5 Things About Bambi

I did a blog post before called "5 Things About Me" so I thought I would do one for Bambi and Bear too. Bambi's up first, come back next week to learn a bit more about Bear...

1. She's a Pedigree

Bambi is a pedigree Chihuahua. Her full pedigree name is Molly's Angel and she comes from a long line of pedigrees. Some of which were show dogs I believe.

2. She's Irish.

Bambi was born and raised in Cork, Ireland for the first year of her life. We lived in Cork for a while and travelled 2 hours to get her from the breeder. We moved back to England after a little while and here is where she calls home now. My partner and I always bicker about whether she barks in an Irish accent...

3. She's obsessed with elephants.

Bambi's first toy was a miniature Horton toy from the movie Horton Hears A Who. Ever since we gave it to her she has been obsessed with elephants and favours her elephant toys over any other. At one point it got so bad that we had to take her elephants away from her as she would bark and snarl at anyone who went near them. She's very possessive.

4. She's a My Little Pony.

Well not really, but she does has a heart shape on the top of her left thigh like the My Little Pony figures. When we first got her she was all white, with this cute little brown blob which soon turned into a heart shape. I wonder if she's magical too?

5. She loves makeup.

Not to wear! Whenever I get my makeup bag/box out to get ready she loves it. She always wants to get up on my lap. She sits between my legs and inspects all my different bits of make up. She paws at them and sniffs them like she wants to wear them, but obviously I don't let her. She's far too young for that! ;)

 

 

Dita Von Teese in Monarchy's Music Video

I just came across this video for Monarchy's new single ft Dita Von Teese and I'm a little bit in love with it.

Watch Dita's character's perfect 1950's family life fall apart, but most importantly, LOOK AT HER AMAZING SHOES.

Louboutins and 50's style - what's not to love? Well apart from the squished bug at the end...

(YouTube Link: http://youtu.be/JhkZGqkIjPg)

 

New single from Monarchy ft. Dita Von Teese.

Get it here: http://tinyurl.com/monarchyfeatdita

Monarchy: http://monarchysound.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monarchysound

Twitter: https://twitter.com/monarchysound

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/monarchysound

Intagram: http://instagram.com/monarchysound

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/monarchysound

Credits

Director: Roy Raz (vimeo.com/royraz)

Voiceover intro: Eric Szmanda

DoP: Roman Linetski

Art Director: Samuel David Ben Shalom

Editor: Ornit Levy

CG & VFX: Gravity

Creative Director and VFX supervisor: Asaf Yeger , Gravity

Head of Art & Design: Israel Breslev, Gravity

Head of 3D & Online: Yoav Savaryego,Gravity

2D Animation: Yosi Lagzeal

Production: "We Do Production"

Producer: Hamutal Peles

Executive Producer: Yuli Urbakh

Hair & Make Up: Eran Pal

Styling: Gustavo Matias Franco

Choreographer: Tamir Eting

Husband: Angel Bonanni (for ADD Content Agency)

 

 

Self Employment Secrets: Be Inspired At "The Office"

One of the biggest lessons I've learnt during the past 3 years of being self employed it that you have to keep the inspiration flowing whilst your in work mode. You have to be "on" for a lot longer than people to have a general 9 - 5 job, sometimes working 14 hour days and keeping motivated and inspired during that time can be really difficult.

One of the best ways I have found to keep myself creatively inspired is to create a separate work space away from your everyday life and cram it full of everything that you love and that makes you feel happy and inspired.

Mine is in my living room, as I live in a very small flat and I don't have an extra room to put my office in, but I've carved out a separate work space and made it my own. It's filled with bright colours, always kept organised (I can't be creative in a messy room - it throws me off and gives me terrible anxiety) and crammed with loads of cute little trinkets and positive notes everywhere I look.

Hello Kitty in a Chihuahua Teacup

Hello Kitty in a Chihuahua teacup by Pilfered.

Unicorn Print

Unicorn Print by Little Things I Make.

By surrounding yourself with things that make you happy you are altering your mind set and automatically encouraging inspiration and creativity.

Chihuahua print by Rachel Baldwin with vintage vase and a photo of me and my bestie.

Have you won any awards or accomplished anything in your business that you are really proud of? Display them in your office. If you don't have anything physical to represent your accomplishment just make a simple word Document, print it off and frame it, like I have done to celebrate by WOW Business Woman award from Jacqueline Gold. Reminding yourself of what you have already achieved keeps you focused, proud and helps you to set new goals.

Create an environment that you want to spend time in. The more time you spend in a positive working environment, the more work you will get done. You'll be cashing those cheques and hiring employees in no time!

Encourage yourself by leaving inspiring messages in places that you are most likely to see them. Start off your day by writing a positive and encouraging message to yourself on a post-it note or whiteboard and place it somewhere where you will see it throughoutout the day. Make this a part of your new daily work routine and you'll start to feel the benefits almost instantly. Whenever you are feeling tired or stuck in a task, take a few seconds to re-read your note and get back to kicking ass!

Make organising fun. Don't just get a boring old calendar and post it notes. Get ones that will make you smile every time you look at them. The happier you are, the more productive and focused you will be.

Leave inspiring books or magazines within arms reach. Got an extra 10 minutes for your lunch break? Go for a walk or read a passage from your favourite book or magazine to take your mind off of work and to clear your head. You'll come back to it afterwards feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

Make your office your own personal haven. It's your safe space where you can get stuff done, get away from everything else and let your creativity flow freely. Fill it with everything you adore. If a stranger walked into your space tomorrow they should know instantly by looking at it who you are and why you work there. Have fun, there are no restrictions!

I hope this post has inspired you to jazz up your office a bit. If you're inspired to do some redecorating or even just a reshuffle, please do send me pictures, either by leaving links in the comments below or by emailing me at woof@poodlesandpompadours.com

Get creating!

Hayley xo

 

 

Snow Day!

It's been snowing heavily here for the last few days so my weekend has mostly been spent falling over (twice!), walking the dogs, trying to do as much exercise as possible and building Snowmen. Who likes my Snow Mouse!? I'm such a Disney geek :)

Bambi enjoying the snow.

Bear loves burying his squeaky bone in the snow.

My very snowy road.

Little and Large footprints in the snow.

Someone in my local park made rainbow snow with what looked like food colouring. It inspired me to make my snow Mickey Mouse below...

Kym's Snowman

I decided to make a snowman with a difference. Disney FTW!

 

DIY Handmade Jewellery Display for Craft Fairs and Markets

One of my New Years Resolutions is to attend more events to promote my business, such as trade shows, craft fairs etc so I thought I would show you this tutorial that I made last year for a fabulously sparkly DIY jewellery display made out of any old photo frame. It’s great for displaying your jewellery at home or even at craft markets and fairs and cost me about £3 to make!

You will need:

1. Old Photo Frame (I actually picked 2 of these up from the 99p shop – they are very cheap and thin plastic but you can’t tell once they are painted)
2. Acrylic Paint – 2 contrasting colours of your choice
3. Glitter to match one of your paint colours.
4. PVA Glue
5. Gloss Varnish (Optional)
6. Newspaper (to cover your work area)
7. Paint brushes and a jar of clean water

Instructions:

• First of all, cover the area you are working on in newspaper. It’s about to get a whole lot of messy up in here!
• Take apart the photo frame, you won’t need the glass so put this somewhere safe (*CRAFTER TOP TIP: You can use the glass for your product photos by placing it over a white sheet of paper to create a nice shiny white background for your images)
• Take the frame and paint it in the colour of your choice – I chose a really bright blue colour. Wait for this to dry (I left it an hour as I have really quick drying acrylic paints and got on with the next step whilst I was waiting for it to dry)
• Once your frame has dried you can paint a layer of gloss varnish over the top. This is an optional step but it creates a nicer finish and will also make your frame more durable to wear and tear.
• Take the back of the frame (in this case mine is made of cheap cardboard type stuff) and paint it in your contrasting colour. I chose a bright hot pink that matched my pink glitter. Wait for the paint to dry fully before continuing to the next step.
• Once the paint has dried, cover the whole backing board with a think layer of PVA glue.
• Sprinkle (I love that word) a thick later of glitter all over the glue until the whole thing is covered. Make sure there are no gaps. Leave to dry overnight.
• Once your glitter background is completely dry, you can shake all of the excess glitter off. I usually do this by turning it upside down and knocking quite hard on the back. Make sure you have newspaper underneath, this way you can collect the leftover glitter and funnel it back into your pot (Waste not, want not!)
• Cover the glitter background in a thin layer of PVA glue. Don’t worry – It will dry clear! This just acts as a sealant so you won’t be covered in glitter every time you touch the frame. Leave this to dry fully overnight.
• Now you can put the frame back together without the glass. Leave the clips at the top open so that you can slide your jewellery in and secure it. Do not fasten the top clips onto your jewellery chain as this will damage it. The chain should be held in place as it is, but if you’re frame is a bit loose, you can put a drawing pin in the back of the board and hook your necklace chain over it so it won’t slip down, or use the slits to keep it secure.

Taadaa! A lovely, super bright and eye catching glittery jewellery display.

I’ve just got one necklace in mine, but you could add more by using the pin method above. Just place the pins in different places on the back of your board and your jewellery will hang at different lengths in the picture frame.

Here’s some more display stands that I made to give you some other ideas of what you could do with yours…

These old mini jewellery busts started off as a manky brown suede. Nothing a bit of glitter can't fix!

I hope this post has inspired you to make your own jewellery displays a little more interesting. Especially if you are like me and you sell at craft markets and events. Afterall, first impressions count!

Hayley xo

Brighton Maker's Boutique Craft Fair

I've just heard through Facebook that the lovely Maker's Boutique are hosting some more craft markets in 2023. Yay!

I went to one of their events last year on my first trip to Brighton and had a blast. I brought a really cool doily coaster and little fridge magnets from KitschenLovers and a cute little bunny brooch and unicorn print from my favourite stall holder of the day Little Things I Make.

 

The organisers also let me roam around the event with my two little dogs which was really nice as it was held in a church hall and usually the little ones aren't allowed in places like that.

If you live locally and get a chance to check out any of their markets then please do as they are really worth it. I had a blast last time and can't wait to go back to Brighton again for a visit. I might just plan my next trip around one of the fairs so I can go and do some more indie shopping :)

 

Hayley xo

 

 

5 Things About Me

I was tagged in one of these on Instagram yesterday and I actually had a lot of fun trying to think of 5 random facts that people might not know about me so I decided to post it on here today as well.

Here's 5 random facts that might let you get to understand me a little better, or of course, it could just be a random list of the first 5 things that popped into my head. I'll let you decided on that one...

1. I've jumped out of an aeroplane at 12,000 feet.

I did a skydive in 2009 for a children's cancer charity and decided to face my fears of both flying and heights by hurling myself our of an aeroplane for fun. It was a blast and I managed to raise over £700 for charity.

2. I'm Agoraphobic.

Some of you may not know this but I've vowed to be more open about it this year after struggling in silence for the best part of 2 years. Agoraphobia is an extension of an anxiety or panic disorder. The NHS website tells me that in the UK, up to two people in 100 have a panic disorder and it is thought around a third of those will go on to develop agoraphobia as a result.

It means that the fear of going into unfamiliar situations - such a crowds, town centres, meetings or basically anywhere that I have never been before or don't feel safe and familiar with, causes me to have a severe panic attack. I have not ventured outside of my own home without my "safe person" (a friend or family member that I feel completely safe with) for more than 2 years. I have recently been able to walk my dogs around the block unattended, but I have to do it at times when I know I will be very unlikely to meet another person. If you have never had a panic attack before I can't stress enough how horrible they are. People seem to pass them off as something silly but at the time you are having one you feel like you are about to die. Psychical symptoms include but are not limited to: rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing (hyperventilating), feeling hot and sweaty, feeling sick, upset stomach, chest pain, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), diarrhoea, trembling, dizziness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and feeling faint. Sound like fun? No, thought not!

If you want to learn more about Agoraphobia and what you can do to help someone who suffers with this disorder please read the NHS website or visit the Anxiety Care website for more information.

3. I have a brain tumour.

Stop right there! Don't panic! It's not cancerous. Everyone jumps to that conclusion when the T Word is thrown around. It's just a little cyst/blob that decided to move into my brain and chill out there for a while. I have to have it monitored every 6 months for changes, and if it grows by a millimetre or more I have have to undergo treatment to have it removed (which is not easy as its stuck in the deepest darkest part of my brain.) I've named it Brian, by the way and we have become close friends...

4. My favourite colour is Green.

Not really that much of a shocking revelation but people always assume I'm going to say pink or something as I'm such a girly girl, but I love green. I was my Nana's favourite colour too and I love mint and lime shades.

5. I've lived in 3 different countries.

I've lived in 3 different countries but I only speak one language. I know - that's really bad and I do keep meaning to try and learn another language but I just get bored after about a week.

I've lived in England (obviously - it's where I'm from and I live here now), Ireland and Spain. Hopefully I can make it to 4 countries as I'm dying to get somewhere that has a warmer climate soon. I'm fed up of all of this rain!

Well that was fun. Do you have 5 things that people don't know about you? Share them in the comments section or write your own blog/Instagram post and leave the links below so I can read them.

Happy Tuesday!

 

 

 

Cutest Jumper EVER by Brat and Suzie

If there was ever a jumper that was made for me it has to be this one! Look how adorable it is!

 

This knitted chihuahua jumper is currently on sale at Brat and Suzie for £33. Don't you think this little guy looks exactly like Bear? I must get one.

 

Dog Owner of The Month: Amber Blowers

P&P - Hi Amber, please introduce yourself and tell us what you do...

I run a hairdressing training academy and also do hairdressing one day a week. I enjoy shopping, getting tattooed and spending far too much time on the interent!

P&P - And what about your dog, Stinkle?

Stinkle is a Pug x Boston Terrier  and he's 5 years old.

P&P - Was there a particular reason that you chose a cross breed?

We decided on Stinkle as I wanted a Boston Terrier and my BF wanted a Pug…. Stinkle was the perfect combination ¾ Boston so more of what I wanted ;) We had to travel quite far Norwich to Portsmouth to collect him.

P&P - What is the most enjoyable thing about having little Stinkle in your life?

I really don’t think I can pin point the most enjoyable thing about having a dog…. Everything is great, seeing his little squishy face makes me smile.

P&P - How do you fit in having a dog around your working life, you must be pretty busy running your academy?

I’m quite lucky that he is fine on his own during the day, when I get in from a day at work he is usually in bed (our bed) he’s not one of those dogs who waits by the door. He’s far too lazy for that.

P&P - What do you find most challenging about having a dog?

The most challenging thing is that he suffers from anxiety!! But with the help of a dog trainer (Naomi at Paws4Training in Norwich) he is so much better, we use ADAPTIL collars and a thunder shirt which are brilliant! 

P&P - What is your most favourite thing to do with your dog?

Going on long walks and seeing him exhausted at the end of the day.

P&P - Do you have any special tips, tricks or products that you would

like to share with other dog owners?

Adaptil Collars and Plug ins and Thunder shirts… amazing for if you have a dog with any anxiety issues! Also really think about the food you feed your dog a better food will mean a healthier and better behaved dog, we make Stinkles treats and try not to feed him ‘too’ many!!

P&P - If there was one piece of advice that you could give to anyone

thinking about getting a dog, what would it be and why?

Think about the future, dogs are a real tie you have to be committed and you have to plan everything, gone are the days of going away for weekends without arranging a babysitter for him etc… 

It makes me so sad when people get dogs without thinking and then have to get rid of them!

Follow Amber and Stinkle on Twitter and Ruby Confusing blog to stay in touch with them and see lots more squishy face pictures.

 

 

My New Year's Resolutions

I know everyone always makes a huge list of New Year's Resolutions that they never stick to (I know I have done in the past) so this year I have decided to make a list of 5 goals that I would like to have achieved by the end of the year.

 

1. Health and Happiness

I actually started this in November so it's not so much for a New Year thing but I'd like to continue on with it and stick to my plan throughout the year. I'm very unhealthy and overweight so I'm November I decided to join my local Slimming World group and in 4 weeks I managed to lose over half a stone which I am very pleased with. I'd like to continue to do well in my slimming plan and also introduce daily exercise into my life. Overall I would like to have a healthier mind and body for 2013 and who knows, maybe one day I'll fit back in to my size 10 bikini!

 

2. Get A Life!

As some of you might already know, I suffer from an anxiety disorder which means that I have severe panic attacks and can rarely leave the house by myself. I'm hoping that by getting out more and socialising more this year it will help me to get used to interacting with strangers, build my confidence and hopefully kick this anxiety problem to the curb! I'm setting myself a goal of going out and socialising with my partner at least once (hopefully twice) a month. Fingers crossed!

3 . A For Effort

My third goal is to really put 100% effort into my new small business and really push it to be the brand that I know it could be. This basically involves getting my online shop up and running as soon as possible, blogging more, promoting my brand (something that I have really struggled with in the past) and interacting with other like-minded people and collaborating with them. I would also like to exhibit at at least one industry event this year (be that a craft fair or a dog show) and gain at least one stockist of my handmade products.

4. My Dream Home

I recently moved back to my hometown of Maidenhead to move back in with my in-laws to save money to buy a deposit on our first home in Brighton. Things haven't exactly gone to plan on the savings front and we haven't managed to save very much since we have been back here. My goal for 2013 is to save at least half of the amount of money we need for a deposit on a flat, so that we can buy our first property in 2015 by the very latest.

5. Be True To Yourself

For 2013 I really want to learn to be comfortable in my own skin. I'm determined to embrace the fact that I like different things and what some people would possibly call an "alternative" style. I love tattoos and rockabilly culture but I've always been a bit scared of dressing how I really want to through fear of looking stupid or too fat. This year I'm going to experiment with my own personal style and try not to care so much about what other people will think of me. It's time to live my life for myself!

 

 

It's True! I'm A Self Confessed Serial Daydreamer...

I've spent most of the day thinking about and studying my goals for 2013 - both personal and business goals and subsequently I've spent most of the last few hours in a feature length daydream.

 

This post was originally written in January 2012, but I thought it was relevant so I'm posting it again here...

 

I’d say about 50% of my memories from primary school involve playing the Power Rangers game with friends (I was always the Yellow one), collecting Beanie Babies and running away from boys. The other 50% mainly consists of being told to stop staring out of the window and get on with my work.

 

 

From a very young age, I was diagnosed as a serial daydreamer. It’s a very serious condition that largely goes unrecognised today. Every Parent's Evening at School would come with the same comments. “Hayley’s work is good when she’s concentrating.” or “She needs to focus more.” I remember one year a teacher told my Mum that every time she looked at me, she felt as though I was somewhere else. And guess what? I was.

 

Who wants to be doing long division when you could be daydreaming about something you really care about? When I was younger this usually involved puppies and pink unicorns that could talk, but as I got older, the daydreams grew with me (I have the puppies but I still want a pink unicorn please!)

 

I remember last year, I was sat in my room daydreaming about my business ideas when my partner came in and asked me what I was doing. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if I had my things in a real life shop?” I said. “You know, like Selfridges or Harrods. You know you’ve made it when you’ve done that.”

 

2 weeks later I got an email from a buyer at Selfridges that I had met at a party. She wanted to stock my handmade jewellery in the world's most famous department store. My daydream had become a reality.

 

Daydreaming has often been seen as a lazy hobby for people who didn’t want to face reality, and in the 1950′s it was even considered by educational psychologists as dangerous to a child’s mental health, but to me, daydreaming is for people who know what they want but haven’t figured out a way to get it yet.

 

Wikipedia tells me that according to therapist Dan Jones, daydreaming has been linked to the success of great people like Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and, my favourite, Walt Disney. All of these great men had one thing in common; they all spent time daydreaming about their area of success.

 

Afterall, daydreaming is just having an idea, a vision, and thinking about it just makes that vision grow. It makes it seem real. Imagining what great things might happen if you’re vision were to come true can’t be a bad thing. All great things come from one tiny idea, and as the man himself once said…

 

“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” —Walt Disney

 

So I say ignore everyone who tells you to keep your head out of the clouds and keep dreaming. Dream big and don’t ever let go because all great things come from one person’s wish.

Go on, close your eyes and let your imagination run free. It's what Walt would have wanted.

Hayley xo

 

 

 

 

New Year, New Me, New Start!

How the heck is it 2013 already!? I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

Back to reality now.

2012 was a great year for me, I went through lots of ups and downs but the highs have greatly outweighed the lows and I'm looking forward to a happy and healthy 2013. Here's my recap of the last year...

January 2012

- I started off the year being very busy running my handmade jewellery company called Diamonds and Daggers. I launched new products lines and made many New Years Resolutions that I knew I wouldn't keep.

February 2012

- I celebrated Kym's birthday, got a new stockist for my handmade jewellery, brought far too many headscarves and red lipstick and played in the snow.

March 2012

- Celebrated Mother's Day, International Women's Day, Mum's birthday, spent a long time researching 1950's fashion and design and got a bit carried with the nautical fashion trend...

April 2012

- I took a fantastic weekend break to Brighton to celebrate my anniversary and decided that my future plan is to move there and buy a house as I just fell in love with the place so much. I also celebrated our one year anniversary of having Bear in our family. We picked him up on Easter Sunday 2011.

May 2012

- I worked with some amazing people on my jewellery business including an amazing model named Kwipi Lovebite from Sweden and Betty and Nick from Betty Bee Vintage. I spent a lot of time drinking cocktails, eating BBQs and enjoying the lovely weather.

June 2012

- I moved from London back to my hometown of Maidenhead. I spent quality time with my friends and family and regrouped.

July 2012

- Spent most of July in a summer haze enjoying the glorious British weather. We also welcomed our new hamster Sandy into the family.

August 2012

- Took part in the Pin Ups in Pinnies calendar with Betty Bee and generally just messed about having summer fun. I also booked my first holiday in nearly 7 years.

September 2012

- I celebrated 2 birthdays. I turned 24 and Bambi turned 4. I also went on holiday to the south of France for 10 days and had a blast!  

October 2012

- Really started to plan, research and develop my new business idea. Had lots of fun celebrating Halloween in my new home. I also got my new dog tattoo by Cassandra Frances in Leeds.

November 2012

- Worked super hard on researching and designing products for my new business, and tried to get everything ready on time to launch our new website. November was all about working and complaining about the rain. I also joined Slimming World and lost over half a stone in 4 weeks. I set myself a goal to reach a healthy weight and lose 7 stone in just over a year.

December 2012

- December was a crazy month. I closed my handmade jewellery business to focus all my attention and energy on creating a new brand and a successful future for myself. I had a lovely Christmas and came home refreshed, relaxed and ready for 2013.

How was your 2012? Do you like to take time out to review the last year or do you prefer to just roll straight into the year ahead without looking backwards? Whatever 2013 brings to us all, I hope it's filled with health, happiness and laughter.

Hayley xo