Umm. Hello?

Is there anyone still around here? I kinda disappeared off the face of the lanet, but HEY HERE I AM! I'm still alive :D (although the cake is a lie.....) and raring to get this blog going again :D 

Still Alive....

Well. Only just. Today a KFC tried to kill me when I got a chicken bone stuck in my throat, but it FAILED!!! So for now I am still here.

Been on a makeup spree recently, bought some lovely MUA eyeshadow palettes, some GORGEOUS lipsticks that I am in absolute love with and some nail "balls" for want of a better word.

But lets talk about Collection 2000. How have I never owned this before? I always thought it was "cheap and nasty" makeup, that had no staying power, poor colour and basically looked like crap.

However today I bought a beautiful golden gel liner - so far it refuses to rub off my hand so I'm going to team it with the MUA Undressed palette and see how we go tomorrow! I am expecting good things!

Swatches and pictures will be here soon <3

Crafty Goodness

Recently I discovered a good friend of mine was an absolute WIZARD when it comes to the sewing machine! I sadly am the least crafty person I know, I am inept when it comes to sewing. I was having a nosy through her blog Not Only Quilts, drooling over the gorgeous things she has created, when I came across what may be the most adorable Phone Case EVER.

Is that not the most gorgeous fabric you have ever seen?! I believe the fabric is called Ruby and Camille and I fell in love with it straight away! So when I messaged her asking if she could make me a case, so of course agreed but then this is where the magic happened. The first case she made was a little too small for her own phone but luckily was the exact right size for an iPhone! Of course when she offered to send me the first try I agreed straight away :)

It arrived through the post the other day, wrapped in beautiful paper with the cutest sticker, but included in the package was this......

Aaaaah! Do you see! Its a tiny heart frog purse! I squee'd in bed so loud I woke the other half who had been snoozeling happily xD It has gone everywhere with me over the last few days, and people have told me how adorable it is. So a massive thankn you to Maria for bringing such adorableness into my life <3

You should really head on over to Not Only Quilts and have a nosy at the gorgeousness she makes - I've shared a few of my favourites below :D

Sami Bracelet Tutorial - these bracelets are just beautiful and graceful and stylish :)

Stunning Jeans Bag - Up-cycling at its finest :D

Christmas Gift - A gorgeous gift for a friend :) (It also includes a link to the tutorial for the cute oven mitt!)

So there you go, some beautiful ideas and some lovely tutorials - especially since The C Word (*whispers* Christmas) is coming up, you might want to make some of these gorgeous things for friends and family presents! 

Tracy xxx

The Alternative Wedding Fair, Pt 2!

So. There was far too much for me to put into one Blog post from the fab Alternative Wedding Fair last week, so I had to split it into two. 

Lets get stuck right in!

Brook Hall

This is such an adorable little venue. Small, quaint, rural(ish) on the outskirts of Lisburn and not your standard wedding venue I think! It looks very cute, almost dare I say dinky, and I think this could be a very promising venue to dress up and really make your own :D

Paper Bark

Gorgeous bespoke stationery for your big day - the samples on here are just to die for! It seems if you can dream it, these guys can create it. Want a soft pastel watercolour theme? No problem? Love the style of the 50's and Art Deco? Not a problem at all!  Some really really gorgeous examples here that I would be happy to have gracing the doormats of my family and friends to invite them to my big day!

Dazzle Me With Your Tips

Debbie gets two pictures, to show you JUST how versatile she is. Super, Sexy, Starlet nails are an absolute MUST for any bride but why not make a statement? You want adborably cute and geeky? Look at those Stormtrooper nails! Sexy sleek and sophisticated? Those dog tooth nails are simply drool worthy! Debbie is also adorable, so full of energy, fun and super awesome ideas - to be honest I don't think you even need to be getting married - get an appointment booked PRONTO!

Ember

For someone looking for something a little different in a wedding ring, the market isn't particularly great I have to say! So the appeal behind being able to MAKE my own ring? It seems like the best idea ever! Hot fire, lots of hammering and forging your own design, again plucked stright from you head, into something you will wear for the rest of your life? How romantic is that?

Sweet Retreat & Little Treats

"I want a party with roomfuls of laughter! Ten thousand tonnes of ice creaaaaam!"

I actually couldn't choose between these two! They are both DELIGHTFUL and such an awesome idea! I had seen sweet centre pieces before, but seeing these two just really really sold me on the idea! Beautiful topiary of flying saucers, jars filled with jelly beans and candies. Jelly Strawberries! The tastes of my childhood and such a fab funky idea to share with my guests (plus I can keep the left overs!)

A Paper Rose

I LOVE flowers. In fact my favourite flowers are Gerbera Daisies. However I have a problem. I have HORRENDOUS hayfever. Flowers make my nose itch, my eyes stream and the sneezes! You wouldn't believe the sneezes. On my Wedding day I am supposed to be graceful, beautiful and composed, radiant with beauty. So you see my problem! A Paper Rose is a beautiful graceful solution to my issue - a gorgeous bouquet to walk down the aisle with, none of the nasty flower side effects! You can have fabric as well as paper, meaning you can match your flowers to the theme of your wedding! 

So, thats my round up of my favourite exhibitors at the Quirky Wedding Fair! I hope you enjoyed this little walk through with me <3

The Alternative Wedding Fair.

So, you may or may not know, but I am eventually planning on getting married. I've been engaged just over a year now, been with the love of my life for 12 years in November. So its probably about time that we finally sorted it out. 

To be honest, I've been totally overwhelmed by the whole "Wedding Planning" idea. I am fairly sure what I want in terms of the era I want my wedding to be from, I have an idea of the style of clothing we both plan on wearing, I'm fairly sure that its going to be small and intimate but beyond that? No idea about the logistics like booking a venue, flowers, decorations, photography, catering and the likes.

So the Alternative Wedding Fair by the lovely ladies over on Quirky Weddings came around at just the right time.

Firstly, my face for the day, since it was the Alternative Wedding Fair, I thought I best go full out 50's :)

We arrived at about 1pm and there was a queue OUT THE DOOR of people waiting to wander up the red carpet to the wonderful delights that awaited inside. And delighted I was - let me take you through a few of my favourite exhibitors. 

(All pictures gratefully borrowed from Quirky Weddings, unless stated otherwise!)

Crumbs Cakes

I actually SQUEALED what I saw the Superman based cake to the right of the picture, and excitedly grabbed the boy and gestured frantically, all the while exclaiming that we could have a SuperBat cake and wouldn't that be absolutely amazing! I've long thought about the cake and had decided pretty early on that it was not going to be your bog standard white wedding cake with pretty flowers and standard boring piping. I wanted something that really catches the attention of everyone and I honestly think that the crew at Crumbs Cakes have the skill to do just that.

Lizzie Agnew

Oh. My. Dear. Lord. It's fortuitous that the picture on the QW is this dress. For this is the dress that I have fallen head over heels for. It literally stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away. I always knew that I wanted a 50's tea style dress, lots of petticoats, lots of floof but I really really want sleeves. Now obviously this dress does not have sleeves, but here's the kicker. The talented girls at Lizzie Agnew make every dress to order. To your exact measurements, your exact style, your design can come to lift. Who doesn't want the most perfect wedding dress for their big day? What can be more perfect than the dress you have day dreamed about direct from your head!

My Little Hat Box

If you need headwear for your big day then THIS is where you need to go. Especially if you want something a bit vintage-y or just plain old show stopping. The headpieces are so adorable, from big and bold to small and subtle but designed to your own specifications with your colour schemes and your vision in mind. (It doesn't hurt that Nicola is quite frankly ADORABLE.)

She Likes Surprises

AAAAAAH! HAND PAINTED MATCHING CONVERSE FOR THE WEDDING. That was all I could say when I was looking over their photo book, suddenly I had 101 ideas for designs that we could both get, poor Colin just nodded and smiled at me as I babbled on about Sailor Jerry and Superman and Batman and DEADPOOL.

Epic Love Photography 

(picture from their Epic Wedding Gallery)

The feel of these photographs is just beautiful. Lovely soft muted tones, sepia steeped vintage feeling and just truly stunning camera angles and vision. I loved how creative these guys seem to be, their gallery is full of so many non traditional weddings and engagement shoots that are just breathtaking.

There are SO MANY more that  could post here but to be fair we'd be here all day and I think you'd probably give up and go home, so keep an eye out for a 2nd post from me, with the last of my favourites from the Fair :)

I'm still here...

Just still sorting out a few pictures and bits and bobs from the airshow :)

Had a fabulous time, it rained horrendously for the 2nd day so we cut out visit short, but while walking out of Marks and Spencers in Ballymena (where I bought a GORGEOUS DRESS!) we spotted the Blades team scooting overhead xD

Keep your eyes peeled for a picture post coming soon :D

Excitement!

It feels like Christmas in my house right now. I'm excitedly preparing, making packed lunches and generally getting myself all worked up for the highlight of my year.

I'm not even joking. There is no event more hotly anticipated than the one that is about to commence this weekend.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for.........

*cue applause and squeals of excitement*

The NI International Airshow is my favourite event. I love the roar of the jet engine, the whine of the turbo prop and the sheer thrill of watching these absolutely beautiful machines thundering by. The "whip-whup-whup" of the rotors of the Lynx and Gazelles, the scream of a high speed pass as the Red Arrows whip past, inches from each other, wingtip to wingtip. My heart is starting to race right now at the thought if it!

This is an absolutely amazing event, for something that is free and such a crowd pleaser, it was under threat just a few years ago from lack of funding, luckily the council and various other companies realised what a fantastic tourist attraction this was and stepped up to the plate.

This year, there are even more displays, more daring, faster and some absolute beauties of planes - keep reading to find out what I think are the ones to watch for.......

1. The One. The Only. The Red Arrows.

*fangirl squealing*

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! My excitement cannot be contained, this is the Arrows only performance in the whole island of Ireland (north and south!) this year so really something not to be missed. I can only describe it as Ariel Ballet, think Darcey Bussell and the Royal Ballet. Graceful, synchronised and awe inspiring, all at speeds a hair lower that 645 miles per hour. An absolute MUST see. (They are only displaying on Saturday and subject to weather conditions.)

2. Belgian Air Force A109 Display Team 

For the first time in Northern Ireland ever, we will have the magical display from the Belgian Air Force. The very first year I ever went to the Airshow, there was an acrobatic display by a Merlin helicopter. I was entranced from the very first vertical climb and sadly they never came back. I am so excited to see a full on acrobatic display by a helicopter team I just can't even express it!

3. Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight - The Hurricane

Most people look forward to seeing the graceful old bird that is the Spitfire floating through the air serenely, like an ageing grand dame of the plane family, I however much prefer the sleeker harder lines of the Hurricane. She's not so intent of growing old gracefully, more with going out with a bit of a bang ;) (Sunday Only!)

4. Anatov AN2 with Poppy Drop

As part of the annual Memorial Service for all those who have been lost in War, the Antonov AN2 soars overhead, doing a slow lap of the bay, waiting for the last post to play as thousands of poppy petals drift gracefully from the sky blanketing the beach in this symbol of remembrance. Well worth a stop if you're about on the Saturday.

So thats my round up of my personal favourites. Are you going? What are you looking forward to seeing?

Keep watching for pictures of the day soon!

Tracy xx