Nomday! about your up-cycling: Brighton Pod

'Up-cycling' sounds kind of made up doesn't it? Well I guess that's because it is a made-up word, but if you think about it for a moment, all of the words had to be made up at some point, so I'm comfortable with writing about up-cycling. Especially as it has good meaning behind it, recycling but BETTER because it involves lots of lovely vintage bits and bobs!

My good lady-friend Ria wrote a blog post recently about upcycled suitcases and sweet little train cases by Etsy Seller Remixed Vintage, but I have found another supplier that might load your luggage, if up-cycling is your bag. Sorry, I have a terrible taste for alliterative puns and innuendo. I'll be an embarrassing mum one day.

Brighton Pod are a 'promoter of original design' in the UK and so, if you have a bob or two, you can find some lovely things on their website, including these gorgeous bags by uoldbag which have been transformed from something old into something unique and simply wonderful.

Take this delight, the 'Large Great Britain up-cycled vintage suitcase' this could be yours for £225, plus £20 delivery. See how the map has been carefully decoupaged onto the suitcase and varnished with lacquer so that it's waterproof? So clever!

Or there is the 'English channel up-cycled vintage suitcase', which has the most lovely shape, wouldn't you agree? To own that treasure, you'd have to part with £255 smackeroonies, plus £25 delivery, but it would be totally worth it. I can just see it, in the spare room of my imaginary house, resting at the end of the bed on a trunk, holding nice fluffy white towels and toiletries for my guests...

This Flamingoes and Roses suitcase for £390 also particularly takes my fancy and is hand embroidered (no mean feat I imagine!) I'd feel particularly pleased with myself as I trundled off on my holidays proudly brandishing it.

The last one I'll feature, which was a Very Hard Thing To Choose I can tell you, is this splendid red vanity case, which would set you back £160, but you could be happy in the knowledge that you were the only person in the world to own one and that you were supporting British artisans. And that would be a comforting thought indeed.

Okay fine, no more pictures, but whilst I'm at it, you need to look at this, this and this. The one with the mouse in his mouth is particularly terrifying, which is ideally what you want your suitcase to communicate to the baggage handler at Heathrow: Treat me with care, dude, or I will destroy you like this owl destroys mice and other small woodland creatures.

Oh, by the way, if you follow @BrightonPOD on Twitter, like I do, then you'll hear about all the other lovely things they stock.

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the £50 shopping spree at Aspire Style is...

...Allie!  Congratulations!  There were so many great answers to this that it was genuinely hard to choose the winner, but Allie won us over with her answer:

That's a beautiful bag! Am I allowed to choose the Ruby Belle Tea Blossom dress too? I'm also totally obsessed with tea dresses, but there's always room for one more! Especially as in the last few months I've managed to lose two stone, and I'm bankrupting myself buying loads of brand new dresses that actually fit me!  That'd leave me with £5 to spend on these gorgeous silver flower earrings.

We're really pleased to be able to help you treat yourself after losing so much weight - fantastic work!  All that's left for you to do now is send us an email at info@about-your-dress.com and we'll get you in touch with Catie at Aspire Style so she can assist you with your spree!

Thanks to everyone who entered; as so many of you fell in love with the Ruby Belle Tea Blossom dress (£45), I felt it only fair to share it with the rest of the class...

For those who didn't win, why not treat yourself?  All About Your Dress readers can get themselves a lovely 10% off everything from www.aspirestyle.co.uk with the code AYDblog, so that there dress would be reduced to a mere £40.50!  You know it makes financial sense.

I'd like to take this opportunity to also thank everyone who took part in the birthday bonanza, from our old readers to those who have discovered us this week, but very special thanks goes to the very kind people who donated the prizes.  In the next few days I'll be creating an AYD directory of our favourite shops, but in the meantime, please pay a visit to all our donors:

• Golden Monkey Tea Company
• Jojo Glass Design
• Brora
• From the Wilde
• Helen Woodward Design
• Be Gorgeous
• Aspire Style

Get bookmarking!

AYD birthday bonanza: win a £50 spending spree at Aspire Style

I wanted to save this prize for the last day of the About Your Dress birthday week because it's just so awesome and I will be massively jealous of anyone who wins it.  As you may know, before moving down to London I worked in Stratford upon Avon for an incredibly lovely shop called Aspire Style (I ran the website at the end of that there link, in fact).  I miss everyone there terribly as it was by far the best company I've ever worked for, and I think the feeling might be mutual as they've very kindly offered one of my readers a £50 shopping spree!

Either that, or it's hush money.  As soon as I knew what the prize was going to be, coming up with the competition was incredibly simple: what would you buy if you won?

Let me show you how it's done.  If I won (which won't happen because apparently I'm not allowed to enter), I would get this beautiful Nica Alicia Portfolio:

It's technically £9 over the £50 prize, but I've been informed that you can use the prize as part payment if you do exceed it, then top up the rest in cash money.  That would mean I'd be getting this awesome bag for just £9 if I won (which again, I'm not allowed to.  I knew I shouldn't have made that rule...)

To be in with a chance of winning, just tell us in the comments below or on Facebook what you'd spend the money on if you won!  Again, you can also earn an extra entry by tweeting: "I want to win the £50 @aspirestyle spending spree from @AYDblog!" - make sure you follow too!

This competition will run over the weekend, so there's plenty of time to enter on all mediums, and we'll announce the winner on Monday morning.  Obviously if anyone does want to buy me that bag when they win, I can't stop them (and Ma always told me it was rude to refuse gifts).

Good luck!

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the hoard from Be Gorgeous is...

...Rachie!  Well done!  We asked people to tell us what they do to be gorgeous (it was a very clever competition really), and Rachie told us this:

"To be gorgeous? Be myself! The past couple of weeks I've been using less makeup and been feeling amazables! Praise the Lord for Ponds cold cream as well! Drinking lots of water and ensuring all my food contains only the finest gold and diamond extracts from deepest Borneo. Think I may be on to a winner. Sadly I am missing the jewellery to go with this new gorgeous outlook..."

We love that Rachie's embracing her ability to be naturally gorgeous (with the exception of that bit about the finest gold and diamonds from Borneo - but we're not sure how true this claim  is).  Rachie, you now must claim your hoard!  Give us an email at info@about-your-dress.com or send us a DM on Twitter with your details and we'll get your fantastic stash in the post!

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the 'Florence' necklace from Helen Woodward Design is...

...Poppy!  Congratulations on winning such a beautiful piece!  Florence is very limited edition too, so you've bagged yourself something truly special.  We asked readers to tell us what their most beloved vintage item is, and Poppy stole our hearts with her answer:

"My favourite vintage piece was a beautiful brooch that used to belong to my great grandmother. It was only costume jewellery but meant alot to me because the ceramic top layer had an illustration of poppies on it (let me put it in context by mentioning that my name is Poppy!). I was given it at her funeral by my great grandad, who told me that she had wanted me to have it since I was born. I was really touched to be given something that had been thought of as mine for so long, as I was 21 when she died. I used to have it pinned to a coat of mine and kept it for several years, but sadly the coat was lost when I handed into a cloakroom, and so the brooch was lost too. I cried a lot more over the brooch, even though the coat that I lost was an amazing sale bargain Paul and Joe coat!"

Poppy, you now must tell us where Florence needs to fly home to!  Give us an email at info@about-your-dress.com or send us a DM on Twitter with your details and we'll send her on her merry way (possibly with the aid of Royal Mail; I'm not sure her wings are all that effective).

AYD birthday bonanza: win a veritable hoard of jewellery from Be Gorgeous

There is a wonderful shop in Warwick called Be Gorgeous which sells exactly the kind of clothes and accessories to enable you to do exactly that (be gorgeous, slowcoach).  Be Gorgeous is run by a lovely lady called Lindsey, and lovely Lindsey is especially lovely because she's offered not one, not two, but THREE pieces of jewellery for the About Your Dress birthday bonanza.  There's these love birds earrings...

...and this Alice in Wonderland-inspired 'Drink Me' necklace...

...and this antique copper necklace with angel charms:

What a hoard!  It's just like Staffordshire all over again!  If you want to be in with a chance of winning this stash, it's very very easy.  Just tell us in the comments below (or on Facebook) what you do to be gorgeous, and you can earn an extra entry by Tweeting "I want to win the @Be_Gorgeous hoard from @AYDblog!" - entry closes at midnight tonight and we'll announce the winner tomorrow!

AYD birthday bonanza: win the 'Florence' necklace from Helen Woodward Design

Those amongst you who have been reading About Your Dress for a hefty chunk of its existence may remember me dedicating a whole post to the genius that is Helen Woodward and her very pretty online shop last year.  This is why I'm very pleased to announce that one of the two prizes up for grabs on day four of the birthday celebrations is none other than Helen's 'Florence' vintage filigree butterfly necklace!

Florence is a lovely vintage butterfly who has been reconditioned by Helen's loving touch, and I'm proud that we're able to offer such a fine example of her work as a prize.  To enter the competition to win Florence, all you need to do is tell us what your most beloved vintage item is, either in the comments below or on Facebook.

As per usual, you can also earn an extra entry by telling Twitter the following: "I want to win the Florence necklace by @helenwoodward from @AYDblog!" - while you're there, be sure to congratulate the lovely Helen on the birth of her baby!  Mae Clementine was born on the 26th of January but already has pride of place on the homepage of http://www.helenwoodward.co.uk/ (although I don't think she's for sale).

AYD birthday bonanza: a post-birthday treat!

Being the kind of person who likes to extend their birthday as long as possible, it seems only fair I do the same with my blog.  Because of this, and the overwhelming generosity of some of my favourite shops, I'm very pleased to be able to offer you another double-competition day today!  I know, I know, I'm too kind.  I think the only trouble you'll have is deciding which prize you want to win more (but fortunately you're allowed to enter both), so without further ado, let's get on with the competitions!

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the Victoria Whincup illustrations from From the Wilde is...

...Amanda Cottingham (@gidders1 on Twitter)!  We asked you what the animal ambassador of wonderful prize donors From the Wilde was, and the answer was a rabbit (specifically, Pan rabbit - well done to all of you who got this right too; to claim your 15% off From the Wilde code just get in touch with us through Facebook, Twitter or email).  All entrants for this competition who got the question right were assigned a number based on the order they entered, and then we used a random number generator to pick our winner!  Aren't numbers fun?

Apparently I have to now give the illustrations away to our lucky winner (much to my disappointment; I'd cleared a space on the wall and everything), so Amanda, please send us your details by emailing info@about-your-dress.com or by sending us a DM over on that there Twitter.  We'd love to see what they look like when they're proudly on display in your home!

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the Brora cashmere wristwarmers is...

...Lauren Hamer!  It being our actual birthday yesterday, and these being extra-special not-available-in-the-shops wristwarmers (kindly donated by Brora), we asked what the most special birthday present you'd ever had was.  Here's what our winner said:

"I collect stupid novelty sunglasses which I lovingly call 'morale glasses' because they boost morale whenever you wear them. In July, a friend bought me my best ever pair. They were toilet seats and the lids of the seats opened and closed. The lenses have cute little poos on them, aww. They have the added bonus of looking like rabbit ears - at the right angle and if you squint a little bit.  

Here's a picture of my Nan wearing them http://twitpic.com/29z6pw 

I wanted to go for something sentimental but this was funnier :)"

Well done, Lauren (and Lauren's Nan - she rocks that look)!  Give us an email at info@about-your-dress.com or DM us on Twitter with your details, and we'll get those in the post to you faster than a crazy fast thing.  And any time you want to write a post about morale glasses for About Your Dress, just let us know!

AYD birthday bonanza: win a set of three original illustrations by Victoria Whincup from From the Wilde

Since featuring the wonderful From the Wilde on Nomday last week, About Your Dress has struck up a lovely friendship with owner Ellie, and she's very kindly offered a prize for our birthday bonanza!  Since I make no secret of my love for all that is ornithological, these three beautiful illustrations by artist Victoria Whincup were an obvious choice for one of the giveaways on AYD's actual birthday:

One lucky reader will soon be the owner of all three, and entering (as usual) is very very easy!  To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, all you have to do is answer the following question, either in the comments below or on Facebook:

Which animal is the ambassador of From the Wilde?

Ellie has also kindly given us a 15% discount code for anyone who can answer this further question:

What is said ambassador's name?

A quick look around the From the Wilde website will reveal the answers in no time, but let me make one thing clear: About Your Dress will not be held responsible for any money spent as a direct result of being distracted by any of the beautiful items for sale there.

You can also earn an extra entry by tweeting: "Dear @AYDblog, I want to win the beautiful @VictoriaWhincup illustrations from @fromthewilde!" - and make sure you follow us (and Victoria and From the Wilde, too!).

Full rules can be found here, but in a nutshell: the competition will close at midnight and we'll announce the winner tomorrow morning!

AYD birthday bonanza: win a pair of cashmere wristwarmers from Brora

As some of you may know, when I'm not ploughing all my free time into finding internet loveliness for all you nice people, I have an actual job.  I work for a company called Brora which specialises in the finest cashmere fashion in the land (and I'm not just saying that because they pay me; it really is the best quality cashmere that money can buy.  Just ask Nigella, she loves a bit of it).  Being the very lovely company they are, Brora have kindly donated a pair of limited edition 100% cashmere wristwarmers to the About Your Dress birthday bonanza!

These wristwarmers are extra special because they weren't available to buy in the shops or on the Brora website (as evidenced by the fact the images above were so very clearly taken by me and not a trained professional), so the lucky winner will be able to lord this over anyone who admires their prize.  Er, I mean, 'explain this to', not 'lord this over'.  Obviously.  I love my Brora wristwarmers because the cashmere makes them so warm my exposed fingers don't get cold, and I'm still able to go on Twitter check important emails whilst I'm walking.  I may yet be tempted by these new Fair Isle babies (£39) before the weather turns warmer:

As I've mentioned before, I tend not to blog about companies I work for because I don't want to introduce any bias into my posts, but I'll sneakily take this opportunity to tell you that the new Brora Spring collection is now online, and it's definitely worth a look.  I'm currently living in this silver paisley Liberty print grandad shirt (£89):

To enter this competition, just tell us in the comments below or on Facebook what the most special birthday present you've ever had was. You can earn yourself an extra entry by tweeting: "I want to win the @AYDblog birthday wristwarmers from @Brora!" - don't forget to follow us too!  As usual, the competition closes at midnight tonight and we'll announce the winner tomorrow morning, so keep your eyes peeled and your ear to the ground.

AYD birthday bonanza: we're 1 today!

That's right everyone, today is our actual birthday!  Yay!  Happy birthday to us!

As a special birthday treat for all you lovely people, we've got not one, but TWO competitions today with TWO entirely different but equally wonderful prizes!  I should probably get on with revealing them, then...

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the engraved cake stand from Jojo glass design is...

...Mariette Cox!  Here's how Mariette would use the cake stand:

"I would make multiple cupcakes of varying flavours - lemon, chocolate and vanilla, and then I would decorate them with adorable edible owls and moustaches. I would then put aforementioned cupcakes on beautiful stand, and trot 100 miles to London with the express intention of sharing them with Ria (and Nom) for Ria's birthday. And cupcakes are totally better than big cakes, because they're small, so you consume less calories. Even when you eat 20."

Bonus points there for the flagrant sucking up, flawless calorie maths and AYD-themed cake toppings.  Mariette, please DM us or email us at info@about-your-dress.com with your details so we can send you your prize!  Picking the winner for this one was a toughie, partly because the answers were so good but also because I kept getting distracted by thoughts of cake.  Mmm... cake...  Anyway, as it's our actual birthday today we've got a special treat for you coming up at 12pm, so please don't be disheartened if you lost!

AYD birthday bonanza: win a stunning engraved cake stand from Jojo Glass Design

Today's prize continues the food and drink theme started by yesterday's competition; unlike the Golden Monkey Tea Company's yummy Assam this product cannot be directly consumed, but is guaranteed to add a touch of class to any cake inhaling eating you'll do if you win it.  Let me present to you the glorious spoils on offer for day two of our week of birthday celebrations:

This stunning hand engraved glass cake stand is worth a whopping £82, and has been very kindly provided by  a lovely little British shop called Jojo Glass Design.  With the ever-true saying 'A little of what you fancy does you good' circling the edge of the plate, this stand looks even better when covered in a little bit of what I fancy (CAKE).

Artisan Jojo has been hand engraving bespoke pieces for over two decades, and recently set up http://www.jojoglassdesign.co.uk/ to sell the fruits of her labour online.  She takes inspiration from the flora and fauna around her, which is evidenced in her work - I particularly love these stunning Woodland Heart tumblers (a set of six is £72).

Jojo offers a fantastic personalised service, allowing you to customise many of the items available on the website to offer a truly unique present for a special occasion.  One of the things I really love about featuring smaller companies on AYD is the opportunity to showcase people who are still very much in touch with their customers, and Jojo Glass Design is no exception; in fact, Jojo is soon to be launching a quarterly design competition, the winner of which will receive their entry engraved on a glass.  But that's not all - the design (which will be named after the lucky highly talented winner) will then go on sale on Jojo Glass Design!  To make sure you're informed when the first of these competitions is launched, just sign up to Jojo's mailing list.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic cake stand, simply tell us what kind of cake you'd give pride of place upon it.  Usual rules apply; you can enter in the comments, on Twitter and on Facebook, and we'll announce the winner tomorrow morning!

P.S. Bonus points may or may not go to entrants who explicitly invite me and Nom around for cake and tea.

AYD birthday bonanza: the winner of the Golden Monkey Tea Company's perfect cup of tea is...

...@lotsofsocks!  Congratulations to you!  Here's how our winning entrant takes her tea:

"My favourite way to enjoy tea is to mix it with exotic spices and milk to create a delicious Indian Chai tea. What a lovely way to warm your cockles on a dreary wet day. Close your eyes whilst sipping it and imagine your on a warm sandy beach! Well it is worth a try :)"

Please DM us on Twitter (@AYDblog) or email us at info@about-your-dress.com with your details and we'll get your yummy prize in the post!

If you didn't win, fret not; the next competition will begin in just over an hour and BY GOLLY IS IT GOOD.

AYD birthday bonanza: win the perfect cup of tea from Golden Monkey Tea Company

I always say there's no point even trying to start your day unless you've got a good cup of tea inside you, and I reckon the same applies when starting a week of fabulous giveaways.  So what could be a more ideal prize to kick off these celebratory birthday competitions than this awesome kit from the even more awesome Golden Monkey Tea Company?

The kit contains a bag of wonderfully aromatic Assam (the shop's best selling tea), a mesh infuser ball and a beautifully decorated tea glass so you can get brewing straight away!

Once made, you can enjoy the tea of your labour with the fourth part of your prize: lovely Scottish shortbread. Yummy!

To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us your favourite way of enjoying tea.  Are you a traditional English Breakfast kind of person, or do you prefer something more exotic?  Some Wild Cherry Sencha, perhaps?  I personally love the Golden Monkey Tea Company's Apple Yoghurt delight - made with real pieces of apple and yoghurt, it smells as good as it tastes (sometimes if I don't have time for a brew, I just stick my face in the packet).  Make sure you have a look at the Golden Monkey Tea Company's excellent selection of loose leaf teas for inspiration!

You can enter in three easy ways: in the comments section below, on our Facebook page, or by telling us on Twitter.  Don't forget to like our page/follow us first, and be sure to check out the full rules here.  You can also support this fantastic shop on Facebook too.  We'll announce the winner tomorrow, so make sure you keep an eye out then.  And don't forget, if you're lacking in inspiration, just stick the kettle on.

Good luck!

AYD birthday bonanza: let the celebrations begin!

As I mentioned shouted from the rafters last week, it's our birthday on Wednesday!  We will be ONE!  It's all very exciting, and to say thank you to all you kind and loyal readers, we're giving you presents (although if you want to be more traditional and give some to us too, you're more than welcome; it's rude to look a gift horse/cake/big bottle of wine/bag/pair of shoes in the mouth/candle cavity/neck/internal zip pocket/box).  We're so very chuffed; this is basically what we look like right now:

Whilst the entry format will vary slightly between each competition, basic rules are as such:

• You can have UP TO three entries: one in the comments section below each post, one on Twitter (you must be a follower of @AYDblog) and one on Facebook (where you must 'Like' AYD).
• Entries will be accepted from the second the competition is posted to midnight of that day, and the winner of each prize will be announced the following day on here, Twitter and Facebook.  We will contact you on Twitter or Facebook unless you don't have an account on either, in which case please email us at info@about-your-dress.com.
• You will not get extra entries for re-tweeting/sharing, but it is encouraged!

That's it!  On with the party...

Nomday! about Spots v Stripes

What did you do last Wednesday? Ria and I were invited to a super fun Cadbury Spots v Stripes event hosted by PHD, where I discovered that I am in FACT currently London's fastest coin stacker. It must be my freakishly long fingers (seriously, if I hadn't been a mere twinkle in my father's eye in 1982, I could have been ET's stunt double). Oh, it was such fun! There was yummy free food and drinkies, the new Cadbury RACE bar to try and a series of hilarious, light-hearted games which we all competed against each other in for the chance to win £100 in John Lewis vouchers.

There was the aforementioned Coin Stacking (stack 25 2ps in a tower as fast as you can - my time was 37 seconds; if you're interested, feel free to post your time below), Bed Making - I was relieved to have this event explained. Finding a bed on a floor in a room full of strangers and free beer on arrival caused me to jump to insane conclusions, clutch Ria's arm and cry 'But I haven't waxed recently enough for this', One-Handed Toilet Roll Unwrangling, Doodling, Pop-Up Window Closing, a Mouse Scrolling Race and Teabag
Darts. I was rubbish at Teabag Darts, so we'll move on. The whole thing was filmed and will be edited and emailed to us so keep your eyes on the AYD Facebook page for what is sure to be hilariously embarrassing videos of Ria and me competing. My victory dance is especially tasteless.

So, being a WINNER, I've naturally moseyed my way on over to the John Lewis website to peruse what delights I could purchase with my winnings. I considered purchasing a Spots v Stripes themed item of clothing and noticed this lovely Whistles Doris spotty sweater for £85.

I also ambled over into Haberdashery (isn't that word *just* a delight to write and say?) and squealed with joy upon discovering Cath Kidston's range of sewing boxes. My favourite is this Caravan sewing box, for £48:

In the end though I decided I wanted some pretty new jewellery. I was delighted to discover Linda Macdonald's beautiful range of silver and gold nature inspired jewels. I chose this little treasure from the Scribbles range, which is apparently so fabulous that it's sold out now on the John Lewis website, but I was fortunate enough to purchase it in store for £60.

Linda is from Loch Lomond in Scotland, which makes me even happier because supporting UK based crafty types and er, 'boosting the economy' by spending money in the UK are two of my favourite things to do. Look, here's her happy smiling face on her website; go find out more about her and buy her pretty things and make the UK a better place for artists and your jewellery box.

about your homewares: H&M think you look nice today

Picture the scenario: you're going to visit your friend for the weekend and are greeted by this lovely complimentary doormat:

You'd probably feel so good that you'd want to stay the night, right?  Being the nice sort of person they are (otherwise, why would you be so keen to visit them?) your friend has also had the magnificent foresight to bedeck the spare bed with two equally lovely guest towels (one for your body and one for your hair, obviously)...

...and upon stumbling into the bathroom in the morning, bleary-eyed and feeling like your brain was made of concrete (possibly because you and said friend drank far too much wine the night before and thought it would be the best idea in the world if you whacked on Hairspray and you pretended to be Tracy Turnblad and your friend was Link Larkin and it all got a bit inappropriate and you're not sure why you woke up spooning but it's ok because something similar happened when you were at school and you've both managed to repress that memory so this shouldn't be that much different), how nice it would be to find this lovely bath mat:

VERY NICE.

This weekend of complimentary delights was sponsored by H&M, and featured their very lovely new doormat (£14.99), guest towels (£6.99) and bath mat (£9.99).

about your brooch: Lightning Cloud by i am acrylic

Those of you who saw yesterday's post on the epic Red Door Gallery had to put up with me harping on about a brooch I'd seen gracing the coat of a lady who I'd subsequently accosted, and my unsuccessful search to acquire one of my very own.  You may have lost sleep over it yourself.

Well, FRET NO LONGER, dear reader!  For I have found the exact brooch!  

It comes in four colourways: wooden, mirrored, or white or grey acrylic (the latter of which is the one currently holding my heart hostage) and is available for £20 directly from the manufacturers, i am acrylic.  Their website is also home to loads of other pretty acrylic brooches, necklaces, a cool anchor keyring and numerous other items of miscellany, and even though the ordering system involves you emailing the maker, he takes requests so it's TOTALLY worth it.  

I think my dreams tonight will mostly look like this:

He uses a fretsaw so every one's unique!  You can read all about the manufacture of these tiny meteorological emblems of joy here.

about your shop: The Red Door Gallery

I'm not a massive fan of asking people where they got their coat/shoes/bag/hairpiece because I hate it so much when the answer's Spain/America/Australia/somewhere else completely out of my reach that I rarely ask.  That is, unless I really REALLY like what they've got on and feel like my life will come to an end unless I acquire one of my very own.  Obviously if the person I'm questioning did indeed purchase said item from far, far away I'd probably need counselling, but fortunately this did not happen when I accosted a lady recently and demanded to know where her brooch came from.  The exchange did not start promisingly, with the immediate response being "I don't know; my sister bought it for me for Christmas", but just as I was considering falling to my knees and screaming to the heavens, she continued "But I think she probably got it from The Red Door Gallery in Edinburgh".

Said lady has become my saviour, because The Red Door Gallery shop is AMAZING.  If AYD gave out favourite shop awards, this would be a winner.  Jam-packed with the coolest, most reasonably-priced gifts, jewellery, stationery and homewares I've ever seen, it features page after page of gasp-inducingly pretty wares.

The sad news was that the brooch which graced the coat of the poor lady I harassed was nowhere to be seen (it was a really cute grey acrylic cloud with a lightning bolt coming out of it), so there's no way of knowing if she was right in her assumption of her sister's buying habits, but I care not.  The Red Door Gallery shop has other cloud-related merchandise to appease my inner meteorologist, see:

This sterling silver necklace is £40, which makes it an ideal birthday present option for anyone who loves me that much.  There are other awesome brooches still available, like this noble Elk (£25) by A Skulk of Foxes:

Being an art gallery at heart, there's also plenty of prints available for you to adorn your walls with.  I particularly like the sky city of 'Zenobia' by David Fleck, which is £50 and has hand coloured flags...

...and this A2 sized 'Alices Aviary' poster by Alice Melvin, which is a mere £10!

There's also more stationery than you could shake a hand-crafted stick at.  From an epic assortment of cards and journals to a great array of quirky books, this is a haven for all you paper lovers out there.  I love the treat-filled 'Other' section which contains more inventive items, like this sweet assemble-it-yourself Melvin Bird Mobile (£8), again by Alice Melvin:

That Alice Melvin doesn't just deal in the ornithological, mind; she also tickles my typological fancy too!  I might make my very own AYD letterheads with the aid of this box of A-Z Alphabet stamps (£12):

I have a feeling I might need to take out a second (and third, and fourth) job to pay for all the beauties on this website, so perhaps I should invest £9 in this Skills tote by Dear Colleen and become a walking advertisement for my talents:

Sadly The Red Door Gallery website is entirely flash-y so I wasn't able to link to individual products, but this is a Good Thing because it means you now get the joy of exploring it all for yourself!  But be warned: getting carried away is an unavoidable inevitability.

about this blog: we're nearly 1!

Exciting news, everyone: on the 23rd of February (that's next week) About Your Dress will be a whole year old!  To celebrate and to say thank you to everyone who's supported this little blog since its birth a year ago, we'll be holding a week of competitions (with fantastic prizes) which you'll be able to enter on here, and on Twitter, AND on Facebook too!  So get following on all of those mediums to earn yourselves extra entries next week.  Telling your friends is massively encouraged.

We can't wait!

Nomday! about your homewares: Made in Britain

Dear Ria and I both take great delight in finding unusual things to buy that are Made In Britain. I'd say that we're all, like, striving to help the economy, but actually it's just because we like beautiful and unusual things made by super talented artists. 

I can't vouch for Ria on this, but do you know what else I like? I like DASCHUNDS! Oh how I've longed for a sausage dog since I was the tender age of thirteen. How I've wanted to take dear little Fritz on little walks in a little coat with a little red leash, to watch him frolic in the park, with a definite hint of the absurd about him, because his legs are too short and his body is too long and his silky ears are disproportionately sized and get in the way. Sigh. So, imagine my delight when what do I stumble upon on HELKATDESIGN website?

Only a handmade cushion from Wiltshire featuring Fritz!

Here he comes in charcoal and ivory, with some pretty red hessian, ribbon and linen trimming on the reverse.  You can also get him in pale duck egg blue as evidenced below. Each daschund is hand stitched for an interesting and unique character - look at this one, he sort of looks like he's begging for a biscuit:

They are but £35 pounds, which isn't a lot for something so delightful. There are way more beautiful and ever-so-slightly-quintessentially-English cushions around that price point featuring battling March hares, pheasants, a weasel, a dear little partridge family and some stags and flags.  I especially like this foxy loxy.

Twitter also introduced me recently to a new shop which is full of Things That Are Made In Britain, called From the Wilde which I like, immensely. And, after contacting Ellie (the lovely owner), I am permitted to share with all you lovely people an AYD Blog Reader discount of 10%, huzzah! All you need do is input the coupon code 1111 and you'll get the discount off any item on the site on orders this month. The things I do for you lot!

Also worth mentioning are the spiffingly unusual tea-towels, my favourite of which features a lovely print of union keys for just £8.50 and also has a set of 4 cotton napkins (£18), a cushion for £40 and a mug (£10) to match! 

I do so like it when things are all matchy-matchy.