Floral Friday: Sarah Papworth

Sarah Papworth graduated from Winchester School of Art in 2002 after studying Printed Textiles. She now freelances and has two little shops on Etsy and Folksy.

Her florals are so beautiful and ditsy! They are incredibly sweet and something I always look for in a great floral print! I particularly enjoyed the floral that also included some fantastic illustrations of bikes. 

Sarah has had her designs featured on many home and fashion products, ranging from BHS to The White Company. 

Visit Sarah's fantastic website here to see more of her work and visit her blog here.

I can't stop listening to...

The Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses

Brocade: Autumn/Winter 2012-13 Trend

Vintage is back, and with it follows beautiful and intricate Brocade. 

Embroidery and brocade have never been my thing, especially since being given a 'Velvet Brocade' project title in my first year of University and failing miserably, but since I've been looking at some of the most recent examples of brocade and embroidery on the Autumn/Winter 2012/13 catwalk shows, my mind seems to have been changed.

Teamed up with lace, the brocade and embroidery oozes sophistication and romance, and can sometimes look very regal.

I've chosen five of my favourite catwalks that have featured brocade.

 Antonio Marras Autumn/Winter 2012/13 RTW

Dolce & Gabbana Autumn/Winter 2012/13 RTW

Valentino Autumn/Winter 2012/13 RTW

Osman Autumn/Winter 2012 RTW

L'Wren Scott Autumn/Winter 2012/13 RTW

"I don't mind living in a man's world..."

"As long as I can be a women in it"

Marilyn Monroe remembered 50 Years after her death

It has been fifty years since Marilyn Monroe's death in 1962, so as many tributes fly around the Internet, I decided to join in and write a small and very brief history of one of the most beautiful women who ever lived.

Norma Jeane Mortenson was a part of a volatile childhood where she frequently stayed in orphanages or passed around from family and friends as a result of her mothers mental health. To stop any more stays in orphanages, as soon as Norma Jeane turned 16, a family friend orchestrated a marriage with Jim Dougherty. 

Whilst Jim was completing his military service, Norma Jeane got a job in an Airplane factory and was photographed by photographer David Connover for a piece on women helping with the war effort. She was advised to apply for modelling at Blue Book modelling agency by the photographer, and within months Norma Jeane starred on several magazine covers and secured a screen test with Twentieth Century Fox.

It was here that the star was born as executives, directors and photographers saw her stunning potential, and so she became Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe's love life was a rough and heavy one, starting out with her affair with famous Baseball player Joe diMaggio. In 1954 the couple married, but after 10 months they were split. Not too later on, Monroe marries Arthur Miller in 1956 and later divorced in 1961.

After smuggling a note to Joe diMaggio whilst in New York Hospital after being referred by her therapist, Monroe was able to get released by diMaggio and they began to start up their relationship once more. It only lasted until Marilyn returned to LA to start filming 'Something's got to give'.

In May 1961, Marilyn Monroe sand her famous rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy. It was on this day that she overdosed on drugs and yet again, Joe diMaggio came to her rescue. The couple decided to re-marry on 8th August 1962.

It was a devastating discovery to find that Marilyn Monroe had died four days before the wedding date. She was found naked in her bed, with no suicide note or any sign of violence. To this day, there are many conspiracy theories and rumours about her death, but none are proved.

Marilyn Monroe starred in many iconic films such as Monkey Business, Some Like it Hot and The Seven Year Itch.

Her beauty and charisma with forever live on and inspire many women to this day.

Floral Friday: Bethan Janine Westran

I found Bethan's work on the Tigerprint blog as one of their Designer Spotlight features last month. 


Her work is extremely beautiful with a great illustrative quality. A lot of her work involves cute little birds which are adorable, but her florals are also very sweet.


As a runner up of Tigerprints 'Design a Print' competition she's obviously a fantastic designer. 


Check out her Designer Spotlight feature here, visit her website here and visit her Facebook page here.

I can't stop listening to...

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

Woodland: New Textile Design Collection

Tonight I've been working on my 'Woodland' textile design collection which I've been meaning to start for a while! 


I've taken four woodland animals: a bear, a stag, a deer and a fox and thrown two woodland flowers into the mix! Sprinkle a few pastel colours here and there and voila! I present to you my 'Woodland' collection.


The collection was designed for stationary and diaries, etc.


See the whole collection here on my website.

Tigerprint Carousel

I'm extremely pleased to say my design for the Tigerprint carousel on their webpage is now live!


The illustration is taken from one of my designs for the Tigerprint Gifted? 2012 competition theme 'Cute as a Button'.


Visit the Tigerprint website here.

"There is a saying in the Neverland, that every time you breathe, a grown up dies." - Peter Pan Collar Trend

"Oh! The Cleverness of me!"

J.M. Barrie - Peter Pan

The Peter Pan Collar trend is a mix of cuteness and sophistication. The trend allows you to accessorise an outfit to make it a little less harsh, and a little more sweet.

There are many tops and dresses out there with the gorgeous rounded neck collar that spurred on the future of the trend: attachable/detachable collars.

These new amazing accessories are a fantastic item to have in your wardrobe (or your jewellery box.. whichever way you look at it!). The full collars you can buy are great if you don't own any shirts as they can be slipped onto the top of a casual round neck to create a more sophisticated look. There are so many different kinds of collars, but a lot of them are beaded and embroidered, making the collar a really gorgeous adornment to any outfit.

An addition to the Peter Pan Collar Trend is the Collar Tips many high street stores are selling. For the smart girls who own a shirt or two but would like to jazz them up a little, these beauties are gold.

As an alternative to a necklace or a large pair of earrings, the Collar Tips are a slightly more eccentric way to explore accessories for clothing.

Take a look at some of my favourite Peter Pan Collars and Collar Tips on the High Street:

A selection from Topshop:

A selection from ASOS:

A selection from Miss Selfridge: