Crafting With Danielle Proud

There's no doubting that Danielle Proud is the original craft queen who helped bring craft back into the mainstream in the UK. Long before the current resurgence of craft books and publications, Danielle's book House Proud coined the term 'hip craft' appearing in all the mainstream papers and even on TV. At the time I was working on a craft magazine and it was the most exciting book to ever land on my desk.
After that Danielle appeared regularly on daytime television showing you how to do simple crafts while having your breakfast on GMTV and This Morning. I remember these clips so clearly and am still sad they've stopped.

While I've long admired her crafting capabilities and interior design, I didn't realise Danielle's background was in fashion and that she's such a brilliant artist. One of her biggest passions and talents is painting and after a 'career break' to have three children Danielle is now heading into the world of designing homeware and furniture. The furniture is still underway but you can own her first item of homeware just by purchasing some coffee.

When I was younger I was addicted to collecting tokens and saving up for freebies. I thought this kind of promotion had stopped with these day companies simply asking you to 'Like' them on Facebook and then they send you a voucher to print off. 
Not in the case of Kenco. Their Rewards Club is all about collecting tokens and exchanging them for cool stuff. For 60 points which is three 200g jars you can get one of these gorgeous eco cups designed by Danielle.

I was invited to a special launch event earlier this month to meet Danielle, find out what she'd been up to since publishing House Proud, try out one of her coffee cups and do some crafting with her.

The project we were assigned was to make a coaster to match Danielle's Eco Cup. The base was made from tree trunk direct from Danielle's back garden. They were really solid, smooth and beautiful - such a simple but wonderful material to work with. 

Some of Danielle's illustrations were made into decal transfers which we cut out, soaked in water and then smoothed onto the coaster.

Danielle was on hand to ensure we all ended up with masterpieces and it also gave us all an opportunity to talk to her properly. It was so refreshing to hear the enthusiasm she has for family life. Her career is important; it's not her priority, yet she still manages to get involved in exciting projects that feed her creative needs. The kind of balance we could all do with.

Afterwards we varnished each side, then once dry they were good to go!

My two are currently in use and I love them!

I've also been using my eco cup for two weeks and I can confirm it makes drinking tea/coffee/your hot/cold drink of choice much more fun. It's a great size and although they look like they are made of melamine plastic in this picture, they are CERAMIC! Quality stuff. As 'collectables' go, these are so worth it, even if like me you don't drink coffee. Leave the jar in the office, give to a friend or use it to bake a coffee cake just so you can enjoy this cup and lots of other lovely goodies. 

To find out more about how to get one visit: www.mykenco.com.

Asiana Bridal Show 2013: Catwalk & Event Gossip!

Model Sabeeka Imam wearing Nicky B

This January marked my 4th visit to the Asiana Bridal Show and once again I'll be writing the official catwalk report that will appear in the summer issue of the magazine... but that's a long way off!
So in the meantime I thought I'd do my own report of my 17-hour day working there!
It involved waking up super early to ensure we filmed and photographed the models in hair & make-up:

Young & talented hairdresser extraordinaire - Aamir Naveed

Getting my own make-up done by a member of the official catwalk make-up artist Ambreen's team:

Thankfully Rumana loves glitter too!

 Catching catwalk show rehearsals:

Interviewing approximately 50 exhibitors, fashion designers, sponsors and guests for the official video that I'm presenting:

The crew from Studio 4 Photography

Breaking my sandals: 

: (

Eating a curry:

Catering by Madhu's

Meeting high profile bloggers Nazma from AsianFashion Blog and Rabbia from Asian Wedding Ideas:

Check out Rabbia's report of the day here. Nazma is working on several posts but here's her first thoughts.
Posing with The Dreamboys: 

Get your hen & stag do organised by Asiana Events

Getting in the way backstage (I eventually got chucked out!) :

And of course catching the incredible show itself.
Celebrating the glamour, beauty, uniqueness, colour and sparkle of Asian Fashion, this isn't just a show where pretty people strut on catwalks, as Stephen Walker the choreographer told me, it's like a West End Show but with more style!    
As well as 14 collections from over 10 designers there was a snake:

Fire eater:

Khatak dancer:

Live performance by Rishi Rich:

 As well as music from tabla players, Japanese drummers, a violinist, amazing props and accessories and of course utterly gorgeous clothing.

I'm no professional photographer, so to see proper photos follow these links to see the catwalk collections accompanied by my trend reports:
RDC London
Nicky B
Kyles Collection
Charmi Creations
Yuvna Kim
Ziggi Studio
Frontier Raas
Frontier Bazar 
Harkiran's
Khushboo's By Chand
Monga's

There were some seriously stunning outfits with so much attention to detail and oh my....how they shimmered under the runway lights. 
The Creative Director of the Show was Anisha Vasani, pictured here with Style Coordinator Puja Mathia:

These girls, plus Backstage Production Manager Sonia and all the dressers worked non-stop for over three days to get the show in shape and it was spectacular. I'm not even being biased. I know I work for the company who produced the show but I have very balanced opinions on things and when I hate someone I say so!

Although it's labelled a bridal show, it's an annual catwalk show that really captures the flamboyance, eccentricity, fun and frivolous side of Asian Fashion. You don't get many chances or really any chances to see Asian clothes on the catwalk in the UK...so if you want to know more about it, make sure you visit next year!

It was  also a real honour to be the Presenter for the official video, when it's up I'll add the link!

In the mean time here's how I ended the night.....despite being on my feet for what felt like forever (wearing heels that were too big for me after my own sandals broke) I still had the energy to strike some poses in the Asiana Foto Pod...well when you've spent your day at a fashion show, model behaviour is bound to rub off! 

The Asiana Bridal Show 2013 took place at the Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel on Sunday 27th January.

 

Parallel Horizons Exhibition at The Stephen Lawrence Gallery

I'm ashamed to say I've lived in Greenwich for nearly six years and had no idea The Stephen Lawrence Gallery existed...what makes this extra tragic is that I walk passed it every day! And here's me thinking I am (was?) an observant person. Dear Oh Dear. 

Located in the grounds of the picturesque* University of Greenwich (*I have not copied that from their brochure, it genuinely IS BEAUTIFUL.) That's why I walk through the campus instead of getting a bus to the DLR station in the mornings and even late at night, just because it is such an incredible image to behold.

Which is also how I would describe this 'bamboo stall' what I know in Bengali as a Moorah. Every Bangladeshi home has at least one. The best ones are made from bamboo, but some come in plastic too. 

Saif Osmani ordered four from Bangladesh for his new exhibition which opened at The Stephen Lawrence Gallery on Monday. It's a celebration/representation of how bamboo is appropriated in different ways around the world and is partially the result of a residency he did in Taiwan exploring it. He's now curated it into a bigger piece of work with contributions from over 20 other artists.

In the exhibition you get the chance to see, touch and listen to bamboo.
In fact, you don't need to be there to sample the sounds, have a listen on this link.

Saif recorded his Taiwanese trip through photographs, every single one of which features bamboo from pots to steam your dim sum in, to street furniture. 

 

The focal point of the gallery is a towering bamboo structure, created specifically for the site.

It took three days to construct, was partly improvised and also inspired by the four Bangladeshi Moorahs that sit within it.

And here are the gentlemen who made it, Lee Dalby and Pablo Cattermole.

Lee is a basket maker by trade and grows his own willow in his back garden in London. He offered some cuttings to me so I could grow my own too but sadly as I have no garden or window sill I couldn't take him up on the offer. Though at some point I will and must add willow weaving to my craftography.

And here is is. being enjoyed by guests.

I especially loved Rebecca Lucraft's Nepalese bamboo brooches.There was so much natural bamboo on display so it was great to see the possibilities of adding colour.

It's a small gallery but there's enough bamboo to get you thinking about the material in new ways. 

As well as every day objects like fans and pots there are short films and photo projections of bamboo projects from all over the world.
I've never had any connection with bamboo before, it's never really entered my mind, but after visiting the exhibition I think I'll probably get more excited when I next recognise its use somewhere.

Here I am sporting my latest 'indigo' streaks with the amazing Lipi Begum who is a lecturer at The London College of Fashion. She's posing with the brochure which is filled will lovely images from the exhibition.  

Don't forget to pick one up if you go!

Parallel Horizons curated by Saif Osmani is showing at The Stephen Lawrence Gallery in Greenwich until February 28th 2013.

London Ice Sculpting Festival 2013

It wasn't just the ice that was frozen, I was chilled to the bone from the moment I arrived at The London Ice Sculpting Festival 2013 until I left! It's as if they planned the weather to add to the authenticity. Brrrrr!

Celebrating it's 5th year, the free family art event takes place in and around the towering backdrop of Canary Wharf, a large part of which was located on a small island called Wood Wharf that you had to queue up to set foot on and leave, but more about that later...

time to reveal some art!

Truth is, they looked a million times better in real life, though hopefully you can appreciate the beautiful way in which sections of them were lit up. 
Over 20 ice sculptors took part in the three day event that started on Friday and ran through the weekend. They came from all over the world including the US, Latvia and Spain to show off their sawing skills (Edward may not have been there but the crowd still got to witness the excitement of snow.) Some more than others...

 The Snow Pit was just for kids. Naturally this made me grumpy, but alas, happiness came in the form of sweet stuff. You know when you go to market stalls and there's always a French Patisserie? Well I always think they're overrated, the creations look amazing but the taste is often disappointing. Not here though. The cake stand was spectacular.

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to the London Ice Sculpting Festival was to try out some ice sculpting for myself. These masterclasses where you could sculpt a penguin or polar bear had to be booked in advance, mine was supposed to be at 5.40pm...but as fate would have it, I never made it there as I couldn't get back on the island. That queuing thing I mentioned, I left the island to warm up, came back and after 15 minutes was still attempting to get back on : (

Still, there was also the ice grafitti wall which was stationed back in central Canary Wharf. You still had to queue but it was a much shorter wait.

Each participant was given a tool to engrave into the wall of ice.

It would have been more addictive if there wasn't the stress of knowing you only had two minutes each. I call that stingy but hey, it meant more people had a go.

There was also ice chess, but I'm more of a Draughts kind of girl so I left that to the pros.

 At nightfall there was a light show, but by that point I was such an iceblock myself, I headed indoors to thaw where I stumbled across this very handsome snowman who was guarding the children's craft area.

Back at the Jubilee Line tube station I was amazed to discover a cinema screen, literally a huge projection at the far end of the station, which you can only access when you've passed the ticket barriers. Most people will head straight down the escalator, but those who follow the sights and sounds are in for a treat.
I watched two brilliant short films from the London Transport archives, including a charming look behind the Lost Property Office in Baker Street. Notably that someone actually left a tortoise on a bus and managed to get it back!

I love free days out in London like this. If you look for them, there's always fun activities going on, waiting to be discovered that you don't need any money to enjoy. 
I aim to report back on some more of these adventures in the capital soon!

David Bowie Ziggi Stardust Earrings

What with all the love going around for David Bowie today, new song, new album...oh and his birthday, I had to draw your attention to the fact there are instructions for how to make your own Ziggi Stardust earrings in my book. 

You can just about see the glittery lightening bolt across his face! Amazing eh?

The project is designed by Ruth Crean who runs a fantastic website and company called Nice Day Designs, which is where I first came across her work.

I know what you're thinking, but how can you own this fine pair of jewels?

Well you're going to have to buy '101Things To Do With Glitter' turn to page 60 and follow the instructions! Enjoy xxx