Follow my Jelly Belly

Anyone that read the old blog (before the joint on with Cherry was created) will remember I used to do a diet blog, well it's back.

I've decided to keep the posts separate to this blog as I know not everyone cares about my ever expanding waist line, but for those of you who are interested it can be found here.

My most recent post is about the 5:2 Fast Diet that I have just started, if anyone has any dieting tips then feel free to comment, any help is welcome!

Michelle x

Afternoon Tea

Well it's just a quick post today so you'll have to excuse me.  The other week my mum, sister and I headed off to Manchester for afternoon tea at Cloud 23.  If you're a regular reader you'll know I've been before with Michelle and since then my mum has been hinting, and not subtly I might add, that she'd love to go, so we decided to treat her for her birthday.

We opted for champagne afternoon tea, which if you're going to spoil yourself only seems right.

There was a selection of scrummy things to eat; although I was devastated that there were no ham sandwiches - as a fussy eater the savour selection was an issue - but the sweets sure made up for it!

When the waiter seated us he asked us whether we were celebrating anything special and we told him it was for Mum's birthday.  We didn't realise, however, this was a rouse and that he'd come back with a special birthday plate for her, with chocolates and fresh fruit.

We had to have the obligatory family snap; thankfully the waiter offered before we asked - clearly he must get it all the time!

To finish off our Hilton experience we had a few cocktails from the drinks menu.

Here's a final snap of me with my Hemingway Special Daiquiri a.k.a rocket fuel!

Neil x

p.s. Excuse the picture quality, we tried to be discrete using our phones.

96 Clothing

Supporting small and independent businesses is something we all neglect, and as a small business owner myself I know how difficult it is to establish a brand and make your business a success.  So, when I was sent over a fab tee from 96 Clothing I thought it'd be good to highlight this new up and comer.

96 Clothing is a fledgling brand that was devised by student Tom Pitman.  The brand name is actually the year Tom was born - gosh I feel old, although what's 10 years really?  And the iconic 96 logo is definitely a clever touch.

The original 96 Clothing tees, which are almost sold out, are available in black, blue and grey.  The simple design is definitely a statement.

The tee I'm wearing is from the current Live Life Now range and is currently available in sizes small to extra large.  The t-shirt itself is made of good quality, durable cotton and is comfortable to wear.

 
The design is clear and bold, which definitely makes it a statement piece.  At a £7.99 price point these t-shirts are very affordable, and for something you definitely wont find on the high street this has to be a steal, right?

The second design from the range, Live Life Now #2 (shown above), has also just recently been released.

If you're a Wrexham local you'll also be able to check out their wares at Wrexfest on 24th August, hosted by Change Wrexham For Our Future.  For further information regarding upcoming events be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Ultimately if you fancy something a little different and would like to support a new independent clothing brand on the rise, head over to 96 Clothing NOW and check it out!

Neil x

Pug BBQ anyone?

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a family BBQ, which of course my brother to another mother (Neil) came to.  As well as human guests I also allowed my dad's two pugs, Coco and Doug, a visit.   It was so great to see all the dogs playing together, but when placed next to pedigrees Dodge definitely shows her mongrel side (her mum had relations with a French Bulldog, the little minx.)

Lots of food was eaten, rum punch drunk and cuddles with the dogs and my nephew were had.  

If anyone else is thinking of cramming a BBQ in before the sun disappears for good I would recommend Costco for the meat, the juiciest burgers and sausages ever!!! YUM!

Michelle x

Mankind: Proraso Review

Recently I was sent a few things to test out for the mens beauty and grooming site Mankind.co.uk and these are the first things I've tried.

 Mankind sells a small selection of Prosaso products.  Prosaso is an Italian brand that offers a range of shaving and skin care products.  I was sent two products to test out, including a shaving cream and razor cut gel.

The shaving cream can be applied by either being lathered up in wet hands or using a shaving brush.  As someone who doesn't actually own a shaving brush I went for the first option.  The cream itself lathered well and it took only a small amount to cover the shaving area.  It made for a good, close shave and the added eucalyptus and menthol left my face feeling clean and fresh.

The Gel Riparatore (Razor Cut Gel) is a little bit of a revelation.  It's not often I catch myself when shaving but when I do it's a bloody pain, no pun intended, and that is where this little product comes in handy.  A small amount will stop bleeding from any minor nicks and cuts, which is great.  However, be sure not to mix it up with your aftershave gel which I foolishly did - EPIC FAIL -  and only noticed when I had smeared a large amount of the glue like substance across a vast section of my face *hangs head in shame*.

Overall I quite liked the products and the respective price points seem very affordable.  Also for those who are accident prone, or even for the occasional nick, the Gel Riparatore is definitely something to invest in and keep in your bathroom cabinet.

Neil x

p.s. Keep your eyes peeled for my second Mankind review coming up soon, where I review some Alvarez Gomez products!

Shelf DIY - Jelly Button Style

I'm sure most of you won't be surprised to know that my craftiness doesn't stop at just my businesses; it also runs through into my day to day life so I thought I would show you how to create some fun and useful little shelves.

 

Shelf - Ikea, Paint - B&Q, Glue - Hobbycraft, Buttons -  Own

As space is limited in my small studio I make the most out of shelving units, so when I spotted the spice racks in Ikea for a measley £3 I knew I could do with that little bit extra room.  Rather than use them to home mixed spices and herbs I use mine to stack the little extra bits I need to hand when packaging up orders.

You could always keep these the way they are sold, but that's to mundane and normal for me so I gave mine a Jelly Button revamp.  All it takes is a pot or two of the sample size paints, I got mine from B & Q a while ago but I think they were £1 each, or you could always use any leftover paint you have lying around.  Next is PVA, again it's really obvious but due to the shelves being wood it just soaks it right up and helps it bond really strong.  On one of my shelves I used random buttons I had lying around; if you don't already start collecting all the spare buttons from clothes in a little tub - you have no idea how often you can use them! On the other I used some ribbon (printed with the Jelly Button logo of course) and again this was stuck with some PVA.  You might notice I used some of my sample decorations too, instead of these take a look around and see what you have to brighten them up - old toys, broken jewellery, beads etc.

And there you have it, some new cute and super cheap shelves.

Michelle x

Converse

Now I'm sure this may come as a surprise, it did to me, but these are the first pair of Converse I've ever owned... I think?  It was strange when I tried to think back, but my earliest memories of trainers were buying them in the supermarket and the great glee I had with ones that lit up.  From there I traversed the fine line between street style and scally; I always opted for classic white trainers, and I still to this day feel a little nostalgic when I see a pair of Adidas Stan Smith trainers with the green trim.

Anyway, I was after some new trainers and my sister offered to buy me some for my birthday.  I'd needed to replace my trainers for a while now and I bought two plain pairs from Burton's in black and white (they're more cream if you ask me), and so I decided to go for a different colour of Converse.

These All Star maroon canvas Converse were definitely a winner.  I've added a few new maroon/ox blood/burgundy pieces to my wardrobe of late and it seems this colour pallet has withstood the summer in style.

I have to say it was a right pain to find a pair in a size 6 - the problem with tiny feet - but after failed attempts in both Manchester Topman stores we thankfully we picked some up in Office.

I hope you like them as much as I do!  Anyone else rockin' their Converse of late?

Neil x

Pickin' & Mixin' with Cable & Cotton

Last week I was the happy recipient of some adorable pick and mix string lights from Cable & Cotton so it has spurred me on to do a post showing my living room.

Ive shown my studio before and as you will see the style I stick to for my jewellery and Cherry Rainbow follows me into every aspect of my life. My favourite colours combined are grey/pink/blue so these were the colours I chose for my string lights, I didn't realise until after that these colours would match perfectly for my stall when I do craft fairs too! 

I think I will order myself a couple more sets as I think they would look great in every room, maybe a Christmas themed set to display on my Manchester Market stall. 

 

 

Lights C/O Cable & Cotton, Cushions - Cherry Rainbow, Dolls House - Made by Grandad Dady, Plush Taxidermy - Etsy, Illustration of Dodge & I - Kathryn Wilkins

 

Have you checked out the Cable & Cotton site? Which colours would you go for?  

A big thank you to Dodge for once again popping into my pictures - she loves the camera!

Michelle x