High five to me, I’ve only gone and done it!

Thirty days ago I took up the challenge of writing 30 blogs for 30 consecutive days – easy some of you may say but I come from the world of fashion buying and being a hands on creative, I have had to learn to be a writer.

I had to learn to be a copy writer and blogger for my eccommerce site  Hat Attic, I couldn’t afford to employ anyone so had to learn from scratch how to do everything.

Sarah and Kevan Arrows challenge has been a great learning curve for me and although at times I have found it really hard I have thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a hell of a lot on the journey.

“You get a good set of data to analyse.When you do a blogging challenge you work a little bit harder on your blogging. This means you start using keywords, an editorial calender and all the things you should be doing but don’t currently do.” Sarah Arrow.

Sarahs daily emails nudge you into new ways of thinking, planning and communicating without imposing on your own creativity. It has made me realise that I have something to say that other people are interested in and that those people appreciate me for being me.

The challenge has made me understand who my ‘Super customer’ is, which is the key to my marketing strategy. I now know I can talk to her without changing anything, by just being me.

“Rewards include being found better in search engines, increased social proof and the ability to network with others building their blog too.”

In conclusion I have found the challenge invaluable to learning my new trade of communication. It has given me another string to my bow.

So instead of just wildly throwing out a few sentences here and there “spraying and praying” Claire Mitchell, Awesome Business school, take some time, 30 days in fact and learn to do it properly.

I have completed my first challenge and will do it again, but for now I am just going to use everything I have learnt to make the blogs on my website even better so please subscribe to Hat Attic for newsletters and continue to read the benefits of my wisdom. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

I just want someone to talk to!

I am a 45 year old woman who two years ago found myself without my job of 18 years. After battling my way through a nervous breakdown, chronic depression and anxiety I now find myself working full time in sales (eight hours a day on my feet, five days a week!)  and running two business’s of my own. I am an Independent consultant for Arbonne, a beauty, health and well being company and also my baby Hat Attic, a fashion accessories and gifting eccommerce site I set up to help women like me! In that I mean women without the time or quite frankly the patience to be running up and down the rather repetitive high street, where there are no hat departments, looking for that perfect gift, hat, scarf or necklace – YOU in other words!

I would like to share the ‘wealth’ of the wisdom I have picked up over my career with you and will do in a series of blogs and newsletters, subscribe on the home page and make sure you don’t miss any of these pearls. Or please get in touch at hello@hatattic.com if you have any particular questions or quandaries that I can help you with. Maybe you want to pick my brains about your skincare, what sort of hat you need for a particular occasion or are looking for a particular gift, or maybe you just want to say ‘hello’.

I am waiting and looking forward to hearing from you.x

Goodies for sale!

Yesterday I gave you five reasons for shopping at Hat Attic, today I am going to give you more of an overview of what we do, it’s not just hats you know!

Chimeera String lady in red and green

Fabulous scarves and shawls.

Some classic very fine knit shawls by Travelwrap. Great to take on holiday for the flight and those chilly evenings.

Beautiful woven and elegantly tasselled shalls by Cocowai, we donate 10% of each sale (and Cocowai match it) back to the families who actually made them to help get them back on their feet after the recent earthquake.

Simply stunning digitally printed silk crepe de chine scarves and canvas clip purses, with original artwork from the gorgeous Carol Anne Scowcroft.

Artisan leather bags and jewellery by Sardinias own Andrea Masia.Each item lovingly designed and made by his own fair hands in his sunny Sardinian studio.

Sparkling and mindful jewellery.

All that glitters is Amadoria! Inspired by tradition and crafted in amazing technicolour and sparkle.

A gift from the heart are the sentiments in the silver bangles and semi-precious stone bracelets with meaningful emblems.

Non- toxic nail polish by Mint, five carconogenics free, clean colours for your nails.

The cutest kiddies range from Catherine Tough, although I defy any grown up to resist Ellie or Flamingo!

And lets not forget the simply gorgeous collectable handmade dolls from the lovely girls at Blackbird Secrets. All made with vintage fabrics and accessories and hand painted faces. Every girl should have at least one of these beauties.

Blackbird Secrets, Amy.

There are lots of other weird and wonderful things that you need in the shop, like Sushi socks or hairbands that don’t pull or kink your hair and lets not forget all of the wonderful hats, by leading designers. The fun doesn’t stop in the Attic, I need you to shop, and photograph, blog and generally keep in touch. Come and subscribe to the newsletter so that you can keep up to date with what we are up to.

Five great things about Hat Attic and why you should shop there!

I started Hat Attic with a particular purpose in mind, to fill your world with beauty and make you smile. Here are a few other good reasons for you to love it.

1. There is a great mix of fashion accessories ie.jewellery, cashmere and silk scarves, leather bags and purses, toxin free nail polish, hair accessories and quirky gifts ie.collectable dolls, sushi socks!, books and baby bits and of course beautiful hats!
2. You don’t have to leave the house or run up and down the high street (only to find exactly the same things in every store).
3. Some of the things are exclusive and you will not find them on the high street. eg. Mint polish, Blackbird Secret dolls.
4. Delivery is cheap and quick, in most cases 1-2 days (UK). Designer hats being the exception, they are made specially for you so we need at least two weeks.
5. We can ship all over the world!

Test me out, start shopping now.

A little bit of living and loving does ya good!

I am proud to be a born and bred Londoner, there’s not that many of us around any more! Despite all of the wonderful cities around the world I have visited I can not imagine ever living anywhere else. But something is happening to our wonderful capital, something that maybe only us city dwellers can see.

Cross rail is taking over the West end where we had vibrant bars, restaurants, live music venues and clubs we now have a great new rail line and massive stations being built! So yay we will be able to get across London in seconds but will there be anywhere to go to when we get there, anything exciting to see apart from the shiny new station.

Talking of stations that brings me neatly to the drama of the last two days. I know it is controversial  as the many station workers, drivers etc are adamant that they are striking for a great and worthy cause but they are perhaps the only sector that can strike and hold the whole of the working public to ransom at the same time. Unfortunately not bringing much sympathy to their cause only bitterness. Many of us Londoners now have to work two or more jobs to be able to live, I myself now work full time from 10-8 five days a week whilst also running my own two businesses www.hatattic.com and leciafinch.arbonne.com (plus running a home, washing, cooking and cleaning etc). Tube drivers (and yes I saw the programme I know the ‘stress’ they are under, driving through tunnels all day, making mumbled announcements and opening and closing doors) get paid a kings ransom of a sum in comparison to most of us. They are saying that they are not striking because of the money but because of new shifts in line with the new night tube. But it is not the general publics fault yet we are the ones that pay the price. Wearing out our shoe leather and having to walk two hours to get to work, then having to stand for eight hours once we get there! I thought I was being clever last night by going out to dinner with a friend and waiting a few hours thinking the bus queues would have calmed down. But no I still had to get on any bus I could and go the circuitous route home, taking three buses instead of one and not getting home until 11pm. The fun didn’t stop there I still had my blog to write, lunch to make for today and an order to process.

But at the end of the day, I am a Londoner and how ever bad it gets I still and always will love it.

Stop life and shop!

I have been asked to write about what I do if I have a block or a lull in my business.It’s quite simple I go shopping, quite literally!
Any shop whether physical or on line needs to keep it’s customer interested. In an actual store you re-merchandise, move the stock around with the view that people see things in a different light, see things that perhaps they hadn’t noticed before. On line it is similar in the fact that you have to change the visuals and message of your home page, maybe a seasonal or weather purpose, or an event or holiday, Mothers Day or Halloween. Or sometimes I have to literally drop in a new collection, to add a new dimension.
My most recent new pieces have been some wonderful paper panama trilbies and fedoras in classic colours and a stunning summer blue, the colour of the ocean. This was in conjunction with the heatwave and my Know your UVB’s from your UVA’s blog. Which is an information piece about summer protection essentials like sun cream, sunglasses and sunhats.

We are in the process of completely re-designing www.hatattic.com  with a fantastic photoshoot that we did with my incredibly creative photographer friend Mark Basten.

So in conclusion you need to put us in your address book and check in to see what we are up to, it will be all sparkly and new any day/week/month now!

My hat of the moment.

I have a real passion for hats, beautiful, unusual occasion hats and everyday practical ones, I very rarely leave the house without one. This is one reason I created my website www.hatattic.com, due to a shortage of creative hat departments with a wonderful varied selection, I wanted to take the department I was known for online.

My plan is to share with you a selection of my favourite milliners, many I have worked with for many years and add some new designers that are breaking through. I aim to have both quirky and classic occasion pieces and some fabulous easy to wear, practical everyday hats. The designer hats will all be made specially for you so you will need to give us at least three weeks to make and ship to you. We can ship all over the world.

On of my favourite pieces this summer is the gorgeous little mini boater by Lizzie McQuade.

I am interested to know your view on the subject. Do you wear hats? Do you wear them everyday or just on special occasions? Please feel free to send me pictures of your favourite hats, maybe you make them yourself? Whatever your reason I would like to know.

An InLinkz Link-up

Help the Nepalese family that made this.

Clothes come in sizes not ages (unless you are under fifteen).

There have been a lot of ‘news’ reports on scandalous body image advertising and ideals recently. The most notorious being the Protein worlds  “Are you beach body ready” which leads my nicely to Janet Street Porters piece about not wearing a bikini after the age of 20.

I do understand Janet’s argument and that is what works for her but I think it’s outrageous to start putting these ideas into women’s heads and start putting age restrictions on clothing. We have enough subliminal confidence thrashing as it is. If you have the confidence in your mind and body and are comfortable with yourself then you shouldn’t be put off from wearing whatever you like – I do however draw the line at a thong, that is a garment that is friend to no one!

Janet claims that ” A bikini simply makes all women over the age of twenty feel exposed, vulnerable and a little bit ridiculous. Put one on head to the pool and there is always going to be a teenager looking 200 per cent better than you.”

I would like to argue that teenagers do not always look better or certainly not sexier than a confident, curvy, real woman, and I am not just talking bikinis either!

I am definitely a bikini girl and I’m nearly forty six. i actually find swimsuits a bit claustrophobic and too hot. I take regular stabs at looking after myself and always look after my skin, so I know I do not look my age, but I have never consciously tried to be bikini ready. Neither have I fallen foul to Janet’s ” Temporary insanity that comes with trying to keep up with a much younger partner.”

My partner is 29 and he loves me the way I am, that is why he is with me. I don’t understand why you would try and change what he was attracted to in the first place. Yes I agree maintenance is required but not actually time turning!

What do you think? Has Janet toughed a raw nerve with you? Do you draw the line anywhere, believing you are too old to wear a particular garment? I am really curious, so let me know.

Walking on air!

I was virtually crying by the time I made it home last night, with the added agony of new shoe blisters!

So I soaked my poor tootsies in a bath of Arbonne Aromassentials Unwind bath salts, to draw out the pain!, then slathered my feet and legs in Renewing Body Gelee (on of my favourite multipurpose products). This gelee is like heaven in a tub, it is refreshing, cooling and hydrating. I use it for aching muscles after exercise or if my arthritis is giving me jip, my Mum uses it for her restless leg syndrome.

I haven’t used the Cooling Foot Creme yet (I have ordered it though) I plan to use it throughout the day as it is said to nourish, exfoliate and hydrate without being greasy.

I was able to sleep much easier, like a baby in fact, with soft, tingling limbs!

I’m sure you all have some life saving tips that I need to know about, so get in touch, care and share!