Clothes Show Live 2013

Clothes Show Live happens each year in December at the NEC in Birmingham. It's a huge fashion festival that runs for 5 days with pop up stalls and shops in beauty, clothes and food where owners sell their items at discounted prices. But the main event is a spectacular fashion show that repeats throughout the day where dancers and models combined put on an amazing demonstration of the latest trends. 

The last time I went to CSL was around 4 years ago when I went with the arts department at my college. It's been so good to go back, this time as press which has allowed me to get up close and personal with everything the show has to offer. In the 4 year gap I think the show has become even bigger and better and I'm still overwhelmed at how hard the models, dancers and directors must work to put it all together.

I thought I'd share some photos with you that I took during the show. You may spot a few familiar faces - Dirty Sexy Things model BB was all over the runway as was Britain's Next Top Model winner Jade Thompson. Here's my quick run down of the hot trends spotted and some of my favourite looks...

This whole section was about gold and glamour. Crop tops for men? I'm not sure - but I was a fan of the glitzy blazers and sequined bomber jackets. Especially loving the huge goddess style headdress and thigh high sparkly boots!

We were treated to a little synchronized-swimming style performance before the models came out with monochrome oversized sportswear and see through backpacks and bowling bags. What I like about Clothes Show Live is the catwalk show is not just an introduction to a designer's latest collection it's a well constructed and entertaining performance. Which makes the ticket price all the worth while. Even if you're not that into fashion you would get a lot out of the show.

The screens changed again and we were taken to a festival site with a performance from a 'top act' and festival appropriate outfits. CSL tend to showcase the most popular trends throughout the year rather than aiming to predict next years rules but I think a lot of the styling could be applied to the upcoming 2014 Spring and Summer. My favourite bit - the pompom and floral head wear!

You can't have a fashion show without the underwear. Lots of black, burgundy and silk. And six packs. 

The show ends with a huge New Years Eve party - countdown and everything! We were a little alarmed when the models wanted to join us in the press pit but the show ended on such a high and left everyone feeling very excited for the Christmas festivities.

After the show we continued with our shopping - I managed to seek out the Ciate stand and get myself the famous Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar for less than half price at £20. At the time we were 6 days into the countdown so I'm going to start from day 6 and let my calendar run through to New Year too!

The arena is split into different categories that are colour coded from designer labels to the cheap and cheerful. A few TV celebrities were also hanging around, we spotted Andy from Made in Chelsea with his brother's fashion label JAM, Caggie, Proudlock and Jamie were all there with their various labels and Amy Childs, Jessica Wright and Ricky from TOWIE were being interviewed. Oh, and Henry Holland presented the show!

I'll be going along next year without a doubt, I'm not leaving it so long this time! I'd love to know if anyone went and what you thought of the experience.

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*All images are copyright of Gwen McMullin and permission must be granted to use any.

One Line A Day Giveaway

'One Line A Day' is a 5 year diary I purchased at the beginning of this year which has space for you to write a short couple of sentences each and everyday about something that happened. Either something extraordinary or something mundane. If you stick to it it's a fantastic way to look back on the year you've had. Choosing how to sum up your day in one line is the hard part! But the most exciting part comes at the start of 2014 - where I will be flipping back to the beginning of the diary and starting again. I can compare each day with 12 months ago knowing exactly what I was doing on that day in that year. The diary has room for you to fill up 5 years. And a lot can happen in 5 years of your life.

It's a smooth pale blue book with each page edged in gold and I've kept mine beside my bedside table all year. It's not too big or bulky to take travelling with you and it's fairly lightweight so you can pop it into a bag wherever you go. The best thing is you enter the year, 2014, 2015 and so on so you can start this diary at any point!

If I can commit to filling it in every single day it will be a documented piece of my history all in one neat little book. This year I got my first full time job as a photographer. Who knows what I will be doing in 5 years time! There are certain days of the year which are always busy - such as Christmas, New Year, my birthday and the birthday's of my friends and family. So it's exciting to think how these days might change over time.

I'm really pleased with myself for keeping it up all year long. There were some days I would forget to fill it in and have to backtrack a week and remember what I was doing (or check my calendar) but as long as you don't leave it for months at a time you can always catch up.

This 5 year diary makes a lovely gift - if you know someone who enjoys writing or collecting memories who can keep up with this small daily task (it only takes a minute each day!) If you are in the UK you can find this diary to purchase on Amazon here.

...But even better, I'm giving one away!

Giveaway

If you'd like to enter to be in with a chance of winning a brand new 'One Line A Day' 5 Year Diary all you need to do is use the Rafflecopter widget below. You must be a follower of my blog either via GFC or Bloglovin. There are a couple of other ways to gain more entries too.
The winner will be selected randomly in one weeks time (with the giveaway ending on Sunday 15th December 2013) and contacted via email or twitter feed. So PLEASE leave some contact information with your entry. The giveaway is open to the UK only I'm afraid - please do not enter if you are outside of the UK.
I will email/tweet the selected winner and need a response within 3 days so I can ship your prize out to you. It's important it gets to you before the new year so you can start writing in it on the 1st January. 3 days without a response means I will have to select a different winner.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY Gifts for Girls

Following on from my 'DIY Gifts for Men' post I wanted to pop up a similar blog post with tips for DIY presents for your the ladies in your life too. So if you're hoping to make something this year for your girlfriends, sister or your mum, read on for my quick and easy DIYs...

001. Illustrated Makeup Bag
This canvas bag was made in the exact same way as my Camo Clutch and is simple two rectangles of fabric sown together with a zip along the top. For those instructions have a look at my Camo Clutch DIY or you can always purchase a plain makeup bag and jazz it up if you're not so good with sewing.
But basically this is a great DIY gift for anyone who loves their beauty bits or even just to be used as a travel bag. I made quite a large one and used a Sharpie to illustrate. I added a splash of colour with fabric crayons which are really fun to use; it's just like colouring in! You could personalise this further by choosing to illustrate your bag with initials or the name of the recipient and it makes a nice alternative to a shop bought bag.

002. Makeup Brushes Roll Up
All you need for this DIY is a piece of fabric 17" by 32" and some basic sewing skills. Lay your fabric out flat and fold up the bottom half length ways to create a long pocket. Place various sized brushed along the pocket to determine the width of each section. Pin everything in place and get sewing. I decided to go for a khaki coloured roll up with the camouflage print inside.
You can hem each edge for a neat look or leave it rustically frayed. I also sewed a second piece of fabric to the back to cover up the stitches but this is optional. You could always choose a thread to closely match the colour of your fabric.
When you're done sewing pop your brushes in, (a nice new set of Real Techniques or ELF brushes for a makeup enthusiast makes a lovely present) roll up and tie with a strip of leather or strong ribbon.

003. Glitter Jars
A DIY that takes 5 minutes! You need glitter, PVA or any other craft glue, tape and old jam jars. Tape off the section you'd like to cover in glitter, apply glue with a sponge to that area and either roll through glitter or sprinkle liberally all over. Shake off the excess and leave to dry overnight. Then remove the tape carefully.
You can put whatever you like inside the jars. Tea lights are always a nice option but I like to use mine as vases for real or fake flowers. If the jar is not enough you can always fill it full of goodies - sweets, colourful hairbands for kids, or you could put together a nail care kit with new nail polishes, and cotton balls. If it's a gift for a crafty member of family she might appreciate a mini sewing kit.

If you liked these DIY gift ideas please make sure you check out my DIY Archive for lots of great tutorials and even more present ideas. Or have a look at my DIY Gifts for Men blog post.
I always love to hear your feedback so let me know which one is your favourite...will you be making any Christmas presents this year?

x

His & Her Jewellery

Today I wanted to share some of my favourite places to shop online for jewellery and considering we are getting closer and closer to Christmas you might be thinking about gifts. These jewellery websites are my faves for stocking female, male and unisex jewellery. So if you fancy treating someone to a bit of luxury I have my top unique jewellery stores listed below. All the best things come in small packages!

Fashionology

Have split their jewellery line into two sections, Men and Women - although I think the majority of the items could be classed as unisex. I LOVE Fashionology.nu jewellery. It can be a bit pricey, especially as of late. When I first discovered the site there jewellery was much cheaper but I've since built up quite a collection and I know how well made everything is so it's totally worth the price.
The cross bracelet and smooth bangle pictured above are from Fashionology.nu

John Greed Jewellery

A website I'm new to, John Greed stock all the usual favourites Pandora, Thomas Sabo, Links of London etc - but they also have their own jewellery line for men and women. The items are such good value for money and the people at John Greed sent me a few items to review. I'm so pleased with the quality especially of this man's Zirconia and Carbon ring which feels like a real luxury designer item but with a really affordable price tag. I think this might be the place to go if you're looking for jewellery on a budget this year but don't want to compromise on quality. The tree ring, mans metal ring and smooth band pictured above are from John Greed.

& Other Stories
One of my favourite online shopping ventures &OtherStories don't prominently sell jewellery for men but  think a few of their designs could be worn by both men and women. Especially the smoother band rings. I've purchased a few items and can vouch for their beauty although one of my rings is turning slightly brassy now I've worn it so often. If not for anyone else, look and treat yourself to something!

Not On The Highstreet

If you're looking for something more personalised and unique you need to check out Not On The Highstreet. They have really amazing items for men and women and lots of their jewellery bits can be engraved or embossed. Much cheaper than having an item engraved at a jewelers too. Prices range from in the twentys to hundreds of pounds so it depends on your budget but I've added many things to my wishlist from this site!

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