Rock The Week

Fashion related (and totally non-fashion related) things that have made my world go round over the last seven days…

• Magpie nests. On Monday I went to the launch of a new pop-up shop on Gloucester Road, The Nest. A teeny weeny shop packed with local designers, jewellers and cake-makers, the shop is the the brainchild of Magpies & I, better known for their markets around Bristol. The shop is open until next Friday so pop in and say hello to owner Sian if you’re in the area!
• On Tuesday I treated myself to a belated birthday mini facial from Origins. Based in House of Fraser, Cabot Circus, I’ve been a frequent visitor to Origins for a couple of years now and given how dry my skin has been recently it appreciated the attention. Give it a try if you have stressed out or sensitive skin – it’s the perfect post-work pampering treat : )
• This week I also finally posted about the fact I’m on Instagram now. I’m still getting to grips with it but I have lots of questions in the post about how you use it, so please have a read and tell me how often you use it and who your fave Instagramers are!

What’s been rocking your world this week? Let me know by commenting below…

Ship-Shape is on Instagram!

            

Having recently upgraded from a Blackberry to a shiny new Android phone, one of the things I was most excited about was all the apps I’d have access to (Blackberrys have quite a pitiful selection) and that includes Instagram.

After reading articles that discussed how Instagram could ruin blogging, put an end to digital photography and generally wreck lives, I was a bit sceptical. Would Instagram stop me from blogging regularly or mean I never pick up my DSLR or Diana Dreamer again? That would be a big fat no, so here I am.

If you’d like to follow me on @shipshapebf then please do, though truth be told, I’m more excited about experimenting with all the different effects and filters than accruing hundreds of likes/followers. So far I’ve found a couple of inspiring Instagram posts, the first being from Moi Minnie, who has a really interesting take on using colour (or not, as the case may be) in her Instagram images, and another post from IFB with a host of creative fashion blog Instargramers.

I can safely say I’ll be sticking to capturing Bristol, cake and clothes I’m coveting on camera, at least for now. Yes, it’s cliché, but then I did learn all I know about Instagram from this College Humour video… Are you on Instagram? If so, what filters do you love using and who are your favourite Instergramers to follow?

            
Top row: Mini lomo ‘Evelyn’ camera in pastel pink; my first Ship-Shape and Bristol Fashion Instagram; an outfit I put together for the #myreisslook style challenge. Bottom row: The Nest pop-up shop on Gloucester Road; my sliver brogues, aka happy shoes; tasty looking Pearly King Cake cupcakes at The Nest launch party. 

The Nest: Magpies & I Pop-Up Shop at Room 212 on Gloucester Road

The pop-up concept is alive and well on Gloucester Road as The Nest opened at Room 212 today. Tucked away under a colourful stripy canape, Room 212 occupies the same part of the road as Billie Jean, Fig and the Golden Lion pub and is Bristol’s smallest art gallery.

The gallery has been transformed into a magpie’s nest, and for the next two weeks will be full of vintage clothes, handmade jewellery and tasty looking cupcakes.

Sian is the woman behind The Nest, which is an extension of her popular market Magpies & I. Split between Bristol and Altrincham, the vintage markets are a passion that Sian juggles alongside her full time job. As a result, the pop-up shop will open at 12pm during the week, trading until 7pm.

The Nest stocks a range of local designers, including Priormade who create hand-finished geometric jewellery, and Faith & Betty, who make delicious smelling organic bath bombs and soaps. Another brand that caught my eye was Re Be, a Bath based clothing company specialising in transforming pre-loved clothes into child and baby clothes, including adorable playsuits and dungarees from old shirts.

I went to the opening yesterday evening (I’m still kicking myself that I forgot to try one of the delicious looking Pearly King Cake cupcakes) and discovered not only some wonderful accessories and homewares, but also that The Nest is hosting a swap shop this Friday evening. If you have any handmade or vintage pieces you’d like to part with, you can trade them with a piece from one of the traders. I love a good bit of swapping so I’m tempted to pop along – see you there?

The Nest is open 12-7pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am-6pm Saturday to Sunday until 25th May. The Swap Shop takes place this Friday (19th May) from 6-8pm, and for more information you can visit the Magpies & I website.

Rock The Week

Fashion related (and totally non-fashion related) things that have made my world go round over the last seven days…

• Bank holidays. Despite how long ago it feels, Monday was a glorious day off from work, spent hiking around Cheddar Gorge – followed by a mandatory ice cream – and having friends over for a BBQ in the evening. It’s just a shame the sun didn’t stick around for the rest of the week.
• Spirit of summer. Between the mass murder of ants, a computer on the blink and some freelance projects, I haven’t had much time to blog this week, but I did make it down to Reiss in Quakers Friars on Thursday evening for their Spirit of Summer event and Instagram challenge. It was a fun evening and was topped off with a spot of shopping in Cabot Circus with Beautiful Plumage, which was great for Topshop’s tills, not so great for my bank balance…
  
• Back in the saddle. I’ve been keeping up with running (twice this week but only a few miles for each run) and this morning Mr Ship-Shape and I cycled 15 miles along the Bristol to Bath cycle path. It was so nice and although I know my thighs will be killing tomorrow morning, it felt great to spend a couple of hours exercising outside. The path is popular with cyclists, runners and dog walkers and is great if (like me) you don’t fancy cycling alongside double decker buses and speeding cars!

What’s been rocking your world this week? Let me know by commenting below…

Rock The Week

Fashion related (and totally non-fashion related) things that have made my world go round over the last seven days…

• It’s May! How is it possibly May already, eh? It feels like only days ago that we were trudging through February wearing more layers than Jon Snow (little bit obsessed with Game of Thrones at the moment) and now here we are in May, replacing winter coats with sunglasses and choosing bare legs over tights. The countdown to summer is officially on…
• Lomography. This week I shared a few more double exposure lomo shots from the last couple of months, taken using my Diana Dreamer camera. The results are mixed but now that the weather is changing for the better, hopefully the next batch will be even more colourful.
• Owls. Gift Owl featured on the blog on Tuesday and apparently they’re working bespoke wedding gift packages  so if you’re looking for a present for a friend or loved one, pop along to their website to see how they work. Choosing presents all days sounds like my kind of job
• Pussy cats. Today I spent the afternoon at a bake ‘n’ bitch session (far more friendly than the name suggests) where I met this little lady, above. My friend picked up her new kitten this morning, so the last few hours have been spent drinking Pimm’s, eating banana bread and playing with Tilly the kitten – heaven!

What’s been rocking your world this week? How are you spending the Bank Holiday weekend. Let me know by commenting below…

Lomo Love: Colour Negative 100 film

Lomography is still very new to me, and unlike digital, it’s a medium that can’t be perfected with the push of a button. Waiting to pick up the film and pulling open the oblong envelope is always exciting, as you can never guarantee quite what you’ll find inside. Although I had great results with Redscale XR film a few months ago, I wanted to experiment with Colour Negative 100 film, which is what these shots were taken on.

The film performs best in bright sunlight, which wasn’t ideal given how miserable spring has been, but I’m optimistic that the next roll will be used in better conditions – yesterday was so warm that I ate lunch outside, so here’s hoping!

These double exposure shots were taken in and around Bristol, and on my recent weekend in Cornwall. The bleeding in some photos is from not unloading the film properly (oops!), but I kind of like the effects.

If you use a lomo camera and have any tips to share then please let me know in the comments!

Gift Owl: hand-picked surprises

Surprises – you either love them or hate them. Personally I can’t get behind the haters – to me there is nothing more exciting than planning a surprise or being on the receiving end of one, from Christmas presents to birthday treasure hunts and unexpected adventures.

So it was with delight that I was handed an envelope before Valentine’s Day this year which was a surprise in itself, as Mr Ship-Shape and I don’t ‘do’ Valentine’s in this house. I excitedly opened it to find an owl waiting for me.

Gift Owl is a gift-finding service with a twist – instead of picking out what you want, Gift Owl will put together a personalised package, wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string, full of products picked for you, based on how you fill out their quirky questionnaire.

After describing my perfect day and listing my favourite colour/book/film etc, I sent the questionnaire back and waited. This is an additional bonus of the service – due to the custom selection of gifts, packages can take around 30 days to arrive, so by the time a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string arrived, I’d completely forgotten about it!

Based on my responses, I unwrapped an illustration of a violin (my childhood instrument) printed on sheet music, a set of Mac & Ninny cupcake bookplates (for loaning out recipe books) and my favourite surprise gift, a Quote Tote that Gift Owl picked for me to ‘put your camera in for your next walk around Bristol’. The bag comes with a printed quote that can be stitched over, which is also a nod to the fact that I enjoy handsewn embroidery.

If you’re stuck for gift ideas for a friend or know someone who goes ga-ga for surprises then Gift Owl is worth checking out. They have three different price options, starting from £12.99, so they’re an affordable and quirky option.

P.S. This isn’t a sponsored post – I just really love this company’s concept!