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.

Help the Nepalese family that made this.

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!

I am keeping it short and simple today and letting the visual do the talking!

Look I’m a pin up! Put me on your fridge or near your desk so you remember you don’t have to run about  searching, I’ve already done it for you, I’m just a click away!

Good Morning

One of the perks of working from home for me has to be morning televison or This Morning to be exact.

I love the presenters, Philip & Holly, Eamonn & Ruth and Rylan. They actually cover some very serious and enlightening topics, which I lap up for research purposes obviously. The amazing nutritionist Amelia Freer has been on twice so has Deliciously Ella, the books from both of these ladies are helping me with my Candida Dysbiosis and it’s great to see them promoting what some people still see as a cranks diet! But most of all I love the fact that they make me laugh.

Laughter is a very important thing in life, apart from being one of the most fulfilling emotional releases (which many of us do not get enough of), it’s actually a very good exercise for our core stomach muscles.Imagine how fantastic a washboard stomach just from lots of belly laughter as opposed to crunches! It’s also great for stress and anxiety.

HOT TIP for a flat tummy.

Try standing up straight and blowing up a balloon as much as you can with one big breath, fifteen times, everyday. You use the same muscles as you do for crunches and sit ups, without killing your back!

Mental exercise for your well being is just as important as the physical stuff. For this (apart from my Sudoku addiction) I love The Chase. Bradley Walsh and the chasers apart from being very intelligent and competitive are again very funny. And the fast paced questioning gives your brain a good workout.

I am going to miss this as I am now back in full time employment.

Back to just the balloons and the Sudoku!

Sugar, I’m having a hot flush!

Hot flush

Today I want to talk about hot flashes or flushes as we say in Blighty. Something else like female hair loss that is often sighted as another sign of peri -menopause or early menopause, but is it?

My Mother will tell you that the worst part of menopause is the flushes which boil up and overtake your body like a possessive demon. This is what makes you lash out, swear and throw things, apparently, I was sure this is the same as what happens to me at P.M.T time.

I am actually not very good with heat anyway, I tend to get panicky and cry a lot because I just can’t function, I get brain fog, sickness, headaches or sometimes I just pass out!

Discovering my Candida Dysbiosis, was like having all my prayers answered in one go. Even going on the initial elimination diet (no wheat, gluten, dairy or sugar) unveiled so much. When I do have the odd intake of sugar, I can instantly feel it surging through my body, flushing my face, making me dizzy and of course sending my temperature soaring.

I totally agree with recent news pieces about the dangers and over consumption of sugar, I think it has a lot more to answer for than just obesity and premature aging. I know this through my own ‘experiments’ with it. Much as I love it I know it to be the food of all evil, I used to think that was tomatoes!

But when I am being really good and eating (and drinking) really clean, I do not suffer from any of these things but best of all no hot flushes! And because I am not overloading on carbs, chocolate and other unnecessary ‘comfort’ foods (sugar) at period time, I do not try to kill anyone or jump out of any windows.

How to take off nineteen years.

According to the Wiifit I am 26 years old and a friend I haven’t seen for 25 years tells me I haven’t changed a bit, so how have I done it, I hear you ask? After the last few years of drama and depression it’s a mystery.

Just over a year ago I was introduced, by my chiropractioner, to a fantastic clean, pure, botanical company called Arbonne.

Like most people I was skeptical at first, until I did some research and tested the products myself. My Mums’ breast cancer made me realise that there has to be a connection with what we ingest, whether orally or topically, and cancer. So the fact that all of Arbonnes products are botanically based with no nasties like parabens or man made fragrance, really appealed to me. Have you thought about the fact that whatever you put on your skin, shower gel, body lotion even shampoo gets into your system, into your blood, and if it’s not pure and natural it can be doing all sorts of harm internally.

Parabens, that’s been a buzz word for a while now, did you know they are a mineral oil, a derivative of petrol! Most cosmetics and beauty products use parabens for bulking up, then they add some chemical perfume and then you put this petrol and chemical mix on your face!

I decided to become an Independent Consultant for Arbonne, ie. I sell their products but it is my own part of the business, to sell in my way for my reasons. I sell it because I love the purity and green philosophy and I know that it is not harming me, my friends & family or the planet. Also I love the fact that it works, it actually does what it says on the bottle!

I have tried and tested most of the products in the catalogue, I can’t sell them if I don’t have personal experience. My favourite is the RE9 anti-aging skincare range, apart from the fact that it does anti-age you it smells beautiful and makes you feel good, so you do have a natural glow. My Mum tells me she ‘can’t live without it’ and her skin has never felt so good or got so many compliments, my Mum is 70.

If you want full, bouncing, shiny hair I recommend the FC5  shampoo and conditioner and the thermal fusion scalp revitaliser (once a week), this combination has helped me with the battle against badly thinning hair (depression, candida dysbiosis), and an aunt with post chemotherapy regrowth.

A  friend who has been plagued with nasty psoriasis, has this summer been able to wear short sleeved tops and skirts for the first time in years. She has used a combination of the baby ABC body wash, with the ABC body lotion mixed with a couple of drops of FC5 oil, twice a day. She had tried everything off the shelves and prescribed but nothing was able to help.

And another friend, who is a model and beauty queen, swears by the protein shakes to give her the kick she needs during the day and to help her loose a centimeter here and there. She loves the flavour & texture and the fact that they (you have two during the day) keep her full until her proper nutritional dinner.

These are just a few of the successes I have had with Arbonne and I would love to hear your experiences too.

It is ever so simple, log on to : http://leciafinch.arbonne.com/ and treat yourself to something that is doing us all good, especially you. There are many benefits to joining as a Preferred client, 20% discount and lots of other offers and deals but you can also become a Consultant like me and run your own business, earn a bit of extra cash (who doesn’t need that?) and feel the content knowing you are helping to save the planet and the people that live on it.

Feel like a bit of old rope?

I know when I do, it’s time to get back on track with Amelia Freer.

The news yesterday was that we all have to half our sugar intake, well I am definitely one of those that needs to stop it altogether!  I suffer from Candida Dysbiosis, a leaky gut caused by the overgrowth of yeast spores that leech and live on the yeast created by sugar and white carbohydrates. Causing, among other debilitating symptoms. extreme tiredness and fatigue, digestive issues, lack of concentration, poor memory, lack of focus and brain fog, skin issues, mood swings, anxiety & depression, headaches, sore throats and infections.

Now whilst I know this, I also have the terrible fate of being a total ice cream addict. A carton of Ben & Jerrys only lasts about half an hour in my hands, four almond magnums? don’t mind if I do, then I have to go out and hide the package evidence in a nearby bin so that my other half doesn’t know. Confessing this to you helps, but I need to have a serious word with my willpower. This has gone beyond just being about, gluttony or emotional eating it’s about my general health, ‘I must not feed the spores they make me really ill.’

So, on waking up feeling mega c**p again this morning I decided that today was the day, I put this to bed. Lets face it when I go back to full time work on the 28th I’m not going to have the time to pop to the shops and eat nonsense. The plan is to force myself to eat salad during the day and when I get home it will be too late to mess about so, steamed vegetables.

Today is mostly about liquids of water and the green tea variety, with eggs and smoked salmon (good protein) for breakfast and a prawn and mango stir fry for dinner ( yes @FreerNutrition, the one you made on @itv_this Morning).

I’m busy planning all of my blogs, newsletters, posts and content for the re-launch of new look Hat Attic so I might as well add in planning menus and shopping lists for the big return, I’m not going to have time for messing about!

I have got my vitamins  lined up to top up my energy levels and keep me tip top, I need to make sure I do the rest right and practice what I preach!

I can’t be  Wonder Woman if I feel like a bit of old rope can I?

The penny has dropped!

It’s only taken 45 years 9 months!

When I was five I wanted to be a fashion designer, twelve, a textile designer, at nineteen I had to go into what I knew, fashion shop manager. So you can see I have always been a dedicated follower of fashion in one way or another.

From managing a shop in the Fulham Road, being an assistant manager of a very fancy designer shop in Knightsbridge and a concession manager in a department store I made it into said department stores buying office. I was to spend the next seventeen years dedicating my life to learning, striving and battling bullying to climb the career ladder, I was going to get my buyership even if it killed me, and it damned near did!

The MD that was bullying me died and suddenly it was all change, in with the new out with the old. Suddenly we started seeing members of our beloved ‘family’ disappearing, my turn came suddenly in October 2013, just after my 44th birthday.

I was thrown into major depression, anxiety and panic attacks, nervous breakdown country.

In the last year and nine months with very close monitoring by my brilliant GP (when I actually can get an appointment), C.B.T , my amazing counsellor and my love of reading and learning, I have managed to pull myself out of the abyss and make the improvements I feel comfortable with.

I have decided that I don’t have to meet other peoples approval by dressing, acting and being a certain way, I wear what I like, because it suits me, it’s my look. I have always refused to be anybody’s little ‘fashionista’ but even more so now, I don’t have that sort of precious attitude. I love my family, friends and the planet we all live on, I want to live as cleanly and quietly as possible, that includes my diet, skincare and all other products that I need to use. I prefer to use alternative or holistic medicines as far as I can (I find diet has a lot to do with that) and most unlike anyone in my ‘sector’ I do not want to be seen as judgmental. I have never been a materialistic sort of girl, despite my job, so to go to work and not have major responsibilities and just be able to bring in enough to pay the rent and put food on the table is enough for me. My fabulous website, that has been created purely to help people (like me now!) who have no spare time to be messing about looking all over town for that perfect gift or classic accessory, will provide me with a bit of extra, to be able to treat myself now and then.

The penny has dropped, I am now my own woman, who is practicing emotional detachment, mindful meditations, eating and living cleanly. I am happy, healthy and looking forward to living my carefree, comfortable life in my way with my nearest and dearest.