Bye Bye Belfast

Hello dear readers! It's been a little while since my last post. A lot has happened in my life in the mean time. After finishing up work in Belfast, my husband and I decided - rather suddenly - to move back to my home country. So now, a month later, we are sort of settled in lovely, chilly and hopefully-soon-snowy Switzerland. I'll be sharing my thoughts on the future of FairEnough soon, but for now, it is time to take stock, look back and say Good-Bye to my dear Belfast.We had a great year in this beautiful city. We met great people and discovered amazing places. As my tribute to Belfast, I thought I would share some of my favourite vintage, second-hand and creative spots with you!

Shops

Rusty Zip

Rusty Zip * 28 Botanic Avenue * Belfast

On the beautiful Botanic Avenue, home to many Queens University students, you'll find Belfast's oldest vintage and second-hand store; Rusty Zip. This gem of a shop has been a huge help to me in my challenge to only wear vintage and second-hand for a year. On its - now much brighter and lighter - shelves and racks you will find an excellent selection of vintage clothes and accessories from a range of decades. The emphasis is on the 60's and 70's, but you may find some 20's and 40's pieces too. Rusty Zip also has a brilliant second-hand selection featuring most high-street brand names, such as Topshop or French Connection. This is a great place to find a real treasure at a bargain price and on Sunday, there's a 10% Discount for students!

Oxfam Botanic

Oxfam Botanic * 88 Botanic Avenue *Belfast

A little up the road you'll find what I think is one of the best Oxfam shops. Those of you who follow my blog will recognize this as the shop I worked in for a day for my Charity Shop post. Oxfam Botanic sells lots of high quality second-hand and great and very cheap vintage clothes. The shop also has a great jewellery selection. The staff in both shops are lovely, friendly and very helpful.

Vintage

Vintage * 78 - 80 Royal Avenue * Belfast

It may not look like much from the outside, but Vintage is a great little charity shop. To be fair, the majority of clothes are second-hand rather than vintage, but I've discovered some real treasures here, including a Vivienne Westwood dress.
Nestled at the top of the Royal Avenue, Vintage is run by the East Belfast Mission. The charity is behind a number of other cool social enterprises, such as Recycle, a bicycle upcycling service.
Out of the three shops, Vintage is by far the cheapest. So why don't you pop down, have a nosy and support the work of this great charity.

Refound

ReFound * 7 Wellington Place * Belfast

I know, I know, I keep going on about this place, but it really was one of my favourites in Belfast, so I just have to mention it again here. ReFound is a great shop based on a brilliant concept. Behind ReFound stands an artist collective that - using their impressive skills - breathes new life into old and unwanted furniture. In ReFound you will find the most unique and most imaginative things to decorate your house with.
All of this is organized by the lovely Jill, who I had the pleasure of working with on different occasions, including the fun 5-9 talks we organized. I will miss this place badly and I wish Jill and her artists all the success in the world. I really hope this place takes off even more than it already has. If you visit Belfast, this is a MUST-SEE!

Markets

I love going to markets and in this respect, Belfast has lots to offer. 

St. George's Market

St. George's Market * 12 - 20 East Bridge Street

Known and loved by all Belfastians, the St. George's market happens every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Friday Variety Market dates back to 1604 (!) and sells a tempting mix of products including local fruit, veg and fish, antiques, books or clothes. The Saturday market focusses on local and continental specialty food and on the Sunday, you will find a mix of both of them, accentuated by a different musical entertainment every week. Lots of local craftspeople and artists sell their goodies at this market. It is a great place to find unique gifts and stuff your tummy with gorgeous food!


Fashion Souk

The Fashion Souk * Spires Mall *Belfast

Wanting to make fashion and shopping greener and more environmentally friendly, founders Aly and Linzi started the Fashion Souk. The bi-monthly market takes place at Spires Mall in the heart of Belfast city centre and offers fashionistas a huge choice of preloved luxury labels, vintage and retro items, as well as locally designed accessories and furnishings. There's always a great atmosphere at the Souk with music and fashion shows making this a truly unique shopping event.
The Souk is now no longer confined to Belfast, but has expanded and is happening all over Northern Ireland. Check out their webiste for locations. The next Belfast market is happening on the 7th of December. Don't miss it!

Frock Around the Clock

Frock Around the Clock Vintage

Featuring up to 50 stalls at any given event, the Frock around the Clock Vintage fairs unite vintage dealers from all over Ireland and the UK. The markets usually take place in gorgeous locations; such as country houses, grand estates and castles. At Frock Around the Clock you'll find high quality vintage and vintage-inspired garments, accessories and home-wares. Prices tend to be a little higher, but you can also catch some real bargains. In conjunction with their vintage markets, they also run the stunning vintage bridal fairs Rock the Frock. If I could get married again, I would definitely go looking for my dress there!

Hangouts

Finally I wanted to share two of my favourite places to hang out and spend time in Belfast.

Black Bear Café

Black Bear Café * 17 Stranmillis Road * Belfast, Pics: Tripadvisor

 Right across from the Ulster Museum is the cozy Black Bear Café in which I spent many hours drinking good coffee and looking though their hipster magazines. Black Bear frequently displays art by local and emerging artists and sells gorgeous organic and vegan food. Their lunches are delicious and they make superb scrambled eggs!

The Black Box

The Black Box * 18 - 22 Hill Street

The Black Box is one of the most versatile venues I've ever come across. The events here cater to even the most obscure and diverse tastes. I visited it for the first time at an upcycling fashion show, which was great fun.
The Black Box gives local artists from every artform a platform to show their work. I love their little café and bar - the Green Room. On the first Thursday of every month, after Late Night Art, one of my favourite events happens here. Real Sketchy invites artists and common folk into the Green room for a sketch fest. You can have a drink, watch people sketch and draw, have a go yourself and buy any sketches you like! Genius!

It seems I could go on about Belfast forever, but now it really is time to say good-bye. Take care, dear Belfast - You will be missed and I promise I'll come back to visit soon!

The Craft to Inspire

Jim Melin inspiring us all

Last Friday, the second talk in the series of 5-9 talks brought together a bunch of committed crafters and artists, who spend the few free hours of their busy days making and creating beautiful things and an audience, excited to hear about how they do it. And that's what the 5-9 talks, co-organized by ReFound Belfast and FairEnough Blog, are all about; inspiring people. Isn't it true that we often don't achieve the really amazing things during working hours, but afterwards, once we get home, once we can do what we really want? I'm sure many of you have a 5-9 passion of your own. So last Friday, the very talented craftspeople Sue Cathcart, Alison Lowry and Jim Melin showed us how and why they sacrifice so much of their free time for their art.

Derry Walls by Mr. Papers

Besides being an outreach officer for the Ulster Museum, Sue Cathcart is the face behind the eccentric Mr. Papers who appears on lots of hilarious and distinctly Northern Irish Greeting Cards. Made out of old pages of the Belfast Telegraph, Mr. Papers cards are - like most of Sue's craft - wholly recycled. Sue doesn't just make cards though, she can fashion almost anything from paper, including beautiful statues and figurines. Head over to Mr. Papers' website to find out more!

Triptych of Life

Next up was Alison Lowry, who, next to raising three kids, somehow finds time to make the most stunning glass art. Alison is inspired by her Irish heritage and the female craft of lace-making and sowing that runs in her family. In her piece Triptych of Life, she manages to capture the fragility and delicacy of an Irish lace christening gown in rigid glass. Alison shared a great deal about her techniques in creating these pieces and she also teaches classes where you can try your hand at making beautiful glass pieces or learn about pate de verre.

a wall made out of pallets by Jim Melin

Lastly, Jim Melin took us on a tour de force of his incredibly varied and inspiring work. Employed as a teacher during the day, Jim uses his free time to literally make everything out of anything! A mural out of bottle tops, a wall out of old pallets, a tree out of books... you name it, he's probably made it. Jim doesn't see rubbish as rubbish... he sees endless possibilities. He also can't stick to one art form... most recently, he's even tried his hand at welding. You can buy his rustic and beautifully industrial furniture pieces at ReFound Belfast.




I think it's not an exaggeration to say that we all left with lots of ideas blooming in our mind, inspired by having heard people talk about their passion... I have to say, I can't wait for the next one...

Arists in Focus: Crafty Stitching

For my second Artists in Focus post I'm excited to introduce you to Nuala Maguire, the crafty face behind Bluebird and one of the artists for ReFound Belfast. Nuala is, among other things, a free-lance textile artist specialising in up-cycling. Years and years ago, she actually started out with a degree in footwear and accessory design, but never took up work in the fashion industry. Instead, she trained as a conservator and worked for the museum and heritage sector, something she still enjoys doing today. 

Crafts was always something she kept up on the side, but when Nuala moved back to Belfast she started to seriously look into it as a business. Setting up her own crafts business was difficult. "Making the things is the easy part", she comments, "it's the 'selling' that requires a different set of skills." The Market Start Up Program run by Belfast City Council was a huge help to her in getting her business on the way. The project, which is free of charge, helps those dedicated to opening their own food or crafts business by teaching them necessary skills, such as marketing and financial planning. The program made her realise how important it is to have a brand identity, a theme. And as part of it, she got to sell her wares at St. George's Market, a beautiful food an crafts market happening every week on Saturday and Sunday in Belfast. 

For Bluebird, she creates beautiful vintagy accessories and jewellery, such as purses, earrings or bangles inspired by the 1940s. Her inspiration for bluebird comes from the Mend and Make Do spirit of the Second World War, where things and materials were re-used and mended. Nuala can literally find a use for everything. Even the tiniest scraps of fabric she works into pretty pins and earrings. A best-seller are the bangles she creates out of old plastic knitting needles by bending them into shape. 

"I look at 'rubbish' as a material. I love finding worth in what people discard and turning it into something useful and beautiful. The down-side is, I can't throw anything out anymore! I literally cannot walk past a skip!"

When one of her friends was about to throw out over a hundred vinyl records, she took them and created brooches and necklaces out of them. The new material was interesting for her to work with. It was a challenge, something different. Word got around quickly, and now people constantly 'gift' her 'left-over materials'.

Her work for ReFound follows similar principles. As one of the Refound artists, she up-cycles and re-styles old furniture which is then sold at the beautiful ReFound boutique at the heart of Belfast's city centre. Although working on furniture, Nuala always manages to incorporate her textile skills. She hand-embroiders old lampshades with delicate little birds while also re-designing big chunky armchairs (complete with hand-knitted cover of course!). 

Nuala tells me that for her final project in her undergraduate, she actually re-cycled old tea towels to create Victorian boots. It didn't take off back then though, the up-cycled art. It didn't stick. "Maybe it was just too early", she muses. Thankfully it seems to be working now!

Nuala has been selling her products at a number of markets and festivals around Belfast. For the Maritime festival for instance, she created the cute nautically-themed buttons below. She's currently selling at the Black Box Bazaar. "I love selling at Markets. It's always a great buzz. They are a lot of time and effort though," she concedes. She couldn't manage one a week, she thinks. Also this would mean she would have to buy all the fabric and materials, which would kind of defeat the purpose of her re-cycled art. 

Working free-lance is not always easy. With the freedom of it also comes a great deal of insecurity. It's very organic, Nuala explains. There are bursts when she is drowning in work and then nothing happens for a few weeks. How does she deal with it? She laughs: "By being very good at time management and at 'not freaking-out'. I have a great support network. A lot of my friends are also free-lancers and that really helps." Networks are important not just for an occasional moral boost, but for artistic inspiration and learning. 

"I have learnt and benefited from other people so much. Fellow artisans and craftspeople have been a huge inspiration to me."

Nuala is part of Belfast Stich and Bitch, a local knitting circle (in case you're interested: they meet every Wednesday in the Starbucks behind Victoria Sq from 4.30ish!). She is also one of the volunteers helping with the Imagined Through Textiles Project. A partnership between ArtsEkta and Arts for All, this community textile project will create a number of tapestries based on the history of the ports and docks of Belfast, which will then be displayed in venues throughout the city. I can't wait to see the results!

When I ask Nuala why she is putting up with all the hassle and all the frustration of being a free-lance artist, she smiles and says:

"I'm a creator. I've always made things - it's who I am. If I no longer used my hands to make something, I would be miserable."

I guess craft just stole her heart...

Nuala Maguire also sells her creations online on her facebook page and - you'd be glad to know - she does bespoke orders too! So head on over and give her a big like!

Charity Shop It

Charity shops are a great way to shop sustainably and have been a huge help to me in my year, but I never quite knew how they work. So to find out, I spent a Saturday volunteering at one.

The shop I chose is an Oxfam shop located on Botanic Avenue, Belfast. Close to Queens University, this is a lively neighbourhood full of students. 

This is Tra, the Manager of the store, who was kind enough to show me the ropes and answer my many questions. When I arrive, Tra is running around, just a tad stressed out, trying to run the shop on her own. Her two volunteers hadn’t shown up and on top of that, the checkout system isn’t working and she had to dig out the old till. It’s not that uncommon for volunteers not to show up. Tra just shrugs her shoulders and smiles. That’s the nature of running a shop with volunteers, she says. The only persons paid for working in an Oxfam shop are the store manager and the assistant manager (if there is one). On top of that there are overheads to be paid and volunteers get their travel covered as well as lunch, if they do a full eight hour shift, but the rest of the proceeds go straight to Oxfam’s many charitable endeavours.

Me happily at work, on the right: a shot of the great jewellery selection available at Oxfam Botanic

On the up-side, it means I get put straight to work. Tra has me sorting through a bag of new end-of-line clothes that has come in from C&A, a German clothes brand, in no time. C&A are one of the brands who send their unsold stuff to Britain, because they have no stores here. This way, they’re not making the charity shops their competition. I place the clothes on suitable hangers and price them. 

Piles of work to be done

Tra is looking through a bag of stuff that has come in earlier in the week. As the manager, she is in charge of sorting out the clothes. The bags arrive from collection points, are handed in by people and Oxfam Botanic also gets donations from a vintage reseller. Backstage, the work literally piles up. Tra pulls out battered brown leather shoes and discards them immediately. The same fate awaits a stained and torn suit jacket, some old curtains and a stretched out knitted jumper. She pauses over flowery pillow covers and eventually decides to keep them. A top shop top, a pair of new looking jeans and a vintage dress instantly pass the test.  It’s like in any shop, Tra explains, you have to think of what will work in your location and know your customers. She tries to focus on studenty stuff and the vintage sells extremely well. Her vintage selection is impressive and the prices are amazing. Tra tries her best to keep the selection of clothes on the rails fresh. Having new stuff on display every day draws repeat customers. If something hasn’t sold after two weeks it is discarded and put in the recycling.

snapshot of the lovely vintage collection at Oxfam Botanic

As I’m sorting through my bag, Tra gets me to write a short description off the item on the label as well. When I ask why, she tells me that they have a problem with people trying to switch tags to get things cheaper. She also admits that theft is an issue. Considering that most things in the shop cost a fiver or less and that the money goes to charity, this leaves me feeling rather sad and disappointed with humanity. People, please don’t steal from charity shops... okay?

I got my concentration face on! Steaming clothes is hard work :)

Working away, I watch Tra greet familiar faces, banter with customers and help out some tourists looking for directions. She has a particularly long chat with one lady who seems to visit the shop regularly. In many ways a charity shop is like any other clothes store; there’s the ‘business’ side of things with sales targets, ‘branding’, customer service and presentation, of course all within the limitations of not being able to ‘design’ your stock. In some important ways, however, they’re very different. It’s not just that they’re for charity. During my few hours working at Oxfam, I realise that they’re a place of community for people, especially the disaffected, people on the fringes of society. Of course charity shops, with their low prices, are also here to help out the disadvantaged in our society. I think there’s more to it though. Maybe the local character as well as the bustling, chaotic imperfectness of charity shops makes people, who feel out of place in brightly lit, perfectly clean and stylishly designed retail emporiums, feel at home and accepted.

I really enjoyed my time working at Oxfam Botanic. Volunteering at a charity shop is a great way to support a worthy cause, up your skills and meet some fun people and it won't hurt your CV either. You can find out more about volunteering at Oxfam here. Oxfam Botanic even has a facebook page, so give them a like!

Vintage Home Pop Up

It was a dreary and rainy weekend so what better to do than attend the cozy Kitchen Sink Saturday, a vintage home pop up sale organized by Uncle Shelby Vintage and interior design & marketing company Project Two. A home pop up is pretty much what it says on the tin. For a day or afternoon, you turn your house into a boutique/ jewellers/ haberdashers/ food market, but unlike being the highstreet; you get to make up all the rules!
So I headed on over to 6 Bladon Court in Stranmillis and standing in front of the door, I have to say, I did feel a little nervous. Walking into a complete stranger's house is weirdly exciting and unnerving at the same time. But the lovely hostesses and the relaxed atmosphere soon made me feel at ease.

Caitlin, the face behind Uncle Shelby Vintage, is currently trying to set up her own business selling vintage clothes. During the day, Caitlin works in PR, but at night she turns into a vintage-maniac, spending her hours doing anything and everything to make her dream happen. As with every emerging business, money is tight. A home pop up is a great and cheap way for Caitlin to display her collection, get to know her customers and give them the chance to see and try on her stock. Caitlin hand-picks all the vintage clothes she sells, assuring high quality, and sources them from all over the world. It was so much fun browsing through her beautiful selection in this unique environment.

My favourite of the bunch had to be this gorgeous 70's print dress. I love the lace overlay at the top! It would make the perfect outfit for any garden party or summer wedding.

For the event, Caitlin teamed up with Catherine and Patricia, the creative goddesses behind Project Two. Once again I was reminded of how much power there is in collaborating with people. Project Two contributed toward the design of the event and sold some interior goodies, such as plush cushions, carpets and luxury curtains, and the combination worked really well.

Taking place in Patricia's gorgeous house (I left with a serious case of house-jealousy), the atmosphere was great. There was music, welcome drinks and tasty snacks. The fun thing about a home pop up is that you can really make it your own and treat your customers to a novelty shopping experience.

So if you are thinking about setting up a shop of your own, why not try a home pop up first? It may be a great way for you to dip your toe in the water!

If you missed the event, don't worry, Uncle Shelby Vintage is now also available online and you can follow Caitlin on facebook on twitter to stay tuned for the next home pop up!

Artists in Focus: Meet the Dollybirds

Welcome to the first post of Artists in Focus, my brand new blog series. Artists in Focus introduces local artists and designers who work sustainability into their art and showcases their environmentally-friendly creations. Creating sustainable work often involves a great deal of creativity and you may be surprised by how much of it happens right outside your doorstep!

For my first post I had the pleasure of talking to Eimear Maguire, the artist behind the Dollybirds. I met Eimear for a coffee in the bustling Avoca in Belfast's city centre, where a selection of her work is available for sale. When we finally manage to get our cappuccinos and grab a seat, Eimear plunges straight into telling me about the Dollybirds and her inspiration for her work. There is no question as to how much she loves and enjoys her work. It also shows in her creations; Eimear's delicate portraits of native birds perching on branches in front of pastel backgrounds are beautiful to behold.

Having grown-up in a family of artists, drawing, sketching and painting has been part of her life for as long as Eimear can remember. Together with her father and sister, she used to own a gallery space in North Belfast. The inspiration for her work Eimear finds right in her back garden and on her long walks up Cavehill with her dog. "We don't appreciate the wealth of the nature right around us," she says, shaking her head.


So what's sustainable about the Dollybirds? There are a few things actually...

All about the Frames

Rather than framing her originals and prints in new frames, Eimear recycles old, discarded and vintage ones. She sources them from anywhere she can think of; salvage yards, second-hand shops, flea markets, friends and acquaintances. She fixes them up and works on them until they match her Dollybirds. To paint them she uses toxic-free, eco-friendly chalk paint from Annie-Sloan. Having worked with modern frames at the beginning, Eimear finds that she prefers the old frames. "They give character to the birds. They tell a story."

A House for every Bird
To give her birds a home, Eimear has also started to create beautiful bird-houses. She fashions them from reclaimed wood and old floorboards and using the same chalk paint employs a sanding technique to achieve a vintage look. With the native bird population in decline, bird-houses are actually a way to contribute to our birds' survival by providing them with a safe place to nest.
Working with organisations such as Headway and Engage with Age, Eimear also uses the bird-houses in community art workshops she runs with senior citizens and people who have suffered head injuries.

Left and Top: the beautiful Dollybirds display at Avoca, Belfast. 

When I ask what Eimear finds most challenging about her work, she sighs and exclaims: "Time!" Eimear, who trained as a secondary school art teacher, still teaches one day a week. With two young children to look after and the community projects her schedule is full to the brim. She paints when her children are at school and often late into the night. Trying to build a business is not easy even if you have all the time in the world, so Eimear had to be realistic in what she could achieve. "I had to do something that's accessible, something I could do from home."

Despite all the challenges, the Dollybirds have been a huge success. Having only started painting them last year, Dollybird prints and bird-houses are already available in Avoca, as well as in the lovely interior design shop Dandelion Lane in Portadown, the cute Olivia Boutique in Donegal and in My Shop Granny Likes It in Galway. A show of Eimear's work at the John Hewitt has recently finished and when talking to me, Eimear had just sent 17 original Dollybirds to an exhibition in Oxford. But the artist's head is still bursting with ideas and she's currently thinking about branching out  and collaborating with her sister to make aprons and other vintagy household goods. 'Hats off' to Eimear and her Dollybirds is all I can say and I can't wait to see whatever else she creates.

I hope you enjoyed the first Artists in Focus. You can ogle more cute birds on Eimear's website and stay up to date by following her on twitter.

If you're a local artist that creates sustainable work and would like to be featured in Artists in Focus, get in touch here.

Something Old, Something New...

Image from the vintage  singer

It's officially wedding season! the first flowers are blooming and so are the wedding fairs. They're popping up everywhere, trying to lure brides-to-be in and sell them lots of "essential" products for their weddings. But why always buy everything new when it has been done so many times before and with so much style?! Why not try a Vintage wedding? It's beautiful, it's in and it's much more sustainable.
Last week, I went along to the Frock Around the Clock  Bridal Vintage Fair in the beautiful surroundings of Malone House to give you a taste of some of the gorgeous vintage and local design products out there. Believe me, I wanted to get married all over again!

Decadence Vintage  make sure their Frock Around the Clock Vintage Fairs are a real experience. Usually set in gorgeous venues, they not only showcase vintage but recycled and local design wares as well, while retro entertainment and music create a glamorous shopping atmosphere.

"Exhibitors at Decadence events are either vintage dealers who source unique items from across the globe, or local creative designers who produce beautiful handcrafted fashion and jewellery pieces from recycled textiles. Therefore buyers can be confident that they are supporting eco-friendly and local small businesses..."
Becky from Decadence Vintage

Let's start out with the best bit, shall we? Dresses!

1930's silk wedding dress from Archive 12 

Archive 12 sells the most stunning original vintage dresses. Hand-picked by fashion stylist Claire Leese, the dresses span decades from the 1920's to the 1970's. Each dress is restored by Claire herself and brought to a bespoke finish. I fell in love with this cute 1960's dress, what a stylish bride this must have been!

1960's cream lace button front dress by Archive 12

Now that we have the vintage dress of our dreams, we can think about Accessories. One thing I love about attending weddings in Ireland is the hair accessories. Be it a veil for the bride, a hat for the mother-in-law, a fascinator for the bridesmaid or a simple hairband for the girlfriend: everyone gets to wear something in their hair. And hair pieces at Irish weddings come in all the colours of the rainbow with sparkles, feathers and lots of glitter!

If you're looking for a real eye-catcher, a true one-off design, have a look at the beautiful creations of Irish milliner Marie Claire Ferguson.

Left: Marie's stall at the fair. Right: Some of the beautiful headpieces from: Marie Claire Ferguson

Delicate, airy and gravity-defying, Marie hand-makes each of her pieces and tailors it completely to your wishes. Working with her and benefiting from her expert advice, you will end up with a stunning, bespoke design that matches your outfit perfectly.

As a bride you may want to go a bit more traditional with a beautiful vintage-style veil or beaded headband. My friend, the lovely Niamh, and I fell in love with this intricately hand-beaded headband by English designer Donna Crain. Niamh, who is getting married in October, was kind enough to model the piece for the blog. I think it looks amazing on her dark hair.

Left: Niamh wearing headband by Donna Crain, Right: Vintage Veils by Visionary veils

Donna Crain's pieces are hand-beaded so you have to allow up to four weeks for delivery... I think we can understand why! In Ireland her pieces are sold by Visionary Veils. Rebekah McCann-Williams, owner and designer of Visionary Veils, has created a special range of simple veils that go with the Donna Crain hairbands. Visionary Veil is the only bespoke wedding veil designer in Ireland. Rebekah hand-makes all of the veils in her collection. Her vintage range is inspired by iconic shapes and styles of the past. Have a closer look at her gorgeous designs here.

Apart from what you could put in your hair, let's have a look at what you could hold in your hands. A flower bouquet is usually the way to go... but they are not the most durable (Mine fell apart while walking out of the church!). So if you're looking for something a bit more sturdy and quirky, but still delicate and girly, these brooch bouquets by Innocent Chaos might be the thing for you.

Brooch bouquets by Innocent Chaos

Hand-crafted from various trinkets and ornaments, such as vintage and modern brooches, pins, buttons, and earrings, each bouquet has a story to tell. I love that they look as if taken straight out of a fairy-tale  Textile artist Sharon Hay, the face behind Innocent Chaos, will also create bespoke pieces according to your wishes.

Last but not least: Rings. Due to their value, vintage wedding rings are probably the most common vintage "wedding item". I don't need to convince you of their beauty. I thought I'd just show you one of my favourites. This is my friend Emma's sparkler. It's almost a hundred years old, dating from around 1915. Emma is getting married this summer... sure with a ring like that, how could you have said no?

Did you wear anything vintage or second-hand at your wedding? 
Do you know of any great vintage wedding places? 

Make Do and Mend: How to revamp your old clothes

Original cover of the "Make do and Mend" 

booklet first published in 1943 by His 

Majesty's stationery office

This week on the blog we are trying our hand at some DIY clothes altering! If you're like me, then you have lots of clothes clogging up your wardrobe that never see the light of day... but rather than throw them away the next time you clean our your wardrobe or move house, why not turn them into something useful and wearable? It's all part of a more sustainable way of living, and it also saves money! So for this blog I was inspired by the old war time slogan to Make do and Mend.
I didn't quite do it on my own though, I have to admit. Luckily, the lovely Emma from Recycle Boutique NI was hosting a pop up shop and DIY fashion workshop in Cafe Wah in Belfast. So apart from getting expert advice, I was also fueled with excellent and incredibly cheap coffee!
Recycle Boutique Northern Ireland is a great initiative that helps to reduce waist by re-selling and re-cycling your old clothes. Emma will take on your once-loved garments and sell them on at her pop up shop events or recycle them into something new and exciting. And here's the best bit: 50% of the profits from your clothes go directly into your pocket!

Here's the dress I decided to upcycle. I bought this dress a few years ago in Dunnes, but I very rarely wore it. It was just too much powder pink all at once. So I decided to turn it into a skirt.

What I used:

All I needed for this revamp was:

- elastic band

- white thread & needle

- pins

- scissors

- use of a sowing machine

- cream elastic lace

What I did:

I simply cut off the top half of the dress above the waist line, making sure to leave enough room for a hem. I then measured and cut off a strap of elastic band to be fit inside the new top hem and pinned it in place. Next I sowed on the elastic band (not having the hem folded over yet). Big thanks to Emma for letting me use her sewing machine! Unfortunately my sewing skills proved a little rusty and the stitching turned out rather wonky... I then pulled the rest of the fabric over the elastic, pinned it and stitched it to form the hem. 

To cover up the wonky stitching on the hem I got some elastic cream lace and hand stitched it over the hem. And voila: one dress turned into a skirt with elastic waistband, that I can now combine with a variety of different tops and colours! Like this white blouse for instance:

To link in with creativity month Recycle Boutique NI are hosting some more free DIY fashion workshop throughout March. Check their facebook or follow them on twitter to find out more.

But let's not stop there. Here are some more great recycle and DIY fashion tips...

Don't know what to do with that pair of white pants you never wear? My beautiful and very creative friend Emily decided to give hers some funk by printing diamond shaped polka dots on them. Go over to Emily's Blog From China Village to find out how she did it!

Emily wearing her funky polka dot pants

Got a bunch of old T-shirts lying around? Head over to Brit + Co to learn how to turn them into these awesome tote bags:

And if you really just have unusable clothes and scraps of fabric left over, why not try and make them into a cute heart shape garland? It's dead easy, check out this article to find out everything you need to know.

DIY garland by Kirstie Allsopp

Do you feel inspired? I certainly do! I had a great time at the recycle workshop... Although I doubt that mending and making do was as much fun during World War II as it is today... in case you're interested, you can find some fascinating memories of what it was like on BBC's website.

Old Made New at ReFound Belfast

This week we step inside the curious universe of ReFound Belfast, a world filled with the long-forgotten remnants of lives past. Here the worn-out, the replaced, the once much loved but now neglected pieces of our lives find a new home and gain new life. At ReFound the discarded is precious and the out-dated holds potential. Daily, ugly furniture ducklings are turned into beautiful swans of interior design. And this is what it looks like, tadaaah:

#187 by artist Christine Trueman

It all started when Jill O'Neill, founder and driving force behind ReFound, returned to Belfast in 2007. Having lived and worked in places as diverse and exciting as Glasgow, New York and San Francisco, O'Neill had become fascinated by the "art of living" that she experienced abroad, the scavenging for unique pieces, the designing of your home to create something unique. Returned to Northern Ireland, O'Neill wanted to employ the same ethos of moving in and starting afresh to her new home here, but was at a loss as to where to look for the pieces. And so the idea of ReFound slowly took shape. 

Attracted by the journey of ordinary objects, I was inspired to create a space where these objects gained new life as part of the next stage of their journey. 

Jill O'Neill 

Left: Dresser by Lulabelle's House. Right: Table & Stool by Anushiya Sunda

ReFound works with local artists and designers recycling used furniture to create chic, one-of-a-kind pieces pieces which are then sold on the ReFound website, as well as in the ReFound House, their permanent retail venue in Belfast. With considerable experience in publishing and marketing, O'Neill takes care of the business side of things, while the artists are free to create - it's win-win. Although, O'Neill confesses that it can be hard to get the business-art balance right. There's always the question: how commercial should you be? "But then again" she muses, "it's about providing alternative avenues for the artists to make money." Something that is crucial in the current economic climate, when not many people are investing in art.

Above: table by Anastasija Andrejeva. Below: Telephone Table by Katie Brown Textiles

The permanent home of ReFound, the ReFound House, however, is much more than just a shop. It's a hub for 'sustainable creativity' and doubles as a studio, exhibition space and venue. Apart from furniture you'll also get beautiful home accessories at ReFound, such as these crafty birds by Hey! Homewrecker... 

Or this cute plate-art by refound designer Rachel Dickson.

For 2013 ReFound has many exciting plans, such a working to achieve a more cohesive look via a smaller artist collective and increasing the access to their space by hosting a number of creative events and collaborations. So lots of exciting stuff to look out for! ReFound also want to move further into the territory of online sales, which is great news for everyone living abroad! Lastly, ReFound will focus on the 'Repurposing' of objects as well as simply restyling them. This means that at ReFound you will soon be able to buy shelves made out of chairs, tables made out of wardrobes and benches made out of toilet seats (okay, maybe not that one).

Top Left: Tabletop animals by DavidCreative, bottom left: variety of cushionss by Larissa Watson, Goddess & Swift, Cassie Blinkey Olive Art & TeddyBaby. On the right: the Refound Suitcase shelf

The ReFound building is open every Thursday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5.30pm, but you can go look at their gorgeous furniture online on their website 24/7.

Alright, shall we look at another Before-After? Okay? Okay!

#197 by Mandie Lowry