So Very Picturesque

Blog Neglect

2011-11-18T15:02:00.001-08:00

Hello, my poor neglected blog! I promise I haven't forgotten about you - I've just been so busy, and when I'm not busy, I'm so tired from being busy!

Work is going great, it's starting to pick up a lot now that we're half way through November - I can't believe how close to Christmas we are. Christmas plans are also up in the air until I get the December rota, at the moment it's looking like I won't be back in Glasgow which sucks, but I've promised myself it will be the only Christmas I'm not home for.

In terms of life plans, I've got quite a few things in the works and it's hard to focus especially when all I want to do on my days off is laze around with my boyfriend! However, I'm hoping on Sunday to be shooting some of my vintage stash for my soon-to-be-born online vintage shop. I'm in need of a rebrand but the name, colour scheme and style decisions are somewhat beyond me at the moment until I get a few more things ticked off my list!

I will leave you with one of my favourite Simon's Cat videos :)

Ammie

Lots of Thoughts!

2011-08-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

I know I've been pretty quiet on the blog front recently, I've been going lots of thinking about what I want to do with myself and what my next step will be. Career wise, I'm really interested in becoming a buyer or visual merchandising. Crafting/Etsy/self employment wise, I want to expand more into the vintage clothing side of things.

White Rabbit Threads already has a few vintage pieces (and I have many more to list!) and I had considering opening a second shop but I own the whiterabbitthreads.co.uk domain and have worked hard to spread the name on Twitter etc. Therefore I have come to the decision that my Etsy will become vintage-orientated with the handmade pieces as an additional thing.

My lovely boyfriend is going to help me reshoot the vintage pieces I already have and shoot the new ones to help with the little rebrand. I'm also in the process of sourcing some gorgeous vintage, and also thinking of specialising in dresses, shoes and bags (I'm definitely a shoe collector myself!).
I'm hoping to have all this rolled out in the next couple of weeks and I will keep the blog up to date with all the goings-ons.

For now, here's some of the pieces already available at White Rabbit Threads;

1980s Gold Jumper Dress

1980s Velvet Trousers

1980s Angora Black Jumper

Ammie

Daydreaming...

2011-07-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not currently earning a wage until my job starts in September, but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream, right?

When I'm not working on my online shop, I do tend to daydream about clothes...shoes...bags...and more clothes! The ever revolving cycle of 'I'm bored of my clothes, I'm bored of my style', which is insanely frustrating :) So I thought I would vent some of that frustration into a very pretty blog post.

This super cute feminine chiffon top from American Apparel

These mega skinny high-waisted jeans from American Apparel

Ahh so cute! This is one of those 'I need it in my life' garments.
Bunny print dress from Topshop

I've been toying with the idea of getting some more sophisticated looks in my wardrobe.
This gorgeous drape dress from Topshop is perfect.

And for those cooler summer nights, this cosy angora-mix cardi from Topshop.

A nice change from the nude-coloured shoe trend.

These gorgeous caramel patent heels from Topshop.

I love these boots with summer dresses and ankle-length trousers!
Great leather ankle boots from ASOS.

This awesome wee briefcase from ASOS!

I'm considering starting vlogging after reading some articles about how many people blog versus how many vlog, and how big the audience for vlogging is. It's something I think I might experiment with over the next few days and see if I can stand the sound of my own voice!

Ammie

Dream Wardrobe - Workwear!

2011-07-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I have some super awesome news - I've got a job! From September I will be working in the Christmas Shop in Liberty's in London - amazing fun, I can't wait to start! I thought I would put together my professional wardrobe 'staple' pieces (...and clothes I want) as well as a few accessories in celebration - and also to somewhat feed my lust for shopping!

I've always wanted a Paul's Boutique 'Maisy' bag, especially the hot pink Barbie one! But I felt the grey was fun yet professional :)

I'm also going to put together a make up look as make up is another one of my passions - and something I can't wait to spend my wages on, hehe!

Ammie

White Rabbit Threads Promo Video!

2011-07-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

Check it out, folks! My awesome boyfriend helped me shoot/edit this wee promo film for my Etsy shop - isn't it so sweet? The song is 'We Are Going To Be Friends' by The White Stripes - it also heavily features in Napoleon Dynamite, I thought it was such a lovely message for my wee shop :)

I've been working away to much on the shop that I've brought my wrist injury back so I'm taking a little day off from crafting and spending it on blog work! Also, I have a couple more items to list so keep an eye out for them later on today.

Ammie

New Halloween Brooches Added!

2011-07-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've been working away this weekend on some Halloween items for my Etsy! I've got a couple more to come in the next few days so keep checking back!

Halloween Swarovski Crystal Ghost Brooch

Halloween Swarovski Crystal Pumpkin Brooch

I'm making some more pieces with 'Boo' as well as planning a new clothing range, busy busy :)

Ammie

Autumn Treasury

2011-07-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

Check out my latest Etsy treasury, it will surely banish those blues over our rotten summer, just think about beautiful autumn!

Ready For Autumn

Ammie

Re-brand

2011-07-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I will be working on rebranding my blog/etsy. Things have gone a little stale while I've been at uni the past year and now that I'm (almost) officially a graduate (just waiting for those results!), I've got a lot more time on my hands.
I've got a vague plan in my head of what I want to do with the blog, I've actually started making a list of post ideas so I shouldn't go more than a few days without an update (yiy). The biggest new thing will be some videos, my boyfriend is a cameraman so we thought it would be really fun to incorporate our passions, the videos will be "instructional" videos about cooking, baking and crafting. I'm thinking about working my way through the projects in the pattern magic books, which will be challenging but fun!
I've also got some cute little ideas for my etsy, I'm looking at branching out into clothing, and perhaps even opening a second shop for vintage clothing, so keep an eye out for updates on that!

For now I'll leave you with some of my favourite inspiring images from this week;

I love the collar/neck bow <3

Just love the shape, and the subtle clash of floral print on stripes

Organisation! The colours and details are gorgeous.

Billie Turnbull for Select Model Management

Love the creepy/cute factor

Ammie

Graduate Collection!

2011-07-04T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog! I have seriously neglected this little space of the web over the past few months, but the good news is - I've finished my degree!! Out into the very scary world now :)

Here's some pictures of my collection from Catwalking.com -

It was inspired by the Riot Grrl movement and is made from a mixture of silk, latex and (well-sourced!) leather. I doubt I've worked harder in my life than I have in the past few months, but amazingly it has just inspired me to start up my own label - so watch this space! My initial plan is to get a job which will pay the bills and work hard on my Etsy again, I would also like to do a masters degree. There are so many things I want to do but now I'm going to relax for a few days before I make a plan!

Ammie
x

Collection Update

2011-03-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

A wee sneak peek at my collection! We had a class the other day where my tutor was talking to us about the importance of being careful with your work, like if you go to an interview don't leave your portfolio alone with the interviewer or allow it to be photocopied, so I don't want to post up too many details until it's complete - call me paranoid all you want! :)

The last image is part of a toile from a few weeks ago, it's developing all the time but I just loved the shot! Fabrics are still being finalised, and research still being done, however one piece of confirmed news I do have is that House of Harlot will be making my latex pieces for me which I'm really excited about since they just finished up doing the Marc Jacobs collection - which was beautiful!

I have my 6 outfit fitting on the 31st of March so I'm going to try and get a quick picture of my girls all dressed up, these fittings get so manic that I've forgotten to do so for the past few. Then I have almost 3 weeks off for Easter and when I return to uni in April it should be production time, I can't believe how quickly this year has gone :)

I don't have any solid plans for when I graduate other than staying in London, finding a job and enjoying having my evenings back. I'm hoping to take on some freelance work and continue work on my White Rabbit Threads shop, but who knows what could happen!

Ammie

I'm Back!

2011-02-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

Pretty much since I moved back down to London I've been neglecting my wee blog - I must apologize! However, during my absence I've magically gained a few followers so thank you guys *waves*, I promise I will try to update more.

I've even dropped out from reading the blogs I follow so I've been catching up on the lovely KaelahBee and I'm going to do the Regional Dialect Meme with my boyfriend - I'm Scottish, he's English so it'll be interesting to see how it goes! Basically, we say a list of words and then answer some questions and it's meant to show how pronunciation etc. differs from place to place. This will also be my first video!

Say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Now answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

I'm going to do a quick photo recap of the past few months too :) And let you guys see how my work is going for my final year collection!

Ammie

House Update

2010-10-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

A wee house update! (this is a little image heavy!)

I now have an official moving date - the 8th of October, just 5 days away. I feel absolutely no rush to pack which is kind of odd, I think I'm just sooo focused on actually movinggg!

Bed & Mattress (very essential!)
~~Duvet/pillow covers/bed sheets~~
~~Bedside table~~
~~Full length mirror~~
~~Desk~~
~~Something to keep all my make up/hair stuff in~~
Curtains (half the windows in the house have no curtains!)
Cutlery
2nd bedside lamp

I've also gotten a few more things that were on my list :) I went to Ikea today to pick up some essentials:

I got two of these for bedside tables - they're only £5 each!

And I picked up this desk for £21, it's 120x60cm so it's a great size and the plaster drawer unit I bought for all my girlie make up and hair things will fit underneath it so it can double as a dresser/desk.

I also got this duvet/pillow cover set on sale for £8.99!

One of my favourite mini-purchases, just 39p each! These little glass candle holder have a tall candlestick holder on one side and a tea light holder on the other. I only bought 2 but I wish I had bought some more!

Lastly, this is me and my boyfriends room, I have pictures of all the other rooms which I will do in another post. I'll also be taking lots of new pictures when we're moving in/moved in! Our room is 19x11ft, it's huge! And the entire left wall is fitted wardrobes :)

Ammie
x

My First Grown-Up House Purchase!

2010-10-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm doing a blog update about plates!

Yesterday, I went random house-stuff shopping - I have a super long list of things I need/want:

Bed & Mattress (very essential!)
Duvet/pillow covers/bed sheets
Bedside table
~~Full length mirror~~
Desk
~~Something to keep all my make up/hair stuff in~~
Curtains (half the windows in the house have no curtains!)
Cutlery
2nd bedside lamp

The cutlery thing isn't essential, it's just a want because the cutlery we have is super cheap and very bendy...not good.
Anyway, I found this lovely crockery in a shop called Dunelm Mill. Last year, one of my friends bought me all my kitchen stuff which was amazing and such a great help to me, but this year I really feel like starting to build my own little collection of good-quality-will-have-this-for-the-next-10-years kitchen/home goods. I purchased 2 dinner plates and 2 side plates from the Amelia collection in Dunelm Mill, and I'm in love! I have 2 other side plates and dinner plates that my friend got me which have a blue and yellow polka dot border so I'm hoping they'll "match" in a cutesy mix-match way.
They did have tea cups, tea bag holders, teapots, bowls etc. but I resisted :)

You can see the full collection here and click through the links to see all the individual bits. I love the Cath Kidston vibe!

My plates drying on the rack to be packed away for moving next week!

Ammie
x

A Recap

2010-09-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Paris snaps!!
So much has happened over the past couple of weeks, here's a quick round up -

Firstly, I went to Paris, it was beautiful! I really want to go back and really take it in, the trip was a little overshadowed by my hike to get there (night train from Glasgow to be at London Euston for 7am) so I was really tired and my friend I was with wasn't enjoying it.
I want to learn French! It's a lovely language, I tried to grasp a few phrases which was fun :)
I'm a little annoyed that my pictures didn't come out better, I'm still trying to get good with my camera and it's even harder when you're not with a photography enthusiast who understands your wanting to muck about with settings.
In sad news, my best friend isn't coming down to live with us anymore, I'm super gutted :(
In bittersweet news - I NOW HAVE A HOUSE IN LONDON! It's perfect, we are literally neighbours with 4 of my guy friends, don't ask me how we managed that in London...it was pure luck (or fate!)!
Moving in next week :)
I'm getting gerbils!! It started off as cat, then a rabbit, then back to a cat, and for a while guinea pigs, but we're not sure how the landlord would feel and they cost more/require more time/attention, the list goes on! I had gerbils as a kid and they were great, they're sociable, easy to care for and generally don't bite :) (unlike hamsters!).
I'm now obsessed with gerbils and building an amazing home for them.
I'm getting on with my 2nd summer project concept. Although I'm low on time and haven't done my dissertation.
It's getting really cold and autumnal!
I've got an Alice In Wonderland related commission piece to do in the next couple of weeks :)
I'm also obsessed with furniture shopping.

I think that's everything! I'm sure I've missed out a lot but you get the jist of it - so busy. I will try to update more often, I've been using my Tumblr a lot recently because it feels quicker and more instant when I'm in a hurry.

Ammie
x

I Have A Love/Hate Relationship With Busy-ness!

2010-09-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to be around much the next couple of weeks, hopefully next weekend we'll have a house sorted and I'll be too busy with packing & moving stuff!!

This is my slightly insane schedule for the next week:

Monday: Sleeper train at 23.40 to London
Tuesday: Get to London at 6.40, be at St Pancras for 7am, Eurstar leaves for Paris at 8
Wednesday: Premier Vision
Thursday & Friday: Paris
Friday: Eurostar at 20.15, get to London at 21.30 (due to time difference), meet Jono at 21.40, check in to hotel about 22.30.
Saturday: House hunting in London (will find the perfect house) 19.55 train from London to Sheffield
Spend a couple of days at Jono's :)
Monday 20th: Train from Sheffield to Manchster, 5 hour bus from Manchester to Glasgow.
Tuesday 21st: Sleep.
Wednesday 22nd: Fergie's birthday!

After all that it should be packing up my room again to move to London. I hope. :)

I'm taking my Nikon D5000 with me to Paris so I'll hopefully have lots of amazing pictures when I come back.
I'm also thinking of starting a 365 project on my Flickr, starting from the day we move into our house in London :) I want to document the awesomeness!

Ammie
x

Post 100: Fashionary

2010-09-10T02:37:00.000-07:00

My 100th post! How cool :)

I've just come across a pretty cool book called Fashionary. You can check out the website here. It's basically a sketchbook designed for fashion designers, it has templates printed on each page (faintly so you can choose to use the page as a blank page too). At first I thought this was a bit of a cheat, I've always drawn my own templates. Even in college when they wanted us to trace around a picture of a model and reduce her to a more "fashion silhouette", I preferred to freehand draw my models.

However, I looked a bit further into this book (because it was an excuse to put off doing any real work! hehe) and found it's so much more that 'just a sketchbook'. The front of the book is full of very interesting information! From body measurements to pattern pieces to typography. The bits which interest me the most are the fabric dictionary, the spec sheets and the seams & stitches. Although I've got loads of fashion books, I don't think I have one that keeps all these pieces of information together so it's definitely handy for that!

It looks really cool and sophisticated as well :) It's almost too pretty to want to draw on! I'm definitely considering it as a Christmas present option!

As an added bonus, you can download the templates from the website free of charge. This includes a full figure working drawing template (always useful!) and a menswear template!

Ammie
x

Post 99! A Look At My Humble Studio

2010-08-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

I was working away in my studio today and decided to take a time-out to take some pictures :) The awesome White Rabbit painting above is by my friend Ben, he's a wee bit cool, it's also a clock!

One part of my fabric stash. It's completely unorganised which I hate but there's so much of it! My ribbon is somewhat organised - satin, non-satin, randoms. Haha.

Some of my pattern cutting books. I got the bottom 3 for my 21st in June, I was just way too practical with my birthday haha They're great books though, I actually kind of enjoy pattern cutting sometimes!
The book on top is my samples book - I actually love how it doesn't even close properly anymore!

Pretty lace samples from www.dalstonmillfabrics.co.uk

So in love with my latex samples!!

The dress in the background is a mish-mash work in progress, it's actually 3 seperate things haha. I'm so messy when I get working on something, there's just stuff everywhere. It's all part of the creative process :)

Ammie
x

Pink Curls!

2010-08-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

I finally re-pinked my hair yesterday! I have to say, I do love it :) I felt so weird with 'normal' hair! It could do with a wee second dyeing just to get the odd bit but I kinda like it imperfect!

This is what I wore out today - a cute wee lemon coloured tea-dress with knee-high socks and my brogues. I'll have loads of outfit pictures once I'm back living with my photographer...I mean, boyfriend ;)
Went through to Edinburgh with Fergie for the Fringe Festival and the crafty fair! Was all very nice, had lunch outside the Houses of Parliment and sat in the park for aaaages having an awesome chat and people-watching. So tired now, my wee legs are all sore and my feet need a good soak & a rub! Always worth it though :) Getting all excited about our move to London!! :D

Ammie
x

Concept 1

2010-08-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a little overview of my first concept for my final collection. It started off as a fairytale inspired, romantic, soft, feminine concept with a little Jane Austen twist with Edwardian corsets. Then I decided I wanted to use latex, bright pink and yellow latex leggings to be precise! That got me on to thinking more about latex and it's usual connotations of being 'fetish wear', I did a bit of research and found some really cutesy, gorgeous latex outfits on Etsy - check out the Treasury I made. All the latex/fetish stuff led me on to 'obsession', a little bit on serial killers, that came back round to 'love' and how it could easily lead to dangerous 'obsession' which can bring out the worst in people. So it has turned into a bit of a dangerous, dark, love story concept :) I'm loving it more and more!

I've got loads of samples, as well as awesome latex samples, that I need to get around to photographing so I can get them blogged!

Ammie
x

Outfit Post!

2010-08-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

I finally pinched the holiday pics off my boyfriend so I've got a couple of outfit posts coming up :)

Sorry for the lovely windswept-ness! It was very, very windy by the seaside - I actually logged in as him on Facebook to delete some horrific blown-about-hair pictures hehe.

On Monday I started a beginner's running program, it's really simple. It's actually supposed to be for building up to running for a solid 30 minutes after 12 weeks but I kinda don't need to be able to run for that long! I'm just doing this to get fit and have a healthier lifestyle, not become a buff marathon runner :)
It's only 3 days a week which is so do-able, Day 2 is tomorrow. I know it doesn't sound like much but apparently it's the best way to get the most out of running is to start off super slow - this also avoids injury!

WK		DAY 1	DAY 2	DAY 3	TOTALS
1		10 min walk	9 min walk, 1 min run	2 x 5 min walk, 1 min run
	Exercise Time	10	10	12	32
	Time Running	0	1	2	3
2		2 x 6 min walk, 1 min run	1 x 5 min walk, 2 min run 1 x 5 min walk, 1 min run	2 x 5 min walk, 2 min run
	Exercise Time	14	13	14	41
	Time Running	1	3	4	8
3		3x 4 min walk, 2 min run	3 x 4 min walk, 2 min run	2 x 5 min walk, 3 min run
	Exercise Time	18	18	16	52
	Time Running	6	6	6	18
4		3 x 4 min walk, 3 min run	5 x 2 min walk, 2 min run	2 x 7 min walk, 4 min run
	Exercise Time	21	20	22	70
	Time Running	9	10	8	27
5		2 x 6 min walk, 5 min run	3 x 4 min walk, 4 min run	3 x 3 min walk, 5 min run
	Exercise Time	22	24	24	70
	Time Running	10	12	15	37
6		10 x 2 min walk, 1 min run	8 x 1 min walk, 2 min run	5 x 1 min walk, 4 min run
	Exercise Time	30	24	24	78
	Time Running	10	16	20	46

That's me for now - let's keep our fingers crossed I can stick to this :)

Ammie
x

My First Giveaway

2010-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

My giveaway at Samy In Wonderland ended today and our lovely winner chose this brooch as her prize :) Super exciting - my first giveaway! I'm looking forward to packaging it up all night and sending it off tomorrow...packing up sales is honestly my favourite bit of running my Etsy shop!

Ammie
x

Holiday Snaps

2010-08-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

The only annoying thing about going on holiday just the two of us is that all the pics of us together look like these :) But we did need more pics together so I suppose it's ok, hehe. We do have one that was taken as part of the Blackpool Tower package so I'll dig it out :)

I've got loads of pictures so I'll get more up soon, and my boyfriend has lots too - he took his SLR and I just took my wee mini-SLR (left my D5000 at home so I could do the spontaneous cutesy pictures), so his pictures are all fancy :)

I also got some fabric samples in the post while I was away so I'm going to show you guys some of the things I got...some great and some not so great!

& I'll leave you with a disgruntled, windswept Ammie at the Alice In Wonderland ride!

Ammie
x

Post-Holiday Blues

2010-08-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

I got back from my holiday on Monday, just been slumming about since I got back, in the mood to do work but can't be bothered because last week was just so awesomely fun that doing work feels like I'm really home. Did that make sense?

Well, yesterday I went for a wee drive down the coast with the family to Largs and Troon. We stopped off in Largs for an ice cream in a place called 'Nardini's' which was really yummy, I have the Chunky Toffee Fudge Sundae :) Yummm.

I'll do a proper holiday update soon :)

Ammie
x

Holiday!

2010-08-01T14:49:00.001-07:00

Just letting you guys know that I'm away on holiday for a week with my boyfriend tomorrow (I'll be back on the 9th!) so I won't be updating or anything! But I WILL be taking lots of pictures, including some outfit pics (which will also include a really cute dress I just made!), so look out for lots of posts when I get back!

Ammie
x

P.S. I will most definitely be updating my Twitter from my phone, so follow me at twitter.com/whiterabbitshop & don't forget about that amazing giveaway with Samy In Wonderland!

Wednesday Wishlist: Cute Fat Quarters!

2010-07-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

From Stefaniexu

From TheHeyDayShop

From HouseOfKawaii

From Hellolittleherbe

My picks for this Wednesday :) Super cute fat quarters, all available from Etsy. I'm a bit fabric mad at the moment, I'm waiting on some samples coming in the post for my summer project - I love post! haha.

Ammie
x

Bits & Pieces!

2010-07-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

I bought this super cute pink print cotton from Fabric Rehab a little while ago & got this free fabric pack with a code I had. Still trying to decide what to do with it all! So far I've just taken it out, looked at it for a while & put it back every few days, hehe!

I started work on my summer project recently, and I began one of my mock ups today. I'm doing an Elizabethan/Regency style corset, I wanna do a few of these and use them as the base for some dresses so I'm starting with one to play around with and work out how I can build on it.

For the summer, my parents are letting me use our garage as my studio. It's a good space but it really needs some brightening up -I've got an amazing painting that my friend did for me (pics to come soon!) and I think I might use the summery coloured fabrics above to make some bunting or something colourful like that! It's only for the summer so painting etc. it out of the question - too much time and hassle for it to go back to being a garage in a couple of months!

Ammie
x

2010-07-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

A preview of my latest treasury - you can view the full thing here: The Jane Austen Wishlist.

I can't believe how many views and comments it's had, and it's only my 2nd ever Treasury! Makes me very happy :) I think I might go make another....

Ammie
x

Goals.

2010-07-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

For some reason at the moment I can't upload pictures to Photobucket or Flickr for the past couple of days, my computer had a virus so I dunno what's going on :)

Anyway, I've started on some new brooch ideas - you can see the 3 of these below, check out my shop to view them HERE. I'm starting to slow down a little with my shop because I really, really need to get on with my summer project but I'll still be updating as often as I can, 2 or 3 times a week, I'm really aiming to have 60 items for sale in the next few weeks. I'm also off on holiday with my boyfriend in just over a week so I've got all these goals I want to have achieved for then!

I've mentioned my summer project a couple of times but not what it really is. Next year, being my final year, it's all based around my final big collection which has the chance of being shown at London Graduate Fashion Week - this opportunity is the whole reason I choose my university because they've been winning awards at GFW for years now. My summer project is the beginning on my collection research.
I have to come up with 3 really strong concepts with a intense research journal/sketchbook to accompany each concept. This means image research, lots and lots of designs, colours and fabric swatches. As well as this, I need to have 6 mock-up garments completed, a couple of them can be like a pattern 'piece' - a collar, a shoulder piece, but only if its incredible and detailed. For anyone who knows fashion design and pattern cutting, you know just how long it can take to get a decent mock up from block to pattern manipulation to fabric.
Although...I am really excited to finally pattern cut and sew something new! I feel like last year I was just repeating things I had learned in college in Scotland - I'm looking forward to the new challenge!

Sorry for the ramble, felt it would be helpful to fill you guys in since I'll be talking about my concepts and showing some of my work over the next couple of months.

Ammie
x

Etsy Fashion for $30 & Under!

2010-07-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm starting a new (and my first!) weekly feature today - Etsy on a budget! I don't have a fancy name yet, I'm leaning towards'Wednesday Wishlist' but I'm open to suggestions :)

& to begin the new weekly feature - gorgeous Etsy fashion for $30 or less!

Pink Trench Coat by gooseEatFox
I can't believe this gorgeous trench coat is only $25 - it's perfect for those rainy summer days!

New Coral Summer Flowers Ruffles Laces Dress S to M to L by Gloriagape
Doesn't this just scream summer, summer summer? I love the chiffon detailing!

2-in1, High Waisted Light Pink Skirt or Top by earnestmarie
I love this versatile item, such a lovely soft colour and 2-in-1, you can't argue with that bargain!

New Woman Fire Ballon T-Shirt with Vest Pink by mustbuyitem
This is just too cute and perfect for a relaxed summery day.

Flora Sundress Cotton Dress by kolonclothes
So pretty and floaty, just imagine that warm sun on your skin :)

Heart Applique Tee Shirt by imyourpresent
And lastly, this super cute little tee! I love hearts, bows and polka dots - how could I resist?

Ammie
x

Looking Forward...

2010-07-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so super duper excited and happy at the moment :)
I'm going away for the week with my boyfriend on the 2nd of August, starting my planning of the week just now so we can make use of every minute!

We really need to get some recent pictures - we've both had major hair chops since this was taken at my 21st birthday!

Also, I feel like things are going quite well with my Etsy shop, obviously I'd love more exposure because I work so hard on my items but it'll come in time and I'm feeling really positive about this giveaway with Samy (www.samyinwonderland.blogspot.com). Although I am literally spending every moment of every day working on my shop!

In product related news - I'm stopping production of my Christmas items just now because I have too many other ideas bouncing around in my head! So stay tuned for Alice In Wonderland, sewing and vintage robot related items including brooches, keychains, hair accessories and more home decor items. I plan on being very busy :)

Ammie
x

This Is Why It Is Essential To Google Oneself

2010-07-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

So today I was doing a very innocent google for 'whiterabbitthreads', I do this every so often, and today I found that myself & Samy's giveaway has been mentioned a couple of times, which is always nice, but the best thing I found was this...

My chrismas wreath tree decorations! I really, really wish that they had told me as they sold that day and I would've made more immediately. Luckily, I did recieve a convo from a buyer asking if I was making more so I had decided to make some anyway, but I would've done it immediately if I had known the exposure!

Anyway - the newly made wreaths will be relisted today!

Ammie
x

Giveaway!

2010-07-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

Want the chance to win one of my brooches?

I've gotten together with Samy from Samy In Wonderland to offer her readers the chance to win one of my handmade, felt brooches. Interested? Just click the image below to take you over to Samy's blog and check out the post!

It's open to anyone in any country and ends on the 16th of August.

Thanks for taking the time to look!

Ammie
x

Felt, Felt, Felt!

2010-07-17T04:03:00.000-07:00

I felt (hehe, no pun intended!) that since I'm getting into crafting with felt that I would do a feature on some of the great felt items I've found on Etsy. Also, it's been a while since I featured anyone but myself on here and I wanted to share some love :)

Mushroom Love Brooch Pin by FeltCreations
Super cute - the stitching in unbelievably neat!

Emery Pincushion - Felt Cup of Coffee / Hot Chocolate Personalized Monogram by dottyral
Gorgeous, practical and very handy!

Whale of a Love by TwigAndBird
I absolutely love, love, love the idea of using the embroidery hoop as a frame! I highly recommend checking out TwigAndBird's shop, it's bursting with cuteness!

Mokenstein by TheifJamie
I can't say much more that - awesomely cute!

Ice Cream Cone Brooch Mint Single Scoop With Lemon Drops by ShabbyDollBoutique
I must confess that ShabbyDollBoutique and I are very good friends (she's awesome and cool and you should most definititly check out her full shop), so I happen to know firsthand how much time and love goes in to all the yummy items she makes!

Short but sweet, I could've listed 50 felt goodies but I had to cut the list down for practical reasons hehe

Ammie
x

The Lovebot Factory & The Dainty Squid Giveaway

2010-07-15T14:40:00.001-07:00

The wonderful Dainty Squid is doing another giveaway...a super awesome giveaway involving the cute wee guy below!

If you click him it will take you to The Dainty Squid's blog where you can enter the giveaway!

I really, really want to win this one - my boyfriend loves vintage robots, he'd FLIP for this!

Ammie
x

Christmas In July Begins!

2010-07-15T13:59:00.001-07:00

Beaded Heart Holly Tree Decoration, originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

My Christmas In July sale has started :) And I have to say so far I'm really happy! I've had one sale, and a lot of interest :) All the hard work feels like it's starting to pay off - phew!

Just a reminder of the deals -

Free worldwide shipping.
Every purchase comes with a unique half price shipping code.
& every purchase of $30 and over gets one of my Strawberry Brooches OR a Christmas Brooch.

Pretty generous I feel but so worth it for people to buy my work and get to appreciate it and put it to good use!

Ammie
x

I'm A Terrible Model But It's Ok 'Cause I'm A Brilliant Person

2010-07-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

You gotta looove Chritmas In July! Actually, I love any excuse to do festive things :) Here's a couple of things I've been up to -

Got lots more coming :)

Christmas In July sale begins TOMORROW!

Ammie
x

This Is Scotland...We COULD Have Snow In July :)

2010-07-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from an awesome weekend at my boyfriend's house, quite a trek - about 5 hours, 2 trains & one taxi - but it was worth it :) He totally spoiled me (as usual) and got me some goooorgeous red polka dot wedge heels & an adorable green candy stripe sundress among lots of other bits & pieces - will definitely need to a do an update! Can't explain how adorable these wedge heels are!

Now that I'm home all my focus is on my Etsy shop and the amazing Christmas In July promotion. I've started joining the forums and taking on board any advice offered, so I've spent the entire day re-working descriptions, re-taking photographs and re-tagging my items. Hopefully this will pay off. I don't think I've mentioned before, but all my money from my Etsy shop is going towards my final year collection which is going to cost me around £1000 (if I'm super strict and make sure I get all the best deals), so I'm really pinning a lot of hitting success.

I thought my blog would be the place to announce exactly what promotions I will have on during the Christmas In July promotion being the 15th of July and running through to the 25th of July (I will consider running it longer if it's successful).

FREE shipping. Yup, all shipping on all items absolutely free.
a FREE gift with all purchases of $30 and over. This will be either a Strawberry Brooch or one of my yet-to-be-listed Christmas brooches.
PLUS every purchase will include one of my adorable business cards...which will bear a UNIQUE CODE to get either you OR a friends some kind of fancy discount on your next purchase.
Sound good?

Remember...this begins on the 15th of July through to the 25th of July.

& to finish - my latest listing, Alice In Wonderland 'Queen Of Hearts' felt brooch! Just $7 :)

Ammie
x

It's Like Writer's Block...But Not.

2010-07-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy creating the past week that I think I have a sewing injury! Haha...I'm strangely proud of that.

Here's a quick update on some of my most recent listings:

Bunny brooches, cupcake keyrings, strawberry brooches & swallow brooches!

Offt, and I have literally just this minute finished off Queen Of Heart brooches :)

I'm going to start winding down on the cute stuff and get on the making (still cute) Christmas things for the Christmas In July promo on Etsy. I know it doesn't have to be Christmas themed items, but I love Christmas so I'm quite excited to start my preparations so far in advance - although as usual it will probably be here before we know it.

I'm also off to see my boyfriend this week, it's a pretty long train journey so I'm going to take some crafty things to do :) Just can't decide what's 'train safe', yknow small beads would go everywhere etc. - defos needs some thought!

& I will unveil my hair chop very soon ;)

Ammie
x

2010-06-29T03:36:00.000-07:00

Update coming soon!

I've been busy making these cute little aprons and am just in the process of handsewing some cute little appliques on to them :)

In other news, I'm super excited because I'm totally making over my hair :) Got the hairdressers booked for tomorrow and I'm hoping the dye I've ordered will arrive tomorrow too! Photos will follow!

Ammie
x

Everyone Loves A Cat Lady

2010-06-22T11:39:00.001-07:00

Cat Lady Small Cushion!, originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

Another little cushion keepsake! I love making these, I think I could just make and make and make, they're so cute!
Somewhat inspired by my Cat Lady friend, Fergie (no, not the singer...she's much cooler), and the fact I am desperate to get a little kitten! My boyfriend is thinking of getting one when we get the house in October down in London...it will be the most spoiled cat ever :)

I really need to make some 'Bunny Lady' ones too, and possibly some 'Dog Lover' ones...so far this little navy polka dot 'Cat Lady' number is the only one, but if she (yeah, I'm referring to the cushion as a 'she') gets enough attention I will definitately make more variations.

Making cute crafty things is interesting me so much more at the moment than my proper 'fashiony' coursework and I was emailled a brief yesterday for a Stella Artois design competition...even the thought of winning £1000 hasn't made me get out my sketchbook yet!

On the plus side, my boyfriend is coming up this weekend (he lives about 4 hours away in England), and my friend is back from LA so it's her homecoming night on Friday :)

Ammie
x

Re-Vamp!

2010-06-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

I revamped the blog, made the header & background all by myself! I'm rather in love :)

Ammie
x

Goodies!

2010-06-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

You can check them all out for more pictures & descriptions at my Etsy store: White Rabbit Threads :)

Ammie
x

Homemade Goodness!

2010-06-21T10:31:00.001-07:00

Homemade cupcakes - yum!, originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

It's been a very productive few days - and I had my first Etsy sale!

I've been doing lots of hand embroidery, beading and gluing! I've made magnets and cushions and little keepsake heart cushions, as well as baking some cupcakes and making my dad a lemon tart for Father's Day....offft!

On top of all this, I've also got a summer project for uni to do as well as beginning research on my dissertation - I'm pretty sure my productivity is just procrastination :) Although the plus side of doing all this handsewing is that I can watch movies for "research" :D

An image heavy post coming up next of all my goodies I've made!

Ammie
x

Fabric High!

2010-06-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

I went for a wee fabric shop the other day, I was in need to some cute co-ordinating fabric to get my Etsy shop started! These are my gorgeous buys. Mostly, remnants which were super cheap but actually really big pieces, especially great for doing long strips.
I reorganised my fabric boxes when I got home & discovered I've got lots of pieces which all go well together, got some pretty ideas on what I'm going to do over the next few weeks - my mum's gotten very enthusastic & has also given me some ideas :)
Yesterday, I also started on a couple of 'Baby Boy' cushions, all hand-embroidered and possibly going to feature hand-covered/embroidered buttons. So a rather productive day overall!

& this is just a wee peek at another one of the stunning vintage pieces I have on Etsy just now. It's a 1980s black velvet prom-style dress which belonged to my mum so I know it's in amazing condition & she's only wore it a couple of times!

Ammie
x

Coming Together...

2010-06-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

My amazing bargain of a sewing machine! I got this beaut for £80 because Ravensbourne were selling things off before the move to Greenwich :)

Getting started on finishing off the studio-garage & raiding my fabric stash today!

Ammie
x

Keeping Up To Date

2010-06-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

The quickest way to stay up to date with all the shop news is to follow the shop twitter: WhiteRabbitShop :)

Ammie
x

Vintage Stock Up!

2010-06-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

The first shop stock is up!

Since returning home I've been clearing out my room and I found a lot of vintage clothes my mum gave me which I've been saving up - but with my final year of University approaching, it's money I need to be saving up not clothes, so I'm selling a lot of it.

Just now, I have this gorgeous angora wool tank top/jumper for sale, a long gold jumper, a black (with gold sparkle) keyhole jumper and this cute dogtooth skirt up. Check them out here.
There's more to come, including a very, very beautiful full skirt, velvet prom-style dress.

Apart from the vintage pieces from my wardrobe, I am also selling some newer pieces (including lots of brand new, never worn clothes), however these will be on my Ebay account.

Ammie
x

Back In Bonnie Scotland

2010-06-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back home in Scotland for the summer, the move was just slightly more stressful than previously imagined - didn't realise how much stuff I had accumulated! Now I just have to start the horrible task of unpacking.

So not much will be happening for a little while, I'm also in the process of turning my garage into a studio so I can get the site up and running properly :)

Ammie
x

A New Beginning!

2010-05-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

Website is up!

As an early 21st present, my sister bought me my domain name! For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to call my boutique/clothing label 'White Rabbit Threads', and since I decided that to support myself this summer I am going to make and sell my own designs, she decided to buy the name for me!

Currently, it is linked up to my Etsy page, this is to save my the cost and time to building and maintaining a website aswell as the cost of webspace, however I'm hoping in the next year or so to create my own website.

Right now, I only have a few cushions up which I made but I'm working on some designs which I hope will be up in the next week.

Ammie
x

;) Shhh....

2010-05-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

A little sneak preview of things to come! My summer project and hopefully the beginning of my career...fingers crossed.

[website isn't up and running yet]

Ammie
x

Everyday Inspiration

2010-05-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

I keep being randomly inspired by the most unlikely things. An abandoned china tea cup found, rehomed and then accidently smashed by my boyfriend. Fish in an aquarium in a pet store. Shots of interiors in a paint catalogue. Colour and pattern are really inspiring me at the moment, there' something about complimentary colours that I find very calming.

I quite like the use of empty frames in interior design, which is something my group is using as part of our current project.

When I find a spare moment, I'm going to do a small series of designs based on these images. Strong photography which stirs up emotion always gives me such a clear idea of what I want to do, I think that's what caused my interest in photography.

Anyway, it's been another long day of doing work and now I'm just rambling! :)

Ammie
x

Anti-Fur Film

2010-05-05T03:39:00.000-07:00

& this is the video we made for our manifesto class. So happy with how it turned out, we worked incredibly hard on it but it was worth all the work and stress in the end :)

For some reason it wasn't cool with me putting the images and film on the same post, very annoying!

Ammie
x

Anti-Fur Manifesto

2010-05-05T03:27:00.000-07:00

Below is a couple of images from the anti-fur photoshoot we did for our manifesto:

Something Awesome This Way Comes :)

2010-05-05T03:10:00.001-07:00

I'm starting to think summer. And next academic year. And final collection. It's all a bit much and the thought of the cost is just insane, I'm hearing people have spent £500, I'm hearing others have spent £1500 just on their final collection. So it's get-job-time.

However, I'm sick of retail. I don't think after working for Louise Gray and ASOS that I could possibly go back to being just a sales girl.

I've got something far more creative planned, but I'm not saying what yet! Still need to do some planning and organising and weighing up of my options...but watch this space :)

Ammie

Saving The Animals, One Student At A Time...

2010-04-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we started the filming for our Anti Fur film - it was amazing! I didn't realise filming was so much fun, kind of addictive too, once we ran out of interviewees we went looking for more!

After our interviews, we then made a start on our own photoshoot campaign - pictures to come soon! - I've honestly never realised how hard it is to model, you really do have to think about every little detail!

Some footage & pictures will be up soon so watch this space!

Ammie

I Am A Fox. I Live In A Small Wire Box.

2010-04-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

The manifesto film I mentioned earlier is about the fur industry, I've set up a survey about the fur industry...if you could just take a wee minute to fill it in, I would really appreciate it and any feedback would be awesome!

Linkage :)

Ammie
x

So Glad That's Over!

2010-04-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

I have a pile of work that's roughly the same height as me. A 5ft 3" pile of work. For some reason I thought once we were back from work placement I had 3 things to do - a presentation, one project and help the 3 years with their final collections. Instead there's - a presentation, a diary (to be bound), a report (to be bound), a project, a manifesto project (which has turned into making a film), a dissertation class, PPD, random other classes thrown in for fun, and helping the 3rd years.

It's crazy.

Today was presentation day, mine was about my work placement at ASOS which is an awesome thing to talk about...but to a room full of people? No thanks. Okay, so it was 7 people in the end. This presentation has also caused me to miss the ASOS Press Day which I'm so gutted about as they've been emailing me for a week asking me to come back (it's always nice to feel wanted!) but my timetable is so full.

Anyway - presentations - they always seem so much worse before you do them, then once it's done, there's the adrenaline rush, the sudden boost in confidence and the big question - "why was I so stressed out over that?"

I'm saving this post for the next time I have a presentation and I have a meltdown.

Ammie

Kissing Bunnies

2010-03-10T08:53:00.001-08:00

Kissing Bunnies, originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

My fourth Lookbook post. It's so exciting when somebody hypes or comments me, it's really getting me addicted!

I've started at ASOS, it's so much fun! They have a press day in April (which is like their fashion week!) so things are busy, busy getting ready for that, yesterday I put together the floor plans for the kind of exhibition space they are using.
The most exciting thing I've done so far is design some leggings which (I think!) are being put forward to the buyers - I will definitely be posting a pic if they are selected! What an amazing thing that would be to put on my CV.

Above is my latest look, I got the gorgeous bunny t-shirt from the Christmas Market in Central Park when we were there in December, everything else is just things I've picked up here and there. Gotta love a classic black and white bag to set an outfit off :)

Ammie
x

Number 3 :)

2010-03-07T16:59:00.001-08:00

Butler&Wilson Heart Necklace , originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

My third look for lookbook.nu, and also my outfit for my first day interning at ASOS.com tomorrow :) Wish me luck!

View the full look here.

Ammie
x

First Day On Lookbook.nu

2010-03-06T06:09:00.001-08:00

Modern Vintage, originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

Possibly not the most successful first day in the history of Lookbook.nu, my little look received 2 hypes and 2 comments, but it is far better than nothing and I will persevere :-) I'm loving the website, it's so great to have instant access to so much original style, I also find it really interesting looking at the age and occupation of people - there's 13, 14, 15 year old kids on there who dress better than I thought imaginable at that age! As for talents in photography, again there's so many young kids (I know I'm making myself sound much other than 20!) who can photograph like an adult. Kinda makes me wish I had been so independent and creative at that age. I will of course do some features of my favourites in the near future.

In other news, I went to see the new Alice In Wonderland film last night. I had totally mixed feelings going into the cinema, I love Alice In Wonderland and have for years so I was excited to see what Tim Burton had done to my favourite tale and how he had developed it...but also very nervous that he would have ruined it! I shall upload my full review later this afternoon, but for now my stomach is grumbling that it's time for tea and lunch :-)

Ammie
x

Good News!

2010-03-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

I've gotten lots of exciting news the past few days! Firstly, I had an interview for an internship at ASOS which went incredibly well and I start on Monday, it's full time for 2 weeks and then (if my uni timetable permits) I'll be going part time for a little while. Also hoping that when I come back from Scotland in September that I can pick up where I left.

And today, I got an e-mail from Lookbook.nu with an invite code :-D I plan on spending my entire day playing around on that! (and possibly catching up on some Desperate Housewives!)

Ammie
x

Vintage Look

2010-03-01T06:08:00.001-08:00

Vintage!, originally uploaded by OhSoVeryPicturesque.

This is my first post via Flickr so hopefully it turns out okay, not sure if it will take on my fonts etc.

I've gotten back in to taking look pictures again, I've actually applied to the amazing Lookbook.nu so fingers crossed! I've been in one of those creative but don't have any ideas kinda moods for weeks now, I took ill during my placement and have had to take time off which sucks!

In this picture I'm wearing a navy playsuit from Miss Selfridge, a really cute necklace I got from Topshop which says "I ♥ Tea" and my Tatty Devine "Ammie" necklace.
I've been looking for playsuit for over a year, I'm really really fussy about them but I saw this little vintage inspired one and couldn't resist!

Ammie
x

Flickr

2010-03-01T05:47:00.001-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

...

2010-02-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

I've got some new pictures and posts in the works so watch this space! :)

Ammie

Other Blogs

2010-02-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

It bothers me how inactive I am on my own blog, so I really must try harder :) Recently I've been looking for and reading lots of style blogs and trying to find some cool Scottish blogs as well. Scotland really does have a lot to offer in the way of new fashion but it gets hardly any recognition despite producing such amazing designers, especially recent talents Christopher Kane, Louise Gray and Holly Fulton.

So far I am loooving - StyleScanner and les garcons de Glasgow - I get silly, silly excited when I see someone I know... :)

Ammie

"The Snow Is Great...Unless You Have Somewhere To Go"

2010-01-08T05:08:00.000-08:00

My mum has always said that the snow is great unless you had somewhere to go...and until 2 days ago, I would have strongly disagreed.
I loooove the snow, it's festive, it's wintery, it turns even the grumpiest people into little kids again and best of all - we don't always get it! Sometimes it snows and doesn't lie, sometimes it doesn't snow at all, sometimes it's barely enough for a snow ball.
However, upon my wonderful return to my cosy little house in Kent, it has S-N-O-W-E-D. I'm actually looking at it wondering how long it will take to go away, which is not very "me" thinking. As much as it was fun having a community snowball fight and building a 7ft snowman...I've got things to do. Which may sound a little Grinch-y but I do, I've now had to miss 2 days of my work placement and I'm not a happy bunny!
Surely someone somewhere predicted that we would have this much snow and the government would get prepared for it? Umm...no, instead the pavements are like ice rinks and the trains are a joke.

It does look pretty though.

Ammie
x

Tis The Season To Be Jolly...apparently.

2009-12-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

I'm back from New York :-) It was awesome, did some shopping - I'll have pics later - and took in all the amazinggg Christmassy sights! I found the Anne Sui shop which is heeeaven, exactly how I would love my own boutique to look when I'm a big growed up :-) Have also decided I want to live in New York.

Still feeling the jetlag a little, and it doesn't help that I went into work today only to be told that I was sacked (yes, 2 days before Christmas). I would looove to get into a big rant about what happened, but to be honest, I'm exhausted and beyond stressed about it. It's leaving me really short on cash for going back down to London next week so if anyone has any genius ideas on how I can make a few hundred pounds in two weeks, I'd love to know! :-)

Ammie

SHOWstudio: Kate Moss Shoot for Nick Knight

2009-12-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Here's some screenshoots I got of Kate Moss modelling for Nick Knight's current project, he's shooting 100 portraits between 1st and 20th of December for ID magazine. Today, Kate Moss sat for him - very interesting to watch while packing my case for New York tomorrow. You can check out the SHOWstudio live studio site here.

Click for a slightly bigger image :-)

Ammie
x

Dear Santa...

2009-12-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

First off - I am a HUUUUGE Christmas fan. It is by far my favourite time of year, better than my birthday, I really do adore Christmas and all the festivities.

This year it kinda crept up on me and before long Mr and Mrs Claus (aka Mum and Dad) were asking me what I wanted. I had no idea! After a lot of thought, I kept my list to a minimum - living away from home has made me appreciate everyday things - so I've picked practical things. My favourite being these amazing boots from River Island -

They're sooo comfortable and the heel isn't too big so very practical for jumping on and off the tube on the way to my internship!

Can't wait to open them - they will never leave my feet, so great for just throwing on with anything and a great investment against the cold January/February weather :-)

Ammie

A Christmas Carol.

2009-12-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

My last pic of London before returning home for the Christmas holidays! Couldn't resist a Christmassy shot of Oxfo

rd Street :-)

Just a quick round up of events since my last blog -

I got an internship with Louise Gray starting in January - can't wait! Already worked a trial day in her studio and it was awesome.
I'm off to New York on Thursday for a few days, looking forward to soaking in the amazing festive atmosphere!
And, lastly, being home isn't half bad :-)

Ammie

Pink!

2009-11-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

My hair has a had a very drastic make over since moving - perhaps because I no longer have someone to lecture me every time I dye it! I love it this colour but I have to dye it back before I go back to work over the holidays :-(

I've not had much luck with technology either since I've moved - firstly, I dropped my Blackberry into a pile of foam at a foam party which killed it (although I have a new one now), and my laptop has had a hard drive failure which has contributed to my lack of updates!

I'm currently borrowing my friends spare MacBook Pro (which I'm in love with).

Above, is a slightly out-of-date picture of my room - I've had to move my net because I kept pulling it down in my sleep! And I now have fairylights...and there's fabric everywhere...and thread...and patterns...and lots of pairs of scissors lying around.

I'm finally getting around to re-downloading my apps to my new BB so I should be able to blog from my phone very soon :-)

Ammie

Busy, busy!

2009-11-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

I've done a really shocking job of keeping this updated! I'm just about settled in to life at Ravensbourne (I can hear a distant smoke alarm in the distance as I type...you have to love everyone's laid back, uncaring approach...), the course is good but I'm missing Cardonald - life was just TOO good there and we didn't even know it!

So far, the course has just repeated things we've learnt already and we're currently working on a brief based on Yamamoto while trying to find a work placement.

I promise to update more often :-)

Ammie

First LOTD :-)

2009-08-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

This is a picture my Dad took of me in New York last March, only just found it the other day and I liked my outfit so I thought I would do one of those look of the day type posts which is the first time I've really done this.

This is my typical winter look - warm! Leather jacket, Doc Martens, big scarf and beret. Thats a denim skirt which in this pic looks like shorts lol. Big grey hoodie and my awesome camera...what else could I want :-)

I'm also posting this because it was my parents Silver Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday and my Dad surprised us with........a trip to New York in December! Ahhh, I'm so excited! And obviously had to celebrate this fact with a picture of me walking along the Brooklyn Promenade.

Ammie
x

AIW Name Chain!

2009-08-17T14:12:00.001-07:00

I think I have found an item that I will never take off. My one purchase of the day: an Alice In Wonderland name chain! The rest of the shop, FatallyFeminine, could be fatal on my bank account!

You can choose between Alice with the flamingo or holding a crown. It was a tough decision, especially since they also do one with the white rabbit!!

It might be silly, but I plan on getting the White Rabbit necklace (and matching ring!) when I get paid. Even though it's pretty the same necklace, but it's just soo perfect that I can't resist.

I am however having a bit of a problem with Etsy at the moment, I ordered a necklace on the 3rd of July which still isn't here. The seller posted saying they had been away and would reply to mails and send items on the 29th of July. No reply to either of my mails, and no necklace. I've now had to mail for the third time which I personally think is ridiculous and I hate chasing people but I want my damn necklace that I paid for with my hard-earned wages, pah!

Rant over.

I'm thinking of getting a skin for my blog, I do like it quite minimal but it's not very homely. If I was more computer-literate I would try myself lol :-)

Ammie
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First Stop Next Pay Day!

2009-08-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I feel head over heels in looove with two Etsy shops. I have my next wages mentally spent already! haha.

Firstly, we have thelovelyteaspoon's shop .

It was hard to pick just a few things, her shop is full of gorgeous items. And if you have time, stop by her flickr too, I guarantee you'll fall in love too!

Ammie
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My New Obsession!

2009-08-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Working in a jewellers is starting to cost me more than it should! For months I kept admiring these gorgeous glass beads called Trollbeads (they also do stunning silver ones) and I finally gave in and bought one! Luckily, I get a decent discout ;-)
This is just a short update to link you all to the Trollbead site, I'll post pictures of my own bracelet soon - the ones I took came out rotten once I had them on the computer!

I'll also be doing an update on my trip to London, my mini-raid on the dutyfree MAC make up, and all the goodies I have for flat!

Ammie
x

P.S. My bracelet is one of the Debut Bracelets - the 'Wild Fur' one :-)

Bargains, bargains, bargains.

2009-07-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

I've been shopping crazy recently. But all for bargains! After some thought (and many years of buying cheap Primark clothes which don't always last as long as I would like), I have decided that for moving to London I need a capsule wardrobe. I know this isn't exactly original, I've read this tip a few million times in magazines. & I will also *stop* buying 10 things from Primark for £20 and instead buy one, lovely, decent quality item for £20. Again, not entirely original thought.

So, here are some of my wee bargains! Firstly, are the gorgeous necklaces (which I mentioned in my last post) from Accessorize, both half price for a grand total of: £5.50.

(ironically, that's a checked Primark shirt)

After buying these, I realised I had no earrings to go with them (which might seem like it is defeating the purpose of a bargain) so I bought a pair. In the sale though, for just £3.

Above, is my find of the season (year, possibly), as well as a wee sneaky peek at another pretty find - a vintage-style, John Lewis bag, on sale for £28 (from £50).

Gorgeous, grey, slouchy, mini-heel, ankle boots from River Island. A steal at £15, when they were originally £65. They look great with everything! Skinny jeans, leggings, socks, bare legs. A necessity for a shoe addict.

Much more look-what-I-saved-money-on posts to come as I've been shopping more than I've been updating (which doesn't say much). Including some gorgeous things for when I move.

Also, I'm off to London for the day on Tuesday to see my wee flat down there and find out what else I need to buy for it, so I'll have some interesting pictures from that trip too.

Ammie
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Taking Criticism

2009-07-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

I must learn how to take criticism. Really, I do. I can't possibly work in the fashion industry & take everything so personally.

I recently discovered Ollie & Nic and I'm in love! Thier website doesn't have much on it and they only have 5 shops at the moment but if you're near one you should definately, definately go in. They've got lots of tea-inspired jewellery so naturally I felt right at home.

Accessorize have got some really beautiful necklaces in at the moment, and a half price sale in store! I got a gorgeous wee kettle necklace & a heart one for just £5.50!

I've gone a bit crazy with my wages, my boyfriend and I went into Ted Baker for a look (because I figured I couldn't afford to spend any money in there, except...they had a sale on!). I bought this, in grey, which I've been eyeing up for months.

Ammie
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Fashion Show - Structure Dress

2009-07-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

The dress is the middle is mine from my Structure project, it's based on this picture I took in New York last year of the Brooklyn Bridge. It's made of black organdi, the knots are a mixture of the organdi, black cotton and white cotton. I'm not really happy with this one, it's not how my original idea was but it at least looked interesting on the catwalk.

Ammie
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Etsy!

2009-07-08T02:50:00.000-07:00

I've recently become an Etsy-addict, I spent an entire afternoon browsing/shopping last week, so here's some of my purchases!

I couldn't resist this gorgeous necklace! And I can't help but feel that the price is a steal for something so pretty.

I got these cute wee MDF shapes so paint & decorate for my flat in London. I can't wait for them to arrive & make a project out of them! I've also ordered a big cupcake & some mini cupcakes (I think it's 4 mini cupcakes & 4 mini ice cream cones, I couldn't quite understand the lising lol). The price on these is a bargain too, it came to just $14 (just under £9) including postage.

Ammie
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Fashion Show 1

2009-07-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't updated in a month, that's terrible! I have been really busy though! I got a job in a wee jewellers, one of them sells Tatty Devine and Anna Lou so it's pretty awesome. I've also done lots of shopping too which I need to update on!

The above picture is of my collection from my final year at college, the show was amazing and all the collections were really good. The tutors thought it was one of the best shows they've had in years! Although my model in the middle was a last minute replacement, the dress rehearsal was the first time I had fitted her, it was sooo nervy! Thankfully everything worked well enough that I didn't cringe too much! I'll update with some more pictures soon.

I've also got my accommodation sorted for moving down to London - 10 weeks today! I'm very excited, already started shopping for my kitchen stuff and things to decorate my room.

Ammie
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Deadline Day!

2009-06-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today was Dealine Day for my final year collection. It's so scary how quickly the past 3 years have gone by, especially the past 6 months. I didn't get anything finished to a standard that I'm happy with but it's done & it will look fine on the catwalk so I guess as long as it passes it doesn't matter too much.

This is the back of my little swing jacket I've made, I don't know how many hours I spent sewing this by hand, there's a wee bit at the top too which you can't see in the pic.

Well, I'm shattered after such a stressful day so I'll keep this post short and hopefully have some interesting pictures up in a few days - the fashion show's on Thursday!

Ammie
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E.L.F. Haul & Yesterday's Ensemble

2009-05-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Warning: this is gonna be a looong post!
This is actually for yesterday :-)

My E.L.F. make up arrived, just 2 days after I ordered which is really impressive.

I just ordered a few things to try it out: brow brush, smudging brush, conditioning lip balm, all over concealer and a duo cream eyeshadow in Butter Pecan (kinda everyday colours for me).

I'm just going to do a quick review of these, I haven't tried the brushes yet, although one thing I will say about the brow brush/comb - it's huuuge!
The conditioning balm is wonderful, I love it and although you only need a tiny bit, I just want to put on more and more haha. I got the strawberry one, it gives a very very slight pink tint and smells lovely :-)
The concealer is very good, stays on well and it's lovely and creamy. It is very small though, the tube fits nicely into the palm of my hand but for £1.50 it's great.
The eyeshadow is creamy and very pigmented, but creased about half an hour after I put it on. I did have on the Urban Decay Primer Potion and some MAC eyeshadow in Vanilla as a base so maybe that was all too much for it, but I will prevail and hope I get the right combo because I like the colours.

I was up pretty early yesterday morning for a wee shop about and a coffee with my friend Fergie so I went for very natural make up and comfy clothes.
Cardigan & top (with lace insert) are both Primark, my denim shorts are from Matalan and I had on my adorable vintage tights which have a little bow on the heel, and I wore my red patent flats. I accessorise with red a lot :-)

Ammie
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Hobbycraft Haul!

2009-05-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today I made a little trip to Hobbycraft for some supplies, needed more ribbons and buttons for my collection.

I don't know if all Hobbycrafts have this, but on the end of the aisles upstairs in the back corner is where my local store hides all the little clearance bits and pieces, it is honestly my favourite part of the shop because I always make an awesome find. Today it was this 3D paint in the perfect shade of blue to go with my collection. I plan on using it to decorate the shoes that I'm customising (a bit like icing on a cake...), which in my head are going to look amazing lol.
The little angel was also a bargain at just 65p, I have no use for it but it was just too adorable to walk past!

Now for my absolute favourite purchase of today...miniture key charms! They're so perfectly Alice :-) Just now I plan on attaching them to the beaded bracelet that my models will be wearing, but I'm so in love that I need to think of something to do with them after the fashion show.

I've got big plans to get up early tomorrow, head into town, buy the last bits of fabric I need, a zip, some spraypaint to do my shoes, and be home for lunch time so I can get a full day of sewing in. I'm not sure it's going to happen :-)

Ammie
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2009-05-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Another ASOS bargain post!
I was kinda bored and as usual this brought me to browsing ASOS, here are a few of my bargain picks. The skirt above, apart from being ridiculously cute, is only £18 which is more than half price! I love how they've styled it but I'm a big belt addict so I would probably have my waist clinched! Unfortunately, as it is sale stock, the sizes are limited :-(

Gorgeous quilted bag! (£15 down to £7!)

Stunning summer shoulder bag (£15 down to £6)

MK Olsen shoes! (£44.50 down to £22) lots of sizes available!

I loooove the bright bags, they're great for summer, I'm really tempted to buy the yellow one when I get paid. And the shoes, they're just gorgeously classic, and I looove that they come in dark grey instead of black!

I also put in my first order with E.L.F. today, I added their facebook which has some great promotional codes for a free lip gloss, half price shipping and money off your order! Definitely worth checking out. I'll do a short review of the products when they arrive :-) I'm very excited!

Ammie
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Sicky, sicky, sicky.

2009-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past 2 days lying on the couch feeling sorry for myself, my cold properly kicked in and made me cancel all my weekend plans :-( My boyfriend was over so I was well taken care of but still, had to cancel going out for dinner and my friends flat warming party. I think sickness just lurks around and waits til you're super busy then strikes!

Had a bit of a rubbish day so I was browsing Etsy to cheer myself up and I've fallen in love with a few hundreds pieces of Alice In Wonderland style jewelry. Just thought I would link to my faves!

Alice Is Curious
I'm totally in love with this, the tiny bow, the little jar full of beads, it's just sooo gorgeous!

Bow Earrings
Not strictly AIW but I love red & bows :-)

Alice On Cards

Whimsical Chair
Ridiculously sweet!

Ammie
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No Sleep.

2009-05-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

I've been up since 5am because I couldn't sleep due to this annoying cold I have. Also couldn't sleep the night before and I was so tired during my 9 hour shift in college that I actually fell asleep using the sewing machine - thankfully all limbs are intact.

The good thing about being up to early is that I've been productive because there's no one else up to distract me. I've organised my magazines (naturally, I have a lot more than I thought...), done a fabric analysis report for college and started on my work experience diary (which I did 3 months ago lol). I had really great work experience - working as a dresser at a bridalwear show. The best skill I learned is that I can dress a woman in a huge, meringue, corseted wedding dress in less than 2 minutes which will come in really handy I'm sure. It was actually great fun, my model said I was really good and thought I had done it before. Wouldn't mind doing it for a little part time job, although your self-esteem takes a hit when you're surrounded by gorgeous 5ft 10" women in the most stunning wedding dresses you've ever seen!

Tiredness is starting to set in now, although I have to go and pick my boyfriend up from the train station in an hour therefore going back to bed is kinda pointless so it's time to jump in a nice morning shower to wake myself up. Also, typing on my ridiculously slow laptop is really testing my patience :-)

Ammie
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Some Of My Own Fashion.

2009-05-20T04:05:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of pictures my boyfriend took of me in a dress I made in college last year. I've been on an Alice In Wonderland obsession for a while now, hence the tea theme!

Hope you all enjoy, I'll post some more up later.

I now have about 11 days to finish my collection for the fashion show this year, it's all getting very stressful! But I will have some nice new pictures of the garments in my blog soon :-)

Ammie
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So Chic - Officially Moving To London

2009-05-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today was an extremely exciting day! I have now officially accepted my place at Ravensbourne for Fashion Design which means I am 100% moving to London in September, I also got a job offer today which means I'll have money to save up for London! Actual landmark of a day!

The reason I decided to update though (apart fro my great news!), was because I got a lovely e-mail from IFb (Independant Fashion Bloggers) accepting my application so I guessed I had better get updating.

I'm a huge fan of ASOS, mostly the sale section if I'm being honest. The site used to be so much cheaper and as a student I can't afford to be splashing out £40 at a time, however their clearance is heaven and always packed full of absolute gems!
So, I decided to treat myself a few weeks ago, and bought this awesome "Chic" brooch and this adorable bunny dress (because I have a bunny-obsession & couldn't not!).

Ok, so the bunny dress is described as a top but on a short girl like me, it looks great with leggings as a dress...not good on a wind day though (I found that out the hard way).
As for the brooch, I bought it because it's the same font as my Tatty Devine necklace, and I'm sure they would look awesome together, except - I lost the brooch! About half an hour after opening my ASOS box, I lost it. I'm pretty heart broken and I've searched everywhere for it.

I can see myself spending my first wage on the entire clearance section, I do think it's worth a serious trip for anyone on a budget, and if you think the p&p is a bit pricey, see if you can get a friend to buy things too and you can half in on the p&p :-)

Ammie
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So It's Always Tea Time Here?

2009-05-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is just is little preview of what my final year collection for college is going to be like. I'm a huge Alice In Wonderland/tea/cakes/cute things obsessive!

It's taking me a long time to do all these individual little designs on each garment but so far it's turning out really well so it's worth it.

My favourite Alice In Wonderland is the 1999 version with Martin Short as the Mad Hatter, it's genius and hilarious and just a little bit mad :-) It's got an awesome cast overall, I couldn't resist a little bit of linkage.

Mad Hatter's Tea Party (Part 1)
Mad Hatter's Tea Party (Part 2)

Enjoy!

Ammie
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365 - Day 11

2009-04-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Interview day! This was taken with my phone so it's not great quality but at least it's a pic. I think the interview went well but I need to wait until the end of next week to find out how I got on.
Met my dad afterwards and we had a coffee, then I met Scott and we spent the day in the house watching movies, we're so exciting.

Movies watched: 1 & a bit
House Bunny
& part of Tropic Thunder

Ammie
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365 - Day 10

2009-04-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today, I was woken up by a phonecall about a job I had had a phone interview for, they want me to go for an interview with the store manager tomorrow which should be fun! Ended up sleeping some more after the phone call and spent the day worrying about the interview.
I decided it was about time I started doing something productive so I'm making some crafty fabrics coasters from scraps I have lying around to sell on my Etsy shop (which I have yet to set up). I got the idea from this magazine - http://www.sewhip.co.uk/ - it is really, really good, and the patterns/ideas are pretty straight forward, I'm addicted :-)

Ammie
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365 - Day 9

2009-04-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after too much to drink last night, today is completely redundant. I slept. And slept. And slept some more.

Ammie
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365 - Day 8 - Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today/night was much more interesting than yesterday, went to see a really good band called Lower Than Atlantis with my friend Fergie, and then we met Kim, Caitlin and Jane at the Cathouse (local rock club, rather good).

This picture isn't mine, it's by the club photographer and it's on their website. But a picture is a picture, I will commit properly to this 365 project eventually.

Too much to drink.
Not enough dancing.
Too much money spent.
But the bands were pretty enjoyable :-)

Ammie
x

365 - Day 7

2009-04-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll admit, I am updating this day a week late. And I don't really remember what I did, except for recover from the exhausting Safari Park day and play the Xbox for a while. Really I have no good excuse for not taking a picture or having anything interesting to say!

A pointless update really, just needed a post to mark the day with.

Ammie
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365 - Day 5

2009-04-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't have a picture from today but I do have a link!

I really enjoy baking, even though I'm only good at making cheesecake, and it is damn good cheesecake! I use this site - http://joyofbaking.com/ - and kind of add my own touch. Today I made strawberry cheesecake, uber yummy. The recipes on the site are really well explained and very easy to follow so that's my 365 for the day.

I know, I cheated with the link instead of a pic :-(

Ammie
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365 - Day 4

2009-04-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Today I had an interview for Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, meet Fergie in the morning and we took the 3 hour bus journey up to Aberdeen which actually went by so fast! Mostly because I slept.
The interview seemed to go quite well, the interviewer said my work had a great, interesting signature style to it and that I had a very delicate touch in my drawings :-)

We got back into Glasgow about half 7ish, met my (slightly tipsy) 2 mates, went to Rufus T's (really good rock pub) and ended up suitably tipsy.

Number of Starbucks spotted in Aberdeen: 0.

Cost of a 10min taxi ride from the bus station to the uni: £11. Rip off.

Drinks drunk at rapid speed: 6.

Ammie
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365 - Day 3

2009-04-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Met my friend Fergie in town and did some fabric shopping and coffee drinking :-)

Ended up having a very productive day, made the accessories for my models for this years end-of-year Fashion Show and started customising the shoes too!

Ammie
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365 - Day 2

2009-04-06T15:47:00.001-07:00

Another lazy day :-) Pretty much played the Wii & the Xbox all day which called for super comfy, oversized jeans & a tee, hence todays photo.

Times beaten at Wii Bowling: 2/2

Wii Golf abilites: pretty damn good :-)

Ammie
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365 - Day 1

2009-04-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a lazy day, Scott came through from Stirling and we went to Bothwell Castle and it was pretty much freezing cold despite the sun :-) Then we made a quick trip to Blockbuster and back to mine to watch movies all night.

Movies watched: 3
Superbad
Stepbrothers
Wanted

Tubs of Ben&Jerry's demolished: 1

Ammie
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