bloomzy /

Tatty Devine Neon Elephant Necklace Workshop

The necklace we would create, in our own design

Working hard: After choosing our colour scheme and decorating with crystals we put it together ourselves
My final piece: Neon ombre with gold crystal eyed elephants

When I heard Tatty Devine were holding a workshop involving neon and elephants I was excited!
I love elephants, they’re such loyal, beautiful creatures and of course I’m addicted to neon right now.
Unfortunately though I found out too late to grab tickets, as they had all already sold out.

“So how did you go then?” I hear you all ask.
Well, that is all down to the lovely Charlotte from Tatty Devine.
She had seen my dismay publicly displayed on Twitter and saved me a ticket.
I feel sad that someone pulled out of the workshop, but I was very happy to be able to attend.
It was all very last minute, as in I didn’t know I would be going until the evening before.
Still, I jumped at the chance to go and said yes, of course!
The workshop was as fun as always, and the staff as welcoming.
The lovely assistants were there to make sure everyone got on ok, and didn’t poke an eye out.
Thankfully all eyes remained intact and we all learnt how to put together a necklace, a la Tatty Devine.
For my necklace I went for an ombre neon colour scheme, to compliment my teeny tiny elephants.
After the workshop ended we all spent our 10% off (complimentary when you attend a workshop).
I enjoyed walking around the store after everyone had left and chatting with the lovely ladies.
I even love the new collection so much that I had to take some photos for another post.
Keep an eye out on Tatty Devine’s event page for future workshops.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Burgers, Bleach & Bling

Follow me on Instagram: bloomzy
The last couple of weeks before my holiday have been busy, busy, busy.
I’ve been working a lot and enjoying my internship at Finchittida Finch.
Of course I’ve also managed to pack in a few fun things.
I’ve been meeting old friends and treating them to the delights of London.
I made a stop to Bleach, to be a hair model, where I had the red in my hair re-done brighter.
Tatty Devine held a workshop and I tagged along, and I made a neon ombre elephant necklace.
The odd bottle of wine, hot chocolate and burger helped to keep me going.
I finally received my Tatty Devine name necklace, which I’m utterly in love with.
I also attended the Benefit Fake Up event in Spitalfields, and met some lovely fellow bloggers.
After trying to cut back on spending I caved and bought a cute iridescent phone clutch from Primark.
I got to enjoy cuddles from a cute sausage dog at my internship this week; distracting but adorable.
At the end of the week I was sent some Manuka Doctor goodies, which I can’t wait to try out!
Finally, I’m off on holiday!
I’ll be skiing it up in Chamonix, France until next weekend.
Have a lovely Easter everyone!
bloomzy /

My Tatty Devine Name Necklace

Two weeks ago I finally took the plunge and ordered a name necklace from Tatty Devine.

Partly because I had a lil extra suttin’ suttin’ in my bank account, and because I’d finally decided on a name/word.
Of course you don’t have to have your name on the necklace, and as you can see I didn’t.
Well, kind of…
When I ordered it I was expecting a lot of people to say “Err why does it say Bloomzy?”
But actually my friends & family agreed with me that it was a nice idea to get my alter-ego (pfft yeah right, I’m not exciting enough to have an alter-ego) etched out for my shiny necklace. I wanted to celebrate my blog – it’s a big part of my life, which has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people, and has taken me on a number of very amazing adventures – so it only seemed natural. Well that, and ‘Emma’ just seemed a little bit boring to me.
I guess it will also work as a handy name tag at future events.

I had mine made from the new ‘Shimmer’ iridescent option.
It’s a special Spring addition to the colour chart, which was added a few weeks ago.
It looks like a clear plastic, but it’s a whole lot more than that because it acts like a prism.
I absolutely adore the way it changes colour according to the light and it’s backdrop.
The whole process was simple and easy, well, once I’d finally decided the colour, font, charm etc.
It does take about 2 weeks if you order online or at the Brick Lane store, however if you head to their Selfridges concession you can get it done within the hour! How amazing is that?! It’s perfect if you’re in a rush or need one for a present asap.

Fancy seeing what your name would look like on a Tatty Devine necklace?
Have a go at designing your own on their interactive page here.

ETA: My photos/name necklace were featured in the Tatty Devine newsletter!

bloomzy /

Celebrating Women: My Idol, Frida Kahlo

This may be a tad late, but in celebration of International Women’s Day I wanted to do a special post.
Of course IWD was all about celebrating women, so I decided that I wanted to celebrate one woman in particular.
A lot of you may already know this as I often tweet/tumblr about it, but my idol is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican painter who is well known worldwide for her self-portraits.
Described as surrealist, her work heavily features artefacts of her personal struggles, life in Mexico & Mexican culture.
Frida had a troubled life as she suffered from several health problems, most of which stem from a bus accident she was in as a teenager. She later went on to marry Diego Rivera, a man whom she loved deeply, but unfortunately their marriage was not stable. Diego and the affairs that occurred between the two of them are also heavily featured in her art. 
To me, Frida and her work are exceptionally beautiful.
Her paintings show the physical and psychological wounds she suffered from.
Not only that but they represent how proud she was to be a Mexican woman living through the revolution.
Even though her art is bright, bold and wonderful that isn’t the only reason she has become my idol.
She suffered greatly through her life; miscarriages, health issues, marital difficulties and yet she still remained a strong woman. She provoked what was mainstream and often discussed taboo subjects. Even though her art didn’t truly become popular until the 1980s, she was a representative of Mexico and feminists worldwide. I respect her for the decisions she made during her life, and the way she handled love and lose. 
For me, Frida is a role model; someone to admire and learn from.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Frida Kahlo I would recommend the movie ‘Frida‘.
Or the biography, which the film is based on: Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo.
Did you celebrate International Women’s Day?
Who is your idol?
Source; 1, 2, 3, 4
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Neon, Nails… & Cake

Last week I caught the nasty stomach bug that’s been going around.
So when the weekend came I was pretty excited to go out and enjoy myself.
I didn’t go too crazy as I was still feeling a bit gross, but I did indulge a little bit.
I stopped by both Fika and Kahaila, two amazing foodie gems right on Brick Lane.
I also popped up to Tatty Devine to order my first name necklace.
I can’t wait for it to be finished so I can show you all!
As for loves right now, I’ve hopped on the neon bandwagon.
It’s bright, it makes me happy, and I’ve covered myself in it.
I’ve even added a few neon pieces to my home decor.
I also did a bit of nail art last week, which I’ll be posting tutorials for soon.
Unfortunately that lead to me organising my nail polish collection, something I’ve needed to do for a while. 
It meant saying goodbye to old polishes, but also welcoming new ones that had started popping up on my dresser.
The polishes have been reproducing by themselves, honest.
You can follow me on Instagram @bloomzy
bloomzy /

Event: Tie-Dye Workshop @ Boxpark

Tie-dye workshop at Boxpark, held by Monkee Genes, sponsored by Rekorderlig 

Last weekend myself and a friend were invited to a tie-dye workshop sponsored by Rekorderlig.
You all know I’m a big fan of the fruit cider, so I was excited to hear about them sponsoring an ethical clothing brand called Monkee Genes. I knew a little about the brand as their jeans are sold in Topshop, but I was very interested to hear more about a brand that made organic clothing (yes, that is a thing) and cared about the people that make their items.
Tie-dye is popping up all over the place again this season, so of course I wanted to tie-dye some creations of my own. 

My tie-dye creations – a pair of Monkee Genes, and a pair of socks*

The event was in association with an amazing group called Neon Stash.
Our lovely tutor for the afternoon was so energetic and chatty that she really made the event!
Everyone was given a t-shirt to tie-dye, and I was also given some jeans (by Monkee Genes) and some socks.
I was ready to tie-dye! I wanted to go for something subtle that I knew would fit my personal style easily.
I choose pink and purple for my jeans – I used the ye’old crumple tie-dye effect – and dip-dyed some socks yellow.
I didn’t want to post a full-on photo of the jeans as I want to reveal them in an OOTD post.
That is, as soon as I get them altered, as they’re about a foot longer than my legs right now.
I had a brilliant time and so did my friend.
I’d like to thank everyone at Monkee Genes, Neon Stash and Rekorderlig!
You brought me back to the days of my childhood when tie-dye ran supreme.

What do you all think of my tie-dye creations?
bloomzy /

Review: New Style Boutique for Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS XL & New Style Boutique Game*
I know it’s not my usual kind of post, but I love playing games almost as much as I love beauty/fashion.
My usual kind of game play involves Resident Evil, GTA or games of the like, not usually fashion related ones.
So when I was contacted and sent a Nintendo 3DS XL and the New Style Boutique game about a month ago, I was very excited to try out a game aimed more at the interests I chat about on here.
What is New Style Boutique?
You start the game as an assistant at a boutique in your town.
Gradually you work your way up as a stylist and eventually the owner of your own boutique.
Working in the boutique means that you get to style your customers, from head to toe – men & women!
There are over 12,000 items of clothing and accessories to choose from, including handbags etc.
You also get the chance to enter stylist competitions and have your look go down the catwalk.
Exciting extras include; a hair salon where you can change your hair style & colour, a beauty salon where you can buy make-up for your character, the ability to decorate your apartment and of course, shopping for clothing for your boutique!
What did I think?
As I said before I don’t play fashion related games so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Style Boutique.
In fact I really really enjoyed playing the game and with so much going on I wasn’t bored at all, and I actually ended up playing the game on my morning/evening commutes to work, as well as during my lunch breaks. There wasn’t much I disliked about the game, apart from maybe the overused dialogue – but I wasn’t expecting Shakespeare, so I can’t complain. My favourite attributes of the game were entering the style competitions and shopping for clothing, for my boutique. If you’re not a fan of gaming but love fashion then maybe this is the perfect starter for you! It’s not an overly complicated game, but it’s in-depth enough that you’ll enjoy the game play. And if you’re like me, a gamer who usually stays away from this genre? I think that if you love fashion then you will love this game.