Necklace Giveaway!!!

Pop on over to Pamela Susan's blog she is having a fabulous little giveaway

she says:

"To enter this giveaway please leave a comment on this blog entry telling me hi. It's that easy--I want to hear from my silent readers! :) If you want to enter TWICE, blog about this giveaway and come back and leave a comment telling me you did so. If you want to enter THREE TIMES (how fun is that?!), mention this giveaway on facebook with a link back to this post, and come back and leave a third comment.

The winner will be randomly chosen and will be announced Tuesday, August 3rd"

Pop along to her blog to leave your comments to be in with a chance of winning!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Bead Giveaway!!!!!

So Andrew Thornton is having an anniversary giveaway over on his blog

he is celebrating 4 years of blogging.  Andrew's blog is a place I visit but somehow just "stand at the back" secretly wanting to take part but never dipping my toe in......that was until today!

Andrew is giving away a bead stash to die for in celebration of his blog, look.....

"The prize consists of dyed bone strands and shell chain from Bead Trust, artisan lampwork beads by Maria Richmond of Lost Marbles Lampwork, Tim Holahan of Fire Garden Glass, Stephanie Maddalena, Donna Johnson of Dancing Light Jewelry and Valerie Logan of Gray Parrot Glass, Czech glass from Talisman Associates Inc., chunky African glass beads from a shop in New York City, ceramics from Keith O'Connor and Peru, natural brass from Vintaj, carved stone by Dean Crane of Two Cranes, a rose gold plated aspen leaf, carved stone Chinese zodiac symbols, resin-encased bamboo from Priscilla Marban, enameled Mexican silver, a silver ring with a set pearl, and two bracelets (one with turquoise and coral and the other with color and mother of pearl). Made by me are polymer clay components, bronze clay links, and some one-of-a-kind shrink plastic components. This is a treasure trove of beads!"

There are a number of ways for you to stand a chance of winning: commenting, following, blogging, tweeting - pop on over to Andrew's blog to find out more details

Thanks Andrew, for this hoard of scrummy-ness!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Time To Think of Others

whilst doing a bit of blog-hopping yesterday I clicked on a blog that, I am ashamed to say, I haven't paid a visit to in ages.....but boy am I glad I did!

  Bloom

Camilla's latest post was about an impending trip to the beach and a slight detour that took her further afield than planned......Africa to be exact!

Camilla had stopped for some reading material for the beach trip and "smitten with Cindy Crawford on the cover" she purchased Ladies Home Journal.  Here is what Camilla posted:

"Cindy Crawford at age 44 couldn't look more refreshed and beautiful, wondering what her secret was I bought the mag.

Inside was an article that was really captivating, about mothers donating dresses they had made for little girls in Africa

mothers without borders

I was intrigued.

I looked them up on the web and they had moved on to another project for charity. 

 I really liked the intial idea and was inspired to help so I scoured the web and found this site www.littledressesforafrica.com 

 The dresses are sent to little girls in Zambia, Africa. 

Perfect.

They give you a an easy pattern for a girls dress made from a pillow case.  (I remember seeing this pattern a while back in Martha Stewart Living wanting to make one for my then "little Sophia" but never got around to it.)  They included other patterns: "dress with elasticized top" and "dress with bias tape ties"

The first one I made with a pillow case and adorned with a little rickrack.

Then I tried the dress with bias tape ties, did some pleats and ruffles I was hooked.

I ended up making 14 in a weekend.

What makes this a fun project is that you can use material you have on hand, left over from a project, because it doesn't require much.

Sizes start at 2 -11 yrs

Mix and match material...love that.

So you see, beauty isn't just skin deep... it leads to other things.

Thank you Cindy Crawford

if it wasn't for your

fab and glowing image,

I wouldn't have known about these little girls in need of dresses.

...and that,

is a beautiful thing"

I was REALLY inspired by this post and felt I wanted to participate, but I am not a sewer, so I thought of the next best thing.......I would blog about it and help pass the message on to all you fabulous bloggers who DO sew!!!

PLEASE take five minutes to check out littledressesforafrica to see what YOU can do to help out!!

While you are busy checking out things, pop along to Camilla's blog: Bloom to see a whole miriad of inspiration....

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

{thank you to Camilla for allowing me to use her words and pictures for this blog post}

Wish List :o)

definitely a distant pipe-dream this week, will it ever happen.......who know's what around the next corner

dream home

a perfect log cabin with landscaped gardens overlooking our beautiful coastline

a little bit of paradise

somewhere to let all the stresses and strains of life just MELT away

we all need dreams, right?

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Oh! to be 18 again!

celebrated my son's 18th today...can't believe the time has flown this quickly!!

Here's a few pics of the birthday boy...

{this was taken by hubby's hand...hence the fuzziness!}

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Twenty Question Tuesday

 

  

In your eyes, what’s Paradise?

Sitting with my knitting at the end of my garden and sipping a cup of tea while my children play happily in the garden on a warm summer's day. I'm not hard to please at all!

Prized Possession

Well, if I had to rescue anything from the house in a hurry and my family were all safe I'd grab the children's baby photo albums and my knitting bag and knitting needle roll.

Favourite medium to work with and why?

Yarn spun from any kind of pure, natural fibre (alpaca, merino etc) but I especially like tweedy yarns as they have more interest and texture.

Flowers or chocolate?

Both please!

Who influenced you the most?

My Gran – she made lots of her own clothes, she knitted and crocheted toys and clothes for my brother and I, baked wonderful treats in a spotless kitchen and she always looked elegant.

Who would you most like to go to Dinner with?

My husband – we never seem to get enough time alone together these days!

Top Cat or Banana Splits?

It's a close run thing but the Banana Splits just have the edge in my opinion.

Today I wore:

Cropped jeans, a tunic top and Keen trainers this morning to take my daughter and her friend to the park, jammies this afternoon while pottering around the house.

RomCom or Horror flick, explain your choice

RomCom although I'd actually prefer a science fiction film. Horror flicks just terrify me and I end up having to sleep with the light on all night.

What inspired you to do what you do?

Having my children. Making things for them reawakened a slightly dormant passion for knitting which is now a very big part of my daily life.

McDreamy or McSteamy?

McDreamy all the way.

If you could do anything else, what would it be?

Nothing – on balance I'm pretty happy with the way things are.

Favourite item of clothing

Jammies and woolly socks.

Best childhood memory

Holidays in Devon and Cornwall with my Mum, Dad and Brother – you know the old fashioned kind with sandcastles, quoits on the beach, fish and chips as a special treat – simple family stuff.

Most cringe-worthy moment

Pretending to be French in an attempt to get away with not paying on a fairground ride when I was 12 – it didn't work!

Favourite holiday destination

Devon or Cornwall.

Which celebrity would you have as your best friend and why

I'd rather have a no-body as a best friend – it must be awful having to dodge the paparazzi everywhere you go.

Best “crafty” tip you can offer

Buy the best quality materials that you can afford – if you're going to invest a lot of time in making something, you want to be happy with the finished article.

What’s your Star sign?

Leo

What would you most like to see happen next?

In general - for the human race to re-discover the lost art of treating others the way they'd like to be treated themselves.

On a personal level – for my son to develop some speech so he can express himself.

Twenty Questions was brought to you today by the adorable Little Cottons Rabbits.  Thank You Julie!

Julie creates some of the CUTEST knitted creatures I've seen, I also love "listening" to her ramblings on her blog, she lifts my spirits ;o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Apathy or Flow?

{apathy}

for those of you who have been following my blog you will know that the last three years have been a somewhat BLACK scary and uncontrollable time for me with, as far as I could tell, no way out.....that was until Christmas 2009 when {being off meds for a week due to illness} I made a promise to myself that "2010 would be a POSITIVE year" and while I was at it I would NOT go back on my meds as a result of this promise....I mean WHY step back after making that promise, right?  

I  met with the various "professionals" I had been seeing over the last few years and told them this was my plan and so with their acknowledgement and my new mantra "2010 WILL be positive" I started off on my LONG road to recovery, I had finally been able to fill my head with plans and achievements and my brain with words and sentences {all of which had be erased over the last three years} how long this road is is anyone's guess BUT six months down the line I can still hear my mantra....exciting, hopeful, uplifting - these are some of the words I haven't been able to grasp up until this year.  I have had moments whereby I have needed to take deep, DEEP breaths for fear of taking many steps backwards but positivity has held out and I have carried on, going forward....

....but I FEAR something new has been hanging about me, behaving like a brick wall around me, stopping any plans and achievements from materialising, something I haven't been able to put my finger on but have tried to shrug off thinking it will pass and I can carry on going forward.....I am grasping in my newly filled brain to explain what this feeling is that's surrounding me and feeling FRUSTRATED when I can't quite get it.....and then, suddenly the word POPPED up, right there in the front of my brain like a neon light flashing it's many sequences.....apathy.....A.P.A.T.H.Y.!!!

I googled and there it was in black and white....apathy.....EVERYTHING that I have been feeling for the last seven or eight weeks, growing bigger by the day until it is now SOOO overwhelming it is frightening me.....as far as I can tell medication is the only way to help rid me of this feeling, I have an appointment to see the Doc on Wednesday hoping they will suggest some natural remedy until then I am saying my mantra more than ever as I want to see where I am going and NOT look back to where I have been.

The opposite of apathy is flow.......this is where I want to be - FLOWING with ideas, plans, achievements, excitement and hopefullness.

{flow}

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Wish List :o)

with all this GREY, wet, windy wintery weather we are having at the moment I thought I would look for something cosy, and I found it in RASPBERRY

Raspberry Knit Ruffled SCARF

JANNYSGIRL

she has some wonderful things to throw around your neck and on top of your head!

and look what I found to match!

Raspberry French Terry Jacket

ErinAlexandraKlym

am LOVIN' the wishes this week!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Twenty Question Tuesday

In your eyes, what’s Paradise?

Paradise to me isn't a place it's a feeling - feeling content with your life no matter where you are (rather profound for a Tuesday morning!)

Prized Possession

Family and friends

Favourite medium to work with and why?

Sterling Silver - I've always preferred it to gold as it looks beautiful on its own or teamed with gorgeous beads

Flowers or chocolate?

Chocolate! You can't eat flowers :D

Who influenced you the most?

My Mum who died three years ago

Who would you most like to go to Dinner with?

Sergio Ramos (Spanish footballer and a bit gorgeous). Seriously, one of my Polish ancestors from generations back - I'd love to know more about that side of my family

Top Cat or Banana Splits?

Banana Splits

Today I wore

Purple tie-dyed t-shirt and jeans

RomCom or Horror flick, explain your choice

Horror Flick - just more exciting!

What inspired you to do what you do?

I've always loved earrings ever since having my ears pierced so making earrings seemed like a natural thing to do

McDreamy or McSteamy?

McDreamy!

If you could do anything else, what would it be?

Run horse-riding holidays somewhere beautiful

Favourite item of clothing

I'm not terribly clothes-conscious anymore but bras are rather essential!

My favourite thing is probably my brown suede jacket

Best childhood memory

Being given my first pet at the age of five. She was a black kitten that I imaginatively called Blackie :D

Most cringe-worthy moment

Being asked by my Mum at the age of 16 and in front of most of our family if I was still a virgin!

Favourite holiday destination

New York

Which celebrity would you have as your best friend and why

Graham from Corrie as he makes me laugh

Best “crafty” tip you can offer

Don't get stuck in a rut, try new things and practise a lot!

What’s your Star sign?

Libra

What would you most like to see happen next?

With my jewellery making I'd like to carry on learning new techniques.

My dream, if I had the money, would be to have my own website selling all the jewellery making supplies I find so hard to get hold of in this country.

Personally - I'd just like to be happy and content with my life.

Amen to your dream website Tracy....I would be first in line....WHY is it so difficult in this country to find what you want??

Twenty Questions was brought to you today by the beautiful Tracy Smith of Cinnamon Jewellery. She creates stunning contemporary bead and wirework pieces....but don't take my word for it, go and take a look for yourself.....you WON'T be disappointed!

Thanks for your contribution gorgeous! ;o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Hello....to the South Pacific!

Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. Since the middle of the 19th century, it also has come to be used as an English greeting to say goodbye and hello. Currently, it is mostly used in the sense of hello
{source: wikipedia}

SO I'd like you to say Aloha to this fabulous creation by
 Cindy Wimmer @ Sweet Bead Studio

isn't it gorgeous!!!

Cindy was having a giveaway on her blog to say THANK YOU to all her blogging followers/ friends -

"for those of you who are no where near the beach….if I could package up the feel of the warm sand under your toes, or the sound of the crashing waves, or that delicious ocean breeze…I would" 

{Cindy Wimmer - Sweet Bead Studio}

Well, what's even better than looking at such a gorgeous creation is being able to have the opportunity to OWN it and guess what?

I have WON IT!!!!!!!

:o)

I'm SO excited and am already counting down the sleeps before it arrives!!!!!

Go take a look at Cindy's blog Sweet Bead Studio - she truly does have some amazing creations - it's not  surprising too as she sure feels like she truly encompasses all the Hawaiian meanings of the word ALOHA!

Have a FAB day, whatever you are doing, I know that on this drizzly Sunday mine has become a lot brighter!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

sale @ hello gorgeous!

Mid-Summer Madness Sale!

10% *

off ALL

gemstone and sterling silver jewellery at hello gorgeous!

sale ends: 31st July 2010

*10% refund will be made via paypal once payment has been received

Sale does not apply to the Fashion jewellery range

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Wish List :o)

Here we are again, more wishes

gorgeous spots!

check out PaperFish

and every girls dream

shoes!!!

visit the genius that is: Christian Louboutin

here's to your Wednesday wishes!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Twenty Question Tuesday

In your eyes, what’s Paradise?

Paradise, for me, is a hill top on a sunny day with a picnic with my family - camera, gingham ground cloth, wicker basket, glass of fizz with yummy nibbles - especially tiger bread and lurpak, olives, humous and beautifully decorated cupcakes.

Prized Possession
My daughter Ellie, then my dog Eddy and then my tag collection.

Favourite medium to work with and why?
I don't have an ultimate favourite as they come in and out of fashion so quickly. But right now its spray inks.

Flowers or Chocolate?

I really love flowers but when people buy me them, they only die. I’d rather be given a pot plant - and some chocolate!

Who influenced you the most?

Photography wise it would have to be Mario Testino and art wise it has to be every blog I read. I get most of my inspiration from blogs. So thank you, world x

Who would you most like to go to Dinner with?
Helene Bonham Carter - she is lovely.

Top Cat or Banana Splits?
Oooh neither, I loved Hong King Phuey!

Today I wore:

Black, but when I wear black I accessorise with a bright scarf or hair adornments. Todays accessory is a grey bobbly scarf! Oh and silver ballet pumps.

RomCom or Horror flick, explain your choice
Rom Com - Horrors are a turn off for me.

What inspired you to do what you do?

I’ve always been crafty, even as a kid - fiddling with toilet roll to make dresses for my Sindy and faffing with paper to make sculptures. My mum new I’d be an artist of some sorts. So I guess my parents, having little money as a kid prompted me to be creative with things around the home.

McDreamy or McSteamy?
McSteamy - McDreamy is too short!

If you could do anything else, what would it be?
Work for child adoption services or be a foster carer - I love kids.

Favourite item of clothing
My scarves, I love them.
.
Best childhood memory

Being able to roam the streets and fields with no threat from violence or bullying that you get all to often these days.

Most cringe-worthy moment
Not plucking my eyebrows until I was at least 26 - I hate looking at my wedding photos…..cringe!

Children or Animals?
I’m sorry but it’s both - especially babies and puppies.

Which celebrity would you have as your best friend and why?
Helene Bonham Carter - she is wild, unique, beautiful and has a beautiful accent.

Best “crafty” tip you can offer
Layering - be it paint on paint or embellishment on paper on paint - the more the layers the better.

What’s your Star sign?
Aquarius - the most craftiest star sign of them all, apparently.

What would you most like to see happen next?
My own line of punches hitting the shops sooner ;)

Twenty Questions was brought to you today by the gorgeous, funny and very talented Kirsty Wiseman - go take a peek at her blog, you won't be disappointed by her ramblings!

Thanks gorgeous! :o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

I'm Having Visitors...

...every Tuesday to be exact!

There will be a new feature here on the hello gorgeous blog every Tuesday - Twenty Question Tuesday - whereby I will  put twenty questions to a fellow blogger - today is the first and we kick off with the beautiful Kirsty Wiseman  :o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Wish List :o)

something to wear.....

am thinking this gorgeous red creation has my name written all over it, go on take a closer look........see hello gorgeous!

something to share......

and then let your eyes fall upon the beautiful shades of pink and green, very summery - can just picture what I'm gonna create with these beauties! :o)

Both can be found here

Wish List Wednesday's - I like that! ;o)
Watch out for next week's wishes! 

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx