfit, its a real breath of fresh air in street style but still remains on trend with the shoe style and linear silhouette. For a petite girl such as myself i think this outfit would unfortunately enhance my shortness, but you never know, I'd like to try a more layered look.

 Next is Lainey Hedaya I'm a big fan of capes, I don't own any but I'm starting to be convinced (thanks to Suki Waterhouse too) they're very feminine and I love the movement with the extra material, I especially like the length of this cape, I can imagine it being worn over a beautiful 1950's evening gown, making it beautiful for any occasion. There is a sophistication with this outfit which I can really appreciate, the Manolos work perfectly adding a just enough detail to the outfit without it being over done. 

All the links to these ladies twitter accounts can be reached by clicking on their name! I hope they all like these illustrations and you enjoyed reading some of my thoughts on street style x