Weekend:IN at Kreativ House

A few weeks ago I was invited to take part in a day of creative workshops run by independent brands with weekend:IN. As someone who teaches a lot of workshops it was lovely to be on the other side for once and learn some new skills. 

Creightons Chocolaterie

We started the morning with an introduction to chocolate making with Creighton‘s Chocolaterie. We learnt to temper chocolate, before pouring it into moulds and creating beautiful swirled designs. I had a go tempering chocolate, using palette knives to lift the molten chocolate up aerating it and allowing it to cool slightly. Cooling the chocolate in this way insures the finished chocolate has a glossy shine and a smooth crack when broken. For my bar I swirled together dark chocolate, white chocolate, raspberry infused white chocolate and real petals, which created a very pretty marbled effect. It was lovely to see how different everyone’s final bars of chocolate work. Creightons are a mother and daughter run independent chocolate producer who have been selling design lead chocolate since 2011. They release new collections of on-trend chocolate bars every season, just like a fashion brand.

Meylor Goods

After lunch we were introduced to Meylor Goods, a minimalist stationery and homeware brand. Taking inspiration from their collection we learnt to embroider T-shirts. Being me I picked something too ambitious and didn’t have a chance to finish it in the session, but it was lovely to sit, chat and sew. Grace, the founder of  Meylor Goods, had bought a selection of her beautiful prints with her. I picked up this minimalist bouquet of flowers, which is now on my wall. 

Leafage

The final workshop of the day with Leafage was possibly my favourite. Leafage teach people how to make beautiful enclosed terrariums. These miniature ecosystems are perfect for gardenless londoners, all they need to thrive is a warm windowsill. It was so fascinating to learn how these miniature greenhouses are constructed. I loved all the specialist tools like the very long scissors and tweezers for reaching down into the glass container. Arranging a perfect minute garden inside a glass jar is not easy, but I’m pretty pleased with how mine turned out.

Thank you weekend:IN for such a lovely and inspiring day, thank you to all the brands you took park for sharing their skills and passion, and thank you Sophie allowing to to use your beautiful photos.

All photos by Sophie Carefull

Own Your Story with Kikki.K

Back in January I had a day of filming with a stationery brand that I really love. Kikki K have just launched a new collection called Own Your Story, and they gave me the opportunity to share a bit more of my story with you. We spent a whole day filming in my local area of North London, and we managed to get some really lovely shots despite the terrible weather. It was so nice to film and the area of london I grew up in, and live in now. The team were a total joy to work with, and 8 hours of filming flew by. I think my followers are very familiar with my work, but maybe not to familiar with my story, so it was nice to share a bit more about my self.

Pass It On with Pink Lady® Apples

A little while ago Pink Lady® Apples got in touch with me to ask if I wanted to take part in their Pass It On campaign. The idea was for a group of bloggers with different specialities to pass on their skills and expertise to each other. I love the chance to try some something new so I was very happy to sign up. I put together a kit of lovely watercolour supplies and a simple tutorial for Laura of Wholeheartedly Healthy (I can't wait to see how she gets on) and I received a surprise package in the post from Sarah of Temporary Secretary.

I received the most lovely package from Sarah. The skill that she had chosen for me to learn was nail art, and she included a selection of nail varnishes and all the tools I needed to get started. She also included lots of lovely bath and skin products, so that I could have a bit of a pamper and relaxation session.

The last time I had a go doing a bit of nail art was back when I was in university, using the wrong end of a paintbrush to make dots on my nails. This time round it was much easier with the proper tools, instructions from Sarah and a whole Pinterest board full of inspiration. I decided to keep it really simple and just use the dot tool rather than the brushes. I'm not that good using my left hand, so I decided to keep my first attempt really easy so they wouldn't be too much of a difference between my left and right hand. It was so much fun to take the time to sit down and do a bit of nail art, waiting patiently for each layer to dry. I'm usually one of those people who is always in a rush and tries to paint their nails 15 minutes before they leave the house and then smudges it on the way out. I've got to say I had a lot of fun trying out the nail art, and every time I look at my nails they just make me smile.

It was also lovely to have a bath and a bit of a pamper session. Baths are one of my favourite things, I think they're probably one of the only times when I'm truly relaxed. Is there anything better than having a bath and putting a podcast on? The kit included some bubble bath, shower gel, body scrub and moisturiser. My favourite is this range from Champneys which says 'a well earned a treat' on top. I love anything handwritten or brush lettered. I've been working very hard recently writing my book  and it's all been pretty non-stop. I have been doing my best not to work 24/7 and to look after myself mentally and physically. I'm honestly a bit of a workaholic, But it's important to remember that the times when I feel like skimping on 'self care' are the times I need it the most. Anyway it was certainly nice to have an excuse to climb into a nice hot bubble bath and forget about work for 40 minutes.

This post has been brought to you in association with Pink Lady® Apples as part of their Pass It On campaign.

Live illustrating with SisterMAG and Alpro

In January illustrator I invited over to SisterMAG's head office in Berlin to live illustrate at a special press event with Alpro. I have worked with SisterMAG for years, so I was really excited to meet the whole team and see their offices. This was also my first time in Berlin, although Berlin in the middle of January is not for the faint hearted.  

The beautiful event featured bloggers and press from all over Germany. The day involved a variety of workshops, beautiful meals, including an amazing brunch provided by Alpro and some show stopping cakes. Activities throughout the day included calligraphy and moodboard making workshops, massages and the chance to be illustrated by me. I was very busy thorughout the day, illustrating guests, the SisterMAG team and people form Alpro. Fortunately I was very well looking after; if only all my jobs can with endless supplies of coffee, crepes and massages. After a busy day of drawing I hopped on a flight back to London.

All photos curtesy of SisterMAG and Saskia Bauermeister