Mimi and Tilly

Beautiful Words - A Wishlist

2012-01-18T22:43:00.001Z

I'm really enjoying my blogging break. I've had plenty of time to:

Have a ponder (I find having a good ole ponder really clears the tubes).
Catch up on my blog reading.
To run amok in the comments sections of all my favourite blogs.

While having a ponder and a day dream, I thought about what I'd like to create more of in my life. And then found this wishlist here.

Source

Which pretty much sums it up for me.

What's on your wishlist?

I'll be back very soon.

Sending glitter and smiles,

New Year, New Blog Design!

2012-01-11T17:22:00.002Z

I've spent the past week working on a fresh new blog design for Mimi and Tilly. I've used vintage Japanese washi paper I brought back with me from Japan years ago. I've been saving it for a special project, and thought it was time to crack it out.

A heart I made from Japanese washi paper

I've also used a picture of my feet. Standing on a tea towel. Classy. As well as photos of jewellery I've made. The dangling clear earrings in my header are made from antique crystal chandelier droplets and silver wire.

Antique crystal chandelier drop earrings

I love the brighter colours and fresher feel.

What do you think?

I'll be back soon with more blog posts. This blog break is doing me the power of good, although I'm still catching up on my blog reading and commenting.

How are you doing? I hope all is good in your neck of the woods.

Sending glitter and smiles,

Hello January!

2012-01-02T18:56:00.000Z

I'm taking a little blogging break. I'll be back very soon. In the meantime, I'll be catching up on my blog reading and commenting. I hope you've all had a wonderful holiday season.

Sending much love for a beautiful January.

Ralph Settle - A Wonderful Man

2011-12-21T13:27:00.000Z

Ralph Settle is 88 years old. His attitude to life is inspiring. What a wonderful man.

Beautiful Words

2011-12-19T15:32:00.003Z

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I'm wearing a vintage sequinned top today. With my slippers. Just cos.

Do you love dressing up too?

P.S. Just to reassure you, I'm wearing other bits and pieces to complete the outfit. I'm not sitting shivering in a sequinned top, slippers and nowt else.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - The Things Children Say

2011-12-16T13:24:00.001Z

Sarah, aged 8: "Emma, have you dyed your hair?"
Emma, aged 43: "Yes!"
Sarah, aged 8: "I like it. It's very red. You look like a bauble."

I'm still grinning now.

What do you think?

As far as I'm concerned, Sarah was bang on.

What have you been up to this week?. Link up below and I'll bring my big red baubley head over for a look.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Finding Old Photographs

2011-12-09T00:01:00.020Z

Last week, I wrote a post for Wordshaker Magazine about my first encounter with the powers of the Little Black Dress. I had some requests to post pictures of the dress I had written about. This week I have been a woman on a mission to find a photograph to post for you. Somewhere in the past 20 or so years, any photographic evidence of me ever wearing this dress has almost all but vanished. If I didn't actually have the dress wrapped up in tissue paper under my bed, I wouldn't know if I'd made it up or not!

Having opened up the old leather suitcase where I store all my photos, I did manage to unearth pictures I haven't looked at in more than 20 years (and almost cough up a fur ball due to the dust). It was fun to remember different outfits I had loved. I thought I would share some of the photos I found with you...

♥The Early Years♥

When I was little, I loved dresses that swirled when I spun round. I was also partial to bunches and hair bobbles in the shape of cats. I was about 5 or 6 in this picture. I remember this dress really well. It was my favourite. You can see my older sister chasing me along the beach.

♥The Sylvia Plath Years♥

I had read Sylvia Plath's poem "The Spinster" and taken it to heart. This was my 2nd year at university, in the spring of 1989. That hat was an original 1930's lace cloche that I had found in a vintage store. I loved it. Even though it did squeeze my head a tad. There was a lot of wearing of flat shoes and black around this time...

♥The Sporty Years♥

Once I realised I loved doing anything outdoorsy, my clothing uniform entered a whole new phase. The Converse and sloppy jumper era 1991-92. Those All Stars never left my feet. Literally. I went to France by train in them and wore them in my bunk over night. I woke up in the morning with my heels together and my feet turned outwards so that both my feet made a 180 degree angle flat to the bunk. It was agony. I spent my first day in France walking like Charlie Chaplin. P.S. There was a kite at the end of that string.

♥The Little Black Dress Years♥

This is the only photo I have been able to find of me in my vintage Little Black Dress. You can just about see the beading on the bodice. I wanted to take some photos of the dress in the garden today, but the 100mph winds scared me off. I'll do my best to get some better photos so that you can see the skirt too. I'm not sure why my eyes are closed in this picture, except that I don't really like having my picture taken and I guess it was a case of "if I can't see them, they can't see me". Canny. This picture was taken in 1988.

My Favourite Thing On A Friday this week has been going through my old photographs. What has your favourite thing been this week? Link up below and I'll be over in a flash. (I can't help it, I like playing with words.)

Beautiful Words

2011-12-06T00:01:00.011Z

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When I'm tired, feeling blue, stressed or in any way under par (and I'm not talking golf), I find my mind wandering to other people. Then I find myself comparing my life to theirs. And coming up short.

Recently I realised that I don't know what someone else's life looks like from the inside. (At 43 years old, you'd have thought I'd have figured that out sooner wouldn't you? I like to comfort myself with "slow but steady wins the race".) I can never really know someone elses's story. More importantly, I have my own story to write.

I'm Emma, in Emma's body. My energy is much better spent making my today amazing instead of speculating how someone else's today might look or feel, and then judging myself against the fantasy I have created of their life. When I think about it like that, it's pretty bonkers to measure myself against someone else. Much better to measure my today against my yesterday, and see if I managed to make my today more fun-filled, loving, happy and creative than my yesterday was.

Of course if all else fails a pack of the old ready salted never fails to do the trick. And there's always gin.

P.S. I'm a guest blogger at Wordshaker Magazine again today. If you like your men in sequins, then you'll probably enjoy my post.

Coco Rose, Share Your Sparkle!

2011-12-04T00:01:00.094Z

So December is here. It's the time of year when cats learn that chewing the wire on fairy lights isn't as much fun as they initially thought, glitter is liberally glued onto anything that stays still long enough, and the meaning of the phrase "less is more" gets forgotten. And that's just in my house. Yes, my friends, I'm cracking out my copy of Aaron Neville's "Soulful Christmas" once more and torturing Eric and Ernie with his warblings all over again. Good times. (On a bit of a seque, does anyone else find the word "bauble" ever so slightly rude? No? Just me then.)

In honour of the month that represents, to me, all things twinkly, I'm really excited to have the fabulous Coco Rose from Coco Rose Diaries sharing her sparkle here with us today at Mimi and Tilly. You all know my passion for glittering jewels, and Coco Rose has opened up her jewellery box, and selected two of her most precious pieces to show us. Thank you so much Coco Rose. It's a pleasure to have you as my second guest blogger here at Mimi and Tilly.

Coco Rose writes a truly beautiful blog sharing her love of crochet, yarns, blends of colour, flowers, light, and all that she finds beautiful in her world. It is a feast for the eyes and I never cease to be amazed by her photography skills and her ability to turn rolls of yarn into exquisitely beautiful blankets. If you haven't already come across Coco Rose Diaries, I highly recommend you take a look.

A huge welcome to anyone popping by from Coco Rose Diaries. I'm very happy you've come on over.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Blog name: ♥Coco Rose Diaries♥

Blog url: www.cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com

Preferred jewellery style: Statement or small and discreet?

Depends on my mood! Sometimes I’ll wear just one discreet necklace or pair of earrings, other times, big rings and big necklaces.

Do you prefer costume jewellery, vintage jewellery, precious jewellery, or a mix of all three?

I would have to say costume and vintage jewellery are my favourites. I don’t own very expensive jewellery. I would lose it. I am a magpie, and cheap, cheerful and sparkly get me every time.

Which do you prefer? Yellow gold, silver, platinum?

For ages I disliked gold on me, so it was silver every time, but I am warming to gold and wear it more now.

Which piece of jewellery do you dream of owning? A twenty carat diamond ring? A tiara?

A big aquamarine ring with diamonds on a platinum base.

Which piece of jewellery can’t you leave the house without?

Earrings

What sparkle are you sharing on Mimi and Tilly’s “Share Your Sparkle!”?

It was hard to narrow it down to just one……Is it okay to have two? The first is an aqua cut-glass costume ring. The second is a silver heart and earring necklace set.

What is the story behind this piece of jewellery?

I saw the heart necklace set one day in a shop and I fell in love with its beauty and simplicity. I loved the shape of the hearts, that they were battered metal and that there was a tiny heart that dangled on the necklace at the bottom.

My husband was with me at the time not really paying attention to my ooohs and ahhhs over it. A week later I was taken to hospital. I was 28 weeks pregnant with my first child and all was not going well. My son had to be delivered at 30 weeks just before Christmas, and sat on Christmas day in an empty maternity ward, my husband gave me this set. He had been paying attention! Each time I wear the set, it reminds me of that special Christmas.

The ring was my Grandmothers. She loved costume jewellery, and had a big social life that meant she got to wear lots of it! It’s just cut glass, nothing fancy or expensive, but it means the world to me. My love of jewellery came from her. I love this ring for it’s colour, shape and size. Big, and bold, but soft and beautiful. Every time I put it on, it takes me back to my childhood and all the lovely memories I had at her house trying all her jewellery on! So the sentimental value of this ring is very big.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Coco Rose, thank you for sharing your sparkle with us here at Mimi and Tilly. I love your grandmother's ring. It is such a beautiful colour. I have a love of textured silver too, and the tiny swinging heart pendant on your necklace is so pretty. I've really enjoyed reading your stories behind each piece, and can imagine how wonderful it felt to receive your pendant and earrings while you were in the hospital over Christmas. I've added some hearts to my post in honour of your beautiful blogging style, and wanted to say a big thank you for guest blogging by giving you this blog button... Please feel free to post it on your blog, as a big thank you for taking part. You'll also be added to my list of glittery folk who have shared their sparkle here on Mimi and Tilly on the "Share Your Sparkle!" page of my blog.

If you have been inspired by Coco Rose and would like to take part by sharing your sparkle here on Mimi and Tilly, just send me an email via my contact page here on the blog letting me know you'd like to join in, and I'll get back to you. I hope you've enjoyed sharing Coco Rose's beautiful jewellery as much as I have.

Sending glitter and smiles,

Holistic Happiness

2011-12-03T13:16:00.004Z

Two things I've always been really fascinated by are holistic living and holistic therapies. I find the concept of balancing the body, the mind and the spirit totally amazing (if a little tricky in practise). Alongside being a teacher and lecturer, in a former life, I'm also a reiki master and aromatherapist. Since developing M.E. I've been using my powers on myself. Mainly to calm me the heck down (it can be stressful living with a long-term illness). Over the years I have found some relaxation techniques, and natural beauty secrets that work a treat for me.

I woke up this morning and realised that you might be interested in knowing more about holistic therapies, what they are and how they work, and how to get top quality holistic therapy treatments at a fraction of the usual cost. I also realised you might want to know some of the natural beauty tips I use that are gentle on my skin and gentle on my wallet. I have no idea at all why this didn't occur to me sooner... No-one can accuse me of jumping the gun.

Anyhoo, if you do want to know more, just let me know, and I'll get right on that!

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Wordshaker Magazine and LBD's

2011-12-02T00:01:00.030Z

It's Friday. It's December. This can mean only two things:

1. Favourite Thing On A Friday. Yaaaay!
2. Dusting off my Little Black Dress in time for the Christmas festivities.

I love clothes. With an absolute passion. I love how putting together an outfit is an expression of how I'm feeling. I love playing at dressing up. Most of all, I love Little Black Dresses. Ever since first seeing Audrey Hepburn sip her cup of coffee in THAT dress in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", when I was around the tender age of fourteen, I have had an ongoing love affair with the LBD.

Over the years I've had a range of different Little Black Dresses. Each year, at this time of year, I go through my wardrobe and I pull out my current one, in time for the festive season. I still have three of my all-time favourites lovingly stored in tissue paper. Beautifully made. A long Calvin Klein figure hugging number from the early nineties. A short Calvin Klein tailored number from the late nineties. And a very special handmade Little Black Dress from the early 1950's. I was 19 when I found it in 1987.

It's a special day for me today. I've written my first guest post, which is being featured over at Wordshaker Magazine, sharing the story of that very special 1950's dress I found. It would be wonderful if you fancied popping over and having a read. (My article will be available to read as soon as it is published today.)

If you haven't already come across Wordshaker Magazine, I highly recommend you paying them a visit. It's an online magazine written by a team of three very talented writers, who write for other women. It covers an eclectic mix of topics including fashion, health issues, relationships, as well as current events. Wordshaker Magazine also offers the opportunity for women bloggers and budding writers to write contributing articles. For me it's been a great way to build my writing confidence, and share a story, all at the same time. Wordshaker Magazine is edited by Jules, a lovely lady who is currently working very hard to complete her first novel. Jules writes a personal blog which you can find here. Jules' blog is interesting, sassy and features words like "amazeballs" which make me laugh out loud. Thank you, Jules, for featuring my article. You put a smile on my face this week.

So my Favourite Things On A Friday this week are Wordshaker Magazine and Little Black Dresses.

What have you been up to this week? Link up below and I'll be over faster than you can sing "Moon River", to find out.

All photographs courtesy of www.doctormacro.com a fabulous site that offers full use of its wide range of movie stills.

I've Seen It All Now

2011-12-01T00:01:00.002Z

This video is so cute, it actually made my toes curl backwards.

I'll be back on Friday with...

Feel really welcome to link up your Friday posts with Favourite Thing On A Friday. That way we can come over and see what you've been up to. On Sunday Coco Rose from Coco Rose Diaries will be sharing her sparkle here at Mimi and Tilly. I don't want to spoil the surprise but Coco's gems are beautiful!

In the meantime, sweet dreams!

Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should

2011-11-29T10:44:00.000Z

I found this picture today. It made me smile. A lot.

Can you imagine the pilling?

My sense of humour is restored.

I Can Feel A Titter Brewing

2011-11-27T17:27:00.000Z

Just to let you know, I woke up this morning, made myself my usual bucket of tea, and halfway through drinking it, could feel a titter brewing (alongside the tea in my unfeasibly large mug). It wasn't about anything in particular, but it was definitely there.

This is tremendously good news. I don't like not finding things funny. I don't like not feeling excited about something, anything.

Source

I have started knitting a scarf. I've knitted another square for my granny blanket. I've got my second guest blogger sharing their sparkle here at Mimi and Tilly this week. And, drum roll please, I've got an article I've written being featured in an online magazine this coming Friday (I'll tell you more about that in a special blog post later this week).

Not too shabby for a woman who temporarily lost her titter.

I'm still experiencing that powerful blend of M.E. symptoms. However, I've been able to accept them for what they are, stop fighting them, rest up, and ask for the help I've needed. It's made a huge difference. I don't find asking for help very easy. I naturally tend towards stoicism and radical independence. I've learned this week that letting someone help you is giving that person an opportunity to demonstrate how much they love you. I didn't understand this until this week when friends and family rallied round. I am very grateful for the love and help I've been given this week. Thank you.

And a huge thank you for all the beautiful words that you left for me in the comments section, after I wrote my last post. Each and every one of your comments touched me, and helped me get my titter back. I wasn't expecting that kind of reponse, and am very grateful for your kindness, support and friendship.

So, for now, I'm taking things easy, saying boo to the blue (Thanks Jenny!), resting up, and being very gentle with myself. I'll be back this week with a gorgeous blog post from Coco Rose who is sharing her sparkle.

Now that's something to smile about.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Beautiful Words

2011-11-25T11:55:00.006Z

I love that words can change how I feel. I love that I can read something and feel lifted, loved or moved. I think words are really beautiful. I'm experiencing a very powerful blend of M.E. symptoms. The past few weeks have been difficult. They've felt really messy. I knew things weren't good when I realised I'd lost my sense of humour around it all. I know. One of the things that makes life fun for me is the fact that I make myself laugh so much. At my own expense. Even when others aren't joining in. And tumbleweeds are rolling across the carpet. You can usually find me tittering at the back somewhere about something I've tripped over/stood in/dropped. I woke up earlier this week with no titter. Instead I was feeling really blue.

I'm resting up in a bid to get my sense of humour back.

Then today I found these words...

Source

It felt good to remember this.

I hope that today, you are having one of the best days of your life.

If you'd like to join in with Favourite Thing On A Friday, just link up below and I'll be over in a jiffy.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Compliments

2011-11-18T14:12:00.004Z

Last week I posted about restyling my locks, and, frankly, it did me the power of good as I received so many beautiful compliments about how lovely my barnet was looking. Thank you.

Then this week I had to make some phone calls that involved me sitting on hold listening to music. The piece they were playing was very loud and, to be honest, hurt my ears. I felt like I was being shouted at by musical notes. A tad aurally abused, if you will.

I assume that music is played while a person is sat on hold on the phone so that they are soothed and mollified by said music. I felt neither soothed nor mollified. I'm not generally an aggressive or impatient person. If anything, I'd say I was a bit of a sloth when it comes to getting irritated by the stuff of day-to-day living. But I did find that I had a strong urge to poke myself in both eye balls just to distract me from the electronic dirge that was assaulting my ear drums.

I attempted to resolve this problem by putting the phone receiver on my desk so that it was a little bit away from my head. This didn't really work. Leaning over my desk to put my ear near the receiver, to make sure I could hear if someone picked up my call, wasn't the most comfortable position to sit in. I haven't got an excessively enormous head, but, there is a lot of stuff stored in there and, honestly, it's heavy.

Then I came across this...

How amazing would it be for general woman and mankind if we were given compliments while we sat on hold on the phone? How much more amenable would the conversations be, if the person left sitting on hold for ten minutes was given a litany of reasons why they were the cat's whiskers? Talk about oiling the wheels of general happiness and I'm-having-a-good-day-ness.

In my mind it would sound something like this...

"I'm sorry but all our customer relations staff are taking other calls at the moment. Your custom is important to us. We will take your call as fast as we possibly can... Do you know how hot-to-trot you are? Yowza, that outfit you've put together today is bang on trend. Your bottom is the perfect peachy size and most certainly does not look big in your skinny jeans. And, what's more, you are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. And funny. That joke you told your friends last week made me laugh so hard, I snorted. Don't get me started on your writing skills. Your words... I'm getting a little choked up saying this... Your words... Move me. Thank you for supporting our business. Frankly, we couldn't do it without you."

Pretty uplifting huh? If a little invasive.

So, my Favourite Thing On A Friday this week is receiving compliments. Thank you for the beautiful compliments you leave in your comments. They make a huge difference to my days.

If you fancy joining in with Favourite Thing On A Friday, just link up below and I'll be over in a jiffy to pay you a huge compliment. Just because.

What's your Favourite Thing On A Friday this week? And what's the best compliment you've ever been paid?

Ear Ear

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000Z

Earlier last week, I mentioned I had some earrings I had designed and made that I wanted to share with you. And here they are. These earrings are made from etched copper sheet and copper wire. They have been shaped into a curve for added "dangle appeal", and have tiny etched droplets attached for further "swing".

What do you think? After I'd finished them, I realised they reminded me a little bit of turtle shells! These earrings are going to be wending their way to the USA, where a friend of mine lives. We met in Japan and have been friends ever since. He wrote to me a little while ago telling me his wife would love my earrings. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to package these up so that he can give them to her as a surprise at Christmas.

Cats in Hats - Part Deux

2011-11-13T00:01:00.004Z

I've only gone and done it again. Stumbled across an Etsy store that sells hats for cats. These hats for cats, however, aren't chic felt adornments for your feline. They're knitted bonnets. Knitted. Bonnets. These beauties don't sit jauntily on your quietly proud pet's head. They are held firmly and definitely in place with a determined woolly bow. I kid you not. There's no way Stanley, Doug or Frank (made up names I've always wanted to give to cats, after Eric and Ernie of course) could grapple their way out of one of these knitted cat fascinators. .

See for yourselves...

If I wasn't already neutered,

the cats on the street would

have my danglers for wearing this.

I... Can't... Breathe.

Does my bottom look big in this?

What did I ever do to you?

Okay, apart from leave furballs on your pillow.

I absolutely love all of them. You can find these beautifully knitted hats for cats at scooterKnits on Etsy alongside knitted cat toys. I have to 'fess up to the fact that I am profoundly jealous that the lady who designs and knits these hats for cats is able to adorn her cat with them. If I could dress up Eric and Ernie, I'd have blog fodder for years. I put collars on Eric and Ernie once. Went out. Came home. I found them both looking stunned and confused in the middle of the carpet. Each with a rear leg pinned under the collar and jammed against their ears. They were like cat skittles waiting to be knocked over. If I wasn't against cruelty to animals, I'd have given them a little shove just to see them topple, but I couldn't do it. I was so concerned, I didn't even get my camera out. I know. I'm all about the compassion.

Story Corps

2011-11-12T00:01:00.002Z

I love writing and I love stories. The stories I love most are the stories of everyday people and their lives. I am inspired and moved by the bravery and love that people express and experience in their day-to-day relationships. Here are two beautiful stories I found at StoryCorps, an organisation based in Brooklyn, New York, that records, preserves and broadcasts the life stories of everyday people.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Styling My Locks

2011-11-11T00:01:00.006Z

There is one thing that I am uniformly, consistently and impressively rubbish at doing. Styling my own hair. I have been blessed with a full head of hair (I feel very fortunate I didn't inherit my father's male pattern baldness) but it is the most uniquely baby fine hair I have ever personally witnessed. I only have to say the word "balloon" and it leaps into a gravity defying display of static. Say the word "rain" and it falls dramatically into a limp imitation of a wet bobble hat. When I say "In the name of all that is good and great, will you please form yourself into something akin to a chic chignon?" it looks at me apologetically and hangs in a knotty, dry nest, clinging nervously to the back of my head. I don't mean to be mean to my hair, but it requires a lot of work, effort and energy to get it looking impressive.

I've come to the conclusion that if my hair was a person, it would be judged as high maintenance and extremely needy.

Oodles of energy not being my strong point right now, I've resorted for some time to yanking my hair impatiently into a pony tail. And when all else has failed, I've donned... Wait for it... A baseball cap. I can only apologise.

You can imagine my enthusiasm this week, when I serendipiticiously (I've just made that word up, and love it) came across a link to a blog that told me it could teach me how to style my hair.

With a heavy sneer, a dramatic roll of my eye balls and the room ringing with the words, "Well let's see what you can teach me to do with this crowning glory...", I set off to see if I could indeed be transformed into Charles Worthington minus the male parts but with the glamorously bouffant quality to my hair.

After watching several videos whilst making harried mental notes, I let myself loose on my static-weary mop and here are the gloriously volumised, yet casually chic, results.

Yes, my friends, thanks to a lovely lady named Kate, I've managed to learn how to style my hair. And I am happy.

Prepare yourselves for some serious "Because I'm worth it!" head shots. I am shameless.

Kate from The Small Things blog is a professional hair-stylist and beautician. She is bright and full of sunshine. She also just happens to post the most fantastic "how-to" videos I have come across which clearly demonstrate the best ways to whip your hair into a range of quick, beautiful and easy hairstyles. Kate takes you through each style on her own hair so that you can see exactly what to do to tame your own tresses. She is an inspiration. I am totally converted. As far as I'm concerned, Kate has performed a public service. I no longer leave my home sporting a look that shrieks "Help me!" and now leave my home sporting a look that purrs "Get me!"

When Steve saw me with my newly styled "do" the first words out of his mouth were "Wow, you look gorgeous, have you had your hair done?"

Thank you so much Kate...

What has been your favourite thing this week? I'm really looking forward to finding out. Join in by linking up below and posting a link back to Mimi and Tilly in your Favourite Thing On a Friday post.

I'll be over faster than I can fashion a chignon. Which used to mean I'd be over some time next week, and now means I'll be over in a minute or two!

A Quick Reminder

2011-11-10T20:18:00.003Z

This is just a quick reminder that I'll be posting about my Favourite Thing On A Friday tomorrow. Feel very free and easy to join in with the link-up. I'm really looking forward to seeing what your favourite things have been. I hope you've have a fantastic time enjoying the unseasonably warm weather this week. It's been lovely hasn't it?

Sweet dreams,

I'm All Ears

2011-11-07T11:31:00.070Z

I've been at it again. Spending as much virtual money as I can muster. Putting virtual jewels into my virtual jewellery box. I'm really enjoying the fact I'm not actually spending hard coinage. No guilt after the spending fact. And, having bought them virtually, I don't need to buy them literally. I've already experienced my virtual shopping buzz. Everyone's a winner.

I've got some earrings I've designed and made, to share with you this week. And in preparation, I thought I'd have a gander at the earring designs available in the shops right now. Here are the ones that really caught my eye. The designs I would want to wear. Once again, my choices haven't been made on any ethical shopping basis. I do, however, have an ethical jewellery blog post coming up very soon.

I've come over all starry-eyed. And a bit feathery.

Click on the individual earrings to learn more about them. Which ones do you like best? I like my earrings to have a really strong shape and colour. As you well know, when it comes to wearing rings, my style of choice errs towards the honking and mahoosive. However, when it comes to my earrings, I do like a neat stud as well as great big danglers. So to speak. How about you?

I'll share the earrings I've made, alongside a tiny silver band I'm very proud of, later this week.

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend.

Something That Made My Heart Smile!

2011-11-06T18:03:00.002Z

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - A Story

2011-11-04T08:46:00.008Z

Hello. I can't believe how quickly these Fridays whip round again, can you? I love it that each week I get to choose what's been my favourite thing.

This week my Favourite Thing On A Friday has to be the story that Kim from the blog Ramblings of the Bearded One wrote in my comments section yesterday, in response to my post about loving your body.

I felt quite moved as I read Kim's comment, and wanted to share with you the story Kim shared with me.

Here it is...

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Thank you Kim for taking the time to share this with me. If you haven't already come across Kim's blog, I highly recommend you taking a visit. Thank you everyone for all your beautiful comments on yesterday's post. You have completely blown me away...

If you fancy joining in with Favourite Thing On A Friday, just link up at the end of this post. Bob's your uncle. I'll be over soon.

Happy Friday.
Sending glitter and smiles,

Beautiful Words

2011-11-02T16:03:00.004Z

Source

I found this picture on Pinterest and it really caught my attention. Firstly, I love her underwear and her curves. Secondly, how much fun would it be to have someone drop petals all over you from a very great height, so you could swirl and twirl in them? And thirdly, I, along with most other women I know, have a hard time loving and accepting my body for the beautiful thing it is.

This is partly due to having M.E. If I'm honest, I feel a little bit let down by my body. I used to be able to do far more than I'm physically capable of now, and it's very difficult not to be resentful of that. Especially when I'm watching Strictly Come Dancing and I remember how it felt to be able to stand on pointe shoes during my ballet lessons and feel powerful, weightless and energised all at the same time. Dance was my thing for more than 20 years. My way of relating to myself. It has been hard not to be angry with my body now that dancing is not something I can currently do.

When I started my healthy eating plan back in March, it came with a decision to treat my body with love and acceptance, regardless of what it was and wasn't able to do. I was tired of fighting my body and losing. I realised I needed to be friends with my body again, otherwise I couldn't look after it. So for the past seven months I've been doing my best to love my body. Not out of vanity, but out of the growing awareness that I couldn't take care of something I hated.

As soon as I started to let go of my resentments around what I could and couldn't do, and started to accept what my body was capable of in any given moment, things started to change for me. The extra weight I was carrying started to fall away without me feeling partcularly hungry or craving certain foods. And I also found myself enjoying my own company a lot more than I had in the past.

I have lost two stones in weight since March. In the past, I have struggled to lose weight. I have seen my body as something to battle against. I've lost weight and then gained it again. This time, I let go of all the struggle attached to losing weight, and just decided to be a good friend to my body, to listen to what it was telling me and to give it what it needed in any given moment. Sleep. Rest. Warm baths. Good food. Frequent small meals. Lots of water. A burger and a bag of crisps when the time felt right.

A friend told me once that "what we resist, persists", and I didn't understand what that meant until very recently. I'm beginning to figure it out a bit now though.

P.S. A huge thank you to Annie for her wonderful blog post yesterday. And huge thanks to Annie's followers who came by to read Annie's post and leave a comment. I'm really looking forward to discovering your blogs and taking a look around! I'll also be catching up on my blog reading. If I haven't been over in a while, I'm sorry. It's just that I can't stop fiddling with my blog layout! Em x

Annie, The Felt Fairy: Share Your Sparkle!

2011-11-01T00:01:00.062Z

A little while back, I asked if anyone would be willing to share their favourite pieces of jewellery here on Mimi and Tilly. I am fascinated by jewellery, and jewellery designs. But I'm also fascinated with the emotions behind jewellery.

I don't know any woman who doesn't have a jewellery box. Or own at least one piece of jewellery that is somehow, and for some very important reason, very close to her heart.

I also know men who treasure and collect watches, and have never taken off their wedding ring.

We all seem to have an attachment in some way to a piece of jewellery.

I was surprised and delighted to find that you were willing to tell me the stories behind your treasured gems. Thank you.

I've tried to be understated and artistic about today's post. I've tried, but I just couldn't do it. Instead, I've gone completely the other way, rolled with it, run with it, jumped all over it, and made the most opulent "Share Your Sparkle!" header I could muster for my first guest blogger. And when I say "made", I mean "added a title and border after a lot of indecisive fandangling around" to a beautiful banner I found at The Cutest Blog on the Block.

Yes, you heard me correctly.

I have my first guest blogger here on Mimi and Tilly today. A lovely lady who has agreed to share her sparkle with us, and tell us her story around it! I am so excited. I couldn't be more delighted that the very first person who has agreed to take the lid off their jewellery box and share their sparkle here on Mimi and Tilly is...

I first came across Annie's blog not long after I started blogging two years ago, and am so glad I did. Annie is feisty, funny, and extremely big-hearted. I'm very proud to call her my friend. If you haven't already come across Annie's blog, I strongly recommend that you go over and visit! In a minute though, not right now... Just click on the photo of Annie's blog header and you'll be taken through an internet portal to her beautiful site.

So, without further ado (I've always wanted to use that phrase legitimately), I'd like to offer a huge and very warm welcome to Annie...

Hi there, I am Annie Browne aka The Felt Fairy.

I love jewellery and especially sparkly jewels! If I am honest, I love a nice bit of bling, the bigger the better – gold, silver, plastic, I don’t care! I have a good mix of everything.

When my lovely friend Emma invited me to do a guest post I was delighted.

The brief was that it was to be about a favourite piece of jewellery and I immediately knew that I had a story to tell. Pieces of jewellery, in my case gold and diamonds, are part of one of the most important relationships in my life. Strangely, although we are talking about a wedding and engagement ring, this relationship is not between a man and wife, nor two lovers, no, this relationship is far more important than anything like that.

The relationship in question is the one between me and my beloved grandmother, or as I knew her, my "gagga". My childhood scouse dialect would say "me gagger". "Gagga" came from the fact that my brother could not pronounce grandma.

My gagga came from a very poor background, proper Liverpudlian working class. Gagga was born in the slums and worked her fingers to the bone in order to better her lot and that of her grandchildren. In Liverpool during my childhood and teens one way of showing your worth was gold. Brash, flash and the bigger the better.

For my 16^th birthday came my gold sovereign on a heavy antique chain – I still have it! It was so precious to Gagga; she was so pleased to bestow such a great gift on to me, her granddaughter, that to this day it is precious to me.

When my gagga died a few days after my 30^th birthday I thought that I too would die from the pain. Her death had been expected but was none the less agonising. Before she died she gave my mum her wedding ring and engagement ring. They were not very old as she had replaced them after a burglary. Even though they were not original they were so precious to her as she had been able to "upgrade" to her very own choice of jewels. They were big, spangly and shouted out to anyone who cared that Annie Clayton had indeed made it! She wore them with such pride.

My mother tried the rings on but, to be honest, they did not suit her beautiful tiny hands and my sister was far too refined to carry off such bling. There was only one person for the job and that was me! Me with the big earrings and the painted talons! Oh yes, I was a woman who cared little for the fact that they were in some circles "a bit common", a bit loud, a bit footballers wife: I bloody loved them and I still do!

I have a lot of old gold. It is all precious to me, as each and every piece is associated with my wonderful gagga, Annie Clayton!

Annie, thank you so much for sharing your story here with us at Mimi and Tilly. I have loved reading your post, and seeing your gagga's rings. They are just beautiful. As a special thank you, I've made a blog button for you to post on your blog! Feel free to add it to your sidebar, Annie, with a link back to your post.

So, what did you think of Annies' absolutely stunning jewels? Do you have a special piece of jewellery you completely adore?

If you are interested in knowing more about the story behind "Share Your Sparkle" or fancy sharing your sparkle here on Mimi and Tilly, click on the link below to find out more...

Have a very happy Tuesday.

Ring-A-Ding-Ding

2011-10-29T11:27:00.009+01:00

Next week is an exciting week here at Mimi and Tilly. I'm going to be show-casing my first guest blogger! A selection of you very lovely people have offered to open up your jewellery boxes and let us take a peek inside. And next week, Mimi and Tilly's very first guest blogger is going to be sharing her sparkle! I've managed to keep a lid on this for the past couple of weeks but I can't hold back any longer! I am all a-fizz.

So, to rev things up a bit in anticipation for the first sparkle "reveal", I've been imagining I have a virtual jewellery box filled with any jewels I fancy. A kind of virtual "money is no object" sort of a situation. And I have been going bonkers filling my virtual jewellery box with ring sparkle! I had no idea I could spend so much so fast if the situation required it...

Here are some of the current ring designs available in shops that most appeal to me. Aren't they just beautiful? I think the glittery lips are smackilicious! (I'm basing my choices here solely on the designs of the rings, not on any kind of ethical shopping basis... More on ethical jewellery shopping in another up-coming post.)

Click on the individual rings to learn more about them.

What's your favourite type of ring? Big and bold or understated?

I'm all about the big and bold when it comes to rings. Mahoosive. How about you? Which one do you like best?

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Sherbert Dib Dabs

2011-10-28T13:02:00.008+01:00

Happy Friday everyone! How has your week been? The sun is shining here in my neck of the woods. The leaves are rich shades of red and orange. The sky is a beautiful blue. And a new retro sweet shop (how's that for an oxymoron) opened yesterday in the village nearby. I cannot tell you how happy I am. Sherbert on tap. All is right with the world.

Let me explain.

I am aware that many people love chocolate. The rise in the use of chocolate fountains gave me a hint towards this notion. And at the risk of causing a collective gasp, I have to confess... I'm not a big chocolate fan. Nope, I'm not.

My sugary treats of choice seem to involve anything boiled, fruity, fruity and chewy, sherbet slathered, and/or bonbon-ish. Hence my deep passion for Jelly Tots, Fruit Pastilles, Skittles, and anything that comes in a bag with a lollipop/liquorice stick, or looks faintly like sherbert. I thank the heavens I've never been the slightest bit interested in illegal drugs.

At a wedding once, the bride tossed her bouquet in my direction. I stepped aside and let the throng of charging women decimate the poor thing. If that bouquet had been a Sherbert Dib Dab, I'd have done very bad things to every women hoofing it in my direction to ensure I got my hands on that sugary little fella.

Imagine my delight yesterday, when I stumbled upon the newly opened retro sweet shoppe (their spelling, not mine) in the village nearby. As I stepped across the threshold, I thought I knew exactly how Charlie Bucket must have felt on entering Willy Wonka's factory gates.

There were more Dib Dabs inside than I could waggle a liquorice stick at. It was a beautiful moment.

Over the years, I've bemoaned the fact that getting my hands on a sherbert fountain or a fruit bonbon has been harder than scoring a dose of crack cocaine. I'm speculating here, you understand. I don't actually have first-hand experience of this. Not long after I first met Steve he was popping out to the shops and asked me if I wanted anything. I said "Strawberry Bonbons please" not realising exactly what I'd done. He was gone for ninety minutes. He came back with a bag of vanilla bonbons after trawling every sweet shop within a 6 mile radius. I knew right then and there he was a keeper. And now, on my door step, there is an emporium filled with sherbert pips, cola bottles, sherbert fountains, sherbert Dib Dabs, Cola Cubes, Swizzel Sticks, Strawberry Bonbons, and Rhubarb and Custards.

I am undone.

What are your favourite sweet treats?

If you fancy joining in with...

... Just link up below and I'll be over faster than I can get through a bag of sherbert pips. Oh happy day!

We Have A Winner!

2011-10-24T22:39:00.001+01:00

Having put all the names into my trusty bowl...

I gave them a good stir round and pulled out...

Congratulations to Mille Feuilles!

Your smokey topaz earrings will be winging their way to you just as soon as you let me have your postal details via email.

A huge thank you to everyone who entered. I'll be hosting more giveaways in the near future.

Have a fantastic week.

There's Still Time To Enter My Giveaway!

2011-10-23T10:49:00.004+01:00

There's still a day left to enter my giveaway if you haven't already done so (and want to)! I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow evening, Monday 24th October. To enter just click on the photo above and follow the instructions.

I hope you've had a great weekend.

I'm Still Tittering Now

2011-10-22T14:45:00.004+01:00

Last night I had a quiet evening to myself and thought I'd see if I could dig up that old video I was telling you about here yesterday. The one with Ewan McGregor advertising Nova Intercultural Institute on Japanese tv in the 90's. I have looked all over the world wide web (no, I don't have too much time on my hands) and can find no reference to it at all. I know I didn't imagine it. I remember quite clearly, it was 1995, I was having a ball living in Japan, I turned on the tv after work and suddenly found myself having to do something akin to the Heimlich manoeuvre to dislodge the noodles I spontaneously inhaled as I watched Ewan undertaking some very questionable acting.

Ewan still seems to have been at it in 2002, as this ad will testify. Only by 2002 he was advertising for Aeon, a different English language school in Japan and Nova's main competitor.

See for yourselves...

There are no words.

And, if that wasn't enough to curdle the milk in your coffee this afternoon, there's more...

Those were my exact words on witnessing this advert for the first time.
Oh my God.
Closely followed by...
Why Ewan? Why?

I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed finding these treasures. If you want to see more go to japander.com, a site dedicated to show-casing the ads made by American and British actors, which are not shown outside Japan. It's a fun way to spend a few minutes. Who am I kidding, I was on there for hours, tittering into my coffee.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Ed Norton, The Illusionist, and Fun Times in the 90's.

2011-10-21T00:52:00.017+01:00

My Favourite thing On a Friday this week is the film, "The Illusionist" with Edward Norton. For three very good reasons. I'll explain. Firstly, I curled up under a blanket last night, to watch the film knowing I was going to be in for a goodun. Has Ed Norton ever been in a dodgy film? Well, OK, "Keeping the Faith" wasn't his best work, but it still had Anne Bancroft in it, so it can't have been all bad, right? (On a bit of a segue, am I the only person who thinks Ben Stiller has got little legs?)

Look into my eyes.

Oh, go on then Ed, if you insist.

Secondly, Edward Norton has been one of my favourite actors since I saw him in "American History X" in 1999. A fantastically powerful story. "The Painted Veil" is also another of my favourites. I've actually been reduced to tears just hearing the music for the opening titles of that film. I know. It's just how I roll. And need I say more than simply "Fight Club"? No.

I love that Mr Norton can portray someone violent and powerful like his character in American History X, and then go on to convincingly play a vulnerable and bookish man as in The Painted Veil. Anyhoo, I'm not a film critic (thank the heavens, based on what I've written here so far...) but wanted to draw your attention to Mr Norton, because I have a special reason for loving him, not simply connected to his fantasmagorical acting skills, sweet good looks and gentle nature.

And here it is, the third and most fantastic reason... I don't know if you know this, but Edward Norton speaks Japanese, and after he graduated from Yale in 1991, he spent some time, in the early/mid 90's, working in Osaka in Japan. This was before he was famous for his acting skills.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I spent 5 years working in Tokyo, Japan, (I know some of you are yawning, knock it off) around the very same time that Mr Norton was in Osaka. Don't get too excited by this tale. I didn't end up dating him. (Although I did end up meeting Duran Duran while I was living in Tokyo. But that's a whole other story. I digress.)

While Mr Norton was in Japan he decided to do a bit of extra work for a large language company known as Nova Intercultural Institute, which just so happened to be the very same language school I was working for. He made a teaching video and appeared in an ESL lesson book for Nova Intercultural Institute, which was used in the mid-nineties as a teaching aid by the English speaking teachers who worked there and their Japanese students. At that time, Nova was the biggest language school in Japan, and so this teaching aid was distributed throughout the country to a lot of schools there. I cannot stress to you enough that, although Japan is the other side of the world to America, and Ed probably thought not many folk were going to end up seeing this body of work if he ever hit it big, more people than you can waggle a stick at got to witness Ed in all his glory simply because Nova was a mahoooosive company in Japan.

Nova used to pay very well known British and American actors to appear in tv ads for the company, which shamelessly suggested that if you took lessons at Nova, you would probably end up dating your American/British teacher. I remember sitting down to eat my hot noodles one evening after work and turning on the tv to see Ewan McGregor pretending to be a Nova teacher, skipping across a bridge with a young, attractive Japanese student. He taught her to say "I love you" in English, and the ad finished with Ewan and the Japanese student sharing a "moment" together as the credits rolled for the company. I choked watching it. I could hear Ewan's manager, "Don't worry Ewan, no-one important in the film industry is going to see this, it's not showing outside Japan." There may only be a few hundred British people who ever saw it (alongside several million Japanese folk), but rest assured, it's burned into the back of my eyeballs.

Getting back to Edward Norton, The video and book he made for Nova were called "Only In America". Take a cheeky peek at some of the stills from the video that I managed to find online...

What's my motivation for this piece?

Erm, I'm pretty sure it's the money Ed.

And my personal favourite...

All photos courtesy of edwardnorton.org

I swear, he didn't shoot a porn video for Nova Intercultural Institute. It wasn't that kind of company. I worked there. Stop sniggering at the back.

So, my Favourite Thing(s) On A Friday this week, are threefold: "The Illusionist" starring Edward Norton. See it. It's a belter. Edward Norton himself, just because he's fab. And the fact that there is a whole other body of work that Edward made before American History X that involves him sporting some very unsavoury looking outfits.

What's you Favourite Thing On A Friday this week?

Link up below and let us know. And if you let people know you're linking up back here with Mimi and Tilly on your blog post, they can join in too.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've loved this week.

It's FTOF Day Tomorrow!

2011-10-20T17:16:00.005+01:00

So, it's Thursday, which means that tomorrow is the day we share our Favourite Thing On a Friday. As you may recall, I forgot last week. So this week I'm making a point of remembering my own ruddy link-up and posting a reminder (mainly for myself).

So, what's been your favourite thing this week? A fantastic charity shop find? A great car-booty haul? A good book you've not been able to put down? Something you've made? An age-inappropriate outfit you've worn that just knocked socks off itself? (If anyone has had the joie de vivre to wear nipple tassels and a pair of y-fronts down to Tesco's, I'd really appreciate a link up to photographic proof/police mug shots.) Have you written a blog post that made you proud to be a blogger? Whatever has been your favourite thing this week is fab for a link up here.

All you have to do is check out the bottom of my post tomorrow and find the link-up tool, add your blogspot url and then let people know on your blog post that you're linking up with Mimi and Tilly.

Then we'll be all over your blog like static on crimplene.

P.S. Thank you for all your fantastic comments about yesterday's post. I was genuinely a bit nervous about posting it (and the photo of me), as I don't tend to rant too much on my blog (or post too many photos of myself). However, now that I've found the whole experience of ranting here positively liberating, I'll be sure and share my soap box musings more often. Just a heads up though. I do tend to get myself in a lather about different things. It's possible I may start to scare instead of share...

I'm Feeling a Tad Perplexed

2011-10-19T22:36:00.006+01:00

I'm about to have an outburst. Please be warned. I don't normally do this on my blog, but, ooh, I've got myself all riled up. And not in a good way. This could get ugly.

Who decided that women need to dress age appropriately? What exactly does age appropriate mean? And, why, as a woman "of a certain age", am I expected to dress according to someone else's idea of what constitutes being appropriate or not?

I have stumbled across a couple of things this week that have left me quietly perplexed.

The first was a question posed to me by someone I consider to be beautiful, intelligent, stylish and sassy. A friend in their mid-thirties who expressed concern that they weren't dressing age appropriately. They looked amazing. Fantastic. Completely and utterly bang on. And yet, they weren't sure if what they were wearing was age appropriate or not. I felt sad that there was any concern at all over what they were wearing, and completely frustrated that many women over a certain age do this to themselves.

The second thing that got me going, was a blog post by Vix, over at Vintage Vixen. Vix is a wonderful woman who never ceases to inspire me with her joie de vivre and her gorgeous style. Vix was expressing her dismay (quite rightly) at an episode of Gok's Fashion Roadshow. I have mixed feelings about Gok Wan. On the one hand he comes across as kind and likeable. On the other, here is a man who says he likes women but who, in fact, dresses them up like librarians and sends them off into the world prepared to conform to his idea of what constitutes "age appropriate style". He also calls breasts "bangers".

Having read Vix's blog post, I sat and watched the programme. Then I found myself getting acid indigestion with frustration. A poor woman of the hugely advanced age of 33 (ye-gads, 33) was dressing in a way that was considered too young for her age. And it was her friends who told her this. On camera. Her friends, people. Nice. She was 33, for crying out loud. What exactly constitutes age inappropriate at 33? A nappy, as far as I'm concerned.

Now, I could get on board with Gok's desire to help women feel good about their naked bodies. But he's gone and lost me advocating "age appropriate" to a 33 year old.

I have a style philosophy. If it makes you feel fabulous put the bugger on. If that means you end up going to Tesco's dressed in nipple tassels and a pair of y-fronts and you feel like Marilyn Monroe, then knock yourself out. (Not literally, although I am aware that nipple tassels can do that to you if you're skilled in making them jangle.) Obviously if you're doing the school run you might need to take a coat. It's chilly this time of year.

I'm not being facetious here. I mean it.

I'm not interested in making the rest of the world happy with what I'm wearing. I'm interested in feeling happy, joyful and fun-loving for me.

As far as I can see, being age appropriate is the modern day equivalent of having bound feet. Trying to bend myself into someone else's image of beauty. I don't want to be someone else's image of beauty, I want to be my own.

Me.

Wearing hideously age-inappropriate earrings and boots.

Shocker.

I am 43. My hair is long and I wear enormous Minnie Mouse bows in it. I wear honking great earrings and false eye-lashes. I wear knee-high lace-up boots that I bought when I was the tender age of 25, and I intend to wear those bleeders till they fall off my legs. I wear short skirts, long skirts, and skirts in-between.

I don't believe it's about being age appropriate. I believe it's about finding your style and going with it. I believe it's about leaving the house feeling fantastic. Or staying home and lounging around in a gorgeous outfit feeling like a less pink version of Barbara Cartland as you drift around your home.

For me, being age appropriate isn't about dressing to someone else's style. It's about finding my own, whatever my age, and shining each and every time I put an outfit together and step out of the front door. It's about finding my panache and pizazz. And if that panache and pizazz is about pulling on velvet hot pants and green patterned tights when I'm 65 years of age, and stepping out onto the street feeling like a movie star, then Gok Wan be warned, I'm going to do it.

If the 33 year old woman on Gok Wan's show came away feeling amazing, filled with style vigour and sizzling with confidence as a result of Gok dressing her in a beige cardie, then I'll hush my mouth. I hope she did.

So, Vix, I salute you, your style, your panache and pizazz.

There. I'm done. Outburst over.

I feel much better.

What do you feel about the age appropriate question?

Beautiful Words

2011-10-18T22:06:00.008+01:00

www.polyvore.com

I find quiet courage very beautiful. I believe the world is full of ordinary people who quietly get up for another day, intent on trying to do their best, even though they may be tired, lonely or afraid.

I smiled at an old man in Sainsbury's a while back and he came up to me and told me I looked like a rainbow in his day (admittedly I was donning a pink coat and carrying a red bag). He said it meant a lot to him that I'd given him a smile. (He also said that if he was 20 or 30 years younger he'd be all over me like a rash, but I don't want to sully a heart-warming moment with that part of the conversation.)

He told me he was 87 and he lived alone. He made me laugh, he was so full of fun and kindness. He had a basket with a small bottle of milk, a tin of soup and a loaf in it. A lovely man who was keeping on keeping on. I hope that if I have the good fortune to hit 87, I'm still smiling, flirting and keeping on keeping on.

Mimi and Tilly's Giveaway

2011-10-17T23:07:00.007+01:00

Just a reminder, to let you know, the Mimi and Tilly Giveaway is running until Monday 24th October.

I'm celebrating hitting over 200 Blogger followers and the prize is a beautiful (if I say so myself) pair of silver and smokey topaz earrings, designed and made by me, Emma. I love this pair so much, I made a second pair for myself!

Here are some gratuitous shots I took to tickle your topaz fancy... (Do you see what I did there?)

To enter, all you have to do is click HERE and follow the instructions. I'll be picking the winner on Monday 24th October. Good luck and thanks for entering! Sending smiles and glitter...

And We're Back In The Room...

2011-10-16T20:34:00.003+01:00

I've done it.

The new blog design is up and running without any technical hitches at all. My heart was in my mouth as I was transferring the templates, but all went well. Hurrah.

I probably didn't need to eat that third bag of ready salted crisps, all things considered, as the crossover was really simple. But I wasn't sure, and a girl has to get her kicks somewhere.

Ready salted it is then.

If you take a peek at each of the pages under my spiffy new blog header above, you'll see links to different posts around my blog, relevant to the page title. I'm also going to be posting tutorials so you can have a go at making some of the things I've made here at Mimi and Tilly.

I'll be going through how to put together a simple jewellery-making kit. With hints and tips on making your own jewellery at home. Jewellery-making equipment can be expensive so I'll be showing you how to cheat a bit and pick up fab equipment that isn't made specifically for jewellery-making and so costs a lot less.

I'll also be putting together a couple of crochet and knitting tutorials.

I have some fantastic guest bloggers lined up for you, who are going to share their sparkle!

And I promise, I will do my level best to remember to post my Favourite Thing On A Friday this week. Ooh, the shame...

A big glittery welcome to my new followers. I'm really glad you've linked up. I'm off now to do a bit more blog tweaking!

New Blog Design

2011-10-16T15:26:00.003+01:00

Please bear with me. I am making the transition to my new blog design. It looks a bit of a mess now but will be beautiful very soon. Thank you for your patience!

Favourite Thing On a Friday! - I'm sorry, I forgot!

2011-10-14T18:22:00.003+01:00

Oops. It's Friday. And I forgot to post about my favourite thing this week... I can't believe it. What in the David Dickinson is that all about? I'm sorry!

All I can say in my defense is... Nope. I got nothing. I've just popped on the computer now to catch up on my blog reading and realised, "Nooooooo, it's Friday! You haven't posted about your Favourite Thing On A Friday!"

So, my favourite thing this week is that I can remember my own name, my home address, and to put my undercrackers on the right way, as clearly, I'm having trouble elsewhere! I'll leave the link open until tomorrow if you'd like to link up and I'll be over to see your favourite things this week.

I'm having trouble getting my head around the irony of this considering my post yesterday, which was actually called "Remember...". Seriously. You couldn't make this up.

I'm sorry.

P.S. Note to self "I am enough. But must do better!"

Remember...

2011-10-13T22:12:00.001+01:00

wipkits.blogspot.com

P.S. Except when I'm being too much. (I can't help it. I get giddy.)

Beautiful Words and New Designs

2011-10-12T17:33:00.012+01:00

Source

For a while now I've been wanting to change the format and design of my blog. Not because I don't love the format I currently have, which is from Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates ( a wonderful site which offers a whole host of beautiful goodies for your blog), but because I want my blog to better reflect what I'm writing about now. Less baking, more jewellery.

I sat and chewed my lip a bit, wondered about whether I should ask a blog designer to do it for me, had a talk with myself (not in a scary thinking there was another person in the room way, but in a "you can do this, you're a smart woman" and "my, your hair's looking sassy today" kind of way) and then embraced my gung-ho attitude and ended with "Come on Em, let's have a go!". The Advanced Editor feature on Blogger is brilliant!

So, I've set up another blog where I can run amok in the html without running the risk of deleting every post written over the past two years and then beating my chest and sobbing over the keyboard as I watch my blog disappear.

And even if I say so myself, it's not too shabby. I'm not a blog designer and it's a simple format but it's a bit ring-a-ding ruddy lovely.

The only problem I have now is transferring the new design from the temporary blog over the format I currently have here. I'm not brilliant at doing this, and because my current format isn't a template offered by blogger, I run the risk of ending up with a mix of old blog design and new blog design, all melded together like some kind of blogging Frankenstein horror creation.

I am waiting on a little technical help with this. The last time I tried to do it myself, I had a few, ahem, problems. It was as if I'd gone out and left the key in the blog door and vandals got in and trashed my blog. Only, I'd done it myself. Live it, learn it. I am staying away from my html.

Although I'm a little bit sad to be saying goodbye to my fairy cakes. So to speak. I'm looking forward to being able to display the jewellery I've made more prominently on my blog, so that when people come to take a peek, they don't get confused and think I'm slamming out the cupcakes.

So, thank you Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates for giving me two years of a beautifully designed blog. I've thoroughly enjoyed my fairy cake header and the rich deep colours. But it's on to blogging pastures new.

I'm not sure exactly when I'll be making the transfer but am pretty sure it will be some time during the next week, after having a stiff pint of gin or three, and taking a few deep breaths to calm the nerves. (Who am I kidding? Gin? I'll be chomping my way through a jumbo bag of the old Ready Salted to steady my hand.)

Wish me luck.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who's entered the giveaway, and for your lovely comments about reaching 200 followers. You're ace. Em x

What Do You Do When You've Hit 200?

2011-10-10T11:44:00.052+01:00

Have a giveaway!

There seems to be a lot to celebrate on my blog lately. In August I had my second Blogiversay. Two years of blogging. Who knew I had so much to say? (Most of my friends and family actually. I do like to ~~bang on~~ chat...) And now I've hit two hundred (and one) followers on Blogger. Wow! Thank you!

I'm still a little surprised (but very glad) that people read my blog. I'm always hand-clappy happy when someone takes the time to leave a comment. So, a huge thank you for reading my blog and writing comments. I'm very genuinely delighted that you do. You bring glitter and sparkle into my day.

Now, you know of my love of jewels? 'Tis true. I love a good jewel. So, as a big thank you to my two hundred blog followers for the smiles you bring, I've made a wee jewel combination to give away.

I love organic jewellery, that's a little bit chunky, and a little bit "speaks for itself". I've put together a pair of earrings that I hope you're going to like. Made from chunky smokey topaz nuggets. A bit of pizzazz in time for Autumn...

I've used sterling silver wire to wire wrap the smokey topaz nuggets to the silver-plated ear hooks. I've used a larger hook to balance the size of the nuggets. The hooks are silver-plated to eliminate the issue of tarnishing. I love these earrings (even if I do say so myself) as the smokey topaz blends with most colours. Large enough to make a statement and simple enough to be totally stylish. I'll be making a pair of these beauties for myself...

The earrings have a drop of 4.3cms from the top of the ear hook to the base of the nugget. The nuggets are 1.8cms long. Yowza! That's a lot of jewel!

All you have to do to enter is follow Mimi and Tilly on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest and let me know which you're doing in a comment below. If you follow all four, let me know and your name goes into the hat four times. Following three, your name goes in three times. If you're following two, then twice, etc. If you blog about my giveaway, you get another entry. If you post my giveaway button in your sidebar, you get another entry. It's possible to have six entries in total, but you don't need to. It's entirely up to you how many times you enter. Just let me know how many entries you need in your comment and I'll put you in the hat.

This giveaway will run until Monday 24th October, when I'll draw the winner. I'm happy to post internationally, so everyone is eligible. Your earrings will come wrapped in tissue paper and gift-boxed. Kind of like an early christmas present!

Thank you for your friendship and support, you are fab! And good luck!

P.S. I have two gorgeous guest bloggers coming up on Mimi and Tilly soon. They have volunteered to share their sparkle! I can't wait to show you what they've chosen from their jewellery boxes!

Marathons and Windy Days

2011-10-09T21:02:00.016+01:00

My lovely significant other, Steve, ran the Liverpool marathon today.

It was windy and rainy but after 26 miles, he crossed over the finish line smiling. I'm so proud of him.

He's raising money for Wirral Autistic Society (WAS) Family Support Unit.

WAS provides residential and day care services to 115 adults with autism. People with autism can feel overwhelming frustration and anxiety and often need life long support from places like WAS. Services focus on encouraging independence and the development of life skills to help clients achieve their full potential.

Steve is the manager of the Family Support Unit at Wirral Autistic Society, and his long-term goal is to raise £5,000 to buy much-needed sensory equipment for the children with autism that the unit supports.

In Steve's own words...

"Hi everyone, I’m running, (Well, I say running!) the Liverpool Marathon this year and we want to raise lots of money to buy some sensory equipment for the children we support across all sorts of settings from activity clubs to family homes.

The hope is to raise £5000 to buy 10 sensory blackout tents and have enough equipment to make each one of them a unique and special sensory experience for young people, either in our activity clubs or at home with our support staff. It would be lovely if you could spare some money and help support the cause.

Cheers. Wish me luck!"

Steve Vasey (Family Support Manager, Wirral Autistic Society)

If you are able to make a donation , Steve would be thrilled.

You can donate at Steve's Just Giving page here HERE

And learn more about Wirral Autistic Society on their website HERE

Thank you so much for your donations. I know times are a bit tough at the moment, but every amount donated will make a huge difference to the children with autism that the Family Support Unit helps.

Steve finished the race with a spring in his step, but has since stiffened up and is now trying to coax himself into a hot bubble bath! Here is a picture of the man himself after he finished running...

Steve's legs were the normal length at
the beginning of the marathon.

Thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated.

P.S. I'll be back tomorrow with a details of a giveaway to celebrate hitting 200 followers. Thank you for being so fab. Em x

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Woolly Love

2011-10-07T00:01:00.062+01:00

I have a passion for yarns and wools. I love the textures and colours. And this week I decided to fulfill a long-held ambition to crochet a flower and a heart.

Simple ambitions. Huge pleasure.

When I started writing this blog in 2009, I would flick through books of crochet patterns, and sigh at all the pretty things I found there. But I couldn't crochet at the time and so would flick through the books again and sigh a bit more.

Being the kind of gal who doesn't like to say "I can't" and prefers to say "I can't yet, but there's no reason why I shouldn't...", I decided that the time had come to stop fandangling around. To live a little. Fly by the seat of my big-girl pants. (I had a friend who adopted this gung-ho attitude at a barbecue once and decided to try his hand at fire-breathing. Did.Not.Go.Well. Oh, don't worry he was fine. But he did manage to set his pants on fire. And not in a good way.)

My very patient friend, Jill, taught me how to crochet granny squares earlier this year, and gave me the basic pattern for the flower, (thank you Jill), and the heart pattern was from a video tutorial that I found here on Youtube. I even managed to alter it a bit to add my own edging. Fancy.

So, this week, I have two Favourite Things On a Friday...

A crochet flower and some crochet hearts I made.

Prepare yourselves for some serious wool worship...

I used this beautiful, soft pink, vintage wool to make my corsage, and a vintage 1920's mother-of-pearl button for the centre. This rose has become a corsage pinned to my 1950's style cardie. I'm good to go.

Now, for a heart to heart...

These little heart-breakers are going to be a garland to hang in my bedroom.

It's been a good week in my neck of the woods, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've been up to.

Link up below to join in with Favourite Thing On a Friday, if you'd like to.

Link to your blog post showing your favourite thing this week.

Show a link back to Mimi and Tilly's Favourite Thing On a Friday post on your blog post.

That way we get to hop, skip and jump around to see each others' favourite things. I'll be with you in a jiffy.

P.S. Although you couldn't make it up, that fire-breathing story is all true.
P.P.S. I'm not advocating fire-breathing in any way, shape or form. Or setting yourself on fire. Unless we're talking in euphemisms, and when you say "I am on fire!", you're not actually calling for help, but are extolling the virtues of something fantabulous you've done. In which case, go for your life.

Words

2011-10-05T12:49:00.015+01:00

I found this quote today and wanted to share it with you. If I'd read this in my 20's, I might have saved myself a bit of bother...

I couldn't find who to attribute it to though. If you know, could you let me know?

I'll be back on Friday with...

I'm looking forward to seeing what your favourite things have been this week.

I decided to have a bit of a bake yesterday. Inspired as I was by the final of "The Great British Bake-Off". I didn't quite have all the ingredients to match any of my biscuit recipes, so decided to play free and easy and see what happened. I'm very happy to tell you, I've managed to invent a new form of Communion wafer. Vanilla flavoured. I iced them with pink icing just to gigi them up a bit. I didn't know it was possible to bake biscuits this flat.

I'd post pictures but... I don't want to.

I hope you're having a beautiful day.

I Won!

2011-10-03T16:25:00.006+01:00

I've only gone and won a blog giveaway!

Hurrah!

The lovely Sue from The Krafty Cupcake recently had a blog giveaway. And I won.

A parcel arrived for me in the post (I get so excited getting parcels in the post), and I found these fabulous things inside...

The current edition of "Sew" magazine, containg a gorgeous Simplicity paper pattern, and Sue had made a really pretty cupcake for me.

Thank you Sue for a beautiful parcel.

You made my day.

I've never read "Sew" before and can't understand why as I'm a hand-sewing fanatic.

Who can forget Dilys?

I made Dilys back in 2010. She was my first foray into doll-making. Click on her picture to read more!

There were lots of beautiful things to make in "Sew", including this...

This...

And these...

I reckon a polka dot bow on a hair band is just the ticket to get me through the Autumn months with a spring in my step and a song in my heart.

Not that I need much of an excuse to sport a dandy bow. Or burst into song.

Thank you Sue, once again, for making my day special.

Share Your Sparkle!

2011-10-01T21:37:00.040+01:00

The sun's been out. I've been chillaxing. And day-dreaming. And once again I've had an idea.

There's no holding me back.

You know how much I love jewellery? And how much I love making jewellery? Talking about jewellery? And generally looking at anything shiny and sparkly?

I am fascinated by jewellery, and jewellery designs. But I'm also fascinated with the emotions behind jewellery.

I don't know any woman who doesn't have a jewellery box. Or own at least one piece of jewellery that is somehow and for some very important reason, very close to her heart.

I also know men who treasure and collect watches, and have never taken off their wedding ring.

We all seem to have an attachment in some way to a piece of jewellery.

I would love to know what treasures and sparkly pieces of jewellery you hold dear.

I'd love to know more about the pieces of jewellery that make you feel fabulous when you wear them. That you can't leave the house without. The pieces that you've had for years and that you just adore.

So, I'd like to invite you to do a guest blog post here on Mimi and Tilly, if you'd like to.

I've decided to call it...

Once a month, or so, I'd like to have a guest blogger, who shares one or two pieces of their favourite jewellery. Explaining why it's so special. Your sparkly treasure doesn't need to be valuable in a monetary sense. You can share costume jewellery, silver jewellery, vintage jewellery, or an heirloom. You can share your rings, earrings, necklaces. If you have a piece of glitter that you love, that you couldn't part with, Mimi and Tilly would love to know about it!

All you'd have to do to take part, is photograph your chosen piece/pieces, so that I have a good ole selection of jewellery shots to share here, and then explain why the pieces are so special to you. Tell us the story of your piece of jewellery. I'll then post your "Share Your Sparkle!" blog post here on Mimi and Tilly, with links back to your blog.

If you're interested in taking the lid off your jewellery box and letting us take a peek at one or two chosen pieces inside, let me know in your comment at the end of this post or contact me by email.

Ooh, ooh, I'm so excited!

A look at people's glittery treasures.

Heaven.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Stacking Up The Silver!

2011-09-30T08:54:00.000+01:00

It's that time of the week again...

My Favourite Thing On A Friday this week is a set of silver stacking rings I've made.

If you've been reading Mimi and Tilly for a while, you'll know of my deep love of honking great, mahooosive rings. This ring love also applies to big stacks of little rings. Oh, and big stacks of big rings too. The only thing that minimises the size of the ring stack I'm prepared to wear is whether I can bend my finger or not. Practicality will out in the end, my friends.

For me, there's something really satisfying about wearing a stack of silver rings rather than just one.

Do you know what I mean?

My hand feels a little bit fancy... And I like that feeling.

This stack of silver was inspired by small twigs, with little buds on.

They were surprisingly tricky to make...

Please excuse my honking great paw. I used to think I had quite pretty hands until the micro setting on my camera got hold of them and I saw them in all their glory...

How has your week gone? I hope it's been a great one. How about this fantastic weather?

I had a small operation earlier this week, and am on the mend. I think today, I might just take myself into the garden and rest up out there, with a good book. Smashing.

Feel very free and easy to link up your Favourite Thing On A Friday in the link-up section at the end of this post.

I'll be over to see your Favourite Thing On A Friday tout de suite.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Gorgeous Glass

2011-09-23T00:01:00.010+01:00

I met my friend, Claire, at university in 1987. We've been friends ever since. She is one of my heroes in life.

She is the person I call when I'm low. The person who makes me laugh till I snort. And the person who makes me realise that life is fun at times when I've forgotten that. She's very courageous.

A couple of years ago when Claire came to visit, we went to a late night book store to peruse the craft and art section. We found a book of patterns for... Wait for it... Knitted, woollen underwear. I kid you not. Knickers, bras, vests. All made up in sassy shades of double knitting wool.

Itchy? You betcha.

Within seconds, Claire and I were sitting on the floor in the aisle, crying laughing about dropping stitches in the gusset, speculating where we'd put the bobbles on an aran knitted bra, and what would happen to you if you ever fell into a pond wearing the full knitted underwear kit of bra, undercrackers and vest. (Drown. Due to getting pulled under by the weight of your water-logged woollies.)

I have no idea why, but we can't be in the same room together without being rude. Or saying gusset.

When Claire isn't being what looks like effortlessly amazing, (when actually I know she works so hard, running a school, bringing up a family, looking chic and gorgeous whilst carrying off being rude and irreverent with panache) she makes glass.

We caught up over the summer and she gave me a collection of her glass pieces to use in my jewellery designs.

Here are some of the pieces she made...

Aren't they beautiful?

I'm actually going to transform them into jewellery for Claire.

The glass that Claire makes is my Favourite Thing On A Friday this week, but my friendship with Claire is One Of My Favourite Things Ever.

If you want to join in with...

... Add your details in the link tool below, linking up with your blog post about your Favourite Thing On A Friday, then link back to Mimi and Tilly. That's it. I'll be over in a jiffy to see your favourite thing this week.

Oh, and Kitty over at Kitty's Vintage Kitsch saw my Opulent Opals this week and thought they would go perfectly with a dress she has. She's going to be posting about that dress today, so pop by and take a peek!

The Earrings... In Situ

2011-09-22T12:48:00.010+01:00

I had a couple of requests yesterday, asking if I could show how the earrings I posted about this week might look when worn.

After several attempts to take photos of my own ear-holes (no mean feat), I have managed to produce these photos. I am near hysterical in the shots due to taking pictures of pretty much every other object in the room without managing to get a whiff of my own head, let alone my lug-hole.

I need to have a think about how to best take shots of my earrings in situ...

But for now, I hope these help.

And just because it made me smile, here is a picture of Ernie with his chum.

I'll be back tomorrow with...

I'm really looking forward to seeing what your favourite things have been this week.
Happy Thursday. I hope you're having a great day.

Coral

2011-09-21T00:01:00.005+01:00

I've been thinking about coral, and the beautiful shapes it makes. I realised that the other day, when the memory popped into my head about the art deco tiles at school, it was because I'd been looking at pictures of coral the day before, and thinking about how to translate the shapes into jewellery...

These are some of the shapes I've found really beautiful.

After making the copper earrings yesterday, I wanted to make a pair in silver, using just one piece of silver for each earring and making them smaller, with more coral-y curves!

Here they are...

They have beautiful, deep red, fresh water pearls to complete the "underwater" theme!

Opulent Opals

2011-09-20T10:35:00.008+01:00

Here are some earrings I made yesterday.

Inspired by some Art Deco tiles that I remember lining the corridors at school! I don't know why the tiles popped into my head yesterday afternoon, but they did, and I got a fab idea for a honking great pair of earrings.

This happens to me a lot.

I'll be doing something and my mind will wander, and as I day dream, something will pop into my head that gives me an idea for a jewellery design. In the past when it's happened I've said to myself, "that shape would make a fab ring/earrings/necklace", worked out in my head how I would make it, and then forgotten all about it!

Recently, I decided that if inspiration came, and I was near to my tools and sketch book, I would go and see if I could transform the idea into a piece of jewellery there and then. Yesterday I did, and it was so much fun.

Next time around, I would modify this design slightly. Making the earrings each from one piece of wire, rather than two. Just to gi-gi them up that little bit more.

But I love 'em.

They are made from copper and Peruvian opals.

Yum.

They are 9cms long from top to tip, including the ear hooks and opals. The opals themselves are 1.5cms long.

What do you think?

I'm linking up with Free Pretty things For You Today...

Hats For Cats: Fun Or Wanton Animal Abuse?

2011-09-17T00:01:00.016+01:00

I know it's not ok to abuse my pets. I know it's not good to take away their dignity and annoy them for my own pleasure. But honestly, if I could get either Eric or Ernie to don one of these saucy beauties at a jaunty angle, without taking my face off, or leaving an unsavoury protest in my bed as revenge, I would so do it. I'd be all over the Etsy shop "To Scarborough Fair" like a woman who's been off carbs for 6 months and gets offered a belgian bun . Wait. That was me.

To Scarborough Fair hats for cats originally seen on Etsy and The Dainty Squid

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Visiting Relatives

2011-09-16T00:01:00.004+01:00

My Favourite Thing On A Friday this week has got to be the very recent visit I made to see my Great Aunt Eira.

Here is Aunty Eira on her wedding day in 1933 when she was 22 and Great Uncle Wal was 26...

Great Uncle Walter was my grandfather's brother.

Here's my grandfather...

Great Aunt Eira is a wonderful person. Funny, feisty, independent, extremely active, and very loving. I don't get to see her very often as she lives way down at the other end of the country. But I had the good fortune to be able to see her this summer, which was fantastic as she recently had her 100th birthday!

Here is her telegram from the Queen.

Great Aunt Eira in the paper...

And with Steve and me...

It was wonderful to see her. We went for coffee in the British Legion, where Aunty Eira goes most days to meet her "gang", as she calls her group of friends. Then we went to the local pub for lunch, where she goes with her "gang" each day for a bite to eat. After that we had cakes and tea in her little flat. Aunty Eira lives above an antique shop. Her front door is actually inside the shop! The two lovely gentleman who run the shop check on Aunty Eira each day when they open the shop to make sure all is well.

It was a real pleasure to talk with Aunty Eira and I managed to write down most of what she told me about my grandad's brothers and sister, and what they got up to when they were young.

Aunty Eira played piano in a band from the age of 15 in 1926, for several years, before meeting and marrying my Uncle Wal. Aunty Eira's older brother was in the band too and played violin. Apparently, it was his band and so it was ok for Aunty Eira to play with them at such a young age! The band played at all the dance halls in and around Liverpool. Aunty Eira and Uncle Wal met while Aunty Eira was standing in a queue at the cinema. Someone pushed her and a "lovely, handsome" gentleman came to ask if she was ok. He then sat next to her in the cinema throughout the film, and asked her for a date afterwards. They got married 4 years later.

I had a lovely time with Aunty Eira. My visit with her is definitely my Favourite Thing For A Very Long Time.

If you want to join in with...

... Then just add your Favourite Thing On A Friday blog post url into the link-up tool below, and link back to Mimi and Tilly in your blog post, and we'll be over to take a look at your favourite thing this week.

Hello!

2011-09-15T16:55:00.003+01:00

I most certainly am!

I've been getting lots of peace and quiet in the countryside. In a place with no computer access. And it's been lovely.

Actually, I've been home for a few days, but it's taken me this long to get myself oot of my bed. It's fantastic to go visiting friends, family and old haunts, but there's something a bit fantabulous about being back in your own bed. As opposed to someone else's. You know what I mean.

I'll be here again tomorrow with My Favourite Thing On A Friday, and look forward to catching up with all your news, and favourite things too!

I've missed you.

It was very odd going into an unknown library and logging on to say hello. I felt like undercover elephant trying to hide my password from the guy sitting two inches to my left and the little old lady throwing a strop on my right. I'd never actually seen an old, infirm woman poke a librarian with their walking stick until I visited that library. I kid you not.

Anyhoo, I'm home now, and glad to be back blogging. I've really, really missed you.

Lots of love,

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Having Lots Of News

2011-09-09T12:22:00.000+01:00

Hello There!

Thank you for your lovely messages and comments.

I am still enjoying my peace and quiet.

I have lots of news to share and will be back at the beginning of next week to share it with you.

I hope all is good with you.

Sending much love,

P.S. I'm having some trouble today accessing and attaching my linky tool so that you can join in with Favourite Thing On A Friday too. I will get that sorted this weekend and have everything running smoothly again for next week. Sending smiles, Em x

Favourite thing On A Friday - Peace and Quiet

2011-09-02T00:01:00.002+01:00

It's just a short post this week. Just to let you know, I've been taking some time to be peaceful and quiet. And it's been lovely.

There's something about the quiet that leaves me feeling rested and refreshed.

With that in mind, I'll be back soon with some photos of a couple of jewellery designs I've been working on, and some pictures of a place I found that just really made me smile.

I hope you're having a peaceful and restful week.

Take care,

Lots of love,

Favourite Thing On a Friday - Beautiful Words

2011-08-26T00:01:00.006+01:00

I've got nothing to add other than, 'tis true.

If you want to link up with Favourite Thing On a Friday, just add your details below, tell me what your Favourite Thing On a Friday is in your blog post, and link back to Mimi and Tilly.

I'll be over in a jiffy.

And The Winner Is...

2011-08-23T19:47:00.000+01:00

Having put all the names into a big bowl,

Phew. That was alot of folding.

Steve had a good rummage round and pulled out a winner.

Sarit (Sarah) Gabay...

The Cath Kidston book "Sew!" will be wending it's way to you in the United States, just as soon as you email your details to me!

Thank you to everybody who entered and sent blogiversary wishes.

Your support is very much appreciated!

There's Still Time!

2011-08-22T22:02:00.000+01:00

There's still time to enter my second blogiversay giveaway if you haven't already. The winner will be picked tomorrow evening (GMT - Get me!).

Just click on the giveaway button and follow the instructions you find there, and you could be the proud owner of a copy of the Cath Kidston book "Sew!"

A huge, warm "Hello there!" to my new followers. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you and visiting your blogs!

I'm off to bed-fordshire now, (with a hot cup of tea, and a cheeky slice of buttered toast, yum) but will be back again tomorrow to announce the winner.

Favourite Thing On A Friday - Getting My Knit On

2011-08-19T00:03:00.005+01:00

When I was a little girl I had what I affectionately called my "itchy blanket". A noo-noo if you will. I carried it most places with me, and sat with it against my cheek. There was also a stage I went through, when I was about 3, of stuffing it down the legs of my pyjamas and prancing round, but the less said about that the better for all concerned, I think.

It's safe to say my woolly love has continued into adulthood. I absolutely adore woolly blankets, knitted scarves, sloppy knitted sweaters. I also can't walk away from an aran cardie. Or drive through Wales without screeching to a halt outside traditional Welsh gift shops and harassing the woven woollen blankets on display.

My home is a testament to this love of all things woolly. I have woven woolly blanket throws on my furniture, across the end of my bed (you can find a recent woolly purchase that made me insanely happy HERE), even my cats have got knitted cat beds.

And one of my absolute favourite things to do is knit.

By most people's standards, I'm totally pants at it.

I can only knit things that have straight edges. Scarves, envelope style cushion covers, gloves for people with square hands (that look uncannily like woolly flannels). And socks for people with square feet (these look pretty much like the gloves, only with the added bonus that you can't squeeze them into your shoes). And I can't follow a pattern. I am fortunate that I am able to finish a piece of knitting and still have the same number of stitches at the end as when I started. Although, frankly, it did take some time and some fairly fresh language to achieve this.

But I love it so much. The colours of the wool. The softness of the wool. The repetitive nature of making the stitches. It was a happy day for me when I decided to put my ability to knit squares to good use. By starting a granny blanket.

Several months ago I found a ball of vintage double knitting wool in the most beautiful plum colour, in a charity shop. Then another time, I found one in a pale lilac. I decided to knit them into squares, and to make a blanket knitted totally in odd balls of vintage wool found in charity shops. No new wool allowed. No acrylic yarns allowed. Only beautiful woolly wool in whatever colours came along. So, it has become a real adventure, finding wool for my blanket. What colour will I find? Will it be the right thickness? Will I find only one ball or will there be another kicking round the basket? Can I really include a square knitted from vomit coloured wool? No. Throw it back in the basket. I have got standards.

Over the past few months, whenever the mood has grabbed me, I've taken out my blanket knitting bag and knitted a square. This week, my Favourite Thing On A Friday is my soon to be knitted blanket. Although when I say soon, I mean as soon as I have knitted another 40 squares. We're not talking any time really soon here, you understand...

Ta dah...

I'm on the lookout for some different colours. What colours do you think would work well?

If you fancy linking up with

just add your blog post in the link-up tool below, and link up on your post back to Mimi and Tilly. I'll be over to see you faster than you can cast on.

Hello There!

2011-08-18T17:26:00.003+01:00

I just wanted to say a big hello to my new followers, and to let you know that tomorrow is "Favourite Thing On A Friday" day here at Mimi and Tilly.

Which is pretty much what it says on the tin!

As I'm going about my week, doing what I'm doing, I tend to find something that I love, or hear something that has made me laugh, or see something that has brightened my day. Nothing earth-shattering, but something that deserves celebrating anyway.

The small stuff of life that makes life great.

And each Friday, I write about it here, and post gratuitous, wanton photos of it.

Just because...

You can learn more about how it started HERE

And here...

If you want to join in, all you have to do is write a blog post about your Favourite Thing On A Friday, and link up with me here tomorrow, posting a link back to Mimi and Tilly on your blog post.

It's a really lovely way to get to see all our favourite things, visit other blogs, and share in some general gorgeousness. So far some of our favourite things have included a beautiful spider web, an antique watch, poetry, lost and found jewellery, and Pinterest!

So, if you're a new follower, a huge welcome to Mimi and Tilly, I really look forward to getting to know you. If you're not a new follower, hello, how has your week been? I'm really looking forward to seeing what your favourite things have been this week.

If you haven't already entered my two year blogiversary giveaway, you've still got plenty of time. I'll be announcing the winner on Tuesday 23rd August. That'll be next week... Ooh, exciting!

Just click here to find out more...

I hope you've had a fantastic week.

Sending smiles and glitter,

My Second Blogiversary Giveaway

2011-08-14T20:10:00.006+01:00

On August 23rd, next week, it will be my second blogiversay.

Two years ago on that date I sat down and wrote out my first blog post.

You can read it HERE if you'd like to.

I had no idea back then that my blog would come to mean so much to me, and that I would make such wonderful new friends through blogging.

You have been completely amazing. You have made me laugh, given such wonderful support, been fantastic friends and have brought so much sparkle and glitter into my life.

Really.

To say a huge thank you I'd like to host a giveaway.

Here's the prize...

A brand spanking new copy of Cath Kidston's fantabulous book "Sew!"

A couple of my friends in the States have mentioned that they can't get Cath Kidston, so I thought, well, if that's the case, maybe we can bring St. Cath of the Kidston to you by way of a giveaway. So, this giveaway is open to UK followers and all overseas followers to give you a chance to get some Kidston love.

Sew! is chock full of gorgeous ideas of things to make, with complete instructions and full sized paper patterns. All you have to do is provide your own pretty material.

It is just lovely to sit and peruse over a pot of tea and a bikkie!

I have my own well-thumbed copy of this book and made this little treasure from it a while back, do you remember?

Steve will pick the winner on Tuesday 23rd August, my blogiversay.

Good luck!

To Enter:

If you're already a follower, just leave a comment on this post and let me know you want to be included.

If you're not already a follower, follow Mimi and Tilly via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment letting me know you want to be included.

Follow Mimi and Tilly on Facebook for a further entry.

Follow Mimi and Tilly on Twitter for an extra entry.

Follow Mimi and Tilly on Pinterest for another entry.

Post the giveaway button in your blog sidebar for another entry.

Blog about this giveaway on your blog.

Leave a comment on this post, letting me know how many times you need to be entered, and your email address, and I'll pop your name into the hat. You can enter up to 6 times if you do all of those, but there's no need to, it's entirely up to you how many times you choose to enter. I'm just very grateful you read Mimi and Tilly and glad to have the chance to say a big fat "Thank you".

Here's the button...

I hope you've had a bobby-dazzler of a week.

Big smiles,

P.S. I'm linking up with Free Pretty Things today. There are lots of beautiful blogs to see, well worth a visit... Em x

Copper Curls

2011-08-13T11:26:00.005+01:00

I've been fandangling around with my blog sidebar.

Tidying up. Creating a link section.

So that people can explore my earlier blog posts if they fancy it.

No pressure.

It's just that I started to get a bit lost around my blog. Searching for posts and photos. Thoughts of "I wrote this and even I don't have a clue" came into my head. So I decided I'd better get a bit more organised.

As I was going through my jewellery design posts and bending my brain, figuring out how to link them up using photos of my designs, I realised I had made different pieces of jewellery and not posted about them here. I'd posted the photos on my Mimi and Tilly Facebook page and had totally forgotten to post here.

I also realised that I don't give much detail about the designs other than to say, "Hey, I made this!" which is ok, but doesn't tell you much about the process, or why I am so made up with what I've done.

So...

Here is a copper upper-arm bangle that I made for my beautiful sister, Charlotte.

This piece started out as a fairly short but fat piece of copper wire which was hand-forged. Which means the metal is repeatedly heated and shaped over and over again.

I heated the wire until it glowed red. This is known as annealing. It makes the wire much more malleable. Then I stretched the wire using a rolling mill. Heating and stretching a number of times until the wire was the thickness I wanted.

I hammered the wire lightly to get the texture I wanted and then gently shaped it to fit my sister's upper arm.

I love this bangle. It reminds me of ivy, vines and creepers.

Hand-forging is quite a long drawn out affair (do you see what I did there?) but I love it. It's a slow but steady process. Gentle but effective.

There's something a bit magical about playing with metal to stretch it out. And I love that when you heat up metal, you are basically making the molecules jiggle about faster and faster so that they are easier to move. When you heat up copper it glows the most beautiful deep red. That's when the molecules are really getting jiggy.

You also have to be very careful. When metal glows red, it's nearly at it's flash point, which is the point at which it melts into a pile of goo.

Copper is fantastic because there's quite a bit of time between it starting to glow and reaching it's flash point (relatively speaking, I'm talking seconds). Silver is much less fluid in this way.

I learned about silver flash points the hard way. A piece I was working on glowed red as I was heating it. In my head I said "Ooooh, pretty", thinking that silver was like copper with a long flash point. Then I instantly found myself looking at a beautiful, bobbly pile of silver goo.

Oops.

That's not actually what I said at the time. Through my sobs. But I prefer not to write rude words.

So there you have it. A hand-forged copper upper-arm bangle for my sister.

I'm linking up with Tea Rose Home with this post today...

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Much love,

P.S. Thank you for joining in with Favourite Thing On a Friday. I'm really enjoying visiting your blogs and seeing what your favourite things have been each week. Yep, I'm loving it! Em xx

Favourite Thing On A Friday - How Pinteresting...

2011-08-12T00:19:00.008+01:00

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and words of support on my last post.

It made a big difference to know that you were rooting for me and sending love and hugs.

The world has stopped spinning and I'm chilling in my jimjams with a natty pair of stripey socks.

I've spent the past couple of days resting up.

However, although I'm feeling more rested, I'm still done for.

...Because...

I've only gone and joined...

Pinterest?

"What's that all about?" You say.

Well it's my Favourite Thing On a Friday this week.

As if I didn't already have enough ways of losing track of time on t'internet.

Last week I got a mysterious email message telling me that my lovely friend, Colette, from Serendipity Handmade had invited me to join a strange netherworld known as Pinterest. Then, in a real stroke of serendipity, my lovely friend Vanessa, from Coco Rose Diaries, wrote a post about how she'd found Pinterest and was totally addicited. I had to know more!

is an online network where you can surround yourself with beautiful images and post them to your personal virtual pinboards.

As far as I'm concerned this is food for the soul.

So many beautiful things to look at. So many new websites to discover.

I already collect images here at home, tearing them out of magazines, slipping them into wallets or pinning them to my pinboard.

Imagine having access to all the images you could ever look at, alongside more pinboards than you can waggle a stick at, with the ability to select and organise those inspirational images just as you might want them.

For a visual person like me, with what some people might have called Monica-esque tendencies, it doesn't get much better. (For Monica-esque tendencies read "A little harmless dollop of OCD".)

Every image that is pinned is linked back to it's original source. So by clicking on the image I can trace it back to it's website and find more gorgeous things.

Yowza.

You can find and look at my Pinterest pin boards here...

Here is a taste of some of the creative things I've pinned...

via

All positively pin-worthy.

I love a good pom pom. And is it just me or would you totally wear that apron out and about? As for that knitted coat... *Sigh*. Oh, and those ballet slippers. Things that make you go "ooooh".

Thank you Colette and Vanessa for giving me a nudge in the direction of Pinterest.

I also wanted to let you know that over the past few weeks I've been getting my knit on. I have photos to show you next time. As well as a set of silver stacking rings I made back in May, and some more etched copper earrings I racked up in April.

Cripes. It seems a rest is as good as a change when it comes to blog inspiration! (Apparently, lying in your winceyette nightie at 2pm in the afternoon, squeezing a cat while trying not to fall off the bed cos you're dizzy and a tad nauseaous, has big benefits when it comes to organizing your thoughts. Every cloud, eh?)

How has your week been?

What's your...

Click on the widget to find out more.

Then link up below and link back to Mimi and Tilly from your blog.

That way we can come on over to see your Favourite Thing On A Friday.

What A Weekend!

2011-08-07T21:14:00.002+01:00

I love Steve.

Sometimes he gets it so right, I just don't know what to do with myself.

Like yesterday. When he met me off the train with a bouquet of flowers and the words many women long to hear...

"Do you fancy a look round Cath Kidston?"

I know.

Anyway, a happy half-hour later and I came out of the shop with this...

Thank you for my present Steve. I love it.

Today, we took ourselves off for homemade ice-cream and a picnic.

This is where we sat.

Then a storm swept in.

We watched it pass.

On the way home we bumped into Mark and Bo. Mark has got a scrumdiddlyumptious VW camper van. I got to ride in the van with Bo.

I've had a really great weekend. What have you been up to?